CPT Session 6 - GMFA

CPT
SESSION 6
VOLUME
© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

WEIGHT TRAINING VOLUME
In weight training, volume refers to the amount of work being done.

The “work” will of course come in the form of the exercises you do and how many
sets and reps you do for each.

That means volume can be measured in a lot of different ways, the most important
of which are:
•  How much volume is being done per muscle group/body part both per workout
AND per week.
•  How much volume is being done per exercise.
•  How much total volume is being done per workout.
•  How much total volume is being done per week.
The reason this informaKon is so important is because volume is one of the key
factors influencing the effecKveness of your workout rouKne.
What I mean is…

If you do too much volume, you run the risk of hindering (or completely destroying)
your body’s ability to repair and recover at an ideal rate. And if the repair/recovery
process isn’t happening at the ideal rate, the results you want probably won’t be
happening at all.

If you do too li>le volume, you run the risk of not providing enough of the training
sKmulus required to signal your body to actually make the changes/improvements
you want it to make.

As you can clearly see, the goal here is to find the amount of volume that is high
enough to provide the training sKmulus needed to get the results you want, yet low
enough to avoid negaKvely affecKng your ability to recover.
For the best results possible, we need that op@mal middle ground.

How Much Volume Is Best For Me?

Now, when trying to figure out how much volume is best for you, some people think
“just tell me how many exercises I should do per muscle group/workout/week…
there’s your workout volume.

Exercises Don’t Accurately Measure Volume
For example, let’s say I just said the best volume is 3 exercises per muscle group,
and three different people take my advice.

•  Person A might do 2 sets for each exercise, for a total of 6 sets altogether.
•  Person B might do 3 sets for each exercise, for a total of 9 sets altogether.
•  Person C might do 4 sets for each exercise, for a total of 12 sets altogether.

So right there you have three clear examples of how doing the same number of
exercises per muscle group can sKll lead to very different amounts of volume being
done.

Sets Don’t Accurately Measure Volume, Either
Using 6 sets as the example, you could do 3 exercises for 2 sets each, 2 exercises for
3 sets each, 1 exercise for 4 sets and 1 exercise for 2 sets, and so on and so on.

For example, I said the 5-‐12 rep range is best for people looking to build muscle/get
toned/look good, which is probably most of the people already know.
.
Using the 6-‐sets-‐per-‐muscle example:
•  Person A might do 6 sets of 6 reps for a total of 36 reps per muscle group, per
workout.
•  Person B might do 6 sets of 10 reps for a total of 60 reps per muscle group, per
workout.

As you can see, that’s sKll a preay significant difference even with the same ideal
rep range (5-‐12) being used.
For this reason, measuring or prescribing volume in terms sets is sKll not the best
idea

Reps Are The Most Accurate Measurement Of Volume
If you recommend a certain amount of reps to do per muscle group or per
workout or per week, it can be divided up into 1000 different combinaKons
of exercises and sets.

But, in the end… the number of reps being done always remains the same.

For this reason, the best way to measure and prescribe weight training
volume is by the total amount of reps being done per muscle group, per
workout, and per week.

The Op@mal Volume Per Muscle Group, Body
Part, Workout & Week.

If you want to get the best results possible, your goal is to use an opKmal
amount of volume for each body part and muscle group per workout and
per week total.

The thing is, there is no exact amount of weight training volume that is
absolutely perfect for everyone.

Due to individual differences like specific goals, training experience,
geneKcs, volume tolerance, work capacity, recovery capabiliKes, and more,
it’s impossible to make one recommendaKon that suits everyone.

The Op@mal Volume Range

In the most simple and basic of terms, the opKmal volume range for most
people is:
•  For each bigger muscle group: about 60-‐120 total reps PER WEEK.
•  For each smaller muscle group: about 30-‐60 total reps PER WEEK.

In more specific terms, this breaks down like this:
•  Chest: 60-‐120 reps per week.
•  Back: 60-‐120 reps per week.
•  Quadriceps: 60-‐120 reps per week.
•  Hamstrings: 60-‐120 reps per week.
•  Shoulders: 30-‐60 reps per week.
•  Biceps: 30-‐60 reps per week.
•  Triceps: 30-‐60 reps per week.
•  Calves: 30-‐60 reps per week.
•  Abs: 30-‐60 reps per week.
And there it is… my recommendaKons for the opKmal volume range.
Why is it “per week” instead of “per workout?”

Basically, this is the opKmal total weekly amount of volume you should use
for each muscle group and body part.

In order to break it down in terms of what you need to do each workout,
you must apply this opKmal volume range to your chosen weight training
frequency.

Meaning, the exact amount of sets and reps you should do each workout
depends on whether you will be training each muscle group/body part
once, twice or 3 Kmes per week.

Training each muscle group once per week.

If you are training each muscle group/body part once-‐per-‐week, you would
do:

•  60-‐120 reps for each big muscle group per workout, with just 1 workout
for each muscle group per week
•  30-‐60 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with just 1
workout for each muscle group per week.

With a workout schedule that only trains each muscle group once per
week, you would need to get that en@re weekly volume range in during
your 1 weekly workout for each muscle group.

Training each muscle group twice per week.

If you are training each muscle group/body part (about) twice-‐per-‐week,
you would do:

•  30-‐60 reps for each big muscle group per workout, with about 2
workouts for each muscle group per week.
•  15-‐30 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with about 2
workouts for each muscle group per week.
With a workout schedule that trains each muscle group about twice per
week, you would need to divide that weekly volume range by about 2 and
split it up evenly over your 2 (or so) weekly workouts for each muscle
group.

Training each muscle group 3 @mes per week.

If you are training each muscle group three-‐Kmes-‐per-‐week, you would do:

•  20-‐40 reps for each big muscle group per workout, with 3 workouts for
each muscle group per week.
•  10-‐20 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with 3 workouts
for each muscle group per week.

With a workout schedule that trains each muscle group three @mes per
week, you would need to divide that weekly volume range by 3 and split it
up evenly over your 3 weekly workouts for each muscle group.

Should You Use The Low, Middle Or High End Of The Volume Range?

In general and in most cases, this is how it breaks down…
•  If you are a beginner with ANY goal (building muscle, increasing strength,
losing fat, etc.), then you will do best staying in the lowest end of the
volume range.
•  If you are an intermediate or advanced trainee with the primary goal of
building muscle (or anything “looks” related), you should most oben sKck
to the middle-‐higher end of the volume range. If you happen to have below
average geneKcs and/or a below average ability to recover, then you’d be
best served to stay in the lower end of opKmal volume range.
•  If you are an intermediate or advanced trainee with the primary goal of
increasing strength, you should most oben sKck to low-‐middle end of the
volume range.
•  If you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee with the primary
goal of losing fat and maintaining muscle (and possibly building some)
while you lose that fat, then you would do best sKcking to the lower end of
the volume range.

How Many Sets And Reps Should I Do Per Exercise?

Below are the most commonly used and prescribed combinaKons of sets and reps
you could do per exercise along with the total amount of volume each one
produces.
Also included is the level of intensity each rep range falls into as well as what fitness
goal that combinaKon of sets/reps/volume is most ideal for.

8 sets x 3 reps = 24 reps
High intensity.
Most ideal for strength related goals.

High intensity.

High intensity.

High to moderate intensity.
Most ideal for strength goals, but also suited for building muscle.

High to moderate intensity.
Equally ideal for increasing strength and building muscle.

Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for increasing strength.

Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for increasing strength.

Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for muscular endurance.
Moderate to low intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance.

Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance.

Equally ideal for building muscle and improving muscle endurance.

Low intensity. Most ideal for muscle endurance, but also suited for building
muscle.

Low intensity. Most ideal for muscle endurance.
A Prac@cal Example
Let’s take an example person named David.
Let’s pretend David is an intermediate or advanced trainee whose primary
goal is building muscle.
Based on David’s experience level and goal, they previously learned:
•  Their ideal frequency is to train each muscle group about twice per
week.
•  Their ideal rep range is 5-‐12 reps per set.
•  Their ideal volume is30-‐60 reps per big muscle group per workout (half
that for smaller muscle groups), with about 2 workouts per week for
each muscle group (since that’s their opKmal frequency

Now, based on this, a chest workout for PersonA could potenKally break
down like this:
•  Bench Press: 4 sets of 6 reps (24 total reps)
•  Dumbbell Flyes: 2 sets of 12 reps (24 total reps)
•  Total Volume Done For Chest During This Workout: 48 reps

ASSIGNMENT 3
•  Robin is a strong guys who does strength training. What is the OpKmal
Range volume if he trains Back once a week? Design a sample exercise
rouKne of Back

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CPT

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

© GMFA – Guru Mann Fitness Inc, All rights reserved.

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