Any other heavy lifters finding that volume training is (arguably) better?

[amindzeye]

Now I focus on 4 exercises per muscle groups, 6-12 reps with high intensity and I see more improvements

4 sets per exercise?

 

[MR_Midas]

12g Citrulline Malate (Boost nitrogen uptake)

6g Beta Alanine (boosts performance, but moreso if supplemented daily)

10g Taurine (for painful pumps)

175mg Niacin (flush version, also known as nicotinic acid, increases blood flow and vascularity. If you take a dose like this or higher, you may feel like you're being locked at by fire, but it's fine, just uncomfortable. I like the feeling though)

30ml Vegetable Glycerin (Superhydrates the muscles, gives you a much stronger pump although as a result decreases visible vascularity)

10g Beetroot Powder (Very high in nitrogen so works well with citrulline malate. It seems to bloat me and give me gas, so I don't often take this now)

100mg caffiene pill if I need it.

About half way through the workout as it usually lasts around 1.5-1.75 hours, I start drinking my intra workout to keep glycogen levels full. 50g dextrose and 30g protein powder.

The preworkout doesn't taste amazing, but it's fine.

And what are the sensations after such a pre-workout complex? I mean what effect.

 

[MR_Midas]

I used to do lots of volume. 6-7 exercises muscle group. Now I focus on 4 exercises per muscle groups, 6-12 reps with high intensity and I see more improvements

I think everyone made such a mistake when they did a lot of exercises and in the end there was no effect. And when you really reduce the number of exercises and do them qualitatively right away, the result is greater.

 

[FH93]

And what are the sensations after such a pre-workout complex? I mean what effect.

You are able to get and maintain a pump for much longer. That's the idea with the preworkout.

 

[eery]

12g Citrulline Malate (Boost nitrogen uptake)

6g Beta Alanine (boosts performance, but moreso if supplemented daily)

10g Taurine (for painful pumps)

175mg Niacin (flush version, also known as nicotinic acid, increases blood flow and vascularity. If you take a dose like this or higher, you may feel like you're being locked at by fire, but it's fine, just uncomfortable. I like the feeling though)

30ml Vegetable Glycerin (Superhydrates the muscles, gives you a much stronger pump although as a result decreases visible vascularity)

10g Beetroot Powder (Very high in nitrogen so works well with citrulline malate. It seems to bloat me and give me gas, so I don't often take this now)

100mg caffiene pill if I need it.

About half way through the workout as it usually lasts around 1.5-1.75 hours, I start drinking my intra workout to keep glycogen levels full. 50g dextrose and 30g protein powder.

The preworkout doesn't taste amazing, but it's fine.

that sounds good, except i think you are confusing nitrogen. Beet root powder is high in nitrates, that give you a pump. Citrulline malate works through nitric oxide. Nitrogen retention is someting else.

 

[FH93]

that sounds good, except i think you are confusing nitrogen. Beet root powder is high in nitrates, that give you a pump. Citrulline malate works through nitric oxide. Nitrogen retention is someting else.

I may be mixing up the words as it's been a while since I researched it. I'm pretty sure when I did research it there was something along those lines though.

 

[MR_Midas]

You are able to get and maintain a pump for much longer. That's the idea with the preworkout.

Thanks. now understood.

 

[doctordiesel]

To me personally heavy is relative to how you are looking at it. I still lift very heavy in my own eyes but my failure range has changed as i've gotten older and the i use safer machines to fail on as compared to what i did before. For instance I would deadlift to failure 6-9 reps years ago where now my deadlift rep range has gone up to 20 reps.

DB Pressing has shifted to more machine presses or cable pressing and RP range has gone from 15RP reps to 25 or more.

So in failure terms I'm still fatiguing the muscle completely with weight and it's heavy in terms of my rep range, but I have changed the approach.

In terms of volume I have always believed you need a blend of both volume and intensity together to get the maximum benefits from training. even if doing only 1 all out set in a given exercise I would do 2-3 good sets before stopping a rep or two short of failure

 

[Type-IIx]

If you’re paying attention you’ve noticed a lot of top bodybuilders are incorporating progressive overload, training to failure as their primary training scheme. Pure volume IMO “works” for every few people if it’s the primary.

The argument had here is not about volume and load as factors but at the primary driver of adaptation. Regardless of your approach, the “other” variable should always matter as well. But I think most guys will find that a focus on progressive overload via loading to failure inside of 6-15 rep ranges will work better than volume schemes of 3-4 sets on a bunch of movements with reps in reserve. Imo also far easier to gauge and progress to-failure PO training vs volume.

What’s “best” depends on your situation, of course. If injures prevent straight sets to failure then a volume approach being your default makes sense.

I would just add, if someone's training is characterized by high training monotony (i.e., every day is heavy barbell work or what have you, comparable rep ranges, comparable workload), just adapting the program to be more volume-oriented will lead to some sudden progression that might appear to make it "superior," but it's really just that they've broken that monotony.

I agree with literally everything you said brother!

 

[MR_Midas]

To me personally heavy is relative to how you are looking at it. I still lift very heavy in my own eyes but my failure range has changed as i've gotten older and the i use safer machines to fail on as compared to what i did before. For instance I would deadlift to failure 6-9 reps years ago where now my deadlift rep range has gone up to 20 reps.

DB Pressing has shifted to more machine presses or cable pressing and RP range has gone from 15RP reps to 25 or more.

So in failure terms I'm still fatiguing the muscle completely with weight and it's heavy in terms of my rep range, but I have changed the approach.

In terms of volume I have always believed you need a blend of both volume and intensity together to get the maximum benefits from training. even if doing only 1 all out set in a given exercise I would do 2-3 good sets before stopping a rep or two short of failure

You write the right things, I completely agree.