The Trifecta of Training: Is High Volume Low Intensity Training King? Or Should We Balance Volume, Intensity and Density?

Designing training programs is as much an art as they are a science. And more often than not it's best to pick a pre-made plan written by a professional than it is to try and design one yourself with little to no experience.

Don't get us wrong. This isn't meant to gatekeep gains or keep you from understanding what goes into a program. But there is such a wide-scale debate around whether high volume low intensity is better for gains, or low volume high intensity. Or neither. It can cause potential athletes to spend more time trying to tweak what's most optimal when they could have just gone to the gym and lifted. And see what happens.

That being said, it's always good to get a clear understanding of some of the training variables themselves, so you're able to entertain the conversations of programming even if you're not writing them yourselves.

So let's talk about THREE of the levers we can pull to try and net you the best gains possible.

Volume. Intensity. Density.

There is obviously a 4th, as well: frequency. But that's largely driven by your schedule. Can you lift 3 or 6 times a week? Once we know, we can manipulate the other three to net you the best gains possible in the time available.

Volume: The Quantity of Work

When we talk about volume, we're referring to the quantity of work we're doing across the week, or in a single day, in the gym. Different coaches have different ways of calculating volume. But it can be either:

• Sets and Repetitions: Calculated as sets multiplied by repetitions (e.g., 3 sets of 10 reps = 30 total reps).

  
  

• Total Repetitions: Simply the sum of all repetitions performed for a given exercise or muscle group.

  
  

• Tonnage (Weight x Reps x Sets): This can give us a more comprehensive understanding of the total load a muscle has been exposed to.

When programming we need to look at overall goals for each session, and using available research appropriately decide how much work we want to do in a given session or across the entire program. Part of this consideration needs to be how much one can recover from high amounts of work during and outside of the gym. The more work we do, the more sets, the more reps, the more fatigue we accumulate, the more metabolic stress we accumulate, and the more we need to recover.

As we build up fatigue and stress, our potential output drops in the gym.

So whilst for some high volume may lead to more growth, that's not the case for everyone. And just doing more sets and more reps isn't going to yield results if that work is of poor quality.

So let's look at some areas where high volume may be appropriate.

• Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth): Higher volumes are generally associated with greater muscle growth. Studies often show that moderate to high volumes (multiple sets of around 6-12 reps) are effective. However, we also have research that shows low volume, and high intensity, to also net significant muscle growth over time. Leading to a focus more on individual response rather than blanket programming.

  
  

• Strength: Moderate volumes with heavier loads are typically used. As we are looking to improve our ability to shift heavy loads in short amounts of time (reps), performing multiple sets of 1 rep maxes isn't going to be sustainable. As such we need to keep the volume low from a recovery perspective and keep the intensity high to ensure appropriate neuromuscular adaptations.

  
  

• Endurance: Higher volumes with lighter loads are favored as we need to get the muscles used to perform lots of work over a long period of time. As such we use lighter loads as that gives us the best chance to perform multiple repetitions.

Intensity: The Quality of Effort

Intensity refers to the level of effort exerted during exercise. How hard is the work you're performing in relation to its proximity to failure. It's commonly expressed as:

• Percentage of 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM): The most common method, indicating the load used relative to your maximum strength for a given exercise. For instance, 80% of 1RM means you're lifting 80% of the heaviest weight you can lift for one repetition.

  
  

• Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): A subjective scale (e.g., 1-10) that gauges how hard an exercise feels. With an RPE of 10 being a maximal lift (usually a 1RM or hitting failure at your top rep)

  
  

• Velocity: the speed of the bar or body during an exercise.

  
  

• Percentage of Heart Rate Reserve (HRR): used mainly in cardiovascular training.

When we talk about high-intensity work, we are discussing how close to failure each set or rep is. Or how fatiguing the session ultimately is. Therefore If the bar you're pressing is light, those 8 reps you're aiming for aren't going to be effective because the muscle isn't experiencing any real resistance across all necessary muscle fibers. They need to experience mechanical tension to signal growth. They need to be close to true failure to feel fatigued and recruit more motor units to complete the work asked of them.

Understandably, if every set you're performing is at true muscular failure you're unlikely to be able to perform multiple sets per session or per week (high volume). Therefor true high intense exercise is low volume to aid in recovery but also due to the understanding that 6 sets at failure aren't all going to be perfect. It's most likely that you're only going to be able to perform up to 2 or 3.

So how do we tend to program highly intensive work:

• Strength: High intensities (80-95% 1RM) are necessary for maximizing strength gains. Shifting maximal load is largely a matter of skill as you need to train your neuromuscular system to be able to fire all muscle fibres to lift heavy weight. Therefore you learn to lift heavy by lifting heavy. So we keep the intensity high.

  
  

• Hypertrophy: Moderate intensities (60-80% 1RM) are effective for muscle growth. Many people believe that you have to lift at failure to maximise hypertrophy. However, we have research that shows similar growth when consistently lifting 2 reps from failure. So intensity will always be around 80% with occasional dips into failure training.

  
  

• Periodization: Cycling through different intensity zones (e.g., high, moderate, low) can optimize long-term progress and allow for recovery between cycles. We may use a higher volume low-intensity week as we build up to a period of high intensity to ensure the client is primed and ready for the work instead of just jumping straight into a string of RPE10 sessions.

Intensity can be difficult to program. Especially for someone not well-versed in program design. With social media promoting every set needing to be at failure, it can be easy to think every session needs to be an RPE10, without considering recovery or overtraining risks.

Density: Work Per Unit of Time

Density refers to the amount of work performed within a given timeframe. It's essentially how much you get done in a certain amount of time. This could mean reducing rest times or incorporating super sets to either save time or increase metabolic stress in your muscles to promote more growth.

It's often the most forgotten programming variable as most of the discourse circles Volume and Intensity. However, for the busy parent or traveling worker, it can be a great tool to ensure that what little time you have available to you is used most appropriately.

Some of the best considerations for a high-density workout are:

• Work-to-Rest Ratios: Essentially shortening rest periods to keep the muscles primed and appropriately fatigued.

  
  

• Circuit Training: Performing exercises back-to-back with minimal rest so you're working one muscle whilst another rests. Or simply to fit the work in.

  
  

• Timed Sets or Reps: Completing as many sets or reps as possible within a set time limit. EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) or Tabata can be great ways to keep the body moving and ensure you don't get distracted in the infinite scroll on your phone between sets.

Playing with density doesn't tend to come into play when discussing strength and hypertrophy as those disciplines require appropriate rest between sets. However, hypertrophy training can utilise super sets and circuits as a time-saving tool.

For other goals, however, it can be really useful:

• Fat Loss: Higher-density training can increase calorie expenditure. As the body keeps moving energy is getting used. If this contributes to your overall caloric deficit this will help facilitate further fat loss.

  
  

• Cardiovascular Fitness: Circuit training and shorter rest periods improve cardiovascular endurance. Think hill sprint EMOM's or Crossfit and Hyrox. All these sports improve cardiovascular fitness by being densely programmed.

  
  

• Metabolic Stress: High-density training can increase metabolic stress, which can contribute to muscle growth. However, it's important to remember that it's not a prime driver for hypertrophy. Especially if mechanical tension is being ignored.

  
  

• Progressive Density: Just as with volume and intensity, density can be progressed by reducing rest times, increasing the amount of work within a time frame, or adding exercises to a circuit.

The Interplay of Volume, Intensity, and Density

These three variables are interconnected. Adjusting one often necessitates changes in the others. We've touched on this a couple times but let's revisit them:

• High Intensity: Typically requires lower volume to manage fatigue.

  
  

• High Volume: May necessitate lower intensity to maintain proper form.

  
  

• High Density: can cause a reduction in intensity, or volume, or both.

  
  

Understanding the variables involved in programming is important for anyone looking to enhance their workouts. While we are not recommending that individuals program themselves, again it's an art as much as a science, it is important to be aware of certain factors that can influence your training outcomes.

So, to think 'big picture': define your goals by identifying whether your primary objective is to build strength, increase muscle mass, improve endurance, or reduce fat. Next, prioritize variables that align with your specific objectives. Do you think your program needs to be more high volume or more intense or a better balance of all? Are you just so strapped for time that you need to speak to your coach about a program that prioritise density due to time constraints?

A critical aspect of effective training is progressive overload, which entails gradually increasing the volume, intensity, or density of your workouts over time. So make sure you're not just spinning your wheels and are actually making progress. If you notice a long-term plateau, then a tweak to the program and program variables may be required.

Additionally, it is vital to listen to your body and remain attentive to its signals, making necessary adjustments to your program as needed. High intensity training is not going to work if it necessitates so much recovery that you can't meet the needs of the program. And to an extent the same can also be said of high volume. Again, it's an art and balance is required.

Mastering these variables is essential for creating effective programs. By understanding how they interact a program writer can ensure their client smashes their goals consistently. And the clients themselves can have the confidence to have those conversations with their coach so that the program is enjoyable, successful, and client-driven as much as possible.