Workout Volume is Killing Your Gains!

If you’ve been around any gym or online forum these days you’ve likely heard that training volume is the key to all muscle growth and gains. In fact, of every other element of your workouts, the amount of training volume you accrue over a single workout or multiple workouts is supposed to be the main driver of muscle growth and size. In this video, I’m going to debunk the value of volume. In fact, I’m going to show you how volume can be almost entirely negated in the absence of something far more important - training intensity.

Much like functional training was the buzz word of the early 2000’s, volume has become the equivalent for 2019. We have been led to believe that simply adding more sets and time to our workouts is going to equate to faster and more significant muscle growth. This has led to an epidemic of people spending more time than ever in the gym, getting far less results than ever before.

Not to mention, with all the additional volume being misdirected towards their joints and tendons there are more people gaining aches and pains from their training than they are hypertrophy. Why is this? Because accruing volume for the sake of volume is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your workouts. The best thing you can do is trade in some of that volume for intensity if you really want to see increased muscle mass and development.

As it is, I believe that many people in the gym simply don’t train hard enough. The adoption of volume as the driver of gains and the focus of many people’s workouts is something that easily fits that narrative. Rather than work harder with less, all that is required to obtain more volume is time. If you have additional time to spare, you can add more sets to your workouts. That said, the only way you are going to add more intensity is with more effort.

Effort is something that will not come easy. Effort is going to demand that you look for ways to intensify the state of your workouts. Adding paused repetitions, reducing rest time between sets, pushing to actual failure at least a few times during your workouts are all things that are going to require a higher level of output and effort than simply adding more time.

If you want to see greater muscle growth from your workouts you are going to have to be willing to push harder. What winds up happening when you trade in workout length for intensity is that you see what science has shown and that is, even as little as 4-10 productive high effort sets is all it takes to elicit a muscle hypertrophy response from your training. There is no need to spend hours and hours in a gym trying to get results when far less time is capable of doing the same.

If you are looking for a program that shows you how to train hard and not have to train long, then click on the link below and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System that best matches your goals. Start training like an athlete and get more out of your workouts every time you step into the gym.

For more videos on how to build muscle fast and the right way to split your workouts for maximum muscle gains, be sure to subscribe to our channel at the link below and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

[athleanx]

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If you don’t win, no worries. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

[gikiaaf]

Me: working out regularly
Jeff: i'm about to destroy this man's gains

[akmalfaruzzi]

When Jeff unveiled the intensity part of the graph, I gasped

[wknpfhv]

Jeff: you only need 4-10 good sets
Also Jeff: heres the perfect arm workout with 15 different exercises

[ankitkaliraman]

You can't lose gains if u don't have them in the first place .

[louisvuittonasmr]

Me: sits down onto chair
Jeff: 😑
Me: squats down onto the chair
Jeff: 😏

[nottyseel]

Me: *eats oatmeal*
Jeff: *stares*...
Me: *throws away spoon and begins face pulling bowl*
Jeff: 👍🏼

[macky]

I'm watching this with the volume turned right down so are my gains safe?

[tristanunsay]

Next video title: “Not being Jeff Cavaliere Is Killing Your Gains!”

[gunsrlove]

Dammit Jeff....Next video: Too much gains are killing your gains

[TheChristenberry]

*performs perfect pushup
Me: Am I doing this right Jeff?
Jeff: Yes
Also Jeff: but actually no

[ShyBoyty]

"Somewhere between 4-10 sets"
I've never been so happy to know I'm doing something right. Thanks Jeff.

[Turkeyburger]

Who's here after jeff nippard posted his response

[healthycomposition]

Most people aspire to have new years resolutions, but new years resolutions aspire to have Jeff

[michaeljansz]

Jeff's graphing skills are killing my gains.

[sra]

Ran into a friend of mine at the gym yesterday and he said he just finished a 2 hour workout. He's 67. First thing I thought was, "I would need a wheelchair to get to the truck after a 2 hour workout". I asked him what he did and he replied, 10 upper body exercises, 4 sets and 15 reps each. Then came the dreaded qualifier, "of course I used light weight".


I'm near 71 and told him that I have limited my workouts to 40-45 minutes and have to rest for about 20 minutes before I even leave the gym. I do 3-4 training routines per week with 6-8 exercises, 3 sets of 6 reps each. Contrast his 2 hour volume session with my 45 minute session. The difference? I use 80-85% of true 1RM therefore the real difference is intensity. I asked him how those old joints felt the day after his workout. "well, they hurt" implying that's the price we old guys have pay for weight training. I told him that in my opinion repetitive motion doing that many reps is more detrimental to my joint health than training heavy. The results in size and strength since I went to shorter, heavier sessions dwarfs the gains of my previous year's "volume" training.


One thing I would ask Jeff to do when it's appropriate is say, "for you older guys and gals who still do weight training, listen up." Jeff's advice is good for the youngest among us. But remember, hopefully you will some day be a 50, 60 or 70 year old gym rat and believe me you can handle the intensity if you haven't burned your body out during what ends up being your "fleeting" youth.

[jeffsim]

As a 41yr old, not being concerned with hitting PRs and lowering the weight a little bit while increasing volume has allowed me to train consistently throughout the year with out joint/ligament pain. It's been really good for me as an older lifter.

[TheDeagster]

Swole Father,
Who art in heaven,
Vascular be thine veins.
Thy gainz come,
Thy sets be done,
Overhead as it is on chest.
Give us this day our daily macros,
And forgive our cheat days,
As we forgive those who curl in the squat rack.
Lead us not into half reps,
But deliver us from Crossfit.
For thine is the Bro, the PR, the natty Forever,
Wheymen.

[killamilla]

Next Video:
Why Working Out is Killing Your Gains

[alexisthebest]

His graph pissed me off, having high and low on 2 different planes. But everything else is good lol