Volume training my way - from ironaddicts.com

I am going to lay out some of the way I train clients using volume. Different clients get different things, but here is a way that will make volume training work for intermediates and advanced lifters that have had it fail in the past. Why will it work?

The training days are regulated—only 3 or 4 days a week. Not the typical 5-6 day a week onslaughts that only elite guys can recover from.
The volume is 9-12 sets a bodypart—not 16-20+ like most guys attempt.
The intensity is regulated using a couple of different methods.

NOW THE DISCLAIMER. THIS TRAINING IS FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AND ADVANCED LIFTERS ONLY. IF YOU CAN’T BENCH AT LEAST 250 FOR SOME REPS AND SQUAT/DEADLIFT 350+ FOR REPS DO SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS SIMPLE AND STRENGTH ORIENTED UNTIL YOU CAN. YOU WILL DO BETTER IF YOU CAN DO MORE THAN THOSE LIFTS ON ROUTINES SUCH AS THESE. EVERY SWINGING DICK NEWBIE WILL BE DOING THESE ROUTINES AFTER I POST THEM—THAT IS THEIR FUALT FOR THINKING THEY ARE SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT.

Here are the USUAL splits used:

Day one:
Arms
Day two:
Legs
Day three:
Rest
Day four
Rest
Day 5:
Chest/Back
Day six
Rest
Day 7:
Rest

The above is the one I use the most

Day one:
Chest
Day two:
Back/Biceps
Day three:
Rest
Day four
Shoulders/Triceps
Day 5:
Legs
Day six
Rest
Day 7:
Rest

This is a favorite also, and a favorite of mine

Day one:
Chest/Biceps
Day two:
Legs
Day three:
Rest
Day four
Shoulders/Abs
Day 5:
Back/Triceps
Day six
Rest
Day 7:
Rest

This is for guys with better than average recovery

Here are the keys that make it work other than only doing 3-4 days a week:

You will do 3 lifts a bodypart. SOME guys will do fine on only 2 lifts for things like biceps and triceps. 3 or 4 sets for each lift.

The first lift on the training day will be for your big core lift that you are trying to push up. Examples would be squats on leg day, bench press on chest day, rows for back day, dips for triceps, and barbell curls for biceps. You will ramp to ONE top all out set for the day using 70-80-90-100%. This may be 100% of your max (for whatever rep range you are using NOT your 1 rep max) or a predetermined number.

The other two lifts are to add volume for hypertrophy, they are still to be made progressive, but at a slower pace, and they will be done with minimal rest periods—60-90 seconds max. That will ensure you are not moving max weights for your 9-12 sets a bodypart. Most guys do volume work trying to make every lift an all out effort, or they do it with so little effort and no emphasis on progression that it is useless.

There are two ways it is done, one suitable for lower level lifters, AND guys that don’t recover that well. If you are not advanced or recover pretty good, you will start with your max weights for your big lifts using whatever rep range you have decided on (suggested rep ranges are 6-12 reps) and then for your fast paced sets start out at a weight you can get all three sets with the same weight. Suggested rep ranges for the fast paced sets are 10-15 reps. If you lose a couple of reps on the last set, no biggie. If you lose reps on the second set the weight is TOO HEAVY. THIS IS KEY, IF YOU ARE A MEATHEAD THE CAN’T REGULATE INTENSITY DO SOMETHING ELSE.

The second way to do this routine is to start at 80% for the first week (80% is 80% of whatever you are capable of for a MAX set of whatever rep range you are doing) and then the progression looks like this:

Week one:
80%
Week two:
90%
Week three:
100% of old PR
Week four:
Break PR by whatever amount you can.

The second method works well for advanced guys and guys with poor recovery. After week 4, reset and run it again. After two cycles take a week off.

An example of this type of training would look like this:

Monday, Arms:
Barbell Curl 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Incline Hammer Curl 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
DB Curls 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Dips 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Decline Skull Crushers, 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Overhead Tricep Extensions, 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Lateral Raise 3 triple drop sets

Tuesday, Legs
Squat 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Leg Press 3 x 10, 90 seconds rest
Stiff Leg Deadlift, or leg curls for guys with slower recovery 3 x 10, 90 seconds rest

Wednesday:
Rest

Thursday:
Rest

Friday, Chest/Back
Bench press 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Incline DB Press 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Fly 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Bent Row 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Lat pull-Downs 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Cable Rows 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
** Guys with good recovery can rack pull or deadlift on this day. If progress is not good this is the first thing to take out of the routine

OR:

Monday:
Bench press 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Incline DB Press 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Fly 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest

Tuesday:
Bent Row 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Lat pull-Downs 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Cable Rows 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Barbell Curl 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Incline Hammer Curl 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest

Wednesday:
Rest

Thursday:
Military Press 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Lateral Raises 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Upright Rows 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Dips 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Decline Skull Crushers, 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest
Overhead Tricep Extensions, 3 x 10, 60 seconds rest

Friday:
Squat 4 x 8 ramping up to ONE max set using either a percentage, or your current max.
Leg Press 3 x 10, 90 seconds rest
Stiff Leg Deadlift, or leg curls for guys with slower recovery 3 x 10, 90 seconds rest
**SOME guys can add a few sets of chins. pulldowns, or rows. You can't go heavy here, just 3 or so sets of 10-15 reps.

Sat/Sun:
Rest

I am not going to spend a ton of time answering a bunch of OCD questions about this.

Summary:
3 to 4 days MAX in the gym.
One key lift to work on max progression
Two other lifts that are started a bit light and are done with incomplete rest times that you do NOT lose more than a couple of reps on the LAST of your work sets.
Advanced guys should start low (80%) and work up over 4 weeks to new PR’s, this method will also work well for guys without good recovery.

IA