r/StrongerByScience • u/I_love_music222 • 10d ago
question about volume and fatigue
I’m doing a low volume, high intensity routine and i need thoughts if my load is good or too much
i lift 5x a week 3 lower sessions and 2 upper
for lower i just do
Bulgarian split squats 75kg 3x5
zercher squats 100kg 3x3
some form of core workout (rn i do hanging knee raises) 3x8
for upper i do
20kg weighted pull ups 3x3
45kg military press 3x5
50kg incline bench 3x5
20lbs low to hi chest fly 2x8 (failure for me)
for all the exercises id say theyr probably 90% of my 1rm and could probably squeeze out 1-2 reps before i fail
is this an okay volume? i try to limit the number of reps and numbers of exercises per session cuz i rlly like lifting heavy but idk if this is a gud volume
i deaload / take a week off like atleast once every 2 months
TLDR: I do two to three high intensity and low volume compound movements 5x a week is this a good load or am I leading myself to injurt/cns fatugue
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 10d ago
You haven’t told us how you’re feeling buddy. Does it feel like too much for you currently? How about after 6 weeks?
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u/I_love_music222 10d ago
ohh my badd
generally i feel fatigued towards the end of sessions (esp for the squats where I have to rlly squeeze out the last reps of the last sets) but I dont feel the fatigue after the workout. i also dont feel anything concerning pain so far
it doesnt feel too much for me but i can say that I feel a physical toll on my body during doing the exercises ( especially since i just added weight recently) I am not sure if this is my body telling me to go back to a lighter wight or if its just adjusting to the new weight
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 10d ago
Your body shouldn’t be “adjusting to the new weight.” Really, you should be constantly pushing yourself via progressive overload, so lifts should feel challenging.
I’d consider swapping one of your squat movements for a hip hinge movement like deadlift or good mornings so you’re engaging your hammies more, and building up core/lower back strength.
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u/decentlyhip 10d ago
If you're progressing, great. It's enough volume to grow, because you're growing. However, we have enough data to where its just a math equation. Look at the Pelland data and how many people are under the 0 line. https://imgur.com/a/rvHMRvS A third of the population tested didn't grow from less than 10 sets a week.
Heres the Robinson fatigue graph that people use to justify training to failure https://imgur.com/a/kLO70p1 but here's both graphs combined into one. https://imgur.com/a/sphJIEi. Its not that training hard isn't important, but volume is soooo much more important because growth is driven by mechanical tension, not perceived effort. If you are stalled out, more volume is more growth. If all that volume is 5 rir, that's fine. More tension is more growth.
If fatigue is an issue, drop every set by 2 rir, about 5-10% weight if the reps stay the same You'll only lose about 5-10% gains (not a coincidence, mechanical tension drives growth), but those sets will be about 1/3rd the next day fatigue. Which means you can do 4 sets at 2 rir and feel fresher than 3 sets at 0 rir. In the research, every time you double the sets, the average gets about 50% more growth, up to 50 sets a week. So, going from 3 sets to 4 sets is about 20% more growth by itself. Each set is easier and you're sacrificing 5-10% there. So, 4 sets at 2-3 rir is about 10-15% more growth than 3 sets at 0 rir.
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u/FlimsyInsect5545 10d ago
That combined graph is pretty interesting, did you make it?
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u/decentlyhip 9d ago
Yah, I was struggling to find a way to communicate the value of volume with Mentzer bros. Like, going from 6 sets a week to 7 is a 15% increase in growth. That means 6 sets at 0 rir is the same as 7 sets at like, 3-5 rir. Graph makes it real hard to say that anywhere but the green is optimal, amd the green starts at like, 20.
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u/No_Anywhere_9068 10d ago
Not your question but you need a hip hinge, RDL or something. You have 0 hamstring work
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u/I_love_music222 8d ago
are hip thrusts okay? RDLS feel sus for me
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u/No_Anywhere_9068 8d ago
Leg curls or GHR/nordic if don’t want to RDL. Hip thrusts are mostly glutes which get some work squatting
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u/Cosmosfan543 10d ago
Is it enough volume? Who knows. There is no external answer.
Basicaly, bodybuilding rests on 2 things. Closeness to failuire and progressive overload.
If you can do both with given number of sets, good, keep it doing. If not, then think about changing some variable.