Frequency and rest periods in relation to intensity and volume

**jdb3** · 03-08-2013, 03:35 AM

First off I would like to thank everyone for the opportunity to be a part of this board. It is the only board I visit besides one other one, and I hope to contribute some quality articles here on BOP. Bodybuilding, hypertrophy, in specific has many different approaches.
The main thing I love about BOP is that it’s through referral only, meaning if you’re on this board you have some knowledge on some level regarding bodybuilding. So, I won't have to explain the basics.

Written by: jdb3 (ISSA and ACE certified, trainer of athletes and competitors, steroid abuser)

Intensity vs. Volume

The Mentzer brothers used high intensity, so did Dorian Yates, that must be the best, no wait, Arnold was a huge volume trainer, so was Milos, volume is definitely little better. Stop this nonsense, THEY BOTH WORK. With this being said what dictates the efficiency of intensity or volume is the recruitment of fibers through: frequency of training, rest periods, and tempo. This article deals with frequency of training in regards to both volume and intensity, and PERIODIZATION. Periodization is important. There are plenty of overtrained bodybuilders; some of you are reading this article right now! Keep in mind, overtraining can be acute, one muscle group being affected (anterior deltoid being extremely common). Example: You switch to a program that involves less volume more intensity, and all the sudden you get huge gains! This is usually because you were overtrained to begin with and switching to a program that gives you more off days, you were never given proper time for hypertrophy to occur to begin with!

So the higher the intensity, the lower rep count and vice versa

RULE #1 Volume of training is always inversely related to the intensity
RULE#2 The bigger the muscle group, the longer it takes for that muscle to recover during training. For example you would want longer rest periods in between sets of squats than you would with barbell curl.

INVERSE RELATION BETWEEN REPS AND SETS PER EXERCISE
__________________________________________________ ___
REPS 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15+
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SETS high low
(5-12) (2-4)
_________________________________________________

EDIT: THE FORMATTING WONT LET ME DRAW MY CHART!!!!!!!!!!!! REPS 1-5 IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE 5-12 SETS UNDER IT AND 13-15 REPS IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE 2-4 SETS UNDER IT
So for maximal stimulation we can conclude that when doing heavy weights ( 1-5 reps) we will need more sets and the rest period would be determined by the size of muscles group being worked.

For volume we would need less sets per exercise, rest periods in between would still be determined by size of muscle group.

The number of sets per exercise obviously would also be influenced by how many exercises there is during training. But if I was doing sets of 5 on bench press I would need more sets for maximal hypertrophy and recruitment than I would doing sets of 12 on bench press.

Smaller muscle groups recover faster than large muscle groups....after a set of heavy squats you would need a longer rest period than for a set of tricep pushdowns, ect

MAKE EVERY SET COUNT!

Every set needs to be "dialed in", meaning if I have a 12 spot and rep number 12 is too easy, it is inefficient. Also, doing light weight sets to "finish off" can be considered a waste.

"It is pointless to perform sets in which the resistance is reduced so much that you don't create sufficient tension on the muscles to elicit gains" (Charles Poliquin, The Poliquin Principles)

Here are some examples for both strength and hypertrophy parameters.

LOADING PARAMETERS FOR HYPERTROPHY
Intensity 60-82%
Rep 6-20 RM
Sets 3-6
Rest Interval 2-4 minutes
Set Duration 20-70 seconds
Number of exercises per workout 6-12

LOADING PARAMETERS FOR RELATIVE STRENGTH
Intensity 85-100%
Rep 1-5 RM
Sets 5-12
Rest Interval 4-5 minutes
Set Duration under 20 sec
Number of exercises per workout 6-12

SOURCE: POLIQUIN PRINCIPALS 1991

As we can see from Charles's tables rest between sets is dependent upon intensity.

But wait, you said something about frequency.

Truth is, Training frequency is mostly dependent on the individual and muscle group. Some people can fully recover faster than others.

The best way to deal with assessing your recovery level is by a form of planned overtraining called "selective overloading".

The basis of this theory is if you are not improving, then you need to change frequencies regardless of volume or intensity level.
Now I have pages and pages of charts and workout regimens for selective overtraining, I just don’t feel like typing them out, so let’s keep it basic. If you have further interest in this method, let me know and I could put up some charts/workouts

Now, we BOP members recover fast, because we juice our balls off, but still, everyone has limitations and remember, RESTING IS GROWING/ GIVEN PROPER STIMULATION!

Another big factor in recovery ability is muscle groups. For example let’s say on Monday you train heavy back, basic pull movements, well the bicep was indirectly used and stimulated. Now Wednesday you’d train arms in where you train the bicep directly. This for a good many of people would be acceptable EVEN THOUGH IT HASNT BEEN 48 hrs FOR BICEP TO "FULLY" RECOVER. Ok now say you do squats on Monday and you want to come back Wednesday to do deadlifts and leg ext. TOO FREQUENT. The quadriceps is a much larger muscle group and needs MORE TIME than a smaller muscle such as a bicep

Another factor in frequency: Training Split...different training splits may cause for more or less of a particular muscle group being worked. Depending on the split, frequency may need to be adjusted based on exercises used.

You see, HIT works, volume works , they can both be used efficiently, frequency is usually the killer in all work out programs, too much...and sometimes not enough

Remember!!!!!!!!!

YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAM IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE TIME IT TAKES FOR YOU TO ADAPT TO IT!!!!!
Use periodization to change from different styles after long periods of using the same program, and IF YOU STOP SEEING PROGRESS IN PERFORMANCE, CHANGE FREQUENCY OF TRAINING! (Usually less)

I intended on this post to be more...professional, but as of right now I am overworked and tired. I do want to credit Charles Poliquin and Milos Sarcev for some of these philosophies, I have used these successfully with many people, including myself