One-Two Training Punch

Combine High Intensity and Volume for Maximum Size and Strength

- Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.

The dominant theory within bodybuilding and power lifting circles accurately asserts that optimal strength is achieved by high-intensity training requiring the use of heavy weights within a low repetition range, while the best hypertrophic response is stimulated by the use of moderate weights at a higher volume involving an elevated repetition range.1 Heavier weights augment strength principally by inducing greater neuromuscular activation of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Fast-twitch fibers, as the name suggests, contract more quickly than slow-twitch muscle fibers, producing more power. The increased activation of fast twitch muscle fibers from high-intensity training ultimately leads to greater strength gains.

Higher volume training, on the other hand, more specifically amplifies muscle growth in large part by increasing muscle time under tension, which increases metabolic stress— encouraging muscle hypertrophy. Several studies highlight these differences, pointing out that training prescriptions for hypertrophy differ considerably from those that preferentially boost strength.2 In fact, as a proof of this principle, most power lifters perform high intensity training using 85 percent to 95 percent of their one-repetition maximum (1RM) for three to five repetitions, while most bodybuilders utilize lighter weights in the 75 percent to 85 percent range of their 1RM, usually for eight to 12 repetitions.

TRAINING FOR MAXIMUM SIZE AND STRENGTH