Why volume CANNOT be king of muscle growth

Summary

In this video, Carter debunks the myth that 'volume is king' in muscle training. He explains the physiological basis of muscle growth, focusing on motor unit recruitment and the impact of fatigue on training effectiveness. Emphasizing that mechanical tension, not volume, is key to muscle growth, he suggests that optimal volume for muscle growth plateaus around six sets per muscle group per session, or ten sets per week, and that excessive volume can be counterproductive, especially for advanced trainees. Carter encourages trainees to focus on activating underutilized muscle fibers and targeting specific regions for hypertrophy.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Paul Carter discusses the concept of volume in training while eating his breakfast.
• 💪 When you first start training, there's a motor unit recruitment deficit, meaning you can't activate all muscle fibers initially.
• ⚡ As you train, you reduce this deficit and can activate larger muscle fibers, which grow larger but are more easily damaged.
• 🔋 Early in training, recovery is at its peak due to the oxidative nature of type one fibers.
• 🔄 With fatigue from each set, there's a reduction in motor unit recruitment, affecting the ability to continuously recruit large fibers.
• ⏲️ Studies show that longer rest periods between sets reduce fatigue interference, allowing better muscle growth with fewer sets.
• 🚫 Volume is not king; mechanical tension is key for muscle growth. High degrees of motor unit recruitment and contraction velocity are essential.
• 📊 Research indicates that around six sets per muscle group per session or ten sets per week are optimal for muscle growth, beyond which diminishing returns occur.
• 🧬 For advanced trainees, it's more about targeting specific muscle areas for regional hypertrophy and not just increasing volume.
• 🔍 Understanding the difference between studies on untrained and trained individuals is crucial for applying training principles effectively.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video script?

The main topic discussed in the video script is the concept of volume in training and why it is not the key factor in muscle growth, contrary to popular belief.

What is a 'motor unit recruitment deficit'?

A motor unit recruitment deficit refers to the inability of a beginner to activate all muscle fibers, particularly the high-threshold motor units, during training due to lack of experience and neuromuscular efficiency.

Why do type one muscle fibers grow rapidly when you first start training?

Type one muscle fibers grow rapidly when you first start training because they are more oxidative with higher mitochondrial density, providing better protective mechanisms against muscle damage and allowing for faster recovery.

What happens to motor unit recruitment as fatigue occurs during a workout?

As fatigue occurs during a workout, there is a reduction in motor unit recruitment, meaning not all muscle fibers, especially the largest ones, can be continuously activated as effectively as at the beginning of the workout.

Why does the video suggest that longer rest periods between sets are more beneficial for muscle growth?

Longer rest periods are suggested to be more beneficial because they reduce fatigue interference, allowing for better motor unit recruitment and mechanical tension, which are key for muscle growth.

What is the role of mechanical tension in muscle growth according to the script?

Mechanical tension is crucial for muscle growth as it activates muscle fibers and initiates the biological processes that lead to muscle hypertrophy.

What does the script suggest about the optimal volume of sets for muscle growth?

The script suggests that around six sets per muscle group per session or about ten sets per week is where a plateau in muscle growth appears to begin, indicating diminishing returns beyond this point.

Why might doing more than the suggested volume of sets be counterproductive?

Doing more than the suggested volume of sets can be counterproductive because it may lead to overtraining, increased fatigue, and hinder the activation and recovery of the largest muscle fibers, which are most important for growth.

What is the importance of focusing on motor unit recruitment as you become more advanced in training?

As you become more advanced, focusing on motor unit recruitment is important to ensure that you are effectively stimulating the largest muscle fibers that have the greatest potential for growth, which may not be achieved with high volume alone.

What is the script's stance on the need for studies involving individuals using performance-enhancing drugs?

The script argues that there is no need for studies involving individuals using performance-enhancing drugs for understanding the basic physiology of training and muscle growth, as these introduce a different level of complexity that is not necessary.

How does the script differentiate between the training needs of beginners, intermediates, and advanced trainees?

The script differentiates by stating that beginners and intermediates can benefit from basic training and progressive overload for a long period, while advanced trainees need to focus on more granular aspects like regional hypertrophy and activating fibers that have not been used before.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ The Myth of Volume as King in Muscle Training

In this paragraph, Paul Carter addresses the misconception that 'volume is king' in muscle training. He explains the physiological basis of muscle growth, starting with the concept of motor unit recruitment deficit for beginners. This deficit means that beginners can only activate a limited number of muscle fibers, particularly those with high-threshold motor units. As training progresses, individuals can activate larger muscle fibers, but these are more susceptible to damage and have longer recovery times. Carter emphasizes that mechanical tension, not volume, is the key to muscle growth, and that excessive volume can be counterproductive, especially for more advanced trainees.

05:01

📊 The Plateau of Muscle Growth and the Role of Mechanical Tension

This paragraph delves into the specifics of muscle growth and the role of mechanical tension. Carter discusses the importance of motor unit recruitment and the slowing of contraction velocity, which are critical for muscle stimulation. He cites studies suggesting that there is a plateau in muscle growth around six sets per muscle group per session, or about ten sets per week, beyond which additional volume may not yield further benefits. He also touches on the importance of individual training status, noting that advanced trainees may require different approaches, such as focusing on regional hypertrophy or activating underutilized muscle fibers, rather than simply increasing training volume.

10:06

🔍 Beyond Volume: Advanced Training Strategies for Growth

In the final paragraph, Carter shifts the focus from volume to more nuanced training strategies for advanced trainees. He argues that as individuals become more trained, the priority should shift from adding volume to increasing motor unit recruitment or targeting specific areas for regional hypertrophy. He provides an example of how training loaded hip flexion could lead to growth in the proximal part of the muscle due to its biomechanical role. Carter concludes by reiterating that volume is not the ultimate goal in muscle training and that a more sophisticated approach is necessary for continued growth and development.

Keywords

💡Volume

Volume in the context of the video refers to the amount of training a person does, particularly the number of sets and repetitions in a workout. The video challenges the common belief that 'volume is king' in muscle building, arguing that there is a point of diminishing returns beyond which additional volume does not lead to further muscle growth. The script uses the term to discuss the relationship between the quantity of exercise and its effectiveness in promoting muscle hypertrophy.

💡Motor Unit Recruitment Deficit

This term describes the initial inability of a novice lifter to activate all available muscle fibers, especially the high-threshold motor units that control the largest muscle fibers. The video explains that as training progresses, this deficit is reduced, allowing for the activation of larger muscle fibers, which are key to muscle growth. The concept is central to the argument against excessive volume, as it suggests that beginners can grow rapidly with less volume due to the novel stimulus of training.

💡Type 1 and Type 2 Fibers

Type 1 and Type 2 fibers refer to different types of muscle fibers. Type 1 fibers are more oxidative and have better recovery capabilities, while Type 2 fibers are more glycolytic and more susceptible to damage. The video script explains that the proportion of these fibers in the muscle affects recovery and growth, with Type 1 fibers being more prevalent in beginners, which contributes to their rapid initial muscle growth.

💡Mechanical Tension

Mechanical tension is the stress placed on muscle fibers during resistance training, which is essential for muscle growth. The video emphasizes that mechanical tension, rather than volume, is the primary driver of muscle hypertrophy. It suggests that focusing on exercises that create sufficient mechanical tension is more important than simply increasing the number of sets and repetitions.

💡Fatigue Interference

Fatigue interference in the script refers to the reduction in motor unit recruitment that occurs as a person becomes fatigued during a workout. This concept is used to explain why longer rest periods between sets can be beneficial, as they allow for better recovery and thus the ability to maintain high levels of motor unit recruitment and mechanical tension throughout a workout.

💡Rest Periods

Rest periods are the intervals of rest taken between sets during a workout. The video discusses the impact of rest periods on muscle growth, suggesting that longer rest periods can be more effective for muscle hypertrophy because they reduce fatigue and allow for greater motor unit recruitment in subsequent sets.

💡High-Threshold Motor Unit Pool

The high-threshold motor unit pool is a group of motor units that control the largest and most powerful muscle fibers. The video explains that as training progresses, individuals can activate more of these motor units, which are crucial for significant muscle growth. However, these fibers are also the most susceptible to damage and fatigue, which is why the video argues against excessive volume.

💡Myofiber Hypertrophy

Myofiber hypertrophy, or muscle fiber growth, is the increase in size of muscle fibers in response to training. The video script discusses how mechanical tension leads to myofiber hypertrophy, and it emphasizes that the quality of the stimulus (i.e., the mechanical tension) is more important than the quantity of training volume.

💡Mechanotransduction

Mechanotransduction is the process by which mechanical signals are converted into biochemical responses within cells. In the context of the video, it refers to how mechanical tension from exercise is translated into muscle growth signals within muscle fibers. The script uses this term to explain the biological pathway through which exercise leads to muscle hypertrophy.

💡Regional Hypertrophy

Regional hypertrophy is the concept of targeting specific areas of the muscle for growth. The video suggests that as individuals become more advanced in their training, they may need to focus on specific regions of the muscle to continue seeing progress, rather than simply increasing overall training volume.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise to cause adaptation and growth. While not explicitly mentioned in the script, the concept is implied in the discussion of how beginners can benefit from the novel stimulus of training and how advanced trainees need to focus on more specific adaptations, such as regional hypertrophy or increased motor unit recruitment.

Highlights

The video discusses the misconception that 'volume is king' in the context of training and muscle growth.

Explains the concept of motor unit recruitment deficit for beginners in training and its impact on muscle fiber activation.

Details the physiological differences between type one and type two muscle fibers in terms of oxidative capacity and recovery.

Clarifies that as training progresses, the ability to activate the largest muscle fibers increases, but they are also more susceptible to damage.

Discusses how fatigue during a workout affects motor unit recruitment and the subsequent impact on muscle fiber activation.

Argues that adequate rest between sets is crucial for reducing fatigue interference and maximizing muscle growth stimulus.

Contrasts the effects of long and short rest periods on the number of sets required for optimal muscle stimulation.

States that mechanical tension, not volume, is the key factor in muscle growth and provides examples of how it can be achieved.

Criticizes the oversimplification of volume as the sole determinant of muscle growth and emphasizes the importance of mechanical tension.

Presents research findings suggesting six sets per muscle group per session or ten sets per week as a plateau for muscle growth stimulus.

Advises that the optimal amount of volume may vary depending on the individual's training status and experience.

Highlights the need for studies on both untrained and trained individuals to better understand training adaptations.

Discourages the focus on studies involving the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as they add unnecessary complexity to training physiology.

Suggests that as trainees become more advanced, the focus should shift from volume to motor unit recruitment and regional hypertrophy.

Provides an example of targeting specific muscle regions for hypertrophy that have been previously neglected in training.

Concludes that volume is not the ultimate factor for muscle growth, and advanced trainees should focus on more nuanced training strategies.

Transcripts

all right what's up everybody Paul

Carter here I got my backwards hat on I

got my breakfast eating up so if you you

hear my oatmeal ding I am going to eat

my breakfast probably while I'm doing

this video if you don't like that if

you're one of those people has that

condition where hearing other people

chew food makees you you have a seizure

meltdown go ahead and exit out now the

topic for today is the never ending

topic centered around volume and one of

the most annoying phrases that I get to

hear from people that are volume pundits

are is volume is keing now I'm going to

take you guys through the actual

physiology to try to help you understand

why that statement is so completely

backwards and

wrong so let's start at the time when

you first start training when you first

start training you have what's called a

motor unit recruitment deficit which

means you can only activate fibers

that's my oat

mil so you can only activate

fibers up so far on the high threshold

motor unit recruitment uh pool that's

part of Hitman size principle

so there there'll be a mix of type one

and you'll get some type two fibers in

there of course because it's not we

don't know the exact ratio between fiber

types as you go up the motor unit

recruitment uh pool

but when you start training you do have

a deficit of course because you can't

get all the way up and recruit the

largest fibers that you could and will

eventually activate if you train long

enough so when you start training you're

really getting you're mechanically

loading fibers that have never

experienced mechanical tension um so

you're climbing high up on the high

threshold motor unit pool to activate

those fibers and so they grow pretty

rapidly because of the fact that that is

a brand new novel stimulus right the

other thing is your recovery ability is

going to be at your all-time high during

that time because of the fact that most

of those fibers are going to be type one

and type one fibers have they're more

oxidative so they have more

mitochondrial density so they're able to

have better protective mechanisms right

away against muscle damage than type two

fibers which are more glycolytic and

more easily

damaged okay so with that out of the way

what I help you understand is is that as

we are able to reduce that motor unit

recruitment deficit and we're able to

climb up that high threshold motor unit

pool and we're able to actually activate

the largest fibers that we have in our

body as I said those fibers will grow to

larger degrees but they're the most

easily damaged and then the second part

is as fatigue is occurred from each set

that we perform within the workout as

fatigue happens there's a reduction in

motor unit recruitment so if you think

about you know going up the the high

threshold motor how do I do this high

threshold motor your pool starting here

as we do the set we get all the way up

to here and we get the largest fiber

types that we have access to and then

the sub subsequent sets after that see

I'm using subsequent corre correctly

this morning I had enough coffee so as

we go up in those subsequent sets we

can't get quite as high up on the high

threshold motor unit scale so we're not

able to

continuously recruit the largest fibers

over and over and over and over again

this is why when you look at the volume

studies where there's adequate rest

because what adequate rest we reduce

some of the fatigue interference

mechanisms um we allow cardiorespiratory

demands kind of come back uh to normal

we allow metabolites to sub subside more

and when we do that we're able to reduce

the fatigue interference effects which

is why we consistently see that we can

kind of max out our gains with longer

rest period periods and it takes fewer

sets to do that whereas if we take

shorter rest periods it takes about

twice as many sets to get the same

amount of gross stimulus as we do with

longer rest periods so all of that

physiologically fits in perfectly so the

reason why volume can't and never was

King is because of the fact that as I

just noted as you get rid of that motor

unit recruitment deficit we can't even

get back up to mechanically load those

largest fibers that are controlled by

the top end of the high threshold old

motor unit pool so if the sciency stuff

you know if it's it's really really

nerdtastic and you don't like it I

understand that that's cool but I'm also

just trying to help help you understand

like why it is that volume can't be the

king the king is mechanical tension you

could do one set super far away from

failure and you could do one set to

failure and that one set two failure is

going to have some stimulating

repetitions in it that will help kind of

as my Mr says turn on the muscle

building mechanical Machinery or however

he says that I'm not doing the Min

impression two days in a row so if you

have one set to failure you actually can

grow from one set to failure if you

repeat it often enough that's a

completely different topic so but you

can perform a multitude of sets that are

really far away from failure and not get

very much gross stimulus and we've seen

that in a multitude of studies the Han

study was one uh there was another

velocity loss based study that showed

that they did more sets trying to make

up for not reaching the same degree of

velocity loss and they still didn't get

as much muscle growth meaning volume is

not King mechanical tension is king So

you need a sufficient amount of

mechanical tension in order to kind of

maximize the gross stimulus I'm not even

eating at this point guys so how

much that kind of establishes the fact

the volume's not ke so now we're getting

into the volume

stuff we're asking

the the question I always ask what is

the amount of volume so when we talk

about volume let's do this again the

only volume that

matters is the volume where there's a

high degree of motor unit Recruitment

and there and there's a slowing of

contraction velocity that's mechanical

tension so the only volume that matters

are steps that we're doing that are

either very close to failure or to

failure those are the only only ones

that matter volume was King could just

still a whole bunch of

sets and you would grow and it doesn't

work that way you got to have mechanical

tension that gets converted via mechano

transduction that gets converted into a

biological process which causes us to

have muscle growth by way of myop fial

uh uh

um um not sarir Genesis myi Genesis took

me a

minute

so how much volume does it look like in

the data that we need to maximize growth

I get misquoted of this consistently so

if you're using longer rest periods what

it appears is that somewhere around six

sets there's a plateau and that's for a

muscle group and a training session for

the week there was an umbrella review

which means they basically did a review

of all the MAA analysis and said they

couldn't find anything collectively that

look like more than 10 sets for a muscle

group in a week um was needed so so they

found that a weekly Plateau kind of

occurred around 10 sets those kind of

match right so if you're looking at

around six sets for a muscle in a

session or 10 total sets in a week

that's close enough where you can get an

idea that more than

likely to get to that where there's a

point of diminishing returns because

there's a nonlinear relationship of the

dose response right volume to grow

stimulus so if you're getting getting to

a point where there is the diminishing

returns for muscle group in in a session

appears to be somewhere around six sets

and again this always comes back to

people misquoting me and they'll say why

aren't you doing six sets for a muscle

group in a session or why are you not

programming six sets for a muscle group

in a session nobody said that was the

optimal amount what they said was that's

kind of where the plateau appears to

start and then somebody will twist those

words and say well wouldn't you want to

work all the way up to the plateau you

could but if you go back to my original

part there where I said The more

Advanced you become the higher up on the

motor unit pool that you can climb the

larger fibers that you can activate

which are the mo damag the most easily

and also take the longer to recover even

though they have the greatest potential

for growth means that you may not need

six sets or that six sets could be

detrimental to you it all depends on

your training status so you have to

remember sometimes that the studies are

collective right so when we look at

these and say it's nine studies and they

all fa in the same thing but it's a

collective this so sometimes there's

trained and sometimes there's untrained

and I think sometimes people do not

understand the difference we need

studies on untrained people and we need

studies on trained people and then we

can kind of look at the magnitude of

specific adaptations that are occurring

from certain kinds of training so we

need untrain and train studies we don't

need studies on dudes on gear we don't

and I've heard that from people on

YouTube I've heard it online whatever

like we don't even have training studies

on people on gear that HS a whole

different level of complexity that we

know nothing about and that we don't

even need we want to understand the

physiology we don't need to understand

androgens unless somebody wants to go

out and start studying that but it's not

going to tell us anything that we need

to know about training we do understand

100% you can take steroids and just sit

at home and grow so most likely from

what it appears to me is you get a

stimulus from training and a stimulus

from the steroids and there you go

there's your total stimulus like your

total growth effect there could be more

to it but the truth is I really don't

care because I've been off for a long

time

so back to the is volume King as you get

more trained volume unequivocally cannot

be king because of the mechanisms that

we just talked about you're going to be

able to recruit larger high threshold

motor units which control the largest of

your fibers you're going to be able to

get to which are the most easily damaged

and they're going to be the first ones

that are going to be reduced for you to

recruit once fatigue does set in so

doing enormous amounts of volume as you

can get more trained is completely

counterproductive to the goal of

continuing to grow what becomes more

Paramount as you continue to grow is to

learn and develop the ability to

basically get to higher degrees of motor

unit Improvement or to get maybe

potentially some Regional hypertrophy in

certain areas that you haven't been

training for example this is one that

came up in a discussion I had the other

day let's say you've never really

trained loaded hip flexion really this

part here so the proximal part of the

fim grows better because that's what it

does it crosses at the Joint at the hip

crosses the hip it's going to grow

proximal due to that hip flexion so if

you're like hey I've never done that I

want to get some of that wck fil growth

in there in that proximal portion let's

say you're a really Advanced body

builder and that's kind of an area

you're lacking in you could do some hip

loaded hip flexion rather than just

continuing with leg extensions so what

you need to do is as you become more

well trained and I'm talking about well

Tred people I think beginners and

intermediates can can in fact do a lot

of basic stuff and progressively

overload those for a very long period of

time and max out a lot of gains but as

you become more trained now you're

literally getting down to a very

granular level of I'm going to get some

hypertrophy here in this region and here

in this region here in this region and

then it becomes a lot more of a focusing

on how do I actually get some activation

out of fibers I have not been using so I

hope that explains the reasoning why

volume cannot be keen and that at a

certain point it's not about adding more

volume it's about increasing motor unit

recruitment or potentially getting some

Regional hypertrophy in places that you

just have not been trained that's my

YouTube for the day hope you guys

enjoyed it have a blessed day