October 2003

The question-of-the-month for October comes from Kevin in Australia, a 41 year old who asks how to switch from a heavy duty training program to a volume program and the benefits.  His question is:

Dear Mike: 

Having been predominantly a heavy duty trainee for most of my 26 years of lifting, I was wondering how I could make the transition to a volume routine and what benefits you think I could reap from increasing my volume.  Thanks.

Dear Kevin: 

This is a great question and one I often encounter.  Actually, I believe in both types of training and don’t think one is superior to the other – they are equally important.  In my years of competing, I incorporated both heavy duty and volume training into my workout program.  Strictly using one or the other will truly limit the gains you can make. 

Training exclusively heavy with low repetitions and low volume (heavy duty) will take a toll on your joints and eventually lead to injury and overtraining.  Whereas, training only high volume with lower weights won’t allow you to gain the thickness and size you will acquire from lifting heavy. 

One thing I feel is critical, no matter what program you are using, is intensity.  Intensity does not mean pushing to the maximum at all times.  Intensity is training hard and staying focused; however, it is knowing when to pull back before you reach the point of overtraining.  As I’ve said many times, when I was preparing for the Mr. Olympia, my workouts were extremely intense but lasted only 45 minutes. 

In the end, it is best to utilize both the heavy duty and volume training programs keeping intensity high at all times.  Since you have been training predominantly heavy for the better part of 26 years, I recommend switching to volume training for 3 months.  While using the volume training program, you can still throw in a heavy squat or deadlift once in a while, so there is no need to abandon the heavy exercises all together.  Just be sure to limit them.  Utilize more of the machines that are available in your gym and perform more isolation exercises.  Do not train to failure or perform a lot of forced reps. The 3-month period will allow your body to recover from the years of heavy training and you should make some great gains. 

After the 3-month period, you should feel stronger and rejuvenated, and then you can switch back to the heavy training.  However, if you still feel a little tired after the 3-month period, add a few more weeks of the volume training before you switch.  Listen to your body!  As a general rule, repeat each cycle every 8-12 weeks, but again, listen to your body and be aware what it is telling you.

Thanks again, Kevin, for the great question.  As always, don't forget to visit the Past Qs & As and my Training Tips section for more great tips and training info.

Until next month, train hard and stay healthy.

Mike Francois

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