Adding volume when you get to a certain strength?

[Kauto_star]

Hey guys.

I put the thread up the other day about tearing my pec tendon and it got me thinking, I have trained DC for many years, probably in hindsight too many years without changing my training approach up, which has probably resulted in too many injuries and niggles, and now the pec tendon tear.

I wouldn't say I am insanely strong but I am strong. I am 38 now, and whilst in my head I still feel about 30, maybe it's time to switch things up as I do notice a lot of little injuries now a days.

Have any of you guys done similar and backed off going to failure multiple times? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Thanks!

 

[traininsane11]

Hey guys.

I put the thread up the other day about tearing my pec tendon and it got me thinking, I have trained DC for many years, probably in hindsight too many years without changing my training approach up, which has probably resulted in too many injuries and niggles, and now the pec tendon tear.

I wouldn't say I am insanely strong but I am strong. I am 38 now, and whilst in my head I still feel about 30, maybe it's time to switch things up as I do notice a lot of little injuries now a days.

Have any of you guys done similar and backed off going to failure multiple times? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Thanks!

Just my opinion but from someone who has spent a lot of time researching an analysing training

I don’t necessarily think volume or failure are likely to increase/decrease risk of injury unless you’re staying wayyyy away from failure or being reckless

I think achieving maximum stimulus with minimal load is the key to longevity (maybe staying above 10 reps to)

Let’s take a hack squat for example

All out doing everything you can to move the load = failure at 10 reps with 6PPS but it’s a do or die set, total failure of muscles and cns

Now same thing but slowing it down and just focussing on stimulating the quads maximally to total failure maybe 2PPS

Jordan peters vs Nick Walker for example

Idea being you’re taking the target muscle to total failure but just that muscle not a full body cns burnout movement for every exercise

Risk drops wayyyyy down imo

 

[Performance Based]

Bodybuilders typically train by moving weight almost exclusively in anterior–posterior, linear patterns. That is not how real force generation works. Human movement is rotational, multi-planar, and nonlinear. Very little rotational work is incorporated, and almost no training occurs through nontraditional or transitional movement pathways.

By restricting training to physique-focused movements, you can generate tremendous force through a very narrow range of motion, which dramatically increases susceptibility to injury.

Bodybuilding as a sport is not healthy and, in my opinion, does not promote longevity. These inherent strength and movement deficiencies are a recipe for disaster and, inevitably, injury.

I run a full-body prehab sequence before every performance session that uses bands and nontraditional movement patterns. Since adopting it a few years ago, my injury rate has dropped to near zero. I still maintain strength levels that rival many competitive powerlifters at my size, and it also primes my CNS before training, which is a double win. I’d strongly recommend incorporating something like this at a minimum.

 

[theway]

For me personally, when I was incline pressing 4 plates for 8 reps, it honestly didn’t even feel that heavy at the time. But months later I developed a weird, persistent feeling in my chest that turned into ongoing pain. Nothing acute, just something that never felt right.


After backing off, I dropped the load to 2–3 plates and shifted my focus to clean execution and contraction. Funny enough, that’s when my chest actually started growing more.


What I noticed:

• Less CNS fatigue
• Way more recoverable volume
• Higher quality total workload over the week

Ironically, this “volume-first” approach has made me stronger long-term than my old HIT-style, top-set-to-failure approach.


When you look at powerlifting, it makes sense. Most powerlifters:

• Rarely train to failure
• Almost never touch true max weights except near competition
• Accumulate strength through submaximal, high-quality work

We’re obviously not powerlifters but there are plenty of massive, jacked powerlifters who prove that strength and size don’t require grinding maximal loads all the time.


For me, backing off load, managing fatigue, and pushing volume with intent has been a game changer. Curious if others here have experienced the same shift especially after injuries or chronic joint issues.

 

[Spiro]

For me, backing off load, managing fatigue, and pushing volume with intent has been a game changer.

Exactly this, for long time i was doing Top set and back off set focusing on weight and PPL frequency, last year and half swtich to 4xtimes per week more volume and bro split approach hitting muscle 1xper week and my body started to grow, and muslces are rounder and fuller, it responds better with more volume and less frequency that allows me train without injuries

 

[Thehulk95]

Coming from years of powerlifting, the absolute biggest factor myself and others have found is load management when it comes to preventing injuries, with load management relating to both load on the bar, as well as volume. The biggest problem guys have is they load up too much too quickly chasing huge log book PRs, or they just do random workouts every week where the total volume isn’t consistent and they end up ramping up the total amount of work they are doing whenever they feel good and want to keep pushing. If I was you I’d first make sure this is in check because I see this area of training messed up so frequently

 

[hawkmoon]

At 56 I still train DC-style. I have never had a "training" injury.
I blew my quads because of machine (and user) error, and a pec tear in flyes by going too deep. No joint issues.

My system: one compound movement taken to RP out of 3 movements - e.g. Hammer Inclines take to RP, Hammer Iso wide to failure, machine flies to failure with a drop then extreme stretch.
Sets on the Inclines: 15/8/6/4/Working set [10/3/2].

I think DC can be safer because if done right every millimeter of movement is completed with deliberate controlled action and intent.

 

[Sec-Training]

I am 45 and i am doing 16-20reps. I get a crazy pump i stopped going under 10reps. Because it will get hurt. But i really wanna do heavy weight. But longevity with higher reps. I am not so considering so much on volume. Going more for feeling the muscle and high reps. Be careful bro

 

[grammo13]

Bodybuilders typically train by moving weight almost exclusively in anterior–posterior, linear patterns. That is not how real force generation works. Human movement is rotational, multi-planar, and nonlinear. Very little rotational work is incorporated, and almost no training occurs through nontraditional or transitional movement pathways.

By restricting training to physique-focused movements, you can generate tremendous force through a very narrow range of motion, which dramatically increases susceptibility to injury.

Bodybuilding as a sport is not healthy and, in my opinion, does not promote longevity. These inherent strength and movement deficiencies are a recipe for disaster and, inevitably, injury.

I run a full-body prehab sequence before every performance session that uses bands and nontraditional movement patterns. Since adopting it a few years ago, my injury rate has dropped to near zero. I still maintain strength levels that rival many competitive powerlifters at my size, and it also primes my CNS before training, which is a double win. I’d strongly recommend incorporating something like this at a minimum.

I couldn't agree more. As I get older and my kids get older, a big goal of mine is to always be able to keep up with them. One thing that keeps me injury free in and out of the gym is taking time to maintain mobility, but more importantly, training with resistance in those other planes of movement.

It's funny because at first it seems like using resistance in those other movement pathways is actually going to injure us because we spent years and decades training linearly, that those feel foreign and more suspectable to injury. But once those begin to strengthen, you realize they actually help stabilize other movements even more.

I continue to train heavy because I can't fully put decades of powerlifting behind me. But truly believe I don't have a single injury at this age because of the above.

 

[buck]

I believe that often when injuries happen it is not due to what the person was doing at the moment but what preceded that accrued the damage. I have torn things while lifting heavy as well as just warming up. I doubt my warm up weights were the issue nor other less then top weights when injuries happened. Form, intensity and just wear and tear from volume can cause things to happen.

 

[Performance Based]

I believe that often when injuries happen it is not due to what the person was doing at the moment but what preceded that accrued the damage. I have torn things while lifting heavy as well as just warming up. I doubt my warm up weights were the issue nor other less then top weights when injuries happened. Form, intensity and just wear and tear from volume can cause things to happen.

This is completely accurate. Injuries are usually the result of accumulated stress rather than the specific rep or load where they finally appear. Linear, isolated strength development, common in bodybuilding, often leaves fascia, connective tissue, and non-linear movement patterns under-adapted. When the body is then exposed to more natural or rotational movement, those tissues become the limiting factor, not the muscle itself. Even warm-up weights can exceed tissue tolerance when volume, fatigue, and wear have already pushed structures near their limit, making the injury seem sudden when it was built over time.