Strength phase when your goal is hypertrophy

[BigLittleJoe2]

For hypertrophy I recently read that the body becomes desensitized to high volume training after about 3 months so we should do a lower volume strength phase for a couple months before returning to high volume. Just wondering if others have found this to be true? If so, how do you adjust calories etc during the lower volume strength phase?

 

[FK86]

Most people here follow a lower volume progressive overload approach. So the strength component is a consistent factor with no real phases where it's not.

 

[luki7788]

For me, going from high volume to lower and higher intensity is natural, let's take an example:

I start with high volume and I feel it getting stronger every week then naturally I start cutting some working sets every week and it becomes low volume and I train like that until I progress from training to training - when I feel that progress has stopped (usually it takes 3-4 weeks) I'm back to high volume again but already using heavier weights than before after a low volume period increased my strength

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

For hypertrophy I recently read that the body becomes desensitized to high volume training after about 3 months so we should do a lower volume strength phase for a couple months before returning to high volume. Just wondering if others have found this to be true? If so, how do you adjust calories etc during the lower volume strength phase?

what is your training intensity? what is your current volume?

 

[juggy38]

Periodization shall set you free.

 

[BigLittleJoe2]

what is your training intensity? what is your current volume?

After doing relatively low volume all my life I have been doing high volume for the last 9 months with good results although I have not really been pushing myself to add weight/reps the last few months since I have been in a caloric deficit. I do 10 sets per exercise for 3 exercises per workout except 1 isolation exercise with 5 sets, giving me a total of 35 sets per workout, all in the 10-20 rep range. I work out 6 days per week.

I found this to work much better for hypertrophy than the lower volume routines I used to do.

 

[Fleezy]

Does your physique’s level of development warrant being concerned about such things?

 

[BigLittleJoe2]

Does your physique’s level of development warrant being concerned about such things?

I don't know, at what level of physique development does periodization become a concern when hypertrophy is the goal?

For a couple decades I did more strength based routines but had higher body fat. About 9 months ago I switched to high volume while dropping fat, and had a pretty substantial improvement in body composition. Now I am wondering if I should continue with the high volume indefinitely or if I might benefit (in terms of long term hypertrophy) from incorporating lower volume strength phases.

 

[MAD_SCIENTIST]

Just try it. Only way to know your unknown.
Report back after.
Good luck.


MS

 

[Papa Van Smack]

In my experience, they both work.

 

[Biggerp73]

Gotta have both. If all you ever do is pump-focused bodybuilding training, you'll never be as big as you want to be. If all you ever do is powerlifting, you'll never be as big as you want to be. Gotta get super strong, and then pump the muscles with big ass weight.

 

[BigLittleJoe2]

Gotta have both. If all you ever do is pump-focused bodybuilding training, you'll never be as big as you want to be. If all you ever do is powerlifting, you'll never be as big as you want to be. Gotta get super strong, and then pump the muscles with big ass weight.

That is what I heard. Build the muscle with higher volume and then make it stronger with lower volume heavier weights. Repeat.

Just wanted to hear others personal experiences with this approach. Do you lose size when working on lower volume strength routines for a couple months?

 

[juggy38]

That is what I heard. Build the muscle with higher volume and then make it stronger with lower volume heavier weights. Repeat.

Just wanted to hear others personal experiences with this approach. Do you lose size when working on lower volume strength routines for a couple months?

The amount of volume required to sustain muscle is drastically lower than what is required to build muscle

And just because the volume is low, doesn’t mean it isn’t effective at building tissue. Many big mother fuckers were built doing DC training.