Hypothetical !!!

[BOOEY]

Hypothetical situation:

Lifter #1: Lifting for several years, he's been a high volume-type trainer. At least 4 sets per exercise, and at least 4 exercises per bodypart. He's known nothing else. But he's not a careless lifter, he knows when to take days off and gets adequate amounts of sleep. He also eats plenty.

Lifter #2: Also lifting for several years. Ever since he's started lifting, he's been doing a HIT-type workout. 1-2 working sets per exercise, and only 2 exercises per bodypart. He's in and out of the gym in less than 40 minutes. Like Lifter #1, he eats properly and gets enough sleep.

Both Lifters continue to grow at steady paces. Now, keep in mind they've been sticking to their routines (albeit changes in exercises and order here and there) since they started lifting.

Now, say they both swap routines. Lifter #1 does #2's routine and vice versa. Now, all things being equal, like for example genetics (impossible but this is a hypothetical!), would it be fair to say that Lifter #1 will be undertraining and Lifter #2 will be overtraining?

What I'm trying to figure out is, genetics aside, if one can have their body adapt to a high volume routine and grow only off that after a certain point. I was thinking about this after reading up on how the old-schoolers used to lift. I mean they lifted for hours, 6 days a week. Obviously not the best way to go, but do you think perhaps their bodies adapted to that much volume over time and hence, continued to grow from it? And taking it a step further, maybe after their bodies adapted to this much volume, they grew at much faster rates than people who train like Lifter #2? Think about it, if you can fatigue a muscle as hard and as often as possible, without overtraining it, obviously it will grow faster than the alternative.

???

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Good question. I've wondered about this before, and would like to hear the opinions of others on it. I would think that since the human body is an adaptive organism, that it would make sense for Lifter # 1 to be considered undertraining if they switched to an HIT style routine.

 

[casualbb]

Bodies do adapt to volume. But in your hypothetical situation, each lifter would adapt to the new routine and they might grow off it. Nothing is irreversible

 

[Cuthbert]

I'd say they'd both respond to the change very well.

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

I think they would both respond well. However, I think the lifter switching from volume to HIT would do well immediately, and the lifter switching from HIT to volume would need an adjustment or amping up period of a few weeks to gradually condition himself to the volume.

 

[WalkingBeast]

Great post!! Hard to say really. Im a high volume/ high intensity trainer. So its a mix for me really. Im not on either side of the fence, but rather both. So from my perspective its hard to judge. I can say with a good deal of confidence, that if I switched to high intensity/ low volume my gains would go down with the switch. At the level Im at, it seems I need both high intensity and high volume if I hope for anymore natural growth. I believe its largely adaptive. Ive trained obsessively and brutally for so many years, my body has adapted to this style and has built endurance accordingly. I believe in this situation the mind out powered my body and it was forced to adapt. Not to boast, but for those whove seen my routines, and daily training regimen, youll see I take set after set to failure and often beyond. Only to repeat the same sets, and often better my last sets or dropsets. I believe its largely mental as well. And triggering adrenaline doesnt hurt either. When Im on the verge of a panic attack before a lift, and I trigger that and concentrate it into an explosive lift, thats when my strength is at its greatest. The body can handle ALOT more then most people think.