When it comes to building strength, enhancing mobility, and improving overall performance, training volume plays a crucial role. Whether you’re recovering from an injury, looking to correct muscle imbalances, or striving for peak athletic performance, the way you structure your training volume can significantly impact your results.

At Real Health London, we specialise in physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage therapy, Pilates, and personal training to help individuals achieve their fitness and rehabilitation goals in a structured way. In this post, we break down how adjusting training volume can support muscle development, recovery, and long-term health.

Understanding Training Volume and Intensity

Before optimising your workout plan, it’s essential to understand the relationship between training volume and training intensity.

• Training volume refers to the total workload you perform in a session, calculated as weight × sets × reps.
• Training intensity is how close you are to your maximum strength capacity for a given exercise.

For example, if you can perform one repetition of a deadlift at 100kg but fail at a second attempt, 100kg represents your 100% intensity for that exercise. If you instead perform 10 repetitions at 100kg, your total training volume for that set would be 1,000kg.

A well-balanced training programme will find the right mix of volume and intensity, ensuring effective progression while minimising injury risk.

How Much Training Volume is Optimal?

The ideal training volume depends on your fitness level and goals. Whether you’re rehabilitating an injury, building strength, or enhancing endurance, the right volume will vary:

• Beginners can see benefits from just 5-6 working sets per muscle group per week.
• Intermediate to advanced individuals typically require 10-20 working sets per muscle group per week.
• Injury recovery often requires a tailored approach with controlled volume to allow healing without overloading muscles or joints.

Regardless of your experience level, the key is gradual progression—too much volume too soon can lead to burnout or injury, while too little may not provide the necessary stimulus for growth.

What is Volume Cycling?

Volume cycling is a strategic way to prioritise muscle groups, prevent overtraining, and ensure continuous progress. Instead of training all muscles with the same intensity, this method involves reducing the workload on well-developed or dominant areas while increasing focus on weaker or underdeveloped ones.

This approach is particularly useful if you:

• Struggle with imbalances, such as a stronger dominant side
• Have recurring injuries due to overuse
• Want to bring up weaker muscle groups without overtraining

Practical Adjustments for Balanced Development

If you’re working towards better strength and balance, consider these volume cycling strategies:

Prioritise Weaker Muscle Groups

Schedule these at the start of your training session when energy levels are highest.

Adjust Exercise Selection

Choose compound movements that still engage dominant muscle groups but shift emphasis to the weaker ones. For example:

• If your quadriceps dominate over your hamstrings, incorporate Romanian deadlifts and hamstring curls.
• If your chest is stronger than your triceps, focus on close-grip bench presses or tricep dips.
  • Modify Reps and Sets – Reduce volume on dominant muscle groups to around 30% of your usual workload, while gradually increasing volume on the weaker ones.
  • Use Recovery Methods – Physiotherapy, osteopathy, and sports massage can help maintain mobility and reduce the risk of overuse injuries during training adjustments.

Supporting Recovery and Longevity

While training volume is essential for progress, recovery is just as important. Overloading muscles without sufficient recovery can lead to injuries, decreased performance, and prolonged muscle soreness. Incorporating the following recovery strategies will keep you moving forward:

• Massage therapy to ease muscle tension and improve circulation
• Physiotherapy and osteopathy for injury prevention and rehabilitation
• Pilates for mobility and core stability to support functional strength
• Active recovery sessions, including stretching and low-intensity movement

Whether you’re looking to enhance performance, recover from an injury, or improve muscular balance, adjusting training volume is key. By cycling volume effectively, prioritising weaker muscle groups, and incorporating professional recovery techniques, you can optimise your training while minimising injury risk.

About the Author

Jay Homewood is a Personal Trainer with 13 years of experience in strength and conditioning, muscle building, flexibility, and mobility. He has worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for a National Netball Squad, helping players reach top teams like Pulse, Saracens, and Bath. Jay focuses on progressive, tailored training to ensure both results and an enjoyable fitness journey.

Ready to optimise your own training and recovery? Book a consultation with Jay today.