Muscle Volume Routines: Types, Shapes and Examples

Volume training for muscle growth will also make you stronger. Here is everything you need to know to hypertrophy your muscles.

The routines muscle volume are among the most popular and common activities among athletes.

The main objective of the same is to promote muscle hypertrophy, so it is a training program to gain size and strength. However, to define the muscles well, these routines will have to be combined with a healthy diet.

The balance weights, cardio and nutrition is key to getting the best results with routines muscle volume. Muscles can grow with heavy weights and a sufficient workload to stimulate different types of muscle fibers.

However, it must be borne in mind that muscle growth is mainly due to an increase in volume and not to the amount of muscle fibers.

Types and forms of routines to acquire volume

The training plan to gain muscle mass is very different from the one usually carried out for muscle toning. Here what is done are complex basic exercises to work the integration of the large muscles and gradually increase strength.

Actually, there are a lot of types and forms of routines. For best results, most of them should be based on basic multi-joint exercises, which we will see later in the routine examples.

Among the types of routines, the following should be highlighted:

• Full body : the whole body is worked with basic high-frequency exercises
• Push / Pull : Push movements in one session and pull movements in the next
• Upper / Lower : in one session the torso is trained and in the next the legs are trained
• Push / Pull / Legs : similar to the Push / Pull routine, but leaving a day for legs
• Weider : special routine for bodybuilders and in which days dedicated to chest and biceps, dorsal and triceps and shoulders and legs alternate

Examples of exercises for volume routines

There are numerous examples of routines that we can follow to increase muscle volume, although the important thing within them is to correctly select the exercises.

There are those who assure that the best exercise to gain muscle mass is the deadlift. You can choose to lift deadlifts on the bar or with weights in each hand. The ideal is to do 5-7 repetitions and without the weight having to be excessive. Gradually, and combined with other exercises, you will gain muscle mass in your arms and tone the rest of your body muscles.

The barbell squats, for example, are perfect for the development of leg muscles. In addition, we can also strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and shoulders. The beginners should start with the minimum weight, gradually add more weight and alternate this exercise with legs machines.

The bench press is another ideal exercise to gain volume and add it to your bodybuilding routine. Here the muscles of the chest, triceps and shoulders are worked. Although if you want to work your shoulder muscles well, nothing better than the military press or the front barbell press. An exercise that, at the same time, strengthens the muscles of the abdomen.

The horizontal barbell row is the best exercise to work your back muscles. For this, it is not necessary to lift an excessive weight, but with which we feel more comfortable depending on our physical condition. As we practice it, we also gain muscle mass in the shoulders, pecs and forearms.

You can also opt for the pendlay paddle if you are more experienced.

Tips for gaining volume

Workouts of muscle volume routines depend on the conditions of each one. In general, it is recommended to leave a space of at least 48 hours between each workout so that the body fully recovers. A training program in which all muscle groups are worked out throughout the week will be ideal so that muscle recovery is the same for everyone.

If we are starting with the routines, the ideal is to carry out two strength training sessions a week. During the first workouts, we will increase the resistance but we will not notice big changes in the muscles.

The first results will come from the eighth week of training. The most advanced athletes, for their part, can train between three and four times a week.

Duration and weights

The duration of a workout can range from 45 to 90 minutes, although everything will depend on the intensity and volume of the session.

Lifting a weight a maximum of 8-12 times is one of the strategies in the most effective volume routines to increase the volume of muscle mass. However, not everything is about trying to lift very heavy weights, something that should be left once you have reached a very high level of training or you want to do bodybuilding. Without going any further, workouts with your own weight are more than interesting to build muscle.

Series and breaks

The number of sets when lifting weights varies depending on the physical condition of each one. During the first weeks of training, it is not necessary to perform more than 2-3 sets. In contrast, more advanced athletes require multiple sets of 3-5 or more.

Between each of these series, it is recommended to rest between 90 seconds and 3 minutes in the individual series. The greatest rest between sets occurs when it comes to exercises involving pure strength. All this as long as we carry out the exercises at a constant rate and in the most correct way.

Feeding in volume routines

A strict diet will be key to increase muscle mass. For this, it is recommended to ingest at least two grams of protein for every kilo of the person”s body weight. In addition, you will have to consume 3-4 grams of carbohydrates for each kilo of body weight, unsaturated fats, and carbohydrates and drink plenty of water before, during and after training.

To keep track of all this, it is best to have a training diary in which to record the series performed and the weights used. In this way we will be sure to increase weight and strength progressively.