STRICTLY ACCORDING TO THE MOTTO: “MUCH BRINGS MUCH!”
A high volume of sets and sometimes long training sessions make up this training system. Arnold was one of the biggest advocates of volume training and still promotes its effectiveness today. It was not uncommon for 20 to 30 sets to be completed per muscle, with a training session lasting up to 3 hours.What was considered the ultimate solution back then is now long outdated and has been refuted by numerous studies. The training simply stimulates the muscle, i.e. the warning signal to become stronger and bigger in order to be able to cope better with the training load next time. This training stimulus does not require countless sets at moderate intensity, but rather a few at maximum intensity in order to give the stressed muscle enough time to recover afterwards. The unnecessarily long training time makes it difficult for the user to build muscle effectively, as the body releases catabolic hormones due to the long load, which can not only reduce muscle growth, but also cause existing muscles to break down.
Studies have shown that the level of cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone with a strong catabolic (= muscle-degrading) effect, was increased. This is why it is generally recommended not to train for longer than 60 minutes per training session. This is a principle that is incompatible with volume training, which makes it unsuitable as an optimal training system for building muscle.
Athletes who follow this training method act according to the motto: "More is better - more is better!" Added to this is the guilty conscience, which causes many to train much more than is necessary to build muscle. However, this theory has already been refuted several times, because bodybuilding is all about short and targeted training stimuli so that the muscles are given enough time to recover.
Volume training is therefore less suitable for building muscle in bodybuilding, but rather for fitness sports, where the focus is primarily on endurance performance and not on maximum muscle growth.
If you are interested in Arnold's training philosophy and the background, the film "Pumping Iron" is highly recommended. It's worth watching, especially since "Pumping Iron" is not only THE cult film of all time, but also provides an entertaining illustration of the background of bodybuilding in the 70s and 80s.
For professional athletes who have turned their hobby into a profession, volume training can work because it allows them to ensure adequate rest and regeneration. This is difficult for a hobby athlete with professional commitments.
Since volume training demands a lot from you, the risk of overtraining is very high. While this may not have a negative impact on professional bodybuilders, who have sufficient recovery phases, it can be a sure path to overtraining for normal trainees.
The principles of volume training are outdated, have been refuted several times and do not correspond to the biological processes of muscle building and supercompensation, both of which are based on the cornerstones Stimulus : Regeneration : Growth Regeneration is clearly neglected in volume training, which is why muscle building cannot proceed optimally. For this reason, the volume system is a training method that should rather be discouraged.