Volume training, depending on the level, is used by athletes and bodybuilders alike, albeit using different structures in terms of the programmes they follow. A high volume programme allows the trainee to both increase muscle and lose fat, as well as to adapt to a high lactic acid threshold.

By accumulating a higher number of reps over the workout, you are increasing the volume higher than normal and the workload put on your muscles.  A more rep range is often seen between 8-12 repetitions whereas, in HVT, you are working upwards of 15-20 over 3-4 sets.

The Science Behind High Volume Training

The build-up in lactic acid in the muscle cell is created by a limited level of oxygen going to the muscle cell due to the demand of high exertion in energy through a high volume workout. The working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolised into a substance called pyruvate through a series of steps. When the body has plenty of oxygen, pyruvate is shuttled to an aerobic pathway to be further broken down for more energy.

But when oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown–and thus energy production–to continue. The working muscle cells can continue this type of anaerobic energy production at high rates for one to three minutes, during which time lactate can accumulate to high levels.