An interesting concept has come up in some coaching circles suggesting that there are trainees who are uniquely “volume sensitive” who do not handle adding stress in the way of volume very well and incur more stress than we’d otherwise expect from a given amount volume.
Classically, this type of trainee is an older person and the typical suggestion is to train less frequently, use less volume, and to use higher intensity work sets in order to incrementally increase stress. We find these claims lacking both scientific and anecdotal evidence and, in our estimation, representing a misunderstanding of exercise programming. Consequently, we will attempt to show that increasing volume exposure correctly is both necessary and beneficial for long term progress.