Low-Volume Strength Training: The Secret to Building Muscle Efficiently

There are lots of valuable commodities on planet Earth, including gold, fossil fuels, and rare minerals used in modern technology. However, the most precious resources for most people are their time and energy.

The truth is that time and energy are often in short supply, with constant demands on both. From the moment you get up to the minute you go to bed, your time and energy are drained away, often by tasks or people you have to deal with but would prefer to avoid.

Common time and energy drains include:

• Work
• Commuting
• Household chores
• Unproductive relationships
• Stress and worrying

For many people, adding exercise to what is already a packed schedule is not just unappealing; it’s impossible.

The Challenge of Finding Time for Exercise

Sure, some people will always tell you that if you prioritize exercise, even the busiest person can find time to hit the gym, but that’s not always the case. Life often gets in the way of our best intentions.

Part of the problem is that most people think that they have to dedicate many hours to exercise to get any benefit. Many fitness professionals make matters worse by writing programs that are too long, too complicated, and too unsustainable for anyone but full-time athletes and bodybuilders.

Look at the average strength training workout; typically, it will include multiple exercises of multiple sets per muscle group. This necessitates several lengthy workouts per week, often as many as five or six. Nonetheless, such a time-consuming approach to training is impractical and unnecessary for most.

The Efficiency of Low-Volume Training Workouts

The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours working out to transform your body, build muscle, lose fat, and get fit. In fact, you can build muscle in minutes instead of hours.

That said, you will need to forget much of what you’ve been told about exercise and embrace some lesser-known but science-backed training strategies.

In this article, we delve into low-volume strength training, revealing how you can shorten your workouts while maximizing results.

The Science of Low-Volume Strength Training

Ask a bodybuilder how many sets you need per week to build a muscle group, and they’ll probably tell you it’s about 20. Some may do more or less than this, but 20 is a fair average.

This answer makes a lot of sense based on numerous studies that suggest a high training volume is needed to maximize muscle growth (1). Judging by the physiques of recreational and competitive bodybuilders, it’s clear that high-volume training works, but it’s also incredibly draining, both in terms of time and energy.

But what if you aren’t interested in maximizing muscle growth? Instead, you want to be stronger and more muscular than average, working out for your health as much as your appearance?

In other words, you want to look like you lift but have no aspirations to get so buff that your biceps are the size of soccer balls.

So, how much training does that require? The answer is very little.

Studies reveal that while 20 sets per week might be ideal for optimizing muscle hypertrophy, one set three times per week is enough to trigger respectable gains in size and strength (2). Assuming you hit the gym thrice weekly, this equates to one working set per muscle group per workout.

Yes, that’s all it takes to pull the trigger on hypertrophy and build strength. And while such a low-volume approach probably won’t win you a place on the Mr. Olympia podium, it’s enough that you can still achieve impressive results.

Needless to say, such a low-volume approach to resistance training flies in the face of what most fitness professionals prescribe. Instead, they keep churning out workouts that are too long for the average exerciser to follow. And if your time and energy are already in short supply, it won’t be long until you start skipping workouts or quit altogether.

So, while high-volume programs may be optimal for hypertrophy, they aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if you can’t stick to them.  

In all honesty, low-volume training is almost as effective as high-volume training but saves you a whole lot of time and energy. This means it’s more accessible, and you’re more likely to train consistently compared to an impractically long workout plan. As such, it may produce BETTER results as you’ll be less inclined to miss workouts.

Let’s expand on those benefits in the following section.
 

The Pros of Low-Volume Strength Training

Not ready to make the shift from high-volume to low-volume strength training? Consider these benefits and then decide!

1. Shorter Workouts

Even if you do 2-3 exercises per muscle group, limiting yourself to one work set of each means your workouts will be much shorter than for conventional strength and bodybuilding training. Shorter workouts are appealing when time and energy are in short supply.

2. Reduced Training Frequency

Most strength training programs are built around split routines, where you train different muscles on different days. This allows you to spread the volume throughout the week, making better use of your time and energy. For example:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chest & Back	Legs	Shoulders & Arms	Chest & Back	Legs	Shoulders & Arms	Rest

However, when you slash your training volume to a bare minimum, you can combine more muscle groups per session or even train your entire body in one go. This means you won’t need to go to the gym as often and can reduce your training frequency to thrice or twice a week.

3. Improved Recovery

High-volume training can be draining. Four, five, or six times a week, you’ll need to gather your energy and drag yourself through yet another lengthy workout, probably knowing that you’ll have to do it all again tomorrow. It’s no wonder that energizing pre-workout supplements are so popular!

However, with low-volume training, not only are your workouts less tiring, but they’re also shorter and less frequent, leaving you more time for rest and recovery.

4. Easier to Remain Focused

The longer your workouts, the harder it is to stay focused. That’s why so many lifters end up looking at their phones between sets – they’re just trying to pass the time. Shorter workouts make it much easier to stay focused, and boredom doesn’t get a chance to set in. Being more focused invariably makes your training more productive, as each exercise and set is performed more mindfully.

5. Less Wear and Tear

While strength training is one of the safest forms of physical activity, it’s not entirely risk-free. Many of those risks are the result of overuse injuries. Doing the same movement over and over can cause localized inflammation and even damage your joints.

Conversely, low-volume strength training significantly reduces how many repetitive movements you must perform per workout. This is good news for anyone with painful joints, e.g., shoulder tendonitis or sore hips or knees.

6. Quality, not Quantity

Runners use the term “junk miles” to describe workouts that provide no real benefit while using valuable time and energy. Similarly, high-volume workouts often contain a lot of junk sets. After all, once you’ve done enough work to trigger hypertrophy, additional exercises and sets merely rob you of energy and delay recovery.

Low-volume training puts the emphasis on workout quality rather than quantity. Doing more sets might enhance your results; however, there is a point of diminishing returns. 1-2 sets will trigger the majority of your gains, and doing more will only provide a small additional benefit. For many people, those extra gains are not worth the cost.

7. It’s Easier to See Improvements in Performance

When confronted with an overload of information, it’s often said that you cannot see the woods for the trees. That expression can also be used when trying to determine if your workout is productive. When you perform several exercises for multiple sets, any performance improvements can be hard to see. There is a lot of “background noise” that could disguise your progress.

But, when you strip your workout back to a few basic exercises performed for 1-2 sets each, progress is much more apparent. In fact, you’ll probably see progress from one week to the next. Combined with shorter and less frequent workouts, this can be very motivating.

The Cons of Low-Volume Strength Training

While low-volume strength training can be practical and effective, there are a couple of drawbacks to consider, too:

1. Reduced Caloric Expenditure

Shorter, less frequent workouts mean you’ll burn fewer calories per week. This could be a drawback if you are exercising for weight loss. However, the reduction in calories probably only amounts to 750-1000 calories fewer per week, which can be addressed simply by eating a little less or walking more.

Subsequently, while low-volume strength training will reduce your caloric expenditure, it needn’t stop you from losing or controlling your weight.

2. Limited Muscle Endurance Development

Muscular endurance is your ability to generate low amounts of force for long periods. Examples of muscular endurance in action include walking, running, and most sports.

Low-volume, intense strength training workouts have the potential to improve your endurance but won’t be as effective as high-volume training. Hitting the same muscle with several sets and exercises is challenging. It teaches your body how to better deal with oxygen debt and raised lactate levels.

Therefore, if you need to develop your muscular endurance, e.g., for soccer, MMA, or basketball, low-volume strength training may not be the best tool.

3. Not Optimal for Maximizing Hypertrophy

While a few bodybuilders have thrived using low-volume, high-intensity training (Casey Viator, Mike Mentzer, and Dorian Yates specifically), most have built their incredible physiques using more traditional strength training methods. These examples, plus numerous studies, suggest that high-volume training is best for optimizing hypertrophy.

However, unless you plan on entering a bodybuilding show, you probably don’t need to worry about achieving maximal hypertrophy, and simply adding some muscle mass while losing fat will give you the head-turning physique you’ve always wanted.

In summary, while training more will undoubtedly produce better results, the extra time and energy cost will probably outweigh any potential benefits for most people.

4. Less Cardiovascular Benefit

Shorter, less frequent workouts could reduce the cardiovascular benefit of your workouts. After all, your heart and breathing rate won’t be elevated as long or as often. However, it’s worth remembering that most people don’t strength train for its cardiovascular benefits, and that’s why cardio is as important as strength training for all-around health and fitness.

The good news is that shorter, less frequent workouts will leave you plenty of time to do your cardio.

5. Increased Need for Higher Intensity

High-volume workouts generate a lot of overload through accumulated fatigue. The more exercises and sets you do, the more tired you become. This triggers muscle growth.

With low-volume training, overload comes from exercise intensity. In other words, while you’ll be doing fewer sets, those sets will have to be harder, and you’ll need to push closer to failure.

This can be both painful and mentally challenging, and the ability to train to failure can take time to develop. You may also need to work with a spotter for some exercises, e.g., bench presses and squats.

With the pros and cons of low-volume strength training covered, it’s time to move on to the best exercises for this time-efficient workout method.

Read also: High-Frequency, Low-Volume Strength Training

Essential Exercises for Low-Volume Strength Training

You can use almost any exercise for low-volume strength training, including free weight, machine, kettlebell, body weight, and even resistance band movements. However, the majority of your training should comprise compound exercises.

Why? Let’s break it down!

Compound exercises, also known as multi-joint exercises, involve two or more joints and multiple muscles working together. This contrasts with isolation exercises where one joint and fewer muscles are involved.

Putting most of your time and energy into compound exercises means you’ll get more “bang” for your workout “buck,” making your training even more time efficient.

For example, suppose you want to train your legs; you can do squats (a compound exercise) or the following isolation exercises to train the same muscles:

• Leg extensions
• Hip extensions
• Leg curls
• Hip abductions
• Hip adductions
• Planks
• Back extensions

So, even if you only did one set per exercise, you’re still looking at a seven-fold increase in training time compared to doing squats. That is NOT efficient!

Because of the all-encompassing power of compound exercises, you can train your entire body with just a few movements and, therefore, in a short time. That’s not to say that compound-based workouts are easy – they’re not. However, they are arguably the best use of your time.

Interestingly, none of this means you can’t include isolation exercises like triceps pushdowns, lateral raises, and leg curls in your workouts. They’re still valuable. However, they’re best done after compound movements and only if you feel specific muscles warrant the extra attention.

Some of the best compound exercises for low-volume training include:

Exercise	Agonist/Prime Mover	Synergists/Helper Muscles
Barbell Squat	Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Glutes
Bench Press	Pectoralis Major	Triceps, Deltoids
Bent-over Row	Latissimus Dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids
Bulgarian Split Squat	Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Glutes
Clean and Press	Deltoids	Quadriceps, Hamstrings
Deadlift	Hamstrings	Glutes, Lower Back
Dips	Triceps	Pectoralis Major, Deltoids
Face Pulls	Rear Deltoids	Rhomboids, Trapezius
Farmer’s Walk	Forearms	Shoulders, Core
Front Squat	Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Glutes
Hack Squat	Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Glutes
Incline Bench Press	Pectoralis Major	Triceps, Deltoids
Kettlebell Swing	Hamstrings	Glutes, Lower Back
Leg Press	Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Glutes
Military Press	Deltoids	Triceps, Upper Pectorals
Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups	Latissimus Dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids
Push-Ups	Pectoralis Major	Triceps, Deltoids
Romanian Deadlift	Hamstrings	Glutes, Lower Back
Seated Row	Latissimus Dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids
T-Bar Row	Latissimus Dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids

So, as you can see, creating your workouts using just a handful of these exercises means you can train your entire body in a very time-efficient manner. Then, once you’ve worked your major muscles, you can supplement your program with a couple of well-chosen isolation exercises to plug any developmental gaps.

In a nutshell, you can train your whole body using 4-6 compound exercises and 1-3 optional isolation exercises. How’s that for efficiency?! Check out the next section for a tried and tested low-volume training plan to try.

Sample Low-Volume Strength Training Workouts

BOOM! You now have all the information you need to get started with low-volume strength training, including general volume recommendations and a library of key exercises to choose from.

However, writing training programs can be time-consuming and requires practice. Things like exercise order and balance matter.

So, to save you time and trouble, here are a couple of low-volume workouts to try or use as guidance for creating your own plans. There is a full-body workout and an upper-body/lower-body split routine to choose from.

However, before doing any of these workouts, always prepare your muscles and joints with a thorough warm-up. Begin with 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the body parts you’re planning to train.

Low-Volume Full Body Workout

Do this workout 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday and Thursday, or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Low-Volume Full Body Workout
#	Exercise	Sets*	Reps	Recovery
1	Squats	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
2	Leg curl	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
3	Lat pulldown	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
4	Bench press	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
5	Seated row	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
6	Overhead press	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
7	Barbell curl	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
8	Triceps pushdown	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
9	Standing calf raise	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
10	Cable crunch	1	8-20	60-90 seconds

*Where two sets are indicated, note that the first set should be a submaximal warm-up set, e.g., 50% of your working weight for half the projected number of reps.

Upper-Body/Lower-Body Split

Do each workout 1-2 times per week, e.g.:

Option	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
#1	Upper	Lower	Rest	Upper	Lower	Rest	Rest
#2	Upper	Rest	Lower	Rest	Upper	Rest	Rest
	Lower	Rest	Upper	Rest	Lower	Rest	Rest

Low-Volume Upper-Body Workout
#	Exercise	Sets*	Reps	Recovery
1	Bench press	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
2	Pull-up/chin-up	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
3	Incline dumbbell press	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
4	Chest-supported row	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
5	Cuban press	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
6	Dumbbell curl	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
7	Skull crusher	1	8-20	60-90 seconds

*Where two sets are indicated, note that the first set should be a submaximal warm-up set, e.g., 50% of your working weight for half the projected number of reps.

Low-Volume Lower-Body Workout
#	Exercise	Sets*	Reps	Recovery
1	Leg press	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
2	Leg extension	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
3	Romanian deadlift	2	8-20	60-90 seconds
4	Leg curl	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
5	Bulgarian split squat	1	8-20 per leg	60-90 seconds
6	Seated calf raise	1	8-20	60-90 seconds
7	Standing calf raise	1	8-20	60-90 seconds

*Where two sets are indicated, note that the first set should be a submaximal warm-up set, e.g., 50% of your working weight for half the projected number of reps.

Low-Volume Strength Training – FAQ

Still curious about the ins and outs of low-volume strength training? We hear you! Dive into our FAQ section, where we’ll answer all your burning questions.

1. What is low-volume strength training?

Low-volume strength training is the concept of trying to find the minimum effective dose for muscle-building workouts. Most strength training programs are lengthy and often contain redundant exercises and sets, wasting a lot of your valuable time and energy.

In contrast, the low-volume method involves doing as little training as possible to achieve reasonable results.

Short, infrequent workouts might not be optimal for building muscle and strength, but they’re often more manageable, both in terms of time and energy expenditure. As such, they may be easier to do consistently than conventional strength training programs.

Sadly, even the best workout won’t produce results if you can’t stick to it. That means, for some exercisers, a sub-optimal program they can do consistently will produce better results.

2. How close to failure do I need to train?

While you don’t need to train to failure to build muscle and strength, the closer you take your sets to failure, the more effective they will be. For example, if you only do six reps with your ten-rep max, leaving four reps in reserve, your workout won’t be as effective as doing nine reps and leaving just one in the tank.

Try to take each set to the point where you cannot complete another rep in good form. This last rep should be a “grinder” where your movement is noticeably slower, but your technique is still pretty good. Don’t compromise your form to get extra reps, as doing so could lead to injury.

3. How many reps should I do for each exercise?

For many years, fitness experts believed there was a perfect rep range for building muscle – 8-12 reps. However, more recent research suggests you can build muscle by doing as many as 30 reps per set, providing you train close to failure (3).

Therefore, there is no reason to worry about how many reps you do per set so long as you push yourself close to your limits. You can build muscle with 6, 16, or 26 reps per set. However, to focus more on developing strength, you must train with heavy weights and low reps, e.g., 3-5 with 85%+ of your one-repetition maximum.

4. How often should I train?

Most people can get good results from 2-4 workouts per week. More than four probably won’t produce noticeably better results. At the same time, just one workout per week won’t provide enough of a training stimulus. However, you may still experience some minor gains.

To that end, adjust your training frequency according to your energy and time available. Consistent but infrequent workouts will produce better results than any program you cannot stick to.

5. Is low-volume strength training suitable for beginners?

Low-volume training is ideal for beginners. Too many newbie lifters jump straight into high-volume/high-frequency workouts before they are ready. As a beginner, your body is primed to grow and get stronger, and you don’t need long, complicated workouts to get results.

Low-volume training also leaves lots of time for rest and recovery. This is also good for beginners whose recovery abilities may still be somewhat underdeveloped.

6. Can I change the exercises in the sample programs?

You certainly can!

Feel free to change any of the exercises, provided you use similar movements. For example, if you don’t want to do barbell curls, you can do dumbbell or machine curls instead. However, it would be a mistake to replace a movement like squats with something like push-ups, as they work completely different muscle groups.

Finally, don’t replace exercises just because you find them hard. It’s the most challenging exercises that produce the best results. But, if a movement is painful or impractical, then you can switch it for another.

7. Can women use this training method, or is it just for men?

For sure, low-volume strength training is suitable for men and women. In fact, because it’s not the most effective way to build muscle, it’s a good option for women who want to get strong and tone up without bulking up like a bodybuilder. It’s also very time efficient, leaving lots of time for other types of exercise, such as group fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, etc.

8. Where does cardio fit into the low-volume training model?

While low-volume strength training has a lower cardiovascular impact than longer, more conventional strength training programs, it should leave you plenty of energy and time for separate cardio workouts.

You can do a short, sharp cardio workout immediately after your strength training or between strength workouts – both options work well.

However, if you want the most time-efficient cardio workouts, consider doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), as workouts are far shorter than conventional cardio. Need an even shorter cardio option? Then try Tabatas, which are over and done in under five minutes.

Low-Volume Strength Training – Closing Thoughts

A lot of trainers are resistant to the idea of low-volume strength training. They’ve been brainwashed into thinking that, when it comes to working out, more is better. They may have a background in bodybuilding, where high-volume training is the norm.

However, studies have revealed that you can experience similar benefits and gains with much shorter and less frequent workouts. In fact, as few as three intense sets per muscle group per week can produce significant increases in muscle size and strength.

Given that many recreational exercisers struggle to find the time and energy to work out regularly, this revelation should be more widely known. While the low-volume approach may not be optimal, it’s often more manageable and sustainable while encouraging long-term compliance.

Of course, if you love training and are happy to devote several hours per week to your workout, you should continue to do so. But, if a lack of time and energy means you skip more workouts than you complete, the low-volume approach could be just what you need.

Science tells us that low-volume strength training works. So, why not try it for yourself? It’s time to stop making excuses and start making muscles – in minutes and not hours of training.

References

1. Baz-Valle E, Fontes-Villalba M, Santos-Concejero J. Total Number of Sets as a Training Volume Quantification Method for Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Mar 1;35(3):870-878. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002776. PMID: 30063555.
2. Androulakis-Korakakis P, Fisher JP, Steele J. The Minimum Effective Training Dose Required to Increase 1RM Strength in Resistance-Trained Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2020 Apr;50(4):751-765. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01236-0. PMID: 31797219.
3. Lasevicius T, Ugrinowitsch C, Schoenfeld BJ, Roschel H, Tavares LD, De Souza EO, Laurentino G, Tricoli V. Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018 Jul;18(6):772-780. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1450898. Epub 2018 Mar 22. PMID: 29564973.

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