I’m curious to hear if there’s a quick or reliable way to gauge whether a lifter’s more or less responsive to intensity versus volume. More so than trial and error over the course of months recording RPE and performance on a given program, I mean.
Steve,
Thanks for the post and I hope you’re well.
I do think that the phrasing of your question sets me up to discuss something that I don’t actually believe.
To be clear, I think everyone responds to volume and intensity but figuring out their preferred intensity range and volume requirements within that range are important. I don’t think that this is an either or situation. Rather, I think there are some who thrive on higher volumes within a set intensity range whereas some prefer lower volumes and higher average intensities compared to others within their demographic. That said, the stress (mostly from volume) must still higher than previous training regardless of which end of the spectrum they fall into. It isn’t one or the other, ya know?
Oh, got it—thanks very much for the clarification! The more I learn about lifting and programming (and there’s so much more to learn), the more I can appreciate how difficult the language is to nail down. I’ll be moving from the linear progression to the higher-volume Bridge soon, so I’m sure I’ll see what you’re talking about firsthand.
Thanks as always for the nuance, it’s the thing I like most about your approach. In the same way that what I like most about the linear progression is its brutal simplicity, if that makes sense.