Maximal Recoverable Training Volume & Minimal Effective Training Volume
Most often people come to me seeking help improving their fitness routine and whether they are doing too much or too little. This article is specifically about training volume. What is not enough training and what is too much training. We also provide a training volume calculator to help you determine what it the right volume of training for you.
What is Training Volume?
Training volume is the number of sets done is a session multiplied by the number of repetitions (reps) per set. For example, 4x4 or four sets of four repetitions would be a training volume of 16 and 3x10 would be three sets of ten repetitions.
This is often confused with tonnage. Tonnage is the number of sets times repetitions times weight. For example 4x4 at 100lbs would be 1600lbs whereas the same workout using 200lbs would be 3200lbs.
Training volume stays relatively consistent over time while training tonnage increases. You may choose to do an exercise for 4x4 from your very first workout to a workout 10+ years later however your tonnage (the weight you use) should increase.
Maximal Recoverable Volume
Maximal Recoverable Volume (MRV) is the highest amount of training stimulus you can do in one workout or training session and recover from, please see our article about progressive overload for more details.
If you do more than this during training, you will not recover from the training stimulus, this will lead to overtraining, declining fitness, and poorer performance. For more information about checkout our overtraining article.
If you compete in the sports of weightlifting, powerlifting, CrossFit, or strongman you want to be training close to your MRV. That is because training modalities i.e. weight training closely resemble movements used in competition and are more specific to a competition. However, if you are training for sport you want to train closer to your minimal effective volume.
Minimal Effective Volume
Minimal Effective Volume (MEF) is the least amount of training stimulus you can do in one workout or training session and cause adaptation. Check out our article about progressive overload for more information.
If you do less than this during training, you are unlikely to be causing enough physiological disruption to create changes. This may lead to a training plateau, stagnation, or decline in fitness.
If you are training for activities besides those mentioned above, lacrosse, baseball, football, volleyball, track, hockey, etc (not CrossFit, weightlifting, powerlifting, or strongman) you want to be training closer to MEF both in-season and off-season. You want to be training closer to MEF because your sport will provide additional adaptation stimulus from which you need to recover. If you are training for football, you are lifting, running (both speed development and conditioning), skill practice, and games. This does not include stress from school/ work, relationships, or life. So in order not to stress yourself to the point of overtraining it is better to train with a lower effective load.
Factors Affecting Training Volume
Sex: Men tend to have a lower work capacity than females. This may be due to higher weights by men as a result of higher testosterone levels.
Height: Taller individuals need to move the weights for a greater distance. This causes the body to do more work and need greater recovery.
Weight: The more you weigh, the stronger you tend to be, not necessarily in relative strength but in absolute strength, this causes more stress. Larger individuals also tend to have slower whole-body perfusion, meaning it takes longer to recover.
Age: Older individuals take longer to recover than younger individuals. Part of this is due to hormone levels. But if you are older, you will need less training stimulus.
Training Experience: The longer you have been training the closer you are to your genetic potential. This means that you are lifting heavier weights compared to your ability.
Strength Levels: The stronger you are the more you damage the muscle during training. If you are stronger, you will need less training volume to allow for recovery.
US Powerlifting Men’s Classification
US Powerlifting Women Classification
Diet: If you are not getting enough nutrients to help rebuild your body after strength training you will recover slower.
Sleep: Sleep is the most important part of recovery. If you are not sleeping enough, you will not be able to recover from training.
Stress: Your body only has one stress hormone, cortisol. Your body cannot distinguish between stress from work, relationships, or training. Outside stresses play a big role in our ability to recover.
Drug Use: If you are taking drugs to enhance your physical capabilities and recovery you will be able to withstand higher volumes of training.
Training Volume Calculator
Our Training volume calculator is primarily for powerlifting and can be used for Olympic weightlifting. But if you are using these lifts as part of your training our calculator will help you have better results.
This calculator uses information from Chad Wesley Smith Juggernaught Training Systems.
Use the points at the top to add to the chart. For example, a female (+5) is 55kg (+4), 150cm (+), and in her 20s (+2). Would have 12 points. You would add these points to working sets in the chart below. In a hypertrophy phase, she would have 20-26 sets of squats per week. 20 sets being the MEV and 26 sets being the MRV.
If this same woman had been training for 9 years, had high strength levels (-1), an average diet (+0), poor sleep (-3), a high-stress job (-3), and does not take steroids (+0); her total points would go from 12 to 4. Her MEV would be around 12 sets and her MRV would be around 16 sets of squats per week in a hypertrophy training block.
In this phase of training, she would need to do 11-21 sets of bench press and 10-15 sets of deadlifts per week during training.
*THESE ARE TRAINING SETS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
Click for a free google sheet MEV/ MRV calculator
To use our chart for Olympic weightlifting:
Squat = Clean Volume (catch/ squat)
Bench Press = Overhead Volume (Snatch/ Jerk)
Deadlift = Pull Volume (From the Floor/ Blocks)