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Some fitness beginners are not aware of the importance of training volume and its significance. They train hard but feel that the results are not significant. Today, Xiao Zhong will explain to everyone:The premise of optimal training—the quantification of training volume.

Training volume is composed of the total load of a single training session.It can be understood as the product of several adjustable intensity factors in training. For example, in equipment strength training, training volume refers to training weight * total number of repetitions.

For instance, if a training session involves lifting 50kg for 10 reps over 4 sets, the training volume is 50*10*4=2000. Similarly, for fat loss training where the exercise remains unchanged, the training time primarily constitutes the training volume.

The main role of training volume is to quantify our training, making it more planned and systematic.We can make training controllable by controlling the training volume.

Increasing training volume is the most direct means of making progress. For example, in aerobic endurance training through running, if the speed remains the same, running 5 kilometers the first time and 6 kilometers the next time,constantly increasing the training volume can systematically improve our endurance. This applies to muscle gain, fat loss, and physical fitness training.

However, this is based on the premise that we can handle the optimal training volume while being able to recover. Excessive training volume can limit our progress because when the body is overworked, its recovery ability is significantly reduced, leading to consumption rather than synthesis.

Here, we need to introduce a fundamental theory in sports fitness"Supercompensation"The supercompensation theory is one of the fundamental theories of sports training worldwide, proposed by former Soviet sports scientists.

"After appropriate exercise, muscles or muscle groups experience moderate fatigue and a certain degree of decline in morphological and functional aspects. With appropriate rest, muscle strength and morphological functions can be restored to pre-exercise levels, and within a certain period, they can continue to rise and exceed the original level. With prolonged rest, they gradually return to the original functional level.

If the next exercise is performed during the supercompensation phase (when muscle function rises and exceeds the original level), supercompensation can be maintained without fading, and the training effect can be gradually accumulated. Through repeated muscle strength exercises, muscle volume can increase, and muscle strength can be enhanced." This is "supercompensation."

Quantifying training volume helps us find our supercompensation time. For example, if we use the same training plan and find that the training volume we can complete is the same as the previous time, it indicates two situations: either we haven't rested enough, or we have rested beyond the supercompensation time.

In the next session, we can still use the same training volume and adjust the rest period to determine whether we are in the supercompensation phase. As we become more familiar with our bodies, we can utilize supercompensation and controllable training volume to continually challenge ourselves.

In the absence of other adjustments (such as alternating half and full movements)

Equipment training:Training weight, training repetitions

Aerobic training:Training speed, training time

How to adjust training volume according to your situation?

For any training, the first thing we should think about is quantifying the training volume.The quantification method can be through consistent movement range, time control, rest control, and other adjustable factors. Once these factors are standardized, we can roughly determine our supercompensation time through supercompensation testing. Then, by adjusting one of these factors, we can increase or decrease the exercise volume to achieve the optimal training volume and the best results.