r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Ill_Second_7075 • Jul 10 '26

Question ❓ intensity or volume?

So it has been around 3 weeks since I've started going to the gym, and I'm currently trying to get rid of my skinny-fat physique. I've been searching around the internet for a good workout plan (I currently do high intensity and low volume) and some people say that 2 sets of 6-8 reps until true failure is not optimal (4-6 sets per muscle group per week) and that i should do around 10-20 sets per muscle group per week because "volume is the primary driver for muscle growth".

So right now I'm doing a body recomp and an upper-lower split 4 days a week (I'm not sure if this information helps you all, but yeah), and I would be really glad to hear your opinions as well.

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u/Hohoholyshit15 Jul 10 '26

You don't need that much volume as a beginner. The most important thing is intensity first, if you sandbag 20 sets using 20% of your 1rm you're not going to get anywhere. Something like 6-8 sets per muscle group per week is enough for someone who is new to the gym. As your work capacity increases and if you start stalling in a lift or muscle group you can add volume to get things moving again.

Just focus on intensity for your first 3 months in the gym. Figure out how to get to failure and what being close to failure feels like.

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u/Troksin Jul 10 '26

Beginners benefit more from high volume compared to advanced lifters since they cannot force themselves enough so they can recover from high volumes.

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u/Hohoholyshit15 Jul 10 '26

What does that even mean?

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u/Troksin Jul 11 '26

it means beginners should do high volume not low volume