For an Advanced Lifter Is It Better to Track Total Volume or Just the Top Set Weight to See Strength Gains

Why Your Top Set Is Lying to You About Your Strength

For an advanced lifter, it is unequivocally better to track total volume over just the top set weight to see strength gains, because your top set only accounts for about 20% of the work that actually drives progress. If you've been lifting for more than three years, you've probably hit a wall. That 315-pound squat or 225-pound bench press hasn't budged in months. You keep chasing a new one-rep max or a new five-rep max, and it feels like you're just spinning your wheels. The strategy that got you here-adding 5 pounds to the bar-has stopped working. This is frustrating, and it's the point where many experienced lifters quit or get injured. The problem isn't your work ethic; it's your metric. Tracking only your top set is like judging a movie by its most exciting 10-second clip. It’s a highlight, but it’s not the whole story. As a beginner, almost any stimulus forces your body to adapt. But as an advanced lifter, your body is stubborn. It requires a significant, measurable, and progressive overload of *total work* to be convinced to get stronger. Total volume (sets x reps x weight) is the full story. It measures every pound you lift in a session. Your top set is a test of your current strength; your total volume is what actually builds new strength. Focusing only on the top set is focusing on the effect, not the cause.

Your strength plateau is a data problem.

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8,125 Pounds vs. 7,700 Pounds: The Hidden Reason You're Stuck

Let's look at why your focus on the top set is holding you back. Imagine two lifters, both with a goal to bench press 235 pounds for 5 reps. Their current best is 225 for 5. Both are stuck.

Lifter A tracks only their top set.

Their workout looks like this:

• Warm-ups
• Top Set: 225 lbs x 5 reps (Total: 1,125 lbs)
• Back-off Set 1: 205 lbs x 8 reps (Total: 1,640 lbs)
• Back-off Set 2: 205 lbs x 7 reps (fatigued) (Total: 1,435 lbs)
• Total Session Volume: 4,200 lbs

Next week, they try for 230 lbs, get 3 reps, feel defeated, and half-heartedly finish their back-off work. Their volume actually goes *down*.

Lifter B tracks total volume.

They know their goal is to increase total work. They accept their top set might not move today.

Their workout looks like this:

• Warm-ups
• Top Set: 225 lbs x 5 reps (Total: 1,125 lbs)
• Back-off Set 1: 205 lbs x 8 reps (Total: 1,640 lbs)
• Back-off Set 2: 205 lbs x 8 reps (matched it) (Total: 1,640 lbs)
• Added a Set: Back-off Set 3: 205 lbs x 6 reps (Total: 1,230 lbs)
• Total Session Volume: 5,635 lbs

Lifter A is fixated on a single number and their training is erratic. Lifter B ignored the temptation to chase a new record on their top set and instead focused on the real driver of progress: they lifted over 1,400 more pounds in the same session. Who do you think will be stronger in four weeks? It's not a mystery. The lifter who systematically does more work gets stronger. You see the math. More total work equals more stimulus. But here's the question: what was your total bench press volume six weeks ago? Not a guess. The exact number. If you can't answer that, you're not managing your training stimulus-you're just guessing and hoping the numbers go up.

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The 4-Week Protocol to Break Any Strength Plateau

Switching from tracking top sets to total volume requires a structured plan. You can't just add work randomly. Follow this 4-week accumulation cycle for your primary compound lift (squat, bench, deadlift, or overhead press) that has stalled. This is how you force adaptation.

Step 1: Establish Your Baseline Volume (Week 1)

This week, do not try to set any records. Your only job is to perform your normal workout for your target lift and calculate your total volume. Be honest. Don't add extra sets to make the number look good. We need a true baseline.

• Example: Stalled Squat Workout
• Set 1 (Top Set): 315 lbs x 5 reps = 1,575 lbs
• Set 2: 285 lbs x 5 reps = 1,425 lbs
• Set 3: 285 lbs x 5 reps = 1,425 lbs
• Baseline Total Volume = 4,425 lbs

This number, 4,425 lbs, is now your target to beat.

Step 2: The 5-10% Weekly Increase (Weeks 2 & 3)

For the next two weeks, your goal is to increase your total volume by 5-10% each week. You are not focused on increasing your top set weight. You will achieve this by manipulating reps and sets.

• Week 2 Goal (increase by ~5%): 4,425 lbs * 1.05 = 4,646 lbs
• How to get there: Add one rep to each back-off set.
• Set 1: 315 lbs x 5 reps = 1,575 lbs
• Set 2: 285 lbs x 6 reps = 1,710 lbs
• Set 3: 285 lbs x 6 reps = 1,710 lbs
• New Total Volume = 4,995 lbs (Exceeded the goal, which is great)
• Week 3 Goal (increase from Week 2): 4,995 lbs * 1.05 = 5,245 lbs
• How to get there: Add another set.
• Set 1: 315 lbs x 5 reps = 1,575 lbs
• Set 2: 285 lbs x 6 reps = 1,710 lbs
• Set 3: 285 lbs x 6 reps = 1,710 lbs
• Set 4: 285 lbs x 5 reps = 1,425 lbs
• New Total Volume = 6,420 lbs (Again, exceeded the goal)

During these weeks, you will feel tired. Your top set might feel harder. This is called functional overreaching. It is a planned part of the process.

Step 3: The Deload & Realization (Week 4)

A deload is not a week off. It's a planned reduction in volume to allow your body to recover and adapt from the hard work you just did. Cut your total volume from Week 1 by 40-50%.

• Week 4 Deload Workout:
• Set 1: 315 lbs x 2 reps = 630 lbs
• Set 2: 285 lbs x 3 reps = 855 lbs
• Deload Total Volume = 1,485 lbs

This workout will feel incredibly easy. That's the point. After this week of recovery, you go back to training in Week 5. When you approach that 315-pound squat again, you will find it feels lighter. The strength you built over the last three weeks will finally be revealed. You might hit it for 6 or 7 reps, or be able to jump to 325 for 5. You have broken the plateau.

Your First 8 Weeks: Why It Will Feel Like You're Getting Weaker

Making the switch to volume tracking is a mental game as much as a physical one. You need to abandon the instant gratification of a new top-set record for the delayed, but much larger, reward of a true strength increase. Here is what to expect so you don't quit three weeks in.

Weeks 1-3 (The Grind): This is the accumulation phase. You will be adding reps and sets, and your body will accumulate fatigue. By the end of Week 3, you will feel beat up. Your motivation might dip. Your top set weight might not increase at all, and it might even feel heavier. This is normal. Your logbook is your source of truth. As long as the total volume number is going up by 5-10% each week, you are making progress. You are building the foundation for a new level of strength.

Week 4 (The Deload): This week will feel wrong. You'll be in the gym for less time, lifting lighter weight. You'll feel like you're losing your gains. You are not. This is where the adaptation happens. Resisting the urge to do more during your deload is what separates advanced lifters from intermediates.

Weeks 5-8 (The Payoff): In Week 5, after the deload, you will test your strength. This is when you'll hit that new personal record. You'll feel strong and explosive. The work from the previous weeks pays off. After this, you begin a new 4-week cycle. You can either use your new, stronger top set to establish a higher baseline volume, or you can switch the focus to intensity and work with heavier weights for fewer reps (a different kind of volume block). This cyclical approach-grind, recover, perform-is the key to long-term strength gains for an advanced lifter. Linear progress is over. Wave-like progress is the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Calculate Total Volume

The formula is simple: Sets x Reps x Weight = Total Volume. Only include your working sets, not your warm-ups. For example, if you bench press 225 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps, your total volume for that exercise is 3 x 5 x 225 = 3,375 lbs.

The Role of Top Sets in a Volume-Based Program

Top sets are still useful, but their role changes. They are no longer the primary driver of your training. Instead, think of them as a periodic test or benchmark. You can use a heavy single or a top set for reps every 4-8 weeks (after a deload) to test your progress, not every single session.

Minimum Effective Volume for Strength

There is no single magic number, but a well-established range for advanced lifters is 10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week. The most important factor isn't the starting number, but that you are progressively increasing it over time. Start by measuring your current volume and aim to increase it by 5-10% weekly for 2-3 weeks before a deload.

Tracking Volume for Accessory Lifts

This is not necessary and often leads to burnout. Focus your detailed volume tracking on the 1-2 main compound lifts for that day (e.g., Squat and Romanian Deadlift on leg day). For accessory work like leg extensions or bicep curls, simply focus on getting stronger in a specific rep range (e.g., 3 sets of 10-12 reps) and ensure you're taking those sets close to failure.

Combining Volume with RPE or RIR

Using Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or Reps in Reserve (RIR) is an excellent way to auto-regulate your training. Instead of prescribing exact weights, you can plan your volume with an RPE target. For example, a back-off set might be '3 sets of 5 at RPE 8', meaning you finish the set with 2 reps left in the tank. This adjusts the weight based on how you feel that day, ensuring the stimulus is consistent even if your energy levels fluctuate.