What Does Total Weekly Volume Mean in My Workout Log

Why "Total Weekly Volume" Is the Only Number That Matters

To answer what does total weekly volume mean in my workout log, it's simply your total weight lifted per week (calculated as sets x reps x weight), and it's the single most important metric for guaranteeing you get stronger, not just tired. If you're showing up to the gym, working hard, but not seeing changes in the mirror or on the bar, this is the concept you're missing. Most people mistakenly focus only on the weight they lift in a single session. They think progress is going from 135 pounds on the bench to 140 pounds. That's part of it, but it's a tiny piece of a much bigger picture.

Total weekly volume is the truest measure of the work you're asking your body to do. It zooms out from a single lift to show the entire workload a muscle group handles over seven days. Here’s the simple math:

Sets x Reps x Weight = Volume

Let's say you bench press on Monday. You do 3 sets of 8 reps with 155 pounds.

• 3 sets x 8 reps x 155 lbs = 3,720 pounds of volume for that workout.

If that's the only time you train chest that week, your total weekly volume for the bench press is 3,720 pounds. This number, not the 155 pounds on the bar, is what dictates muscle growth and strength gain over time. Focusing on it forces you to stop guessing and start programming your training like a system. It’s the difference between just exercising and actually training for a specific result.

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

You might think you're getting stronger because you're adding weight to the bar, but total weekly volume often tells a different story. It exposes the illusion of progress. Let's look at two lifters doing dumbbell shoulder press over a week. Both think they're making progress, but only one actually is.

Lifter A: Focuses on Heavier Weight

• Monday: 3 sets of 10 reps with 40-pound dumbbells (3 x 10 x 40 = 1,200 lbs)
• Friday: Feels strong, so they go heavier. 3 sets of 6 reps with 50-pound dumbbells (3 x 6 x 50 = 900 lbs)
• Total Weekly Volume: 1,200 + 900 = 2,100 pounds.

Lifter A walks away proud they lifted the 50s, but their total work actually went down. Their muscles received less overall stimulus.

Lifter B: Focuses on Total Volume

• Monday: 3 sets of 10 reps with 40-pound dumbbells (3 x 10 x 40 = 1,200 lbs)
• Friday: Keeps the weight the same but adds one rep to each set. 3 sets of 11 reps with 40-pound dumbbells (3 x 11 x 40 = 1,320 lbs)
• Total Weekly Volume: 1,200 + 1,320 = 2,520 pounds.

Lifter B did over 400 pounds more work than Lifter A, even though they never touched the 50-pound dumbbells. Lifter B created a bigger demand for adaptation and is far more likely to be stronger next week. This is the core of progressive overload. It's not just about lifting heavier; it's about doing more total work over time. Your logbook isn't just a diary; it's a ledger of work performed.

That's the entire concept. Increase total work over time. Simple. But here's the real question: what was your total weekly volume for squats last week? The exact number. If you can't answer that in 5 seconds, you're not tracking progress. You're just exercising.

Stop guessing. Start growing.

Track your lifts. See your strength grow week by week.

The 4-Week Protocol to Systematically Increase Your Volume

Understanding volume is one thing; applying it is another. Here is a clear, step-by-step system to use total weekly volume to force progress. We'll use the bench press as an example, but this applies to any major compound lift like squats, deadlifts, or overhead presses. This protocol is designed to be followed for 3-4 weeks before taking a deload.

Step 1: Find Your Baseline Weekly Volume

Before you can increase your volume, you need to know what it is right now. Look at your workout log from the past week. For every time you performed the target exercise, calculate the volume and add it all together. If you don't have a log, use your next week of training to establish this baseline.

Example: Bench Press (Trained 2x per week)

• Monday: 4 sets of 8 reps @ 135 lbs = 4,320 lbs
• Thursday: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 125 lbs = 3,750 lbs
• Baseline Total Weekly Volume: 4,320 + 3,750 = 8,070 lbs

This number, 8,070 pounds, is your starting point. It's the workload your body is currently adapted to.

Step 2: Apply the 5% Weekly Increase Rule

To stimulate new growth, you need to ask your body to do more work than it's used to. A sustainable and effective target is to increase your total weekly volume by 3-5% each week. Trying to add 20% is a recipe for burnout and injury. Small, consistent jumps are the key.

• Week 2 Goal: 8,070 lbs x 1.05 = 8,473 lbs

Your mission for the next week is to accumulate approximately 8,473 pounds of volume on the bench press.

Step 3: How to Add Volume (The Smart Way)

Now, how do you get that extra 400 pounds of volume? You have three tools. You don't have to just add weight.

1. Add Reps: This is the simplest method. Keep the weight and sets the same, but add one rep to a few sets. For our example, adding one rep to each of Monday's sets gets you there:

• Monday: 4 sets of 9 reps @ 135 lbs = 4,860 lbs
• Thursday: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 125 lbs = 3,750 lbs
• New Total: 4,860 + 3,750 = 8,610 lbs. (Perfect, we hit our target.)

1. Add a Set: This is a powerful but taxing tool. Adding a whole extra set can cause a big jump in volume. It's best used when you feel you're recovering well.

• Monday: 5 sets of 8 reps @ 135 lbs = 5,400 lbs (This alone is a huge jump).

1. Add Weight: The classic approach. Increase the weight slightly. This will often cause your reps to drop, so you must do the math to ensure your total volume still increases.

• Monday: 4 sets of 8 reps @ 140 lbs = 4,480 lbs (A small increase from 4,320 lbs).

For most people, most of the time, adding reps is the most reliable way to ensure you're increasing total volume.

Step 4: Plan a Deload After 3-4 Weeks

You cannot add volume indefinitely. Your body's ability to recover is finite. After 3-4 weeks of consistently increasing your weekly volume, you must plan a deload week. A deload is a planned period of reduced training stress to allow for full recovery and adaptation.

• How to Deload: Reduce your total weekly volume by 40-50%. The easiest way is to keep the weight on the bar the same but cut your sets in half. So if you did 4 sets, do 2. This maintains your strength and technique while slashing fatigue.

This cycle of accumulation (3-4 weeks) followed by deloading (1 week) is the engine of long-term progress.

Week 1 Will Feel Easy. Week 4 Will Feel Hard. Here's Why.

When you start tracking and manipulating your total weekly volume, the experience of training changes. You need to understand what to expect so you don't quit or change course when things feel 'off'. The feeling is part of the process.

Week 1: The first 5% increase in volume will feel surprisingly easy. You might finish your workout and think, "Is that it? I could do more." This is a good sign. You are building momentum without creating excessive fatigue. The goal isn't to destroy yourself; it's to provide a small, new stimulus.

Weeks 2 and 3: This is the sweet spot. The accumulated volume from the past couple of weeks starts to add up. The last rep of each set will feel like a real challenge. You'll feel the work in your muscles for a day or two after. This is where the growth happens. You are operating at the edge of your current capacity.

Week 4: By the fourth week of increasing volume, you'll likely feel a general sense of fatigue. Lifts will feel heavier than they should. Your motivation might dip. This is not failure. This is the intended result. It's a signal that you have pushed your body to its limit for this training block and are ready for a deload. Pushing through this for another two weeks is what leads to burnout.

The Week After Deload: After your deload week, you will come back to the gym feeling fresh and strong. When you begin your next training block, you'll find that the weights and volumes that felt brutal in Week 4 now feel manageable again. This is supercompensation in action. You recovered, adapted, and are now stronger.

That's the system. Calculate baseline, add 5% weekly for 3-4 weeks, then deload. It requires tracking your sets, reps, and weight for every single exercise, every single session. Then doing the math. You can do it with a notebook, but you have to be perfect. One missed calculation and your target for next week is wrong.

Weeks of progress. All in one place.

Every workout logged. Proof you're getting stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Good Total Weekly Volume?

There is no universal "good" number. The best volume for you is one that is slightly higher than what you did last week. For building muscle, a common evidence-based starting point is 10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week. Your job is to find your baseline within that range and increase it gradually.

Does Volume Include Warm-Up Sets?

No. Total weekly volume only tracks your "working sets." These are the challenging sets performed after your warm-ups that actually drive adaptation. Warm-up sets are done with lighter weight to prepare your joints and muscles and should not be heavy enough to count toward your progression.

Can My Total Weekly Volume Be Too High?

Absolutely. This is known as exceeding your Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV). Signs include persistent fatigue, stalled or decreasing strength, poor sleep, and new aches or pains. This is why the 3-4 week accumulation phase followed by a deload is so important. It prevents you from pushing past what you can recover from.

How Does Volume Apply to Bodyweight Exercises?

For bodyweight exercises like push-ups or pull-ups, the principle is the same but you focus on total reps. You can think of the 'weight' as 1. The goal is to increase the total number of repetitions performed each week. Going from 50 total push-ups one week to 55 the next is a 10% volume increase.