Training Volume Landmarks

Training volume landmarks are an innovative way to think about training volume.

Introduced by Dr. Mike Israetel, they were developed to answer the question of "How much to train to get best results?".

But before getting to the volume landmarks, let's define what we mean by training volume.

Training Volume

Training volume, or more simply volume, is a measure of how much you train.

Depending on the sport, volume can be represented as the number of meters swum, miles run, kilometers cycled, or the multiple of sets, reps, weight and distance of displacement of a barbell, among many others.

In fitness, volume is typically measured in sets per session (or sets per week), for any given muscle group.

There are four training volume landmarks:

Maintenance volume
Minimum effective volume
Maximum adaptive volume
Maximum recoverable volume

Maintenance Volume

Maintenance volume is the amount of training needed to prevent deconditioning from occurring.

In fitness, this means the amount of training needed to prevent muscle loss.

Minimum Effective Volume

Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) is the amount of training needed to begin making measurable progress.

In fitness, this means the amount of training needed to begin stimulating muscle growth.

Maximum Adaptive Volume

Maximum Adaptive Volume (MAV) is the amount of training which, at any given time, provides the greatest adaptive outcomes.

In fitness, this means the amount of training which provides greatest muscle growth per unit of time.

Maximum Recoverable Volume

Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV) is the maximum amount of training which can be performed before overreaching occurs.

In fitness, this means the amount of training at which no further growth can be expected to occur if continued on a consistent basis, possibly leading to diminishing or even negative returns.