Training Volume for Strength and Speed ​​Gains: Is More Better?

Updated on 26 de June de 2026 by Adrián Escobar Morales

The arrival of velocity based training (VBT) It has meant a revolution in the way strength sessions are designed. For the first time, coaches and athletes can objectively measure both the intensity and volume of each set in real time, and adjust the load based on the athlete’s actual condition that day.

But with this ability to measure, a fundamental question arises that has been generating debate for years: What is the optimal training volume to maximize strength and speed gains? Does more repetitions mean more adaptations? The scientific evidence has a surprising answer.

How VBT allows you to estimate 1RM without reaching failure

One of the greatest advances that VBT has brought is the possibility of estimate 1RM daily with a single submaximal repetition, thanks to the strong linear relationship that exists between the percentage of 1RM and execution speed (González-Badillo & Sánchez-Medina, 2010).

This solves three classic problems with direct 1RM measurement:

• The high effort and fatigue generated by reaching the maximum in each test.
• The interference that a 1RM test can cause in the training itself that week.
• The daily variation in performance due to accumulated fatigue, which means that the “real” 1RM of one day is not the same as that of the previous day.

With a sports encoder, the estimated 1RM is automatically calculated at the beginning of each session with a submaximal load, allowing the training weight to be adjusted to the athlete’s actual state that day, not to that of two weeks ago.

Loss of intra-set velocity and reps in reserve (RIR)

The second great contribution of VBT to volume control is the possibility of monitor speed loss within each set to accurately estimate how many repetitions remain in reserve (RIR) before muscle failure.

The research by Rodríguez-Rosell and collaborators (2020) demonstrated that there is a high correlation between the percentage of intra-set speed loss and the percentage of repetitions performed with respect to the maximum possible. A practical example: if you perform 6 repetitions of the bench press and the speed has dropped 25% compared to the first repetition, you will have used approximately 50% of your maximum repetitions — that is, you are left with an RIR of ~6.

This converts the loss of speed into a objective marker of volume and relative intensity in real time, without the need to work to failure or make subjective estimates of effort.

The key study: what speed loss maximizes profits?

Once it is established that we can predict the RIR by monitoring the speed loss, the critical question arises: What is the optimal speed loss to maximize strength, speed and performance gains?

Rodríguez-Rosell and collaborators (2021) designed a training program for 8 weeks with 2 weekly squat sessions, using loads between 55% and 70% of 1RM. The participants were divided into three groups according to the speed loss threshold allowed per series:

• VL10: They stopped when the speed dropped 10% compared to the first repetition.
• VL20: They stopped with a drop of 20%.
• VL45: They stopped with a 45% drop (close to muscle failure).

The results challenge the traditional logic of “more volume, more profits”:

What volume improves strength the most?

The most striking finding of the study is that the three groups achieved similar improvements in 1RM (~22%), despite huge differences in total repetition volume. The VL10 group performed an average of 11 repetitions per session, compared to 31 for the VL45 group — a 36% fewer repetitions for the same result in maximum strength.

This suggests that, above a certain stimulus threshold, accumulating more repetitions does not generate more strength adaptations, but simply more fatigue. The concept of “effective repetitions” It makes all its sense here: the first repetitions of a series are those that generate the adaptation stimulus; the latter, close to failure, accumulate fatigue without adding proportional benefit.

How to train to improve speed?

Where clear differences were observed between groups was in the variables related to speed and power: vertical jump (CMJ) and sprint times in 10 and 20 meters.

The VL10 group obtained the further improvements in all these variables, while the VL45 group showed the lowest. The physiological explanation is direct: a greater number of repetitions generates more neuromuscular fatigue, which reduces the participation of the type IIX fast fibers in the last repetitions of each series. If the goal is to develop the ability to apply force at high speed, training fatigued is counterproductive.

This has a very clear practical implication: The specificity of the training also applies to the level of fatigue. If you want to get faster, you need to practice being fast — and that’s only possible if each rep is performed with a low level of accumulated fatigue.

How to apply these speed loss thresholds according to your objective

Translating study results into training practice:

• Target maximum strength (1RM): any threshold between VL10 and VL20 produces equivalent results. Since VL10 generates less fatigue with the same results, it is the most efficient option. Recommended: 10-20% speed loss per set.
• Target speed, power and explosive performance (sprint, jump, team sports): low threshold is critical. Working with more than 20% speed loss compromises speed adaptations. Recommended: 10% loss of maximum speed per set.
• Hypertrophy goal: Although this study did not directly measure hypertrophy, the general literature suggests that higher thresholds (VL20-VL30) may be more appropriate to maximize effective training volume aimed at muscle development.

To apply these thresholds accurately you need to measure the speed of each repetition in real time. He ADR Encoder It automatically calculates the intra-set speed loss and notifies you when you reach the threshold you have set, so you can stop at the exact moment without depending on subjective sensations. The ADR System app Records this data in the cloud so you can analyze the evolution session by session.

Conclusion

Speed-based training allows you to optimize training volume in a way that was impossible before: by objectively controlling intra-set speed loss. The data from Rodríguez-Rosell’s study are clear:

• To gain maximum strength, you don’t need to get close to failure. With speed losses of 10% you obtain the same results as with losses of 45%, using 36% fewer repetitions.
• To improve speed and power, low thresholds (VL10) are clearly higher. Training with high accumulated fatigue directly compromises speed adaptations.
• More volume does not mean more adaptations — means more fatigue. Effective stimulus matters more than total volume.

Literature

Los siguientes estudios científicos respaldan los datos y conclusiones de este artículo sobre volumen de entrenamiento, VBT y ganancias de fuerza y velocidad:

Orange, S.T. et al. (2021). Reliability and Validity of a Wearable Inertial Sensor to Measure Velocity and Power in the Back Squat and Bench Press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. See in PubMed →

Weakley, J. et al. (2021). Velocity-Based Training: From Theory to Application. Sports, 9(4), 47. See study →

González-Badillo, J.J. & Sánchez-Medina, L. (2010). Movement Velocity as a Measure of Loading Intensity in Resistance Training. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(5), 347–352. See in PubMed →

Weakley, J. et al. (2020). The Effects of Velocity Loss Thresholds on Mechanical, Metabolic and Neuromuscular Fatigue During Back Squats. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. See in PubMed →

Adrián Escobar Morales