The formula
Volume load is the sum, over every set, of reps times weight. It is measured in your chosen unit, pounds or kilograms. It rises when you add weight, reps or sets, which makes it a single number for "how much work" a lifting session or week contained.
A worked example
Three sets of 8 at 135 lb is 3 × 8 × 135 = 3,240 lb. Add three sets of 10 at 95 lb, which is 2,850 lb, and the volume load for those two lifts is 6,090 lb.
What it does not measure
Volume load counts weight moved, not how well it moved. It cannot say whether the reps were clean, how hard the sets felt, or whether the exercises matched your goal, and it is not comparable between very different lifts. Treat it as one measure beside strength: the post on training volume vs. strength explains why more volume is not always more strength.
Comparing like with like
Volume load is most useful over time for the same exercise or the same session type. A drop after a lighter week is expected, and a steady climb over months shows that the work you do is growing.
In One Fitness Hub
- Every session opens with Session time and Total volume side by side.
- Exercise History's Volume Load card adds up sets × reps × weight for the last seven days and compares it with your four-week weekly average.
- A set marked to failure counts only the reps before the failed one.
- If you join the opt-in Challenge boards, lifting volume (weight × reps) is one of the five totals, over a rolling 30 days or all time.
Common questions
Is volume load the same as training volume?
People use "volume" for different things: sets per muscle per week, total reps, or weight moved. Volume load is the weight-moved version.
Does cardio count toward volume load?
No. Volume load is for lifting sets. Cardio is measured in minutes, distance and Cardio Score.
Does a WOD change my volume load?
No. A WOD is kept apart from your strength numbers.
Related terms
- E1RM: E1RM, short for estimated one-rep max, is the heaviest weight you could lift for one repetition, worked out from a set you actually did rather than a maximal single.
- Progressive overload: Progressive overload is the practice of gradually increasing the demand of your training over time, so your body keeps having a reason to adapt.
- Deload: A deload is a planned, temporary reduction in training load or volume, usually for about a week, meant to let accumulated fatigue fade before you build again.
- Failure reps: Training to failure means continuing a set until you cannot complete another repetition with good form; the failure rep is the attempt you could not finish.
Keep reading
General education and fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Figures from the app are informational and are not reviewed by a certified personal trainer.