The Claim

High-volume resistance training (six sets per exercise) results in greater increases in thigh lean body mass (9.4%) compared to low-volume resistance training (three sets, 3.7%) in post-menopausal women, but the greater increase in lean body mass is not associated with significantly greater gains in strength or exercise tolerance.

Source: Resistance training-induced improvement in exercise tolerance is not dependent on muscle mass gain in post-menopausal women

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
48score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In post-menopausal women, doing six sets of resistance exercises per movement increases thigh muscle mass more than doing three sets, but this extra muscle gain does not lead to stronger muscles or better exercise performance.

See the scientific wording

High-volume resistance training (six sets per exercise) produces greater increases in thigh lean body mass (9.4%) compared to low-volume training (three sets, 3.7%) in post-menopausal women, but this greater hypertrophy does not translate to significantly greater gains in strength or exercise tolerance.

Why this might work

Doing more sets of weight training makes the thigh muscles bigger, but it doesn't make the nerves that control those muscles fire more strongly or more efficiently. The nerves' ability to activate the muscles fully determines how strong a person becomes and how long they can keep working hard. Since both high-volume and low-volume training improve nerve activation equally, muscle size alone doesn't lead to better strength or endurance.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Resistance training-induced improvement in exercise tolerance is not dependent on muscle mass gain in post-menopausal women

    Doing more sets of weight training helped post-menopausal women build more muscle, but it didn’t make them stronger or able to exercise longer than doing fewer sets — so more muscle doesn’t always mean better performance.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.