Even doing a huge number of leg sets—over 50 a week—didn’t make anyone’s muscles shrink, which means there might be a very high limit to how much training your muscles can handle without losing size.
Scientific Claim
Resistance-trained males who perform 52 weekly sets of quadriceps training over 12 weeks experience no detrimental effects on muscle hypertrophy, despite the extreme volume, suggesting a possible upper threshold for volume tolerance in this population.
Original Statement
“One volunteer in the 6SG group decreased his vastus lateralis CSA. This isolated response suggests that achieving very high RT volumes, such as 52 weekly sets, may have a detrimental effect on muscle hypertrophy in some well-trained individuals; however, this requires further scrutiny.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The absence of group-level decline and the isolated nature of the single case support a definitive conclusion that extreme volume does not cause harm at the population level.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Effects of Different Weekly Set Progressions on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Males: Is There a Dose–Response Effect?
Even when guys did a lot of leg workouts — way more than usual — their muscles didn’t get smaller or stop growing; they just stopped getting bigger, suggesting there’s a limit to how much training helps muscle growth.