Lifting more weights over time makes your muscles grow bigger.
Scientific Claim
Higher weekly resistance training volume leads to greater muscle hypertrophy in trained individuals.
Original Statement
“It was found that muscle growth examined by measuring the cross-sectional area and thickness of the vastus lateralis tended to be better with the highest volumes.”
Context Details
Domain
exercise
Population
human
Subject
higher weekly resistance training volume
Action
leads to
Target
greater muscle hypertrophy
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (3)
The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.
More weekly weight training leads to bigger muscles, even for people who already train — but after a certain point, the extra gains get smaller.
More weightlifting sets per week led to bigger muscles in this study, even if strength didn’t improve—exactly what the claim says.
Technical explanation
This study directly tests the effect of varying resistance training volume on muscle hypertrophy in a trained population (postmenopausal women), finding a dose-response relationship where higher volume led to greater hypertrophy, aligning precisely with the assertion.
Lifting more total weight over time made muscles bigger—even if rest breaks were short or long. Volume matters more than waiting between sets.
Technical explanation
The study isolates volume load as the key driver of hypertrophy, showing that higher volume (regardless of rest time) produced greater muscle growth, directly supporting the assertion that more volume = more hypertrophy.
Contradicting (2)
Effects of Different Weekly Set Progressions on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Males: Is There a Dose–Response Effect?
More lifting didn’t make muscles grow significantly bigger in this study, even though people got stronger—so more sets don’t necessarily mean more muscle growth for trained people.
After a certain point, doing more sets didn’t make muscles any bigger—so more isn’t always better, which goes against the claim.
Technical explanation
This study directly tests increasing volume from 5 to 20 sets/week in trained men and finds no additional hypertrophy beyond 10–15 sets, suggesting a ceiling effect that contradicts the assertion that more volume always leads to more growth.