Lifting more weights each week makes you stronger, but the extra strength you gain from each additional set gets smaller faster than the muscle gains do.
Scientific Claim
Higher weekly resistance training volume is associated with greater strength gains in young, primarily male, trained individuals, with more pronounced diminishing returns compared to hypertrophy.
Original Statement
“The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for the effect of volume on both hypertrophy and strength was 100%, indicating that gains in muscle size and strength increase as volume increases. However, both best-fit models suggest diminishing returns, with the diminishing returns for strength being considerably more pronounced.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The causal language 'gains increase as volume increases' overstates the evidence. The study design (unknown randomization) only supports associative inference.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.
More weight training per week makes you stronger, but after a certain point, you get less extra benefit — and this drop-off happens faster for strength than for muscle growth.