Analysis Version
v1
History
Back to Study: Increasing set volume relative to baseline does no...
descriptive
Analysis v1
55
Pro
0
Against

If you're someone who lifts weights for fun and not professionally, your upper arm muscles grow about the same amount near the shoulder, middle, and elbow—no matter if you do more or the same number of sets and reps.

Context Details

Domain

exercise_science

Population

human

Subject

recreationally trained individuals

Action

increases

Target

muscle thickness at proximal (50%), mid (60%), and distal (70%) regions of the upper arm following resistance training, regardless of volume manipulation

Intervention Details

Type: exercise

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

55
55

Increasing set volume relative to baseline does not augment skeletal muscle adaptations when compared to maintenance of baseline training volume in recreationally trained individuals

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025 Apr

The study found that whether people did more or fewer sets of arm curls, their upper arms grew about the same amount at the top, middle, and bottom — so doing more sets doesn’t make one part grow more than another.

Contradicting (0)

0
No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Increasing set volume relative to baseline does not augment skeletal muscle adaptations when compared to maintenance of baseline training volume in recreationally trained individuals

Score: 55
DOI: 10.1007/s00421-024-05655-4

Similar Assertions

If you're already strength training and you do more sets of bicep exercises each week, your biceps tend to get thicker — and this link isn't just luck, it's a real pattern.

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If you're already strength training, doing more sets and reps doesn't always mean your arms and shoulders will grow much bigger—other things like rest, diet, and genetics also play a big role.

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If you're already strength training and you suddenly do more than 50% extra workouts per week, your biceps and triceps might grow a bit more—but if you only increase a little or even cut back, you won't see a big difference in muscle size compared to those who ramped it up a lot.

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If you're an average gym-goer doing one-arm bicep curls, doing more sets than your usual routine won't make your arm muscles bigger or stronger—your gains plateau at your current volume.

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The total amount of work done (weight × reps × sets) seems to matter for muscle growth — more work generally leads to more muscle, even if the weights are light.

20
0
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