More reps don't always mean more muscle
Increasing set volume relative to baseline does not augment skeletal muscle adaptations when compared to maintenance of baseline training volume in recreationally trained individuals
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Increasing training volume beyond baseline provided zero additional benefit for muscle growth or strength in trained individuals.
Most fitness programs preach 'progressive overload' as essential — yet here, adding more sets did nothing. This contradicts popular bodybuilding dogma and even some prior studies on novices.
Practical Takeaways
If you're already training 2x/week with 3–4 sets of curls, don’t feel pressured to add more sets — stick to your routine and focus on form and recovery.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Increasing training volume beyond baseline provided zero additional benefit for muscle growth or strength in trained individuals.
Most fitness programs preach 'progressive overload' as essential — yet here, adding more sets did nothing. This contradicts popular bodybuilding dogma and even some prior studies on novices.
Practical Takeaways
If you're already training 2x/week with 3–4 sets of curls, don’t feel pressured to add more sets — stick to your routine and focus on form and recovery.
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Applied Physiology
Year
2024
Authors
Enrique N Moreno, Danielle T Sampson, Elias C Figueroa, M. Jessee, Samuel L. Buckner
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Claims (6)
When you keep working out, your muscles get used to it and don’t get as sore or damaged each time—so you can train harder and more often, which helps you build more muscle over time.
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.
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.
If you're someone who works out a little but not super hard, just keeping up your usual routine for 3 months can actually make your biceps bigger and stronger — you don’t need to go all out.
If you're just casually working out, doing a few sets of bicep curls with one arm is just as good for getting stronger as doing a lot more sets—your muscles don't need extra work to keep improving past a certain point.