More Sets Help You Get Stronger, But Not Always Bigger
The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training frequency has a strong link to strength but not hypertrophy.
For decades, trainers told people to train each muscle 1–2x/week for growth. This study suggests frequency doesn’t matter for size—only for strength—contradicting popular bodybuilding protocols.
Practical Takeaways
Use the fractional method: count direct isolation exercises as 1 set, compound lifts as 0.5 sets per muscle group. Example: 4 sets of leg press + 2 sets of squats = 5 effective quad sets.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training frequency has a strong link to strength but not hypertrophy.
For decades, trainers told people to train each muscle 1–2x/week for growth. This study suggests frequency doesn’t matter for size—only for strength—contradicting popular bodybuilding protocols.
Practical Takeaways
Use the fractional method: count direct isolation exercises as 1 set, compound lifts as 0.5 sets per muscle group. Example: 4 sets of leg press + 2 sets of squats = 5 effective quad sets.
Publication
Journal
Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
Year
2025
Authors
Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC
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Claims (10)
These results only apply to young men — we don’t know if they work the same way for women, older people, or those with health conditions.
This study only looked at how many sets and how often you lift — it didn’t check how hard you lift or what exercises you do, so those factors could still matter a lot.
Muscle size and strength don’t grow the same way when you lift more — strength hits a ceiling faster than muscle size, meaning they’re probably controlled by different biological processes.
How often you train matters more for getting stronger than for getting bigger muscles — muscle size doesn’t seem to care much, but strength does.
Lifting weights more often each week can help you get stronger, but after a certain number of sessions, doing even more doesn’t help much more.