The Study
Higher volume resistance training enhances whole-body muscle hypertrophy in postmenopausal and older females: A secondary analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
This study looked at lots of other studies where older women lifted weights and found that lifting heavier weights might help them build a little more muscle than lifting lighter weights — but we’re not 100% sure because we didn’t see all the details of those original studies.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at studies where older women lifted weights with different amounts of sets. They wanted to know if doing more sets made them gain more muscle.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — gaining 0.4 kg more muscle with more training may matter for strength and health in older women, even if the difference isn't huge.
- 2Women who did more lifting (997 units) gained about 1.3 kg of muscle.
- 3Women who did less lifting (445 units) gained about 0.9 kg of muscle.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Archives of gerontology and geriatrics
Year
2024
Authors
P. Nunes, Witalo Kassiano, Pâmela Castro-e-Souza, B. F. Camilo, Gislaine Cristina-Souza, Lúcio Marques Vieira-Souza, E. Cyrino, M. Carneiro
Related Content
Claims (4)
Doing just one set of each exercise can still help build muscle, even if you're already fit — and it saves time.
Resistance training with fewer sets and repetitions can still lead to muscle growth, but it typically results in less growth than training with more sets and repetitions.
If older women who’ve gone through menopause do more weight training sessions, they tend to gain more muscle mass than those who do fewer sessions.
Doing more sets at the gym than you're used to—like going from 18 to 33 sets a week per muscle group—doesn’t make your muscles grow significantly more, even though you might see a little more growth overall.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.