How many sets make muscles grow?
Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The benefit of more sets slows down sharply after 10 per week
Many lifters believe 'more is always better,' but this shows clear diminishing returns, contradicting the grind-heavy gym culture.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for around 10 sets per muscle group per week to maximize muscle growth without overtraining.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The benefit of more sets slows down sharply after 10 per week
Many lifters believe 'more is always better,' but this shows clear diminishing returns, contradicting the grind-heavy gym culture.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for around 10 sets per muscle group per week to maximize muscle growth without overtraining.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Sports Sciences
Year
2017
Authors
B. Schoenfeld, Daniel I. Ogborn, J. Krieger
Related Content
Claims (5)
Lifting weights more each week helps your muscles grow, but after about 10 sets per muscle group, doing even more doesn't help much — the extra effort gives you way less bang for your buck.
The more sets you do each week for a muscle, the more it grows — each extra set gives you a little boost in muscle size, according to a big analysis of studies.
If you lift weights more each week for each muscle, you’ll likely gain more muscle size—studies show about 3.9% more growth compared to doing less.
The more sets you do each week for a muscle, the more it tends to grow — but the difference between low, medium, and high set ranges isn’t quite strong enough to be considered fully proven.
If you're already used to lifting weights, doing just a few sets per week — but pushing each set to your max — builds the same amount of muscle as doing a lot more sets.