Does doing more sets over time make muscles stronger and bigger?
Does increasing the resistance-training volume lead to greater gains? The effects of weekly set progressions on muscular adaptations in females
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at whether gradually increasing the number of exercise sets every two weeks helps women build more strength and muscle compared to doing the same number of sets all the time.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 547 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at whether gradually increasing the number of exercise sets every two weeks helps women build more strength and muscle compared to doing the same number of sets all the time.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 547 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Enes A, Correa CL, Bernardo MF, Salles GN, Oneda G, Leonel DF, Fleck SJ, Phillips SM, De Souza EO, Souza-Junior TP
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Claims (3)
For women who already lift weights, slowly increasing how many sets they do every couple of weeks doesn’t help them build thicker thigh muscles any more than just keeping their workout the same over 12 weeks.
If women who already lift weights increase their workout volume every couple of weeks, they’ll get stronger on the leg press faster than if they stick to the same number of sets the whole time.
If women who already work out increase their leg training gradually over 12 weeks, they might build more muscle in their quads than if they stick to the same number of sets the whole time—especially if they add four sets every two weeks.