How Changing Workout Amount Affects Muscle and Strength
Training Volume Increases Or Maintenance Based On Previous Volume: The Effects On Muscular Adaptations In Trained Males.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Guys who lift weights kept doing their usual workout or did 30% or 60% more. After 8 weeks, everyone gained muscle, but those who kept their workout the same got stronger in lifting one heavy weight, while those who did 30% more could do more reps before getting tired.
Surprising Findings
Maintaining training volume led to the greatest strength gains, not increasing it.
This contradicts the common belief that progressive overload requires increasing volume over time. Many lifters assume more sets = more strength, but here, the opposite happened.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is maximal strength, consider maintaining your current training volume rather than increasing it.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Guys who lift weights kept doing their usual workout or did 30% or 60% more. After 8 weeks, everyone gained muscle, but those who kept their workout the same got stronger in lifting one heavy weight, while those who did 30% more could do more reps before getting tired.
Surprising Findings
Maintaining training volume led to the greatest strength gains, not increasing it.
This contradicts the common belief that progressive overload requires increasing volume over time. Many lifters assume more sets = more strength, but here, the opposite happened.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is maximal strength, consider maintaining your current training volume rather than increasing it.
Publication
Journal
Journal of applied physiology
Year
2024
Authors
Andrew Barsuhn, Tanuj Wadhi, Alan Murphy, Spencer Zazzo, Baron K. Thompson, Christopher Barakat, Josh Bradshaw, Joseph Walters, J. Andersen, B. J. Schoenfeld, Carlos Ugrinowitsch, E. D. De Souza
Related Content
Claims (4)
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.
Guys who keep their usual workout routine get stronger than those who do a lot more lifting — sometimes doing more isn’t better for building strength.
If guys who already lift weights increase their workout volume by 30%, they’ll last longer before getting tired compared to doing the same amount or doubling up—after 8 weeks, they can do about 5 more reps before failing.
If you're a guy who already lifts weights, doing lower-body workouts for 8 weeks will build leg muscle — and it doesn't matter if you do your usual number of sets or increase them by 30% or even 60%.