How Much Lifting is Too Much for Gains?
Evidence for an Upper Threshold for Resistance Training Volume in Trained Women
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Higher training volume (20 sets) led to the smallest gains in strength and muscle size.
This contradicts the widely accepted dose-response model in resistance training, which assumes more volume leads to more hypertrophy — up to a plateau, not a decline.
Practical Takeaways
Consider capping resistance training volume at 10 sets per muscle group per week to optimize strength and hypertrophy gains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Higher training volume (20 sets) led to the smallest gains in strength and muscle size.
This contradicts the widely accepted dose-response model in resistance training, which assumes more volume leads to more hypertrophy — up to a plateau, not a decline.
Practical Takeaways
Consider capping resistance training volume at 10 sets per muscle group per week to optimize strength and hypertrophy gains.
Publication
Journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Year
2019
Authors
Matheus Barbalho, V. Coswig, J. Steele, J. Fisher, A. Paoli, P. Gentil
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Claims (4)
People might respond differently to how much weight training they do, but we can't say for sure because the studies done so far aren't clear enough.
If you're a woman who's already been working out, doing 5 to 10 sets of strength training per muscle group each week seems to be enough to build muscle and get stronger over half a year — doing more doesn't seem to help extra.
If women who already work out do too many sets each week, they might gain less muscle and strength than if they did fewer sets.
If a woman who's already fit does strength training, doing 5 to 10 sets per muscle each week might build more muscle than doing even more sets—like 15 or 20. Sometimes, more isn't better when it comes to muscle growth.