The Study
DISSIMILAR EFFECTS OF ONE‐ AND THREE‐SET STRENGTH TRAINING ON STRENGTH AND MUSCLE MASS GAINS IN UPPER AND LOWER BODY IN UNTRAINED SUBJECTS
This study is like a fair race between two groups of guys who trained differently — one did three sets of leg exercises, the other did one. The ones who did more sets got stronger legs. But it doesn't prove that more sets will make everyone stronger — just these guys in this experiment.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups of guys lifted weights for 11 weeks—one did one set per exercise, the other did three sets—but each group did three sets on one body part and one set on the other.
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 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—doing more sets gives you noticeably bigger and stronger legs, but for arms, one set works just as well as three.
- 2Legs: 3 sets = 41% stronger and 11% bigger muscles.
- 31 set = 21% stronger and 7% bigger.
- 4Arms: No difference between 1 set and 3 sets.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2007
Authors
Bent R. Rønnestad, Wilhelm Egeland, N. H. Kvamme, P. Refsnes, F. Kadi, T. Raastad
Related Content
Claims (6)
In untrained young men, doing three sets of lower-body weight exercises per movement for 11 weeks leads to a 41% greater increase in maximum leg strength and an 11% greater increase in thigh muscle size compared to doing only one set per movement.
In untrained young men, doing three sets of upper-body weight exercises per session for 11 weeks leads to the same increases in strength and muscle size as doing one set per session.
In untrained young men, increasing the number of workouts leads to larger muscle growth and strength gains in the legs compared to the arms.
In untrained young men, doing three sets of leg exercises per session for 11 weeks leads to a 16% increase in maximum knee extension strength, while doing one set leads to an 8% increase.
In untrained young men, performing one set or three sets of resistance exercises results in the same amount of growth in the trapezius muscle over 11 weeks.
In people who have not trained before, doing three sets of an exercise builds more strength and muscle in the legs than doing one set, but does not build more strength or muscle in the arms compared to one set.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.