Does doing more sets build more muscle in older women?
Resistance Training Performed With Single and Multiple Sets Induces Similar Improvements in Muscular Strength, Muscle Mass, Muscle Quality, and IGF-1 in Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Performing only one set per exercise was just as effective as three sets for building strength and muscle in older women.
Most gym culture and many training programs assume more sets lead to better results—this study directly contradicts that for untrained older adults.
Practical Takeaways
If you're an older adult starting resistance training, doing one set per exercise to near failure may be enough to build strength and muscle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Performing only one set per exercise was just as effective as three sets for building strength and muscle in older women.
Most gym culture and many training programs assume more sets lead to better results—this study directly contradicts that for untrained older adults.
Practical Takeaways
If you're an older adult starting resistance training, doing one set per exercise to near failure may be enough to build strength and muscle.
Publication
Journal
Journal of strength and conditioning research
Year
2020
Authors
P. Cunha, J. Nunes, C. Tomeleri, M. A. Nascimento, B. Schoenfeld, M. Antunes, L. Gobbo, D. Teixeira, E. Cyrino
Related Content
Claims (3)
If older women who aren't used to working out do 12 weeks of strength training—using 8 exercises and doing 10 to 15 reps each time—they’ll get noticeably stronger in both arms and legs, gain muscle, and improve key health markers, whether they do one or three sets per exercise.
For older women who don’t usually lift weights, doing one set of each exercise is just as good as doing three sets for getting stronger and building muscle over 12 weeks — more sets don’t seem to help extra at this stage.
If you're new to lifting, doing three sets of an exercise might not build more muscle than just doing one set—as long as you push each set to the point where you can't lift anymore.