Your Leg Workout Should Be Personal
Muscle Hypertrophy Response Is Affected by Previous Resistance Training Volume in Trained Individuals
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
50% more people saw real muscle growth with individualized volume than with standardized volume.
Most training guidelines assume a fixed volume (like 20–25 sets/week) works for most people — but this shows nearly half of trained lifters didn’t benefit from the standard plan at all.
Practical Takeaways
Track your weekly training volume for 2–4 weeks, then increase your next phase by 20% (1.2x) instead of following a generic program.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
50% more people saw real muscle growth with individualized volume than with standardized volume.
Most training guidelines assume a fixed volume (like 20–25 sets/week) works for most people — but this shows nearly half of trained lifters didn’t benefit from the standard plan at all.
Practical Takeaways
Track your weekly training volume for 2–4 weeks, then increase your next phase by 20% (1.2x) instead of following a generic program.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2020
Authors
Maíra C. Scarpelli, S. Nóbrega, Natália Santanielo, I. Alvarez, Gabriele B. Otoboni, C. Ugrinowitsch, C. Libardi
Related Content
Claims (4)
Everyone’s body responds differently to workouts—what works wonders for one person might be too much or too little for another, because of differences in genes, energy use, and how fast they recover.
If you adjust your weekly weightlifting routine based on your own workout history, you’ll likely build more muscle in your thigh compared to following a one-size-fits-all workout plan—after 8 weeks, the difference is about the size of a small coin.
People who already train regularly are more likely to see real muscle growth when their workout plan is customized for them, rather than using a one-size-fits-all routine — and the difference is about half as many more people seeing real gains.
If you're already experienced with weight training, doing the exact number of sets your past logs suggest (1.2 times your usual) builds more muscle than doing a fixed number of 22 sets every week — and this is shown by measuring your thigh muscle thickness with ultrasound.