The Study
Pectoralis Clavicular and Sternocostal Thicknesses Increase Similarly in Response to One and Three Sets of Pec Deck Resistance Training in Untrained Young Men
This study just watched 15 guys do chest exercises for 12 weeks and measured if their chest muscles got bigger and stronger. It doesn’t prove that doing 1 set is just as good as 3 sets — we don’t even know if they were randomly assigned or if the results could be due to luck or other factors.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Men who did either one or three sets of a chest exercise for 12 weeks got the same amount of muscle growth and strength, no matter which part of the chest they trained.
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 525 / 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 — getting nearly the same results with half the workout time could save people a lot of time without losing gains.
- 2Muscle thickness went up by 17–21%; strength went up by 43–46%; one set worked just as well as three sets.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2025
Authors
M. D. Pinto, Cristiano Ughini, João Pedro Nunes, E. Cadore, R. S. Pinto
Related Content
Claims (7)
Doing just one set of each exercise can still help build muscle, even if you're already fit — and it saves time.
When people who’ve never lifted weights before start training, some gain just a little muscle—like half a kilo—while others gain a lot, up to three kilos, in about two to three months.
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.
If you're new to working out, both parts of your chest muscle might grow about the same when you lift weights.
If you're a young guy who's never lifted weights before and you do pec deck exercises, your upper and lower chest muscles will grow the same amount—no one part gets bigger than the other.
If you're a young guy who hasn't trained before and you do pec deck exercises for 12 weeks, your chest muscles will get thicker—about 17–18% thicker in the upper part and 21% thicker in the lower part—no matter if you do just one set or three sets each workout.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.