More workouts don't always mean bigger muscles if you're already trained
The Importance of Previous Resistance Training Volume on Muscle Growth in Trained Individuals
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
If you're already strong and lift weights regularly, doing even more sets each week doesn't always make your muscles grow bigger. But if you suddenly increase your workout volume beyond what you're used to, that might help your muscles grow better.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
If you're already strong and lift weights regularly, doing even more sets each week doesn't always make your muscles grow bigger. But if you suddenly increase your workout volume beyond what you're used to, that might help your muscles grow better.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Publication
Related Content
Claims (8)
When the number of weekly resistance training sets for a muscle group is increased from 8 to 12, muscle size increases by about 0.9% compared to the lower volume.
The total amount of effective resistance exercise performed for each muscle group in a week is the most important factor in determining how much muscle size increases.
For people new to weight training, doing more resistance exercises per week is linked to greater muscle growth. For those already trained, increasing the volume of training does not consistently lead to more muscle growth than lower volumes, suggesting that training history affects how muscles respond to increased workload.
When predicting how much muscle a person will gain from training, accounting for how much they have trained in the past leads to more accurate predictions.
When predicting how much muscle a person will gain from training, accounting for how much they have trained in the past makes the prediction more accurate.