The Study
The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain
This study looked at lots of other studies about weightlifting and found that people who lift more often or with more sets tend to get bigger and stronger—but it doesn't prove that doing more caused those changes. It's like noticing that people who eat more ice cream also get more sunburns; they're connected, but one doesn't cause the other.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Doing more resistance training sets per week makes your muscles bigger and stronger, but after a certain amount, you get less extra benefit. How you spread those sets across the week matters for strength, but not much for muscle size.
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 548 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if you want to grow muscle, focus on total weekly sets, not how often you train.
- 2If you want to get stronger, train more often even if total sets stay the same.
- 3More weekly sets = bigger muscles and stronger lifts, but strength gains drop off faster.
- 4Training a muscle 2x/week vs 1x/week doesn’t make muscles bigger if total sets are the same — but it does make you stronger.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Authors
Joshua Pelland, Jacob Remmert, Zac Robinson, Seth Hinson, Michael Zourdos
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Claims (10)
Increasing the amount of resistance training each week results in more muscle growth, but the additional gain per extra session becomes smaller at higher volumes.
Increasing the amount of resistance training per week leads to greater muscle growth, and this relationship does not change whether the training lasts a few weeks or several months.
For the same total number of weekly sets, changing how those sets are spread across training days does not change muscle growth.
When the total amount of weight training per week is the same, changing how often you train—such as once a week versus five times a week—does not change the amount of muscle growth.
If you spread your workouts over more days each week but keep the total work the same, you'll get stronger—but your muscles won't necessarily grow bigger.
When the total amount of exercise is kept the same, increasing workouts from once to twice per week does not result in a meaningful difference in muscle growth.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.