Menno Henselmans
Higher Training Volume and Auto-Regulated Rest: Diminishing Returns and Time Costs
The evidence is mixed: some claims about training volume are supported, while others lack research or show conflicting results.
We checked the science
our breakdown of the video
10 claims, each mapped to its moment in the video
For men who already lift weights regularly, doing 50% more sets (going from about 40 to 60 sets each week) does not help them gain more muscle or get stronger on most exercises, and it can actually hurt their deadlift strength.
Evidence points in both directions — no clear conclusion yet.
Doing more sets of weightlifting each week helps you build more muscle, but this only works up to a point. After about 20 sets for a muscle group in a week, doing extra sets doesn't give you more benefit and results can be unpredictable.
Strong evidence from clinical studies backs this claim.
Doing more sets and reps in the gym reliably makes muscles bigger, but its effect on strength is less predictable. So higher training volume helps you build size consistently, but strength gains are more hit-or-miss.
Evidence points in both directions — no clear conclusion yet.
Everyone's body recovers from exercise at its own pace. When you're under a lot of stress, your body takes longer to bounce back—sometimes twice as long for the same workout.
Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.
When students are stressed, like during exam week, doing the same exercise takes them about twice as long to feel recovered compared to when they are relaxed.
Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.
Not getting enough sleep makes your body worse at using nutrients and repairing muscles, so it can't recover from exercise as well.
Evidence points in both directions — no clear conclusion yet.
If you don't eat enough calories and don't eat nutritious food, your body can't recover properly after exercise, so you aren't able to handle intense or frequent training.
Evidence contradicts this claim.
People’s bodies react differently to how much they exercise. Some people get better results from doing less, while others get better results from doing more. There is no one-size-fits-all amount of exercise that works best for everyone.
Multiple causal studies (randomized trials and reviews) support this claim.
For experienced weightlifters, taking as long as you feel you need between sets (about 3.7 minutes) builds just as much muscle and strength as resting a fixed 2-3 minutes. However, those longer rests make the entire workout take more time.
Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.
When you lift weights, taking a break of more than 90 seconds between exercises doesn't help your muscles grow bigger than taking shorter breaks.
Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.
Key Takeaways
Summary
Based on the video transcript only.
- 1What's valid: Meta-analyses show that muscle growth increases with volume up to about 10 sets per muscle per week, but adding more sets beyond that gives barely any extra gains. The study's 50% volume bump (from 25 to ~37.5 sets) was unlikely to produce significant extra growth.
- 2What's off: The study on volume was weakened by low statistical power and a flaw in how volume was counted—they looked at total sets, not sets per muscle group—so its specific numbers shouldn't be taken as gospel.
- 3Most interesting: Resting until you feel ready (average 3.7 min) gave the same muscle and strength gains as resting 2-3 minutes, but it made your workout 29% longer. So you can save time by capping rests at 90 seconds without losing results.
- 4Bottom line: Don't waste time on extreme volume or long rests; aim for 10-20 hard sets per muscle weekly and keep rests to 90 seconds if you care about efficiency.
Related videos
Menno Henselmans
You need this many carbs to maximize muscle growth
Menno Henselmans
The Top 3 Reasons You’re Not Gaining Muscle
Menno Henselmans
How to get perfect skin: a no-BS lifter's guide
Menno Henselmans
Why is nobody in fitness talking about this?
Menno Henselmans
Stop Obsessing Over Your Macros. Only 2 Things Matter
![Is TRT safe? FDA revises official guidelines [New research]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi_webp%2F4oLNnTS0g18%2Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Menno Henselmans