How many sets for chest per week?
There are hardly any studies that directly compare different set numbers for the chest. The general recommendations serve as the guideline: according to the ACSM (2026), at least 10 sets per muscle group per week enhance muscle growth, and systematic reviews name 12 to 20 sets.
What chest-specific research exists
The best-known volume studies included the bench press but never measured the chest. Schoenfeld et al. (2019) and Radaelli et al. (2015) measured muscle thickness only in the arms and thighs. They cannot be used to draw direct conclusions about the pecs.
One of the few direct studies comes from Pinto et al. (2025). 15 untrained young men trained on the pec deck for 12 weeks, with each person completing both a 1-set and a 3-set condition. The upper (clavicular) and lower (sternocostal) parts of the pectoralis grew similarly in both conditions. Since these were beginners doing a single exercise, the result does not simply transfer to trained lifters.
The general guidelines
Without chest-specific data, practice relies on recommendations that apply to all major muscle groups. In 2026 the American College of Sports Medicine summarised more than 130 systematic reviews: hypertrophy was enhanced by higher volumes of at least 10 sets per muscle group per week. Baz-Valle et al. (2022) name 12 to 20 sets per week as a guideline, although measured in the quadriceps and biceps.
| Weekly volume | Basis |
|---|---|
| at least 10 sets | ACSM Position Stand (2026) |
| 12–20 sets | Baz-Valle et al. (2022), measured in quadriceps and biceps |
Which sets count for chest
Direct chest sets are exercises like bench press, incline press or pec deck. Exercises like dips or overhead press also partly load the chest. Pelland et al. (2026) count such indirect sets as half sets in their meta-regression. If you do a lot of pressing, you reach your weekly volume faster than the number of pure chest exercises suggests.
And the back?
For the back the evidence is just as thin: controlled studies that compare different set numbers and measure the lats or upper back directly are still missing. The general guideline of at least 10 sets per week applies here too.
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- Currier, B. S., et al. (American College of Sports Medicine) (2026). Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 58(4), 851–872. PubMed
- Baz-Valle, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Alix-Fages, C. & Santos-Concejero, J. (2022). A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics, 81, 199–210. PubMed
- Pinto, M. D., Ughini, C., Nunes, J. P., et al. (2025). Pectoralis Clavicular and Sternocostal Thicknesses Increase Similarly in Response to One and Three Sets of Pec Deck Resistance Training in Untrained Young Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 39(5), 523–530. PubMed
- Pelland, J. C., Remmert, J. F., Robinson, Z. P., Hinson, S. R. & Zourdos, M. C. (2026). The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains. Sports Medicine, 56(2), 481–505. PubMed
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., et al. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(1), 94–103. PubMed
- Radaelli, R., Fleck, S. J., Leite, T., et al. (2015). Dose-response of 1, 3, and 5 sets of resistance exercise on strength, local muscular endurance, and hypertrophy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(5), 1349–1358. PubMed