How many sets per muscle group per week?
For muscle growth, 10 to 20 working sets per muscle group per week is the guideline supported by meta-analyses. Beginners make progress at the lower end of the range; advanced lifters need more volume.
Sets per muscle group
Weekly volume per Schoenfeld et al. (2017), split across your training days.
What the research says about training volume
The meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. (2017) examined 15 controlled studies on the relationship between weekly set volume and muscle growth. The result shows a clear dose-response relationship: more working sets per week mean more hypertrophy, up to an upper plateau. A more recent review by Baz-Valle et al. (2022) confirms this finding and places that ceiling at around 20 working sets per muscle group per week.
What counts as a working set
By the definition commonly used in exercise science, a working set is one performed at an intensity close to muscle failure — typically with fewer than five to six reps in reserve (Helms et al., 2016). Warm-up sets and sets performed at markedly lower intensity do not count toward effective training volume.
Guidelines by experience level
| Level | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 8–12 |
| Intermediate | 12–18 |
| Advanced | 16–22 |
The upper limit of useful volume
The study by Barbalho et al. (2019) documents no additional hypertrophy effect above roughly 22 working sets per muscle group per week — in some cases even a decline, driven by insufficient recovery. For program design, that means more volume does not automatically translate into more muscle.
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- Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. Journal of Sports Sciences. PubMed
- Baz-Valle, E., et al. (2022). A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics. PubMed
- Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy. Sports Medicine. PubMed
- Barbalho, M. S. M., et al. (2019). Evidence of a Ceiling Effect for Training Volume in Muscle Hypertrophy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
- Helms, E. R., et al. (2016). RPE and Velocity Relationships for the Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift in Powerlifters. JSCR.