Set Volume and Muscle Hypertrophy: What the Research Says

Key Takeaways

• Volume is a primary driver of muscle hypertrophy: Meta-analyses consistently show a dose-response relationship between the number of sets per muscle and muscle growth – more weekly sets lead to more hypertrophy, up to a point​.

• Optimal weekly set volumes lie in the moderate-to-high range: For novice to intermediate lifters, around 5–10 sets per muscle per week significantly improves growth, with ~10+ sets often yielding near-maximal gains​. Advanced lifters may benefit from even higher volumes (e.g. 10–20 sets/week); recent evidence indicates ~12–20 sets/week is an effective target for experienced trainees. This range balances efficacy with recoverability for most individuals.

• Diminishing returns kick in at high volumes: Adding volume has progressively smaller benefits. Going from 1 set to 5 sets yields a big jump in hypertrophy, whereas going from 15 sets to 20 sets yields only a minor increase. Meta-analyses on trained lifters find little difference between moderate (12–20 sets) and very high (>20 sets) weekly volumes for most muscles​. ~20 weekly sets appears to be a point of rapidly diminishing returns for muscle growth in well-trained individuals​. Extremely high volumes (>20 sets) may still produce slightly more growth in some cases (such as the small muscle groups e.g. biceps, side delts and triceps) but generally are not necessary for maximal gains​.

• Training frequency is mainly a tool to distribute volume: When total weekly sets are equal, splitting them into more sessions does not inherently increase hypertrophy. For example, hitting a muscle 2–3 times a week can make it easier to perform a high number of sets with quality effort, but simply increasing frequency without adding volume shows no clear benefit. Focus on weekly set count; use frequency to optimize recovery and performance of those sets.

• Intensity (load) does not change the volume-hypertrophy dose-response: High-load and low-load training produce similar muscle growth if sets are taken near failure​. This means the number of hard sets is a valid measure of training stimulus across various rep ranges. Whether you lift heavy or light, you need sufficient sets (and effort) to maximize hypertrophy. Choose loads that allow you to complete your target volume with good form and manageable fatigue. Aim to be between 0 and 4 RIR.

• Individual and population differences matter: Beginners can grow robustly with lower volumes (even <5 sets/week yields gains), and likely reach a volume “sweet spot” at fewer sets than advanced lifters​. Trained athletes often require higher volumes to eke out further gains, tolerating up to ~20 weekly sets per muscle for small additional improvements. Older adults also benefit more from higher volumes: even though any resistance training helps, research in older women showed greater hypertrophy with high-volume programs than low-volume ones​. Still, older individuals should progress volume cautiously according to recovery capacity. Ultimately, optimal volume has to be personalized – start in the effective range (approximately 10 sets/week for a muscle) and adjust up or down based on your results, recovery, and specific goals.

Background and Context

Training volume – often quantified as the total number of sets per muscle group per week – is a key driver of muscle hypertrophy. Early evidence showed that performing multiple sets yields greater muscle growth than a single set. A 2010 meta-analysis (8 studies) found a trend of increased hypertrophy when training volume increased from one set to about 4–6 sets per exercise​ biolayne.com. Building on this, Schoenfeld et al. (2017) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies (mostly in untrained subjects) to examine the dose-response relationship between weekly set volume and muscle size gains​ biolayne.com. They observed a graded dose-response: higher weekly set volumes produced progressively greater hypertrophy, at least up to a point​ biolayne.com. Notably, this meta-analysis had limited data on very high volumes (only 2 studies involved trained lifters)​ biolayne.com, so its conclusions primarily apply to low-to-moderate volume ranges in novice lifters.

Dose-Response Relationship up to ~10 Sets/Week

The 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. revealed an almost linear relationship between weekly sets and muscle growth up to roughly 10 sets per muscle group per week​ strongerbyscience.com. In practical terms, training <5 sets per week led to an average ~5% increase in muscle size, 5–9 sets led to ~6–7% increases, and training with 10+ sets per week led to nearly ~10% muscle growth​ strongerbyscience.com. Each additional weekly set was associated with a small but significant uptick in hypertrophy (on the order of ~0.25–0.37% more growth per set) strongerbyscience.com. These findings indicate that, for beginners or those new to resistance training, increasing from very low volume to moderate volume (e.g. from 1–2 sets to 5+ sets per muscle) yields appreciable gains in muscle size. The data up to 10 weekly sets suggested no clear plateau within that range – more sets resulted in more growth​ strongerbyscience.com.

However, because few studies at the time examined volumes beyond 10 weekly sets, the point at which returns would diminish or plateau remained uncertain​ biolayne.com. The authors cautioned that the relationship might not remain linear at extremely high volumes, even though they did not observe an upper limit within the volumes analyzed​biolayne.com.

Methodology: Schoenfeld’s team included controlled trials lasting ≥6 weeks that directly measured muscle hypertrophy (via imaging or fiber size) and compared different set volumes​ biolayne.com. Volume was categorized (e.g. <5, 5–9, 10+ sets/week) for subgroup analysis. Most participants were untrained young adults. The meta-analysis used both categorical comparisons and meta-regression to detect dose-response trends. Results were robust even after removing an outlier study, though the effect of each additional set decreased slightly (from ~0.37% to 0.25% gain per set) with the outlier removed​ strongerbyscience.com. This supports a real, albeit gradual, benefit to adding sets.

Key finding: For general populations (especially beginners), ~5–10 sets per muscle per week produced significantly more hypertrophy than lower volumes​ strongerbyscience.com. In fact, 10+ weekly sets were clearly superior to <5 sets, roughly doubling the percentage muscle gain in the studies analyzed​ strongerbyscience.com. This established 5–10+ sets/week as an effective training volume for hypertrophy in novices, with higher end of that range yielding the most growth.

High Volume Training (>10 Sets) and Diminishing Returns

In recent years, researchers have explored whether doing very high volume (well above 10 sets/week) yields further hypertrophic gains or if returns plateau or diminish. Multiple studies after 2017 implemented “high-volume” protocols (20+ sets per muscle/week), providing data to extend the dose-response curve. Baz-Valle et al. (2022) performed a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on trained lifters exposed to moderate vs. high weekly set volumes​ researchgate.net. They analyzed 6 randomized trials where young men (≥1 year of training experience) performed either 12–20 sets/week per muscle or >20 sets/week, with training programs matched for intensity and duration researchgate.net strongerbyscience.com. This analysis directly tested whether volumes beyond the ~10-set mark confer additional hypertrophy in experienced trainees.

Findings: Overall, Baz-Valle et al. found no statistically significant advantage to volumes above 20 weekly sets compared to 12–20 sets for most muscle groups​researchgate.net. Hypertrophy outcomes for the quadriceps were similar between the ~15-set range and >20 sets (no significant difference, p = 0.19)​ researchgate.net. Likewise, the biceps showed no meaningful difference between moderate and very high volume conditions (p = 0.59)​ researchgate.net. Interestingly, the one exception was the triceps: the high-volume training groups saw significantly greater triceps growth than the moderate volume groups (p = 0.01)​ researchgate.net. The effect size for triceps was moderately in favor of >20 sets (SMD ~0.5), whereas differences for quads and biceps were small or trivial​ strongerbyscience.com. Based on the totality of evidence, the authors concluded that a range of ~12–20 weekly sets per muscle is a solid general recommendation for maximizing hypertrophy in trained young men researchgate.net. Volumes beyond ~20 sets/week tended to show diminishing returns, meaning little to no extra muscle gained for the additional effort, at least over typical training periods​ researchgate.net.

It’s worth noting that none of the meta-analyses found a clear downturn in results at high volumes – in other words, there was no evidence that very high volume decreases hypertrophy, only that gains plateau, however fatigue can increase. In Baz-Valle’s review, all pooled results still favored the higher volume condition (20+ sets) slightly, even when not statistically significant​ strongerbyscience.com. This suggests that if recovery and time are not limiting factors, doing more sets generally does not harm muscle growth, though it may yield only marginal gains past a point. Importantly, one of the longest-duration studies in that analysis (24 weeks) reported the largest benefits to higher volume, hinting that extended training time might reveal greater separation in gains​strongerbyscience.com. However, for practical purposes, the point of diminishing returns for advanced lifters appears to hover around ~20 weekly sets per muscle​ strongerbyscience.com. Beyond this level, each extra set likely contributes very minimal additional hypertrophy. In Greg Nuckols’ words, ~20 sets/week is “approximately the average point of rapidly diminishing returns for trained lifters (the threshold for novice lifters is likely quite a bit lower)”​ strongerbyscience.com. In simpler terms, a beginner might experience diminishing returns at, say, 8–12 sets, whereas an advanced bodybuilder might still gain (albeit slowly) up to ~20 sets before plateauing.

Methodology: Baz-Valle’s 2022 review only included studies with experienced lifters (to eliminate newbie gains confounding) and controlled for intensity (all groups trained with similar loads, so volume was the main difference)​ strongerbyscience.com. Muscles analyzed were those with direct hypertrophy measurements (via ultrasound or MRI) in the studies (quads, biceps, triceps). By comparing “moderate” vs “high” volume categories, the meta-analysis assessed whether pushing volume to extreme levels yields extra growth. The findings were muscle-specific, reinforcing that different muscles may respond to volume differently (triceps benefiting from more volume, possibly because many pressing exercises under-stimulate triceps compared to direct work​strongerbyscience.com). This nuance suggests that an optimal set number might vary by muscle group and how those sets are performed (compound vs isolation exercises).

Key conclusions on volume: Combining the evidence, most meta-analyses support a dose-response up to moderate-high volumes, with diminishing returns setting in as volume becomes very high. Practically, training each major muscle group with on the order of ~10–20 hard sets per week appears to maximize hypertrophy for most people​researchgate.net strongerbyscience.com. Gains from increasing volume are most pronounced when going from very low volume to moderate volume, whereas the jump from an already moderate volume to an extra-high volume yields much smaller improvements​ strongerbyscience.com. Individuals seeking maximal hypertrophy can experiment toward the upper end of this range, but should be mindful of recovery, time commitment, and individual response.

Interestingly enough, increased rest time increases the hypertrophy, as detailed below, it is worth noting that the graph is the sets per muscle per size, and the author recommended 2-3 sessions per week, so multiply the set number by 2-3 for the weekly set number.

Trained vs. Beginner Populations

Training status is an important consideration in volume prescription. Beginners (untrained individuals) generally respond robustly even to lower training volumes, and their “optimal” volume for growth is likely on the lower end. Since novices are hyper-responsive to resistance training, they can make significant gains with relatively few sets (e.g. 4–8 sets per muscle weekly can induce hypertrophy in new lifters). The Schoenfeld et al. meta-analysis, which was dominated by untrained subjects, indicated that muscle growth improvements could be achieved from just <5 sets/week, with additional gains up through ~10 sets/week strongerbyscience.com. For a beginner, doing more than 10 hard sets for a muscle in a week might not yield proportional benefits and could impose unnecessary fatigue. In contrast, trained athletes often require higher volumes to continue making progress. Their muscles are more resistant to growth stimuli, so increasing the number of stimulating sets can help provide a novel growth stimulus. Evidence for this comes from the fact that studies involving trained lifters (included in Baz-Valle 2022 and other high-volume studies) show that moderate volumes (~6–10 sets/session, or ~12–20 sets/week) are needed to spur further hypertrophy, and even then gains are relatively small unless volume is pushed toward the upper limit​researchgate.net. Meta-analytic data support these differences in volume needs by experience level. As mentioned, Schoenfeld’s review had insufficient data beyond 10 sets mostly because few trained lifters were studied​ biolayne.com. By the time lifters have a few years of training, they may already have realized the gains that lower volumes can provide. Greg Nuckols notes that the threshold for diminishing returns “is likely quite a bit lower” for novice lifters than for advanced lifters​ strongerbyscience.com. In practical terms, a novice might get near-maximal gains at, say, 8–10 sets per muscle/week, whereas an advanced lifter might need closer to 15–20 sets/week to approach their hypertrophy ceiling​ strongerbyscience.com. Advanced bodybuilders and strength athletes often report better progress when increasing volume (with appropriate cycling and recovery), aligning with the idea that well-trained muscles need a larger stimulus to grow.

It’s important to individualize volume based on recovery and response. Some trained individuals may find 20+ weekly sets productive, while others might overtrain on that regimen. Beginners, on the other hand, should focus on gradually increasing volume over time – starting too high can cause excessive soreness or fatigue without markedly faster growth. In summary, trained athletes typically benefit from higher set volumes than beginners, but they also experience much smaller incremental gains from those extra sets. Beginners can make great progress with moderate volumes, and adding too many sets too soon may yield diminishing returns or burnout.

Older Adults and Volume Requirements

Does age alter the volume-hypertrophy relationship? Research specifically examining older populations suggests that older adults can still benefit from higher training volumes, though their capacity to handle volume might be moderated by recovery ability and comorbidities. A recent systematic review by Nunes et al. (2024) focused on postmenopausal and older women, comparing high-volume vs low-volume resistance training on muscle mass gains. This analysis included 14 randomized controlled trials in older females (generally over 50–60 years old) performing resistance programs of varying set volumes​ biolayne.com. The findings mirrored those in younger populations: both low-volume and high-volume training programs led to significant hypertrophy compared to non-exercising controls, but the high-volume routines elicited greater muscle growth in these older women​ biolayne.com. In other words, while even a low number of sets helped older adults increase muscle size, doing more sets amplified the gains.

These results are encouraging, as they indicate older adults are not “volume-resistant” – they too exhibit a dose-response to training volume. However, the absolute optimal volume for older individuals may differ from that of younger athletes. Factors like recovery ability, joint health, and the presence of sarcopenia play a role. Many of the studies in Nunes et al.’s review defined “high volume” in older women as around 8–12 sets per muscle group (often split into 2–3 sessions per week), which is not extremely high by athletic standards but still higher than a minimal program. The takeaway is that higher volumes can produce superior hypertrophy even in older adults, provided the individuals can recover from the training stress​ biolayne.com. Notably, resistance training is crucial for combating age-related muscle loss, and this meta-analysis suggests that prescribing a sufficient volume (rather than a minimal dose) is beneficial for maximizing muscle retention and growth in aging populations.

Practically, older beginners might start on the lower end (e.g. 4–6 sets/week per muscle) and progressively work up to moderate volumes (8–15 sets) as tolerated. The principle of diminishing returns still applies – there will be a point where doing more sets yields little extra benefit – but that point had not been reached even at the higher volumes tested in the reviewed older adult studies (which generally didn’t exceed ~12 sets/week in the interventions). It’s also worth noting that low-volume training is far better than no training for older adults: even a few sets per week significantly improved muscle size and function compared to sedentary controls in those trials​ biolayne.com. So while higher volume is ideal for maximizing hypertrophy, any amount of resistance training is valuable for older individuals.

Interaction of Volume with Frequency and Intensity

When discussing set volume, it's important to consider training frequency (how often you train each muscle) and intensity/load (how heavy the resistance is), as these factors interact to influence hypertrophy:

• Training Frequency: Frequency and volume are closely related – spreading a given number of sets across multiple sessions might affect how effective those sets are. Meta-analyses have examined training frequency for hypertrophy and generally found that frequency per se has a minimal impact on muscle growth when volume is matched biolayne.com. For example, training a muscle with 10 sets in one session vs 5 sets on two separate days yields similar hypertrophy, as long as total weekly sets are equal. Schoenfeld et al. (2019) reported no significant hypertrophy differences between frequencies of 1, 2, or 3 days per week per muscle group if weekly sets were the same, suggesting volume is the driving factor and frequency is mostly a distribution tool. In a recent meta-regression of 67 studies, frequency had a “negligible relationship to hypertrophy” once volume was accounted for​ biolayne.com. However, frequency can facilitate higher volume – i.e. to perform 15–20 sets a week with quality effort, most people will need to split that into 2–3 sessions. Higher frequency allows better recovery between sessions, maintaining intensity of effort for each set. In practice, a moderate frequency (hitting each muscle ~2 times per week) is often used to distribute volume effectively, but purely increasing frequency (e.g. from 2x to 3x/week) won’t cause more growth unless it comes with more sets overall. So, use frequency as a tool to manage and allocate volume, not as an independent driver of hypertrophy

• Training Intensity (Load): Intensity (often expressed as percentage of one-rep max or rep range) does not appear to drastically alter the volume-hypertrophy relationship, as long as the sets are carried near to muscular failure. Research shows that heavy loads (e.g. 5–8 RM) and lighter loads (20+ RM) can produce similar hypertrophy if the number of hard sets and total effort are equivalent​ strongerbyscience.com. For instance, a meta-analysis by Lopez et al. (2020) confirmed that low-load training to failure induces hypertrophy on par with high-load training, implying that muscles respond to the degree of fatigue and fiber recruitment in a set, not just the weight lifted strongerbyscience.com. This means whether you lift heavy or light, doing an adequate number of challenging sets is key. One practical interpretation is the concept of “hard sets” – counting any set taken near failure (e.g. 0–2 reps in reserve) as a unit of effective volume. Training volume can be effectively measured as the number of hard sets per muscle, regardless of rep count or load​ researchgate.net. That said, intensity can indirectly affect how much volume you can handle. Very heavy training (high %1RM) is more taxing on joints and nervous system, so one might not recover from 20 heavy sets as easily as 20 moderate-load sets. Conversely, very light loads require more reps to reach failure, which can increase per-set duration and fatigue. Most hypertrophy studies use moderate loads (60–80% 1RM, ~6–15 rep range) as a middle ground, but the evidence suggests as long as effort is high, the hypertrophic stimulus per set is comparable across a wide range of loads strongerbyscience.com. Therefore, the effect of total set number on muscle growth holds true for different intensities – you can use heavier or lighter weights and still apply the dose-response principles, adjusting for what allows you to accumulate volume without excessive strain.

 

References:

• Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences.

• Baz-Valle E et al. (2022). A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics, 81, 199-210.

• Nunes PRP et al. (2024). Higher volume resistance training enhances whole-body muscle hypertrophy in postmenopausal and older females: a secondary analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Arch Gerontol Geriatr, 124, 105474.

• Krieger JW. (2010). Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. (Initial evidence of multi-set superiority)​

• Schoenfeld BJ et al. (2019). Effects of resistance training frequency on hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (Frequency findings)​

• Lopez P et al. (2020). Resistance training load effects on muscle hypertrophy: an updated meta-analysis. (Intensity findings)​

• Greg Nuckols, Stronger by Science – Research Spotlights on training volume (2017 Schoenfeld meta and 2022 Baz-Valle meta)​

• Biolayne Research Review – “The King of Volume Metas” (Layne Norton’s summary of volume meta-analyses)​