How Many Sets to Build Muscle? New Research Finally Reveals the Optimal Volume

A more nuanced take on traditional guidelines 

Modern bodybuilding guidelines recommend training each body part with 10-20 weekly sets. Minimalists say 4 weekly sets, while followers of HIT training may say 6-8 sets. Whose right? Well, all of them are right for their specific situation.

The problem with most other studies and their interpretation is that they lacked nuance.

A New Study just released may have solved all this by showing how volume, muscle growth, and diminishing returns interact. It's not about the best amount of sets; it's deciding if the next set provides enough growth to make it worth your effort.

How Many Sets Should You Do To Build Muscle?

Anywhere from 4 to 30 weekly sets, depending on who you ask. Everyone has an answer, but it ultimately depends on your goals, lifestyle, and preferences. With that said, here are the common answers.

1. Minimalist and HIT Training: 4-10 weekly sets (Iversen et. al, 2021). These numbers are advocated by figures such as Dorian Yates and Mike Mentzer. This range is used by those who want to spend less time in the gym while still gaining maximum muscle.

Plus, these numbers are shown to build muscle effectively.

2. Modern Bodybuilding Guidelines: 10-20 weekly sets. Modern-day guidelines for hypertrophy are based on research, which essentially suggests that a dose-response exists (Schoenfeld et. al, 2017)

3. Serious/Extreme Bodybuilders: 20+ Some bodybuilders, really into volume, may do well over 20 sets per week, going above 30 or 40 sets. 

As you can see, these numbers are pretty different. So who's right? 

While there have been dozens of studies in the past, a new meta-analysis may give the best answer to this question.

The Study: The resistance-training dose response: Meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains (2025)

Published in 2025, this was a massive meta-analysis comprising 67 studies and 2058 participants. It used meta-regressions, which are a statistical technique used to examine how specific variables influence results across multiple studies in a meta-analysis. 

In this case, they wanted to calculate the dose-response of set volume and muscle growth.

What Is Set Volume?

Set volume is an easy way for lifters to calculate their training volume for a muscle group during the week. For example, let's pretend you perform the following chest exercises;

• Bench Press: 3 sets
• Dips: 3 sets
• Incline Dumbbell: 2 sets
• Cable Fly: 2 sets
• Total Set Volume: 10 sets

At the same time, the set volume determines how much training you should do. For example, common guidelines are to train every muscle group with 10-20 weekly sets. 

One problem with this has always been how to calculate work for indirect work; does bench press count as a set for triceps?

Interestingly, the researchers accounted for this and calculated "fractional sets". Fractional sets were the combination of direct sets and indirect sets (the triceps during the bench press).

• Direct Sets (X 1): When the muscle was the primary mover
• Indirect Sets (X 1/2): When the muscle was a secondary mover
• Fractional Sets: Direct + Indirect

Let's pretend a lifter does the following, and you want to calculate fractional sets for the biceps.

• 5 sets of Bicep Curls = 5 Direct sets
• 5 sets of Bentover Rows = 2.5 Indirect sets ( 5 direct X 1/2)
• Fractional sets = 7.5 sets (5 direct + 2.5 indirect)

The Results        

After all their calculations, they created several ranges of weekly sets based on their efficiency. Each jump in range designates a 2.05% increase in hypertrophy; notice how each jump requires more sets. 

Here's what they discovered:

Minimum Effective Dose: 4 sets per week (smallest detectable effect size; 2.05% Hypertrophy)

Highest Efficiency: 5-10 sets per week (~ 6 sets needed for additional detectable hypertrophy)         

Intermediate Efficiency: 11-18 sets per week (~ 8.5 sets needed for additional detectable hypertrophy) 

Lower Efficiency: 19-29 sets per week (~ 10.75 sets needed for additional detectable hypertrophy) 

Lowest Efficiency: 30-42 sets per week (~ 12.5 sets needed for additional detectable hypertrophy) 

Unknown was 42+ working sets per week

So, what does this mean?.    

1. You need at least four weekly sets to see noticeable gains

2. After five working sets, each extra set provides more absolute hypertrophy

3. After 10 working sets, each additional set becomes a little less efficient and gives less in return. 

4. This trend is seen all the way up to 42 sets per week (but caution is needed when applying to 25+ weekly sets, as few papers have gone that high)

This is best summed up in this outtake from the study;

What's The Best Amount Of Sets For Muscle Growth?

Even with this study, it still depends on your lifestyle and goals. 

As we can see, there are gains to be made well beyond the usual threshold of 20 sets per week. However, you start spending a lot of time for minimal returns, not to mention the increasing chance of injury and overtraining. 

At the same time, you can progress with just 4 weekly sets, but that won't produce enough results for everyone.

Therefore, you need to consider what your expectations are for how much time you want to spend in the gym. 

5-10 Weekly Sets is the sweet spot to maximize gains while minimizing time, supporting the low-volume crowd. This range gives you the most gains per set and is in line with Dorian Yates' style of training. 

11-18 Weekly Sets match modern-day hypertrophy guidelines and seem to still be good guidelines for maximizing growth while balancing time and recovery. Each additional set provides a little less in return than 5-10, but it's still enough to make it "worth it".

How Many Sets For Hypertrophy? The Final Answer

This will always be a question that never provides an answer that satisfies everyone. Therefore, the only way you know what is best for you is to do a little experimentation. 

With that said, we have a great deal of research, and now there's this new study. The findings pretty much summarize past research, but they provide more nuance. There's no "best range" but a balancing act between volume and efficiency, and what satisfies your needs.

References

Iversen, V. M., Norum, M., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2021). No time to lift? Designing time-efficient training programs for strength and hypertrophy: A narrative review. Sports Medicine, 51(10), 2079–2095. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1

Pelland, J. C., Remmert, J. F., Robinson, Z. P., Hinson, S. R., & Zourdos, M. C. (2025). The resistance-training dose response: Meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w

Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). The dose–response relationship between resistance training volume and muscle hypertrophy: are there really still any doubts? Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(20), 1985–1987. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1243800