How Many Sets Per Week for Muscle Growth? What a New Study Says About Training Volume
Wondering how many sets per week for muscle growth you should do? This article provides the essential guidelines.
- A new study found that doing 36 sets per week did not build more muscle than 9 sets per week
- Both low and high training volumes produced similar increases in estimated muscle size
- More volume is not always better—especially for experienced lifters
How Many Sets Per Week for Muscle Growth Really Matters
If you have spent any time in the gym, you have probably asked yourself: how many sets per week for muscle growth is actually optimal?
For years, lifters have been told that more volume leads to more muscle. The idea seems simple: do more work, get better results. But a new study titled “A test of higher and lower fractional volumes of resistance training upon arm and thigh muscle area: A multi-site randomized trial” by Steele and colleagues, published as a preprint in 2026, suggests that this long-held belief might not be entirely true.
In fact, this research directly challenges what many consider the best training volume for muscle growth, especially if you already have lifting experience.
Review of the Literature: What We Know About the Best Training Volume for Muscle Growth
Previous research has generally supported a dose-response relationship between training volume and hypertrophy. In other words, doing more sets tends to produce more muscle growth—up to a point.
For example, Pelland et al. (2026) found that increasing weekly set volume can enhance hypertrophy, but with diminishing returns at higher levels. This suggests there is likely a ceiling beyond which additional volume is no longer productive.
However, not all volume research looks at weekly totals. Remmert et al. (2025) specifically examined per-session training volume rather than weekly set volume, showing that doing more in a single workout may not always lead to better results either.
Another important factor is training experience. As lifters become more advanced, progress tends to slow down. Research on training adaptations (e.g., Steele et al., 2022; Latella et al., 2024) suggests that improvements follow a diminishing-returns pattern over time, meaning that the same increases in workload yield smaller gains.
So while the traditional view supports higher volume, newer evidence suggests the relationship between volume and hypertrophy is more complex than simply “more is better.”
Results
The study recruited 125 participants, of whom 120 were assigned to training groups, and 87 completed the full protocol. All participants had at least 6 months of resistance training experience, making them recreationally trained rather than beginners.
Participants trained three times per week for 12 weeks using a supervised resistance training program.
They were split into two groups:
- A low-volume group performing 9 fractional sets per week.
- A high-volume group performing 36 fractional sets per week
Importantly, these were “fractional sets,” meaning some exercises counted as partial contributions toward weekly volume for specific muscles (arms and thighs), rather than traditional full-set counting.
The difference between groups was substantial. The high-volume group performed four times the weekly volume of the low-volume group.
So what happened?
Both groups experienced increases in muscle size over time. Specifically, the study measured the estimated muscle cross-sectional area of the upper arms and thighs, not whole-body muscle mass. However, there was no meaningful difference between the groups.
The statistical analysis showed that the difference in muscle growth between the two groups was trivial and fell within the predefined range of equivalence. This means that, from a practical standpoint, doing significantly more volume did not lead to greater muscle growth.
Discussion: What This Means for the Best Training Volume for Muscle Growth
At first glance, these findings might seem surprising. After all, many lifters believe that the best training volume for muscle growth is as high as they can recover from.
But this study suggests otherwise.
Even though the high-volume group did four times as much work, they did not build more muscle than the low-volume group. On average, estimated muscle size increased modestly over time in both groups, but the additional volume did not provide a meaningful advantage.
There are several possible explanations for this.
First, the participants were already trained. As you gain experience, your rate of muscle growth slows down, and your body becomes less responsive to increases in training volume.
Second, recovery may become a limiting factor. More sets mean more fatigue, and beyond a certain point, that fatigue may cancel out any potential benefits.
Third, it is possible that a moderate amount of volume is already sufficient to maximize muscle growth, meaning additional work simply does not add much.
It is also important to note that this study is currently a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review, so the findings should be interpreted with appropriate caution.
Practical Applications: How Many Sets Per Week for Muscle Growth Should You Do?
So what does this mean for your training?
If you are trying to figure out how many sets per week for muscle growth, this study provides some valuable insight.
First, more is not always better. Doing extremely high volumes may not provide additional benefits, especially if you are already training consistently.
Second, moderate volume appears to be effective. In this study, 9 fractional sets per week for the arms and thighs yielded results similar to much higher volumes.
Third, recovery matters. If increasing your volume leads to excessive fatigue, poor performance, or longer recovery times, it may actually hinder your progress.
Finally, individual response is key. Some lifters may benefit from higher volume, while others may grow just as well with less.
Conclusion: Rethinking How Many Sets Per Week for Muscle Growth
This study offers one of the clearest answers we’ve seen so far.
In trained individuals:
- Increasing volume from 9 to 36 sets per week did not improve muscle growth
- The differences were so small they were practically meaningless
So what does that mean for you?
The best training volume for muscle growth is not about doing as much as possible. It’s about doing enough—and doing it well.
If you’re consistent, training hard, and recovering properly, you may not need nearly as much volume as you think.
And in the long run, that might be the biggest advantage of all.
References
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Steele, J., Gschneidner, M., Carlson, L., & Fisher, J. (2026). A test of higher and lower fractional volumes of resistance training upon arm and thigh muscle area: A multi-site randomized trial. SportRxiv (preprint). https://doi.org/10.51224/SportRxiv.810
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Pelland, J. S., et al. (2026). The effect of weekly set volume on muscle hypertrophy: A meta-regression. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
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Remmert, J., et al. (2025). Per-session resistance training volume and muscle hypertrophy: A meta-regression analysis. SportRxiv (preprint). https://doi.org/10.51224/SRXIV.537
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Steele, J., et al. (2022). A reappraisal of the meaning of “progressive overload” and implications for resistance training. Sports Medicine.
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Latella, C., et al. (2024). Adaptations to resistance training in strength athletes. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01962-6
