Optimal Sets for Muscle Growth: 11 Sets Per Workout is Max

A recent 2025 meta-analysis by Remmert et al. reveals that muscle growth peaks after approximately 11 challenging sets per muscle group in a single workout. While adding more sets initially boosts hypertrophy, gains plateau beyond this point, making extra sets largely ineffective. The study also shows that strength improvements can be achieved with just 2–3 sets per exercise.

Key Points of Finding Your Optimal Sets for Muscle Growth

More sets help—until they don’t: A new study shows that your optimal sets for muscle growth hit a ceiling at around 11 sets per muscle group in a single session.
Training smart beats training longer: Knowing how many sets per workout for muscle gain helps you avoid wasting time and energy.
Smarter splits equal better gains: Spreading your hypertrophy training sets per session across the week drives better results than cramming everything into one day.

Introduction

Ever stood in the gym wondering, “Am I doing enough to build muscle?” Or worse—”Am I overdoing it?” You’re not alone. And finally, we’ve got a science-backed answer.

In a 2025 SportRxiv preprint by Jacob Remmert and his team, researchers from Florida Atlantic University set out to figure out the optimal sets for muscle growth.¹ Their meta-analysis combined results from over 1,000 lifters to find out exactly how many sets per workout for muscle gain actually leads to the best results—and when it becomes a waste of time.

This study matters because it tells all of us—bodybuilders, athletes, weekend warriors—how to organize training volume for muscle growth without burning out or spinning our wheels.

How Many Sets Per Workout for Muscle Gain: Key Findings

Here’s the simple truth: more sets help…until they don’t.

Remmert’s team found that doing more sets led to greater gains, but only up to a point. Specifically, muscle growth per session volume peaked at around 11 sets per muscle group. Push past that in a single workout, and extra sets gave almost no additional benefit.

In other words, your body taps out after about 11 challenging sets. Keep going past that, and you’re just piling on junk volume.

When it came to strength, it was even more striking: strength improvements maxed out after only about 2–3 direct sets per exercise. If strength is your main goal, chasing marathon workouts won’t help much.

Quality mattered too. The sets included in the analysis were typically moderate reps (around 10 reps per set) and trained close to failure. In other words, you still have to train hard for these optimal sets for muscle growth to actually work.

Plus, they used a smart method for counting sets. Only direct work (like curls for biceps) counted as a full set. Indirect work (like rows that also hit biceps) counted for half a set. That matters when planning your hypertrophy training sets per session, so you don’t overload one muscle group without realizing it.

Review of the Literature on Training Volume and Optimal Sets for Muscle Growth

This new study builds on a huge base of previous research about training volume for muscle growth.

Back in 2010, Krieger showed years ago that doing multiple sets is much better than doing just one for hypertrophy.² And Schoenfeld et al. (2017) found that lifters doing 10 or more sets per muscle per week built more muscle than those doing just 5 or fewer.³

But it’s not just about doing more—it’s about doing the right amount. Pelland et al. (2024) found that gains start to level off around 30 sets per muscle per week. More than that? Not much additional benefit, and possibly a lot more fatigue.⁴

This ties right into the findings about muscle growth per session volume from Remmert et al. (2025). You can hit a weekly total of 20–30 sets—but you should split it across multiple workouts. Otherwise, if you do all 30 sets in one session, you’ll blast way past the optimal sets for muscle growth.

From my own training experience, splitting up volume always felt better. I was stronger, less sore, and making progress without feeling beat up all the time.

Practical Tips for Hitting the Optimal Sets for Muscle Growth

Want to know how many sets per workout for muscle gain you should actually be doing? Let’s break it down:

Shoot for about 8–11 hard sets per muscle in a workout.

That’s the sweet spot based on muscle growth per session volume studies. Think 3 heavy sets of squats, 3–4 sets of lunges, and 3 sets of leg curls for legs.

Spread it out across the week.

Trying to do 20 sets for your chest on Monday? Not smart. Hit 9–11 sets on Monday and 9–11 more on Thursday instead.

Prioritize quality over quantity.

You don’t need endless exercises. Hit a few big compound lifts and some targeted moves. Make those hypertrophy training sets per session intense and focused.

Pay attention to your recovery.

If you feel gassed halfway through your workout, dragging through light weights, or losing motivation, you’re probably doing too much.

Stay flexible.

Different bodies need slightly different plans. Some can handle 12–13 sets per session without an issue, while others might be optimal at 9–10 sets. Use these numbers as a guide, but tweak based on how you feel and perform.

Conclusion: Train Smarter, Not Longer

Chasing endless sets isn’t the answer.

Thanks to this new research, we know the optimal sets for muscle growth sit right around 11 sets per muscle group in one session. Past that, the return on effort starts fading fast. You’re better off spreading your work across the week and focusing on consistently hard, effective sets.

So next time you step into the gym, remember:

You don’t have to outwork everyone—you just have to outsmart them.

Train smart, respect your training volume for muscle growth, and keep chasing those gains.

References

1 Remmert, J., Pelland, J., Robinson, Z., Hinson, S. & Zourdos, M. Is There Too Much of a Good Thing?: Meta-Regressions of the Effect of Per-Session Volume on Hypertrophy and Strength. (2025).

2 Krieger, J. W. Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 24, 1150-1159 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181d4d436

3 Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D. & Krieger, J. W. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 35, 1073-1082 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197

4 Pelland, J., Remmert, J., Robinson, Z., Hinson, S. & Zourdos, M. The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Eﬀects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain. (2024).