Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth: New Study Reveals Diminishing Returns

Key Takeaways of Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth: New Study Reveals Diminishing Returns

• Sets per session for muscle growth show steady diminishing returns instead of a sudden drop-off.
• The paper identified roughly 11 counted sets per muscle as the point where added size gains become hard to measure.
• For top strength, benefits leveled off quickly after about two direct sets of an exercise in a single visit.
• High-volume workouts do not hurt your gains, yet they demand more effort for smaller extra rewards.
• Spreading your weekly training across several days is a practical option to test if your workouts run too long.
  

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Finding the Right Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth

Most lifters want to know the best number of sets per session for muscle growth without spending hours in the gym. In a new paper published on SportRχiv, lead author Jacob F. Remmert and colleagues (2025) looked at how workout volume impacts muscle size and raw strength. Many lifters wonder if adding extra exercises keeps building muscle or simply wastes energy. As a result, Remmert et al. (2025) pooled data from dozens of clinical trials to find out.

Earlier research showed that higher weekly training volume generally supports greater muscle growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). However, those older reviews focused on total work done across an entire week. They did not look closely at single workouts on their own. Therefore, lifters still disagreed over how much work fits best into one gym session. This new paper offers clearer clues to help you plan your training.

Study Design: How Researchers Analyzed Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth

The authors gathered data from 67 randomized trials with 2,058 total participants (Remmert et al., 2025):

• Muscle Size Data: 35 studies with 1,032 lifters measured muscle growth using ultrasound, MRI, or specialized scans.
• Strength Data: 66 studies with 2,020 lifters tested maximum strength on specific exercises.
• How They Counted: For muscle size, they counted direct exercises as one full set and helper exercises as half a set. For strength, they only counted exact sets of the tested lift.

Results: Ideal Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth and Strength

How Sets Per Session Impact Muscle Growth

Muscle size increased as daily volume went up, but the growth curve flattened as sets climbed higher. The model showed that extra sets still helped, but the payoff shrank with every added exercise (Remmert et al., 2025). Eventually, the authors noted that doing more than 11 counted sets for a muscle made extra growth very small and difficult to detect reliably.

How Sets Per Session for Strength Compare to Muscle Growth

Strength gains flattened out even faster than muscle size. Doing extra sets helped, but the returns faded quickly (Remmert et al., 2025). In fact, completing more than two direct sets of an exercise in one session produced benefits so modest that they were hard for testing tools to confirm.

Diminishing Returns: Why More Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth Give Less

These findings show that your muscles do not hit an instant wall. Instead, your training works on a sliding scale of return. Your first few hard sets deliver the biggest payoff of your workout. Consequently, doing 14 sets might build a little more tissue than eight sets, but you must work much harder for that small gain. You are paying a high price in time and energy for modest extra growth.

Limitations of the Evidence on Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth

[Certain] We must keep several limitations in mind before changing our routines. First, this paper is a preprint that has not yet completed peer review (Remmert et al., 2025). Second, the studies lasted about ten weeks on average, so long-term outcomes remain uncertain. Third, the strength trials mostly used training sets of nine or ten reps, which may not match heavy powerlifting. Finally, these cutoffs are statistical estimates from lab tests, not strict biological rules.

Practical Applications: Planning Your Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth

If you want to build your routine using these findings, consider these practical adjustments:

• Count your sets smartly: Count target exercises as one set and helper lifts as half a set.
• Review packed sessions: If you perform more than ten sets for one muscle in a single day, check whether your effort is slipping.
• Keep strength work focused: You may not need endless heavy sets of one lift. Doing a few hard sets can drive steady progress.
• Consider splitting your work: If a long workout feels exhausting, try dividing your weekly sets across an extra day to see if you lift better.

Conclusion: Optimizing Sets Per Session for Muscle Growth

Balancing sets per session for muscle growth is about getting the best reward for your time. Extra sets can help you grow, but each added set gives you less progress than the one before it. By focusing on quality work and managing your daily volume, you build size without wasting effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sets per session for muscle growth work best?

There is no single best number for everyone. However, the Remmert et al. (2025) review showed that returns slow down considerably after roughly 11 counted sets for a muscle in a single workout.

Does doing more than 11 sets waste your time?

Exceeding 11 sets does not make your muscles shrink, and it may still offer a small benefit. Nonetheless, the extra gains become harder to detect, so doing huge workouts may not be worth the extra time.

Do strength gains stop after two sets?

No, strength gains do not stop after two sets. The paper showed that strength continues to climb, but the extra gain beyond two direct sets becomes smaller and less certain (Remmert et al., 2025).

How do you count fractional sets for growth?

You count an exercise where the muscle is the main mover as one full set. Meanwhile, you count compound exercises where the muscle only assists as half a set.

Does this study prove that training twice a week is better?

No, this study does not prove that one weekly frequency beats another. Spreading your total sets across more days is simply a practical option to explore if your current workouts feel too long.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplementation, or training program.

References

• Remmert, J. F., Pelland, J. C., Robinson, Z. P., Hinson, S. R., & Zourdos, M. C. (2025). Is there too much of a good thing? Meta-regressions of the effect of per-session volume on hypertrophy and strength. SportRχiv. [Preprint]. Supplementary materials: OSF repository.
• Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(11), 1073–1082.