How many sets per muscle per week?

Q: How many sets per muscle per week?

10–20 hard sets per muscle per week covers most of the available growth for most lifters.

10–20 hard sets per muscle per week covers most of the available growth for most lifters.

Evidence Strong Reviewed 24 Aug 2026 Sources 3

Below about 10 sets you are leaving growth on the table. Above about 20 the returns get small and recovery cost gets large, though well-recovered advanced lifters can use more for a lagging muscle.

Count only hard sets, meaning sets taken within a few reps of failure. Warm-ups do not count towards training volume.

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Cutting vs body recomposition→Free weights vs machines→Full body vs split routine→

Sources 3

Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 35(11). Growth scaled with weekly sets across the studied range.
Baz-Valle, E. et al. (2022). A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 81. Found 12–20 weekly sets a reasonable practical target.
Refalo, M.C. et al. (2023). Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med 53(3). Set quality, meaning proximity to failure, modifies how much each set counts.