How Many Sets Per Muscle, and How Often Should You Train It?
Short answer: Work up to about 10–20 hard sets per muscle per week, split across at least 2 sessions. More sets build more muscle up to roughly 10 per week, gains keep coming toward ~20, and beyond that individual recovery decides. Once weekly sets are matched, 2 vs. 3+ sessions per muscle make little difference.
By Will Cho, NSCA-CPT, CSCS · Austin, TX
Volume: the dose that drives growth
Training volume here means the number of hard working sets each muscle gets per week. It has a dose-response relationship with muscle growth: more sets, more growth, up to a point.
A 2017 meta-analysis found 10 or more sets per muscle per week produced more growth than 5–9 sets, which in turn beat fewer than 5 (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
An earlier meta-analysis found 2–3 sets per exercise produced more growth than a single set (Krieger, 2010).
A 2022 systematic review found no clear additional benefit past roughly 20 sets per muscle per week, with 12–20 sets performing similarly to 20+ (Baz-Valle et al., 2022).
Some individual studies have tested much higher volumes with continued gains (Schoenfeld et al., 2019; Enes et al., 2024), so 20 is a practical guideline, not a ceiling for everyone.
Your number is personal
In one study, each person trained one leg with lower volume and the other with higher volume. The results covered nearly every combination: some grew more on high volume, some on low, some the same (Damas et al., 2019). That's why I treat 10–20 sets as a starting range, then adjust based on how each person recovers and progresses.
Frequency: how to split those sets
Muscles generally recover from a hard session within 24–72 hours, and up to 96 hours after very high-volume sessions taken to failure (Ferreira et al., 2017; Morán-Navarro et al., 2017). Training a muscle once a week leaves several days where it isn't being stimulated.
A meta-analysis found training each muscle at least twice per week produced more growth than once per week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).
When total weekly sets are equal, going from 2–3 sessions up to 3–6 sessions per muscle showed no meaningful difference (Saric et al., 2019; Yue et al., 2018).
So frequency mainly matters as a way to spread volume out. Twelve sets of chest in one session is far harder to do well than six sets on two different days.
My practical recommendations
Experience | Starting sets per muscle per week | Sessions per muscle |
Beginner | ~6–10 | 2 |
Intermediate | ~10–16 | 2–3 |
Advanced | ~14–20+, adjusted by recovery | 2–3 |
Pick your weekly sets first, then spread them over 2–3 days that fit your schedule.
Add sets gradually (a set or two per muscle every week or two), not all at once.
Watch recovery. If performance stalls or drops for a couple of weeks, take a lighter deload week before adding more.
Frequently asked questions
Is a "bro split" (each muscle once a week) bad?It works, but the research favors hitting each muscle at least twice a week for growth, mostly because it's easier to fit enough quality sets in.
Do warm-up sets count?No. Count working sets taken reasonably close to failure (roughly 0–3 reps left in the tank).
I only have 3 days a week. Can I still get enough volume?Yes. Full-body or upper/lower sessions three times a week easily hit each muscle 2–3 times.
Related reading: How long to rest between sets · Best rep range for muscle growth · Should you train to failure?
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References
Baz-Valle, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Alix-Fages, C., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2022). A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics, 81, 199–210. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
Damas, F., Barcelos, C., Nóbrega, S. R., Ugrinowitsch, C., Lixandrão, M. E., Santos, L. M. E. D., & Libardi, C. A. (2019). Individual muscle hypertrophy and strength responses to high vs. low resistance training frequencies. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(4), 897–901. PMID: 30289872
Enes, A., De Souza, E. O., & Souza-Junior, T. P. (2024). Effects of different weekly set progressions on muscular adaptations in trained males: Is there a dose-response effect? Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 56(3), 553–563. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003317
Ferreira, D. V., Gentil, P., Ferreira-Junior, J. B., Soares, S. R., Brown, L. E., & Bottaro, M. (2017). Dissociated time course between peak torque and total work recovery following bench press training in resistance trained men. Physiology & Behavior, 179, 143–147. PMID: 28595855
Krieger, J. W. (2010). Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: A meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(4), 1150–1159. PMID: 20300012
Morán-Navarro, R., Pérez, C. E., Mora-Rodríguez, R., de la Cruz-Sánchez, E., González-Badillo, J. J., Sánchez-Medina, L., & Pallarés, J. G. (2017). Time course of recovery following resistance training leading or not to failure. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 117(12), 2387–2399. PMID: 28965198
Saric, J., Lisica, D., Orlic, I., Grgic, J., Krieger, J. W., Vuk, S., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2019). Resistance training frequencies of 3 and 6 times per week produce similar muscular adaptations in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(Suppl 1), S122–S129. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002909
Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 46(11), 1689–1697. PMID: 27102172
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. PMID: 27433992
Yue, F. L., Karsten, B., Larumbe-Zabala, E., Seijo, M., & Naclerio, F. (2018). Comparison of 2 weekly-equalized volume resistance-training routines using different frequencies on body composition and performance in trained males. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 43(5), 475–481. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2017-0575
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