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Training
Meta-analysis of trials
How many weekly sets build muscle?
Reviewed by Joseph Korban, Certified Personal Trainer & Rehabilitation Specialist · Last reviewed 27 September 2026
More weekly sets per muscle group produce more muscle growth, up to a point. Each extra set per week was linked to roughly 0.37% more muscle-size gain, and higher-volume programs beat lower-volume ones by about 3.9% in the pooled data.
What to know
- Beginners can start with about 5 to 10 hard sets per muscle per week and build up gradually.
- Add sets only when progress stalls and recovery is good; more is not always better.
- Count sets that are taken close to failure, not warm-ups.
Evidence
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073-1082. 15 studies, 34 treatment groups.