So you're looking to build muscle? I'm pretty sure that this won't be groundbreaking to hear, but you are going to have to lift weights to make this happen. In order to build muscle you are going to have to lift weights consistently, and you're going to have to do that for a significant period of time.
With that being said, how much lifting you need to do on a weekly basis is much less clear. How many sets per muscle group to build muscle should we be doing? You're likely to get a different response depending on which corner of the internet you are asking. Do you need to be strength training six days a week and spending hours in the gym at a time? Or can we take a more streamlined view to hypertrophy and still make some solid gains?
Luckily, there is now a good body of research looking at varying rep ranges and how they impact building muscle. We are here to break down the science and make things a little bit simpler.
When considering how many sets per muscle group to build muscle - could less be more?
The first piece of research we are going to look at here compared varying rep ranges to see how many sets per muscle group to build muscle. They compared the following rep ranges:
Low volume: below 12 sets per muscle group per week
Moderate volume: 12-20 sets per muscle group per week
High volume: over 20 sets per muscle group per week
Their findings were really interesting! They found that both the moderate and the high volume groups were more effective than the lower volume group at building muscle. However... performing 12-20 sets per muscle group per week achieved similar results to the higher volume group that were performing over 20 sets per muscle group weekly.
The great thing here is that there seems to be an upper limit that doesn't really make sense to push past. If you enjoy spending more time in the gym, then you absolutely can and you will make progress. But if you want a more moderate approach that can be streamlined... you're in luck!
This was also confirmed by Brad Schoenfeld and his research team in a study from 2017. They also compared varying rep ranges to see how many sets per week per muscle group were optimal for building muscle. They concluded that performing over 10 sets per muscle group weekly brought the most positive muscle building impact.
So how many sets per muscle group to build muscle should we be doing weekly? It appears that over 10 or, more specifically, 12-20 sets per week should be our focus. The slight disclaimer here is that there may be a few exceptions. The triceps seem to actually benefit more from slightly higher volume training.
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So now we know how many sets per muscle group to build muscle per week, what other factors do we need to consider?
Training volume preferences
One of the greatest things about strength training is that there is no one best approach to follow. As mentioned in the research above, the ideal number of sets for muscle growth has a range. There is room here for you to choose a training volume that suits your preferences and your exercise schedule.
Success in building muscle and building strength will come from consistency. Increasing your training volume over time is where the progress will be made, and the only way you will stick to a plan is if you enjoy it.
So absolutely take the research findings and stick with the guidance as best you, but make sure that your workout plan is enjoyable!
Level of intensity
There is still a strong belief amongst gym goers that in order to maximise muscle strength and muscle growth, we continually need to push to complete failure. The research here does not agree. This research paper looked at the effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure versus to non-failure to see how it impacted muscular strength and hypertrophy.
They found that training to complete muscle failure was NOT necessary for gains in muscle strength and muscle size. They did however find that training to complete failure did not seem to have an detrimental impacts. So once again our preferences can come into play. If you enjoy pushing your body during your strength workouts, please keep it up! But if you prefer to leave some reps in reserve, you absolutely can and you will still make progress!
Rest & recovery
Ok, so we know every week how many sets per muscle group to build muscle. But one of the most overlooked aspects of effective training programmes is what we do when we are not in the gym environment. We really cannot express the importance of effective rest and recovery.
When we workout we create micro-tears in the muscle fibers. When we rest, these muscle fibers are built back bigger and stronger than before to cope with the increasing loads we are pushing upon them. If we do not give our bodies the time that they require to recover effectively, we might as well not know what the optimal sets per muscle group is anyway.
We strongly encourage our clients to make time for at least 1-2 rest days each week.
Calorie intake
If you want to maximise muscle hypertrophy then you are going to want to be in some sort of caloric surplus - this means consuming more calories than you are burning off daily. We would recommend keeping this calorie surplus pretty moderate.
Anywhere from around 300-500 calories a day should be the aim. This will provide your body with all the calories that your body requires to build muscle effectively, but it will also minimise gaining body fat throughout.
Protein intake
If you want to build muscle effectively, you are going to struggle to do so without a sufficient protein intake. When we consume protein, we break it down into amino acids (the protein building blocks), then these are used to help us to build effective muscle tissue. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, for building muscle mass and for maintaining muscle mass we should aim for an overall daily protein intake in the range of 1.4-2.0 g protein/kg bodyweight weight/day.
In summary: how many sets per muscle group to build muscle?
If you are wanting to optimise muscular hypertrophy and muscular strength, we would recommend aiming for 12-20 sets per week per muscle group. 12-20 sets provides us a wide range to aim for, which will gives us a bit of wiggle room to shoehorn in our preferences too. Ensure that the workout routine you are aiming for is enjoyable, and is realistic in terms of workout length.
If you prefer shorter, snappier workouts, then aim for the lower end of the 12-20 set goal. If you prefer to spend a bit more time in the weights room then you can aim for the upper limit here, as long as you are providing your body with the adequate rest between workouts.
Ensure you are eating a sufficient calorie intake to meet your energy demands, aiming for a 300-500 calorie goal surplus. Then prioritise 1.4-2.0 g protein/kg bodyweight/day.
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