Referring to a more recent systematic review, it found: The best hypertrophy results came from 30-40 sets per muscle per week. A minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week. Somewhere around 10-20 sets per week still delivered good hypertrophy results.
The recommendation is 10 to 20 sets. If you're a beginner, it's best to start on the lower end of that range. If eventually you want to specialize in chest (I don't get why you'd need to as a beginner) you feel like you can recover from it, sure, slowly add more.
As a beginner, aiming for 20 sets per muscle group may be excessive. Generally, it's recommended to focus on a moderate volume of around 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week. Here are some key points to consider:
Yes, doing 6 sets of 20 reps can build muscle, particularly if you're working with a weight that is challenging for you. This approach is often referred to as high-volume training, which can promote muscle hypertrophy (growth) by increasing time under tension and metabolic stress in the muscles.
For increasing hypertrophy, increasing volume is key, however there are diminishing returns beyond approximately 12-20 sets per muscle group per week. There is a minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week for hypertrophy. For increasing strength, both higher volume and frequency contribute.
If you want to absolutely maximise muscle growth: 30-40 sets would deliver the best results, but it's important to note that above this point isn't for everyone. 10-20 sets would be a more realistic goal.
You could never over trained if you followed a correct routine, and no more than 3 muscles groups per work out. You could do up to 5 exercises per group with 4 - 6 sets each of minimum 6 -8 reps per set. Never work out more than 2 days without rest day.
Hypertrophy. If your aim is hypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
Doing around 6–20 reps per set is usually best for building muscle, with some experts going as wide as 5–30 or even 4–40 reps per set. For bigger lifts, 6–10 reps often works best. For smaller lifts, 12–20 reps often works better.
10-20 sets seem to be the sweet spot for how many sets per muscle group per week to do. That said, how many sets you should do depends on 5 factors: 1) individuality, 2) exercise execution, 3) rest times duration, 4) how you count sets, and 5) whether you're over-prioritizing “optimal” over consistency.
In 2016 a study at McMaster University in Ontario, USA found that lifting relatively light weights (about 50% of your one-rep max) for about 20–25 reps is just as efficient at building both strength and muscle size as lifting heavier weights (up to 90% of one-rep max) for 8-12 reps.
For some of you, you might not run into junk volume until you reach 10 or 12 sets … possibly more. The trend line (first graph) should be your starting place. From there, you'll want to adjust the numbers up and down as you assess your own progress and recovery.
Scientific research is about averages. The average person can recover from 10-20 sets, so that's how much leads to optimal growth.
A volume of about 10 to 20 sets per muscle per week is generally recommended for building muscle. Advanced lifters might need to do even more sets to maximise muscle growth, possibly toward the higher end of this range. Experimentation is necessary to find out what works best for each individual.
This depends on your starting point. Our beginner gym workout plan suggests starting with one set of 20 reps and then increasing the reps or weight each week. For people with some training experience, three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps is commonly prescribed for hypertrophy training (building muscle).
The rule that both NSCA and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend is the “2-for-2 rule.” After a few workout sessions, you can increase the weight for a certain exercise once you can perform two more repetitions beyond your repetition goal for the last set for two weeks in a row.
A great approach is the 40-30-5 method. It's simple. Use an interval timer and program a work duration (set length) of 40 seconds, a rest time of 30 seconds, and 5 intervals (sets).
A low repetition scheme with heavy loads (from 1 to 5 repetitions per set with 80% to 100% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM)) optimizes strength increases. A moderate repetition scheme with moderate loads (from 8 to 12 repetitions per set with 60% to 80% of 1RM) optimizes hypertrophic gains.
All your muscles are made up of tiny individual fibers, and those fibers can be grouped into two different types: Type I (slow-twitch) and Type II (fast-twitch). “Type I muscle fibers, which are slow twitch, respond better to high rep training because they're more resistant to fatigue,” says Adrian.
Rest periods for hypertrophy (aka muscle-building) training should generally be between 30-90 seconds, Ardoin says. This is long enough for your muscles to regenerate a good amount of ATP, but not completely bounce back—which is a good thing.
Doing 100 push-ups a day can help build muscle mass, strength, and endurance, especially in your core and upper body. But it can also increase your risk of muscle imbalances, injury, and overtraining. It's important to focus on proper form when practicing push-ups.
If you've been training properly for one to five years, perform 15-20 sets per week. If you're very advanced and have been training properly for over five years, perform 20-25 sets per week. If you're an elite bodybuilder or powerlifter, perform 25-30 sets per week.