Training volume

What it is

Training volume is the amount of training done. A 2022 review of resistance training variables states that volume is usually defined as the total work performed¹. It can be expressed as the total sets (groups of repetitions) or repetitions (single lifts) per exercise¹. It can also be expressed as total repetitions multiplied by the weight used¹.

A 2021 paper describes the count as a way to quantify external workload, and so estimate the dose of stimulus on the targeted muscles⁴.

The 2022 review defines training frequency as the number of sessions, or of times a muscle group is trained, in a period, usually a week¹.

A systematic review of athletes lists training volume among the measures used to monitor training load⁵. A framework from 2003, restated by its authors in 2019, gives training load two measurable components: internal and external⁶. A 2016 paper describes external load as the physical work done, such as distance run or weight lifted⁷. It describes internal load as the response to that work, such as heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (scores for how hard effort feels)⁷.

How it is measured

Counting sets, repetitions and load

A 2021 paper describes two ways that studies of training frequency matched volume between groups⁸:

• Total repetitions: sets multiplied by repetitions⁸.
• Volume load: sets multiplied by repetitions multiplied by load⁸.

A systematic review (a study that searches for all the research on a question) covered 14 randomised controlled trials⁹. Such trials assign people to groups by chance, then compare the groups. The people in them were aged 18 to 35, with at least one year of resistance training experience⁹. The review concluded that sets taken to or near failure (where another repetition isn’t possible) seem an adequate measure of volume for hypertrophy (muscle growth)⁹. That held for 6 to 20 or more repetitions per set, with all other variables kept constant⁹.

Meta-regressions of 67 studies sorted each set as direct or indirect for the muscle or lift measured². They tested counting an indirect set as a whole set, half a set or nothing, and the evidence was strongest for half, the “fractional” method².

One programme, two counts

One trial’s three programmes were 1, 3 and 5 sets per exercise, or 6 to 45 weekly sets per muscle group¹⁰. Two reviews drew their “low” and “high” bands in different units^11,12:

Review	Unit	Low	Middle	High
2017 meta-analysis of weekly sets and strength11	Weekly sets per exercise	5 or fewer	5 to 9	10 or more
2022 systematic review of trials in trained 18 to 35 year olds12	Weekly sets per muscle group	Fewer than 12	12 to 20	More than 20

The World Health Organization 2020 guidelines state aerobic activity for adults in minutes per week¹³.

What studies found

More sets and strength

• One set against several. A meta-regression of 14 studies linked 2 to 3 sets per exercise to strength gains 46% greater than with 1 set¹⁴. It found no significant difference between 2 to 3 sets and 4 to 6 sets¹⁴.
• Shrinking returns. In meta-regressions of 67 studies, with an average age of about 25 and 79% male, strength rose with weekly sets². Returns diminished, considerably more for strength than for muscle size².
• A single set. A systematic review of 6 studies looked at one set of 6 to 12 repetitions, taken to failure 2 to 3 times a week¹⁵. It concluded that 8 to 12 weeks of this can produce suboptimal yet significant squat and bench press gains in resistance-trained men¹⁵.

More sets and muscle size

A systematic review of 15 studies linked each additional weekly set to a 0.37% larger percentage gain in muscle size¹⁶. A meta-regression of 8 studies linked several sets per exercise to 40% greater growth effects than a single set¹⁷. A 2022 review of 14 meta-analyses concluded that at least 10 weekly sets per muscle group is optimal for muscle growth¹.

A meta-analysis of 7 randomised trials in resistance-trained 18 to 35 year olds compared 12 to 20 weekly sets with more than 20¹². It found no differences in growth of the quadriceps (front thigh muscles) or biceps brachii (the front upper arm muscle)¹². High volume appeared better for the triceps brachii, the muscle on the back of the upper arm¹².

Four randomised trials compared volumes in people with resistance training experience^10,18,19,20:

Who and how long	Volumes compared	What was found
34 resistance-trained men, 8 weeks	1, 3 or 5 sets per exercise	Strength rose in each group, with no significant differences between groups10. Size rose significantly more with higher volume at the elbow flexors (muscles that bend the elbow), mid-thigh and lateral thigh10.
35 resistance-trained people able to squat more than twice their body mass, 8 weeks	12, 18 or 24 weekly lower-body sets	Set number did not affect gains in thigh muscle thickness or fat-free mass (body weight that isn’t fat)18. The authors suggest the middle dose may optimise squat strength gains18.
49 men with resistance training experience, 6 weeks	9, 18 or 27 weekly biceps sets	Biceps muscle thickness and strength rose in each group, with no significant differences between groups19.
Resistance-trained men, 9 per group, 8 weeks	16, 24 or 32 weekly sets per muscle group	Each volume raised strength and muscle thickness20. Lower-body gains in both were greater with 32 weekly sets than with 1620.

Training frequency

• Muscle size. A 2016 meta-analysis of 10 studies found that, with volume matched, training a muscle group twice a week produced greater hypertrophy than once²¹. A 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no significant difference between higher and lower frequencies with volume matched³.
• Strength. A meta-analysis of 22 studies, mostly in untrained people, found greater strength gains with higher frequency, but no significant effect once volume was matched²². A 2018 meta-analysis of 12 studies found a non-significant trend towards greater strength gains with higher frequency²³.
• Well-trained people. A systematic review and meta-analysis found no clear differences in maximal strength between frequencies over 6 to 12 weeks²⁴.

A narrative review, a summary written without a set search method, notes that a higher frequency allows a higher volume in real-life situations⁸. It notes that this often results in greater strength gains⁸. It concludes that weekly volume appears to matter more than frequency⁸.

Women and older adults

A systematic review of 24 studies in women found that training frequency and training volume significantly influenced lower-body strength gains²⁵. No variable significantly influenced muscle growth²⁵.

A meta-regression of 14 articles in adults over 60 found a significant effect of frequency on maximal strength, and no significant effect on muscle growth²⁶.

Endurance training

In a 6-week endurance training study, 78 healthy adults did one to five 60-minute sessions a week²⁷. With one session, 69% showed no measurable gain in cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness, against 0% with four or five sessions²⁷.

A 2010 review of descriptive studies covers endurance athletes who compete nationally or internationally and train 10 to 13 times a week²⁸. It reports that they appear to self-organise toward a high-volume approach, with about 80% of sessions at low intensity²⁸.

Volume and injury

• Runners. A 2022 review covered 36 articles on 23,047 runners²⁹. It found conflicting evidence on whether weekly distance, duration or frequency is associated with the onset of running injuries²⁹.
• Athletes. A systematic review of 35 studies found moderate evidence of a significant relationship between training load and injury in most studies³⁰. Nine of the studies reported that training load had a protective effect³⁰.
• Youth athletes. A case-control questionnaire study (comparing people with and without a condition) covered 2011 athletes aged 12 to 18³¹. Those playing their main sport for more weekly hours than their age in years were more likely to report an injury in the previous year³¹.

What is disputed

How to count

A 2016 review states that resistance exercise is difficult to quantify, because many variables contribute to the training dose³². It adds that there is not yet a consensus on how the proposed methods are best implemented and combined³². A 2021 paper argues that some measures of volume are not always appropriate for matching protocols in a study⁴. A 2022 systematic review notes that volume is especially hard to quantify for muscles used in exercises that move more than one joint¹².

Whether more sets keep adding

A 2017 meta-analysis judged that four earlier meta-analyses gave no clear and consistent trail of evidence on sets and maximum strength¹¹. A 2018 paper notes a hypothesised inverted U, in which the response rises and then falls as volume grows³³. It argues that there is a paucity of data for that shape, while adding that it may exist³³.

The 2022 review of 14 meta-analyses concluded that the level above which gains plateau is not well understood¹. Of the trials on this page, the two that reached 30 or more weekly sets per muscle group lasted 8 weeks and enrolled resistance-trained men^10,20.

What has not been tested

The single-set review pointed to a lack of research¹⁵. It is less clear whether such gains extend to the deadlift, trained women or highly trained strength athletes¹⁵. A 2018 meta-analysis states that conflicting findings and inconsistent methods undermine attempts to define an optimal frequency²³. A 2022 review notes that one review of frequency and muscle growth measured only the thighs and arms directly¹. It adds that the findings cannot be carried over to other muscle groups¹.

Connections

A 2023 meta-analysis of resistance training names sets per exercise and weekly frequency among its most-studied variables³⁴. One trial above measured muscle thickness, and strength in the bench press and back squat²⁰. For running, a 2022 review found the evidence on weekly distance and injury conflicting²⁹.

• Progressive overload. A 2021 paper describes volume, expressed as sets, repetitions or volume load, as an attempt to quantify the workload done⁴.
• Overtraining. A review of athletes found raised risk of injury or illness in periods of accumulated training load⁵.
• Rest. A 2016 review lists rest between sets among the variables that contribute to the training dose³².
• Listening to your body. One review counted volume as sets taken to or near failure⁹.
• Specificity. The fractional method sorts sets as direct or indirect for the muscle or lift measured².

Sources

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Every source the library cites

Changes

• October 6, 2026 First published.