The right number of sets that generates the best results is a frequent topic of conversation in the gym. Today, many of us have busy schedules and limited time to dedicate to our strength training. It’s a widespread belief that you have to power through set after set after set to build serious strength and grow bigger muscles. In this hot-off-the-press study, researchers explored if doing fewer reps at a higher volume weight can still lead to muscle gains. What about just two or three hard and heavy sets? Let’s check out this brand new research.
The study
In a study published as a preprint in SportRxiv, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of dozens of studies to determine how training volume affects strength gains and muscle growth. Instead of powering through more reps for a longer time period using lighter weights, can you still see gains from performing quicker, harder, and more focused training sessions using heavier weights?
The results
The study authors concluded that performing more sets does help you grow muscle, but doing one or two short, hard, focused sets with those heavier weights can still boost strength, particularly in those who stayed consistent with their training over several weeks, with multiple sessions a week.
Increasing the sets per session also increased muscle size and strength, until after 11 sets per session, at which point the benefits of muscle growth leveled off. When it comes to developing strength, the benefits leveled off after two sets of one exercise per session. The researchers expressed that more data is needed, especially regarding the high per-session set volumes.
The takeaway
This study shows that you can still grow those muscles with fewer sets by focusing on a higher intensity. More sets can lead to muscle growth, but these perks plateau at a certain point, which is around two sets for strength gains and around 11 sets for muscle growth.
The takeaway here is that while doing more sets when you’re lifting can boost muscle, if you’re short on time, you should still get results by just doing one or two hard, focused sets with heavier weights, particularly if you can fit in several sessions in one week. You’ll still stress and train your muscles, and there’s also no need to exhaust yourself by trying to push through ‘just one more round.’ We don’t need to let being short on time become an obstacle in the way of developing strength and muscle mass.
