How Many Sets Should You Do Per Workout To Build Muscle?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2024
- One of the most common areas of confusion among lifters is figuring out exactly how many sets per workout one should do. In fact, “how many sets should I do” is a question I get asked all the time. But when it comes to how many sets and reps to build muscle, there’s a lot of different opinions. Some say to don’t need many sets per workout for muscle growth, whereas others are under the impression that you need to completely annihilate your muscles every workout. So who’s right and how many sets should you do to build muscle? Well first off, let’s discuss what exactly we mean by a set. So just to be clear, a set in this case will refer to a set performed within the 6-12 rep range since this is in line with the research I’ll be going through. If you do less reps than this, you will need more sets whereas if you do more reps you will need less sets. Also, each set should be taken close to failure with high effort. A warm up set doesn’t count.
With that out of the way, let’s find out how many sets to build muscle is optimal. So we know based on recent research that more volume (e.g. more sets) leads to more muscle growth. This would make it seem that the more sets the better, right? Well, not so fast. There actually seems to be an upper limit to the number of sets per workout you should do before it starts to provide diminishing returns. In fact, it seems to be right around 10 sets for a single muscle group. So for example when trying to figure out how many sets for chest you should do, you’d want to be wary of this 10 set limit and avoid going too far overboard when training your chest - as that can just impair recovery and is essentially “junk volume”.
BUT - we also know that when it comes to how many sets per week you should do, around 10-20 sets per week is optimal. Which means that rather than doing all your chest sets in one workout as a chest day for example, you’d be much better off splitting that into at least two separate days per week such as with an upper/lower split. This way you stay under the per-session set threshold, are now able to get in enough sets per week for that muscle, and will now be training at the optimal training frequency of 2x/week. All leading to better gains in the long run!
So it’s quite simple. First figure out your target number of sets per muscle group, and then work backwards to split that up most effectively throughout the week.
And for all-in-one science-based program that shows you exactly how to do this by optimizing every aspect of your training and nutrition for you, such that you can build muscle and lose fat as quickly as possible, simply take the body type analysis quiz below to figure out what approach is best for you:
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Volume and muscle growth relationship:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
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James Krieger analysis:
weightology.net/the-members-a...
More evidence for upper limit to sets per workout:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2... www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
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Hope you enjoyed this one! I’m planning out my content so comment below what other topics and video series you’d like to see me cover in future videos. Cheers!
Jeremy Ethier Great Video always for the people 👌🏼 I was wondering if you recommend PPL split or Full Body Wokrout when doing a lean bulk?
A 3 days split would be amazing
Does this info apply to everyone or just people in a certain age range? What if you're a couch potato trying to get fit at 50?
Currently I m doing 10 sets per muscle in a day
You should do a video on soya protein
5:53 for the summary boys..
I got ya😉😂
You’re a goddamn hero
Hey bro, I have a question. 10-20 sets per week for chest (all) or upper/lower/middle chest
Great
MVP.
MVP mvp mvp mvp!!!!
Well, time to change my workout routine AGAIN for the 500th time, thanks Jeremy haha
Malaxus why?
G-dawg did you watch the video?
Malaxus do what works for you. No ones body reacts the same
truth seeker i think he knew that already
nothing wrong with that, it is called learning curve/improving efficiency ;)
I am actually addicted to Jeremy’s videos. They’re well researched, well explained, well made, and concise and to the point. These videos are actually so helpful and make all this easy to understand. Thanks dude
exactly
This guy is a monster.
Thank you I was training more than 32 sets for two muscle groups in the past 3 years, I noticed the progression but it is so slow specially for the arm muscles
whenever something pops into my brain, jeremy delivers
thanks jeremy
same man
Same for me, yesterday i've written all my sets for each muscle group and figuring out what i'm doing is correct
I agree, jeremy has helped me so much.
The same thing happened to me the other day with Jeff Nipard and Jeff Cavalier the other day talking about volume destroying your gains. TH-cam algorithm is creepy
I like ur name bro. Lol
From Jeremy I gain that research findings are from averages, and you should use them as your guideline and from Ryan Humiston I learn that adjust accordingly to your own needs and what helps you grow the most.
Heads up to these two for all the effort put in, in giving us these valuable knowledge for better gainsz!
The best part about the videos by Jeremy is, he does not make long videos with junk talking. Short, small and precise and you really get to know what you need to do.
Never thought lifting weights would get so complicated..
Frrrr
same :'(
it does not have to be complicated but I feel people should start with less instead of more at first
Me too😄😄
Same man.. a whole damn science behind all those jacked mfs..
I used to do around 30 sets of chest every few days. My gains got up there, I was benching 330lb at 150 lb BW... and then I tore something in my shoulder and haven't bench pressed in 10 years 😢. Take it easy on your body. You only got one.
Wow, 30 sets every few days. That's amazing, bad amazing not good. I bet you regret that now mate.
Thanks bro, I needed to hear this. I hope you know your message is being heard
Same here , I tore a muscle by chest shoulder area and was out for 3years . Slowly getting back into it ... being smart and taking it easy like you just said
Jose C It takes three years to recovery?!
Its unfortunate but that usually happens when u overload for extended periods of time.but we all love to lift heavy,that's the nature of competitive...
Hey man, your delivery makes the content real easy to absorb - much appreciated!
For some reason Jeremy's voice is super calming to me. I like it.
I Have been waiting for this video so long ! Thank You man !
Jeremy + Jeff + Jeff = Max Muscle Growth
All3 the 🐐🐐🐐
u forgot James Linker
This is exactly the trifecta I follow religiously for weightlifting.
For calisthenics, it's all about FitnessFAQs, Calisthenicmovement and Tom Merrick.
@mcweb Neppard, I think
@mcweb neppard and caveline idrk how spell
@@thatguy9862 jesus christ that was terrible
I’ve never found 4 exercises enough 5-6 at 4 sets starting at 14 dropping to 8 has always worked best for me after many years low sets and exercises are only good for maintenance. Everyone will respond differently go what works for you, correct form and hard work will always win the day.
That's why a lot of kid looking completely the same after 4 year gym. Pls don't give us overtraining advises - worst advice ever
The research he showed tells us that almost training every way will get you results. Some people done 1 set per body part and still grew more than half of those that done 10+ sets. What we aim for is the optimal, not what will lead to -any- growth.
Also, your schedule was excellent for injuries and overtraining.
Just went back to the gym after a very long break due to work schedule and partly some laziness in there. Been binge watching your videos for some time now. Thanks for all the tips man.
Just finished watching the video and all I can say is that this topic has been debatable recently but thanks for sharing your viewpoints Jeremy. Great content as always. Love from Philippines!
Just as I was about to change my routine, Thanks Jeremy!
Kudos to you bro on a thoroughly informative and comprehensive video! I just started a shred plan 2 weeks ago and this really helped me out.
Thanks so much for covering this.
Keep up the awesome videos!
Love the video. I agree with you as well when i started to focus on progression and not sets or reps is when i seen my most gains
I enjoy your videos honestly I’ve changed my physique big time and your videos really give me good information I appreciate it
Been waiting so long for this video! Thank you for making it
Hey Jeremy. Thanks for posting this video. I learned a lot of informations from it. Quick question. So let say I’m going to work chest for that day and I planned to do flat, incline decline bench and smith machine flys.. how many sets and reps would be a good amount considering I workout this body part twice a week.
Thanks for taking your time to answer my question. I do appreciate you and the content you put up. Thanks for the hard work you put into these videos.
Jeremy, you are most informative workout channel in the TH-cam Universe. I’ve been following you for the past few weeks, building my thoughts & gaining motivation from your personal perspective . I’m 48 years old & I find body building a bit challenging for me. Not much because of my age but because of the nature of my work. I’m working Mon-Fri, 12 hrs a day. That’s why Sat & Sun are so precious for me. Can you give me your precessional advice on how will I start? This video talking about split and number of sets per muscle group sounds very helpful . More power to you . Hope to hear you soon.
no
When I want to do a faster workout, I incoroprate super sets and giant sets. You should be able to google these to get more information.
this is such a greatly thought out video production! No shit, you raising the right questions at the right time, make it very beginner friendly thereby and the best part is the scientific backup, because what is better evidence than science? Also the graphs youre using are super fitting and simple, just a flawless video. Taking my hat off! Keep it up
How can I apply thos to Pitt Force?
Jeremy, I just want to say thank you for the video:)
To be honest this guy right here, been in every stressful situation we face in fitness world..
He got every fucking question i have man!!
Thank you! Very insightful! Undoubtedly earned a sub! 29, and not been to the gym in years after quite a number of years in multiple striking martial arts, karate messed my joints up (Ridiculous stances) i stopped training a few years ago and wanting to just get back into shape but at my own pace as i'm not competing and just doing it for health and myself. This sounds like something that could work for me as i use to train till burned.
Can't believe the level of quality put into each video. You don't get this kind of quality material even when you pay for it! Love it, man. Thank you.
Both Jeff’s and Jeremy uploaded today. Boutta have the best lift of my life
best youtubers on weightlifting and fitness ever
@@moedotcom8190 coach Greg is
Love it, keep the informative videos coming!
For the last 2 weeks I've followed you and I've gotten more from watching you than I have anywhere else.
12 years of working out the wrong way because of steroid users.
Thanks 100% man You saved my life.
I almost gave up but I'm here listening and I've had improvements in just 2 weeks
@@ahsannadeem8324 He will get horny
Haha, it's easy to blame steroid users for your shitty training instead of just admitting you didn't do your research. And that for 12 whole years?! Lmao you definitely did something wrong then. Big L.
Thanks a lot
This was what i needed
It depends on how much time you have to workout to. Try everything & figure out what works best for you.
Great videos. I like the flow to. Just enough info without being to much. Plus I've been putting your tactics to use lately and I have noticed much better results.
I love your content man. Great work.
Please cover occlusion training, or so called BFR.
Thank you so much for sharing this workout 🏋🏻♀️ (Tips)
thanks for sharing jeremy! really liked it!
I really appreciate this. I’m a teen and just started trying to work out. This really helped me figure out how to get started and get better 💪
Look at Wendler's 5/3/1 workout. It's very popular.
I've been doing bro-split over the year and never would have thought that it was not the optimal approach! Thanks for the insight! Also would love for you to cover calf muscle group.
For calves, you can do it every other day. When doing calf, use heavy weight and do it until fatigue. Rest, then do it again fatigue. It will recover faster than most muscles.
@@lapnguyen2898 No. Heavy weight is not how to build calves. They recover quickly because you use them everyday. Go for the 15-30 rep range, low weight and go everyday
Congratulations on your new gym. Thanks so much for all of your quality videos... I've watched all of them and l'm implementing a lot of what I learned in my own personal workouts. I'm slowly progressing. I'm 50 years old and 64kgs and suspect have a height similar to yours (around 173cm). I'd love to know where I can get a tank top like the one's you wear in your videos.
Important question: What brand of tank top do you wear? I'm a fellow Canadian in South Korea, but I've scoured all the major sports retailers in North America and can't seem to find a decent fitting tank top like yours.
Where can I get that tank top that you wear in your videos (the blue or gray)?
Can someone help me?
Thanks a lot for your very hard work man :) All the best to you :)
Thanks Jeremy for the information. Now i cleared up my mind confusion
Hey Jeremy, nice video as always
Could you do a video on increasing shoulder mobility or rotator cuff exercices ?
Thanks in advance Jeremy !
I like to do 4 sets of 4 exercises. The last one being a lift involving the supporting muscles like triceps. I do this with dips for example to warm up the triceps and finish chest leading me into a triceps workout.
Looking huge at the moment bro! Great vid.
U are an actual legend! I just opened my eyes..... Thanks a lot!
My colleague at work who I sometimes train with does high volume and heavy. 15-20 sets for smaller muscle groups and 20-25 for bigger muscles. He trains like this 4 times a week doing 2 muscle groups each time.
Hes the strongest and biggest natural lifter in our gym hands down.
Tried his method and I'm sore for days. Everybody is different I think as long as you keep mixing things up and experimenting your body will keep growing no matter what. Everybody's sweet spot will be different and can be achieved through different methods. Takes years to learn what is perfectly optimal for your own genetics
I always do Math everytime after watching your video. In few months, aside from growing muscles, i bet my brain will grow too.😂😂😂
Great video thanks for the info
Great vid man!
Could you guys post a detailed workout for the week? I’m confused with how many exercises to do during each training session. Thank you
Jeff cavaliere made a video about this topic a week ago, it really did change my outlook on workouts
TCG same, I used to stick with the bro split, and I go to gym every 2 days. By the time I rotate back to the same muscle group, it will take more than a week. The stimulation frequency is a bit low.
I’m trying out the total body split every 2 days for a couple of months, let’s see how that goes.
@@EscapedConvict2007 keep us updated
EscapedConvict2007 you won’t see much results
Theworld isimmense lol
Thanks for the info🤗
Solid info weldone on mentioning the fact that the research is done on averages meaning everyone is different.
Can u make a vid on upper/lower workout plan, similar to the full body one you previously done
this is the reason why I am feeling so tired these days. I overworked too much for last one months.
Yeah I was use to hitting all muscles twice a week with around 15 sets per muscle 😔
@Supreme King only If you Do accessory afterwards for the same muscle
Love your scientific approach to fitness. Keep doing you brosef
THE BEST I HAVE EVER HEARD ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF MUSCLE GROWTH AND FITNESS. I use the push pull method now 2-3 times a week depending on how I feel and the energy I have . Four days M T w rest T F s s rest seemed to work well but I work a physical job with much walking and physical demands so I'm losing weight and feel week. Sometimes I can't get 2 days in. I have found and read less is more. Great job.
I love training my clients using the upper and lower method also. It does show better results and provide optimal recovery🙌🏽♥️
Hey but when to hit the back ?
@Tasunke relax
@Tasunke relax
@Tasunke weak
approximately how long does an upper body day be?
Jeremy, I only need to say thank you from Brazil.
Outro Brasileiro nesse canal😁
Great info, thanks!
Great video and pretty catchy thumbnail👌🏼
This is by far the most sensible channel on body building. The content is well researched and in my personal experience, the workout should be sustainable. This guy helps make it so.
been doing floor press at home, 25 reps per set x 10 set every other day and been seeing a lot of result already and it's only been a week, I normally can't finish the last 2-3 sets with full 25 reps and have do couple extra sets on top to reach that 250 reps a day and if I can do all 25 reps without having to stop in those last few sets then I just increase the weight. Day 1 arms/core/legs. Day 2 chest and core. So Basically every other day with and maybe it's because I'm a beginner but I'm seeing a lot of result so I'm going to keep at it for 2 months at least.
amazing vid bro thanks a lot
Thank you for the info. This is really helpful.
Can you do a push/pull workout example
I'm currently doing full body workouts again. I do 5 sets for everybody part that includes warm up sets. Takes about a hour and im trashed after. I train this way because I'm not naturally lean even with a clean diet and I find its the only thing that keeps my fat levels down to a minimum. Works for me anyway.. Great video BTW 👌
Awesome information my friend I also share this with my daughter in out of curiosity with this also applied to the female body as well as to the male body thank you keep up the great work long time follower
I love your content always pro always easy to understand thank you !
I'm happy to say that as a newbie (2 weeks!) I wasnt terribly off so far. I've been doing about 15 sets per major muscle group per week, with 12 on one day with 3 more on a different day 2-5 days later.
Hey,How's the progress
It’s been 3 years. How has the progress been?
I've gotten great chest results (middle aged dude) with always starting my workout with 6 chest sets of 10 reps, 3 x a week: 2 flat bench, 2 incline bench, 1 flat flyes, 1 incline flyes. Slowly raise the weight over a month or so. (The incline stuff made a huge difference!).
18 sets. Same here buddy. I was hitting cheat back and shoulders on Monday Wednesday Friday 6 sets for chest back and shoulders. Saw good gainz. Now I'm doing chest/tris . Back/bis. Legs .. shoulders. . Twice a weeks with same sets ...on the triceps and biceps I do about 6 sets total per workout which totals to 12 sets per week
@@tonyvee5799 6sets is for total triceps workout or for one workout 6 sets
@@balasurya4846 no for your biceps and triceps you want to do minimum of four sets You can pick one exercise for biceps and triceps and do four sets total or you can pick two different exercise for biceps and triceps and do two sets of each they'll be a total of four sets and you get to go That's if you doing the upper lower routine
@@tonyvee5799 You think 16 weekly chest sets are enough ? 8 sets per workout (x2 times a week)
@@lucashenriques4242 It is within the 10=20 sets/week, so you in the upper end of it, so it should be enough. As you become more experienced, you can increase the number of sets if necessary. As Jeremy has mentioned, everyone is different. Ultimately, you want to do what is best for you. Listen to your body. Take notes of how it takes for you to recover and etc.
thank you for changing my life and helping me have a better understanding on how to read my body and respond to it to grow better. thank you so much. your videos have helped me so much. if there anything i can do for u lmk. i dont got much but i can offer whats on my mind. again thanks Jeremy you an awesome dude.
Insightful video, thank you!
I was doing 6 sets for 6 excercises 4 days a week a top bottom split. But once I looked at it and I was getting good gains I found I was really over fatiguing myself and the further I got into the workout the longer recovery times and longer pauses were not optimal. I am going to 5 sets per group for 10 sets per group per week and will try that. Also I don't push real hard like over rpe 6 or 7 till that last 2 sets where i go hard. So far my growth is doing great and i am a beginner.
As a beginner 5 sets per muscle and this 2 times a week is ideal imo. That's 10 sets weekly per muscle. If you train close to failure it's all you need.
I started myself doing 9 sets per muscle and two times a week. So 18 sets weekly. I found myself just not recovering fast enough and fatigue all the time. That was my body telling me to cut down on sets and rest more....it's annoying coz you wanna go hardcore when you start ...but it does more harm than good.....
Learn to walk before start running
@@denniederuyver3546 so I'll give an update on this one I started taking creatine which had a huge effect on my fatigue in the gym and Recovery. I also was out of the gym for a year because of personal issues. Now that I'm back in the gym depending upon which muscle group I'm working I'll do five to six sets unless it's something which is being really stubborn then I'll do seven sets. But really sleep and maximizing your protein intake really heavy huge impact on my sustainability of my muscle and whatever gains I'm getting. Mind you I'm over 50 so I can still be stronger than I ever was in my youth but I probably should have started doing this when I was 30 LOL
@@puncherdavis9727 2nd making sure your protein intake is high. I added 10 lbs to my squat in 2 weeks just by making sure I was getting at least 100 grams per day. For reference, I weigh 125 lbs. I could probably even go higher.
I've been unknowingly doing this ever since i started training while intermittent fasting. Thanks!
Thanks for such a great video
Thanks Jeremy for the helpful info.
That's literally why I usually do three sets. I do so many compound lifts and different variations so I stick to three sets for each exercise because it all adds up at the end of the week. If I do 4 or more it's hard to sleep at night I think it's because it's excessive volume. Spreading it out throughout the week seems to be better for me than trying to get it all in a single day.
but its hard to say..because yes u can say 10 sets / week for "back", but then you start breaking down the back to lats / mid back / traps and shit hits the fan again
I think 10 sets per muscle group per week is more than sufficient for beginners and even intermediates to see strength and size gains. You can pick two or three muscles to focus on and improve, and go for up to maybe 15 sets per week, but for the rest 10 should be fine. Remember, you got pecs, delts, lats, traps, bi's, tri's, quads, hams, glutes, and core. That's a lot to hit in a week, over 100 sets if you're doing 10 sets per muscle group.
you would do less workouts since doing lets say bench press and dumbbell press would be doing the same thing, so you would take one out
Yup, 9 was plenty for my first 6 months
Super high quality content found here in a sea of "junk" elsewhere on TH-cam - thanks, Jeremy.
Very educative thank you and helpful
From what I can grasp, this is purely for those who just want to grow their muscles with no regards to endurance or athleticism. So athletic training peeps your are safe.
Just the thing I was waiting for. Thank you! Gained 10 kg of lean mass in 1 1/2 years and now I'm stagnant.
Awsome, helpful information!
Great job man .!!!!....I really like your videos ...very very helpful videos ... I like your style of explanation...
It’s very interesting. I was doing bro splits of biceps and triceps on separate days. It allowed my biceps to grow a lot more than doing a push/pull day to include some of the triceps iso and biceps iso movements. I found that my sweet spot on a push day for example is about 4 sets triceps and no more. My body can’t recover if I do 6-8 sets on that day, because of all the chest and shoulder work taking some tricep in there. I was banging my head on the wall how my arms weren’t growing, even with intense work. So it seems less is more and they are growing again.
So true bro I’ve been in the same situation,
more food videos and how i can implement it in my workout days
Every time I watch your videos I learn something new
For example 1:14 the correct technique for the latts pull down
I use to lean back and fatigue in my arms.
Thanks for this video.
On the one hand, I'm sad because I realize I've been training the wrong way for over 10 years, but on the other hand, at least now I know how to do it right
Thanks m8
im in and out the gym while people are still working out
So how many sets is best for example i workout muscles twice a week usually 6 sets chest monday, 6 sets chest friday.. is this enough?
I like the videos. They’re very scientific and I can tell you do a lot of research. 👊
That was really helpful, thanks alot❤
Wow! Thanks for this Video. According to you and research I've been over training my body. I've been doing 5 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise. And I do 5 different machines/ exercises per muscle group. That's 25 sets/ 250 reps per muscle group. Not to mention sometimes i work certain muscle groups twice a week. Yeah I'm still learning. But Thanks for the information. This will save me a lot more time in the gym and hopefully better results
Did you see better gains after reducing the volume?
@@naturalaquatreasures @Cosmic Origin yes sir I've had some nice gains. I see much more definition with the challenge that I was doing. I've been experimenting with my body and doing different challenges. I've figured out how to lose weight/ tone up very quickly with certain diets and workout challenges combined. I've actually lost more weight then I wanted to because it happened so quickly with less reps. Now I am starting this new challenge in one week to gain even more muscle( consuming 3700 calories daily), intermittent fasting(16/8) carnivore diet, and weight lifting with little cardio. I've also learned that having a mind and muscle connection, good form, slow paced reps while holding your reps for a couple of seconds is very beneficial. Little tips really help.
Hey, I wanna start gym but I wanna know something, I can only train twice a week so I would do like chest/Biceps then back/triceps etc split it up each day so I can only train like chest once a week, I have 4 exercises that I would do 3 sets of which in total is 12 sets in one session for chest, after watching the video idk if I should drop one of them so I could do 9 sets in total (around 10 like the video said) or should I just keep at 12?
All depends on the person. I am actually benching more now than I was 30 years ago in college. I found that what works best for me is 7-10 total sets once a week for each body part except legs, which I do twice a week.
What a very informative video thanks for making this
Bro, you’re the best online trainer man!