HOW MANY SETS TO BUILD MUSCLE... The minimum you can do to still get good results.

A common question among lifters is “how many sets should I do to build muscle?” What that really means is how little can I get away with to still get great results, which is subjective, but we can still give you a pretty good idea. The answer depends on two factors; how long you’ve been training & how much time you have. Let's start with the training experience side.

Before we start, let's clarify something. We count sets based on the muscles involved in the movement. So, a set on the bench press counts as one set for your chest, one set for your front delts & one set for your triceps. It’s still one set of bench pressing, but it applies to three different muscles. A set of lat pulldowns counts toward your weekly total for your back, rear delts, and biceps. A set of curls counts as one set for your biceps. You get the idea.

Let's divide training experience into three categories:

1.     Beginner: less than 12 months of consistent, proper training experience.

2.     Intermediate: 1 to 5 years of consistent, proper training experience.

3.     Advanced: more than 5 years of consistent, proper training experience.

Beginner

If you’re fairly new to training, you don’t need to spend a lot of time in the gym. You can build muscle with just 1 to 5 sets per muscle, per week. You could easily manage that with two full-body workouts per week. For your compound exercises, you could do 2-3 sets per exercise. For any isolation exercises, you could do just 1-2 sets per exercise & get the job done.

Doing extra sets will likely get you gains a little faster, but not by much. It’s up to you if you want to prioritize quick andeffective workouts (that get most of the results) or less quick but more optimal workouts.

Intermediate

Your first year in the weight room is when you get those coveted “newbie gains.” Just about anything you do will make you bigger & stronger. You'll still make progress in your second & third years of training, but you’ll have to work harder for it. 4 to 8 sets per muscle, per week is now your minimum. If that’s what you were doing as a beginner, you might want to aim for 8 to 15 sets per muscle, per week.

Advanced

You’re now a highly experienced lifter, which means continuing what you did as an intermediate may only maintain your gains, & that’s fine. 4 to 8 sets per muscle per week will still be enough to maintain what you’ve built, & you may even keep making some gains on that volume if you're training hard & have your sleep & nutrition in good shape. But continued progress usually requires higher training volume at this stage: 12 to 20 sets per muscle, per week. You can probably still manage to get it all in with three full body workouts per week. But the workouts might feel a lot easier if you train four to six days a week, hitting each muscle at least twice.

You may also find that certain muscles need more attention than others. For example, my back does great with 16 sets per week but for my chest, that would be overkill. Generally, I’ve found the back, shoulders & legs tend to do well with higher volumes.

If want quick workouts, I've written a program series designed to get you the best gains, in the least time possible. Click below to access it. If you’re looking for optimal gains & don’t mind if workouts take a little longer, click the bodybuilding program. Have a great week.

Elliot Hutchinson // 06.04.2025

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