What's The Right Amount of Volume To Build The MOST Muscle?

[@RCFitCamp]

Most people respond well with 2-6 sets per muscle group per workout. Depending on frequency, strength, training experience etc. I actually believe the stronger you get the less amount of volume you need per workout and frequency as well.

[@lukebbuff]

Worth noting a couple of things here: 1. Even Dr. Mike often suggests someone start on the low end (minimum effective volume) and work their way up to ideal volume or even maximum recoverable volume over the course of a mesocycle (so maybe start around 12 sets and work up to 20-24). 2. A lot of the discourse in the bodybuilding community assumes volume accrued by secondary or stabilizing muscle in compound lifts is negligible but that is probably only true when rep ranges, technique, rest etc is all geared toward targeting one muscle and in trainees who are adapted to a lot of volume already. 3. Dr. Mike and others are clear that min/max/ideal volume varies both body part to body part and person to person. You may need to adjust a bit from a program like Anabolic that is geared toward general pop if you are an advanced lifter or just a hard-gainer Edit to add 4: A huge part of this is recovery. The science based crew are usually working with “ideal” and assuming you are eating and recovering like it’s your job. If you work a normal 9-5 with stressful family, mediocre diet etc. your results will vary.

[@WittersWorld]

Awesome content as always!!! I would love to see Jeff Nippard on this podcast.

[@Thedvinelife]

YES!!!!

[@ianfincher3060]

Jeff couldn’t keep up

[@clamum9648]

Nippy is good

[@clamum9648]

@@ianfincher3060 LOL ok

[@ismaelyoblonski3510]

Nippard is trash

[@connorkubilus8044]

15-20 sets is hard. For a person not lying about his intensity

[@richardmiddleton7770]

They should not be amrap sets. It's only like 6 sets 3x a week.

[@farhanhussain_]

Right volume is the one that keeps you progressing consistently in some manner. It can be 5 sets or it can be 15 sets or anything in between or beyond.

[@TOMReefer]

At 63, and bodybuilding my entire life, I’ve found that lifting for muscle gains is such a complex thing. What works for one person at a certain age, weight, body fat etc. varies for each individual person. Almost senseless to follow one prescribed workout plan. It’s great to be educated, but all these different workout plans is comical. But everyone needs to start somewhere and then find their way.

[@jakemiles448]

In a world of BS, I love being able to come here and get information that just makes sense

[@diversity1984]

Genetics n recovery is different for everyone so listen to your body workup the volume as you get better at recovery while keeping joints/tendons/cartilage healthy…

[@lsporter88]

Great points. Thanks Fellas.

[@josephg.3255]

great show just found this year💯

[@robertworton2394]

I’m 40, 15 sets a week is a good week lol

[@mayukhsen8195]

A question regarding this. What is the weekly volume in terms of sets if all sets are taken to muscular failure?

[@rollsroyce2627]

Good stuff..thank you guys

[@blackwinggarage]

I assume you mean 15-20 hard working sets...i.e. near failure on a 8-10 rep scheme per set?

[@williamblake5289]

i agree.

[@TheBigjl1980]

This show is so informative to however you train

[@brandonn844]

Love the content! Your videos are very helpful and informative.

[@theydontmakeemliketheyused9995]

This guy doesn’t want to eat enough (not talking about a dirty bulk either) and I’m skeptical of his intensity. If he’s not pushing himself to progressively overload it doesn’t matter what programme he is on. Whilst adding volume (more sets/reps) is obviously a form of progression as Sal says in this video at some point you can’t feasibly keep adding sets. Which is where intensity comes in- and I’d be amazed if that guy benches more than a plate a side.

[@farhanhussain_]

Volume is very subjective and varies person to person. People on calorie surplus and young age can tolerate more volume whereas older people or those on deficit diet can recover from less volume.

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

12-15 sets per body part? I’m doing MAPS Strong and I’m doing 17-34 sets per body part. Why is there discrepancy here?

[@_Aaron_G_]

15 total sets for a body part, but at what rep range/intensity? 15 sets with 8-12 reps is very different to 15 sets with 3-5 reps.

[@andrewdurand3181]

Seems like that's the difference between hypertrophy training and power/strength training. Whether you are 8-12 or 3-5 reps per set, if you are lifting a weight that takes you to failure for either, you are still lifting high intensity either way. So counting 15 sets or so applies the same for both.

[@oj1101]

75% load of 1 RM 4 sets of 10 for any body part, Any suggestions?

[@jacobl7451]

that guy’s shirt is office work in a nutshell

[@MindPumpShow]

Lol

[@johndeagler4556]

Just bought maps anabolic. I've done crossfit and working out for around 7 years but took the last 9 months off and have gained 30 lbs. Do you recommend bulking, cutting, or body recomp / maintenence

[@springfield03sniper]

No offense to this guy, but he clearly didn’t run Anabolic correctly. I ran it on a slight caloric deficit and still saw results.

[@johncalla2151]

It's somewhat fascinating that it seems even now we still don't have this stuff nailed down. There is so much controversy on what works and what doesn't and what's best and what isn't. I think studies are important but a better approach would probably be understanding how the body is actually designed to work. We just don't have that knowledge yet I guess. Not sure it's even being explored in the fitness community though?

[@FZappaFan1]

AthleanX seems pretty knowledgeable about muscle anatomy.

[@berternie6181]

I need that ped routine

[@ak47ava]

Very true on the part about increasing intensity. This is exactly why i do heavy weights after 8 to 10 weeks of high volume so i can peak for strength.

[@modemarcoj8026]

There are so many variables that are not even computable due to so many differences in individual to individual and where they are and how they actually put it all together. 12-20 sets of what ? Warm up , working , drop sets , mixed , straight sets etc . If your doing 20 working sets on a body part to grow then your intensity is probably not on point .

[@farhanhussain_]

Advising number of sets per week is incomplete information. How many reps per set? It is missing in most cases. 15 sets of 10 reps is not the same as 15 sets of 5 reps.

[@dabeezkneez8716]

I'm always the one wondering this as I hop from video to video trying to figure it out. 🙆🏽‍♀️🤷🏾‍♂️ No one mentions reps so I'm still lost.

[@farhanhussain_]

@@dabeezkneez8716 for hypertrophy, it is generally agreed that 60-80 total reps (excluding warm up reps) for bigger muscle groups in a week in any combination of sets and reps and workout frequency is enough provided that weights for these reps is at least 80% I.e. it can be lifted for 6-8 reps. For smaller muscles, 100-120 total reps are recommended. For, strength specific work, Prilepin's Chart is a good starting point, but low rep work in general. Christian Thib has a good video about it on his KZbin channel.

[@dabeezkneez8716]

@@farhanhussain_ Thanks. So you are able to answer your own question then. Did you go ahead and research it after you had asked it?

[@farhanhussain_]

@@dabeezkneez8716 I basically asked the question mainly from the creators of this video and all other people who read these comments. I wanted to enhance or correct my knowledge. I shared with you and other readers what I was able to learn from various sources over last few years.

[@dabeezkneez8716]

@@farhanhussain_ great stuff. Thanks again man

[@darren1776]

What are trigger sessions?

[@DrewPWebos]

Or enhanced

[@LonPG97]

too much "sauce"

[@adamlimbach6756]

Outstanding context for all this “science”. Results of a bunch of college guys in a controlled setting have minimal real world relevance.

[@_johnvalentine]

The real point is you have to do your research when looking at studies, programs and anecdotal evidence. If you’re a young male college student then the science from that study would apply.

[@magda386]

I've always wondered if this "most efective" volume range the studies refer to also applies to women. I hardly ever see a woman doing 20 sets of exercises for legs and glutes amd consider that to be high volume. Most of them are doing 30+ sets... even Bret Contreras and all these trainers have their clients do that amount

[@josephg.3255]

legs are the strongest muscle group so they can grow faster and take more punishment

[@joojotin]

Its because if they doing 30 sets, they either leave many RIR or they use shitty exercises. No one can really do 30 sets if there is lot of effort..

[@magda386]

@@joojotin so Bret Contreras is a shitty coach? Or MAYBE it's because women tolerate more volume since they are weaker and even if they train at high intensity for them, the total weight is still quite low... and also due to estrogen they have a higher recovery rate. I don't believe they ALL choose "shitty" excercises or don't put in the efford. Or it may be due to a different rate of slow/fast twitch fibers in muscles. All I know is that the study is defective. Anyways... I was asking the experts (mind pump crew), not some random guy who is just making assumptions. Don't take this the wrong way. I would just love an accurate answer

[@joojotin]

@@magda386 you are right they do tolerate more volume. And I guess you could do 30 sets just fine, just not to failure. Wouldnt be optimal imo. Anyway everyone should experiment for themselves thats the only way to really know if something works.

[@joojotin]

@@magda386 the answer to your original question is yes. 10-20 sets is the "optimal" range for almost everyone, thats why that range is chosen in many meta analysis. Some outliars migh need more some less, there is so many factors. Even if you can do more than 20 sets it doesnt mean its more effective. The exercises you choose is also big part of it, exercises that train the muscle in shortened position are way less effective than the opposite. Thus not affecting recovery as much.

[@clamum9648]

I think most people that supposedly can't gain anything aren't eating enough, if they're actually following an even half reasonable plan (maybe unless they've been lifting for many years). That's also assuming their protein level is good too (0.7-1.0 gr/lb). I just think it's such an absolute necessary thing. I gained 35 lbs, 12 lbs muscle, my first year. Then my calories dropped and I actually started slowly losing my second year and now I'm down a decent amount (got sick too). It's frustrating but I'm 100% sure if I could eat enough (my appetite is very very low, it's tough) I'd start gaining again. All that gaining was done on 4-4.5 hours of sleep weeknights too.

[@josephg.3255]

cannabis helps with appetite but I know it also affects your estrogen lol

[@clamum9648]

@@josephg.3255 Yeah, not gonna be smoking weed lmao. And I used to be a pothead. I even tried MK-677 and while it helped appetite a bit, it wasn't even that much. Honestly I feel like my body is fighting me to weigh more than 125 lbs. I think I just gotta eat more throughout the day (rather than less but big meals), but it's so unnatural for me I really have to force and constantly remind myself. Heck I have to force myself to drink water too, otherwise I'd drink like a glass a day (besides a couple cups of coffee lol), at least on non-workout days.

[@johncalla2151]

I always found it easy to eat enough to gain weight. But putting on muscle was a whole different story.

[@clamum9648]

@@johncalla2151 Yeah I'm not sure, I'm def no expert. Was your protein intake sufficient (and you knew very close to what it actually was, like using a good tracking app, not just assuming)? Other than that, from what I gather stress and sleep are the next biggest impediments but honestly I'm not sure how much sleep really affects it. I'm sure it does too a point, but like I said, I don't think it's a major component (like protein or calorie intake), at least based on my personal experience. How many years have you been lifting? Have you followed a good program, like one done by a competent trainer? Oh, and I should mention I did that gain with a testosterone level of about 300 (got tested twice using LetsGetChecked).

[@MohammedIbrahim-sk8wi]

Is the 12-20 sets a week for like compound lifts or like accessory included since I really don’t feel like doing 12-20 sets a week accessory for a body part seems like a lot at all even at intensity?

[@davidrobertson6803]

It's for each major muscle group. Usually that includes both compound and isolation movements. Right now my chest workout consists of decline bench, incline dumbbell press, and cable flys. Smaller muscles such as triceps and biceps don't need as many direct sets as you're already getting some work in your compound exercises for chest and back.

[@MohammedIbrahim-sk8wi]

@@davidrobertson6803 I always feel like if I do 12-20 sets for body part I’m barely working it and like if I do 30+ I still feel the same and these are with good intensity where I’m struggling on the 10-12th rep type so the intensity is there

[@davidrobertson6803]

@@MohammedIbrahim-sk8wi How long have you been lifting? How old are you? My suggestion would be to keep the total number of sets per body part per week between 12 and 20 and focus on increasing the weight as you're able on the exercises.

[@MohammedIbrahim-sk8wi]

@@davidrobertson6803 23 and been going on and off for about 2-3 years but have been more serious since last year

[@dabeezkneez8716]

@@davidrobertson6803 Hi ... I'm a 44yr old new female lifter. I also have this problem that it seems like I can just increase my reps but can't increase the weight. What should I do? Eg. 8kg dumbell o/h press. I can now go as many as 15 decent reps but can't progress to 10kg dumbells beyond maybe a couple of lifts. Pls advise.

[@thirdy4threetv]

Ryan Humiston Sean Nalewanyj Jeremy Ether Should be guests

[@snguyen84]

Its obvious this guy just isn’t working out with the right intensity to increase strength and size. He’s at maintenance, which should be enough to drive gains. As the doctor says, work HARDER!!!

[@PrimetimeCalisthenics]

Damn he took forever to ask the question!

[@petercalicchio4973]

10

[@brianpistolwhip]

The guy just has to eat more.

[@trumpnation623]

This is very broad. I don’t agree. Bigger muscle groups like back and legs need much more. At least for me personally. There’s always this message that people read the wrong way. It makes them even lazier. Most people don’t know what working out hard is, let alone failure.

[@Khaled-F]

I would agree that bigger muscle groups need more but I wouldn’t say that much more. I normally keep the volume for biceps and triceps at 12 sets a week. For bigger muscles like chest, back and legs, I go up to 16-20 sets. I get great pumps, recover reasonably well, and I’m continuing to see an increase in both size and strength. I think the reason why arms need less volume is because you are also using them in most of your compound lifts for bigger muscle groups.

[@mayukhsen8195]

Focus on getting stronger. By upping your max reps with a weight. Only up the weight if you can do a lotta reps with it. Don't get into the soreness recovery cycle. I am a very strong dude 🤣💪 and see if this works for you as it did with me. You do 3 sets everyday, each set 2 reps shy of failure or 2 reps less than your last max. 5-15 minutes between sets. After about 6-7 days you will feel like doing those sets are feeling A LOT EASIER. Then your do 6 sets each day. Again, full recovery between sets. 7 days later..... They will feel even more easy. 14 days have gone by.... And now you know damn well that your max reps are now increased compared to before, because doing 2 reps shy of failure still takes lot of effort, but since they now feel a lot easier, your max reps now are higher than before. So now you RETEST YOUR MAX REPS. They are now higher than before. And you repeat this same program with them new max reps. For the next 14 days. You do this with one arm push ups. Pull ups. Pistol squats. Or anything you like. I personally did it with one arm one leg push ups, pull ups and deadlifts. I am freakishly strong bencher. I bench 600lbs, at 235lbs bodyweight. Without actually benching regularly. I just do one arm one leg push ups.

[@handsforwarrodneymorgan2616]

You guys should have gotten ripitoe to answer him....he needs to gain weight.

[@ho2673]

He need to eat more that's it duh

[@caesarguzman5831]

You need steroids bro!!