A extra nuanced tackle conventional pointers
Fashionable bodybuilding pointers suggest coaching every physique half with 10-20 weekly units. Minimalists say 4 weekly units, whereas followers of HIT coaching might say 6-8 units. Whose proper? Properly, all of them are proper for his or her particular scenario.
The issue with most different research and their interpretation is that they lacked nuance.
A New Research simply launched might have solved all this by displaying how quantity, muscle progress, and diminishing returns work together. It is not about the perfect quantity of units; it is deciding if the subsequent set offers sufficient progress to make it value your effort.
Key Factors To Know!
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How Many Units Ought to You Do To Construct Muscle?
Wherever from 4 to 30 weekly units, relying on who you ask. Everybody has a solution, nevertheless it finally will depend on your targets, way of life, and preferences. With that stated, listed here are the frequent solutions.
1. Minimalist and HIT Coaching: 4-10 weekly units (Iversen et. al, 2021). These numbers are advocated by figures resembling Dorian Yates and Mike Mentzer. This vary is utilized by those that wish to spend much less time within the fitness center whereas nonetheless gaining most muscle.
Plus, these numbers are proven to construct muscle successfully.
2. Fashionable Bodybuilding Pointers: 10-20 weekly units. Fashionable-day pointers for hypertrophy are primarily based on analysis, which primarily suggests {that a} dose-response exists (Schoenfeld et. al, 2017)
3. Severe/Excessive Bodybuilders: 20+ Some bodybuilders, actually into quantity, might do effectively over 20 units per week, going above 30 or 40 units.
As you possibly can see, these numbers are fairly totally different. So who’s proper?
Whereas there have been dozens of research up to now, a brand new meta-analysis might give the perfect reply to this query.
The Research: The resistance-training dose response: Meta-regressions exploring the consequences of weekly quantity and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and power good points (2025)
Revealed in 2025, this was a large meta-analysis comprising 67 research and 2058 contributors. It used meta-regressions, that are a statistical method used to look at how particular variables affect outcomes throughout a number of research in a meta-analysis.
On this case, they needed to calculate the dose-response of set volume and muscle growth.
What Is Set Quantity?
Set quantity is a straightforward approach for lifters to calculate their coaching quantity for a muscle group throughout the week. For instance, let’s faux you carry out the next chest workout routines;
- Bench Press: 3 units
- Dips: 3 units
- Incline Dumbbell: 2 units
- Cable Fly: 2 units
- Complete Set Quantity: 10 units
On the similar time, the set quantity determines how a lot coaching you need to do. For instance, common guidelines are to coach each muscle group with 10-20 weekly units.
One downside with this has at all times been the right way to calculate work for oblique work; does bench press depend as a set for triceps?
Apparently, the researchers accounted for this and calculated “fractional units”. Fractional units had been the mixture of direct units and oblique units (the triceps throughout the bench press).
- Direct Units (X 1): When the muscle was the first mover
- Oblique Units (X 1/2): When the muscle was a secondary mover
- Fractional Units: Direct + Oblique
Let’s faux a lifter does the next, and also you wish to calculate fractional units for the biceps.
- 5 units of Bicep Curls = 5 Direct units
- 5 units of Bentover Rows = 2.5 Oblique units ( 5 direct X 1/2)
- Fractional units = 7.5 units (5 direct + 2.5 oblique)
The Outcomes
In spite of everything their calculations, they created a number of ranges of weekly units primarily based on their effectivity. Every bounce in vary designates a 2.05% improve in hypertrophy; discover how every bounce requires extra units.
This is what they found:
Minimal Efficient Dose: 4 units per week (smallest detectable impact measurement; 2.05% Hypertrophy)
Highest Effectivity: 5-10 units per week (~ 6 units wanted for extra detectable hypertrophy)
Intermediate Effectivity: 11-18 units per week (~ 8.5 units wanted for extra detectable hypertrophy)
Decrease Effectivity: 19-29 units per week (~ 10.75 units wanted for extra detectable hypertrophy)
Lowest Effectivity: 30-42 units per week (~ 12.5 units wanted for extra detectable hypertrophy)
Unknown was 42+ working units per week
So, what does this imply?.
1. You want a minimum of 4 weekly units to see noticeable good points
2. After 5 working units, every further set offers extra absolute hypertrophy
3. After 10 working units, every further set turns into rather less environment friendly and offers much less in return.
4. This development is seen all the best way as much as 42 units per week (however warning is required when making use of to 25+ weekly units, as few papers have gone that prime)
This is finest summed up on this outtake from the examine;
| “Though this strategy indicated that the minimal efficient dose happens with low quantity (4 ”fractional” weekly units), the tiers additionally point out no clear plateau within the major meta-regression. As an alternative, they counsel an rising variety of units wanted to elicit detectable further hypertrophy.” |
What’s The Greatest Quantity Of Units For Muscle Progress?
Even with this examine, it nonetheless will depend on your way of life and targets.
As we will see, there are good points to be made effectively past the standard threshold of 20 units per week. Nonetheless, you begin spending numerous time for minimal returns, to not point out the rising probability of damage and overtraining.
On the similar time, you can progress with just 4 weekly sets, however that will not produce sufficient outcomes for everybody.
Due to this fact, it’s essential think about what your expectations are for the way a lot time you wish to spend within the fitness center.
5-10 Weekly Units is the candy spot to maximise good points whereas minimizing time, supporting the low-volume crowd. This vary provides you probably the most good points per set and is in line with Dorian Yates’ style of training.
11-18 Weekly Units match modern-day hypertrophy pointers and appear to nonetheless be good pointers for maximizing progress whereas balancing time and restoration. Every further set offers rather less in return than 5-10, nevertheless it’s nonetheless sufficient to make it “value it”.
How Many Units For Hypertrophy? The Closing Reply
This will at all times be a query that by no means offers a solution that satisfies everybody. Due to this fact, the one approach you already know what’s finest for you is to do some experimentation.
With that stated, we now have a substantial amount of analysis, and now there’s this new examine. The findings just about summarize previous analysis, however they supply extra nuance. There isn’t any “finest vary” however a balancing act between quantity and effectivity, and what satisfies your wants.
References
Iversen, V. M., Norum, M., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2021). No time to elevate? Designing time-efficient coaching applications for power and hypertrophy: A story overview. Sports activities Drugs, 51(10), 2079–2095. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1
Pelland, J. C., Remmert, J. F., Robinson, Z. P., Hinson, S. R., & Zourdos, M. C. (2025). The resistance-training dose response: Meta-regressions exploring the consequences of weekly quantity and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and power good points. Sports activities Drugs (Auckland, N.Z.). Advance on-line publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). The dose–response relationship between resistance coaching quantity and muscle hypertrophy: are there actually nonetheless any doubts? Journal of Sports activities Sciences, 35(20), 1985–1987. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1243800
