The recommended number of sets per workout depends on your fitness goals, experience level, and the muscle groups targeted. Here is a summary based on expert sources:
General Recommendations for Sets per Exercise per Workout
- Most fitness experts suggest performing 2 to 6 sets per exercise. Fewer than 2 sets may not be challenging enough, while more than 6 can lead to overtraining
- For beginners, starting with 3 sets of 10–15 reps per exercise is a good approach
- A common practical guideline is to do 3 to 5 work sets per exercise, ensuring proper form and progressive overload over time
Sets for Building Muscle (Hypertrophy)
- Research indicates the best muscle growth results come from 30-40 sets per muscle group per week ; a minimum effective dose is about 4 sets per muscle group per week
- This can be divided into about 3-6 sets per muscle group per workout , training each muscle 2-3 times per week
- The ideal total volume for hypertrophy is around 10–20 sets per muscle per week , spread over multiple sessions. For example, doing 3-6 sets per muscle per workout, training muscles twice per week
Sets Based on Training Goals
Goal| Sets per Exercise per Workout| Reps per Set
---|---|---
General fitness| 1–3 sets| 12–15 reps
Muscular endurance| 3–4 sets| up to 12 reps
Muscle mass| 3–6 sets| 6–12 reps
Strength| 4–6 sets| up to 6 reps
Power| 3–5 sets| 3–5 reps
Single-rep power| 3–5 sets| 1–2 reps
This breakdown helps tailor sets and reps to your specific goals
Total Sets per Workout
- Typical workouts might include 12-18 total sets per session spread across different exercises and muscle groups
- For hypertrophy, training muscles multiple times per week with a total of 10–20 sets per muscle weekly is effective
Summary
- Aim for 2-6 sets per exercise depending on experience and goals.
- For muscle growth, target 3-6 sets per muscle group per workout , training each muscle 2-3 times weekly, totaling around 10-20 sets per muscle per week.
- Beginners can start with 3 sets of 10-15 reps per exercise.
- Adjust sets based on your goals (endurance, strength, power) and progressively increase volume over time.
This approach balances effectiveness with recovery and workout duration
