Volume vs Intensity Revisited
If you didn’t read the original article or watch the video. Here’s a brief overview of the main points: Train hard, rack up quality volume, spread the work smartly through the week, and progress in measured steps. Most lifters grow best around 10–30 hard sets per muscle per week, roughly 4–8 hard sets per muscle group per session, with sets taken close to failure. Moderate, steady progression usually beats big jumps.
Prefer to watch than read? Then please check out the video below
Why I’m revisiting this (and what’s changed since 2024)
Back in March 2024, I wrote about why volume + intensity is the winning combo for muscle and strength — and I still stand by it today. This update folds in newer evidence and sharper programming advice so you can fine-tune things and get even better results.
Quick definitions (so we’re on the same page)
Training volume = the work you do (sets × reps × load). A simple way to track it is total working sets.
Training intensity = how heavy the load is relative to what you can lift and how close you get to failure (RIR/RPE). The key is effort on your working sets, not just being out of breath.
The big idea: talking about one without the other is how people go wrong. Loads of easy sets? Meh. Brutal effort, but not enough sets? Also meh. You need both, and finding the right balance for you will be the most significant contributor to your muscle-building success!
What the new 2025 volume study adds
A 12-week RCT in experienced female lifters compared three weekly set strategies (constant vs moderate vs aggressive progression).
Everyone got stronger; gradual progression nudged ahead, while aggressive jumps didn’t deliver magic. Muscle size differences were small — more and more sets gave diminishing returns. Translation: progress steadily; don’t chase volume just to chase it. Yes, more volume equals more gains, but there is only so much volume one can handle. You are only human!
My takeaway: push your volume up methodically, keep sets hard, and let recovery keep pace. You’ll gain more than with big, flashy jumps that hammer your joints without adding much muscle.
How much volume per week (really)?
Across my work and the broader literature, a sensible target is 10–30 hard sets per muscle per week. Most lifters live happily in the 10–20 pocket; the high-end (20–30) is for advanced, resilient humans and short blocks.
Rule of thumb: If elbows, knees or tendons start grumbling, it’s a nudge that your weekly sets or progression speed are too spicy. Back off a touch and build back up.
How much per session?
Per-session gains tend to plateau after about 6 sets per muscle, with some folks stretching to 8. Past that, the extra work often becomes wasted sets. So plan on ~4–8 hard sets per muscle per workout and spread your weekly total across multiple sessions.
Let's take a look at this in-house meta-analysis done by James Krieger that reviewed the data of 9 separate studies, looking at the impact of sets per muscle group per session on muscle building. The data is beautifully illustrated in this graph and shows that up to 6 sets per muscle group, the gains continue to rise, but beyond that, we get hit with a pretty hard plateau.
Frequency: why splitting volume wins
Higher frequency lets you keep set quality high, minimise junk reps, and collect more effective volume without destroying yourself. Think 2–5 hits per muscle/week, depending on your life and recovery. It also leverages the repeated-bout effect (RBE) — your body adapts to frequent training, soreness drops, and you can push more quality work.
Intensity: train like an athlete
Fancy spreadsheets don’t grow muscle if you don’t train hard. Track your sessions, chase performance, and bring intent to every working set. Yes, you’re building a physique — but you’re also building performance. Treat your sessions like an athlete would.
Effort target per hard set: Following any warm-up sets, you want to take each working set close to failure 0-3 RIR, particularly on the final sets of each exercise, leaving no more than a few reps in the tank. You don’t want to hit failure on every set, but the last reps should be tasty, particularly on that final set! Personally, if the exercises allow it and I can't maintain proper form, I will take the final set of every exercise all the way to failure – all the way! With the prior sets – sets one to three – being very close to failure (0-3 RIR). Just ensure proper form is maintained when riding close to failure.
Putting it together (simple, effective programming)
Weekly set targets (per muscle)
Beginner: 10–12
Intermediate: 12–18
Advanced: 16–24 (occasionally up to ~30 in short blocks)
Per-session caps
Aim: 4–8 hard sets per muscle per session
If you need more weekly volume, add another day, don’t cram.
“Am I overdoing it?” (signs to watch)
Performance dips with normal sleep and nutrition
Nagging elbows/shoulders/knees that don’t settle in 7–10 days
Perma-DOMS that blunts effort on your next session
If two or more show up, trim sets by ~20–30% and rebuild.
Common mistakes I still see (and how to fix them)
All volume, no intensity: You’re clocking sets but leaving 4–5 reps in the tank on everything. Fix: Load up and take working sets to close to failure.
All intensity, no volume: You grind a few heroic sets then call it. Fix: Add more hard sets within the 4–8 per-session window.
Cramming 15–20 sets for one muscle in a single workout: That’s a junk-set factory. Fix: Split the work across the week – ideally with a full body training split.
Big jumps in volume: Tendons kick off, progress stalls. Fix: Progress steadily and deload before you need to.
The bottom line (same message, sharper tools)
Train hard. Do enough quality work. Spread it, track it, and progress sensibly. If you do this consistently, you’ll look and perform like… well, an athlete.
FAQ (for the skimmers)
How many sets per muscle per week is optimal?
Most lifters progress best around 10–20; advanced lifters can push to 20–30 in short blocks.
How close to failure should I train?
Most hard sets should finish within 0–3 RIR. Not every set needs to fail, but the reps near failure matter most.
How many sets per session?
Plan for ~4–8 hard sets per muscle per workout; beyond ~6, returns flatten for many lifters.
How often should I train each muscle?
2–5×/week works brilliantly because it preserves set quality and avoids junk volume; full-body or high-frequency splits make this easy.