Dr Michaela Peramaki is an all-rounder: as a doctor of physical therapy, the popular fitness coach is also a former DI track athlete and inspirational natural bodybuilder. But despite her thousands of hours of training, she understandably hates to waste a single rep. So, in an effort to find out how many sets per week are optimal for building some mega muscle, the good doctor referred us to the evidence.
Whether you are the kind of person that likes to blitz through your workouts in the quickest way possible, or have all the time in the world to cover the gym floor, one thing that bodybuilders can agree on is the desire to add the most mass in minimal time. Fortunately, A 2024 study exploring the effects of weekly volume and muscle hypotrophy shed some light on an often-contested subject, and was recently shared by the former pole vaulter.
The study concluded that proximity to failure was more important than volume when completing reps. “I thought this was a super cool study that shows that crazy high volumes are not better for muscle growth,” she told her Instagram followers in a recent post, “and that junk volume really is a thing.”
How Many Sets Per Week are Optimal for Muscle Growth?
“Doing fewer sets that are hard and with intention, done multiple times throughout the week will be much less fatiguing and improve the ability to progressively overload over time,” says Dr Peramaki.
It’s true, concentrating on an effective form, with a challenging weight, rather than aiming for a high number of reps is a good strategy for shredding those muscle fibers and encouraging them to build back stronger. “The main findings of the study showed that four sets are needed to show true muscle growth, and after that, the more sets you perform, there are more diminishing returns,” Peramaki says. Whether you are looking to start a new resolution or just want to get better results from your existing routine, it’s welcome news that sometimes less really is more.
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