How Many Sets Should You Do?

Many believe this question can be answered definitively by research—I disagree.

It’s like trying to find the perfect route on a road trip. While google maps can guide you, the "best" path will always depend on variables like traffic, weather, and your preferences for scenery or speed. The optimal number of sets, like the ideal route, is shaped by the context, personal goals, constraints, and ongoing adjustment.

So, if you're expecting blanket answers to such complicated (and complex) questions, you won't find them - here, or anywhere else (if you do, they'll likely be riddled with poorly reasoned justifications).

But fear not - I'll give you my practical recommendations for how many sets you should do at the end of this article, but first I'll do something more valuable: I'm going to teach you how to think about this topic first, rather than what to think.

A Weird Analogy

What you're about to read will seem unrelated, but please, stick with me...

I had a recent toilet experience that many of you will undoubtedly relate to (for the sake of maintaining professionalism and dignity, I'll spare you the grotesque elements).

Here's what happened: 

It was an emergency, so I had to use a foreign bathroom (I rarely appreciate a foreign bathroom, so I knew the probability of a comforting event was low).

Upon sitting, I knew immediately I was in for a troubling future: the toilet paper was as thin as one could possibly imagine.

As a consequence, instead of using normal amounts of toilet paper, I needed to harness nearly 25% of the roll.

Needless to say, upon returning to my home facility, I was comforted (in more ways than one) by my not needing to use such large amounts of toilet paper.

So how does this relate to how many sets you should do?

Thinking In Vacuums

When asking "how many sets should I do?", one typically imagines that a set exists outside the context of other important variables such as effort and exercise selection.

This is the first - and most crucial - mistake one can make when creating a program.

Why?

Because it's like asking how much toilet paper one should use without first knowing the quality of the toilet paper at hand.

Think about what a set actually is: a collection of reps.

Every rep one performs - and the quality of it - ultimately determines whether an exercise is more or less effective.

In the context of training for muscle growth, a set contains anywhere from 5-20 reps on average.

And every set one performs (by definition) is done a certain amount of effort:

Was the set easy?

Was the set somewhat-hard?

Or was the set really hard?

How specific was the exercise to the goal?

All of these questions should first be answered before determining how much of an exercise you need to do.

Quantity is always guided by quality.

The easiest way to measure effort of a set is through reps in reserve - also known as "reps left in the tank".

If a set was easy, one might have 3-4+ reps in the tank upon completion of that set ("in the tank" = "could've done x more reps").

If a set was somewhat-hard, it's more like 1-3 reps in the tank.

And if a set was really hard, we call that failure - 0 reps left in the tank (i.e, muscular failure).

The implication of this is obvious, but it's often left unaddressed: the easier the set is, the less stimulative; the harder a set, the more stimulative (on average).

Simply put: doing more is doing more. Doing less is doing less.

Back To Sets

The relationship between volume and effort is inverse - meaning that, the more hard sets you perform, the fewer sets you need to stimulate adaptation; the more easy sets you perform, the more sets you need.

The lower the quality of toilet paper, the more toilet paper one needs to move on with their day.

The higher the quality of toilet paper, the less toilet paper one needs.

Like any other analogy, this isn't a perfect comparison - but I hope the point here is clear: the more difficult each set, the fewer you'll need to stimulate progress.

So What Should I Do?

Clearly, using higher set volumes (12-20 sets/muscle group/week) and using lower set volumes (1-10 sets/muscle group/week) both work.

There are world-renowned bodybuilders on either side of the volume question - and some of them swear by their method as the only truly effective strategy. 

Yet, it's self-evident that both of these strategies - and everything in-between the extremes - work well.

So instead of assuming that there could only be a single answer to this question, begin with the understanding that all of these strategies are valid - and which strategy you use should depend on...you!

How do you like to perform sets?

What are you realistically capable of doing?

Do you prefer to dig into the depths of hell on each set?

Or would you rather each set be less strenuous?

Are you frequently limited on time, or do you have 3 hours per day to train?

These are all open questions that will remain open for the rest of time - because the "you" now might not be the "you" in 6 months or in a year. The question is supposed to remain open.

Plus, the volume and effort schemes you utilize may not be universal. For instance, you'll likely find that some muscle groups lend themselves better to higher-volume, lower-effort approaches, while others are the opposite. 

Injury history and current pain problems also might play a key role.

For example, if you've had a history of consistently hurting yourself on all-out sets of RDLs, perhaps lower-effort, higher volume approaches for RDLs may be more appropriate for you.

One need not pigeon-hole themselves by assuming that only one method of programming is the correct one (and it is both possible and useful to use multiple programming approaches for different muscle groups).

Practical Application

So here comes the time to inject my personal bias and experience into some generalized recommendations for you as a starting point.

• Start on the lower end of the volume spectrum. I recommend 4-8 sets per muscle group, per week. You can always add more sets at a later time if you deem it necessary, but you can't reverse the effects of doing too much, too soon. 
• Pay attention to how hard your sets are. Make it objective. Don't trust your instincts - your instincts will trick you (filming your sets is very helpful in this regard). How many reps in the tank are you leaving on every set, realistically? If the rep speed doesn't slow down at all as you finish a set, you've probably got at least 4+ reps in the tank.
  • If you're confident that you're able to perform technically-proficient sets to failure, and you like training to failure, start on the lower end of the volume range (4-6 sets/muscle group/week).
  • If you're not confident about your ability to train to failure, or if you just prefer to leave multiple reps in the tank (which is OK!), start on the higher end of the volume range (6-10 sets/muscle group/week).
• Standardize your set volumes and effort. Then, progress in load or reps on each exercise every week.
• Assess progress by tracking strength of the same movements, taking photos, muscle circumference measurements, and your bodyweight on a 2-4 week basis.
• If the above metrics are trending in the right direction, keep your program the same. Are you getting stronger? Are you looking more aligned with your goals after several months of training? 
  • If the above metrics aren't moving in the right direction, or you're regressing (unlikely), you may consider adding a couple more sets to your program OR increase the effort of each set you're already doing (without increasing sets). To do this, you must ensure there aren't other rate-limiters, like poor nutrition, high life stress, poor sleep, etc.
  • IMPORTANT CAVEAT: in many cases, when people aren't making progress, I rarely find that they aren't doing enough sets. In my experience, people try to put way too much on their plate, all the while filling it with garbage - people's exercise quality (selection and execution) is generally god-awful, and that fixing this typically resolves the lack of progress. In other words, get the higher-quality toilet paper...

Key Takeaways

The question of "how many sets should I do?" is less about finding a universal answer and more about discovering what works best for you, your goals, and your circumstances, right now. And remember: this can change. And it probably should over time. 

Training is, at bottom, a science—one that thrives on self-awareness, experimentation, and consistent refinement (the essence of the scientific method).

Rather than fixating on rigid formulas, focus on principles:

• The quality of each rep you perform is the building block of your training program. Keep this in view at all times. Adding load while technique goes into the garbage is not progress.
• Effort and volume are inversely correlated: the easier your sets, the more you’ll need.
• Start conservatively, standardize, measure progress, and adjust based on results.
• There's no single path—only a path that aligns with your preferences, effort levels, and capacity for recovery and time in the gym.

Ultimately, good training isn't about perfect programs; it's about asking more precise questions, testing different approaches, and riding the wave of progress when the time comes.

Use the framework in this article to take ownership of your training, and get comfortable with an answer - but never the answer.

-Ben

PS

• If you want to learn biomechanics but don't know where to start, click here.
• If you want to take the confusion out of lifting forever, click here.
• If you're a personal trainer and want to coach using biomechanics, click here.