Train better
Training volume calculator
Volume — hard sets per muscle per week — is the strongest programme variable for muscle growth after effort. This tool audits your programme muscle by muscle and tells you where to add and where to trim.
Your week
How many days each muscle is trained.
Weekly volume audit
75 hard sets total
- Chest12 sets · 6.0/sessionProductive
- Back14 sets · 7.0/sessionProductive
- Shoulders8 sets · 4.0/sessionMinimum
- Biceps6 sets · 3.0/sessionMinimum
- Triceps6 sets · 3.0/sessionMinimum
- Quads10 sets · 5.0/sessionProductive
- Hamstrings6 sets · 3.0/sessionMinimum
- Glutes6 sets · 3.0/sessionMinimum
- Calves3 sets · 1.5/sessionMaintenance
- Abs4 sets · 2.0/sessionMinimum
Shaded band: 10–20 sets, where most lifters make most of their progress.
Add volume: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, Abs
Add 2–4 hard sets per week to each, spread across sessions. Prioritise the one you care about most.
How it’s calculated
The ranges
Meta-analyses (Schoenfeld et al., 2017; Pelland et al., 2024) show hypertrophy rising with weekly sets, with most people making most of their progress around 10–20 hard sets per muscle per week and diminishing returns above that. Around 4–6 sets maintains muscle.
What counts as a set
A hard set is taken within about 0–3 reps of failure. Warm-ups do not count. Compound lifts count fully for prime movers and roughly half for assisting muscles (e.g. rows count half for biceps).
Per session
Beyond ~8–10 hard sets for one muscle in one session, extra sets add little. Spread volume across 2–3 sessions per week.
Full sources and limitations are on the methodology page. Estimates are for healthy adults and are not medical advice.
Questions
Is more volume always better?
Up to a point. When lifts stall, joints ache or sleep suffers, you have probably passed the volume you can recover from.
Do I need 20 sets for every muscle?
No. Most people grow well on 10–14 for most muscles, and prioritise extra volume for one or two lagging areas at a time.