I'm not sure if I'm doing enough training volume. .

[tommyb]

I’m not sure if I’m doing enough sets and exercises to build muscle.

I don’t want to overtrain but I also don’t want to miss out on gains. how to figure out the right training volume?

 

[liftinheavy]

hey, I’d look less at the raw number of exercises and more at whether your muscles are actually progressing and recovering.

A decent starting point is usually somewhere around 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle per week, but that’s a pretty wide range for a reason. Some people grow fine on the lower end, while others can handle more.

The biggest signs your volume is probably in a good place are that your reps or weight are gradually improving, you’re getting a solid stimulus from the target muscle, and you’re not carrying soreness and fatigue into every session. If performance keeps dropping, joints are getting beat up, or you never feel recovered, adding more sets probably isn’t the answer.

I’d start with the minimum amount that lets you progress, then only add volume if progress stalls and recovery is still good. More work isn’t automatically more growth.

 

[crunchtime247]

i used to think more sets always meant more gains and just ended up cooked and stalling. what’s your split like rn?

 

[kev_b1989]

Start right in the sweet spot of 10–12 hard working sets per muscle group per week split across two sessions, and only add more if your strength completely stalls out despite getting good sleep and nutrition.