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Weekly sets per muscle calculator
Research points to about 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle a week for building muscle. This calculator counts your own week: list your lifts and it adds up the sets each muscle gets, counting a lift that only assists a muscle as half a set, then shows each muscle against a target range.
Count your weekly sets per muscle
Start from a split, then change it to match your week
63 working sets a week
7of 10 muscles on target
Below target: calves, abs and quads.
Weekly sets per muscle
| Muscle | Weekly sets | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 129 + 3 | 10–16 | On target |
| Back | 16.59 + 7.5 | 12–20 | On target |
| Side delts | 12 | 10–16 | On target |
| Biceps | 10.56 + 4.5 | 8–14 | On target |
| Triceps | 13.56 + 7.5 | 8–14 | On target |
| Quads | 9 | 10–16 | Below |
| Hamstrings | 10.56 + 4.5 | 10–14 | On target |
| Glutes | 15 | 8–16 | On target |
| Calves | 6 | 8–14 | Below |
| Abs | 4.50 + 4.5 | 6–14 | Below |
| Also counted | |||
| Front delts | 10.56 + 4.5 | 6–10 | High |
| Rear delts | 4.50 + 4.5 | 10–14 | Below |
| Forearms | 60 + 6 | 5–10 | On target |
| Traps | 0 | 6–12 | None |
To keep a session to about 11 sets of one muscle, spread chest, back, side delts, triceps and glutes over at least 2 sessions. That figure is a rough guide from one preprint.
Show the math
- Barbell Back Squat. 3 sets × 3 a week = 9. Quads and glutes +9 each; hamstrings, abs and back +4.5 each.
- Barbell Bench Press. 3 sets × 3 a week = 9. Chest +9; triceps and front delts +4.5 each.
- Seated Cable Row. 3 sets × 3 a week = 9. Back +9; biceps and rear delts +4.5 each.
- Romanian Deadlift. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Hamstrings and glutes +6 each; back and forearms +3 each.
- Overhead Press. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Front delts and side delts +6 each; triceps and chest +3 each.
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Side delts +6.
- Dumbbell Curl. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Biceps +6; forearms +3.
- Cable Triceps Pushdown. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Triceps +6.
- Standing Calf Raise. 2 sets × 3 a week = 6. Calves +6.
Enter working sets only, not warm-ups. General training information for healthy adults, not medical advice: the ranges are a place to start, and your own progress and recovery decide the rest.
How many sets per muscle per week?
About 10 hard sets per muscle a week is a sound floor, and 12 to 20 is the range suggested for trained lifters. The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand, an overview of 137 systematic reviews covering more than 30,000 people, found that muscle growth was enhanced by higher volumes, 10 or more sets a week (Currier et al., 2026). A position stand written by 8 hypertrophy researchers says the same from the other side: about 10 sets per muscle per week is a general minimum for getting the most growth, though some people grow well on somewhat less (Schoenfeld et al., 2021).
The 12 to 20 comes from a review of trials in men aged 18 to 35 with at least a year of training. It sorted the trials into under 12, 12 to 20 and over 20 weekly sets, found no difference between the top two groups for the quads or the biceps, and suggested 12 to 20 as a standard recommendation. The triceps were the exception, growing more above 20 (Baz-Valle et al., 2022). The review rests on 7 studies, so read it as a guide for that group and not as a rule.
More sets do keep adding muscle, each one a little less than the last. An early meta-analysis of 15 studies linked each extra weekly set to a 0.37% larger gain in muscle size. Its comparison of fewer than 5, 5 to 9 and 10 or more weekly sets is often quoted as proof that 10 beats less, but the paper reports it as a trend (P = 0.074), not a firm result (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). The largest analysis to date, 67 studies and 2,058 participants, found growth rising with weekly sets at a diminishing rate (Pelland et al., 2026).
- None of this research gives each muscle its own number. The review behind 12 to 20 analysed the quads, the biceps and the triceps and offered one range.
- Every range counts hard sets. See how a set is counted below.
For the longer explanation, with a worked week, read how many sets per week per muscle, and how to count them.
Weekly set targets by muscle
The calculator measures each muscle against the range Top Sets shows when you have not set your own: 10–16 sets a week for the chest, 12–20 for the back. These are the app’s defaults, and they are a coaching heuristic, not the result of a study. They take the research band and shift it down for muscles that other lifts already load (the arms, front delts, forearms, traps, abs and glutes) and up for the back, which here covers the lats, the upper back and the spinal erectors. They were written with an intermediate lifter in mind.
| Muscle | Target sets a week | Reads high above | Reads very high above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 10–16 | 16 | 20 |
| Back | 12–20 | 20 | 24 |
| Side delts | 10–16 | 16 | 20 |
| Biceps | 8–14 | 14 | 18 |
| Triceps | 8–14 | 14 | 18 |
| Quads | 10–16 | 16 | 20 |
| Hamstrings | 10–14 | 14 | 18 |
| Glutes | 8–16 | 16 | 20 |
| Calves | 8–14 | 14 | 16 |
| Abs | 6–14 | 14 | 18 |
| Front delts | 6–10 | 10 | 14 |
| Rear delts | 10–14 | 14 | 18 |
| Forearms | 5–10 | 10 | 14 |
| Traps | 6–12 | 12 | 16 |
8 of the 14 ranges start below 10 sets, and the highest ceiling is 24. The ceilings are the app being careful about recovery, not evidence that more would fail; see whether there is an upper limit. In the app you can replace any range with your own.
How the calculator counts a set
One working set counts 1 for each muscle the lift trains directly and half for each muscle that assists. A set of bench press is 1 chest set, half a triceps set and half a front delt set. In the table, “9 + 3” under a total means 9 sets from lifts that train the muscle and 3 more in half sets from other lifts.
- Why half. The 67-study analysis tried three ways to count an assisting muscle: as a full set, as half a set and as nothing. Half fit the results best, and the authors concluded that telling direct from indirect sets apart appears essential for predicting what a programme will do (Pelland et al., 2026).
- Only hard sets count. A review of 14 studies in trained lifters found that a count of sets is a fair measure of volume when the sets are taken to failure or near it, for anything from 6 to 20 or more reps (Baz-Valle et al., 2021). Warm-ups stay out. The RPE and RIR chart shows how to rate how close a set was.
- Which muscles a lift trains. The 56 lifts and their muscles come from the Top Sets exercise list. A muscle a lift trains directly is never counted a second time as assisting.
- In the app. Top Sets applies the same rule to the sets you log. It also counts a drop set or a myo-rep set as half a set; that part is the app’s own convention, not a research finding.
How to split the sets across the week
Spread them over the days that suit you: how often you train a muscle matters little once the weekly sets are the same. A meta-analysis of 25 studies found no significant difference in muscle growth between higher and lower training frequencies when volume was matched (Schoenfeld et al., 2019b), and the 67-study analysis found the effect of frequency on growth compatible with negligible (Pelland et al., 2026).
What more days buy is smaller sessions. The position stand suggests capping a session at about 10 sets per muscle and adding a day when you need more (Schoenfeld et al., 2021). A 2025 preprint, not yet peer reviewed, put the point where extra sets in a session stop adding a detectable gain at about 11, counting assisting lifts as half; its authors say to read the figure cautiously (Remmert et al., 2025).
The calculator turns that into a simple rule: weekly sets divided by 11, rounded up, is the fewest sessions for a muscle. A back that totals 30 sets a week needs at least 3. There is more on this in training frequency: how to split weekly sets across sessions.
Is there an upper limit?
No study has found one, only smaller returns. In the largest analysis, growth kept rising with weekly sets at a diminishing rate (Pelland et al., 2026). Single trials point both ways. In 27 trained men over 8 weeks, the group doing 32 weekly sets per muscle gained more squat strength and more thigh muscle thickness than the group doing 16 (Brigatto et al., 2022). In 49 trained men over 6 weeks, 9, 18 and 27 weekly sets for the biceps produced no significant difference in growth (Heaselgrave et al., 2019).
So a week that reads High or Very high here is not wrong. It costs more time and recovery for a smaller extra gain, and the line it crossed is the app’s default, not a proven limit. If you do add volume, the position stand suggests raising a muscle’s sets by no more than 20% over a training cycle of about 4 weeks (Schoenfeld et al., 2021).
How many sets a week for strength?
Fewer than for size. Strength also rises with weekly sets, but its returns diminish far more sharply than those for muscle growth (Pelland et al., 2026). In a trial of 34 trained men, one, three or five sets per exercise, 3 times a week for 8 weeks, worked out at 6 to 9, 18 to 27 and 30 to 45 weekly sets per muscle. Strength gains were similar in all three groups; muscle size grew more with more sets (Schoenfeld et al., 2019a).
To turn a set into an estimated max, use the one-rep max calculator.
What is the least that still works?
About 4 hard sets per muscle a week. A review of time-efficient training recommends a minimum of 4 weekly sets per muscle group, with loads you can lift 6 to 15 times, and concludes that weekly volume matters more than how many days it is spread over (Iversen et al., 2021). In the trial above, the group doing one set per exercise trained for about 13 minutes a session and still gained strength and muscle size (Schoenfeld et al., 2019a).
Who do these ranges fit?
Mostly young men who already lift, because that is who the studies recruited. The largest analysis was 79.1% male with an average age of about 25 (Pelland et al., 2026), and the 12 to 20 range comes from trained men aged 18 to 35 (Baz-Valle et al., 2022).
- New to lifting. You can start below these ranges; the minimum above is 4 weekly sets per muscle.
- Older, or coming back from an injury. Treat the ranges as a loose guide and ask a professional who knows your history.
Three common splits, counted
The three splits the calculator starts from, counted the same way. The full-body week lands 7 of 10 muscles on target from 63 working sets, the upper/lower week 10 of 10 from 78, and the six-day push/pull/legs week 2 of 10 from 118, because most of its muscles run past the top of their range.
| Muscle | Target | Full body, 3 days | Upper/lower, 4 days | Push/pull/legs, 6 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 10–16 | 12 | 11 | 17 (high) |
| Back | 12–20 | 16.5 | 20 | 30 (very high) |
| Side delts | 10–16 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Biceps | 8–14 | 10.5 | 11 | 22 (very high) |
| Triceps | 8–14 | 13.5 | 11 | 22 (very high) |
| Quads | 10–16 | 9 (below) | 12 | 20 (high) |
| Hamstrings | 10–14 | 10.5 | 13 | 19 (very high) |
| Glutes | 8–16 | 15 | 12 | 20 (high) |
| Calves | 8–14 | 6 (below) | 8 | 8 |
| Abs | 6–14 | 4.5 (below) | 9 | 4 (below) |
| Front delts | 6–10 | 10.5 (high) | 10 | 16 (very high) |
| Rear delts | 10–14 | 4.5 (below) | 4 (below) | 12 |
| Forearms | 5–10 | 6 | 5 | 13 (high) |
| Traps | 6–12 | 0 (none) | 0 (none) | 0 (none) |
| Working sets a week | 63 | 78 | 118 |
- Half sets add up. In the push/pull/legs week the back reaches 30: 20 sets of pull-ups and rows, plus 10 in half sets from squats, Romanian deadlifts and the reverse pec deck. The biceps reach 22 with only 12 sets of curls.
- A short week is often only just short. The full-body week is below target on calves, abs and quads, and the quads miss their range by 1 set a week.
Questions
How many sets per muscle per week should I do?
About 10 hard sets per muscle a week is a sound floor, and 12 to 20 is the range suggested for trained lifters. The 2026 ACSM position stand found muscle growth was enhanced by 10 or more sets a week (Currier et al., 2026), and a review of trials in young trained men suggested 12 to 20 weekly sets per muscle group (Baz-Valle et al., 2022). Start near the bottom and add sets while you keep progressing.
Do sets for one muscle count toward another?
Yes, as half a set. A set of rows is one back set and half a biceps set. The largest analysis of training volume, 67 studies, compared counting an assisting muscle as a full set, half a set or nothing, and half fit the results best (Pelland et al., 2026).
Do warm-up sets count toward weekly sets?
No. A review of 14 studies found that counting sets is a fair measure of training volume when the sets are taken to failure or near it (Baz-Valle et al., 2021). Count working sets only.
How many sets for one muscle in a single workout?
About 10 or 11 at most. A position stand suggests capping a session at about 10 sets per muscle and adding a training day when you need more (Schoenfeld et al., 2021). A 2025 preprint, not yet peer reviewed, put the point where extra sets in a session stop adding a detectable gain at about 11 (Remmert et al., 2025).
Is 20 sets per muscle a week too much?
Not on the evidence so far. Studies show a smaller return from each added set, not a point where growth stops (Pelland et al., 2026). What rises with the sets is the cost in time and recovery.
How many sets a week should a beginner do?
Fewer than these ranges is fine to start. A review of time-efficient training recommends a minimum of 4 weekly sets per muscle group (Iversen et al., 2021), and some people grow well on fewer than 10 (Schoenfeld et al., 2021).
Does Top Sets use these ranges?
Yes. The ranges in the table are the app’s defaults, and the app counts by the same rule: 1 for a muscle a lift trains directly, half for one that assists, nothing for a warm-up. In the app the count comes from the sets you log, and you can replace any range with your own.
Sources
- Baz-Valle E, Fontes-Villalba M, Santos-Concejero J (2021). Total number of sets as a training volume quantification method for muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 35(3):870-878. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002776
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J (2022). A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics 81:199-210. doi:10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
- Brigatto FA, Lima LEM, Germano MD, Aoki MS, Braz TV, Lopes CR (2022). High resistance-training volume enhances muscle thickness in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 36(1):22-30. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003413
- Currier BS, D’Souza AC, Singh MAF, et al. (2026). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: an overview of reviews. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 58(4):851-872. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897
- Heaselgrave SR, Blacker J, Smeuninx B, McKendry J, Breen L (2019). Dose-response relationship of weekly resistance-training volume and frequency on muscular adaptations in trained men. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 14(3):360-368. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2018-0427
- Iversen VM, Norum M, Schoenfeld BJ, Fimland MS (2021). No time to lift? Designing time-efficient training programs for strength and hypertrophy: a narrative review. Sports Medicine 51(10):2079-2095. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1
- Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC (2026). The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Medicine 56(2):481-505. doi:10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
- Remmert JF, Pelland JC, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC (2025). Is there too much of a good thing? Meta-regressions of the effect of per-session volume on hypertrophy and strength. SportRxiv (preprint, not peer reviewed). doi:10.51224/SRXIV.537
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences 35(11):1073-1082. doi:10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
- Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Krieger J, et al. (2019). Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 51(1):94-103. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences 37(11):1286-1295. doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906
- Schoenfeld BJ, Fisher JP, Grgic J, Haun CT, Helms ER, Phillips SM, Steele J, Vigotsky AD (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximize muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning 1(1). doi:10.47206/ijsc.v1i1.81
Each figure quoted from a study was checked against the paper, or its abstract where the full text could not be read. Found an error? Email founder@topsets.app and the page will be corrected and its date updated.