Finding the Optimal Training Volume: A Guide to Volume Per Muscle Group

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Cedric Levy

As a personal trainer in Chelmsford, I've seen firsthand how confusing it can be to determine how much exercise is enough when you're busy with work, family, and life's demands. Whether you're an active adult trying to stay fit or a restless parent squeezing workouts between school runs and meal prep, understanding training volume is your secret weapon for efficient, effective workouts.

This guide will explore precisely how many sets and reps you should do for each muscle group to maximise your results without wasting precious time. Let's unlock the science of training volume together!

Understanding Training Volume and Its Effect on Muscle Hypertrophy

Training volume is simply the total work you perform during your workouts. It's typically calculated by multiplying sets × reps × weight. Still, for our purposes, we'll focus on the number of sets per muscle group per week—the metric most commonly used in research.

Muscle hypertrophy (the technical term for muscle growth) doesn't happen by accident. It requires the right stimulus, and training volume is one of the most important variables you can manipulate. When you perform resistance training with adequate volume, you create microtears in your muscle fibers that, when repaired through proper nutrition and rest, grow back stronger and larger1.

The scientific literature consistently shows that:

• Your muscles need sufficient training volume to grow

• There's both a minimum effective dose and a maximum beneficial amount

• Individual responses vary significantly

• Volume needs change as you become more experienced

Why does this matter to you? Understanding your optimal training volume means you won't waste time doing unnecessary sets or shortchange your results by not doing enough5.

The Relationship Between Training Volume and Strength Gains

While muscle growth and strength development often go hand-in-hand, they don't respond similarly to volume. Strength training typically requires:

• Higher intensity (heavier weights)

• Lower rep ranges (usually 1-6 reps)

• Adequate but not excessive volume

Research shows that strength gains can occur with relatively lower volumes than optimal for hypertrophy. For pure strength, quality often trumps quantity1.

However, if you're looking for the best of both worlds—strength and size—moderate to high volumes with challenging weights will typically yield the best results. This approach creates mechanical tension and metabolic stress, two key drivers of muscle development5.

Finding Your Optimal Volume for Maximum Muscle Thickness

Recent meta-analyses have revealed a logarithmic relationship between training volume and muscle growth. This means gains increase rapidly with small volumes and then plateau as volume increases5.

For most people, optimal volume falls within these ranges:

• Beginners: 10-12 sets per muscle group per week

• Intermediate: 13-18 sets per muscle group per week

• Advanced: 14-20+ sets per muscle group per week

These numbers represent total weekly sets, not per session. For example, if you're doing 16 sets for the chest per week, you might divide that as 8 sets on Monday and 8 on Thursday15.

The research suggests that about 6-8 hard sets per muscle group in a single training session (with adequate rest between sets) represents an effective dose for most people. Beyond this, you might see diminishing returns in a single session5.

Low Volume vs High Volume: What Science Tells Us

The debate between low and high volume approaches has raged for decades in fitness circles. Here's what current evidence tells us:

Low Volume Approach (5-10 sets per muscle per week):

• Time-efficient

• Lower recovery demands

• May be sufficient for beginners

• Great for maintenance phases

• Could be ideal for busy parents with limited time

High Volume Approach (15-20+ sets per muscle per week):

• Potentially greater muscle growth

• May break through plateaus

• Requires more recovery resources

• Demands more time commitment

• Better split across multiple sessions per week135

Interestingly, research shows that traditional "bro splits" (hitting a muscle once per week with very high volume) are likely inferior to moderate volume spread across 2-3 weekly sessions. This frequency allows you to accumulate sufficient volume while keeping individual workout duration manageable—perfect for those with busy schedules5.

Weekly Training Structure: Dividing Volume for Better Results

How you distribute your sets throughout the week matters significantly. The research suggests:

• Training each muscle 2-3 times per week is optimal for most people

• About 6-8 hard sets per session represent an effective stimulus

• Rest intervals of 2+ minutes between sets optimise hypertrophy when using compound movements

• Total weekly volume of 12-24 sets per muscle group works well for most intermediate trainees5

Here's a sample weekly structure for someone training 4 days per week:

Monday: Upper Body

• Chest: 4-5 sets

• Back: 4-5 sets

• Shoulders: 3-4 sets

• Arms: 3-4 sets

Tuesday: Lower Body

• Quads: 4-5 sets

• Hamstrings: 4-5 sets

• Calves: 3-4 sets

• Core: 3-4 sets

Thursday: Upper Body

• Chest: 4-5 sets

• Back: 4-5 sets

• Shoulders: 3-4 sets

• Arms: 3-4 sets

Friday: Lower Body

• Quads: 4-5 sets

• Hamstrings: 4-5 sets

• Calves: 3-4 sets

• Core: 3-4 sets

This structure provides 8-10 sets per major muscle group per workout, totaling 16-20 sets per week—right in the optimal range for muscle growth45.

Training Volume on Strength and Hypertrophy: Different Approaches for Different Goals

Your training volume should align with your primary goal:

For Maximum Strength:

• Focus on lower rep ranges (1-5)

• Moderate weekly volume (10-15 sets per muscle group)

• Longer rest periods (3-5 minutes)

• Emphasis on compound movements

For Maximum Hypertrophy:

• Moderate to higher rep ranges (6-15)

• Higher weekly volume (15-20+ sets per muscle group)

• Moderate rest periods (2-3 minutes)

• Mix of compound and isolation exercises

For General Fitness:

• Mixed rep ranges (5-15)

• Moderate weekly volume (10-15 sets per muscle group)

• Moderate rest periods (1-3 minutes)

• Balanced exercise selection15

A combined approach often works best for busy parents and active adults juggling multiple responsibilities. It provides strength, muscle, and fitness benefits with reasonable time demands.

Adjusting Training Intensity When Modifying Volume

Volume and intensity have an inverse relationship. As one increases, the other typically needs to decrease for sustainable training. When you increase your training volume, consider these adjustments:

• Reduce the weight slightly (maybe 5-10%)

• Be especially mindful of recovery between sessions

• Consider periodising your intensity (having lighter and heavier weeks)

• Track performance to ensure you're not overtraining

Research shows that sets taken close to failure (0-2 reps in reserve) produce superior muscle growth compared to sets stopped far from failure. This means quality matters as much as quantity1.

This relationship offers flexibility for busy parents and active adults. You can increase intensity and decrease volume on days when time is short. When you have more time, you can accumulate more total volume with slightly lower relative intensity.

Special Considerations for Smaller Muscle Groups

Not all muscle groups respond the same way to training volume. Here are some volume adjustments to consider:

Larger Muscle Groups (chest, back, legs):

• May benefit from higher volume (15-20+ sets/week)

• Recover well from multiple weekly sessions

• Often respond to compound movements

Smaller Muscle Groups (biceps, triceps, delts, calves):

• May require less direct volume (10-15 sets/week)

• Often get indirect work during compound exercises

• May benefit from more isolation work

Core Muscles:

• Highly resilient and can handle frequent training

• Often benefit from higher frequency (3-4 times/week)

• May respond well to a mix of direct and indirect work15

For time efficiency, prioritise compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. A well-designed chest press also works the triceps and shoulders, giving you more bang for your buck—essential to fitting fitness into a busy life.

Practical Volume Recommendations for Busy Parents and Active Adults

When time is limited, efficiency becomes crucial. Here are practical volume recommendations:

If you can only train 2-3 days per week:

• Focus on full-body workouts

• Aim for 3-4 sets per muscle group per session

• Prioritize compound exercises

• Total: 6-12 sets per muscle group per week

If you can train 4 days per week:

• Follow an upper/lower split (as outlined earlier)

• 4-5 sets per major muscle group per session

• Total: 16-20 sets per muscle group per week

For maintenance phases or hectic periods:

• Minimum effective dose: 5-6 sets per muscle group per week

• Focus on maintaining intensity (weight on the bar)

• Prioritize recovery and nutrition

Remember that consistency trumps perfection. A sustainable training volume you can maintain is far better than an "optimal" program you can't stick with15.

Conclusion: Finding Your Personal Sweet Spot for Training Volume

Training volume isn't one-size-fits-all. The research provides guidelines, but your response, recovery ability, schedule, and goals all matter. Here's how to find your optimal volume:

1. Start with moderate volume (around 10-12 sets per muscle group per week)

2. Track your progress for 4-6 weeks

3. If you're progressing well, maintain this volume

4. If progress stalls, consider increasing volume by about 20%

5. Continue adjusting until you find your sweet spot

Some fascinating research suggests that periodically cycling your volume—gradually increasing it until you plateau, then reducing to maintenance levels before building back up—may help prevent adaptation and stimulate new growth5.

For busy parents and active adults, remember that even minimal training volumes (5-6 sets per muscle group per week) can maintain muscle and strength. During life's busiest seasons, focus on quality over quantity, and return to higher volumes when time permits.

The most important aspect of training volume isn't finding the theoretical optimum—it's finding what works sustainably for your life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sets should beginners do per muscle group?

Beginners can progress excellently with 5-10 weekly sets per muscle group. Start with 2-3 sets per exercise and 2-3 exercises per muscle group weekly. As you advance, you can gradually increase this volume1.

Can I train a muscle group every day with lower volume?

While possible, this approach isn't optimal for most people. Muscles need approximately 48-72 hours to recover and grow. It's generally better to train each muscle 2-3 times per week with moderate volume per session rather than daily with very low volume5.

How do I know if I'm doing too much volume?

Signs of excessive volume include:

• Decreased performance over multiple sessions

• Persistent muscle soreness that doesn't improve

• Reduced motivation to train

• Sleep disturbances

• Plateaued or declining strength

If you experience these symptoms, reduce your volume by 20-30% and assess your recovery5.

Does training volume need to increase forever to keep seeing results?

No. Volume should increase progressively as you advance, but eventually, you'll reach a point where more isn't better. At this stage, focus on other variables like exercise selection, technique refinement, and periodisation strategies. Many advanced lifters benefit from cycling their volume rather than constantly increasing it5.

How should parents with limited time prioritise their training volume?

Focus on compound movements that deliver the most bang for your buck: squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, and pull-ups/pulldowns. If you only have 2-3 sessions per week, full-body workouts with 2-3 sets per exercise can be very effective. Remember that consistency trumps perfection—a sustainable routine you can maintain is better than an "optimal" one you can't stick with.

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