30 Seconds Summary
Research Spotlight: The effect of weekly set volume on strength gain

  • A 2017 meta-analysis examined the effect of weekly set volume on strength gains, comparing low (5 or fewer sets per week) versus moderate-to-high (6-10+ sets per week) volumes.
  • Higher weekly volumes were linked to greater strength gains, although the effect size was relatively small (0.18), translating to about a 20-25% increase in strength gains when doubling weekly sets from 5 to 10 for exercises like squats.
  • The research included robustness checks and sub-analyses, which consistently showed a small but reliable effect size range from 0.14 to 0.23 regardless of exercise type (multi-joint versus single joint).
  • The greater impact of training volume on muscle growth compared to strength gains may be due to strength being influenced by additional factors such as motor skills, especially under heavy loads.
  • The meta-analysis suggests that as training status progresses, the role of hypertrophy (increase in muscle size) in strength gains may become more crucial, although this hypothesis extends beyond the scope of the analyzed studies.
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