Strength programming · Volume
Weekly sets per muscle group calculator.
Total your hard sets for each muscle, then see which weekly-volume group it falls in and what the meta-analysis slope implies.
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Enter your numbers.
How many sets per muscle group per week?
The most cited review is the 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger of 15 studies. It found a graded dose-response: each extra weekly set per muscle was associated with a 0.37% larger gain in muscle size (about 0.023 effect-size units), and higher-volume groups beat lower-volume groups by 3.9% on average. When studies were split into under 5, 5 to 9 and 10 or more weekly sets per muscle, the trend did not reach significance (P = 0.074). So the three groups here are a way to read your total, not a target. This tool counts whatever sets you enter, so use one definition of a working set and decide for yourself how to treat sets from other exercises that also train the muscle.
Worked example. 4 sets of chest work on 2 days a week is 8 weekly sets, in the 5 to 9 group. Adding 2 sets per week lines up with roughly +0.74% muscle size gain on average across the studies, a figure with wide variation between people.
Frequently asked questions
How many sets per muscle group per week do I need?
There is no single number. A 2017 meta-analysis found more weekly sets were associated with more muscle growth on average (+0.37% per set), with studies grouped as under 5, 5 to 9 and 10 or more sets per muscle.
Do I count compound lifts for every muscle they train?
This tool counts the sets you enter for each muscle. Whether to credit a bench press to the triceps as well as the chest is a judgement call that research has not settled, so decide a rule and keep it consistent.
Are more sets always better?
Not necessarily. The meta-analysis shows a graded average relationship, but individual response, recovery and diminishing returns all matter, and the three-group comparison was only a trend.
What counts as a set here?
Whatever you enter. The studies in the meta-analysis counted weekly sets per muscle; pick one definition of a working set (most people leave out warm-ups) and keep it the same from week to week.
Is this a programme?
No. It is a counter. It does not choose exercises or tell you how many sets you should do.
Sources
Checked
The 15 studies, the +0.37% per set slope, the 3.9% higher-versus-lower difference, the three groups and the P = 0.074 trend are from the paper's abstract. Group boundaries are the paper's categories, not recommended targets. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored.
Scope
Education only, not medical advice or personal coaching. Training carries injury risk: use a spotter or safeties for heavy lifts, stop if you feel sharp pain, and check with a clinician before starting a programme if you have a health condition, are pregnant or are returning from injury.