每次训练你到底需要做多少组？

You’ve probably been there. You’re scrolling through your phone between sets, and you see a post from someone saying they did 25 sets for chest today. You look at your program, you’re doing 12, and suddenly you’re wondering: Am I doing enough? Are these guys onto something, or are they just creating fatigue without results?

Here’s what most coaches won’t tell you: how many sets per workout is one of the most misunderstood variables in strength training. Most athletes either do too few and stall out, or they pile on volume thinking “more is always better,” and they end up burned out with minimal extra gains. The truth sits somewhere in the middle, backed by a surprisingly consistent body of research.

Understanding how many sets per exercise you actually need, knowing the optimal sets per muscle group per week, and learning how to measure your progress objectively can transform your results. This isn’t about guessing. It’s about science-backed prescription.

Let’s break down what the research actually shows about training volume and how to determine the right number of sets 为了 your specific goals.

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The Science Behind Sets: Understanding the Dose-Response Relationship

Before we talk specifics, understand this foundational concept: training stimulus follows a dose-response curve.¹ More volume (sets) generally produces more adaptation—up to a point. Then diminishing returns kick in. Then, eventually, excessive volume produces more fatigue than adaptation.¹

The meta-analyses are remarkably consistent on this: 肌肉生长 increases as you add sets, but the rate of gain per additional set decreases as you go higher. Your first set produces the strongest hypertrophy signal. Your fifth set produces less stimulus than your first. Your tenth set produces even less relative benefit.²

This matters because it means there’s a sweet spot—an optimal range where you’re getting excellent results without wasting effort on sets that produce minimal additional stimulus.

The Research Consensus on Weekly Volume

Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining dozens of studies reached similar conclusions:

• Minimum effective dose: Around 4-5 sets per muscle group per week produces detectable muscle growth³

• Optimal range for muscle growth: 10-20 sets per muscle group per week⁴

• Sweet spot for efficiency: 12-15 sets per muscle group per week for most people³

• Diminishing returns begin: Around 20 sets per muscle group per week⁵

• Further increases: Up to 30-40 sets per muscle group per week produce continued gains, but with notably less return per additional set⁵

The critical insight: You don’t need 25 sets for chest. You likely need 12-18, distributed across 2-3 training sessions per week. More than that produces diminishing returns for most athletes.²

How Many Sets Per Exercise: The Microvolume Question

Now let’s get specific. How many sets per exercise should you actually do in a single workout? This depends on several factors, but research provides clear guidance.¹

The Evidence on Sets Per Exercise

Research shows that single-set training is significantly inferior to multiple-set training for muscle growth.⁶ One set of bench press simply doesn’t produce the same stimulus as 3-4 sets. This much is settled science.

But here’s where it gets interesting: the jump from 1 set to 3 sets produces massive gains. Going from 3 to 4 produces additional gains, but smaller ones. Going from 4 to 5 produces even smaller relative gains.²

Practical recommendations:

• For compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows): 3-6 sets per exercise

• For isolation exercises (dumbbell curls, leg curls, chest flyes): 2-4 sets per exercise

• For light isolation work (lateral raises, machine work): 2-3 sets

The difference between “is 2 sets enough” and 4 sets per exercise is approximately 20-30% greater muscle growth over time.² But the difference between 4 sets and 8 sets is only about 10-15% additional growth.²

The Problem With High Per-Exercise Volume

When you do more than 6 sets per exercise in a single session, several things happen:

1. Fatigue accumulates: By set 7-8, you’re not training the same neuromuscular quality anymore. You’re mostly just accumulating fatigue.²

2. Movement quality degrades: Research shows that form breakdown increases substantially beyond 6 sets per exercise, reducing effectiveness and increasing injury risk.

3. Recovery stress multiplies: Each additional set beyond 6 per exercise creates disproportionate recovery demand without proportional stimulus.

4. Velocity decreases: Your barbell velocity drops significantly, reducing the power component of training.

This is why elite coaches recommend staying in the 3-6 set range per exercise. It captures the bulk of hypertrophy stimulus while maintaining movement quality.

Sets Per Muscle Group Per Week: The Macro Volume Picture

Here’s where things get clarified. Individual sets matter, but sets per muscle group per week is the variable most strongly correlated with muscle growth in the research.³

The Optimal Weekly Volume Breakdown

Research examining dose-response relationships shows clear patterns:

The pattern is clear: Most athletes see excellent results in the 12-20 sets per muscle group per week range. Going beyond 20 produces additional gains, but the effort-to-reward ratio becomes increasingly unfavorable.²

The “3 Sets vs 4 Sets” Debate

This question appears frequently: 3 sets vs 4 sets—does it matter? The answer: somewhat, but not as dramatically as the 1 vs 3 comparison.

A meta-analysis comparing lower versus higher volume within studies found that higher volume produced about 3.9% greater muscle growth on average.⁷ That’s meaningful but not transformative.

If you’re doing 12 sets per muscle group per week split across 3 exercises:

• 4 sets per exercise: You hit your 12-set weekly target (12 total sets)

• 3 sets per exercise: You hit 9 sets per week

That 3-set difference accumulates to roughly 15-20% less growth over 12 weeks. Not devastating, but worth considering.

Individual Factors: Why Your Optimal Volume Might Differ

The research provides ranges, but the research also shows that individual factors dramatically influence the ideal number of sets for each person.⁸

Training Status

初学者 (0-6 months): 8-12 sets per muscle group per week is sufficient. Your nervous system is learning, and even modest stimulus drives adaptation. Too much volume creates unnecessary fatigue and injury risk.

中间的 (6-24 months): 12-18 sets per muscle group per week is optimal. Your body has adapted to basic training, and you need progressively more stimulus to drive continued growth.

先进的 (24+ months): 15-25 sets per muscle group per week is typical. You’ve exhausted easy gains, and continued progress requires higher volume while managing recovery.

练习选择

Not all exercises are created equal for hypertrophy stimulus.⁶ Barbell compounds produce more stimulus per set than machines. Free weights produce more than fixed paths. This means:

• If your program emphasizes barbells and dumbbells: You can achieve your hypertrophy goals at the lower end of recommended ranges

• If your program emphasizes machines and isolation: You need to increase sets to compensate for lower per-set stimulus

Recovery Capacity

Your ability to recover from volume varies based on:

• • Sleep quality and quantity

  • Stress management

  • Nutritional status

  • 年龄

• Genetics

• Training history in other sports

An athlete sleeping 9 hours nightly, managing stress well, and eating adequately can handle 20 sets per muscle group per week productively. An athlete sleeping 6 hours, stressed, and underfed will stall at 12 sets.

Measuring Progress: How Spleeft App Optimizes Your Volume

Here’s where most training volume discussions fall apart: Athletes prescribe volume, but they never measure whether that volume is actually producing the intended stimulus.

When you’re assigned “4 sets of 8 reps,” you might be training very differently across those 4 sets. Set 1 moves at 0.70 m/s. Set 4 moves at 0.35 m/s. That’s not four equivalent training stimuli—that’s a range of quality.⁹

This is where Spleeft App changes everything. Instead of assuming your sets are equal, you measure them.

Using Velocity to Optimize Sets Per Exercise

For hypertrophy, research shows that a velocity loss of 30-40% per set—moving from crisp, explosive early reps to controlled but not grinding later reps—produces optimal stimulus.⁹

Example: 4 sets of 8 reps at 75% 1RM

Using Spleeft to track:

• Set 1: First rep 0.68 m/s, final rep 0.50 m/s (26% velocity loss) — too little stimulus

• Set 2: First rep 0.67 m/s, final rep 0.44 m/s (34% velocity loss) — optimal

• Set 3: First rep 0.64 m/s, final rep 0.40 m/s (37% velocity loss) — optimal

• Set 4: First rep 0.59 m/s, final rep 0.35 m/s (41% velocity loss) — approaching excessive fatigue

This data tells you:

• Set 1 is sub-optimal (might be undertrained for that exercise)

• Sets 2-3 are in the hypertrophy sweet spot

• Set 4 is approaching diminishing returns

Armed with this knowledge, you could either:

1. Increase load on Set 1 to hit harder stimulus, OR

2. Reduce to 3 sets and call it a day, knowing you’ve captured the optimal stimulus

Over time, Spleeft’s 荷载速度曲线 feature lets you calculate exactly which load and rep range produces your target velocity loss for hypertrophy. This removes guessing.¹⁰

Using Velocity to Track Recovery

Beyond individual sets, Spleeft tracks your baseline velocity across training blocks. If your first-rep velocity on your main lifts drops 10%+ compared to baseline, you’re likely under-recovered. This tells you to reduce volume for the week.

If your velocity holds steady or improves, your current sets per muscle group per week is working. You’re recovering adequately.

Practical Volume Prescriptions: Examples for Different Goals

Here are actionable workout plans for different training statuses using the research-backed volume ranges:

Beginner (0-6 months): 10-12 Sets Per Muscle Per Week

Example week: Upper-Lower Split (4 days)

Upper Day 1:

• Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets × 6-8 reps

• Bent-Over Row: 4 sets × 6-8 reps

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets × 8-10 reps

• Barbell Curl: 2 sets × 8-10 reps

Lower Day 1:

• Barbell Squat: 4 sets × 6-8 reps

• 罗马尼亚硬拉: 3 sets × 8-10 reps

• Leg Press: 3 sets × 8-10 reps

• Leg Curl Machine: 2 sets × 10-12 reps

Total per muscle: Chest 4 sets, Back 7 sets, Shoulders 3 sets, Quads 7 sets, Hamstrings 5 sets

Intermediate (6-24 months): 15-18 Sets Per Muscle Per Week

Example week: Push-Pull-Legs (5 days)

Push Day:

• Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets × 5-6 reps

• Incline Dumbbell Press: 4 sets × 8-10 reps

• Machine Chest Fly: 3 sets × 10-12 reps

• Lateral Raise: 3 sets × 12-15 reps

• Tricep Pushdown: 3 sets × 12-15 reps

Total push volume: 17 sets

Advanced (24+ months): 20-25 Sets Per Muscle Per Week

Example week: Upper-Lower-Upper-Lower-Specialization

Spread 20-25 sets per muscle group per week across 4-5 training days, hitting each muscle 2-3x weekly.

Example for chest: 5 sets Day 1 + 6 sets Day 2 + 4 sets Day 3 = 15 sets weekly (specialization priority) vs 8-10 for non-priority muscles.

FAQs: Common Questions About Training Volume

1. Is 2 sets enough for muscle growth?

Is 2 sets enough for complete beginners on main compound lifts? Marginally, yes—research shows even 2 sets produce meaningful gains compared to nothing. But for someone with any training experience, 2 sets underperforms. 3 sets is the practical minimum for most exercises in most contexts.

2. Can I get away with lower volume if I train to failure?

Partially. Training to failure increases per-set stimulus, potentially allowing you to achieve hypertrophy goals with fewer sets per exercise. However, training to failure creates more fatigue and increases injury risk. Most evidence supports stopping 1-2 reps short of failure (RPE 8-9/10) as optimal. You can’t reliably make up for low total volume through intensity alone.

3. Does training frequency matter if I hit my weekly set volume?

Mostly no. If you’re doing 15 sets per muscle group per week, whether you do it in one session (15 sets in 1 day) or three sessions (5 sets across 3 days) produces similar hypertrophy.¹¹ However, frequency does help with recovery and allows better movement quality across sets. Higher frequency (2-3x per muscle weekly) is generally recommended for practical reasons, even if total volume is what matters most.

4. Should I increase sets every week for progressive overload?

No. Progressive overload should prioritize load and rep increases first. Once you’ve maximized those, then consider adding sets. Most athletes shouldn’t need to progress from 12 to 20+ sets per muscle group per week. Instead, increase load or reps within the 12-18 set range. Higher volume has diminishing returns.

5. How do I know when I’m doing too many sets?

When your how many sets per exercise approach causes:

• Velocity drops >40% per set

• Movement form degrades noticeably in later sets

• You’re sore or fatigued for days (indicating over-recovery demand)

• Your recovery metrics decline (sleep issues, appetite suppression, mood decline)

• Strength plateaus or declines despite training

These are signals to reduce volume by 20-30% and reassess.

伊万·德·卢卡斯·罗杰罗

MSC 身体表现 & SpleeftApp 首席执行官

致力于提高运动表现和骑行训练，结合科学技术来推动成果。

自行车训练 LinkedIn 中等的 叽叽喳喳

The Real Answer: Context Determines Your Optimal Volume

When someone asks “how many sets per workout do I need?” the honest answer is: “It depends.”¹

But it depends on knowable factors—your training experience, your exercise selection, your recovery capacity, your specific goals. Using the research ranges as a guide:

• 初学者: 8-12 sets per muscle group per week

• 中间的: 12-18 sets per muscle group per week

• 先进的: 15-25 sets per muscle group per week

Within those ranges, distribute volume using 3-6 sets per exercise for compounds, 2-3 for isolations.

Then—and this is critical—measure your progress with Spleeft. Track velocity loss. Monitor whether your load-velocity profile improves over weeks. Adjust volume up if recovery is strong and velocity holds steady. Reduce if velocity drops or you feel persistently fatigued.

Volume isn’t magic. Consistency with intelligently prescribed volume is magic. Measure it. Adjust it. Progress with it.

That’s how you actually build muscle.

参考

1. Schoenfeld BJ、Contreras B、Tiryaki-Sonmez G 等人。. 腘绳肌器械锻炼过程中肌肉激活的区域差异：肌电图分析。. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2016;56(4):428–432。.

2. Schoenfeld BJ、Ogborn D、Krieger JW。. Dose-response relationships between 阻力训练 volume and muscle mass. 运动医学。 2017；47(5)：955–963。.

3. Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, Alvar BA, Haff GG. 关于肌肉肥大训练量、强度和频率的共识。. 运动医学。 2016；46(11)：1689–1697。.

4. Krieger JW. Single versus multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-regression analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(5):1150–1159.

5. Rhea MR, Liphardt AM, Salles BF. The Effect of Two Different Frequencies of Strength Training on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002;42(4):432–437.

6. 舍恩菲尔德 BJ。. 运动引起的肌肉损伤在骨骼肌肥大中起作用吗？ J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(5):1441–1453。.

7. Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of Equated Volume Under Different Resistance Training Loading Schemes on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(7):1817–1824.

8. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ. Are the Current Bodybuilding Competition Outcomes Determined by Genetics Alone? J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2018;58(11):1688–1696.

9. Pareja-Blanco F、Rodríguez-Rosell D、Sánchez-Medina L 等。. 阻力训练过程中速度损失对运动表现、力量增长和肌肉适应性的影响。. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2017;27(7):724–735。.

10. Banyard HG, Nosaka K, Haff GG, Aggregated EMG Effects of Eccentric Strength Training. Does training to failure or not to failure produce better hypertrophy and strength gains? J Strength Cond Res. 2018;32(8):2270–2279.

11. Iversen VM、Norum M、Schoenfeld BJ、Fimland MS。. 每周进行 1 天或 3 天等量阻力训练后，肌肉肥大程度没有显著差异。. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(12):3273–3278。.

12. Spleeft 应用程序。 Real-Time Velocity Monitoring and Load-Velocity Profile Calculation. Available at spleeft.app. Track barbell velocity across every set to monitor velocity loss (30-40% optimal for hypertrophy), adjust loads based on individual load-velocity profiles, and optimize sets per exercise quality without guessing.