The new meta-analysis by Robinson, et al. (2023) on volume for hypertrophy is interesting. Those researchers determined that 12 ALL-OUT sets a week per muscle is a good top end for hypertrophy for most trainees…
You can go higher—around 20—if you stop your sets three reps short of failure. Not sure why you’d want to spend even more time in the gym, but each to their own…
In Old Man, Young Muscle, you train each muscle with around four all-out sets per workout—only eight sets per week, not 12….
Fewer sets work best for bodybuilders who have less-than-stellar recovery (hardgainers) and/or for those in the geezer category…
Plus, the OMYM sets are more anabolic than standard straight sets. Why? Because you use efficiency methods like STX on the ideal exercise for each muscle, which allows you to max out growth-fiber recruitment with shorter workouts…
However, you may need even fewer sets on some muscles due to indirect work, like arms.…
Think about it. Biceps get extra work during many pulling back exercise and triceps get trained during chest-pressing moves. Are there other muscles on which we should consider using fewer than four all-out sets? Yes…
Rear-delt heads. They get extra work during scapulae retractions, pull-ins, and any type of row (dumbbell under-grip rows are in the OMYM workout). If you do train your rear-delt heads directly, one to two all-out sets should do it.
Front-delt heads. These get hammered with chest-pressing moves—and in OMYM, one chest exercise is close-grip bench pushups, which is almost a 50/50 split between pecs and front delts.
Forearms. You train these any time you have to grip the cable handles, dumbbells, or door frame to keep from tripping over your dog wandering around your home gym.
Glutes. If you use a cable squat for quads on leg day, you’re getting some glute work. Plus, the add-on stretch move for hamstrings is semi-stiff-legged deadlifts, which also trains your glutes. So two direct sets for glutes—step-back lunges (in OMYM) or cable pull-throughs (which will be in OMYM2)—are sufficient for most trainees.
And if you include a set of dumbbell squats for glutes, that’s extra quad work. So three instead of four direct sets for quads may work best…
The best number of sets hinges on your individual recovery ability of course. Mine tends to align with the above. Yours may be more or even less.
Bottom line: Always be aware of indirect work for other muscles. Overtraining can be draining and derail fastest gaining.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For complete mass workouts that include Speed Sets, the ideal exercise for each muscle, and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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