How Much Volume for Hypertrophy Reddit

The Real Answer to "How Much Volume for Hypertrophy Reddit" (It's Not 20+ Sets)

You're asking 'how much volume for hypertrophy reddit' because you've seen the arguments: one person swears by 10 sets a week while another claims you need 20+ to grow. The real answer is to start with 10-12 hard sets per muscle group, per week. For 90% of people, this is the sweet spot that provides enough stimulus to trigger muscle growth without creating so much fatigue that you can't recover. The confusion on Reddit comes from people mixing up starting volume, optimal volume, and the absolute maximum you can handle (MRV). They are not the same thing. More is not better; *better* is better. A "hard set" is one where you finish with only 1-3 reps left in the tank (Reps in Reserve, or RIR). If you could have done 5 or more extra reps, that set was too easy and doesn't count toward your effective volume. The goal isn't to accumulate endless "junk volume" with sloppy form, but to perform the minimum number of high-quality sets required to signal your body to build muscle. For most lifters who have been training for more than 6 months, that number is between 10 and 20 sets per week. Starting at the low end of this range allows you to make progress for longer before you hit a wall.

The "Junk Volume" Trap That's Killing Your Gains

The biggest mistake people make after reading Reddit threads is jumping straight to 20 sets per week. They think more work automatically equals more muscle. It doesn't. This is where the Stimulus-to-Fatigue Ratio (SFR) comes in. Think of it this way: the first 10-12 sets for a muscle provide a huge growth signal with very little recovery cost. Sets 13-18 provide a smaller growth signal but cost you much more in terms of recovery. Any sets above 20 often create more fatigue than they do stimulus. This is "junk volume." It's work that doesn't contribute to growth but digs a deep recovery hole. It's like getting a tan. Spending 30 minutes in the sun gives you a tan (a stimulus). Spending 3 hours gives you a painful sunburn (excessive fatigue) that prevents you from tanning again for a week. Your training volume works the same way. The goal is to find the minimal effective dose. For a 180-pound man, doing 12 hard sets for his chest might provide 95% of the possible growth signal for that week. Doing 22 sets might only increase that signal to 98%, but it doubles the fatigue, raises injury risk, and tanks your performance for the rest of the week. You end up weaker, not bigger. The pros who handle 25+ sets per week have elite genetics, perfect nutrition, and optimized sleep. For the average person with a job and life stress, chasing that high volume is the fastest way to burn out and stop making progress entirely.You now understand the Stimulus-to-Fatigue Ratio. The goal is maximum stimulus with minimum fatigue. But how do you know if your 12th set last Tuesday was actually productive or just added fatigue? Can you prove your volume this week is better than last month's? If you're just 'going hard' without tracking, you're not managing volume; you're just guessing.

Stop guessing your volume. Start growing.

Track your sets and reps. See your strength increase week by week.

The 8-Week Volume Cycle That Actually Works

Stop guessing and follow a structured plan. This cycle is designed to find your personal volume landmarks-your Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) and Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV)-so you can make predictable gains. This is how you apply progressive overload to volume itself, which is the key to long-term hypertrophy.

Step 1: Establish Your Baseline (Weeks 1-2)

Start with 10 hard sets per major muscle group per week. Distribute this across two training sessions. Don't try to cram all 10 sets into one workout. A good split is Push/Pull/Legs, hitting everything twice a week.

• Example Chest Week (10 sets total):
• Monday (Push Day 1): Barbell Bench Press (3 sets), Incline Dumbbell Press (2 sets). Total: 5 sets.
• Thursday (Push Day 2): Incline Dumbbell Press (3 sets), Cable Flys (2 sets). Total: 5 sets.

During these two weeks, your only job is to master your form and ensure every single set is a "hard set" (1-3 RIR). You should feel challenged but not destroyed. You should not be brutally sore for days on end.

Step 2: Add Volume Intelligently (Weeks 3-6)

This is the progression phase. If you are recovering well (strength is increasing, sleep is good, soreness is manageable), add 2 sets to each major muscle group per week. Do not add a whole new exercise. Just add one set to two of your existing exercises.

• Example Chest Week (12 sets total):
• Monday: Barbell Bench Press (4 sets), Incline Dumbbell Press (2 sets). Total: 6 sets.
• Thursday: Incline Dumbbell Press (4 sets), Cable Flys (2 sets). Total: 6 sets.

Each week, you'll add 2 more sets, moving from 10 to 12, then 14, 16, and finally 18 sets by Week 6. The key is to only add volume if you are successfully recovering from the previous week's load. If your logbook shows your lifts are stalling or going down, do not add more volume.

Step 3: Find Your Peak and Deload (Weeks 7-8)

Sometime during this phase, you will hit your limit. You'll feel it. Your joints might ache, you'll feel tired all the time, and your performance in the gym will stall or decline for more than one session. This is your Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV). This is not failure; it's valuable data. Let's say you hit it at 18 sets. For Week 7, you've found your peak. For Week 8, you deload. A deload is a planned reduction in training stress to allow for full recovery. Cut your volume in half. Go back to about 8-10 sets per muscle group, and increase your RIR to 3-4 (meaning the sets feel easier). This week is for recovery, not for pushing.

Step 4: The Next Cycle

After your deload week, you start a new 8-week cycle. But this time, you don't start at 10 sets. You start slightly higher, perhaps at 12 sets, and build up towards a new MRV, which might now be 20 sets. This process of pushing volume, finding your limit, deloading, and starting again slightly higher is the engine of long-term muscle growth.

What to Expect: Your First 60 Days of Tracking Volume

Following this plan will feel different from just going to the gym and winging it. Here’s the timeline of what you should feel and see if you do it right.

• Week 1-2 (The "This Feels Too Easy" Phase): When you start with just 10-12 sets, you might leave the gym feeling like you could have done more. Good. That's the point. We are establishing a baseline, not annihilating your muscles. Your focus should be 100% on execution and logging your lifts. Your strength should be stable and your soreness minimal.
• Month 1 (The "Okay, I Feel It Now" Phase): As you climb from 12 to 16 sets per week, you'll start to feel the cumulative effect. The workouts will be more challenging, and you'll experience moderate muscle soreness that fades within 48 hours. This is the sweet spot for growth. Your logbook is your most important tool here. Are your numbers on your main lifts (e.g., bench press, rows, squats) still climbing? If yes, you are on the right track.
• Month 2 (The "Pushing the Limit" Phase): As you approach 18-20+ sets, you are now testing your recovery capacity. This is where the growth happens, but it's also where the risk is. You will feel tired. You will need to be militant about your sleep and nutrition. The moment your performance on a key lift drops for two sessions in a row, you have found your MRV. This is a win. You have found the ceiling. Now you know exactly where to pull back to, deload, and start the next productive growth cycle.That's the entire system. Track your sets per muscle group, add 1-2 per week, find your limit, deload, and repeat. It works every time. But it requires you to know exactly how many sets you did for your back, chest, and legs not just this week, but 8 weeks ago. Most people try to remember this in a notebook or their phone's notes. Most people lose track by week 3.

Your entire training cycle, tracked.

Every workout logged. Proof you're getting stronger and building muscle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Counts as a "Hard Set"?

A hard set is a working set taken close to muscular failure. The best measure is Reps in Reserve (RIR). A set with 1-3 RIR is a hard set. This means you stop the set when you feel you could only do 1, 2, or 3 more perfect reps. Warm-up sets do not count.

Volume for Small vs. Large Muscles?

Large muscle groups like the back, quads, and chest can handle and recover from more volume, typically in the 10-22 set range. Smaller muscles like biceps, triceps, and calves often need less direct volume, around 8-14 sets per week, because they get significant indirect work from your compound lifts.

How Often to Train Each Muscle?

For hypertrophy, training a muscle group 2 times per week is superior to once per week for almost everyone. Splitting your volume across two sessions allows for higher quality work in each session and better recovery. Trying to do 16 sets for your back in one workout leads to junk volume by the end.

Is This Volume Per Exercise or Per Muscle Group?

The 10-20 set recommendation is per muscle group, per week. It is the total of all exercises for that muscle. For example, a chest workout with 3 sets of bench press, 3 sets of incline press, and 2 sets of dips equals 8 sets towards your weekly chest volume.

What If I Can't Recover from 10 Sets?

If 10 hard sets per week feels like too much, the problem is not the volume; it's your recovery. Before reducing your training, honestly assess your sleep (are you getting 7-9 hours?), your protein intake (are you eating 0.8-1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight?), and your overall life stress.