TRAINING PRINCIPLES
Weekly set volume
How many sets per muscle per week? It's the first variable you settle when designing training.
The short answer
Tailrep's programs keep direct sets for the main muscles between 6 and 14 per week for beginners, and 8 to 22 for intermediates and up. Start at the low end of the range and add when progress stalls.
What the research shows
- Pelland et al. (2026) ran meta-regressions across 67 studies and 2,058 participants (average age 25, 79% male) and reported a 100% posterior probability that both hypertrophy and strength increase as weekly sets increase.
- That same analysis does not say more is proportionally better. The returns diminish as volume climbs, and considerably faster for strength than for size.
- How you count matters too. The analysis separated sets that directly target a muscle from sets where it only assists, and counting the assisting sets as 0.5 fit the data best.
- In Currier et al.'s (2023) Bayesian network meta-analysis (3,364 participants, 47% women), every prescription produced comparable hypertrophy. The top-ranked one was higher-load, multi-set, twice-weekly training.
How to apply it
- Start around 10 sets per week for a main muscle, hold it for a month, and check whether your logs are moving. Judge sufficiency by progress, not by set count
- When progress stalls, add 2-4 sets. Don't double. Whatever you add has to be paid for in sleep and food
- Tailrep tallies weekly volume by muscle group automatically. As long as you log, you can just look at how many sets you're actually doing
Programs built on this principle
- Full Body (2 Days a Week)2x a week · Beginner
- Dumbbell Full Body (At Home, 3 Days)3x a week · Beginner
- Full Body (3 Days a Week)3x a week · Beginner
- Upper/Lower Split (4 Days a Week)4x a week · Intermediate
- Body-Part Split (5 Days a Week)5x a week · Advanced
- Upper/Lower + Push/Pull/Legs (5 Days)5x a week · Advanced
- Push/Pull/Legs (6 Days a Week)6x a week · Advanced
References
Limits of this evidence, The research describes average tendencies across groups, not your optimum. Recovery capacity, exercise selection, and everything else in your week move the right number around.
Pelland JC, et al. (2026) Sports Medicine
The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains
Currier BS, et al. (2023) British Journal of Sports Medicine
Resistance training prescription for muscle strength and hypertrophy in healthy adults: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis