As a fitness coach and a lifelong student of hypertrophy, I’ve spent over two decades helping people achieve their physique goals. I’ve witnessed countless trends, fads, and dogmatic approaches to training. Through it all, one thing remains constant: the fundamental principles of progressive overload are what drive results. This is especially true when it comes to training volume and intensity, two critical factors that determine whether your time in the gym is truly productive.
Today, I want to break down these concepts in a way that’s not just theoretical, but practical. I’ll share a framework that moves beyond arbitrary numbers and helps you truly understand how to build a program that works for you. This model is a refinement of a system developed over many years, rooted in sports science and refined through real-world application with athletes and enthusiasts alike.
Redefining Training Volume: Beyond Simple Reps
When people talk about training volume, they often refer to the total amount of weight lifted (sets x reps x weight). While this is a foundational metric, a more nuanced and practical approach is to focus on the number of hard sets you perform. A “hard set” is one that is taken close to muscular failure, typically within 1-4 reps of failure. This approach is far more effective for several reasons:
- It Accounts for Intensity: Simply counting reps and weight doesn’t tell the whole story. A set of 5 reps at 90% of your one-rep max (1RM) is profoundly more taxing than a set of 15 reps at 60% of your 1RM, even if the total weight lifted is similar. A hard set metric evens the playing field by focusing on the stimulus, not just the raw numbers.
- It Addresses Rep Ranges: A set of 5 reps and a set of 20 reps can both be effective for muscle growth, but they feel very different. By defining a set as “hard” (close to failure), we focus on the part of the set that truly matters—the last few reps where the muscle is fully recruited and working against significant resistance. This makes it easier to compare the workload between different rep schemes.
- It Simplifies Tracking: Instead of complex calculations, you can focus on a single, clear metric: the number of hard sets you perform for each muscle group per week. This makes it easier to track your progress and make informed adjustments to your program.
For bodybuilding, the most productive range for these hard sets is generally 5-20 reps. Sets below this range are excellent for strength but don’t provide a high enough hypertrophic stimulus for the amount of fatigue they cause. Sets above this range can work, but they are often inefficient, requiring a large number of reps just to get to the point of a meaningful stimulus.
The Goldilocks Principle: Minimum vs. Maximum Volume
One of the most important concepts in intelligent training is understanding the difference between your Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) and your Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV). Think of this as the “Goldilocks Zone” for your training.
- Minimum Effective Volume (MEV): This is the lowest amount of volume you can perform and still make progress. Training below your MEV is like a car idling—you’re doing work, but you’re not going anywhere. For most advanced lifters, this number is surprisingly high, as their bodies have adapted to a significant training load. Starting a training block with a volume near your MEV allows your body to acclimate and minimizes the risk of burnout or injury.
- Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV): This is the most volume you can handle and still recover from properly. Training above your MRV is counterproductive. It leads to overtraining, increased risk of injury, and a halt in progress. Your body simply cannot repair itself fast enough to handle the workload, and you end up spinning your wheels.
The space between your MEV and your MRV is where all productive training lives. This is your personal sweet spot. A smart training program begins with a volume close to your MEV and gradually increases it over a training block. This is a form of progressive overload. As you get stronger and your body adapts, you add more hard sets, reps, or weight, moving closer to your MRV. When you hit your MRV, you’ve reached a point where you can no longer adapt productively. This is the perfect time for a deload week—a period of reduced training to allow for full recovery and supercompensation.
After a deload, you can start a new training cycle with a slightly higher MEV and MRV, continuing the cycle of progressive overload. This systematic approach, moving from your MEV to your MRV, is a powerful strategy for consistent, long-term gains.
Effort and Intensity: Making Every Set Count
While volume is crucial, it’s nothing without effort. This is where intensity comes in. In the context of bodybuilding, intensity isn’t just about lifting heavy weights—it’s about how close to failure you take a set. A great way to measure this is with Reps in Reserve (RIR).
RIR is a simple concept: it’s the number of reps you could have performed before reaching absolute failure. For example, a set with 2 RIR means you could have done two more reps. A set with 0 RIR means you went to failure.
For hypertrophy, you want to perform most of your hard sets with an RIR of 1-4. This means you’re pushing yourself close to failure without going to the absolute brink on every single set. Why not train to failure all the time?
- Fatigue Management: Training to failure is incredibly fatiguing. Consistently pushing every set to its absolute limit can lead to central nervous system fatigue, hindering your recovery and impacting your performance on subsequent sets and workouts.
- Smarter Training: By staying a few reps shy of failure, you can accumulate a higher number of quality reps and sets over the course of a workout or training week. The first rep of a set to failure is easy, but the last few reps are what count. By keeping RIR in the 1-4 range, you are still getting the potent hypertrophic stimulus of those final, challenging reps without the excessive fatigue of absolute failure.
A common mistake is to confuse training with high intensity (heavy weight) with training with high effort (low RIR). Both can be valuable, but for muscle growth, prioritizing a low RIR is generally more effective, especially in the 5-20 rep range.
Putting It All Together: A Practical Approach
So, how do you apply these principles in your own training?
- Find Your Volume: Start a new training block with a conservative volume (your estimated MEV) for each body part. A good starting point for most people might be somewhere in the range of 10-15 hard sets per muscle group per week.
- Increase Gradually: Over the next 3-6 weeks, slowly increase your volume. This could mean adding a set to an exercise, performing a few more reps, or increasing the weight. The goal is to progressively overload your muscles and push them closer to their limits.
- Listen to Your Body: Pay close attention to how you feel. Are you making progress? Are you recovering well? You’ll know you’re approaching your MRV when your strength starts to decline, you feel excessively sore, or your enthusiasm for training wanes.
- Deload and Repeat: Once you hit your MRV, it’s time to take a deload week. Reduce your training volume and intensity significantly for 5-7 days. This allows your body to fully recover and prepares you for a new, more productive training block.
- Adjust and Adapt: After your deload, start a new training block with a slightly higher MEV than before, because your body has now adapted. The cycle continues, and your ability to handle a greater workload (your MRV) will grow over time.
This isn’t about training with a single number, but about understanding a range. Your volume landmarks will change over time, and they’ll be different for every body part. By using this systematic, evidence-based approach, you can stop guessing and start building a training program that is truly optimized for your personal growth.
What’s a muscle group you feel like you’ve had a hard time making progress on, and how many hard sets are you currently doing for it per week?
