The above chart is assuming that the lifter has a baseline understanding of their 1RM of a compound lift (like the squat, deadlift, bench press, etc.). For example, when looking at increasing leg hypertrophy, total working sets (for most, drug-free lifters) across a week can range from 12-20 total working sets based on an athlete’s ability to recovery and/or level of fitness (more advanced athletes may not be able to handle as much loading due to moving more weight over time). When looking at the effectiveness of a training program for building hypertrophy, we must look at the total volume across the entire week, month, or program. It is important to note that the total amount of sets is influenced greatly by training frequency. Note, that the below guidelines include a wide range of goals power, strength, muscle hypertrophy (highlighted), and muscular endurance.

Nonetheless, the below guidelines are generally accepted as the basis for nearly every single beginner and intermediate lifter, athlete, and sport. There has been some research suggesting that more advanced strategies for hypertrophy may be better suited for more advanced strength, power, and fitness athletes, however most of this is theoretical. The below guidelines are geared for the any individual looking to build general muscle hypertrophy with no specific sport-goal (other than have a solid foundation). General Sets and Reps Guidelines for Hypertrophy Training Note, that muscle tissue has also been shown to have a response to loading as well, which is why the below guidelines allow for an athlete to use moderate-heavy loads for moderate-higher repetition ranges done for moderate-higher sets. Higher training volumes, to an extent, have been shown to increase hypertrophy, helping coaches and athletes build guidelines for exercise prescription. When looking to increase muscle hypertrophy, science has shown that one of the most important factors for increasing the size of the individual muscle fibers (muscle hypertrophy) is overall training volume. For example, if you wanted your lifter to squat 100kg five times in a row, and do that 3 separate times with 90 seconds of rest in between each grouping of 5 squats, the squat prescription would be 3 sets of 5 reps at 100kg, with 90 seconds rest. Repetitions make up one set, which rep ranges can go from 1 to, well, as high as your heart (and/or body) desires. Sets are the total number of complete rounds of repetitions someone would so in a workout. Among those variables are the total number of sets, reps (repetitions), intensity (how heavy the weight it relative to either to one-rep max or rate of perceived exertion), rest periods, exercise order, and frequency (how many times per week, typically).

When prescribing exercises, we have a few variables to consider.

The goal of this article is to offer coaches and athletes a general outline for hypertrophy training programming and offer insight on the importance of moderating total training volume (sets x reps) to avoid over-training and allow for hypertrophy adaptations to take place. In an earlier article we discussed the definition of hypertrophy and how strength, power, and fitness athletes can benefit from training for hypertrophy at specific phases of the annual training program.

Rest time between sets hypertrophy