How many sets and reps to build muscle?

Three sets of ten. It's what most people do, and it isn't wrong. For muscle, aim for about 10 hard sets per muscle group a week to start, with anywhere from 6 to 20 or more reps a set, stopping a rep or two short of failure. The research is more forgiving than one magic number.

In short

Count your weekly sets per muscle. More sets tend to mean more growth, up to a point. Around 10 a week per muscle group is a reasonable starting target.

A wide range of reps works for muscle size, from heavy sets of 6 to lighter sets of 20 or more, as long as the sets are genuinely hard.

Heavier weights build more maximum strength. Lighter weights still build muscle if you push close to failure.

1. How many sets should I do to build muscle?

The most useful way to think about it is sets per muscle group per week, not sets per exercise.

In 2017, Brad Schoenfeld, Dan Ogborn and James Krieger pooled 15 studies on training volume and muscle growth. They found a graded dose-response: the more weekly sets people did, the more muscle they tended to gain. Each extra weekly set was linked to a small extra gain.

They also grouped studies into fewer than 5, 5 to 9, and 10 or more sets per muscle per week. The higher groups tended to do better, though that comparison on its own fell just short of statistical significance.

What that means in practice:

Beginners: around 10 hard sets per muscle group per week is a sensible start.
Later on: many people build towards more, often somewhere in the 10 to 20 range.
More isn't endlessly better. If your sessions are getting longer and your lifts are getting worse, you're doing too much.

That last point is our practical reading, not a finding from the review.

2. How many reps should I do to build muscle?

Fewer people need to worry about this than you'd think.

A second 2017 review, by Schoenfeld, Jozo Grgic, Ogborn and Krieger, compared lighter loads (60% of your one-rep max or less) with heavier loads (more than 60%). It included 21 studies where every set was taken to failure.

The result:

Muscle growth was similar with light and heavy loads.
Maximum strength (your one-rep max) improved more with heavy loads.

So sets of 6, 10 or 20 can all build muscle, if they're hard. If you also want to get stronger at heavy lifts, include some heavier sets.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) position stand suggests that for muscle size, people use a range of 1 to 12 reps with most work in the 6 to 12 range. For beginners, it suggests loads you can lift for 8 to 12 reps.

3. How hard should each set be?

Hard. This is the part that matters most, and the part people skip.

In the loading review, every set went to failure: the point where you can't do another rep with good form. That's why the light loads still worked.

You don't need to grind to total failure on every set, especially on big lifts like squats. A practical approach many coaches use:

Stop most sets when you think you have 1 to 3 reps left in the tank.
On safer exercises, such as machines or curls, you can go closer to failure.
If you finish a set of 10 and could easily have done 18, the weight is too light.

4. How long should I rest between sets?

The ACSM position stand suggests 1 to 2 minutes of rest between sets for muscle-building work. For heavier strength work in more experienced lifters, it suggests 3 to 5 minutes.

A simple rule: rest long enough that your next set is good quality. If you're rushing back and your reps drop sharply, rest longer.

A timer helps here. It's easy to sit on a bench scrolling for six minutes, or to rush back after forty seconds. Our guide on how long to rest between sets goes into the research.

5. How many exercises should I do per muscle?

Fewer than you think.

If your target is 10 sets for your chest in a week, that could be:

3 sets of bench press and 2 sets of incline dumbbell press on Monday
3 sets of press-ups and 2 sets of cable flyes on Thursday

That's 10 sets from four exercises across two days.

Big compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, pull-downs) work several muscles at once. They're a good base, and smaller exercises fill the gaps.

6. How often should I train each muscle?

The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend strength activities on at least two days a week, working all the major muscle groups. The ACSM suggests 2 to 3 days a week for beginners.

Splitting your weekly sets over two sessions also keeps each workout shorter. Ten sets in one go is a lot. Five on Monday and five on Thursday is easy to manage.

For a ready-made plan, see our 4-day gym split for beginners.

7. What's a simple starting plan?

Here's a starting point for most beginners. It's our suggestion, not a prescription.

Pick 5 or 6 exercises that cover your legs, back, chest, shoulders and arms.
Do 2 to 3 sets of each, aiming for 8 to 12 reps.
Train 2 or 3 times a week with rest days between.
Stop each set with 1 to 3 reps to spare.
Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets.
Write it down. Weight, sets, reps.
Add reps or weight when it gets easier. That's progressive overload.

If you have a health condition, an injury, or you're pregnant, speak to your GP or a qualified instructor before starting.

8. Do I need to eat differently to build muscle?

Food matters, but this isn't the place for a diet plan.

The British Nutrition Foundation says most UK adults already eat more protein than the basic requirement. Our guide on how much protein you need explains the UK figures. If you have specific needs, a registered dietitian can help.

Do I need an app for this?

Counting weekly sets in your head doesn't work. By Thursday you won't remember what you did on Monday, or whether you managed 10 reps or 8.

You don't need anything fancy:

A notebook works well and costs almost nothing.
Strong has a free account with a paid PRO upgrade for extra charts.
Hevy describes itself as a free workout tracker for iPhone and Android.

How Reptyl helps

Reptyl Sets & Reps is our iPhone set logger, and it counts the number this guide cares about.

Weekly volume. See how many sets each muscle group got this week, so you know if you've hit your 10.
Last time, at a glance. Your previous numbers are there when you start a set.
Rest timer and bests. A rest timer starts after each set, and a new best gets a banner.
Any kind of set. Weight and reps, reps only, timed holds or distance, from a built-in exercise list by muscle group, plus your own.

Your log syncs through your own iCloud account, and we never see it. It's a one-off purchase with no subscription and no adverts. The Sets & Reps page has the details.

Quick answers

Is 3 sets of 10 good for building muscle?

Yes, it's a solid starting point, as long as the sets are hard. Count how many sets each muscle gets across the whole week. Aim for around 10.

Do warm-up sets count towards my weekly sets?

Usually not. Light warm-up sets prepare you for the work, but the sets that count are the hard ones, where you finish close to failure.

Are high reps or low reps better for muscle?

For muscle size, both work if you train close to failure. A 2017 review found similar growth with light and heavy loads. Heavy loads build more maximum strength.

How many sets per week per muscle?

Around 10 is a reasonable starting target, based on a 2017 review that found more weekly sets tended to give more growth. Many experienced lifters do more.

Want to count your weekly sets without a spreadsheet? See Reptyl Sets & Reps