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How hard should you work out? The opinions on this topic vary, but let's delve into the research to find a clearer answer.
Fitness is nuanced, and several factors can significantly influence how hard you should train. Research suggests that performing 10 to 20 sets per week is optimal for achieving the best strength and muscle growth results. These numbers can vary widely based on your approach. For instance, if you lift to failure, 10 sets may suffice, whereas stopping just short of failure might require 20 sets to achieve similar results. This can also depend on your specific goals, and in this context we are discussing Strength or size.
A 2022 study on this topic provides important insights. The study measured two outcomes: muscle size and strength. Hang with me here, this gets a little confusing, but the graphic below helps illustrate this more clearly. The study compared four groups: those lifting heavy to failure, heavy loads just shy of failure, light loads to failure, and light loads stopping short of failure.
The findings revealed if your goal is to build muscle then the worst results came from the light load group that stopped shy of failure. Conversely, the best outcomes were in the light load group that trained all the way to failure.
When it came to strength, the heavy load group that stopped short of failure outperformed both light load groups, regardless of whether they stopped short of failure.

Now, this part is important. We need to add some context. Whether your goal is getting stronger or bigger. If you typically do 5 sets of 10 reps for biceps, this doesn’t mean you can simply reduce the number to 6 or 7 reps for 5 sets and expect the same results. The research indicates that groups stopping short of failure matched volume. So, if you stop at 6 reps, you could have still completed 4 more reps. So these participants added extra sets, keeping your total volume of reps consistent.

While this makes sense, one study isn't enough to base everything on. A meta-analysis from 2024 supports these findings, showing that strength gains are consistent across a wide range of reps in reserve (RIR), while muscle hypertrophy improves as sets get closer to failure. So, how can you apply this?
Drawing from my 14 years of personal training experience, for those aiming to get stronger, focus on lifting heavy weights. If you enjoy training to failure and can do so safely, go for it. If you’re lifting alone, doing 3 sets of 4 reps to failure might feel risky. Instead, you could aim for 4 sets of 3 reps. Adding that extra set looks to yield similar results!
For muscle growth, the data confirms that training close to failure yields the best results. This doesn’t mean every set has to go to failure. A practical approach could be to progressively increase your training intensity. For example, if you hit 15 total weekly sets for a muscle group and you only hit 1 or 2 of those sets to failure. Try progressing to 3 or 4, then 5 and 6, and so on.
I hope you guys found this helpful, head over to my YouTube channel and watch the full video on this very topic. (below)
youtu.be/Zv86_sztD7E

By: Adam Stover B.S. Exercise Science, NFPT + TPI certified trainer

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