Junk Volume Is Hurting Your Muscle Gains

When it comes to maximising muscle growth, how many sets are too many?

Regardless of how hard you train within a session, and how many sets you do, there is only so much muscle you can build.

The dose-response relationship between volume and muscle growth (hypertrophy) means that excessive volume will not stimulate more growth.

Only a certain amount of volume per muscle group is effective for building muscle. Any training volume above this level and we experience diminishing returns and we risk compromising recovery.

Moreover, we might do so many sets that effort is compromised. This really will affect our ability to build muscle.

So, what’s the magic number of sets to maximise muscle growth?

Read on to find out…

What is Volume?

Before we get to junk volume, I must define what volume is in the context of the gym.

The term volume is used in two ways to measure the output of a workout.

Firstly, “volume load”, which we calculate by Sets x Reps x Weight. For example, 5 sets of 5 reps at 80kg are 2000kg of volume load.

However, in this context, we use the more popular definition as the total number of “hard sets” completed. Hard sets are those performed at high intensity and taken near or to failure (more on this soon).

“[Junk volume] refers to any training you do that takes up time and energy, but has no actual benefit in terms of muscle or strength gain.” — Jeff Nippard

What is junk volume?

Junk volume is the sets that we perform in the gym that no longer contribute to increasing muscle growth or strength as they’re already stimulated sufficiently.

Think of the process of building muscle as creating stress, recovery, and adaptation. We damage muscle fibre and it grows back stronger.

As well as being a waste of time and effort, this excess volume is over and above what we can recover from. As the muscle has already been stimulated sufficiently, these sets do not benefit muscle growth but contribute to fatigue.

Moreover, junk volume is the sets completed well below maximum effort.

To force an adaptive response, our muscles need to be pushed close to their limits.

Junk volume fits into three categories:

• Too many sets
• Too many reps
• Too little effort

Effective Volume: The Optimum Number of Sets

Each muscle requires a minimal amount of volume to be maintained, which is called maintenance volume (MV), which according to Dr Mike Israetel is 6 working sets per muscle group per week.

Our minimum amount of volume of training required to grow is called minimally effective volume (MEV).

6–8 total sets per session seem optimum in terms of both activating hypertrophy and maximising muscle protein synthesis. Protein is required by our bodies to repair muscle damage after exercise, and if you want to know all about protein and the optimum amount to consume to build muscle, read the article below.

A recent meta-analysis of 9 studies looked at how the total number of sets completed per muscle group in a workout impacts our ability to build muscle. The findings suggest that 6–8 *hard sets per muscle group per workout (day) is optimal to grow muscle. After this number, we hit a plateau and our muscle gains level off or maybe even regress. Hence, calling them junk sets. Worthless.

*Note: “hard sets” are trained close to true failure. Also, warm-up sets aren’t included.

For a few of us, more volume than this number will still be beneficial. People with elite genetics for building muscle are hyper-responders to training stimuli. For example, world-class sprinters or strength athletes might still see sufficient benefit from 12–14 total sets per muscle group per session.

Excessive Reps

There is a limit to how many reps we can do per set until it becomes junk volume. For example, 40 or 50 reps per set are far too many.

Ultra-high rep sets would be considered anything over 30 reps per set.

The limit according to this study, muscle growth is impaired at around 20% or less of our 1 rep max.

According to StrengthLevel.com, 30 reps until failure equates to around 50% of 1RM. Anything over 50 would fall into the range of 20% of 1RM or less.

For example, let's assume the 1RM for a person is 100kg on a given exercise.

30 reps at 50kg (50% of 1RM) will be far more effective for building muscle than 50 reps at 20kg (20% of 1RM).

The ideal rep range for building muscle should really be 6–20 reps for most exercises. Using 8 reps, and the same 1 rep max of 100kg, the calculation of the repetition percentages is 81% of 1RM, giving 81 kg. For this person, 8 reps of 81kg per set fall in the ideal intensity range for stimulating muscle growth (given total volume is sufficient).

[I hope this makes sense!]

The downside to ultra-high reps is that it creates a huge recovery demand, and the volume becomes counterproductive. Without stimulating any extra muscle growth, we feel sore and fatigued, and it’s likely we won’t train at our optimum.

“There is a minimum intensity necessary to trigger important mechanisms involved in increasing muscle size and it appears that 20% 1RM falls below this threshold.” — Lasevicius et al, 2017

Pitfalls of too much volume: Overtraining

Our muscles require a minimal amount of stress to force them to adapt and grow. I’ll discuss this further in the next section.

I would think that most people who regularly go to the gym have a general understanding that to get results, they need to put in the work. It’s not uncommon for some people to spend an average of two hours a day in the gym. Many assume that more is better when it comes to building muscle.

However, all this time in the gym could be detrimental to muscle growth. If we’re fatigued, we cannot train to our full potential on every single rep, to maximise muscle growth.

There is a finite amount of training volume that is effective for building muscle until we reach our maximum recoverable volume. If we can’t recover optimally from this stress applied by exercise for our body/muscles to adapt, what’s the point?

Our next workout and the one after that may be compromised because we cannot train at peak effort, to overload progressively.

Easy sets

Reducing the effort that we put into each set means we don’t train close enough to failure. Hypertrophy requires maximum effort and anything less is called easy sets. Or, junk sets.

It’s much easier to train as hard as we can for 12-18 total sets than it is for 30–40 total sets in a workout.

Easy sets should also be considered junk volume. Even if they’re within the 6–8 sets per body part per workout, if we’re not training hard enough, the sets are far from optimal for stimulating adaption and muscle growth.

Most sets should have an RPE of 8–9. Then, take the last set for each muscle to absolute failure. RPE is the rate of perceived exertion, on a scale of 10. It works with reps in reserve (RIR), which is the number of reps you could still complete after you finish a set until failure.

At a very basic level, adding both RPE and RIR together should result in 10 — for example, an RPE of 10 is an RIR of 2.

Findings from this study indicate that many of us aren’t training hard enough in the gym. Only around 1 in 5 people in the gym are training at the optimum intensity level to build muscle. Findings are illustrated in the image below.

If you want to know more about this study, read the article below.

Optimising Our Training: Training Frequency and Weekly Volume

According to research, the optimum number of sets per body part per week for building muscle ranges between 10 to 20 for most people. This number could be higher for some people, and some muscle groups can handle more volume than others. But this is a good safe baseline number.

Therefore, we must evenly spread this total weekly volume over more than one session. By increasing training frequency to two or three times a week, we can distribute the sets evenly to maximise their effectiveness.

For example, we could train one muscle group for 6 sets 3 times a week, rather than training a muscle group once a week for 18 sets. For the latter, half of those would be junk sets.

Or, you could split the 18 sets over two workouts.

Nine sets per workout are still close to the optimal number of six to eight sets and the number of sets above maximum recoverable volume is minimal, meaning we have fewer junk sets!

“12–18 weekly sets probably give you the best bang for your buck in terms of hypertrophy relative to the time investment when hitting each muscle 2–3 days per week.” — Weightology

A 2002 study on frequency found “…no differences between groups were observed for any of the measures of muscle growth or muscle strength” between groups that trained a body part twice or four times a week.

This suggests that training frequency doesn’t impact muscle growth as long as the total weekly volume is optimal.

Therefore, we can work out each muscle group for less than 6 sets per workout, if we hit the weekly volume requirement to build the muscle of 10–20 total sets per body part.

Sample workout

Distribute the total volume throughout the week, as trying to find sufficient weekly volume for a body part in one workout isn’t optimal to build strength or muscle.

A popular routine for building muscle and strength is a push/pull/legs split, which is done twice a week.

Aim for 6–8 total sets per body part per workout. Then, with two days a week dedicated to those muscle groups, it sits within the ideal muscle-building weekly volume range of 10–20 sets.

Below is an example of what a pull day could look like:

• Pull-ups (overall back) — 3 sets of 6
• Bent over row (overall back) — 3x8
• Barbell shrug (traps) — 3x10
• Cable face pull (rear delts) — 3x15
• Hammer curl (biceps) — 3x8
• Preacher curl (biceps) — 3x15

Compound exercises will often activate a secondary muscle group, such as the biceps with pull-ups. However, we don’t count these indirect sets in the 6–8 total sets per body part per workout.

When it comes to designing a routine, there will be overlap with muscle groups, so it’s not an exact science. For example, your traps will be worked hard during a bent-over row, so 6 sets focusing on traps will probably be fatiguing to most.

But we still want to work our traps directly; so, 3 sets will create some stimulus for growth without over-fatiguing.

Final Thoughts

This article has explored the concept of junk volume as it relates to the effective number of sets per workout per muscle group to optimise muscle growth.

For most people, higher volumes beyond 6–8 sets per muscle group per day are counterproductive for building muscle. These sets are wasting our time and energy and inhibiting our ability to recover.

To effectively stimulate muscle growth, these 6–8 optimal sets must be “hard sets” trained close to failure.

Any additional sets should be for a different muscle group or on another day.

The total weekly effective volume is 10–20 sets per muscle group. We can achieve this number through frequency — splitting it over 2 or 3 days a week, using the effective range of 6–8 sets per workout (6x3 = 18 total sets).

These numbers are based on averages, and some individuals may respond favourably to more volume. But, you shouldn’t assume so.

Thank you for reading.

If you enjoyed the content, you may be interested in reading this guide about how I have built over 40 pounds of muscle as an adult.

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