HEALTH AND FITNESS

What is the optimal volume per muscle group, body part, workout and week??

As you might have guessed, weight training volume is the key factor in determining the effectiveness of your workout routine.

This means that if you want to get the best results possible, you’ll want to use the optimal amount of volume for each body part and muscle group per workout, per week total.

See the thing is, there is no exact weight training volume that is the perfect amount for every person.

Individual differences in goals, training experience, genetics (which influence volume tolerance, work capacity, recovery ability and more) make it impossible to make a blanket recommendation for everyone.

But, I do have good news.

There is a volume that is best for MOST people

After years and years of obsessive research, and experience observing lots of real world results, I’ve noticed that successful workout programs all have some things in common.

I’m talking about volume. Most workouts have the total amount of sets and reps being prescribed per muscle groups and body part per workout and per week.

There are definitely variations in the workout routines themselves, but the volume recommendations are always within a very close range.

And as it turns out, science seems to agree with this particular range.

In the overwhelming majority of studies that I’ve seen over the years, there is a prescribed amount of sets and reps per body part/muscle group that tends to work better than others.

In addition to that, there are other expert recommendations that support what we’ll call the optimal volume range.

The optimal volume range

In it’s simplest terms, the optimal volume range for most people is:

For larger muscle groups: about 60-120 total reps per week
For smaller muscle groups: about 30-60 total reps per week

More specifically, here is a breakdown of what I mean by small and large muscle groups:

Chest: 60-120 reps per week
Back: 60-120 reps per week
Quadriceps: 60-120 reps per week
Hamstrings: 60-120 reps per week
Shoulders: 30-60 reps per week
Biceps: 30-60 reps per week
Triceps: 30-60 reps per week
Calves: 30-60 reps per week
Abs: 30-60 reps per week

And there you have it. This is what I recommend for the optimal volume range…

Can more or less volume also work? Of course – any time you put stress on the muscles to stimulate them to grow, you’re moving in the right direction. But what I’m listing here is what works best.

Again, based on experience, expert recommendations and what’s been incorporated into many successful weight training programs, this is the amount of volume that works best for most people.

Applying the optimal volume range to training frequency

Why is it per week instead of per workout?

We count the total amount of volume over the course of the week, not over the course of a workout. In order to find the amount you need to do each workout, you’ll need to figure out how often you will workout, then just spread that out over one week.

And the exact amount of sets and reps you do for each workout will depend on how often you will workout. Will it be twice per week? Three times per week?

Here are examples of how that would break out.

Training each muscle group once per week

If you’re training each muscle group once per week, here’s what you’ll do:

60-120 reps for each big muscle group per workout, with just 1 workout for each muscle group per week

30-60 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with just 1 workout for each muscle group per week

With a workout schedule that only trains each muscle group once per week, you’ll need to hit the entire weekly volume range in just 1 session. It’s not as easy.

Training each muscle group twice per week

If you’re training each muscle group twice per week, then you’ll get:

30-60 reps for each big muscle group per workout, using 2 workouts for each muscle group per week.

15-30 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with just 2 workout for each muscle group per week.

With a workout schedule that trains you about twice per week, you’ll need to divide the weekly volume by about 2 and split it up evenly over course of the week.

Just FYI, this is what I recommend for intermediate/Advanced trainees

Training each muscle group three times per week

If you’re training each muscle group three times per week, then you’ll get:

20-40 reps for each big muscle group per workout, using 3workouts for each muscle group per week.

10-20 reps for each small muscle group per workout, with just 3 workout for each muscle group per week.

With a workout schedule that only trains each muscle group three times per week, you’ll need to hit the entire weekly volume range in 3 sessions. It’s not as easy.

As an FYI, this is the frequency I recommend to all beginners.

Let’s talk volume. Should you use the low, middle or high end of the range?

The next question has to do with what’s optimal? Should you go low, middle or high end of the range?

And of course, the answer as always is this depends on many factors.

In general, here are some rules of thumb…

A beginner with any goal (building muscle, increasing strength, losing fat) should go with the lowest end of the volume range

If you’re an intermediate or advanced trainee with the primary goal to build muscle (or anything looks related) then stick to the middle-higher end of the volume range. If you have below average genetics or a below ability to recover, then you should stay at the lower end of the range.

IF you are an intermediate or advanced trainee with the primary goal of increasing strength, then you’d be best served to stick to the low-middle end of the volume range.

If you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee with the main goal of losing fat and maintaining muscle then you’d do the best targeting the lower end of the volume range.

Why is there less volume for smaller muscle groups?

Another question you might have is why there is less volume recommended for smaller muscle groups than larger groups.

Part of the reason is that they are smaller and just don’t require the volume larger muscle groups benefit from.

However, this is mostly due to the fact that the smaller muscle groups get indirectly worked out when you train the bigger muscle groups. In other words, they get worked out indirectly.

For instance, your triceps and shoulders get hit quite a bit when you do the bench press.

There is a lot of overlap, and that needs to be considered when planning your workout volume.