Free Tool
Weekly Volume Calculator — Sets Per Muscle Group
How much is enough? This calculator totals your weekly sets per muscle group and shows where each lands relative to the research-backed landmarks for hypertrophy: MEV (Minimum Effective Volume), MAV (Maximum Adaptive Volume), and MRV (Maximum Recoverable Volume) — based on Schoenfeld et al. meta-analyses.
How to read the results
Each muscle group is colored by where its weekly set volume falls:
- Below MEV (<8 sets): Under-dosed. Unlikely to grow. Add volume.
- MEV to low MAV (8–10 sets): Minimum effective. You'll grow slowly. Suitable for maintenance or very advanced lifters.
- MAV sweet spot (10–20 sets): Optimal hypertrophy range for most lifters. Stay here.
- Approaching MRV (20–25 sets): High volume — only advanced lifters with good recovery should live here.
- Above MRV (25+ sets): Junk volume. Recovery debt accumulates faster than gains. Reduce.
The research
Volume landmarks come from a body of meta-analytic work by Brad Schoenfeld, Jozo Grgic, James Krieger, and others:
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn, Krieger (2017) — Journal of Sports Sciences meta-analysis showing a dose-response relationship between weekly sets and hypertrophy, with 10+ sets/muscle/week significantly outgrowing lower volumes.
- Schoenfeld et al. (2016) — Sports Medicine meta-analysis on frequency: training each muscle 2× per week produces ~48% more hypertrophy than 1× per week at matched volume.
- Baz-Valle et al. (2021) — Frontiers in Sports and Active Living meta-review: the MEV/MAV/MRV framework (Israetel, Hoffmann) is a useful practical heuristic, even though exact individual boundaries vary with genetics, sleep, and diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is training volume?
Total weekly hard sets per muscle group. A "set" means a set taken to within 2-3 reps of failure (RPE 7+).
How many sets per muscle per week is optimal?
10-20 sets for most lifters (MAV zone). Start at 8-10 (MEV), progress into MAV, stay there. Above 25 is typically junk volume.
What counts as a 'set' for volume tracking?
A hard working set at RPE 7 or above. Warm-ups don't count. Easy/drop sets only partially count.
How often should I train each muscle?
Twice per week is optimal. ~48% more hypertrophy than 1× at matched volume, per Schoenfeld 2016 meta-analysis.
Do compound lifts count for multiple muscles?
Yes — 1.0 for primary mover, 0.5 for secondary movers. Bench = 1.0 chest + 0.5 triceps + 0.5 front delts.