Training tools

Weekly Set Volume Calculator

List the exercises in your week and how many hard sets you do of each. The calculator counts direct and indirect sets for every muscle, the way recent research counts them, and shows where each muscle sits.

Your week

Hard sets per week for each exercise (warm-ups do not count).

Exercise 1
Sets per week for exercise 1
Exercise 2
Sets per week for exercise 2
Exercise 3
Sets per week for exercise 3
Exercise 4
Sets per week for exercise 4
Exercise 5
Sets per week for exercise 5
Exercise 6
Sets per week for exercise 6
Exercise 7
Sets per week for exercise 7
Exercise 8
Sets per week for exercise 8
Exercise 9
Sets per week for exercise 9
Exercise 10
Sets per week for exercise 10
Exercise 11
Sets per week for exercise 11

Weekly sets per muscle

Direct, indirect and fractional weekly sets per muscle
Muscle	Direct	Indirect	Weekly sets
Chest	6	0	6Moderate
Back (lats and upper back)	10	0	10Higher
Front shoulders	3	6	6Moderate
Side shoulders	6	3	7.5Moderate
Rear shoulders	0	10	5Moderate
Biceps	4	10	9Moderate
Triceps	4	9	8.5Moderate
Quadriceps	6	0	6Moderate
Hamstrings	7	0	7Moderate
Glutes	0	10	5Moderate
Calves	4	0	4Low
Abdominals	0	0	0Not trained

Weekly sets = direct sets + half of indirect sets. Bands: low under 5, moderate 5–9, higher 10–20, very high above 20 — where a muscle sits relative to the volumes studied, not a verdict on your programme.

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How it works

Each exercise credits the muscles it trains directly with one set per set performed, and the muscles that assist it with half a set. A bench press counts fully for the chest and half for the triceps and front shoulders; a row counts fully for the back and half for the biceps and rear shoulders.

That is the “fractional” method. In the 2025 meta-regressions by Pelland and colleagues — 67 studies, 2,058 participants — counting indirect work as half a set predicted muscle growth and strength gains better than ignoring it or counting it fully ^[1]. Which muscles each exercise trains directly or indirectly is our simplified mapping of the main movers, not a measurement.

Only hard sets count: sets taken close to failure, not warm-ups. Counting sets of roughly 6–20+ reps taken to or near failure is a reasonable way to quantify hypertrophy volume when other variables are similar ^[2] — which is also why this tool counts sets rather than total weight lifted (tonnage).

What the evidence says

More weekly sets produce more growth, with diminishing returns. A meta-analysis found a graded dose–response relationship and grouped volumes into fewer than 5, 5–9 and 10 or more sets per muscle per week ^[3]; the bands in the calculator follow those groupings. Pelland’s analysis found the returns diminish for hypertrophy and considerably faster for strength ^[1].

There is no single optimal number. About 10 hard sets per muscle per week is a sound starting point for growth for many lifters; whether more helps depends on recovery, experience and the muscle. Our guide to how many sets per muscle explains how to find your number.

Limitations

The direct/indirect mapping is a simplification: grip, stance and range of motion change which muscles work hardest.
Weekly sets say nothing about effort, load or technique. Ten easy sets are not ten hard ones.
Very high volumes (above about 20 sets per muscle) are studied in few people; individual tolerance varies widely.

Frequently asked questions

Do compound exercises count for the smaller muscles?

Partly. The best-supported approach counts them as half a set for assisting muscles — a bench press as half a set for the triceps ^[1]. Counting them fully would overstate arm volume; ignoring them would understate it.

How many sets per muscle per week should I do?

Around 10 hard sets per week is a sensible starting point for muscles you want to grow, with more possible if you recover and keep progressing ^[3]. See how many sets per muscle for the full evidence.

Sources

[1]Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains. Sports Medicine. 2026;56(2):481–505. Source
[2]Baz-Valle E, Fontes-Villalba M, Santos-Concejero J. Total number of sets as a training volume quantification method for muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2021;35(3):870–878. Source
[3]Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2017;35(11):1073–1082. Source

Keep going

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