How many sets per muscle per week?

For an established lifter, most muscles grow well on 10 to 20 hard sets a week. Bigger muscle groups sit at the top of that range and smaller ones at the bottom. A beginner needs about half.

Weekly ranges by muscle

Working sets per week, for someone who has been lifting consistently for a year or more:

• Back: 16 to 20
• Quads: 14 to 18
• Shoulders: 14 to 18
• Chest: 12 to 16
• Hamstrings: 10 to 14
• Biceps: 10 to 14
• Triceps: 10 to 14
• Calves: 10 to 16
• Core: 10 to 16

These are the ranges BulkForged, our app, measures a routine against. They are a guide to aim for, not a rule to obey. Recovery, age and sleep all move the right number for you.

What counts as a set

• Count working sets only. Warm-up sets do not count.
• A working set ends within a few reps of failure. An easy set of 10 with 10 more left is not one.
• A compound lift counts fully for its main muscle. Give about half credit to the helpers. A row is a back set and half a biceps set.

If you are new to the gym

Halve every range above. A beginner grows on very little, and soreness is the limit, not time.

• Two working sets per exercise is a fine start.
• Add a set to each exercise after a few weeks, once sessions feel comfortable.
• More sets is the last thing to add. More reps and more weight come first. See When should you add weight?

How to count your own routine

1. List every exercise in your week and its working sets.
2. Note the main muscle each one trains.
3. Add up the sets for each muscle across the whole week, not per session.
4. Compare the totals with the ranges above.

Muscles that commonly come up short are triceps, calves and core. Back and chest rarely do.

Signs you are doing too much

• Weights going backwards for two sessions in a row.
• Joints that ache, not muscles.
• Dreading sessions you used to enjoy.

Cut a few sets, or take a lighter week, before adding anything.

Letting an app count for you

BulkForged adds up the working sets in your routines for each muscle, across the days you have scheduled. It shows where the week is light and where it is heavy, on a body map. A beginner profile is measured against half the ranges automatically.

Related: What is a deload week?, How progressive overload works.