How many max sets per week..?

W

wungun

Member
Part of the philosophy of HST is volume per week, not per day...
Is there a "too many sets" per week, for a specific compound/muscle group at which point you're being detrimental than beneficial?

For example, I've been hitting my upper pecs hard lately, because development of the muscle was somewhat neglected over the last couple of years... But I'm seeing great progress so far.

In my 5 Rep cycle right now, and I'm doing...
2 sets incline barbell @ 5RM
1 set incline BB @ 15RM
2 sets dB @ 5RM
1 set weighted dips

I do A/B split daily, so my pecs are getting at least 18-24 sets of work a week!
No DOMS, no injuries, no fatigue (carb backloading diet helps here!) and I've been hitting new 10 and 5 rm lifts all over...
 
http://thinkmuscle.com/community/threads/how-many-sets-and-how-to-determine-it.12723/

So, should you increase, maintain or decrease "volume" as the cycle progresses? It depends! I know how many people hate to hear that...but its true. Here is how you decide. Keep in mind that these factors are to considered “collectively”, meaning each factor must be weighted, not taken as an absolute indicator.

Increase volume if:

You are never sore
You are never tired
You are not growing

Maintain volume if:

You are slightly sore most of the time
You are tired enough to sleep well, but not so tired you lose motivation to train.
You are noticeably “fuller”

Decrease volume if:

You are experiencing over use pain, and strain symptoms in joints and/or muscles.
You are tired and irritable all the time, yet don’t sleep well.
Strength levels are significantly decreasing.
Click to expand...

Read that entire link, it explains everything.
 
Thanks Tot's...
So it would seem I'll likely get the same growth (for now) if I were doing perhaps 8-10 sets per week on that muscle... But if I'm feeling good at 18 sets, then 18 is fine.
Since I'm splitting my upper and lower groups on separate days, I'm not feeling wasted after every workout, so I'll continue on my current plan. :)
 
This is a tricky area. Bearing in mind what Totz quoted, you should do the least amount of volume to obtain the benefit you want. Otherwise you are just wasting calories. You must also factor in overall vs daily volume. My experience has been that doing 3 sets for a muscle group six times per week is far superior than 18 sets once per week or even 6 sets three times per week. Remember that the Law of Diminishing Returns seems to work more harshly on a daily basis than on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, life and other commitments get in the way so we usually end up with some type of compromised workout. That is just the way it is.
 
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