Calculator · Performance Lab
Training Volume Calculator
Volume load and weekly hard sets per muscle group — clearly classified.
Ergebnis
- Volume load
- 2,560kg
Sets × reps × weight — comparable over time.
Explained
What this calculator does for you
Training volume is the total hard work a muscle gets per week. It's the central driver of hypertrophy.
Two measures matter: volume load (sets × reps × weight) for a single training block, and weekly hard sets per muscle group as a long-term metric.
The hypertrophy window sits at 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week for most lifters.
Science
Scientific background
Schoenfeld et al. (2017, 2019): volume dose-dependently drives muscle growth — up to an individual point where more sets stop adding growth.
Weekly hard sets are more robust than tonnage because they compare across exercises and rep ranges.
Junk volume is sets far from failure — they cost recovery without delivering a stimulus.
Examples
Practical examples
4 × 8 at 80 kg
Volume load = 2,560 kg on this exercise.
14 weekly back sets
Inside the effective hypertrophy range — solid choice for most.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- 01Chasing tonnage with sloppy technique. More kg on paper, no stimulus for the target muscle.
- 02Too much volume, too little recovery. Stagnation, joint stress, poor sleep — take the signals seriously.
- 03No progressive overload. Volume is half the equation — load or reps must rise over time.
Recommendations
Further recommendations
- 01Start at the lower end (10–12 sets) and add through a block — not within one week.
- 02Track hard sets per muscle group per week, not per exercise.
- 03Plan deloads when you're at the upper end of volume.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What's a 'hard set'?
- A set ending within 3 reps of failure. Warm-up sets don't count.
- More volume = more muscle?
- Up to a point. After that, fatigue rises faster than the stimulus — junk volume.
- How do I split 14 chest sets?
- Two sessions of 7 sets each works well. Higher frequency usually pays off at higher volumes.
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Knowledge Hub
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