As a general guideline I advocate 9 to 12 weekly sets for large muscle groups, and about 3 to 6 weekly sets for smaller muscle groups.
- Large Muscle Groups - 9 to 12 Weekly Sets.
- Small Muscle Groups - 3 to 6 Weekly Sets.
Is this enough volume?
Is this enough volume? Let's take a look at several possible scenarios. Keep in mind that Dungeon Training recommends no more than 3-4 weekly training sessions, so all examples will be framed using that training frequency.
Before we look at these examples, let's take a peek at muscle groups.
Large Muscle Groups- Chest
- Shoulders
- Back
- Quads
Small Muscle Groups- Traps
- Abs
- Obliques
- Lower Back
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Rear Delts
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Forearms
Maximum Volume. Using my guidelines for sets per week, if you performed the maximum number of set for every possible bodypart, your training would entail:
- Large Muscle Groups - 48 Sets.
- Small Muscle Groups - 60 Sets.
Maximum training when using my recommendations would equate to 108 sets per week. If you trained
3 days per week this would equal
36 sets per day, which is an insane amount of volume. I would never advocate this amount of daily volume. It's extreme overkill.
If you trained
4 days per week, this would equate to
27 sets per training day. Though not as bad as 36 sets per day, this is still overkill, and nothing I personally would ever recommend for a beginner to early intermediate.
Minimal Volume. Obviously, very few of us work every bodypart. So, let's look at an example involving a minimal amount of sets per week.
- Large Muscle Groups - 36 Sets.
- Small Muscle Groups - 36 Sets.
* For small muscle groups we will work hamstrings, biceps, triceps, calves and abs for 6 sets each week. Rear delts and traps will be worked 3 sets each, and all other muscle groups will not be trained. (Remember, this is not a guideline, but merely a minimalistic example)
Our minimum example involves
72 sets per week. This works out to:
3 Days Per Week - 24 sets per day
4 Days Per Week - 18 sets per day
Conclusion
My weekly set recommendations provide plenty of training volume for natural lifters. If fact, they land a tad bit on the high side. Most of the workouts I recommend involve fewer sets than even the minimal example.
When structuring programs, focus on your major muscle groups first, and then add in volume for minor muscle groups - as needed, and as appropriate.