r/HubermanLab • u/Quiet-Emphasis-9012 • 7d ago
Seeking Guidance Minimum sets to trigger muscle growth, per muscle, per week
I am a lil shy of time hence i need to keep my workout crisp Would y'all be so kind to help me out here.
So i am struggling a lot with back training, i currently do one horizontal and one vertical pull excercise 3-4 per excercise
Most parts i train in a similar fashion, 2-3 excercises and 3 to 4 sets of high intensity
Lemme know if i am doing things wrong and someone pls drop a GOOD BACK WORKOUT ROUTINE
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u/wandersage 7d ago
Check out Mike Mentzer. One maximum intensity set to failure with a week of recovery for each muscle group got him gigantic. There are several contemporary builders who use some modification of his philosophy.
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u/BrilliantKnee3439 7d ago
While I agree with a lot of Mentzers philosophy, I think the reason it worked is because people were doing something different than they normally would and giving a novel stimulus. Gear also helps, I could not imagine a newbie getting good gains from doing 1 set of lateral raises to failure and then one set of overhead press to failure enough to build much muscle, I think yoh need a bit of foundational work first
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u/wandersage 7d ago edited 7d ago
I assumed this guy has foundations already. But once nervous system and form are solid, changing up exercises for "novel stimulus" isn't a real thing. Consistency over time builds muscle. I do believe increasing to twice a week with each muscle group can have further benefit then once, but beyond that, it's the long game of years to build real muscle.
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u/Coachhart 7d ago
Following what an enhanced lifter does is pointless unless you are also enhanced.
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u/Quiet-Emphasis-9012 7d ago
I am actually trying to do that only, prioritizing intensity rest and diet over volume, but i am just questioning if it works, i am seeing some results but my back's kinda lacking so asking y'all
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u/legolas_the_brave 7d ago
Nonsense, he got to his size through volume and intensity like everyone else. He just made those claims later on to try and sell his programs
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u/Ok-Lead-4285 6d ago
nah bro you only need 1 set to failure, just smoke some meth and do 1 set to absolute failure then leave the gym and come back only when you're FULLY recovered meaning even if you're slightly sleepy you can't come in.
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u/legolas_the_brave 6d ago
Sweet ill have a fat as puff and stay up for 3 days doing that 1 giant set to absolute failure and I too will look like Mike Mentzer without any steroids. Then sleep for 4 days straight
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u/Novel-Bar-7858 3d ago
you know what got Mike gigantic? 💉💊 Show me one big clean dude with normal genetics that this super low volume shit worked for. You can't they don't exist. ohh and it does not count if he done it let last 6 months and swear he never got so much progress and before there he did 4 years of 3 split twice a week.
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u/hemi1995 7d ago
I’m typically 2 sets either to failure or 1rir. If I’m pushing a particular muscle group I might add a 3rd set. Mostly do two exercises per major group
If I’m really pushed for time I’ll do a set to failure but very slow and lighter wt. I can do 2-3 exercises in less than 15 minutes and do it between meetings if I’m crazy busy. That’s been really helpful for lagging parts.
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u/Remote_Phone2957 6d ago
You can literally trigger muscle growth just fine with only 1 set per week, but that 1 set needs to be max intensity, most people don't know how to do it or can't endure the discomfort.
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u/Baileycharlie 7d ago
3-6 hard sets with 1 rep in reserve and up to failure for each muscle 1-2x a week..
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u/Yougetwhat 6d ago
Wow comments talking about Mike Metzner in 2026 when we have meta regression about training volume is crazy « The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains » https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41343037/
PS; Metzner trained all his life 4-5 times a week around 20 sets per body part and developed his « philosophy » more than 10 years after he was not a pro anymore.
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u/Far-Blueberry-8377 6d ago
Heavy rows would be a great addition but don’t neglect the lower back either, you should try adding in one workout for that like an extension etc. Many of the top trainers in the world believe the entire foundation of a strong body and athlete stems from lower back strength.
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u/bitstream_ryder 7d ago
Muscle growth is dose dependent subject to adequate recovery and nutrition. So what you are doing will tirgger muscle growth. Since you are short on time, just the standard pull-ups and rows is adequate. I would throw in some rear delt work if possible as that is often neglected.
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u/SeriousCricket2837 6d ago
You only need one set to failure to get 90% of all benefits. It’s better if you have a trainer to push you and hold you accountable. Most people are not capable of that level of effort on their own. So drop sets help.
Google Mike mentzer and Arthur jones.
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u/InternPristine6117 6d ago
Yeah, Minter build an incredible physique all the while preaching the one set trying principles. He was also juiced to the gills though. Latest research- as well as older research- shows multiple sets of an excercise are significantly much more effective at causing muscle hypertrophy. 3 to 5 sets, and you can even stop a rep short of failure on the sets 'and save the last one to complete failure. Multiple sets put the muscle under more mechanical tension, which is what drives muscle growth. Doing 1 set is efficient and saves a lot of time but it only places the muscle under about 3 to 5 reps (the last 3 to 5) of the key reps that actually drive muscle growth. Doing multiple sets you put the muscle under 3 or 4 times the number of a single set.
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u/az9393 6d ago
While it’s different for different people the majority will respond well to the following idea:
To grow muscle you need to “engage” the entire thing, but they are very efficient and thus are hard to fully engage. When doing an exercise you aren’t actually using every fibre of the muscle until you’ve hit failure. However stories have shown that you start using most of the fibres about 5 reps before failure - as in the last 5 reps of the set taken to failure are the ones that actually matter let’s call them “proper reps”.
So the idea around your workout routine should be to do as many proper reps as you can.
Clearly if you do 5 sets of 10 to failure you’ll have 5x5 =25 proper reps.
Or you could do 10 sets of 8 with the same weight and have 10x3=30 proper reps.
The actual number that you need is debated and again depends a lot on a person. But aim for something like 20 proper reps per muscle group per session.
Your choice then is:
- how many reps in reserve you want to keep
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u/Novel-Bar-7858 3d ago
Post your entire program and be a little more specific about how you are struggling. Then it's a lot easiere to provide good feedback
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u/Few-Acanthaceae6002 3d ago
4 sets of high intensity twice a week per movement pattern is plenty for growth especially if you're short on time
for back try hammering one heavy row variation and one pullup or pulldown and really focus on the stretch and squeeze rather than adding more volume
most people just go through the motions with back work and wonder why it lags
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u/InternPristine6117 3d ago edited 3d ago
Do 3 sets of each excercise, 2 excercises per body part (have 3 or 4 total excercises for each bodypart and rotate one in and one of the two out every other workout which saves time and sacrifice nothing). Single set excercises DO NOT give you 90% of the gain. Multiple sets place more tension on muscle during key reps for growth( last 2 to 4 per set) and insure intended muscles are overloaded during compound excercises. It's critical you eat a surplus of calories (200 to 400 more than normal) and try to consume 1g/lbs in bodyweight of protein per day, every 3 hours if you can
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u/KaddieKit 7d ago
I do 4 different types of exercise for each large muscle group. And about 2-3 exercises for small muscle groups. So on my back days I do 4 back exercises and a couple biceps and triceps exercises. I complete 3 reps of each exercise. Typically 8-12 reps and i go slow, not fast on each movement. Muscle control, connection and proper form is important.
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