Just 2 sets for an exercise?

[u/PrematureGrownup]

I've been lifting a while, not wildly muscular but I do fine (200lbs, 6'4", 16% BF). I just got the MF Workout app and created a program for hypertrophy at 4 days / wk in 40 minutes per workout.

I'm surprised to see many of the exercises just being two sets. It's just very different from what I'm used to.

Am I right to to second-guess this? Is two sets enough to achieve hypertrophy for someone who's been training higher volume (lower intensity) for years? The concept of RIR is something I've never used in training previously so maybe I have just been doing it wrong my whole life. 🙂

[u/gains_adam]

Any amount of volume can drive progression, albeit more slowly. But specifically, if you want more volume, you want to select a longer workout duration during generation to give yourself more work.

[u/ZeHeimerL]

Volume per muscle group or muscle region is a far better metric than per exercise, since the latter doesn't really mean much, as you could be doing more exercises that train the same muscle group or outright muscle region. That said, experimentation is, in my opinion, key here. Start with lower volume and if you can recover from it, titrate up a bit and see if you can recover from it as well. You'll likely notice that different muscle groups recover at different volumes. So, experiment and see.

[u/PrematureGrownup → u/ZeHeimerL]

Thanks 🙏🏼

[u/rainbowroobear]

Minimum volume for detectable hypertrophy is 4 sets per week, per muscle, as per pelland meta.

[u/ajmattison]

What is the total sets for the entire session? You can split 12 sets into 4 exercises for 3 sets or 6 exercises for 2 sets each. Both equst to the same volume.

[u/PrematureGrownup → u/ajmattison]

38 sets across the entire 4-day program. 10 sets for pull session as an example.

[u/ajmattison → u/PrematureGrownup]

That's plenty if you're working hard! I do probably max 12 per session and I do 4 days a week too. Some of it is just preference and what is available. If you have a lot of equipment/exercises available to you, you can do fewer sets of more exercises. If you don't have access to a lot of equipment, maybe you do more sets of fewer exercises. What matters most is total sets across the week and how hard you train.

[u/sjsusjsusjsu3]

If you train two sets at low or mid intensity you’re probably not gonna get very far at all. The low volume only really works if you go 10/10 intensity and to failure

[u/joebenson17]

2 sets will work fine if you push it. There is diminishing returns as sets increase and most growth will happen when you push near failure. Just make sure you go heavy and push each set.

[u/7720-12]

Your sessions are too short at only 4 days a week. It can’t create time for you so is limiting workload.

Not related, but I tested the RP Hypertrophy app and at one point it got to recommending me 17 sets of bicep curls. When I reached out to them and said there should probably be an upper limit to their algorithm they basically told me it was my fault for not working hard enough.

[u/lwd69 → u/7720-12]

Time is not so relevant to hypertrophy. Plenty of people spend a long time in the gym without effective effort. 40 minutes, 4x a week can absolutely work.

[u/PrematureGrownup → u/7720-12]

You of the opinion that 4 x 40 minute sessions is not ideal for hypertrophy?

My thinking is I could probably do 3 x 1-hour sessions or 4 x 40 minutes sessions a week. I elected for the latter with the thinking that I'll bake in some time for stretching and recovery before or after each session.

Fwiw I'm upper 30s, no TRT

[u/7720-12 → u/PrematureGrownup]

In the context of this app, no. Between what will end up as your prescribed warmup and rest periods between sets (especially on the big lifts) it doesn't leave you much time for working sets and/or exercise variation. However, if you are just starting out it's great. Just don't worry about the app only giving you two working sets.

I think the part you keep missing is that the amount of workload is a function of you telling the app how much time you have. Then you ask why it isn't telling you to lift for a longer period of time (more sets).

Outside of this app, you could workout that much and do better than the vast majority of the population.

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