# Weekly training volume checker

> Count hard sets per muscle from one week of training: direct sets in full, indirect sets as half, against the 4, 10–18 and 29 set marks. Method and sources.

Updated 2026-09-27. Canonical: https://povver.ai/tools/weekly-sets-checker

## The ranges

The same for every muscle group, in hard sets per week with indirect sets as half. Built for muscle growth.

| Mark | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Minimum effective (MEV) | 4 |
| Productive range (MAV) | 10–18 |
| Ceiling for adding sets (MRV) | 29 |

## The example week, counted

- Push: Bench Press (Barbell), 4 sets, RIR 2
- Push: Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Push: Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Push: Lateral Raise (Dumbbell), 4 sets, RIR 1
- Push: Triceps Pushdown (Cable), 3 sets, RIR 1
- Pull: Pull Up (Bodyweight), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Pull: Seated Row (Cable), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Pull: Face Pull (Cable), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Pull: Bicep Curl (Dumbbell), 3 sets, RIR 1
- Pull: Hammer Curl (Dumbbell), 2 sets, RIR 1
- Legs: Back Squat (Barbell), 4 sets, RIR 2
- Legs: Romanian Deadlift (Barbell), 3 sets, RIR 2
- Legs: Leg Press (Machine), 3 sets, RIR 3
- Legs: Leg Extension (Machine), 2 sets, RIR 4
- Legs: Lying Leg Curl (Machine), 3 sets, RIR 1
- Legs: Standing Calf Raise (Machine), 4 sets, RIR 1
- Legs: Hanging Leg Raise (Bodyweight), 3 sets, RIR not logged

51 hard sets; 2 sets not counted (RIR 4 or more).

| Muscle | Povver’s count | Direct only | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 7 | 7 | Above the minimum |
| Back | 9 | 9 | Above the minimum |
| Shoulders | 16.5 | 10 | In range |
| Biceps | 8 | 5 | Above the minimum |
| Triceps | 8 | 3 | Above the minimum |
| Quads | 7 | 7 | Above the minimum |
| Hamstrings | 9.5 | 6 | Above the minimum |
| Glutes | 10 | 10 | In range |
| Calves | 5.5 | 4 | Above the minimum |
| Abs | 3 | 3 | Below the minimum |

## What each exercise counts toward

Direct groups get 1 per hard set. Indirect groups get ½.

| Exercise | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|
| Arnold Press (Dumbbell) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Assisted Pull Up (Assisted Machine) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Back Extension (Hyperextension Bench) | Glutes, Hamstrings | Back |
| Back Squat (Barbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Bayesian Curl (Cable) | Biceps | – |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Bench Press (Dumbbell) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Bench Press (Smith Machine) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Bicep Curl (Barbell) | Biceps | – |
| Bicep Curl (Cable) | Biceps | – |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | Biceps | – |
| Bicep Curl (EZ Bar) | Biceps | – |
| Bulgarian Split Squat (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Chest Dip (Bodyweight) | Chest, Triceps | Shoulders |
| Chest Fly (Cable) | Chest | Shoulders |
| Chest Fly (Dumbbell) | Chest | Shoulders |
| Chest Fly (Machine) | Chest | Shoulders |
| Chest Press (Machine) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Chest Supported Row (Dumbbell) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Chest Supported Row (Machine) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Chin-up (Bodyweight) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Close-Grip Bench Press (Barbell) | Triceps | Shoulders, Chest |
| Close-Grip Lat Pulldown (Cable) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Concentration Curl (Dumbbell) | Biceps | – |
| Crunch (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Crunch (Cable) | Abs | – |
| Dead Bug (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | Back, Glutes, Hamstrings | Quads |
| Deadlift (Trap Bar) | Glutes, Quads | Back, Hamstrings |
| Decline Bench Press (Barbell) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Face Pull (Cable) | Shoulders, Back | – |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | Quads | Glutes, Hamstrings |
| Glute Bridge (Barbell) | Glutes | Hamstrings |
| Glute Kickback (Machine) | Glutes | Hamstrings |
| Goblet Squat (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | Glutes, Hamstrings | – |
| Hack Squat (Machine) | Quads | Glutes, Hamstrings |
| Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | Biceps | – |
| Hanging Knee Raise (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Hanging Leg Raise (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Hip Abduction (Machine) | Glutes | – |
| Hip Adduction (Machine) | Glutes | – |
| Hip Thrust (Barbell) | Glutes | Hamstrings |
| Hip Thrust (Machine) | Glutes | Hamstrings |
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | Chest | Shoulders, Triceps |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Incline Bench Press (Smith Machine) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Incline Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | Biceps | – |
| Incline Chest Fly (Dumbbell) | Chest | Shoulders |
| Landmine Press (Barbell) | Shoulders | Triceps, Chest |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Lateral Raise (Cable) | Shoulders | – |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | Shoulders | – |
| Lateral Raise (Machine) | Shoulders | – |
| Leg Extension (Machine) | Quads | – |
| Leg Press (Machine) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Lunge (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | Hamstrings | Calves |
| Lying Triceps Extension (EZ Bar) | Triceps | – |
| Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown (Cable) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Neutral Grip Pull-up (Pull-up Bar) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| One Arm Row (Dumbbell) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Overhead Triceps Extension (Cable) | Triceps | – |
| Overhead Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) | Triceps | – |
| Pallof Press (Cable) | Abs | – |
| Pendlay Row (Barbell) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Plank (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Preacher Curl (EZ Bar) | Biceps | – |
| Preacher Curl (Machine) | Biceps | – |
| Pull Up (Bodyweight) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Pull Up (Dip Belt) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Pullover (Cable) | Back | Shoulders |
| Pullover (Dumbbell) | Back | Shoulders, Chest |
| Push Press (Barbell) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Push Up (Bodyweight) | Chest | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Rack Pull (Barbell) | Back, Glutes, Hamstrings | Quads |
| Rear Delt Fly (Dumbbell) | Shoulders | Back |
| Rear Delt Fly (Machine) | Shoulders | Back |
| Reverse Lunge (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | Glutes, Hamstrings | – |
| Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Hamstrings | Back |
| Russian Twist (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Seated Calf Raise (Machine) | Calves | – |
| Seated Leg Curl (Machine) | Hamstrings | Calves |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Seated Overhead Press (Machine) | Shoulders | Triceps |
| Seated Row (Cable) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Seated Row (Machine) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Shrug (Barbell) | Back | – |
| Shrug (Dumbbell) | Back | – |
| Side Plank (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Hamstrings | – |
| Sit Up (Bodyweight) | Abs | – |
| Skullcrusher (Dumbbell) | Triceps | – |
| Split Squat (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Squat (Smith Machine) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Standing Calf Raise (Dumbbell) | Calves | – |
| Standing Calf Raise (Machine) | Calves | – |
| Sumo Deadlift (Barbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings, Back |
| T-Bar Row (Barbell) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |
| Triceps Dip (Dip Station) | Triceps | Shoulders, Chest |
| Triceps Kickback (Dumbbell) | Triceps | – |
| Triceps Pushdown (Cable) | Triceps | – |
| Upright Row (Barbell) | Shoulders, Back | Biceps |
| Walking Lunge (Dumbbell) | Glutes, Quads | Hamstrings |
| Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown (Cable) | Back | Biceps, Shoulders |

## What counts as a hard set

A working set that ended with 3 or fewer reps in reserve (RIR), or one with no RIR logged. Warm-ups are left out. A set with 4 or more in reserve does not count.

Only sets near failure count. Across a series of meta-regressions, muscle grew more as sets ended closer to failure, while strength gains barely changed with RIR (Robinson 2024). Povver draws the line at 3. An unrated working set counts, as it does in the app, so skipping RIR never shrinks your count.

## Direct and indirect sets

Each hard set counts 1 for every muscle the exercise trains directly and ½ for every muscle it trains indirectly. One set of bench press: chest 1, triceps ½, shoulders ½. Three sets give chest 3, triceps 1.5, shoulders 1.5.

The ½ comes from Pelland 2026, a meta-regression of 67 studies and 2,058 people that counted indirect sets three ways (in full, as half, not at all) and found that "the relative evidence for the 'fractional' quantification method was strongest." The lighter bar shows direct sets alone.

Each exercise's muscles come from Povver's exercise catalog. Where the catalog credited a muscle that only steadies the lift, such as biceps on a dumbbell bench, the table uses the corrected mapping.

Ten groups: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, abs. Traps count as back, adductors as glutes.

## The ranges

One range for every muscle, in hard sets per week, indirect sets as half:

- **Below 4:** below the minimum. Pelland 2026 found 4 weekly sets to be the smallest dose that grew muscle by a detectable amount.
- **4 to under 10:** above the minimum. Each extra set still adds growth, at a falling rate (Pelland 2026).
- **10 to 18:** in range, Povver's default target. Each extra weekly set added about 0.37% to growth in Schoenfeld 2017. Baz-Valle 2022 put the best range for young trained men at 12 to 20.
- **Above 18, up to 29:** high. In this band, Pelland 2026 estimates about 11 more weekly sets for each further detectable gain.
- **Above 29:** past the ceiling. Povver stops suggesting more sets here. Pelland 2026's next tier, 30 to 42 sets, still grew muscle, but at about 12.5 more weekly sets for each detectable gain, and few studies went that high. None measured a recovery limit, so 29 is not one.

In the app these are MEV (4), MAV (10–18) and MRV (29).

The ranges are for muscle growth. Strength is different: in Pelland 2026, strength gains flattened from about 5 weekly sets per muscle, and more sets did not reliably add a detectable gain. In the app, your own plan can move the target.

## How far to trust it

These are averages across studies, and one lifter's best volume can sit well above or below the band. The count shows where a week lands. Your progress shows whether the band fits.

## In the Povver app

Povver counts this for you every week from the sets you log, against the same default ranges.

## Sources

1. Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Med. 2026;56(2):481–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073–1082. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
3. Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet. 2022;81:199–210. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
4. Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Exploring the dose–response relationship between estimated resistance training proximity to failure, strength gain, and muscle hypertrophy: a series of meta-regressions. Sports Med. 2024;54(9):2209–2231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2