Limited evidence

People new to lifting make real gains from very little, though more volume produces more, even at the start.

In practice

A new lifter's first weeks don't need to be long to work — around four hard sets a muscle a week is enough to make progress. That's why the app starts beginners on less: it's easier to recover from and to keep turning up for. It's a starting point, not a ceiling. More volume still pays off early, and the plan grows as you do.

What it doesn't say

The comparison of one set against three comes from a single eight-week trial of 34 sedentary young men, where three sets did better. The four-set minimum is a practical recommendation from a narrative review, not a trial designed to find a beginner's ideal dose. Starting beginners lower is partly a judgement about recovery and sticking with it, not a finding that less is better.

Sources

• Iversen VM, Norum M, Schoenfeld BJ, Fimland MS (2021). No time to lift? Designing time-efficient training programs for strength and hypertrophy: a narrative review. Sports Medicine, 51(10):2079–2095. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1
• Coskun IA, Kafkas ME (2026). Comparative effects of single vs. multiple-set resistance training on neuromuscular performance and muscle morphology in sedentary men. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01874-8