Build Strength and Muscle With Just One Set Per Exercise, Says Study
The minimal effective dose for strength and hypertrophy has garnered significant attention in evidence-based lifting circles recently. It's not that we're lazy and looking for shortcuts, but our time is precious — why train more when you can train smart? Equally, for anyone genuinely struggling with time constraints, if the barrier to entry can be lowered as much as possible, perhaps more of us will reap the many rewards that strength training can offer – including making you smarter.
Now, a new study provides robust evidence that single-set training (yes, just one set) is effective and efficient at increasing muscle growth, strength, endurance, and power. More progress in less time? Here's what the research says.
The Study
The study, available as a preprint on SportRχiv, examined the effects of single-set resistance training performed to muscular failure, versus training with 2 reps in reserve (2 reps left before failure) on various muscular adaptations. It aimed to assess the practicality of time-efficient, low-volume training routines for trained lifters.
The Methods
The methods of the study included:
A comparison of single-set resistance training, either performed to failure (FAIL) or with 2 reps in reserve (RIR-2) to examine muscular adaptations.
42 resistance-trained participants aged 18-40.
Participants completed the eight-week programme, which consisted of two full-body training sessions per week. Each session included nine exercises performed for a single set of 8-12 reps at maximum capacity.
In the FAIL group, participants trained to the point of muscular failure, while the RIR-2 group stopped when they felt 2 reps remained possible before failure.
Exercises included: lat pulldown, seated cable row, machine shoulder press, machine chest press, cable triceps pushdown, dumbbell biceps curl, smith machine squat, plate-loaded leg press and machine leg extension.
Analysis of muscle thickness (via ultrasound), strength (1-rep max for bench press and squat), muscular power (jump height), and endurance (leg extensions at 60% body weight) were measured before and after the intervention.
Analysis used robust Bayesian methods to assess the differences between groups.
The Results
The researchers found:
Both training groups achieved significant muscular adaptations with single-set training.
Muscle growth increased across all measurement sites, with the quads showing greater gains than the upper body.
The FAIL group showed slightly greater hypertrophy, but the differences were small.
Strength improvements in the bench press and squat were similar for both groups, as were gains in muscular endurance and recovery.
Muscular power, measured by jump height, slightly increased in the FAIL group, though without strong statistical difference.
Both training groups proved effective for time-efficient training, with RIR-2 offering similar benefits to the FAIL group, while potentially being a more comfortable and sustainable option.
The Conclusion
The researchers concluded that significant muscular adaptations can be achieved with single-set training in just two 30-minute total-body training sessions per week over eight weeks. This, they said, supports the idea that lack of time need not be a barrier to consistent training. Despite reducing training volume to a single set, compared to multiple-set routines participants maintained or even increased muscle mass.
Hypertrophy improvements slightly favoured training to failure, but results showed no strong differences between this and training with 2 reps in reserve.
Strength and endurance improvements increased regardless of proximity to failure, suggesting having 2 reps in reserve provides comparable benefits with less discomfort, perhaps encouraging long-term adherence. Participants also improved their ability to estimate reps in reserve, especially in the bench press.
What Does This Mean for Us?
If you're tight on time, single-set training working close to failure could be an effective method for achieving strength and muscular gains. This is supported by a recent review examining the minimal and optimal doses for strength and muscular gain.
The systematic review, available as a preprint on SportRχiv, found that the most effective range for strength gains was around 2 sets per week per muscle group, and the minimum effective dose for strength was found to be around one weekly set per muscle group.
From this new study on single-set training, we can also say that we needn't work to failure in these single sets, and working with 2 reps left in the tank should be sufficient for muscle growth and strength gains. This is further supported by evidence suggesting that working to failure isn't necessary for strength, or indeed for muscle growth. In many ways this is very good news, because working to actual muscular failure is more uncomfortable and demanding, and increases the risk of injury and need for recovery. So, stopping just short pays off.
It's important to note that while this could be the minimal effective dose, that doesn't mean it is necessarily optimal, and we should adjust our rep ranges, sets and weights to suit our abilities, time constraints and goals. For muscular hypertrophy, higher training volumes will result in more gains. For further, more tailored advice, you can read our guides on these programming variables mentioned, here:
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