Key Takeaways
- Your goal decides the numbers. For strength, ACSM 2026 links gains to loads of 80% of 1RM or more, 2 to 3 sets and at least 2 sessions a week[1].
- For muscle size there is no single best rep range. ACSM 2026 found growth was enhanced at 10 or more sets per muscle group a week, and similar across loads from 30% to 100% of 1RM[1].
- The rep and rest ranges come from the older ACSM 2009 stand[2]. ACSM 2026 gives loads, sets and sessions, and found rest length made no consistent difference to strength.
- Where no source gives a figure, the page says "unavailable" and leaves it at that. That covers weekly sets for strength, endurance and power, and reps for power.
What Sets and Reps Mean
A rep is one lift and lower of the weight, and a set is a group of reps done without resting.
ACSM 2026 counts volume as the number of sets per exercise[1]. So 3 sets of 10 reps is 30 reps, and 3 sets of that exercise.
The calculator starts from your goal, because the sources give different numbers for each one. The optional boxes add a weekly sets check, weights from your 1RM, and volume load.
Volume load is sets × reps × weight. ACSM 2026 defines weekly volume load across all exercises, so the number here covers a single exercise only[1].
Sets and Reps by Goal
Here is the full chart, with the source beside each figure. "Unavailable" means none of the sources used gives one.
| Goal | Reps | Load | Sets | Weekly sets | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 1 to 6 (ACSM 2009, Schoenfeld 2021) | 80% of 1RM or more (ACSM 2026, Schoenfeld 2021) | 2 to 3 (ACSM 2026) | unavailable | 3 to 5 min (ACSM 2009) |
| Muscle size | 6 to 12 (ACSM 2009) | About 30% of 1RM or more (ACSM 2026, Schoenfeld 2021) | At least 2 (ACSM 2026) | 10 or more per muscle (ACSM 2026, Pelland 2026) | 1 to 2 min (ACSM 2009) |
| Muscular endurance | More than 15 (ACSM 2009) | 40 to 60% of 1RM (ACSM 2009) | At least 2 (ACSM 2026) | unavailable | Under 90 s (ACSM 2009) |
| Power | unavailable | 30 to 70% of 1RM, lifted fast (ACSM 2026) | 3 to 5 (ACSM 2009) | unavailable | 3 to 5 min (ACSM 2009) |
Load, sets and sessions for strength, muscle size and power lean on ACSM 2026. Reps, rest and endurance lean on ACSM 2009. For endurance, the 2 sets are ACSM 2026's general advice for healthy adults.
ACSM 2026 is an overview of 137 systematic reviews of randomised trials in healthy adults aged 18 and over[1]. ACSM 2009 is the older position stand, quoted as published[2].
Muscle Size: Why There Is No Magic Rep Range
ACSM 2026 found that weekly sets made a difference to muscle growth and load did not.
The traditional advice puts muscle growth at 8 to 12 reps with 60 to 80% of 1RM, and ACSM 2009 emphasises 6 to 12RM[2][3]. The newer work is less strict.
ACSM 2026 found no difference in hypertrophy between loads from 30% to 100% of 1RM[1]. Schoenfeld and colleagues reviewed the same question and reached a similar answer: comparable growth across loads of about 30% of 1RM and up[3].
They do say a case can be made for moderate loads on practical grounds, because light loads mean many more reps and heavy loads take more sets to match the growth[3]. So 6 to 12 reps is a sensible default, not a rule.
How the Weights Are Worked Out
Enter a 1RM and you get two tables. One is a straight percent of that number, and the other reads the Helms RPE chart.
Weight = 1RM × percent ÷ 100
Rounded to your plate step, such as 2.5 kg
Worked example: 100 kg 1RM, strength
80% of 100 kg = 80 kg
85% of 100 kg = 85 kg
90% of 100 kg = 90 kg
95% of 100 kg = 95 kg
100% of 100 kg = 100 kg
The second table gives the weight for 1 to 8 reps at the RPE you pick. It comes from Table 2 of Helms and colleagues[6]. RPE here counts reps left in reserve, so RPE 10 is a set to failure.
Worked example: 5 reps at RPE 8, 100 kg 1RM
The Helms chart puts 5 reps at RPE 8 at 81% of 1RM
81% of 100 kg = 81 kg
| Reps | RPE 10 | RPE 9 | RPE 8 | RPE 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100% | 95% | 91% | 87% |
| 2 | 95% | 91% | 87% | 85% |
| 3 | 91% | 87% | 85% | 83% |
| 4 | 87% | 85% | 83% | 81% |
| 5 | 85% | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| 6 | 83% | 81% | 79% | 76% |
| 7 | 81% | 79% | 76% | 73% |
| 8 | 79% | 76% | 73% | 70% |
Percent of 1RM for 1 to 8 reps by RPE (Helms et al., 2016, Table 2). Only three values were measured, in trained lifters doing the back squat. The rest are estimates, and the authors say it is not an absolute conversion tool.
Don't know your 1RM? Use the One Rep Max Calculator or the RPE to 1RM Calculator first.
Weekly Sets and How to Split Them
ACSM 2026 found muscle growth was enhanced at 10 or more sets per muscle group a week[1].
Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger pooled 15 studies and found each extra weekly set went with a 0.37% larger gain in muscle size[4]. When they grouped sets as under 5, 5 to 9 and 10 or more, the difference was only a trend (P = 0.074), so 10 is not a hard line.
Returns do shrink eventually. ACSM 2026 reports that the Pelland meta-regression flattened at about 18 to 20 weekly sets for hypertrophy[1][5], and at about 2 to 3 sets of an exercise for strength[1]. No source gives a maximum.
Worked example: 10 weekly sets over 3 sessions, 10 reps at 60 kg
Sets per session: 4, 3, 3
Volume load per session: 4 × 10 × 60 = 2400 kg; 3 × 10 × 60 = 1800 kg; 3 × 10 × 60 = 1800 kg
The even split is just a convenience. ACSM 2026 compared 1 day a week with more than 5 and found similar hypertrophy when total volume was equal[1].
Strength looks different. Pelland and colleagues found strength gains rose with frequency, with diminishing returns[5], and ACSM 2026 reports at least 2 sessions a week without naming an upper limit[1].
To plan sets muscle by muscle, try the Hypertrophy Volume Landmarks Planner or the Workout Volume Calculator.
Rest Between Sets
ACSM 2009 gives 3 to 5 minutes for heavy strength sets and for power, 1 to 2 minutes for hypertrophy, and under 90 seconds for muscular endurance[2].
ACSM 2026 is less firm. It found short rests (under 1 minute) and long rests (over 1 minute) made no consistent difference to strength, and had insufficient data on rest for hypertrophy[1].
So treat the rest column as a starting point from an older stand, and let how you feel between sets override it. The Rest Time Between Sets Calculator goes into more detail.
Where the Figures Are Thin
- Endurance. ACSM 2026 found resistance training improves muscular endurance, but had insufficient data on whether load or volume changes it[1]. The figures here are from ACSM 2009, and Schoenfeld 2021 calls the evidence for a load-specific effect equivocal[3].
- Power. ACSM 2026 lists loads of 30 to 70% of 1RM and low-to-moderate volume, written as repetitions × sets of 24 or fewer[1]. This page does not turn that into a prescription.
- New lifters. ACSM 2026 found strength rose with heavier loads[1], but ACSM 2009 recommends 8 to 12RM for people new to lifting and keeps the 1 to 6RM emphasis for intermediate and advanced lifters[2].
- Going to failure. ACSM 2026 found training to failure did not consistently change strength or hypertrophy results[1]. Its main advice is high effort at least twice a week, which it says can be reached with various loads and sets.
- Who was studied. The reviews covered healthy adults aged 18 and over[1]. Nothing here speaks to injury, pregnancy, medical conditions or people under 18.
Using the Result
A simple way to use it
- Pick the goal you are training for. If you train for two, run the calculator once for each.
- Enter your sessions per week, and your weekly sets if you know them. The check only compares against ranges a source actually gives.
- Add a 1RM to get weights, and round them to the plates you own.
- If you are new to lifting, ACSM 2009 suggests starting with 8 to 12RM loads[2].
- When a set gets easy, raise the load or reps with the Progressive Overload Calculator.
What This Page Does Not Cover
Beginner, intermediate and advanced set tables
The sources used give no set counts by training age, so none are shown.
A session-time adjustment
No source ties session length to sets and reps, so the tool does not change anything for it.
Weekly sets for strength, endurance and power
No weekly range appears in the sources used, so these goals only get the split across sessions.
Reps for power
The sources give a load and a volume cap but no rep range, so the row says unavailable.
Rep weights above 8 reps
The Helms chart stops at 8 reps. Use the percent of 1RM table for lighter sets.
Fat loss
The sources used give no sets and reps for fat loss specifically.
Exercise choice, order and tempo
They matter, but they are outside this tool. The Tempo and TUT Calculator covers tempo.
Deloads and recovery
No deload rule is applied. The Muscle Recovery Calculator covers recovery.
ACSM 2026 and Schoenfeld 2021 were checked against their full text. ACSM 2009, Schoenfeld 2017 and Pelland 2026 were checked against their published abstracts, so the full articles may say more. The Helms chart values were compared with the published table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
- American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: an overview of reviews. Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, Lowisz CV, Rawson ES, Schoenfeld BJ, Smith-Ryan AE, Steen JP, Thomas GA, Triplett NT, Washington TA, Werner TJ, Phillips SM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 58(4):851-872 (2026)
- American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Ratamess NA, Alvar BA, Evetoch TK, Housh TJ, Kibler WB, Kraemer WJ, Triplett NT. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 41(3):687-708 (2009)
- Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Sports 9(2):32 (2021)
- Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Journal of Sports Sciences 35(11):1073-1082 (2017)
- The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. Sports Medicine 56(2):481-505 (2026)
- Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Strength and Conditioning Journal 38(4):42-49 (2016)
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NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of hands-on experience helping people build strength, lose fat, and live healthier lives. Specializing in gym-based workouts with a strong focus on lifting technique, biomechanics, and practical exercise science. Through FitLifeRegime, sharing the tools, tips, and insights that have worked for hundreds of clients — helping you start your own fitness journey with confidence and clarity.
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Disclaimer: This tool is for informational and personal journaling purposes only. Results are estimates based on published formulas and may vary based on individual factors such as genetics, training history, and measurement technique.