Training Volume Calculator — Tonnage & Weekly Sets
Add up your session tonnage and weekly hard sets per muscle — the two volume numbers worth tracking.
- Strength
- 2 cited sources
- Runs in your browser
Session volume
2,400 kg tonnage
Hard sets per muscle
- chest: 3
Research counts weekly hard sets per muscle as the key volume metric — roughly 10–20 for trained lifters. Log a whole week here to compare against that range.
Methodology
Two complementary volume measures:
- Tonnage = sets × reps × load, summed across exercises — total mechanical work in kilograms.
- Hard sets per muscle — the count of work sets (taken within ~4 reps of failure) assigned to each muscle group, the volume currency used in modern hypertrophy research.
Interpreting your result
For muscle growth, the hard-set count is the number to manage. Meta-analyses (Schoenfeld et al., 2017) show a dose–response relationship: growth begins with as few as 4–5 weekly sets per muscle and increases with volume up to a point of diminishing — then negative — returns, with 10–20 weekly hard sets a sensible range for most trained lifters. Log a full week of training here to compare against that range.
Tonnage suits strength-block comparisons: the same exercises across weeks, where rising tonnage at stable technique signals progressive overload. Comparing tonnage across different exercises or rep ranges is close to meaningless — 10,000 kg of deadlifts and 10,000 kg of lateral raises are different universes.
Limitations
- Set counting conventions differ (how to credit compound lifts to secondary muscles); whatever convention you choose, keep it consistent.
- Warm-ups don't count, and sets stopped far from failure count less than the arithmetic suggests.
- More volume only helps if you recover from it — the research dose–response assumes adequate sleep, food and time between sessions.
Sources
Pull the receipts — 2 cited sources
FitTools · sources
- 01 Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073–1082
- 02 Baz-Valle E, et al. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 2022;81:199–210
Every formula cited ✓
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a hard set?
- A set taken close to failure — within about 4 reps in reserve. Warm-ups don't count. Weekly hard sets per muscle is the volume currency most hypertrophy research uses.
- How many sets per muscle per week do I need?
- Meta-analyses find growth from as little as 4 weekly sets, with more volume producing more growth up to a point — commonly 10–20 hard sets per muscle for trained lifters. Start lower and add only when progress stalls.
- What is tonnage and does it matter?
- Tonnage is sets × reps × load summed across exercises. It tracks total mechanical work and is useful for comparing sessions of similar exercises — but a heavy deadlift session and a high-rep arm day aren't comparable by tonnage alone.
- Do sets for compound lifts count for every muscle involved?
- Common practice counts direct movers fully and secondary muscles as half, though conventions differ. This tool counts each entry toward the single muscle you assign it — keep your own convention consistent.
Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale — MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
Last reviewed:
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