Training Volume Calculator — MEV, MAV and MRV per Muscle Group
How much training volume do you actually need to grow? Add your weekly exercises and find out whether you're in the optimal range (MAV), below the minimum effective dose (MEV), or past the maximum recoverable volume (MRV) for each muscle group. Science-based thresholds from Renaissance Periodization landmarks, adapted to your training experience.
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How sets are actually counted
Hard sets, not warm-ups. Only count sets taken close to failure (RPE ≥ 7, i.e. 0–3 reps in reserve). Warm-up, deload and technique sets don't contribute to growth stimulus.
Compounds count for multiple muscles. 1 bench press set counts 1 for chest (primary) and 0.5 each for triceps and front delts (secondary). 1 pull-up set counts 1 for back and 0.5 for biceps. Ignoring secondaries is the most common way to underestimate real volume.
Junk volume: adding isolation exercises without accounting for the compounds you're already doing. Typical result: you think you're doing 8 sets of biceps (8 curls) but it's actually 14 (curls + 6 secondary from pull-ups).
Bench press 4×2 = 8 primary chest sets + 4 secondary triceps + 4 secondary front delts. Chest fly 3×1 = 3 chest sets (isolation). Dips 3×1 = 3 chest sets + 1.5 secondary triceps. Real chest volume: 14 sets/week.
MEV / MAV / MRV thresholds per muscle group
Weekly sets per muscle group. MAV values are the optimal hypertrophy range (grow here). MEV is the minimum to stimulate, MRV the maximum recoverable.
| Muscle | MEV | MAV (range) | MRV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 8 | 12–18 | 22 |
| Back | 10 | 14–22 | 25 |
| Shoulders | 8 | 12–20 | 24 |
| Biceps | 8 | 12–18 | 20 |
| Triceps | 8 | 12–18 | 20 |
| Quadriceps | 8 | 12–18 | 22 |
| Hamstrings | 8 | 12–18 | 20 |
| Glutes | 8 | 12–18 | 20 |
| Calves | 8 | 12–18 | 20 |
| Abs | 0 | 10–16 | 20 |
Training volume — FAQ
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Download on Google Play- Schoenfeld, B. J. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. Journal of Sports Sciences.
- Israetel, M., Hoffmann, J., Smith, C. W. (2017). Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training. Renaissance Periodization.
- Helms, E. R. et al. (2016). Application of the Repetitions in Reserve-Based RPE for Resistance Training. Strength and Conditioning Journal.
- Project Invictus — Volume di allenamento: cos'è e come calcolarlo (IT authority source).