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Dr. Michael Hunter's Wellness

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You are here: Home / health / 💪 Why Doing Less Builds More Muscle (At Any Age)
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💪 Why Doing Less Builds More Muscle (At Any Age)

May 4, 2025 · In: exercise, fitness, health, Lifestyle, Wellness

💪 The 12-Set Rule: Why Doing Less Builds More Muscle (At Any Age). What shocked me most wasn’t that 12 sets worked; more worked worse.

🔑 TL;DR: A new study shows 12 weekly sets may be ideal for strength and hypertrophy. More volume didn’t improve muscle gain and hurt recovery, especially in older lifters like me.

🧠 What If You’ve Been Overtraining This Whole Time?
As a competitive amateur bodybuilder in the over-60 category, I’ve tried every volume strategy you can imagine — German volume training, high-frequency splits, pyramid sets, you name it.

But a new study just revealed what might be the biggest training unlock of the year:

👉 12 sets per muscle group per week might be the sweet spot. Go beyond that, and you may hit the wall of diminishing returns.

Learn more with this FREE FRIEND LINK to my Medium.com essay, 💪 The 12-Set Rule: Why Doing Less Builds More Muscle (At Any Age):

View at Medium.com

By: Dr. Michael Hunter · In: exercise, fitness, health, Lifestyle, Wellness · Tagged: exercise, fitness, fitness and health, health, lifestyle, weight loss, weightlifting, wellness

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Meet Dr. Hunter

Your go-to source for all things wellness. I am Michael Hunter. I practice radiation oncology in the Seattle area and have a particular interest in health. I am delighted that you have joined me here. Thank you.

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