Myth #2: More Training = More Muscle
Growth = stimulus × recovery — not sets × ego. Hardgainers grow with quality, not junk volume.
Notice
🪓 The myth: more training = more muscle?
“If I train twice as much, I’ll grow twice as fast.” Sounds logical — but it’s wrong. Beyond a point, more becomes less.
🔍 Why this muscle-growth myth persists
- “No pain, no gain” misread: Effort is confused with endless sets.
- Beginner gains: Early on, “more” appears to work — later it stalls.
- Social-media bias: Workload gets shown; recovery doesn’t.
👉 Reality: Hypertrophy follows the SRA curve (stimulus → recovery → adaptation). Constant “stimulus” blocks “adaptation”.
📊 The facts: training volume, MEV & SRA curve
- Stimulus-to-fatigue ratio: More sets ≠ more growth. Beyond the sweet spot, fatigue rises faster than returns.
- Minimum Effective Volume (MEV): The smallest effective dose triggers growth — not maximal destruction.
- RIR/RPE: 0–2 reps in reserve per working set are enough to force adaptation.
- Deload & rest: Not weakness — it’s how supercompensation happens.
Example:
A hardgainer trains chest with 20 sets/week.
Result: Fatigue > adaptation.
Better: 10–12 high-quality sets focused on technique, progression, RIR 1–2.
→ More recovery, more muscle growth.
🔗 Research (selection):
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Dose–response between weekly volume and hypertrophy. J Sports Sci.
- Schoenfeld BJ et al. (2019). Volume enhances hypertrophy (not necessarily strength) in trained men. MSSE.
- Pareja-Blanco F et al. (2020). Velocity loss & adaptations in bench press. Scand J Med Sci Sports.
- Rodiles-Guerrero L et al. (2022). 0–50% velocity-loss thresholds. IJSPP.
🏋️ Hardgainer training — what actually works
- Train hard, not endlessly.
- Use progression as the benchmark (more weight, more reps, better technique).
- Respect the SRA curve: stimulus → recovery → adaptation.
- Plan deloads and rest days deliberately.
- Quality beats quantity: one clean, heavy set > three half-hearted ones.
👉 Also read: Am I a Hardgainer? or What is a Hardgainer?
⚡ Conclusion: quality over quantity for hypertrophy
More training doesn’t mean more muscle. What truly matters:
- Sufficient stimulus (hit MEV)
- Adequate recovery (honor the SRA curve)
- Consistency (months & years, not marathon sessions)
👉 Your body doesn’t need 30 sets — it needs the right stimulus, followed by recovery.
MYTH: “More training = more muscle.”
FACT: Precision + recovery = growth.
REMEMBER: Train less — but harder — and grow more.