Energy balance
Increasing resistance training volume from moderate (3 sets/exercise) to high (5 sets/exercise) does not improve lean mass or muscle thickness preservation during a moderate caloric deficit in trained males.
If you are dieting to lose fat but want to keep your muscle, you do not need to drastically increase your training volume. A moderate volume (e.g., 3 sets per exercise) is just as effective as high volume (5 sets) for preserving muscle mass, provided you are eating enough protein (approx. 2.8g/kg FFM) and maintaining a moderate caloric deficit. Focus on keeping weights heavy (close to failure) rather than adding extra sets.
High-volume resistance training appears to have neither an advantage nor disadvantage over moderate-volume resistance training in terms of maintaining lean mass or muscle thickness.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with controlled diet and supervised training, though the sample size (n=38) is modest and the duration is short (6 weeks).
Source
Resistance training volume does not influence lean mass preservation during energy restriction in trained males
Christian Roth et al. · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · 2022
DOI 10.1111/sms.14237
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