Adherence
Progressive increases in resistance training volume (weekly sets) linearly increase perceptual strain and monotony, but these perceptual metrics do not predict muscle hypertrophy (muscle thickness).
If you are increasing your weekly training sets, expect your perceived strain and monotony to go up. However, do not assume that this increased strain will lead to more muscle growth. The study found no link between how hard you perceive the training to be and actual muscle thickness gains. Focus on managing volume to avoid non-functional overreaching rather than chasing high strain as a proxy for hypertrophy.
These findings suggest that progressive increases in weekly-set volume influence perceptual responses; however, these responses do not appear to be related to changes in muscle thickness.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with trained subjects, clear intervention, and objective perceptual measures, though sample size is moderate (n=31).
Source
Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship between Resistance-Training Volume and Psychophysiological Responses in Trained Males
Alysson Enes et al. · Journal of Human Kinetics · 2025
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