Last updated on December 19, 2025
New research has renewed the debate about low repetition range to increase muscle hypertrophy. Reviewed by House of Hypertrophy (HoH), research reveals evidence that challenges conventional advice.
One to five repetitions is considered the point of strength, where hypertrophy is seen. Because of mechanical strength, volume, fatigue management, and joint health, the six to 12 rep range is often considered the sweet spot for muscle growth..
Do fewer sets of three to five repetitions produce the same or better growth stimulus?
Lesson
Fourteen trained individuals with at least two years of lifting experience performed single leg presses and extensions. (1) Subjects trained one leg for three to five repetitions to voluntary failure using heavy loads, while the other leg performed 20-25 repetitions to failure with lighter weights. The workouts consisted of three sets per session with two-minute rest periods between sets, training twice a week for nine weeks.
Do 3 to 5 Reps Produce Better Gains?
“Increase in muscle strength was not significantly different between conditions,” HoH noted. As other studies have determined, different levels of repetition can produce similar hypertrophy results. (2) (3)
However, while total muscle tension increased in both repetition categories tested, no increase in muscle fiber cross-sectional area was shown from the biopsies, probably due to sampling limitations.
“Biopsies apparently removed a small portion of muscle,” HoH reported. “On paper, a little more than 150 fibers were contained in each biopsy, but tissues, even small ones, often have thousands of fibers.”
Training Failure and Hypertrophy
Are all subjects equally trained to fail, and does it matter? This was not entirely clear, although verbal signs encouraged the effort. The literature shows that trained lifters may benefit from pushing sets to failure, but training habits and individual effort may skew the results. (4)
Short Answer Question
Determining the minimum number of repetitions to induce hypertrophy is complicated, as most studies report a range of repetitions. Individual differences, including genetics, training habits, nutrition, health, and exercise fatigue, determine how people can perform different rep counts at similar percentages of their one-rep max. (5)
Previously HoH mentioned a range of six to 35 reps for hypertrophy. Only six studies tested five or fewer repetitions, many with confounding variables, such as more sets or longer rest periods.
Adding more sets of three to five reps and longer rests improves the stimulus for growth. Only two studies support three to five reps with these variables; the totality of the evidence is relatively small.
A Different Demon
Small sample studies may fail to represent the truth because of measurement error, sample heterogeneity, or genetic differences between groups. This study, although promising, is limited, with only 14 subjects.
If your goal is muscle hypertrophy…train with six or more repetitions per set.
– House of Hypertrophy
How to Use Science
Those who benefit from three to five reps should stick with it and mix the reps for combined health and various motivations. While new research suggests that three to five repetitions can increase hypertrophy when performed to failure, the evidence is not strong enough to confirm that it is equally hypertrophic.
Six repetitions or more is still a safe minimum to maximize muscle gains, but some low rep work is still good for strength and motor unit recruitment.
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References
- Toldnes Cumming, K. (2025, May 1). Comparative strength and hypertrophic adaptations in low-load and high-load exercise training [Preprint]. bioRxiv.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of High-Low Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Power Cond Res. 2015 October;29(10):2954-63. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958. PMID: 25853914.
- Lopez P, Radaelli R, Taaffe DR, Newton RU, Galvão DA, Trajano GS, Teodoro JL, Kraemer WJ, Häkkinen K, Pinto RS. Resistance Training Load Effects on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Jun 1;53(6):1206-1216. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002585. Erratum in: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Feb 1;54(2):370. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002838. PMID: 33433148; PMCID: PMC8126497.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Assessing Dose-Response Relationships Between Limited Resistance Training Near Failure, Strength Gains, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions. Sports Med. 2024 Sep;54(9):2209-2231. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2. Epub 2024 Jul 6. PMID: 38970765.
- Nuzzo JL, Pinto MD, Nosaka K, Steele J. Maximum Repetition Limits for One-Repetition Maximums: Meta-Regression Analysis and Moderators of Gender, Age, Training Status, and Exercise. Sports Med. 2024 Feb;54(2):303-321. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01937-7. Epub 2023 Oct 4. PMID: 37792272; PMCID: PMC10933212.
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