When people first get into working out, they usually have some questions. One of the most common ones I get when it comes to workouts is: "How many exercises per muscle group?"
Like many things in fitness, the answer isn't one-size-fits-all. It may vary based on your fitness level and personal goals.
Understanding how many exercises per muscle group you need is crucial for designing an effective workout program ... but it's not as simple as picking a random number.
Whether you're looking to bulk up or slim down may play a role in how many exercises you should do. It's not like there's a magic number though.
Other factors, including what type of exercise you're choosing, your workout split, and how often you work out matter too.
A good average is to choose 2-5 exercises per muscle group per workout. There's more to it than a generalization like that, though!
Today, I'll cover everything you need to know to make the best decision for how many exercises per muscle group you should do.
In This Article You Will Learn:
• The Ideal Number of Exercises Per Muscle Group Based on Experience Level
• How to Adjust Repetitions and Sets for Your Goals
• Exercise Recommendations Based on Specific Fitness Goals
• How to Choose the Right Workout Split
• Tips for Maximizing Your Routine
• Whether You Should Work Out Every Day
How Many Exercises Per Muscle Group Should You Do?
How many exercises per muscle group you do is important, but it doesn't have to be an exact number. There is, however, a beneficial range you can stay between.
When it comes to muscle growth, for example, each workout you want to aim for 2–4 sets of 8–10 different exercises total (1).
If you’re doing a chest and triceps workout, that’s roughly 4-5 exercises per muscle group. If you’re targeting your whole upper body, it’s about 2 exercises per muscle group.
Although this range is broad, that’s because there are different ways to train. It depends on your goals, training schedule, and fitness level.
If you’re going for fat loss, the main thing that matters is burning more calories than you take in. You can get that done in a million ways.
You can see great results doing 2 exercises per muscle group. You can also see great results doing 4-5.
When it comes to the exercises you do choose, though, there are some things to keep in mind.
Ideally, each exercise should focus on different aspects of the muscle. Think of it as engaging it in different ways to ensure balanced growth and development.
For example, if you’re focusing on the chest, a typical workout might include:
• Flat bench press for overall chest development
• Incline dumbbell press to emphasize the upper chest
• Chest dips for lower & outer chest development
• Cable flyes to enhance chest isolation and stretch
Similarly, for legs, you might consider:
• Squats for overall leg strength and mass
• Leg presses for targeting your quadriceps
• Glute bridges for glute development
• Calf raises to build up your calves
Each exercise should be selected with the primary goal of balanced muscle development. You don’t want to overwork one area and leave others lagging behind.
Remember, more is not always better. The quality of your sets is far more important than quantity.
Focusing on proper form, intensity, and progression in your workouts is very important. Those will give better results than simply increasing the number of exercises.
How Many Repetitions and Sets Should I Do for Each Exercise?
The number of sets and repetitions you perform in each exercise is important too.
So, how many should you do? You may want to consider the size of the muscle group you're training.
For larger muscle groups such as legs, chest, and back, aim for 3-4 "hard sets" per exercise.
For smaller muscle groups like your shoulders and arms, 2-3 "hard sets" are generally fine.
Here's how you can adjust your rep ranges based on specific goals:
Strength
If your primary goal is to increase strength, you'll want to focus on lower rep ranges. This is usually 6 reps or fewer.
This approach requires lifting heavier weights that you can only do for a few reps. It's much different than just stopping at 6 reps for no reason. Lifting heavier weights over time will tell your body it's time to increase strength so you can handle them.
Strength & Muscle Size
If you want to build both strength and muscle, aim for 6-12 reps per set. This range increases both mechanical tension and metabolic fatigue that drive muscle growth.
This makes it a popular choice for bodybuilders and recreational lifters alike. If you want to maximize muscle growth, make sure you do roughly 12-20 sets per week targeting each muscle group (2).
I will say though, if you train close to failure, you can see great results in muscle growth doing as many as 25 reps per set. The burn gets pretty gnarly, but I've used it in my own training and it works as well. You just have to make sure you're squeezing your muscles hard and progressing the weight over time.
Endurance
To improve muscular endurance, target higher rep ranges of 13-20+ and go as long as you can. This training focuses on enhancing the muscle's ability to sustain prolonged effort. This can be beneficial for athletic performance as well as everyday activities.
In general, if you're using heavier weights for strength-based goals, you'll be doing less reps per set. In that case, it's beneficial to throw a couple more sets in to hit a desired volume (Sets x Reps x Weight).
On the other hand, if you're doing more endurance-based training, you'll do more reps. In that case, you can get away with less sets to hit the same amount of volume.
Just make sure that whatever set and rep scheme you choose is based around your goals.
Exercises Per Muscle Group Based on Goals
Another factor that can influence how many exercises per muscle group you do is your goal. Different goals may change the way you train to an extent.
Cutting
When your goal is to reduce body fat, your training needs to be consistent. A more important variable, though, will be overall calorie balance.
It's more about how active you are as a whole than how many exercises per muscle group you do. Obviously, the more exercises you do, the more calories you'll burn.
...But that doesn't mean you need to do 10 exercises per muscle group every workout. Stick to the 2-5 exercises per muscle group each workout and you'll be fine.
Just make sure you're pushing yourself in each set and not holding back.
To maintain muscle while you cut, you'll need a higher protein intake too (3). So, your diet is going to matter a lot here.
Bulking
For those looking to build muscle, I'd shoot for 4-5 exercises per muscle group per workout. You need a little extra volume to build muscle effectively.
With this goal, I lean toward the high end of the 2-5 exercise recommendation I gave earlier.
When choosing them, make sure they each target the muscle in a different way. It doesn't have to be anything crazy. I'm not asking you to do bicep curls upside down.
As I said earlier, you can target your muscles differently by changing the incline angle. You can also switch it up to using cables instead of free weights.
There are quite a few different ways to do it. As long as there is variety, you'll see more well-rounded muscle development.
Level of Expertise & Training Age
How much experience you have will also change how many exercises per muscle group you need to do.
Beginners
If you're new to lifting, your muscles will probably respond well to less than a seasoned lifter will. You could aim for 2-3 different exercises per muscle group and see great results.
You could also do 4-5 exercises per muscle group if you want, but it's less necessary if you're a beginner. The longer you train, the more you'll likely need to do to keep seeing results (4).
Intermediate and Advanced
For those with more experience, you'll want to shoot for closer to 4-5 exercises per muscle group. This is because over time your body gets used to your training.
You'll have to continue challenging your body in new ways to continue adapting. Throwing in more exercises, and progressing in weight as well, will help you do that.
It all leads back to the principle of progressive overload. Whether it's increasing weight, reps, sets, or time under tension ... Your workouts need to get harder over time. The longer you've been training, the harder it is to keep seeing results doing the same workouts.
Selecting the Best Workout Split
Each workout split has its benefits. Depending on your goals and lifestyle, some workout splits may be better or worse for you.
Here are four popular splits, each catering to different needs and goals.
Full-Body Split
This one is more ideal for beginners or those with tight schedules. The full-body split targets all major muscle groups within a single session.
This approach is efficient and allows you to train each muscle group more times per week. This is because there will be less volume on each muscle in each workout.
Let's say you average about 24 sets per workout. If you do 3 sets per exercise, that's only 8 exercises.
In a full body split, you'll likely end up only doing 1-2 exercises per muscle group. Otherwise, you'll be in the gym forever doing a ridiculous amount of total sets. Or, you won't be doing a full body workout because you won't be able to fit in every muscle group.
Doing less volume each workout per muscle group won't hurt you though. That's because you'll be able to do that workout 2-3 times per week, and you'll ultimately get the volume you're looking for. This is what a full-body workout split could look like with the total number of exercises per muscle group:
| Day | Workout | Exercises Per Muscle Group |
| Monday | Full-Body | 1-2 |
| Tuesday | Rest | - |
| Wednesday | Full-Body | 1-2 |
| Thursday | Rest | - |
| Friday | Full-Body | 1-2 |
| Saturday | Rest | - |
| Sunday | Rest | - |
Body-Part Split
This split allows you to focus more intensely on specific muscle groups each day. This makes it suitable for advanced lifters who can dedicate more time to their gym sessions.
With a body-part split, you train different muscle groups each day and repeat them in a cycle. Here's one of my favorite body-part splits:
• Chest and triceps
• Back and biceps
• Legs and glutes
• Shoulders and abs
Each workout involves 4-5 exercises per major muscle group. That way you can really hit them from all angles. This can be especially good for bodybuilders looking to build the best physique. Here's a breakdown of what that could look like in a week:
| Day | Workout | Exercises Per Muscle Group |
| Monday | Chest & Triceps | 4-5 |
| Tuesday | Back & Biceps | 4-5 |
| Wednesday | Rest | - |
| Thursday | Legs & Glutes | 4-5 |
| Friday | Shoulders & Abs | 4-5 |
| Saturday | Rest | - |
| Sunday | Rest | - |
Upper-Lower Split
The upper-lower split divides your workout days between upper-body and lower-body sessions.
This split is great for those looking to focus on maximizing strength. You can lift heavy, and still get plenty of recovery.
This split is usually 2 upper-body and 2 lower-body sessions per week. Most choose 2-3 exercises per muscle group each session.
It's a great workout split if you only have 4 days you can train each week, and it's quite effective. Here's an example of what that could look like in a week:
| Day | Workout | Exercises Per Muscle Group |
| Monday | Upper-Body | 2-3 |
| Tuesday | Lower-Body | 2-3 |
| Wednesday | Rest | - |
| Thursday | Upper-Body | 2-3 |
| Friday | Lower-Body | 2-3 |
| Saturday | Rest | - |
| Sunday | Rest | - |
Push-Pull Split
In a push-pull split, you alternate workouts focusing on push and pull movements.
Your push movements are exercises like the bench press, squats, and leg press. These movements involve your pushing muscles (chest, triceps, and quadriceps).
Your pull movements are exercises like pull-ups, rows, and deadlifts. These involve your pulling muscles (lats, biceps, and hamstrings).
This method helps to somewhat prevent overlap and overtraining. You can never fully prevent it because our muscles are designed to work together.
Most people who choose this split will choose 2 push days and 2 pull days. This makes it similar to the upper-lower split, but mixes things up a little.
As for how many exercises per muscle group in this split, it'll depend how you do it. You can certainly get away with 3-4 exercises per muscle group doing this split.
Some will do 2-3 exercises and throw in extra sets. It all depends on what your goal is. Here's what a weekly breakdown could look like here:
| Day | Workout | Exercises Per Muscle Group |
| Monday | Push Day | 2-4 |
| Tuesday | Pull Day | 2-4 |
| Wednesday | Rest | - |
| Thursday | Push Day | 2-4 |
| Friday | Pull Day | 2-4 |
| Saturday | Rest | - |
| Sunday | Rest | - |
Can You Work Out Every Day?
Many people new to the gym scene wonder if working out every day is necessary or required.
Fortunately, the answer is clear: you don't need to train daily to see results.
Training 2-3 times per week can be highly effective. As long as each session contains enough volume and intensity, 2-3 workouts per week is fine.
You can also see awesome results training every day though. In that case, you'd need to really prioritize recovery to avoid injury.
Remember, you're breaking your muscles down in the gym. This is especially true if you're training hard and close to failure.
Your muscles need time to rest and recover too. Otherwise, you may end up hurting yourself, or at the very least not seeing optimal results.
Ensure that you are fully recovered and feel ready to train before each workout. This will help to prevent fatigue and injury, which will help you benefit the most from your workouts.
Final Thoughts
The best workout routine is the one designed around your goals and lifestyle. It also needs to be one you can stick to long term.
As I mentioned earlier, your results don't depend on how many exercises per muscle group you choose to do. Your results depend on that to a small degree, but there are other far more important factors like:
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Stress Management
• Workout Progression
• Recovery
...and more. The hardest part for most people is usually either nutrition or workout progression. Not everyone studies nutrition and dietetics, or exercise science for that matter.
If you want to build muscle, the amount of calories you eat matters a lot. The amount of protein you eat matters.
If you want to maximize your performance and recovery, the amount of carbs you eat matters too.
If your goal is fat loss, those things matter just as much, but the amount that you need to eat will be different.
You'll also need to know how to progress your workout intensity over time.
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References:
(1) Iversen, Victoria M., et al. "No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review." Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 2079-2095.
(2) Baz-Valle, Eneko, et al. "A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy." Journal of Human Kinetics, vol. 81, 10 Feb. 2022, pp. 199-210.
(3) Cava, Edda, et al. "Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss." Advances in Nutrition, vol. 8, no. 3, 15 May 2017, pp. 511-519.
(4) Lorenz, Daniel S., et al. "Periodization: Current Review and Suggested Implementation for Athletic Rehabilitation." Sports Health, vol. 2, no. 6, Nov. 2010, pp. 509-518.
