A new study reignited the debate about the lowest repetition range to maximize muscle hypertrophy. Analyzed by the House of Hypertrophy (HoH), the research reveals evidence that challenges conventional advice.
One to five reps is considered the strength zone, where hypertrophy is observed. Due to mechanical tension, volume, fatigue management, and joint health, the six to 12 rep range is often considered the sweet spot for muscle growth.
Could a few sets of three to five reps produce similar or better growth stimulus?
The Study
Fourteen trained individuals with at least two years of lifting experience performed unilateral leg presses and extensions. (1) Subjects trained one leg for three to five reps to volitional failure using heavy loads, while the other leg performed 20-25 repetitions to failure with lighter weights. Workouts comprised three sets per session with two-minute rest periods between sets, training twice weekly for nine weeks.
Can 3 to 5 Reps Produce Better Gains?
“Muscle thickness increases were not significantly different between conditions,” HoH noted. As other research determined, vastly different rep ranges can produce similar hypertrophy outcomes. (2)(3)
However, while whole muscle thickness increased for both rep ranges tested, neither showed increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area from biopsies, likely due to sampling limitations.
“Biopsies obviously only extract a relatively small portion of muscle,” HoH reported. “In the paper, just over 150 fibers were contained per biopsy, but muscles, even small ones, usually comprise thousands of fibers.”
Failure Training and Hypertrophy
Did all subjects train to failure equally, and does it matter? This wasn’t entirely clear, though verbal cues encouraged effort. Literature indicates that trained lifters might benefit from pushing sets to complete failure, but training habits and individual effort could skew outcomes. (4)
The Minimum-Rep Question
Determining a minimum rep number to stimulate hypertrophy is complicated, as many studies report rep ranges. Individual variation, including genetics, training habits, nutrition, health, and workout fatigue, determines how people can perform different rep counts at the same percentage of their one-rep max. (5)
HoH previously advocated for a six-to-35-rep range for hypertrophy. Only six studies examined five or fewer repetitions, with many having confounding variables, such as additional sets or longer rest periods.
Adding additional sets of three to five reps and resting longer enhances growth stimulus. Only two studies support three to five reps with these variables; the total evidence base is relatively small.
The Variance Demon
Small-sample studies can fail to represent reality due to measurement error, sampling variance, or genetic differences between groups. This study, while promising, is limited, with only 14 subjects.
If your goal is to maximize muscle hypertrophy…train with six or more reps per set.
—House of Hypertrophy
How to Apply the Science
Those benefitting from three to five reps should stick to it and mix rep ranges for joint health and varied stimuli. While the new study suggests three to five reps may maximize hypertrophy when performed to failure, evidence isn’t yet strong enough to confirm that it’s equally hypertrophic.
Six reps and above remain a safer minimum to maximize muscle gains, but some lower-rep work is still good for strength and motor unit recruitment.
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References
- Toldnes Cumming, K. (2025, May 1). Comparable strength and hypertrophic adaptations to low-load and high-load resistance exercise training [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.28.650925v1
- Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Oct;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: 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. Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, 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. Maximal Number of Repetitions at Percentages of the One Repetition Maximum: A Meta-Regression and Moderator Analysis of Sex, 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.
Featured image via Shutterstock/SOK Studio
