Last updated on September 3, 2025
A new study has reignited the debate about the lowest repetition range to maximize muscle hypertrophy. Analyzed by House of Hypertrophy (HoH), research reveals evidence that challenges conventional advice.
One to five repetitions is considered the strength zone, where hypertrophy is seen. Due to mechanical intensity, 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 repetitions produce a similar or better growth stimulus?
The Study
Fourteen trained individuals with at least two years of lifting experience performed unilateral presses and leg 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. Training sessions included three sets per session with two-minute rest periods between sets, training twice a week for nine weeks.
Can 3 to 5 reps yield better gains?
“Increases in muscle thickness did not differ significantly between conditions,” HoH noted. As other research has determined, very different rep ranges can produce similar hypertrophy results. (2)(3)
However, while whole muscle thickness increased for both repetition ranges tested, neither showed increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area from biopsies, likely due to sampling limitations.
“The biopsies apparently extract only a relatively small portion of muscle,” HoH said. “In the paper, just over 150 fibers were contained per biopsy, but muscles, even small ones, are usually made up of thousands of fibers.”
Training to failure and hypertrophy
All subjects trained to failure equally and does it matter? This was not entirely clear, although verbal cues encouraged the effort. The literature suggests that trained lifters may benefit from pushing sets to complete failure, but training habits and individual effort could confound results. (4)
The question of least repetition
Determining a minimum number of repetitions to induce hypertrophy is complicated, as many studies report repetition ranges. Individual variation, including genetics, training habits, nutrition, health, and training fatigue, determines how people can perform different repetition counts at the same percentage of one repetition maximum. (5)
HoH previously advocated a range of six to 35 reps for hypertrophy. Only six studies looked at five or fewer repetitions, with many having confounding variables such as additional sets or longer rest periods.
Adding extra sets of three to five reps and longer rests boosts the growth stimulus. Only two studies support three to five replications with these variables. the overall evidence base is relatively small.
The Variance Demon
Small sample studies may fail to represent reality due to measurement error, sampling variance, or genetic differences between groups. This study, although 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 Science
Those who benefit from three to five reps should stick with it and mix rep ranges for joint health and varied stimuli. While the new study suggests that three to five repetitions may maximize hypertrophy when performed to failure, the evidence is not yet strong enough to confirm that it is just as hypertrophic.
Six reps and above remains a safer minimum for maximizing 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 hypertrophy adaptations to low- and high-load resistance training [Preprint]. bioRxiv.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of low versus 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. Effects of Resistance Training Load on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Acquisition: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Jun 1;53(6):1206-1216. doi: 10.1249/MSS.00000000000002585. Eratum in: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Feb 1;54(2):370. doi: 10.1249/MSS.00000000000002838. PMID: 33433148; PMCID: PMC8126497.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Investigating the dose-response relationship between estimated near-failure resistance training, 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. 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.
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