How to Get Stronger: What the Research Shows

Quick answer

Pooled reviews link bigger strength gains to heavier loads (above 80% of the one-repetition maximum), 2 to 3 sets per exercise and 2 or more sessions a week. Gains rose with weekly sets but with diminishing returns, and early gains come largely from the nervous system learning the lift, with muscle growth starting at the same time.^1,2,3,4

Key facts

A 2026 review of 137 systematic reviews by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) linked larger strength gains to loads of at least 80% of the one-repetition maximum, 2 to 3 sets and 2 or more sessions a week.¹
In a network analysis of 178 trials, higher-load, multiset training three times a week ranked highest for strength.²
In 21 studies where every set went to failure, heavier loads gave larger strength gains and similar muscle growth to light loads.⁵
Over 2 minutes of rest between sets seemed to matter for strength in trained people, and 60 to 120 seconds looked enough for untrained people.⁶
Strength gains come from nervous system learning and muscle growth, with the nervous system contributing most early on.⁴
Strength gains rose with weekly sets, with diminishing returns that were more pronounced for strength than for muscle size.³

What settings do studies link with bigger strength gains?

In the largest network analysis, every lifting prescription beat no exercise for strength, so the useful question is which settings add the most. A 2026 ACSM position stand pooled 137 systematic reviews with more than 30,000 healthy adults and named the settings tied to larger strength gains. A network analysis of 178 trials points the same way.^1,2

Settings linked with larger strength gains^1,2,6
Setting	What the reviews found	Source
Load	Heavier loads, at least 80% of the one-repetition maximum	ACSM 2026; network analysis of 178 trials
Sets	2 to 3 sets per exercise	ACSM 2026
Frequency	2 or more sessions a week; three weekly sessions ranked highest	ACSM 2026; network analysis
Range of motion	A complete range of motion	ACSM 2026
Order	Doing the lift early in the session	ACSM 2026
Rest between sets	Over 2 minutes seemed to matter for trained people; 60 to 120 seconds looked enough for untrained people	Review of 23 studies

Several things the gym argues about did not consistently change results across the reviews: training to momentary failure, equipment type, exercise complexity, how sets were structured, time under tension and periodization.¹

Do more sets and more days always make you stronger?

Up to a point. A pooled analysis of 9 studies found higher weekly set counts gave larger strength gains than low counts. A 2026 analysis of 67 studies with 2,058 people found strength gains rose with weekly sets and with weekly frequency, with diminishing returns that were more pronounced for strength than for muscle size.^3,7

The 22-study frequency review added that higher frequency gave larger strength gains mostly because it added volume, and that when volume was matched frequency made no significant difference.⁸

How to get stronger without getting bigger

Strength gains come from two sources: the nervous system learning to use muscle better, and muscle growth. A review of the research found that the nervous system makes its greatest contribution early in a program, while muscle growth also starts at the onset.⁴

Two findings suggest where the line falls. In 21 studies where every set went to failure, heavier loads gave larger gains in one-repetition-maximum strength, while muscle growth was similar across light and heavy loads. And in 34 trained men, 1, 3 or 5 sets per exercise gave similar strength gains over 8 weeks, but muscle size grew more with more sets. Taken together, heavier loads and a modest number of sets are the settings linked with strength, and past a point extra sets add more size than strength.^3,5,9

No study we read shows a way to add strength with no muscle growth at all. The findings describe averages across groups of people.

How to get stronger on bench press

Train it often enough: a pooled analysis found higher training frequency gave larger strength gains on multi-joint upper-body lifts, although the effect came mostly through added volume.⁸
Put it early in the session, because ACSM's review of reviews linked strength gains to doing the lift at the beginning of a session.¹
Use heavier loads in some sets: loads above 80% of the one-repetition maximum gave the largest strength gains in 178 trials.²
Rest over 2 minutes between heavy sets if you are already trained.⁶
Add 2 to 10% to the bar once you can lift the current weight for one or two repetitions more than your target.¹⁰

How to get stronger as a kid

The National Strength and Conditioning Association says many of the benefits of adult resistance training are reachable by children and adolescents who follow age-specific guidelines, and that programs need to be appropriately prescribed and supervised. A 2014 international consensus statement, endorsed by sports medicine and pediatric organizations, covers the same ground. The U.S. guidelines advise children and adolescents aged 6 through 17 to get 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily.^11,12,13

How to get stronger wrists, knees and knuckles

The reviews on this page measured strength in lifts such as the squat and bench press. They did not test the strength of a wrist, knee or knuckle as a separate goal, so we cannot give a sourced program for them here. Gradual loading is the idea behind the programs in these reviews, and MedlinePlus advises building up slowly without pushing too hard all at once.^1,14

Sleep, protein and rest between sessions

A review of sleep in athletes linked lack of sleep to lower submaximal strength and endurance. For protein, the ISSN range for people who exercise is below, and our guide to how much protein to build muscle has the arithmetic for your weight.^15,16

The International Society of Sports Nutrition says 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day is enough for most people who exercise to build and keep muscle. NIH gives a similar range for athletes, 1.2 to 2.0 g per kg.^16,17

Stop and ask a doctor if

Stop and get help right away if you feel pain, extreme shortness of breath or dizziness while lifting.¹⁴
Ask a doctor or physical therapist about a wrist, knee or knuckle that hurts, swells or loses movement, before adding load. In a review of weight-training sports, the shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow and wrist or hand were the places hurt most often.¹⁸
For children and teens, ask a doctor and use qualified supervision before starting a lifting program.¹¹
Build up slowly and check with a provider first if you have trouble moving or balancing, or worry that exercise might not be safe for you.¹⁴

Questions people ask

How to get stronger on bench press?

Train it often, early in the session, with some sets above 80% of your one-repetition maximum, and add 2 to 10% to the bar once you can lift the current weight for one or two repetitions more than your target.^1,2,8,10

How to get stronger without getting bigger?

Heavier loads gave larger strength gains with similar muscle growth in 21 studies, and 1, 3 or 5 sets per exercise gave similar strength in one trial while more sets added more size. No study shows strength without any growth.^5,9

How to get stronger as a kid?

The National Strength and Conditioning Association says children and adolescents can reach many benefits of resistance training with age-specific guidelines and proper supervision. Ask a doctor first.¹¹

How to get stronger wrists, knees or knuckles?

The reviews we cite measured strength in lifts such as the squat and bench press, not in a single joint, so we have no sourced program for them. Ask a doctor or physical therapist about any joint that hurts, swells or loses movement.^1,18

How to get stronger nails?

Nails are not muscle. This guide covers muscle strength only and makes no claims about nails.

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.