Dr. Mike Israetel MV, MEV, MAV, MRV Explained

The concept of Hypertrophy Training was introduced by Dr. Mike Israetel, an exercise scientist and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization. He began discussing this training volume landmarks around 2017. In January 2017, Dr. Mike Israetel published an article on RP Strength where he discussed these 4 types of Hypertrophy Training.

Maintenance Volume (MV)
Minimum Effective Volume (MEV)
Maximum Adaptive Volume (MAV)
Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV)

1. MV = Maintenance Volume

What It Means: This is the minimum amount of training needed to keep the muscles you already have.
Think of It Like This: If you’re just trying to maintain your current fitness level and not aiming to grow or improve, MV is the amount of exercise required to stop losing muscle. It’s like watering a plant just enough so it doesn’t dry out.
In Real Life: For most people, MV is pretty low compared to other levels. For example, you might need only a few sets per week of back exercises to maintain the muscle, especially if the rest of your training program works the muscles indirectly.

Example of MV:

For muscle maintenance, you may need around 8-12 sets per muscle group per week. This could be broken down into:

Chest: 3 sets of bench press + 3 sets of dumbbell flyes (2-3 days per week)
Legs: 3 sets of squats + 3 sets of leg press (2-3 days per week)

2. MEV = Minimum Effective Volume

What It Means: This is the smallest amount of training you need to do to see any noticeable muscle growth or improvement over time.
Think of It Like This: If your goal is to start building muscle, MEV is the minimum effort required to start that process. It’s like adding a little extra fertilizer to help a plant grow.
In Real Life: If you’re new to training or targeting a muscle group you haven’t worked much before, your MEV will be lower. As you progress, it may increase, but starting with just enough to see small improvements is key.

Example of MEV:

To build muscle, you might need around 10-16 sets per muscle group per week. For hypertrophy, this could look like:

Chest: 4 sets of bench press + 4 sets of incline dumbbell press + 4 sets of chest flies (3 days per week)
Legs: 4 sets of squats + 4 sets of leg press + 4 sets of lunges (3 days per week)

3. MAV = Maximum Adaptive Volume

What It Means: This is the sweet spot where you’re doing the optimal amount of training to get the best long-term muscle growth.
Think of It Like This: It’s the “just right” zone where your training pushes your body to grow without overdoing it. It’s like giving your plant the perfect balance of sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive.
In Real Life: Your MAV will vary depending on factors like how much you focus on a specific muscle group and how often you train it. For example, if you train your back several times a week, spreading the volume across those sessions will help you stay in the MAV zone.

Example of MAV:

For advanced hypertrophy, you might be aiming for 16-20 sets per muscle group per week. This could look like:

Chest: 5 sets of bench press + 5 sets of incline dumbbell press + 5 sets of chest flies + 5 sets of push-ups (4 days per week)
Legs: 5 sets of squats + 5 sets of leg press + 5 sets of lunges + 5 sets of leg curls (4 days per week)

4. MRV = Maximum Recoverable Volume

What It Means: This is the highest amount of training your body can handle while still being able to recover fully for the next workout.
Think of It Like This: If you push past this point, your body will struggle to recover, and your performance might suffer. It’s like overwatering a plant—it won’t grow better, and it might even get worse.
In Real Life: MRV is different for everyone and depends on factors like your training experience, age, sleep, and nutrition. Exceeding MRV too often can lead to fatigue, poor performance, or even injuries.

Example of MRV:

For advanced lifters aiming for extreme muscle gains, 20+ sets per muscle group per week might be the MRV. This could look like:

Chest: 6 sets of bench press + 6 sets of incline press + 6 sets of chest flies + 6 sets of dips + 6 sets of cable crossovers (5-6 days per week)
Legs: 6 sets of squats + 6 sets of leg press + 6 sets of lunges + 6 sets of leg curls + 6 sets of calf raises (5-6 days per week)

Summary Points:

MV: Just enough to keep what you have.
MEV: The starting point for building muscle.
MAV: The optimal zone for the best growth.
MRV: The upper limit before overtraining.

Here is a table for Mike Israetel Hypertrophy Training (MV MEV MAV MRV):

Muscle Group	MV	MEV	MAV	MRV	Frequency (How often a week?)	Intensity (How heavy?)
Biceps	4-6 direct sets	14 – 20 weekly sets	20-26 sets	Depends on back training	2-6 times a week	Stick to mostly 8-15 rep range
Back	8 sets (split evenly between horizontal & vertical)	14 – 22 weekly sets	Usually around 25 sets	More for some	2-4 times a week	Range varies from 6-20 sets
Abs	0 sets (unless very advanced)	Depends on current work: 4-10 sets if nothing, 16-20 sets if a lot	Usually around 25 sets	–	3-5 times a week	8-20 reps per set
Calves	6 sets (if already training calves)	8 sets	12-16 sets	20 sets	2-4 times a week	60-70% 1RM works best on average
Chest	8 sets	10 sets	12-20 sets	22 sets	1.5-3 times a week	Large range: 8-12 reps optimal

Important Points to Remember

Muscle Group	Notes
Biceps	– Heavy work taken care of through back training. – Occasionally use higher reps for metabolite work. – Use variation (exercise, loading, volume/relative intensity). – Full ROM. – Metabolite techniques occasionally. – Periodize (vary intensity and volume month to month; also strength train once in a while to resensitize to hypertrophy).
Back	– Can have one very heavy session a week (rest are very light) OR smaller, multiple sessions a week. – Variation: use both horizontal and vertical. – Full ROM. – Metabolite techniques not very effective (high reps occasionally are). – Periodize (vary intensity and volume month to month; also strength train once in a while to resensitize to hypertrophy).
Abs	– Lower than 8 reps causes technique breakdown and increases risk for injury. – Variation: use 2 exercises per month; can vary reps day to day. – Full ROM. – Metabolite techniques work well (drop sets and supersets). – Periodize (vary intensity and volume month to month; also strength train once in a while to resensitize to hypertrophy. Strength training means sets of 6-10).
Calves	– If no progress on above, increase to 70-80% 1RM. – Variation: use 1 exercise per week; can vary reps day to day. If doing 3-4 days of calves, use 2 exercises. – Full ROM critical (painful stretch). – Metabolite techniques work well (short rest periods- 10 seconds; occlusion). – Periodize (vary intensity and volume month to month; also strength train once in a while to resensitize to hypertrophy. Strength training means sets 70-85% 1RM).
Chest	– Heavy sets of 5-8 reps are useful. – Metabolite sets (light weight & high reps). – Use high and low reps occasionally. Stick to 8-12 most of the time. – Variation: horizontal, incline, and isolation movement in every mesocycle. – Full ROM critical (for both effectiveness and injury prevention). – Metabolite techniques are effective (pre-exhaust before compound movement, supersetted with isolation, drop sets, giant sets). – Periodize (vary intensity and volume month to month; also strength train once in a while to resensitize to hypertrophy. Strength training means sets 70-85% 1RM). – Cool training tip: use isolation moves between compound exercises for “isolation sandwich” (e.g., BB BP, flyes, DB Incline Press).

These are the key details of Dr. Mike Israetel’s hypertrophy training. For more information, check out the full article on the main website here.

Dr. Mike Israetel MV, MEV, MAV, MRV Explained