While many individuals perform resistance training with the purpose of increasing the size of their muscles, reviews have not clarified a training prescription for optimizing hypertrophy. A 2010 meta-analysis concluded that multiple set training resulted in greater hypertrophic gains compared to single set training. However, while the use of meta-analysis in exercise physiology is well documented, there is sufficient reason to be cautious when applying a single statistic acquired by combining multiple studies and the relevant effect sizes (ES). This paper reviews the articles included within the 2010 meta-analysis. In particular, the differences in subject training experience, gender, and clinical condition, the training frequency, the intervention duration, the repetition duration used, and the method of measuring hypertrophy, as well as other variables that appear not to have been considered are discussed in this paper. The substantial limitations in comparing or grouping these articles suggest that the meta-analysis cannot be used to support the conclusion that multiple sets produce greater hypertrophic gains than single set training
