Do muscles still grow if you stop a set 1 to 2 reps short of your limit?

Short answer

Yes. Muscle thickness rose 0.182 cm in the leg that stopped 1 to 2 reps short and 0.181 cm in the leg that went to the limit, with no difference. In the analyses and the 1-set study where going to the limit came out ahead, the gap was small. Growth fell when more reps were left.

Do muscles still grow if you stop a set 1 to 2 reps short of your limit?
'You have to squeeze out every rep to grow.' Is that right?
A common belief is that every set must go until you cannot lift another rep to build muscle. Stopping 1 to 2 reps short is supposedly a waste. We checked this formula against studies that directly measured muscle size.
Pooling the studies
Going to the limit gave no gain or a very small one
In a 2023 analysis that pooled 15 studies measuring muscle size, sets taken until no more reps were possible did not build more muscle than sets stopped earlier. Only when 'to the limit' was defined broadly did a very small difference appear. Another analysis of 15 studies also found no difference overall.
One leg to the limit, the other 1 to 2 reps short
Thickness gain: 0.181 cm vs 0.182 cm
18 people trained legs 2 times a week for 8 weeks, taking one leg until no more reps were possible and stopping the other 1 to 2 reps short. Front thigh muscle thickness rose 0.181 cm and 0.182 cm, with no difference. Total work done by the two legs was also similar.
Two 2026 studies agreed
No difference for arms or legs
19 people did biceps training for 8 weeks, taking one arm to the limit and stopping the other 1 to 3 reps short. Thickness rose 0.237 cm and 0.205 cm, and the researchers concluded there was no difference. When another 19 people did the same comparison with their legs, the difference was 0.019 cm, almost none.
So how many reps can you leave?
The farther from the limit, the less growth
A 2024 analysis that regrouped studies by the estimated reps left in each set found that muscle size was larger the closer to the limit sets stopped. Strength did not depend on reps left. In a study of 42 people doing only 1 set, and in an analysis of only people with steady training, going to the limit came out slightly ahead for muscle size.
Going to the limit built more fatigue
No size difference, but more fatigue
In the 8-week leg study, the leg taken to the limit lost more reps and more lifting speed across sets than the leg stopped 1 to 2 reps short. The 2026 American College of Sports Medicine review also concluded that muscle size did not depend on whether sets went until no more reps were possible.
Summary: muscles grow with 1 to 2 reps left
But not too far from the limit
When doing several sets, stopping 1 to 2 reps short gave no difference in muscle size compared with going to the limit. In the analyses and the 1-set study where going to the limit came out ahead, the gap was small. Since growth fell as more reps were left, leaving 3 reps or fewer is enough.