American College of Sports Medicine Just Updated Their Guidelines for the First Time in 17 Years

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is one of the leading sports medicine and exercise science organizations. Founded in 1954, it's been a guiding light in the field, advancing evidence-based research and education related to exercise, sports medicine, and human performance. Helping to shape the way health and fitness pros coach and practice.

Now, in 2026, the ACSM has incorporated new research into a published position stand that replaces its 2009 position stand, marking the first major revision to its resistance training guidelines in nearly two decades.

What Are ACSM's New Guidelines?

A roster of leading researchers, scientists, certified strength and conditioning specialists, PhD students, and professors in the world of exercise science and sports medicine analyzed 137 systematic reviews, representing more than 30,000 participants.

Here are the results of their research:

Programming Doesn't Need to be "Perfect"

One of the biggest takeaways from their position stand is that many different approaches to resistance training work. In the gym or online, you might come across the common argument of the "right" number of sets, amount of rest, type of programming, whether or not to train to failure, which equipment is best, and more. But the research shows that many of these details don't consistently change the results very much. 

So, you don't need to stress over the small details of your workout. It's more important to train consistently than to struggle with programming that's complex and difficult to follow.

Resistance Training... Works

If there was any confusion or doubt before, the evidence is clear: resistance training works. When compared with doing no exercise at all, researchers found improvements to strength, muscle size, power, muscular endurance, contraction velocity, gait speed, balance, and more, when resistance training was utilized.

Choose Load and Volume Based on Goal

Many different styles of lifting can get results, build muscle, and help you live a longer (and stronger) life, but according to ACSM's research, an optimized approach considers the specific lifter and their goals.

Strength Training: Lift Heavy

When building strength is the goal, start your workout with resistance training. Work with ≥80% of 1 rep max (1RM), utilizing 2-3 sets, using a full range of motion, at least 2 times per week.

Hypertrophy Training: Volume Matters

When growing the size of your muscle is the goal, a higher weekly training volume can enhance your results. Aim for ≥10 sets per muscle group per week. Additionally, eccentric overload, where you give your muscles extra resistance during the eccentric portion of a lift, may help maximize muscle growth.

Power Training: Low Volume, Lighter Load, & Explosive Movement

ACSM found that training for power was best seen when working with 30-70% 1RM, training with low-to-moderate volume, and utilizing explosive movements through the concentric phase of a lift. Additionally, Olympic-style weightlifting often provided greater improvements in power compared with traditional resistance training.

Some Advanced Techniques and Methods Lack Strong Evidence

The evidence didn't show a consistent advantage for the following training methods. This doesn't mean they don't work, it just means they haven't been shown to reliably produce better results than simpler or alternative approaches. And if complicated training styles aren't proving to be more effective than simple ones, why complicate things?!

The following methods didn't consistently impact training outcomes:

• Exercise complexity
• Blood flow restriction
• Complex periodization (systematic variation)
• Training to momentary muscle fatigue
• Set structures
• Time under tension
• Equipment type (free weights vs. machines)

Takeaway

Basically, if you're training at least two times a week and working with progressive overload, you're on the right path. The ACSM's research shows that we don't need to get all that caught up in every new trend or overcomplicate our programming. When we stick to the basics, resistance training — whether for strength, hypertrophy, or power — can be fairly simple: train consistently, put in the effort, and choose an approachh you can stick with.