I try to avoid junk volume. Assuming worksets are performed to RIR 0-1, I think a lifter has milked as much as they can out of an exercise wrt the hypertrophy stimulus once they have to strip off significant weight to achieve the same number of reps or decrease significant reps with same weight for subsequent worksets. Many lifters will find that this threshold happens after 2 worksets.
I try not to get too hung up on how many worksets are performed per week. It’s hard to argue that you would need more exercises per week to maximize hypertrophy once these are fulfilled:
Chest: 3 presses, 1-2 flies.
Back: 1-2 vertical pulls, 3 horizontal rows, 1 deadlift variation, 1 shrug
Quads: 2-3 squats/presses, 1 leg extension
Hamstring: 1 romanian style deadlift, 1 leg curl
Biceps and triceps: 2-3 isolation exercises each
Shoulders: 1 overhead press, 1-2 laterals, 1 rear delt fly
Abs: 2 exercises
Calves: 2 calf raise variations
Glutes: 2-3 squats/presses with sufficient hip flexion
I perform 2 worksets (reps in reserve 0-1) per exercise. I go by feel while pyramiding up on warm-up sets.
My routine as an example:
Mon (chest & abs): Incline dumbbell press, flat dumbbell press, incline barbell press, flat dumbbell fly-press hybrid, rope crunches, ab roller
Tues (back): Pull-ups, bent over barbell rows, single arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, Romanian-conventional hybrid deadlifts
Wed (calves): Standing calf raises, seated calf raises
Thurs (arms): Cambered bar pushdowns, rope pushdowns, overhead rope extension (w/ low pulley attachment), standing ez-bar curls, cable ez-bar curls (w/ low pulley attachment), preacher curl machine
Fri (legs): Barbell back squat, smith squat (close stance with feet right under shoulders), leg press, leg extension machine, leg curl machine
Sat (shoulders/abs): Seated overhead dumbbell press, seated dumbbell laterals, standing dumbbell laterals (1 arm at a time), reverse pec deck, barbell shrugs, rope crunches, ab roller
Sun: Off
Yes, this is more of a traditional bodybuilding body part split where many muscle groups are hit one time per week. I think there is a benefit to higher frequency programs for novices. Wrt advanced lifters, I am not convinced hypertrophy results would be significantly different when comparing a higher frequency to 1x/week program.
From a tendon and lower back recovery standpoint, I think there is something to be said for more complete days off with a 1x/week frequency compared to a higher frequency program even if the total worksets per week turn out to be the same. I also think there is something to be said for completing sufficient total worksets per session for the target body part to maximize the hypertrophy stimulus and I would rather err on overshooting than undershooting that.
Here are a couple excerpts from Chris Aceto’s Championship Bodybuilding I generally agree with:
2 exercises for hamstrings = romanian/conventional deadlifts and leg curls
3-4 exercises for chest = 3 pressing exercises and 1 fly
3-4 exercises for shoulders = 1 overhead press (preferably seated overhead dumbbell presses), 2 laterals, 1 rear delt
3-4 exercises for quads = 2 squat variations, 1 leg press variation, 1 leg extension
Generally 2 worksets to failure.