[Zanni]

The cited study specifically says that muscle growth (hypertrophy) does improve with volume, from 1 to 3 to 5 sets, but that strength gain doesn't differ significantly. There's a lot of conflation between hypertrophy and strength. You can be strong without being big (up to a point) and vice versa.

[stochastic_monk]

This reinforces what strength athletes have said for a long time. The point was that in this short study, strength came from intensity (weight lifted) and size came from volume. (Hence a powerlifting program might have 3 sets of 3 to 5 of 5, whereas bodybuilding programs have much higher volume at lower weight.)

This isn’t surprising; strength gains are substantially neurological. Over time, though, you still need more muscle to move heavier weight.

I know a some powerlifters, and their personal size varies with their volume (and whether or not they want size). Some are deceptively small for the weight they can move. That being said, you can’t deadlift 500 pounds without putting on some significant mass, either.

[torben-friis]

True, in general amount of strength is correlated more with the amount of weight lifted, while ability to exercise for longer shows a more positive correlation with longer, smaller weight sets - and hypertrophy sees similar results with both methods given equal time under tension.

But the title specifically states "to look and feel better", and strength alone won't do much in regards to a persons' appearance.

I'd also like to know the starting point of the study's subjects. Although the study does mention "healthy resistance trained men", I'd guess that they were starting from a state that was low enough to achieve strength gains with relatively low exposure to weightlifting.