TGIF

November 22, 2013
Awww here we are again at Friday. I am going to the Spa today for an Herbal Wrap, it feels so good to be wrapped in nice warm towels and left to rest for an hour, I so need this.
My shoulder is acting up again, still waiting to here from a surgeon, I can't have anymore cortisone so I am hoping it doesn't get to bad over the winter months.
I did go to the gym today and thought I should do my measurements, so I will add those, hope I am not to disappointed. I have added some more of the article on training below.
Who is once a week training good for?

Good question. Let’s take a look at a higher workout frequency and see if that’s more ideal for you…

Training Each Muscle Group With A 3 Times Per Week Workout Frequency

Training each muscle group once per week is considered the most common form of low frequency training.

On the other end of that spectrum, we have the concept of training each muscle group 3 times per week. This is what is typically considered to be the most common form of high frequency training.

The question is… is this the workout frequency that will work best for you? Let’s find out.

To start, let’s take a look at the most common example of this weight training frequency…

Example Split

1. Monday: Full Body
2. Tuesday: off
3. Wednesday: Full Body
4. Thursday: off
5. Friday: Full Body
6. Saturday: off
7. Sunday: off

Above is an example of the classic 3 day full body split, which is the split most commonly used with this frequency. As you can see, each muscle group and body part is trained 3 times per week.

This means that each muscle group gets trained once every 2nd or 3rd day, which makes this a pretty high frequency form of weight training.

This is especially true when compared to the previously mentioned once per week frequency where each muscle group gets trained only once every 7th day.

How To Make A 3-Times-Per-Week Training Frequency Work

The key to making a 3-times-per-week training frequency work is pretty much the opposite of what it takes to make a once-per-week frequency work.

Instead of ensuring that you provide enough of a training stimulus to warrant that full week of rest between training sessions of the same muscle group, your goal here is to provide just enough of the right training stimulus during each workout WITHOUT exceeding that ideal amount.

If the training stimulus is too high, you won’t be able to recover in time for the next workout (which is just 2 or 3 days later with a higher frequency like this).

So, while you must still do enough to provide an effective training stimulus that will cause positive results, you must keep it low enough to avoid impacting your body’s ability to recover in time for these more frequent workouts.

Here’s How People Screw It Up

And that brings us to one of the common pitfalls of training each muscle group 3 times per week (or really using any frequency greater than once-per-week).

People incorrectly think they need to take the same amount of volume (exercises, sets, reps) that they were doing or would do once per week, and now start doing it three times per week.

Due to the higher frequency, that’s not only NOT going to work… that’s just plain stupid.

The trick here is to take that total weekly amount of volume and divide it up somewhat evenly over three workouts; not do the same amount of total weekly volume three times per week like an idiot.

The human body (muscles, nervous system, etc.) just can’t recover fast enough to make that work.

But, as long as the volume done per workout is low enough to allow for quick recovery yet still high enough to be effective, a weight training frequency like this can (and does) work for many people. (More about that here: The Optimal Workout Volume)

So, Is A 3-Times-Per-Week Training Frequency Optimal?

For certain people… hell yes. For others, not so much. Specifically…

If you are a beginner with any goal, a 3-times-per-week training frequency is the MOST EFFECTIVE way to train.

And by beginner, I mean anyone who has been weight training for LESS than 6 months consistently and intelligently. (My full definition of what I consider a “beginner” to be is here: Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.)

And as usual, this is not just my opinion. It’s the opinion of every single qualified expert, trainer and strength coach with half a brain.

In fact, it’s actually a fact backed by science and real world results.

Literally all research and scientific studies looking at the effects of different weight training frequencies in beginners came to the same conclusion: training each muscle three times per week is the most effective way for a beginner to train, regardless of their specific goal.

So, if you’re a beginner with any goal (build muscle, lose fat, increase strength, or improve your body in any way), a 3-times-per-week workout frequency is indeed optimal for you.

As for everyone else, let’s break it down…

Who Is A 3-Times-Per-Week Frequency BEST Suited For?

Today's Quote: