Training Frequency - How Often Can You or SHOULD You Train To Maximize Your Results?

How often should you train? How long do you need to rest
between training sessions? How much is too much and how much
is too little? The answers may surprise you and even change how
you train!


One of the most basic questions in weight training is "how many
times a week should I train for best results?" EVERYBODY has
wondered this at some point in their training career, from the
complete beginner to the most advanced professional.

The answer could very well change the way you train forever!

And the answer is simple... it depends!

Now, this is an answer that ALWAYS leads immediately to the
next question... depends on what?

At this point, most instructors or training manuals will go
right to the stock response of "train each bodypart twice
a week" or something to that effect. It's easy to believe
that this is the best answer because that generally works okay
for most people. It's a safe answer.

But it's not the BEST answer. Learning what IS the best answer
will help you cast out preconceived notions and determine what
REALLY works best for your body.

There are a number of factors that influence how often you
should train your muscles. Each single factor plays a part in
how often you should train and they ALL interact with each
other. I will go through the factors then give you real-world
examples of how these factors come together to help you
determine how often you should train.


1. Training Volume

Training volume is basically how much you are doing for each
bodypart. It's the number of reps and the number of sets you
are doing.

The more sets you do for a bodypart, the less frequently you
should train the bodypart to give it a chance to recover. If
you do fewer sets, you can train more frequently and recover
from it.

2. Training Intensity

This is not the scientific definition of intensity (i.e. how
close the weight you are using is to your one rep max for
that exercise) but rather your effort intensity. Basically,
it's how hard you're working your muscles.

The harder you push yourself in your sets, the less frequent
your training should be as this will tax your recovery systems
more strongly.

3. Nutrition

How much you eat and, more importantly, WHAT you eat plays a
critical role in how often you can and should train. Don't
think nutrition plays a big role in training frequency? Eat
nothing but Pop Tarts for a week and see how often you're able
to train...

The higher the quality of the food you eat and, to some degree,
the more food you eat, the better you'll be able to recover and
the more often you'll be able to train.

4. Recovery

When it comes to recovery, everybody is different...some people
recover slowly while some recover very quickly. This difference
can be heightened by outside activities and stresses to the body.
For instance, a construction worker, who has a physical job,
will need more recovery time than an office worker. Playing
intense sports will also affect recovery ability.

Therefore, the slower your recovery rate and/or the more
outside activities you do, the more time you will need between
training sessions.

5. Exercise Selection

Which exercise is most demanding to the thighs and the whole
body in general... a barbell squat or a leg extension? The squat,
of course, because the more demanding the exercises are on a
bodypart (or the whole body), the less frequently you can
effectively train that bodypart.

6. Bodypart Size

The bigger the bodypart, e.g. back, thighs and chest, the more
recovery time it needs. All things being equal, smaller bodyparts
can be worked more frequently because they have less muscle mass
that needs repair.

7. Type of Training You Do

Partials, negatives and other intensity techniques are going to
affect how frequently you can effectively train a bodypart.
These styles take more recovery time for the muscles and will
require a decrease in training frequency.


TRAINING FREQUENCY RULES OF THUMB

These simple lists will show you the directions in which each
factor will take you. All the factors interact to give you the
best solution as to how often you should train.


You Can Train At a Higher Frequency If You Have:
------------------------------------------------
A better recovery rate
Good nutrition and supplementation
Lower training volume
Lower training intensity
Easier exercises
Smaller bodyparts
Fewer intensity techniques


You Should Train At a Lower Frequency If You Have:
--------------------------------------------------
A slower recovery rate
Poor nutrition and supplementation
Higher training volume
Higher training intensity
Tougher exercises
Larger bodyparts
More intensity techniques


How It All Fits Together:

These are the major factors that determine optimum training
frequency. Though the interaction of all these factors may
seem complex, when you get right down to it, it's actually
quite intuitive.

A good way to demonstrate this is by using myself as an example
in different phases of training that I've been through. You will
see, according to all the different factors, how I changed my
training frequency and training schedules to maximize results.

You will also see that the common conceptions and "rules" that
you have been told you must stick to in terms of training
frequency (e.g. twice a week) are based only on simple assumptions,
not on actual situations.


EXAMPLE #1 - Heavy manual labor, limited access to quality food

Because of the specific job conditions I was in at the time, I
reduced the frequency of my training to three sessions per week
and reduced my total training volume. I did total body workouts
on each of the three days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), using
the heaviest exercises for each bodypart for 3 sets of 8 to
10 reps each (e.g. squats, bench press, bent-over rows).

I didn't push my muscles to complete failure in my training so
that I didn't beat myself down too much in addition to the heavy
manual labor job.

It was a simple program but very effective. It gave me enough
recovery time because the volume was low and the intensity was
moderate, even though the frequency for each bodypart was three
times a week.


EXAMPLE #2 - In-home vacation, unlimited access to food and
recovery, no demanding outside activities or work.

A number of years ago, I worked on cruise ships as a sports
director. I would work 8 to 10 months straight (every single day)
then have a few months completely off. During this time off,
I had access to a gym, food and plenty of sleep.

To maximize results, I would dramatically increase my training
volume and frequency and utilize intensity techniques regularly.

The catch? Since I was basically only eating, sleeping and
training, I was able to recover from this high frequency and
make excellent gains in strength and muscle mass.

As an extreme example of the frequency I was able to work with
at this point, I was in the gym 6 days a week, twice a day,
doing total-body workouts EVERY SINGLE TIME. This amounted to
12 total-body workouts a week, in addition to intensity
techniques. The actual training volume (number of sets) in
each workout was fairly low (3 or 4 sets per bodypart), which
also allowed me to get results from that very high frequency.

I used a "controlled-overtraining" program similar in concept
to the one that I wrote about in a previous issue of BetterU News
here:

Training on the Edge - Learn How Overtraining on Purpose Can
Get You Maximum Results FAST!

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue22.htm

Because I was able to recover from it, the high frequency of
training worked in my favor and allowed me to get great results.
But would I recommend this type of program to someone working a
physical job or without optimum nutrition in quality or amount?
No chance.


EXAMPLE #3 - Extremely busy work schedule, office job, meals
determined by work breaks but workouts may have to be put off
until the next day to accommodate overtime.

Having an office job meant that it wasn't physically demanding,
allowing for good recovery. Nutrition, however, was often
hit-or-miss due to busy scheduling. There were times, when
work demanded, that I needed to put in hours after regular time,
which forced me to push workouts back to the next day.

To maximize the results with this situation, I changed to a
"one bodypart per day" training system. I would do a single
bodypart in a workout, working it with high volume and high
intensity. The next day I would do a different bodypart,
rotating continuously through all the major bodyparts.

Because I was working only one bodypart at a time, the
training frequency was very low, basically working the target
bodypart once every 7 to 8 days. This, of course, would increase
if I had to bump a workout back a day.

Even though I would basically "destroy" the single bodypart in
its workout, this low training frequency gave my body enough
time to recover and rebuild the muscle. It would take that much
time for the part to recover. Also, when you work one bodypart,
other bodyparts area invariably involved, allowing for indirect
stimulation of the other muscles more frequently, e.g. when you
bench press for the chest, the triceps are also involved.

This plan gave me the flexibility to easily change workout
schedules without compromising results while allowing my less-
than-perfect nutrition to still allow me to recover enough
between workouts and get results.

CONCLUSION:
As you can see, optimum training frequency is nothing as simple
as "work each bodypart twice a week." The give and take between
a number of different factors in your life and schedule will help
you determine how often you should be training and the type of
training you should be doing for best results.