Optimal frequency and intensity of training. How does training frequency affect muscle growth?!!!! How long does it take for muscles to recover?

Longer or more often?

Today we have a huge selection of different programs, including mass-gaining ones. However, many of them do not build muscle any faster than the protocols that were used back in the 60s of the last century. Of course, nowadays bodybuilders are much more massive, but thanks to innovations not in training, but in pharmacology.

Why is that? Have we really reached our physiological limit and it is simply impossible to gain muscle faster? Or are there other, more progressive methods that we have yet to discover?

Let's move from philosophical questions to practical solutions - we can stimulate muscles more in two ways:

1. Loading them longer in each workout.

2. By training more often.

If we take the first path, we will quickly run into a dead end. Why am I sure of this? I think if 100 sets of arm curls in two hours added a centimeter or two to the biceps, then we would all be doing just that. But anyone who has tried to extend a workout to two, three or even four hours knows how futile this path is. Of course, increasing volume to a certain point brings more mass, but you can't stimulate muscles endlessly without damaging your joints and immune system.

So we are left with the second option: train more often. Obviously, twenty workouts will give more mass than four. But here the question arises of accumulated fatigue and full recovery, how to regulate everything?

I've been experimenting with frequent training (4 or more per week) for various purposes since 2001, and here is my new version for hypertrophy.

How to train

Choose one exercise that you can do every day, such as push-ups or pull-ups.
Continue going to the gym and training according to your regular program, but practice this exercise according to special rules.

Rule 1: Start small

This is the most important point. You can ignore all the rest, but be sure to remember this one: in the first few weeks, it should seem to you that the training is too easy.

I began my six-month experiment with pull-ups on January 5, 2011, doing just 5 reps. And the next day he added a whole one. I could easily do 20 pull-ups, but I already knew how important it was not to overdo the volume at the very beginning. The results are as follows: On July 1, I did 182 pull-ups all day, the day before - 181, and the previous day - 180. And at the same time, no painful sensations in the joints, because I progressed very slowly over six months, accustoming my body to increased volume.

Everyone wants quick results, and you too may decide that you need to start harder. No need.
Pick an exercise that you can do 12-22 reps without too much strain. For example, you do 13 pull-ups - divide them into two sets, 1x7 and 1x6. This is where you should start. The next day, add only one repetition and perform two sets of 7. Space them out as far as possible, one set in the morning, the other in the evening. At the very beginning, while the total volume is small, you do not need to rest for long, but gradually you will reach several dozen pull-ups that need to be spaced further apart.

Rule 2: Choose a useful exercise and do all repetitions cleanly

First, every rep must be perfect. There is no excuse for poor technique when you are only doing half your maximum.

Secondly, here is a list of exercises that I recommend for the frequent training method. Choose any one and, of course, exclude it from your regular program, according to which you continue to work in the gym.

Pull-up: the best option is on rings. If they are not there, then use a neutral grip on the handles (palms facing each other).

Push-up: choose an option for your goals, for example, to emphasize the triceps - with a narrow position of the arms; to develop the entire shoulder girdle - yoga push-ups or handstand push-ups.

Dips: It’s also better not on uneven bars, but on rings. If there are no rings, then on parallel bars and very carefully. Immediately eliminate push-ups from a bench/chair when you lean your hands behind your back. In general, if you have problems with your shoulders, vertical push-ups are not for you.

Lunge: any option. I prefer lunges back or with the back leg on a sliding platform.

Single leg squat: any option that suits you. Most people find it difficult to do this with their free leg extended forward, so it is better to stand with your working leg on a raised platform.

Standing on one leg: Hold a dumbbell in each hand or one dumbbell in your non-working hand. When in doubt about choosing a weight, always lean towards the smaller side.

Rule 3: Last longer than you intended

Although frequent training results in rapid muscle growth, all growth takes time. Set your sights on months, not weeks.
I, too - like everyone else - would like a 30-day program for maximum mass, but that doesn’t happen in life. In my six-month experiment, the most muscle gain was in the last two months. Of course, it's not easy to find time to do a hundred pull-ups every day, but the results are worth it.

So how long should you stay on this frequent training regimen? Until you gain as much muscle as you want. Maybe eight weeks will be enough, maybe four months will be needed. Continue to gradually increase the volume and help your muscles recover. Switch to another variation of the exercise if necessary.

It happens that you have reached a certain maximum of pull-ups and cannot add any more - you simply don’t have enough time. For example, we trained for several months and stopped at 80 repetitions per day. In this case, continue to do 80 pull-ups every day, but try to gain this volume in fewer approaches. You still have a couple or three months of growth ahead of you.

What to watch

Of course, I won’t be able to describe all the nuances in this article, but here are a couple of important points.

Thoracic spine

When you begin a program that involves a lot of pull-ups, you need to remember to stretch the thoracic spine as well. If this area becomes rigid, problems arise in the cervical region, lumbar region, and shoulders. Every time a client comes to me complaining of shoulder pain, I first check the condition of his thoracic region.

Here's how to check what you have: Press dumbbells while standing with your palms facing forward. If the body does not change position, then you have passed the test. If the bottom of the chest rises, then there are problems. Do yoga - downward-facing dog pose.

It has been practiced for thousands of years, and for good reason. In my opinion, this is the best exercise for restoring the normal state of the thoracic region.

With your arms and legs straight, lift your pelvis as high as possible, tucking your stomach and pressing your chin toward your chest. Hold this position for one minute, inhaling slowly and deeply through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

Then do the dumbbell test press again. If your thoracic spine is not so tight, you should be able to press the dumbbells overhead without lifting your lower ribs.

Knee movement

Let me remind you that I recommend only unilateral movements for frequent leg training. But in any exercise for the lower body, you need to make sure that your knees do not collapse. This usually happens when you are trying to get up from a heavy squat. Always make sure that the knee does not bend inward in any part of the amplitude.

How often should you train if you are looking for maximum muscle growth? This is a difficult question, since all people differ in their recovery capabilities. You should not train a muscle group that has not yet recovered from the previous workout.

Despite the obviousness of this rule, many bodybuilders train according to a schedule without paying attention to their well-being. This quickly leads to overtraining and stalled progress.

How do you know if you have fully recovered? Signals of complete recovery are much more subtle compared to signs of overtraining. One of the ways to determine your own readiness for training is your mental state. If you dread the thought of your next workout, it may be a sign that you're not recovering enough. The real problem is how to separate real mental fatigue from simple laziness.

A more accurate way to determine the degree of recovery is how you respond to training the same muscle group. Did you become weaker in the same exercise? Does fatigue set in quickly? True, such symptoms may indicate not only stress. but also insufficient nutrition, for example. Maybe you didn't eat well between workouts and didn't give your muscles the conditions to recover adequately. Or maybe you ate well, but rested too long between workouts, so fatigue results from low blood glucose levels.

It is also possible that you have not ensured that the bodybuilder's main source of energy is replenished - glycogen, which requires approximately 48 hours. If you start training before the process is complete, fatigue will set in faster and your strength and number of repetitions per set will decrease. You will also notice a lack of muscle pumping as it depends on the levels of stored muscle glycogen.

Although lack of sleep may be an obvious cause of early fatigue, scientists have found surprisingly little effect on strength. This is especially interesting due to the fact that Growth hormone production peaks during sleep e. Sleep helps the body break down stress hormones such as cortisol. Lack of sleep can lower testosterone levels by 40%. but at the same time it will not have a significant impact on the training, unless, of course, the lack of sleep lasted for several days.

The science behind training frequency is counterintuitive, since much of beginners' progress comes from neuromuscular adaptations rather than actual muscle growth, so the recommendation for them is two to three workouts per week with one day of rest in between. After a year, you can already switch to a split, in which you will train different muscle groups on different days. The point is to avoid training the same body part two days in a row.

One study published several years ago indicated that a person exercising four times a week required one to three days of recovery, depending on individual recuperative abilities. That is, some people take longer to recover than others. This is especially true for steroid users, which stimulates recovery processes, including muscle glycogen resiktosis.

Arthur Jones and his followers such as Mike Mcntzer talked a lot about recovery after training, but the vast majority of sports scientists perceived this as heresy. Jones, who invented the Nautilus simulators and collaborated for a long time with IRONMAN, believed that as training experience increases, a person should train less. People with more training experience, according to Jones, are increasingly encroaching on their own recovery capabilities. The lack of constant growth is a clear sign of overtraining , which can be overcome by simply reducing the frequency and volume of training.

One study seemed to confirm Jones' theory. It was discovered that an elite athlete training once or twice a day required a full 23 days to fully recover! The more often and more rigorously intensification techniques are used, the more rest the athlete needs between workouts. In another study, researchers observed subjects eccentrically training their forearms. It turned out that for full recovery they needed two weeks of rest between training sessions. Eccentric muscle contractions, also known as negatives, cause the most fiber damage and acute soreness.

In one recent study, six men increased their training frequency from three times a week to five. With this regimen, they showed a significant reduction in muscle growth. The disadvantage of this experiment is that all its participants were untrained people. The scientists acknowledged that the results of their research may not apply to more experienced athletes.

So what is the optimal training frequency? Only you can answer this question yourself. If you do not notice any gains in muscle size and strength despite changes you make to your program (such as changing exercises), then you may want to try reducing your training frequency or take a closer look at your diet and then make adjustments accordingly.

Optimal training frequencyDmitry Yakovina
Why do 99% of those who train do not one, not two or three approaches per muscle group, but more? Because it brings results. As sports science says, the greater the load on muscle fibers, the more factors are formed in them
growth, such as free creatine and hydrogen ions, the more anabolic hormones penetrate into them.

For those who don’t know, up to 90% of everything is at rest
Testosterone circulating in the blood is not able to penetrate muscle fibers, but the exact opposite is the case under the influence of optimal physical activity. We literally pump hormones into muscle cells, performing set after set. Once inside, the latter begin to actively stimulate protein synthesis, which leads to the utilization of hormones, that is, their consumption (conversion into inactive metabolites).

After about 48 hours, there will be no trace of them left in the muscle fibers, and the rate of protein synthesis decreases, but does not stop. If after this time the load is repeated, the hormones will again enter those
muscle cells that we use with load. The only thing stopping us from repeating a high-volume workout after such a short period of time is that doing many sets will not only pump a lot of hormones into the muscles, but also cause a high accumulation of hydrogen ions (lactic acid) in them. .

Hydrogen ions are not only a growth factor, but also the main catabolic factor. If you do not wait until the muscle has more or less recovered and subject it again to a similar load, then the catabolism caused by hydrogen ions will cancel out the results of the previous load, as it will destroy
emerging protein structures that have not yet formed into myofibrils.

Without catabolism, we will not start muscle growth, but it must be dosed both in size and frequency. And here the logic of high-frequency training of one muscle group with a small volume of load on it begins to emerge. More frequent training more often releases anabolic hormones into the muscles; a small volume of load, although it will not release many hormones into the muscle cell, will not cause pronounced catabolism.

So what is better in practice: do 9 approaches per muscle and let it rest for 7 days, or do three approaches, but three times in a week? There is probably no point in listening to the opinions of athletes, since each of them will defend their usual training regimen. American sports scientist Michael Thomas, in the process of writing his doctoral dissertation entitled “Increasing muscle mass and strength: a comparison of high and low frequency strength training,” conducted studies involving seven women and twelve men with at least several years of training experience.

He divided the study participants into two groups. One group (LFT) performed a traditional weekly split, in which muscle groups were distributed by day of the week as follows:
chest + shoulders + triceps (Monday), back + biceps (Wednesday), legs + calves (Friday).
During the workout, participants performed 9 sets for each muscle group of 8–12 repetitions. The second group (HFT) trained all the muscle groups listed per workout, but did 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. In a week of such training
There were three: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After 8 months, Michael Thomas measured gains in muscle mass and strength in both groups. Participants in both groups showed progress, but there were no statistically significant differences.
Both of them progressed equally

The results are certainly interesting. On the one hand, they show that frequent training schemes with a limited volume are effective, but on the other hand, they are no more effective than a traditional split with working out one muscle group once every
week.

That is, regardless of experience, nutrition, or pharmacology, high-volume training in a three-day split or high-intensity, low-volume full-body training three times a week produce the same results.

However, training one muscle group once a week in a low-volume (2-3 sets) mode will not help increase the concentration of anabolic hormones in the muscles, or training the whole body in 6-8 approaches per muscle group is guaranteed to lead to overtraining.

Video: how many times a week should you train?

Video: is it possible to train every day?

Such a parameter as the frequency of visiting the hall is of exceptional importance. Its correct definition allows you to achieve maximum hypertrophy, avoid catabolism, and prevent overtraining of all body systems. And too wide use of the body's adaptive capabilities usually leads to the opposite of the desired effect. Most people get extremely negative results, systematically exceeding the threshold of the body's adaptive capabilities.

What is the optimal training frequency?

In theory, the optimal training frequency is defined as the arrangement of classes at the so-called peak of supercompensation. Then the training session can provide the necessary level of “good” stress and will contribute to the development of the necessary physical qualities. The only problem is that supercompensation of various systems (muscular, cardiovascular, nervous) is a different point in time, and the optimal frequency must be determined so as to wait for the restoration of each of the systems to the required extent.

The average supercompensation values ​​for strength training are:

• strength mode, 1-5 reps. Muscles recover from 12 to 36 hours, if the time under load exceeds 15 seconds - up to 76 hours or more. The higher the level of the athlete, the more time should pass between workouts. Beginners can do strength training after one full day. The central nervous system recovers in about 24 hours for an average-level athlete and longer for a more experienced athlete; the hormonal system can recover up to 5 days, especially if cortisol is elevated due to stress;
• “hypertrophy” mode, time under load from 20 to 40 seconds. Muscles recover from 36 to 72 hours, sometimes sources indicate larger numbers. Nervous system - about a day; opinions differ regarding the hormonal system. Most sources indicate that it is better not to train the same muscle group for hypertrophy more than 2 times a week, since the hormonal system cannot recover faster;

How to determine the optimal training frequency for yourself

It is usually recommended to monitor the state of the body according to the following parameters:

• quality of sleep. If sleep disturbances occur after training, you are working out too much and you should reduce the frequency of going to the gym;
• appetite. A decrease in appetite under high loads is a sure sign of overtraining; it is also better to reduce the frequency;
• state of strength indicators. If you exercise taking into account the figures given above, but your strength indicators do not increase, but fall, the frequency must be reduced. At least during the first year of training, strength should increase linearly;
• progress in achieving goals. Obviously, if you do not see hypertrophy, or are not losing weight, there is something wrong with your training, including the frequency or quantity

Optimal training frequency for weight loss

Those losing weight are advised to differentiate between cardio and strength training. You should not perform excessive strength training to avoid catabolism. Without pharmacological support, 2-3 workouts per week are considered optimal, containing basic exercises in a strength (not hypertrophy) mode to preserve muscles. And cardio training in a regular or interval style almost every day. It is also possible to use circuit training in machines or with free weights; there can be at least 2 such sessions per week.

Those losing weight can go to the gym more often, but should not do an excessive amount of strength work.

Optimal training frequency for gaining weight

When training for weights, it is important to ensure rest; the classic approach recommends that you go to the gym every other day, and work so that one muscle group is not trained more than 2 times a week for a beginner and 1 time a week for an experienced athlete. If methods of increasing training intensity are used, less frequent training is also allowed.

Exercising too often

Exercising too frequently while gaining weight can result in a lack of progress due to too much stress on the hormonal system. Training plans designed for athletes with pharmacological support are especially dangerous in this sense if they are used by natural training athletes. You should differentiate between these indicators, and avoid too frequent and voluminous training to prevent catabolism.

Exercising too frequently in weight loss plans is usually fraught with exhaustion of the nervous system and changes in appetite. In most cases, this leads to a breakdown in dieting and is therefore counterproductive. You should carefully approach the amount of training, and reduce it as your body condition changes and your caloric intake decreases.

Too infrequent training

Usually, training too infrequently also leads to a lack of progress. The reason is an insufficient level of training load. In terms of weight loss, this can lead to a lack of progress, or to too much loss of body weight due to muscle tissue and negative changes in appearance. For those who are gaining weight, training too infrequently can lead to an increase in fat rather than muscle mass, so you should also be careful.

The content of the article:

Very often, beginning bodybuilders make the same mistake - they choose the wrong training frequency. As a result, they work diligently in the gym, but do not see the desired progress, which leads to disappointment. Many people even stop training after this. To prevent this from happening to you, you need to understand how often to train to grow muscles.

Most often, athletes train three times a week, because this is the recommendation that is mainly found on the Internet. But even if you have correctly created a training program and use the necessary loads, training can be more effective when classes are carried out with the right frequency.

How often to train?

If you constantly stick to the same training schedule, it may be a mistake. As you progress, your workouts will become more intense and your body will need more time to recover. Research shows that the average guy who has never exercised before can increase his strength by three or four times with training.

But you must understand that the body’s recovery after physical activity depends on various factors. The human body is a single mechanism and the state of your health depends on the coordinated work of all systems and organs. If muscles can significantly increase their functionality, then say, the liver does not have such an ability. Even the articular-ligamentous apparatus cannot adapt to loads at the same speed as muscles.

After a light workout, you most likely will not feel any major changes, and your body will recover in a short time. A completely different situation arises after an intensive session, during which serious working weights were used. In this case, the body may need several days to fully recover.

You must remember that different body systems have individual recovery abilities. For example, muscle tissue and glycogen depot can be restored within a couple of days. But the nervous system is not able to restore its normal performance so quickly. For all classes to be effective, it is necessary to find the optimal way of training.

Split training for muscle growth

Split is a fairly effective training scheme, but only with its help you will not be able to solve the problem of a permanent fixed training schedule. It's all about an organ like the kidneys. It doesn’t matter to them which muscle group you trained in the last lesson and which one you will work on now.

How to determine the correct frequency of exercise for muscle growth?

To make everything clearer to you, we will tell you about one incident that happened in real life. One bodybuilder stopped progressing and discussed his problem with his coach. As a result, they decided to take a break from classes, which lasted three weeks.

The guy took bodybuilding seriously and could not stop training for such a long period of time. First of all, it is quite difficult from a psychological point of view. When you see yourself progressing, it's hard to force yourself to do nothing for three weeks. Sometimes a person may take advice to stop exercising as a defeat.

However, sometimes the body needs to be given more time to recover and you should keep this in mind. During a long pause, you can rethink your approach to building the training process and understand how often to do training. Don’t think that by relaxing you will waste time. The body uses it for its intended purpose and will be able to fully recover.

However, let's return to the case we are considering. The coach was able to convince his ward and the builder rested for three weeks. Two months after resuming classes, he told the coach about his successes, which turned out to be simply shocking.

The guy was able to increase his strength in a short time and during the first lesson he set personal records in several movements. If previously he used the now most popular three-time training regimen, then after the break he trains once every nine days. He uses a two-day split, dividing his body into upper and lower parts. As we expected, the forced pause did him good.

I would also like to say a few words about how often to do workouts to lose weight. This is due to the fact that weight gain has slightly different laws compared to fat burning. If your goal is only to fight fat, then classes should be carried out daily, but at the same time it is necessary to correctly structure the training process so as not to overtrain. At the same time, it makes sense to use anti-catabolics so as not to lose muscle mass. During the drying period, it is recommended to conduct no more than two strength training sessions during the week, and devote the rest of the time to cardio sessions.

How to avoid overtraining?

In the example we considered above, this is what happened, because the builder noticed that he had stopped improving his results in the bench press. If a similar situation happened to you, then you should rest. Here are the three main symptoms of overtraining.

1. The working weight in exercises does not increase. To progress, you need to gradually increase the load. However, for this, the body must fully recover so that you can work with heavy weights.
2. The number of repetitions or the time of static holding of projectiles does not increase. If the working weight does not increase, then the number of repetitions or the time of static holding of the projectile should increase.
3. You spend more time doing the same workout. The effectiveness of training is closely related to the concept of intensity, which is measured in units of time. Simply put, if it took you longer to do an activity you did a few days ago today, then the intensity has dropped.

1. If you train each muscle group only once a week, then you need to do all 12 sets, since the frequency of training is low, you will have to use the entire volume at once.
2. When training each muscle group three times a day, you should perform 4 sets in each session, which will result in a weekly training volume of 12 sets.
3. If you have two workouts a day, then each muscle group in one lesson should be pumped in six sets.

When talking about how often to train, it is necessary to take into account the athlete’s training experience. For beginner athletes who have been training for less than eight months, a three-day split is ideal.

If you have passed this stage and have been training for more than eight months, then you should switch to twice a day training sessions during the week. We recommend that in this situation you divide the body into upper and lower halves.

Many people do not have enough time to visit the gym at least twice during the week. As a result, they have to be content with one training session. If you do everything correctly, then this strategy will be effective, but definitely not the best. To a greater extent, this frequency of exercise is suitable for maintaining muscle tone. If you want to progress faster, try to find time for two workouts per week.

How often to train, watch this video: