Hitting each muscle once v twice a week

[monkey20]

Your opinions on this? Ive always wanted to hit them twice a week as i think they dont take a full week to recover and i rekon ill make faster gains doing lower volume and hitting them more frequently. So who here prefers hitting them hard once a week or lighter but twice a week? Im unsure which to do so need your opinions...

[Niko49ers]

For football/track our coach has a 4-day split set up for hitting them twice a week.

Then next week, he has it set up for a 4 day split with 3 day rest.
Mon: Heavy Upper
Tues: Heavy Lower
Wed: Rep Upper
Thurs: Rep Lower

[BIG_AARON]

Not only do i prefer to train each body part only once per week (i.e. high volume) its supported by tons of research as well. I've been training with high volume for over the past 7 years or so and i'll never look back. For example, I believe that if you really kill your biceps in the gym than they'll need a full week to recover.

My 2 cents!
-Aaron

[matt297]

Unless your pretty advanced

Twice per week

/thread

[Empythree]

I've been doing a twice a week program lately for my cut(the calorie expenditure is ridiculous)

Low Rep Leg/High Rep Shoulder
LR Chest/HR Bicep
HR Back/LR Tri
HR Leg/LR Shoulder
HR Chest/LR Bicep
LR Back/HR Tricep
Rest
Repeat

It's extremely demanding, I couldn't keep it up for a long period of time, but I'm finishing up my 3rd week of this program and probably have one last week left in me after that.

[DuLac]

I do once per week, but in reality, various muscles are used throughout a lot of the lifts on many days.

Pullups are on back day (monday), but they hit forearms, biceps, and areas of the back. I have a bicep day on Thursday with legs, so technically bi's get hit twice since you cannot train back without hitting biceps, and so does everything else simply by being required in the various different compound lifts.

[Soylent]

Why not 3X a week? Overtraining is bullsheet

[BIG_AARON]

Unless your pretty advanced

Twice per week

/thread

Just curious whats the difference between an advanced lifter and a newbie when it comes to training volume and why one could do once per week and the other twice per week???

-Aaron

[TheBroBrah]

I honestly think It's bull**** when people say to do 3 fullbody workouts once a week, or an upper/lower 2 times a week because you should use "frequency".

Listen, what people don't ****ing understand is that if you have a split set up correctly, your hitting your muscles more than once a week anyway.

Monday: Back/Traps
Tuesday: Shoulders/Tris
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Chest/Biceps

Your working back when your working legs, your working legs when your working back.
Your working legs when your working back, your working back when your working legs.

Your working biceps when your working back

Your working tris when your working chest

your working tris when your working shoulders

your working traps when your working shoulders

your working forearms in just about every upper body exercise you do

your working shoulders when your working chest and also back

see what i mean?

[Tommy W.]

The answer is there is no answer. Everyone responds differently so you need to try all variations and see what works. You will jump around on things to keep the body guessing anyway.

tw

[BIG_AARON]

I honestly think It's bull**** when people say to do 3 fullbody workouts once a week, or an upper/lower 2 times a week because you should use "frequency".

Listen, what people don't ****ing understand is that if you have a split set up correctly, your hitting your muscles more than once a week anyway.

Monday: Back/Traps
Tuesday: Shoulders/Tris
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Chest/Biceps

Your working back when your working legs, your working legs when your working back.
Your working legs when your working back, your working back when your working legs.

Your working biceps when your working back

Your working tris when your working chest

your working tris when your working shoulders

your working traps when your working shoulders

your working forearms in just about every upper body exercise you do

your working shoulders when your working chest and also back

see what i mean?

Not really man, yes you are using other muscle groups while targeting a specific muscle group but your not taking that other muscle group to failure along with your targeted one. Taking a muscle to failure is not the same as assisting another muscle group. When a muscle group (ex. Biceps) is assisting another muscle group (ex. Back) it is not being "hit".

And yes i do believe you need to be some what smart with setting up your split but there's no real right or wrong there either.

-Aaron

[Joelift]

Not only do i prefer to train each body part only once per week (i.e. high volume) its supported by tons of research as well. I've been training with high volume for over the past 7 years or so and i'll never look back. For example, I believe that if you really kill your biceps in the gym than they'll need a full week to recover.

My 2 cents!
-Aaron

See, I'm the exact opposite. Full body workouts have always worked better for me. Assuming your volumes are the same, it really just depends on the person. I'm sure that there's research out there that will support either argument.

For me, I just don't feel that I have the capacity to absolutely destroy my muscle so much that it takes an entire week to recover. Once I start benching 300+ pounds then I'll stretch my split out. Right now though, I switch between 2 and 3 times a week, depending on how many calories I'm taking in - and this leaves me less sore and feeling completely recovered from one workout to the next.

[MDPower75]

its supported by tons of research as well.

I'm curious about what research you've read showing that once per week volume is superior to twice (or more) per week.

[SwiftyX]

I'm curious about what research you've read showing that once per week volume is superior to twice (or more) per week.

This.

The wernbom meta-review is the go to reseach paper right now for what is optimal in terms of volume intensity frequency and mode. It says no such thing, and you'll be hard pressed to find hard data that backs your point.

[greekmanman]

I do once per week, but in reality, various muscles are used throughout a lot of the lifts on many days.

Pullups are on back day (monday), but they hit forearms, biceps, and areas of the back. I have a bicep day on Thursday with legs, so technically bi's get hit twice since you cannot train back without hitting biceps, and so does everything else simply by being required in the various different compound lifts.

This; I agree and do the same thing.

[Daywalker75]

Ive trained off and on for over ten years now and Ive made the best gains on a 3 days on 1 day off split...Ive tried most splits but I find this works for me. Ive currently come off a 5 on two off...where I would train mon through to fri and take the weekend off. If I had trained chest on the mon I would find that by friday my chest would be healed and I could of hit it again. But I would also find that on this 5 on routine I would be a little burnt out by the 4th day.
My 3 on 1 off looks like this: Mon:Chest, Shoulders, Tris, Cardio 30mins
Tue:Legs, Abs
Wed: Back, Bis, Cardio 30 mins
Thur: rest
Fri: Starts again but this time I do shoulders first
If I do compound movements for my chest Then the shoulder workout will consist of isolation movements eg raises and such...and likewise if I do compounds for shoulder then my chest workout will be isolation stuff eg crossovers and flyes.
Ive been on this routine 2 weeks and my body is responding well too it, Im surprised how strong im getting. Im hitting each group twice in 5 days...I find by after the rest day im raring to go again and full of energy as opposed to the 5 on 2 off.

[litle_dan]

For football/track our coach has a 4-day split set up for hitting them twice a week.

Then next week, he has it set up for a 4 day split with 3 day rest.
Mon: Heavy Upper
Tues: Heavy Lower
Wed: Rep Upper
Thurs: Rep Lower

how did the gains on this look brah?

[hardwork08]

day 1. chest/tris
day 2. back/bis
day 3. abs
day 4. shoulders/traps
day 5. legs
day 6. rest
repeat cycle.

every 6 weeks i get 7 workouts in per body part. seems like a good workout for me. to each his own.

[MDPower75]

day 1. chest/tris
day 2. back/bis
day 3. abs
day 4. shoulders/traps
day 5. legs
day 6. rest
repeat cycle.

every 6 weeks i get 7 workouts in per body part. seems like a good workout for me. to each his own.

You do 4 times as much work for your abs and upper body as your legs?

[BIG_AARON]

I'm curious about what research you've read showing that once per week volume is superior to twice (or more) per week.

No such data exists bro .... i stated that there is tons of research to back up volume training which included once per week volume.

-Aaron

[SwiftyX]

No such data exists bro .... i stated that there is tons of research to back up volume training which included once per week volume.

-Aaron

What kind of volume are you talking about? Anyone can say "tons of reseach".... site some. And again, the wernbom meta-review is a paper using many many studies as a reference to draw conclusion as to what is optimal..... so such data does exist bro, it just doesn't back your point.

[BIG_AARON]

See, I'm the exact opposite. Full body workouts have always worked better for me. Assuming your volumes are the same, it really just depends on the person. I'm sure that there's research out there that will support either argument.

For me, I just don't feel that I have the capacity to absolutely destroy my muscle so much that it takes an entire week to recover. Once I start benching 300+ pounds then I'll stretch my split out. Right now though, I switch between 2 and 3 times a week, depending on how many calories I'm taking in - and this leaves me less sore and feeling completely recovered from one workout to the next.

Your totally right man, i do totally agree that each of us is different and we all have different goals as well ... i should have added in my original post that i train for size. And in my opinion full body workouts won't tax the CNS the same as single bodypart volume training thus not yielding the same results.

My 2 cents,
-Aaron

[lancs_hotpot]

I think if you are a beginner and just getting to grips with exercise technique then twice a week is ok. If you have been training any length of time and are training heavy and to failure then once a week is more than enough.

[BIG_AARON]

What kind of volume are you talking about? Anyone can say "tons of reseach".... site some. And again, the wernbom meta-review is a paper using many many studies as a reference to draw conclusion as to what is optimal..... so such data does exist bro, it just doesn't back your point.

Alright i "retract" my statement of "Tons of research" and replace it with "Research". I get your point, i shouldn't have used the word "tons" so nonchalant. And sorry but I'm not going to dig up research papers, don't have the time ..... google "Scott Abel" and "Mauro Dipasquale" and see who they reference ... that should be a good start for ya!

-Aaron

[SwiftyX]

Mauro Dipasquale was a powerlifter. He didn't train like you are talking about. Scott Abel doesn't list references.

[BIG_AARON]

Mauro Dipasquale was a powerlifter. He didn't train like you are talking about. Scott Abel doesn't list references.

This has been the most lamest debate i've been part of. Your totally right Mauro was a powerlifter but thats not all he wrote about. And you'll have to look a little deeper to find Scott's references .... their out there. So do you want me to brake the news to everyone that NO research has been done on volume training for hypertophy .... its a sad day for bodybuilders! LOL!

Sorry i tried to participate in this thread. I guess i have nothing to offer!

-Aaron

[SwiftyX]

This has been the most lamest debate

Yes it is. Any debate with people who make claims that they can't back up is lame. If you like volume training hitting a muscle 1x a week fine. But don't put it out there like it is a heavily researched fact.

[hardwork08]

You do 4 times as much work for your abs and upper body as your legs?

I"m not sure what you mean.

i pretty much do a once a week split..but instead of 7 days, its 6 days.

[BIG_AARON]

Yes it is. Any debate with people who make claims that they can't back up is lame. If you like volume training hitting a muscle 1x a week fine. But don't put it out there like it is a heavily researched fact.

I'm sorry i offended you bro ... i don't really care to back up my post because it doesn't mean or prove anything ... well maybe to you i guess but theres no making you happy is there. You're probably going to nitpick something i type in this post aren't you. LOL! I've got no hard feelings towards you bro .... lifes to short, i'm moving on.

Good luck with your workouts AND to everyone else ..... sorry you had to put up with us.

-Aaron

[MDPower75]

Your totally right man, i do totally agree that each of us is different and we all have different goals as well ...

Yep, we're all different. But, Protein Synthesis (PS) is pretty much the same (though the amounts synthesized are not) process in everyone. PS is the primary mechanism of hypertrophy. The process only lasts for 48 hours (one study shows 72 hours, but the rest show 24-48 hours). So, why rest 6 days if you're only building muscle for 2 days?

I"m not sure what you mean.

i pretty much do a once a week split..but instead of 7 days, its 6 days.

What I mean is that you have three sessions for your upper body, and one session for your abs. And only one session for your legs. Presumably, each session is roughly the same amount of time and work (give or take). So, you're doing far, far more volume for your upper body than for your legs even though your legs make up far more of your total muscle mass.