How many times a week should I train each muscle? Right now, I am doing each muscle twice a week, but I see a lot of people doing each muscle only once a week. I just feel like doing bench only 4x a month is crazy to think about, but maybe it works. Just wanting some opinions. Also, I am trying to gain about 10 lbs and gain lots of strength if that has anything to do with your answer. Thanks.
|
-
01-19-2011, 02:40 PM #1
- Join Date: Oct 2010
- Location: Missouri, United States
- Age: 33
- Posts: 1,126
- Rep Power: 240
How many times a week to train each muscle?
PR's: 365 | 280 | 500 = 1145 lbs
Log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=161814243&p=1242966893#post1242966893
-
01-19-2011, 02:43 PM #2
-
01-19-2011, 02:56 PM #3
-
01-19-2011, 03:03 PM #4
^this. when you first start out you will gain on almost any routine. as your experience increases you may find you need to hit each muscle group more intensely/ increase the volume to stimulate growth thus increasing recovery time for that muscle group. i would say twice a week is fine as long as your arent working on consecutive days
"The journey to a place worth getting to is never easy but pain is only temporary, victory is forever" - Jeremy H.
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" - Vince Lombardi
-
-
01-19-2011, 08:45 PM #5
-
01-19-2011, 09:12 PM #6
-
01-19-2011, 09:26 PM #7
- Join Date: May 2009
- Location: Quebec, Canada
- Age: 35
- Posts: 823
- Rep Power: 344
Warning : Bodybuilding results may cause slight narcissism and turn you into a cheeky kunt, please train responsibily .
"-You can have results or you can have excuses . You can't have both !"
"In the gym, you are nothing but the embodiment of your own will."- BrettT
Current Lifts 18/10/2016
OHP: 225 x 1
Bench : 340 x 1
Squat : 500 x 2
Deadlift : 600 x 1
Bench/Squat/Deadlift total , natty , raw : 1440
Next milestones : 365 bench , and current lifts or higher under 12% bodyfat
-
01-19-2011, 09:53 PM #8
-
-
01-19-2011, 11:58 PM #9
i train each muscles once a week pluss a lagging muscle which is i muscle that needs more work. there's no problem with training a muscle once or twice a week as long as they aren't on back to back days. my high school football coach who is always a personal trainer says that you should not bench more than 4 times a month. there's no need for it. your just holding yourself back from your full potential because there are tiny muscles in your deltoids which are easily injured and torn if you bench too much.
-
01-20-2011, 12:02 AM #10
I personally only work each muscle group once a week, if you looking to gain, hit heavy weight and once a week per group should be good, other than that i feel that the muscle doesn't get fully recovered and it just wears em out and then you can't work them out to their potential, if you feel like you could work em again then you didn't work them hard enough in your last workout. unless your talking about arms, you could probably get by with doing them twice a week. (my personal opinion)
Squat: 360 Bench:270 Clean:230
5'10" 190lb GOAL:230lb
-
01-20-2011, 03:59 AM #11
how long have you been training for? your routine looks like you're destined for overtraining. unless you have a lot of experience why so many exercises for each muscle group? and why are so many taken to failure? you look like you might be better off with a standard 4 day split: e.g. chest/tri, back/bi, shoulders/traps, legs.
if you want to work each muscle twice a week split up the exercises for each muscle group and do them over two days. i do not believe you need to have so many exercises in your program and if you do want to then i would say split up your routine more so you work just one or two muscle groups per session"The journey to a place worth getting to is never easy but pain is only temporary, victory is forever" - Jeremy H.
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" - Vince Lombardi
-
01-20-2011, 05:33 AM #12
-
-
01-20-2011, 05:53 AM #13
0 - 18 Months
---------------
Full body routine done 3 times a week based around compound movements.
18 - 36 Months
---------------
Upper body/Lower body split or push/pull split done twice per week (4 lifting days).
36+ Months
---------------
3 or 4 day split routine
And when you start getting advanced, to Jay Cutlers level, train one bodypart per day.
-
01-20-2011, 06:14 AM #14
- Join Date: Jan 2011
- Location: Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 34
- Posts: 21
- Rep Power: 0
Thanks for the advice just lookign on the internet at compound lifting and im definatley going to start doing that from now on. one more question would it beneficial to combine compound lifting with isolation training or is compound lifting enough on it is own? my ultimate goal is to walk down the beach and the girls cream their shorts
-
01-20-2011, 06:19 AM #15
In a way it depends on how advanced you are...
But yes, both compound and isolation together work really good.
If you want a program like that, try Layne Nortons Power/Hypertrophy...
And there are different versions of it, usually altered for people who can't
handle the work load... But really before you even consider something like
that, try Starting Strenght, that way you will build up a heap of strenght
and some good muscle size, then after linear progression has been milked
out of the program and you can;t progress any further then try Laynes
Power/Hypertrophy.
-
01-20-2011, 07:36 AM #16
-
-
01-20-2011, 07:42 AM #17
You can train each muscle as many times as you want in a week, provided you keep VOLUME & INTENSITY in check. I've had good success on a 6 day/week program, hitting each muscle 3 times a week. With good diet and enough rest, most muscles are ready to go 48hrs later. I would not recommend this year round, maybe ramp up 4 weeks, then back off a week.
-
01-20-2011, 08:25 AM #18
[QUOTE=aspengc8;614447743]You can
train each muscle as many times as you want in a week, provided you keep VOLUME & INTENSITY in check. I've had good success on a 6 day/week program, hitting each muscle 3 times a week. With good diet and enough rest, most muscles are ready to go 48hrs later.
When anyone says they've had success on a 6 day a week program, I'm convinced these gains are beginner
gains and will be short lived. That's
just too much training in one week.
You grow when you rest. And your muscles might feel like they are ready in 48 hours but if your training hard enough I can tell you, they won't be fully recoveredLast edited by henmaniac87; 01-20-2011 at 08:30 AM.
-
01-20-2011, 08:30 AM #19
-
01-20-2011, 08:35 AM #20
Edit: If you can squat 380 at 160lbs like your sig says, then you're doing something right already. Keep doing that.
If you can get away with it, then train each 2x a week. Eat and sleep.
Focus on weight progression.
At some point you'll start to feel your lifts suffer because of how sore you still feel. Adjust then.. There are some body-parts you can train more frequently than others, and some you can train easier (and safer) while sore.Last edited by UofACATS; 01-20-2011 at 08:44 AM. Reason: Edit
-
-
01-20-2011, 11:17 AM #21
-
01-20-2011, 11:25 AM #22
-
01-20-2011, 11:33 AM #23
I don't think it is necessarily how many times a week you hit a particular muscle group as different programs/splits work for different people. I think the important thing is that you give your CNS (central nervous system) time to recover. Example if you hit back hard on Monday then chest hard on Tuesday you may not have much overlap as far as muscles worked but your CNS might not be recovered from the previous days workout. I would recommend either a 3/day a week full body routine on non consecutive days or if you have to work on a 4 day split don't train more than 2 days in a row, such as..Mon, Tues on, Wed off, Thurs on, Fri off, Sat on, Sun off. At any rate read up on CNS & recovery, I know there are some posts on the forums that should help.
-
01-20-2011, 11:34 AM #24
-
-
01-20-2011, 11:41 AM #25
- Join Date: Nov 2010
- Location: North Carolina, United States
- Age: 38
- Posts: 71
- Rep Power: 164
I've always been told (by professionals) to never train a body part while its still sore, that it can cause more damage than benefit
wouldn't this be something to consider if you are wanting to lift a certain area 2x a week?
I toyed with the idea of doing chest 2x a week one week then alternating and doing arms 2x the following week (and so on), try and give myself more of safe margin from overtraining
also, are there any other signs to watch for that are indicative of overtraing?
-
01-20-2011, 12:27 PM #26
-
01-20-2011, 01:03 PM #27
i train twice a week if i am still sore i just take a extra rest day.i think stretching out good helps out with the soreness also.this something like what i do
day 1 upper
day 2 cardio
day 3 lower
day4 off
day5 upper
day6 off or cardio
day7 lower
then off or repeat i usually do light cardio after lower body workouts
-
01-20-2011, 01:53 PM #28
Maybe 3 bouts/week for a given bodypart at your current recovery capacity and training loads/volumes would be too much for you to recover from, but can you really say that this applies to anyone else? If you cut your volume in half, do you still believe you would need that extra 24 hours?
Every training bout should be positively effecting the anabolism/catabolism ratio in the trained muscle tissue. The increase in protein synthesis from a given training bout will taper off over a period of ~72 hours. The exact increase and time scale will vary according to the individual's genetics, endocrine staus, etc. and, of course, the intensity and volume of the training being performed. But, let's say 80% of the net increased anabolism from a training bout occurs in the first 48 hours. Then three training bouts/week for a given bodypart will give us a net 260% increase (the third workout each week will have a 72 hour recovery) versus 200% for just 2 training bouts during the week.
Now, this is just looking at protein synthesis in a vacuum. It doesn't take into account CNS recovery - which can definitely exceed 72 hours depending on intensity. However, assuming your nutrition and rest are on point (and drugs/supplementation if applicable) and your primary goal is hypertrophy then high frequency training can accelerate gains even in experienced lifters.
If you want the research behind it, check out Bryan Haycock's HST site. He has compiled a lot of solid research on the relationship between training volume, intensity, and frequency and how these relate to hypertrophy. No given person is going to exactly reflect the statistical data in a handful of studies, but very, very few world class physiques have been built on once/week training. My experience is that two training bouts per bodypart per week is the sweet spot for most experienced trainers. There will be outliers who do great on once/week and some who will do well at 3x/week. There are too many variables with individuals and and training parameters to throw out any absolutes.
The best advice is to get your diet and rest on point and then follow a routine consistently for a few months. Experiment with different protocols until you find what fits you best.
-zaosha
-
-
01-20-2011, 02:07 PM #29
-
01-21-2011, 09:40 PM #30
- Join Date: Oct 2010
- Location: Missouri, United States
- Age: 33
- Posts: 1,126
- Rep Power: 240
I feel like this makes the most sense. I do not get sore anymore at all except legs a little bit. Is this a problem or does this mean that I can basically keep going 2x a week. I mean i push myself hard look at my workout program its pretty tough. I think 2x a week is good if i am not getting sore. But should I be getting sore, and if so, how do I go about doing that?
PR's: 365 | 280 | 500 = 1145 lbs
Log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=161814243&p=1242966893#post1242966893
Similar Threads
-
How many times a week you train each muscle?
By RickBombado in forum Workout ProgramsReplies: 7Last Post: 10-14-2010, 01:31 PM -
How many times do you work out each muscle/week?
By kmjt in forum Workout ProgramsReplies: 1Last Post: 06-12-2010, 11:48 PM -
How many times a week you work each muscle?
By mctrantula in forum Teen BodybuildingReplies: 11Last Post: 01-01-2006, 09:03 AM -
how many times a week to workout each muscle
By Power5220 in forum Teen BodybuildingReplies: 13Last Post: 04-01-2005, 03:22 PM
Bookmarks