What is the LEAST amount of frequency needed to gain muscle and strength?

[JtownLift]

Is it each muscle group being trained once a week? Once every 8 days? Once every 9 days? Hypothetically, how infrequently can you train each muscle group and still gain muscle and strength?

[coachcalande]

Is it each muscle group being trained once a week? Once every 8 days? Once every 9 days? Hypothetically, how infrequently can you train each muscle group and still gain muscle and strength?

I believe there are studies on this topic.

Drug free vs “enhanced” answers on the forum are likely to differ.

My son has made great gains hitting muscles this way…

Week 1 Monday upper, Wednesday lower, Friday upper
Week 2 Monday lower, Wednesday upper, Friday lower


Seems to be more than adequate for a 14-15 year old doing 5-8 sets per body part.

[SuffolkPunch]

There is a difference between gaining something and gaining optimally. From memory - and reading between the lines of available evidence, it needs to be at least once every 5 days, starts dropping away after that.

But the point at which something becomes nothing at all probably depends on your training experience. It's likely to happen a lot sooner if you are maintaining an intermediate or advanced level.

What's more important is total volume over time. If you can do a lot of useful volume in one session, you'll last a lot longer before starting to deteriorate than if you only did a few sets.

[air2fakie]

Is it each muscle group being trained once a week? Once every 8 days? Once every 9 days? Hypothetically, how infrequently can you train each muscle group and still gain muscle and strength?

If you're untrained or relatively new to training, & eat heartily, you likely can train each muscle group hard & long even once every 30 days and probably still gain muscle & strength. Gains will be minimal & hard to notice, but you sound really lazy hypothetically, so this might be satisfactory.

[BeginnerGainz]

As long as weekly volume is accounted for, 1x every 6-7 days is fine. Especially as your training age increases.

[EliKoehn]

I wouldn't err on the side of minimal. Once a week should be fine, even for intermediate maintenance, but 2-3x per week is still probably better in most cases. Existing experience level and the intensity of each session are big variables, of course.

[paulinkansas]

I had a full body injury last summer that involved tequila, a ladder, and me on the ground naked with a ladder on top of me. I did a full body workout about once every 7-10 days and hit each body part with 2 sets. I didn't get stronger. I didn't get weaker. I suppose if you have any volume greater than this you will have gains.

edit: This was for 4-5 weeks.

[EiFit91]

All good replies above OP.

I think of the choice of frequency as more of a recovery management issue than anything else. This is also probably a big reason why people can never agree on this sort of stuff, as what leads to better recovery varies across individuals.

[MyEgoProblem]

Technically...
Once every 14 days~ is enough to build more muscle than you loose.

Is the efficient? No
Is this close to maximal muscle gain? No

I recommend 1.5-2x week regardless. Either natty or not.

[TAWS6]

Well, Mike Mentzer once said that if you train a muscle hard enough it could need up to 3 months off…

And he was more jacked than all of you chumps
Derp

[air2fakie]

Well, Mike Mentzer once said that if you train a muscle hard enough it could need up to 3 months off…

And he was more jacked than all of you chumps
Derp

Aren't there some studies which show that a newbie who takes the right vitamins can gain more muscle in the first few months sitting on the couch than someone who actually trains?

[MyEgoProblem]

Well, Mike Mentzer once said that if you train a muscle hard enough it could need up to 3 months off…

And he was more jacked than all of you chumps
Derp

Jacked as f, Aint that the truth!

[WolfRose7]

Depends. Contrary to weird beliefs. The less experienced technically the less you can train and get away with some progress.

Frequency is a tool of trained lifters to spread volume effectively.

The more advanced generally do better with more. Strength or hypertrophy.

[coachcalande]

Looks like min volume for hypertrophy is 5 sets per week According to some studies.

Here’s the thing, if you had only five minutes PER DAY to spare for muscle building…you could easily get your five sets in like this:

Push variations
Pull variations
Legs variations
Rest if necessary
Repeat

So in theory, you can be Mr Olympia with five min of training a day because scientists say all you need is five sets a week.

[TAWS6]

Aren't there some studies which show that a newbie who takes the right vitamins can gain more muscle in the first few months sitting on the couch than someone who actually trains?

There are indeed. Those studies don’t sit well with juice junkies.

[Taatz]

U can do 1 time a week to get to intermediate it takes something like 2 years like that. Then 2 times a week to progresss ...