Ep. #530: The Best Training Frequency for Building Muscle (According to 20 Studies)

Optimal training frequency is a hotly debated subject.

Some believe you should train your entire body two to three times per week, whereas others think this approach will lead to overtraining, injury, and burnout.

Anecdotal evidence is all over the place as well.

Skim through online forums and chat with fellow gym goers and you’ll hear stories of fantastic progress training major muscle groups just once per week as well as three, four, or even five times per week.

Some weightlifters also mix it up, training different muscle groups with different frequencies.

For example, some say smaller muscle groups like the shoulders, biceps, and calves should be trained three or four times per week but large muscle groups like the upper legs only need one intense workout per week.

If you turn to the scientific literature for insight, you’ll get few reliable answers.
Some studies seem to show higher frequencies work best and others show you can make equally good progress with fewer workouts per week.

So, what should you do?

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Time Stamps:

4:28 - What is training frequency?

5:53 - What is the best training frequency for building muscle?

17:55 - How do you figure out how frequently you should be training?

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Mentioned on The Show:
Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

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