Training Frequency for Optimal Muscle Growth






One of the most misunderstood concepts in the quest for muscle growth is training frequency. Many novice weight training enthusiasts workout out every day and are disappointed when they find hardly any muscle growth, and end up feeling weak and lethargic. Many veterans who have grasped the idea of recovery times follow the traditional approach of working out a muscle group every alternate day with a day’s rest in between. Yet even this technique soon fails as they find themselves at a plateau that they can’t seem to surmount. Read on to find out how you can adjust your training frequency to obtain optimal muscle growth.

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Why is training frequency so important? We all know that weight training actually breaks down the muscle fiber so that when the muscles re-generate, they become bigger and stronger. What many people don’t realize, however, is that different muscles recover at different rates. For example, whereas the arms might recover in 1 to 2 days, your lower back may take up to 10 days to recover sufficiently from a workout. Another problem is that these figures only take into account the time that is taken by the muscles to recover. What is often forgotten is that the internal organs such as the liver, kidney and pancreas take much more time to recover from, and adapt to the demands placed by weight training. Until this recovery is complete, weight training will not result in additional muscle growth.

What is the optimum training frequency for muscle growth? Every individual is unique. Different bodies take a different amount of time to recover from a grueling workout. Instead of sticking to a fixed number of split reps per week, take a little time to understand your body, and you will be able to achieve muscle growth like never before.
One simple technique that will help you achieve optimum muscle growth is to multiply the number of reps you perform for each exercise with the poundage you use, and write down the figure obtained. Write this figure down for every exercise in your routine. Next time when you are performing that exercise, you should be able to increase this figure, either in terms of reps or poundage. If you are not able to increase this figure, the muscles involved in that exercise have still not recovered from your previous workout. Under such a circumstance, further training will not spur muscle growth. It will only leave you feeling weak and tired. In order to achieve proper muscle growth you must be able to increase this figure during every workout.

Why is rest so important? Many body builders underrate the importance of rest and recovery on muscle growth. After a certain point, training more frequently will not result in any gains in
strength or volume. It will be far more beneficial if you can determine how long it takes for your various muscles to recover and schedule your weight training sessions accordingly. Go ahead, take 2 weeks off if that is how long it takes your muscles to recover. You will be surprised by the sudden increase in strength and muscle growth when you next hit the gym after your 2 week hiatus. This technique is regularly used by professional body builders and weight lifters before an important competition to maximize their performance.

What is the optimum training frequency for muscle growth for beginners? Beginners don’t have to worry too much about calculating the recovery rate of the various muscle groups in their body. Initially, muscle growth will occur rapidly without much effort. However, if you don’t want to hit a plateau too soon, I’d advise you to curb your enthusiasm a bit. Try following a split routine where you train different muscle groups on alternate days. For example, you could train your chest, shoulders and arms on a Monday, perform compound exercises (such as squats and deadlifts) and leg exercises on a Thursday and devote Sunday exclusively to your abs. This sort of a well spaced out routine will ensure that most of your muscle groups have sufficient time to recover and you will be surprised when you experience more muscle growth as compared to those who are putting in a lot more hours in the gym.


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