Is one time a week enough for each muscle?

[pumpster]

Generally speaking, twice a week's best for gains. Of course, some will vary or rationalize that they are different (once a week = less work, just coincidentally).

[blinky]

Generally speaking, twice a week's best for gains. Of course, some will vary or rationalize that they are different (once a week = less work, just coincidentally).

so why not train your whole body everyday 7days/week?
or why not do 50 sets of 30 reps for biceps?

according to your comment more is better right

[NoCalBbEr]

I've made my best gains by using a once a week for everything program... you guys have to keep in mind how long it takes you to recover from each workout..you cant just  just throw hell to the wind.. I go seriously heavy, i hammer curl 110 for 6rerps. but if i was going twice per week. i'd probably hold something back for the second part of the week.

[pumpster]

why not train your whole body everyday 7days/week?

Try it, and let us know. Also try 23 meals per day.

[blinky]

me thinks i detect a bit of sarcasm in that statement

[candidate2025]

Huh, once a week is very common. How many train legs twice in 7 days? I sure don't.

well i think it differs for every body part and every person... my split is like this:

day 1 quads/calfs
day 2 chest/hams
day 3 arms
day 4 shoulders and traps
day 5 back
day 6 cardio/calfs
day 7 chest/halms
day 8 arms
day 9 shoulders/traps
day 10 back

repeat

[pumpster]

Once a week's lame. Guys named Coleman, Oliva & Schwarzenegger support 2-3 times a week training, which is good enough for me. Recovery times are open to debate-everyone's got an opinion, but those programs that suggest 2-3 days recovery agree with my own experiences. Resting beyond that sounds very much like an excuse.

I would love to delude myself into thinking that once a week's going to work just as well. Not to say it doesn't work, but it's not as effective.

[haider]

so why not train your whole body everyday 7days/week?
or why not do 50 sets of 30 reps for biceps?

according to your comment more is better right

Some people do occasionally try working each bodypart upto 6 times a week with good results, but the volume is kept very low(like 1 set per bodypart a day) and no set is taken to failure..I think hedgehog here has tried it.

[Bluto]

I would follow Coleman and co too if my genetics were anything like theirs + if I did steroids. But I fail on both these so it wouldn't be wise.

[pumpster]

Genetics or not, steroids or not, they do the training they do because it's always been the most effective, dating back to pre-steroid use.

[Bluto]

Yes. The most effective. For me.

[jessie104]

once a week works best for me training all natural.....how could i do more when i train chest on monday and it is still sorre thursday??

[gibberj2]

everybody's different. some can handle 2 times a week. some can't.

[Blake]

Genetics or not, steroids or not, they do the training they do because it's always been the most effective, dating back to pre-steroid use.

Yup.  Guys often used full-body, three times per week training, not training to total failure, etc.

[JamieX4200]

whats adonis' training schedule like, didnt he say he trained one body part and was off for a day, or something like that?

[Blake]

once a week works best for me training all natural.....how could i do more when i train chest on monday and it is still sorre thursday??

Don't worry about soreness.  Yes, you can train through it.

If you're going to increase frequency, you will need to adjust volume.  It's all a balance between volume, frequency, and recovery.

And to get slightly more technical regarding the topic at hand--  muscle growth (hypertrophy) is the result of small increases in protein synthesis, with training being the stimulus for such.  After training, protein synthesis is raised only for a short period (the actual time span is different between newbie lifters and more experienced lifters to a small extent; ie longer for beginners).  So, for a NATURAL trainee who hits each bodypart once per week, you get a rise in protein synthesis once per week, and then spend the remainder of that week at baseline levels (again, protein synthesis does NOT remain elevated for very long periods of time).  Now, increasing training frequency means you will have more frequent raises in protein synthesis, which in turn means better growth over time.

AAS using bodybuilders can easily get away with less frequent (read: each bodypart once per week) training because steroids permanently raise protein synthesis.  Research even shows that AAS administration increases muscle mass and decreases fat mass in detrained individuals.

[gibberj2]

training when you're sore? doesn't that mean that you'll be sore forever?

[(nothing)]

training when you're sore? doesn't that mean that you'll be sore forever?

naw your body will adjust.

i used to train eack BP 2x a week but i felt was only getting stronger not bigger.

i like once a week and i am getting stronger and feel more rested through out the week. meh everyone is different.

i usually train
monday-chest
tuesday-biceps/forearms
wednesday-tris/light front delts
thursday-back/traps
friday-shoulders/some times i do dips no weight because my tri suck donkey dick
saturday-legs

i do cardio/abs/ calves through out the week when i have time or feel like it. i train for about 45 min to an hour. i will do extra from time to time if i feel good. when i was doing 2x week i was there for and hou and a half and i felt burnt all the time. to each their i suppose!

[blinky]

if you're still sore you havent recovered....if you havent recovered and you still train you wont grow

[pumpster]

how could i do more when i train chest on monday and it is still sorre thursday??

Anyone still sore more than 4 days later is doing something wrong anyway. By the 4th or 5th day, another workout can be done. One workout a week without the aid of AAS effectively means leaving the muscles dormant when another workout could be done.

As mentioned, workouts spur protein synthesis and muscle growth. Relatively short workouts, that is, not doing 20 sets muscle but rather 5-9 sets, creates bursts of protein synthesis and can be done on a more regular basis without creating undo soreness.

As someone else mentioned, it's all a balance of volume vs. frequency. Doing high volume and being sore for long periods of time doesn't sound healthy or natural.

[blinky]

Anyone still sore more than 3-4 days later is doing something wrong anyway. There's no reason a second workout can't be done 4-5 days later; there will be no soreness at that point. Doing one workout a week without the aid of AAS effectively means leaving the muscles dormant at times when another workout could be done and would be effective.

As mentioned, workouts spur protein synthesis and muscle growth. Relatively short workouts, that is, not doing 20 sets muscle but rather 5-9 sets, creates bursts of protein synthesis and can be done on a more regular basis without creating undo soreness.

As someone else mentioned, it's all a balance of volume vs. frequency. Doing high volume and being sore for long periods of time doesn't sound healthy or natural.

agreed

[freakfestMD]

Other things to consider here are your age, and how long you've been in this game.

For me, my day has passed--those days of 3 hour workouts, crazy bar-bending weights, screamin' and hollerin', chalk everywhere...fu*kin' miss that!  Back then I trained every body part 2x per week.

Now...after 25 YEARS of lifting, my joints just can't take it.  My sets seem to end more often than not  because the joint hurts too much rather than the muscle being too spent to continue. 

Now my training is more streamlined, more efficient.  I train each bodypart 1x per week.  The goal has changed focus:  lift for the long haul, to stay in the game, to avoid injury...no one to impress...keep the weights down, feel every rep, enjoy every rep...

My current schedule:

Monday:  Chest
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday:Back
Thursday: Shoulders and tris
Friday: Bis and forearms
Cardio/abs at least 3x per week

Off Sat/Sun but I may add some cardio or abs on the weekend

This schedule is fashioned to give my shoulder (joints) the greatest amount of rest, separating them from chest.

[pumpster]

If you're having joint problems it's not frequency IMO, but rather either insufficient warmup, rep range/amount of weight, and choice of exercises.

Pain is a signal that shouldn't be worked through, a message that movements are being done that don't agree with you. If thorough warmups, higher reps in the 10-15 range with lower weight, that switches the focus to muscle tissue, and performing problem exercises later in the workout when the area's already warm don't remove the pain, better to consider alternative exercises. Subjecting the body to unnatural movements isn't viable long-term.

Occasionally a cortizone shot's necessary to get rid of joint stress. Incredibly effective, but not a long-term solution in that the symptoms will recur if the causes aren't removed.

[JPM]

Yes, once a week for a muscle group can work for a lot of people. During the 70's a very popular method was 15 sets a muscle group, per day. They did only three exercises a muscle group of 5 sets each. Workouts were 5 or even 6 days a week.  Something like: day 1-chest,2-delts,3-legs,4-back,5-arms,6-abs.

I'll only do one exercise a workout (a day) when on a GVT'ing Cycle (attn: Geo) with good results. This is a change of pace because it's also offers less stress on the joints. The weight used is with-in the medium range. So instead of ,say 440 regular benches for 6-9 reps, a guy's may use as little as 325 for sets of 10X10's. That weight may seem very light at first but after 4 or 5 set it can become demanding. At around the 7th or 8th set the bar actually feels a little lighter and than the 9th & 10 set need your full focus. These workout's attack the muscle rather than the joints. GVT'ing can give increased muscle mass. It can also give greater power on that one exercise you choose to do. Some lifters will apply this system on their off season to keep progressing and release some of the stress on their overworked joints.

If anyone wants to go a little easier on the joints than they might apply a warming agent before/after the workout, like a sports rub, etc. Also wear long sleeves or a light wrap around the joint. Avoid locking out each rep also, allowing more stress on the muscles rather than the joints. If your a PL'ers than forget about the last part. Good Luck.

[Sculpter]

I believe it can work for you but you have to try it to find out.I myself use a 1 bodypart per day workout w/exception of bis & tris which get worked together on the same day but are smaller muscles.I train from Mon-Fri & take week ends off.The last time I had used this routine I had gained 30 lbs in 2 mnths.You have to remember that it worked for me & everyone is different.I was always what some ppl. would consider an easy gainer.I am back to using it now after a layoff of close to 4 yrs but don't know if my body will be the same as before as there has been changes to myself (now diabetic) since that time.It's funny because i've tried the 2 x's per week when younger but to me the muscle size just stayed the same but w/the old style whole body/3x's per week routine I gained from it.Like stated b4, you gotta try it but everyone's different.Personally I would try it for maybe 2-3 mnths, if it doesn't work you should be able to tell in that amount of a time frame.