How much training do you really need?

Many novice athletes, despite the availability of ready-made training programs, still cannot decide on the optimal frequency of training. That is why, so that you don’t have to guess how many times a week you should train, we have written this article, which is based on scientific research and the successful experience of athletes in achieving their goals: losing weight, increasing strength and muscle mass.

But before getting acquainted with the material, let's introduce clear concepts so that there is no confusion in your head, and we speak the same “language”.

Training frequency – the frequency of full-fledged training in the gym/gym or at home.

The frequency may vary , you can train one/two/three/four/five times a week. In general, you can load yourself with physical activity at least every day . However, nothing good will come from doing a training program very often; your progress or you will become overtrained . That is why it is necessary to introduce the concept of the optimal frequency of the training process, that is, how often training should be carried out so that the body responds best to physical activity, improving sports performance (muscle mass, strength, endurance).

The problem with the optimal frequency of training for athletes in various sports lies in the fact that it is necessary to plan the training for the day when the peak of supercompensation .

Supercompensation is a period during which the trained physical fitness (including strength, endurance, muscle mass and other parameters) has higher values ​​compared to the initial (pre-training) level.

The concept of supercompensation is quite general and includes many parameters. For example, glycogen , which we spend during exercise, is completely restored within 2-3 hours after training, in turn, muscle cells that we damage during training are restored within about 2-3 days . Therefore, you need to look for a middle ground when determining the optimal training frequency.

And of course, we must not forget that the tougher and harder the training, the more effective it will be and at the same time, the longer it will take to recover and reach the peak of the supercompensation phase.

Optimal training frequency?

Despite the correctly selected set of exercises, you will not be able to competently build your training process without optimal repetition (frequency) of this very complex. In other words, you cannot train the way you want from your subjective feelings order in everything , which would establish not only the choice and order of exercises, but also determine the frequency of their repetition per week. Only with this approach can we talk about conducting competent training.

If you don’t want to bother with calculating training weights, the number of repetitions, choosing and ordering exercises depending on the goal, then we recommend ordering an individual training program from us.

We hope you have read our article about how much exercise to do depending on the goal (muscle growth, endurance, weight loss or cutting). Now the time has come to decide on a frequent training program.

We choose the optimal training frequency depending on the goal

Rare workouts

Rare training sessions among athletes of different fitness levels are unfortunately common. Basically, this attitude to the training process is associated with three main reasons :

• Family takes up a lot of time (kindergarten, shopping, etc.)
• Endless work (no days off or little rest time)
• Banal laziness (“it’s a bummer” to train)

That is, when the frequency of training becomes low (less than 2 training sessions per week), we can already say that the person rarely trains.

Rare workouts

Infrequent training carries negative consequences directly related to the improvement of trained indicators, which simply cannot be increased due to the fact that the training is not carried out in the supercompensation phase. Very often, rare workouts occur during the third phase of recovery (physical fitness has returned to its original level), or even during the detraining (when athletic performance began to deteriorate). And of course, with this approach, there is no talk of any progress in terms of increasing muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

Frequent workouts

Frequent training, depending on the choice of training program, as well as the type of sport , can, to one degree or another, lead to overtraining.

the supercompensation phase occurs . However, if you frequently visit, for example, the gym, you are unlikely to be able to reach this peak, simply because the body will not have time to recover from the stress received from the previous training. Therefore, if we are talking about strength training, and you really want to train often (4 or more times a week), the choice should fall on split training, when each muscle group is trained on average only once a week.

If your level of fitness is beginner , then you need training programs that pump up the whole body in one workout (full body), for example, use ours. But with a fullbody , in no case should you train often, since it pumps up all muscle groups in one workout, the difference will only be in the degree of load (light, medium and heavy training days).

Frequent workouts

Thus, frequent training in the overwhelming majority leads to the fact that the body does not have time to fully recover (the maximum is reached in the first phase - recovery to the initial level) before the next training. Ultimately, fatigue accumulates (both in the muscles and the nervous system) and the first symptoms of overtraining appear:

• prostration
• lack of desire to exercise
• aching pain in muscles and joints

And if you don’t change anything in your training system, the symptoms of overtraining begin to progress , as a result, the athlete generally loses his acquired physical shape, more and more new injuries and, of course, immunity , against the background of which ARVI and other chronic diseases worsen.

What to do on recovery days?

The recovery period does not mean total laziness and lying on the couch. Light training is recommended on these days. This could be stretching or some light cardio (brisk walking, cycling).

Regular stretching can increase blood circulation. This ensures sufficient blood flow to the muscles, which helps reduce recovery time and reduces muscle soreness after intense exercise.

It has been proven that after complete recovery, a period of supercompensation begins, during which functional capabilities exceed the initial level. During this period, muscles grow faster.

You should also pay due attention to sleep. During the deep sleep phase, the hormone somatotropin is released, due to which muscle tissue is restored faster, and the level of the stress hormone cortisol, on the contrary, decreases. Without proper rest, the next workout can become counterproductive, as problems with concentration and performance inevitably arise as the nervous system is depleted.

Individual stress, serious physical or mental stress at work, and a poor diet can also lead to under-recovery.

Frequency of training while increasing strength (strength indicators)

Training aimed at a pronounced increase in strength indicators should be carried out infrequently, but the degree of their intensity on certain days should reach 90-100% , that is, work should be carried out at maximum and near maximum weights.

Training for strength is significantly different from training for muscle growth, the main differences are:

• Rest time between approaches (always longer, rest on average 2-4 minutes)
• Number of exercises for the main muscle groups (not many, usually 2-3 no more)
• Number of repetitions per set (from 2 to 6)
• Working weight (periodically reaches 85-100% of the maximum)

Naturally, with such differences, it is impossible to conduct training at the same frequency.

Frequency of training while increasing strength indicators

If we are talking about muscle growth, then training per week can be, depending on the chosen training program (fullbody or split), from 2 to 5 times , while strength training usually takes place no more than 3 times a week .

Negative consequences of frequent training

In any activity, what is important for a person is not so much quantity as quality, the same applies to playing sports, so there is no need to force your body or be too lazy: because at the very least there will be no result, and at the maximum, health problems will arise. I would like to once again dwell on the most popular negative consequences of too frequent training:

1. Deterioration of general health, weakness, chronic fatigue.
2. Violation of morale. depression, mood swings, aggression or apathy, overexcitability.
3. Disorders of the central nervous system with a wide variety of symptoms.
4. The development of heart failure or even multiple organ failure.
5. Injury or degradation of muscle tissue.
6. Fall of immunity.
7. Insomnia.
8. Hormonal imbalance, which in women very often leads to at least disruption of the menstrual cycle, then to amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) and even pathological infertility, and in men to impotence, the production of female hormones, etc.

When choosing your training program, you need to turn on your brain and first of all think about your health, and not rely on advertising of fitness centers or sports products of all kinds. No matter what posters and posters promise to lose weight very quickly or gain muscle mass without serious disruptions of metabolism and homeostasis - the basic concepts that ensure normal human life.

Training frequency with an emphasis on muscle growth

The unique thing about training with an emphasis on muscle growth is that when we strive to increase strength, mass certainly increases. That is why, training to increase strength indicators also increases muscle mass .

Frequency of training to increase muscle mass

Depending on your level of training (beginner, experienced or advanced), you need to choose the optimal frequency of the training process for muscle growth.

• Beginner (no more than 3 workouts per week are recommended; more frequent workouts can lead to overtraining)
• Experienced (about 3-4)
• Advanced (5 workouts are possible, the main thing is that the load is correctly distributed among muscle groups)

Let's find out what the science says about training frequency when focusing on muscle growth.

Experiment: how training frequency affects an athlete’s strength and muscle mass levels

In 2018, a scientific experiment was conducted, the essence of which was that scientists took a group of 23 test athletes , which were randomly divided into 2 subgroups . The first did few exercises (according to the split principle), the second the same amount of training load .

• Group 1 performed 2 exercises in 5-10 working approaches
• Group 2 performed 11 exercises , but performed only 1-2 working approaches in each of them

Both subgroups trained 5 days a week (Monday to Friday).

1st (left) and 2nd (right) experimental group and their exercises

The study lasted 8 weeks , and the final assessment was that both groups gained in both strength and muscle hypertrophy (see graph), but the group that trained frequently managed to outperform slightly more in the long term. this gap would only increase.

The study itself is called:

High-frequency resistance training is not more effective than low-frequency resistance training in increasing muscle mass and strength in well-trained men. Gomes GK, Franco CM, Nunes PRP, Orsatti FL. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 27. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002559.

It is also worth noting that athletes from the first group , where training of individual muscle groups was carried out rarely, complained more about post-workout muscle soreness ( soreness ), although their results turned out to be worse (that is, muscle pain is not always good and better than then, when she's not there).

Experiment results

Another scientific study (Tang, JE, Perco, JG, Moore, DR, Wilkinson, SB, & Phillips, SM (2008). Resistance training alters the response of a fed state mixed muscle protein synthesis in young men. American Journal of Physiology- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 294(1), R172-R178.) based on the results of which scientists found that in a beginner athlete, the muscles respond much better to the load and continue to grow for another 2-3 days , while in an experienced this period is about 16 hours .

Naturally, you must understand that all these scientific experiments are only recommended , and not as instructions for action.

8 weeks is not one or 2 years, and all these experiments do not take into account many factors , for example, how a person eats, how he recovers outside of training, how hard he works (after all, in fact, there are many hacks). Therefore, the most correct indicator in everything in this matter is your well-being and naturally positive dynamics in achieving your goal.

In addition, it cannot be said that some basic exercises (for example, deadlifts or squats with a barbell on the shoulders) involve many muscle groups, and a load of 70-80% , provided that the person does not slack, can cause significant fatigue and There can be no talk of any daily training.

Decide on your training goal

When it comes to setting fitness goals, one of the biggest mistakes is that people expect to see results here and now, preferably after the first workout. But trying to tackle everything at once is doomed to failure from the start.

As a rule, the main goals of visiting fitness centers and gyms come down to the following:

• Keeping your body in good shape
• Weight loss
• Muscle building

Having a measurable goal allows you to track progress, and the more specific it is, the clearer the path to achieving it becomes. For example, wanting to “get stronger” is a great start, but what does that mean? Try to think more specifically. Set yourself the task of learning to do 20 push-ups in a minute in a month or run 5 km without stopping in 2 months. This will set a specific time frame and help increase efficiency.

Frequency of training when losing weight (burning fat)

The frequency of training when losing weight can be different, and everything will depend directly on the goal : some athletes need to dry out muscle mass, that is, lose weight and at the same time keep their muscles in good shape , while other athletes (especially females) are concerned exclusively with a slim figure.

When drying muscles

Athletes who want to lose weight for the purpose of drying muscles should proceed from real capabilities to visit the gym/gym; the frequency of training will depend on this.

For example, from this article, you may know that the best way to dry muscles is to separate cardio training from strength ; in this case, the frequency of the training process can reach 5-6 workouts per week. But if you don’t have the opportunity to go to the gym, then do 3 full strength training sessions with cardio in one day , with aerobic exercises coming after you have already completed your strength training program. Otherwise, you simply won’t have the strength (due to glycogen ) to perform strength exercises , but fullness and muscle tone should be a priority .

Frequency of muscle cutting training

For normal weight loss (for a slim figure)

Regular weight loss or weight loss differs from drying mainly in that the athlete does not strive for relief of muscle mass, that is, the main goal is to get rid of excess fat , make a slim figure, everything else goes by the wayside. Therefore, in this case, it will be easier for you to lose weight correctly.

The frequency of training should range from 3-5 times a week , depending on your level of fitness (the higher it is, the more you can train). And of course, you need to take into account the duration of the training session; the shorter it is, the more training sessions there should be per week.

The intensity of training for the purpose of losing weight should be moderate and keep your heart rate at 120-130 beats per minute (active fat burning zone).

Frequency of training when losing weight

The quality of training is more important than the quantity

What you do at the gym or fitness center is more important than how often you exercise. If you go to the gym almost every day, but distribute the loads incorrectly, do not adhere to the exercise technique, or get little rest, you can end up with more harm than good. Many suffer from burnout, overtraining and injury.

Consulting a professional trainer is a great way to create a fitness plan that suits your goals, body type and abilities. It's important to find a workout routine that you can actually maintain over the long term.

Training frequency while increasing endurance

The frequency of the training process when increasing endurance will directly depend on what type of endurance you want to train.

In the traditional sense, by endurance, many athletes always mean general type, that is, the ability to perform monotonous, physical work for a long time at a heart rate of 60-70% of the maximum. For example, bright representatives of general ( aerobic ) endurance are such sports as:

• Skis
• Long distance running
• Swimming
• Cycling

Frequency of training while increasing endurance
Moreover, athletes of some other sports must develop not only aerobic endurance, but also anaerobic , for example:

• Football (short, quick runs and long distance running)
• Martial arts (almost all muscle groups are involved in the work, it is necessary to push, throw, strike, and also apply pressure/resistance to the opponent - often for a long time)

nature will depend on what type of endurance you want to develop .

In the case of developing aerobic endurance , it is necessary to adhere to daily, long-term workouts that saturate the blood well with oxygen , increasing VO 2 , and at the same time the number of mitochondria and capillaries per muscle fiber and much more.

It is not necessary to do daily runs of 5-10 km, it is enough to jog at an easy pace for 30-40 minutes , gradually, with increasing fitness levels, improve the running time between checkpoints or increase the distance between them at equal intervals of time, and all this must be done at the same pulse , only then can you objectively judge the improvement of your endurance.

If we are talking about anaerobic endurance (energy supply occurs under conditions of oxygen starvation , due to the consumption of creatine phosphate and glycogen along the path of anaerobic glycolysis - who is interested in a more detailed topic of the physiology of muscle contraction, then follow this link), then the situation with the training process is a little different More modestly, it will be enough to do 3-4 workouts a week at a good pace (such workouts usually take no more than 60 minutes ).

Increase in aerobic-anaerobic endurance

One of the best options for training anaerobic endurance is circuit training with the inclusion of strength exercises.

We advise you to include in your anaerobic endurance training not only strength (anaerobic exercises), but also aerobic (jumping rope, jumping, jumping, burpees, etc.), you just need to do the latter at a high pace for a short period of time (30-60 seconds) .

Ways to Prevent Overtraining

There are many different ways to prevent the negative consequences of overtraining. First of all, this is, of course, good nutrition and a clear sleep-wake schedule, stretching exercises after performing heavy strength exercises, as well as medicinal support.

Stretching exercises are used to relieve muscle tension after heavy exercise.

Nutrition

Nutrition during training must comply with the following rules:

1. Food must contain all the necessary elements, fats and carbohydrates with a predominance of protein components.
2. Do not combine a weight loss diet with intense training aimed at increasing mass or strength.
3. To obtain the required amount of energy, you need to eat well an hour or two before training, or take a protein shake immediately before or during it.
4. You should not consume carbohydrates immediately after exercise to burn your own fat, and it is necessary if you want to gain mass or strength.
5. After training, it is not recommended to eat fats, as they interfere with the absorption of proteins necessary for the construction and repair of tissue. You can’t completely give up fats, but you need to consume them to a minimum.
6. During intense exercise, it is necessary to constantly replenish the water-salt balance, for which you need to drink water, preferably mineral salt water.

Daily regime

Since intense training has a strong impact on the nervous system, as has been mentioned many times above, it needs at least a day to recover. In this case, a normalized sleep-wake schedule must be observed, where the time for sleep is eight to ten hours or more per day. It is during sleep that the main processes of muscle tissue growth, its restoration, the formation of new nerve connections in the expanded tissues, and much more take place.

Medication support

Medication support during training in no way has anything to do with doping or the use of any stimulants. This concept means taking supportive medications primarily for the heart, which is under enormous stress, blood vessels and other organs. This also includes taking all kinds of vitamins and minerals, antihypoxic drugs that increase oxygen metabolism in tissues, stimulate metabolism, herbal remedies that accelerate recovery and dietary supplements. Under very heavy loads associated with professional sports, it is permissible to use sedatives or tranquilizers, again due to the enormous load on the nervous system.

Features of training frequency

Despite the fact that you already know what optimal frequency you need to train depending on your goal (muscle growth, strength, endurance) and level of training, there are some restrictions and deviations from the usual training process that must be taken into account if you want to train effectively and safe .

With muscle overtraining

Loss of energy for training, deterioration in sports performance, physical fitness, and sometimes banal motivation to train, all this is associated with overtraining , that is, a state of the body in which stress (emotional, psychological or physical) exceeds recovery abilities.

As one of the measures to prevent/treat overtraining, infrequent training is used, that is, is reduced .

For example, in your usual training regime you do only 3-4 workouts a week, and one “wonderful” day you feel that you don’t have the strength to train, and no energy drinks (we’re talking about pre-workout complexes) and extra sleep on 1- 2 hours doesn't help. In this case, we recommend that you add 1-2 days of rest between workouts - sometimes this method helps prevent overtraining (especially at the initial stage of its development).

Training frequency and muscle overtraining

But what to do with your training program if your overtraining is in an advanced stage? The answer is extremely simple - wait for time, take a break from the training process (usually 2-3 weeks of rest help the body recover from “overtraining”).

On a chemical course of steroids

Training on anabolic steroids differs primarily from natural training in that it can be carried out more often and more rigorously , due to the accelerated recovery of the body.

Testosterone is a male sex hormone that has a powerful anabolic effect, under the influence of which, provided that you train in a strength style, muscle mass and strength begin to quickly respond to the load. So, if you are on a “ steroid cycle ,” then recovery occurs much faster, and training can be done more often, for example, training up to 5-6 times a week , without fear of overtraining. And that is why all the advice from professional bodybuilders , as well as their training schemes, do not work on “naturals”; they cannot perform the crazy training volume that chemical bodybuilders , not to mention the fact that their systems are far from ideal and in In fact, they only work effectively on athletes taking anabolic steroids.

The effect of anabolic steroids on training frequency

At home

If you create conditions at home for full-fledged training (strength or cardio), then they will be no different from training in the gym. At the same time, the frequency of the training process will remain the same.

The main problem of all home workouts is creating optimal conditions:

• purchase of training equipment (bench, racks, mats, horizontal bar, barbell, dumbbells, etc.)
• availability of a spacious, free room
• creating a special atmosphere (turning on music, sticking motivational posters on the wall)

Features of the frequency of training at home
And of course, we must not forget that neighbors and equipment will have to be placed carefully under you, not to mention the fact that you may be distracted from the training process by ordinary household chores .

Due to the above-mentioned non-objective reasons for skipping/reducing training time, your frequency and effectiveness of home training may decrease.

But if you are confident that you can create comfortable conditions for training at home, then feel free to start implementing them, while maintaining the training frequency recommended below, depending on your goal.

How long should I spend in the gym to get pumped up?

The question is obviously incorrect, since the type of physical activity and its intensity are not taken into account.

For example, a tough CrossFitter Workout can knock you down in eight minutes so that even an experienced athlete will not be able to pull himself together all day. In turn, the training of weightlifters and powerlifters, when they work with weights up to 90-95% of the one-repetition maximum, or even reach their peak, can last 2-3 hours or more.

In the first case, there is no rest between exercises, and you actually plow for 8 minutes without a break in a mode that is prohibitive for the body. And in the second case, the athlete squeezed a huge weight a couple of times in a few seconds, after which he rests for 6-8 minutes before the next approach (this is necessary to restore the central nervous system; the energy reserves of the muscles are completely restored in 2.5-3 minutes).

If we talk about fitness and bodybuilding, then a similar dilemma arises regarding the duration of the workout. Especially if you are interested in visible results, and not just spending time in the gym.

How much do local instructors usually advise? 60 minutes no more, and then “terrible catabolism” begins, “muscles are destroyed” and other nonsense.

I don’t argue, sometimes an hour is really enough and we’ll talk about this below. But in reality, the roots of this fable grow from the standard duration of a paid training session with the participation of a trainer. It is the same 60 minutes. And then the fitness instructor has the next client, and you “will begin to go into catabolism if you keep on top of my ears and demand that the banquet be continued.”

You can also turn to history and remember the crazy 3-4 hour workouts of bodybuilders of the golden era.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, in preparation for Olympia, usually trained six days a week for 3-4 hours daily, and sometimes it was a couple of workouts a day with a similar duration each. He looked great.

In turn, Mike Mentzer developed and successfully demonstrated his own “V.I.T.” system. when the duration of one workout did not exceed 45 minutes, there were no more than four or five such workouts per week and each muscle group was loaded no more than once every 6-7 days. And he showed no less impressive form than “Iron Arnie.”

The same system was used by Dorian Yates , a six-time winner of the Mr. Olympia competition.

And where is the truth here? You can, of course, say that such athletes were “charged” with pharmacology to the very eyebrows and there, no matter how you train, you will still grow. But in this regard, I already wrote above that this kind of drugs actually gives. And if everything is so simple, then there would be solid athletic handsome men and beauties walking around. In reality, there are only a few people who truly stand out physically.

This was an introduction and a little theory, now let's look at it from a practical point of view.

How to choose your frequency

As you can see, the question of how many times a week to train is complex and simple at the same time.

The difficulty lies in objectively determining your level of training.

Here is a simple tip - always start with fewer workouts. Carefully monitor how you feel and how your body reacts to stress.

If physiological objective indicators (pulse, blood pressure, depth and duration of sleep) and subjective sensations (mood, well-being, appetite) remain normal, and you are making confident progress, then this mode is suitable for you.

If all indicators are normal and there is no progress, try increasing the frequency of exercise. The emergence of progress means that such a step is justified.

But if nothing changes, and physiological indicators worsen, return the previous amount and look for the cause elsewhere.

There is probably something wrong with the training method, recovery mode (sleep, rest) or diet. In some cases, disruptions in the hormonal system are possible.

If you have dealt with the factors listed above, but the result still does not appear, contact your doctor to get tested and determine the reasons based on health indicators.

Is it possible to do fitness every day?

Do you intend to lose fat and tighten problem areas? Are you ready to work out at the fitness club at least every day, but are not sure whether it is safe for your health? Here is the answer: you can do fitness every day, provided there are no medical contraindications. However, there is no point in spending two hours every day on a treadmill or in aerobics classes: the body needs to be accustomed to the load gradually, and with such a “impudent” approach you risk becoming exhausted and fed up with fitness.

results

Thirteen studies with 305 subjects met the inclusion criteria, allowing for 40 comparisons. The average study duration was 8.3 weeks (range: 6–12 weeks) with 10.9 subjects per study group (range: 8–15). Four studies used untrained subjects, and nine used subjects with at least some previous training experience.

A random effects meta-analysis of all hypertrophy measures found that higher training frequencies were associated with significantly greater hypertrophy (p < 0.0001), although the overall effect was not significant ( d = 0.113; CI = 0.07–0.16). When analyzing only direct or indirect measures of hypertrophy, the story is very similar (d = 0.143; CI = 0.09-0.19; p < 0.0001 for direct and d = 0.097; CI = 0.03-0.16; p = 0.0098 for indirect).

Direct measures of hypertrophy are blue; indirect indicators of hypertrophy are orange. The general parameter for the scatter of results is gray.

On average, subjects in the lower frequency groups (N = 40 comparisons across 13 studies) experienced an increase in hypertrophy at a rate of 0.42% per week, whereas those in the higher frequency groups increased at a rate of 0.58% per week. The average difference in size gain between groups was 0.16% per week (range = 0.09-0.23%), meaning that the higher frequency groups grew on average about 38% faster (i.e. 0 .58% is 38% more than 0.42%). This could be classified as a small effect (d = 0.47; CI = 0.25–0.68), and the difference was significant (p < 0.0001).

Differences in size increase per week between higher and lower frequencies.

Positive values ​​(blue bars) represent greater gain for higher frequencies, while negative values ​​(red bars) represent greater gain for lower frequencies. The lighter bars are for indirect measures of hypertrophy and the darker bars are for direct measures of hypertrophy.

In this graph and all subsequent graphs like it, the blue dots above the black lines represent comparisons where the higher frequency group grew 10% faster than the lower frequency groups, the red dots below the black lines represent comparisons where the group with the lower frequencies grew >10% faster than the higher frequency group, and the yellow dots below the black lines represent comparisons in which the high and low frequency groups had approximately the same growth. Each point represents one measure from one study. For example, the point (0.5%, 0.75%) would represent a comparison in which the low-frequency group grew at a rate of 0.5% per week, while the high-frequency group grew at a rate of 0.75% per week.

Using direct measures of hypertrophy (N = 19 comparisons in 7 studies), hypertrophy of subjects in the lower frequency groups increased at a rate of 0.72% per week, while subjects in the higher frequency groups increased at a rate of 0.72% per week. 85% per week. The mean difference in growth between groups was 0.12% per week (CI = -0.01-0.26%), meaning that the higher frequency groups grew on average 17% faster. This would be classified as a small effect (d = 0.35; CI = -0.02–0.72) and the difference was not significant (p = 0.079).

Using proxy measures of hypertrophy (N = 21 comparisons across 9 studies), subjects in the lower frequency groups grew at a rate of 0.29% per week, whereas subjects in the higher frequency groups grew at a rate of 0.29% per week. 43% per week. The mean difference in hypertrophy magnitude gain between groups was 0.14% per week (CI = 0.06-0.22%), meaning that the higher frequency groups grew on average 49% faster. This was classified as a medium effect (d = 0.72; CI = 0.30–1.14), and the difference was significant (p = 0.0031).

On average, untrained subjects in the lower frequency groups (N = 16 comparisons across 4 studies) experienced growth at a rate of 0.39% per week, whereas those in the higher frequency groups experienced growth at a rate of 0.58% per week . The mean difference in magnitude gain between groups was 0.19% per week (CI = 0.09-0.28%), meaning that the higher frequency groups gained on average 47% faster. This was classified as a medium effect (d = 0.62; CI = 0.31–0.94) and the difference was significant (p = 0.0014).

On average, trained athletes in the lower frequency groups (N = 24 comparisons in 9 studies) gained a rate of 0.44% per week, while similar subjects in the higher frequency groups grew at a rate of 0.58 % in Week. The mean difference in hypertrophy magnitude gain between groups was 0.14% per week (CI = 0.04–0.25%), meaning that the higher frequency groups experienced an average of 32% greater growth. This was classified as a small effect (d = 0.38; CI = 0.09–0.67) and the difference was significant (p = 0.016).

On average, upper body hypertrophy was observed in the lower frequency groups (N = 17 comparisons in 8 studies) at a rate of 0.42% per week and in the higher frequency groups at a rate of 0.59% per week. The average difference in size gain between groups was 0.17% per week (CI = 0.03–0.31%), meaning that the upper body of the higher frequency groups grew about 40% faster, on average. This was classified as a medium effect (d = 0.50; CI = 0.09–0.91) and the difference was significant (p = 0.029).

On average, the rate of lower body hypertrophy was observed in the lower frequency groups (N = 14 comparisons in 6 studies) at a rate of 0.65% per week and in the higher frequency groups at a rate of 0.83% per week. The mean difference in increase in hypertrophy magnitude between groups was 0.18% per week (CI = 0.03–0.34%), meaning that the lower body of the higher frequency groups grew approximately 28% faster, on average. This was classified as a small effect (d = 0.41; CI = 0.06–0.76) and the difference was significant (p = 0.038).

Note: This graph looks fairly flat, however, seven points are from one study, and all comparisons in that study showed either a typical increase or an apparent large increase with a lower frequency. Everything is done taking into account statistical analysis in order to equalize the absolute values ​​in the studies

This version of the graph has only one data point per study (the average of all measures in that study); it's a little more reflective of what the statistical model "saw".

In lower volume studies (N = 16 comparisons in 7 studies), subjects in the lower frequency groups grew at an average rate of 0.32% per week, while subjects in the higher frequency groups grew at a rate of 0.32% per week. 57% per week. The average difference in size gain between groups was 0.25% per week (CI = 0.10-0.40% per week), meaning that the higher frequency groups experienced approximately 77% faster hypertrophy growth, on average. This was classified as a large effect (d = 0.82; CI = 0.34–1.30) and the difference was significant (p = 0.0046).

This comparison also included Ocha's study with 7 separate comparisons, so I've combined them again here. Note that there are 8 points instead of 7 because one study had both male and female groups and I have presented them separately in this chart.

In higher volume studies (N = 24 comparisons in 9 studies), subjects in the lower frequency groups experienced an average increase in hypertrophy of 0.46% per week, while subjects in the higher frequency groups experienced an average rate of 0.46% per week. .58% per week. The mean difference in hypertrophy magnitude gain between groups was 0.12% per week (CI = 0.03-0.21% per week), meaning that the higher frequency groups grew on average 27% faster. This was classified as a small effect (d = 0.34; CI = 0.08–0.60) and the difference was significant (p = 0.017).

Because I combined low-volume studies when plotting, I also combined high-volume studies to ensure consistency.

Simply looking at the average hypertrophy reported with each frequency across all studies, there does not appear to be a significant relationship between frequency and hypertrophy. When performing simple linear regression, the correlation coefficient is basically zero (r = -0.04).

Note: This is the most common general approach to data analysis like this, but I feel it is wrong.

However, as explained in a previous article on the relationship between increasing frequency and strength, simply comparing the average hypertrophy observed at different frequencies does nothing to eliminate the differences in hypertrophy observed between studies. Imagine you have three studies. One compares a frequency of once a week with a frequency of four times a week, a second compares a frequency of three times a week with a frequency of four times a week, and a third compares a frequency of once a week with a frequency of three times a week. In the first study, the low frequency group (1x) grows by 2% and the high frequency group (4x) grows by 4%. In the second study, the low frequency group (3x) grows by 4% and the high frequency group (4x) grows by 6%. In the third study, the low frequency group (1x) grows by 8%, while the high frequency group (3x) grows by 10%. Just averaging the size gain, you're looking at a 5% increase once a week [(2% + 8%)/2], a 7% increase three times a week [(4% + 10%)/2], and an increase of 5% [(4% + 6%) / 2] four times a week. It appears that 1x/week and 4x/week result in similar growth, while 3x/week results in the most growth; however, these conclusions are based on differences between studies rather than frequencies. In a direct comparison, on the other hand, 1x is worse than 3x and 4x by 2%, 3x is worse than 1x by 2% and 4x by 2% (average 0%), and 4x is worse than 1x and 3x by 2%. This more accurately represents the results in this imagined trio of studies because it does a better job of accounting for the variability of results between studies.

I believe that direct comparisons (orange dots) better reflect the results of these imaginary studies than simple averages (green dots).

When the frequency of once per week (N = 25 comparisons from 10 studies) was directly compared with other frequencies, it was slightly inferior in direct comparisons by 0.079% per week. The frequency of twice a week (N = 17 comparisons from 7 studies) is not significant in direct comparisons at 0.080% per week. The frequency of three times per week (N = 21 comparisons from 7 studies) was generally performed at par in direct comparisons (minimum lead of 0.009% per week). The frequency of four times per week (N = 9 comparisons from 2 studies) was slightly higher than 0.087% per week. The frequency of five times per week (N = 7 comparisons from 2 studies) was greater than 0.310% per week. Finally, a frequency of six times per week was greater than 0.194% per week, but one study only had one measurement examining such frequency. Because there are fewer studies examining higher frequencies greater than three times per week, we again pool results from studies using frequencies of 4+ times per week (N = 17 comparisons from 5 studies), finding that they were superior to direct comparisons by 0.185% in Week. Higher frequencies were associated with greater hypertrophy in direct comparisons (r = 0.32, p = 0.0036).

Given the linear relationship between frequency and hypertrophic overperformance in direct comparisons, I examined the results of studies comparing frequencies of once or twice per week with frequencies of 3+ times per week, and studies comparing frequencies of 1-3 times per week with frequencies of 4+ times per week to check the results of the regression analysis. Twenty-four measures from eight studies were included in the first comparison, and 17 measures from five studies were included in the second comparison. In both comparisons, the higher frequency groups experienced significantly faster hypertrophy. The effect size was small (d = 0.33) when comparing frequencies 1-2 versus 3+ and medium (d = 0.51) when comparing frequencies 1-3 versus 4+

Since there appears to be an approximately linear relationship between frequency and hypertrophy, we can analyze the slopes again to see how much additional hypertrophy we can expect as frequency increases. Each additional day of frequency increased weekly hypertrophy by 0.11% (CI = 0.05-0.16% per week). The average hypertrophy rate across all frequencies across all studies was 0.50% per week, meaning each additional day of frequency resulted in an average of 22% hypertrophy. This slope was significantly different from zero (p = 0.0004).

Each blue line represents the slope of the frequency/gain relationship in one study. The red line is the mean slope, and the black lines are the top and bottom of the 95 percent confidence interval. A positive slope means more hypertrophy at a higher frequency, while a negative slope means more hypertrophy at a lower frequency.