Training frequency variations

L

LDU

New Member
ive read about the AM/PM training and also read in the HST Faq

quote"There is the possibility that training once per day 6 days per week would be just as effective. (as the AM /PM), But to be on the safe side, a rest day with massage is probably better to avoid injuries."

im very keen to try this, just wondering about recovery, im sure i could handle it and still increase in weights.

I just dont really understand how this "more is better for gains" type of thing works. Would i recover fast enough in 24 hours to ensure max hypertrophy benefit?

any info appreciated, interested in this.
 
I guess it "could" work....but IMO you would have to watch your training SO extremely close to make sure you are not overdoing it that it just makes more sense to run a 3 day a week HST cycle or do a 4 day a week upper / lower cycle.

I like to error on the keeping it simple...meaning eat a lot of calories and lift heavy stuff!
 
The problem with training at a high frequency for the same muscle groups is that you need to do a certain amount of work each session to trigger a useful PS response. If you are fairly new to lifting and are therefore in a relatively deconditioned state, the amount of work required to trigger a useful PS response may not be that great, and so high-frequency training would be manageable in terms of fatigue ; but as you become more conditioned to load, following extended periods of heavy lifting, more work will be required to elicit any kind of PS response each session. With a high frequency this can lead to rapid burnout.

For most of us, who have been lifting for a few years or so, that means there's always a bit of a balancing act between frequency and volume of work in order to find out what works best. It turns out that hitting all body parts 2-3 x weekly is a high enough frequency to keep PS levels elevated and for enough volume to be performed each session without accumulating too much fatigue.

While muscle tissue doesn't require resting in order to recover and grow, your CNS, joints and other bodily systems liable to wear-and-tear and fatigue, do.

Rest days are also a good way to keep up enthusiasm for training -- your level of accumulated fatigue will tend to dictate how you feel about a training session. It's good to bear in mind that what looks great on paper may well start to suck in practice. If you enjoy your training sessions (ie. you feel good about them), you are likely to see better results which will, in turn, feed your enthusiasm.

Hope some of that makes sense.
 
thanks for both your replies, i get what your saying and will stick to 3 days a week. Works in best with work and family anyway.

cheers
 
Lol said:
If you enjoy your training sessions (ie. you feel good about them), you are likely to see better results which will, in turn, feed your enthusiasm.

Hope some of that makes sense.
Click to expand...

This is very important and one of the things I think lifters forget. IMO a fun routine or one you enjoy you will stick to more and therefor it will equal better results.
 
twindeltatandem said:
Is there any reason not to train every other day versus 3 times per week?
Click to expand...
Every other day is 3 times per week with the difference that you take 2 days off instead of 1 every three workouts. The main reason for that is to accomodate the workout schedule to the week. 3x a week means Monday, Wednesday and Friday then again Monday while every other say would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday then Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday...
 
Yeah, I'd actually figured the whole week-synchronization-thing versus "every other day" part out all by myself <G>... I was more interested in whether the extra day was important to avoid excessive CNS stress, etc. Given one of HST's central premises that hypertrophy ceases after around 24-36 hours, and that it is advisable to train the muscle immediately after this period versus waiting until you "feel" recovered, I would think an every other day schedule would be preferable. After all, we're already "wasting" time doing SD; so anything an athlete could do to make the most use of the training cycle is probably a good thing. In fact, maybe the optimum schedule would be to conduct a full body workout every 36 hours, for example, Monday at 0600, Tuesday at 1800, Thursday at 0600, Friday at 1800, Sunday at 0600, Monday at 1800, etc.

Versus a M,W,F cycle for 8 weeks (24 total workouts), an every other day approach would complete the same number of workouts about a week and a half early; and an every 36 hour approach would complete the same cycle in a full three weeks early. Two more cycles per year assuming 2-week SD. That could be an additional 10-20 pounds for a gifted athlete.

Would almost surely be too much of a grind, though (noting Lol's comments re: fatigue). Definitely less sleep! We'll need about 50 volunteers to test it out for a year...
 
Last edited:
twindeltatandem said:
Yeah, I'd actually figured the whole week-synchronization-thing versus "every other day" part out all by myself <G>... I was more interested in whether the extra day was important to avoid excessive CNS stress, etc. Given one of HST's central premises that hypertrophy ceases after around 24-36 hours, and that it is advisable to train the muscle immediately after this period versus waiting until you "feel" recovered, I would think an every other day schedule would be preferable. After all, we're already "wasting" time doing SD; so anything an athlete could do to make the most use of the training cycle is probably a good thing. In fact, maybe the optimum schedule would be to conduct a full body workout every 36 hours, for example, Monday at 0600, Tuesday at 1800, Thursday at 0600, Friday at 1800, Sunday at 0600, Monday at 1800, etc.

Versus a M,W,F cycle for 8 weeks (24 total workouts), an every other day approach would complete the same number of workouts about a week and a half early; and an every 36 hour approach would complete the same cycle in a full three weeks early. Two more cycles per year assuming 2-week SD. That could be an additional 10-20 pounds for a gifted athlete.

Would almost surely be too much of a grind, though (noting Lol's comments re: fatigue). Definitely less sleep! We'll need about 50 volunteers to test it out for a year...
Click to expand...
this has been discussed on here many times,infact i think some have tried it,the problem with the 36hr thing is
1. timing around work etc
2. protein synthesis isnt the same for everybody studies have shown anything from 16hrs to 72hrs but thats returning to baseline,it also depends on your conditioning,the more conditioned you are the less time it lasts.
48hrs is a safer bet which is probably why bryan picked that.
 
It is all a balancing act, optimum is a product of several variables and the 24-36 hours elevated PS window is also variable from person to person. The rate at which your CNS will recover from bouts also varies greatly depending on your genetics, rest, diet and relative intensity of your workouts. So, the answer everyone hates, it depends. If you can, for instance workout every other day, 2x per day, upper body in the morning and lower body in the evening it should be optimum IF you rest, diet, intensity and volume are adjusted accordingly. If you are new to lifting probably working out every day will be even better, if you are an old time lifter and needs tons of volume and very high intensity to trigger growth, the CNS impact of your workouts will require that you rest more then that. Besides that your week workout schedule will be erratic. The M/W/F is a good enough compromise that is within the optimum window and allows for a more controlled scheduling. One variable we often forget to consider is if the proposed routine is feasible/reasonable. There is no point in using the most optimum layout for a cycle or two and then quitting because it is too hard to fit that into your everyday life.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top