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Low Frequency Training

jeroendebleser

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So we've had a lot of threads on high frequency training but I was wondering if anyone ever tried low frequency training, as in training bodyparts only once every 10-14 days? Or what your thoughts are on this even if you haven't tried it yourself?

Reasons I'm asking is because I always like to experiment (even just for the sake of it) + even on a high caloric intake (with enough protein obviously) and on plenty of AAS, I have too much days were I don't feel recuperated from the previous session(s) and on top of that, one of the main reasons I can never do high frequency training for very long is because my joints just can't take it. This is also sounds like a great way (in theory) to minimize aches and pains.

I know Mike Mentzer's HIT was basically this but I would be doing it with a little more volume (not much though, not a fan of high volume anymore) and thought about using a standard bro-split but on a 1 day on/1 day off schedule.
 
High, medium or low volume works but if you are going to have those frequent rest days the important thing is intensity when training. So it could be great as long as you make those EOD sessions count. There is no right/wrong answer and I would start with 1 week breaks and build up the intensity and maybe start taking 8-12 days between same session training days.

Although I would also ask yourself why are you so sore after training. Is it simply due to genetics or could you be maximizing other areas? Those areas could be anything from diet, drugs and rest. Going deeper many things could be highlighted/utilized from possible intra nutrition (aminos, carbs), inflammation (supps), massage therapy, stretching, water intake, strategic naps etc.

You could also look at your actual training and not just the volume. Perhaps you are doing too many failure sets. Maybe you could try doing more hard sets but leaving some reps. So you still lift heavy but instead of a failure set of 12 reps you stop at 9 or 10. Although if you feel like a deload in frequency go for it and try eod and giving your body a bit of a break. It's important how you set things up in some ways as body parts can overlap such as chest (front delts and tri-ceps) so make sure things are spaced out evenly.
 
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High, medium or low volume works but if you are going to have those frequent rest days the important thing is intensity when training. So it could be great as long as you make those EOD sessions count. There is no right/wrong answer and I would start with 1 week breaks and build up the intensity and maybe start taking 8-12 days between same session training days.

Agreed on the intensity, that is not going to be an issue. I've been training for close to 20y now and know how to 'kill it'. I'm doing every BP once a week now which is why I want to try every 10-14 days. If only just to try it because I've never done it and it seems not many people have. Worst case scenario, I lose a few months. No problem, I'm not gunning for the Mr. O. next year or anything like that :D

Although I would also ask yourself why are you so sore after training. Is it simply due to genetics or could you be maximizing other areas? Those areas could be anything from diet, drugs and rest. Going deeper many things could be highlighted/utilized from possible intra nutrition (aminos, carbs), inflammation (supps), massage therapy, stretching, water intake, strategic naps etc.

Good points there. It's definitely largely genetics but sleeping well has always been an issue for me. I'll be restarting MK-677 as well this week so I expect some help in that regard. At the least I'll have no problems taking naps throughout the day then :D I'm going to finally start doing intra-workout drinks as well. Never been a big believer in them but since so many of you guys here are, there must be something to it.

You could also look at your actual training and not just the volume. Perhaps you are doing too many failure sets. Maybe you could try doing more hard sets but leaving some reps. So you still lift heavy but instead of a failure set of 12 reps you stop at 9 or 10. Although if you feel like a deload in volume go for it and try eod and giving your body a bit of a break. It's important how you set things up in some ways as body parts can overlap such as chest (front delts and tri-ceps) so make sure things are spaced out evenly.

Leaving a rep or two in the tank is certainly something I HAVE to try at one point. I know how to program by now, been training for close to 20 years but this is a way of training that's just never used and maybe for good reason but I'd like to find out if Mentzer was on to something + I need something new that I haven't done before trainingwise.

Thx for your input mate!
 
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I train by instinct as far as how much recovery time I need before training a certain body part again. Lately, two consecutive days of weight lifting is all my elbows and wrists can handle. They swell up and it’s painful just moving around.
I go a minimum of 7 days in between body parts, and a maximum of 10 days on legs and 9 days on upperbody parts. I’m bulking on a clean diet, and this is working out well for my body. I only do this type of frequency due to age. I’m 51, and my body doesn’t recover very quickly.
I’m on 300mg sustanon and 150mg deca.
 
So we've had a lot of threads on high frequency training but I was wondering if anyone ever tried low frequency training, as in training bodyparts only once every 10-14 days? Or what your thoughts are on this even if you haven't tried it yourself?

Reasons I'm asking is because I always like to experiment (even just for the sake of it) + even on a high caloric intake (with enough protein obviously) and on plenty of AAS, I have too much days were I don't feel recuperated from the previous session(s) and on top of that, one of the main reasons I can never do high frequency training for very long is because my joints just can't take it. This is also sounds like a great way (in theory) to minimize aches and pains.

I know Mike Mentzer's HIT was basically this but I would be doing it with a little more volume (not much though, not a fan of high volume anymore) and thought about using a standard bro-split but on a 1 day on/1 day off schedule.

High frequency shouldnt kill your joints when programmed properly.
 
damage remodel damage remodel damage remodel.....

Thats the key....why in all hell would you want to accomplish in 2-3 years what you can accomplish in 1?

So you want to do 26 workouts for chest hypothetically in the next year of damage remodel damage remodel instead of 52 to 78 to 104?

Do you go 30 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone also to get someplace in 2 hours instead of one?

Your problem is not thinking out your recovery ability and continually overtraining instead of being intelligent about this and adjusting your workload so you can recover.....and damage remodel damage remodel frequently.

Why stop there? Take it all the way....train chest once a month.....while that guy over there trains chest 4-8 times a month and flies right by you.
 
A couple years ago I worked out one day a week, and only hit each body part every other week (every 14 days). I did push one week, pull the next week. And I did sprints up the university stadium bleachers every Friday for legs/cardio. I stayed in decent shape for a nattie.
 
damage remodel damage remodel damage remodel.....

Thats the key....why in all hell would you want to accomplish in 2-3 years what you can accomplish in 1?

So you want to do 26 workouts for chest hypothetically in the next year of damage remodel damage remodel instead of 52 to 78 to 104?

Do you go 30 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone also to get someplace in 2 hours instead of one?

Your problem is not thinking out your recovery ability and continually overtraining instead of being intelligent about this and adjusting your workload so you can recover.....and damage remodel damage remodel frequently.

Why stop there? Take it all the way....train chest once a month.....while that guy over there trains chest 4-8 times a month and flies right by you.

Great post.

OP, look into Dr. Scott Stevenson's research on training frequency. In general, more frequent training is better for most bodybuilders.
 
It's good for maintenance, especially with a busy lifestyle/schedule. I've successfully maintained for months with once a week training before, but you might be able to get away with every 14 days purely for maintenance.


It's sub-optimal for gaining muscle and strength. You could probably get stronger (maybe) but at a much slower rate than hitting the muscle x 1-3 per week.


It takes about 3-4 weeks of no training to start losing muscle and strength. You might look flatter after 1-2 weeks of no training, that's just the pump/sarcoplasm. It comes back fast once you start again.


https://sci-fit.net/detraining-retraining/
 
It's good for maintenance, especially with a busy lifestyle/schedule. I've successfully maintained for months with once a week training before, but you might be able to get away with every 14 days purely for maintenance.


It's sub-optimal for gaining muscle and strength. You could probably get stronger (maybe) but at a much slower rate than hitting the muscle x 1-3 per week.


It takes about 3-4 weeks of no training to start losing muscle and strength. You might look flatter after 1-2 weeks of no training, that's just the pump/sarcoplasm. It comes back fast once you start again.


https://sci-fit.net/detraining-retraining/

experience from working with people who have families. and are not chemically enhanced... taking 2 weeks off between bodyparts or workouts will kill any positive gains and any strength. Every piece of literature by schoenfeld has shown that 2x a week is optimal for almost every body part.
 
How old are you and what are your exact goals? I got your username mixed up when first posting thinking you were much older. But aren't you only in your 30's? Do you have high goals or just want to look good on a beach? Sometimes we make suggestions on here geared towards guys wanting the highest goals and also for people who love the gym but not everyone is in that bracket.

As posted there are many different ways to go about things. As Daniel posted more frequent training is better for most bodybuilders. It doesn't mean it's better for everyone but I generally feel the same as well. I personally like high frequency. For me that could be main body parts trained twice weekly. Then the likes of calves could be double or even daily. Everything overlaps as well so are often hit much more than just their given days. For my body different muscles also respond best to certain frequencies and rep ranges so my routines are set up with that in mind. Although the key factor is what you do during a session as if you go over that line you may struggle to recover in time for your 2nd session of the week. That's why ensuring you recover quickly through effective sleep, supps, diet (etc etc) is key to all of this.

I also agree with Dante and if you can train your chest twice weekly and recover then it's always going to be better than once weekly. Although that brings us back to why you are not recovering properly. I would look closely at your diet and well everything. But at the same time if you feel like training less go for it as everyone is different. Maybe mentally you just want a break and less volume and frequency for a few months. You could always rotate to the opposite if you feel like more workload afterwards. Plus we do overcomplicate this stuff on here. We heard about x training but half the guys looks exactly the same as they always did. I am also all about execution and feel it's very importanr but look at all the guys who preach that stuff. It's not like they made bad bodyparts good. It's not like they are the biggest and best bodybuilders. Most of the best bodybuilders are the ones who keep everything simple but just grind away constantly.

So these days I am all for doing what you feel like even if it doesn't make as much scientific sense. Look at the scientific trainers half of them look exactly the same after years of following their own systems. None of this stuff is really complicated. You only learn if you try new things and as you stated so what if it doesn't work it's not like you will lose all your muscle. Plus this is coming from someone who loves volume and frequency and rotates through the year but generally I am not a fan of low frequency as I personally don't see the point unless you have many responsibiles (family, work, travel etc) so can only fit in the gym a few times every week. Although even in that case I would opt for full body routines, upper/lower, p/p/l etc.
 
experience from working with people who have families. and are not chemically enhanced... taking 2 weeks off between bodyparts or workouts will kill any positive gains and any strength. Every piece of literature by schoenfeld has shown that 2x a week is optimal for almost every body part.

That's insane, maybe with very poor diet? No way 2 weeks off would have such a drastic negative effect. I know myself and others can take off a few weeks and barely any difference, enhanced or not.


Then there's muscle memory which brings it back very fast to top it off


I think trained people are more resistant to strength and muscle loss with short breaks from what i've read and seen, so someone in the novice/beginner phase might see a big cut in performance and mass in 2 weeks. Intermediate-Advanced can definitely skip 2-4 weeks with minimal to no strength/muscle loss without enhancement.
 
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damage remodel damage remodel damage remodel.....

Thats the key....why in all hell would you want to accomplish in 2-3 years what you can accomplish in 1?

So you want to do 26 workouts for chest hypothetically in the next year of damage remodel damage remodel instead of 52 to 78 to 104?

Do you go 30 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone also to get someplace in 2 hours instead of one?

Your problem is not thinking out your recovery ability and continually overtraining instead of being intelligent about this and adjusting your workload so you can recover.....and damage remodel damage remodel frequently.

Why stop there? Take it all the way....train chest once a month.....while that guy over there trains chest 4-8 times a month and flies right by you.
Dante, I admire your philosophy and I cannot agree more with you. Wouldn't you recommend the boy to use your DC 2 WAY division and if he feels he doesn't recover from the rest pauses, use 2-3 conventional sets? I used something similar to that because I am not advanced enough to use DC but the basic principles can be used by everyone and they work. Progressive overload and if you feel tired as it happens to me (the boys have recommended me a few weeks off)
 
That's insane, maybe with very poor diet? No way 2 weeks off would have such a drastic negative effect. I know myself and others can take off a few weeks and barely any difference, enhanced or not.


Then there's muscle memory which brings it back very fast to top it off


I think trained people are more resistant to strength and muscle loss with short breaks from what i've read and seen, so someone in the novice/beginner phase might see a big cut in performance and mass in 2 weeks. Intermediate-Advanced can definitely skip 2-4 weeks with minimal to no strength/muscle loss without enhancement.

X2

I believe once every 7-14 days can work great for maintenance or a nice rest period. But when it comes to actual GAINS, not happening.

And yes, 14 days off wont do damage. The longest i EVER took off from the gym was my honeymoon this year. 15 days. No lifting, no nothing. Came by motivated as hell, didnt loose any mass or real strength. If anything I came back fresh and hell with my joints ready to push some heavy ass weight again.
 
Three years ago, because of my work, I did 6 months 3 days ON / 3 days OFF.
Not my best training memory, I was frustrated and i didn't like the results
 
High frequency shouldnt kill your joints when programmed properly.

Please elaborate if you have the time for it ;) I'm not doing excess volume ever (far from it even, 1 set per bodypart 2 or 3 times a week when I was doing higher frequency I think we can all agree on is very little volume), it's just the frequent repetition of movement patterns that seems to always do me in. Elbows, shoulders and knees start aching and worse.
 
X2

I believe once every 7-14 days can work great for maintenance or a nice rest period. But when it comes to actual GAINS, not happening.

And yes, 14 days off wont do damage. The longest i EVER took off from the gym was my honeymoon this year. 15 days. No lifting, no nothing. Came by motivated as hell, didnt loose any mass or real strength. If anything I came back fresh and hell with my joints ready to push some heavy ass weight again.

This is my same experience. I will take 1-3 weeks off if i'm burnt out, ridiculously busy, or have a minor injury like a sprain or small tear, i come back refreshed and feeling stronger/more motivated than ever. It does the mind and body a lot of good.

A lot of guys think that if they take a few days or weeks of they are going to shrink and lose all their gains. Same goes for missing a meal, it's an anal/ocd mentality that is very common in this game.
 

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