If you love strength training, you won’t mind working out five days per week. Those of you who enjoy frequent training can use a very systematic plan that I refer to as high frequency loading ramps. I also refer to this method as escalating loading ramps. This simply means that you will start with light weights at the beginning of each week, and load weight to each lift every day throughout the same week. The next week, you repeat the process, but you start about 5% heavier, and you reduce the number of reps compared to the previous week. You can use this procedure for three to five weeks and then start the whole process over
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High Frequency Loading Ramp for one Week
An example of a high frequency loading ramp that lasts one week is outlined below:
Day 1
Do 5 sets of 10 reps with 50% of your single rep max for each exercise.
Day 2
Do 4 sets of 10 reps with 55% of your single rep max for each exercise.
Day 3
Do 3 sets of 10 reps with 60% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 4
Do 2 sets of 10 reps with 65% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 5
Do 1 set of 10 reps with 70% of your single rep max for each exercise.
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A High Frequency Loading Ramp for Week 2
If you like doing 10 reps per set, you can simply keep repeating the cycle every week, however, I suggest you do a slightly heavier loading ramp with 8 reps per set during week two as follows:
Day 1
Do 5 sets of 8 reps with 55% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 2
Do 4 sets of 8 reps with 60% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 3
Do 3 sets of 8 reps with 65% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 4
Do 2 sets of 8 reps with 70% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 5
Do 1 set of 8 reps with 75% of your single rep max for each exercise
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A High Frequency Loading Ramp for Week 3
If you choose to increase to a heavier loading ramp the next week, you can do so with 6 reps as follows:
Day 1
Do 5 sets of 6 reps with 60% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 2
Do 4 sets of 6 reps with 65% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 3
Do 3 sets of 6 reps with 70% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 4
Do 2 sets of 6 reps with 75% of your single rep max for each exercise
Day 5
Do 1 set of 6 reps with 80% of your single rep max for each exercise.
A High Frequency Loading Ramp for Week 4
Of course, you can do another loading ramp with slightly heavier weights for week four, and another loading ramp for week five that’s even heavier. If you choose to do this, simply follow the pattern that has already been established by the first three weeks, which means that you will start week four with weights that are 5% heavier than week three. When you do this, you will be starting week four with 65% of your single rep max. You will then add 5% to your poundages every day of the week until you finish with 85% on day five of week four, and you will be performing four reps in every workout. The number of sets per exercise always starts with five sets the first day of the week and is decreased by one for each successive workout until you are down to just one set per exercise by the last workout of the week.
A High Frequency Loading Ramp for Week 5
If you continue to week five, you would perform two reps per set, and would start with 70% of your single rep max on day one, and add 5% to your lifts every day until you reach 90% on day five of week five. Once again, the number of sets per exercise starts with five, and is reduced by one set per day as you proceed through the week until you are only doing one set per exercise when you reach day five.
Please know that there is a reason that the weights start out light at the start of the week, the reason being that you will be doing five sets per exercise. The only way you can recover from five sets by the next day is to make sure you are going light on each set, however, the weights do increase rapidly as you progress through the week.
Adjust The Plan as Needed
It is important to understand that any program can be adjusted to your capacities. For example, you may prefer a weekly plan that consists of 6 sets on day one, 5 sets on day two, 4 sets on day three, 3 sets on day four, and 2 sets on day five, instead of the sequence of 5 sets, 4 sets, 3 sets, 2 sets, and 1 set. You may not want to include a lot of variation in the number of daily sets and would prefer a five day plan consisting of 3 sets on day one, 3 sets on day two, 3 sets on day three, 2 sets on day four, and 2 sets on day five.
Most people are capable of recovering from high frequency training if they adjust the weights and sets to fit their own capacity. If you need to do more or less sets, or use more or less weight than is listed for each workout, then adjust according to what works best for you.
If you enjoy high frequency training, and you need to add some variety to your training program, consider the concept of high frequency loading ramps that escalate in weight within each week, as well as increasing in weight for each successive week. May God bless you with the best of training.