High Frequency Is For Me, But Not For Everyone
If I had to choose one type of training for myself, I would likely choose high frequency training simply because it is compatible with my own particular physiology. At the same time, I want to make it clear that I do not believe that high frequency training is the best option for everyone. I say this because there are plenty of lifters who have experienced tremendous success by hitting each muscle group only once per week, which is low frequency training. Low frequency training can only work if a lifter has muscles that stay activated for muscle growth for a long time after a workout. Another way to put it is that a lifter must have an anabolic window that stays open for a long time.
Activation length, Retention, and Recovery determine Frequency
The optimum training frequency for a given lifter should be determined based on three basic factors which include:
- The length of time that the lifter’s muscles stay activated for muscle growth.
- The length of time that the lifter’s muscles retain the benefits of any gains made from his latest workout.
- The amount of time that it takes the lifter to fully recover between workouts.
Activation and Retention
A long activation period for muscle growth is one physiological aspect that enables some lifters to benefit from training each muscle group only once per week. Others may only gain muscle for 48 to 72 hours after a workout, but they are able to retain those gains for another five or six days before they start to lose the benefits of their last workout. The ability to retain gains for a long time is another attribute that characterizes those who are able to benefit from low frequency training. On the other hand, what if your muscles don’t stay activated for muscle growth for very long after a workout? Likewise, what if you don’t retain your gains very long after a workout? If this is the case, low frequency training will not work for you. You will need to individualize your workouts with frequent activation.
Frequent Activation
I am one of those people who need to keep my muscles activated often in order to benefit from weight training. Hitting a muscle group once per week or twice per week will never cut it for me as my muscles will deactivate and atrophy before the next workout. I need to work each muscle group at least three times per week, and I have found success with hitting each muscle group five to six days per week as well.
Many people have been taught that muscles need at least 48 hours to recover. They have been led to believe that their muscles will never have a chance to rebuild in between workouts if they work them five or six days per week. I once believed the same thing until I became curious enough to work my whole body five to six days per week. I was surprised to find that if I stuck with it for at least four days, my body was able to adapt to the higher training frequency and I didn’t lose any size or strength. On the other hand, I didn’t gain any either until it occurred to me that high frequency training might actually work if I altered my workouts to make recovery easier.
Easy Recovery is Needed for High Frequency Training
If you try high frequency training and find that it doesn’t work, it doesn’t automatically mean that all types of high frequency training are ineffective. Perhaps high frequency training will work for you if you make some of the adjustments that facilitate easy recovery. What are these adjustments?
Don’t Train to Failure
I had to learn the hard way that training to failure and high frequency training are not a good combination. Always leave at least two to three reps in the tank if you are on a high frequency training program. I suggest that you only repeat reps as long as you can maintain a steady even rep pace within a set. If you keep repeating reps to the point where you transition to a slower rep pace at the end of a set, you are pushing your sets to hard to recover within 24 hours.
Don’t Train Past The Point of Being at Full Strength
A second consideration for recovering within 24 hours is to avoid repeating sets for a muscle group to the point where it is no longer at full strength. If you fail to do this, you will find it hard to recover with in 24 hours.
Avoid Fatigue
High frequency training tends to work when you do the right kind of workouts by avoiding fatigue. You can avoid fatigue by avoiding high intensity sets, and by avoiding the implementation of too many sets.
Guidelines for Progression
The essence of effective high frequency training is to “train, don’t strain,” and to finish your workout with as much strength as when you started. This basically means that your workouts will not be overly hard or long. High frequency workouts should be brief and only moderately hard. If you carefully control your intensity and training volume, (which was emphasized in The Norwegian Frequency Project, an experiment on high frequency training), you will find that your body grows comfortable with the workouts. This will allow you to gradually add on weight from time to time without feeling as though the workouts are getting harder and harder. If you follow these guidelines for progression, you will find that it is possible to make consistent progress with high frequency training.
Keep The Exercise Selection Simple
If you choose to use high frequency training, it is helpful to keep the exercise selection simple for each workout. When you do too many exercises, it usually results in doing too many sets within each workout. When you do too many sets, you can’t recover within 24 hours. I suggest doing just one chest exercise, one back exercise, and one leg exercise. Assuming you are not pushing to failure, you will probably be able to perform two to three warm up sets per exercise, and then have the ability to stay at full strength for one to three work-sets for each exercise. You can also do one set per exercise for smaller muscle groups such as, triceps, biceps, deltoids, calves, and abs if you want to.
Not All Exercises are Created Equal
You will probably find that not all exercises are created equal when it comes to training frequency and recovery. You may be able to bench press every day, yet find it hard to do heavy back squats every day, or vice versa. Most of you will probably find it hard to recover from doing heavy deadlifts every day, so don’t do them every day. Nonetheless, you may be able to substitute deadlifts with an alternative pulling exercise such as pulley rows or lat pulldowns every day. Learn which exercises you can do every day without developing joint pain or burnout. If there are exercises that you can only do once or twice per week, then just do them once or twice per week, and do alternative exercises for the same muscle group on the other days of the week.
Several Types of High Frequency Training
I think it is important to point out that there are several types of high frequency training. Some of the high frequency options are listed below:
Consistent Volume and Intensity
Perhaps the most basic type of high frequency training is to find an ideal training intensity and training volume that can be used on a daily basis. Learn how hard to push each set and how many sets to perform for optimum results and make it your standard in terms of maintaining a consistent volume and intensity for your workouts. This is the type of training that is discussed in the book, High Frequency Strength Training, Guidelines for Making It Work. Another book you can read on this type of high frequency training is called, Heavy Frequency Training. You can read if for free if you go to the home page of this website and click on the book cover that matches the title.
Varied Intensity Workouts
Another option for high frequency workouts is to vary the intensity from workout to workout by alternating easy workouts with more demanding workouts. This is discussed in the book, The High Frequency Training Pyramid. The book is based on four levels of workout intensity that range from easy workouts with light weights to hard workouts with heavy weights. The easier the workout, the more days per week you can do it without overtraining. The heavier the workout, the less days you can do it in order to avoid overtraining. Sample workouts are explained in the book (which you can access for free on the home page of this website) but you can also find your own formula for how you want to integrate a schedule in terms of light, medium, and heavy workouts.
Some lifters like to do speed work with light or moderate weights. They also like to do some bodybuilding exercises for 6 to 10 reps, and powerlifting exercises for 3 to 5 reps. Each type of workout can be a separate workout which can then be alternated throughout six workouts within a week as follows:
Day 1: Heavy powerlifting exercises for 1 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Day 2: Bodybuilding exercises for 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Day 3: Speed Work with moderate weights for 6 sets of 3 reps
Day 4: Heavy powerlifting exercises for 1 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Day 5: Bodybuilding exercises for 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Day 6: Speed Work with moderate weights for 6 sets of 3 reps
Intermittent High Frequency Training
You can choose to do high frequency workouts without choosing to do them constantly. High frequency workouts can be done on an intermittent basis. I have seen this work in my own experiences and wrote about it in a book called BOOM! This book offers the option of switching back and forth between hitting each muscle group two to three times per week, and hitting each muscle group five to six times per week. It is normal frequency training alternated with high frequency training.
Caution
When using high frequency training, you must be careful not to dig yourself into a hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper. What I mean by this is that you may be able to handle high frequency training for two to four weeks without any problem, but if you go any longer, you suddenly feel more and more burned out, or one of your muscles or joints may start to feel more and more aggravated. Don’t train yourself into an energy deficit or an overuse injury. If your body begins to experience any of these problems, just cut back on your frequency for a week or two. When your body feels ready, start back into high frequency training as long as it feels good to your body.
Individualize Your Workouts
You are an individual. You must individualize your training to match what works best for your physiology. If you happen to be a person who needs frequent muscle stimulation in order for muscle growth to stay activated, I suggest that you study the concepts that are discussed in this article and apply them within the context of high frequency training.
Norms and Guidelines for the Majority
My personal belief is that most people should start with the training norms that work for the majority of lifters. The guidelines for the norms are based on hitting each muscle group with two to three workouts per week. Each muscle group should be worked with two to four warm up sets followed by two to four work-sets. The level of training intensity should be based on leaving one to three reps in the tank for your work-sets. If these basic guidelines work, keep following them. If the basic guidelines don’t work as well as you would like, you can start experimenting with added frequency, or decreased frequency, added volume, or reduced volume, added intensity, or reduced intensity. Eventually you will find a combination that works. Best of training to you.