Hypertrophy researcher Chris Beardsley has said that a muscle recovers after only 48 hours—but as Mr. America/Mr. Universe Doug Brignole noted, that doesn’t include the supercompensation “growth” phase, which occurs after damage is repaired…
None of the literature I’ve read has every suggested that the supercompensaion phase reaches its peak at 48 hours. If the recovery from the workout takes 48 hours, it seems we must allow at least another 24 hours for the muscle to reach the peak of its supercompensation phase. Of course, if we wait too long (96 hours or more), then we’ve started sliding down the other side of the peak, losing some of the gains.
So in most cases you want to train a muscle again after about 72 hours—every three days. But that’s assuming you are hitting the appropriate volume and intensity. What happens if you over do those two factors?
Obviously, you would need extra recovery to maximize supercompensation. That appears to be the logic behind the workout regimens of bodybuilders who train each muscle only once a week…
They hammer the holy hell out of a muscle with loads of sets, then rest it for seven days. It may or may not take that long to fully repair the damage and get growth from supercompensation…
But as Doug said: “Bombing the hell out of the muscle and waiting a week is a LESS productive alternative.”
It’s much better to moderate your volume and intensity, not annihilate your nervous system, and train each muscle more frequently. A recent study by Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., appears to verify that…
Schoenfeld compared a workout program that trained each target muscle once a week and the less popular full-body workout performed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The trainees were doing the SAME VOLUME of work for each muscle…
In other words, if the once-a-week-per-muscle group did 12 sets for chest, the three-times-per-week group did four sets for chest at each workout—still 12 total sets but over three workouts instead of all at one. After 12 weeks…
The group that trained each target muscle three times a week (full body) got better muscle gains than the group that trained each muscle only once a week. Oh, and these were experienced lifters, not beginners.
So what about twice per week? Back to Schoenfeld..
When comparing studies that investigated training muscle groups between 1 to 3 days per week on a volume-equated basis, the current body of evidence indicates that frequencies of training twice a week promote superior hypertrophic outcomes…
It can therefore be inferred that the major muscle groups should be trained at least twice a week to maximize growth.
That’s not to say that training each muscle once a week won’t work. It can in some cases, but growth will be sporadic at best. It’s pretty much hit or miss—unless you’re on drugs. If you’re not using, it’s best to to go with fewer sets twice a week…
So if you’re using the ideal exercise for two to three sets and an add-on exercise for one to two sets, all sets close to failure, you’re in the hypertrophic sweet spot—as recommended in Old Man, Young Muscle.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
Recommended
NO MORE SHOULDER PAIN
Shoulder pain can affect your workouts forever. That’s not good!
That’s why we’re recommending advice from injury specialist Rick Kaselj, MS. His tips can help make your shoulders nearly bullet-proof.
Here are a few general tips from Rick (he goes into more detail in his program)…
Top 5 Tips To Bullet-Proof Your Shoulders
- Build Tension in Your Lats. When doing shoulder exercises, activate your lats and keep your shoulders happy.
- Prime Up Your Muscles. Most people do a warm-up that just lubricates the joint, but you need to activate and turn on all the muscles in your upper body.
- Technique, Technique, Technique. This is the number one reason why people injure their shoulders. You can’t go to the gym every day and work on your max lift.
- Watch Out for Fatigue. Cooking your smaller muscles in your shoulder complex, and that increases the risk of shoulder injury and pain.
- Work on Your Shoulder Blade Muscles. Many strength coaches will say you’re wasting your time on this, but if you want to have bullet-proof shoulders, you need to work on them.
Get all of Rick’s tips and tricks for pain-free workouts below: