New research shows that training more frequently gives more room for muscle growth and could be included in your training plan to stimulate new muscle growth.
Bodybuilders tend to follow a traditional training split, with a low-frequency but high-volume training split. This means that each muscle group is trained once per week, using a large number of reps and sets within that session.
A high-frequency training plan is the opposite of training one muscle group once a week and involves training each muscle group two, three, or more times per week over fewer sets per session.
High-Frequency Training and Muscle Growth
A high-frequency training plan stimulates both whole-body and localized muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the biological action our cells need to lay down new muscle fiber, several times throughout the week. MPS levels rapidly increase during a workout, helping add new muscle in every training session.
After a workout, MPS levels tend to rise to the same point, whether six sets (lower volume) or 16 sets (higher volume traditional split) are performed and stay elevated for 12 to 72 hours, depending on your level of advancement.
A study showed that people who weight train regularly and advanced athletes saw an MPS increase of 12 – 24 hours because their bodies are familiar with the stimulus, whereas a beginner could see MPS increases for two or three days.
When MPS is not elevated, and the muscle isn’t stimulated for growth, there is an opportunity for those training each muscle once a week to increase muscle growth by working the muscle group over fewer reps or sets four to six days a week using a high-frequency training plan. This keeps MPS stimulated more consistently rather than letting it decline back to a normal resting level.
Benefits of High-Frequency Training
Frequency Matters
Research into a high-frequency training plan was performed mainly with elite and Olympic powerlifters in Europe.
During the study, a traditional split, training each key lift once a week, was compared to a high-frequency training plan with lifting three times a week, and the participants kept the total volume the same for the week.
Half the participants did high volume for each lift in one session, while the high-frequency training group split the same volume over three sessions.
Even though all the lifters were doing the same amount of work over the course of the week, the study found significantly greater improvements in the high-frequency training plan group, which included greater muscle growth and an increase in strength.
Ideal Volume Per Session
| Your situation | Simple move | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| You fade halfway through long muscle days | Split the same weekly work across two sessions | Higher effort per set with less fatigue drag |
| You hit a plateau with steady weekly volume | Add one lighter technique session | Extra high quality practice without a big recovery bill |
| Your joints dislike high set marathons | Reduce per session stress and spread exposures | Lower peak load while keeping a growth signal |
| You are newer and soreness is high | Use two sessions per muscle with modest sets | Consistent practice with manageable fatigue |
A key driver in muscle growth is the number of sets and reps (total volume) per session, but more isn’t necessarily better.
Research shows that after 5 – 10 sets per muscle group, the body doesn’t need more stimulus and won’t grow significantly. Sometimes, the second half of a workout, or the last 10 sets, could just waste time and energy.
5 – 10 solid sets give enough stimulus for the muscle to change, and anything beyond that, the stimulus isn’t producing beneficial results as the muscle is fatigued. By doing fewer sets, energy levels can be kept high on each set and perform at 100% intensity, getting the most out of each set.
Ongoing Growth
Because a trained muscle only grows for a day or two after a workout, it stays dormant until it is trained again. Using a high-frequency training plan allows you to stimulate that muscle twice or thrice a week, helping you add more muscle. A high-frequency split could be the best route to maximize the amount of muscle.
Takeaway
Several factors support the use of a high-frequency training plan as part of a yearly training routine. Suppose you have only ever used a traditional training split.
In that case, a new stimulus in the form of a change in training format will produce muscle growth and is worth incorporating into a workout plan.
Simon Turner is a former Obstacle Workout features writer and writes regularly on sports, fitness and adventure for Probody.
