bigmark1972, frequency means nothing without considering volume
Well...... yes I can't argue that and I'm not.
I am of the opinion (and just my opinion based on my personal experience) that the intensity required to stimulate growth warrants a certain volume/frequency ratio if you will.
For example you could squat every day 10 sets of 10 rep sets at 5% max and accomplish nothing but wasting time and burning some calories. You could also do 2 sets of 2 reps at a very high % of 1 rep max every day and you may get very strong, but you will not get very big. I don't think it's fair to compare strength training and training for hypertrophy as they are just so vastly different.
I personally don't like to see do 60% of this and then 73.65% of that.
I myself like to hit it 100% every single time and hit it again as soon as I feel recovered and add weight the next time.
I do one set of rest pause squats ass to ground after my warm ups and stretches and thats it. I think this one set if done correctly is more than enough to stimulate growth.
If my numbers stop climbing I have to take a step back and try to pinpoint where the problem is and correct it.
Perhaps I need to switch rep ranges, exercises, nutrition, volume, etc, etc, etc. The one thing I do not like to change is intensity, it has to be 100% for me because this is the only way I can judge progress and I just feel it's the best way to stimulate growth.
Basically for me the best way I grow, and I learned this the hard way :frustrate is to train the
minimal amount of time (volume) and cause the most stimulation for hypertrophy, that is my goal.
I let my body decide the (frequency). If my body tells me it needs an extra day off, I give it one, if I am ready to go I'll c ya at the gym.
I think that between every 3 and no more than 5 days a muscle should be re-trained. I have found that
for me this is the "sweet spot" if you will. I adjust my workouts somewhat to fit around this. Some muscles like biceps, I need to do a bit more work with to feel I have done the job with them.
I am not trying to sound like a know it all, and I am not telling you you are wrong because you are not. There are thousands of ways to train, I personally find this subject very interresting.
One thing that always struck me as funny was arnold talking about his 4 hour a day gym sessions. I would have liked to have been there to see how much of this time was actually spent working out and how much of it was working on posing, tanning, bullshiting, etc. I don't care who you are, or what drugs you take, no one can train at any appreciable intensity level for 4 hours a day on any kind of extended basis and look like he did. I think he is one of the best there has ever been. If you ever need a good laugh read his bodybuilding encyclopedia and pay special attention to the advanced training chapters.