Frequency vs Volume

AntM1564

AntM1564

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Taken from Ben Carpenter's Facebook. Pretty interesting. Thoughts?

Effect of Two- Versus Three-Way Split Resistance Training Routines on Body Composition and Muscular Strength in Bodybuilders: A Pilot Study. - PubMed - NCBI

Training frequency for muscle growth, 4 vs 6 workouts per week?
This new piece of research is novel.
Typically speaking, studies tend to use untrained or trained (one year or more of training) participants but this went one further and recruited ten elite level natural bodybuilders who had all been competing for 3 or more years.
So, the goal of this pilot study was to look at training frequency.
If you had a total volume of work for the week and divided it into six workouts would it get better results than four workouts?
4 x 90 minutes or 6 x 60 minutes?
In theory, if you divided it into four workouts you may get worse results as cramming the exercises into longer sessions is more likely to increase the cumulative fatigue from the workout. Therefore, towards the end of the workout your quality of work would decrease. Splitting the same total quantity of work into six workouts could possibly overcome this by decreasing the time you spend in the gym per day.
The 4 time per week group (G4X in the table):
- 4 workouts per week
- 2 x total body routines both repeated twice per week
- 90-100 minute workouts
The six time per week group (G6X in the table)
- 6 workouts per week
- 3 workouts all repeated twice per week (chest/shoulders/triceps/abs, back/biceps/forearms, thigh/calves/abs)
- 60-70 minute workouts
Same exercises, same reps and sets.
The only difference was splitting the work into 4 or 6 workouts.
Results:
- No significant differences were noted for changes in fat free mass, fat mass or 1RM bench press.
Discussion:
This study utilised a very small number of participants (10) and only had a four week training period. Due to this, we must be very cautious to draw absolute conclusions from it. Nobody should say "it doesn't matter how many workouts per week you split your routine into" from this study. It is a piece of a much larger puzzle and warrants further research.
It would suggest that total volume of work per week is a key determinant for muscle growth and differences between 4 and 6 workouts may make minimal difference.
Therefore, I would suggest that you perform your workouts in a way that fits your schedule and don't try and change it based on this study alone, assuming you are already training at least four times per week.
 
Rodja

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Need the full text to get a better picture. Often times, the exercise selection is quite bad and makes it even more difficult to draw conclusions.
 
Blergs

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less frequent more volume for me! : )
 
EDBANGER

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I would say that load is the important a factor when deciding between the two. HST training for example has you doing three full body workouts a week but at increasing loads across 3 rep ranges beginning well below maximal weights for that specific rep range. If you were to go in and do three full body workouts a week using maximal loads you'd quickly feel pretty messed up.

I train Squat, Bench and Overhead Press twice a week but manage the load and volume to appropriately.
 
AntM1564

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Need the full text to get a better picture. Often times, the exercise selection is quite bad and makes it even more difficult to draw conclusions.
True. I just thought it was interesting seeing as how, from what I've read, frequency is better for the natural athlete while volume is not as optimal.
 
choccyswag

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Frequency crew checkin here!

I can only train during lunch anyways so its forced to be like that in away. I like it though, too many off days and i start feeling lazy and a bit fluffy lol
 
travwj

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I like frequency as well and I think with frequency the idea is to stimulate not inialate the muscle. Enough sets and reps to stimulate growth, but not to many sets or reps so you can get back and hit that muscle again in 2-3 days time.
 
asooneyeonig

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less frequent more volume for me! : )
it could mean more volume per workout but if you look at a week's span you can have more total volume and more first sets and therefore more sets at a higher intensity. so it is a matter of how you look at it.
 
choccyswag

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it could mean more volume per workout but if you look at a week's span you can have more total volume and more first sets and therefore more sets at a higher intensity. so it is a matter of how you look at it.
Yea, weekly results is important.. just like if you pig out on choccies one meal it doesn't mean your diet is wrecked, its the volume of the foods over the week and kcals that counts. Same with training :)
 

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