home Calculators How does training frequency affect muscle growth? Train each muscle group once a week

How does training frequency affect muscle growth? Train each muscle group once a week

How often should you train to get maximum muscle growth?
Optimal training frequency is a hotly debated issue.
Some believe that for continuous improvement, it is necessary to train the whole body 2-3 times a week, others believe that such a training regimen will only lead to overtraining. Complicates this problem the fact that various kinds individuals have managed to create a lot of crazy training methods and systems.

Recommendations vary widely and cover everything from low-volume workouts (1-2 sets per muscle group) repeated several times a week to high-volume workouts (20-25 sets per muscle group) performed much less frequently.
The truth is that optimal frequency training depends on how these same training sessions go in terms of the amount of work performed and intensity.
When looking for a scientific answer to the question of what is the optimal amount of training, you inevitably come across the fact that the number of subjects is usually relatively small; at least some information can only be gleaned from a large report by researchers from the University of Gothenburg.
I'll hit the nail on the head if I quote the study:
“In general, moderate training volumes (~30-60 repetitions per training session) produce the greatest results.”
Although professional bodybuilders go somewhat beyond this range, it has long been known to bodybuilders even without research, since it is what the more experienced have always recommended to the less experienced. If you look at many popular, time-tested programs, you will notice that in most of them 30-60 repetitions are performed for each muscle group per week.
For example, in my “Bigger Dryer Stronger” program, there are 9 to 12 exercises for the main muscle groups, 4-6 repetitions each. Once you can do 6 reps, you increase the weight on the bar (after which the reps typically drop to 4), so you end up with high-intensity workouts with reps in the 45-60 range. With this program, people can seriously gain both strength and muscle mass.
If we understand the volume of training, then let's return to their frequency.
In Dryer Stronger, for example, I recommend people train 5 times a week and rest 2 days. Each muscle group (chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs) has its own training day, so each muscle is trained once a week. (However, keep in mind that compound exercises often work multiple muscle groups, such as deadlifts and squats.)
Some people believe that this approach is not correct; in their opinion, for muscle growth it is necessary to train each muscle group at least 2 times a week. Although clinical researches they say the opposite.
I have dozens of evidence that training specific muscle groups 5-7 times a week produces phenomenal results, and research also shows that proper training volume and intensity are more important than training frequency.
To put it simply: your muscles can only take so much damage each week, and whether it's done in one workout or three sessions, it's pretty much the same thing.
Training one muscle group per day may not work well if you have a poorly designed training program: poor selection of exercises, training volume and number of repetitions. A significant proportion of people with this training regimen do too many isolated exercises with low weights and big amount repetitions, resulting in low intensity and too much volume.
“But what about protein synthesis?” you ask. “Don’t muscles recover in 2-3 days?”
Research has shown that a spike in muscle protein synthesis occurs 24 hours after exercise and returns to normal after 36 hours. This means, in theory, that you should train a muscle every 2-3 days to stimulate its maximum growth; in fact, a number of training programs are based on this principle.
Such programs can work, however, a common problem people working on them - restoration. As the volume and intensity of your workout increases, your rest time should also increase.
The study found that even a trained male athlete may need 48 to 96 hours to full recovery muscles, the specific time is influenced by sleep, nutrition, as well as other physiological factors such as hormonal levels and genetics.
If we look at other studies, we see that the vast majority of people need more than 72-96 hours to fully recover from an intense workout, and also that older generations need more time than younger generations, just as large muscle groups need more time than small ones.
Additionally, muscle recovery is only one component.
Intense training puts stress on the nervous system, and research has shown that this "fatigue" can build up from workout to workout. If there is too much of it, symptoms of overtraining occur, such as decreased productivity, depression, sleep disturbances, etc.

Those who want to lose weight often exercise too infrequently. Those who want to build muscle and develop strength sometimes make the mistake of training too often...
Let's look at the following questions:
How many times a week should you train?
Is it possible to train every day?
Why should there be days of complete rest?

WHAT IS TRAINING AND WHY DO YOU NEED REST

Muscle growth and development physical qualities does not happen during training. Increasing muscle mass and strength, developing endurance, occurs during rest and recovery between workouts!
Training is a command to the body to begin developing muscles.
By loading your muscles, you cause “damage” to them; in response to this, after the load, the body restores itself and makes a small extra margin of safety.
The body not only completely restores the muscles - it prepares to meet this load more prepared next time, so it makes a small “increase”.
Depending on what loads you use, different qualities develop - endurance, strength, muscle mass.
This is called over-recovery or the “supercompensation effect.”
From workout to workout, these small gains add up and grow into visible achievements.
But recovery takes time, so there must be days of complete rest.
If you train too much and don't allow your muscles to recover well, your results will get worse and worse.
In addition, do not forget about the nervous system, because it is the one that controls the muscles, and it also needs restoration.
Additional Information: ,

Workouts to increase muscle mass and develop strength
When training to develop mass and strength, high-power loads are used, which greatly fatigue the muscles and nervous system.
You can often see examples where people want to build muscle quickly, they start training every day and only make it worse.
Friends, to make it “faster”, you need to train properly and eat right!
More details in the articles:,

Workouts for weight loss, endurance development and fitness for health
In this case, your task is to spend energy and move more! You can exercise more often than when training for strength and mass, however, you still must not forget about muscle recovery and rest for nervous system. There must be days of complete rest from physical exercise during the week.
This does not mean that you lie on the couch all day. You should be active every day, because life is all about movement, but on some days you take a break from sports physical exercise.
In addition, you need to increase the number of workouts per week gradually as your endurance develops.

HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK SHOULD YOU WORKOUT?

It is impossible to say “in general” how many days exactly you need to train, for different situations this value will be different.
The number of workouts per week depends on these factors:

1. The purpose of your studies
Perhaps you want to exercise to stay healthy and relieve stress, perhaps you want to lose weight or develop strength and muscle mass. The goal determines the means.

2. From the training program (type of loads, volume of loads, intensity of loads)
Agree that training can be very different. Recovery time depends on the degree and volume of exercise - the harder your workouts, the more rest you will need to recover.

3. On the degree of preparedness of the athlete and the speed of his recovery
You need to gradually accustom your muscles to the loads, and not try to immediately break the body.

4. From your lifestyle (sleep, nutrition, etc.)
The state of the nervous system and muscle recovery depend on this.

APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF TRAININGS PER WEEK
If your goal is to increase strength and gain muscle mass, then you need to train 2-4 times a week, depending on the training program.
If your goal is to lose weight, develop endurance, improve muscle definition, or fitness for health, then you need to train 3-5 times a week, depending on the program (the minimum is twice a week).
Health-improving activities, for example – morning exercises, active walks, breathing exercises, flexibility exercises can be done every day, but it is advisable to vary them.
If you have a sedentary job, then you even need to do this every day.

If you train too little and rarely, then there will be no progress, because the “stimulus” is insufficient.
The minimum amount of training that gives positive progress is 2 times a week. But if your goal is just to get good emotions and relieve stress, then you can play football with friends once a week, or go rollerblading/skating, or attend a dance lesson, etc.

How to train correctly and effectively, see the section
Don't forget to follow the progress -

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83 Comments

Sergey, thank you very much for your articles and your work! I learned a lot of useful things from this site
My question is: at what time of day is it better to exercise, in the morning or in the evening, if the goal is to lose weight?
I’m on vacation now, I work out in the morning, but for now I can afford to sleep longer without the race.
But when I go to work, I’ll have to get up very early, and if I combine the morning period before work with training, I’ll have to get up at half past five in the morning, according to my calculations.
Working out in the evening is not an option for me, because after work I’m just very tired and can’t bring myself to do it.
Question: Is it too early to study at four or five in the morning?

Hello! I haven’t done exercises to develop my biceps, triceps and chest for a decent amount of time. The break was about 3 months. I did dumbbell hip presses, dumbbell push-ups, overhead presses, dumbbell swings, dumbbell squats. The complex lasts about an hour and a half. The weight of one dumbbell is 6-7 kg. Now, after a break, I began to slowly do push-ups from the floor with a medium grip, 20 repetitions of 3 sets + bench press of 2 dumbbells of 6-7 kg from the hip. After a week of training I felt tension in cervical region and some dizziness throughout the day. It’s not like such pain could arise from such small loads. They diagnosed it as mild osteochondrosis of the C3-C5 vertebrae, but for 3 months nothing bothered me, I started working out... and now. Tell me a workout program at home, having 2 dumbbells, arms and legs. I hope to get a crossbar soon.

Is it possible to do strength training every day if you use different muscle groups - for example, biceps and the next day triceps or abs.

Hello Sergey. I have a question for you: is it possible to pump the abs only twice a week, on Thursday and Sunday or Monday, 100-150 repetitions per workout, or is it necessary at least three times. ?. Thanks for the answer

Sergey, good evening! I used to do fitness (Active, Pilates, swimming), but now I go to the gym. I work out 3 times a week and I would also like to run on the track. How many times a week can you go to the gym (without harm to the body) and how to alternate correctly. Thank you in advance.

Hello Sergey. :I have fitness training 3 times a week for 1-1.5 hours: Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. But sometimes on Mon or Sun I can’t train and only get two workouts a week: Thu and Sun, or Thu and Mon. Is it possible to train 3 times a week one week, and 2 times a week, or do you still need to train 3 times a week all the time? The goal of training is weight loss. Thanks for the answer

Dear Sergey, good afternoon!
After a long break, I resumed going to the gym, but in another country. What surprised me most was that all the trainers insistently advise doing the exercises not just slowly, but very slowly ((
It’s very boring, and as far as I remember, my Russian coach didn’t advise me to do this….
I'm completely healthy, I go to the gym only for... wellness and weight maintenance.
Are the local coaches right?

Hello! I would like to enlarge only the hips and buttocks at home because... the top is larger than the bottom. Will it be enough to study 3 times a week for 1.5 hours every other day? And under loads of bottom part Will the fat come off from the top?

Hello Olga.
1. Three workouts a week are quite good loads, provided that the program is correct.
2. You can’t zoom in at the same time. muscle mass and at the same time remove excess fat.
These are opposite processes; such problems are solved step by step.
Read the article
Use the “Articles” section – there is a lot there necessary information which is written in simple, understandable language.

Hello, Sergey! Please tell me, my hips are square and not rounded from the front. If you look in profile, the buttocks are very round. Can I round my hips with strength exercises at home, or will only my buttocks be pumped up?

Hello Anastasia.
There are different exercises for the leg muscles, some work more on the gluteal muscles, others more on the thigh muscles.
In the “Exercises” section, look at exercises for the leg muscles, as well as fitness exercises.
There you can choose suitable options for training.

Sergey, good evening! Thank you very much for your work, I found a lot of useful information here! Question: I train 2-3 times a week - with a trainer (functional) + Pump. I noticed that the veins on the shoulder and upper chest, on the arms and legs began to appear strongly. (((I don’t take much weight on the Pampa, only 12 kg on my legs. Will I really have to give up training???((((I know, that this often happens to athletes, but on a girl such things don’t look very beautiful. What should I do?

Hello Julia.
1. Perhaps these are your anatomical features.
The subcutaneous fat layer becomes thinner and the veins are more visible.
2. I recommend trying it water treatments– dousing cool water to strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
How to do this correctly, see my article about hardening in the “Articles” section.
3. There is no need to give up sports, but you may have to choose more suitable loads for muscle training.

Good day! Help, what am I doing wrong? I run 4 km every other day, adding a lap each time, I want to reach 5 km. On other days I go to Gym I'm doing a weight loss program. Plus, these days swimming is 1.5 km, crawl-chest, intense. Nutrition, oh, this is nutrition, I limit myself in everything I love. I’m not losing weight, ahh, what should I do? I’m 44 years old, maybe that’s all - old age has come, oooh, I don’t want to. I want to lose 10 kg. Help, explain what's wrong, please.

Hello, Elena.
Well, if you are ready to accept the correct answer, then listen))
1. 44 years is never old at all, unless of course you take care of your body.
I personally know many women who at this age look just great, this is quite real.
2. Apparently you have quite enough sports activities and your muscles work well.
3. During training you spend a lot of energy (fat), but the weight does not decrease because you eat too much!
You are just fooling yourself (and me), the truth is that you are eating too much and most likely eating the wrong foods.
When you understand this and establish a reasonable diet, the weight will immediately go down.
First, watch this video tutorial
Secondly, in the article section there are many important information on nutrition, plus I developed special diet for weight loss.
Try this diet for at least 4 weeks and you will see that reasonable nutrition gives the result - diet in the “School of Nutrition” section.

Good evening Sergey! I’m 31 years old, height 177 and weight 73 kg, I wouldn’t say that I’m skinny, rather slim))) Over the years, I see that a fat fold is forming in the lower abdomen and on the sides too, by straining the abs at the top, old cubes are visible! So I decided to start working out as the years go by and I would like to keep myself in shape! How to remove this fat on the tummy and would like to pump up the muscles of the arms - biceps, shoulders and chest!? Thank you in advance

Hello Dmitry.
No one has canceled physical education yet)
Only sport really helps you stay young and slim all your life! And of course, reasonable nutrition)
By the way, I recommend training not only your biceps and chest, but your whole body! The body is a single system and everything should develop in harmony. By the way, with age, the muscles of the legs weaken most quickly, but your mobility and activity depend on your legs. In addition, strong leg, back and abdominal muscles are most important for health. You know what they say here - healthy biceps are the calling card of a beach jock, and healthy strong legs This is the calling card of an ATHLET!
You made the right decision to play sports.
In the “Training Programs” section you can choose a program for training in the gym or at home.
There is also a special program for building powerful sculpted abs.
Every program includes everything necessary instructions– just train according to plan and get results.
I wish you speedy achievements!

Sergey, good afternoon! I'm very interested in your opinion on next question. My height is 170 cm, weight 57 kg, I work out in the gym with a trainer 3 times a week. Everything seems to be in shape, but... The picture is spoiled by subcutaneous fat in the buttocks and thigh biceps. At the same time, hands and top part bodies are in almost perfect shape. I read your article about fat loss from the entire body evenly, and I was completely upset. If I reduce the caloric content of food, my arms will become extremely thin and it will be ugly, I will start to gain weight, my legs will become even bigger (((What training regimen do you think should be chosen and what is better to work on - burning fat or still building weight. Thanks in advance) )

Hello.
This is why “the arms become extremely thin”?
Body parts lose weight by losing fat!
If there is no fat left on your hands, then it will leave the places where it is.
The fact is that INITIALLY girls have the most fat on their butts and hips, and men have the most fat on their stomachs, more than on their arms.
Yes, fat leaves approximately evenly from all places, which means it will end on your arms earlier than on your butt.
In the end, it will leave those places where it was originally more numerous.
I think it’s not difficult to draw conclusions)

Hello, Sergey! I am 23 years old. I am overweight: with a height of 164, I weigh almost 80 kg. I want to lose 20 kg. I'm starting to run today. If I only run, will I be able to lose that much weight or will I need to do some exercise??? Answer please! Thanks in advance, I'll wait for your answer))

Hello Julia.
It’s quite possible to solve this problem; you can create a slim, toned body, that’s for sure!
1. To feel really good, you need to remove about 25-30kg, depending on your body type and wishes)
2. Running is quite enough for losing weight and burning fat throughout the body.
Moreover, easy long running is one of the most effective exercises for burning fat.
However, to work on the quality of certain muscles, it is advisable to use additional exercises.
For example, after a run, you can do an abdominal workout, work with light dumbbells for the upper muscles, and do exercises for the gluteal muscles.
This will allow you to get good results faster and develop more harmoniously.
Total: jogging + a few additional exercises for “problem areas”.
3. You write: “Can I lose weight if I just run?”
Yes, proper running training is enough to remove all fat and lose weight.
But if you run and eat too much, you won't lose weight.
During training, you burn fat, and then sit down at the table and eat it again.
Therefore, it is imperative to adjust your diet. Running + smart eating = quick weight loss.
4. If you are overweight, you may not be able to run right away.
First you need to strengthen your muscles and ligaments to prepare your body for the stress.
You can start with active walking, or alternating light running/walking, plus additional exercises.
After a few weeks, start running, but take your time, run lightly and increase the time gradually.
Read my article
And also the article
In the “Articles” section you will find a lot more important information on training and nutrition.
For proper training I recommend a special running program for weight loss - in the “Training Programs” section.
Plus for rapid decline weight, I developed a special nutrition plan - in the “School of Nutrition” section.

Hello, Sergey! I wanted to ask if it’s possible to enlarge (pump up) your butt at home? If so, how? There is no opportunity to go to the gym, I am with a small child.. Thanks in advance:)

Hello Diana.
Of course you can, there are excellent exercises available for this.
Squats, lunges, climbing onto a stand (step).
See the description in the “Exercises” section – exercises for the leg muscles.
Squats can also be done with dumbbells.
In the near future I plan to create a special program for girls at home.
Good achievements to you!

Hello, I want to lose 10 kg, height 170, weight 77 kg, I switched to proper nutrition, reduced portions, drink more water, play sports, run at least 2.5 km, + cardio training for 15-20 minutes, I found out that everyone can do You can’t do it every day, but I’ve been doing almost every workout for 2 weeks. And indeed, there are no results, I just got a little stronger.. Tell me how best to build a training schedule for desired effect? And doesn't running add unnecessary volume to your legs? otherwise legs are the most painful topic...

Hello! I want to lose weight... although it would be more accurate to say to tighten my figure and remove a little from my hips and waist. With my work schedule, I can go to the gym either 2 days of exercise - 2 days of rest, or 1 day of exercise - 3 days of rest. Which is better? Thanks in advance, I hope to wait for the answer))

Sergey, hello, please tell me, I go to the gym, work out with a trainer 3 times a week, burn fat, tighten my figure. I came to another gym, another trainer told me I need to do 2 after 2, i.e. 2 training, 2 days rest. Which workout is more effective for burning fat and getting in shape? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Hello Sergey! I want to gain some muscle mass and get some definition. I work out for 4 days in a row and then rest for 2 days. Is this enough or too much?

Hello Julia.
For your task, I recommend doing 3-5 workouts per week. It is important to use proper nutrition to strengthen muscles but not gain fat. Eat more lean protein foods, vegetables, cereals and fruits. Fatty foods and it is advisable to exclude sweets. Good luck with your construction beautiful figure))

Hello!
I have been practicing Sambo, I haven’t been doing it for very long, but there are already improvements and the results are visible. However, in this sport, gaining weight and becoming more defined is quite problematic. So now I’ve decided to join the gym as well. The goal is to gain weight and become more defined. The question for you is the following: is it possible to combine Sambo and the Gym, will there be any benefit from this? Is it possible to gain weight by training in the gym 2 times a week (and 3 days of Sambo)? Or do you need more training? Thanks in advance for your answer!
P.S. I am 18 years old, height 179 cm, weight 68.

Hello Victor.
1. Muscle mass and relief are different parameters. Relief is the drawing of muscle lines on the body; in order to have good relief, you need to reduce the amount of subcutaneous fat. Wrestling is great for burning excess fat, of course with proper nutrition.
2. Combining Sambo and strength training is not only possible but also necessary; a wrestler needs great strength. When gaining weight, you need to take into account the weight category in which you want to fight.
3. The training regimen varies and is selected based on the athlete’s general schedule. Strength exercises with a barbell can be done at the end of wrestling training - 20-30 minutes of pumping, or on some days - 2 additional workouts per week for 1-2 hours. You can also add strength loads with a second separate workout on the day of wrestling - wrestling in the morning/afternoon, strength training in the evening. This allows you to rest well and recover the next day.
4. Of course, increasing mass with such a volume of loads is quite difficult. The main thing to remember is that you must eat very well and properly in order to compensate for energy consumption and give your muscles a lot of nutrition for growth. Without increased nutrition, there will be no weight gain. You need to eat right to build muscle, not fat. The "Articles" section contains detailed information.

Hello Sergey!
I really liked the article.
I would like to ask you this question - After four years of sedentary work, I decided to get in shape and devote myself to sports, healthy eating a large number of time. Started training at home. Six days a week. Monday – Back, shoulders, biceps, triceps. Tuesday – All sorts of abdominal exercises. Wednesday – All kinds of push-ups. And so on in a circle. I train in the evening for about one and a half to two hours. I eat well!
But lately I feel like I’ve started to give in. Somehow nervous. I think I'm doing something wrong. Please help me figure it out.

Hello Victor.
If training is not enjoyable and good results, if you feel worse and not better, then there is nothing to understand - you are acting incorrectly. To understand what exactly you are doing wrong, you need to analyze in detail all your actions. Most likely, you selected the wrong loads, abruptly entered the regime, distributed the exercises incorrectly, resulting in overload, fatigue of the nervous system and bad feeling. To practice CORRECTLY, I recommend using ready-made programs that are available in the “Training Programs” section. The programs contain all the instructions, just don’t change anything, just follow the plan exactly. Then you will receive benefits and PLEASURE from classes. In addition, I recommend using water procedures to restore the nervous system) Read more in the articles and Good luck to you in sports.

Hello, Sergey. I’ve been actively working out in the gym for a month, going to training three times a week, plus the pool on my days off. I never eat after six, the last two weeks the diet consists only of plant food. I am not overweight (height 164 cm, weight 50 kg). The goal is to tighten your figure and achieve sculpted abs. Is it normal for your weight to increase by 2 kg?

Good day, Sergey!!!
I go to fitness training, 3 times a week, for 1 hour. I don’t have any extra pounds, I just want to correct my figure. For greater effect, I want to do the same: 3 times a week, but for 2 hours. Will the result be faster if Will I increase my training time? Thank you!!!

Hello Olga.
You didn’t say what result you wanted and didn’t say what exactly you were doing))
Adjustment is a vague concept.
Three to four times a week for an hour and a half are normal fitness loads, you can increase it, it depends on the goal, on the type of load, on the training program.

Hello, Sergey! Thank you very much for interesting articles, you write about everything professionally, simply and interestingly (I apologize for the taftology)). Now I’m faced with the following question: I’ve been training in the gym for 2 months, before that I ran for about 7 years and did exercises with dumbbells and regular push-ups, pull-ups, and abs. On at this stage I work more on the machines and can’t figure out when it’s better to do cardio - before or after strength training(the goal is to reset excess weight) ? I would like to know your opinion, maybe tell me which program to choose.

Hello Galina.
It all depends on the training program - the program is not a random set of exercises, but a thoughtful and balanced training plan!
That is why the program must be developed by a specialist.
Most often, cardio exercise (more precisely, aerobic exercise - running, cycling, etc.) is done at the beginning of the workout. Firstly, to warm up and smoothly bring the body systems to a working level, and secondly, so that the muscles are fresh and can cope well with long loads.
However, there are different programs and methods, for example, cardio loads can be at the beginning and at the end of the lesson, separate workouts can be allocated specifically for cardio loads. So the program can be built in different ways.
I recommend using the “Lady Fitness” or “Panther” program - see the “Training Programs” section. In addition, the site has many articles on how to eat properly if you want to get rid of excess fat, and there is also a ready-made effective diet.

Hello Sergey! I’m staying at home with my baby and I can’t go to the gym. I really want to lose weight, so I decided to buy an elliptical trainer for home. I would like to know your opinion about this training option.

Hello, Elena.
This article is on a different topic. I recommend that you go to the “Table of Contents” section and read the necessary tips. For example, the article “Exercise bike for weight loss” will be useful to you - it contains answers to your question.

Hello, Sergey!
My situation is this: I go to the gym to lose weight and increase endurance. At the beginning I went 2 times a week and tried to embrace the immensity, I did cardio for warm-up, then strength training for all kinds of muscle groups and for dessert I came out of training like a squeezed lemon with a trembling-burning-powerless feeling in my muscles, the next day I felt An 80-year-old grandmother, because everything hurt terribly. Now I’ve decided to divide my workouts like this: on Tuesday I train the lower body, on Thursday – only the upper body for about 25-30 minutes + 30 minutes of cardio, and on Saturday only cardio.. I can’t say that the next day my muscles don’t hurt from strength exercises (is there anything I can do to make muscle pain go away faster?), but I began to imagine and plan my workouts more clearly. Tell me, Sergey, does it make sense to train one muscle group once a week, like I do? Or is it better to try to use everything in a lesson?

Hello Svetlana.
Typical mistakes of beginners who, instead of using professional knowledge, try to come up with something themselves.
Regarding your question, it makes sense to take a ready-made professional program and not engage in nonsense, but work strictly according to the instructions!
Please don't be offended, I really want you to succeed!
That is why the site has so many of my articles and video lessons in which I tell you what and how to do.
There are also ready-made ones on the site effective programs with all instructions.
Go through the sections and look at the information.

Hello Sergey! Thanks for the article. I would like to ask, I am 24 years old, I want to lose 15 kg, now my weight is 70 kg. I started going to the gym and to the pool for water aerobics. I want to do it as often as possible. And I also want to include group exercise classes in my program classes. How can I best distribute everything? Is it possible to have 1 day of gym, 1 day of swimming pool, 1 day of rest, 1 day of swimming pool, 1 day of gym, 1 day of rest, 1 day of group classes?? Swimming pool and group classes are periodically swapped? And is it possible to weekends at home hula hoop and run on the treadmill? Thank you in advance)))

Hello Yana.
Alternating between different activities for the purpose of losing weight is good, just leave a couple of days off during the week so that the body can recover.
If the loads of water aerobics are small, then taking into account these classes you can increase up to 6 workouts per week.
By alternating different workouts, you will not get tired of the same type of loads.
Naturally, in the gym, your program should also be aimed at losing weight.
And the main thing I want to remind you is that if you want to lose weight quickly, you need to eat right!
In the CONTENTS section, read articles about nutrition for losing body weight.
There are also recipes and diets in the SCHOOL OF NUTRITION section.
Good luck to you in achieving your goal!

Hello, Sergey.
I started taking your video classes and at the same time I also combine shaping. Tell me, is it possible to do both at once?

Hello Nastya.
For fitness loads, 3-5 workouts per week are optimal, depending on your level of training and capabilities.
You can do both if the loads correspond to the same goal and complement each other.

Hello Sergey. I am training according to your program: How to pump up your arms/shoulders at home and I have already seen how effective they are, before when I was training at gym, I I have not received such results in such a short time. Thank you very much for good articles and video :)
I would like to ask you: Now it’s warmer and I’ll be training on parallel bars and horizontal bars perhaps every day, can I continue to do additional training at home or will I just tire out my muscles more and they won’t develop?
Thanks in advance for your answer

Hello Igor.
First of all, the answer is in the article above... I hope you read it.
Secondly, it all depends on your goal and the load, and of course you need to exercise according to the right balanced program.

Good day, Sergey! Purely by chance I came across your site and immediately want to express my gratitude for such a useful thing... I am sitting at home with my child, visiting the gym is not yet possible for me... of course I have excess weight and it is not small... on your recommendation I changed my diet and lost weight within a month for 5 kg... but I want to speed up the result and therefore I want to add physical exercises... what program would you recommend for me to do at home? and how many times a week should you exercise? I am very grateful to you in advance, Sergey!

Hello Nadezhda.
Congratulations on your first successes) Continue to follow my nutritional recommendations and your weight will decrease.
For all articles on proper nutrition, see the CONTENTS section.
Yes, you are right, sports exercises will significantly speed up the process of losing weight and will also strengthen your muscles, making them beautiful and fit.
Also, trained “live” muscles will help you not gain weight in the future, because muscles are good consumer calories.
Soon I will post on the website special training programs for weight loss at home.
For now, you can watch tips on home workouts in the FITNESS VIDEO section
I wish you continued success)

Sergey, hello! Thank you for your site and work for the benefit of our sporting achievements! My question is this: 1.5 months ago I weighed 95 kg with a height of 190. After reading all your recommendations and articles, I decided to lose weight by running and kefir diet, and then go to the gym. Now I weigh 83-84 kg. From today I plan to “pump up” my muscles, I’m going to visit the gym every Mon, Wed and Fri, also take a bath on Tuesdays and do a cross-country run (about 45 min.) on Sat or Sun. Will this be too much? A bathhouse is understandable, it’s only beneficial, but cross-country on weekends - is it even necessary (even once a week) when training to gain weight.

Hello Sergey.
Congratulations on your good achievements.
Yes, a bath can only be beneficial, but long runs can be a big hindrance when gaining weight.
For people who work for weight and at the same time are prone to gaining fat, cross-training once a week can be useful.
BUT you need to limit the dosage - no more than 20 minutes of easy running, otherwise you will exhaust your muscles.
Also, for those who have a tendency to gain fat when gaining weight, you can include EASY running in your warm-up, but no more than 1 kilometer.
I repeat - this is for those who gain muscle mass!
If your goal is to burn fat or develop relief, then you can run a lot more.

Hello Sergey! You can go to the gym 4 days in a row a week and have 3 days left for rest and recovery. Is it possible to train like this?

Also, don't forget to eat healthy and healthy. Read the article “Diet for gaining muscle mass” in the CONTENTS section. Eat different variants, either on separate days (as you wrote), or “pumping” is done at the end of the main workouts. In addition, strength training and endurance training are completely different loads.
One type of load should be a priority, others can be used a little as auxiliary.
Well, if you train hard every day, you will not only develop nothing, but will even worsen your physical condition.

Hello Sergey! wonderful article. It is very interesting whether lack of sleep greatly affects the effectiveness of training. Due to work, I can’t get enough sleep, I go to bed at 00:00 – 01:00 and wake up at 08:00 – 09:00. Seven, eight hours of sleep and I feel like I haven’t gotten enough sleep all day. There is no other way. Is it possible to somehow compensate for this by training 2 times a week, for example, instead of 3?

I have a question after reading this.
Did I understand correctly that to increase strength it is better to “combine” training of different muscle groups than to train arms on Monday, abs on Tuesday, etc., so that you get 3-4 days off during the week?

Hello Mikhail.
And aren’t “arms” different muscle groups?)) “Gathering in a bunch” is an incomprehensible conclusion... you need to correctly distribute the load and work with different groups muscles. For correct and effective programs, see the TRAINING PROGRAMS section.

How often should you train to build muscle is one of the fundamental questions for beginners. They usually think that they need to train at least three times a week, and preferably five. But for naturals (training without steroids) this is an extremely erroneous misconception.

Determining the frequency of training is the most important aspect in building the training process. Exactly from the right choice The frequency of training depends on whether you will have time to recover between workouts and receive your dividends in the form of strength and muscle mass, or whether you will overtrain, “tread water,” get injured and get sick.

To determine the frequency of training, I developed a visual method using drawings human body. You are presented with a form ( , ) with images of the human body for a month (plus a small supply). Your task is to mark where and with what severity the muscles hurt, using markers for this. different colors. Thus, you will be able to clearly observe the recovery process and make a decision about conducting the next training session.

The basic rule is to give at least two to three days of rest after the pain in the muscle group being trained has passed before training it again.

In the example, the red marker indicates severe muscle pain experienced almost constantly throughout the day. The orange marker indicates mild muscle pain that is experienced constantly, and severe muscle pain when the muscles are tense. The yellow marker indicates mild muscle pain when the muscles are tense.

If, in addition to muscle pain, you have pain in the joints, ligaments, or have any injuries, then they also need to be entered into the form, highlighting such places with red dots.

Let me explain with an example.
Let's say that on Monday, March 2, you did a workout where you did squats, and by the evening your leg and buttock muscles began to hurt a little - you paint them yellow.
On Tuesday you already have severe muscle pain, such that every step you take is a “pain in the ass”, and you walk like a dinosaur - let’s paint it in red.
On Wednesday the pain subsides a little, but you continue to feel it constantly, and with muscle tension the pain intensifies - we paint it orange.
On Thursday the pain was almost gone, you “feel the muscles” when you tense, especially when you sit on the locker - paint it yellow.
On Thursday you go to the gym, do a bench press, and by the evening your chest, shoulders and triceps are already a little sore - paint it yellow.
On Friday, my legs no longer hurt, there were only residual sensations, but my chest, shoulders and triceps began to hurt quite badly - we painted it orange.
On Saturday the top almost doesn’t hurt, the legs have passed, which means the growth of the leg muscles has begun.
On Sunday you feel great, no sore throat, the muscles started to grow!
On Monday you go again and train your legs.

click on the picture to enlarge

If muscle pain does not have time to go away between workouts, then increase the rest between workouts. After each subsequent workout, muscle pain will go away faster and faster, this means that your body is gradually adapting to the load, and you can slightly increase the frequency and intensity of training.

Thus, quite easily, clearly and quickly (in a few weeks) you can determine for yourself how often you need to train to build muscle.

Training each muscle group once a week– a fairly popular frequency of strength training.

If you have looked at training programs before, you have probably encountered a similar frequency of training.

Whether she is right for you or not... we will deal with this question right now.

First, let's look at a few examples of training each muscle group once a week...

Example program No. 1

Example program No. 2

As you can see, in the splits presented above (and many more like them), each muscle group is trained at intervals once a week.

This means that every muscle group is trained once within 7 days, which is a fairly low frequency of strength training.

Features of training once a week

The most important thing about training once a week is to make sure that you are training a muscle group intensely enough that you can avoid training it for an entire week.

One of the main pitfalls of this type of training is that you do not train it for 7 days. During this time, your body may lose the results you achieved in your last workout.

Think about it. What happens if you stop exercising for a while?

You degrade, the results disappear instantly, and you gradually lose muscle, strength and the success you have achieved.

To a lesser extent, but the same thing can happen ( and it happens often) when you wait a full week to train a muscle group again.

You can train intensely during a workout, but after a week you may lose your gains and not make any progress.

So, for your once-a-week training to be successful, the volume of training (exercises, repetitions, number of sets) must be intense enough that progress is maintained from workout to workout without exceeding your recovery capacity.

Another problem with such training

The other big problem with training once a week is that you lose an entire week. Even though there is enough heavy load and maintaining training progress.

Think about it. By training a muscle group once a week, you get 52 workouts per year per muscle group.

If you trained twice a week, you would get 104 training sessions per year.

What do you think will bring you top scores at the same time?

Obvious, isn't it?

What I'm getting at...even if you do everything right by training each muscle group once a week, you'll still waste a lot of time.

You could hit the gym again and increase your progress instead of sitting out for a week.

And it doesn’t even make sense to say that there is nothing special or magical about training once every 7 days.

This is just a random period of time that is not based on anything. There are no advantages here.

It’s just that there are 7 days in a week, so it’s quite convenient to plan workouts once a week.

So, is a once-a-week workout routine the best?

I think you already know the answer. In any case, I will say it...

Training once a week is least effective.

And this is not just my opinion. Any qualified trainer, expert, even not the most educated one, will tell you the same thing.

And guess what else? This is not just an opinion... it is a fact, scientifically proven and confirmed by global indicators.

All Scientific research show that training each muscle group once a week is the least effective way training, regardless of your goals and level of training.

Can this work? Certainly. It works? Yes.

Honestly, if you do it right, ANY workout can lead to positive results, even this one.

However, the question is not whether it works or not. The question is what works better or worse.

And all the research, all the expert opinions and mine personal experience show that regular training once a week is not the best option for most people.

Who might benefit from training once a week?

Training each muscle group once a week is suitable for the following group of people:

People who use steroids
People with good genetics
People whose goal is rather maintaining muscle mass rather than its growth. In this case, training once a week is the best option.
Advanced athletes who specialize in specific body parts or muscle groups. They intensively train a specific muscle group, and work the rest of the muscles once a week.

Who is not suitable for training once a week?

As I said earlier, training once a week - not the best solution for most people.

Perhaps for you too.

For beginner athletes and those whose initial goal is to increase strength and develop muscle shape, it is better to avoid such regularity of training.

Of course, such training will also lead to certain results (given that you do everything correctly). This applies to those who are trying to increase muscle mass, get lean and look better. However, this NOT the best results you can achieve.

As for different training frequency?

Good question. Let's look at high frequency training to see if it's right for you...