Training frequency is a key factor to consider when planning for your fitness and body composition goals. Your training frequency can have a very positive or detrimental effect on your progress and motivation, so getting it right is important.
Here I highlight different training frequencies. I am referring to my ‘regular’ clients who are not athletes but training to achieve a healthier lifestyle and see changes in their body composition.
2 X PER WEEK
Great for those who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If the goal is to change shape this would work initially for beginners. 2 x workouts per week for beginners would create a stimulus and create change initially. The emphasis would be on whole body workouts, centered around compound movements to ensure all muscle groups are stimulated every session. After 3-5 weeks, training frequency would most probably have to increase, especially if the goal was to build muscle mass.
3 X PER WEEK
Works well with busy, highly stressed clients.
Busy clients often have too little sleep and recovery to cope with a higher training frequency. Training 3 x per week creates a good balance between stimulus and recovery whilst avoiding extra stress on the body. Alternating between whole body workouts or push/pull, upper/lower splits works well.
4 X PER WEEK
In my opinion, the optimal training frequency for a sustainable transformation.
I find training 4 x per week the most sustainable approach for myself and most clients to achieve change. This works perfectly for the average client with normal genetics and recovery capabilities.
Again, whole body workouts or push/pull, lower/upper body splits work really well, hitting muscles groups frequently.
Females have better recovery mechanisms and so a well designed whole body approach can work well for a long period (my preferred way to train). Males may find a push/pull split more effective and motivating.
5-6 X PER WEEK
When all recovery factors are sufficient (enough quality sleep, little stress, optimal nutrition, well hydrated) and progressive overload can still be applied, training 5-6 times per week is beneficial. Other factors such as mood, hormones, and motivation also need to be considered when aiming for a higher training frequency in order for it to be beneficial.
A greater training frequency can create a greater calorie deficit when nutrition is well programmed therefore resulting in greater fat loss. Also training all muscles more frequently (with optimal recovery) is beneficial for both fat loss and hypertrophy goals.
It is worth noting, for most, this training frequency is unsustainable as family and work commitments create a time barrier. From my experience, this higher training frequency can actually slow down or plateau progress in many clients.
7 X PER WEEK
This is achievable and necessary in some circumstances like professional athletes. However, it is not something I would ever recommend for any of my clients. It is simply too much, unsustainable and when training hard enough not something you can recover from efficiently and so will prevent any progress.