Many people who get started with a weight training program would love to figure out how to get huge results from a small amount of training. These people are not trying to figure out how much they can take before it becomes too much, instead, they are trying to figure out how little they can do and still achieve decent results. At the other end of the spectrum, there are the lifters who are attracted to high frequency training. These are often the lifters who love to work out and enjoy the whole process of strength training.
Drawbacks of High Frequency Training
Even though there are lifters who enjoy training often, there are some potential drawbacks that they may experience from training on a high frequency basis. Such drawbacks may include the feeling of being depleted and tired between workouts. Another potential problem occurs when a training stress is applied so often that it results in an irritated joint or muscle that never has time to recover and heal in order to get better. There are some preventative solutions to deal with this problem.
Three Weeks On, One Week Off High Frequency
If you are one of those lifters who loves high frequency training, you may not like the idea of parting from high frequency training, but it may be to your advantage to consider taking an occasional break from a high frequency schedule. The break doesn’t have to be a long break or a complete break from all training, it only needs to be a break from high frequency training. For example, those who normally train each muscle group five to six days per week can do so for three weeks, followed by just two training sessions every fourth week. This concept is similar to a de-load week in which lifters decrease their poundages every fourth week, but in this case, the de-load will be applied in the form of reducing the frequency, which will also result in a significant decrease of weekly volume during week four. Many times this is all that is needed to keep a lifter from eventually becoming depleted or experiencing an irritation or overuse injury from high frequency training.
Variations In High Frequency Schedules
The three weeks on, one week off high frequency plan is an example of a schedule that will work for some lifters. However, the exact amount of consecutive weeks of high frequency training that proves most beneficial often varies from lifter to lifter. Some may respond well to high frequency training for five or six weeks, followed by a full week off of lifting. There may also be lifters who respond well to an occasional burst of high frequency training for only one or two weeks before returning to a more traditional frequency in which each muscle group is trained two or three times per week for six to eight weeks.
Listen To Your Body
There are no exact formulas that apply to all lifters when it comes to the best amount of time to engage in high frequency training. Each lifter will have to listen to his or her own body and use high frequency as long as it is producing a positive result. When fatigue or aches and pains start to manifest, it’s time to cut back for a while. Some lifters will be able to phase in and phase out of high frequency training according to a pre-planned schedule, while others will find that the amount of time they can tolerate high frequency training is a moving target that varies. Once again, the important point is to listen to your body. If your body feels refreshed from high frequency training, keep doing it as long as it feels good. If you reach the point where it doesn’t feel good or it stops working, take a break from it and train less often for a while.
Designing a High Frequency Workout
Consider also that the way you design a workout when hitting each muscle group two or three times per week will require a different design when utilizing high frequency training. Most likely, you will need to reduce the amount of sets per muscle group within each workout when training each muscle group five to six times per week. You may also need to decrease the training intensity for some or all of your workouts when training on a high frequency basis. I often advise lifters to stop repeating reps within a set if they cannot maintain a steady even rep pace, and to stop repeating sets for a muscle group when it is no longer at full strength. These guidelines are especially relevant for high frequency lifting as they set boundaries that help minimize the negative side effects of overtraining.
If you have tried high frequency training and ended up exhausted or you suffered chronic aches and pains, do not assume that high frequency training should be completely eliminated from your training program. You may still benefit from it if you learn how much of it you can take and how long you can do it before you need to take a break. The key is to listen to your body and to learn from experience. Best of training to you.