# Training each muscle group once per week enough to gain mass??



## gordy1875 (Jan 15, 2011)

Hey folks!

Can anyone advise if training each muscle group once per week is suffice for a hard gainer looking to put on size??

Am taking a collective opinion that it takes a muscle 7 days to fully recover naturally? therefore, training a body part more than once a week is essentially worthless?

Cheers all!


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## AK-26 (May 29, 2011)

i train each muscle group once per week apart from legs which i may do twice per week and i am making nice slow natty gains. a lot of people train this way and get good gains so i see no issue with it.


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## Wevans2303 (Feb 18, 2010)

I don't like waiting 7 days between workouts.

I would operate a push/pull/legs rotation set up in such a way where you can hit each muscle ever 4/5 days, like below.

Pull

Push

Off

Legs

Off

Off

Repeat

OR

Pull

Push

Off

Legs

Off

Repeat.

Whilst you will make progress training a muscle once per week if you're eating to gain weight I am a firm believer that the muscle doesn't need that long to recover, unless you are doing excessive volume to the point where you're muscles are crippled for 2/3 days post workout.

Advanced level lifters may well like to train a muscle only once per week so each muscle group has it's own day, therefore making it easier to bring up lagging body parts to achieve a more overall balanced physique, certainly not to gain the most mass (the mass is there, then it's time to balance out the physique by isolating certain muscles), but unless you look killer already, there really is no need to be this detailed.

With the routine above I would recommend only 4-5 work sets per large muscle group and maybe 1-2 sets for smaller assistance muscle groups like the shoulders, the front delts get thoroughly stimulated through any chest pressing movement so I would only do side raises for delts for example, 2 work sets on a compound lift w/ low reps and the other two using either a free weight isolation exercise or a machine (for example I am growing to love the techno-gym horizontal chest press machine) with slightly higher reps. Get in the gym and get out, warm up accordingly, stimulate the muscle and then begin the recovery process, train the muscle right not hard.


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## gordy1875 (Jan 15, 2011)

AK-26 said:


> i train each muscle group once per week apart from legs which i may do twice per week and i am making nice slow natty gains. a lot of people train this way and get good gains so i see no issue with it.


Cheers for the quick response man

I've been sticking to the joe standard Mon/Wed/Fri routine of training each group 3 times per week, placing emphasis on Bench, Squats, Deadlifts and Rows, for almost 6 months now. Consuming 2,500 cals daily, some 600 short of my rec daily intake! Even still me diet is pretty spot-on(granted I have only been eating like such for the past 2 months). So I do now suspect I must be overtraining?


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## Wevans2303 (Feb 18, 2010)

You've said yourself you're 600 calories below where you need to be so address this before you start looking at what needs to change in your routine because gains are made in the kitchen and the bedroom not in the gym.

Imo most lifters need to shift the emphasis away from volume and intensity paired with long recovery periods and more towards a reduced volume and a little less intensity routine allowing muscles to be hit more frequently.

More weight on the bar consistently = Muscle growth this is the primary and most effective way to get bigger when you have the capacity to do so, period. Not to be confused with trying to get as strong as possible as fast as possible and driving rep range down into the 1-3 range, but increasing strength endurance anywhere from 4-12 reps.

The more often you can achieve this, the better, it's only logical right?


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## stone14 (Mar 24, 2005)

Gordy everyone is difrent some will recover sooner or later than others depending on your own recovery rate and how you train, the standard routines floating about will fit the bill for most people. Once you've had a good couple years solid training under your belt you should be able to 'feel' if you are recovered and feeling strong if your feeling like crap and weak then your better off giving it a bit longer to recover so you can give it 100%.

Free weight basic componud exersises is all you need and are the best far better than any machine, also watch with training arms directly as they get hit just about every workout plus being the smalled muscle group trained can easily be over trained. I havnt directly trained my arms in years and are fine I do the odd couple bi tri sets when I feel lyk it which isn't very often.

Bigger muscle groups can handle more frequent training ie legs and back, but in general imo the smaller the muscle group the easier it is to train and the easier it is to over train, plus the fact the 'show off muscles' bi's and chest are small groups and get hit a lot by some people for that reason but being small muscles can get over trained, to gain weight and side your legs and back are the guys to pay most attention to.


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## baggsy1436114680 (Jan 23, 2010)

Go with push/pull/legs over 4 days a week, on the majority you will hit each workout every 5 days, eat big, sleep long. Once heard no such thing as overtraining just undereating which i like the sound of as long as you dont do some ridiculous workout


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## gordy1875 (Jan 15, 2011)

Sweet gents, appreciate the time taking in responses!

Points noted!


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## LeviathanBodyBuilding (Jan 9, 2012)

is there any way to do the push/pull/legs over 4/5 days without working out on a sunday, i have no access to a gym this day, and like the above have mentioned, i would not like to wait seven days before hand,

any help would be appreciated


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## paul81 (Jun 3, 2010)

danMUNDY said:


> is there any way to do the push/pull/legs over 4/5 days without working out *on a sunday, i have no access to a gym this day*, and like the above have mentioned, i would not like to wait seven days before hand,
> 
> *any help would be appreciated*


change gym??


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## Jak3D (Jan 21, 2012)

I'm currently doing upper body, legs, arms, off, then restart, making great strength gains this way , natty .


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