Good news for those having a hard time fitting gym sessions into their hectic work weeks: A new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research says your training intensity is more important than your training frequency.
The researchers based their finding on the results of two separate groups. One group trained three times a week, completing 2 sets of 10 reps for 9 different exercises. My calculator tells me that "works out" to 54 total sets for the week.
The other group only trained twice a week, but completed 3 sets of 10 reps for 9 different exercises per session. Thanks to the genius and planning of the scientists, that also comes out to 54 total sets for the week.
The guinea pigs continued their respective regimens for six weeks. Surprisingly, both groups gained nearly identical amounts of lean muscle, while similarly increasing their maximum bench press and squat amounts.
What does this mean for you? Even if you can only get to the gym twice a week, as long as you can give it everything you've got, your intensity will keep you improving just as fast as the "gym rats" who sleepwalk their way through mundane workouts 5 times a week.
How often do you train, and how would you rate your training intensity on a scale of 1-10 (10 being gut-busting, balls-to-the-wall intense)?
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