If you lift weights more often each week—like 3 or more days instead of just once—you might see a little more muscle growth, but only if you’re not doing the same total amount of lifting in both cases.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

20

Community contributions welcome

20

How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2019 Jun

When people lift weights more often (like 3+ times a week) without doing the exact same total amount of lifting, they tend to gain a little more muscle than those who lift only once a week — and this study found that exact pattern.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency

Score: 20

DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906

Similar Assertions

If you lift the same total amount of weight each week, it doesn’t matter whether you spread it out over one day or three+ days—you’ll still gain about the same amount of muscle, no matter if you’re experienced or if you’re training your arms or legs.

20

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If you lift weights the same total amount each week, it doesn’t really matter whether you do it in one big session or spread it out over several days—your muscles will grow about the same either way.

48

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If you lift weights more often each week, you’ll likely get stronger faster—but that doesn’t always mean your muscles will get bigger. Strength and muscle growth might not follow the same rules.

48

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90%

If you lift the same total amount of weight each week, it doesn’t matter whether you do it all in one day or spread it out over three or more days—you’ll gain about the same amount of muscle.

20

0

90%

If you're a young guy lifting weights more often each week, you'll likely get stronger faster—but that doesn't mean your muscles will get noticeably bigger.

48

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89%