Does training muscles more often make them bigger?
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
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
No difference in muscle growth between training a muscle once vs. three or more times per week when volume is equal.
For decades, bodybuilding culture has promoted high-frequency training (e.g., hitting muscles 2–3x/week) as essential for growth — this study directly challenges that belief.
Practical Takeaways
Choose your training frequency based on schedule, recovery, and preference — not fear of missing out on gains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
No difference in muscle growth between training a muscle once vs. three or more times per week when volume is equal.
For decades, bodybuilding culture has promoted high-frequency training (e.g., hitting muscles 2–3x/week) as essential for growth — this study directly challenges that belief.
Practical Takeaways
Choose your training frequency based on schedule, recovery, and preference — not fear of missing out on gains.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Sports Sciences
Year
2019
Authors
B. Schoenfeld, J. Grgic, J. Krieger
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Claims (4)
Your muscles grow bigger not because of just one thing like lifting heavy weights or doing lots of reps, but because of how all the workout factors—like how hard you push, how often you train, and how well you recover—work together.
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.
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.
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.