More workouts per week don't help unless you lift more total weight
Effect of different training frequencies on maximal strength performance and muscle hypertrophy in trained individuals—a within-subject design
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two legs trained differently: one leg worked once a week, the other three times—but total weight lifted was either the same or different. Both legs got stronger and bigger, but only when the three-times-a-week leg lifted more total weight did it gain noticeably more.
Surprising Findings
Training legs three times a week produced no extra muscle or strength gains compared to once a week—when volume was equal.
Most fitness influencers and programs push 3–4x/week leg routines. This study shows that’s unnecessary if you’re already hitting your weekly volume target.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re training legs once a week and hitting your weekly volume target (e.g., 10 sets), you don’t need to split it into three sessions—unless you want to reduce fatigue or fit it into your schedule.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two legs trained differently: one leg worked once a week, the other three times—but total weight lifted was either the same or different. Both legs got stronger and bigger, but only when the three-times-a-week leg lifted more total weight did it gain noticeably more.
Surprising Findings
Training legs three times a week produced no extra muscle or strength gains compared to once a week—when volume was equal.
Most fitness influencers and programs push 3–4x/week leg routines. This study shows that’s unnecessary if you’re already hitting your weekly volume target.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re training legs once a week and hitting your weekly volume target (e.g., 10 sets), you don’t need to split it into three sessions—unless you want to reduce fatigue or fit it into your schedule.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2022
Authors
R. P. Neves, Felipe C. Vechin, E. Teixeira, D. D. da Silva, C. Ugrinowitsch, H. Roschel, A. Aihara, V. Tricoli
Related Content
Claims (10)
The total mechanical tension accumulated over time is the primary stimulus for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, regardless of the temporal distribution of training sessions.
If you do the same workout three times a week instead of once, and you end up doing more total weight lifted, you’ll get stronger and build more muscle—because you’re doing more work overall.
If you train your legs with the leg press machine for 9 weeks, you’ll get stronger and your thighs will get bigger—even if you do it just once a week or spread it out over three days.
If you lift weights the same total amount each week, it doesn’t matter if you do it in one big session or split into three smaller ones—you’ll get just as strong and build just as much muscle.
If you do leg presses for 9 weeks, your legs will get stronger and bigger—even if you do it once or three times a week.