Why Working Out More Can Potentially Slow Your Gains

In this QUAH Sal, Adam, & Justin answer the question “How much more progress can be made with four gym sessions per week vs. three full-body workouts a week?"

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“Why Working Out More Can Potentially Slow Your Gains"
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[ElChuntyCabra]

I'm noticing that high frequency short workouts works best for me. Quick 30-45 minute full body 5 days a week with small trigger sessions throughout the day seem to keep my body looking it's best (so far)

[PrimalHitman]

I'm doing full body twice a week, rock climbing twice a week. I feel like even if it's hurting my body potential it's worth it because I love doing it.

[alexanderbc]

yup yup yup all facts full body 2 to 3 times a week is the best

[freedomfighter]

If I train 4 times a week it's split between 2x full body weight workout 2 x boxing sessions.... a fifth would be a walk of around 5 to 10 miles.... but those 5 in a week only happens once in probably 2 months because of other commitments.

[forgedwithfitness]

How do you adequately stimulate hypertrophy with only 3 sessions a week. I would be in the gym for 2+hours and the later parts would suffer from fatigue. I'd rather hit each part a couple times a week and have more productive time focused on fewer parts per session.

[shadowX]

That's my problem. mentally I think more is better. I come from a wrestling background and we would train 5 days a week and compete on saturdays so really we're working 6 days a week. and now that I'm only doing weight training as I'm done with my wrestling career. If I go less than 5 days a week I feel terrible, even though on some days I'm exhausted and should take the day off. I still force myself, I need to work on just being content with going 3 days a week.

[farhanhussain_]

3x all out intense full body resistance training is optimal for most people having average recovery. Once you get advanced and lifting considerably heavier loads, recovery needs also have risen significantly. Now you need longer rest days and switching to 2x full body sessions is more logical than 3x. Adding 4th full body day is simply counterproductive unless you plan 4 days using 2 upper and 2 lower body sessions.

Some elite powerlifters have used just one upper and one lower body session per week with great success. Lillibridge family for example.

[Ak-du]

This guys have great great great amt. of knowledge 🔥

[jamesa]

I’ll typically go to the gym 4 days a week and do a 2 day full body split (Chest/Back/Bis & Legs/Shoulders/Tris) alongside walking a mile everyday during my lunch break and some mobility work scattered around.

[johncalla]

I think there's a tendency to put the cart before the horse on questions like this. We know that muscle protein synthesis returns to baseline within 24-36 hours of training a muscle (in some cases even earlier). I feel like we have to start with that, then figure out how to structure the intensity of the workout to line up with that timeline. If your workout requires 48-72 hours to 4-5 days of recovery time, then you're just leaving too much on the table. It would probably be better to not demolish your neural system and muscle with heavy squats, heavy deadlifts, heavy everything and then require 3+ days to recover (if your goal is hypertrophy). Stimulus for hypertrophy in a muscle just doesn't last that long at all.

[michaelross]

I've changed from 5 day split body workouts to 3 days full body workouts.. figured this way I can hit all muscles twice as much..recover properly and have 1 full day of light cardio... thoughts?

[michaelrincon]

I'm a nurse and get 3 or 4 days off a week. Sometimes they're in a row and other times they're staggered throughout the week. This makes me feel better as working out on a day I work is not an option.

[dustin]

3 day full body is the way to go for 99% of people.

[Eric-jkud]

recently discovered mind pump. ive worked out for many years with only a few breaks. i always have done 3 day splits legs/push/pull sometimes 6 in a row then a rest sometimes 3 then rest and 3 again depending how I feel and what the rest of my schedule looks like. i have always switched up my rep ranges and tempo to both keep my body diverse and to keep it interesting for myself having different goals in each muscle group. since hearing them talk so much about full body i have switched to monday wednesday friday full body routines for about 2 weeks now. Its mostly fine. I haven't really felt much gain but wouldn't expect to in only two weeks so I will keep at it at least a little while. The only area that concerns me is my chest. My legs back and shoulders seem to recover fine and I can keep training for strength each time but im beginning to feel extremely sore on my outer pec areas right from the very first rep the last 3 sessions. I still get through the 4-8 reps in the same weight ranges I've done recently but it concerns me to feel the intense soreness right from the very first warm up set and wonder if I should continue with the rest of my full body and give my chest in particular a little more of a break or if I should just press on and see if it passes.

[javierquinterosurzua]

I recently started doing a cycle of 3 days of two workouts per day (a heavy one in the morning, a light one in the evening), and then taking 2 days off with perhaps a light cardio. It works wonders *for me* but I'd never recommend It to anyone, since Ive already been playing with routines for like 6 years and I already know what I like.

Also not structuring my schedule around the 7day week is amazing.

[jacksonxbaj]

On a 2 to 3 days a week full body per session hypertrophy natural beginner program that focus on primarily compound movements - how many sets per exercise & muscle group should be performed on average (what's a good range)? How many total collective sets per workout & per week? Thank you

[zeroman]

The late great Leroy Colbert always advocated for 3 days a week full body workout.

[YouknowmerightImJack]

Yeah this is true, I have been doing full body workouts 2 to 3 times a week, most of the time 2, and I’ve always seen a lot of gains, but I would do no more than 4 sets per muscle group, then I tried 6 sets and that shit was too much for me, and I noticed it right off the bat, was tired the next day, and I knew that was too much, if i am tired the next day, then I did too much, so I’m sticking to just 2 to 3 full body exercises and no more than 12 sets a week, ima add cardio, but if I do that, I will have to just do 2 full body workouts a week

[Strangepete]

You need 7 days a week if you want to fit in finger day, nose day, toe day, and eyebrow day.

[Suryansh.Sharma]

Dear Mind Pump Team, I do a PPL workout and take 1 day off but I am a beginner. Hitting every body part 2 times a week so is that still fine ? I have definitely noticed strength gains but I just feel like hitting the gym everyday rather than just going alternate days with full body. I am still following an efficient process for building muscle at my level? I am overweight, 173 cm and 86kg.