Strength training every few days

There is no universal standard answer. The most common interval range is 1-3 days, but ultimately it must be adjusted according to the four core variables of your training area, training intensity, recovery ability, and training goals. The "standard schedule" on the dead-block website may easily cause injuries or be ineffective.

Not long ago, I met a young man in the gym who had just been practicing for half a month. He followed the 5-part tutorial on the Internet. After practicing on Monday, his chest hurt so much that it was difficult to raise his arms. On Tuesday, he tried to do back training, and his movements were so crooked that even the coach couldn't stand it. I persuaded him to rest for two days and said, "The big guys said you can't stop." As a result, the rotator cuff was strained on the third day, and it took two months before he dared to touch the barbell again. In fact, many people have a misunderstanding. They think that the harder they practice, the faster they will progress. They completely forget that when we train muscles, it is to cause tiny tears in the muscle fibers. During rest, the body will repair these tears to be thicker than before. If you continue to toss this excessive recovery process before it is completed, not only will you not be able to grow muscles, but you will also be prone to injuries.

In fact, the training intervals between different schools in the fitness circle are really quite different now. Most people who do bodybuilding-style differentiated training like to divide the chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs into separate training days. It is common to train the same part once every 7 days. After all, each single part has to complete the capacity of 15-20 groups. The muscle fibers are completely destroyed, and the recovery period is naturally long. But those who do powerlifting are different. Most of them focus on the three compound movements of squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. The same movement must be practiced 2-3 times a week, and the interval is only 2-3 days. After all, strength training tests the ability of nerve recruitment. Nerves recover much faster than muscles. High-frequency polishing can find the right feeling of force. There is also a more extreme Bulgarian training method. Professional athletes even practice squats twice a day. That is because they are followed by a full recovery team. Ordinary enthusiasts should not try it blindly.

I have been practicing for almost 5 years. In the first two years, I followed the trend and followed the trend of 5 divisions, but there was no progress in my shoulders. Later, I changed it to division of upper limbs on Monday, lower limbs on Wednesday, upper limbs on Friday, and lower limbs on Sunday, which is equivalent to 3 days interval for upper limbs and 4 days interval for lower limbs. The training capacity of the shoulders has been doubled, and the shoulder circumference has increased by 2cm in three months. It is much more effective than the random training frequency before. And the recovery ability of people is really very different. A young man in his early 20s can arrange to play basketball for an afternoon the next day after doing leg training. An old bodybuilder over 35 years old may tremble when walking down the stairs after doing leg training, and it will take three days to recover. If you stayed up late the night before to catch up on a project, or if you haven't eaten enough protein recently, your recovery speed will be further compromised. There's no shame in taking an extra day of rest.

To tell you something interesting, I used to know a friend who is a natural bodybuilder. His intervals between chest training can sometimes be as long as 10 days. He is not lazy, but he rushes to complete exhaustion every time he does chest training. He does incline, plank, and chest clamps one by one. Even the last set of flyes has to be pulled twice by the assistant. He even struggled to open the mineral water bottle on the second day after training. He relies on this rhythm and won the third place in the provincial men's fitness competition last year. Where do you think you can find the standard?

In fact, you don’t need to memorize any numbers at all, just look at the body’s feedback. If on the day you plan to train, your whole body feels relaxed when you wake up, you can easily pick up your usual starting weight during warm-up, you can concentrate during practice, and your movements are not deformed, then this interval is just right. If you feel sore all over when you wake up, even the warm-up weights feel heavy, and you are thinking about fishing during practice, then you might as well take a day off and go for a walk or climb a mountain. Hard training is not only ineffective, but also prone to injury.

To put it bluntly, strength training is a process of getting along with your body. How can there be any rules that are universally applicable? The experience of others can be used as a reference at best. If you are comfortable practicing and can see progress, then that is the interval that is most suitable for you. Don’t be bound by the poisonous chicken soup of “you must exercise 6 times a week”. After all, most of us exercise, isn’t it just to feel comfortable and look good in clothes? There's no point in trying to compete with a number.