Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN TRAINING PROGRAMS
12.7 Assuming you really are training intensively, to train twice a week on the
same full-body routine is too much for many if not most drug-free typical
people.
12.8 Particularly in the pre-steroids era, working out three times a week on a fullbody
routine was a common way to train. But the factor often responsible
for making this type of training productive was that only one of the three
weekly workouts was intensive. e other two weekly workouts were performed
in a relatively leisurely fashion, with reduced weights—i.e., “light”
and “medium” workouts.
12.9 To train hard and productively on the same set of exercises every workout,
most people need to reduce their training frequency to no more than once
every four or five days, or three times every two weeks. Many people would
be better off training just once a week when using a single high-intensity
full-body routine. is can be a super-efficient way to train, especially for
people with busy lives.
12.10 You may be able to train some exercises productively with full-bore intensity
more often than others. Perhaps you can train your accessory exercises (e.g.,
calf, neck and waist work) productively twice a week, but only be able to
train your major core exercises really hard once a week. Few drug-free trainees
can train with 100% effort in the squat, deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift or
bench press twice a week every week. You could, however, still train your big
core exercises twice a week, but make one of those workouts only moderate-intensity
for those specific exercises, e.g., train them using your usual rep
count but with only about 80% of your usual weights. However you train,
though, you must stimulate growth without overtraining.
Possible shortcomings
12.11 Serious trainees love to train, and train hard. To train just once a week is
not enough. But training must not be done so often that overtraining is the
outcome. Satisfaction from weight training comes from good results, not
just hours spent in the gym. But the greatest return arises from great results
plus the satisfaction that comes from being able to weight train productively
two or three times a week.
12.12 To weight train productively twice a week, see Frameworks 2, 4, 5 and 6. To
possibly train productively three times a week, see especially Framework 3.
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