Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

BEYOND BRAWN
13.34 Especially if you are an advanced trainee, experiment with a training frequency
for some exercises of less often than once a week. When training
full-bore and with personal best poundages, try deadlifting only once every
two weeks. Try heavy squatting once every ten days, as another example.
Be intelligently radical in your experiments—keep what helps, drop what
hinders. But as noted earlier in this section, it may be a good idea to perform
a light workout midway between the infrequent intensive sessions for the
biggest exercises.
13.35 As you do any fine-tuning that may be necessary, do not disturb a formula
that is working well. Always remember that the aim is to find the optimum
intensity, volume and frequency of training for a given exercise that enables
you to consistently add poundage to it in good form, and with which produces
growth.
13.36 Some people who have a history of injury in a particular location may find
that a little very light but regular work for that area is helpful. Done several
times a week it keeps them in good shape for their infrequent heavy workouts.
Fixed-day vs. variable-day training
13.37 Most people probably find fixed-day training more practical and successful
than variable-day training. Being locked into the seven-days-per-week life
program also locks training into that program. Training every fourth day
would mean, for example, Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday,
Sunday, etc. at is six different training days over the course of three consecutive
weeks. is is impractical for many people. A fixed Monday-Friday,
Tuesday-Saturday, or Monday-Friday-Wednesday-Monday schedule is
likely to be more practical. But with fixed training days you can approximate
ideal rest intervals. e Monday-Friday-Wednesday-Monday schedule
comes close to training every fourth day. e big advantage of having fixed
gym days is that you know your training days and non-training days, and
can organize your weeks accordingly.
13.38 But a fixed schedule of training days should not be written in stone. You
must be constantly alert to the signs of impending overtraining, and be
ready to adjust your training days, routine design, and volume of training
accordingly (not just weight training, but aerobic work too).
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