How Often Should You Train a Muscle to Maximize Growth?
A research based comparison between bro-splits, full-body workouts, and other training frequencies
Within the bodybuilding world, there exists a few different schools of thought when it comes to determining the number of times per week you train a muscle group (often called training frequency).
There’s the classic bro-split, which typically dictates you train a muscle group only once per week.
In recent years, full-body workouts have become fairly popular. These typically have you train a muscle group two to three times a week.
So, if the aim is to maximize and accelerate muscle growth, how many times should you be training a muscle group each week?
Let us assess the evidence.
The Research
A 2019 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. aimed to determine what training frequency is optimal for building muscle.
As a note, meta-analyses are studies that combine the results of numerous individual studies looking at the same topic.
In this analysis, they combined the results of 13 studies comparing different training frequencies for increasing measures of muscle growth.
