Finding Your Frequency: How Often Should You Lift Weights

The short answer: As often as possible

Here is the longer answer:

When it comes to weight training, consistency is key. The frequency of your weight training plays a vital role in achieving your fitness goals while allowing your body to recover and adapt. However, the optimal training frequency can vary based on your experience level, goals, recovery capacity, and overall schedule. Let’s dive into the considerations that can help you determine how often you should weight train.

1. Experience Level:

Beginners:

This might sound counter-intuitive, but If you’re new to weight lifting, you should be lifting more often. 4 to 6 times a week. Some might think your muscles and connective tissues need more time to adapt to the stress of resistance training. But I disagree. When you first start weight lifting, you are figuring things out and doing light weights. So you can repeat workouts without risk of injury. Also, you need to learn how to lift, so the higher frequency will give you the reps needed to improve.

Intermediate and Advanced:

As you gain experience and your body begins to adapt to the training, you may need to increase the frequency of your sessions. 4 to 6 times per week can be suitable for intermediate and advanced lifters if you allow enough time for recovery. I’ll talk more about recovery in a bit.

2. Goals:

Muscle Building:

For muscle building, old skool split routines and higher training frequency work best. Aim for 4 to 6 sessions per week, focusing on specific muscle groups during each session. This allows you to target different muscle fibers and maximize muscle growth.

Strength Gain:

If you want to get stronger, lift heavy. And with heavy weights comes smaller sets. A slightly lower frequency might be appropriate for those focused on increasing strength. 3 to 4 sessions per week focusing on compound movements like squats and deadlifts can help you optimize your strength gains. But listen to your body. If you can do more, do more.

Fat Loss:

You get abs in the kitchen, not the gym. If fat loss is your goal, adjust what you eat. All the cardio in the world can’t win over a bad diet.

3. Recovery and Listen to Your Body:

One of the most crucial aspects of determining your training frequency is allowing ample time for recovery. Overtraining can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, and injury. Pay attention to your body’s signals. If you’re constantly fatigued, experiencing decreased motivation, or declining performance, it might be a sign that you need more recovery time.

4. Split Routines vs. Full-Body Workouts:

The type of workout routine you follow can also influence your training frequency. Split routines target specific muscle groups on different days, allowing those muscles to recover before working them again. As the name suggests, full-body workouts engage your entire body in a single session. The frequency for each approach can differ. Split routines require more workouts because only single muscles are hit each session. You want to work the same muscle group at least every 4 days to grow muscle size. Full-body workouts could be performed 2 to 3 times per week.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how often you should weight train. Your training frequency should align with your goals, experience level, and recovery capacity. Experiment with different frequencies and listen to your body’s feedback. As you progress on your fitness journey, you may find that adjusting your training frequency becomes necessary to continue making gains while avoiding burnout. Remember, balance, consistency and personalized adaptation are the keys to long-term success in weight training.