Frequency...How much is too much?

In the last few years my training regimen and frequency has changed tremendously, I have done 3, days a week, 4, 5, 6, and even 7 days of doing some type of lifting . It was believed that doing one motion more than one or two days a week would hinder growth or gains for the muscle, an example it would be unheard of for someone to squat more than 2 or 3 days a week, it would hinder growth and make your weak! ......or would it?  Some of the experts that I  follow such as J.C Deen, and Jason Ferruggia  have been questioning this very question of frequency and overtraining, is overtraining that much of a problem? Do we really need 4 or 5 days to recover from a training session? Most people don't go hard enough to truly need an entire week of recovery, my opinion is that hitting the same movement like a bench press, a dead-lift, or a squat, at different intensities- meaning (weight and reps ) 4 days or more per week will actually stimulate more growth than just once or twice per week.


Benefits of doing full body workouts 4-6 days a week

1) Workouts are shorter and more intense
2) The muscle gets much more stimulation( More growth)
3) You can vary the rep ranges and get the most out of each phase.
4) After a few weeks your body will adapt to the frequency and you will become stronger


Sample plan- This can be done 4-6 days a week 
* Sets X reps

1 ) Major lower body move- Squat variation, deal-lift variation 5-6x3-5
2) Push- Any type of press- barbell or dumbbell , dips, or pushups 3-5x 6-10
3) pull- Pull up, or lat pull down or barbell row 3-5x 6-10
4) Conditioning- 10-20 minutes of intense metabolic conditioning - swings, sprints, body weight movements

Rules-Vary the three big movements in reps each time example, day one heavy lower, day two start with heavy push, and day 3 start with heavy pull. This can simply continue to be rotated.

This will get you in and out of the gym in under an hour, and if done correctly will hit every major body part, and keep you lean! Give it a try...

Keep it simple, and track your progress-
A-lev