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High Frequency vs. Low Frequency
by Tim Henriques – 9/13/2012
One of the hottest topics for online discussion is optimal training frequency, and whether such a beast even exists. This article will offer the pros and cons of high and low frequency training, and will suggest when each might be useful in your training. It should be a dandy (one-sided) debate, so get your popcorn ready.
First, let's define terms:
High Frequency: Training a specific movement or exercise three or more times per week.
Low frequency: Training a specific movement or exercise once a week or less.
Pros and Cons of High Frequency Training
High frequency training, if programmed properly, will deliver faster results than low frequency training. Strength coach John Broz pointed this out with an interesting (if disturbing) hypothetical:
"If your family was kidnapped and you had one month to put 100 pounds on your squat, would you squat just once a week?"
But does that argument still hold water when searching for a sustainable system to follow for months or years or even decades?
Here's a complete list of the pros and cons of high frequency training:
Pros
-Delivers faster/better results.
-Builds neuromuscular coordination
-More practice is usually better
-High frequency allows one to build significant work capacity in that exercise.
-Allows for more practice with heavy weight.
-The body gets used to lifting heavy frequently, at least on certain exercises.
-It works. My best gains in the bench press were on high frequency programs. Also, the success of Sheiko style, Smolov, and Olympic lifting routines are enough to warrant a serious look at high frequency training.
-High frequency training seems to work well with female trainees or smaller, lighter lifters. I suspect it's because their smaller frames experience less damage – even if the relative intensity is the same for a larger lifter – and thus are able to recover faster.
Lifts that seem to respond favorably to high frequency:
Olympic lifts
Bench press
Overhead press
High-bar squats
Bodyweight exercises
Sport-specific movements
Abs/core work
Forearms
Calves
Note: I have not had good success training both the bench press and the overhead press with high frequency simultaneously.
Cons
-Higher rate of injury. When you're training heavy and hard on a regular basis, your chance of injury is higher.
-If you have any compensations or preexisting injuries, high frequency training can be a rough ride. If your squat form is just so-so and you decide to start squatting hard three times a week your knees and lower back could pay the price. Remember, squats aren't bad for the knees, but lousy squats might be bad for your knees.
-High frequency programs are harder to program.
-It's harder to peak and/or taper on high frequency routines. .
-Once the body is used to higher frequency, you can feel a little lost when you get off that program.
-Strength levels seem to fluctuate more on high frequency programs. The good news is that if you peak right you can be really strong when it's max-out time, but there will also be periods where your strength is lower than normal or well off your max.
-With high frequency training, gym maxes are similar to competition maxes.
-It can be hard to focus on muscular balance and work on weak points.
-High frequency training has a greater rate of burnout.
Low Frequency Training
Low frequency training is often more manageable long term than high frequency training. I could lay out a solid low frequency program and most would be able to follow it (or at least something similar) for a year with ease. Lifting and fitness should be lifetime activities, not just a flash in the pan of high performance.
Pros
-Easier to build muscular balance.
-Low frequency training has less risk of injury. It's not a promise you won't get hurt, but the chance is reduced due to less frequent exposures and because the trainee is likely better balanced.
-Lower frequency programs are generally easier to peak and/or taper.
-It's easier to predict the rate of adaptation.
-It's helpful, especially when programming for the masses, if I know that in X number of weeks the lifter should be able to perform Y number of reps on an exercise.
-Strength levels seem to be more consistent with low frequency training.
-Low frequency workouts tend to take less time. This isn't a promise and it won't be true if you train all the smaller areas with higher volume, but if you just focus on the big stuff the total time per week will be shorter.
-Low frequency training promotes recovery. This is particularly valuable for lifters that are older, larger, stronger, and/or have injuries to work around. I don't know too many super heavy weight powerlifters that follow high frequency training.
-Lifters seem to experience less burnout and are more consistent with low frequency training. One of the hallmarks of some of the better-known lower frequency lifters isn't just how strong they were, it was their longevity in the game.
Today, you just don't see lifters winning five or ten national championships in a row that often anymore. It could be for a variety of reasons, but I believe higher frequency training is partly to blame.
Lower to medium frequency does a better job of building muscle, particularly when total body growth is the goal, which helps explain why this system is popular with bodybuilders. (ik ben het hier niet helemaal mee eens)
Lifts that seem to respond favorably to low frequency:
Low bar squat
Deadlift
Good mornings
Most lat exercises
Biceps exercises
Cons
-Limited practice time.
-As mentioned, the limited practice may not build neuromuscular coordination effectively. Imagine trying to learn a skill and the coach said, "Okay, practice that ten times today and then we're done for the week." Lifting weights is a skill that requires repetition.
-Low frequency training may not provide maximal short-term results. Lifters want to see results and they want to see them fast, so this is a significant negative.
-Low frequency training may not allow the lifter enough time to work on weak points, either muscular or as part of a specific movement.
Summary
I love me a good training argument, and you'd be hard pressed to find one more spirited than low frequency versus high frequency training. The fact is, however, that progress can be made with either approach.
Therefore, the ideal setup – if that even exists – would be a combination of both types of programs throughout the training life cycle.
The only question is, which will you do next?
Ik denk dat het klopt dat een combinatie het beste is. (nu heb ik het over bewegingen, niet spiergroepen)
De bench press en squat kunnen veel getraind worden maar de deadlift zal veel belastender zijn om veel te doen in combinatie met squats en benches.
by Tim Henriques – 9/13/2012
One of the hottest topics for online discussion is optimal training frequency, and whether such a beast even exists. This article will offer the pros and cons of high and low frequency training, and will suggest when each might be useful in your training. It should be a dandy (one-sided) debate, so get your popcorn ready.
First, let's define terms:
High Frequency: Training a specific movement or exercise three or more times per week.
Low frequency: Training a specific movement or exercise once a week or less.
Pros and Cons of High Frequency Training
High frequency training, if programmed properly, will deliver faster results than low frequency training. Strength coach John Broz pointed this out with an interesting (if disturbing) hypothetical:
"If your family was kidnapped and you had one month to put 100 pounds on your squat, would you squat just once a week?"
But does that argument still hold water when searching for a sustainable system to follow for months or years or even decades?
Here's a complete list of the pros and cons of high frequency training:
Pros
-Delivers faster/better results.
-Builds neuromuscular coordination
-More practice is usually better
-High frequency allows one to build significant work capacity in that exercise.
-Allows for more practice with heavy weight.
-The body gets used to lifting heavy frequently, at least on certain exercises.
-It works. My best gains in the bench press were on high frequency programs. Also, the success of Sheiko style, Smolov, and Olympic lifting routines are enough to warrant a serious look at high frequency training.
-High frequency training seems to work well with female trainees or smaller, lighter lifters. I suspect it's because their smaller frames experience less damage – even if the relative intensity is the same for a larger lifter – and thus are able to recover faster.
Lifts that seem to respond favorably to high frequency:
Olympic lifts
Bench press
Overhead press
High-bar squats
Bodyweight exercises
Sport-specific movements
Abs/core work
Forearms
Calves
Note: I have not had good success training both the bench press and the overhead press with high frequency simultaneously.
Cons
-Higher rate of injury. When you're training heavy and hard on a regular basis, your chance of injury is higher.
-If you have any compensations or preexisting injuries, high frequency training can be a rough ride. If your squat form is just so-so and you decide to start squatting hard three times a week your knees and lower back could pay the price. Remember, squats aren't bad for the knees, but lousy squats might be bad for your knees.
-High frequency programs are harder to program.
-It's harder to peak and/or taper on high frequency routines. .
-Once the body is used to higher frequency, you can feel a little lost when you get off that program.
-Strength levels seem to fluctuate more on high frequency programs. The good news is that if you peak right you can be really strong when it's max-out time, but there will also be periods where your strength is lower than normal or well off your max.
-With high frequency training, gym maxes are similar to competition maxes.
-It can be hard to focus on muscular balance and work on weak points.
-High frequency training has a greater rate of burnout.
Low Frequency Training
Low frequency training is often more manageable long term than high frequency training. I could lay out a solid low frequency program and most would be able to follow it (or at least something similar) for a year with ease. Lifting and fitness should be lifetime activities, not just a flash in the pan of high performance.
Pros
-Easier to build muscular balance.
-Low frequency training has less risk of injury. It's not a promise you won't get hurt, but the chance is reduced due to less frequent exposures and because the trainee is likely better balanced.
-Lower frequency programs are generally easier to peak and/or taper.
-It's easier to predict the rate of adaptation.
-It's helpful, especially when programming for the masses, if I know that in X number of weeks the lifter should be able to perform Y number of reps on an exercise.
-Strength levels seem to be more consistent with low frequency training.
-Low frequency workouts tend to take less time. This isn't a promise and it won't be true if you train all the smaller areas with higher volume, but if you just focus on the big stuff the total time per week will be shorter.
-Low frequency training promotes recovery. This is particularly valuable for lifters that are older, larger, stronger, and/or have injuries to work around. I don't know too many super heavy weight powerlifters that follow high frequency training.
-Lifters seem to experience less burnout and are more consistent with low frequency training. One of the hallmarks of some of the better-known lower frequency lifters isn't just how strong they were, it was their longevity in the game.
Today, you just don't see lifters winning five or ten national championships in a row that often anymore. It could be for a variety of reasons, but I believe higher frequency training is partly to blame.
Lower to medium frequency does a better job of building muscle, particularly when total body growth is the goal, which helps explain why this system is popular with bodybuilders. (ik ben het hier niet helemaal mee eens)
Lifts that seem to respond favorably to low frequency:
Low bar squat
Deadlift
Good mornings
Most lat exercises
Biceps exercises
Cons
-Limited practice time.
-As mentioned, the limited practice may not build neuromuscular coordination effectively. Imagine trying to learn a skill and the coach said, "Okay, practice that ten times today and then we're done for the week." Lifting weights is a skill that requires repetition.
-Low frequency training may not provide maximal short-term results. Lifters want to see results and they want to see them fast, so this is a significant negative.
-Low frequency training may not allow the lifter enough time to work on weak points, either muscular or as part of a specific movement.
Summary
I love me a good training argument, and you'd be hard pressed to find one more spirited than low frequency versus high frequency training. The fact is, however, that progress can be made with either approach.
Therefore, the ideal setup – if that even exists – would be a combination of both types of programs throughout the training life cycle.
The only question is, which will you do next?
Ik denk dat het klopt dat een combinatie het beste is. (nu heb ik het over bewegingen, niet spiergroepen)
De bench press en squat kunnen veel getraind worden maar de deadlift zal veel belastender zijn om veel te doen in combinatie met squats en benches.
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