For decades, the conventional wisdom in bodybuilding and strength training has been to train each muscle group once per week with high volume and intensity.
However, renowned exercise scientist and strength coach Dr. Brett Contreras is challenging this approach with evidence that suggests leg training frequency should be dramatically increased for optimal results.
During a recent appearance on the Huberman Lab podcast, Dr. Contreras made a case that has many fitness enthusiasts reconsidering their training splits: “If you want to maximize your gains, you need to hit a muscle probably twice a week. There’s some evidence that maybe three times a week is best, but that’s hard to recover from.”
The traditional bodybuilding approach of training legs once per week with crushing volume may not be the most effective strategy for muscle growth. Dr. Contreras explains that this method, while capable of producing results, often leads to excessive soreness and may actually limit recovery and progress.
“The bodybuilders got big legs back then, but I think better results are seen when you don’t go so crazy,” Contreras notes, referring to the old-school approach of performing multiple exercises with high volume in a single session. Instead, he advocates for a more frequent but less intensive approach per session.
Research supports the benefits of higher training frequencies. Studies consistently show that training muscles at least twice per week produces superior results compared to once-weekly training. The key insight is that the first set of any exercise provides the majority of the muscle-building stimulus, with additional sets providing diminishing returns.
One of the biggest obstacles to higher frequency training is the concern about recovery. Many people believe they need a full week to recover from an intense leg workout. However, Dr. Contreras suggests this is often due to excessive volume rather than an inherent need for extended recovery time.
“You can recover from hitting a muscle three times a week. You have to adjust the variables,” he explains. The key is managing exercise selection, volume, and intensity to allow for adequate recovery between sessions.
For those training legs three times per week, Contreras recommends alternating between different movement patterns and exercise variations. This approach, which he calls “recoverable volume,” allows you to train frequently while avoiding the excessive muscle damage that comes from repeating the same movements with maximum intensity.
Dr. Contreras advocates for what he terms a “lower, upper, lower, upper, lower” split performed Monday through Friday. This approach allows for three lower body sessions per week while maintaining adequate recovery time.
The key is not to repeat identical workouts but to vary the exercises and emphasis. For example, one session might focus on squat patterns, another on hip hinge movements like deadlifts, and a third on isolation exercises like hip thrusts. This variety prevents overuse while maintaining the muscle-building stimulus.
“When you focus on like the chin-up month, you can hit these movements frequently. You can recover from them,” Contreras explains, noting that different exercises have different recovery demands and can be trained with varying frequencies.
Rather than trying to annihilate muscles once per week, the focus shifts to providing consistent, recoverable stimuli that accumulate over time.
This approach requires a more nuanced understanding of exercise selection and program design. Some exercises, like walking lunges, might be “too good” if performed to failure multiple times per week, causing excessive soreness that interferes with subsequent training sessions. Instead, alternatives like step-ups might be more conducive to frequent training while still providing effective muscle stimulation.
The evidence suggests that this higher-frequency approach not only leads to better muscle growth but also improved strength gains and reduced injury risk. By avoiding the extreme muscle damage associated with once-weekly high-volume sessions, trainees can maintain more consistent training and make steadier progress over time.
As Dr. Contreras emphasizes, “Most people stop after a year or two. They just quit paying attention.” The higher frequency approach may be more sustainable long-term, keeping people engaged and progressing rather than burning out from overly aggressive single-session approaches.
For those willing to challenge conventional wisdom and embrace a more frequent training approach, the potential for accelerated leg development appears promising. The key lies in intelligent program design that balances stimulus with recovery, allowing for consistent progress rather than sporadic breakthroughs followed by extended recovery periods.
