Light Workouts and High-Frequency Training

Some Tips and Suggestions for Programming High-Frequency Workouts

     High-frequency training (HFT) is one of the best “styles” of training that a lifter can utilize.  I think this is especially true for natural lifters, those of us who don’t use any kind of performance-enhancement drug(s).  Even though I don’t think the drug-free trainee can find a better program, HFT is just about the least used method among most gym-goers, perhaps almost unknown, even, among the casual trainee.  Most lifters focus on routines with varying degrees of either volume or intensity, with frequency as more of an afterthought.  I would say that, by and large, lifters use a high, medium, or low volume program coupled with some “level” of intensity to balance with the volume, and then frequency is the last factor that is considered.  Whatever the program, the general “plan” is that the lifter trains again whenever they are no longer sore from a prior session.  That’s what I mean by frequency being an afterthought.

     I define HFT as any program where you train a lift and/or muscle group at least 3 days per week.  Since 3 days is the minimum per lift, this also means that you should train, at least part of the year, with workouts where you train a muscle 4 to 6 days per week, perhaps, believe it or not, even more sometimes.  For example, I think that an “easy strength” routine that uses a double-split—training twice per day—is highly effective.  If you train 5 days per week on a full-body regimen, this means that you would end up training a muscle as many as 10 times a week on such a routine.  We won’t get into double-split easy strength workouts here—I’ll save that for another essay—but I just mention it as a possibility, and to demonstrate the wide range of workout programs that fit under the moniker of HFT.

     I have come to believe that the most optimal HFT, especially if you use some kind of “easy strength” or “easy muscle” paradigm, is 5 days per week.  I usually prescribe a schedule of 3-on, 1-off, 2-on, 1-off for any lifters who want to train on the same days each week, say, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with Thursdays and Sundays off, for instance.  A lot of lifters like training the same days each week so that they can plan the rest of their life around it, which tends to work best for lifters who have a regular 9-to-5 job and/or a family.  If lifters are capable of being more flexible, and don’t mind training on different days each week, then simply following a 2-on, 1-off, or 3-on, 1-off routine of full-body sessions works well, too.

     The main problem that lifters run into with HFT is just how to program it.  If you’ve never followed a routine where you train a muscle/lift more than 3 days per week, it’s best to start with an everything light approach.  This is the method behind my 30-Rep Program or Dan John’s 40-Day Workout.  Every workout is “easy” and therefore “light.”  It’s called “easy strength” for a reason, after all.  If you’re new to easy strength, start with one of those or anything similar.  But what if you enjoy or want to train with at least some heavy or “hard” workouts?  What follows are some suggestions for how to do just that.

     The 1st thing you need to do is get on a schedule and stick with it.  What you do at each workout can shift around from a sets/reps standpoint, but you need to know the days you will train and the lifts that you will utilize at each session.  Here are some different workout schedules just to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:

Full-Body Program #1

     Do the following 3 days per week, say Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

• Barbell squats

• Power cleans

• Bench presses

• Military presses

• Barbell curls

Full-Body Program #2

     If you can handle the extra volume, then do something such as the following on 3 days per week.

• Front squats

• Deficit deadlifts (sumo or conventional)

• Bench presses

• One-arm dumbbell overhead presses

• Power snatches

• Weighted chins

• Barbell curls

• Weighted dips

     Conversely, some lifters thrive more on less work.  If that’s you and you know that’s you (some guys think they do well on less training because they’ve never actually tried higher volume programs) then you can just do a squat movement, a pressing exercise of some sort, and end with a heavy pulling movement.

     When you start training more frequently than 3 days a week, you will need to limit your lifts each day to between 3 and 5.  Here are some even higher-frequency routines to give you an example:

4 Days Per Week Program

Monday:

• Barbell squats

• Bench presses

• Weighted chins

• Barbell curls

Tuesday:

• Front squats

• Military presses

• Power cleans

Thursday:

• Barbell squats

• Weighted dips

• Deficit deadlifts

• Alternate dumbbell curls

Saturday:

• Front squats

• One-arm dumbbell overhead presses

• Power snatches

5 Days Per Week Program

Monday:

• Barbell squats

• Bench presses

• Weighted chins

• Barbell curls

Tuesday:

• Front squats

• Military presses

• Power cleans

Wednesday:

• Bottom-position squats

• Weighted dips

• One-arm dumbbell rows

• Alternate dumbbell curls

Friday:

• Barbell squats

• Incline bench presses

• Weighted chins

• Barbell curls

Saturday:

• Front squats

• One-arm dumbbell overhead presses

• Power snatches

     You can, at the end of all of the workouts, throw in some abdominal work and loaded carries of some sort.

     That’s the what.  Now, let’s discuss the how.

     Start by having a plan for the total number of reps you will do for each movement in a workout.  If you are following a 3 days per week routine, such as the 1st two programs above, then your reps should fall between 15 and 50.  That’s a wide range, so let me explain.  For the hard workouts, you can push your total reps toward the higher end of the spectrum.  For light days, your workouts should fall towards the low end.  So, for your “heavy” workouts, you might do 4 to 5 sets of 10 reps, 8 to 10 sets of 5 reps, or 6 sets of 6 to 8 reps on each movement, or anything similar.  For your “light” workouts, you might do 3 sets of 5 reps, 5 sets of 3 reps, or 7 to 8 sets of doubles.

     If you have never trained with HFT routines, then most of your workouts should be light days.  Train heavy only once per week, or even once every 10 days or so until you adapt to the frequency.  A schedule, for someone brand new to HFT, might look something like this—Monday, heavy; Wednesday, light; Friday, light; Monday, light; Wednesday, heavy; Friday, light; Monday, light; Wednesday, light; Friday, heavy; and so on and so forth.  After a few weeks of that, go to once per week of heavy workouts, usually the Monday session though some lifters prefer to train heavy on Friday.  After a couple months of training, you can start throwing in more frequent heavy sessions.  Do 2 heavy workouts per week every other week, or a week straight of heavy training once per month, and then follow that up with a week straight of light workouts before getting back on your “regular” schedule, whatever your regular routine might be by that point.

     For 4 to 5 (or possibly 6) days of training, let your total reps fall between between 10 and 30 reps per lift per session.  So, at your heavy sessions, you might do 3 sets of 10 reps, 8 to 10 sets of 3 reps, 5 to 6 sets of 5 reps, or 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.  Your light days might be 2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3, 5 sets of doubles, or even just 1 set of 10 reps when you feel as if your body could use a break.

     Once again, for more frequent training, you still want to only do 1 heavy workout each week or every 10 days or so to start.  A 4 day schedule might look like this—Monday, heavy; Tuesday, light; Thursday, light; Saturday, light; Monday, light; Tuesday, heavy; Thursday, light; Saturday, light; Monday, light; Tuesday, light; Saturday, heavy; Monday, light; Tuesday, light; Thursday, light; Saturday, light; Monday, heavy again; and repeat.  After a few weeks of that, then go to one heavy day per week.  Eventually, on the 4 day schedule, you would want to reach the point where you are doing 2 heavy days per week, or at least doing it every other week.

     Once you can handle using a 5 day schedule, you should start by simply doing 1 heavy workout each week.  Eventually, you can go to 2 heavy days and 3 light ones.  I wouldn’t just start with 5 days of training if you’ve never utilized HFT before—unless, of course, you go with an “everything” light approach—so there should be no need to do a heavy workout only once every 10 days (or thereabout).

     Keep in mind that “light” refers to the total reps, and therefore the total workload, NOT necessarily how “heavy” you actually train.  For instance, on a 4 or 5 day schedule, you might do 5 progressively heavier doubles on one of your light days, working up to a near-max double, or you might do 2 sets of 5 reps that are still relatively hard.  This is the reason that an “easy strength” program works, despite the fact that every single session is, technically, a light workload and therefore deserving of the “easy” title.  But you’re still working up to some weights that are challenging for you.  This is also the reason that I haven’t included any “medium” workouts, though if you know your body well enough, you can certainly throw in some of those on occasion, too.

     You can also apply this methodology to some higher-volume split training routines, but to keep things concise, we won’t cover that here.  If there’s enough interest, I can discuss what those workouts might look like in a future essay.  In the meantime, if you’re interested in trying a HFT program, give these program suggestions a try.  I think you’ll be pleased with the results.  If you’re a natural lifter, you might be shocked by the gains in size and strength that you can make with so much “light” training.  Light workouts and HFT; It’s pretty much a match made in muscle-building heaven.

     As always, if you have any questions or comments about this subject, leave them in the “comments” section below or send me an email if you prefer a more private response.

     And if you enjoyed this essay, you would probably also like my book “Ultimate Mass and Power Essays.”  You can find out more about it and my other books at the My Books page of the blog.  I appreciate your purchases and your support for my work.

     On another note, after discussing my upcoming “Big Book of Old-School Bodybuilding Methods” (tentative title) with the editor/publisher who is assisting me, I have come to the conclusion that some of it needs to be re-worked, and I am currently doing that.  I hope to post one of the chapters on the blog sometime soon, as well, so that readers can get a sense of what the book will be.  If you have been looking forward to its release, I apologize for the publication delay, but I want to make it the best book available when it comes to the training programs and workout routines of Golden and Silver Era bodybuilders!  (There is a lot of, let’s be honest, complete junk when it comes to self-published and e-books that are available.  I hope my books stand out for being well-written, well-edited, and worth the price that you pay for them.)  Within a couple of weeks, however, my new book should be ready for publication.