Context and Application: Recovery Issues Increase in Training Frequency?

For the past few months I’ve experienced some issues with my training recovery, especially with regards to aches and pains. Training felt like more of a chore as opposed to something I looked forward to. I knew I needed to make a change in order to maintain performance, but more importantly to keep me healthy, motivated and jovial. A couple weeks ago, I decided to change from my long established and successful four-day training split to a six-day training split with the intention of creating a better training environment. Many might hear this and assume I made a bad decision as typically people associate increases in training frequency with increases in training volume. However, in actuality I’ve used the increase in training frequency to give me more options for volume management over the course of the week. In fact, in a recent study on trained lifters, researchers found that a group doing more volume per body part per session, but only training each muscle group once per week, gained less muscle than a group doing the same total weekly volume, but less volume per body part per session, while training each muscle group three times per week. Likewise, in the rather well-known study dubbed the “Norwegian Frequency Project”, it was found that powerlifters who performed all their volume in 3 sessions gained less muscle and strength than a group doing the same amount of volume spread out over 6 sessions.  In the video below, I explain in-depth the reasoning behind my increase in frequency and the context that led to my decision. Hopefully it sheds some light for you on this topic and maybe even helps you with your decision-making process the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.