High-Frequency Training – Why I’m Hooked

[Ron OG Mouse]

Initially my old school "Push / Pull" splits musclehead self though no way this would work. I’ve always believed growth happens during rest: hit a lift hard, recover, then come back stronger. "Hitting a muscle group more than 2x a week is too much" So when my daughter brought up Squatober — squatting every weekday for a month — my first thought was “there’s no way my legs could recover enough to grow.”

For context, she was a college athlete and later a coach, and her fiancé is a former college football player, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. High frequency is just normal in both their worlds. She pushed it, I shrugged, and figured I’d see if my old-school assumptions held up.

Week one, my legs were toast. Week two, every rep felt like my quads were ripping apart — I honestly thought I might have tore something. My daughter just laughed: “Nah, that’s Squatober.” Week three rolled around. I got smart and took ice baths over the weekend. Soreness eased, recovery caught up, and the weights started flying. By the end of the month, on PR day I had 40 lbs on my squat in one season.

Since that first month, I’ve leaned into this style fully:

• Eve muscle group twice per week minimum
• One focal muscle per month trained daily (rotating intensity/variations)
• Cycling through structured high-frequency blocks from Pen & Paper Strength App.

Worst case I will alternate this and push / pull monthly if I find continually pushing myself is too much. For now I'm gonna just go for it.
If you haven’t tried a well-structured high-frequency split, I recommend it. At the very least try Squatober next year.

 

[BALLISTIC]

Initially my old school "Push / Pull" splits musclehead self though no way this would work. I’ve always believed growth happens during rest: hit a lift hard, recover, then come back stronger. "Hitting a muscle group more than 2x a week is too much" So when my daughter brought up Squatober — squatting every weekday for a month — my first thought was “there’s no way my legs could recover enough to grow.”

For context, she was a college athlete and later a coach, and her fiancé is a former college football player, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. High frequency is just normal in both their worlds. She pushed it, I shrugged, and figured I’d see if my old-school assumptions held up.

Week one, my legs were toast. Week two, every rep felt like my quads were ripping apart — I honestly thought I might have tore something. My daughter just laughed: “Nah, that’s Squatober.” Week three rolled around. I got smart and took ice baths over the weekend. Soreness eased, recovery caught up, and the weights started flying. By the end of the month, on PR day I had 40 lbs on my squat in one season.

Since that first month, I’ve leaned into this style fully:

• Eve muscle group twice per week minimum
• One focal muscle per month trained daily (rotating intensity/variations)
• Cycling through structured high-frequency blocks from Pen & Paper Strength App.

Worst case I will alternate this and push / pull monthly if I find continually pushing myself is too much. For now I'm gonna just go for it.
If you haven’t tried a well-structured high-frequency split, I recommend it. At the very least try Squatober next year.

Interesting actually...
Military takes young guys and smokes them daily push ups, dogs, dips, pull ups all body weight but absolute brutal failure. Next day same thing. It works. It also causes damage when the joint and connective tissue is developing.

I will say this I struggled with calves for a long time. Buddy said do them daily. I have solid calves now. So further proof. My abdomen was also lagging. Now every workout I do weighted 100 reps minimal. Bam abs popping great.

 

[Biggerisbetternl]

Initially my old school "Push / Pull" splits musclehead self though no way this would work. I’ve always believed growth happens during rest: hit a lift hard, recover, then come back stronger. "Hitting a muscle group more than 2x a week is too much" So when my daughter brought up Squatober — squatting every weekday for a month — my first thought was “there’s no way my legs could recover enough to grow.”

For context, she was a college athlete and later a coach, and her fiancé is a former college football player, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. High frequency is just normal in both their worlds. She pushed it, I shrugged, and figured I’d see if my old-school assumptions held up.

Week one, my legs were toast. Week two, every rep felt like my quads were ripping apart — I honestly thought I might have tore something. My daughter just laughed: “Nah, that’s Squatober.” Week three rolled around. I got smart and took ice baths over the weekend. Soreness eased, recovery caught up, and the weights started flying. By the end of the month, on PR day I had 40 lbs on my squat in one season.

Since that first month, I’ve leaned into this style fully:

• Eve muscle group twice per week minimum
• One focal muscle per month trained daily (rotating intensity/variations)
• Cycling through structured high-frequency blocks from Pen & Paper Strength App.

Worst case I will alternate this and push / pull monthly if I find continually pushing myself is too much. For now I'm gonna just go for it.
If you haven’t tried a well-structured high-frequency split, I recommend it. At the very least try Squatober next year.

Twice per week seems like the concensus on what works for most people. I'd never try to squat heavy every day but I have tried a powerlifting style program where you do the big 3, three to four times per week. The strength gains were significant, but after running the program for a while it gets really exhausting.
I like the idea of one focal muscle(group) per month trained more frequently though I wonder if the MPS/MP breakdown ratio would still be optimal for growth and recovery.
And trying squatober seems like a legit challenge to try for fun, maybe next year hehe..

 

[bossetti]

Initially my old school "Push / Pull" splits musclehead self though no way this would work. I’ve always believed growth happens during rest: hit a lift hard, recover, then come back stronger. "Hitting a muscle group more than 2x a week is too much" So when my daughter brought up Squatober — squatting every weekday for a month — my first thought was “there’s no way my legs could recover enough to grow.”

For context, she was a college athlete and later a coach, and her fiancé is a former college football player, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. High frequency is just normal in both their worlds. She pushed it, I shrugged, and figured I’d see if my old-school assumptions held up.

Week one, my legs were toast. Week two, every rep felt like my quads were ripping apart — I honestly thought I might have tore something. My daughter just laughed: “Nah, that’s Squatober.” Week three rolled around. I got smart and took ice baths over the weekend. Soreness eased, recovery caught up, and the weights started flying. By the end of the month, on PR day I had 40 lbs on my squat in one season.

Since that first month, I’ve leaned into this style fully:

• Eve muscle group twice per week minimum
• One focal muscle per month trained daily (rotating intensity/variations)
• Cycling through structured high-frequency blocks from Pen & Paper Strength App.

Worst case I will alternate this and push / pull monthly if I find continually pushing myself is too much. For now I'm gonna just go for it.
If you haven’t tried a well-structured high-frequency split, I recommend it. At the very least try Squatober next year.

Keep in mind that ice baths maybe inprove recovery, but they damage gains
For the other things u should read abt block periodization, i know 0 about bodybuilding and gym training but could work also there

 

[buck]

People like Phil Hernon trained the whole body with 1 set per part every day and made gains. Just depends on volume intensity, amount of weight, recovery ability etc. Everything works to a point i find. The way to find how well something works is to do it. That is how i built the knowledge i have. I can't learn by not doing something.

 

[Mfras]

I’ve heard a lot about training with reps in reserve to preserve joints and leave you fresh enough for more volume in the same week. I just have trouble not feeling like I’m working as hard as I can. Doing a lot of free weight work alone I figure making the last rep a grinder but safe and good form is close enough to failure to make me grow.

I will say that I was always a big boy but before getting smashed up and truely super fat I moved pretty well, and rode my bicycle 10miles a day commuting in a hilly city all thru my 20s, speedwalked everywhere all over the city getting around. Now that I’m cutting the wheels are still there- high reps and time under tension are real.