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.

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

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.

I used to do calves and abs every day. But back then people used to say they were "Cardio muscles" and can be worked ED lol Guess everything is a cardio muscle.

 

[BALLISTIC]

I used to do calves and abs every day. But back then people used to say they were "Cardio muscles" and can be worked ED lol Guess everything is a cardio muscle.

I agree with this and honestly I work around 1 simple factor...

How do I feel, am I sore, connective tissue feel good. Then okay let's do it.

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

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

The science of the ice bath changes every year. It's good then it's bad lol. I coached a competitive kids sport with kids trying to get to college. My daughter had to overcome a ton of injuries. Ice heals faster than anything I have seen for them. Ice early to remove swelling, Heat later to help blood flow.

At the time of my ice bath my quads really did feel like I was ripping muscles every time I squatted or bent my leg. I was thinking of recovery at that time not muscle growth

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

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.

Same I like to try things out to see how my body reacts. So many people saying different things it's hard to know who is right without trying it.

 

[thejumpingsheep]

Everything has plus or minus. When I used to do more reps, I ended up with runners knees and lower body was out for like a year. When I did high resistance, I got partial tears.

Pick your poison lol.

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

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.

Honest this is an intense 90 min workout 5 days a week then cardio added 7 days on top of that. I don't leave anything in the tank. I felt accomplished after though. Where as my old push pull workout that I was doing for decades got to be just "im done now"

 

[buck]

Same I like to try things out to see how my body reacts. So many people saying different things it's hard to know who is right without trying it.

Not everyone does the same volume, has the same recovery/diet, lifts the same weight, has the same intensity, genetics etc. All comes down to ones genetics and how well they apply them as i see it. What a person likes usually works better then what they don't like.

 

[bossetti]

The science of the ice bath changes every year. It's good then it's bad lol. I coached a competitive kids sport with kids trying to get to college. My daughter had to overcome a ton of injuries. Ice heals faster than anything I have seen for them. Ice early to remove swelling, Heat later to help blood flow.

At the time of my ice bath my quads really did feel like I was ripping muscles every time I squatted or bent my leg. I was thinking of recovery at that time not muscle growth

Yeah but whats the point of recovering from an effort that dont improve u?

For an injury,yeah it works

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

Yeah but whats the point of recovering from an effort that dont improve u?

For an injury,yeah it works

LOL spoken like a true cyclists. I am a masochist when it comes to taking pain. I have a super high tolerance. I still bow down to cyclists. If its not on fire your not pedaling fast enough I have never felt this in my legs though. I honestly thought I was injured and I was not about to quit lifting to recover.

 

[bossetti]

LOL spoken like a true cyclists. I am a masochist when it comes to taking pain. I have a super high tolerance. I still bow down to cyclists. If its not on fire your not pedaling fast enough I have never felt this in my legs though. I honestly thought I was injured and I was not about to quit lifting to recover.

Yeah i understand, i still have this thing but it happen to just go with empty legs,its basically impossible to get injured in cycling lol

 

[Mfras]

Yeah i understand, i still have this thing but it happen to just go with empty legs,its basically impossible to get injured in cycling lol

I loved riding my bicycle so much. The last commuter was a 27spd trek- I got the lightest bike I could before starting to trade weight savings for durability. Got smashed by cars and trucks too many times- a couple years ago I got a Bill Kellogg custom Ti bike used that happened to fit me perfectly with a couple easy changes- top of the line campy parts all over it. Right knee clicks hard every pedal and was getting worse not better. Had to sell it and settle into LISS treadmill cardio

 

[bossetti]

I loved riding my bicycle so much. The last commuter was a 27spd trek- I got the lightest bike I could before starting to trade weight savings for durability. Got smashed by cars and trucks too many times- a couple years ago I got a Bill Kellogg custom Ti bike used that happened to fit me perfectly with a couple easy changes- top of the line campy parts all over it. Right knee clicks hard every pedal and was getting worse not better. Had to sell it and settle into LISS treadmill cardio

Love campy!! Im sad that rn they are a bit behind with the technology(they are coming a bit back) but the thumb shifter was fire not like that garbage sram doubletap lol

 

[malfeasance]

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.

No tape measure around the thighs before and after Squatober?

 

[Ron OG Mouse]

No tape measure around the thighs before and after Squatober?

I wish. I bought this nice tape measure with an app that stores data and everything....but last month lol After it was done. Next year I'll get it for sure. Starting "All I want for Xmas is a big bench" (again after a surgery recovery) in January. I plan on making a journals so I'll post measurements and dex reports and all that good stuff. I get Dexed quarterly .