There’s a insightful post about this featured in the StrongFirst forum.
Essentially, the OP questioned if working on a lift 2x a week is preferable than 3x a lift.
And that’s because, due to life’s circumstances , he got mentally burned out from training a lift 3x a week.
Well, that’s certainly one of the reasons why to shift from 3x a week to 2x a week - mental burnout .
For some, doing the “same thing” every training session becomes a bore .
So, let’s look at some other reasons you might not want to / shouldn’t work on a lift 3x a week:1- Larger Exercise Selection
You may want to include a wider more info variety of exercises in your training program.
Instead of “just” Presses, you may want to include TGUs, Bent Presses, and/or Push Presses.
2- Lacking Energy
Some people have a lot of energy, others don’t .
Training hard on a 3x a week may be too much for you in your stage of life right now.
Examples are having toddlers… working swing shifts/ nights… caring for a loved one…
Twice a week may be all you can muster .
3- Lacking Desire
This is a biggie.
Maybe you just don’t want to work on a lift 3x a week. That’s totally fine and your prerogative.
4- Lacking Time
For many, this really isn’t a thing. It’s managing the time effectively we do have.
But for some, 12-hour days leave little time for intense training.
As a result, a Wednesday evening and Saturday morning training session may be all that’s truly manageable right now.
5- Inadequate Recovery
Some guys just don’t recuperate well.
3x a week is just too much for them.
How would you know if that’s you?
A- Your training log shows that you’re no longer making results.
B- You’re missing the desire to train.
C- You don’t sleep well - routinely less than 7 hours a night.
6- Programming
[a] The more exercises per session, typically the lower the frequency
[b] The higher the volume (work completed), typically the lower the frequency
[c] The higher the effort level (energy expended), the lower the frequency
[d] The higher the neurological demand (Deadlift vs. Bench Press), typically the lower the frequency
[e] The longer the training session, typically the lower the frequency
Conversely -
The less exercises per session, volume, effort, and neurological demand, the more frequently you can train a lift
The “secret” is to understand what you really CAN do (NOT “Want” to do), and then consistently do that.
Sub-optimal programming is preferable for seeing progress than the traditional “over 40 workout cycle” -
“Find” motivation → Workout too hard → Get sore / injured → Take [more] time off → Lose motivation → REPEAT CYCLE.
Again, this is typically why I suggest most of us “over 40 types” train 3 days a week, for between 20 and 30 minutes.
Over the decades, I’ve found this is the “Sweet Spot” where we can get some effective work done, without burning out, so we can see and measure progress.
And if you have the time, desire, energy, and good recovery?
Train 4-5 days a week.
Training more frequently typically (but not always) allows for a wider variety of exercises throughout the week.
Here are some patterns you can use :
3-Day Week:
[1] A/B Split - Week 1: A-B-A, Week 2: B-A-B
[2] MHL - Moderate - Heavy - Light - or any other combination
4-Day Week:
[1] Light, Heavy, Light, Heavy
[2] Light, Mid-level, Heavy, Light.
5-Day Week:
[1] Light, Moderate , Heavy, Light, Moderate
[2] Light, Heavy, Medium , Light, Heavy
So again, at the end of the day, how many times you exercise a lift is ultimately up to you - your targets, circumstances, and desires .
Hope you found this useful .
Stay Resilient ,
Geoff Neupert.