The world of bodybuilding is full of extremes, for a lot of guys it is
either all or none… there is no middle ground. In the previous 2 "short-cuts" we discussed the negative impacts of training too often and with too much volume. Now when some bodybuilders here about this, they make a complete U-turn and go the opposite direction and
drastically cut back on their workouts figuring that
"less is more".
If you have been around the iron game for a while you may remember Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty Workouts. The High Intensity / Low Volume Workout programs were one of the biggest influences of the
"less is more" idea. The overall the principles of these workouts were really good because most of them implemented a solid plan of action, used progressive overload, and strictly focused on monitoring your progress, etc.
But one major flaw of the Heavy Duty Training System was that if you weren't making progress with your workouts it was automatically assumed that you were
"overtraining", and to correct this your workout volume was cut back. Sometimes going to the point of working out once a week or less.
Is there a better way?
When it comes to building muscle there are A LOT of different variables that come into play. And "Under Training" (meaning you are simply not working out enough) can slow your progress just as much, if not more, than "Over Training".
Unfortunately, there are no set in stone rules that work for everyone, but a
general guideline of working out 4-5 times per week and training each
body part once or twice per week is a good place to start. As you get more
training experience and try different workout programs you be able to find out exactly what your body responds the
best to and customize your workouts to fit your specific needs.
