In this new series of Q & A’s, we tap into the knowledge base of some of the most respected and knowledgeable heads in the industry, starting with Project AD IFBB Pro bodybuilder Dominick Cardone.
1) Is it best to vary rep ranges when training solely for hypertrophy/muscle gain, or is there a sweet spot bodybuilders should generally stick to?
I prefer to vary them based on my current training cycle.
For example: If I am in a volume-based phase it may be 12-20 depending on the movement and goal.
You don’t want to stick with the same range ALL the time per say because body will adapt.
The human body is so amazing that it can pick up on patterns overtime and truly adapt. This is why I cycle my training phases with my clients.
2) What is the optimal training frequency for muscle growth?
Again, nothing is set in stone.
Depending on your bodies ability to recover, the goal and the body part we can’t give a clear number on this.
This too I like to cycle if need be. For the most part I like keeping everything 1x per week, mainly if training with a progressive overload type of training. With this type of stimulus the CNS system is under great stress and so are the joints.
I also believe in most cases less is more.
Hit it hard, heavy and to failure and get out – let the body heal for the rest of the week.
Let’s not forget to all body parts are sometimes used as a secondary muscle group at some point.
So it’s really important to pay attention to recovery factors. If a body part needs to be brought up, then you can train it a second time during the week, or possibly more.
3) Training twice per day: are there any circumstances where you would advise this for muscle growth if somebody has the time?
Very far and few cases will I recommend this.
If we refer back to question 2, recovery must be paid attention to. Training 2x per day can be done if not going to complete failure, recovery and supplementation is locked in and it can be used as a way to boost metabolism towards end of prep if pulling back on cardio.
However, I personally don’t like training with weights 2 x a day.
IFBB Pro Dominick Cardone
– Contest Prep Coach
– Project AD Athlete
– 2014 NPC Nationals HW Champion
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