Lifting 5 vs 6 Days a Week (Including GPP Days)

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello,

I was wondering if there is a significant difference between working out 5 days versus 6 days a week, or if it is mostly a matter of personal preference. For instance, for a more experienced lifter, Hypertrophy 2 might be more beneficial since it’s 6 days, but the additional day makes the weekly workout less enjoyable. In the long run, does it not really matter if the goal is general strength/hypertrophy and one is working out 5 days versus 6 days a week? Is it more about consistency in the program itself?

Thanks,

2

To be clear, we should be active on most days whether it’s formalized exercise (lifting, conditioning, etc.), competitive sport, or recreational activities. Regarding training frequency, all of our templates designated “1” are 3-days per week lifting and all of our templates designated “2” or higher are 4-days per week lifting. None of our templates are 5 or 6-days per week of lifting. Conditioning can be done on lifting days, though some folks may prefer splitting up their conditioning work onto off days. In any case, I would advise being active on most days.

Regarding “working out” 5x/wk vs 6x/wk, that frequency difference doesn’t really matter, all else being equal, e.g. volume, average intensity, proximity to failure, etc. Consistency will always be important. Most people will not need to lift more than 2-3x/wk for health-related reasons, but for getting as strong/muscular as possible, I think most folks would benefit from lifting 3-4x/wk.

-Jordan

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3

Would GPP be considered an “activity” or “conditioning” day in this case? A number of the 3 day “1” templates include 2x conditioning/GPP days.

4

In your opinion, what is the difference between an activity and a conditioning day?

Yes, I’ve written all but 1 of our templates :slight_smile:

5

Meant it more as an open ended question rather than a binary either/or. Suppose I could have worded it better. I assume given the aforementioned that GPP work (arms/back/abs) isn’t considered lifting then, is that correct? Is that mostly due to the relatively non-“systemically fatiguing” nature of some basic GPP work?

6

There was no question mark in your comment, so I wasn’t really sure what you were saying.

GPP could be lifting for folks competing in non-barbell sports.

GPP can also be very fatiguing with heavy sprints or long duration pieces.

GPP stands for general physical preparedness and is contrasted against SPP, special physical preparedness. SPP is more sports- or task-specific, whereas GPP is less focused.

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