Today I bought the bodybuilding template and I noticed that most muscle groups are hit quite infrequently in all three blocks. For example, the quads are only stimulated on day 1. Almost all of the information on muscular hypertrophy I’ve read has told me that we should aim for a frequency of at least 2x times per week, so I was curious as to what the motivation is for this lower frequency?
The quadriceps are definitely hit more than 1x/wk, as they are involved in nearly all lower extremity movements. In any case, frequency needs to be increased (for hypertrophy) when the volume gets very high, e.g. greater than 10-15 sets for a given muscle or muscle group. If the volume is less than that, frequency doesn’t make a difference. In any case, all the major muscle groups are hit multiple times per week in the template. Try it out 
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Hopefully Jonas doesn’t mind me butting in here; Jordan just for my own understanding can I ask, does the frequency need to be higher at higher volumes because the intensity of the high volume work will likely be low?
No, as there are many intensities that will generate strength and muscle CSA increases. Rather, there appears to be a “cap” on hypertrophy stimulation from a given session and if it’s maxed out, you need to spread it over more sessions.
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Is there any recommendation/rule of thumb as to how far these sessions need to be spaced apart at a minimum? If it is very nuanced (I think it is) for the scope of this post, I would happily go over any links that you could share.
It’s different from what I’m personally used to. But I’ve come to like the idea of focused days with a bit of stimulus for the non-focus.
Ah Ok, I think I understand. Let’s say a bro split has chest day something like BB bench, machine press, DB incline, pull overs, cable flies, etc 3-5x10. Is this so much volume that is potentially going over the hypertrophy cap and hence why conventional wisdom is to split this out throughout the week?
I’m not sure what you mean. Can you clarify?
I would probably split that up, yes.
When the volume needed is more than 10-15 sets, then it’s better to spread it over more sessions. How far apart do these sessions need to be spaced? On paper, you could probably have an AM/PM routine or even train the same muscle group after a couple of hours, although it sounds unproductive intrinsically.
I’m assuming that a lot of factors have to be considered here, but is there a minimum (eg. 48 hrs between sessions) you would begin to try with?
I don’t think so, as the window where MPS rates are elevated wanes to ~ 24 hours (maybe even shorter) in trained individuals. I don’t think I can confidently say one way or another in any sort of generalized fashion. If you’ve seen any of our templates, you know we train the same muscle groups on back-to-back days fairly frequently.
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So, I saw this recent study and thought about this post. It compares total body to split with equated set volume within a week. The split routine had a volume of 20 sets of quad movements all in 1 session. The total body routine had its 20 sets distributed over 3 days. The significant difference in Vastus lateralus muscle thickness favored the 20 set 1 session per week group. Just thought some folks here might want to check it out, if allowed. I understand if this isn’t the place for it.