How often should you train each muscle group?

Training frequency is how many times a week you train a muscle. It matters less than how many hard sets you do in total, but it shapes how those sets feel: spread over more days, each session is shorter and each set is done fresher.

The short answer: about twice a week

For most people, training each muscle twice a week works well. Research comparing frequencies with the same weekly sets finds twice a week tends to do a little better than once, and that going higher than two or three makes little extra difference for muscle growth. Strength may benefit from practising a lift more often, because it's partly a skill.

Frequency and sets go together

Think of it as weekly sets divided by days. If a muscle needs about 12 hard sets a week, that could be:

• Once a week: 12 sets in one session (the later sets do less).
• Twice a week: 6 sets per session (a good balance).
• Three times a week: 4 sets per session (short and fresh).

See how many sets per week to build muscle for the right weekly number for you.

How long muscles take to recover

After a hard session, a muscle usually needs about 48 to 72 hours before it's ready to be trained hard again, less after a few sets and more after a lot of sets or new exercises. That's why training the same muscle on back-to-back days rarely works. More in how long muscles take to recover.

Small muscles vs big lifts

• Arms, calves, side delts, abs: recover quickly and can be trained two or three times a week.
• Big lifts (squat, deadlift): tire the whole body, so twice a week is usually plenty, with one day heavier than the other.

• Back squatQuads, Glutes
• DeadliftHamstrings, Glutes, Lower back
• Dumbbell lateral raiseSide delts
• Standing calf raiseCalves

Liftsmith tracks recovery for every muscle from your own sets and shows it on a 3D map, so you can see when each one is ready rather than guessing from the calendar.