Frequency

The goals of your strengthening program determine the frequency of training. If you aim to improve your strength, traditional guidelines recommend three days per week, but newer guidelines suggest two days per week of resistance training. Two days yield satisfactory improvements in strength; you can realize greater strength gains with more days per week, but the added benefits are minimal. Even one day of strength training will improve your strength, although I recommend at least two days a week. Schedule a day of rest in between workouts to achieve optimal results. Competitive lifters and body builders train more frequently, but they alternate between lower body and upper body each day.

If you are starting a program for pain reduction or for rehabilitation (high reps, low resistance), do it five days per week. Therapeutic programs for such goals often call for patients to perform the activity two to three times per day; resistance is minimal, and the idea is to overload the muscle through frequency. A modified exercise-dosing scheme recommends that a person complete over 45 repetitions per set--doing 6 to 12 sets spread throughout the day--when the purpose is to reduce swelling and pain (Holten 1993). As pain or swelling subsides, the resistance goes up and the number of repetitions goes down; the frequency decreases to once per day.

Immediately after my father s knee surgery, he started on a simple program that included two strengthening exercises for his legs. He had to do these at least three times a day, working up to 30 repetitions per session. Once the surgical site healed, he added resistance in the form of rubber tubing to one of the exercises and performed it only once per day, with fewer repetitions. Eventually he progressed the other exercise (leg lifts) by adding cuff weights to his ankle and reducing both repetitions and daily frequency. When he finally started a program at the gym, he did this heavier training only two times per week, although he was encouraged to continue leg lifts at home on the other days.

Once you build up a moderate to high resistance, remember to include a day of rest between training sessions. You can still do some exercises daily, however, because the resistance usually stays at a mild to moderate level. These activities include low back stabilization exercises and some of the body weight activities that emphasize muscular endurance. See table 4.1 for guidelines.

Table 4.1 Resistance-Training Continuum Based on Training Goals