Frequency Project Norwegian Powerlifting

[styrkecoach]

hi guys.
the norwegian powerlifting team had done a research about how often you should train.
they took a group (27 licenced lifters) and divided them into two.

one group trained 3 times in a week

the other group 6 times in a week.

the volume of their training was equal.

when they first started training, the 3 times/week group was an average of 2.5lb stronger in squat than the group that trained 6 times/week.

After 3 months:

the group that trained 6 time/week was now an average of 22lb stronger in the squat than the other group !!!!!

all of the lifters was monitored and helped with their training during the experiment.

it is hoped that an articel and data from the experiment will be published this year in a international paper.

and for all of you that can read norwegian (if any), here is the link to the articel written by the norwegian powerlifting orginization:
Resultater fra Frekvensprosjektet

[BendtheBar]

Great post. It seems that over time as the body adapts to volume training strength gains exponentially increase.

Do you know if these were all drug free trainees?

This also, in a sense, supports a more fullbody approach since the weekly volume is the same but the frequency is increased. Not sure of the carryover for bodybuilding, but along with strength gains you would expect mass gains....

[big_swede]

Good reading man, thats interessting!

[styrkecoach]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Great post. It seems that over time as the body adapts to volume training strength gains exponentially increase.

Do you know if these were all drug free trainees?

This also, in a sense, supports a more fullbody approach since the weekly volume is the same but the frequency is increased. Not sure of the carryover for bodybuilding, but along with strength gains you would expect mass gains....

yeah i know, hoping to join on the next experiment next year, and il think they will be publishing the workout template.

i can not wouch for that every one of them was drug free, BUT this was competitive lifters, not your average gym rat, these guys are tested randomally at competitions over the years and i do not think they would allow anybody under drug suspicion in the experiment.

and as a competitive lifter myself i know that the Norwegian Powerlifting community its pretty nazi when it comes to drug use, know about people that have been denied competitions because of suspicion of drug use in earlyer years, without it ever being proven.

So i firmly belive that thes lifters are/is/was drug free.

[styrkecoach]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

This also, in a sense, supports a more fullbody approach since the weekly volume is the same but the frequency is increased. Not sure of the carryover for bodybuilding, but along with strength gains you would expect mass gains....

yeah, you cant go wrong with strength, havent ever seen a guy benching 400lb RAW and not have beastly pecs/shoulders/tri.

strength is size

[BendtheBar]

There are so few studies performed using seasoned lifters. I love to see things like this.

[styrkecoach]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

There are so few studies performed using seasoned lifters. I love to see things like this.

remember i read an articel years back that the monitored the recovery rate of untrained people in a 8 week periode in the leg extension,somehow this has become every professor favorite exercise as it goes on and on in every experiment you read about.

anyhooow...the first week the recovery rate was 72hours, but after 8 weeks it was 28 hours.

but then again you have mark ripptoe talking about comprehensiv recovery and that elite lifter never "fully" recover because of the extreme workload they are putting on there bodies.
and that they would propably need weeks instead of days to FULLY recover.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by styrkecoach

remember i read an articel years back that the monitored the recovery rate of untrained people in a 8 week periode in the leg extension,somehow this has become every professor favorite exercise as it goes on and on in every experiment you read about.

Yes, that's very true. I was thinking the same thing. Most studies are on untrained individuals and leg extensions are somehow involved.

Originally Posted by styrkecoach

anyhooow...the first week the recovery rate was 72hours, but after 8 weeks it was 28 hours.

but then again you have mark ripptoe talking about comprehensiv recovery and that elite lifter never "fully" recover because of the extreme workload they are putting on there bodies.
and that they would propably need weeks instead of days to FULLY recover.

I think I have been tasting this a bit this year, especially after I hit about a 1400 total. I'm far from an Elite lifter, but the big lifts really start to beat you down when th weight gets to a certain point.

[styrkecoach]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I think I have been tasting this a bit this year, especially after I hit about a 1400 total. I'm far from an Elite lifter, but the big lifts really start to beat you down when th weight gets to a certain point.

a norwegian powerlifter and drinking buddy of mine,
with a bodyweeight of 230lb, was going for a PR at a meet, he was going to benchpress 540lb (not raw).

the last two months before the meet he was training at really low intensity, about 50%-70% 1RM most of the time, just to let his body fully recover for the PR atempt.

He managed to benchpress 540lb and broke the norwegian record in the -240lb weight class younger veteran.

the record was broken by 2.2lb this year :P

[BendtheBar]

When you mentioned volume, do you know if that was total weekly volume, or the same volume per workout?