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Zuletzt aktualisiert am 21.09.2025
2, 3 or maybe better 5 times a week at the gym? One thing is clear: we all want muscles, and preferably sooner rather than later. But how often do you need to train for muscle growth? Should you lift weights every day, and is one rest day enough? In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know!
Your takeaway: How often should you train for muscle growth?
Each muscle group should be trained 2-3 times per week to build muscle.
Beginners should do full-body workouts 2-3 times a week, while advanced and experienced athletes split their training into splits to target specific muscle groups.
Training too often is not better—it can lead to injuries and overtraining instead of more muscle.
Recovery time after training is just as important as the workout itself—this is when muscle growth happens.
With muscle soreness, you should always pause until the symptoms are gone.
How often to train for muscle growth | The facts
Clear question, clear answer: to make your muscles grow, you should train regularly 2-3 times a week.
One workout per week is usually too little to build new muscle and is more for maintenance—though for complete beginners, even once per week can lead to gains.
Training more often (4-7 times per week) doesn’t give your muscles enough recovery time and your body isn’t ready for new stimuli, making training less effective. Note: elite athletes are the exception, as their bodies are adapted to such loads.
And how often should women train for muscle growth? Exactly the same applies!
2-3 gym sessions per week is perfect for most people. For the cautious: whether you train two or three times seems to make little difference. Studies show only minor differences. Just find what fits your lifestyle and schedule.
Beginners
If you’re just starting out, relax and begin with full-body workouts. Forget everything you’ve read about splits and muscle groups for now—your focus should be on getting used to training and building your first muscles. Once that’s going well, you can move on to more targeted workouts, like focusing on legs or back.
So how often should beginners train for muscle growth?
You should go to the gym 2-3 times per week for full-body workouts. It may be a bit inconsistent at first since beginners often get sore muscles—and you should never train with soreness. If that happens, no stress—just wait until it’s gone and then train again. If that means only once a week at the start, that’s fine too! It will still move you forward.
How often should advanced lifters train for muscle growth?
Advanced
You’ve got into the routine, train regularly, and see progress? Then you can move to splits. That means you no longer train your entire body in one session but divide muscle groups and focus on 1-2 groups per workout. This way, you can train muscles more intensively and build targeted mass.
A common split is upper body vs. lower body. But if you want to build arm muscles, you can dedicate one session just to arms and another to the rest of the body.
Each muscle group should, as you know, be trained 2-3 times a week. That means with a 2-split (e.g., upper/lower body) you’d train about 4-6 times a week.
Important: don’t forget recovery phases! Don’t do upper body Monday and Tuesday and lower body Wednesday and Thursday. Space them out so your muscles get time to recover and grow.
Example: Training frequency in a 2-split
Monday: Upper body
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Lower body
Thursday: Upper body
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Lower body
Sunday: Rest
See how we still train on two consecutive days? That’s possible now because we train different muscle groups. While some muscles rest, others are working.
Pros
Been at it a long time and have precise goals? Then you’re a pro. Split your workouts into multiple splits:
3-split: Push, Pull, Legs
4-split: Back, Chest, Legs, Arms
5-split: Chest, Legs, Back, Shoulders, Arms
Each muscle group should still be trained 2-3 times per week, with 2 being enough for most pros. You can train more intensively and effectively now. And your muscles appreciate longer recovery.
So, how often should pros train? A 4-split would add up to 8-12 sessions—but the week only has 7 days. That means you’ll need to combine body parts. For example, train arms and legs together one day, and the rest on another. Repeat once or twice to hit 2-3 sessions per group, and you’ll get 4-6 sessions per week. Much more manageable.
Example: Back training frequency
How often should you train your back for growth? Train back muscles 2-3 times a week—whether in full-body workouts or focused sessions.
Did you know back training can also help with tension and stiffness from too much sitting? But if you have acute pain, please consult a professional—wrong training could do harm.
Curious about how often to train your glutes? Check out this article: 5 exercises for your glute training.
Muscle building training | Top tips
Now you know “How often should you train for muscle growth?”—but frequency isn’t the only factor. Here are our Top 6 tips for building muscle fast and effectively:
Train consistently and effectively: Stick with it, even on tough days, and follow your plan—even when you don’t feel like it.
Take breaks: Recovery is just as important as training.
%-split_content-%Progress gradually: Don’t push too hard too fast—you risk injury. But don’t get too comfortable either, or you’ll stall. Adjust regularly.
Structure your workouts well: Include warm-ups and cool-downs. Use weights you can handle with good form. It should be challenging, but not painful.
Mix up your training: Your body adapts quickly to routine. Add new exercises or variations to keep progress going.
Healthy diet: Focus on protein-rich foods and a calorie surplus.
Many think soreness means more muscle growth. Wrong! Soreness doesn’t help growth.
Read more here: Training with sore muscles? & What helps against soreness?
Recovery – an essential part of training
How does muscle growth work and why is rest so important? Why not train daily? Let’s start with muscle growth: during training, muscle protein synthesis is activated. This is when your body builds new muscle. After training, this process is boosted for up to 48 hours. That’s when growth happens—not during the workout, but in recovery.
Once those 48 hours are up, synthesis drops back to normal. You then need a new training stimulus to start again. That’s how you grow effectively.
Back to our question: Can’t we just train more often so synthesis never drops? No—muscles also need time to recover. Remember, training stresses your body. Recovery takes about 48 hours too. If you train too soon, you’ll likely be less effective, feel sore, and risk injury. More training doesn’t always mean more growth. Treat recovery as part of training. (Personally, I take recovery VERY seriously ;).)
Tips for effective recovery:
Protein-rich nutrition
%-product_content-%Avoid alcohol, nicotine & co.
Wellness: sauna, warm showers, stretching
Now you see why training frequency in the muscle-building phase is so important, right?
How long does muscle growth take?
How long until you really see results? If you train regularly and take care of nutrition, sleep, etc., you’ll often notice a difference within weeks. You’ll feel fitter, workouts will get easier, and maybe you’ll even see changes in the mirror. It’s highly individual. After a few months, noticeable changes will show—even to others. Stick with it, even if training feels like torture at first.
A training plan for muscle growth can help you track progress, goals, and PRs. It keeps you on course and boosts motivation when you see how far you’ve come.
Sounds complicated? Check out our training guide, which also summarizes frequency, exercises, and more.
Conclusion
So how often should you train for muscle growth? In short, each muscle group 2-3 times a week. Factors like age, fitness level, and training methods can influence your ideal frequency.
Now, off to the gym! You’re ready for your hypertrophy training!
Literatur & Quellen
Fröhlich, M. & Schmidtbleicher, D. (2008). Trainingshäufigkeit im Krafttraining – Ein metaanalytischer Zugang. In: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin, 59(2).
Samuel Mettler. (2022). Die wichtigsten Faktoren für den Muskelaufbau und Muskelabbau. In: Schweizer Zeitschrift für Ernährungsmedizin, 24(4).
Wirth, K.; Atzor K.R. & Schmidtbleicher, D. (2007). Trainingshäufigkeit beim Hypertrophietraining. In: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin, 58(6).
Got questions? Send me a mail—I’d love to hear from you! :)
The information shared in this article does not replace individual medical or nutrition counseling.
