Protein synthesis, especially when it comes to building muscle, is very important for enthusiasts. Why? Because protein synthesis clearly tells us how often we should train if we want to build muscle at an optimal rate.

Studies have shown that protein synthesis is usually active for no more than 48 hours when training a body part, and in most cases can grow for a few hours, after which it returns to baseline levels.

What does this mean from a practical point of view? Individual muscles "grow" during exercise during the window of protein synthesis, so if you want to split train, you need two days to repair and relax 5 days a week, although this will build muscle, it does not necessarily lead to optimal muscle growth.

The idea that the more sore you are, the more you grow, is false, as muscle will grow without significant muscle soreness.

The study looked at two different experimental groups: one with electrically stimulated muscles and a second with contracted muscles. The people in both groups had the same values for delayed muscle soreness, which suggests that muscle soreness is caused by inflammation of the extracellular mechanism, which is the connective tissue that connects muscle fibres.

Delayed muscle soreness is not the only indicator of muscle tissue damage re-over recovery, but rather pain caused by inflammation of the connective tissue, therefore, training with chronic soreness is problematic. In order to build muscle, it makes sense to have more muscle protein synthesis and to ensure that the level of muscle protein breakdown is exceeded, maintaining as high a level of muscle protein synthesis as possible.

Protein synthesis and optimal training frequency

Having delayed muscle soreness is not necessarily a sign of muscle protein synthesis, even if you experience 8 days of dizziness and muscle soreness after a deep squat, protein synthesis in the quadriceps only lasts 48 hours.

Rather than training every day with endless volume, it is better to train less frequently each week, with less volume per session, by targeting specific muscle groups, which will allow for greater protein synthesis and greater gains. Therefore, it is better to train the whole body or to split the upper and lower body.

How can I get the best out of regular split training?

A lot of guys get quality muscle gains from split training, but our point here is not to tell you that split training is effective, it is. But the question is: are these benefits optimal? Generally not. If each muscle group has a maximum of 48 hours of protein synthesis per week, it can still continue to be optimised,.

Gaining muscle and weight tends to halve the gains each year, learn to accept it, and the situation will be different again if a person starts out underweight or does not experience effective gains in the first few years of training.

How often should I train?

If you want to build as much muscle as possible, consider trying to do a full body workout, 3 times a week, targeting each muscle group, which will maintain a high level of protein synthesis for optimal levels.

For intermediates, when strength has reached a certain level, it would be better to perform split training between upper and lower body. Carrying too much weight can cause damage to joints and connective tissues and it is useful to take a few extra days off each week.

Don't be in a hurry to use too much weight for full body training, the frequency of training makes a difference, the point of full body training is not to burn a lot each day, but to train every part of the body with the right amount of training and more frequently.

Many of you may not be able to complete a full body workout because your previous method of training was too heavy. In the beginning, the intensity does not have to be too high. If necessary, you can increase the training volume by increasing the number of training sessions, for large muscle groups, 3-5 sets per day per movement is recommended, and for small muscle groups 6-9 sets per week per movement.

Some of you may not be too keen on full body training, or split training, but you've tried conditioning like this and the results may be better!