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Why Once Per Week is Not Optimal
Is training a muscle once per week enough?
You can make progress training a muscle once per week, but it is usually not the most effective setup for growth. After training, muscle protein synthesis rises and then falls back toward baseline within about 48 hours. Long gaps between sessions mean fewer productive growth signals across the week.
Key Takeaway
Training a muscle once per week is generally suboptimal for hypertrophy.
Actionable Tip
If growth is the goal, avoid letting major muscles go untouched for a full week.
Scientific Reference
Schoenfeld et al. 2016frequency