How often should you squat/bench/deadlift?
The answer…it depends!
There isn’t any secret or perfect amount of frequency that is going to fit everyone.
However here are a few things to consider when looking at frequency of movements:
How often are you currently performing the movement ?
Are you making progress?
If yes, milk it for what’s it worth, always think MINIMUM EFFECTIVE DOSE.
This leaves you with tools in the box to use further down the line.
For example If you are currently only squatting x1 per week and finding things have slowed up, try squatting x2 per week.
This doesn’t have to be the same variation. Day 1 Back Squats.
Day 2 Paused Squats.
There are numerous choices! What ever you pick, stick with it, give it time and adjust accordingly.
If you do decide to introduce a movement for a higher frequency than you have have been doing here are a few tips:
1 – Vary the loads/rep ranges (think heavy/moderate/light loads). Here are a few ideas to help you understand what It could look like:
Day 1 – 3×5 @ 75%
Day 2 – 4×8 @ 65%
Or
Day 1 – 3×5 @ RPE 8
Day 2 – 3×8 @ RPE 7
Day 3 – 4×3 @ RPE 8.5
2 – Consider similar exercise variations to avoid overuse and for a different training stimulus.
Squats/Pauses/Front Squats/Speciality Bars/Box Squat/Bands&Chains etc… all a similar movement pattern, but different.
The same goes for the other lifts.
3- Deadlifts are the most demanding out of the big 3, personally I find 1-2 days works well. I would never go beyond this.
4- Bench/variations can be performed with the most frequency. I think this because it’s less taxing on the body compared with the squat & deadlift due to the lower loads and less volume of muscle being used. There are many variations you can rotate with this. 1-4 times per week. If you do go with high frequency on the bench , take care of your shoulders.
5 – Squatting 2-3 times per week works well. This is a lift i find really responds well to frequency. If you are a competitive powerlifter, save performing your competition squat 2-3 times per week until you are closer to competition. Outside of this competition window or for the recreational trainee, make use of different variations of squats to help target areas of your squat that need improvement.
When choosing the frequency of an exercise you need to consider how all of these blend together along with the intensity and overall training volume.
Think of your training like a glass of water or whatever you find tastes good in a glass.
There is only so much we can put into the glass until it spills. If you go from doing each exercise once per week to suddenly trying to squat 3 times per week, bench 4 times week, deadlift 2 times per week without much previous training you could be using up all your weapons too soon, not to mention you run the risk of burning your self out.
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