Once Per Week Training for Muscle Mass

According to most bodybuilding information, you should work your muscles twice a week using a variety of exercises. This means you’ll need to adopt a split routine, training as many as six times per week, depending on your chosen program.

And while such an approach undoubtedly works, it may be too time-consuming for some people.

Working long hours, a hectic family life, and other commitments may mean that daily workouts and even finding the time to hit the gym 2-3 times per week is impossible.

The good news is that even one workout per week can help you build muscle and get stronger (1 & 2). While not the ideal way to work out for muscle mass, it’s better than nothing, and a little progress is always preferable than no progress at all.

So, don’t let a lack of time stop you from working out. Instead, drag your butt into the gym once a week to build muscle and get stronger.

Once-a-Week Training Guidelines

For once-a-week training to be effective, there are a few guidelines you need to follow. This will make the most of your limited gym time. Put these guidelines into practice to ensure your workout hits the target and you don’t miss your one weekly opportunity to make gains.

Full-body workouts

If you only have time for one workout per week, you’ll need to adopt a full-body approach to training. This means working all your major muscles in a single session. Some lifters believe that full-body workouts are only suitable for beginners, but that’s not true. In fact, up until the middle of the 20^th century, most bodybuilders and weightlifters only did 2-3 workouts per week.

Full-body workouts can be long and grueling, but that’s the price you have to pay if you only have time for a single weekly gym session.

Focus on compound lifts

Compound exercises involve multiple joints and numerous muscles working together. As such, they’re time-efficient and often better for building mass and strength than isolation exercises. While you can still include isolation exercises in your workouts, they should be used sparingly. Most of your time and energy should be spent on compound lifts.

The biggest bang-for-your-buck compound exercises include:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench presses
• Bent-over rows
• Pull-ups
• Overhead presses

Train to within a couple of reps of failure

Training once per week means your muscles won’t receive a great deal of hypertrophy stimulus.

As such, you’ll need to make every set count, and that means pushing your muscles to within a couple of reps of failure. This will produce the muscle tension and metabolic stress required to stimulate muscle growth.

Apart from your warm-up sets, your workout must be intense, and you should only stop doing reps when your form starts to deteriorate.

Be prepared for a lengthy workout

While training intensity is vital for building muscle mass, you also need a reasonable amount of volume to make a muscle grow. For example, most bodybuilding workouts contain ten or more sets per muscle group per week, which is considered optimal for hypertrophy.

While you won’t be able to achieve the same volume in a single workout, you still need to do enough sets to trigger muscle growth. This will entail training for longer than the usual hour per workout, with 90-120 minutes being pretty typical.

Expect to be sore

Because of something called the repeated bout effect, muscle soreness tends to be less severe when you train more often. Hitting the gym once per week means your body will experience an infrequent but intense shock, which is sure to trigger significant post-workout muscle soreness.

However, training once per week means every workout will be similarly shocking, and your muscles won’t have much opportunity to get used to your training.

So, expect to be sore during the days following your workout. Then, just as that soreness dissipates, it’ll be time to train again and you’ll get sore all over again.

Don’t eat for a more frequent workout plan

Most muscle-building diets are designed for people who work out several times a week. They contain a surplus of calories and nutrients to fuel multiple workouts and muscle-building processes.

Training once per week has a much lower energy cost than training more often, and your diet needs to reflect this.

So, monitor your weight and your nutrition intake, and make adjustments if you are gaining more fat than muscle. Once-a-week training is not the time to try a full-blown bulking diet! Eat like someone who trains more often and you’ll soon start to get fat.

Once-a-Week Workout for Mass and Strength

You now have all the information you need to write your own once-a-week workout for mass and strength. But, to save you time and effort, we’ve written one for you. It adheres to the guidelines outlined above and will get you started with once-a-week training.

But before you lay even a pinkie on a dumbbell or barbell, make sure you spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body for what you’re about to do. Begin with a few minutes of easy cardio to raise your core temperature, followed by some dynamic flexibility and mobility exercises to get your muscles and joints moving.

Warmed up and ready? Then let’s get to work!

#	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
1	Deficit deadlifts	4	6-8	2 minutes
2	Bench press	4	6-8	2 minutes
3	Pull-ups	4	6-8	2 minutes
4	Front squat	3	10-12	90 seconds
5a	Barbell biceps curl	3	12-15	60 seconds
5b	Barbell skull crusher
6a	Lateral raise	3	12-15	60 seconds
6b	Standing calf raise

Exercises 5a and 5b and 6a and 6b are to be performed as supersets. Do the first paired exercise, designated a), and then immediately do the second exercise, designated b). Rest for the prescribed time, and then repeat the pairing two more times.

Exercise Descriptions

There are two ways to do any exercise; the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective and keeps the tension on the target muscles. The wrong way is usually less effective and has a greater risk of injury. So, make sure you do the exercises in your workout the right way.

1. Deficit deadlifts

Muscles worked: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, core, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, forearms.

Very few exercises work more muscle mass than deadlifts. In fact, if you only did deadlifts, you could probably build a half-decent physique. That said, deadlifting while standing on a raised platform makes them even better for building muscle as it increases your range of motion and, therefore, the difficulty of the exercise. So if your butt and legs are sore tomorrow, this exercise is the reason why!

Steps:

1. Place your barbell on the floor and put a bumper plate flat on the ground in the center. Stand on the bumper plate with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Squat down and grab the bar with an overhand or mixed grip.
3. Straighten your arms, lift your chest, brace your core, and drops your hips.
4. Drive your feet downward and stand up. Keep the bar close to your legs. Do not bend your arms or round lower back.
5. Pause at the top of the rep and then return the weight to the floor.
6. Reset your grip and core, and repeat.

Tips:

• Use gym chalk or lifting straps to reinforce your grip.
• If your lower back rounds during this exercise, you should stand on the floor instead of a bumper plate.
• You can also do deficit deadlifts with a trap bar.

2. Bench press

Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

The bench press is the king of upper body exercises. This move has the potential to build a huge chest, strong shoulders, and muscular triceps. Because you’ll be lifting heavy weights and training close to failure, make sure you do your bench presses with a spotter nearby or in a power rack. Bench-pressing accidents are common and often serious.

Steps:

1. Lie on the bench press station with your eyes directly beneath the bar. Reach up and grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Press your upper back into the bench, pull your shoulders down and back, brace your abs, lift your chest, arch your lower back slightly, and drive your feet into the floor.
2. Unrack the bar and hold it over your chest.
3. Bend your elbows and lower the bar to the highest part of your chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides as you descend.
4. Touch the bar lightly on your chest (no bouncing), and then drive it back up.
5. Repeat for the designated number of reps.

Tips:

• Use dumbbells if you prefer.
• Switch to the incline bench press if you want to work your upper chest more.
• Experiment with your bench press grip width to find out what works best for you.

3. Pull-ups

Muscles worked: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius.

The pull-up does for your back what the bench press can do for your chest – it’s an excellent muscle-builder. Once you can do four sets of 10-12 pull-ups, you should have arms and a back you can be truly proud of. Don’t make like a CrossFitter and swing your chin up and over the bar. Instead, more slowly and deliberately to maximize muscle recruitment.

Steps:

1. Hold an overhead bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Hang with your arms straight and feet off the floor. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core. Lift your chest up toward the bar.
2. Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar.
3. Extend your arms and descend under control.
4. That’s one – keep going!

Tips:

• Do underhand chin-ups if preferred.
• Make this exercise harder by wearing a weighted vest or using a chin/dip belt.
• Make this exercise easier by looping a resistance band over your bar and using it for assistance.

4. Front squat

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings. 

All squats are good squats, but the front squat is particularly useful for targeting the quadriceps, which are the muscles on the fronts of your thighs. Front squats are also more lower back-friendly than back squats, as they’re done with a more upright torso. Do front squats in a power rack for safety.

Steps:

1. Rack and hold a barbell across the front of your shoulders. Stand with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart. Brace your core, lift your chest, and hold your upper arms parallel to the floor.
2. Bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Go deeper if you wish, and if your mobility and knee health permit. Do not round your lower back.
3. Stand back up and repeat.

Tips:

• Raise your heels on blocks or weight plates to increase squat depth.
• Wear a weightlifting belt for support if required.
• You can also do squats with your arms crossed rather than your hands holding the bar:

5a. Barbell biceps curl

Muscles worked: Biceps, forearms.

Exercises don’t come much more old-school than the basic barbell biceps curl. This exercise is guaranteed to beef up your arms and give you a stronger grip. Keep your torso upright, and don’t use your back to swing the weight up, although a little body English is okay for the last 1-2 reps of your final set.

Steps:

1. Hold your barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip. Stand tall with your knees slightly bent, core braced, shoulders down and back, and upper arms close to your sides.
2. Bend your elbows and curl the weight up to your shoulders.
3. Lower the bar and repeat.

Tips:

• Use an EZ bar instead of a barbell if you prefer.
• Experiment with the width of your hands to see which works best for you.
• You can also do dumbbell curls if you wish.
• This exercise is to be performed as a superset with skull crushers.

5b. Barbell skull crusher

Muscles worked: Triceps.

Skull crushers are so-called because if you lower the bar too fast, that’s exactly what may happen! Avoid this by always lowering the bar with control and stopping just before it touches your head. Slightly gruesome names aside, this is an excellent triceps-building exercise.

Steps:

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip and lie on a flat exercise bench. Press the weight up, so your arms are straight and vertical.
2. Bend your elbows and lower the bar down toward your forehead, stopping just before it touches. Your upper arms should remain stationary.
3. Extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

• You can also do this exercise with an EZ bar or dumbbells.
• Use the same weight/bar you used for biceps curls.
• This exercise is to be performed as a superset with biceps curls.

6a. Lateral raise

Muscles worked: Deltoids.

Lateral raises target your medial or side deltoids, which are responsible for giving your shoulders their width. While this IS an isolation exercise, it’s also the best way to target this all-important muscle. Your anterior (front) and posterior (rear) deltoids are trained indirectly during the rest of your workout. Still, the medial head doesn’t get much attention. That’s why it gets an exercise all to itself.

Steps:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your arms by your sides, palms facing inward. Bend your elbows slightly.
2. Raise your arms up and out to the sides until the dumbbells are level with your shoulders.
3. Lower your arms and repeat.

Tips:

• You can also do this exercise on a cable machine if you wish.
• Perform this exercise seated if you cannot avoid swinging the weights up.
• Keep your shoulders back and down to maximize medial deltoid engagement.
• This exercise is to be performed as a superset with calf raises.

6b. Standing calf raise

Muscles worked: Gastrocnemius, soleus.

It should be no surprise to learn that standing calf raises work your calves! Of the two types of calf raise machine – seated and standing – the standing variation is best for building bigger lower legs. Use a full range of motion and pause at the bottom and top of each rep to make the most of this exercise.

Steps:

1. Place your shoulders under the pads and place the balls of your feet on the footrests. Brace your core.
2. Stand up, so your knees, hips, and body are straight.
3. Lower your heels down below the level of your toes and get a stretch in your calves.
4. Next, drive up onto your tip toes and pause for 1-2 seconds.
5. Lower your heels and repeat.

Tips:

• No calf raise machine? You can do single-leg calf raises with a dumbbell instead.
• Keep your core tightly braced throughout.
• This exercise is to be performed as a superset with lateral raises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a question about once-a-week training for muscle mass? Look no further because we’ve got the answers!

1. Will training once a week really build muscle?

Providing you train hard and consistently, one workout per week can build muscle. That’s not to say it’s optimal; you won’t build as much muscle or build it as quickly compared to more frequent workouts. However, it is better than no workouts at all.

And remember, your training split is not the primary driver of progress. Instead, it’s your training intensity and consistency.

2. Can I make changes to the program?

By all means, change the exercises if there are any you cannot do. However, you should choose similar exercises to preserve the spirit of the program. For example, you could do back squats instead of front squats or dumbbell bench presses instead of barbell bench presses, as these exercises are closely related.

However, doing leg extensions instead of squats or dumbbell flyes instead of bench presses would be much less effective.

3. What weights should I use?

Unfortunately, this is the one question we cannot answer. After all, we have no way of knowing how strong you are. So, pick a weight that takes you close to failure within the prescribed repetition ranges.

If the workout says to do 6-8 reps, but you can only do five, it’s too heavy. But if you can do 10, it’s too light. Adjust the load to keep you within the specified repetition range.

However, this will take some trial and error, so don’t worry if it takes you a week or two to get your weights dialed in.

4. How do I progress from one week to the next?

Your workouts must be progressive if you want to keep gaining muscle. That means, each week, you must try to train a little harder. You can do this by increasing your weights or doing more reps. You can also combine these methods in what is often called double progression.

For example:

• Week 1 – 4 x 8 (32 totals reps)
• Week 2 – 1 x 9, 3 x 8 (33 total reps)
• Week 3 – 2 x 9, 2 x 8 (34 total reps)
• Week 4 – 3 x 9, 1 x 8 (35 total reps)
• Week 5 – 4 x 9 (36 totals reps)
• Week 6 – 1 x 10, 3 x 9 (37 total reps)
• … and so on until you reach 4 x 10. Then increase the weight by 5-10 pounds and repeat.

5. Can I do extra workouts for better results?

Training once per week is the absolute minimum you can do and expect to see progress. If you can find an additional 30-60 minutes, you have enough time to do an abbreviated workout that will enhance your progress.

For example, you could do a bodyweight circuit of push-ups, pull-ups, and walking lunges to hit all your major muscles once more per week. Or, you could try some single-set HIT-style training, as favored by bodybuilders Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates. Ultimately, any additional training will lead to more progress.

You can read more about short, time-efficient workouts in this article.

Closing Thoughts

Lack of time is one of the greatest barriers to regular exercise. Life has an annoying habit of derailing even the best workout intentions. But just because you can’t hit the gym five times a week doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle. In fact, even one workout a week can help you inch ever closer to your goal of being muscular and strong.

New fathers, busy professionals, and doting husbands can all take heart – getting in the gym just once a week can be enough to ward off the dreaded dad bod. No, it won’t help you become the next Mr. Olympia, but one workout per week is better than none.

References:

1. Taaffe DR, Duret C, Wheeler S, Marcus R. Once-weekly resistance exercise improves muscle strength and neuromuscular performance in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999 Oct;47(10):1208-14. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1999.tb05201.x. PMID: 10522954. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10522954/
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. J Sports Sci. 2019 Jun;37(11):1286-1295. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906. Epub 2018 Dec 17. PMID: 30558493. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30558493/