When I first started seriously working out at the gym, I went crazy and worked out at least five times a week. While I felt great and my body was seeing some improvements at the start, the results soon began to plateau. No matter how hard or often I worked out, I just could not see the gains that I wanted. Then I started a job that had me working twelve hour shifts, four days on 4 days off. My workouts dropped down to about 2-3 days a week.
Surprisingly, I noticed some muscle mass gains right away. Soon, I was only working out hard about two days a week and giving my body the much needed muscle-building rest in between. I got so huge in a one year period my work had to buy me new shirts to accommodate my increased arm and neck size. Now with my Crossfit workouts, I am back down to two days a week, but I am considering going back to my regular gym one day a week to focus on weight training. I wanna get my pipes back up to the size they used to be 
Today’s Friday Health Check demonstrates that the old saying “quality over quantity” applies to fitness as well.
Training Volume More Important Than Frequency
Strength and muscle mass increase in response to repeated overload. What kind of overload causes the greatest training gains? is it better to do more exercises two days a week or fewer exercises three days a week? Canadian researchers found that training volume was more important than workout frequency in developing muscle mass and strength in beginning weight trainers. Subjects did the same number of exercises per week (exercises, sets and reps), but one group did them in two workouts per week, while the other did them in three. Both groups increased in muscle mass, squat strength and bench press strength with training, but the number of workouts per week did not affect the results. This study used untrained subjects, so the results may not apply to trained bodybuilders or weight-trained athletes. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 21: 204-207, 2007)
Posted on July 6th, 2007 by Leo
Filed under: Friday Health Check
I think it might be time to start hitting up the gym again also. I am currently on a swing shift also over a two week period. There are a few guys at work that are working the cross fit program heavily. I have seen them drop some pounds from it and they say they are still strong.
So how was the Transformers flick?
Crossfit definitely works for fat loss but, because weight training is not a heavy part of the regimen, not as effective for mass building.
My Transformers review here: http://www.leochiang.com/another-transformers-review-but-theres-so-much-more-than-meets-the-eye/
[...] been neglecting my Crossfit workouts too and I’m afraid I may be indulging too much on the wonderful catered food on the film sets [...]