Research
Adherence
Increasing training frequency from 2x/week to 3x/week increases muscle hypertrophy but not maximal dynamic strength, regardless of muscle typology.
If your goal is to build muscle, training 3 times a week is likely more effective than 2 times a week, even if you only add one extra session. This benefit applies to everyone, regardless of their muscle fiber type. However, this extra frequency may not translate to greater strength gains, so prioritize hypertrophy if that is your goal.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Regardless of muscle typology, an additional weekly training (3x/week vs 2x/week) increases muscle hypertrophy but not maximal dynamic strength.
Why this rating
Supported by the same high-quality RCT design as N1.
Source
Can muscle typology explain the inter‐individual variability in resistance training adaptations?
Kim Van Vossel et al. · The Journal of Physiology · 2023
DOI 10.1113/jp284442
rct · n=50Cited 26×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Muscle typology (determined by muscle carnosine levels) does not explain inter-individual variability in resistance training-induced increases in muscle volume, maximal dynamic strength, or fiber cross-sectional area when training is performed to failure at 60% 1RM.Good
- Slow Typology (ST) individuals must perform a significantly higher training volume to achieve the same hypertrophic and strength adaptations as Fast Typology (FT) individuals when training to failure.Good
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- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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