Yes.
As a natural trainee, I found I benefited more by training each muscle group/movement twice a week.
If training at moderate intensity (6-12 rep range), 10-14 sets a week, split up over two sessions, works for larger muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, pecs/delts, lats, etc). For biceps & triceps 2-4 sets suffice, as these also receive a lot of work from training other movements, and they're much smaller muscles.
But 5x5 is closer to high intensity 85%+ and volume is also decent. Doing this twice a week is too much. The lighter intensity day (8-12 reps), while providing a training stimulus to continue disrupting homeostasis, also facilitates recovery by pumping blood to these muscle groups and won't lead to 'over training'.
Give it a go. If your aim is strength related, I would stick to 5x3-5. If you're looking to bulk I would do a Upper/Lower split, twice a week, 10-14 sets total each week, 6-12 rep range.
As hypertrophy sticks around longer than strength (neuromuscular), you could do a hypertrophy block for ~12 weeks, then focus on strength for 8-12 weeks. You'll find the LBM gains from your hypertrophy training will stick around at just about any rep range.




Reply With Quote