SuperCompensation

[Jeff Walker]

This concept drives me crazy - What is the optimal amount of Exercises, Sets, Reps, aka work and then Days Rest till work that movement/muscle group is exercised again to promote strength gains.

[Parth Rajguru]

Experiment! That is part of the fun of training. It is dependent on many factors such as muscle fiber composition, recovery abilities, work capacity, etc. One man's overreaching is another man's optimal training load.

[Philip Chubb]

You have to remember that Gymnastic Strength Training™ is much more complex. There's also a learning curve that throws a wrench in there. The technical requirements are higher than most of the normal lifts. Basically make sure you are making gains from workout to workout or week to week ect.

[Marcos Mocine-McQueen]

It's sort of like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" Well, there are infinite possible answers and any of them can be correct. 

 

The human body is complex, as is comprehensive training. Not only does it vary from person to person, it sometimes varies within a person... e.g. a person might need 4 days to recover from leg exercises but find that they recover from abdominal exercises quite quickly. 

 

To make it even more difficult, as one's body changes/adapts, the answer to the question will change. What is "optimal" in the first week of training will probably be quite different in the 15th year of training.

 

I could go on and on but the answer is that there is no answer... or maybe that there are infinite answers. You just have to experiment and research.

 

My best suggestion is to learn to love the questions and don't fool yourself into believing that there will be a simple answer. Having studied kinesiology and fitness casually for for about 20 years, the more I learn the less I believe I know.