# 037 How to grow muscle only training once per week

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hypertrophy-past-and-present-7348739/037-how-to-grow-muscle-only-training-once-per-week
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hypertrophy-past-and-present-7348739/037-how-to-grow-muscle-only-training-once-per-week.md
Podcast: [Hypertrophy Past and Present](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hypertrophy-past-and-present-7348739)
Published: 2026-02-02T10:07:16+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/6fe32914
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/6fe32914/0053e3bd.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hypertrophy-past-and-present-7348739/episodes/037-how-to-grow-muscle-only-training-once-per-week
Duration seconds: 4242

## Resource

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris tackle a surprisingly common question: what if you can only train once per week? Beginning with an early-1960s two-way split from John McCallum to discuss exercise sequencing, why multi-joint lifts paired with single-joint “finishers” can preserve recruitment better than simply adding more straight sets, and what older routines got right (and missed) due to equipment constraints. The episode then breaks down why once-weekly training is uniquely difficult for hypertrophy, how maintenance literature informs minimum set targets, and what a realistic once-per-week template actually looks like. Key topics include: -John McCallum's silver era two-way split and how we would modify it today -Why very high reps don't cause the same muscle growth as moderate reps -Training once per week: when it’s a real constraint vs avoidable -Why every 5 days is a massive upgrade over every 7 -Different once per week program ideas -Posing as a mid-week stimulus

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## Transcript

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