Does once-a-week strength training make sense? Researchers tracked progression of 15,000 people over seven-year period

Impressive results with minimal effort

An interesting study on the Dutch training concept Fit20 shows that you can make serious progress with just 20 minutes of strength training per week. Fit20 focuses on short and intense training, once a week, and analyzed the data of nearly 15,000 participants over a seven-year period. The results speak for themselves:

• After one year, strength at the chest press had increased an average of 30%.
• After seven years, it was as much as 50%.
• For the leg press, the numbers were even more impressive: a 70% increase over the same period.

What this research shows is that consistency is more important than the number of hours you train. Even with one session a week, you can not only build strength, but maintain it - which is crucial to counteracting the effects of aging and preventing injury.

Why once a week can still be enough

Although you won't develop the same muscle mass or strength with once a week as someone who trains three to five times a week, this approach offers a number of important benefits:

1. Maintaining strength and health: As you age, strength training helps combat muscle loss and keep your body strong. This lowers the risk of injury and helps you stay mobile and energetic longer.
2. Time Efficiency: For people with busy schedules, one intense training session a week can be the perfect way to stay fit without affecting your social life or work.
3. Consistency: The most important aspect of any workout is consistency. Once a week is easier to maintain than a schedule of four to five times, especially if you are short on time.

Even if your progression levels off at some point, maintaining your strength is already a big advantage. It prevents you from regressing and helps your body remain resilient, both physically and mentally.

Patience is key

When you choose to train only once a week, it's important to have realistic expectations. Progress may be a little slower, but that doesn't mean it's not effective. Personal experiences of trainers and athletes show that even with fewer training hours per week, your strength can increase. One trainer told how he went back to training once or twice a week due to an injury and workload, and still got stronger AND maintained his strength.

This shows that it's not just how often you train, but how consistent and focused you are during that one session.

Why You Should Start Now

Whether you are young and want to get stronger or older and maintain your strength, that one weekly strength training session can do more for you than you think. Not only does it help you get stronger physically, but it has mental benefits as well. You feel fitter, more resilient and get an energy boost that helps you in your daily life.

So, do you have a busy schedule? No worries. Block out one moment a week in your schedule, give it everything you've got during that workout, and watch you slowly but surely get stronger. It's never too late to start - and once a week is definitely better than not at all.