Why the required recovery/adaptation time varies on different lifts?

[Clivian]

This question is specifically for the first few months of going through the novice progression...

The optimal recovery/adaptation time between lifts described in the books is 48-72 hours.

What I can't understand is why some lifts (like Press, Bench, Chins) are programmed 1-2 times/week, which is more than 48-72 hrs recovery time. While others (Squat) are done 3 times/week, matching the 48-72 hrs period.

Does that 48-72 hr period refer to recovery from the stress applied to a specific muscle group? If so, isn't it optimal to program the Press for 3xWeek, just like the Squat?

I assume more muscle mass involved in the exercise needs more time to recover from. If 48-72 hrs is enough to recover from Squats (which involve a lot more mass than Pressing), isn't the same recovery period enough to recover from the Press as well so that we can program it 3xWeek too?

For example, why wouldn't this program work better, considering that there is 48+ hrs or more recover from the stress for each muscle group:

• A: Press, Bench, Dips (Mon, Wed, Fri)
• B: Squat, Deadlift, Chins (Tue, Thu, Sat)

(Assuming that you have plenty of time to train 6/7 days consistently and sleep/food is optimal.)

Is there some kind of systemic stress that is taken into account? Like too much stress on the neuro-muscular system or systemic inflammation if you train 6/7 days?

Or maybe it's too much for the body to work on rebuilding both the upper and lower body at the same time (even though there is technically 48+ hrs between one specific lift)?

Or is it that the more fragile joints (like shoulders) can't take the stress of 3xWeek training (but it's not a problem for the hips)?

[Szymon]

You press x3 a week. Bench and press uses same muscle. Press would stall soon anyway so you would have to add another pressing movment - bench press.

For the first few workouts you could do squat day after day and go stronger for sure. Same for other lifts. But as simple as the program is right now, many people seem to have a problem to understand the concept. So why complicate simple and effective things ?

And how many people can afford to sacrafice everything in order to train strenght like this ?

And how would that be any better from biussnes perspective for Rip ?

So, in a lab test where you get a gifted 17 year old male, give him perfect envoirment and coaching than he would make progress day to day. And later every other day. And in some weeks every three days and so on. After some time you cannot do PR every workout. You need to go more advanced with your programming and cumulate stress over time in order to hit new PR.

In a real life, what is in the books is optimal = works the best.