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Anyone Tried Wendler's 2 Days a Week?

Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
#1

I just want to see some experiences with these routines. I know 2 days a week is unconventional but I feel like some people have no choice.

I am considering this routine because of my poor recovery and manual labor job. I have done 3, 4, and 5 day routines that have worked great but i get sick and burned out every other month. This also gives me more time to cook, recover, and spend family time.

I have searched some forums and articles, but it sounds like people just “maintain” on 2 days a week. But I want to bulk and get strong not maintain. Maintain is stupid to me.

From what I have read, people try to act like 2 days a week is not optimal but “better than nothing”. But in my case I feel like it could be MORE optimal.

What are your thoughts… experiences ?

#2

" bulk and get strong . . . "

bulk = diet

get strong = 2 days/week is fine

pick a 2 day/wk template that appeals to you and give it a go for 6 wks then evaluate.

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#3

Well, most (or possibly all) of the 2-days-a-week programs in Forever also have 2-3 days of “assistance”. So, you’re still getting 4-5 days a week of resistance training: two “heavy” days with compound lifts, and 2-3 “lighter” days with dips, chins, etc… I agree this could be optimal for many, and something I am interested to try in the near future.

#4

as I recently became a father the 2 day versions are great!

Right now I do

day 1
Squat
Bench
DB Row 50 reps

day 2
Trap bar dl
Press
Chins 50 reps

I also run for 45-120min once or twice a week.

Works like a charm!

3 Likes
#5

When in a tight situation time-wise I have taken the 4-day routines and spread them out over two weeks -

AB
CD
AB
CD

and so on. It is not perfect (I would get sore sometimes because there is two weeks between identical lifts) but it worked better for me than doing squat and bench in the same workout. You could modify it so that you do a three-day program like this:

AB
CA
BC
AB

and so on. If I did this I would do A=squat, B=bench, and C=deadlift and overhead press. I find I can combine deadlift and OP but not squat and bench.

My son did this at one time when his college studies were pressing and it worked for him

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#6

Ya I just had twins last year and a 6 year old. The sleep deprivation really messed up recovery.
Once they get older maybe that will get better and i can add more volume but idk lol

#7

Ya i still need to read forever. It sounds pretty good. I agree with 2 heavy days 2 lighter assistance days

#8

Definatly going to commit to 2 days and see what happens

#9

yeah fine 2 days a week and manual labour can actually compliment each other. This good if want to crank it up a notch now and again…

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#10

I will check it out thanks

#11

Hey dude! I’ve been training a 2-day 5/3/1 program, and it’s been working well so far. The appeal is that imperfect sleep and diet don’t seem to derail my progress as much as when I’m running a more demanding program.

In your situation, 2 days could be very beneficial. It would give you more recovery time so that you wouldn’t beat up your body doing more than you could handle. Jim recommends doing a program that is good for your specific needs, and he advocates training for long-term success. With a manual labor job and limited recovery, it would be prudent to try out 2 days. Plus, if you don’t like it after a few 5/3/1 cycles, you could always go back to 3 or 4.

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#12

I have 5 children, from 3 to 13 y.o. I did the 2 a week approach when times where tough. Now I have upped it to a 3 day a week setup.
Adjusting to life, and 531 allows that, which is one of its main forces in my book.

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#13

Cool it’s good to know it works for people.

#14

2 days a week works great! I followed it for years with success. You can run either 1 lift a day or 2 lifts a day. If you only run 1 lift a day (ie. two main lifts a week instead of 4) you don’t necessarily have to deload either as the volume is low enough to continue recovery. Also better for time as you can superset assistance with the main lift even if you do some supplemental as well.

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#15

To complement what @bidbadbombs is saying, Jim’s 2x/ week program works great. I put 15 pounds on my 10RM Squat in a little less than 2 weeks on the program.

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