Is it possible to gain mass training two days a week?
With grappling three days a week and trying keep up with guitar practice plus a day job its hard fitting three days of lifting in. I am doing it now, but its very stressfull. I was thinking trying to drop it down to two days and doing some sort of O-lifting/compound movements program. Or perhaps i should drop grappling down to two days a week.
anton
I assume its possible… Just lift your ass off and stick to the big movements. Don’t worry about curling… tricep kick backs and stuff like that. Stick with squating…deads…pull ups… yadda yadda. Stay heavy and update us.
anton, if lifting and gaining mass is a high priority to you, you should drop grappling to 2 days a week and/or make time to fit in a 3-day routine. However, you can still make gains lifting twice a week if you focus on the “money” exercises. More than 2 days would be ideal though, as strength and size gains accelerate w/ increased training frequency.
I think great progress can be made doing two hard full-body workouts a week. I’d break it down something like this:
Day 1:
Deadlifts
Bench Presses
Curls
Abs
Day 2
Overhead presses
Chins
Squats
Calf raises
If you want more explosiveness substitute hang cleans for deadlifts at least some of the time.
I’d try to get a day of rest after each lifting session so:
grapple
grapple
lift
rest
grapple
lift
rest
Check out CT’s Part Time Beast article
Fred HAHN, author of SLOWBURN, which I believe is a HIT workout, says that best gains are made doing a full body workout, 2x per week. He says that the benefit of adding a 3rd workout per week in zero. I only skimmed the book at the store, but from what I have read, you select a weight that takes you 10 secs to lift, then lower in 10 secs - 20 secs per rep and you do 4-6 reps, 8-12 total exercises. You are moving a heavy weight slowly, not a light weight slowly.
The classic 20-rep squat routine is a 2/week work out. It’s actually very effective.
OOPS, I didnt cacth that you grapple. In that case a simple plan with a squat and a pull, preferably a Oly variation. Add dips or a press and you should be good. If your goal is to be a good grappler you have grapple and dont get caught up in the wt training. Sure it can help you, but it is only a supplement to your grappling.
I think Ian King has an old program he wrote for someone working out twice a week – check the archives under “Authors” under “Ian King.”
Also, Charles Staley had a twice-a-week plan in one of his old newsletters, you might have to email him to get that.
Here’s a link to Ian King’s program – it’s called “Big Muscles, Busy Schedules”:
I am trying to determine how much I can get into a week right now with family and work and not enough rest consistently throughout the week. It is hard for sure. I actually thought about trying a 2 or 3 times a week HIT type program, say 1 or 2 sets per body part just in hopes to get some response. My thoughts are, due to my current environment my body may respond better as a beginner again. I noticed that CS mentioned in the article in Oct (How T-Nation writers are working out)that he was trying something like this. I am curious if this will be successful and has it been for others like CS?
I know there has been some buzz around Dr. Dardens New HIT book, so? Anyone tried this? After a stage like this I am thinking it may be a great precursur to CW’s TBT or something.
Here’s one from Christian too – it’s called “Part Time Beast”:
Axel’s two-day programmes is really good except I’d say with the following amendments. Drop the curls and calf raises altogether and include dips and cleans. If you find it a bit too much for one day, try doing cleans from the floor with an overhead press and dropping the deadlifts every second week. Eat plenty and you’ll definitely gain mass, but just a bit more slowly.
Day 1:
Deadlifts
Bench Presses
Chins/Dips (graduating to the weighted variety)
Abs
Day 2
Squats (Front and back)
Cleans with overhead presses
I have done twice a week training with full body workouts for the majority of the years that I have been training (26 to date) and I like the 2x a week very much.
I use what is called the reverse push pull routine, which has been posted here before, but would be happy to post it again.
keith w.
Just do TBT but do 2 workouts a week instead of 3. Don’t sacrifice different exercises and rep schemes, just stretch each workout week into 1.5 weeks.
While not ideal, if your diet and rest isn’t exact, you will probably get about the same results as you did when you lifted 3 to 4 days a week.
See if you can get ahold of any articles by Dr. Ken Leistner, I know he regularly writes for MILO and used to publish a newsletter called The Steel Tip. Almost all of his routines are two day a week routines centered around the squat.
My personal philosophy has always been to try and work in a minimum of three training days per week. Even if they get smashed into eachother due to time constraints, I try to fit them in. I obviously don’t know the physiology behind why I feel this way, but my muscles seem to flatten out and I just generally feel weaker if I don’t get in my 3x.
I also play guitar and practice martial arts, while interning and taking a full load of college classes. Optimize your down time, so your down time becomes fun, productive up time 
You might want to invest in some weights for home workouts. It’s amazing what you can do with two dumbbells if you’re in a hurry.
What about a third day of bodyweight exercises. These can help grappling anyway. If you did two heavy full body weight workouts, I am sure you could fit in a bodyweight workout somewhere. There are lots of bodyweight exercises that are really challenging(less so for the lower body I find). Just a thought.
[quote]Soco wrote:
Just do TBT but do 2 workouts a week instead of 3. Don’t sacrifice different exercises and rep schemes, just stretch each workout week into 1.5 weeks.
While not ideal, if your diet and rest isn’t exact, you will probably get about the same results as you did when you lifted 3 to 4 days a week.[/quote]
Good advice Soco. I did this when I was going to night school. For the majority of the program, I could only get in two workouts per week, so I stretched out TBT and I was very impressed with the results.
Keith Wasssung -
I would be very interested to see your twice p/week program.
BB is right on the money.
My brother used that program (it was published in an old print version of T-mag) while he was going through a police academy (20 weeks??). He managed to make decent strength gains despite the added stress of long hours, infrequent meals, and 5 days/week cardio.
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
Here’s a link to Ian King’s program – it’s called “Big Muscles, Busy Schedules”: