Twice a Week Full Body

Due to working an ungodly number of hours and else, to make it sustainable for the next few months I’ll be training a couple of days per week (three days wasn’t working, had to skip frequently workout and that didn’t keep me motivated).

I’m not an actual beginner (I’ve been training for a few years prior) but wasn’t able to train consistently for a very long time and now I’m very weak, lost much muscle, gained fat. And my goal is just aesthetics (amateur anyway).

Do you think the following might deliver decent results?
Twice a week:

2x6-10, double progression
Bench Press
Barbell Row
Ohp
Chins
Barbell Curl
Dips
Squats
SLDL
Calves

Whenever I stall (if i stall all,considering how much strenght I’ve lost) I’ll switch rep range to 10-15, then, when i stall againg go back to 6-10 till i stall again.

There’s nothing wrong with your plan, but when I mix pushing with pulling, I always do pulling first. It seems to be easier on the shoulders. I might also switch the order the second day. Calves before legs so the tendons are stretched out making the range of motion is easier. Switching the order may affect progression some, though.

(1)
Row
Bench
Chins
OHP
Curls
Dips
Calves
Squat
SLDL

(2)
Calves
Squat
SLDL
Row
Bench
Chin
OHP
Curls
Dips

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Thank you, I’ll try to switch push and pull, and do calves before legs… but I don’t think I’ll switch upper and lower, every time I’ve ever started a workout with lower body, upper sucked…

That’s just a matter of adaptation and GPP. Many times I have used different types of 2 day splits for similar reasons as yourself. It only took a few weeks to get used to it, and both my squat and bench numbers were going up while starting with squats.

Why would you not do one exercise per muscle group on the double progression and then the rest on an easier 3x8-12? And just use this to get in some 1/2 decent volume.

For instance:
Bench, Row, Squat - 2x6-10
Everything else 3x8-12.

I’d also do AB:
Work out A
2x6-10
Bench, row, squats

Work out B
2x6-10
OHP, pull up, SLDL

Woudn’t It be favorable if I’m able to progress everything twice a week?
(Even by one rep of the least set, which i think I can… At least while I’m rebuilding what I’ve lost).

Genuinely asking, not trying ti be defiant by any means.

Btw i see it’s overall low volume… but there Is a lot of overlap between exercises as well

@carlbm

Its not the over all volume. Its more once you try and set a PR on the bench and then OHP and then dips. And then Row, and then curl and then pull ups. And then squat… You see the issue?
And then assuming you do all of those - you could do your 6 rep max on lots of competing exercises.

I’m not saying that after the main movement you can’t then push the 3x8-12. But 8-12 is a fairly easy rep range. And if you’ve gone heavy on your main movements that day - you can drop the weight and up the reps else where.

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Oh yes, I see.
I thought that woudn’t be a big of a deal by looking at Jordan Peter’s, Dante Trudel etc. Methodologies that have you set PR’s on many “contflicting” exercises in one session (like different push or pull or legs exercises, in ppl, u/l or whole body splits).

But you MIGHT be right because you CERTAINLY have a good point.
I’ll definetely try and logbook progreasion and, if twice a week progression is (or becomes) unsustainable, i’ll go for a once a week PR + some easier 3x8-12 “volume” work

Thanks you :slight_smile:

@carlbm

Dante Trudel’s DC has strategically picked exercises and rep ranges. If you do a barbell chest press, you do a higher rep dumbbell press for shoulders, then maybe dips for triceps. Very different movements, plenty of rest between exercises, and the varying rep ranges tire the muscles out differently. Working in a 6-10 total rep rest-pause with 2 pauses, compared to a 15-30 total rep one will be highly different. One focusing more on mechanical tension, the other on lactic acid build up and mTor, both taken to failure. One movement is big, the other is smaller and less taxing.

You may not be a complete beginner but you are making some beginner mistakes with your programming. Nothing wrong with that, just take good advice when given.

Also, if your strength is a beginner stage right now, you will likely get away with a ton of big movements and PRs for a few weeks or months, but why plateau so soon when you can program smart and make long term progression?

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You can only try. You might be okay. But as @bert2145 says - Dante is very prescriptive in his exercise. It took years to get the exercises and rep ranges right.

You might not get it right first time out. But I guess that’s part of it.

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Setting rep PRs (or aiming to) on 9 different exercises would fry me mentally.

I am probably going to get fried in this thread by suggesting a full body HIT routine a la Ellington Darden. I made great progress/development twice a week using his strategies from “The new HIT” book. HIT was my choice of making the most out of less frequency. You may check my previous posts on this. Just another method for your consideration.

That being said, if what you are doing works - stick to it! You can almost never go wrong with properly performed basic movements. There are lots of ways to peel an onion…

The point is that training is very subjective: there are people who do 50 sets a week per muscle, others who do one; people who train one muscle 4-5 times a week and people who train one muscle every 10 days.

Who does every set to failure and who refuses it categorically …

And if you post on a forum this is to be expected.
Nonetheless, it’s certainly helpful to listen to advice from more experienced people, but unless it’s something idiotic, it’s worth a try (as you did), see what you like (there are maybe remarkably effective method you won’t ever like for psychological questions), see what works for you and what doesn’t, collect feedbacks, adjust your sights and gain experience.

2 Likes

After 30 years in the iron game I couldn’t agree more.

Doesn’t seem like too much volume imo. I’ve had good results doing things like that in the past for 8-12 weeks at a time.

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Looks good mate…

For a several year period in my 20s (now 44), I work 12hr night shifts in a factory Monday to Thursday so I’d take Fridays off, eat shit loads and rest up, then I’d train upper body on Saturdays and Lower body on Sundays. Worked well, I got stronger and gained a little muscle every year. In hindsight could have probably done a little better varying exercises, rep ranges, intensity etc.

Make those few sessions count, eat n sleep well and you’ll make gains. Best of luck.

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Yes I do. Anything done consistently will yield results.

The best results I have had with a 2x a week program was Dan John’s Minimalist Training program (google that and it’ll come up). I actually made strength gains on it and had expected to, at best, maintain. I did it because I was training for a half marathon and needed to devote time and recovery to that.

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