We build muscle outside of the gym.
By training only 2 days per week, you can focus more on recovery.
Go to the gym, shock the muscle, and get out as quickly as possible to recover.
Training in the gym is a stress on your body, and most people nowadays are too stressed to begin with.
Training too frequently will lead to getting sick or injured!
Most people would benefit from focusing on recovery outside the gym instead of more training in the gym.
A good book to learn more about this style of high intensity and low frequency training is High Intensity Training by Mike Mentzer.
Frequency, Intensity, & Volume
You can walk every day with no problems because it’s a low intensity activity.
You cannot max deadlift every day or your body will begin to break down from the stress.
We need to balance training frequency, intensity, and volume so that we can recover.
By adjusting this formula you can get the desired outcome. For example, if you want to train 7 days per week, you can do that, you just need to reduce your volume and intensity.
I find most people overdo on the frequency and volume and underdo the intensity.
To learn about what makes muscles grow, here’s one of the best books you can get - Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld.
Stimulus to Fatigue
The goal is to get the greatest amount of stimulus with the least amount of fatigue. When we train with higher volumes, we accumulate more fatigue.
A lot of the exercise that is done in the gym can be considered “junk” volume because it isn’t stimulating any more muscle growth, but it is creating more fatigue.
Once you’ve exhausted a muscle, you don’t need to train it any more for that day, or for the next few days.
We have a limit to how much muscle we can grow at a time.
If your legs and back are tremendously sore, you’re probably not going to be able to grow your chest until you recover.
I know that my body can only recover 2 large muscle groups at a time, so that’s what I focus my workouts on.
Strength & Size Program
Here are two workouts from my 2x/week training size & strength program. If you'd like the full program of 4 workouts, progress tracking, and nutrition plan, you can purchase it here.
Workout 1
Perform 2-4 rounds of stretches.
A - Hang from a bar for 60 seconds - stretch your chest, shoulders, and back.
B - Couch stretch for 60 seconds - open your hips to better engage your glutes.
Perform 2-3 sets of the following primer exercises:
C - Dumbbell Pullover 5 reps 5 sec hold
D - Cable Face Pull 12-20 reps
1 - Flat barbell bench press - 2-4 reps @ 85% 1RM, 4 min rest
2 - Incline barbell bench press - 6-10 reps*, 3120 tempo, 2-3 min rest
3 - Barbell Squat - 6-10 reps*, 3011 tempo, 2-4 min rest
4 - Chin-up - 6-10 reps*, 3131 tempo, 2-4 min rest
5A - Dips (triceps) - AMRAP, 30X1 tempo, 30 sec rest
5B - Nordic curl - 6-10* reps as slowly as possible, 1-2 min rest
6A - Hanging leg raise - 8-12 reps, 30 sec rest
6B - Cable curl - 8-12 reps 3132 tempo, 30-60 sec rest
Workout 2
Perform 2-3 rounds of stretches:
A - Hang from a bar for 60 seconds - stretch your chest, shoulders, and back.
B - Couch stretch for 60 seconds - open your hips to better engage your glutes.
Perform 2-3 sets of primer exercises:
C - Dumbbell Pullover 5 reps 5 sec hold
D - Hip Abduction Machine 12-20 reps
1 - Trap bar deadlift 6-10 reps*, 3111 tempo, 3-5 min rest
2 - Full ROM Shoulder Press - 6-10 reps*, 3131 tempo, 2-3 min rest
3A - Chest Supported Dumbbell row - 6-10 reps*, 3021 tempo, 45 sec rest
3B - Dips (chest) - AMRAP, 31X1 tempo, 2 min rest
4A - Dumbbell skull crusher, 8-12 reps, 30 sec rest
4B - Cable curl - 8-12 reps, 30 sec rest
5A - Knee-over-toe squat - 15-25 reps, 30 sec rest
5B - Hanging leg raise - 8-12 reps, 30 sec rest
* Choose a weight you can only perform for 6-10 reps, perform as many reps as possible, and perform sets until you start to fatigue. If you’re stronger, 1-2 sets is enough. If you’re a beginner, 2-4 sets is probably best.
Each week your goal is to improve on your lifts by increasing the weight or the reps. It’s important to follow the tempo recommended to track progress.
If you purchase the training program, it includes 2 more training days, videos for every exercise, recommended weights, and the ability to track your progress over time.
I've had tremendous progress over the past few months of training 2x/week and I'm grateful to be able to share it with you!
Hope this helps! - Tom
