2 Days per week - is it enough?

[KnightTemplar]

Is it possible to make good strength gains training just twice a week? I know Jim Wendler includes a 5/3/1 Two Day Template in his book, but that's obviously for Intermediate/Advanced Lifters. I'm not sure if 2 days per week is enough for Noobs.

At the moment, the shifts I work mean I have to do my Strength Training on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Wednesday and Sunday are no dramas; these are my days off so I have plenty of time.

Friday is the problem; my main MA training day is Thursday, a three hour session of BJJ, Thai Boxing and Kali. This finishes about 2115. I work late on the Friday(1300 - 2100)so I have to get to the Gym around 0930. I'm usually still tired from the night before.

I'm wondering if I should train twice a week with the weights and use the Friday morning to recover from Thursday's heavy MA session.

 

[Tosa]

2 days a week is fine.

 

[MASShole]

Twice per week works. It's about all I'm getting in now.

 

[rckvl]

Yes two days a week is fine, and depending on your other training might be better than three times a week.

 

[ChrisK1]

ive seen good gains off just 1 day a week...props to defrancos in jersey

 

[DrBdan]

Yes. I lifted two days/week for my first year of lifting and made solid gains.

 

[Morganation]

Sometimes two days a week is all that I can do because of work.I still make gains of it.

 

[gazhatton]

I was gonna ask this question myself but in regards to just oly lifting twice a week. Can anyone confirm if they've made good gains, not just in weight but in technique aswell, oly lifting twice a week with no other strength work inbetween? (I'll be doing some cycling to & from work but thats about it)

 

[wufabufa]

i only lift 2 times a week because school and studying takes up the rest of my time.

 

[dat1978]

so what are the routines that you guys are all doing if you only lift twice weekly?

 

[MASShole]

I don't follow a routine. I pick one of a few major exercises, add in maybe another major exercise for lighter weight/more reps, and then add in supplemental work.

 

[southpawdude]

The 2-day split in the FAQ.

Day 1 squat, bench, Pendlay row, Assistance(close-grip bench for me)

Day 2 DL, press(clean the weight up), pull-up, Assistance(overhead squat)

Thats really all I have time for. Done in about an hour.

 

[oyaji poi]

so what are the routines that you guys are all doing if you only lift twice weekly?

The twice a week routine in the FAQ.


Or simply do this:

day 1
Squat variation
verticle push
Deadlift variation
verticle pull

day 2
Deadlift variation
horizontal push
Squat variation
horizontal pull

5x5 for the squat and push on day 1, and the push and pull on day 2; 2-3 sets of 3-5 reps for the deadlift on day 2. for verticle pull (pull ups/chins) do 3 x as many as you can. when you can do 3x10 start adding weight.

higher reps for the dl on day 1 and squat on day 2 (3x8 Romanian deadlift/lunges for example)

and there you have it.

 

[DrBdan]

When I lifted two days/week I started with Stronglifts 5x5 which I switched to 3x5 eventually. After about 8 months I switched to the 2 day split from the FAQ. I made good gains on all of them.

 

[ExtremeStandard]

I was gonna ask this question myself but in regards to just oly lifting twice a week. Can anyone confirm if they've made good gains, not just in weight but in technique aswell, oly lifting twice a week with no other strength work inbetween? (I'll be doing some cycling to & from work but thats about it)

At the olys gym I go to we have many individuals that can't even make it in some weeks because of university, work, and other commitments. Sometimes they can only do 1 day and like an hour. Yet they have still have has success in learning technique and achieving decent gains in the lifts. So yes. Two days is perfectly fine.

 

[ChinBo37]

I made good gains on one day a week lifting, so ya I think 2 days is cool

 

[James Fuller]

so what are the routines that you guys are all doing if you only lift twice weekly?

I break mine into push pull days. I have three different push and three pull days and I rotate them 2x weekly for 8 weeks. However squats, deads, cleans, bench and overhead press are consistently in there along with support, core and grip work but I mix up the order and combo to keep from getting bored. I take a week off just to do alot of lsd and recovery. Than do two weeks of muscle/fight prep style complexes, circuits and versa climber rounds before shifting into a 2x a week power/explosion program centered around oly lifts for 8 weeks than rest/conditioning again and back to push/pull.

Edit:btw not saying this is ideal, but I have discovered varying b/w oly lifts which are a whole new world for me and powerlifting lets me, a neophyte, work on my tech. in various lifts. Its like being a balanced lifter in the way I would like to be a balanced fighter I guess.

 

[Lionidas]

I put major emphasis on my MA classes this summer and less on lifting.

Surprisingly I've only been lifting once a week in the summer and I'm still seeing gains in my core workouts (squat, bench, DL, olympic lift). I'll be going back to lifting twice weekly though since it's getting colder out....I love running outdoors but it's quickly becoming more and more annoying due to the 55-60 degree temps.

p.s. Twice a week is fine TS.

 

[KnightTemplar]

I put major emphasis on my MA classes this summer and less on lifting.

Surprisingly I've only been lifting once a week in the summer and I'm still seeing gains in my core workouts (squat, bench, DL, olympic lift). I'll be going back to lifting twice weekly though since it's getting colder out....I love running outdoors but it's quickly becoming more and more annoying due to the 55-60 degree temps.

p.s. Twice a week is fine TS.

Thanks.

 

[kjos8035]

I've been lifting 2x a week for about a year now (sometimes adding another day in for more variation). The key to making 2 day's work is changing things up enough to keep your body guessing.

Right now I'm doing the same routine twice a week, just changing the amount of reps/sets. Yesterday did 5x5, sunday will be doing 3x15. I'm currently doing full body circuits with minimal to no rest in between stations. The routine looks like:

bench
deadlift
supersetted curls/upward rows
cross situps
weighted widegrip pullups (move in a grip every time through the circuit)
bentover rows
russian twists
supersetted hammer curls/overhead press
weighted situps supersetted with bycicles
skullcrushers

repeat circuit 3-5 times depending on set/rep day, then throw in some burnout dips at the end.

I'll be doing this routine for a week or two more, then switch it up completely. I'm doing legs on different day, so I'm not getting everything in 2 days a week, but pretty close.