Training two times a week - Results and the training program

People want to know what can be achieved by training just two times a week. So I thought I would collect my body and lifting stats into a single post.

Strength levels

Here are some numbers for some lifts for those who are interested. Take note that I’m counting only strict reps with pauses at the bottom and no swinging or kipping. In the bottom and top position all the reps reach the same position. I’ve been mostly training with straight sets only close to failure or to failure on the last few sets. Training with 6-10sets per week for each main muscle group. So I have not been using a lot of special techniques such as rest pause, reverse pyramid training, drop sets etc. to accomplish these results. Just straight sets, consistent work and progressive overload by increasing the load when I hit the top of a selected rep range. These are not highly impressive numbers but good results considering the amount of training and my age. 

A decent condition for a man of my age. I reached this physique by training two times a week. I have a dayjob, I’m married and have three kids so I don’t have more time to dedicate to training. I just prefer to train less and do more other meaningful things. Maybe you should too? (Being married and having kids is not required :) You will not regret the time you spent outiside the gym!

Weighted bodyweight exercises

Weighted Chest dip 30kg for a set of 9,9,8

Weighted Ring Chest Dip 30kg for a set of 4,4,3

Weighted Strict Chinup top set 50kg 3reps

Weighted Pistol Squat 40kg for a set of 6,6,6,5

Bodyweight only

One Arm push-up 3reps - Chest to ground with a pause at the bottom

Kneeling OAP 10reps -  with pause at the bottom

Supported handstand push-up 8reps

Pistol squats 25+ rep sets with a pause at the bottom

Chinups 20+ reps sets

Body composition

I have been able to build strength and muscle and lose fat with this approach. When I want to lose fat I focus on keeping my current strength levels and follow a meal plan or use a hybrid method using meal planning and calorie tracking combined. When I want to build strength I use a lean bulk approach, gaining weight slowly and training with moderate training volumes around 6-10sets for the main muscle groups. At some point this approach stopped working so I moved to prioritization routines to make further strength gains. Article about prioritization can be found here: 

https://twoworkouts.blogspot.com/2021/05/prioritization-secret-for-faster.html 

Body stats

Age: ~40 years

Height: 5’7 (~170cm)

Weight when lean: ~143lbs (65kg)

Bodyfat when lean: 6-8%

LBMI when lean: ~21 

Normal weight: +150lbs or more (+68kg)

Normal bodyfat range: 8-12%

Some conclusions

You can build some muscle and lose fat by training two times a week but at some point you will need to add the amount of weekly training to make further progress. More training usually equals more gains up to a point where recovery becomes the limiting factor. With moderate to low weekly training volumes 6-10sets you can make strength progress to a point. This approach requires you to train relatively hard to make each set count to make it work. This means training each set close to failure and increasing load progressively when possible. 

Here is the basic templates for fullbody and upper/lower routines I use for my training:

https://twoworkouts.blogspot.com/2021/04/free-bodyweight-strength-training.html

2 workout days a week

2-day Full body routine - Download

2-day Upper/lower split - Download

Exercise selection varies a bit depending on the training block. The basic idea has stayed pretty much the same throughout the years. This means training main muscle groups with 6-8sets per week and other muscle groups with 3-4sets.

Hope this helps anyone looking to build muscle and strength while training two times a week! It does not require any special tricks! Consistency is the key to sustainable and long term development in many aspects of life.