Introduction
Busy schedules and real life means many people can only train twice per week. Training consistently and adherence with a program are the most important components to strength training. If a lifter can fully commit to training two days per week, then they are already achieving these two essential pillars. With a decent program there is no reason why these individuals cannot get strong and build a lot of muscle. Of course, being able to train three or more days per week is ideal and would yield better results, but consistently training twice per week for a long period of time will offer significant strength and muscular gains. Therefore, I am here offering you an example 2 day a week strength program, designed for novices. In the FAQ there is an optional third day you can do. This is optional: you only need to commit to two days per week, but if you have the opportunity to train a third day then you can plug it in when you are able to.
As discussed in the intensity and volume articles, there is enough research to conclude that novice lifters need to perform roughly 10 sets per week, per bodypart or movement pattern, with each set close enough to failure to facilitate strength adaptations. This is 100% possible in a 2 day per week strength program.
The program itself is only a one week template that can be repeated. It is suitable for novice and new lifters, as well as early intermediate lifters, who don’t necessarily need any more complexity than a singular week training plan. However, hopefully more advanced lifters can use it as inspiration and change it to their own needs.
The Two Day Per Week Strength Program
(Click to enlarge)
Rep Schemes
The emphasis is on strength. Therefore, the majority of sets are performed with 5 reps. Reps within the 1-5 rep range are optimum for strength adaptations. As this is geared towards novice lifters who generally have more room for muscle growth we opt for 5 reps per set, rather than 1-4 reps in order to maximise hypertrophy whilst staying within the strength rep-range. Likewise, the RDLs, Pull-ups and day 2 squats are done for higher reps usually. As these are assistance lifts designed to help skill acquisition in the movement patterns and build muscle mass they are within the 8-12 rep range.
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I have offered RPE as a guideline. All RPE guidelines are at RPE 8 or 7. RPE 8 basically means to aim to have two reps left in the tank at the end of a set. RPE 7 means to have three reps in the tank at the end of a set.
I recommend on your first workout to try to gradually increase the weight until you think you have found weight you can do at the desired RPE. If in doubt, err on the lighter side. You’ll be adding weight pretty consistently and quickly, and the sets will likely still be at a high enough intensity to cause adaptations.
The weights will likely feel light if you still have 2-3 reps left in the tank. This is deliberate. As this is a 2 day a week strength program, we have to get all the necessary volume into two days worth of workouts, meaning we can’t realistically go all out without compromising on the volume. Likewise, the progression for lifts (see below) is quite rapid, and you will after several months be lifting significantly more weight than you started out, so starting light is not an issue.
Some exercises have back-off sets. The top sets are important (e.g. sets 1-3 of the squats on day 1), and as you add weight these will get harder and harder to complete and provide the necessary intensity and progressive overload to help you gain strength. The back-off sets are equally important to provide the necessary volume to facilitate hypertrophy and strength adaptations. To ensure you get sufficient intensity and volume, the back off sets are completed at a reduced weight. This may feel too light at first, but as you add weight over time they will become challenging, so stick with the loading schemes provided.
Progression
Progression varies per exercise. The main exercises (day 1 squat and bench and day 2 deadlift) require you to add weight every week. This is 5-10lb. Aim for 10lb initially, especially with the squat and deadlift, but don’t be afraid to knock it back to 5lb progressions per week later on. The weight increasing on the bar is the sign the program is working, so its important to try and stick with the progression as long as possible. This said, don’t feel like you have to absolutely grind each rep out in the later stages of the program, it may be time to switch things up by then.
There are also rep and set progressions. The RDLs and day 2 squats have a 3 x 8/10/12 or 5 x 8/10/12 progression. Therefore, week 1 you will load up the bar and do sets of 8. Week 2 you will do sets of 10 at the same weight. Week 3 you will do sets of 12 at the same weight. Then on week 4 you’ll add between 5-10lbs to the bar and start back at 8 reps. This is more sustainable progression for the higher reps. If you are struggling, then it may be worth doing 8/9/10 reps, or even extending it out over 5 weeks and doing 8/9/10/11/12 reps. Progression of any kind is a positive sign that what you are doing is working.
The set progressions for pull-ups I have not seen before. On week 1, do 3 sets of max pulls. On week 2 do the same number of reps for 4 sets. On week 3, do the same number of reps for 5 sets. Then start back at 3 sets going to failure again. Pull-ups can take sometime to progress, and are easy to take to failure and recover from. This is a progression scheme which will enable you to increase your pull-ups at a rate sustainable to you individually, especially as fluctuations in bodyweight will play a significant role.
FAQ
I want to add a third day
You can add in the third day below whenever you feel able to do so. It will increase progression, but is by no means essential.
What is RPE?
RPE is Rate of Perceived Exertion. It is similar to RIR (Reps in Reserve). It is only a very general guideline in this program, I don’t suggest adhering to it at this stage, only being aware of it and trying to rate the RPE after each set so you become accustomed to it. I mention it in this program as it will feature in a number of programs you will come across these days, so I wanted you to get familiar with it as soon as possible as it will reduce the future learning curve. Check out this video on RPE:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQaEq4_2lY
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xEYSsfiWIE
How much rest between training days?
I suggest avoiding training back-to-back unless absolutely necessary (training back-to-back is better than not training at all). Try to have a days rest, ideally two between the two training days.
How long do I rest between sets?
Your main lifts (Day 1 squat and bench, and day 2 deadlifts) you will want to rest between 3-5 minutes between sets. You may be able to rest less than 3 minutes at first, but you should not sacrifice weight on the bar for rest: if you need to rest 4-5 minutes to get the next set, then rest this long. Not resting enough is a super common mistake when doing novice strength programs. For the other exercises, I suggest resting anywhere from 90 seconds to 3 minutes, but again don’t sacrifice your performance for shorter rest times unless you absolutely have to.
I missed a week?
Try to just repeat the week you were at without increasing weight on your lifts. If you missed 2 weeks, it may be worth knocking the weight down a bit, and then building back up.
You can build up faster: e.g. you were squatting 200lb when you missed 2 weeks, you may drop back to 175lb, but add 10lb each squat session until you get back to 200lb.
I missed a workout?
Just do the workout you missed next time you go to the gym, or try to get to the gym sooner to do it. Its no biggee, but bear in mind the more missed workouts the worse the program works.
Supersets?
These can be done in two ways:
Option 1 – Do one set of the first exercise, immediately following by the a set of the second exercise. Rest 2-4 minutes, and then do another set for each exercise back-to-back.
Option 2 – Do one set of the first exercise, rest a short time (e.g. 30 seconds), and do a set of the second exercise, then rest 2-3 minutes before repeating for the next sets of the two exercises.
Alternatively, if you don’t like supersets, don’t do them, just treat each exercise on its own. Supersets are useful to get more volume in less time, but not essential.