The Two-Day Training Split: Stepping it Up

The next article in our series on training splits breaks up your whole body workout into two separate sessions, to be repeated twice a week. There are many variations of exercises to include in a two-day split, but the most effective we have found is to train all of your limbs (e.g., biceps, triceps, legs) in one day, and your torso or trunk muscles (e.g., chest, back, shoulders, abs) on another.

A two-day training split steps up the intensity of your workouts. You can now include more exercises per muscle group, which will translate into greater progress towards your fitness goals. Instead of spending a little time on all of your muscle groups, you are able to spend more time on specific muscle groups.

Now, for the workouts:

Workout 1: Limbs

·         Barbell squat – 3  sets of 10-12 reps

·         Dumbbell lunges – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

·         Seated leg curl – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

·         Standing calf raise – 2 sets of 15-20 reps

·         Seated calf raise – 2 sets of 15-20 reps

·         Barbell curl – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

·         Preacher curl – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

·         Seated triceps press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

·         Triceps pushdown – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Workout 2: Trunk

·         Incline bench press – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Dumbbell flyes – 3 sets of 10-12

·         Lat pulldown – 3 sets of 10-12

·         T-bar row – 3 sets of 8-10

·         Dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 8-10

·         Side lateral raise – 3 sets of 10-12

·         Crunch – 3 sets to failure

·         Hanging leg raise – 3 sets to failure

Note: Rest for 1-2 minutes between each exercise. If you need to take more rest on compound exercises (e.g., squat, bench press) then do so.

If your gym does not have the machines/resources necessary to do these exercises, do NOT simply skip them! Substitute for exercises that you have the equipment for. For example, if you do not have access to a seated leg curl machine, you can opt for lying leg curls, glute ham raises, or (if you really want to crank up the intensity of your workouts) stiff-legged deadlifts. Each of these exercises work your hamstrings!

This training split will challenge you, but stick with it for 2-3 weeks, and then move on to the next workout split in our series! As always, leave comments below to let us know what you think or if you have any questions.

The One-Day Training Split: "Full Body Training"

This is the second article in our series on training splits. You can read the introduction to training splits here. As the name suggests, a one-day training split means you’re training the entire body in each workout. This type of training routine is a great introduction to bodybuilding for beginners or people who have been inactive for a little while.

The main reason for this is that it introduces your nervous system to resistance exercise. It would NOT be appropriate for a beginner to jump into an advanced workout regimen that isolates specific muscle groups each day, and would likely end up in injury. Eventually, you will get there, but for now you need to teach (or remind) your muscles how to contract in response to specific weight-bearing movements. Once you build some functional strength and start improving the mind-muscle connection necessary for proper form on these specific exercises, you will be ready to progress to an intermediate level training split.

The exercises we have selected for this training split are designed to recruit the largest number of muscle fibres in a single exercise. This was done on purpose, because you will only be completing one exercise per muscle group. Otherwise, you would be in the gym all day.



For each exercise, pick a weight that you are not able to do more than 12 repetitions on. You should almost always struggle on the last few repetitions of these exercises. Don’t make it so heavy that you sacrifice form, but aim to be outside of your comfort zone. For exercises such as the barbell bench press, make sure you have a capable spotter to help you out if necessary. For other exercises, such as barbell squats, make sure you set the safety bars appropriately. Remember, training smart is more important than lifting too much weight.

Complete the following workout three times per week, with a minimum of one day of rest in between workout days. Recovery is essential to repair muscle tissue, increase muscle size, and increase strength. This would typically mean working out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and taking the other days of the week and weekend off.

Barbell Bench Press – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Lat pulldown – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Barbell Squat – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Barbell Curl – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Triceps Pushdown – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Bicycle Crunches – 3 sets to failure

Note: Rest up to 2 minutes in between sets for all exercises. This will allow your muscles to recover enough that you won’t need to decrease the amount of weight you lift for each set.

Follow this training split for 2-3 weeks, and then try our next segment, the two-day training split.