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.