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| With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week. Our forum members come through again and give us some great workouts for all levels of experience. Try them out. |
TOPIC: What Is The Best Workout For Training Bodyparts Twice Per Week?
The Question:
With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week.
What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.
When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?
How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?
Show off your knowledge to the world!
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1st Place - Aussie LTD
With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week. Training muscle groups twice per week can match, or surpass the results you can get from conventional one-day a week routines.
It is all about how you incorporate twice per week training into your routine so it works. In this article I will go over those that help make twice a week routine a success, such as training frequency, volume and several sample routines to suit your own taste. Please read on.
Workout:
What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.
 Hardcore 6-day Routine For Mass:
Split: Push/Pull/Legs
Frequency: 6 days per week.
Volume: Moderate
Workout length: 45-60 minutes
Monday: Chest/Delts/Triceps Workout A:
Tuesday: Legs workout A:
Wednesday: Back/Biceps/Forearms Workout A:
Thursday: Off
Friday: Chest/Delts/Triceps Workout B:
Saturday: Legs: Workout B:
Sunday: Back/Biceps/Forearms Workout B:
Program Notes:
This is a great routine for advanced lifters, or those who have had experience with training body parts twice per week. I've used this program with great results. It's a 3 day split that should be performed twice a week, with a day break between A and B workouts.
Both workouts hit muscles with different movements, and reps alter from your conventional 6-8 reps, to 10-12 reps in the second split. The higher-rep days shouldn't be treated as a rest; they will sculpt some nice muscle if sets are taken to failure, or very close to.
Sets per workout are between 16 and 18 to avoid over-training and exercises are ordered specifically to avoid fatiguing.
Training 4 Days Per Week:
Split: Upper body/lower body
Frequency: 4 days per week.
Volume: Moderate-High
Workout length: 60-75 minutes
Monday: Upper Body Workout A:
Tuesday: Legs Workout A:
Thursday: Upper Body Workout B:
Saturday: Legs Workout B:
Program Notes:
If you're a beginner I recommend this program before moving onto the more advance 6 day split. But even advanced trainers can benefit from this too if they prefer the simpler, 4-day format.
The rep range is 6-8 for upper body, and slightly higher on legs. Overall volume is higher because you're only training 4 days.
Simple Training:
For those that like to keep their training simple.
Most people like their keep their training format simple; or as people say, they like to "stick to the basics..." this program is great for those who don't like all the complexity of all the above routines.
Split: Upper body/lower body
Frequency: 4 days per week.
Volume: Moderate-High
Workout Length: 60-75 minutes
Monday: Upper Body:
Tuesday: Legs:
Thursday: Repeat Mondays workout
Saturday: Repeat Tuesdays workout
Program Notes:
This work-out has a simple structure, with just the two workouts, both performed twice per week. It focuses on heavy free-weight compounds, with a lower rep range, and therefore a great option for building mass quickly.
Sets are moderate, and the rep range is indicated as 6-10. This is within the hypertrophy range. Find a rep-range between 6 to 10 that works for you, or do as I do, as alternate rep ranges between workouts.
The days you choose to train can be changed, but make sure you get at least 2 days complete recovery before training the same body-art again.
Training Sessions:
When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?
How many sessions you decide to use per week will be determined by the body part split you're on. Those who use a 2-day split, such as upper body/lower body end up working out four days per week to hit body parts twice. On the other hand, there are those who train 3-day splits, and hit all muscles twice within the 6 days.
Whether you decide you use an upper body/lower body split, or a push/pull system, both 2 day splits, and 3 day splits (total of 4 and 6 days per week) are your best options.
Those training 4 days a week have more rest at a time rest is needed, but those training 6 days are able to split body parts up more and give each a little more attention. However many days you choose to train, you should aim for 2 days complete rest between sessions to ensure you don't disrupt the recovery and re-growth process. This is why 2-day splits shouldn't be done 6 days per week.
It's not so much the amount of sessions per week that can pose a problem though, but your overall training frequency. A lot of people make the mistake of keeping overall volume for each muscle group similar to what it used to be when they trained once per week, simply because it's what they've gotten used to.
At this point, you'll probably start over-training, and you'll notice counterproductive results, rather than positive ones. To ensure this doesn't happen to you, regardless of where each muscle group fits in to your split, you should only have half the amount of volume for each muscle group per workout as you did when you training once per week.
Out of common sense, those training 4 days per week (2-day split) can allow themselves to use more volume per workout, whereas those training 6 days a week (3-day split) need to be more cautious.
When training body parts 2 days a week your overall training should really remain the same. The only difference by training body parts twice per week is you're hitting each body part twice.
Overall, you should remember that increasing the amount you train each week isn't your goal; hitting each muscle more often, and experiencing the benefits this brings is.
Alternating Workouts:
If you're an advocate of using several exercises per muscle group to "hit them from all angles," it's an idea to alternate between two different workouts for each muscle group.
When training twice per week, it only leaves you with half the amount of exercises per body part. By alternating between two different workouts weekly, you're training with the same variety as you did when training one day per week, and getting the added benefit of stimulating muscle-fibers more frequently.
Doing this also allows you to hit a different head of each muscle each week, so in a sense, you have the whole week to recover.
When constructing a workout like this, write it up as if you were training each muscle once per week, and then simply split the exercises into two workouts. It makes it a lot easier.
Better Or Worse?
How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?
Providing your diet and sleep are in check, training each muscle group twice per week is far superior from a muscle-growth perspective. There is no doubting the benefits of increasing the frequency of stimulation.
| RELATED ARTICLE |
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Recovery 101 - Creating The Ultimate Physique.
Recovery; there is more to it than just training frequency and sleeping. I am going to give you the low-down on the different forms of recovery and some myths about it. Learn more right here!
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You're training twice per week, so the process of breakdown and re-growth is occurring twice, as opposed to once per week. Each muscle is getting stimulated just after it has recovered, meaning you are wasting no time before getting the job done again.
On the other hand, when training once a week, a trainer is left with 2-3 days where muscles are in an inactive state. This time of inactivity is time that could be used to train the muscle, and quicken the whole growth process.
But there are also benefits to training them just once a week. Firstly, you are giving more attention to each muscle group. Usually, you are training muscle groups on their own, or only with one other smaller muscle, putting you in a better position to focus on each muscle.
I find this teaches you to treat each muscle individually, rather than treating your body as a whole, which helps isolate muscles and establish a muscle-mind link.
One-day a week splits also have the benefit of allowing you to sculpt more variety into your routine. You don't have to worry about restricting volume per muscle group to avoid overtraining, which gives you more freedom in your exercise selection. Also, if you're on a split training muscles twice per week, your target muscle might be fully recovered before your next workout, but your triceps are still sore from their workout.
To counteract against these things, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, it's an idea to follow the push/pull/legs split where all your relative muscle groups work together to either push or pull. This avoids the problem of hampering a workout in which one or two synergist muscles are still in recovery.
Secondly, so you aren't sacrificing exercises, you can alternate between 2, or even 3 workouts for each body part. And to increase the attention to each body part, you can go old school, and split your workout into morning and afternoon/night sessions.
Keep the actual exercises, sets and reps the same, just split the workout into one/two body parts in the morning, and the other at night. This will help you focus on muscles more individually, and help establish that muscle-mind link.
On a final note, 3-4 days rest between workouts is more than enough for the whole repair process to occur, especially with today's supplements and knowledge. But if you do still feel sore, listen to your signals and take a day off before your next workout. Muscle recovery is dependent on how you nurture yourself outside the gym, so if have sleep, rest, nutrition and supplementation covered, you should be on your way to progress.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Follow some of the pointers to ensure this works wonders for you, rather than burning you off!
All the best.
2nd Place - RC26
What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.
A lot of people ask if they should work a body part once or twice per week, and different people give different answers. I've tried both and felt that working a body part once a week is not enough. I've included two different workouts, one for beginners and one for advanced bodybuilders.
The best workout for training body parts twice a week is as follows.
Beginners
The goal for beginners is to gain muscle mass, which is why 3 of the 6 days in the gym are heavy days. Sunday is a rest day, so make sure you don't engage in any activity that will tire you out, because that will lead to overtraining.
One thing most beginners do when they get to the gym is work on their upper body and neglect their lower body. Keep in mind that the legs are the biggest and strongest muscles in the body. Beginners should train legs from the very beginning so in the future symmetry won't be as big of a problem.
I included every major muscle group in this program to ensure that you build a proportioned physique. Last but not least, I always hear people complain that they're not getting results, calling themselves hard gainers. These are the people that can never make it in bodybuilding.
Complaining will lead you nowhere in life, and especially in bodybuilding. A good physique doesn't happen overnight. It can take up to ten years to build a good physique.
Your physique is affected by 5 things, and they are:
- Training
- Diet
- Genetics
- Age
- Mind
You have to train hard, eat right, and put your mind to it. This is called the mind muscle connection. You have to plan everything in bodybuilding, make short term goals, and accomplish them. Age also affects your physique.
You can't be 15 years old and expect to look like a Mr. Olympia. When you're young, your body isn't fully developed, so you have to have patience. Genetics can either help you or hurt you, but in most cases, you can go beyond your genetic potential.
The Split:
- Monday- Chest, Arms
- Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs
- Wednesday- Legs, Neck
- Thursday- Chest, Arms
- Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs
- Saturday- Legs, Neck
- Sunday- Rest Day
Monday - Chest, Arms:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Upper Pecs |
Incline Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lower Pecs |
Decline Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Biceps |
Standing EZ-bar Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Triceps |
Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Wrist Flexors |
Barbell Wrist Curls** |
3 |
12, 8, 6 |
| Wrist Extensors |
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls** |
3 |
12, 8, 6 |
Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Lats |
Wide-grip Lat Pulldowns |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lower Back |
Hyperextensions** |
3 |
15 |
| Front & Side Delts |
Seated DB Shoulder Presses |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Rear Deltoid |
Reverse Fly Machine |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Traps |
Dumbbell Shrugs |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Abs |
Crunches** |
3 |
25 |
Wednesday- Legs, Neck:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Quadriceps |
Squats |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Hamstrings |
Standing Leg Curls |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Standing Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Soleus |
Seated Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Neck |
Seated Neck Resistance** |
3 |
15 |
| Neck |
Standing Neck Resistance** |
3 |
15 |
Thursday- Chest, Arms:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Upper Pecs |
Incline Heavy Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Pecs |
Flat Heavy Dumbbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Biceps |
Standing Heavy EZ-bar Curls |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Triceps |
Lying Heavy Triceps Extensions |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Brachioradialis |
Standing Heavy Reverse Curls |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Lats |
Heavy Barbell Rows |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Lower Back |
Heavy Deadlifts |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Front and Side Deltoids |
Heavy Clean and Press |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Rear Deltoid |
Bent Over Heavy Laterals |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Traps |
Heavy Barbell Shrugs |
4 |
15, 8, 6, 4 |
| Abs |
Crunches** |
3 |
25 |
Saturday- Legs, Neck:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Quadriceps |
Heavy Squats |
4 |
20, 12, 8, 6 |
| Hamstrings |
Heavy Stiff-legged Deadlifts |
4 |
20, 12, 8, 6 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Heavy Standing Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 12, 8, 6 |
| Soleus |
Heavy Seated Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 12, 8, 6 |
| Neck |
Seated Neck Resistance** |
3 |
15 |
| Neck |
Standing Neck Resistance** |
3 |
15 |
* 1st set is a warm-up set
** There are no warm-up sets
Advanced
Advanced bodybuilders have to train longer and more often, which is why I split each workout day into two parts, morning and afternoon. I included more exercises and I included supersets. Supersets will make your workout go faster and will increase your strength endurance.
When you get to the advanced level, you should have a lot of mass, and your goal is to make sure every muscle is fully developed and striated. You also have to make sure that each muscle is in proportion. After every set is completed, flex the muscle you're working.
This will bring out the most striations and will keep your muscle pumped up for the next set. Also, practice posing each muscle after your workout. Little things like these can help you win in a competition.
I included a variety of workout equipment on different workout days including barbells, dumbbells, machines, and cables to ensure that you won't be repeating the same workouts and to make sure you're constantly shocking your muscles into further growth.
Advanced bodybuilders should stretch after each workout. Stretching not only decreases your chances of getting injured, but it increases your flexibility. The more flexible you are, the longer range of motion you will get. That means that more muscle fibers will be recruited and you will get more muscular gains.
When you get to the advanced level and if you choose to compete, you know how important cardio is. Not only is cardio good for your heart, but it keeps you in good shape and can help you lose those last couple of pounds so you can have a body that looks like it was chiseled out of stone. I included 30 to 60 minutes of cardio on Mondays and Thursdays after the workout.
The Split:
- Monday- Chest, Arms, Cardio
- Tuesday- Back, Shoulders
- Wednesday- Legs, Abs, Neck
- Thursday- Chest, Arms, Cardio
- Friday- Back, Shoulders
- Saturday- Legs, Abs, Neck
- Sunday- Rest Day
Monday- Chest, Arms, Cardio:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Upper Pecs |
Incline Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Pecs |
Flat Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Pecs |
Flat Dumbbell Flyes |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Pecs |
Standing Cable Crossovers |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
|
Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| |
Biceps |
Standing EZ-bar Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Seated EZ-bar Triceps Ext. |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Biceps |
Preacher Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Biceps |
Concentration Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Triceps Pushdowns |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Wrist Flexors |
Barbell Wrist Curls** |
3 |
12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Wrist Extensors |
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls** |
3 |
12, 8, 6 |
Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Front Deltoids |
Seated Barbell Military Presses |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Side Deltoids |
Standing Lateral Raises |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Rear Deltoids |
Reverse Fly Machine |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Traps |
Dumbbell Shrugs |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Abs |
Crunches** |
3 |
25 |
Wednesday- Legs, Neck:
| |
Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| |
Quadriceps |
Seated Leg Extensions |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| | superset with |
| Hamstrings |
Standing Leg Curls |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| |
| |
Quadriceps |
Leg Presses |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| | superset with |
| Hamstrings |
Lying Leg Curls |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| |
| |
Quads, Hams |
Barbell Squats |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Standing Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Donkey Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Soleus |
Seated Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
Thursday- Chest, Arms, Cardio:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Upper Pecs |
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lower Pecs |
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Upper Pecs |
Incline Dumbbell Flyes |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Pecs |
Machine Flyes |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| |
Biceps |
Standing Dumbbell Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Seated Dumbbell Triceps Ext. |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Biceps |
Incline Dumbbell Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Biceps |
Overhead Cable Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| | superset with |
| Triceps |
Reverse Triceps Pushdowns |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| |
| |
Brachioradialis |
Standing Reverse Curls |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Lats |
Lat Pulldowns |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lats |
Barbell Rows |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lats |
T-bar Rows |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Lower Back |
Deadlifts |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| Front Deltoids |
Seated Barbell Military Presses |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Side Deltoids |
Cable Lateral Raises |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Rear Deltoids |
Bent Over Lateral Raises |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
| Traps |
Barbell Shrugs |
4 |
15, 12, 8, 6 |
Saturday- Legs, Neck:
| |
Body Part |
Exercise |
Sets* |
Reps |
| |
Quadriceps |
Seated Leg Extensions |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| | superset with |
| Hamstrings |
Standing Leg Curls |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| |
| |
Quadriceps |
Barbell Lunges |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| | superset with |
| Hamstrings |
Seated Leg Curls |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| |
| |
Quads, Hams |
Barbell Squats |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Standing Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Gastrocnemius |
Donkey Calf Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
| Soleus |
Leg Press Machine Toe Raises |
4 |
20, 15, 12, 8 |
Afternoon Workout:
* 1st set is a warm-up set
** There are no warm-up sets
Training Sessions:
When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?
As you've seen in the training split above, there are 6 workout days for beginners, and 6 workout days split into two parts for advanced bodybuilders. Sunday is the rest day. Your muscles take between 48 to 72 hours to recover, so each day you're working different muscle groups.
Better Or Worse?
How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?
I believe that training a muscle group once a week is not enough. Your muscles don't need 6 days to recover. Training a muscle group twice per week is so much better than once per week, because your muscles will adapt to the training and grow faster.
Diet:
Your diet can greatly affect your muscles' recovery time. Eat 1 gram of protein per body pound and 2 grams of carbs per body pound to get the best results.
One way to do this is to eat 5 to 6 small meals per day. In each meal include protein, carbs, and some fats. Two of those meals can be protein shakes.
I recommend that you get whey protein, milk and egg or casein protein. Whey protein goes in your body fast, so you should take it post workout. Milk and egg, and casein protein go in your body slowly, so take it before you go to sleep to ensure that you body gets the nutrients it needs throughout the night.
Water is also a vital nutrient that should be consumed daily. 1 to 2 gallons of water should be enough each day. I would also recommend you get a multi-vitamin.
Supplements:
Vitamins and minerals are very important, and most of the time you can't get enough of them in the foods you eat or from your one a day multi vitamin, so get something like Universal Animal Pak.
If you can't find the supplements you need at your local grocery store, check Bodybuilding.com for the best selling supplements at some of the most competitive prices.
I hope that this article will help you in your quest to build a good physique. Thanks for reading and good luck!
3rd Place - stonecoldtruth
With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week.
Hitting each muscle group twice a week has many potential benefits, but it is also a risky endeavor. Overtraining is an all too common thing in our world of bodybuilding. Without the proper rest, nutrition, and supplementation, our muscles will not grow. Essentially that is what we all want, right?
We want that 'perfect body', and we naturally think hitting a muscle group more frequently is going to be our best route.
However, the 'growth' that you seek is found primarily in rest and recovery time following your workout. So no, you do not grow in the gym. Your growth is going to occur during the 36-96 hours following your workout depending on intensity. However, if we want to train muscle groups multiple times during the week, we need to increase that recovery time. So before we look at the actual workout, let's analyze other ways we can increase our recovery:
Increasing Recovery
Supplementation:
There are many various supplements which 'claim' to help with muscle recovery. Below are the most popular, although further self-research is advised before making any supplement purchases.
Creatine - Reported to increase recovery time by protecting cell walls from training damage. Glutamine - Reported to increase cell volume and hydration, speeding up healing and recovery.
Branched Chained Amino Acids (BCAA's) - Reported to shorten recovery time, enhance ATP production, and promote cell volumization.
NO2 Products - Reported to increase blood flow to muscles as well as have anti-inflammatory properties.
Whey Protein - Research has shown that post workout there is a time period in which the body is begging for nutrients, providing it with Whey Protein during that period provides fast nutrients and amino acids, which is known to be essential for recovery.
Antioxidants - Research shows the eliminating of 'free radicals' in the blood can help to make the Central Nervous System more efficient, thus allowing recovery to happen at a faster pace.
Nutrition:
Proper post-workout nutrition can greatly aid in the recovery process. After your workout we want to stop muscle catabolism and let the healing and growth processes begin. During this immediate time post-workout your body is essentially a baby bird waiting for you, the momma bird, to feed it. Mouth gaping wide open, it will take in anything we give it. So, what is the best way to refuel our body?
Well, during exercise we deplete much of our muscles glycogen supply. As this is the prime source of energy during our workouts we want to replenish this source of energy. We want to do this by taking in a fast acting (or high-gi index) carbohydrate immediately post-workout.
The most popular type of carbohydrate for this purpose is dextrose/maltodextrin. However, carbohydrates alone will not bring on protein synthesis that facilitates recovery. For this, we need to supply our body with amino acids and protein. The fastest method for achieving this is a fast acting protein, such as whey protein. In this instance, we want to avoid the slower acting proteins, as well as any fats which may slow digestion.
Hydration:
Hydration is a big issue before, during, and after your workouts. Properly hydrating before and during your workout will help to ensure you can workout at proper intensity. After your workout hydration is equally important, as it will help to avoid cramping and assist in the recovery process.
For the workouts outlined below it is recommended to intake 1 liter of water (32 fluid ounces) throughout your workout. In addition, extra hydration will be required on days that you do cardio after your lifting.
Workout:
What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.
Working your body parts twice a week forces you to become inventive with your workouts, as we want to get the most out of workouts with encountering overtraining. Now, many people may advise a 4 day routine with either a push/pull or upper/lower type workouts, however, this runs the fine line of overtraining.
However, by thinking outside of the box we can combine these routines into a 3 day split that will give you all of the results without the overtraining.
The Split:
- Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Arms, Cardio
- Day 2 - Legs, Back, Abs
- Day 3 - Cardio only
- Day 4 - OFF
- Day 5 - THE BIG 3
- Day 6 - Cardio only
- Day 7 - OFF
Before detailing the exercises below, it is important to detail the intensity used during these exercises. Due to being a higher frequency training our goals are not to completely destroy our Central Nervous System like some of your other workouts may.
The Workout:
Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Arms:
Day 2 - Legs, Back, & Abs:
Day 5 - THE BIG 3***
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