How to modify a 3 days/week program in a 2 days/week program (weight lifting)?

yuko0407

Following advice given on this forum, I've found a lifting beginner program that seems very appealing:
https://aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/ (see "version 1")
It's composed by two full-body workouts, that one has to alternate 3 times/week. Each workout is made by 3 exercises, 3 sets of 8-10 reps each.

The thing is that I can go to the gym only 2 times a week, my schedule will make literally impossible to fit one more workout. So, I'm wondering if I should adapt the program: do one more set for each exercise? Same number of sets but 2 or 3 more reps for each set? No change at all?

Thoughts?

sijomial

If you can only train twice a week it may well be better to pick a program that is intended to be used twice a week.

But if you are set on that program then initially I'd be tempted to simply do the program as designed but with more days off in between. When you are starting out those extra recovery days won't be a bad idea to give you a gentle ramp up. So your initial weeks would be AB-AB-AB instead of the intended ABA-BAB-ABA.
(Variable number of days in a "training week" aren't that unusual a concept.)

The downside is that the overall weekly volume will be a lot less than intended so after a few weeks I'd add sets (not reps) to get closer to the intended volume at the right intensity.

Twice a week may well not be optimal but it's streets ahead of zero and as a beginner you should still see good progress.

smithker75

Even though there are 3 workout days per week in the program, there are just 2 actual workouts so you should be fine just training twice a week

Retroguy2000

The problem with treating that program as a twice a week program is it's too little volume, especially legs and chest which only get 3 sets each for the whole week (OK so 6 sets for legs if you count deadlifts as leg day, that's still light for the week).

It's a very good range of exercises. To get more volume and spread that volume more evenly, I suggest you look into a different program more suited to twice a week, or increase the exercises to 4 per session instead of 3, to make sure you're hitting each of legs, chest and back twice per week instead of only once. Be sure to focus on intensity too. You're going to have to get the most out of your limited time, so take these as close to failure as you can safely do. Also those 3 sets you're doing are the working sets, not including any warmup set.

Here's a suggestion to modify that plan to twice weekly:

Workout A:

Squats
Bench
Rows
add shoulder press

Workout B

Deadlifts
Bench or Flys (if dumbbell, do these laying on the floor)
Pulldowns, or inverted pullups (assuming regular pullups are too hard)
add reverse lunges with dumbbells

yuko0407

sijomial wrote: »

If you can only train twice a week it may well be better to pick a program that is intended to be used twice a week.

I agree. Unfortunately most of the beginner programs I've found are designed for 3 days/week. But maybe I've looked in the wrong places.

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

The problem with treating that program as a twice a week program is it's too little volume, especially legs and chest which only get 3 sets each for the whole week (OK so 6 sets for legs if you count deadlifts as leg day, that's still light for the week).

It's a very good range of exercises. To get more volume and spread that volume more evenly, I suggest you look into a different program more suited to twice a week, or increase the exercises to 4 per session instead of 3, to make sure you're hitting each of legs, chest and back twice per week instead of only once. Be sure to focus on intensity too. You're going to have to get the most out of your limited time, so take these as close to failure as you can safely do. Also those 3 sets you're doing are the working sets, not including any warmup set.

Here's a suggestion to modify that plan to twice weekly:

Workout A:

Squats
Bench
Rows
add shoulder press

Workout B

Deadlifts
Bench or Flys (if dumbbell, do these laying on the floor)
Pulldowns, or inverted pullups (assuming regular pullups are too hard)
add reverse lunges with dumbbells

The bold is exactly my concern.
Thank you very much for your suggestion, I will try the exercises you mention. Regular pullups are way too hard, I've tried lateral pulldowns with a machine that is much more doable for me. Just to be sure: you suggest maintaining 3 sets per exercise (excluding warmup sets), right?

Retroguy2000

"yuko0407 wrote: »

The bold is exactly my concern.
Thank you very much for your suggestion, I will try the exercises you mention. Regular pullups are way too hard, I've tried lateral pulldowns with a machine that is much more doable for me. Just to be sure: you suggest maintaining 3 sets per exercise (excluding warmup sets), right?

At least 3, preferably 4. I'm no trainer, just according to Google you want to be doing 9+ sets per body part per week to maximize growth, so we're talking here about the big important ones for push (chest), pull (back) and legs. If we count deadlifts as back and legs, the format I suggested gets you to 9 sets per week for back and legs but only 6 sets for chest. So hopefully you have the time to do more sets for chest, and more sets generally.

That's something you can leave until later though. You suggested you're just starting. The focus right now should be on getting your form correct, and finding which variations of rows etc. work best for you. Increasing sets will be a great way to progress later.

Have a look at this latest video by Humiston too, talking about intensity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYnev1tEPpU

Chieflrg

I ask why you can't find a third day first?

Can you do 2 full days and 2 half days?

Can you work out at home? You could Deadlift/Bench/Squat at gym and do a Row/Pull up/Press at home when needed. I would just utilize proper load management instead of following a linear progression. You might have to use a variation of squat or deadlift, but that isn't unreasonable.

You could do just two days as it is better than none, but there won't be much of progression because the stimulus won't be sufficient in a matter of a few weeks at best.

If it was me I would just program two days at the gym and one at home without performing the A/B alternating. Just a straight 3 day full body using proper load management. Much easier to balance the stress dosed that way.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

OP can you programme a 3rd day at home using adjustable dumbbells for example. I bought a set of power blocks during lockdown they take up no room at all and are really versatile

yuko0407

Chieflrg wrote: »

I ask why you can't find a third day first?

It's complicated. My gym is indeed at my workplace, and I go there 2 days/week.

Chieflrg wrote: »

Can you do 2 full days and 2 half days?

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean...

Chieflrg wrote: »

Can you work out at home? You could Deadlift/Bench/Squat at gym and do a Row/Pull up/Press at home when needed. I would just utilize proper load management instead of following a linear progression. You might have to use a variation of squat or deadlift, but that isn't unreasonable.

You could do just two days as it is better than none, but there won't be much of progression because the stimulus won't be sufficient in a matter of a few weeks at best.

If it was me I would just program two days at the gym and one at home without performing the A/B alternating. Just a straight 3 day full body using proper load management. Much easier to balance the stress dosed that way.

I see your point. I will think about this. Just a question, if you don't mind: what do you mean with "I would just utilize proper load management instead of following a linear progression"?

Chieflrg

yuko0407 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

I ask why you can't find a third day first?

1. It's complicated. My gym is indeed at my workplace, and I go there 2 days/week.

Chieflrg wrote: »

Can you do 2 full days and 2 half days?

2. Sorry, I don't understand what you mean...

Chieflrg wrote: »

Can you work out at home? You could Deadlift/Bench/Squat at gym and do a Row/Pull up/Press at home when needed. I would just utilize proper load management instead of following a linear progression. You might have to use a variation of squat or deadlift, but that isn't unreasonable.

You could do just two days as it is better than none, but there won't be much of progression because the stimulus won't be sufficient in a matter of a few weeks at best.

If it was me I would just program two days at the gym and one at home without performing the A/B alternating. Just a straight 3 day full body using proper load management. Much easier to balance the stress dosed that way.

3. I see your point. I will think about this. Just a question, if you don't mind: what do you mean with "I would just utilize proper load management instead of following a linear progression"?

1. I see.
2. If you can't elaborate on #1, it's kind of pointless to explain what I mean.
3. It means linear progression if "okay" for a novel lifter but only for a very short time. Linear programs expect you to add weight every session because the ability to drive a adaptation is achieved every session. Eventually grind out until you can't complete the dosage. Then perform silly "deloads" that are masks for the inefficient linear programming only to grind again very soon with really no progress. Using something to regulate how much weight that goes on the barbell in relation to appropriate intensity and volume is very useful to long term progress.

Again you can use a linear program if you are new or coming off a hiatus and do just fine. The idea you can run these programs over and over makes no sense. Otherwise powerlifters would do it forever and we would pull 20,000 lbs then 30,000 eventually and so on.

DancingMoosie

What worked for me, but isn't an actual program, is doing the big 5: squat, bench, OHP, deads, and rows(or pullups) 2 days per week at the gym, and then doing 1-2 days full body or accessories with dumbbells at home. You can message me if you want more info. But it depends on where you are in your training and your goals.