Two day full body strength training routine

wow...huge bump! thanks for the post!

You're welcome!

Hi Steve,

I read your posts regularly and clearly you have a lot off knowledge to impart- so firstly thank you. I work out at home mainly and recently downloaded 'workouts' ( a free app) on my iPad. I tried the complete body workout and was wondering how much time people spend on strength training? My goad now is like many to build more muscle and lose last few pounds of fat etc. I am doing cardio 4 times a week and was thinking of doing strength twice a week, but for how long? Any thoughts or advice? Thanks

Conditioning work can be timed base. Generally speaking though, strength training isn't. Rather, strength training is volume based. Does that make sense? Cardio, for example, can be measured in seconds or minutes where strength training is measured in sets and reps.

One way to measure volume is sets x reps per movement or muscle group.

There are no hard, fast rules but in general, something like 15-40 reps per movement/muscle group per session is optimal. Two to four times per week is about right. I'm sure 15-40 sounds like a large range, and I agree... it is. But it all depends on the program and the intensity/load. For example, if I were focusing on very heavy loads that limit me to 1-2 reps per set.... I'm not going to sit there and compile enough sets to get me to 40 reps. Something like 6-8 sets of 2 reps would suffice.

With lighter loads, which is what most everyone around here should be focusing on, you might be doing 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps.

See how this works?

This is all assuming that the primary goal of the workout is increased strength/muscle. You can also use weights for a conditioning type effect where loads are reduced, volume is bumped way up, and rest is dropped way down. Think circuit training or a lot of the workouts you're seeing on DVDs that are on the market today. These aren't bad... they're just different. The effects of a workout will always be specific to the contents of a workout.

My programs that are focused on developing strength/muscle generally take anywhere from 30-60 minutes by the time I accumulate adequate volume. Keep in mind that includes a dynamic warm-up, some foam rolling, and rest between sets. My rest between sets are generally active, meaning I rarely let my clients sit there idol.

One other thought I had from your post.... you said your primary goal is fat loss and muscle gain. These are almost mutually exclusive from one another. From the mile high view, you need a calorie deficit to lose fat and a calorie surplus to gain muscle. Now, when we zoom way in to the individual level, I've seen time and time again in my gym where clients accomplish both simultaneously. However, the ability to do so generally doesn't last very long. And it generally only happens in overweight and/or individuals who are unaccustomed to the stressors of real strength training.

Once their bodies "catch on," assuming they're in a calorie deficit, muscle growth usually comes to a screeching halt. There's still a lot of incentive for them to continue strength training, mind you. Muscle maintenance, the ability to still increase strength, etc. I simply bring this up so you're able to manage your expectations with this.

Bumping to add to My Topics. I really need to learn how to deadlift...

I generally teach my clients to hinge at the hips first. Then I move them to trap bar deads. Then I move them to straight bar deads.