2 Day Workout Split for Advanced Lifters

If you’ve got a few years of lifting under your belt, and you want to keep on gaining muscle but you only have the time to train twice a week, this page will show you what to do.

Lifting weights just twice a week is far from ideal for advanced lifters who want to gain muscle.

That’s because advanced lifters typically need more work than beginner or intermediate trainees to stimulate muscle growth. And by more work, I’m talking about more total sets for each muscle group.

For an advanced lifter, two day splits can do a reasonable job of maintaining the muscle you have right now.

But if you’re trying to gain muscle, there’s a limit on the amount of stimulation your muscles can respond to in a single training session. With only two weekly workouts, you’re capping the size of any potential gains in muscle mass.

The solution?

It is possible, to a degree at least, to work around the problem with the use of specialization cycles.

The idea behind a specialization cycle is that you focus on improving a few areas of the body at a time, hitting those muscles with more total sets. 

Training volume for the rest of the body is reduced, with the aim of simply maintaining size and strength in those areas (it takes fewer sets to maintain muscle mass than it does to build it in the first place).

The muscles you’re focused on during a particular specialization cycle are trained first in the workout when you’re fresh. They also get the most volume relative to everything else.

As an example, you might spend 3-4 weeks specializing on your chest, shoulders and triceps, while the legs, back and biceps get less work. 

For the next 3-4 weeks, the back and biceps get the extra volume, while everything else is put on maintenance mode.

Then in the next phase, your lower body (quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves) gets the extra attention, with the upper body muscles switched to maintenance.

2 Day Workout Split for Advanced Lifters

Here’s an example of what a 2-day workout routine might look like for an advanced lifter:

Weeks 1-4: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps Focus

Workout A

• Bench Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Squat 2 sets x 8-12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Underhand Close Grip Lat Pulldown 2 sets x 8-12 reps
• Cable Crossover 2 sets x 15-20 reps
• Seated Dumbbell Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Triceps Pressdown 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Workout B

• Overhead Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 2 sets x 5-8 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 2 sets x 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Lateral Raise 4 sets x 15-20 reps
• Overhead Triceps Extension 3 sets x 8-12 reps

Weeks 5-8: Back/Biceps Focus

Workout A

• Neutral Grip Pull-Up 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Squat 2 sets x 5-8 reps
• Single Arm Dumbbell Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Bench Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps
• Underhand Lat Pulldown 2 sets x 12-15 reps
• Cable Face Pull 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps

Workout B

• Seated Cable Row 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press 2 sets x 8-12 reps
• Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps
• Bent Over Lateral Raise 3 sets x 12-15 reps
• Preacher Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Hammer Curl 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Weeks 9-12 (Lower Body Focus) 

Workout A

• Squat 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Bench Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Leg Press 3 sets x 12-15 reps
• Neutral Grip Pull Up 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Leg Extension 2 sets x 15-20 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 4 sets x 8-12 reps

Workout B

• Romanian Deadlift 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Seated Cable Row 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Overhead Press 4 sets x 5-8
• Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Overhead Press 4 sets x 5-8
• Seated Leg Curl 4 sets x 12-15 reps

Other Workout Splits

• Full Body/Push/Pull Split: 3-Day Workout Routine
• Upper/Lower/Full Body: 3 Day Workout Split
• Push/Pull/Legs/Full Body Routine: 4-Day Workout Split