2 Day a Week Full Body Workout Split: A Simple Guide

If you want more muscle than you have right now, but you’re busy, and you don’t have much time available to go to the gym and lift weights, this 2-day a week full-body workout routine will get the job done.

2 Day Full Body Workout

This 2-day a week full body workout routine involves training on Monday and Thursday, giving your muscles 2-3 rest days to recover and grow before you train them again. Here’s an example of how it might look:

• Monday: Workout A
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Workout B
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

However, the days of the week that you train aren’t set in stone. If you can’t make it to the gym on Monday and Thursday, you could always train on Tuesday and Thursday, Monday and Wednesday, or Thursday and Saturday.

That’s one of the major benefits of a 2-day split. If you miss a workout, you can just push it back to the following day.

Workout A

• Bench Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Squat 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps

Workout B

• Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Seated Cable Row 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Leg Press 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Romanian Deadlift 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• Lateral Raise 3 sets x 15-20 reps

To keep each workout down to a reasonable length, there’s no direct work for the arms or calves. However, the biceps and triceps are worked indirectly during all the pushing and pulling exercises included in both workouts.

Exercises like the bench press and incline dumbbell press, for example, will hit the triceps, while the lat pulldown and seated cable row will work the biceps. 

But if you’ve got time, there’s no reason why you can’t throw in some isolation exercises for the arms (such as biceps curls and triceps pressdowns) at the end of each workout.

Likewise, if you want to build your calves, you can do some calf raises at the end of a workout, or even between sets of the other exercises.

How to Warm Up

The number of sets listed are the actual work sets only, and don’t include warm-up sets.

It’s always a good idea, especially if you’re using heavy weights, to do several progressively heavier warm-up sets. This will prepare the joints, the muscles and the nervous system that controls those muscles for the heavy work to come.

In most cases, somewhere between 1-3 warm-up sets will do the job. However, the exact number of warm-up sets you do will vary depending on a number of factors, including the temperature of the gym you’re training in, how your joints feel, the amount of weight you’re lifting, and where that exercise is placed in the workout.

There have been times when I’ve been training in a cold gym, it’s early in the morning and my joints are feeling a bit stiff, where I’ve ended up doing 7-8 warm-up sets before getting into the heavy stuff.

On the flip side, with some of the exercises that come later in the workout, the muscles being worked are already warm, so you won’t need many, if any, warm-up sets.

What about stretching?

In most cases, there’s very little benefit in stretching, be it dynamic or static, as part of a warm-up.

While the adverse effects of stretching on strength and power have been exaggerated, most studies show that pre-exercise stretching does little for injury prevention and has no beneficial effects on lifting performance.

Can you stretch as part of your warm up? Yes. Do you have to? No. It’s certainly not mandatory, and many people will do just as well without it.

You can read more about how to warm up for weight training here.

How to Progress a Full-Body Workout

You’ll notice that the upper and lower body workouts use rep ranges, such as 5-8 or 8-12, rather than a fixed number of reps in each set.

For example, let’s say that the prescription for a particular exercise is 3 sets of 5-8 reps.

The idea is that you select a weight that allows you to perform at least 5 reps in each set, but no more than 8.

Every time you go to the gym, you try to do more reps than you did the workout before. Once you’re able to do 8 reps in every set, increase the weight for the following workout.

It’s a form of progression known as the double progression method. Here’s an example of how it might look in practice:

Workout 1

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 5 reps

Workout 2

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 6 reps

Workout 3

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 4

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 8 reps

Workout 5

• Set 1: 105 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 2: 105 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 3: 105 pounds x 5 reps

As you can see, in workout four, once you’re able to do 8 reps in all 3 sets, you add weight in workout give and repeat the cycle. 

This simple double progression method can work well for most exercises, and will produce decent gains in muscle mass over several months, just as long as you stay consistent and work hard.

It’s also important to make sure that your technique remains solid from one workout to the next. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ve gotten stronger, when all you’re doing is cheating on those last few reps to get the weight up.

The exact number of workouts it takes to reach this point will vary from person to person, and from exercise to exercise. It might take 10 workouts or it might take 5. But wait until you can do 3 sets of 8 reps before adding weight.

2-Day Workout Split Variations

2 Day Full Body Dumbbell Workout

If you don’t have access to a well-equipped gym, or even if you just prefer training at home, you can still make impressive gains using dumbbells and your own bodyweight to supply resistance.

Here’s a 2-day full-body workout plan that requires nothing more than a bench and a couple of adjustable dumbbells.

Full Body Dumbbell Workout A

• Push-Ups 3 sets x 20-30 reps
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Shoulder Press 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps

Full Body Dumbbell Workout B

• Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Pullover 3 sets x 12-15 reps
• Dumbbell Hack Squat OR Deficit Reverse Lunge 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Sliding Leg Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Lateral Raise 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• Dumbbell Preacher Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps
• Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 15-20 reps

If you’re pushed for time, just do the first 4-5 exercises. Your shoulders and arms will get some stimulation from the exercises performed earlier in the workout.

You can also throw in some exercises for your abs and calves at the end of each training session, whenever time allows.

2 Day Split Workout For Strength

If you want to get stronger in the big three compound lifts (bench press, squat and deadlift), here’s a 2-day split workout for strength.

Strength Workout A

• Bench Press 5 sets x 3-5 reps
• Squat 5 sets x 3-5 reps
• Leg Curl 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 8-12 reps

Strength Workout B

• Deadlift 5 sets x 3-5 reps
• Bench Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Squat 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 4 sets x 8-12 reps

The bench press and squat are done twice a week, once with heavy weights in the 3-5 rep range, and a second time with lighter weights and higher reps.

Although the deadlift is performed once a week, the muscles worked by the deadlift (mainly the large muscle groups in the thighs, hips and lower back) are hit by the squat and leg curl in strength workout A.

Adding weight to your squat tends to drive up the amount of weight you can deadlift, as both exercises work similar muscle groups. 

In fact, deadlifting just once a week and squatting three times a week has been shown to increase maximal strength in both lifts by 8% and 10% respectively [3]. It’s not unusual to hear of guys who have been able to increase their deadlift simply by squatting regularly.

2-Day Workout Split: Pros

Is working out twice a week enough? Or is it just a complete waste of time?

Any amount of time spent lifting weights, be it once a week, twice a week or whatever, is never a waste of time. It’s not time spent, it’s time invested.

A 2 day workout split might not represent the optimal approach to building muscle. However, there are a number of benefits and advantages to training twice a week.

1. For one, lifting weights twice a week won’t take up much more than a few hours, which is less than 5% of the time available to you over the course of a week. That gives you plenty of time to get other stuff done.

2. As long as you’re willing to work hard and push yourself, research shows that two weekly workouts is a highly effective way to build muscle.

In one study, Canadian researchers compared the same total training volume divided across two or three weekly workouts [1]. Gains in muscle size and strength were virtually identical with both routines.

In another, distributing the same amount of training across two or four weekly workouts led to roughly the same amount of muscle being gained [2]. Although the group doing the 2-day split spent longer in the gym, they didn’t have to go there as often.

3. If you’re in your 40’s, 50’s or beyond, you’ll know that it takes longer for your body, especially your joints, to recover from a hard workout.

Cutting your training frequency back to twice a week is an ideal way to gain size and strength while still giving your body the recovery time it needs.

From best-selling author Dan John:

“What has always amazed me about training twice a week is how good my joints feel and how much energy I seem to have to do all the other important things in life.”

4. Maintaining the muscle mass you already have, either because a) you’re happy with the amount you have at the moment and don’t want to gain any more or b) you don’t have the time or inclination to train more often, and just want to do the bare minimum to hold on to what you’ve got 

5. If you’re into a particular sport (e.g. cycling, running, or martial arts) and want to incorporate some strength work in your program, lifting weights twice a week will allow you to do so without interfering with your other training.

2-Day Workout Split: Cons

To be clear, you are making compromises with just two workouts a week.

If you’re an advanced lifter with several years of serious training behind you, and want to carry on making gains, chances are you’ll see better results with a training program that involves lifting weights 4-6 days a week, rather than twice. 

There’s an upper limit on the amount of stimulation your muscles can respond to in any given training session. 

Even if you could cram all your training for the week into a couple of workouts, you’re not going to see the same gains had that training been spread across 4-6 sessions.

And the longer your workouts last, the more likely it is that you’ll run out of steam towards the end of a session. The muscles being trained towards the end of the workout aren’t going to receive the same level of effort as the ones trained at the start.

SEE ALSO: 2 Day Workout Split for Advanced Lifters

Lifting Weights Twice a Week: Popular Questions

If I only want to go to the gym twice a week to lift weights does the amount of time spent need to be at least 2-3 hours each session?

The length of time it takes for an effective workout will depend a lot on the lifter, what that workout consists of, and how much work they need to continue making progress. 

In most cases, a 2-3 hour workout is going to be too much. If someone needs to be in the gym lifting weights for 2-3 hours to fit everything in, they’d be better off with a strength training program that involves a higher frequency of training.

How many times a week should you do a full body workout?

In most cases, a full-body workout should be done between 2-4 times per week. Some advanced lifters report impressive gains with high-frequency (4-5 times per week) full-body workout routines compared to more conventional body part split routines. However, most people will be better off with a full-body training program done 2-4 times a week.

How long should a full body workout take?

There are no hard and fast rules about how long a full body workout should be. On average, it’s probably going to take somewhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours, with the sweet spot being between 45-90 minutes. For most people, a workout lasting 45-90 minutes is plenty. That’s more than enough to get the job done.

What is the best 2 day split workout routine?

For gaining muscle, the best 2 day split workout is one that involves working each muscle group twice a week. However, if you’re just trying to maintain your current level of muscle mass, something like a 2-day upper/lower split, or a 2-day push/pull split, would work fine.

Can you get ripped working out 2 days a week?

Losing fat is mainly a function of your diet than it is anything else, so the most important thing is to get the nutrition side of things sorted (which I cover in detail in my Gutless nutrition manual).

However, if you’re talking about getting ripped (which I’m going to define as under 10% body fat for men) then you likely will benefit from training more often (3-5 days a week, with some cardio thrown in to burn off extra calories).

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