2 day split workout for bodybuilding

Many bodybuilders choose to split their training and workouts into sections. As the name suggests the 2 day split bodybuilding workout program splits the full body workout into 2 workouts rather than a single workout.

This means bodybuilders can focus on different major muscles in different workouts, allowing the trainer to hit each muscle with as much intensity as possible rather than risk under-training a muscle group due to expending energy on other muscle groups first.

2 day split workout vs full body workout

Both the full body workout and the 2 day split workout have there benefits. The benefits of the full body workout is that the full body workout places the body under huge stress in one big hit. The full body workout forces the body to breakdown all major muscles groups and then rest ... allowing great gains in muscle mass. The full body workout will also allow bodybuilders to burn a large number of calories per workout as the full body workout encourages bodybuilders and strength athletes to use compound exercises that exercise all the major muscles at once. The full body workout also allows bodybuilders to exercise key muscle groups 3 times a week, which in theory, will lead to greater muscle gains.

However, the full body workout is very intense and because of this over use of the full body workout might lead to overtraining, which will see any gains in muscle mass diminish quickly, as well as exercise induced injury which will but the brakes on any new muscle mass.

Because of this many experienced bodybuilders revert to a split workout routine, which allows them to exercise each body part one or twice a week and with more concentrated focus on each muscle group. With the 2 day split workout bodybuilders can focus on each muscle group twice a week, which is believed to improve muscle gains over time and reduce the danger of overtraining and injury.

2 day split workout: Training options

There are two popular 2 day split workout options open to bodybuilders looking for an alternative to the full body workout.

1. Push / pull workout routine
2. Upper body / Lower body workout routine

Both these workouts focus on large muscle groups in each workout whilst also exercising smaller muscle groups during the same session.

2 day split workout: Push / Pull workout

The push / pull workout training program sees all the muscles that push grouped together in the same workout and all the muscle groups that pull grouped together in the other workout.

For example, a typical push workout routine would group the following exercises together:

• Chest press
• Incline press
• Decline press
• Shoulder press
• Dips
• Tricep press
• Squat
• Leg press
• Calf raises

The pull workout in the 2 day split workout program would group the following exercises together:

• Pull ups
• Pull downs
• Rowing
• Bicep curls
• Leg curls
• Deadlift

Of course a bodybuilder would choose all the possible exercises on each workout but they could choose 2 or 3 exercises per muscle group and still complete their workout in less than 60 minutes.

Monday and Thursday

Exercise Repetitions Sets Rest Chest press 10 3 60 secs Incline press 10 3 60 secs Shoulder press 10 3 60 secs Anorld press 10 3 60 secs Dips 10 3 60 secs Tricep pushdown 10 3 60 secs Squat 10 3 60 secs Leg press 10 3 60 secs Calf raises 10 3 60 secs

Complete all sets per exercise before moving onto the next exercise.

Tuesday and Friday

Exercise Repetitions Sets Rest Pull ups 10 3 60 secs Bent over rowing or seated row 10 3 60 secs Shoulder shrugs 10 3 60 secs Barbell bicep curls 10 3 60 secs Incline dumbbell curls 10 3 60 secs Deadlift 10 3 60 secs Leg curls 10 3 60 secs

Complete all sets per exercise before moving onto the next exercise.

2 day split workout: Upper body / lower body workout

The upper body / lower body 2 day split workout simply groups exercises together depending on whether a muscle group is found below the hips or above the hips. So exercises like the chest press and pull ups would be grouped together on one day and squats, deadlifts and leg press on another.

Example upper body and lower body workouts are outlined below.

Monday and Thursday

Upper body exercises Repetitions Sets Rest Chest press 10 3 60 secs Incline press 10 3 60 secs Pull ups 10 3 60 secs Rowing 10 3 60 secs Shoulder press 10 3 60 secs Upright rowing 10 3 60 secs Dips 10 3 60 secs Bicep curls 10 3 60 secs Ab crunch 10 3 60 secs

Tuesday and Friday

Lower body exercises Repetitions Sets Rest Squat 10 3 60 secs Leg press 10 3 60 secs Deadlift 10 3 60 secs Leg curls 10 3 60 secs Standing calf raises 10 3 60 secs Seated calf raises 10 3 60 secs

2 day split workout: Increasing the intensity

Depending on which type of 2 day split workout you choose there are ways to increase your intensity and increase the muscle mass gains.

One example would be to superset exercises on the upper and lower body exercises so that the rest periods between exercises are reduce. One such way would be to couple the chest press with the pull ups and the rowing exercise with the incline chest press. Perform the chest exercise followed directly by the back exercise and repeat for the desired number of sets.

The same can be done on the legs day by coupling squats with leg curls or deadlifts with calf raises etc.

2 day split workout: Organising your time

The 2 day split workouts above are organised around workouts on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with rest days on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

However, their are other options, including:

• Monday - Push
• Tuesday - Rest
• Wednesday - Pull
• Thursday - Rest
• Friday - Push
• Sat and Sun - Rest

This will see the bodybuilder weight train 3 days a week.

Alternatively, you could choose to organise your 2 day split workouts in the following way:

• Monday - Push
• Tuesday - Rest
• Wednesday - Pull
• Thursday - Rest
• Friday - Push
• Saturday - Rest
• Sunday - Pull

This type of 2 day split workout routine sees the bodybuilder weight train 4 times a week. Note, the following Monday would be a rest day, with Tuesday being the next day in the gym.

The upper body / lower body 2 day split workout could be organised in the same way, with a rest day between each session rather than two day blocks in the gym.

2 day split workout: Periodization

There are many ways to increase the intensity and success of bodybuilding workouts. One popular way is to periodize weight training sessions and plan workouts in 4 - 6 week blocks. Each block would focus on varying sets and reps, aiming to develop pure strength, power, muscle mass and muscle endurance.

A typical periodization cycle could look something like this:

• January - Strength (4 sets x 4 reps per exercise)
• February - Power (4 sets x 6 reps per exercise)
• March and April - Muscle mass (3 sets x 8-12 reps per exercise)
• May - Muscle endurance (3 sets x 15 reps per exercise)
• June - Back to the Strength block

The idea of such training techniques is that your muscles adapt quickly to the work you're asking them to perform. By periodizing your workouts, this not only keeps the muscles guessing it also forces them to work in different ways, which equals greater muscle gains.

Periodizing your workouts also allows you to increase strength gains and muscle mass over the course of a year without hitting a training plateau - a point training where a bodybuilder no longer makes muscle mass or strength gains.

Latest health and fitness news

• Drinking tap water can make you fat
• 8 in 10 men will be overweight by 2020
• Swine flu could return to the UK with a bang
• Risks of breast cancer higher for skinny girls
• All women have an inbuilt fear of getting fat

Latest quizzes and tests

• Back & shoulder pain quiz
• Test your blood pressure knowledge
• Test your cancer basics knowledge
• Will you get diabetes?
• Do you have a healthy prostate?