Two Days, Two Sets, To Grow, Too Big?

For years and years I did a 3 on/1 off, 2 on/1 off workout routine. I split my bodyparts up over four days (i.e., chest/shoulders, calves/back, tris/bis, quads/hams). It worked, but I think there is something better that I’d been overlooking until now. I recently began a 2 on/1 off routine and I have noticed some very favorable results. I also changed another element of my training that I will share with you as well. Maybe this will work for you too.

Two days on, one day off

Being in my mid-thirties now I just don’t recover as quickly as I did in my 20’s. Thirty-six isn’t old by any means, but it’s not 22 either. Recently I’ve changed my workout split to a 2 on 1 off using the same bodypart split mentioned above.

I switched to doing 2 on/1 off for several reasons:

• I was feeling tired all the time
• I was not motivated to train
• My joints were aching
• I needed a change

This split has worked out excellent because after two days of intense training I’m ready for a break. And after that one day break, I’m ready to get back in the gym. My motivation level now is sky high for each and every workout! I’m excited to go in the gym and really push myself, and since I’m there only two days in a row, I’m able to give each training session everything I’ve got.

There is something else I have found to be working well for me… that is, doing only two sets of each exercise instead of the customary 3-4 sets. It just makes sense, doesn’t it?

Two sets instead of three, or four

We’ve always been told that it is best to do 3-4 sets of each exercise, right? But why? Maybe it’s just me but I think that logic is flawed for a couple of reasons:

• Anything after two sets gets boring
• The same amount of intensity is not given to each set because mentally you “save” yourself

Boredom

Let’s address the first one first. Boredom. I may suffer from ADD I’m not sure, but I seem to get bored after the first two sets. I want to go do something different – a different exercise for that bodypart. An exercise with a different machine, a different bar, a different grip, a different rep scheme, a different angle, all to hit a different part of the muscle.

And since I keep my total number of sets for a bodypart  low, then doing only two sets of an exercise allows me to do more exercises as well. That’s a plus in my book.

Intensity

As far as the second point regarding the intensity, I think this has a lot of truth to it – at least for me. If I’m planning to do four sets of let’s say, leg presses, then one or more set of those four sets is going to suffer. It is simply difficult to maintain 100% intensity for an exercise in which you do 3 or 4 sets. Now 2 sets is no problem, I can bust my ass on set one, and then bust my ass again on a second set, but after that I lose some momentum. Whether it’s mental or physical doesn’t matter, the fact remains that my workout has suffered. Not good.   

The two sets thing came about because I noticed that I just instinctively wanted to stop after the second set. Maybe it was boredom or maybe I knew that I wasn’t going to give my all to the last one or two sets. In either case I’m liking this change. It makes sense and I’ll stick with it for a while to see how I progress. So far so good, I feel stronger and more focused in the gym these days.

Is it right for you?

Is a two day on, one off routine doing two sets of each exercise right for you? I don’t know. It might be worth a shot. Have you done something similar? If so, how has it worked out for you? There are an infinite number of ways to train, what’s yours?

Tags: 2 on 1 off, 3 on 1 off, aching joints, boredom, intensity, motivation, sets, training style, workout routine