only lifting twice a week good enough?

I am currently working a lot at my job and to be honest, a lot of my energy is gone by the time I get home. I noticed that I have only been lifting once or twice a week now (basically compound workouts). I am dieting to lose weight and I have been, but I was wondering if lifting just twice a week was decent enough?

I do..
squats/deads
bench
overhead
rows
crunches
pull ups

Twice a week is better than 0 or 1 time a week for sure.

I train twice a week with weights seeing huge results!

Hey twice a week is definitly better than not at all,if you looking to lose weight i suggest when you are doing weights concentrate on high reps and supersets rather than heavy weights.Im sure you will c results just mayb alittle slower than if you were going 4 times a week.But like i said its better than nothing and dont give up.

Twice a week is fine. There's good evidence that it can take your muscles up to 10 days to fully recover from a good workout. That's not to say that more frequent exercise isn't helpful. Most people who go to the gym 4-6 times per week work a split and focus on one or only a few muscle groups per session. The likelihood that you'll overtrain and hurt yourself is lower with ample rest, and going only 2x a week more or less guarantees you're getting the rest/recovery.

Just remember that an ounce of rest is sometimes worth a pound of exercise.

[QUOTE=Ray786;649656423]if you looking to lose weight i suggest when you are doing weights concentrate on high reps and supersets rather than heavy weights..[/QUOTE]

Sounds like what the TV has been telling us since 1960; high reps low weight to lose fat.

If you would prefer to take advice from the modern era, lift heavy. 2 days a week will work, but that does not seem to be the issue. You should be on a lifting schedule, with a routine that you follow to promote progressive gains throughout the program. Check out the workout programs section and find a nice 2 day program.

You have a job which drains you, making lifting after work difficult and you are not motivated to go. If possible, try to find a time that you can lift which works better with your schedule. If you cannot find a better time, maybe a home gym is a good option.

Good luck,

-Drew

I just shifted down to twice a week (from four times), trusting Alan Aragon's opinion that on very low calorie diets, it's especially important not to overtrain. It's a struggled for me mentally-- because I want to do more-- but I'm working hard on those two days and I hope it's the right thing to do.

[QUOTE=Ray786;649656423]Hey twice a week is definitly better than not at all,if you looking to lose weight i suggest when you are doing weights concentrate on high reps and supersets rather than heavy weights.Im sure you will c results just mayb alittle slower than if you were going 4 times a week.But like i said its better than nothing and dont give up.[/QUOTE]

Do the opposite of what this poster recommends

[quote]Hey twice a week is definitly better than not at all,if you looking to lose weight i suggest when you are doing weights concentrate on high reps and supersets rather than heavy weights.Im sure you will c results just mayb alittle slower than if you were going 4 times a week.But like i said its better than nothing and dont give up.[/quote]

[quote]Do the opposite of what this poster recommends[/quote]

This exactly, Lift Heavy, Lots of protein, and your bound to loose weight, I guarantee.

thanks for the replies guys...it sucks but I guess twice a week is good. My job isn't exactly at a desk, so I am burning calories doing that too I suppose.

Right now it isn't even twice a week, sometimes its once. Right now I am in an apartment and have my home gym in my dads basement. I'm getting my house in a week and moving the gym into my own home...which should make it much easier for me.

[QUOTE=Danzig747;649652273]I am currently working a lot at my job and to be honest, a lot of my energy is gone by the time I get home. [/QUOTE]

It didn't really jump out that this is a 'scheduling' problem, but more of a ' I am wiped when I get home ' challenge.

Try a pre-workout shake. Seriously.

I had the same issue from Sept(when I started) through December when I started taking a pre-workout shake.

I am using Jack3d currently, but there are others out there, check the supplements forum etc.

Workouts are night and day.

Interesting to note, I have always noticed that the less I worked out/exercised, the less energy I had for said exercise.

Sleeping and eating are also important factors, ensure your getting good amounts of both.

Yesterday I had about 200 calories worth of Trolli Bright crawlers before going on my run ... seemed to get rid of my afternoon fatigue well enough ;)

I tried shakes and whatever else...

a 12 hr shift for me is going to wipe me out. Unless I do an 8 ball of coke, its going to be hard to have a good workout after or before.

[QUOTE=Danzig747;649785473]I tried shakes and whatever else...

a 12 hr shift for me is going to wipe me out. Unless I do an 8 ball of coke, its going to be hard to have a good workout after or before.[/QUOTE]

That may get expensive, but I'd like to see you deadlift after that.

haha, I'd pick up the floor ;)

[QUOTE=Danzig747;649652273]I am currently working a lot at my job and to be honest, a lot of my energy is gone by the time I get home. I noticed that I have only been lifting once or twice a week now (basically compound workouts). I am dieting to lose weight and I have been, but I was wondering if lifting just twice a week was decent enough?

I do..
squats/deads
bench
overhead
rows
crunches
pull ups[/QUOTE]

Sure. Two times a week is good so long as the intensity is high (like others have said, lift heavy and work hard). Also, great choice of exercises.

Is that routine pretty decent you think?

[QUOTE=Danzig747;649652273]I am currently working a lot at my job and to be honest, a lot of my energy is gone by the time I get home. I noticed that I have only been lifting once or twice a week now (basically compound workouts). I am dieting to lose weight and I have been, but I was wondering if lifting just twice a week was decent enough?

I do..
squats/deads
bench
overhead
rows
crunches
pull ups[/QUOTE]


This is just fine, you are doing a full body work out twice a week. Be sure to keep your weight heavy and intensity high. I lift 4 times a week but only hit a body part once a week..... I am a big believer in not working it again till I am fully recovered. My results have been excellent.

I train twice a week as well due to job schedule (work 2 jobs)...but the session lasts for 1.5 hours of lifting and about 20 to 30 minutes of cardio. I do chest, shoulders, arms, and abs on a Wednesday then back and legs on Sundays. it takes me the whole non-workout days to recover between sessions (when DOMS stops).

[QUOTE=Danzig747;650502463]Is that routine pretty decent you think?[/QUOTE]
Looks good, just lift heavy and intensely

[QUOTE=Ray786;649656423]if you looking to lose weight i suggest when you are doing weights concentrate on high reps and supersets rather than heavy weights.[/QUOTE]


what is your logic behind this? ever time i cut i got heavy low reps, lost 28 pounds in 3 months with very little loss of strength.

Hi all,

There are some pretty good two day per week routines that cover all body parts in one week but I'm wondering if a traditional 4 day push/pull could be split over two weeks?

Something like:

Week 1 - chest on Monday / legs on Thursday

Week 2 - shoulders on Monday / back on Thursday


Would this be leaving too long between each muscle group?

Or would it be better to just try and cover all body parts in one week with something like:

Monday - chest, shoulders
Thursday - legs, back

Cheers,

K

If you're only able to lift twice a week, I would highly recommend hitting every muscle group each time you lift. Not once a week, and definitely not once every other week.