Bodyhard,Mr Someday,John Gargani and the like

[Geoff Richards]

Not bein rude,all replies welcome,just kinda remembering the 'big' guys out there.
Is it possible to add mass with only a 2 day workout per week ?

[dmangiarelli]

Wow! Maybe with two full body workouts per week. I would think you'd need to include the big three and a lot of free weights in there ... Good luck!

[OneO]

deads , bench , press , squat ( compound lifts ) . Two days a week is gonna be pretty hard to gain mass IMHO, but alot depends on your diet and body type .

post your intended 2 day a week rotation , your body type, and proposed diet . your over-all long term and short term goals ,and starting body stats

[bodyhard]

Not bein rude,all replies welcome,just kinda remembering the 'big' guys out there.
Is it possible to add mass with only a 2 day workout per week ?

Yes it is, if you add, what I consider the 5 basic compound movements, Squats, Deadlifts, Bent Over Rows, Mil Press, Bench press.

Hit it hard, heavy and with true intensity I can not see why you can not add mass. Now will you have a "complete" look, no but you will definitely add mass.

Just keep in mind that diet is a BIG part of this as well as sleep.

[JOHN GARGANI]

I sure wish I was really one of the "big" guys! LOL....


I agree wholeheartedly with what Bodyhard said: what you will be doing , in a sense, is an old fashioned bulking program: it certainly works, however, you must be eating a ton, as the high level of eating in that kind of program is also anabolic....


as such, you WILL gain mass, and you WILL gain a bunch of fat along with lean, if you can live with that.......

but it should only include the big basic movements and they have to be as heavy as possible......

[oldsuperman]

I sure wish I was really one of the "big" guys! LOL....


I agree wholeheartedly with what Bodyhard said: what you will be doing , in a sense, is an old fashioned bulking program: it certainly works, however, you must be eating a ton, as the high level of eating in that kind of program is also anabolic....


as such, you WILL gain mass, and you WILL gain a bunch of fat along with lean, if you can live with that.......

but it should only include the big basic movements and they have to be as heavy as possible......

Ya........ but YUCK! ed

[bodyhard]

I sure wish I was really one of the "big" guys! LOL....


I agree wholeheartedly with what Bodyhard said: what you will be doing , in a sense, is an old fashioned bulking program: it certainly works, however, you must be eating a ton, as the high level of eating in that kind of program is also anabolic....


as such, you WILL gain mass, and you WILL gain a bunch of fat along with lean, if you can live with that.......

but it should only include the big basic movements and they have to be as heavy as possible......

The fat part really depends on his metabolism as I am sure if I were to do a two day split with all compound movements I would probably maintain my size but I would definitely not get fat.

But if you have a slow metabolism and you start eating big to get big expect some fat to come along with the added mass, but if you have a fast metabolism I wouldn't worry about gaining fat, more so worry about maintaining/gaining the mass.

[Pretty Hardcore]

Not necessarily a big guy but Iron Addict has some two day workouts that you may want to check out.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3371051


He has a few more on his website.
http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/

[Whiskeyjack]

Not bein rude,all replies welcome,just kinda remembering the 'big' guys out there.
Is it possible to add mass with only a 2 day workout per week ?

A 5x5 routine 2x/week for each bodypart - 1 exercise per b/p - and lots of lean food (and I don't mean cutlets!) should reap benefits.

[Bando]

Not bein rude,all replies welcome,just kinda remembering the 'big' guys out there.
Is it possible to add mass with only a 2 day workout per week ?

A 5x5 routine 2x/week for each bodypart - 1 exercise per b/p - and lots of lean food (and I don't mean cutlets!) should reap benefits.

And be sure to include Whiskeyjack in your list of the 'big' guys out there for cryin' out loud!

[Geoff Richards]

And be sure to include Whiskeyjack in your list of the 'big' guys out there for cryin' out loud!

very true......I bet there are many more as well
big forum...lotsa names......what can I say ?

[Geoff Richards]

deads , bench , press , squat ( compound lifts ) . Two days a week is gonna be pretty hard to gain mass IMHO, but alot depends on your diet and body type .

post your intended 2 day a week rotation , your body type, and proposed diet . your over-all long term and short term goals ,and starting body stats

no idea at this stage,hence the question regarding if I can
still learning what it is Im trying to achieve.........body type I know that
there are certain 'morphs' I have no idea what they are.......guess I would be lazymorph

Im trying hard now to work out my diet via fitday ( im struggling)

short term goal is to lose the fat Im carrying
long term to stay lean and build muscle mass

5'10 83kg 20% bf

thanks for the reply questions coz now I got some answers to go looking for
which = learning

[Geoff Richards]

Not necessarily a big guy but Iron Addict has some two day workouts that you may want to check out.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3371051


He has a few more on his website.
http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/

thank you
good link,lots of info

[Baldsnake]

Can a use to be big guy chime in here?? I have done about every bodybuilding, olympic lifting, and power lifting paradigm out there since since about 1952. I read Iron Addict link and he is all over the place. He safely covered all the bases. To get to the question...I agree with the "yes" replies. I also agree that diet is key here. Old Baldie would throw in one more regimine into the two dayer (from Hercules himself, Steve Reeves).....everyone has a half hour every day either in the AM or PM where you can grab two 8 Lb. dumbells and walk briskly and do a wind sprint here and there for 15 min. from your front door and return. With the dumbells, hold them at all times no lower than your waist, do faux boxing jabs, kick backs, curls, presses and side delts along the way. This will burn the xtra fat accumulated on the two dayer. Oh, and I also agree that the basics must be hit during the two days, squats, bench, rowing, presses, etc. Gotta be done heavy heavy after a warm up. 5x5, GVT, all good.

Now, back to my six dayer.

[JOHN GARGANI]

Geoff: it is hard to add mass while you are dieting, period, no matter what method you use......


so I suggest that you continue to work on the diet until you have reached your target weight/body composition, and then, at that point, when you are ready to gain "mass" again, tailor both the diet and training method concurrently.

[Mr. Someday]

I'm flattered to be named one of the big guys in here, but I honestly can't answer your question as I've never tried that method. I can tell you that I can grow off of 4 very intense, very heavy days per week and 3 rest days.

[Minotaur]

If it's a full body routine, it might work. After all, on a 3-4-5 day split you're really working a body part once a week. Granted, you're working that body part harder in one session, but to do a full body routine twice (preferably 3x/week) just might work.

Just one example:
http://www.musclenet.com/fullbody.htm

Google search for full body workout

[weiss1967]

After all, on a 3-4-5 day split you're really working a body part once a week. Granted, you're working that body part harder in one session, but to do a full body routine twice (preferably 3x/week) just might work.

Question ( I am not a Big Guy so I am asking, not answering) - when you work one muscle group at the time yes you work it once a week. But I thought the reason for splitting was to maximise blood flow to affected muscle and induce growth. If you work a few large muscle groups, like in lower body/upper body split I have been told there is simply not enough blood in your system. I also believe "the pump" or swelling of muscle with elevated blood inflow cause physical stretching of muscle cell and that in a turn induce growth as well.

I am thinking - with two days a week I am sure it would have worked for me a few years ago when I was frech off the couch. Ask Whiskeyjack od BH or Gargani (all Big Guys) - would they themselves go with 2 days a week routine and listen to "why they wouldn't" reasoning.

[Minotaur]

Question ( I am not a Big Guy so I am asking, not answering) -

Heh heh I am not a "big guy" either, but I threw in my 2 cents.

I don't know about the not enough blood theory... never heard that. My reasoning for a split is really mental... I get mentally burned out and distracted by trying to do too many body parts in one session. I would rather focus on one or two groups (e.g. chest & tris; back & bis; legs; shoulders & tris) and do as much as I can for them.

I've tried the upper/lower split and full body routines, but found that I have to limit the number of exercises I do in each case, to no more than two. In fact most full body routines I've seen show two exercises per body part. But you have to hit them hard and know you worked out.

Now, even though I personally can't do them, a lot of people swear by them and have gotten good results. That's really why I recommended it. Just passing along more info, that it might work. Like anything else, it comes down to experimentation.

[Whiskeyjack]

Ask Whiskeyjack od BH or Gargani (all Big Guys) - would they themselves go with 2 days a week routine and listen to "why they wouldn't" reasoning.

Thanks Weiss - I'm not really a big guy but am honoured by the references. I PMd the OP on some ideas for a 5X5 sort of routine using the combo exercises only with an accent on intensity, and this should yield him some results.

But I am personally divided on training so infrequently. I've had to do it in both the distant and recent past because of periodic work demands and have found innovative ways to do "a little of a lot" (which I did not pass on to the OP because it would be too long a PM, but if he's interested I will). But this is only because of work. If not for that, I'd choose to do more and typically do.

My ideal would be 4X/week single split and that worked well in my mass and competing days but lately I find that I can't really recover well enough from that much frequency; plus time is still tight work-wise and will be for about the next 6 months. So I rather reluctantly go 3X/week now.

I can think of 2 ways to do this: your typical 3-5X5 combo all-body workout on Mon-Wed-Fri, or the "Mrs. Whiskeyjack" routine. I call it that because she came up with it when she heard me moaning and dripping about DOMS every workout and about my time issues.

This routine, which I now follow, takes the best of both worlds - relative volume akin to half of a 4X/week split (Saturday and Sunday) and an all-body heavy day on Wednesdays. It gives me a little taste of everything without too much of anything. Maybe it wouldn't have been good enough years ago but it is now.

The 2X/week thing I would only advocate if you're absolutely out of time; you absolutely can't find the time to train more often. As I say I appreciate that and have periods of doing it, but I wouldn't go for it as my main routine, no.

[bodyhard]

The only reason I myself would not do a two day routine is I don't think I can get the full "look" that I alway go for. You see I also throw in alot of isolation movements for small muscle groups like, bent over lateral raises, flys, concentration curls, so many to name. I also have to hit my back in every different angle, with pull-ups, lat pull downs, one arm rows, machine rows, etc etc. I am more into bodybuilding than anything else and there is no way I could do that on a two day routine.

However when I am looking to add mass I could see myself doing a two day routine as I have done it in the past as well.

Here is a routine I have done on two days, strictly for mass.

Monday
Squats 5 sets rep range 8-15 extremely heavy
Flat Bench 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Bent Over rows 5 sets rep range 6-10 heavy
Weighted pull ups 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy


Thursday
Deadlifts/rack pulls 10 sets rep range 1-5 several singles extremely extremely heavy
BB standing Military Push Press 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Curls 5 sets rep range 8-12 heavy
Close Grip bench 5 sets rep range 4-6 heavy

[ntrllftr]

The only reason I myself would not do a two day routine is I don't think I can get the full "look" that I alway go for. You see I also throw in alot of isolation movements for small muscle groups like, bent over lateral raises, flys, concentration curls, so many to name. I also have to hit my back in every different angle, with pull-ups, lat pull downs, one arm rows, machine rows, etc etc. I am more into bodybuilding than anything else and there is no way I could do that on a two day routine.

However when I am looking to add mass I could see myself doing a two day routine as I have done it in the past as well.

Here is a routine I have done on two days, strictly for mass.

Monday
Squats 5 sets rep range 8-15 extremely heavy
Flat Bench 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Bent Over rows 5 sets rep range 6-10 heavy
Weighted pull ups 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy


Thursday
Deadlifts/rack pulls 10 sets rep range 1-5 several singles extremely extremely heavy
BB standing Military Push Press 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Curls 5 sets rep range 8-12 heavy
Close Grip bench 5 sets rep range 4-6 heavy

I am not mentionaed a s a big guy. But i am a very strong guy for my weight.

Anyway I totally agree with this post. In my early 20's I had to do full body workouts because of time and i could do them. A few weeks ago I tried it and man by the time i was 3/4 through i was verry sick to my stomach and man I was spent. Actually i threw up in the bathroom at the gym. I guess what I am saying FOR ME ANYWAY now that I am older i can NOT do the full body thing anymore.

This was a post on my blog that day...

First time I did it and puked
November 10, 2007
The next three days are dead as far as training with weights due to uncontrollable circumstances. I hit the gym today thinking I would try to do a full upper body workout in this order: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps and traps. I did two excercises per body part 3 sets each excercise. On my first set of traps I started to get lightheaded then on the second set I felt sick and ran to the bathroom. As soon as I got there here it came. It was a close call to get to the bathroom but dam after I feel like I really accomplished something? I will NEVER do it again but DAM in a really weird way it was really good.

This makes me think, when new members come to my gym and the "personal trainer" there puts them through a workout it is always a full body one. Maybe thats why I never see them come back?

[Whiskeyjack]

Here is a routine I have done on two days, strictly for mass.

Monday
Squats 5 sets rep range 8-15 extremely heavy
Flat Bench 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Bent Over rows 5 sets rep range 6-10 heavy
Weighted pull ups 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy


Thursday
Deadlifts/rack pulls 10 sets rep range 1-5 several singles extremely extremely heavy
BB standing Military Push Press 5 sets rep range 6-8 heavy
BB Curls 5 sets rep range 8-12 heavy
Close Grip bench 5 sets rep range 4-6 heavy

This is very similar to the one I sent the OP.

[bodyhard]

This is very similar to the one I sent the OP.

kool

[yellowrv]

Not bein rude,all replies welcome,just kinda remembering the 'big' guys out there.
Is it possible to add mass with only a 2 day workout per week ?

Get LAB work done. Then you can add mass with the heavy lifting routines mentioned. Otherwise you are going to be frustrated if your test levels are low. Genetics + Heavy Weights + Rest = Mass

[Geoff Richards]

thank you very much to all who have contributed,every post has been read and re-read.
After reading and taking all things into consideration it finally dawned on me that I was not serious enough about my 'want' and I originally forgot all about the weekends.
I do have the opportunity to train 4 days a week although those days are Mon,Fri,Sat,Sun and I would prefer to use the compound movements at this stage
so I can concentrate on what Im doing easier rather than trying to hit all muscles in all different ways as I feel that would be better when I have more knowledge and can structure a workout to suit
Opinions please

<quote> From John Gargani

Geoff: it is hard to add mass while you are dieting, period, no matter what method you use......


so I suggest that you continue to work on the diet until you have reached your target weight/body composition, and then, at that point, when you are ready to gain "mass" again, tailor both the diet and training method concurrently.

</quote>

Probably the smartest idea considering my needs

I apologise if I have led anyone astray with what it is I want to do as I really dont have a clue.

I feel like the young bull who raced up to the old bull and said "hey,the farmer left the gate open to the cows paddock,lets run down and screw one of them.....the old bull said "why dont we walk down there and screw the lot of them"

So many ways and advise here from the 'old bulls'
Thanks again to all

[ExCompetitor]

I'm flattered to be named one of the big guys in here, but I honestly can't answer your question as I've never tried that method. I can tell you that I can grow off of 4 very intense, very heavy days per week and 3 rest days.

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