Full Body/Full Schedule

Program Description

Like many adults, I've found it hard to go to the gym 3–5 times a week, as most splits suggest. What I’ve discovered—and what I’m sharing here—is a full-body, twice-a-week program I put together to save time while still delivering results. The main focus is on heavy compound barbell and bodyweight lifts. These hit multiple muscle groups at once, allowing you to reduce the number of daily exercises while ensuring full-body coverage. The overlap between movements ensures that every major muscle group is trained at least twice per week, which supports optimal training frequency. Note: I haven’t included calf exercises in this program, but feel free to add them. I used to train calves every session, but I’ve since stopped due to time constraints—and because they’ve continued to grow from lower-body compound movements alone. Not only has this program been better for my schedule, but I’ve also made the same—if not better—gains than when I used to train 3–5 times per week. BUT there’s a caveat: just because you're training twice a week doesn’t mean it’s easy. Every set should be pushed close to, or all the way to, failure. I’ve found that cycling intensity—going all-out on pull movements one day, then push the next—is much easier to recover from than taking every single set of every movement to failure. I’ve labeled each day to indicate the focus. Example: Day 1: Pull Focus + Push Support — All pull-focused lifts should be taken to 0 RIR (reps in reserve) or complete failure (yes, there’s a difference). Push-support lifts should stay around 0–2 RIR. Rest ~72 hours. Day 2: Push Focus + Pull Support — Reverse the intensity: push lifts go to 0 RIR or failure; pull lifts to 0–2 RIR. Feel free to experiment with accessory lifts like arms and core. I’ve had success training these at 0–1 RIR, but you might find something else works better for you. Finally, if you have more in the tank than the prescribed reps call for—do more. Just be sure to increase the weight the following week, as long as your recovery allows.

Program Overview