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In recent times, many people have started to prioritize their health and wellbeing. They choose suitable and effective nutrition and workout plans to reach their fitness goals and support the health of their bodies. Unfortunately, many dieters don’t have much time for all of the necessary healthy habits. For this reason, some people just give up. However, there are many ways to save your time and effort and get desired results. As for the meal plans, you can meal prep your healthy foods in containers a week ahead. But what can you do with workouts? A good approach is to believe there is always a way out. In this article, you will find all the necessary information about a 2-day workout routine. How can one create such a plan? Which exercises are the most suitable? Is a particular exercise safe? Read on to figure this out!
A 2-day workout routine is a workout plan that allows you to save time by exercising only two days a week. Though it’s mostly a full-body workout plan, there are some variations and you can choose the one most suitable for you. It helps to strengthen all your major groups of muscles and gain muscle mass. Basically, this is a set of exercises that will help to train your back, chest, shoulders, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, biceps, and triceps.
On average, one training session takes 35-40 minutes, but you can add some other exercises if need be. Just make sure that you don’t exercise for more than 60 minutes. The main idea is that you will perform several sets and reps of the same exercise to train your muscles. You might need some equipment, such as dumbbells, a barbell, or a mat. The best thing is that you can create your own workouts, depending on your fitness level and the amount of free time. Below you will find information about the exercises you can include, as well as some useful recommendations.
You already know that this is a full-body workout. There is no standard 2-day split workout routine that you should hold fast to, rather you can create your own one. So, what are the best exercises for a 2-day workout?
The only rule you have is to choose the exercises that would target your major muscle groups. Remember that it is important to take into consideration your fitness level and overall health. You have 2 workout days per week and there are several ways to plan your routine.
Some people prefer to divide their 2-day workout routine into several parts. For instance, you can train your upper body on the first day and your lower body on the second day.
Push exercises are the exercises when you push the weights away from your body. For instance, pushups, dips, overhead presses, chest presses and more. While performing pull exercises you usually pull the weights towards your body. You can try bicep curls, dumbbell pullovers, barbell rows and many other movements. As you can see, push and pull workouts involve different muscles. Push exercises mainly target triceps, shoulders, chest, quads and outer thighs. Pull exercises allow you to focus on glutes, hamstrings, back muscles and biceps. So, you can choose the first type of exercises on your first workout day and for the second type of exercises on the second day (11).
As you can see, everything is up to you, and you can create your own plans to make your body even more perfect. But if you are a newbie and don’t know how to plan your training sessions, this article will be able to help you. Below you can find a sample of a 2-day a week beginner workout routine. It includes quite simple and common exercises that will help you to gradually prepare your body for more difficult workouts.
Read More: Full-Body Workout 3 Times A Week: Turning It Into A Habit That Sticks
You probably know how to perform standard squats. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure to tighten your abs and keep your torso straight. Then you should lower your body while bending your knees. If it is hard to keep balance, you can extend your arms in front of your chest. Make a pause and get back to the starting position. Don’t lock your knees. Some beginners also place a chair behind them and sit briefly on it in a squat position.
When you improve your technique and fitness level, you can make your squats more challenging by using additional weights and choosing more difficult modifications of this exercise (12).
This is one of the most popular squat modifications. It helps to train both upper and lower body muscles. To perform this exercise, you’ll need a dumbbell or a kettlebell. Start standing straight with your feet a little bit wider than hip-width apart. Make sure your feet are turned a little bit out. Grab a kettlebell and hold it at the center of your chest. Your elbows should be bent. Keep your torso straight. Start performing a deep squat. Make sure to inhale while lowering your body. When you are in a squat position, you shouldn’t come up on your toes and make sure that your elbows are placed on the inner sides of your knees. Exhale as you get back to the starting position (6).
This exercise will help you to strengthen your shoulder muscles. It will also engage your core muscles as you’ll have to keep balance and stability. Start standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the dumbbells in your hands and keep them at your shoulders. Next, you should raise them over your head. Exhale while performing this movement. Pause when the weights are over your head. Get back to the starting position while inhaling (7).
This is one of the common abs exercises. Basic crunches are suitable for beginners. When you increase your fitness level, you can go for the modifications of this exercise.
To perform a standard crunch, lie down on your back (you can use a mat) and bend your knees, so that your feet are on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and do not arch your back. Make sure your spine is straight. Next, you should slowly lift your upper back off the mat towards your hips while exhaling. You should tighten your core muscles and abs while performing this movement. Don’t get your tailbone, back and feet off the mat. Make a small pause and get back to the starting position while inhaling (1).
This is another exercise that will help you to tone your back and biceps. To perform this movement, hold the bar with your hands. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Extend your arms and hang on the bar. Make sure your palms are facing away from you. You should work with your back, shoulders and core muscles while performing this exercise. Slowly lift your body up so that your chin is over the bar. Slowly get back to the starting position. When you get used to this exercise, you will be able do it faster (9).
This is a perfect exercise for your lower body. Start standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. The barbell should be on the floor. Make sure your feet are pointing straight. Tighten your abs and keep your torso neutral. Make a squat and grab the barbell with both hands (place your hands a little bit wider than your thighs). Your head should be in one line with your spine. Carefully lift the barbell, while getting back to the standing position. Don’t round your shoulders. Keep the weight close to your body when lifting it up. Now you should tighten your glute muscles. Next, you should lower the barbell while bending your knees. Keep your weight on your heels. That is one rep (5, 10).
You probably are aware of the benefits of planks and its variations. Walking plank is a modification of a basic plank. It targets almost all the major muscle groups of your body.
To perform a walking plank, you should stand in a forearm plank position. Make sure your body forms a straight line. Engage your abs. Then you should push up from the ground with one arm, make a1-second pause. Make the same movement with the other arm. Get back to the starting position with one arm and with the other one. That’s one rep (8).
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This exercise will strengthen your muscles of chest and triceps. To perform this movement, sit in an upright position and grab a pair of dumbbells. Extend your legs. Grab the dumbbells and hold them tight in your hip crease. Then you should slowly lay down on your back, while keeping the weights at your chest. Bend your knees, your feet should be on the floor. Engage your chest muscles and triceps and lift the dumbbells over your chest. You should fully extend your arms. Now you should carefully and slowly lower the weights back down. When your elbows touch the floor, you should straighten your arms. That’s one rep (2).
So, you already have a sample workout plan. The best option will be to perform 3 sets and 8-12 reps for each exercise. It is also recommended to have at least one recovery day between your workouts. However, if such a volume is too challenging for you, you can lower the amount of reps and increase it gradually.
Everything depends on your goals and on some factors, such as size, weight, age and more. Anyway, working out only two times a week isn’t likely to bring the best results ever. But making at least some steps towards your aims is always better than doing nothing. A full body workout twice a week will help you to keep your body healthy and fit. If you have an opportunity to train more often, that will be great for. But if you have no time, full body training sessions twice a week will be enough. According to the studies, by exercising 2-4 times a week you are more likely to build muscles and become stronger, than by working out only once a week (3, 4).
This type of training can be classified as a safe one. Your muscles will have enough time to recover after the training sessions, and that will help to avoid injuries and achieve desired results. However, it is important to remember that you should be careful while performing the exercises. Proper performance technique will help you avoid traumas as well. It will be better to consult an instructor to figure out how to perform workouts properly. They will also help you to choose workouts suitable for your fitness level. Remember that it doesn’t matter what workout routine you choose, it is always vital to do everything properly. Any exercise can be dangerous for your health if you don’t maintain the proper technique.
The exercises are quite simple, and very often you can perform them without special equipment by using your body weight.
It will be easy for you to plan your workouts and your daily routine in general. You’ll have only 2 workout days per week, which means you’ll have the rest days between your training sessions for your muscles to recover.
This type of exercising is a great option for beginners, as they can adjust their workouts to make them more suitable for their fitness level. However, it is important not to include too hard exercises to your routine, in order to avoid injuries and other consequences for your health. All who prefer full-body workouts can try such a program as well.
In conclusion, as you can see, even if you don’t have enough time, you still can get the body of your dreams. A 2-day workout routine will help you to tone all your major muscle groups and keep your body strong and healthy. Remember to talk to your doctor and a professional instructor before trying this method of exercising. In this way you’ll avoid injuries and will choose the most suitable exercises. It is also vital to combine your workout plan with a healthy eating pattern. Fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, lean cuts of meat and seafood will help your body function properly and keep diseases at bay. Proper hydration and healthy sleep will improve your results and wellbeing. Take care of yourself and prioritize your health.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!