Twice-daily training for radical gains

Do you want to build strength at an alarming rate? Do you have a relatively unrestricted schedule and want to see what you would look like if you pushed yourself to your limits? Do you want friends who haven't seen you in a while to stare at your body and ask "Yo man, what the hell have you been doing?"

Well, if that's the case, then this is an article for you.

Depending on the time of year, sports team coaches typically increase training volume over a limited period of time by including two workouts per day as part of a loading phase or rapid conditioning phase in the training schedule. Think of all the high-level competitive athletes like Olympic weightlifters, swimmers, football players or track and field athletes - they all train twice a day.

However, when it comes to strength training and bodybuilding, the prevailing opinion is that you need to give your muscles enough time to recover between training sessions, with many even saying that the same muscle can only be trained once in 48 hours.

The fact is, however, that we are neither beginners nor wimps.

We know what we are doing in the gym and our goal is to get as muscular as possible, so we can take a less conservative approach. Some may even see this as insane.

But let them stay skinny and average. If your goal is to get big and strong, then working out twice a day is just the medicine for you. Here's how the whole thing works.

The goods

Working out twice a day can help you break through frustrating plateaus and growth barriers, allowing you to do more intense workouts every time you hit the iron.

For one, the shorter workouts make it easier for you to focus on training quality and get the most out of every set and repetition. The ability to refocus and recover between workouts will help you approach each training session with zeal, rather than becoming more and more exhausted during a long, once-a-day training session.

If you're toning or trying to get leaner, working out twice a day (in conjunction with a clean diet) is like pouring gasoline on a fire. Scientific research shows that splitting a 30 minute intense cardio workout into two 15 minute workouts, performed about 6 hours apart, burns more calories than slogging through the 30 minutes in one go (Almuzaini et al., 1998).

Scientists attribute this to an increase in EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) - and this has been observed with moderate intensity cycling! Imagine the potential increase in EPOC if you perform two high-intensity training sessions with weights!

Here are the most important training parameters when it comes to maximizing your muscle building potential (Schoenfeld, 2010):

1. Mechanical stress: external forces applied to the muscles by the weights, resulting in muscle contraction.
2. Metabolic stress: the accumulation of metabolic by-products during and after resistance training, referred to as metabolites (lactate, hydrogen ions and inorganic phosphates), which indirectly mediate cell and muscle swelling.
3. Muscle damage: this refers to the micro-tears caused by moving weights, usually accompanied by delayed onset muscle soreness.

The rules

1. Train the same muscle groups in the morning and evening workouts. You may be familiar with training programs that include two training sessions per day, where different muscle groups are trained in each session. However, for hypertrophy purposes, it is more effective to work the same muscles in the morning and evening.
2. There should be 6 to 8 hours between the two daily training sessions and you should also make sure that you meet your daily macronutrient intake. A poor diet will directly hinder your ability to train at the level required for this program. This is not the time to try the latest fasting diet. If you do, you can kiss your recovery and potential progress goodbye. Internalize hypertrophy-friendly eating habits including proper nutrition around your workouts and get ready to grow.
3. Follow this program for the duration of a four-week block.
4. Progressively increase the weight on the bar during each training session while keeping all other training parameters constant.
5. Make sure you are strict with the rest intervals and follow the clock. It's all about going to train, giving it your all and following the clock. Sitting around updating your Facebook status during training won't help.
6. Take it easy during the fifth week. This will allow your body to recover, rebuild and recover at a level higher than before the program began, usually referred to as supercompensation. (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2006).

The morning training sessions

Focusing on multi-joint exercises will serve to stimulate your nervous system. This will also include co-contractions of other synergistic muscles to help promote structural balance and reduce the potential risk of injury.

Use a controlled tempo with increased time under tension during these morning workouts - a 3122 tempo is ideal.

The tempo indicates the repetition cadence where the bar is lowered over a 3 second period, followed by a 1 second pause at the lowest point, after which the weight is moved upwards during a 2 second concentric phase, ending in a 2 second contraction at the highest point of the movement.

Avoid training to muscle failure during this session as you will still need some reserves for your second session later in the day. At the end of your training session, which should last no longer than half an hour, you should feel pumped up and energized - not exhausted. If you are completely exhausted after this training session, you need to take your foot off the gas for the next morning training session.

The evening training sessions

This is when the bodybuilding-inspired stuff comes into play. Isolation exercises play a bigger role, although the same rules still apply - slow tempo and 2-second contractions at the highest point of each movement.

Here's the kicker. Remember how you didn't train to muscle failure during your first training session? Well, now you can give it your all.

Turn the last set of each exercise into a descending set. After reaching muscle failure, reduce the weight by 20% and continue the set. Repeat this until complete exhaustion. This will maximize pump, muscle damage and metabolic stress.

However, even this training session should not last longer than 30 minutes.

The program

	SO	MO	TU	MON	Tue	FRI	SAT
MORNING	Break	legs	Chest, triceps	Rest	Back, biceps	Shoulders, abdomen	Break
Evening	Break	legs	Chest, triceps	break	Back, biceps	Shoulders, abdomen	Break

legs

Morning

	Exercise	Sets		Tempo	Pause
A	Squats	4	6-8	3122	90-120 sec.
B	Leg press	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.
C	Romanian deadlift	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.

Evening

	Exercise	Phrases		Tempo	Pause
A	Glute-Ham Raise	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
B	Leg extension	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
C	Hip Thrust	2	20	4132	60 sec.
D	Calf raise sitting	2	20	4132	60 sec.

Chest & triceps

Morning

	Exercise	Sets		tempo	Pause
A	Barbell bench press	4	6-8	3122	90-120 sec.
B	Dumbbell incline bench press	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.
C	Dips with additional weight	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.

Evening

	Exercise	Phrases		Tempo	Pause
A	Flying movements on the cable pulley	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
B	Butterflys	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
C	Dumbbell tricep presses on the reverse incline bench	2	20	4132	60 sec.
D	Dumbbell tricep press overhead	2	20	4132	60 sec.

Back & biceps

Morning

	Exercise	Sets		Tempo	Pause
A	Pull-ups with additional weight	4	6-8	3122	90-120 sec.
B	Rowing with supported chest	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.
C	Lat pulldown	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.

Evening

	Exercise	Phrases		Tempo	Pause
A	Press down with outstretched arms	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
B	Cable pull-ups on the reverse incline bench	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
C	Incline bench curls	2	20	4132	60 sec.
D	Scott curls with the SZ bar	2	20	4132	60 sec.

Shoulders and abs

Morning

	Exercise	Sets		Tempo	Pause
A	Standing shoulder press	4	6-8	3122	90-120 sec.
B	Arnold Presses	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.
C	Dumbbell shoulder lift	4	8-10	3122	90 sec.

Evening

	Exercise	Phrases		Tempo	Pause
A	Face Pulls	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
B	Lean-away lateral raise	3	12-15	4132	60 sec.
C	External rotation lying on the side	2	20	4132	60 sec.
D1	Reverse crunches	2	20	controlled	60 sec.
D2	Farmers Carry	2	20	N/A	60 sec.

What can you expect?

The cumulative volume of this program exceeds the volume of most programs, which may cause the body to have some sort of shock reaction during the first week. But remember, this is not a strength program, it is a mass building program.

If you are looking to increase strength on squats, presses and deadlifts, then use a different program. This program is designed to make your muscles bigger - and that's it.

Focus on stimulating the muscle by closely following the tempo guidelines and tension techniques. Mass programs like this are aimed at increasing sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and just as microtrauma plays a role, the pump and time under tension are just as important, if not more so.

Make sure you mentally prepare for both workouts of the day. It takes a lot of focus to perform the sets while maintaining the same pace until the last repetition. Stay disciplined - this will help you achieve results that you will definitely be happy with.

Summary

It's a simple equation - train more often and you will get better results. Take a page from great athletes like Michael Phelps, LeDainian Tomlinson and Michael Jordan who have used this method to their athletic advantage and apply the same mentality to your bodybuilding program.

This can make the difference between amazing gains and the hated question "Are you even training?".

References

1. Almuzaini, K.S., Potteiger, J.A., & Green, S.B. (1998). Effects of split exercise sessions on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and resting metabolic rate. Can J Appl Physiol, 23(5), 433-443.
2. Schoenfeld, B.J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 24(10), 2857-2872.
3. Thibaudeau, C. (2006). The black book of training secrets. Enhanced Edition. F. Lepine Publishing.
4. Zatsiorsky, V. & Kraemer, W. (2006). Science and practice of strength training, Second Edition. Human Kinetics.

By Jon-Erik Kawamoto, Lee Boyce | 05/19/13

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/2-a-day-training-for-radical-gains