2 Day Split Workout: The Perfect Routine for Busy People

Here is the entire full-body workout for day 1 of the week:

1. Squat – perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps and rest for 2 minutes between each set.
2. Bench press – complete 3 sets of 6-8 reps and rest for 2 minutes in between.
3. Bent over row – perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.
4. Romanian deadlift – complete 3 sets of 8-10 reps and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.
5. Seated dumbbell overhead press – perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.
6. Dips – complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps and rest for 90 seconds in between.

Full Body – Day 2

Here is the entire full-body workout for day 2 in the same week:

1. Deadlift – perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps and rest for 3 minutes between the sets.
2. Overhead press – complete 3 sets of 6-8 reps and rest for 2 minutes in between.
3. Pull-ups – perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps and rest for 2 minutes between the sets.
4. Lunges – complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps on each leg and rest for 90 seconds in between.
5. Bicep curls - perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.
6. Planks – do 3 sets of 60-second plank holds and rest for 30 seconds between each following set.

Related Articles:

• Best Workout Splits Depending on Your Fitness Level
• Best 3-Day Workout Split
• 2-Day Split for Bowflex Workout Routine
• 5-Day Split Workout Routine for Strength & Muscle
• 6-Day Workout Routine for Muscle Mass

The upper/lower split uses two workouts: the first focuses on your upper and the second on the lower body [2].

Usually, it is better to start with the lower body since it is more demanding.

You will have plenty of time to recover for the next workout, so there isn’t much to worry about unless you are extremely out of shape and inexperienced.

On the upper day, you will target the muscles of your chest, shoulders, and back.

Some of the exercises you may implement on the upper day include:

• Bench press variations
• Rowing variations
• Pull-ups
• Overhead press variations
• Bicep curls
• Tricep extensions
• Lateral raises

For the lower split, you will mainly focus on activating big lower body muscles such as the quadriceps, femoris, glutes, and hamstrings.

However, you must also target the muscles such as your adductors, soleus, gastrocnemius, and similar.

Some of the exercises you may include on the lower body day include:

• Squat variations
• Deadlift variations
• Lunges
• Step-ups
• Hip thrust variations
• Bridges
• Hamstring walkouts
• Calf raises
• Adductor machine/sliders

These are just some examples, but changing equipment and how the exercise is done (unilateral/bilateral) can create a dozen more exercises.

Push/pull split is my favorite because:

• It creates the least muscle imbalances
• Builds functional strength
• Develops balance between agonists and antagonists
• Promotes holistically built body

There are so many other benefits of push/pull splits, but these are the ones I choose this type of split over all others [3].

They are also heavily used in professional sports such as basketball, football, volleyball, etc.

The essence of this split type is to perform all push exercises on the first day, and all pull exercises on the second day.

Push exercises entail all squat, vertical, and horizontal movement patterns, while all pull exercises belong to the deadlift, vertical, and horizontal pull movement pattern.

Related: Chris Bumstead Push Pull Legs Routine

Push exercises include:

• Bench press variations
• Overhead press variations
• Squat variations
• Lunge variations
• Tricep extensions

Pull exercises include:

• Deadlift variations
• Rowing variations
• Pull-up variations

You may be confused now since we mentioned at the beginning of this article that split and full-body workouts are two separate things.

However, to make it more simple, we can include a full body workout into the 2-day split since that is also the way to target different muscles of your body.

Two full-body workouts are more than enough to stimulate development or preserve your current muscle mass.

However, if you are not a beginner, try to avoid full-body workouts since they are the worst for building your muscles and increasing your body's overall strength.

Exercises you may include in the full-body workouts include:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Lunges
• Core exercises
• Bench press
• Overhead press
• Rows
• Pull-ups
• Biceps curls
• Triceps extensions
• Lateral raises
• Calf raises
• Hip thrust
• Unilateral exercise variations

The hypertrophy split is the best for increasing your muscle mass since it splits exercises into two workouts, focusing on major muscles of your body for the best possible results.

Usually, hypertrophy training will require multiple sessions per week [4].

However, we are limited to only two weekly workouts, so certain compromises will be made.

Here is the first day of the hypertrophy split:

• Barbell bench press
• Overhead press
• Incline bench press
• Chest flyes
• Rear foot elevated split squats
• Lunges
• Biceps curls

Here is the second day of the hypertrophy split:

• Cable machine row
• Pull-ups
• Single leg deadlift
• Hip thrust
• Tricep extensions

Notice how regular squats and deadlifts are missing from this program. We can’t place those exercises since we have only two weekly workouts.

You may increase the chance of injury since these exercises must be placed at the beginning of the workout [5].

Doing squats and deadlifts with two other major upper-body exercises will be more than taxing for your nervous system.

This is why we must turn to unilateral variations to lower the chance of injury but still experience significant hypertrophy results.

"Building a lean, muscular physique complete with peaked biceps and a ripped midsection isn’t as easy as those 1970s movie training montages make it seem."

- Anthony O'Reilly, Certified Personal Trainer

Bodyweight split is similar to all other split routines, except it emphasizes using your body weight as a form of external resistance.

Here is day 1 of the bodyweight split routine:

• Pull Up
• Push Up
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Pike Pushup
• Single Leg Hip Thrust
• Inverted Row
• Jump Squat
• Single Leg Standing Calf Raise

Here is day 2 of the bodyweight split routine:

• Pike Pushup
• Assisted Pistol Squat
• Chin Up
• Decline Push Up
• Nordic Hamstring Curls
• Inverted Row
• Bench Dip

The best two-day split workout routine is the hypertrophy and push-pull workout routine.

Hypertrophy split uses advanced programming to ensure all major muscles of your body are targeted while developing the most muscle in the shortest time possible.

The push/pull routine is the best for avoiding muscle imbalances, building functional strength, and developing both agonists and antagonists.

What Are the Benefits of a 2-Day Split?

The benefits of a 2-day split routine are targeting all muscle groups with just as little as two sessions per week.

Also, you may allow more time to recover for the upcoming workout session, allowing for supercompensation of glycogen.

Two-day splits are also excellent for novice athletes and beginner lifters entering the world of lifting and trying to build motor skills and knowledge before indulging in more complex training methods.

focusing on a different goal to produce the best possible end result.

For example, to build strength, you will have the following two blocks:

1. Accumulation - the phase with increased total volume, reps, sets, and percentage of 1 rep max to build the necessary strength. This phase enables the following phase to supercompensate, resulting in the best possible strength gains.
2. Transformation - sometimes called tapering- is the phase where you decrease the total trading volume. At the end of this phase, the peak strength is achieved due to the previous accumulation phase.

It takes time to achieve peak strength, depending on your time in the accumulation phase.

The maximum amount you should spend in the accumulation phase is around 42 days.

This means that after 42 days in the transformation phase, you will achieve the peak strength since the amount of time you spend accumulating strength is the same as the amount of time it takes in the following phase to experience maximal strength results.

Undulating Periodization

Undulating periodization is a more advanced technique used by professionals and experienced lifters.

It refers to the method where the intensity increases weekly, sometimes daily. Beginners must avoid this approach for safety reasons.