Lifting weights 2X/day?

If you arent growing its either not enough sleep or food or not increasing weights

When i trained regularly i had a week off every 4-6 weeks

Also i found 24-48 hr when doms kicks in, that if i hit the same muscle group i was definitely stronger and could concentrate on squeezing the muscles compared to re training it 7 day later

Although if u dont get enough rest or eat enough then you will not progress

 

Only downside to working out 2x a day is that it takes more time.

If you are not seeing gains, you need to either (1) eat more (i.e., calorie surplus) and eat preferably more protein; and/or (2) not resting enough.

Just remember, I am not a believer in overtraining, just under-recovery. So rest and recovery is important. If you are training 2x a day, or just increasing volume generally, make sure to build in rest days and/or deload weeks.

 

My 2 cents on this matter (but more than 2!), but here goes!

There is actually data on training 2x per day. It's more of an elite level training reserved for olympic lifters that do nothing else in life but train, eat and sleep.
I'm guessing you're not one of those.

I also see how you migh tthink your rationale is good, but it will generate the opposite results. You will overtrain due to your neural system being overloaded.
Sure you could do it once or twice, or a whole week, but than you should back off. Or unless you are using a few grams of steroids weekly, I'd say fock it, but again, you are entering elite level stress and recovery form this protocol.

There is some incremental user feedback that training the same muscle group 1 day after you've done a normal workout with 2-5 sets of 15 reps just to get a pump going has additional facia stretching properties (bigger pump and increrased recovery). You could try that for the sake of trying it.

If your rational is trying to do "more damage" to your muscles,I would suggest training harder. Traininhg hard varies for everyone. It's also fully depending on your recovery levels. Sure, you could do 20 sets of bench presses and see how you feel 1-2 days after, but I doubt that's the case.

There is a reason why nerarly everyone who's every touched a barebell claims to be an expert. Simple truth because up to a certain levels almost everything works. Our bodies have been honed over thousands of years into survival machines. We can thrive in nealry every enviroment. It also means that in order to grow, literally we need to change the stimulus to facilitate continuous growth through adaptation.

There are so many little tweaks you can make to your diet/training style/rest/intensity/frequency/ etc that will yield results.
Your protocol would be last on my list of alterations. if you want to try it, sure go ahead. Might even work or be fun for a while; just be carefull you don't run yourself in the ground.
There is a reason why advanced trainers all adopt a similar style training protocol.... because it works.

 

A more research proven protocol for natural lifters would be to try and train a muscle group 2x a week. Once a weak is great, but the initial stimulus only lasts 3-4 days.
You could succesfully training push/pull/legs 2x a week and have a rest on the Sunday.
Rest days or deloads are fully depending on your stress levels with training and every day stress. It's not a given that you need them.
The challenge, especially for natural lifters, lies in trying to stimulate enough muscle growth by training stress that does not hinder your ability to recover enough. Meaning you should balance the cord of training vs overtraining a bit. That cord is different for all of us. Only way to figure it out is to try.

Another strategy that works pretty well is to ramp up volume (sets, rest between sets, and overall volume) each and every week unti you feel like you're overtraining. At that stage you do a 1-2 week deload where you take your previous volume and slash it with 40-60%.

BTW plateauing is normal. It generally happens after 2-3 years of newbie gains. But after working out for 30 years, I'm still finding ways beyond a plateau.

To your point of evening lifting, research has clearly shown athletes perform best in the evening due to our circadian rhythmn. So if you wnat to motivate yourslef choke down a pre-wworkout/double espresso and tell your self it's "gain-o-clock mofo"!

Send your protocol and I can help you with it if interested.

 

I have been down sick all week. Got the flu from my wife so no gym time for me. In fact, been sleeping 12 hrs per day because I am so wiped out. Stomach was very upset too so didn't eat much, I think I am going to pay for that in losing some of my gains. Good news, starting to feel better so will hit it again on Monday, ramp kind of slowly for a few days, and see where I am. Of course I could think of this week as a deload but that would be a bit of an overstatement.

 

I'm totally with you on the lifting late in the day thing. For me morning is best. I like push-pull routines but it depends on what you're trying to achieve. Do you want to get stronger or are you looking for more cut? I would refer you to the Schwartzenager Total Bodybuilding book. I think it's still the best at answering these questions and giving some good basic routines.

 

That’s a classic book, great to read and highly recommended. A lot of ‘ bro science’ in the book has been debunked, but still a relevant book.

 

No worries, strength losses are mostly neural adaptations. You won’t loose any muscle after a week of doing little. Try to keep your protein intake high and start slowly again. You’ll be back quickly and perhaps even stronger/better than before.

 

Thanks. Day one went pretty well today. I do need to focus on eating for a while. I was already thin and low body fat, rough guess was about 10%. Now, I am shredded as if I had been cutting but I have no reserves so I start to run out of fuel by the end of my lift.

 

I would try to increase calories 500 per week so you slowly gain back what you lost. It mitigates the fat gain also by slowly adding calories. It’s vey tempting to increase calories overnight, but your metabolism can’t handle an all to big influx and will store some in fat.

 

And make sure to hit your macros. Get enough protein (at least 40%), healthy fats (30%) and complex carbs (30%)

 

It’s generally the correct form or slower tempo that gave you the better mind muscle connection.
99% of gym goers use too much weight and/or can’t connect with their muscle.
People think heavy weights are the only indicator of progress. Weights are only 1 tool you can use in a whole arsenal of tools.

Great you’re able to lift again; even when going at 70-80% you are still making progress.
I couldn’t lift right after Covid as the muscle pain made it impossible. Felt like I was recovering from 100 sets of deadlifts every day!
So kudos to you!

 

here's mine -

Workout
Daily - 7 Days/Week
1. Flat Bench Dumbbell Press - 70s - 3x12
2. Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls - 30s - 3x12
3. Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes - 70s - 3x12
4. Pull-Ups - 3x12
5. Captain's Chair Leg Raises - 3x12
6. Stairmill – Level 7/20 – 10 Minutes

Diet
5am - 5 Black Coffees
12:30pm - Gym - 3 Semi-Frozen Bottled Waters
1:30pm - 1 RX Bar - Chocolate Sea Salt
4pm - Dinner - OMAD - 1.5 Pounds (Raw) Protein - Air Fryer – Steak, Pork, Chicken, Fish, 1 Large 1.5 Pound (Raw) Sweet Potato, 1/4 Pound (Raw) Cruciferous Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Baby Carrots Mix, 3 Seltzer Waters

Avoid - Refined/Processed Sugar, HFCS, Flour, Grains, Dairy, Soy, Oil – Read Labels!

Calories Formula – 13X Target Body Weight – Daily Maximum

Protein Formula - .82 grams per Pound of Target Body Weight – Daily Minimum

Age – 52

Weight – 149

 

Just so I understand, you do the exact same exercise each day of the week? No changes whatsoever?

I would try to get in some kind of lean protein between your RX bar snack and your 1 meal. The RX Bar already broke your fast so why not add a light protein meal like a protein shake/fat free greek yoghurt/chicken breast? and qiuit possible add some more protein after your workout; that RX Bar simply doesn't have enough protein to increase MTOR activation and Glut4 (aka you need between 25-30gram minimum to really pack a recovery punch!)

Breakfast with 5 black coffee's? Dang! you need to wake up freakin fast LOL! that's a massive adrenalin rush only to make you crash hard after 1-2 hours. I'd spread those cups a bit more out and lessen the adrenalin flood and thus cortisol response.

 

1. yes i do the same exact workout every day. no rest days. and i just increased the dumbbell weight to the 75s yesterday.
2. i eat dinner at around 4pm and have a huge protein meal then. the RX Bar just takes the edge off and gets me to my OMAD dinner.
3. i like the black coffees for the antioxidants and they blunt my appetite. i drink them in the morning over the course of about 5 hours.
4. physique goal is Stallone in Rambo II. lean and aesthetic. not big.

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You have a great, great physique already and with your current workout and diet we can make HUGE improvements.

Just be aware, the body you aspire was fueld by massive amounts of anabolic steroids, thyroid hormones and what not AND working towards peak moments.
Meaning Stallone only looked like Rambo for 1-2 days at best. One can not peak for days or weeks on end. It's a short lived window; like any body building competition or regular competition.

So, before we continue, how serious or committed are you...? The drugs is up to you and you can find otehr better formums for that.
With diet and training I can help. But again, if you aspire that goal, this will be your new day job/passion/obsession!

 

Maximus is correct about peaking, it is short term and you give up some muscle when cutting to get that lean. Yes, Stallone is probably on steroids in that pic but you have the build that can get close to that without steroids. Gordon, you and I have similar builds so you have a lot to work with. I would say you need a trainer to help you fill in the less developed area. I started about where you are now and I am now much more evenly proportioned. Part of it is diet but more of it is just hard work in the gym over the past 3 years. I will post up some pics again soon.

 

The pic of Stallone is doable naturally when you make it your number one goal. But his overal lean-ess in that movie is unobtainable. He is ripped to shreds with a few % body fat. I can guarantee you he felt like garbage being that lean. It is straight up suffering. It’s not the look (feel) you want, trust me.

Getting back to your schedule. When you do the same exercises and reps 7 days in a row it stops being training, it becomes an exercise by itself. The major difference is, that you will build zero muscle as your body will have apadted.
Muscle growth is merely a by product of our bodies response to certain muscle stress. Our bodies (with the exception of a few individuals that have genetic dispositions) do not wat additional muscle. It wants to perform certain things well we put them through. Additional muscle means additional calories needed and thus less chance of survival. UNLESS you ‘convince’ your body it needs to adapt and be ready for the next challenge. Meaning you change your routine often; in reality small changes each and every workout.
Training 7 days a week is perfectly doable but your need to alter your routine also daily.
If lifting the same ‘ weights’ each and every day we would see that heavy construction workers will all look like they belong on the cover of a magazine. Yet they do. Their muscle are perfectly capable of doing the heavy work they do each do; but not an ounce more!

 

We agree on all of this. I haven't had my body fat measured but it is probably around 10%-12% (it could be slightly higher but not by much). I suspect Gordon is in the same range. That is comfortable for me but I have a very lean build, similar to Gordon. I realize that most people are not comfortable at that level of body fat. In fact, when I was sick I think recovery was impeded because I had so little in reserves.

 

10-12% is very lean but it will not hamper your performance nor recovery. That’s typically sub 8-9%.
Gordon is aprox at that range too; which is beter than 99% of the general public!