Trainings twice a day

When you bring new exercises in your program and increase quantity of carried out sets, trainings become unfairly tightened. Stay in sports hall more than two and a half hours is absolutely unproductively: there are no more forces for last exercises and this negatively influences on the subsequent sessions. Besides, after long heavy trainings it is much more difficult to be restored, even if you are already skilled athlete. This breaks progress.

But if you wish to include new exercises in the program to tighten weak places and to increase load, division of trainings will be the most optimum variant. For this purpose it’s necessary to strengthen the schedule from three trainings in a week with one more training day. It will allow to carry out necessary exercises which cannot be contained in the three-day schedule. I suggest to train on Tuesday in addition to the program calculated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However many people prefer to have a rest on Tuesday because training on Monday, as a rule, is very hard.

If you will make decision to train in Tuesday, this training shouldn’t be same heavy, as in the first day of week. It will approach the exercises which are not demanding of the big weights, for example, jerks, weights in which are easier, than in bar liftings on a breast or dead draughts. Also it is good day for presses over a head. Press-up on bars with additional burdening will approach too.

Trainings on Tuesdays should be short, from 45 minutes till one hour. The combination of small weights and short training guarantees that working load in this day will be easy.

Some athletes which are more interested in construction of muscles than in power training, prefer to dedicate additional day for auxiliary work It is favorable for two reasons. If you carry out auxiliary exercises after the basic exercises on Monday, Wednesday and Friday then you little power for bendings of hands, presses downwards etc. But if you are working on small muscular groups at separate session it will be enough energy, and results will be good.

For those who are interested in perfection of weightlifting movements, additional day is ideal for work on techniques.

Though previous training was heavy, it’s unessential, because for perfection of techniques heavy weights aren’t necessary. Besides, the exhaustion will make you to give more attention to form details. It doesn’t mean that you should “bomb” your program while you hardly shuffle the feet after the previous training. I speak only about easy weariness after previous training.

I wish to warn you at once that in the first weeks after entering into the schedule of additional training day, the general decrease in productivity of employment is usually observed. But it’s quite natural, because organism needs any time to adapt for new load.

Usually as an example I adduce army recruits. Heavy trainings and loads considerably change their habitual way of life. Severe instructors perfectly know — if they render beginners to the maximum exhaustion those will submit to their orders implicitly. That is what they achieve. After several heavy sleepless weeks young soldiers start to move, like zombie.

After any time recruits find out that they are already in a condition to cope with demanded loads. But skilled instructors start to toughen the requirements: the five-mile march-throw becomes ten-mile after that soldiers again fall asleep as soon as the head concern pillow, but through some time they feel again that they became stronger. Certainly, not all cope with it, but the object of this process — to eliminate the weakest.

The same occurs and in power training. Difference in that in army you don’t have choice, and in sport room you can don’t make an additional work. I have noticed that in a case when athletes give enough attention to a food and rest, and thus adheres the schedule with additional training day at least some weeks, they start to grow again. Soon they’ll need new increase in load. To be exact — two trainings in day!

It can seem to you rather extreme, but, believe, it’s very convenient way of increase of the general working load. This concept isn’t new. Bob Bednarski was the first athlete on my memory, using two-day split in 60th years in «York Barbell Club». Before arrival to our club he trained at Joe Mills, but when he came to us he has been compelled to train alone. The intuition was one of making of its sports success. He always knew what it is necessary for him to do for achievement of progress, without any extraneous councils and opinions.

Barsky has decided that it needs to pump up feet to improve the results in a push. Therefore he has started to carry out knee-bends during lunch breaks twice a week.

I and Tommy Suggs started to train together with Bob. Like Barsky, I wished to pump up feet, but I doubted if I could make two additional sessions in a week In the beginning I have been a little disappointed. Knee-bends have improved, but results in all other exercises became worse. However Barsky and Suggs didn’t allow me to despair, and I still adhered to double split. In two weeks results have considerably improved!

On usual trainings we carried out one or two weightlifting exercises, and also jerk draughts and usual or frontal knee-bends. In the afternoon the priority was given to knee-bends. The main thing in this approach is a restoration after the first training that the second was not less effective.

For the first time we trained from 12.00 till 12.45, then we were going to a fitness bar to drink a protein cocktail. One hour later we ate a lunch which usually consisted of pair sandwiches and fruit. At four o’clock in the afternoon the second session passed, consisting from three weightlifting exercises, and also jerk draughts and presses on an inclined bench.

Double trainings were spent two times a week, on Monday and Wednesday. We simply haven’t reached that form which would allow to work more, but I consider that more frequent trainings are quite possible. When I was the editor of magazine «Strength and Health», I corresponded with one athlete from Moscow. I sent him parcels with magazines, and he told me about training methods of the soviet weight-lifters. Some of them came nearer to loads in 137 tons and trained four times a week!

Personally I have only once reached load in 91 ton. I am sure, if people know what they do, they can reach surprisingly high indicators.

But you should know, if your labour activity out of sport room means any physical activities this concept of training doesn’t approach you!

On the other hand, it is perfectly entered in the schedule of schoolboys, students and professional athletes.

There are several moments which should be mentioned in connection with two trainings in day. On the first training you carry out only one exercise, and it should be the main, in an ideal aimed at lagging region. It should be exercise in which it’s necessary for you to make more works, but not the one which is more pleasant to you. If you have difficulties with bar liftings on a breast, or with jerk, do this exercise. Make warm-up, then carry out 5-6 working sets and that’s all. Now make an extension and then a little rest. All session should occupy no more than 45 minutes, including warm-up and an extension.

Starting the second session, give special attention for warm-up. Be convinced that all muscles are ready to heavy working sets. Probably, it will demand several more sets with easy weights, but it’s very important — to prepare an organism for forthcoming loads!

Besides, for two trainings in day there should be a bit different psychological attitude. When you train one time a day, after session you can forget about load for the whole two days. But now having finished the first training, you should be adjusted at once to the second one. From this attitude your results will depend, and it’s one more of the reasons why double split demands such high responsibility. It means not only physical, but also moral readiness.

I already said that at the first session it isn’t necessary to train small muscles. I write this article basically for power athletes — body builders can load small muscular groups and on the first training. At the majority of athletes-fans calves are weak, therefore train them for 45 minutes two times a week, and on the second training work with other muscles — results will not keep itself waiting.

Weirder athletes of 70th years widely applied this concept. Arnold, Franco, Zain, Draper and others trained in the morning, then ate, had a rest on a beach, and then came back in «Golds» on the second training. They have reached magnificent results thanks to double split.

Possibility of constant increase of loads and maintenance of adequate restoration depends on several factors. Two of the most important - are rest and food. If the strict army instructor has limited my rest, I being guided by own training experience, would concentrate on the strengthened supply of the organism by energy. In army in my platoon there were some whimsical guys who couldn’t cope with the undercooked eggs in four o’clock in the morning. In a dining room I sat down near them and ate everything that remains. And I derived benefit from this! I didn’t feel weariness, from which they suffered, but also have added 5 kg of weight!

Certainly, if you load yourselves so strongly, you need to eat healthy food and to relax enough. Protein drink — is your best friend. Drink it at once after the first session, and eat necessarily in an hour. As the cocktail has already given you enough protein, try, that this food will be high-calorific, because you’ll have second training.
If you have possibility to sleep afternoon, do it. If you have other things to do – this isn’t scary. The main thing is that it wouldn’t be hard physical work. For an hour before the second training accept a complex of vitamins B, and before the training drink a cup of coffee.

I remind: to warm-up it’s necessary to approach very seriously. Good warm-up will provide qualitative and safe training, and the extension after it will accelerate restoration.

After transition on double split it’s important to sleep well. Therefore, abstain from your favorite TV shows and get under the blanket earlier. This is necessary, at least, before you’ll adapt to the new regime.

Trainings twice a day may not be pleasant for you, but many are surprise that they simply can’t wait for the start of the second session. More isn’t always seems better, but for many it could be a winning ticket!