Beginner / familiar · 2 days a week

Minimum Dose

Two full-body days for busy weeks. Two sets of each main lift.

Two sets of each main lift, twice a week. When you have more time, add a third day or switch to Express. Needs: Gym machines, cables and dumbbells.

  • Busy stretches when two gym days are what you have
  • You’d rather keep training than stop until things calm down

Not the right fit if you can train three or more days. Express or Foundation fits more sets into the week.

In a 2026 meta-analysis, about four sets per muscle a week was enough for a measurable gain in size, and strength responded to less. Each main lift here gets four. Weekly sets and frequency: 2026 dose-response meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)

Your week

  1. Mon
    Full Body6 exercises · about 53 min
    Exercises
    • Leg press2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell bench press2 × 6–10
    • Lat pulldown2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift2 × 8–12
    • Seated cable row2 × 8–12
    • Seated dumbbell press2 × 8–12
  2. Tue
    Rest
  3. Wed
    Rest
  4. Thu
    Full Body6 exercises · about 53 min
    Exercises
    • Leg press2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell bench press2 × 6–10
    • Lat pulldown2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift2 × 8–12
    • Seated cable row2 × 8–12
    • Seated dumbbell press2 × 8–12
  5. Fri
    Rest
  6. Sat
    Rest
  7. Sun
    Rest

Every exercise has a target. Log what you lift and the next week is written from it: same lifts, with the weights you earned.

Where it goes

  1. Week 1 · Foundation

    Learn the lifts. Leave about 3 reps in the tank.

  2. Weeks 2–3 · Build

    Add reps while your form stays clean.

  3. Weeks 4–5 · Progress

    Same two days, starting from the weights you reached in week 3.

    24 working sets a week. The weights go up, not the workload.
  4. Week 6 · Consolidate

    Repeat your best numbers and lock them in. The next block starts from there.

General fitness guidance, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before you start if you have a medical condition, an injury or symptoms, or are pregnant, and stop if something feels wrong.

Start this plan free

7 days free, no card to start.