phase two

After at least ~3-4 months of phase 1, you should be ready to transition into phase 2.

However, if you’re still making great progress and enjoying phase 1 of the
program, DO NOT switch to phase 2. Only when you start getting bored of the
routine or are experiencing minimal weekly strength progress should you
consider switching to phase 2 earlier than normal.
But when you’re ready.. Here’s phase 2:

Phase 2 utilizes a 4 day per week training program, called an “upper/lower split” .

As the name describes, these workouts will be divided into upper body days and lower body days
with rest days interspersed throughout the week.

Why is phase 2 even needed?!

...well, by increasing the training frequency from 3 days per week to 4 days per week, we’re able to
fit in slightly more weekly volume for each muscle group without making each workout excessive
in time/energy. This allows us to further “milk” out any potential newbie gains.
In phase 2 we’ll also change up the rep ranges of certain exercises to stimulate more growth and
slightly change up your training. And although most of the key exercises from phase 1 will be
transferred to phase 2, some additional exercises are included to hit areas that previously didn’t
have much emphasis placed on them.
Your weekly routine would look something like this:

Monday – Upper 1

Tuesday – Lower 1

Wednesday – Rest
Thursday – Upper 2

Friday – Lower 2

Saturday/Sunday – Rest
Repeat

The exact days don’t matter for your workouts, but the key is to get at least one rest day in between
every 2 consecutive days of working out. And additional rest days can be taken as needed, as long
as you’re still getting in 2 “upper workouts” and 2 “lower workouts” per week.
Here are the workouts:
Again, you want to stick to the workouts exactly how they’re written out and keep it that way week
after week. Use the same progression scheme (from the "progression" chapter ) that you used
in phase 1.

You want to stick with phase 2 until your reach the strength goals in section 7, which will then
mean you’re ready to progress to the intermediate transition program explained at the end of this
program.
*In the event that you can't proceed to phase 2 due to time constraints, there is a 3-day full body
workout split alternative within the bonus section which you can resort to instead.
And one thing you’ll notice in the above workouts is that it doesn’t include specific weight
recommendations - and you may have questions about various other workout variables as well. The
next chapter, "main workout FAQ" will address all of these concerns, as well as what to do in the
,

event that you can't perform weighted pull-ups (or pull-ups at all).