- Equipment
- Dumbbells, a stable bench, and cable or pulldown equipment
- Time
- About 45 to 60 minutes per session, including warm-up
- Week
- 2 sessions per week
- Who it fits
- Adults who know the basic movements and want a manageable general strength routine
How to arrange your week
For example, do A on Monday and B on Thursday. Leave a rest or light-activity day between harder full-body sessions when possible. If your days move, keep A then B rather than tying an exercise to a particular weekday.
Both days include lower-body work, a push, and a pull. A uses a bilateral squat and hinge; B adds a single-leg squat and a bridge. This gives each visit a useful job while keeping the exercise list short enough to repeat. It is a starting template for general strength, not a maximal-strength test or a specialist bodybuilding block.
Warm up and choose your starting load
Warm up with a few minutes of easy movement, then a light practice set of the first exercise. The listed sets are work sets; warm-up sets come on top.
In the first week, use two work sets for the first three exercises if three sets would make the session hard to recover from. Choose a load that leaves about two or three controlled repetitions available at the end of each set. Work sets exclude warm-up sets. Record the actual load and repetitions, not just that the workout happened.
The workouts
Do the exercises in order. For a per-side exercise, do both sides before you rest. Rest longer if the next set needs it.
Session A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / hold | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 | 6 to 10 | 90 to 120 seconds |
| Dumbbell bench press | 3 | 8 to 12 | 90 to 120 seconds |
| Seated cable row | 3 | 8 to 12 | 90 seconds |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 | 8 to 12 | 90 to 120 seconds |
| Dead bug | 2 | 6 to 10 per side | 45 to 60 seconds |
- Goblet squat: Use a depth you can control with your feet planted.
- Dumbbell bench press: Use a stable bench and a load you can set up safely.
- Seated cable row: Pull without turning each repetition into a body swing.
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift: Move the hips back and stop before you lose trunk control.
- Dead bug: Use a range that lets you keep the trunk still.
Squat, push, pull, and hinge
Goblet squat
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 6 to 10
- Rest
- 90 to 120 seconds
Use a depth you can control with your feet planted.
Dumbbell bench press
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 12
- Rest
- 90 to 120 seconds
Use a stable bench and a load you can set up safely.
Seated cable row
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 12
- Rest
- 90 seconds
Pull without turning each repetition into a body swing.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
- Sets
- 2
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 12
- Rest
- 90 to 120 seconds
Move the hips back and stop before you lose trunk control.
Dead bug
- Sets
- 2
- Reps / hold
- 6 to 10 per side
- Rest
- 45 to 60 seconds
Use a range that lets you keep the trunk still.
Session B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / hold | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split squat | 3 | 8 to 10 per side | 90 to 120 seconds after both sides |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 8 to 12 | 90 seconds |
| Dumbbell floor press | 3 | 8 to 12 | 90 to 120 seconds |
| Floor glute bridge | 2 | 10 to 15 | 60 to 90 seconds |
| Side plank | 2 | 15 to 30 seconds per side | 45 to 60 seconds |
- Split squat: Start with bodyweight if balance limits the set.
- Lat pulldown: Pull in a comfortable range without leaning far back.
- Dumbbell floor press: Let the floor provide a controlled bottom position.
- Floor glute bridge: Lift through the hips without arching to chase height.
- Side plank: Use a bent-knee version if you cannot hold the position.
Single-leg work, pull, push, and hip extension
Split squat
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 10 per side
- Rest
- 90 to 120 seconds after both sides
Start with bodyweight if balance limits the set.
Lat pulldown
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 12
- Rest
- 90 seconds
Pull in a comfortable range without leaning far back.
Dumbbell floor press
- Sets
- 3
- Reps / hold
- 8 to 12
- Rest
- 90 to 120 seconds
Let the floor provide a controlled bottom position.
Floor glute bridge
- Sets
- 2
- Reps / hold
- 10 to 15
- Rest
- 60 to 90 seconds
Lift through the hips without arching to chase height.
Side plank
- Sets
- 2
- Reps / hold
- 15 to 30 seconds per side
- Rest
- 45 to 60 seconds
Use a bent-knee version if you cannot hold the position.
How to progress
- Repeat the same two sessions for four weeks so the numbers are comparable. Start near the bottom of each repetition range.
- Add a repetition where you can keep the same technique and effort. When every work set reaches the top of the range on two comfortable visits, try the smallest available load increase and return toward the lower end.
- For bodyweight work, improve controlled repetitions or hold time before adding a harder variation. Change only one variable at a time.
- If you repeatedly cannot reach the bottom of the range, reduce the load or remove one work set. A missed session is not a reason to double the next session.
Exercise alternatives
Bench press without a bench
Dumbbell floor press. Keeps a loaded horizontal push but uses a shorter range. Start a separate log for the new exercise.
Bench Press Alternatives When You Do Not Have a BenchCable row without a cable
Dumbbell bent-over row. Keeps pulling work but asks more from your trunk. Use a load and stance you can hold steadily.
Cable Row Alternatives When There Is No Cable MachinePulldown without the machine
A controlled row variation. Keeps useful back work for that visit, but does not recreate vertical pulling exactly.
Pull-Up Alternatives When You Do Not Have a Pull-Up BarWhen the day changes
If Thursday moves to Friday, move B and check the next planned session before you train hard again. If you only have time for one visit this week, do the next session in the sequence and resume the other next time. Do not add every missed set to the next workout.
When to use a different plan
Two days can be a useful general strength structure, but these exact sets are not an optimal prescription for every goal. Experienced lifters chasing a particular lift, higher muscle-building volume, or sport performance may need a more specific plan. Add work only after the current week is repeatable and recoverable.
These are general training examples for adults, not individual medical or rehabilitation plans. Stop for sharp or worsening pain, chest pain, fainting, or severe shortness of breath, and seek appropriate medical care.
Common questions
Can I build strength working out twice a week?
Two full-body sessions can provide a useful structure for strength training. The starting load, progression, consistency, and recovery still matter. This template does not promise a particular rate of improvement.
Should I do an upper day and a lower day instead?
With only two visits, this template spreads upper- and lower-body work across both. An upper/lower split can fit some goals, but each region would have only one dedicated visit in that two-day week.
What happens if I miss one of the two workouts?
Do the next session when your schedule allows and continue A then B. Avoid stacking both full workouts into one day to catch up.
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Sources: ACSM 2026 resistance training guidance for healthy adults. The routines are Aion's own examples, not prescribed or endorsed by ACSM. Editorial standard.