What’s Good (and What’s Overhyped) About the Viral 2-2-2 Workout

If I’ve learned anything about online fitness content in the years I’ve spent consuming and creating it, it’s this: Stack a bunch of numbers together, and you get a potentially viral workout, from 12-3-30 to 4-2-1.

The latest is the 2-2-2 workout, which is supposed to reveal the big secret to effectively building muscle after 40. Unfortunately, after trying it, I’m not so sure.

What the Internet Says About 2-2-2 Training

I’ve seen the 2-2-2 workout pop up on the internet, but all sources point to one video by Alain Gonzalez who states that the “2-workout-2-set” method allows “men over 40 to train QUICKLY”.

That’s pretty much the whole pitch: the number 2 comes up twice (I felt like I was going crazy trying to figure out what the last 2 are for), and it’s aimed at middle-aged men. I’m not a man, but as a middle-aged woman with personal training and weightlifting coaching certifications, I’m in a pretty good position to evaluate these claims. So let’s take a look at what’s actually in the workouts.

What does 2-2-2 mean

I looked at Gonzalez’s PDF offerings that describe the program, and there do in fact what the numerous articles on his method do not say: what the third “2” means. So, the 2-2-2 method is:

• Two full-body workouts per week

• Two sets of work per exercise

• Two reps in reserve on each set

It’s a good setup, I think, and probably many people of all genders and ages would get stronger using a workout like this. But it is also based on two concepts that are often misunderstood.

What are “working sets”?

A work set is a set of exercises that you consider to be your “real” work for the day. This means that he don’t understand warm-up sets, or anything else you do to prepare for these work sets.

This means you might end up doing more than two sets, depending on the exercise. For example, I may not need warm-up sets to do my cable lateral raises (one of the exercises Gonzalez recommends), so it’s just two actual sets. But if I’m supposed to do two hard sets of leg presses, I’m not going to do a few hundred pounds of leg press cold. I would start with sets of lighter weights and work my way up – so maybe it would be five sets total for the day, but only the working sets count for the 2-2-2 program.

It’s also worth noting that the PDF calls for seven exercises each day. It’s a minimum of 14 sets you’ll do per workout, with most exercises probably requiring at least one or two warm-up sets, and some even more. You will also rest two to five minutes between sets. With the emphasis on “just two sets,” the workout seems quick and simple, but in practice it looks like you’ll probably be in the gym for quite a while.

What are “reserve representatives”?

Reserve Representatives, or RIRs, are a great way to explain to experienced weightlifters how hard they will work in a given set. If you’ve never used RIR before, there is a bit of a learning curve. The idea is that you stop an exercise with two repetitions “in reserve”, that is, repetitions that you could have done but did not do. If you’ve done 10 lat pulldowns and you feel like the eleventh would be really difficult and the twelfth would be the last one you could possibly do in that set, then you stop at 10. You’ve left those last two reps “in reserve.”

This is a common and useful way of talking about exercise intensity: see this explainer from National Academy of Sports Medicine. But you need to have enough experience with this exercise, and with exercise in general, to recognize the signs your body is giving you that you have exactly two reps left. Often beginners will stop too soon and never gain the benefit of getting close to failure before stopping.

If you’re used to using RIR (or RPE, which is a similar concept), it’s a great way to plan your workouts. If you tend to overestimate your abilities, you’ll probably hit RIR 0 (i.e. failure) often enough to teach yourself what those final reps feel like. But if you’re someone who tends to avoid harder reps, or if you’ve never Really gone to failure during an exercise, the RIR is probably not a good tool for you.

What’s good about 2-2-2 training

As an athlete and coach, I like the idea of ​​2-2-2…for a specific type of person. And yes, probably a lot of the “men over 40” in the target audience are considered that person.

Specifically, it’s a good workout for people who are already experienced at the gym, but can’t reliably dedicate the time to more than two workouts per week. You can get a lot done in two workouts, if each workout covers all of your major muscle groups, which it does in this plan.

The routine has a progression plan, which is nice, unlike many trendy workout routines. You’ll do a “double progression,” meaning you’ll increase the repetitions of an exercise until you feel ready to increase the weight. At this point you’ll be doing fewer reps, so you’ll start adding more again. It’s a solid approach that doesn’t require a lot of thought. (It’s also a missed opportunity to add another “2” to the name.)

What’s overrated (or misunderstood) about 2-2-2 training

My biggest complaint about this workout is simply that it’s nothing special. It’s basic to the point of almost common sense: Hey guys, do two full-body workouts a week! Make sure each exercise has a few challenging sets! Really, you don’t need to think about it too much.

There’s actually nothing special here for “men over 40”, except perhaps that men over 40 are more likely to have children and other responsibilities that take up their time, and will therefore find a twice-weekly schedule convenient. I also find the workout selection to be skewed towards people who stick to machines. The bright side is that you could probably do all of this at a Planet Fitness, and that would suit a lot of people. But I find machines boring. (Maybe it’s a “me” problem.)

When it comes to Gonzalez’s training equipment, there are a few things that bother me. The first is that he talks about the two workouts per week program as if it is strongly supported by science as being the best option. In reality, two workouts are GOOD, but people tend to do better with more. No champion bodybuilder or weightlifter hits every muscle twice a week and relaxes on the couch the rest of the time. Even most recreational athletes with any goal will do better with three or four workouts. Two is enough to achieve most people’s goals, but that’s not necessarily the case. better.

Promising more results for less work is a staple of the fitness industry, so I’m able to see things clearly – and of course everyone says their signature workout is the best option. But if you really think about 2-2-2 East the secret to getting caught over 40, please consider that it exists Never a good response to physical condition. You can choose any program that works each major muscle twice a week, and it will accomplish the same thing.