Double-X is a great program choice for beginners, or if you have taken time off from the gym and want to get back on track.
It’ll have you switching between high reps, dropsets, and HIIT to shred fat in no time.
I’ve used this program countless times over the years, because it’s just so straightforward and easy to get stuck in to. It also works well as a pathway into some of my more advanced programs, like Beach Bum and/or Classic Full Body.
Length: 4 weeks.
Frequency: 5 workouts per week.
Workout structure: You’ll begin each workout with HIIT or regular cardio, and then smash one large muscle group with a weights workout which uses high high rep sets or dropsets.
Rep ranges: High reps.
Muscle buster techniques used in this program: HIIT, dropsets, supersets, tri-sets.
Workout Calendar
XX is a 4-week program, and you’ll be training 5 days per week.
I’ve pencilled in your recovery days for Thursday and Sunday, but you can shuffle these if you like.
This program uses a classic bodybuilding bro split, where each large muscle group is trained once per week (e.g. “leg day”) and then gets a whole week to recover before it is worked again, so if you cannot commit to training 5x per week I recommend selecting one of my full-body programs instead, as they work well with a reduced training schedule, like Full-Body Blitz.
XX Marks The Spot
If you’re familiar with Roman numerals, you’ll know that XX means twenty.
It’s not a coincidence that I named the program after this, because it actually describes your rep scheme in the gym.
Let’s take a look at this now.
- Straightforward sets of 20 reps (weeks 1 and 3)
In the first and third weeks of the program you’ll be following a program which has you doing x20 reps per set in all of your weights workouts.
This is a fantastic way to get your body accustomed to lifting weights if you’ve never done it before (or if you’ve had a lengthy layoff) because a) it’ll drill the technique of each exercise into you, and b) it carries significantly less injury risk due to the lighter weights involved, and c) recovery times are faster because it places less stress on the central nervous system, and d) it’ll help you build just as much muscle as you would with heavier weights a low reps! (6, 7, 8, 9)
I want you to make sure you’re taking most (or at least some) of your sets to the point of failure. When I say that, I mean to the point where you feel like you wouldn’t be able to do another rep with good form. This ensures you will elicit the maximum anabolic response to your workouts, and get the best results.
- Dropsets of 10/10 (weeks 2 and 4)
In the second and fourth week of the program you’ll be using dropsets.
It still adds up to x20 reps in total, but here you’ll be starting breaking the set into two phases of 10/10. Starting with a heavier weight for the first ten reps, and then reducing it by about 30% and squeezing out another ten reps straight after.
While still technically high rep training, the fact that you can go heavier on the first half of the set means you are unlocking some of the strength benefits which lower rep ranges can yield, and then pushing the set beyond the point of failure by using a lighter weight to continue hitting reps after the stage where most people would have just quit. (10)
This is a really fun way to train, and it breaks the program up so every week brings a fresh training stimulus.
Using HIIT For Greater Fat Loss Results
Each workout begins with a 15-minute blast of cardio.
This is a great way to get your muscles warmed up and ready for the weights workout which awaits, and it’s also a highly effective fat burner, because you’ll be using high intensity interval training (HIIT).
This is where you alternate between short bursts of hard exercise and recovery phases.
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