A two-step training method for the estimation filter in the echo cancellation (EC) path of the analog front-end (AFE) circuit for a modem, such as an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem. During the first step, the coefficients of a filter that is preferably equivalent to the combination of the EC path and the receive (RX) path in the AFE circuit are determined with the EC estimation filter held fixed and the transmit (TX) path in the AFE circuit disabled. During the second step, the TX path is enabled and the coefficients of the EC estimation filter are determined using the path equivalent filter generated during the first step. The two-step training method takes into account variations in the operating characteristics of components in the various processing paths in the AFE circuit to converge on satisfactory coefficients for the EC estimation filter within an acceptable number of training symbols.