Tag: build muscle

  • 35 FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels

    35 FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels

    The humanfitproject brand has been producing fitness content for a decade which includes hundreds of free workouts for our friends and followers. This is a collection of 35+ of our best FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels.

    Do you feel like you could lose a few extra pounds? We’ve got the workouts to get your heart pounding, sweat dripping, and metabolism raging to burn off fat even more quickly. Also read: 20 tips to lose fat faster

    Do you want to put on pounds and pounds of muscle and get as big as you can? We’ve got the mass-building plans for you. Also read: 25 of the best foods to build lean muscle

    Do you want to do a little bit of both: gain some muscle and lose some fat? Yeah, we got that, and the important dietary recommendations to go along with it. Also read: 6 steps to starting a new diet

    Do you want to get superhero strong? You know, there’s a different between strength and size—we’ll show you how to win the world’s strongest man (or woman) competition. No, not really. But we’ll help you get really, really freaking strong.

    Do you want to figure out how to gain the advantage in your rec-league or pick-up games? You’ve got to train like an athlete for that. Put us in, we’ve got this.

    Do you hate working out in the gym and want outdoor options? We hear you, we’ve got plenty of fresh-air workouts here, too.

    Train smarter. Recover better.
    The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.

    Eat cleaner. Get leaner.
    The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.

    The Fat Loss Meal Planner

    The Introduction/Transition workout plan

    The Introduction/Transition from Mike Beringer is one of those plans that you can start with as a beginner, but still find strategically useful as you become more advanced. The exercises are the basics and the volume (or amount of work) is low. This is ideal for a beginner (Introduction) because it isn’t complicated or too much of a shock to the system. On the other hand, it works well for the much more advanced (Transition) because it can serve as a de-load or taper. After weeks or months of intense, exhaustive exercise, a de-load or taper gives the body more time to recover while still stimulating the muscles. Big Mike Beringer did a great job programming and demo’ing.

    Goal: weight management, muscle maintenance, “tapering/de-loading”
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @Mikey_Fitness

    100 Days Later: The challenge that builds (and rebuilds) everything

    100 Days Later is more than just a workout plan — it’s a full-system reset for your body, mindset, and habits. The training is strategically structured to balance strength, cardio, and recovery across a long stretch of time, which helps rebuild consistency and discipline without burning you out. Whether you’re getting back into shape or looking for a smarter, more sustainable challenge, this one keeps you focused — one workout, one mindset shift, and one better decision at a time.

    Goal: full-body reset, strength, confidence, consistency
    Ability level: intermediate, returning, or rebuilding
    Featured: @mike_simone

    The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan

    The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan is exactly as it sounds. The primary focus of the plan is to slowly build your body up to be able to take on more of our challenging HFP programs in the future. To do that you’ll want to do the following: Improve or increase joint range of motion, improve the stability of those joints, strengthen your core muscles, and develop a baseline level of cardio. Following a basic structure will set you up for success.

    Goal: general strength, stability, mobility and conditioning
    Ability level: very beginner-beginner

    Redemption/24: A Journey Beyond Physical Fitness

    Redemption/24 is the 2024 version of the original Redemption (2016) program. The goal with this updated version was to maintain the original, and most important message of the program, but redesign the workouts so they’re accessible for different age groups and fitness levels. It’s a combination of traditional strength training, circuit training, cardiovascular training + a series of mental fitness exercises. The strength workouts are broken into splits throughout the week, but the full body is covered by the end. The mental fitness exercises should be performed daily.

    Goal: muscle building, fat loss, and mental fitness
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Unlabeled workout plan

    The Unlabeled plan was created for a couple reasons. We wanted to do something raw. Something without a production crew and all that production stuff. No worrying about lighting, or clothing, or angles. Just the raw material. It’s a mix of training, primarily focused on size and strength, but with more mobility and conditioning elements to boost athletic performance and longevity.

    Goal: blend of strength, muscle building, fat loss, and athletic enhancement
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Model Body workout plan

    The Model Body plan is also know as the Compound plan. It’s structure and programming revolves around the big lifts like the squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bench press. Those are then supplemented with isolation exercises. We call it the Model Body plan because we worked with Jordan Morello. Jordan is one hell of a personality. He’s got loads of energy with a great big smile that lights up the room. This is one of his go-to plans for prepping for other shoots he gets involved with.

    Goal: blend of muscle building, fat loss, and strength
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Jordan_Morello

    The 2-week Big Friggin’ Arms workout plan

    We’ll admit it, these days it might sound little silly creating a workout program around a single body part. Doesn’t everyone want a symmetrical look? Of course, but sometimes we have lagging or stubborn muscle groups. Most of the time this is genetic, but it could also be that your training has gone a little stale. This plan is specific to arms… as clearly stated in the title. Instead of hitting them once per week like a traditional split, with this plan they are hit several times with reduced volume. It’s also important to note that it’s a short-term deal, two weeks, then you change it up again. Click the link above for more on how it works.

    Goal: re-stimulate muscle growth
    Ability level: All levels, suggested for intermediates
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Trim-up workout plan

    Tim McComsey has been big and ripped for what seems like forever. There’s a little bit more to it then hard work and eating right. Training blocks are strategically, and seasonally planned. In the winter, we tend to put on mass. Then, in the spring and summer we look to cut up. This plan is broken into quick tri-sets or circuits to boost the metabolism while still stimulating muscle growth.

    Goal: accelerate fat loss, muscle-building
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The 4-week Bulk-up workout plan

    The Bulk-up plan is the counter to the Trim-up plan. In the winter we bulk and in the spring we cut. The Bulk-up has been one of Tim’s go-to plans when looking to quickly and effectively gaining muscle. While following this you can give yourself a little more slack in the diet department. It’s also one of our top-performing plans on HFP.

    Goal: increase muscle-mass, fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The Party Week Detox workout plan v1.0

    Beers, cocktails, pizza, and wings. It doesn’t matter what your party night (or party week) cheats look like, this is the plan to get you back on track. We’re typically in “Detox Mode” around seasonal holidays like Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day Weekend, the Fourth of July, etc. Party hard, then make a comeback in the gym. The thing is: these are programmed in a way to where you’re going to work hard enough to get the blood flowing and metabolism back in gear, but not too hard to where you’ll need to bring a mop and bucket. John Gioffre nailed it.

    Goal: weight management during party times
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @the.life.of.pablo__

    The Party Week Detox workout plan v2.0

    More beers, more cocktails, more pizza, and more wings. Detox came back with another version, but with an even more elaborate plan. The first part of each workout is Regeneration (rebuild muscle), the second part is Reignition (get the metabolism firing again), and the third part is Relaxation (calm nerves and balance the mood). While this does involve two workouts per day, it can be condensed or consolidated into one session.

    Oh, and you might want to learn how to prepare our delicious ab-friendly low-carb tacos if that’s the kind of thing you party with too. Let us know what you think of our leaner version.

    Goal: weight management
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The Holiday Schedule workout plan

    The winter holiday season is stressful and time-consuming. John Gioffre has all of us covered with a plan that keeps things short in the gym and has options for at-home stuff too. You’ll throw around the weights a couple days per week for muscle-building, then do some bodyweight circuits to rack up the calorie burn. If you’re the type to go hard at the dinner table during the holidays, you’ll like having this as a go-to.

    Goal: weight management during busy holiday season
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @the.life.of.pablo__

    The 13.1 runner’s workout plan

    Cody Harter is one of those guys that can run really far, really fast, and enjoys doing it. (Something definitely wrong with them folks). Cody worked with us as he prepared for a half-marathon in his local area. He documented his strength+endurance training combination as he built up to the big day. There’s a lot of solid information for anyone looking to step up from those casual runs, 5Ks, and 10Ks. We’ve just had a new DM exchange with Cody in recent weeks. Be on a lookout for more performance running content. Let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see.

    Goal: improve distance running ability
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @HarterStrength

    The Contender’s athletic conditioning workout plan

    Keita Minakovichsky is a no-BS trainer originally from FOCUS Personal Training Institute. He takes his programming and exercise very seriously. This plan isn’t for the beach muscle, it’s for the performance muscles. Stuff that actually makes a difference when it comes to game time. If you’re looking for new challenging moves that will strength muscles you didn’t even know you had, then this is it.

    You might also like Keita’s contributions to our Saturday Sweat workout series. They are a series of five strength+cardio workouts for getting a quick burn.

    Goal: athletic performance, conditioning, and strength
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @minakovichsky

    The bodyweight collection (10)

    Sometimes we all need a break from the weight room. Maybe it’s a couple days, or even a couple weeks, especially when the weather is great. There’s so much you can do on the trails or even in the urban jungle. Go enjoy the smells of fresh air instead of the smells of sticky benches, yoga mats, and toxic cleaning products. (Although, the streets of New York can produce a rather complex and nauseating blend of smells including garbage, farts, BO, pee, poo, fishheads, and hints of marijuana mixing in there. But you get our point. And we won’t name names.)

    Goal: general conditioning, outdoor-only workout solution
    Ability level: beginner, beginner-intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 3-day Pull, Push & Squat Split workout plan

    These days it seems to be all about full body workouts, but that’s not necessarily the end-all-be-all. There are so many different ways to train, and so many different ways to “be balanced” without hitting every muscle group in every single workout. Split routines are very popular alternative. Burnt out from HIIT? Strength hit a plateau? Give this one a go.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: intermediate

    The Just One workout plan

    The Just One workout plan was designed specifically to make you think less. It’s one full body workout that you can do 3-4 days per week with a day of rest or cardio in between. But what about variety? That’s important, yes, but this is a short-term plan, and the one workout is covering all of your bases. Exercises, sets, reps, rounds, etc., can all be changed in 2 or 3 weeks. Consider this one of your go-to plans for a week-long vacation.

    Goal: strength-building and conditioning
    Ability level: beginner – intermediate

    The 2-dumbbell workout plan(s)

    Ever get the feeling you live on airplanes or in hotels? Or maybe you’re just not into the whole gym scene. We get it. So all you need to do is get two dumbbells. We’ve got two plans you can follow. There’s a four day plan which is an upper/lower body alternating split routine, and a three day plan which is a series of full body workouts. Both are great for all abilities.

    Goal: weight management, general strength and conditioning, at-home solution
    Ability level: scaleable for beginners through advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    Built for the Beach version 2.0

    Aesthetics. More muscle, less fat. Everywhere on your body. There isn’t much more to be said about it. The exercises are relatively basic and the splits are straight-forward, but the workouts can run a little long. Couple this with a finely-tuned diet and you’re good to go.

    Goal: muscle-building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate (scaleable for beginner)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    Built for the Beach version 3.0

    This is a follow-up to the successful B4B franchise, but with another layer added in. The performance factor. If you still want that impression physique, but need some lungs and stamina to back it up, the finisher portion of each of these routines will deliver.

    Goal: muscle-building, fat loss, and athletic conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate (scaleable for beginner)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Care-Free Summer workout plan

    The purpose of the care-free summer workout plan is to get fit or stay fit without having to think (or stress) so hard about what to do.

    The rules of the care-free summer workout plan are simple, there’s only one: Commit to doing your best. Do whatever it is you can, where ever you can, any way you can.

    Try to get in the gym two to three days per week to lift weights. Get two cardio sessions in a week: one interval day and one longer day. Casually stretch throughout the day, and most definitely at night.

    Goal: general strength, conditioning, and/or maintenance
    Ability level: all levels

    The 4-week indoor/outdoor Intermix workout plan

    Bryan Olson is a young up-comer in the world of fitness and health. He’s not only putting in the work in the gym, but also behind the books. The Intermix plan is for finding balance. There’s more to life than the weight room. It’s part gym-workouts, part outdoors-workouts, and is another nice way to link up strength and endurance training while building a great well-rounded body at the same time.

    Goal: muscle-building, fat loss, general conditioning, less-time solution
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @thebryandavidolson

    The 3-week Super-3 strength workout plan

    Wratt Krueger identifies “holes” or weaknesses and eliminates them. While the Super-3 plan is built around the main strength-building exercises: the squat, press, and deadlift, there’s another critical piece. That piece involves the supplemental exercises, more specifically, the overhead stabilization work that we all tend to neglect. If this has caught your attention, click the title above to see how this all works.

    And we have even more with Wyatt. He pulled together a series of 10 CrossFit-inspired workout challenges to test your fitness. Challenge a friend: Loser has to buy a tub of pre-workout for the winner.

    Goal: increase strength
    Ability level: intermediate-advanced
    Featured: @WyattKrueger

    The 4-week Pre-cut workout plan

    If you’ve followed the Winter Bulk-up and the Spring Trim-up, you know why they were programmed the way they were. But sometimes there’s another move between the two. A “pre-cut”. The purpose of the Pre-Cut plan is to focus primarily on strength before blasting the body with high-intensity exercise for fat loss. That type of training can be extremely taxing and even detrimental if overdone. It might be a good idea to go into those cutting, trimming, and shredding plans with a bit more strength first.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The 8-week Recession workout plan

    High performers, have a tendency to push harder and harder each and every week. You start cheating on your reps, throwing around more weight than you should, pushing through HIIT sessions well past your pain threshold. While that might work for a while, with time, things come crashing down. First, you’ll hit a peak, then a plateau, then your performance numbers will start to slide. Worst case scenario: you’ll go out of business all together. The 8-week Recession workout plan is designed to have a series of peak weeks followed by pull-back or recession weeks.

    Goal: strength-building / conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate

    The 3-day training partners strength workout plan

    Ryan and Eric Johnson aka the Sons of Strength are an industry dynamic duo. They’ve got the body transformation know-how, fight/tactical training, plus the experience in physical therapy and injury prevention. If you have a training partner, the both of you need to get on the same page with this one. There are a lot of fun ways to challenge one another in each workout.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @SonsOfStrength (Ryan and Eric Johnson)

    The 3-day Monster power & strength workout plan

    Brandon Cruz is a Monster and that’s why this is the Monster plan. He played football, had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees, and he still came back even bigger, stronger, and more powerful. If more size, strength, and power sounds good to you, then this one’s worth it. What’s more: it’s only three days per week of training. Hey, some respond better to lower frequency. Why not try it for yourself?

    Goal: power and strength
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @BrandonDaCruz_

    The Timeless Bodybuilding workout plan

    Tim McComsey strikes again. This time it’s bodybuilding, bodybuilding, bodybuilding. Influenced by some of the industry’s early leaders and pioneers, Tim crafted something together from their toolbox of techniques. You’ll appreciate this is you’ve always admired Arnold & friends.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate and advanced
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The Push/Pump/Stretch Bodybuilder’s workout plan

    The name screams bodybuilding all day. Well, it is. Trainer Dale Parducci made quite an impressive body transformation himself and he did it the way the old school guys did. There really is something to be said about the basic lifts. If you liked the Timeless plan, you’ll like this one too. And vice versa.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @DParducci

    The high-intensity 10×10 workout plan

    The 10x10s are hot. Hands down one of our most popular workout franchises. They are very straight-forward. It’s a series of exercises done for 10 sets of 10 reps as quickly as possible. They are aggressive and get the metabolism firing.

    Goal: fat loss and muscular endurance
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced (scaleable for beginners)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The high-intensity split 10×10 workout plan

    The original 10x10s are one of our most popular pre-summer and summer workouts, hands down. The split 10x10s are very similar, but instead of 10 sets of 10 of 1 group of exercises, it’s 5 sets of 10 of 2 groups of exercises.

    Goal: fat loss and muscular endurance
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced (scaleable for beginners)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 4-week Quick-Switch workout plan

    Joe Rodonis likes to maintain his lean muscular physique by switching back and forth between a mass building plan and a cutting plan. Hence, the Quick-Switch name. You follow one part for two weeks, then switch. What’s great about this is, you’re following a plan that provides change and variety, while it also remains relatively similar so you’re giving it enough time to work. You might also want to check out some of Joe’s solid HIIT routines as a part of our Hurricane workout series for fat loss.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @JoeRodonis

    The 6-week Redemption workout plan

    The Redemption plan is more of an emotionally charged plan than most. You’ll probably need to watch and listen to the trailer to get a better understanding. Following the Redemption plan is the commitment you make to yourself not to miss or blow opportunities. It’s your classic bodybuilding-influenced split and is suitable for beginners through advanced abilities. If you want a plan that means something more than just working out, this is it. Make your change. Make your comeback. We’re rooting for you.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 4-week Reconstruction workout plan

    The Reconstruction plan is one of our New Year’s Resolution Reset plans. The plan is centered around eccentric exercises to strengthen the mind-muscle connection and stimulate fresh muscle growth. If you’ve been doing a lot of HIIT or circuit training, this is a smart options to get back into muscle-building. And if you’ve taken some time away from the gym, this is a good way to get back on the workout wagon.

    Goal: general strength, muscle building, and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The First-responders workout plan

    Mike Counihan is a New York City police officer. He’s big, and he’s intimidating. But don’t let his size or intense focus fool you, he’s a super-friendly guy that loves hardcore training. While he primary trains for size and strength, he’s created a plan with some additional elements of endurance and athleticism. If you want a plan to get you big and strong, but with some curve balls thrown in there, this is it.

    Goal: strength, muscle building, and general conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @nodonutshere

    The 5 Power Hour mini-workout plans

    Peter Miller is a type-1 diabetic, and he still has forged an incredible physique over the years. Peter is a graduate of FOCUS Personal Training Institute and was selected to contribute a series of “mini-programs”. Basically these are five short plans where you repeat 1 or 2 workout blueprints throughout the week. If you’re tired of doing a million different exercises and want to simplify things, then this is for you.

    Goal: strength, muscle building, and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @type1body_44

    The Science Guy workout plan

    Ian Canrobert is big on science-backed research when it comes to following or prescribing a workout plan. This particular plan is long-term, goes through stages or phases, and has a variety of different techniques. If you’re looking for a simple, cookie-cutter plan, this is NOT the one for you. But if you’re looking to try a lot of different things in one plan, you’ve come to the right place.

    Goal: strength and muscle building
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @IanCanrobert

    The 6-Week Return to Intuition workout plan

    All of us can get to a place of being able to train intuitively, but it’s something that takes many years to achieve. If you’ve gotten your fitness to an intermediate to advanced level and are looking to simply maintain a well-rounded base of fitness, this is the program for you. The elements of this program include: running, lifting, rowing, swimming, stretching, and breathing.

    Goal: blend of strength training, endurance training, breathing, and mobility training
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 30-Days to Spartan Beast workout plan

    The Spartan Beast, a 21K race with 30+ obstacles is one of Spartan Races’ most challenging races, only second to the Ultra (50K and 60+ obstacles) and the Death Race (unspeakable difficulty). In order to train for the Beast, you need a combination of two things: a lot of running endurance and a lot upper body / grip strength. And if you’re planning to run a mountainous course, you need running endurance on hills. This is the workout plan that will get you through it like a boss.

    Goal: blend of strength training, endurance training, and obstacle course race training
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 7-Day Holistic Fitness Plan for Entrepreneurs and Executives

    Entrepreneurs and executives need a holistic fitness plan as much as anyone. A tight schedule is no excuse. The effects of long hours and stress are too great to not counteract with exercise and self-care strategies. This holistic fitness plan for entrepreneurs and executives will sharpen the mind and strengthen the body. It’s for all the high-performers out there that want the same success with their fitness and health as they want for their businesses. We have the vision and strategy. You bring the discipline and grit that it takes to handle your business and apply it to your fitness and health.

    Goal: build muscle and strength, manage your weight, improve mobility, reduce stress
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The Over-40 Workout Plan to Build Lean Muscle

    Mike Simone Over-40 Muscle

    Reality is: As we get older our strength, power, and endurance declines, we ache a little more, and take a little longer to recover. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can’t do to slow down the decline. In fact, there’s a lot we can do. And, there’s a lot of incredible body transformations that can happen. Sticking to a workout plan like this over-40 workout plan is a perfect place the start.

    Goal: blend of training to build muscle, strength, endurance, heart health, and injury resilience
    Ability level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced

    The 4-Week Pull-Up Workout Plan

    Mike Simone Blue Shirt Pull-Up

    Pull-ups are tough, but they’re one of the most important functional strength exercises there are. If you need to pull yourself up out of danger, being able to do pull-ups are going to make the task a whole lot easier. If you’re struggling to do your first pull-up, our 4-week pull-up workout plan will get you banging them out in no time.

    Goal: functional strength training with focus on increasing the ability to do pull-ups
    Ability level: beginner to intermediate

    The 6-Week ChatGPT Workout Plan to Get Strong and Lean

    With all the buzz around OpenAI, ChatGPT, and GPT-4, I thought it would be fun to create an AI-designed workout, just to see what happened, and it actually turned out to be a decent workout. Was it personalized? No, but it was pretty standard and it got the job done. (Check out the post I did here.)

    Since then, I decided to push things even further by creating an entire editorial series with ChatGPT as my subject, no different than when I would interview other coaches or athletes. This was the complete workout it generated for me.

    Goal: Build lean muscle
    Ability level: beginner to intermediate

  • The Over-40 Workout Plan to Build Lean Muscle

    The Over-40 Workout Plan to Build Lean Muscle

    Reality is: As we get older our strength, power, and endurance declines, we ache a little more, and take a little longer to recover. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can’t do to slow down the decline. In fact, there’s a lot we can do. And, there’s a lot of incredible body transformations that can happen. Sticking to a workout plan like this over-40 workout plan is a perfect place the start.

    Another is to optimize other things like sleep and nutrition. Check out this piece on the perfect day for brain and body performance for more on that subject.

    Want more workout plans? Check out our collection of 35+ free workout plans for different fitness goals and abilities.

    Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

    Related: 10 essential supplements for people over-40 to build lean muscle

    Train smarter. Recover better.
    The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.

    Eat cleaner. Get leaner.
    The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.

    The Fat Loss Meal Planner

    What Over-40 People Need to Know

    Working out over the age of 40 really isn’t too much different than in your 20s and 30s, there’s just some things to be more mindful of. Here’s what we factor in:

    1. Heart health

    The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week to keep the heart strong and efficient. The best way to do this, in our opinion, in several walks throughout the day, everyday, along with two dedicated “cardio” days. One that’s “long” or around 45-60 minutes, and another that’s short and intense, around 15-20 minutes. Coupled with 3 daily walks (around 10-20 minutes each) should have you well covered.

    2. Mobility

    When you’re over 40, everything tends to get tighter and / or stiffer so making sure to thoroughly warm-up and practice mobility-specific routines to prevent injury. What typically causes an injury is a movement or action that the body is either not ready for or isn’t able to handle. For example, if you sprint without warming up, your hamstrings, calves, quads, and glutes are compromised. Or, if you press a weight overhead when your shoulders don’t have adequate range of motion, you’re also compromised. Everyone should be stretching and performing mobility exercises everyday, but the older you get, the more important it is.

    Try our daily wind down routine for some ideas on how to work on your mobility every night.

    3. Power

    Research has shown that power starts to decline rather quickly after the age of 35. That means things like jumping, sprinting, or anything done explosively might be done less explosively as we age. The best way to mitigate that decline? Make sure to power exercises remain in your workout plan. Think: sprints, box jumps, jumping lunges, explosive chops, clapping push-ups. Anything plyometric is an important addition.

    4. Joint Health

    Similarly to our point about the importance of mobility and warming up, sometimes exercises need to come into play for the over-40 athlete. For example, if your lower back hurts from back squats, you could switch to front squats or goblet squats to minimize the strain in the lower back. If your shoulders get achy from overhead presses or bench presses, you could switch from a traditional press to a neutral grip position. Another excellent option is to incorporate more 90-degree movements with eccentrics. Dr. Joel Seedman, a PhD in Kinesiology and owner of Advanced Human Performance cites a lot of strong evidence for this style of training. To put it as simply as possible, instead of putting the body through full ranges of motion under heavy loads, he suggests only 90-degrees and with more focus on the eccentric. This is relevant to all age groups, but can particular helpful to the over-40 athlete.

    Another great way to keep the body aches away, is building a rock-solid core. Check out these 20+ ways to give your core a great workout.

    5. Recovery

    When you’re in your teens, 20s, and even your 30s, you can come back quickly from tough workouts or regular dose of tough ones, but for the over-40 crowd, recovery becomes a bit more difficult. The best way to look at this is, you still put in hard work, but maybe instead of 4 strength days, there’s just 2 or 3. One of our favorite ways to monitor recovery is with a Whoop or Oura Ring. If your HRV is high and recovery is high, it’s OK to go hard. If you HRV and recovery is low, it’s best to pull back a little bit.

    How The Over-40 Workout Plan Works

    There are two strength training days, two mobility/active recovery days, one HIIT day, one long cardio day, and one total off/recovery day. The two other days are dedicated recovery days. On the strength days, the volume (or amount of sets and reps you do) is on the lower side. If you notice you’re very sore, cut it back even further.

    The Over-40 Workout Plan Directions

    Follow the program below as prescribed for 6 to 8 weeks. Your goal, as always, is to slowly increase the resistance your user on strength training exercises. For the cardio, just try and stay in the zone 2 range, or 60% of your max heart rate.

    Mike Simone Over-40 Muscle

    The Over-40 Workout Plan Weekly Schedule

    Make sure to thoroughly warm-up before each and every session for a minimum of 10 minutes.

    Monday – Lower Body

    Walking lunge 3 sets of 12 reps
    Box jump 3 sets of 5 reps
    Trap bar deadlift 3 sets of 8 reps
    Bulgarian split squat 3 sets of 8 reps per side
    Goblet squat 3 sets of 10 reps

    Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.

    Tuesday – Lower Body Mobility

    World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets of 5 reps per side
    90/90 transitions 2 sets of 10 reps per side
    Low lunge 2 sets of 30 second holds per side
    Cossack squat 2 sets of 10 reps each direction
    Scorpion 2 sets of 5 reps per side
    Pigeon pose 2 sets of 30 seconds per side

    Minimal rest between sets.

    Wednesday – Full Body HIIT

    High Knees x 30 seconds
    Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds
    Squat Thrusts x 30 seconds

    Rest 30 seconds. Repeat 5 rounds.

    Jumping Lunge x 30 seconds
    Butterfly sit-up x 30 seconds
    Skaters x 30 seconds

    Rest 30 seconds. Repeat 5 rounds.

    Thursday – Upper Body Mobility

    Cat cow 2 sets of 6 reps in each position
    World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets of 5 reps per side
    Shoulder CARs 2 sets of 5 rotations (forward and back)
    Thread the needle 2 sets of 5 reps each side
    Bretzel stretch 2 sets of 30 second holds per side
    Seated twist 2 sets of 30 second holds per side

    Minimal rest between sets.

    Friday – Upper Body

    Pull-up or Lat pulldown 3 sets to failure or 12 reps
    Seated row or Dumbbell row 2 sets of 12 reps
    Neutral grip floor press 2 sets of 12 reps
    Dumbbell push-up 3 sets to failure
    Neutral grip shoulder press 2 sets of 12 reps
    Curl (dumbbell or cable) 3 sets of 12 reps
    Cable tricep pushdown or Dumbbell tricep extension 3 sets of 12 reps

    Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.

    Saturday – Long Cardio

    There are several options: Go for a long run for 45-60 minutes, go for a bike ride for 60 minutes, or combine multiple pieces of cardio equipment like the rower, ski erg, and bike for a total for 60 minutes. Another option would be to go for a long hike or ruck.

    Sunday – Off

    Take this day completely off to allow for full recovery.

    Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 3 FREE Workout Plans for Beginners to Build Muscle

    3 FREE Workout Plans for Beginners to Build Muscle

    The following are three workout plans for beginners to build muscle that we’ve curated from our library of over 35+ free ones.

    Being a beginner can be a little nerve-racking when it comes to working out. There’s so much equipment, so many exercises, and so many programs to follow. It’s a lot to take in. But, being a beginner is also a very exciting time. You’re learning something completely new and it’s so incredibly good for you. There’s also another small perk of being a beginner: beginner gains. When starting a workout plan for the first time, beginners tend to see early results.

    If you’re just getting started, continue on and let’s get to work.

    Related: What to do on the first day in the gym

    Train smarter. Recover better.
    The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.

    Eat cleaner. Get leaner.
    The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.

    The Fat Loss Meal Planner

    The Very Beginner Workout Plan

    The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan is exactly as it sounds. The primary focus of the plan is to slowly build your body up to be able to take on more of our challenging HFP programs in the future. To do that you’ll want to do the following: Improve or increase joint range of motion, improve the stability of those joints, strengthen your core muscles, and develop a baseline level of cardio. Following a basic structure will set you up for success.

    Goal: general strength, stability, mobility and conditioning
    Ability level: very beginner-beginner

    The Introduction Workout Plan

    The Introduction/Transition from Mike Beringer is one of those plans that you can start with as a beginner, but still find strategically useful as you become more advanced. The exercises are the basics and the volume (or amount of work) is low. This is ideal for a beginner (Introduction) because it isn’t complicated or too much of a shock to the system. On the other hand, it works well for the much more advanced (Transition) because it can serve as a de-load or taper. After weeks or months of intense, exhaustive exercise, a de-load or taper gives the body more time to recover while still stimulating the muscles. Big Mike Beringer did a great job programming and demo’ing.

    Goal: weight management, muscle maintenance, “tapering/de-loading”
    Ability level: beginner through advanced

    The Foundations Workout Plan

    No fluff, no gimmicks. That’s how we roll around here, and that’s always how HFP will roll. The key thing about the Foundation workout plan is that the exercises are very basic and the total amount of work is conservative. Because you’re relatively new to exercise and working out, this will provide you with a good base of fitness without pushing you too far to start.

    Goal: general strength, stability and conditioning
    Ability level: beginner – intermediate

    Time to level up? Check out something from our 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels.

    Want to know when we drop new programs? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter.

  • 6 FREE Workout Plans for Building Muscle and Losing Fat

    6 FREE Workout Plans for Building Muscle and Losing Fat

    Whether you’re looking to cut for the summer, bulk for the winter, or build a strong mind-muscle connection — we’ve got you covered. Coupled with discipline and a finely-tuned diet, these are no-nonsense workout plans for building muscle and losing fat. 

    Eat cleaner. Get leaner.
    The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.

    The Fat Loss Meal Planner

    Train smarter. Recover better.
    The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.

    The Trim Up Workout Plan

    Tim McComsey has been big and ripped for what seems like forever. There’s a little bit more to it than hard work and eating right. Training blocks are strategically, and seasonally planned. In the winter, we tend to put on mass. Then, in the spring and summer we look to cut up. This plan is broken into quick tri-sets or circuits to boost the metabolism while still stimulating muscle growth.

    Goal: accelerate fat loss, muscle-building
    Ability level: intermediate

    The Bulk-Up Workout Plan

    The Bulk-up plan is the counter to the Trim-up plan. In the winter we bulk and in the spring we cut. The Bulk-up has been one of Tim’s go-to plans when looking to quickly and effectively gain muscle. While following this you can give yourself a little more slack in the diet department. It’s also one of our top-performing plans on HFP.

    Goal: increase muscle-mass, fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate

    The Built for the Beach V2 Workout Plan

    Aesthetics. More muscle, less fat. Everywhere on your body. There isn’t much more to be said about it. The exercises are relatively basic and the splits are straight-forward, but the workouts can run a little long. Couple this with a finely-tuned diet and you’re good to go.

    Goal: muscle-building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate (scaleable for beginner)

    The Timeless Workout Plan

    Tim McComsey strikes again. This time it’s bodybuilding, bodybuilding, bodybuilding. Influenced by some of the industry’s early leaders and pioneers, Tim crafted something together from their toolbox of techniques. You’ll appreciate this if you’ve always admired Arnold & friends.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate and advanced

    The 4-Week Reconstruction Workout Plan

    Mike Simone Resting During a Workout

    The Reconstruction plan is one of our classic reset plans. The plan is centered around eccentric exercises to strengthen the mind-muscle connection and stimulate fresh muscle growth. If you’ve been doing a lot of HIIT or circuit training, this is a smart option to get back into muscle-building. And if you’ve taken some time away from the gym, this is a good way to get back on the workout wagon.

    Goal: general strength, muscle building, and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate

    The Push/Pump/Stretch Workout Plan

    The name screams bodybuilding all day. Well, it is. Trainer Dale Parducci made quite an impressive body transformation himself and he did it the way the old school guys did. There really is something to be said about the basic lifts. If you liked the Timeless plan, you’ll like this one too. And vice versa.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: all levels

    Looking for something other than workout plans for building muscle and losing fat? Check out our full collection of 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels.

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  • To Build Muscle Fast, You Need to Lift Weights

    To Build Muscle Fast, You Need to Lift Weights

    Lifting weights is widely considered the most efficient way to build muscle fast due to its ability to provide targeted resistance and overload to the muscles. When we lift weights, we create microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which then repair and rebuild stronger during rest periods. This process, known as muscle hypertrophy, is key to building muscle mass. Below is a simple overview of the science behind muscle growth and the most effective weight training techniques for maximizing muscle gains.

    Looking for a new workout plan? Check out our 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels

    The Basics to Build Muscle Fast

    Focus on compound exercises

    Compound exercises target multiple muscle groups at once, which makes them more efficient for building overall muscle mass. Examples of compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups.

    A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that compound exercises like squats and deadlifts resulted in greater muscle activation compared to isolation exercises like leg extensions and hamstring curls.

    And here’s what Bret Contreras, PhD, CSCS, author and strength coach told Men’s Health: “The squat, the deadlift, and the bench press are the main movements that will help you build overall muscle mass, and they should form the foundation of your training program.”

    Lift heavy weights

    To build muscle, you need to provide a stimulus that challenges your muscles to grow. Lifting heavy weights with proper form is an effective way to do this. Aim to lift weights that are heavy enough to cause muscle fatigue within 8-12 reps.

    A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2014, investigated the effects of high- versus moderate-load resistance training on muscle size and strength in untrained men. The study included 19 young, healthy men who were randomly assigned to either a high-load group (lifting 75-90% of 1 repetition maximum, or 1RM) or a moderate-load group (lifting 30-50% of 1RM) and performed leg extensions twice a week for 8 weeks.

    The results showed that both groups experienced significant increases in muscle size and strength, but the high-load group had greater increases in both measures. The researchers concluded that high-load resistance training may be more effective than moderate-load training for inducing muscle hypertrophy and strength gains in untrained individuals.

    And here’s what Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, author and fitness expert told Self: “Lifting heavy weights is the best way to gain strength and build muscle.”

    Use progressive overload

    Progressive overload involves gradually increasing the weight or resistance you use over time, which forces your muscles to adapt and grow stronger. Aim to increase your weight or resistance by 2.5-5% each week to continue making progress.

    A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that progressive overload was effective for increasing muscle mass in young men.

    And here’s what Eric Cressey, CSCS, author and strength coach told Men’s Health: “The key to building muscle is progressive overload, which means gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift over time.”

    Train with sufficient volume

    Volume refers to the total amount of weight lifted during a workout. To build muscle efficiently, you need to train with sufficient volume. Aim to perform 3-5 sets of each exercise, with 8-12 reps per set.

    A study published in the Journal of Physiology found that muscle growth was greater when training with higher volumes (more sets and reps) compared to lower volumes.

    This is what Nick Tumminello, CSCS, author and strength coach told Shape: “You need to train with enough volume to stimulate muscle growth, which means performing multiple sets and reps of each exercise.”

    Allow for adequate rest and recovery

    Rest and recovery are essential for muscle growth. Aim to give each muscle group 24-48 hours of rest between workouts, and prioritize sleep, nutrition, and hydration to support muscle recovery.

    A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that adequate rest and recovery was important for muscle growth, as it allowed for muscle repair and adaptation.

    And this is what Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, author and fitness expert told Self: “Rest and recovery are essential for muscle growth, as they allow for muscle repair and adaptation.”

    Remember, building muscle is a process that takes time and consistency. Be patient and stay committed to your training and nutrition plan to see results over time.

    It’s about time to get on an HFP workout plan! Check out our 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels

  • FAQ: Why are there different reps, sets, and rest periods in a workout plan?

    FAQ: Why are there different reps, sets, and rest periods in a workout plan?

    For increasing strength, rep ranges are typically around 6-10. For increasing muscular size, 8-12. For endurance, 12+. For power development, reps are usually under 6 and explosive in execution.

    As for rest periods, endurance or high rep exercise is usually on the lower end (30 seconds or less) to keep you working to build up that endurance (and if you’re training at high reps, that usually means you’re training with lower resistance and you can naturally recover a bit quicker than if you were going very heavy).

    Strength and power rep ranges usually are longer in the 60 second to 2 minute, or even 3+ minute range to allow the muscle to recover between very heavy bouts of exercise. Muscular size rest periods usually vary, they can be as low as 30 seconds to as high as 60 or 90 seconds. There are some caveats and nuances to this (lots of science-y stuff), but for the most part it’s to allow enough recovery while still keeping the muscle working.

    The one thing that remains relatively consistent no matter the goal is sets: the total amount of work. It’s usually in 3-5 set range, and can vary based on how often you’re training, what level of fitness you’re at, and if you’re scaling up or scaling down your workouts.

    Related FAQ: How long does it take to see results from a workout plan?

    Also, the type of exercise and style of training plays a role. Take box jumps, for example. In CrossFit, you’ll see high reps for speed or time. They are used as a power move and a conditioning move. But traditional athletic trainers would argue it’s a power exercise and the reps should be very low. And bodybuilders, which would be another category, don’t typically even use them at all.

    Here’s a good way to approach your reps, sets, and rest periods during a workout:

    Want to build a leaner, stronger physique and less interested in being a professional athlete or OCR champion? Focus on strength and size reps (6-10 / 8-12) and rest periods (30 – 60 seconds on higher reps; 60, 90, 120 seconds on the lower reps) as the priority. Old school bodybuilding approach to exercise works best for this physique-driven goal. If you want a little more well-roundedness, work in the higher rep endurance stuff and even a few power moves but keep the focus on the other stuff.

    Basic example: two-four weeks of low reps, high rest followed by two-fours weeks of high reps, lower rest. Or, alternate between low reps and high rep weeks.

    Related FAQ: Is cardio the best way to lose weight?

    Want to optimize your athleticism? A good base of strength and endurance will take you far, but smart programming for power (and agility: not mentioned here) would be wise. For exercises and following training plans that replicate your sport also makes sense. Example: OCR athletes, surfers, soccer players, etc.

    Here are plans for your physique: our 30+ free workout plans
    And here’s how programming for an athlete might look: The contender’s plan

    For personalized consultations, go to digitalfitnessadvisor.com

  • The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan

    The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan

    Due to the high demand for a program more squarely focused on beginners, we’ve decided to create The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan.

    The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan was designed to help you progressively build lean muscle while improving strength and endurance. The workouts include basic (but effective) exercises with a conservative amount of volume to start you out slow and steady. Then, things will increase in difficulty as you progress. 

    To start, you’ll begin with the Foundation workout plan for 8 weeks. During the first 4 weeks you’ll quickly notice an increase in strength—that’s your neuromuscular system adapting to the challenges. The 4 weeks following that will be where you aggressively work to double-down on those gains by adding weight and pushing to your failure points. At the 8 week point you’ll follow a brief “recession” or “de-load” to prevent plateauing or burn out. This recession will give you more time to recover, but will still stimulate your muscles for growth. The final two weeks are an introduction to circuit training—this is where you’ll put the fat loss into overdrive. Upon completion of your 12 weeks you can cycle through again or move onto another program like The Size, Strength, and Shred Cycle.

    The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan is a streamlined PDF that you can download or print out. No more waiting for web pages to load!
    • Purchasers of The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan get access to our exclusive Premium Members group on Facebook where you can ask questions, post before and after photos, or simply interact with other folks on the plan too.
    • If you decide to track your progress, save your photos and send us a message at the end of a change to be interviewed and featured here on humanfitproject.com

    The 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan is available for $18.99. Web-based versions of our individual programs will remain free here.

    If you’re looking for tips on nutrition or diet, check out the following free resources here on HFP:

    What are you waiting for? Download the 12-Week Accelerated Starter’s Plan now!

  • The 2-week big friggin’ arms workout plan

    The 2-week big friggin’ arms workout plan

    Vanity muscles. Beach muscles. That’s the biceps and triceps all day. While they do play an important functional role in pulling and pushing stuff, there’s no denying that this is a fun little vanity project. OK, now that the guilty plea is out of the way, let’s get down to business.

    How the big friggin’ arms workout plan works

    Unless you’re on a total-body program like our 3-week Super-3 workout plan, then chances are you’re only training your arms (biceps and triceps) once per week or so. Those traditional splits might looks something like chest and triceps one day and back and biceps on the other. Or the reverse; a pull/push, push/pull split of back and triceps and chest and biceps. Our Redemption, Reconstruction, Timeless, and Push, Pump, and Stretch workout plans follow this type of split structure. (So, yeah, you know what we’re talking about.)

    The arms experiment

    We’re immediately going to bump up the frequency of arm-specific training to three times per week while temporarily reducing the volume on the bigger muscle groups.

    Now, before you jump on us with, “what about recovery?” Or, “you need to lift hard and heavy to grow!” Hear us out.

    Our biceps and triceps are resilient. Think about it, they are actually doing a whole lot more work than we give credit. On those chest and shoulder days, what do you think is helping with the pushing? The triceps. Back days? The biceps and forearms are doing plenty of pulling. While it all may be indirect work, they are still being worked. Reducing the volume on the bigger muscle groups is going to give those secondary muscle groups like our forearms, biceps, and triceps a little reprieve. They’ll now have a bit more gas in the tank for direct use. You should now be able to use heavier than normal weight or preform more reps than usual. Also, you’ll still be getting a full days rest in between arm workouts.

    After this two week shock, then it’s back to normal training.

    What you’ll see in the arms plan

    We’ll be using a lot of the exercises and techniques you’re familiar with, especially if you’ve followed the 6-week Unlabeled plan. There are supersets in first arm workout, rest pauses and drop sets in the second arm workout, and tri-sets in the third arm workout. The first and third arm workout call for slightly lower weight and higher reps. The second arm workout is a series of straight sets with heavier weight, lower reps, and increased rest periods.

    Curious about some other great muscle-shocking ideas? Check out the 7 euphoric muscle-pumping techniques.

    Directions for the 2-week big friggin’ arms workout plan

    Follow the 7-day format exactly as is for two weeks. Once finished, cycle off onto another program. If you saw incredible results, you could try increasing the weight further for another two weeks. We suggest NOT following for more than four weeks.

    Don’t forget to follow HFP on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

    Day 1 – Legs

    1A. Front or back squat x 8-10
    1B. DB reverse lunge x 10-12
    Rest 60s. Complete 3 supersets.

    2. Single-leg DB deadlift 3-5 sets x 10
    Rest 60s between sets.

    3. DB Bulgarian split squat 3-5 sets x 8-10
    Rest 60s between sets.

    4. DB sumo deadlift 3-5 sets x 8-10
    Rest 60s between sets

    Day 2 – Chest, biceps, and triceps

    1. DB flye 3 sets x 12-15
    Rest 60s between sets.

    2. DB bench press 4 sets x 10-12
    Rest 60s between sets.

    3A. Rope curl x 10-12
    3B. Rope push down x 10-12
    Rest 60s. Complete 3 tri-sets

    4A. Lying DB tricep extension x 10-12
    4B. DB hammer curl x 10-12
    Rest 60s. Complete 3 tri-sets

    Day 3 – Abs & intervals

    1. Plank 3 x failure
    Rest 30s between sets.

    2A. Traditional sit-up x failure
    2B. Hollow hold x failure
    2C. Side plank x failure
    Rest 60s. Complete 5 tri-sets.

    3. Sprint x 10-15s
    Rest on walk back. Repeat 5x.

    Day 4 – Back, biceps, and triceps

    1. Stiff-arm cable pulldown 3 x 12-15
    Rest 60s between sets

    2. BB bent-over row 4 sets x 10-12
    Rest 60s between sets

    3. Rest pause BB curl 4 sets x 8 (+2)
    Rest 90s between sets.

    4. Rest pause lying EZ-bar tricep extension 4 sets x 8 (+2)
    Rest 90s between sets.

    5. Drop set alternating DB curl 4 sets x 8 (+2)
    Rest 90s between sets.

    6. Drop set straight bar cable pushdown x 8 (+2)
    Rest 90s between sets.

    Day 5 – Steady cardio & abs

    1. Run 2-3 miles

    2A. Frog tuck x 10
    2B. Crunch x failure
    3C. Plank x failure
    3D. Saw plank x failure
    Rest 60s. Repeat 5x.

    Day 6 – Shoulders, biceps, and triceps

    1. DB side lateral raise 3 x 12-15
    Rest 60s between sets.

    2. DB high pull 4 x 8-10
    Rest 60s between sets.

    3A. Rope curl x 10-12
    3B. Rope push down x 10-12
    3C. EZ-bar preacher curl x 10-12
    Rest 60s. Complete 3 tri-sets

    4A. Lying DB tricep extension x 10-12
    4B. DB hammer curl x 10-12
    4C. Lying DB Tate press x 10-12
    Rest 60s. Complete 3 tri-sets

    Day 7 OFF

  • The 4-week Winter Bulk Up workout plan

    The 4-week Winter Bulk Up workout plan

    Winter does have its advantages. And one of the best is that you can set yourself up to be your at your biggest and leanest once the warm weather swings back around. The trick is to use the winter to Bulk Up, then transition into an aggressive shred during the spring. This gives your body a change it needs. You’ll be able to eat more, and to some degree, rest a bit more as well.

    Program designer Tim McComsey (@TimMcComsey) says there are three main components to the Bulk Up:

    If you’re very new to working out, check out our best exercises for men and women to learn proper form. 

    1. It’s focused on large muscle groups such as Chest, Back, and Legs. You will train them twice per week. Smaller muscle groups like Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps are secondary. The beginner of each week will be the most challenging, the middle-to-end is scaled back as though it’s a tapered recovery without going easy.

    2. The rest periods between exercises are longer to enable ample recovery from heavier, bigger lifts. You’re looking at 60-90 second between sets versus 30-45 seconds which you would see in a weight loss plan.

    3. The Bulk Up plan revolves around “straight sets” versus the use of “super-sets” or “tri-sets”. Once you complete a set of an exercise you will rest, then repeat for the prescribed number of sets that follow. This is another strategy to allow for ample recovery. The only time “tri-sets” will be used are for short ab/core workouts at the end.

    Before you get started, check out this piece on intuitive eating and this one on Tim’s grocery store essentials for building lean muscle.

    DAY ONE: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

    1. *BB Flat Chest Press
    2. *DB Incline Chest Press
    3. Push Ups
    4. *DB Standing Shoulder PressSeated DB Lateral Raise
    5. Cable Tricep Press Downs with Straight Bar
    6. DB Bent-over Tricep Kick Backs

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    The Tri-set Finisher
    Complete 3 sets of with 30 seconds rest between each one.

    7A. Hanging Leg Raise x 12
    7B. Decline Bench Reverse Curl Up x 12
    7C. Swimmer Kicks x 30

    DAY TWO: Back & Biceps 1

    1. *Pull Ups
    2. *BB Bent-over Rows
    3. *Cable Free Motion Wide-grip Pull Downs
    4. *Seated Free Motion V-bar Rows
    5. BB Shrugs with 1 second hold
    6. BB Standing Curls
    7. Seated DB Hammer Curls

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY THREE: Legs 1

    1. *BB Squat
    2. *BB Deadlift
    3. *DB Forward Lunge
    4. *Glute Ham Leg Raise
    5. Standing Calf Raise
    6. Seated Calf Raise

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    The Tri-set Finisher
    Complete 3 sets of with 30 seconds rest between each one.

    7A. Free Motion Cable Torso Rotations with Straight Bar x 15 per side
    7B. Side Plank Up-Downs x 15 each side
    7C. Decline Bench Weighted Russian Twist x 15 per side

    DAY FOUR: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps 2

    1. *Standing High Free Motion Crossover Fly
    2. *Flat Bench DB Fly
    3. *Machine Cable Fly or Band Fly
    4. *Standing DB Front Raise
    5. *Seated DB Shoulder Press with Palms-In
    6. DB Bench Tricep Skull Crushers
    7. Weighted Bench Dips

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY FIVE: Back and Biceps 2

    1. *Chin Ups
    2. *Single-arm DB Row
    3. *Free Motion T-bar Pull Downs
    4. *Two-arm DB Row
    5. *Seated DB Shrugs with 1 second hold
    6. Cable Rope Curls
    7. Cable Crossover Curls

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY SIX: Legs 2

    1. *Sissy Squats
    2. *Slide Board Hamstring Curls
    3. *Narrow Stance BB Squats
    4A. Standing DB Calf Raises
    4B. Weighted Walking Calf Raises

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest
    A/B indicates superset

    Continue Your Gains with The Size, Strength, and Shred Cycle


  • The 3-day Monster plan for size and power

    The 3-day Monster plan for size and power

    This is called the Monster plan because that’s exactly what it will do to you—turn you into a monster. If you’ve been training several days per week or doing a lot of high-intensity interval stuff for the last few months, this is a nice block of change. Month after month, week after week of continuous bombardment of the muscles with volume and intensity would wear anyone down. Let’s use the next 30 days for size and power. And the way to do it effectively will require a change in thinking, and programming.

    Watch Brandon Da Cruz (@brandondacruz_) demo one of his programs below.

    Introducing: The Monster Plan

    How it works

    Now that you’ve fully accepted the fact that sub-5 or 10% body fat all year isn’t necessary, and quite frankly, understand that it could also be burning you out—your new mass and power plan could still take some getting used to.

    You’re going to be working out three days per week. Structured as one day on, one day off. But don’t let the three days fool you into thinking life just got easy because after the first week of this program you’re going to pay close attention to the tempo of your repetitions. Instead of simply lifting start to finish, you’re going to follow a “3/1/3/1” tempo for higher repetition exercises (above 6). And for lower repetition exercises you will follow a “2/1/0/1” tempo. Essentially your “power” exercises in the low rep ranges will be explosive, and your “growth” exercises in the high rep ranges will be slower, controlled movements.

    For both of these, you’ll feel it in the morning. We promise. And make sure to follow the rest periods—you’ll need them.

    Attempt to either increase the weight, or the number of reps each week as you progress. You want to build monsterous size, but don’t be a monsterous lug head—increasing weight by very small increments like 5-pounds can surprisingly go a long way.

    Understanding tempo training

    If you’re bench pressing high reps for 3/1/3/1, it’s 3 seconds on the way down, 1 second with the bar at your chest, 3 seconds on the way up, and 1 second at the top. If you’re bench pressing low reps for 2/1/0/1, it’s 2 seconds on the way down, 1 second with the bar at your chest, an explosive push on the way up (0 seconds), and a 1 second pause at the top.

     

    Workouts & Directions

    Day One: Push

    1. Flat bench press: 3 sets of 4-6
    2. Incline DB press: 3 sets of 8-10
    3. DB shoulder press: 3 sets of 4-6
    4. BB wide-grip upright row: 3 sets of 8-10
    5. DB lying tricep extension: 3 sets of 4-6
    6. Weighted dip: 3 sets of 8-10
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

    Day Two: Legs & Abs

    1. DB goblet squat: 3 sets of 4-6
    2. BB landmine squat: 3 sets of 8-10
    3. Alternating lunge: 3 sets of 8
    4. DB stiff-legged deadlift: 3 sets of 8
    5. Weighted rope crunches: 3 sets of 10-12
    6. Hanging leg raise: 3 sets of 15
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

    Day Three: Pull

    1. Weighted pull-up: 3 sets of 8-10
    2. BB bent-over row: 3 sets of 4-6
    3. Single-arm DB row: 3 sets of 6-8
    4. Face pull: 3 sets of 8-10
    5. BB curl: 3 sets of 6-8
    6. DB alternating hammer curl: 3 sets of 8-10
    7. DB shrug- 3 sets of 8
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

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