Fitness model, online coach, and athlete Michael Dean has spent years building his immaculate physique. He’s learned how to train, how to eat, and how to recover to build a body made of solid, lean muscle mass. In collaboration with Spartan Race and Dean, we produced this 4-week lean muscle workout plan.
When COVID restrictions lessened and racers returned to Spartan courses in droves, Dean decided to take on his first Spartan race to put his physique to the ultimate test. To hear more about that story, check out our interview with him here. While training to race and training to sculpt a physique are very different paths, Dean has developed a way to balance the two goals well.
Dean’s training program consists of a mix between strength training, HIIT, and balance/coordination work, all of which are designed to build muscle, burn fat, and maintain cardiovascular endurance and race-simulation skills.
Each day of the week has an entirely different focus on the body, he says. Dean likes to begin the week with an intense strength session to get the body stimulated to grow muscle. “Day two and three will put the final touches on the fatigue initiated in day one,” he adds.
Recovery comes into play on Thursdays to give the body a rest before subjecting it to his intense cardio and metabolic conditioning session on Friday, which includes a lot of core exercise at high intensities. This optimizes fat loss while keeping your race-day endurance up.
Toward the end of the week is when your central nervous system should be utterly fatigued, but this will initiate lots of growth, Dean says. “I’ve also incorporated a few things that will challenge balance and coordination to keep racing and focus skills sharp,” he adds.
Finally, active recovery comes at the end of the week, giving the body a chance to fully recover.
Related: The 4-week lean muscle meal plan
See also: 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels
The 4-Week Lean Muscle Workout Plan Schedule
Monday: Full-Body Strength
Tuesday: Upper-Body HIIT
Wednesday: Lower-Body HIIT
Thursday: Full Body Rest
Friday: Full-Body HIIT and Core
Saturday: Calisthenics and Balance
Sunday: Active Recovery
Directions
Complete the following program as prescribed for four to six weeks. Work toward increasing the amount of resistance or weight you use week over week. Endurance is baked in throughout the program, but if you feel your endurance isn’t as strong as it once was, pull back the amount of sets you do on strength days and add in some additional running mileage.
The 4-Week Lean Muscle Workout Plan Routines
Monday: Strength (Full Body)
90 seconds rest between exercises
Superset (3 times)
1A. Bodyweight squat x20
1B. Push-ups x10
1C. Sit-ups x12
2. Barbell bench press 4×6
3. Barbell squats 4×8
4. Standing military press 4×10
5. Barbell deadlift 4×6-8
Superset (3 times)
6A. Jumping split squats x20 (10 per leg)
6B. Elbow plank x30 sec
6C. Jack knife crunch x10
Tuesday: High Intensity Upper Body
60 seconds rest between exercises
2-mile jog
Superset (3 times)
1A. Incline dumbbell chest fly x10
1B. Incline hex press (dumbbell together) x10
2. Burpee 7×8
Superset (3 times)
3A. Tripod row (single-arm dumbbell row) x10 per side
3B. Dumbbell shrug x15
Superset (3 times)
4A. Hammer curl x12
4B. Tricep kickback x10 per side
5. Mountain climbers (4×30 seconds)
Wednesday: High-Intensity Lower Body
60 seconds rest between exercises
4 miles on stationary bike
Superset (3 times)
1A. Goblet squat (dumbbell) x15
1B. Romanian deadlift (dumbbell) x12
2. Walking lunges 5×20 (10 per leg – 100 steps total)
Superset (3 times)
3A. Glute bridge (with bands) x12
3B. Alt. heel touchers x20
3C. Bicycle crunches x30 (15 per side)
2 miles on stationary bike
Superset (3 times)
4A. Jump squats x10
4B. Side elbow plank x30 sec (per side)
Thursday: Full Rest Day
Use this day to focus on complete recovery. Do a series of stretches and foam rolling. If you have access to a cold plunge, use it. It will help reduce inflammation and speed up the recovery process.
Friday: HIIT Training and Core
45 seconds rest between exercises
1-mile jog
Superset (3 times)
1A. Chin-up x5
1B. Knee-to-elbow plank x30 sec
1C. Arm circles x15 sec (each side)
0.5-mile jog
Superset (3 times)
2A. Bench dips x12
2B. Box jumps x8
2C. Hanging knee raises x5-10
0.5-mile jog
Superset (3 times)
3A. Thrusters (front squat to press) x10
3B. Plank walk-out x5
3C. Crunches x10
1-mile jog
Saturday: Calisthenics and Balance
60 seconds rest between exercises
5-min rowing session
Superset (3 times)
1A. Push-up pause (pause at top) x10
1B. TRX pistol squat x10 (per leg)
Superset (3 times)
2A. Kettlebell swings x30
2B. Bird feeder deadlift x10 (per leg)
3A. Squatted crab walk (with band) 3×20 (10 steps per direction)
4A. Jump-rope 4×60 sec
Superset (3 times)
5A. Bird dog x10 (5 per side)
5B. TRX pike x10
Superset (3 times)
6A. Battle ropes x25 sec
6B. Bench hop over x25 sec
Sunday: Active Recovery
Use this day to just get moving, but nothing overly taxing. Go for a 45-minute walk or participate in an activity or hobby you enjoy.