Tag: muscle-building

  • VBWP: The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan

    VBWP: The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan

    If you haven’t worked out in a while, or never picked up a dumbbell before in your life, VBWP, or the very beginner workout plan, is the perfect place to start. It’s a slow build, then you’ll progress quickly, and you can add more sets to strength exercises or more duration to your cardio workouts whenever you feel comfortable.

    Related FAQ: I haven’t worked out in years! What do I do?

    If you truly are a very beginner, we also suggest you read the following posts:

    How to start a new diet plan

    25 of the best foods for starting a new diet

    The perfect day of eating for lean muscle

    20 of the best exercises and how to do them right

    How to optimize your day for brain & body performance

    If you think this might be a bit too beginner for you, check out any of our 30+ free workout plans here.

    How the Very Beginner workout plan works

    The primary focus of the Very Beginner workout 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. Once you feel ready for more, you can progress within this plan, or move onto one of our other 30+ free plans.

    Directions

    Complete three (3) bodyweight strength workouts per week and two (2) cardio workouts per week including a minimum of three (3) mobility/range of motion routines per week. This might seem like a lot, but they can be done all in one session. (Example: You could warm up with a mobility routine, do a bodyweight strength workout next, and finish with a cardio burst.) Alternatively, the mobility/range of motion routines are gentle stretches that you can easily use before you go to sleep.

    After you finish your four weeks, you can cycle through the plan again, but try and add extra sets per exercise and 10-15 minutes more onto your cardio sessions.

    The Very Beginner Workouts

    Bodyweight strength: Perform 3 days per week with a day of rest in between.
    Warm-up: shoulder circles (10-20 seconds each direction), lateral hip swings (5-10 / side), jumping jacks (30 seconds)

    1. Plank x as long as possible
    2. Superman x 10
    3. Bodyweight squat x 10
    4. Bodyweight forward or reverse lunge x 10 / side
    5. Push-up x as many as possible

    Perform 3 sets of each exercise with 30-60s rest in between before moving onto the next exercise. In week 3 or 4, increase to 4 or 5 sets with 30s rest.

    Baseline cardio: Perform this workout 2 days per week with a day of rest in between. You can also do this after your bodyweight strength workout twice a week (avoid doing it beforehand and doing strength in a fatigued state)

    For 30 minutes, hop on a bike or the treadmill and move at a comfortable pace (think 5-6 out of 10 in terms of intensity). In week 3 or 4, bump up your duration to 40 minutes.

    Mobility/range of motion: Perform this workout as many times per week as you’d like in addition to your other workouts. Pro tip: It’s a great ritual to start or end your day as there’s no equipment required and you can do it right in your bedroom.

    Your New Beginner Mobility Routine

     

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    Walk-out to push-up x 5
    Cossack squat/lateral lunge x 5 side
    Scorpion x 2-3 side
    Single-leg deadlift & stretch x 6-8 side
    Repeat 2x

    How to progress from the Very Beginner workout plan

    Check out the Foundation workout plan, the Introduction plan, the Redemption plan, and the Reconstruction plan.

    Advancing even further in your fitness?

    Check out the Recession workout plan, the Unlabeled workout plan, and the 10x10s. To learn some more advanced moves, check out our feature on 10 exercises to work into your new routine, and challenge your body control with 25 ways to give your core a great workout.

  • What to change if you can’t build muscle

    What to change if you can’t build muscle

    Lifting weights will get you big, but there’s much more to it than picking things up and putting them down. There’s what to train, when to train, how to train it; how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat it. Age, body type, and attitude also contribute to the end product you’re attempting to build. And while it can frustrating at times, it’s possible to accomplish.

    If you’re having trouble adding the muscle you want, make sure you check out our top 10 ways to build muscle faster. If you’re still stuck try making the following changes to your workouts and diet.

    You in the wrong place? Can’t figure out why you can’t lose weight? Check out our list of the 20 best ways to lose weight for good.


    How to change your eating habits to build muscle

    1. Add 500 calories immediately

    If you’ve been lifting and lifting, and eating and eating, but still can’t gain, more than likely there are two things happening. The first is that you’re not eating enough, even if you think you are. Start tracking what you eat for a week, if you eat oatmeal in the morning, have 2 cups instead of 1. If you eat a single piece of chicken at dinner, eat two. Monitor your eating, and slowly eat more and more each week. The second snag that could be happening is that you’re metabolism is insanely fast (sucks to be a skinny dude), but that just means you need to eat more. Even if you don’t want to.

    Don’t even know what the heck you should be eating? Update your grocery list with our top 25 muscle-building foods.

    2. Start eating more often

    Three squares is how most of the the civilized world consumes food, but if you’re on a mission to building more muscle, eating more frequently can be a bit more effective. Slamming down extra calories in three meals can get tricky, and even downright sickening, make it easier, spread it out through five or six. Eating more frequently can also keep up a steady flow of essential nutrients like protein in the body and muscles throughout the day with less spikes and valleys.

    3. Don’t forget your post-workout meal

    Post-workout is a critical, and quite possibly the most important meal. After heavy lifting your testosterone levels have dropped, cortisol levels have elevated, and the body and muscles are craving food and nutrients. Without getting super techy, your body needs two things… and two things, fast. Protein and carbs. You don’t need fats here, one scoops of protein, a banana and some oatmeal should cover you. (5’10” 160 lbs. trying to bulk up)

    4. Start using “Monster Shakes”

    Your post-workout shakes are one thing, monster shakes are another. Because you’re trying to eat more frequently and pile in calories, “Monster Shakes” can help fill that void. A monster shake is loaded with protein, carbs, and fats, and better for in-between meals. Go with one scoop of whey (about 100 calories, 25 grams of protein), two tablespoons of natural peanut butter (about 200 calories), one banana (about 100 calories, 27 grams of carbs), one cup of oatmeal (about 100 calories, 25 grams of carbs), 4-6 ounces of unsweetened almond milk (about 30-50 calories), plus water. You’re looking at a solid 500+ extra calories. (feel free to add more!)

    How to change the way you train to build muscle

    1.  Drop the amount of sets you do

    Lifting more means more muscle, right? Well, no. If you’re banging away at 20+ sets per large muscle group, drop down to 12. Take 60-90 second rest periods. Small muscle groups, go with 9 sets. Your lifts should be all out intensity with solid rest periods. Get in the gym, get out, eat, and recover.

    2. Pull back on the cardio you’re doing

    If you’re into running, it’s time to prioritize lifting weights. Cut back on your cardio workouts by 50% or more. At least until you start seeing the weight pack on. It’s very hard to be a consistent runner and hold onto muscle mass.

    3. Switch to a completely new routine

    You can’t take on a routine, give it a couple days, or even a couple weeks and think it’s going to get results you want. And it’s even more challenging to get into a gym without some type of structured program and expect to see progressive gains. One-off workouts are great for traveling, or once you’ve learned your body enough, but when starting out, structure is needed. However, if things aren’t moving along after 4-6 weeks, it might be time to reassess your program and try something new.

    We have over 30+ free workout programs for different goals and ability levels—pick one!

    4. Accept that you need to be patient

    Bulking up is hard, and especially hard for guys with super speed metabolisms. Accept the fact that it’s going to take time, a lot of effort, a lot of food, and plenty of sacrifice. Stay clean, committed, and focused and you’ll get where you want to be before you know it.

    Try one of our premium extended workout programs


  • FAQ: Do I need to work out to failure?

    FAQ: Do I need to work out to failure?

    When you work out to failure you’re working a muscle (or muscles) to complete exhaustion. Doing so forces your body to come back stronger or more efficient. There are a lot of different ways to approach it, and without getting too technical or diving into specific training intensity percentages such as 60%, 70% 80% max, etc., it all centers around the concept of progressive overload. Quite simply: when you progressively overload your muscles, they adapt to what you challenged it with, and as a result, they should be able to do/handle more after recovering. If you’re bailing out of an exercise too early, it’s going to be a lot harder to see progress.

    However, here are the caveats of failure training:

    Training to failure all the time can be risky. Any time you’re challenging your body and muscles to their limit, there are breaking points. Everyone is different and might perceive failure at different times. Some people can naturally push until they are completely fatigued, others might want to stop at the first minor instance of discomfort. A good rule of thumb to follow when training to failure is to always maintain good form; once your form breaks down and you start recruiting other muscles or “cheating”, you’ve probably pushed too far past failure. This is when you can get hurt. 

    As far as how much to train to failure, this also varies from person to person. When it comes to strength training, if your joints start to ache or you’re completely exhausted everyday, chances are you’ve trained to failure for too long and it’s best to back off. You can train sub-maximally, but still try to do a little bit more with each week so you’re still progressing or continuing to progressively overload your muscles and body.

    You could do sub-maximal or lower intensity workouts every other day, or go hard and heavy for a couple weeks, then go lighter and easier for a couple weeks, etc. But, for the most part, training to failure is without a doubt the fastest way to get results.

    You’ve probably heard “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” That’s pretty much spot on.

    By the way, the #1 reason fail to hit their fitness goals is eating wrong. Check out our piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle.

    Don’t want to overthink getting fit? Follow one of our 30+ free workout plans. Need more personalized guidance? check out digitalfitnessadvisor.com.

    Other FAQs you might like:
    Is cardio the best way to lose weight?
    How long does it take to see results from a workout plan?

  • The 4-week Body Reconstruction plan

    The 4-week Body Reconstruction plan

    This will be the year you dramatically change the composition of your body. A couple weeks in, take a look into the mirror, you’ll see noticeable differences in all the right places. Your face and jawline will show signs thinning; your shirts will tighten up in your chest, back, and shoulders. You’ll have visible veins in your arms, and you start to see those abs you never knew you had.

    With the recent (January 2018) updates to the Redemption plan and the fresh release of the 6-week Unlabeled workout plan, you’re probably wondering why we’re promoting another one. Well, it’s always nice to have options. It’s also nice to have other programs to cycle with. But, more importantly, Reconstruction’s programming works very well with the whole New Year, New You thing.

    Let me try my best to explain why.

    The big picture

    As we all know, January is the unofficial reset button for everyone. We all make resolutions and promises to work on improving some aspect or aspects of our lives. Whether we have the determination to stick to them or see them through—only time ends up telling. But, considering it’s such a huge reflective and goal-setting time for everyone that means there’s a whole lot of people in the same boat. While most of my programs are 100% suitable for anyone, I think this plan is particularly great for two types of people—the beginner that’s never been in the gym and the advanced person that may have let himself go. January is the time of year they mobilize the most.

    For the person that’s just starting out

    When I was starting out, the very first thing that I learned was to get intensely focused and dialed in on every single rep, and to feel every millimeter I moved the weight. This is what really creates results. I mean, I’m talking hyper-focused. Even on the rest periods. In fact, for years I didn’t allow myself to bring my cell phone into the gym. This is the main reason why Reconstruction was designed with exercises that focus on super-slow repetition tempos. This is a perfect habit to get into as a beginner. They will learn to train to feel everything.

    For the person that’s done this before

    While I’ve been fortunate enough to have fitness at the center of my life and career, I understand that’s not the case for everyone. Life happens and those single-digital body fat days end up being a memory of the past. But that doesn’t mean they are gone for good. I get countless messages from folks looking to get their body back. They know what’s-what in the gym, they’ve been there before, it’s just been a while. This is another reason why Reconstruction was designed with super-slow repetitions. It’s back to basics. Start actually feeling everything again.

    For the person that absolutely lives and breathes it

    I do all of my programs, even the one’s other contributors provide. I’ve pretty much done it all. Want to know what happens sometimes? You get lost in it! I originally designed the Reconstruction for myself. It didn’t have a name. It was just another program I made to “reset” when I found myself rushing through workouts. So I forced myself to do slower repetitions. I also found myself getting sluggish and slow mid-week. So I pulled back the volume a bit. I wasn’t hammering circuits with heavy weights every day. I wasn’t doing 5-6+ sets per exercise with each workout. And four weeks in, my strength, recovery, energy, and mood were all back to normal.

    THE RECONSTRUCTION WORKOUTS

    For each exercise marked with “*”, you will perform repetitions very slow and very controlled. Two-three seconds on the way down, two-three seconds on the way up, with a pause at the bottom and top of each rep. As you strengthen that connection with your muscles, watch how quickly you progress.

    It’s suggested that DAY 1 is Monday, DAY 2 is Wednesday, DAY 3 is Thursday, DAY 4 is Saturday. Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday are “OFF” days. In week two, complete the first and second exercise of each body part as supersets. In week three and four, add one-three additional sets per exercise.

    DAY 1: Chest & Back

    *1.Barbell bench press 3×8-10 rest 60s
    2.Barbell bent-over row 3×8-10 rest 60s
    3.Incline dumbbell press 3×8-10 rest 60s
    *4.Seated rope row 3×8-12 rest 60s
    *5.Swooping cable flye 3×10-12 rest 60s
    *6.Lat pulldown 3×12-12 rest 60s
    7A.Push-up 25,50, or 100 as quickly as possible
    7B.Pullup 25,50 or 100 as quickly as possible

    DAY 2: Legs & Abs


    *1.Back squat 3×6-8 rest 60s
    *2.Deep goblet squat 3×20 rest 30s
    3.Forward and reverse lunge 3×5 each side and direction rest 60s
    4.Stiff-leg deadlift with calve raise 3×8-10 rest 60s
    5.10-20 yard wind sprint 5-10x rest 30-60s
    6.Barbell roll out 3×8-10 rest 30s
    7.Hollow rock/roll 3×15-30s rest 30s
    8.Cable chop variation 3×10 rest 30s

    DAY 3: Shoulders & Arms


    1.Dumbbell clean and press 3×8-10 rest 60s
    *2.Side lateral raise 3×12-15 rest 30s
    3.Angled plate press 3×10-12 rest 30s
    4.Cable pull-apart 3×12-15 rest 30s
    5.*Dumbbell hammer curl 3×8-10 rest 60s
    6.Lying dumbbell extension 3×8-10 rest 60s
    7.Cable rope curl 3×8-10 rest 60s
    *8.Cable tricep pushdown 3×8-10 rest 60s

    DAY 4: Full Body Fat-Loss Circuit

    Complete five rounds as quickly as possible. Rest two minutes between each round.

    Dumbell thruster x10-12
    Dumbbell push-up and row x10-12
    Dip bar knee tuck x10-12
    Dumbbell hammer curl x10-12
    Dumbbell kickback x10-12
    Burpee x10-12

    And be sure to post before and after photos with the hashtag #humanfitporject for your chance to be featured to an audience of over 300K+ on HUMANFITPROJECT.com and our social platforms.

  • 9 reasons your body is just kinda staying the same

    9 reasons your body is just kinda staying the same

    There’s nothing more frustrating than getting up every morning, looking in the mirror and seeing zero results. Here are some areas where you could be going wrong.

    Your expectations are unrealistic

    Building muscle is just like anything else in the world you want to get good at. It takes time and practice. You can certainly make great, noticeable gains within a couple weeks; cover model status—not so much.

    You’ve got no idea where you stand

    Knowing how much you bench, squat, overhead press, and deadlift isn’t for the pissing contest with others. It’s your personal benchmarks. You don’t need to be lifting more, or performing more reps with each session, but weekly gains (even if minuscule) mean you’re on the right track. If not, your program may need modification. Here are three expert tips are increasing your bench press.

    You train rogue

    Until you get to a certain level of fitness, writing and programming your own workouts isn’t advised. Solid trainers know the appropriate amount of exercises, sets, reps, and rest you need to stimulate maximum growth. Bench pressing and curling all night isn’t a program, it’s a problem.

    You run too damn much

    If your goal is to build muscle and you’ve been lifting for weeks, haven’t gotten stronger, or gained a pound. Stop running, or get off the elliptical. If you’re afraid you’re not getting enough cardio, start doing circuits or supersets—it will elevate the heart rate enough. If your goal is to lose weight, you’re not focusing on building muscle enough. Long story short: more cardio time could be spent lifting weights. Try our cardio replacement workout.

    You’re letting stress unravel you

    Your boss is crazy nut job, your girlfriend is one, too. You’d better get your emotions in check because it messes with your hormones, focus, and ultimately, your results in the gym.

    You’re completely clueless when it comes to your diet

    OK, great. Happy to hear you’re taking protein shakes. But do you have any idea how much food you’re actually consuming? You don’t necessarily need to know the exact number of calories you’re taking in, but you should at least be able to accurately recite back what you ate in the day down to the serving amount. Those little bites of random stuff here and there all add up. (Here’s a list of approved office snacks—and the ones to avoid) If your weight is holding steady and you can’t notice more bulk in areas like the arms, chest, shoulders, and back, then you might want to bump up your serving sizes slowly. On the flip side, if you’re not losing the stubborn fat, there could be a lot of “hidden calories” you’re consuming and don’t even know it. This list of dietician-recommended grocery store essentials should help with lean body gains.

    You’re not putting in an honest workout

    Partial reps, or half reps do have a place, but not if you’re doing it on the regular. Drop the weight back a bit and make sure you’re going the full range of motion on an exercise to activate as many muscle fibers as possible.

    You’re thinking small

    If you’re cranking out curls and kickbacks, but won’t go near the squat rack, you’re going to have a mass-building problem. Compound movements like squats, deadlifts, the bench press and overhead press recruit multiple muscle groups, and are what really stimulate growth. Suck up the thought of being uncomfortable and get it done.

    You’re too much of a gym rat

    Try and stay awake for 24-hours and see how you feel the next day. Yeah, it would suck. Same concept applies to hitting it in the gym, if you’re spending hours and hours working out and not taking rest days, you’re going to wear yourself out. Or worse, get hurt.

    Get the most out of your routines, check out our 10 guidelines to working out from someone who’s made every mistake in the book.

  • The Compound Plan: Workouts Built Around the Big Lifts

    The Compound Plan: Workouts Built Around the Big Lifts

    Aka: the model body workout plan

    Everyone has snapped a few shots only later to go back and delete a bunch of them. “My eyes are closed.” “I’m not standing up straight.” “Do my arms really look like that?” “Does my stomach really look like that, too?!”

    And sure, learning your angles is one way to cheat the lens. #AdobeGains is another. We say: Just put in the work at the gym.

    Jordan Morello (@Jordan_Morello), a rising fitness model and certified personal trainer, understands the desire (or need) to be camera-ready at all times. Here’s his training blueprint for building muscle and keeping lean—whether you’re a beginner or an advanced lifter.

    And if you’re looking for 1-on-1 support, check out our coaching packages.

    HOW IT WORKS

    Morello’s take on a “quality workout” is built around large, compound moves—the pillars of your programming—followed by a series of isolation exercises for the finer detailing. The program is structured into splits for a total of four workouts, with a day of rest in between each. For example: Monday is chest and triceps, Wednesday is legs and abs, Friday is back and biceps, then Sunday is shoulders, traps, and abs. The cycle begins again on Tuesday the following week. To focus solely on hypertrophy (or muscular size) vs. strength or power, do 8–12 reps for each exercise.

    DIRECTIONS

    Complete this plan for six weeks while gradually (and modestly) increasing the reps or weight each week. After the six weeks, switch off the plan for another four to six weeks before returning back to it.

     

    THE WORKOUTS

    To watch all of the video demonstrations, subscribe to the HFP YouTube channel, or use the hashtag #MFModelBody on Instagram.

    Day 1: Chest & Triceps

    Flat Bench Press 5 x 15,12,10,10,8
    Incline Bench Press 4 x 12
    Barbell Pullover 4 x 10
    Dumbbell Flye 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Dip 3 x 12
    Skullcrusher 4 x 10
    Cable Pushdown 4 x 12
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 2: Legs & Abs

    Front Squat 5 x 15,12,10,10,10
    Romanian Deadlift 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Bulgarian Split Squat 4 x 10
    Barbell Reverse Lunges 4 x 10 (each leg)
    Calve Raise 4 x 25
    Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10
    Cable Woodchop 4 x 15,12,10,10
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 3: Back & Biceps

    Barbell Row  5 x 15,12,10,10,10
    Rack Pull 4 x 10
    Lat Pulldown 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Dumbbell Row 4 x 10
    Barbell Curl 4 x 10
    Close-Grip Chinup 3 x 8
    Standing Hammer Curl 4 x 12,10,10,8
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 4: Shoulders, Traps & Abs

    Standing Military Press 5 x 10
    Dumbbell Snatch 4 x 8
    Arnold Press 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Lateral Raise 4 x 12
    Barbell Shrug 5 x 20
    Landmine Rotation 4 x 12
    Hanging Knee Raise 3 x 10
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

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  • The Transition: A Workout to Strengthen Your Legs, Shoulders, and Abs

    The Transition: A Workout to Strengthen Your Legs, Shoulders, and Abs

    This workout routine content was produced by HUMANFITPROJECT for Men’s Fitness magazine and was originally published at mensfitness.com

    Program designer Michael Beringer demonstrates the Legs, Shoulders, and Abs TRANSITION WORKOUT. For all the details on the program, go to MENSFITNESS.com/Transition.

    THE LEGS, SHOULDERS, and ABS WORKOUT ROUTINE

    Glute Bridge 3 x 15
    Plank 3 x 10 seconds
    BB Back Squat 5 x 12
    Goblet Squat 3 x 10
    Split Squat 3 x 10 (each leg)
    Standing BB Military Press 4 x 12
    DB High Pull 3 x 10
    DB Shrug 4 x 15

    *Rest for 45 seconds between sets.

    Apparel by 2(X)IST
    Footwear by PUMA
    Fitness Tracker by Fitbit

    For insider info on new program releases, interviews, Q&As, and more—follow digital director Mike Simone on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

    OTHER FULL PROGRAMS YOU MIGHT LIKE

    To build absolute mass: The 4-Week Bulk Up
    To get something in quick: The 15-Minute Gut Checks
    To build and burn: The Redemption Plan
    To lean out: The Trim Up
    To shock your body: The Muscle Shockers
    To lose weight aggressively: The 21-Day Shred

  • The Transition: A Workout for Your Chest, Triceps, and Abs

    The Transition: A Workout for Your Chest, Triceps, and Abs

    This workout routine content was produced by HUMANFITPROJECT for Men’s Fitness magazine and was originally published at mensfitness.com

    Program designer Michael Beringer demonstrates the Chest, Triceps, and Abs TRANSITION WORKOUT. For all the details on the program, go to MENSFITNESS.com/Transition.

    THE CHEST, TRICEPS, & ABS WORKOUT ROUTINE

    BB Bench Press 5 x 10
    Push Up 3 x 10
    Dip 3 x 10
    Cable Woodchop 3 x 20
    Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 20

    *Rest for 45 seconds between sets.

    Apparel by 2(X)IST
    Footwear by PUMA
    Fitness Tracker by Fitbit

    For insider info on new program releases, interviews, Q&As, and more—follow digital director Mike Simone on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

    OTHER FULL PROGRAMS YOU MIGHT LIKE

    To build absolute mass: The 4-Week Bulk Up
    To get something in quick: The 15-Minute Gut Checks
    To build and burn: The Redemption Plan
    To lean out: The Trim Up
    To shock your body: The Muscle Shockers
    To lose weight aggressively: The 21-Day Shred

  • Introduction or Transition: The plan beginners or intermediates can follow

    Introduction or Transition: The plan beginners or intermediates can follow

    It doesn’t matter where you are in terms of your fitness when it comes to this plan. While it was originally created as a “Transition” for intermediate and advanced athletes to use as a period of training in between programs, a beginner can see great results too.

    For the intermediates: when you’re bulking up during the winter, you traditionally take longer rest periods (around one-to-two minutes or more) between exercises so your body can recoup completely. Once spring comes around, you’re probably looking to shift gears to trim up for summer which typically requires full blown high-intensity training. While some may respond very well to a complete change in their training, others may need a period of transitioning to ensure appropriate recovery and preparation. This week of workouts can be used for 1,2,3, or 4 weeks before entering your new programming.

    For beginners: working out is a relatively new, if not completely new to you. Considering the exercises are basic and the volume (or amount of work) is a bit lower, this is a good option for building up a base of strength and size without overwhelming your body in the beginning. Need a closer look at the exercises, check out the following link: 20 essential exercises for transforming your body—and the cues for doing them

    Instructions: 

    Complete each workout with a day of rest in between. (one day on, one day off) Intermediates and advanced athletes can follow this anywhere between 1 and 4 weeks before jumping into their new program. Beginners should follow this plan for 4-8 weeks, they should also cut 1-2 sets of each exercise in the first few weeks.

    The Chest, Triceps, and Abs Workout

    Bench Press 5 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Push Up 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Dip 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Cable Woodchop 3 x 10-20 rest 45 sec
    Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10-20 rest 45 sec

    The Back and Biceps Workout

    Deadlift 5 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Bent-over Row 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Lat Pulldown 4 x 15 rest 45 sec
    Dumbbell Row 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Seated Cable Row 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Cable Pullover 4 x 20 rest 45 sec
    Barbell Curl 4 x 15 rest 45 sec

    The Legs, Shoulders, and Abs Workout

    Glute Bridge 3 x 15 rest 45 sec
    Plank 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Squat 5 x 12 rest 45 sec
    Goblet Squat 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Split Squat 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Overhead Press 4 x 12 rest 45 sec
    Dumbbell High Pull 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    Shrug 4 x 15 rest 45 sec

    Other program you may like:

    To build absolute mass: The 4-Week Bulk Up or The 3-Day Monster Plan
    To get something in quick: The 15-Minute Gut Checks
    To build and burn: The Redemption Plan or The Reconstruction Plan
    To lean out: The Trim Up or Built for the Beach
    To shock your body: The Muscle Shockers

  • The Top 10 Ways to Add Muscle to Your Frame

    For all the skinny guys out there; we’ve been there before. And for all you natural-born giants just looking to get more gigantic, we may have something you’re missing that stalled your growth.

    1. Track Your Workouts

    There is nothing more important that tracking what you did and when you did it. Not only the exercises, sets and repetitions, but tracking the weight you used and how you felt that day will allow you to look back when you come back to that workout to know where to start and where you’ve come from. Tracking your workouts also allows you to determine what is working and what you’re wasting your time on. One week you may have done 4 sets of 10 squats at 315 pounds and 3 weeks later you do 3 sets of 10 squats at 300 pounds. If it wasn’t written down, you may not be able to remember exactly what you did. The more you write down, the more you will be able to remember and see if you are making progress.

    2. Set Goals

    Setting goals is the first step to keep you on track to where you want to go. These goals shouldn’t be set in stone, they should be specific and reasonable. For example, if you’re looking to lose 50 pounds in 4 weeks and have tendonitis, your goal may need to be re-evaluated.

    3. Focus on Hypertrophy

    Hypertrophy is the increase of volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of the cells that make it up. Muscles will increase volume to adapt to progressive overload. What this means is in order to build muscle, you must focus on progressively overloading the muscle in order to make them increase in size. Strength training has multiple different types of training including Strength, Hypertrophy, Power and Endurance. Each one of these types include a different amount of reps, effective sets and rest. The hypertrophic range of strength training focuses around 8 – 12 repetitions with :60 seconds of rest between 3-6 sets. When you train for hypertrophy, you should train around this hypertrophic range.

    4. Get the Right Macros

    You can never out exercise poor nutrition. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how many workouts you track or how many days you hit the gym – if you don’t take in the right nutrition, you will find it almost impossible to get your optimal gains. These macros – protein, carbohydrates and fats – will be different for every person. If you don’t know where to start, look towards a couple professionals to give you some starting advice based on your goals and where you currently are and find one that works best for you.

    5. Stay Anabolic

    The right nutrition is crucial, but so is the timing. Anabolic is the process of how your body produces growth of cells that involves the synthesis of molecules. The opposing process of this is catabolism, or the breaking down of cells in order to produce energy. Hormones play a large role in this growth process along with glucose metabolism. Maintaining this glucose metabolism, or energy, requires the consumption of calories to provide this energy. If a person does not consume enough energy, the body will enter a higher rate of catabolism. In order to keep this anabolic state, giving your body the proper amount of energy at the right times, recovery, growth and performance will continue to improve.

    6. Stay Hydrated

    By now we all know that the body is made up of over 70 percent water and muscles are no different. Even if you aren’t thirsty, your muscles and body may be, especially when you increase your training in order to pack on the muscle. Water not only aids in the circulation through your body but also in the cooling of your body, so as you’re sweating, you’re losing even more water. Research has shown that when you don’t consume enough water, your cells lose size and the synthesis of protein in the muscle repair also suffers even if the breakdown continues.1 When that muscle breakdown is happening faster than the production of protein, your performance begins to decrease. If your performance is decreased, you are not able to reach your maximum potential of growth. So grab water, and stay hydrated!

    7. Rest and Recovery

    When you exercise you are breaking down your muscle and stressing your body. If you continue to break down your body without giving it an opportunity to recover, you can put yourself in more risk than reward. Overtraining leads to a higher risk of injury, long term effects, and decreased performance. It’s not only important to have rest between workouts, but the amount of recovery you give yourself during your workout is important. The maximum amount of recovery during strength training shouldn’t be more than :90 seconds. If your recovery frequently exceeds this time, you can lose the benefit of multiple sets. One reason for multiple sets within a workout is to exhaust a set of muscles, give it a slight – but not complete – recovery in order for your body to realize it needs to recruit more fibers for that next set. When too much recovery is given, the amount of muscle breakdown can be compromised. This can cause your gains to not reach their maximum potential.

    8. Switch it Up!

    When we spoke about the hypertrophic range of strength training as being an important way to add muscle, a second important note is to switch it up. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine of going into the gym, having your notes from last week and doing the same routine you did 7 days ago. While this can be a great start, it likely won’t last long. It’s important to also switch up your workout, this can be in the order you do the exercises, the reps you do, the rest you take in between, the equipment you use or a combination of these. By increasing your reps to the 12 – 15 rep range with very short recovery periods of under 30 seconds, you can use lighter weights and keep your heart rate up. You can also work through a range of repetitions with your first set of 15 followed by 12, 9 then 6 adding a slight amount of rest as the weight increases. By switching your workout routine up, you will keep your body guessing and be able to increase your performance and increase your gains.

    9. Keep Your Form

    Regardless of what rep range your are working through, it’s one of the most important tips to maintain your form – especially when you are getting towards the end of your exercise or your workout. When you compromise your form to get a rep, exercise or weight that you may not have been able to without, you increase your risk of injury. That extra weight and extra rep isn’t worth getting injured over and losing what progress you have already made. Maintain your proper form for every rep of every exercise, if you come up short on your repetitions or sets, make a note of it and get it next time!

    10. Focus on the Movement

    As you keep your form through every rep of every exercise, focus on every part of each rep. Mentally focus on the contraction of the muscles you are training as you raise and lower the weight. By focusing on each phase of your movement, even though you are using weights to increase the load on your muscles, the ultimate idea is that you are contracting your muscles through this progressive overload to produce a hypertrophic reaction.

    Reference:

    1.Wildman, Robert. “Your Muscles Are Thirsty: Here’s Why – Bodybuilding.com.” Bodybuilding.com. 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 July 2015.