Tag: tim mccomsey

  • The 6-week Spring Trim Up workout plan

    The 6-week Spring Trim Up workout plan

    We all gain a little extra weight in the winter. It’s cold, so we’re layered up in clothes and worrying a little less about what’s underneath. We’re getting less sun, leaving us a bit deprived of mood-boosting vitamin-d to jump us out of bed. And the holidays, forget it, high stress and non-stop parties quickly can do a number on the physique. But putting on the pounds this winter might not necessarily be a bad thing. Maybe it’s a natural shift, just like the natural shift of the seasons.

    If you’ve followed the Winter Bulk Up workout plan and the Pre-Cut workout plan, then you know what we’re talking about.

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

    Blocks of time during the winter months are spent bulking up and gaining muscular size. The end of the winter or early spring (your choice) shifts focus onto strength instead of size. Then, the spring and summer months are spent focusing on maximizing fat loss. This is by no means a rule, but a suggestion. Click the links above for deeper detail on each plan.

    Are you looking for customized programming and nutrition guidelines to help you hit your goals, check out our new exclusive at DigitalFitnessAdvisor.com

    How the Spring Trim Up workout plan works

    HFP expert contributor @TimMcComsey (who also designed the Winter Bulk Up and Pre-Cut plans) says there are three main components:

    1. The program includes several exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at once for an increased calorie burn and effeciency.

    2. Rest periods are between 30-45 seconds to keep the heart rate elevated for an increased intensity.

    3. Workouts are structured as “tri-sets.” Three exercises are performed consecutively followed by a short break. This stimulates several muscle groups at once, further maximizing the calorie burn.

    Directions

    Follow the Spring Trim Up plan for six weeks. It’s suggested that you workout for three consecutive days followed by a rest on day four, then back to two consecutive workout days followed by another rest on day seven.

    Once you’ve completed your sixth week, cycle onto another program. If you’d like a break from the high-intensity stuff and want to build up your strength and athleticism, we suggest the 6-week Unlabeled plan. If you want more high-intensity routines, give the 10×10 workout plan or split 10×10 workout plan a run-through. If you want to get back to raw bodybuilding style workouts, check out the Timeless Bodybuilding plan or the 6-week Redemption plan.

    The Spring Trim Up Workouts

    The Killer Kettlebell Workout (Day one)


    1A.Band Lateral Walks 4 x 20
    1B.KB Swings 4 x 20
    1C.Push Up Plank 4 x 20
    Rest 30 seconds

    2A.Twisting Walking Lunges 4 x 24
    2B.KB Thrusts 4 x 15
    2C.KB Farmer’s Walks 4 x 10 yards each way
    Rest 30 seconds

    3A.KB SL DL 4 x 15
    3B.KB Sumo Squat 4 x 15
    3C.KB V Crunch 4 x 15
    Rest 30 seconds

    4A.KB Squat 4 x 12
    4B.KB Bridge 4 x 15
    4C.KB Russian Twist 4 x 30
    Rest 30 seconds

    The Two-Dumbbell Muscle Maker (Day two)


    1A.DB Alt.Shoulder Press 3 x 15
    1B.DB Rows 3 x 15
    1C.Weighted DB Leg Raises 3 x 15
    Rest 30 seconds

    2A.DB Lateral Raise 3 x 15
    2B.Push Ups w/DB 3 x 15
    2C.SB Crunch w/twists 3 x 15
    Rest 30 seconds

    3A.DB Renegade Rows 3 x 20
    3B.DB Front Raise 3 x 15
    3C.DB Farmer Walks w/shrug hold 3 x 50 yards
    Rest 30 seconds

    4A.Bench Dips 3 x 20
    4B.DB Shoulder Boxing Punch Alt. 3 x 20
    4C.Burpee w / DB Curl to Press 3 x 12
    Rest 30 seconds

    The High-Octane Metabolic Fat-Burning Workout (Day three)


    Warmup – ½ Mile Jog
    Dynamic Warmup – High Knees, Butt Kicks, Walking Lunges, High Skips, Side Shuffles

    Sprints
    5 x 20 yards
    5 x 50 yards
    5 x 100 yards
    Rest 30 seconds between sets

    The Workout to Light Up Your Legs, Shoulders, and Abs (Day five)


    1A.DB Squat 4 x 10
    1B.DB Shoulder Press 4 x 10
    1C.Suitcase Crunch 4 x 15
    Rest 30 seconds

    2A.DB Lunges 4 x 10
    2B.SB Seated Lat Raise 4 x 10
    2C.Lying Windshield Wipers 4 x 10
    Rest 30 seconds

    3A.DB RDL 4 x 10
    3B.Rear DB Delt Fly 4 x 10
    3C.Rope Cable Crunch 4 x 15
    Rest 30 seconds

    4A.DB Side Lunge 3 x 12
    4B.Lateral Raises 3 x 12
    4C.Forward Hand Tap Plank 3 x 10
    Rest 30 seconds

    The Ultimate Blood-Pumping Workout (Day six)


    1A.DB Flat Chest Press 4 x 10
    1B.Pull Ups 4 x max
    Rest 45 seconds

    2A.DB Incline Press w/twist 4 x 12
    2B.DB Bent Over Row 4 x 12
    Rest 45 seconds

    3A.Fly 3 x 15
    3B.Dips 3 x max
    Rest 30 seconds

    4A.DB Bicep Curl to Press 3 x 10
    4B.Rope Pressdown 3 x 10
    Rest 45 seconds

    5A.Ab Roll-out 3 x 12
    5B.Cable Twist 3 x 12
    5C.Roll Plank 3 x 12
    Rest 30 seconds

    * Days four and seven are rest/recovery days.

    Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest updates on new training program releases and other related news.

  • The Pre-Cut plan: A strength cycle before you get shredded

    The Pre-Cut plan: A strength cycle before you get shredded

    Once the warmer months approach everyone starts to shift away from bulking and more towards cutting. It’s a classic case of Shred Fever. Perfectly normal. Perfectly acceptable.

    But before you start to follow the typical training prescription of rapid-fire, non-stop punishing workouts and a carb-reduced diet to drop as much fat as quickly as possible—let’s consider another approach.

    HFP expert contributor Tim McComsey (@TimMcComsey) has designed the smarter solution.

    Get super-strong first

    Let’s say, as an example, you’ve been following something like Tim’s 4-week Winter Bulk Up for a few cycles along with the Redemption plan thrown in there. Both of those plans are designed more for muscular size, but not necessarily strength. Yes, if you did follow them you probably did get a bit stronger by default, but the primary goal was not strength, it was size. Here’s where the Pre-Cut plan comes in and why.

    Those rapid-fire, non-stop punishing workouts and a carb-reduced diet above are tough on the body. In fact, when people don’t cycle off or go overboard with them, they could end up losing tons of muscle instead of fat. And that sucks because a ton of hard work was put in for negative return. So for this season, focus on getting your strongest, most resilient before jumping into an aggressive cut too soon.

    You could follow up the Pre-Cut with the 10×10 Shreds and the Quick-Switch plan. If the Pre-Cut plan has too many days for your schedule, you could also try the 3-day Monster plan.

    Here’s what you’ll notice in the Pre-Cut plan

    As mentioned above, our goal is to get stronger in the training block. Not bigger, not leaner. Stronger. We’re not making a huge amount of changes or using any highly-advanced training strategies.

    Introducing cluster sets

    Cluster sets are a way of breaking down strenuous, strength-spiking lifts into shorter, more manageable bouts of exercise. For example: Instead of performing five sets of five reps at your five-repetition max, those sets are broken into four “clusters” of two reps with brief periods of rest (3-5sec) in between. Ultimately, you’re performing more work, but you’re allowing your body to briefly recover.

    Priming the stabilizers

    Due to the fact that we’re going a little heavier than usual, we want to wake up and warm up those stabilizer muscles. We’ll do this with an easy superset on a suspension trainer like the TRX.

    The Pre-Cut Directions

    Perform the following workouts with one day of rest between. When selecting weights, for cluster sets, use your five-repetition maximum. For other exercises, select resistance where you “fail” one-two repetitions shy of the prescribed amount.

    The Pre-Cut Workouts

    DAY ONE: HOW TO GET A SUPER STRONG BACK


    1. TRX W PULL superset ROW PULL
    3 sets x 10 reps
    Rest 45 sec

    2. WEIGHTED PULL UPS  *modified cluster set 1
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 10 seconds between clusters
    5 Rep Max

    3. BARBELL ROW  *modified cluster set 2
    5 sets (6 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 15 seconds between clusters
    3-5 Rep Max

    4. UNDERHAND CABLE PULL DOWN
    3 x 8-10
    Rest 45 sec

    5. DUMBBELL INCLINE BENCH ROW
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    6. SEATED CABLE ROW
    3 x 12
    Rest 30 sec

    7. TRX PIKE superset BENCH REVERSE CURL
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    DAY TWO: HOW TO GET A SUPER STRONG CHEST


    1. TRX PUSH UP superset TRX FLY
    3 x 10
    Rest 30 sec

    2. BARBELL FLAT CHEST PRESS * modified cluster set 1
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 10 seconds between clusters
    5 Rep Max

    3. BARBELL INCLINE CHEST PRESS * modified cluster set 2
    5 sets (6 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 15 seconds between clusters
    3-5 Rep Max

    4. PUSH UP
    3 x 8-10
    Rest 45 sec

    5. FLAT KETTLEBELL FLY
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    6. CABLE CHEST PRESS
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    7. TRX OBLIQUE SWINGS superset BICYCLES
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    DAY THREE: HOW TO GET SUPER STRONG LEGS


    1. TRX SQUAT superset TRX HAMSTRING ROLL INs
    3 x 10
    Rest 30 sec

    2. BARBELL FRONT SQUAT * modified cluster set 1
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 10 seconds between clusters
    5 Rep Max

    3. BARBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT * modified cluster set 2
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 15 seconds between clusters
    3-5 Rep Max

    4. BARBELL SUMO SQUAT
    4 x 5-8
    Rest 60 sec

    5. SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
    3 x 8-10
    Rest 45 sec

    6. BARBELL BRIDGE
    3 x 8-10
    Rest 45 sec

    7. SUPERMANS
    3 x 10
    Rest 30 sec

    DAY FOUR: HOW TO GET SUPER STRONG SHOULDERS


    1. TRX HIGH PULL
    3 sets x 10 reps, rest 30 sec

    2. STANDING BARBELL SHOULDER PRESS
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps), rest 2-min between sets; 10 seconds between clusters

    3. SEATED DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
    5 sets (6 clusters of 2 reps), rest 2-min between sets; 15 seconds between clusters

    4. INCLINE BENCH LEANING FRONT RAISE
    3 sets x 8 reps, rest 45 sec

    5. SEATED NEUTRAL DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS
    3 sets x 10 reps, rest 45 sec

    6. WEIGHTED SIT UP
    3 sets x 10 reps, rest 45 sec

    7. AB WHEEL ROLL OUT
    3 sets x 12 reps, rest 30 sec

    DAY FIVE: HOW TO GET SUPER STRONG ARMS

    1. TRX BICEP CURL superset TRX SKULLCRUSHERS
    3 x 10
    Rest 30 sec

    2. BARBELL CLOSE GRIP CHEST PRESS  * modified cluster set 1
    5 sets (4 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 10 seconds between clusters
    5 Rep Max

    3. STANDING EZ BAR CURL  * modified cluster set 2
    5 sets (6 clusters of 2 reps)
    Rest 2 minutes between sets; 15 seconds between clusters
    3-5 Rep Max

    4. CHAIN DIPS
    3 x 8
    Rest 45 sec

    5. INCLINE CURL
    3 x 8
    Rest 45 sec

    6. DIAMOND PUSH UP
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

    7. ECCENTRIC HAMMER CURL
    3 x 10
    Rest 45 sec

  • This 5-day bodybuilding split is a timeless classic

    This 5-day bodybuilding split is a timeless classic

    Working out has gotten so complex. So many classes, so many new pieces of equipment, supplements—even the clothing. Options are great, but sometimes you just need someone to give it to you straight. If your number one goal is to build muscle and burn fat to look and feel better—at the end of the day—you’re bodybuilding. Like I said, there’s many different ways to get there but this is a surefire, straight-forward way of getting it done—and very effectively.

    More into athleticism than aesthetics? Try our 3-day Contender’s Plan for high-performance athletes

    The Workout Plan

    DAY 1 – Chest & Back 1


    1. Barbell Chest Press 4 x 8 rest 90 sec
    2. Cable Pulldowns 4 x max rest 90 sec
    3. Barbell Incline Press 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    4. Barbell Bent Over Row 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    5. Push Ups 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    6. V-Bar Cable Row 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    7. Hip Thrust 3 x max rest 60 sec

    DAY 2 – Legs 1


    1. Barbell Squat 4 x 8 rest 90 sec
    2. Plie Squat 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    3. Barbell Romanian Deadlift 4 x 8 rest 90 sec
    4. Dumbbell Lying Hamstring Curl 3 x 10 rest 60 sec
    5. Barbell Bridge Off Bench 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    6. Standing Calf Raise 4 x 8 rest 45 sec
    7. Rope Cable Crunch 3 x 12 rest 60 sec

    DAY 3 – Shoulders & Arms


    1. Standing Military Press 4 x 8 rest 90 sec
    2. Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    3. Standing Dumbbell Arnold Shoulder Press 3 x 10 rest 60 sec
    4. Standing Barbell Bicep Curl 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    5. Barbell Bench Tricep Skull Crushers 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    6. Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    7. Bench Dips 3 x 10 rest 45 sec
    8. Plank 3 x 60 sec rest 30 sec

    DAY 4 – OFF

    DAY 5 – Chest & Back 2


    1. Dumbbell Incline Chest Press 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    2. Dumbbell Flat Chest Press 3 x 12 rest 60 sec
    3. Dumbbell Incline Chest Fly 3 x 12 rest 60 sec
    4. Chin Ups 4 x 10 rest 60 sec
    5. Incline Bench Dumbbell Row 3 x 12 rest 60 sec
    6. Single Arm Dumbbell Row 3 x 12 rest 45 sec
    7. Weighted Bench Hip Thrusts 3 x 12 rest 60 sec

    DAY 6 – Legs & Abs 2


    1. Barbell Walking Lunges 3 x 12 per leg rest 60 sec
    2. Narrow Barbell Squats 3 x 12 rest 60 sec
    3. Dumbbell Reverse Lunges 3 x 12 rest 60 sec
    4. Single-leg Standing Calf Raise 3 x 15 rest 45 sec
    5. Barbell Shrugs 4 x 8 rest 60 sec
    6. Dumbbell Seated Shrugs 4 x 10 rest 45 sec
    7. Weighted Crunch 3 x 12 rest 45 sec

    DAY 7 – OFF

    *This program was originally produced by HUMANFITPROJECT for Men’s Fitness magazine.