BUILDING THE BIKINI BODY 2.0
By Mark Carroll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01. Introduction...........................................................................................................4
02. Building The Bikini Body 2.0.....................................................................................6
Understanding daily undulating periodisation (DUP).............................7
How is this program different to the original ‘Building
the Bikini Body’?....................................................................................................8
Why the variety in rep ranges?.......................................................................9
03. Understanding the training structure.................................................................12
Heavy days............................................................................................................12
Moderate rep days.............................................................................................13
Light rep days.......................................................................................................13
Loading the bar....................................................................................................14
Time under tension............................................................................................14
04. De-loads.........................................................................................................................15
Important info on de-loading.........................................................................15
05. Warming up is essential...........................................................................................18
06. Pre-lifting activation work......................................................................................20
07. Training methodologies...........................................................................................23
Intensity techniques..........................................................................................23
Drop sets................................................................................................23
Rest pause..............................................................................................23
Why the change in program?........................................................................23
Why are my sessions shorter than expected?.......................24
Training volume...................................................................................................24
What if you can’t do 6 days a week?.........................................25
What to do if you drop a day?.......................................................25
Exercise selection..............................................................................................26
Hand and grip positions...................................................................26
Cueing compound lifts.....................................................................................28
Low bar squat.......................................................................................28
Deadlift....................................................................................................29
Hip thrust................................................................................................30
08. Altering the program to suit you.........................................................................32
Do you need more quads?............................................................................32
Do you want less quads or feel ‘quad dominant’?..............................32
09. Glute finishers...............................................................................................................33
10. Ab finishers....................................................................................................................35
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01
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Building the Bikini Body 2.0! First of all, thank you for following the first ‘Building the
Bikini Body’ training program. Without you, there would be no Bikini 2.0. This guide was definitely not
in the planned timeline of releases for me however, due to the huge success and popularity of Bikini
1.0, you all demanded it, so here it is.
I believe the popularity comes from women finally receiving the knowledge they need to achieve
their goals with simplicity, and of course, the training program to match. I know you are tired of all
the uneducated influencers, who are putting out workouts on social media, that they don’t even use
or perform, to sell their audience the ‘dream body’. Building The Bikini Body was all about showing
you how elite level bikini athletes actually train behind closed doors. It’s not about exercises that look
good for social media, rather it’s about exercises that actually work!
Building The Bikini Body was dedicated to teaching my audience about training and eating in a way
that will help build that elite physique and dismissing so many old gym myths that have plagued the
industry and women’s training in general. I really am glad you enjoyed the training program. Lifting
heavy, doing the basics well. While also using a variety of rep ranges, and intensity techniques - drop
sets and rest pause methods. That stuff hurts! Looks easy when you are reading it in your program
but executing is a whole different painful story. But that’s what the guide was about.
Training hard and properly. If it was easy, everyone would be an elite bikini model.
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BUILDING THE BIKINI BODY 2.0
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02
BUILDING THE BIKINI BODY 2.0
Now this brings me to “Bikini 2.0.”
What’s it about and why is it going to help you?
From all the feedback about the first program, it was a common theme that women simply wanted to
keep training with my methods. Everyone understands the fundamentals of nutrition now; a calorie
deficit for fat loss, calorie surplus for optimal muscle building, then a reverse diet to exit a fat loss
phase or when you have a suppressed metabolism from long term under eating. I am fairly confident
that through my guides and also my social media, you understand nutrition for the most part now.
Which is why this program is purely about the training program. Women wanted something to keep
following. As seen even with my bikini clients who won their WBFF comps, my elite clients have
followed my programs for 9-12 months or more! It takes time.
The overwhelming response was, “what’s next?”
Majority of the time, people only see the final journey to the stage, where my elite client’s results are
at their prime, whether it is Lauren Simpson, Demi Jefferys or Micky Parker. What many people don’t
realise is that my clients don’t work with me for just 12 weeks to build those amazing physiques. They
have worked with me for 9 months plus and in Lauren’s case, 18 months! Their bodies drastically
improve as they allow themselves (and me also) more time to thoroughly develop their physiques.
Working hard for 12 weeks with a coach may be great for an initial fat loss transformation, but that’s
not why you are here, using my methods. You want to achieve a world leading bikini body!
My client’s do not repeat the same program month after month. I constantly manipulate their training
volume, frequency, rep ranges, tempos and just about everything else. However, I will always keep
the key lifts and movement patterns the same. I’m often asked: “Should I keep repeating Building
The Bikini Body 1.0?”.
The answer? No.
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I like to use my programs and school years as a comparison to explain this;
When you go to school, you complete every year grade by grade. Naturally, when you complete one
year, you move onto the next year. This is how I see program design. Building The Bikini Body 2.0 is
very much like progressing into your next school year. You are going to be stepping up your game with
this program by really
mastering the basics, whilst also covering all potential pathways for muscle growth.
So, without further adieu, I give you “Bikini 2.0”. It is different to Building The Bikini Body 1.0 as this
training program is more advanced. Recently for my bikini girls, in their final 12 weeks before a comp
I have been incorporating a ‘DUP’ training approach. DUP stands for Daily Undulating Periodisation,
which in short means that each day the rep ranges vary. The program also increases to 6 days a week
from 5 day per week Bikini 1.0. The best way to explain these next 12 weeks is that we are now going
to another level.
This program is hard! The goal is to really push your physique to the next level.
UNDERSTANDING DAILY UNDULATING PERIODISATION (DUP)
Daily undulating periodisation builds off the back end of understanding that frequency follows the
traditional “bro split”, which goes something like this:
Monday - chest
Tuesday - back
Wednesday - shoulders
Thursday - rest
Friday - legs
Saturday - arms
Sunday - rest
That was it! One session a week for each muscle group. The issue with this is, when we train a muscle
or body part, we have elevated protein synthesis. Protein synthesis triggers the anabolic response of
building muscle. When we train a muscle group, we are basically telling our body; “I want this muscle
to grow.”. When we train that muscle group, we trigger protein synthesis and when protein synthesis is
elevated, we are positively impacting muscle growth for the area trained.
In that period of anabolism, muscle growth only lasts 24-48 hours! So, if you train your legs on a
Monday, for instance, by the end of Wednesday (48 hours later), you are no longer anabolic in that
muscle group. This means 5 out of 7 days of the week, you are not doing anything positive to create
muscle growth for that intended muscle group!
Frequency is key for building muscle and this is why you trained lower body 3 x a week in ‘Building
The Bikini Body’! We pushed frequency hard, to ensure we are creating the potential for muscle growth
consistently throughout the week. In Bikini 2.0, you will still be training lower body 3 x a week, but now
you will be increasing your upper body frequency from 2 to 3 sessions a week!
(Brad J Schoenfeld, 2011).
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Now, your 6 day per week training program looks like this:
Monday - Lower Heavy
Tuesday - Upper Heavy
Wednesday - Lower Moderate
Thursday - Upper Moderate
Friday - Lower Light
Saturday - Upper Light
HOW IS THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT TO THE ORIGINAL ‘BUILDING THE
BIKINI BODY’?
The training program in Building The Bikini Body 1.0 utilises my go to ‘undulating’ periodisation method.
This involves 4 training programs covering 3-week training blocks, with each training block being the
same rep range. They were:
Accumulation 1 - 4 x 10
Intensification 1 - 4 x 6
Accumulation 2 - 4 x 8 (as a heavy light method superset)
Intensification 2 - 5 x 5
This is undulating periodisation! As I’m sure you noticed when you trained, the programs
‘undulated’, meaning the reps went up and down over each 3-week training block. The goal is to
push one rep range hard for 3 weeks, then before we have time to plateau or overtrain a rep range,
we undulate and change. This has been a consistent method I have used on elite clients from Lauren
Simpson to Hanna Oberg, FitgurlMel and my bikini girls who won their shows this year. But I have also,
this year, incorporated DUP into my clients 12-week programs, either in a comp prep final 12 weeks, or
a period where calories are very high and pushing the calorie surplus.
The difference with DUP is that rather than having 3 weeks focused around a certain rep range, the rep
range undulates each session. You will have 3 lower body days and 3 upper body days.
Each upper and lower body days will be broken down into heavy, moderate and light days.
Heavy days will primarily be in the 1-6 rep range
Moderate days in 8-12 rep range
Light days will be a combination of 15-20 reps & supersets and tri-sets with a focus on
time under tension
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WHY THE VARIETY IN REP RANGES?
When doing different rep ranges, we recruit different muscle fibres. Although we are working the same
muscle group, by stimulating different fibres each workout, it allows for more optimal frequency as the
exact same fibres are not heavily taxed. Yes, the same muscle will be working 3 times per week, but
the variety of rep ranges will lead to potential greater growth. Why is their potential for better growth?
A few reasons, firstly by hitting different fibres each workout, it may allow for better recovery and
performance. If you are constantly smashing a specific rep range 3 times per week, those same muscle
fibres can become heavily taxed. By undulating the rep ranges over the week, performance can
elevate on each day you train that same muscle again.
Secondly, DUP, by using a variety of rep ranges over the week, can increase hypertrophy potential.
This is because, as we now know, a vast array of rep ranges can contribute to growth.
The way I would summarise what I do when it comes to training clients is: I use a vast variety of
potential mechanisms and rep ranges to achieve hypertrophy. Research has shown previously that if
volume is equated for (volume = sets x reps x load), reps of 5 and upwards of 30 can produce similar
adaptations for muscle growth. Even more recently, a study came out showing that 2 groups matched
total volume, but their sets and rep ranges were vastly different.
Group 1 used a scheme of 7 sets of 3 reps
Group 2 used a scheme of 3 sets of 10 reps
After 8 weeks, hypertrophy adaptations were almost identical, however the powerlifting focused group
(7 x 3) had greater strength improvements. Now, does this mean everyone should just do low reps with
as much weight as possible? Not exactly. The interesting component of the study was of the 2 groups,
the powerlifting group had higher rates of dropouts of the study due to greater injuries (heavy lifting
seems to be more prominent with tendon/ligament issues). The other interesting caveat to the study
was that both groups achieved almost identical hypertrophy adaptations. However, it took the power
lifting group far longer to perform their session. Therefore, showing from a time effective manner, the
body building group was more optimal for muscle building if time is of the essence (Schoenfeld BJ,
2014).
Now, the key takeaway from all of this is that pretty much every method or way can work. Whether it’s
low reps ranges, moderate or high, they all work! However, constantly pushing one pathway really hard
can lead to potential burnout and overtraining, particularly with muscle fibres. This is why I like to:
A
Periodise rep ranges
B
Use a variety of rep ranges over the course of the workout and/or week
C
Keep reps higher for clients more prone to injuries
D
Get clients strong on low reps, as they have a carryover effect to increasing strength on higher
rep ranges.
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This study also showed that low reps were effective for growth, but could have greater potential to
cause injury, which is why I love my DUP approach as instead of using 4-6 days of low reps for weeks
on end, we are doing 2 heavy days a week. This is enough to get the optimal training adaptations
whilst most likely reducing potential risk of injury. (Schoenfeld BJ, 2014).
The program in Bikini 2.0 consists of 4-week training blocks instead of 3-week training blocks, as you
seen in Bikini 1.0. The rationale here comes from the varied rep ranges used in this program as they
change throughout, so it’s almost as if we are doing 3 different programs throughout each training
phase of 4 weeks. Therefore, it’s important we spend enough time in the
program to see results.
Now let’s break down the 3 training phases by the heavy, moderate and light days to give you a good
overview of what’s ahead and the reasoning behind what you will be doing.
The client who gets the best results generally is going to be the client who understand the
reasoning and the “why?” behind a plan.
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understanding the structure
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03
UNDERSTANDING THE TRAINING
STRUCTURE
HEAVY REP DAYS
Lower Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 6
Primary lift: Deadlift
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 6 x 6,6,4,4,2,2
Primary lift: Low Bar Squat
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 5 x 5,5,3,3,3
Primary lift: Deadlift
Upper Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 6
Primary lift: Standing BB Behind the Neck Press
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 6 x 6,6,4,4,2,2
Primary lift: Standing Overhead Press
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 5 x 5
Primary lift: Standing BB Behind the Neck Press 1 & 1/4
Our focus on the heavy lower body and upper body days is primarily to work around the 2-6 rep
ranges, but majority of the entire day outside of the A) series will be in the 4-6 rep ranges. Low
reps, heavy weight!
Now, this next bit is important to understand so please read carefully…
Lower rep days or heavy days will always have lower total training volume when we are talking total
sets on the day. Please don’t look at the program day 1 and think “Well, this doesn’t look like much
work.”. Strength and heavy days are all about load - meaning the weight we lift. As opposed to
doing lots of sets and reps which is considered to be more for moderate and high rep (light) days.
Think logically, if we are lifting really heavy, naturally we will need to decrease total sets as it will be
impossible to maintain the training quality, this being form and technique. So yes, heavy days will
involve fewer exercises and less sets in total, but this doesn’t make the workout any less effective.
These heavy days are helping to prepare us to lift more on the moderate and low rep days, which
therefore leads to more growth.
Heavy days for both lower body and upper body training need to be executed properly to result
in weekly improvements. This is where it’s important to evaluate your current strengths and train
“smart”.
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MODERATE REP DAYS
Lower Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 12
Primary lift: Low Bar Squat
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 4 x 8
Primary lift: Floating Deadlift
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 4 x 12,10,8,6
Primary lift: Low Bar Squat
Upper Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 12
Primary lift: 65º DB Press Neutral Grip
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 4 x 8
Primary lift: BB Bench Press
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 4 x 12,10,8,6
Primary lift: 65º DB Press Neutral Grip
Here we are primarily utilising the pathways more traditionally considered to optimise hypertrophy
with the rep range 8-12. As always, we still want to get strong, but we are simply getting strong for
reps. With the lower body days, in phases 1 and 3 are squat focused, because the heavy days are
deadlift focused. Whilst phase 2 is deadlift variation, as in the phase 2 heavy day we de-load the
deadlift and have a heavy squat day instead. On your upper body days, the program for moderate
reps is aimed at more dumbbell presses and pull-down variations.
LIGHT REP DAYS
Lower Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 20
Primary lift: Smith Machine Banded Hip Thrusts
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 4 x 15
Primary lift: BB Glute Bridge
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 4 x 10 (superset method)
Primary lift: BB Hip Thrust Triple Contraction
Upper Body
Phase 1
Rep ranges: 4 x 15
Primary lift: Machine Shoulder Press
Phase 2
Rep ranges: 4 x 15
Primary lift: DB Arnold Press
Phase 3
Rep ranges: 4 x 20
Primary lift: Machine Shoulder Press
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When following a DUP training method for the light training days, I traditionally either choose
between higher reps and straight sets of 15-20 reps, or agonist supersets. An agonist superset is
when you combine the pairing of 2 exercises of the same muscle group. An example would be leg
press superset with leg extension, as both exercises are quad dominant. An antagonist superset
is partnering opposing muscle groups, such as a squat and leg curl. With the lighter training days,
you will use both high rep and also supersets and even some tri-sets. The goal here is time under
tension, meaning the muscles are under load for a significant time frame.
TIME UNDER TENSION
‘Tempo’ or time under tension is a crucial part of what I do! Heavy training days will involve a lot
more tempo, particularly in the eccentric component (the lowering phase of the lift). It’s crucial you
execute the tempo correctly. If it says 4 second eccentric, that means 4 seconds! Not 3 or 2 or 1.
I want control. This is a must!
LOADING THE BAR
The programs in Bikini 2.0 are 4-week programs and of course, the goal is to improve each week.
Therefore, when loading the bar, its crucial you load correctly.
Ideally this is what the 4 weeks should look like:
To Recap Tempo
Tempo refers to the time under tension you lift each repetition with. Each number on the tempo
layout also refers to a different component of the lift. A good example would be a 4010 tempo on a
barbell squat.
TEMPO 4010 explained using the BB Squat as an example:
4
The first number always refers to the eccentric (lowering) component of the movement.
When squatting, this is the 4 seconds to lower the weight for each repetition.
0
The second number refers to the time spent at the bottom of the movement, which in most
cases is the part of the movement where the exercise is the hardest. When squatting, this is
the deep squat position.
1
The third number refers to the concentric part of the moment (Lifting) which is generally
when you are lifting the weight. In a squat, this is driving up from the bottom of the
movement.
0
The fourth and final number refers to the top position of the movement, which in most cases
is the beginning or easiest part of the lift. When using the squat as the example this would
be when you are standing in a dead stop position, or the finishing position.
Do not sacrifice weight for technique. Technique is everything.
The rep range AND the tempo is what decides the weight you should be lifting.
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04
DE-LOADS
When reading your training program, you will notice something new! Every 4th week, the final week
of each phase, is your de-load week.
For instance, in phase 1:
In weeks 1- 3, the A) series sets are 4 x 6. However, in week 4, the A) series is reduced to 2 x 6.
Therefore, the working sets are halved. This is not a mistake. This is where you’ll de-load training
volume by reducing working sets.
A proper de-load should not involve reducing training load (weight), rather when the sets decrease
in week 4, we are aiming to hit our personal best on weights lifted for that program. Week 4 is
always going to be our max weight lifted week. We reduce training volume (sets), which allows for
more recovery and more energy to push the highest weight possible.
This de-load is something I use in DUP phases over undulating phases because we are using a
variety of rep ranges each week. In undulating training programs, such as in ‘Building the Bikini
Body’, the reps change every 3 weeks which naturally allows us to de-load a rep range and the
same muscle fibres that are constantly worked over the 3 weeks. However, with a DUP approach,
due to the high, moderate and low rep days, we will require a de-load every 4th week to ensure
recovery and constant improvements are made.
IMPORTANT INFO ON DE-LOADING
Normally with the A) series we will be doing 4-6 working sets. Therefore, when we reach the final
sets and hit the highest numbers, we would have had many working sets to warm up neurologically
as well as physically.
However, with de-loads, the working sets are reduced, while the highest weight for the program
is set out to be achieved. This means it’s absolutely crucial you perform multiple warm up sets to
warm up your nervous system.
Have you ever noticed when lifting in lower reps, each set you actually feel progressively stronger?
Whereas higher reps, each set you feel progressively weaker? This is largely because heavier, ‘low
rep’ training systems primarily train the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the CNS is primarily
responsible for our strength development. This takes time to warm up, particularly the more
advanced and stronger you are.
Let’s look at a deadlift for an example, the sets are 4 and the reps are 6, following the ramping
method over the 4-week program.
By correctly following my ramping method (where weight is added each set, each week), you will
be beating your previous best set, week on week! Here is an example of what my bikini client
recently did for her 4 x 6 deadlift program:
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Week 1
Week 3
Set 1 - 70kg
Week 2
Set 1 - 75kg
Set 2 - 75kg
Set 2 - 80kg
Set 3 - 80kg
Set 3 - 85kg
Set 4 - 85kg
Set 4 - 90kg
Set 1 - 80kg
Week 4
De-load Week
Set 2 - 85kg
Set 1 - 95kg
Set 3 - 90kg
Set 2 - 100kg
Set 4 - 95kg
Notice how each week perfectly raises 5kg to the weight lifted. In week 1, the weight recorded for the
final set was 85kg which allowed for weekly progression. This resulted in a new PB in the final week
of the training program of 100kgs! Knowing in the first week that you are not training to
failure, to allow for week on week improvements.
Notice how week 4 began with a heavy weight. It is important to note that this is the weight recorded
for the first working set. You cannot perform optimally with low rep work without warming up your
nervous system. Numerous warm up sets are required to effectively begin a programs first set!
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WARMING UP
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05
WARMING UP IS ESSENTIAL
For your heavy and moderate rep days I suggest using a 5,4,3,2,1 warm up. This is to ensure the
nervous system is actively ‘warmed up’ so that when you begin set 1, you are ready to go. A proper
nervous system ‘warm up’ will have the first set feeling much easier than simply doing a few high rep
pump sets, then moving into the first working set of low reps.
Now, let’s use my clients Week 4 numbers for the deadlift:
Week 4
De-load Week
Set 1 - 95kg
Set 2 - 100kg
How should you warm up for this?
Warm up 1: Using the 20kg bar, perform 15 reps of Romanian deadlifts. This is
simply taking your body through hip extension, the movement pattern.
Warm up 2: 5 reps - 40kg
Warm up 3: 4 reps - 60kg
Warm up 4: 3 reps - 70kg
Warm up 5: 2 reps - 80kg
Warm up 6: 1 rep - 90kg
Now my client would begin her FIRST working set!
Notice all those warm up sets required to optimally go into the first working set. This is how I suggest
you warm up for lower body days for the best results.
With regards to upper body days I like to use a 5,4,3 method. Similarly, to the above, begin using a
light weight. You will perform 3 sets in total. The first set will be 5 reps, then the second 4 reps, and
then 3 reps for the final set. You will then go into your first working set.
Upper body will be using lighter weight, therefore, it’s easier to warm up the nervous system. Simple
rule of thumb: the stronger you are, the longer it takes to warm up.
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Warming up for the B) series
Going into the B) series, having performed numerous working sets already of the A) series, naturally
you should be well warmed up, both from a musculature standpoint and also the nervous system. This
is why I suggest doing only 1 warm up set, purely focusing on rehearsing the new movement pattern.
For example, if the B) series is split squats, simply do 10 reps body weight for the warm up set, then
proceed to begin set 1 with the working weight. Simple!
For the working series that follow, just go straight into what you believe will be an effective working
weight, as you are already very much warmed up and quite fatigued. A lot of warm up sets here will
just be adding to an already fatigued state and potentially compromising performance.
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06
PRE-LIFTING ACTIVATION WORK
Activation Exercises - The ‘McGill Big 3’
I’m forever being asked, “Mark, what activation exercises do I need to do?”. To be honest, I don’t
often program in activation work for any of my clients. I have them warm up and practice the
movement as outlined in the “warm up” section of this guidebook.
The ‘McGill Big 3’ is something I recommend incorporating on your heavy & moderate rep days.
These 3 movements are focused on improving core endurance and stability. For those who really
do struggle to maintain proper form or ‘feel’ the exercise in the right muscle groups (muscle fibre
recruitment), then I recommend the ‘McGill Big 3’.
The following 3 exercises are intended to strengthen the muscular support system for the back (the
core), without putting any excess stress on the spine. This will help you with maintaining proper form
and promote mind-muscle connection & stability.
The ‘McGill Big 3’ includes bird dogs, single leg crunches and side planks. Perform these prior to
squatting or deadlifting to help with form execution.
Bird Dog
Hold this position (isometric hold) for 7-8
seconds each side. Repeat 4 x on each side.
Side Plank
This targets the lateral and abdominal
muscles (called quadratus lumborum, and
the abdominal obliques). They are important
for optimal stability and are targeted with the
side plank exercise.
Hold each side for 20 seconds. Repeat x 4
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Curl-up
Bend one knee and straighten the other leg
to lock the pelvis-lumbar spine and
minimise the loss of a neutral lumbar
posture. Alternate the bent leg (right to left)
midway through the repetitions.
Do 10 each side. Repeat x 4
When it comes to activation, it’s not about overdoing it before we train and fatiguing the muscles we
need to stabilise us in the heavy lift. The purpose is to ‘activate not annihilate”, less is more when
it comes to activation work. The goal of our warmup is to primarily prepare our core and glutes for
heavy lifting. We do this through both, the ‘Big 3’ above and a small amount of glute activation work.
Banded Side Lying Clam
2 sets of 15 each side
Banded Glute Bridge
2 sets of 10
2 second hold at the top
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TRAINING METHODOLOGIES
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TRAINING METHODOLOGIES
INTENSITY TECHNIQUES
In Building the Bikini Body 1.0, we use a lot of my “go to” intensity techniques, such as drop sets
and rest pause methods. However, in this DUP program, we have drastically backed off these as
the focus is on a variety of rep ranges. Constantly taxing the body with intensity techniques can
impact recovery and potentially negatively affect strength development on the heavy days. We still
apply the techniques used in ‘Building the Bikini Body’, but they will be used primarily on the
moderate rep day. On the high rep day our intensity techniques are focused on supersets and
tri-sets rather than drop sets and rest pause methods.
Drop Sets
In Bikini 2.0, you will generally (unless stated otherwise) be performing a drop set on your final set of
an exercise. When your program says, “Last Set Drop Set x 1”, it means you are to perform this
exercise to failure on your final set and then immediately dropping 20% of the weight to then
continue performing reps of the exercise until complete failure. If the program says, “Drop Set x 2”,
you will perform 2 drop sets until failure.
When performing drop sets, the preferred percentage drop I recommend is 20%. For example, when
your program says, “Drop Set x 1”, if you are performing a 100kg hip thrust, you would drop the load
by 20kg and immediately continue until failure. When performing the “Drop Set x 2”, after you have
dropped the hip thrust weight to 80kg and performed the exercise until failure, you will simply drop
another 20% off (20% of 80 is 16, so I would drop 15-20kg) and again rep out to failure.
Rest Pause
In your program when “Rest Pause x 1” is written, you will be going to failure on your final set of an
exercise, just as explained above. Unlike the drop set, rather than dropping weight, you are only
going to have a rest period of 10-15 seconds before performing the exercise again (with the same
weight) until failure. Just like above, if it is a “x 2” rest pause, we will continue to failure, have another
10-15 second rest period before performing the exercise again until failure.
Remember: When performing the rest pause method, you most likely will not get as many reps out
after each pause period. For instance, if you get 12 reps for your first set then have your rest, you
should aim for 8-10 reps for the next set, and then, realistically, aim for 4-6 reps on the final set.
WHY THE CHANGE OF PROGRAM?
Now that you have all of that information, you’re probably getting excited. But you may be also
starting to think, “If Building the Bikini Body 1.0 was such a successful program, why change the
design?”. The answer is simple: just because something worked and was successful for one period of
time, does not mean that it won’t be a positive to push other potential pathways to improve!
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For many of my long-term clients, I like to alternate 12-week phases with different periodisation
schemes. This is what I truly believe sets me apart from the majority of coaches in the industry – all
of my clients are constantly improving! Whether a client is a beginner or the world champion of their
sport (who is thought to have reached their absolute potential), all of my clients continue to improve
and so do my programs.
This is what I want for you – CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT!
This 12-week DUP builds extremely well off of Building the Bikini Body 1.0, which will lead to long
term progression for you. Then in the future, if Building the Bikini Body 3.0 is being demanded, I can
almost guarantee that it will have a different periodisation scheme once again to allow for continued
improvement. We have gains to achieve and this simply does not come from making up a fun,
pointless selection of exercises for a workout. These programs are all about taking you to your
absolute genetic potential!
Whether you want to be the next Bikini Pro or have the body to be able to influence those on social
media, or simply look f**king amazing naked for yourself (and maybe even your partner), I am confident that this is for you!
WHY ARE MY SESSIONS SHORTER THAN EXPECTED?
If you are someone who was following a program that had you training for 90-120 minutes, each
session you have been played the victim to excessive volume. This is something that I have come
across many times with clients in my career, when someone says they are not progressing but then
I find out they have been overtraining! I am here to tell you that you don’t have to train for that long
anymore. As long as you are training HARD and SMART, you don’t have to train for hours each day.
With my programs, we push frequency. You will be training lower and upper body 3 days a week
each, and during each session you will be training all muscles in these two groups! This is as opposed
to training quads for one session and then hamstrings the next. This is why we are able to do 3 sessions a week of each group, because we don’t overtrain a muscle group but rather only stimulate it
just enough to come back multiple times in the week.
TRAINING VOLUME
When it comes to training volume, we can look at 3 key factors:
1.
Sets 2.
Intensity
3.
Frequency
My programs on their individual days are generally lower in total sets, as compared to many other
training programs women do. But as total sets over the week, they will be equaled. For example, if
you do 15 sets of glute exercises on Monday and then another 15 on Thursday, you would have done
30 sets (which is a sweet spot for glutes). In my programs, I would have you do 10 sets over 3 session
per week. Even though the sets on the day are not as high, due to the frequency that the muscle
group is trained, we are still hitting the same amount of volume, which is enough to develop
adaptations. This is where training HARD but also training SMART is shown.
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In Building the Bikini Body 1.0, we pushed the intensity techniques hard! Now in Bikini 2.0, with this
DUP program, we have regressed those intensity techniques, such as drop sets and rest pause. Also,
with Bikini 2.0, we are now pushing our weight lifted intensity in terms of our heavy days and then
relegating the drops sets and rest pause intensity techniques into our moderate and light days.
Remember: there are many pathways to growth and progression, but we can’t choose all of them at
once. Whichever aspect we do push, we have to learn to back off the ones we are not, otherwise the
potential for overtraining rises.
WHAT IF YOU CAN’T DO 6 DAYS A WEEK?
As you know, Building the Bikini Body 1.0 was a 5 day per week program with 3 lower body days and
2 upper body. In Bikini 2.0 we have added an extra day to upper body to allow for greater shoulder
and back development over these next 12 weeks. However, I know not everyone will be able to get
into the gym 6 days per week, so in this case, you will need to prioritise your weak points.
For example, if you believe that your lower body is a strength, but your upper body is falling behind, I
would suggest that you drop your lower body sessions to 2 per week and keep your upper body at 3
per week. However, with this change, I would still alternate the phases like this:
Phase 1
3 x Upper Body and 2 x Lower Body
Phase 2
3 x Lower Body and 2 x Upper Body
Phase 3
3 x Upper Body and 2 x Lower Body
Again, if you can only train 5 days per week but this time you are someone who needs to work on
your lower body more than their upper, I would change your programs to this:
Phase 1
3 x Lower Body and 2 x Upper Body
Phase 2
3 x Upper Body and 2 x Lower Body
Phase 3
3 x Lower Body and 2 x Upper Body
IF YOU DROP A DAY OF THE PROGRAM, DO YOU DROP A HEAVY, MODERATE
OR LIGHT DAY?
As you all know, I have a passion for getting women very strong, whilst also building their incredible
bikini body. I think the heavy days really help form the foundation of a strong bikini body. The stronger
you get for low reps, the stronger you will be able to lift on the hypertrophy focused days. This is why,
in my personal opinion, I would drop one of the light days in your program.
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EXERCISE SELECTION
The basics win out!
When it comes to exercise selection for building an elite bikini body, I really believe the basics for the
most part will win out. With the rise of social media, particularly in the ‘influencer’ market on social
media we are swamped with Instagram videos titled “kettlebell only”, “cable only” workouts. There is
nothing inherently wrong with this, the issue is that more often than not it’s someone trying to make
up a new and shiny exercise for engagement. Rarely do you ever see ‘elite’ women on social media
posting the basics like a heavy deadlift or squat where they are actually training really f**king hard
and lifting heavy! Everything seems to be a happy smiling influencer doing a little dance to begin their
swipe video then proceeding to use 2kg dumbbells, or my favourite (I say that sarcastically) paper
f**king plates! Now, I’m not trying to be a hater, but this is the reality of the fitness industry.
People don’t show you how f**king hard you need to train and work, consistently over time! Training
hard, taking heavy sets to failure, training when you are mentally having a bad day and when you
don’t feel well, this is where results come from! There is nothing glamorous about it, but this is where
winners win! Doing the hard work, when you don’t want to. I know firsthand from training so many
elite women, that this is what separates the best of the best, from everyone else.
Having said all of that, it’s important to preface that the exercises I have given you are not all that
‘instagrammable’. I give you the exercises which are going to change your body! That’s what I’m here
for.
You will squat, deadlift and hip thrust heavy.
You will do a large variation of unilateral leg exercises such as split squats and lunges. These are not
glamorous, these are not fun, but they work. You will continue to develop your pull up strength. Again,
nothing is more boss in the gym than a woman walking in and smashing out pull ups, for reps. They’re
also incredible for upper body development.
You will do presses! Majority shoulders, with a large variation in hand positions and loading schemes.
All in all, you will continue to master the basics. This is what wins out.
HAND AND GRIP POSITIONS
Neutral Grip
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Pronated Grip
Underhand Grip
This is one of the more common errors I see when tagged in posts on social media by women doing
my programs, so I wanted to really give you clarity. It’s often seen as a minor detail, but hand
positions make all the difference. Hand positions are important because they impact muscle
recruitment, this is why I always provide very specific hand placement positions.
Your example is a dumbbell press - neutral or pronated
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A neutral grip will lead to greater recruitment of the front or anterior deltoids whilst a pronated grip
(pictured) will drastically increase the medial head recruitment of the deltoids. Similarly, with pull ups
over the course of this 12-week program, you will rotate through all 3 hand positions.
Neutral grip will traditionally be the strongest position, supinated in the middle, which also has the
highest rate of biceps recruitment, then finally pronated grip. This will traditionally be the weakest
position and many women’s least favourite exercise! This will have the widest hand recruitment and
also lead to more ‘lats’ the latissimus dorsi.
Ensure when reading your program, hand positions are noted and executed properly! When we are
focusing on building an elite bikini body, this is where the finer details of program design start to have
an impact. All the little things add up!
CUEING COMPOUND LIFTS
The low bar squat, deadlift and hip thrust are again going to be our staple lower body movements, so
it only makes sense that we delve a little deeper into these movements. Technique is everything and
since I can’t be there to coach you, I want to share with you the cues that I have used with my clients,
to great success too I might add!
Low Bar Squat
We want to focus on our shoulder blades, hips and knees. Let’s begin by working
down our body at the shoulder blades.
Upper Body:
Grip the bar as close as your mobility allows.
Sit bar on rear delt “shelf”.
Pull shoulder blades down and then back to ensure upper body tightness.
Drive elbows up which should be at a 45º angle.
Hips and knees:
When beginning the squat, initiate the lift by pushing the knees outward.
Focus on pushing knees out to ensure hips are opened up and glutes are
working.
Spread the floor - imagine there is a piece of paper on the floor and you are
ripping the paper apart.
Squat as deep as your mobility allows without losing whole body tightness
or having a “butt wink”.
One rep at a time!
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Breathing:
Before performing each rep, it’s important to increase intra-abdominal pressure to support
the spine and create overall whole-body tightness. Here’s how to properly breathe for
each lift:
Begin by placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and taking a big
breath in. Do not breathe in from upper chest, rather focus on breathing
from your diaphragm.
Hold breath for entire rep - do NOT breathe out on the way up.
Hold breath until rep is finished. Then breathe out and repeat the breathing
technique to begin the next rep of squat.
Deadlift
Deadlifts
Starting position:
Stand with the bar about 1-2 inches away from your shins.
Foot position should be your vertical jump position. Try jumping as high as you
can and notice where you place your feet - this is your deadlift power position.
Hand position should be just outside foot position.
Arms should be straight down, imagine having long arms. If arms are straight
down the bar path is shorter, and we are therefore stronger
Shoulder blades should be pulled down into your “back pockets”.
‘Lats’ should be engaged! To do this, imagine pulling the bar into your shins and
legs the entire rep
A deadlift is both a push and pull exercise as you push the ground away to drive force
through the legs whilst pulling the bar upwards with the posterior chain.
The Range of Motion:
Begin by pushing the floor away. Imagine you are pressing the ground
away like you would on a leg press.
Once bar is off the floor, focus is then on pulling. Think push then pull
Keep head position neutral. Don’t excessively look up or down at your feet.
Once you are at the top of the movement, begin by performing a Romanian deadlift to lower
the bar down. Once the bar passes the knees, then knees can bend, so in other words think
about pushing your hips backward as you lower the bar down the legs. Only bend at the
knees when the bar travels over your knees.
It’s important to remember that each rep is a dead stop, this means that you reset after every
rep and repeat the process.
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Deadlift
Hip Thrust
Set up position:
Supporting bench should be just under shoulder blades.
Feet shoulder width apart.
Feet should be as close to your body, so that when you are in the top position
your shin and quad make a 90º angle. This is the ideal position to hit glutes!
Feet too far away from the body leads to more hamstring, whilst feet too close
leads to too much quad.
During the rep:
Keep chin tucked on chest throughout the entire rep.
Perform by moving the sternum down to your abs.
A full rep is when glutes are in line with knee joint at top.
When glutes are shortened, imagine pulling your butt cheeks together to
contract your glutes hard.
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Making your program suit you
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08
ALTERING THE PROGRAM TO SUIT YOU
Obviously, a lot of women who do my programs compete in different bikini federations. What the
judges often look for can vary from federation to federation. Conversely, a lot of women who train
with my guides, simply do so because they want to look amazing for themselves or look great at
the beach or even just to look good naked! You all have different views on what your ideal ‘bikini
body’ is, so I want to show you how to make small changes to the program to slightly favour
specific body parts.
DO YOU NEED MORE QUADS?
If you want to develop that ‘quad sweep’ or ‘tear drop’ look with your legs, then you need to build
more quads by placing an emphasis on quad dominant lifts:
Replace low bar squats with high bar squats. A low bar is hip dominant, whereas a high bar is
going to be more quad dominant
When working with Bulgarian split squats, make your step a small step, as a shorter step
requires more knee flexion and therefore more quad recruitment
When performing the leg press, prioritise foot placement of ‘low and narrow’ over ‘high and
wide’ reps
Chose forward stepping lunges over reverse lunges. Similar to the mechanics of a Bulgarian
split squats, forward step lunges require more knee flexion and thus recruit more muscle fibres
in the quads.
DO YOU WANT LESS QUADS OR FEEL ‘QUAD DOMINANT’?
This is so common with women! Women are scared to train quads because they think they will grow
bigger legs; it isn’t that easy, trust me! But if you are truly quad dominant, then these swaps will
ensure you hit more of your glutes and hamstrings:
Swap front foot elevated split squats for large step back foot split squats
When you perform Bulgarian split squat, ensure that you take a large step so that it becomes
more glute focused
When using the leg press and the hack squat, have a slightly higher and wider foot stance to
replicate a low bar, hip dominant movement pattern
There you go! Small changes to movement patterns can bias where the training stimulus is focused.
We never want to completely remove movement patterns as that leads to structural balance issues
and eventually lead to injuries. However, the volume of the work can simply be focused on specific
parts of your body that require the most improvement.
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09
GLUTES FINISHERS
Glute finisher #1
Lateral steps (forward leaning)
Angled step outs left
30 seconds each exercise
Angled step outs right
3 minute total work
Click here to watch the video
Wide stance squat 1 & 1/4
Kickbacks (15 secs each leg)
Frog pumps
Glute finisher #2
15 Single leg hip thrusts
Click here to watch the video
20 Hip thrusts
20 second Hip thrust hold
Glute finisher #3
Heels elevated glute bridge with abduction
Donkey kick (15 secs each leg)
Hip thrust
Click here to watch the video
30 seconds
each exercise
Seated abduction
Glute finisher #4 - Banded
20 Seated abduction backward
Click here to watch the video
20 Seated abduction upright
20 Seated abduction forward
Glute finisher #5
Banded hip thrust
30/20/10
Banded hip extended abductions
30/20/10
Banded seated abductions
30/20/10
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Glute finisher #6 - Bodyweight only
Donkey kickbacks top range pulse 20 seconds each exercise
Side lying abductions
Click here to watch the video
Repeat all on right side first
Donkey kickback crossover
Repeat 2-3
Glute finisher #7 - Banded
10 DB goblet squat
Click here to watch the video
20 DB glute bridge
30 Hip hinge abductions
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10
ABS FINISHERS
AB finisher #1
Lying leg raises reverse crunch
30 secs (30 rest)
High to Low plank
30 secs
Weighted sit ups
10 reps
Click here to watch the video
AB finisher #2
Decline reverse crunch
10-15 (3 rounds)
Side plank hold
30 secs (10 rest)
Click here to watch the video
AB finisher #3
Cable crunch
4 x 20, 15, 12, 10 (30 sec rest)
Click here to watch the video
AB finisher #4
Hanging knee raises
4 x 12
Moving plank
10 each side
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NUTRITION
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NUTRITION POST BIKINI 1.0
In Building the Bikini Body 2.0, the primary focus is on the training program. After doing 4
guidebooks, I have found that although people want to learn, they primarily want the training program
that is going to yield results! In the first ‘Building the Bikini Body’ guide, I delved deep into how to
set nutrition. The guide covered setting calories, calorie deficits, calories surpluses, my ideal macro
breakdowns and of course, breaking through diet plateaus, planning refeeds and diet breaks and
also cyclical nutritional strategies to maximise adherence to dieting. All in all, pretty much every crucial bit of (practical) information you could outline for a guidebook.
In Bikini 2.0, I want to address how to structure your nutrition now after Building the Bikini Body 1.0.
The easiest one to discuss is if you used Building the Bikini Body 1.0 for the ‘build’ component.
You have 3 options:
Option 1 - Build
So, you continue building. Remember muscle building takes time! Many of my girls I have put on
social media this year who won their comps and drastically changed their body composition came
from spending months and months in a surplus before finally coming back down to their calorie
deficit. For you guys the first option, is simply continue with building!
Option 2 - Maintain
You eat at maintenance. Recalculate TDEE and come out of a surplus and maintain your current
weight, whilst still focusing on training hard to get stronger.
Option 3 - Cut
So, you’ve built up some muscle and now you want to show it off, eh? Use the information in Bikini
1.0 on how to create a calorie deficit and apply that knowledge to achieve fat loss. If this is for you,
please make sure you re read my nutritional information in Bikini 1.0 before starting your fat loss
phase.
Now what if you did the ‘cut’ component of Bikini 1.0? Here are your options:
Option 1 - Diet Breaks
So, you are not at your goal body weight yet and that’s fine and completely normal! Many people
think after 12 weeks you are going to have your dream bikini body. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always
work like that. Majority of my talented bikini girls prepare for their competitions for a minimum of
16-24 weeks. That’s the fat loss part of comp prep! It takes considerable time to reach extremely low
body fat levels whilst also maintaining as much lean mass as possible.
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After completing the first 12 weeks, ensure you give yourself a minimum complete 7-day diet break or
preferably a full 14-day diet break. Then come back down to your calorie deficit. Remember, as I wrote
extensively in Bikini 1.0, the longer you diet and the leaner you become, the more likely your calorie
deficit will plateau and no longer be a deficit, thanks to metabolic adaptation. Which is why it’s most
likely that your calories will consistently need to keep dropping.
On average, of the 7 bikini competitors I recently looked at before writing this, all 7 of them began
their preps around the 1,750-2,100-calorie mark. However, they all finished at an average of 400-600
calories below their starting calorie deficit to step on stage.
Option 2 - Reverse Dieting
If you are feeling like you need a break from dieting or if you are happy with your progress. Now is a
good time to consolidate and reverse diet.
Use my methods from The Art of Reverse Dieting guide for your nutrition whilst you train following the
methods and systems in the Building the Bikini Body 2.0.
Option 3 - Goal Achieved
You have reached your goal body weight, well done! If you classify yourself as a typical ‘hard gainer’,
then a shorter reverse diet of 4-6 weeks back up to maintenance is ideal. From here, you would
follow the ‘build’ component of Building the Bikini Body 1.0 while utilising the Bikini 2.0 training
program.
If you’re the kind of person who tends to easily put weight back on, I suggest a slower approach to
building up your calories through a reverse dieting. Again, from here you can then choose the ‘build’
nutritional structure from ‘Bikini 1.0’.
The above basically outlines every possible scenario! The key takeaways are:
Building the Bikini 1.0 has a wealth of information on nutrition, as does Art of Reverse dieting.
All those practices listed in the above 2 guides can be used effectively with Building the Bikini
Body 2.0 training program.
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12
MINI CUTS
I wanted to touch on mini cuts which have become a popular way of doing things recently thanks to
social media. I think they are a positive tool when used with the right person and in the right case.
Having said that, expectations must be held in check!
A mini cut is, well just that. A period of calorie restriction for a time period ranging from as little as 2
weeks, up to 8 weeks maximum. So, why am I talking about mini cuts? Well I think they can be very
useful for a lot of you who have spent the last 3 months in the build component of Building the Bikini
Body 1.0. Those of you who spend 12 weeks at maintenance or in a surplus may still want to keep
building muscle mass, but as discussed previously, it takes time. After 12 weeks in a surplus you are
probably noticing a little bit of fat accumulation. There is nothing wrong with this, but you may be
thinking to yourself:
“I wouldn’t mind losing a little bit of that fat”, so why not do a mini cut?
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Due to the shortened period of a mini cut, I find it’s okay to be a little more aggressive with your calorie
deficit. The shortened period of dieting means less time for the traditional negative adaptations to occur,
such as muscle loss, loss of libido, reduction in energy levels, metabolic rate dropping and so on.
These negative adaptations generally occur the longer we diet and after significant weight loss.
Therefore, when programming a ‘mini cut’ for a client, I like to start them around a 25% calorie deficit.
My preferred mini cut period is 4-6 weeks. The goal is to get in and get out. I don’t want to spend 2-3
initial weeks wondering if the client is losing body fat or not. I want to create a deficit I know will
generate fat loss. Hence the 25% deficit over the more traditional 20% calorie deficit.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD YOU AIM TO LOSE IN A MINI CUT?
I like mini cuts for more intermediate to advanced clients who do not have a huge amount of weight
to lose. I think the goal of a mini cut should be no more than a loss of 5 kilograms, otherwise it starts
to fall into a slower more sustained fat loss period. 2-5kg is usually my goal for my clients when
incorporating a mini cut method.
6 STEPS TO YOUR MINI CUT:
It’s ok to go a little more aggressive here if the goal is to get in and get out.
25% calorie deficit is fine for a short period of time.
A mini cut should be no longer than 6-8 weeks.
The goal of a mini cut should be no more than a 5kg loss, otherwise it’s best to spend more
time, devoted to sustained fat loss.
If you reach a plateau use the guidelines from “Bikini 1.0”, either drop calories or diet break.
Ideally with mini cuts I don’t use long diet breaks as these are days out of a calorie deficit,
however if you feel you need one, try my go-to 3-day diet break methods.
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13
CARDIO
Your cardio system is going to be based off Building The Bikini Body 1.0!
CUT
For all of you who have decided to do the ‘cut’ portion for these next 12 weeks, the cardio layout is:
WEEKS 1-3
20 minutes - 60 seconds hard, 60 seconds slow and easy
WEEKS 4-6
25 minutes - 30 seconds hard, 90 seconds slow and easy
WEEKS 7-9
30 minutes - 45 seconds hard, 75 seconds slow and easy
WEEKS 10-12
20 + 20 minutes - 20 seconds hard, 100 seconds slow easy. After
the 20 minutes have a complete 5 minutes rest. Then come back
to a machine and perform steady state cardio (65% of max heart
rate) for another 20 minutes.
Note
Please do the above 2 days per week, ideally on non-resistance training days.
BUILD
What about those who have been building and still want to build? Well lucky you, you get no cardio!
STILL HAVE WEIGHT TO LOSE?
Now, on to those who did the original cardio format in Building the Bikini Body 1.0 - What do you do if
you still have weight to lose?
I would begin with simply adding volume! Fat loss comes down to calories in vs. calories out, which
we can manipulate from both sides of this energy balance. The calories in is our diet and the calories
out is our expenditure. I would keep things simple to start and only add on 1 cardio session a week.
Start from the week 1-3 cardio progression but be prepared to then increase your cardio sessions to
2-3 a week, to ensure calories out is continually increasing.
WANT TO EXIT YOUR FAT LOSS PHASE?
For the girls who have finished Building the Bikini Body 1.0, reached their goal body weight and now
want to exit their fat loss phase. I suggest you please read my Art of Reverse Dieting guidebook and
apply not only the nutritional strategies in the guide, but also take note of how I slowly decrease the
calories out component both with steps and cardio!
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14
STEPS
Just like cardio above, everything is similar!
BUILD
For those who have been building and want to keep building – there is no need to stress over your
step count right now.
CUT
For those who have spent 12 weeks building and want to begin a ‘cut’, we will just use Building the
Bikini Body 1.0 step system:
WEEKS 1-3
10,000 steps
WEEKS 4-6
12,000 steps
WEEKS 7-9
14,000 steps
WEEKS 10-12
16,000 steps
Yes, I know – it’s a lot of steps! The reasoning behind this is that I prefer my clients to be achieving
greater calories burnt from less stressful means of calorie expenditure. Just moving more is a very
simple and effective way to burn more calories and lose more body fat!
STILL HAVE WEIGHT TO LOSE?
Now for those who again, have been dieting but still need to achieve more fat loss. I suggest
de-loading steps down to 8,000-10,000 for 2 weeks, then coming back and beginning at 12,000 and
repeating the cycle of:
12,000 for 3 weeks
14,000 for 3 weeks
16,000 for 3 weeks
REACHED YOUR FITNESS GOAL?
Finally, if you have reached your fitness goal, use my Art of Reverse Dieting methods to cardio and
also steps and learn how to effectively decrease steps each whilst also increasing calories in.
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Training Templates
POWERED
POWEREDBY
BY
15
TRAINING
WEEKLY OVERVIEW
Phase: Phase 1
Program: DUP 1
Coach: Mark Carroll
Day
Workout
Steps
Monday
Lower Heavy
10,000
Tuesday
Upper Heavy
10,000
Wednesday
Lower Moderate
10,000
Thursday
Upper Moderate
10,000
Friday
Lower Light
10,000
Saturday
Upper Light
10,000
Sunday
Rest
10,000
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Lower Heavy
Day: Monday
Coach: Mark Carroll
Dead stop after each rep to reset and tighten
A) BB Deadlift
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
180
2210
2
4
6
180
2210
3
4
6
180
2210
4
2
6
180
2210
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Stand on a 10kg plate to allow for full depth
B1) Heels Elevated High Bar Squat
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
6
90
3010
3
4
6
90
3010
4
2
6
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
B2) Lying Leg Curl
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
4010
2
4
6
90
4010
3
4
6
90
4010
4
2
6
90
4010
Dead stop at the bottom of each rep
C) BB Hip Thrusts - Dead Stops
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
2110
2
4
8
120
2110
3
4
8
120
2110
4
3
8
120
2110
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
D) Glute Finisher
Week
Sets
1
2
Choose one of the glute finishers
3
4
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Upper Heavy
Day: Tuesday
Coach: Mark Carroll
Lower bar to upper traps - touch upper traps then repeat
A1) Seated BB Behind the Neck Press
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
6
90
3010
3
4
6
90
3010
4
2
6
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Keep elbows tucked in
A2) Neutral Grip Pull Ups
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
2110
2
4
8
90
2110
3
4
8
90
2110
4
2
8
90
2110
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Hands 1 inch inside shoulder width
B1) Close Grip BB Bench Press
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
2110
2
4
8
90
2110
3
4
8
90
2110
4
2
8
90
2110
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
B2) One Arm DB Row - Neutral Grip
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
2110
2
4
8
90
2110
3
4
8
90
2110
4
3
8
90
2110
C) Seated Rope Pull to Neck - Paused
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8-10
45
2012
2
3
8-10
45
2012
3
3
8-10
45
2012
4
3
8-10
45
2012
Reps
Rest
Tempo
D) Abs Finisher
Week
Sets
1
2
3
Choose one of the abdominal finishers
4
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Lower Moderate
Day: Wednesday
Coach: Mark Carroll
A) BB Low Bar Squat
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12
120
2010
2
4
12
120
2010
3
4
12
120
2010
4
2
12
120
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
B1) BB Hip Thrust - Constant Tension
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12
90
2110
2
4
12
90
2110
3
4
12
90
2110
4
2
12
90
2110
B2) Alternating DB Lunges - Forward Step
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10 each leg
90
2010
2
4
10 each leg
90
2010
3
4
10 each leg
90
2010
4
2
10 each leg
90
2010
C1) Sumo Stance BB Good Morning
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12
90
2010
2
3
12
90
2010
3
3
12
90
2010
4
2
12
90
2010
C2) Leg Press - Duck Stance
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12
90
2010
2
3
12
90
2010
3
3
12
90
2010
4
2
12
90
2010
D) Machine Abductions - Forward Leaning
Seated hip abductor
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
1
3
20
45
1010
2
3
20
45
1010
3
3
20
45
1010
4
3
20
45
1010
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Set 2
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Set 3
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Upper Moderate
Day: Thursday
Coach: Mark Carroll
A1) 65º DB Press - Neutral Grip
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12
60
2010
2
4
12
60
2010
3
4
12
60
2010
4
2
12
60
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 5
Set 6
Keep torso fixed, don’t swing body
A2) Seated Row - Pronated Mid Grip
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12
60
2010
2
4
12
60
2010
3
4
12
60
2010
4
2
12
60
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
B1) Standing DB Lateral Raises - Paused
Pause for 2 seconds at the top - dont cheat!
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
1
4
12
60
2012
2
4
12
60
2012
3
4
12
60
2012
4
2
12
60
2012
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
1 second pause in stretched position
B2) Lat Pull Down - Semi Supinated
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12
60
2110
2
4
12
60
2110
3
4
12
60
2110
4
2
12
60
2110
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
C1) 45º Prone DB Lateral Raises
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12
10
2010
2
3
12
10
2010
3
3
12
10
2010
4
2
12
10
2010
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C2) Bent Over DB Row - Neutral Grip
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12
90
2010
2
3
12
90
2010
3
3
12
90
2010
4
2
12
90
2010
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
D) Abs Finisher
Week
Sets
1
2
3
Choose one of the abdominal finishers
4
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Lower Light
Day: Friday
Coach: Mark Carroll
A1) Smith Machine Hip Thrusts - Banded
Superset immediately into banded abductions
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
1
4
15
5
2010
2
4
15
5
2010
3
4
15
5
2010
4
2
15
5
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
A2) Banded Abductions from Glute Bridge
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
15
120
-
2
4
15
120
-
3
4
15
120
-
4
3
15
120
-
Place feet shoulder width on bottom of platform
B1) Leg Press - Feet Middle and Low
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
20
60
2010
2
3
20
60
2010
3
3
20
60
2010
4
2
20
60
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
B2) Lying Leg Curls
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
20
60
2010
2
3
20
60
2010
3
3
20
60
2010
4
2
20
60
2010
C1) High Box Step Ups - Foot Above 90º
Front foot above 90º angle for glute focused
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
1
3
15 each leg
60
1010
2
3
15 each leg
60
1010
3
3
15 each leg
60
1010
4
2
15 each leg
60
1010
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Set 2
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Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
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Rounded Back - Glutes Exphasis
C2) 45º Back Extensions
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
20
60
2010
2
3
20
60
2010
3
3
20
60
2010
4
2
20
60
2010
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
D) Glute Finisher
Week
Sets
1
2
3
Choose one of the glute finishers
4
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PROGRAM: DUP 1
Workout: Upper Light
Day: Saturday
Coach: Mark Carroll
A1) Machine Shoulder Press - Pronated
Superset immediately into DB lateral raises
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
Set 1
1
4
15
10
2010
2
4
15
10
2010
3
4
15
10
2010
4
2
15
10
2010
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Last set drop set x 1 - drop 30% of weight and max out
A2) Seated DB Lateral Raises
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
15
120
2010
2
4
15
120
2010
3
4
15
120
2010
4
2
15
120
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Mid grip pronated - full range of motion
B1) Assisted Pull Up - Pronated
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
10
2010
2
4
10
10
2010
3
4
10
10
2010
4
2
10
10
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Torso at 300 - abs tight
B2) Bent Over Row - Supinated
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
15
120
2010
2
4
15
120
2010
3
4
15
120
2010
4
2
15
120
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
C1) Cable Curls
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
15
10
2010
2
3
15
10
2010
3
3
15
10
2010
4
2
15
10
2010
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C2) Cable Tricep Pushdown
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
15
10
2010
2
3
15
10
2010
3
3
15
10
2010
4
2
15
10
2010
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
C3) Standing Face Pull
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
15
120
2010
2
3
15
120
2010
3
3
15
120
2010
4
2
15
120
2010
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