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INTRO
The inspiration for this book is all of the garbage I read in fitness
magazines and see on the internet. There is a lot of misinformation,
unrealistic standards, confusion on how to workout and what is the “best”
way to lift weights. This book is a quick how-to guide on how to design a
simple, effective, weightlifting program that can be used for years to
come. If you want to look good, put on lots of muscle, lose or gain some
weight, and become a healthier person without your life being spent in the
gym, this is the book for you.
The main portion of this book will be spent on how to structure a 3 day a
week program to get meaningful results with some advice on how to
maximize muscle growth and gain or lose weight. Surprisingly, all of this is
quite simple if you stop reading all the BS online and in magazines. Find
good trusted sources that aren’t selling you anything and find sources that
tell you this will be a JOURNEY. You will not have a six-pack in a month,
you will not lose your belly fat in a week, and you won’t gain 20lbs of
muscle in a month regardless of what weight training program you follow.
Don’t take these as discouraging words; I am just setting up a realistic
expectation for the journey you are about to embark on. Learn to enjoy
the process, and your goals will come fruitfully. Now, if you are ready to
put on some muscle, let’s get started.
WHY THIS PROGRAM IS “BETTER” THAN OTHERS
While most well thought out programs will give you results if you are
consistent in the gym, you will spend less time in the gym and see similar
or better results on this program as compared to other programs.
Most typical program splits are one of the three:
- The Traditional Bro-Split (One body part a day) that will put you in the
gym 6 times a week (Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, Arms, Abs, rest day)
- Upper/Lower Split that will put you in the gym 4 times a week (Upper
body, Lower body, rest day, Upper body, Lower body)
- Push/Pull/Legs Split where you are in the gym 6 times a week (Push
exercises, Pull exercises, Leg exercises, rest day, Push exercises, Pull
exercises, Leg exercises)
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But if you could spend only 3 days in the gym for only an hour to an hour
and a half each time (at most 4 and a half hours a week) vs. 6-8 hours a
week with similar or better results, which would you choose?
Program Split
MON
TUE
WED
THUR
FRI
SAT
SUN
Bro Split
Chest
Back
Legs
Shoulders
Arms
Abs
Rest
Upper/Lower
Upper
Lower
Rest
Upper
Lower
Rest
Rest
Push/Pull/Legs
Push
Pull
Legs
Rest
Push
Pull
Legs
Full Body
Full
Body
Rest
Full
Body
Rest
Full
Body
Rest
Rest
WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST ME
As a budding NASM Certified Personal Trainer with a Master of Social
Work, I am fueled by a passion to help those who want to help
themselves. Outside of my certifications, much of my knowledge is from
lots of research, testing programs on myself, my non-gym friends, my
local gym friends, my clients, and my family. Think of me like your gym
friend. There are no tricks, gimmicks, or other sales pitches waiting for
you in this book. I am not sponsored by any resource I recommend in this
book. As your friend I will only recommend things that I think would be
truly helpful.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR
Everyone! This book is great for people who have never touched a
weight, people who have lifted before but never followed a structured
program, individuals who have never done a full body split program,
people who have trouble seeing results even though they workout, and in
general anyone who is seeking a new program to follow which can be
tailored to their own specific goals in mind.
*This book is for general education purposes related to health and is recommended for adults 18 and
over. This book is not medical advice. Please consult with a medical or health professional before
beginning any exercise, nutrition, or supplemental program regardless of age and health status.
There may be risks associated by doing the activities mentioned in this book and using products
mentioned in this book. Since there are risks, by using any advice from this book you are exercising
your own free will and are voluntarily assuming all risks that can happen from these activities.
*Images from this book have been used from Freepik.com
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IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY
Before we jump into how to structure a workout program, there is some
terminology you should know and some basic anatomy to identify body
parts and their functions. While there could be a whole book written on
lifting terminology alone, here are the basics that are needed.
KEY TERMS
Progressive Overload - The driving force of muscle growth. Essentially
this means that slowly over time you have the ability to move more
volume in your workout.
Volume - How much total weight you lifted during your workout (sets x
reps x weight = volume).
Reps - The number of times you do an exercise in one cycle.
Sets - The number of cycles of an exercise you do.
Concentric - When the muscle shortens exerting force (Pushing during a
bench press).
Eccentric - When the muscle lengthens producing force (Lowering the bar
during a bench press).
Compound Exercise - An exercise that uses multiple muscles (bench
press, squat, deadlift, etc.).
Isolation Exercise - An exercise that uses a singular muscle (bicep curl,
calf raises, tricep extension, etc.).
PR - Personal Record (refers to your highest amount of weight moved on
a given number of reps).
Hypertrophy – The increase and growth of muscle cells.
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RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) - A scale used to measure how intense
the exercise feels. Measured by how many reps you could be able to do.
RPE SCALE
RPE RATING
AMOUNT OF REPS YOU COULD STILL
PERFORM WITH GOOD FORM
10
0 Reps
9
1 More Rep
8
2 More Reps
7
3 More Reps
5-6
4-6 More Reps
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BASIC ANATOMY
Now that you have the quick and dirty Key Terms section, this is the quick
and dirty basic anatomy that will give you enough knowledge for any
weightlifting program. It does not include all muscles of the body, but all of
the ones mentioned below are incorporated in this and most other
weightlifting/bodybuilding programs.
BACK (Think “Pull” Movements)
Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
Basic Functions: To “pull” your arms back towards your body
whether they are above your head or across your body. The second
largest muscle in your body. Biceps are often involved in Lat movements.
Trapezius (Traps)
Basic Functions: To “shrug” and elevate your shoulders as well as
pull your shoulder blades together and extend your shoulders behind your
body. Made up of two major muscles on the left and ride side of your
spine.
CHEST (Think “Push” Movements)
Pectorals
Basic Functions: To move your arm across your body, to “push”
your arms forward, and to assist with rotation of your shoulders. Made up
of two major muscles (pectoralis major and minor). Triceps and the Front
delt are often involved in chest movements.
ARMS
Biceps
Basic Function: To flex your elbow and twist your wrist. Made up of
two heads that work together. Often used in Lat movements.
Triceps
Basic Function: To straighten your elbow. Made up of three heads
that work together. Often used in Chest movements.
DELTOIDS (SHOULDERS)
Anterior Deltoid (Front Delt)
Basic Function: To raise your arm up.
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Posterior Deltoid (Rear Delt)
Basic Function: To pull your shoulders closer together.
Lateral Deltoid (Side Delt)
Basic Function: To raise your arms lateral (sideways) to your body.
LEGS
Glutes
Basic Functions: Extension of the hips (being able to push your
hips forward), rotation of your hips, hip abduction (being able to lift your
leg laterally), and pelvic tilting (being able to push your butt in). Made of
three glute muscles (Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus), in which
the Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle of the body.
Quadriceps (Quads)
Basic Function: Extension of the knee, giving you the ability to
straighten your leg. Made up of four different muscles that work together.
Hamstrings
Basic Function: To flex your knee, allowing you to bend your leg.
Made up of four different muscles that work together.
Calves
Basic Function: To flex your foot at your ankle. Made up of two
muscles working together.
ABS
Rectus Abdominis (The 6 pack)
Basic Functions: To flex your spin (bend forward) and stabilize the
body.
External and Internal Obliques (Obliques)
Basic Function: Rotation of your torso (also assists with most ab
movements).
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NOTES BEFORE WE PROGRAM
Before we dive into how to format a 3-day a week weight-lifting program,
keep the sections below in mind. Each section is vital to the success of
this program.
EXERCISE SELECTION
COMPOUND LIFTS VS. ISOLATIONS LIFTS
During each exercise day, around three compound lifts will be selected
and then 2 to 3 isolations exercises will be selected afterwards with abs.
Compound lifts are performed first because they use more muscles in
each exercise and use more energy. Generally, you want to have the
most energy for the biggest muscles first because these are the areas
where you will be able to put on the most muscle. If you save them for the
last part of the workout, then your volume may decrease which can lead
to loss of potential muscle growth over time
MACHINES VS. FREE WEIGHTS
I will always recommend free weights over machines unless it is a specific
isolation exercise. Controlling weight in a 3D space compared to a fixed
plane is much more difficult when the same weight is used. Almost all
compound exercises will be done with free weights, but machines do
have their place. If you are at a gym that only has Smith Machines
(Barbells that are fixed to a machine), most of these exercises can be
completed on the Smith Machine or just implement the dumbbell
exercises.
BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES
Bodyweight exercises are implemented the same way as free weight
exercises in this program. If you struggle with basic bodyweight exercises
(push-ups, squats, pullup/chin-ups) I would implement them into your
program until you have 15+ reps (although, 15+ pullups or chin-ups is an
impressive feat, so a more realistic goal is 5-10 since many people may
not be close to their first pullup or chin-up).
FORM
In this book, I will not go over form. There are great resources online that
show what perfect form looks like for any exercise. I highly recommend
you invest your time in watching Jeff Nippard’s Technique Tuesday Series
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on YouTube. These are excellent quality videos, in which he breaks down
form for everyone. Jeff Nippard is a channel everyone should watch by
clicking here or going to YouTube and searching “Jeff Nippard Technique
Tuesday”.
TRAINING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS
POTENTIAL TRAINING DIFFERENCES FOR MEN AND WOMEN
It is my opinion there are not many training differences between the
sexes, and science is still quite confused about this topic as well.
However, women might benefit from a higher rep training program. So
while this training program has most of the compound movements
generally in the 4 to 10 rep range, women may benefit from a rep range of
8-15 for compound lifts. Honestly, this is a very loose recommendation
though. As long as you can continually gain strength in the gym, there
isn’t much to worry about.
LIFTING WHEN YOU ARE OLDER
If you are an older individual (I am going to let you define “older”) looking
to start lifting weights, it may be wise to stay in an “experimental phase”
for a longer period of time. What I mean by this is experiment with the
exercises in the book for a couple of weeks and make notes of what
works with your body and what doesn’t. Don’t aggravate your aches and
pains. Second, take a slower pace to the workout program. While a
younger person can progress on exercises with good form every other
week or even every week with proper sleep, nutrition, and grit, taking a
slower pace can ensure that you don’t push TOO hard and injure yourself
and you aren’t trying to jump the rep. Instead of trying to progress every
week, do the same reps for 2 weeks, then try to push for the extra reps.
You and your doctor know best though, so it may be wise to have a
consultation with them about any concerns you may have.
TRACKING YOUR WORKOUTS
It is vital that you track your workouts with any weightlifting program. With
this program, you will have 15+ different exercises you do each week;
your brain is not going to remember each rep count and weight for each
lift each week. You need to write down what you did for each set each
time you exercise. Whether this is in a journal, an excel file on your
phone, or an app, keeping track is of the utmost importance to ensure you
are pushing yourself to gain strength on your lifts. A personal app I have
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been using for years is called FitNotes (available in the Google Play
store).
You are not going to see a physical difference in yourself overnight. Hell,
maybe not much even in a month. As humans we expect changes to
happen quite fast, but that usually never happens; the Grand Canyon
wasn’t carved in a day.
Because of the slow rate of potential muscle growth without the use of
performance-enhancing drugs, it will be hard for you to notice the
progress you're making week by week. This is why you need to track your
progress on the lifts. If you are getting stronger, you are putting on muscle
99% of the time (this isn’t specialized training where you are trying to
ONLY gain strength). Keep track of your workouts, enjoy the journey, and
you will put on muscle with proper training, nutrition, and rest.
HOW HARD SHOULD I PUSH MYSELF?
Always be close to failure. You don’t need to reach failure but be close.
Always be in an RPE range of 8-9 (having 2 reps or less in your tank).
Anything less and this won’t be as effective of a program.
DO I NEED TO FEEL SORE TO KNOW IT’S WORKING?
You don’t need to feel sore to know a program is working. By having a
full-body split over 3 days, you won’t feel sore all of the time because the
volume is spread out. Imagine running 10 miles in one day or running 2
miles a day for 5 days in a row. Which program do you think you will feel
sorer on even though you are accruing the same amount of distance over
the week? More likely the one where you run 10 miles in a day. With
spreading out the workouts, you don’t need to completely destroy the
muscle to see results. But despite having your volume spread out, in your
first couple of weeks you still may feel sore due to your body adapting.
What is most important to know if the program is working is if you are
becoming stronger in the gym.
You may experience what is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
(DOMS). Essentially DOMS means you might not feel sore the day after
working out, but maybe the second or third day it smacks you in the face
and you feel sore and stiff. This is a natural response; your body is
adapting to working out. Give it time and understand this will go away with
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time. If you are experiencing DOMS, it is still ok to workout on this
program because your volume isn’t terribly high for each body part during
one exercise session.
DEVELOPING THE MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION
The mind-muscle connection is essentially your ability to intentionally
contract a muscle. Developing a strong mind-muscle connection is very
important to ensure you are working the muscles you want to be working,
to improve your connection with your body, and to have stronger
contractions when working out which can lead to more muscle gain.
The mind-muscle connection is most important for isolation movements.
For compound movements many muscles will be involved, so you won’t
be focusing on only one muscle. But in isolation movements, for example,
a Tricep Pushdown, you want to focus on the tricep because that is the
only muscle we want working. We don’t want the shoulders or pecs to
come in when we are specifically trying to grow the triceps. This
connection is something that is developed over time. If you are having
trouble connecting to a muscle, try closing your eyes while you’re doing
the exercises with a lighter weight than usual and imagine only the
muscle you want targeted moving while you are doing that exercise.
Recording yourself and or looking in the mirror at the gym can also give
you visual cues to see if your posture and form are correct.
WORKING AROUND INJURIES/WORKOUT SUBSTITUTIONS
Do you need to do the exercises recommended in this book if you have
an injury? Of course not. Find a substitution that doesn’t bother your back,
knee, elbow, shoulder, etc. If you can’t do a compound free weight lift,
substitute it for a machine (instead of bench pressing use a machine
press) or a different variation of the exercise that works for you.
Experiment enough and you will find exercises that work with your body if
you have injuries. Don’t aggravate your injuries. It may be wise to see if
there are corrective exercises to help with this injury.
Secondly, instead of adding two or three isolation movements at the end
of your workout, you can add mobility exercises or exercises to
strengthen the weak part of your body. You might not see the same
results on your isolation movements, but your body won’t hurt as much.
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EXERCISE SELECTION
Finally! We made it to the meat of the book (or the soy if that’s your thing).
To kick off how to structure your program, let us look at the exercises that
will be used. Since each week you will be exercising each body part three
times, I recommend programming three different variations that will target
the muscle differently. Below I have laid out how you can target the
muscle three different ways each week which stimulates many of the
muscle fibers in your workout.
CHEST: Incline bench exercise, flat bench exercise, fly movement
BACK: Lateral pull, above head pull, weighted hold
LEGS: Quads, hamstrings, quad single leg
SHOULDERS: An overhead movement, lateral movement, rear delt
movement
BICEPS: Arms in front (using both arms), arms behind the body, arms in
front (single arm)
TRICEPS: Arms overhead, arms in front, push movement
CALVES: Legs shoulder width, legs narrow, legs outside shoulder width,
OR toes pointed in, toes pointed out, toes pointed forward
GLUTES: Hip thrust movement, hip flexor movement, hip thrust
movement
ABS: Crunch variation, leg raise variation, obliques
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MAIN MOVEMENTS
To make your exercise selection choice easier, here are the exercises for
each category that you will be able to progressively overload. Each
exercise will have an “I” for “Isolation” or a “C” for “Compound” next to the
selection so you know which rep ranges to apply to that exercise which
will be covered soon.
CHEST
*Notice decline bench positions are not in this program. This is due to two
items. First, many gyms do not have a decline bench. Second, the decline
bench is mainly used for lower pec development and doesn’t involve as
much tricep and front delt. However, if you want to include it in your
program just substitute an incline press for a decline press if you want to
focus on the lower chest.
INCLINE
FLAT
FLY
Incline Barbell
Bench Press (C)
Flat Barbell Bench
Press (C)
Machine Fly (I)
Incline Dumbbell
Bench Press (C)
Dumbbell Bench
Press (C)
Flat Dumbbell Fly
(I)
Landmine Press
(C)
Pushups (C)
Incline Dumbbell
Fly (I)
Decline Pushups
(feet elevated) (C)
Dips (weighted or
unweighted) (C)
Low Cable Fly (I)
Cable Fly (I)
High to Low Cable
Fly (I)
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BACK
*In general, when your palms face towards you during a back movement
(Supinated Grip), it will involve more biceps, as compared to when your
palms face away from you (Pronated Grip), it will involve more of your
back.
*When considering exercise selection, I recommend Trap Bar Deadlifts as
a safer alternative to the traditional Deadlifts for those who are worried
about injuries. It is not that they are dangerous, it is usually an incorrect
form that hurts people.
LATERAL
ABOVE
WEIGHTED HOLD
Barbell Row
(Pronated Grip) (C)
Pullup (assisted or
unassisted) (C)
Trap Bar Deadlift
(C)
Barbell Row
(Supinated Grip)
(C)
Chinup (assisted or
unassisted) (C)
Sumo Deadlift (C)
One Arm Dumbbell
Row (C)
Wide Grip Pullup
(assisted or
unassisted) (C)
Deadlift (C)
Seated Cable Row
(C)
Neutral Grip Pullup
(assisted or
unassisted) (C)
Rack or Block Pull
(C)
Pendlay Row (C)
Lat pulldown
(Pronated Grip) (C)
Inverted Row
(Pronated Row) (C)
Lat pulldown
(Supinated Grip)
(C)
Inverted Row
(Supinated Grip)
(C)
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SHOULDERS
* The seated “PUSH” movements for shoulders will be generally safer if
you are a lifter who is concerned about injuries. Standing “PUSH”
movements are fine as long as you keep your form in check.
PUSH
LATERAL
REAR
Seated Barbell
Overhead Press
(C)
Lateral Cable Raise
(I)
Rear Delt Machine
Fly (I)
Standing Barbell
Overhead Press
(C)
Lateral Dumbbell
Raise (I)
Rear Delt Dumbbell
Fly (I)
Seated Dumbbell
Overhead Press
(C)
Lying Dumbbell
Raise (I)
Cable Face Pulls (I)
Standing Dumbbell
Overhead Press
(C)
Lateral Raise
Machine (I)
Band Pull Aparts (I)
Seated Arnold
Press (C)
Upright Barbell
Row (C)
Cable “Y” Raise (I)
Standing Arnold
Press (C)
Wall Assisted
Handstand
Pushups (C)
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LEGS
QUADS
HAMSTRING
SINGLE LEG
Barbell Squat (C)
Romanian Deadlift
(C)
Dumbbell Lunge
(C)
Leg Press (C)
Leg Curl Machine
(I)
Dumbbell Reverse
Lunge (C)
Front Squat (this
exercise is geared
towards
intermediate level
lifters) (C)
Good Mornings (C)
Barbell Lunge (C)
Hack Squat (C)
Bulgarian Split
Squat (C)
Smith Machine
Bulgarian Split
Squat (C)
Split Squat (C)
Leg Extension
Machine (I)
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ACCESSORY MOVEMENTS
BICEPS
BOTH ARMS
ARMS BEHIND
SINGLE ARM
Barbell Curl (I)
Seated Incline
Dumbbell Curl (I)
Dumbbell Curl (I)
Cable Curl (I)
Seated Incline
Hammer Curl (I)
Single Arm Cable
Curl (I)
Chinup (Assisted
or Unassisted) (C)
Bayesian Cable
Curl (I)
Dumbbell Hammer
Curl (I)
Barbell Drag Curl
(I)
Dumbbell Preacher
Curl (I)
Barbell Preacher
Curl (I)
TRICEPS
OVERHEAD
INFRONT
PUSH
Overhead Tricep
Cable Extension (I)
Cable Rope Tricep
Pushdown (I)
Close Grip Bench
Press (C)
One Arm
Overhead Tricep
Cable Extension (I)
One Arm Cable
Tricep Pushdown
(I)
Tricep Pushups
(Put weight on
your back when it
becomes too easy)
(C)
Skull Crushers (I)
EZ Bar Cable
Tricep Pushdown
(I)
Tricep Dumbbell
Press (C)
Floor Skull
Crushers (I)
Tricep Pushdown
Machine (I)
Tricep Dips
(Weighted or
Unweighted) (C)
Dumbbell Skull
Crushers (I)
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CALVES
*These exercises for calves should be done in each of these positions
over the three days: Legs shoulder width, inside shoulder width, and
outside shoulder width, OR toes pointed in, pointed out, and pointed
forward.
Donkey Calf Raise (I)
Single Leg Calf Raise (Can hold a dumbbell to make it
weighted) (I)
Smith Machine Calf Raise (I)
Calf Extension Machine (I)
Calf Press on a Leg Press Machine (I)
Seated Calf Raise (I)
GLUTES
*To program Glutes use the format Glutes on day 1, Hip flexor exercise on
day 2, then glutes again on day 3.
GLUTES
HIP FLEXOR
Barbell Hip Thrust (have some
padding in between you and
the barbell) (C)
Hip Abductor Machine (Do
both push and pull for one set)
(I)
Single Leg Hip Thrust (C)
Lateral Lunge (I)
Glute Kickback Machine (I)
Lateral Banded Walk
Cable Kickback (I)
Lateral Cable Leg Raise (I)
Kneeling Smith Machine Squat
(I)
Side Lying Leg Raise (I)
Wide Goblet Squat (C)
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ABS
CRUNCH
LEG RAISE
OBLIQUES
Ab Crunch (I)
Lying Leg Raise
(I)
Russian Twist (I)
Ab Crunch Machine (I)
Scissor Kicks (I)
Decline Oblique
Crunch (I)
Kneeling Cable Crunch
(I)
V Up (I)
Side Plank Hip
Lift (I)
Decline Crunch (I)
Hanging Leg
Raise (Bent
Knees) (I)
Hanging Oblique
Leg Raise (Bent
Knees) (I)
Hanging Leg
Raise (Straight
Legs) (I)
Hanging Oblique
Leg Raise
(Straight Legs)
(I)
Captain's Chair
Leg Raise (Bent
Knees) (I)
Captain’s Chair
Oblique Leg
Raise (Bent
Knees) (I)
Captain's Chair
Leg Raise
(Straight Legs)
(I)
Captain's Chair
Oblique Leg
Raise (Straight
Legs) (I)
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REPS, SETS, AND REP RANGES
THREE SETS FOR EACH EXERCISE.
In the program, you will do 3 sets for each exercise scheduled that day.
While 3 sets of exercises sounds like a small amount, this is a great
amount to build muscle, if and only if, each set is pushed close to failure.
If you are doing a set but your body has 3+ reps that it could muster out,
you aren’t going hard enough and you will not see the results you want.
Each exercise needs to be taken close to failure with at most 2 reps left in
the tank. You don’t have to reach failure but be close. PUSH YOURSELF
(safely). There will be numbers next to each exercise in the program. That
is to symbolize how many sets you do and what the rep range you are
working in (rep ranges are talked about in the section below). The formula
will look like this:
NUMBER OF SETS x REP RANGE
So, in final it will look like this since all of our sets will be 3
3 x REP RANGE
HOW LONG TO REST
How long to rest between sets is up to debate by many people. However,
the point of this program is to push yourself near to failure each set, so
keeping up and improving your volume is what matters most which is why
on compound exercises your rest period is at least 3 minutes.
As a general rule of thumb:
For compound lifts: Rest 3-5 minutes
For Isolation lifts: 1-2 minutes
EFFECTIVE REP RANGES FOR EXERCISES
Looking at the exercises above, it is important to understand how many
repetitions should be performed for each exercise, which is why the rep
range was invented. A rep range is a numbered range that you perform
your selected exercise in. In terms of this program, compound lifts will
generally have lower rep ranges (4-10) because with more muscles
involved you will be able to move more weight which gives you the ability
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to go heavier and still make progress week to week. Isolation lifts will
generally have higher rep ranges (8-20) because you are working a single
muscle so it will be harder to move heavy amounts of weight, which is
why you will generally move lighter amounts of weights for higher reps so
you can make progress week to week. HOWEVER! These rules can be
broken of course. As you accumulate years into weight lifting and your
knowledge increases, it could be beneficial to bench press for high rep
sets (15+) instead of low rep work, and vice versa do low rep work (4-6)
on an isolation lift like a bicep curl. But if you are just starting weightlifting
and have no experience, I would stick to the recommendations laid out
below.
The general thought process for rep ranges are as follows:
1-5 Reps for STRENGTH
6-8 Reps for STRENGTH AND HYPERTROPHY
8-12 Reps for HYPERTROPHY
12-15 Reps for HYPERTROPHY AND ENDURANCE
15+ Reps for ENDURANCE
In this program, I do not recommend lifts below 4 reps. While 4 reps are
still considered “strength”, it is a great middle ground to still gain low rep
strength and hypertrophy with lower risks of an injury. Save less than 3
reps for the powerlifters (if you want to start powerlifting that is a whole
different topic). Yes, hitting a 1 Rep Max feels great, but if you’re just
starting lifting or are an older lifter, I would stay away from 3 reps or less
unless powerlifting is an avenue you would like to explore.
Rep ranges recommended in the program:
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
15-20
Compound lifts will usually be in the 4-6, 6-8, and 8-10 rep ranges while
most accessory/isolation lifts will usually be programmed in the 8-10,
10-12, and 12-15. Exercises that usually require such high rep ranges
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(15+) consistently are the lateral/rear shoulder exercises. The lateral and
rear shoulder exercises should stick within the rep ranges of 10-20 since
progressing on these exercises are difficult without cheating on your form.
How these rep ranges work in your workout program is to start at the
bottom of the rep range and progressively try to get stronger in that rep
range week by week. When you hit the top of the rep range, you start at
the bottom again and increase the weight of the exercise by 5 pounds.
For example, if you were squatting and you started with 135lbs and you
did the 3 sets at 6 reps the first week, the next week on the exercise you
should try for 3 sets of 7. Week 3 you try for 3 sets of 8 and hurray! You
made it to the top of the rep range! Next week, start over at 3 sets of 6 but
with 140lbs.
If you restart the rep range with the new weight and you aren’t able to
move that weight in the designated rep range, like if you're supposed to
bench 140lbs for 6 reps but you were only able to get 3 sets of 5 or 4, that
is okay. You have two options: bench 140lbs for 5 reps this week and
expand your rep range (5-8 now instead of 6-8) or go back down to
135lbs and try benching that for reps of 8+ for your sets. Don’t stress, be
adaptable.
Most likely you won’t be able to add one rep to every single set every
single week as well. In week 2 if you can only do one of the sets at 7 reps
and then two sets at 6 reps, that's fine! That's still an improvement from
last week! Then week 3 try for 2 sets of 7 and 1 set of 6. Then the week
after 3 sets of 7. Don't get discouraged if you don't improve every single
week. Some days you may be more tired than others or you could still be
sore. Just try again next week. However, if you don’t improve in more than
two weeks refer to the “What If I’m Not Progressing Section” towards the
end of the book.
DON’T PROGRESSIVELY CHEAT, PROGRESSIVELY OVERLOAD
This is a very critical point for all lifting programs. You need to ensure that
you do not progressively cheat on lifts. What I mean by this is making the
exercise easier while increasing the weight to trick yourself into thinking
you’re progressing. Let us imagine you’re squatting and making great
progress. One week you squat 3 sets of 6 with 225lbs, next week you get
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3 sets of 8, then you feel it’s time to squat 230. BUT, what you haven’t
noticed is that you're not getting stronger. What is happening is you aren’t
going as deep into your squats. Instead of going parallel, you start
stopping your squat two inches above parallel, shortening the range of
motion allowing you to do more weight.
The same thing can be done during a bench press (not touching your
chest), pullups (not going as far down), a barbell shoulder press (not
lowering the weight all the way down or using momentum to push the
weight), and virtually any exercise. Don’t progressively cheat,
progressively overload.
REP TEMPO
So now that you understand rep ranges, it is important to understand Rep
Tempo. This is how fast you should do the exercise. It is usually written
with 4 numbers to define each part of the exercise and how many
seconds it should take. So let us examine 3-1-2-1.
First Number (3): The eccentric portion of the exercise (lowering during a
squat). This should take 3 seconds if the model is 3-1-2-1.
Second Number (1): The bottom portion of the lift is when the muscle is
fully contracting (sitting at the bottom of the squat). This would be for 1
second in 3-1-2-1.
Third Number (2): The concentric portion of the lift (squatting up the
weight). This would be for 2 seconds in 3-1-2-1.
Fourth Number (1): How long you stay in the starting position (standing at
the top of the squat). This would be for 1 second in 3-1-2-1.
As a beginner lifter, it would be wise to start with the 3-1-2-1 model to
ensure you lower the weight safely, stop at the bottom, then try to explode
with force to move the weight back up faster than you lowered it, then
hang out for one second at the top. As you get more into your lifting
career it can be fun to experiment with different rep tempos which could
include working on speed (2-0-1-0 for a quick eccentric then an explosive
concentric) or incorporating pause reps where you “squeeze” the muscle
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when it’s fully contracted (1-3-1-1). There are countless variations for
different goals. But if you are beginning just stick with 3-1-2-1.
THE BREATH
Proper use of your breath is vastly under-rated when it comes to
performing proper reps, but luckily it is very easy to do. Let’s look at the
squat again. During the eccentric phase of the squat (lowering down),
breathe in and brace your abs, and during the concentric phase of the
squat (coming back up), breathe out. This applies to every exercise.
Every time you are getting ready to exert force breath in and brace your
abs when you are exerting that force breath out.
26
MAKING YOUR 3 DAY A WEEK
PROGRAM
So now you know which exercises to program, the suggested rep ranges
for the types of exercises, rep tempo for the exercises, and how to
breathe. Now all you need to know is how to make it efficient in 3 days!
Luckily, this is very simple. Follow the outline below and supplement it
with the exercises from the charts in the “Exercise Selection” section, and
I will also explain the reasoning for how it is programmed.
KEY:
Back Exercises
Chest Exercises
Leg Exercises
Shoulder Exercises
Isolation Exercise 1 Isolation Exercise 2
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
Quad Exercise
Flat Chest Exercise
Weighted Hold
Exercise
Lateral Back
Exercise
Hamstring Exercise
Incline Chest
Exercise
Chest Fly Exercise
Above Head Back
Exercise
Single Leg
Exercise
Shoulder Push
Shoulder Lateral
Shoulder Rear
ABS
Accessory Exercise Accessory Exercise Accessory Exercise
1(A)
1(B)
1(C)
Accessory Exercise Accessory Exercise Accessory Exercise
2(A)
2(B)
2(C)
Ab Crunch
Exercise
Ab Leg Raise
Exercise
Ab Oblique
Exercise
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First note about the format: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 are not consecutive
days in a row. Ideally, you have a day where you workout (Monday), a
rest day, another workout day (Wednesday), a rest day, and then your last
workout day for the week (Friday). It doesn’t matter what days of the week
you stagger it, just try to ensure you have a day of rest between each
workout day.
Secondly, I define the “Accessory Exercises” as nonessential exercises to
maximizing your muscle potential. What I mean by this is since you will be
doing mostly compound lifts for legs, back, shoulders, and chest, almost
all of your muscles will be stimulated to grow. However, the assisting
muscles won’t be as targeted as they could be. That’s why the “Accessory
Exercises” are included in the workout. These could be triceps, biceps,
glutes, or calves. Choose your “Accessory Exercises” based on your
goals.
Lastly, you may also notice the only rotating exercises are the legs, chest,
and back exercises. This is due to these areas having the biggest muscle
masses on your body and you want to give them priority each day. So
Day 1 will have leg priority, Day 2 will have chest priority, and Day 3 will
have back priority. Your first exercise is when you're fresh, so in theory,
you will be able to push the most weight during that set which is why they
rotate. In most programs, the squat, bench, and deadlift are usually
staples as they are also the first three exercises. These movements
require a lot of practice so it is good to do them when you’re fresh.
You can modify the order of everything else in this program. For a general
rule of thumb, the body parts you want to improve the most on should
come earlier in the workout. So if shoulders aren’t a priority for you and
you really want a juicy butt and nice calves (your accessories), program
your workout like this:
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DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
Quad Exercise
Flat Chest
Exercise
Weighted Hold
Exercise
Lateral Back
Exercise
Hamstring
Exercise
Incline Chest
Exercise
Chest Fly Exercise
Above Head Back
Exercise
Single Leg
Exercise
Glute Exercise
Hip Flexor
Exercise
Glute Exercise
Calf Exercise
(Toes In)
Calf Exercise (Toes
Out)
Calf Exercise
(Toes Straight)
Shoulder Push
Shoulder Lateral
Shoulder Rear
Ab Crunch
Exercise
Ab Leg Raise
Exercise
Ab Oblique
Exercise
The program is highly malleable for exercise selection and your goals.
Whatever your goals are for your body, program them earlier in the
workout after the three main lifts (chest, back, and legs). I would not
change the daily order of the Chest, Back, Leg, and Shoulder exercises
since they are selected with intention. Chest Flys are good company for a
push movement with shoulders because flat chest or incline chest
exercises often involve the front delt which is what the shoulder push
exercises work. This is why the lateral and rear shoulder movements are
programmed on the other chest push days. By pairing the chest fly with
the shoulder push, you won’t be pushing with them twice in the same day.
Also, on Day 3 when you have a “Weighted Hold” movement, the rest of
the exercises will generally be “lower back free” since your lower back
may become fatigued with a heavy weighted hold.
Now since you see the order of the exercise selection, we need to add
rep ranges to these exercises. Remember the suggested rep ranges for
compound and isolation lifts? Luckily you don’t have to because I wrote it
again here:
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Recommended Compound Rep Ranges
4-6
6-8
8-10
Recommended Isolation Rep Ranges
8-10
10-12
12-15
15-20
As I stated earlier, it is ok to break the rules and go higher in the
compound rep ranges or lower in the isolation rep ranges. However, for
the beginning of your working out career, these recommendations will
serve you greatly.
DELOADS
Deload periods are a week you can take off from lifting or where you only
move 50% of the weight you usually move for each exercise. For
example, if you are currently trap bar deadlifting 225lbs, half that for the
week and do sets of 110lbs to 115bs. In this program, I do recommend
having a deload week every 2 months if you are a person with a very
consistent schedule because it allows your body to have a period of
healing and gives your joints a rest. However, if you are a person who has
a sporadic schedule where you are able to lift for 3 weeks in a row but
then you miss a week or you are only to get one workout in due to life
happenings, I would recommend skipping the deload week since you are
already giving your body that opportunity to rest.
INCORPORATING ROTATING REP RANGES
The easiest way to work through the rep ranges and to make sure your
workouts don’t get stale is to rotate them after your deload or every 2
months. So for example, if in the first 2 months you were doing a leg
exercise for 4-6 reps, the next two months focus on 6-8, and the other two
months 8-10. Then after that, you can start the cycle over again at 4-6. I
would also recommend having each of the three days of each exercise in
a different rep range. Let's go with legs for our example. The leg exercise
on day one could be 4-6. The leg exercise on day 2 could be 6-8, and the
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leg exercise on day 3 could be 8-10. After your two month period switch
the rep ranges. So now the leg exercise on day 1 is 6-8, the leg exercise
on day 2 is 8-10, and the leg exercise on day 3 is 4-6. You can do this for
all exercises, but it won’t always line up perfectly because sometimes you
might have a compound lift on one day and an isolation lift on the other.
Don’t worry if your rep ranges aren’t all perfectly staggered.
With switching the rep ranges, you can also switch your exercises every
two months. However, if you are wanting to ego lift and want a “big”
barbell squat, barbell bench press, and deadlift to compare with your gym
bros/gals, it would be good to keep these exercises in your program so
your body can become efficient at the movements.
I do not recommend switching exercises or rep ranges more often than
every 2 months to “confuse the muscle” because the muscle needs time
to become proficient in the movement. You just don’t want it to become
too proficient when it stops adapting to the stimulus, then it won’t feel the
need to grow anymore.
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SAMPLE PROGRAM
So here is an example for a 6 month program with a focus on getting
bigger arms (remember, the numbers are SETS x REP RANGE):
MONTHS 1-2
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
Squat
3x4-6
Flat Barbell Bench
Press
3x4-6
Trap Bar Deadlift
3x4-6
Overhand Barbell
Row
3x6-8
Romanian Deadlift
3x6-8
Incline Dumbbell
Bench Press
3x6-8
Cable Fly
3x8-10
Weighted Pull Ups
3x8-10
Bulgarian Split
Squat
3x8-10
Seated Barbell
Overhead Press
3x8-10
Cable Lateral
Raise
3x10-12
Rear Delt Machine
Fly
3x12-15
Barbell Curl
3x8-10
Seated Incline
Dumbbell Curl
3x10-12
Dumbbell Preacher
Curl
3x12-15
Overhead Tricep
Cable Extension
3x10-12
EZ Bar Cable
Tricep Pushdown
3x12-15
Close Grip Bench
Press
3x8-10
Kneeling Cable
Crunch
3x10-12
Lying Leg Raise
3x12-15
Russian Twist
3x15-20
DELOAD WEEK
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MONTHS 2-4
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
Squat
3x6-8
Flat Barbell Bench
Press
3x6-8
Trap Bar Deadlift
3x6-8
Seated Cable Row
3x8-10
Leg Curl Machine
3x8-10
Incline Barbell
Bench Press
3x8-10
Machine Fly
3x10-12
Overhand Lat
Pulldown
3x4-6
Dumbbell Lunge
3x4-6
Seated Dumbbell
Press
3x4-6
Dumbbell Lateral
Raise
3x12-15
Cable Face Pulls
3x15-20
Skull Crushers
3x12-15
Cable Rope Tricep
Pushdown
3x8-10
Tricep Dips
3x10-12
Barbell Preacher
Curl
3x10-12
Seated Incline
Hammer Curl
3x12-15
Dumbbell Curl
3x8-10
Ab Crunch
Machine
3x12-15
Captain’s Chair
Leg Raise (Bent
Knees)
3x15-20
Hanging Oblique
Leg Raise
3x10-12
DELOAD WEEK
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MONTHS 4-6
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
Squat
3x8-10
Flat Barbell Bench
Press
3x8-10
Trap Bar Deadlift
3x8-10
One Arm Dumbbell
Row
3x4-6
Romanian Deadlift
3x4-6
Incline Dumbbell
Bench Press
3x4-6
High to Low Cable
Fly
3x12-15
Wide Grip Pullup
3x6-8
Leg Extension
Machine
3x6-8
Seated Dumbbell
Arnold Press
3x6-8
Lateral Raise
Machine
3x15-20
Cable “Y” Raise
3x10-12
Chinup
3x12-15
Bayesian Cable
Curl
3x8-10
Single Arm Cable
Curl
3x10-12
Dumbbell Skull
Crushers
3x8-10
Tricep Pushdown
Machine
3x10-12
Tricep Pushups
3x12-15
Decline Crunch
3x15-20
Captain’s Chair Leg
Raise (Straight
Legs)
3x10-12
Decline Oblique
Crunch
3x12-15
You may notice for the accessory exercises I have biceps then triceps in
months 1-2, then I switched them in months 3-4, then again in months
5-6. This is to make the priority of my accessory exercises even over
time. So while my biceps will get the first stimulus over the triceps in
months 1-2, in months 2-4 the triceps will come first, then biceps again in
months 4-6.
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And there it is! You now have the exercises, recommended rep ranges,
and workout schedule to have an almost endless amount of weightlifting
routines. Happy lifting!
ADVICE FOR FIRST TWO WEEKS OF WORKING OUT
Take it slow, start light, and work on form for the first two weeks if you are
just starting out. Make sure working on your form is the top priority for
these two weeks and not pushing numbers. Proper form will keep you
safe and ensure an injury doesn’t stop you from working out.
Also, start with lightweights for the first two weeks. If you have not worked
out in a long time or ever, you will become very intimate with DOMS and
it’s not a good time. Just take it slow, there is no need to push the
envelope just yet. If you feel you need more time than two weeks to get
acquainted with the gym that is fine as well. You will have a lifetime of
gains, so another week or two is just a drop in the bucket.
VARIATIONS TO THE WORKOUT
If you are the type of person that is really strapped for time there are other
ways to structure the workout. If you don’t have an hour to an hour and a
half to commit to working out you could split the workout into 6 days, but
each workout would be very short. The first day would include the legs,
chest, and back portions of your workout, then the second day would
include shoulders, abs, and the two accessory movements you have
programmed in. Each day is split in half so you have 6 days instead of 3.
However, if you can’t even commit that amount of time as long as you do
the main compound lifts for chest, legs, back, and shoulders consistently,
you will still see good results despite not having the accessory
movements in your program
WHAT TO DO ON OFF DAYS
On the off days you are not lifting weights, it would be wise to fit some
other active recovery into your schedule if you have the extra time. This
could look like a session for stretching, yoga, foam rolling, jogging,
walking, play a sport, dance, clean, etc. On your off days, it is important
that you still MOVE. I am not saying you have to run or exhaust yourself,
just MOVE. An hour of exercise does not negate a whole day of sitting.
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WARMUPS
The first part of every workout should include a warmup. Warmups
literally warm up your body and increase blood flow which decreases
chances for injury since your muscles are primed and ready to workout.
Warmups don’t have to be long and tedious. At most, it needs to be 10
minutes.
What I recommend for a quick warmup is 5 minutes on a rowing machine,
jump roping, walking on an inclined treadmill or stair stepper. Anything
that will get you warm and sweating just a little, but not tired.
Secondly, If you feel like you want more of a dynamic warmup, I highly
recommend doing the full Agile 8 warmup by Joe DeFranco after your 5
minutes of cardio. This includes 8 quick moves that will increase lower
body mobility.
The quick rundown:
1. Foam rolling your IT Band (the outside of the thigh) 10-15 times.
2. Foam roll your adductors (your groin area) 10-15 times.
3. Place a tennis ball under one butt cheek and sit on the ball
massaging each cheek for 30 seconds.
4. Rollovers into “V” sits. Spread your legs like a “V” while sitting and
roll onto your back bringing your feet over your head. Try to have
them touch the ground behind your head. Roll back forward and
sit in that “V” sit. Do this 10 times.
5. Fire Hydrant Circles. Get on all fours and make a big circle with
one leg. Do 10 times forward and 10 times backwards with each
leg.
6. 20 Mountain climbers.
7. Groiners. Get in a mountain climber position, but this time you
swing your leg next to your hand instead of tucking your knees in.
5 reps each leg.
8. Static hip flexor stretch. Kneel down and put one leg in front
feeling a stretch in your groin/hip flexor area. Do 3 sets of 10
seconds on each leg.
ARTICLE LINK WITH VIDEO:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/defranco-agile-8
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Alright! Now you're almost ready to lift weights! Each compound exercise
will also have a set of warmups. Even though your body is warmed up, it
is important to draw blood to the specific area that you will be exercising
so you can push as much weight as SAFELY as possible.
Before each compound exercise, you should do one set of 10 with 50% of
your working weight, rest for a minute, then a set of 6 with 75% of your
working weight. The weights don’t have to be exact to those percentages,
just make sure the weight is somewhere around them. This should take 3
minutes at most, then rest a minute before your first official set if you feel
you need it.
For example: If you're going to barbell bench press with 135 pounds for
your working sets, your warmup would look like this.
Warmup Set one.
65 - 70 pounds for 10 reps.
Rest for a minute.
100 pounds for 6 reps.
Rest for another minute.
Then start your 3 sets with 135 pounds.
You can apply this to your Isolation lifts as well, but in my personal
opinion, if you pushed yourself during the compound lifts, your muscles
should already be warmed up for the isolation lifts. However, doing at
least one warmup set before starting your isolation lifts is never a bad
idea.
Now that you are warmed up it’s time to actually lift! Follow your routine
for the day. At most the workout should take you an hour and a half (with
your warmup) even if you use the maximum resting time for each lift (3-5
minutes for compound lifts and 1-2 minutes for isolation lifts). If it is taking
you longer you are most likely not keeping track of how long you are
resting or talking too much.
After your workout, you can stretch, walk a little, do some cardio, or just
go home and eat. Your choice depends on how much time you have and
if you like having a cool down after the workouts.
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HOW TO GAIN OR LOSE WEIGHT
Before I get into how to gain or lose weight, below are principles that are
important for everyone regardless of your goals. Keep these in mind
whether you want to bulk up or slim down.
CUT, BULK, OR MAINTAIN?
If you are going to start weightlifting, it is a good idea to make goals for
yourself whether that is to maintain your weight, put on some muscle, or
lose some fat and gain muscle. If you are in question of what route you
should take, here is a quick and easy guide for your question on if you
should cut (lose weight), bulk (gain weight), or maintain your weight.
Are you obese?
Cut
Are you curvy, plump, rounded, or have a “few” extra pounds?
Cut
Do you identify with having a “Dad Bod?”
Cut
Are you skinny and you don’t fill up any shirt you put on?
Bulk
Are you a healthy individual who wants to gain size and strength?
Bulk
Would you call yourself “skinny fat?”
Bulk
Are you a healthy individual who doesn’t really want to gain too much size
but still wants to get stronger?
Maintain
OF COURSE there are exceptions to this. Decide what you want to do,
not because I wrote it in this book. Accumulate knowledge and make your
best decision.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING CALORIES
In order to be successful in any weight gain or weight loss journey, you
need to understand 99% of it comes from calories if you want significant
results. There are rarely any “ifs”, “ands” or “buts”; 99% of the time it all
depends on how many calories you are consuming. By understanding
this, the question becomes should tracking calories be mandatory like so
many people already do?
Tracking calories is a useful tool, but also a dangerous one. Many people
(including myself) have developed eating disorders by closely monitoring
food consumption and associating feelings of guilt when indulging in food
or not meeting caloric goals. What I think is more important than tracking
calories is understanding how many calories are in each food item. If you
understand what food items are calorically dense you can understand
what food items you should eat and shouldn’t eat. Read every nutrition
label, learn what a serving of pasta actually looks like, what a serving of
ice cream actually looks like, how eating a giant bowl of cereal at midnight
isn’t actually just one serving of cereal (my guilty pleasure), etc.
For example, walnuts are extremely healthy; BUT, did you know 14 halves
of a walnut is almost 200 calories. When was the last time you stopped at
14 halves of a walnut? A handful would have about twice that amount. If
you wanted to gain weight, nuts are an easy source of calories, great! If
you want to lose weight, nuts are like worshiping the devil since they will
never make you feel full unless you have about 2000 calories worth. I’m
exaggerating, but I think you understand. You need to understand caloric
content in foods to be successful if you want to lose or gain weight. This is
the most important.
Track calories for a month and make sure you are tracking
EVERYTHING. Ketchup, extra sauces, oils you cook with, the handful of
pretzels you snack on, supplements you take, everything. These things
slowly add up without your knowledge. When you have a baseline for how
many calories you are consuming, add about 200 to 300 calories to that
baseline if your goal is to lose weight and subtract 200 to 300 calories if
your goal is to gain weight. This will probably be a more accurate baseline
because, as humans, we are terrible at keeping track of what we eat and
being honest with ourselves. We tend to overestimate our progress
towards a goal without realized we are being dishonest with ourselves.
39
Again, what is most important is understanding the caloric content of your
meals and how much your body needs. Then you can start adjusting your
meals and snacks to lower or higher caloric options mentioned in the
sections below.
SHOULD I DO THE (insert Keto, Atkins, South Beach, etc.) DIET?
As a general rule of thumb (and my own personal rule) only make
changes that will be LIFETIME habitual changes. Want to do Keto?
Awesome, try it out; BUT, when you don’t want to do Keto anymore, YOU
HAVE TO RELEARN HOW TO EAT AGAIN. You have to figure out new
meals that won’t pack on weight, new healthy snacks, how many carbs
you want in your diet, etc. Trying diets can introduce you to new recipes
and foods you might not have tried before and it is good to experiment.
But don’t expect a special diet to be your savior for weight loss. Most of
these diets suck and when you are in an “I’m on a diet” mentality then
losing weight becomes even harder due to your psychological state of
feeling deprived from all of the food you “can’t” eat. Make HABITUAL
LIFETIME CHANGES, not a change for a month. Remember though,
baby steps, baby steps my friend are usually the best way. Little changes
here and there will add up over time. You can’t build an empire in a day.
WHAT SHOULD I EAT?
80/20 is a great rule for life. 80% of the time eat healthy unprocessed
foods. 20% of the time, treat yourself. Eat some ice cream, cookies,
donuts, chocolate, whatever. Only 20% of the time and in serving portions
that won’t put you above your caloric needs.
An easy way of looking at this is if you have 3 meals a day and two
snacks, have 3 healthy meals and a healthy snack (80%) and then have a
nice sugary/salty snack for your last snack (20%). You don’t have to
deprive yourself of the sugar addiction that 99% of people in developed
countries have. Just learn to enjoy it with moderation.
In terms of what actually to eat, you can’t go wrong with unprocessed
food. 80% of the time have home cooked meals with whole ingredients.
When I say unprocessed food I mean:
Lean meats
Fruits
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Vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts
Legumes
Natural oils
Etc…..
Don’t buy prepared frozen foods and call that a home cooked meal.
MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD. When you make your food, you are in control
of your consumption.
I don’t know what you like to eat, so it’s on you to find recipes you will
enjoy. Luckily with the power of the internet, it’s very easy to find recipes
that will fit your caloric needs and protein needs mentioned further in the
book. A great app/website to help you get started is EatThisMuch.com.
Eat This Much has many automatically generated meal plans that can be
adjusted into how many meals you want to eat, how many calories,
amount of carbs, fats, and proteins, and a lot more options. I highly
recommend you check it out.
If you are a person that rarely has home cooked meals, I highly
recommend you start. Just start slow. This month commit to having one
home cooked meal per week (let’s say on Thursday). Next month try
having two home cooked meals per week (Tuesday and Thursday) and
keep adding at a pace that you can stick to.
HOW MUCH PROTEIN?
Most bodybuilding recommendations for protein intake range from .7
grams to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. For
example, if you weigh 150lbs, your range would be from 105 (150 x .7) to
150 (150 x 1) grams of protein. While this is a great recommendation, this
recommendation is for bodybuilders who are trying to maximize their
muscle growth. For a person who is just trying to look good and live their
life, the upper limit of this range could be difficult to reach every day
without a very structured meal plan. Although it won’t be optimal
according to a lot of research, you will still build a great amount of muscle
even if you don’t consume the higher recommendation of protein. I would
recommend trying to reach that lower range of the protein intake
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recommendations at least, but if you don’t, don’t stress. You will still build
muscle.
HOWEVER, I would not dip below .6 grams per pound of body weight per
day. At this point you are really doing yourself a disservice. For average
sedentary people who don’t weight lift usually need to consume around .4
grams per pound of bodyweight according to Dietary Reference Intakes
from the National Institutes of Health.
SHOULD I TRACK MY WEIGHT?
Yes, it is important to track your weight to make sure you are on your way
to achieving your goals. Despite this, don’t become obsessed with the
numbers. Some days you will be heavier, some days you will drop weight.
It fluctuates so much within a week depending on how much salt and
water your body is holding. Key points to make sure you are tracking
accurately are:
1. Weigh yourself the same time every day in the same
setting. Preferably after you used the bathroom in the
morning and in your underwear so you’re not full of food
and the weight of your clothes won’t affect the scale.
2. Use your median weekly weight so you will have a more
reliable number from week to week. If you don’t know how
to find a median, Google is your friend.
MEAL TIMING
You may have seen and heard many people saying you “need” protein
immediately after a workout to maximize your muscle growth. While you
don’t necessarily “need” protein after a workout, there is no downside to
having a protein shake or high protein meal after your workout. What I
think may be an underrated meal is a pre-workout meal an hour or two
before you start working out. The reason a pre-workout meal can
enhance your training experience is it can provide a carb source (energy)
and protein source right before your workout. By the time you are done
exercising, the protein will be digesting in your system allowing for muscle
growth. A pre-workout meal doesn’t need to be super heavy. Ideally
around 50g of low fiber carbs (bananas, apples, rice cakes) and 20g to
30g of protein. Doing this ensures you have some carbs (fuel) for the
workout and protein in your system.
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What is more important than meal timing though is staying consistent with
your caloric intake goals mentioned in the sections below. But if you can
implement a pre-workout and post-workout meal, this can be only to your
benefit.
EAT YOUR PROTEINS FIRST
Whether you are trying to lose weight or gain weight it is always a good
idea to eat your proteins first in your meal to ensure you are reaching your
protein intake goal and you don’t get full from eating too many carbs
before you get your protein in. The rest of the meal is supplementary to
the protein. I know this goes against the traditional advice of always
eating your veggies first, but if you want to prioritize muscle growth you
should eat your proteins first.
DRINK MORE WATER
I know you all have heard your body is mostly made up of water, it aids in
recovery, digestion, transporting nutrients, many other bodily functions,
and that it has great benefits, so there is no need to divulge into that
information here. But, it is important that you start drinking more water
than you currently are. If you aren’t drinking the recommended eight,
eight-ounce glasses every day it would be a good time to start.
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THE “SECRETS” TO LOSING WEIGHT
EAT LESS, MOVE MORE
It is literally in the title of the section. That is how you lose weight. There is
no magic trick, no magical apple cider vinegar that will melt your fat off in
the morning, no amazing green tea extract that will get rid of your fat
without this principle. ALL OF THESE WEIGHTLOSS THINGS SOLD TO
YOU ARE LIES BECAUSE THEY ARE EFFORTLESS. You need to
swallow that pill right now if you want to be successful. It is not effortless
to lose weight. It requires a change of mind, body, and soul. If you want to
lose weight, here is the no frills simple guide. EAT LESS, MOVE MORE.
Below are common questions regarding losing weight, and sections with
my own personal advice for having meaningful weight loss. At the end of
the section, there will be Action Steps to implement what is mentioned in
this section.
I EAT HEALTHY BUT I AM NOT LOSING WEIGHT
I believe you. You know why? Because I know many people personally
who come up to me and say this, even my vegan friends. If they are
eating healthy why aren’t they losing weight? They don’t eat processed
sugar, processed food, corn syrup, GMOs, yada yada, but they still have
excess weight.
It’s because healthy eating ≠ weight loss.
Read that again.
One more time.
While healthy eating, hormones, and genetics all play a factor in weight
loss, these are crumbs compared to what causes weight loss, which is
eating fewer calories than you’re burning. Do you know why my vegan
friend is still overweight? It’s because he eats over 3000 calories a day
with nuts, oils, beans, lots of rice, and smoothies on a 5’ 8” frame. Healthy
eating isn’t his problem, it’s his caloric intake.
You eat a strictly organic diet with too many calories and I’ll only eat half a
pizza and drink two beers a day which is way under my caloric needs to
maintain my weight. You know who will lose weight? ME. I won’t feel
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good, in fact, I will probably become sick and malnourished; BUT, I could
lose weight eating garbage.
I am not saying eat crap all the time and try to lose weight. I am saying
get the notion out of your mind that eating only healthy foods will make
you lose weight. Eating fewer calories will, but eating healthy foods
makes it a lot easier since they are more satiating.
ARE CARBS BAD?
NO. Carbs are the fuel for the workout. Carbs give you energy. EXCESS
CARBS ARE FUEL FOR FAT. Bread isn’t bad and won’t make you fat;
eating excess bread is a great way to get fat. Pasta isn’t bad; eating a
whole bowl of pasta is another way of getting fat. Eat carbs, enjoy them,
but just don’t eat too much. Eat a serving each meal (just read your
nutrition labels) and have a piece of fruit as a snack. Don’t stress about it.
Carbs are delicious and easy to eat, especially when mixed with fat, sugar
or both. It boggles the human mind; ever notice how you can eat a whole
bag of chips without noticing till you're done? Usually, easy carb sources
won’t fill you up, so you keep eating them, putting away extra calories for
storage. Enjoy carbs, but moderately. Use them for workout fuel, not for
storage in your body.
FIND AND EAT FILLING FOODS
If you want to lose weight, look at what you're eating that doesn’t make
you feel full but has a lot of calories. Start replacing them with different,
low calorie, filling, foods.
For example:
Instead of eating 1 oz of potato chips, which is usually 13 chips (about
150 calories) eat 3 cups of air popped salted popcorn (about 100
calories).
Instead of eating ½ a cup of nuts with about 400 calories (even though
they are healthy) make some baked carrots.
You want food with volume that will sit in your stomach and make you feel
full. Healthy greens, lean meats, and foods with lots of fiber, all have high
effects on feeling full. Implement food items with these characteristics and
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you will be well on your way to losing weight without having to constantly
track calories.
THE #1 ITEM TO CUT OUT WHEN LOSING WEIGHT
You know what are the most useless calories when trying to lose weight?
Liquid calories. Soda, alcohol, fruit juice, fruit smoothies, etc. These are
useless calories that only give your body excess carbs and no feeling of
satiation. Liquid calories are good when trying to gain weight, but they are
your mortal enemy when trying to lose weight. Try supplementing your
usual choices for low-calorie (preferably zero-calorie) drinks like water,
tea, coffee (even with a little cream), seltzer water, or even diet pop if
you're having a craving. Slowly make these changes; don’t let the liquid
calories add up.
PURGE YOUR HOUSE OF TEMPTATION
As you start to make changes in your lifestyle, it is easier to reinforce
these changes if you get rid of temptation in your immediate
surroundings. What I mean by this is don’t buy the highly addicting
garbage we all love to eat and have it in your house. If I have a bunch of
delicious sugary snacks in my pantry, then guess what I am going to do:
eat them. If I don’t have a bunch of delicious sugary snacks in my pantry,
guess what I can’t do: eat them. I would have to put on clothes, get in the
car, walk in the store, debate what snacks I want, wait in line, drive home,
then finally I can enjoy my snack. If it isn’t in your home, the drive for
temptation is a lot less.
On a side note, never go grocery shopping hungry. Everything looks a lot
more enticing when you are hungry.
PORTION CONTROL AND EXPERIENCING HUNGER
I will get a little personal here. Coming from a Middle Eastern family
where traditionally your mother’s motto is “Eat!” (spoken in Arabic), I lost
a sense of what it was like to feel hungry. Imagine when you’re done with
your plate you have the norm of just eating more. Soon it becomes a habit
and you don’t really notice if you're eating to nourish your body or just
eating to eat. Excess eating permeates most cultures and wasn’t as bad
when humans moved more and didn’t have such high caloric foods to
binge on. Not just eating to eat, but eating to nourish the body takes a
long time to overcome. I have tried many things to reconnect with my
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stomach to actually listen when it is asking for food. Only one piece of
advice I read on some dark corner on the internet has ever helped me:
“If you wouldn’t eat a big bowl of salad right now, you’re not hungry”
(Now I know some people reading this book are going to be salad lovers
and could binge on salad all day, but you are the 1%, or maybe even less
than that, so replace a salad with something less appetizing for you if
you’re part of the 1%.)
If I had my portion of dinner and wanted more, first I had to think “Would I
have a big bowl of salad right now?” If the answer is no, most likely I am
full. If I keep looking in my fridge due to boredom or craving some sugary
goddess of a snack, I pause and ask myself “Would I eat a big bowl of
salad right now?” Usually, my answer is no. If it is a yes for once, enjoy
one of your low calorie snacks that you have been experimenting with, not
a sugary snack that will only stimulate your appetite even more OR make
yourself a salad since you will actually eat it.
Try to reconnect with your stomach and eat to nourish your body, not to
just consume. Still enjoy celebrations and a snack once in a while (80/20
my friend, 80/20).
I FEEL HUNGRY
There is something very sad I have to tell you. You will most likely feel a
little hungry when losing fat. Your body is trying to stay at the caloric
intake it is used to even if it doesn’t need it, so it is asking you to kindly
feed it despite it not needing the extra energy. Unfortunately feeling
hunger is just part of the journey. By eating highly dense, low caloric
foods, this will help negate some of the hunger you will experience.
THE ONLY “DIET” I WILL RECOMMEND
Intermittent Fasting is the only diet I will recommend. If you haven’t heard
of it, all you do is shorten the time frame in which you eat. If you usually
eat from 8 am to 8 pm, start having breakfast at 10 am and stop eating at
8 pm for a week. Maybe next week try eating from 12 pm to 8 pm. What
this does is cut out late night snacking and helps you eat fewer calories.
Your body will be fine fasting. Humans and animals have done it since the
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beginning of time. However, if you have any medical conditions that rely
on food consumption or are pregnant you should talk to your doctor.
Most people usually work their way up to an 8 hour eating window (10 am
to 6 pm,12 pm to 8 pm, 2 pm to 10 pm, 6 am to 2 pm, whatever works
with your schedule), and for those who really enjoy the fasting lifestyle
sometimes they go to a 6 hour eating window or a 4 hour eating window.
You will feel hungry the first week or two you start intermittent fasting, but
your body and mind will adjust, you just have to persevere through the
crap.
A personal tip about intermittent fasting is don’t get so hung up your
eating windows. If one day you eat an hour earlier or later past your
fasting window than usual, SO WHAT. This is life and it’s not perfect. You
don’t have to be so strict with yourself that you’re sitting by the clock
waiting for it to turn noon so your eating window has officially started
(something I did for a long time). Give yourself some leeway but try to
generally stick to your time frame.
I WANT TO LOSE FAT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE
Do you really? It’s going to suck ass. Have you ever watched the Biggest
Loser? If not, I am sure you have heard of it. Do you know what happens
after most of those people get off of the show? They gain most of their
weight back. Why? Because losing fat is more of a lifestyle change than
anything. They didn’t change their lifestyle. They tortured themselves for
about 16 weeks and learned a lot, but they were miserable the whole way
so nothing stuck. Now they associate weight loss with a crappy time.
There are no tricks. If someone is telling you there are quick tricks, they
are most likely lying. Slowly change your habits. Instead of soda, drink
some water. Instead of high calorie dressing opt for a low calorie option.
You need to change your habits for long term success. Don’t torture
yourself to only gain it back. MAKE LASTING CHANGES. It’s a marathon,
not a race, my friend.
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I GAINED WEIGHT OR I HAVEN’T LOST ANY WEIGHT SINCE
STARTING
If you are gaining weight it could be due to some water weight so don’t
freak out. However, if your weekly median weight has gone up you need
to monitor what you’re eating and figure out some meals that will keep
you satiated and full with lower calories. If you think your calories are on
track, there is another possibility. Since muscle weighs more than fat it is
possible that you are putting on muscle at the same rate you are losing
fat. STRONG DISCLAIMER, this really only applies to people that are
slightly overweight. If you have “a couple extra love handles”, this most
likely does not apply to you.
I STOPPED LOSING WEIGHT
There are two main things to look at if you stopped losing weight, but both
come down to the same answer, EAT LESS MOVE MORE. Has your
caloric intake slowly crept back up to where it used to be? If you’re not
sure, track for a week and see what your weekly average is. If it is high
then you need to lower it back down. I know, easier said than done. If
your eating has been consistent but suddenly you stopped losing weight
for more than two weeks, what happened is your body became
accustomed to the caloric intake, and it can process that amount of
calories without needing to burn fat. So, unfortunately, this means you will
need to cut back down on calories again.
Despite this, it would be a good idea to take a diet “break” for a week.
This is more for psychological reasons than anything. What I mean by a
diet break is you just allow yourself to consume 300-500 more calories
than usual every day for a week. Don’t binge on junk food, still follow the
80/20 rule. Just allow your body to refuel, allow your mind to be at ease,
and then figure out what calorically dense foods you can eat less of after
your week break.
SHOULD I PRIORITIZE WEIGHTLIFTING OR CARDIO TO LOSE
WEIGHT?
In all reality, weightlifting does not burn that many calories during the
session; BUT, it is important to prioritize it over cardio. Imagine a man that
weighs 200lbs of pure muscle and a man that weighs 200lbs with a little
muscle. Who will need more calories to fuel his body? The 200lb man of
muscle. Due to the increased muscle mass, this man has more active
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tissue to feed which raises his BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, essentially
how many calories your body needs for functioning while resting).
Over time, when you accumulate more muscle, your BMR will increase so
even when you are sitting around you will burn more calories than if you
didn’t have that muscle. This is not an excuse to sit on the couch and skip
cardio. Still take walks, do some running, but weight lift first if you are
going to do it on the same day as another activity so most of your energy
goes to accumulating volume and pushing meaningful weight which will
maximize your muscle growth.
WILL I LOSE MUSCLE WHILE SLIMMING DOWN?
This is a multifaceted question and it largely depends on how much body
fat you have. If you have a high body fat percentage (in my opinion, over
20%-25% for men depending on age and over 28% to 35% for females
depending on age), don’t worry about losing muscle while slimming down.
Your body still has plenty of fuel (fat) to feed your muscles even though
you’re not eating as many calories.
If you are below those percentages, it is possible you could lose some
muscle if you are trying to become very lean. If this is your goal, consider
upping your protein intake to 1 gram per pound of body weight or even
1.5 grams per pound to counteract your low caloric intake.
If your goal is to become extremely lean, I don’t think getting extremely
lean or “shredded” is in anyone’s interests. The human body needs fat to
survive and it is against the interest of your physical and mental health to
become extremely lean. Google “Olympic Athletes Body Types” and you
will see even the best athletes in the world aren’t super lean, most of
them have a healthy body fat amount. If becoming super shredded is still
a goal of yours, at least watch "Glen Gillen The UGLY Truth to Being
SHREDDED" on Greg Doucette’s YouTube channel and "How 1 YEAR of
Weight Gain Changed My Life Forever" on Stephanie Buttermore’s
YouTube Channel.
You can have a six pack and be healthy. If you want to see every muscle
fiber move in your body, there is a certain point where you get diminishing
returns for your efforts.
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ACTION STEPS TO LOSE WEIGHT
1. Track Calories for a month and determine your baseline caloric
intake. Read every nutrition label and understand the caloric
content in EVERYTHING you consume. If you want a more
accurate picture add 300 calories to your total to account for
human error.
2. Experiment and find what low calorie foods satiate you. Make a
meal book for yourself with meals that you enjoy, are filling, appeal
to your taste buds, and are low calorie for your caloric intake
needs. This will be an ongoing and most likely the longest step. It
took me over a year to really find foods I enjoyed that supported
my weight goals and which I enjoyed eating. Take your time; it’s a
marathon, not a sprint. But make at least one new meal per week
for at least 6 months. If you do that, you have tried 26 new meals!
3. Prioritize gaining muscle in the gym so you can burn more calories
when sedentary.
4. When you have time, implement a low stress form of cardio so it
doesn’t interfere with your weight training. Light jogging, walking,
bike riding, yoga, recreational sports, etc.
5. Make sure your sleep is on point (covered in the “Sleep” section).
6. If weight loss stops for more than 2 weeks, track your calories
again to make sure you aren’t over consuming. If you’re not over
consuming, congrats! It most likely means your body is able to
maintain its new weight with the number of calories you’re giving
it. What this means though is you have to start consuming fewer
calories again to stimulate weight loss again. Take a diet break for
a week before lowering your calories again.
7. Enjoy the process and if possible, get friends or family members
involved. Making changes are easier when you have a community
that will support new habits. There are also many Facebook
fitness communities that have great members and info.
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THE “SECRETS” TO GAINING WEIGHT
HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT?
EAT MORE. It’s not complicated. BUT, don’t stuff your face, don’t “dirty
bulk” (basically you eat whatever and whenever). Eat more, but at a
controlled pace. You only need 500 extra calories per day to gain weight
and build muscle. Any more than this and your body converts it into fat.
When putting on muscle you will gain a little fat, that is just the natural
order of things; BUT, you don’t want to gain a lot of fat in the process and
look like a marshmallow when you want to be chiseled. For a healthy
lifestyle, all you need is 500 extra calories to build muscle while
weightlifting.
STRATEGIES TO GAIN WEIGHT FOR THOSE WHO STRUGGLE
If you are someone who struggles to put on weight, here are three easy
things to implement into your life that can help you consume the calories
you need to grow.
#1
In my opinion, the easiest way without binging on garbage food is to eat
extra calories is to make protein smoothies. Because smoothies are
already blended your body doesn’t have to do as much work breaking
down the food so you will be hungry sooner. Have some protein powder,
full-fat milk (or plant milk), some type of nut butter, a banana or two, throw
some oats in, and even some honey. Now you have at least a 600 calorie
meal depending on your proportions that is nutritious, delicious, and you
will probably feel hungry again relatively quickly since the food is already
partially broken down.
#2
Start implementing high calorie foods into your meals or snacks to easily
consume your extra 500 calories. Yes, you could go eat fast food every
day, but I am trying to encourage you to keep your insides in good shape
as well.
Easy Examples to implement:
Nuts
Oils
Juices
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Shakes
Fattier Proteins
Rice
Dried Fruit
Bread
Avocados
Dark Chocolate
Full Fat Dairy
#3
Lastly, make your food more available. Start leaving snacks in various
sections of your home where you frequently are. Do you work at the
computer a lot? Leave a jar of trail mix or nuts next to your desk. Do you
like to play video games? Leave some dried fruit, jerky, or dark chocolate
next to the controllers. Do you watch TV? Leave a bag of unpopped
popcorn next to the remote. I hope you are getting the idea. Make food
readily available so you are triggered to eat.
DOES CARDIO KILL MY WEIGHT GAINS?
No, it doesn’t. EXCESSIVE cardio could. Running on an off day, doing
yoga, bike riding is not going to kill your gains. What will kill your gains is
not eating enough calories to support the extra energy you're using. Just,
eat, enough.
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ACTION STEPS TO GAIN WEIGHT
1. Track Calories for a month and determine your baseline caloric
intake. Read every nutrition label and understand the caloric
content in foods.
2. Find (mostly healthy) foods that are high in calories that you enjoy
eating so you will want to eat more of them. This can be a long
process for those who naturally don’t feel the need to eat a lot.
Like those trying to lose weight, take your time to find these foods.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
3. Make a meal book for yourself of these foods so you can keep
track of high calorie snacks/meals you like.
4. Prioritize weightlifting over cardio so you have the most energy to
push weights.
5. Make sure your sleep is on point (covered in the next section).
6. If weight gain stops, it is most likely time to increase your calories
once again if you aren’t looking too fluffy (unless you like that
look).
7. If you are looking fluffier than you would like, it could be a good
idea to mini cut. Look at the action steps in the “Losing Weight”
section, but instead of having a long term weight loss plan, cut
your calories by 500 calories a day for 4-6 weeks. In that time you
could lose about 4-6 pounds of fat and then start bulking again.
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SLEEP
Awesome! So now you should have a 3-day weightlifting program along
with action steps to take for gaining or losing weight. But one thing is still
missing from the “building muscle” pyramid and that is sleep. Now, why
am I making a whole section for sleep? Why isn’t this just a little bullet
point instead of a whole section that will only be a paragraph? Because
sleep is one of the most underrated parts of building muscle. I am not
saying sleep all day. I am saying sleep ENOUGH. A quality 7 ½ to 9 ½
hours, uninterrupted. Sleep is when your body does repairs. If you are
lifting weights, eating right, but not sleeping, all you are doing is damaging
your muscles then not letting them fully heal, making you lose a lot of
potential muscle growth. Figure out a sleep schedule that will guarantee
you AT LEAST 7 ½ hours of uninterrupted sleep. Don’t neglect the power
of quality sleep.
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COMMON QUESTIONS
DO I NEED LIFTING EQUIPMENT?
NO! You don’t need any special equipment besides a gym and some grit.
HOWEVER, there are some things I would recommend if you want to
invest some money:
- A weightlifting belt for squatting and deadlifting.
- Some knee/elbow wraps if you have pre-existing injuries.
- A foam roller for self massages on rest days and for warmups.
- A tennis or lacrosse ball to self-massage very sore spots.
- Flat sole shoes (like Converse). You don’t want cushiony shoes
when squatting or deadlifting because you want to push directly
into the floor, not into a pad into the floor. You will lose power if
you wear shoes with cushions. Or you can just lift barefoot, but
many gyms don’t allow this.
DO I NEED SUPPLEMENTS?
NO! You don’t need any supplements to have an effective training and
nutritional regimen. HOWEVER, I would still recommend some. Most are
worthless supplements: hard gainer shakes, BCAA’s, various fat loss pills.
They are garbage (if you don’t believe me do your own research); but,
let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Here are three
supplements I would recommend.
-
Protein Powder: I would recommend a protein powder that fits
your dietary lifestyle. Just drink it after a workout like most of the
people at the gym to get your extra protein in. I would also
recommend drinking it on your days off if your protein intake is low
that day.
-
Creatine: The crowned supplement for natural lifters. Creatine has
the effects of allowing more energy to be stored in the muscles
which can make you lift more. Not an incredible amount, but it is
still more. Creatine is cheap, has a ridiculous amount of research
on it, and is safe to use. Conduct your own research if you have
suspicions. Creatine is naturally occurring in most meats, but you
can’t eat enough meat to get the effect, so science has figured out
how to make it a nice powder.
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-
Pre-workouts/caffeine: Caffeine is a natural drug most of us take
that can enhance lifting performance. More energy = bigger lifts =
more muscle. However, start slow on the pre-workouts and see
how it affects you. Many people get jitters from it because the
caffeine content is ramped up in these products. Find what works
for you.
Besides these three, it can usually be a good idea to take a multivitamin
and an Omega-3 supplement.
HOW MUCH MUSCLE CAN I PUT ON IN MY LIFETIME?
Honestly, I have no answer to this. It largely depends on genetics for what
your “natural limit” is. As a 5’ 7” male, I have much less potential for the
amount of muscle my frame can hold compared to my cousin who is 6’ 1”.
However, if you are looking for biceps bigger than your head, that is not
within human capabilities without steroids unless you won the genetic
lottery.
HOW FAST DOES MUSCLE GROW?
I am going to lay this out bluntly. You are not going to put on as much
muscle as you think as quickly as you think (unless you’re a genetic freak
or using steroids). BUT, this isn’t meant to discourage you; I am just
aligning your expectations. And this is if you are consistent with nutrition,
diet, and sleep. Although there are no exact numbers for how much
muscle people will grow, the general guideline goes something like this.
And sorry ladies, talk to mother nature about your potential for muscle
growth, not me.
Number of years lifting
0-1
2
3
4
5
6-10
11+
Men
8-12lbs
6-8lbs
4-6lbs
3-5lbs
2-4lbs
1-3lbs
<1lb
Women
3-6lbs
2-4lbs
2-3lbs
1-2lbs
<1lb
<1lb
<1lb
Muscle growth naturally slows the more muscle you have because your
body does have a genetic limit for how much muscle it can hold, if it
57
didn’t, we could all look like bodybuilders on steroids. Since we have this
limit, the closer we get to that limit the harder it will be to put on muscle.
This is where advance training techniques would be useful if you are
interested in reaching your “genetic potential” without the use of harmful
drugs.
DO GENETICS MATTER IN MUSCLE GROWTH?
Yes, it would be impossible to deny that genetics play a factor in muscle
growth. This does not mean you cannot build muscle. While some might
only have to climb up a small hill to build some muscle (metaphorically),
some people may have to climb a large hill or mountain to put on muscle.
If you think you fall in the “genetically poor” camp, don’t get discouraged.
It is still possible with grit, determination, rest, proper nutrition, exercise,
and consistency.
I WANT TO LOOK SLIM AND FIT, NOT BULKY?
For the ladies with this thought process, this is exactly the reason you are
lifting weights. You know what happens if you lose all of your fat but you
don’t have any muscle behind it? You see bones. You don’t look slim and
fit; you look like a twig. Lifting is how you get slim and fit if that is what you
want. Build some muscle, lose some fat; this is how you achieve the look.
You will not look like a muscular man from weightlifting without years of
intense weightlifting experience.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN GAINING MUSCLE?
Consistency is king when it comes to building muscle. In all aspects of
training (challenging yourself in the gym, sleeping well, and eating right)
you need to be consistent to see good results. Don’t freak out if you have
an off week or two, that is ok. Start the healthy habits again and be as
consistent as you can. Build your lifelong habits.
DON’T BE FOOLED BY NEWBIE GAINS
The road isn’t that easy. If you haven’t heard of newbie gains, what it is, is
the body adapting to the lifting stimulus you're giving it. If you are new to
lifting you will most likely see very fast strength and muscle gains within
the first year of lifting which is an amazing feeling. Then something
happens. You can’t set a PR every single week; your strength still
improves, but it is slower. Maybe you gained 10 lbs of muscle the first
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year, but a year and a half later of lifting, you don’t see the same progress
you initially did.
Congrats my friend, your newbie gains period is over, and this where the
real challenge and fun in weightlifting begins. It will take you a little longer
to progress and your muscle-building capacities will slow down, but you
still have a lot of room for quality muscle and strength gains to be made.
WHAT IF I'M NOT PROGRESSING?
If you are not progressing, there are four main questions you should ask
yourself.
1. Are you eating enough calories?
a. Calories (mainly carbs) are fuel for the workout. If
you are not progressing on your lifts. Try to
examine if you are eating enough calories in your
diet. Don’t crash diet if you are trying to lose weight.
Slowly but surely.
2. Are you sleeping enough?
a. Are you trying to push your numbers when you're
riding on less than 7 hours of sleep? You are just
punishing yourself at this point. Get some rest.
3. How is your mental state?
a. While exercising is a great stress relief for many
people, for some, stress can distract them from
giving their best in the gym. If you are in this boat,
you will have to figure out your mental state and
find ways to focus in the gym. If you just want to
drown your emotions, music really helps with just
focusing on the lift.
4. Lastly, is it time to switch the rep range or exercise
selection?
a. When was the last time you changed your rep
ranges or exercise selection? If 1,2 and 3 don’t
seem the problem, it may be time to switch up the
routine. However, if it hasn’t been close to 2 or 3
months on the program and you're stagnating, I
would bet it is due to the previous points I have
mentioned. If it has been around that time frame, it
could be time to switch something up.
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MY FAVORITE ONLINE RESOURCES
Jeff Nippard on YouTube - Channel focused more on bodybuilding.
https://www.youtube.com/user/icecream4PRs
Geoffrey Verity Schofield on YouTube - A natural body building channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/GeoffreyVeritySchofield
Jeremy Either on YouTube - Channel focused on training and nutrition.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCERm5yFZ1SptUEU4wZ2vJvw
TDEE Calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) - A guess for how
many calories you burn a day, not fact.
https://www.damnripped.com/tdee-calculator/
EatThisMuch.com - A great website to get started on a meal plan (also
available on the Google Play Store)
*Some of the information in this book is going to conflict with these
resources. Building muscle is a science, but also an art. Use your brain
and take what recommendations you think will work in your life.
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CLOSING NOTES
I hope you find the 3 day a week weightlifting regimen to your liking.
Always feel free to tweak the format and do what works for you.
Remember the key points of building muscle (progressive overload,
nutrition, and sleep) and find a way to fit it into your lifestyle. After some
time, it will feel weird to not go to the gym instead of it feeling weird going
to the gym. Enjoy the journey, stay consistent, and train hard (but safely).
I would also love to see your results! Please email me at
Jhnatallah@gmail.com with your results from the program! Please also
reach out with any edit suggestions, if some things seem unclear, or even
if you would just like to connect; I hope to continually improve this book
and make updates when needed. Happy lifting.
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