THINK BIG
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sebastionheilman@Gmail.com
POWERBUILDING METHOD FOR SIZE & STRENGTH
EVERYBODY
WANNA BE A
BODYBUILDER
AND LIFT HEAVY
WEIGHT
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably
but who wants just one of those? Most
struggled at least a little bit finding a
people want to be big and strong and
program that really suits you. None of
lean, and with so many goals, it often
them really cover all the bases -- some
seems impossible to even know where
look good for getting really strong, or
to start.
gaining lean muscle, or getting ripped,
I’ve got good news: you can work towards getting stronger, gaining muscle, and losing fat, all at the same time.
It’s not easy. Most programs only focus on one thing at
a time because it’s very difficult to do otherwise. But it’s
not impossible, either. The secret is all in how you use
the right training strategies and eat the right things at the
right times to support those training strategies. Obviously,
it takes careful planning and sometimes, it requires sacrifices, like pushing yourself through a hard training session
IT’S TIME
TO START
THINKING
BIG
when you’re exhausted, and saving the pizza for a cheat
meal. And it requires that you learn a lot about your body
and how it works.
EFFICIENCY IS KEY
If you’ve seen a professional powerlifter or bodybuilder
train, you know their sessions can take upwards of 2, even
3 hours at a time. It’s not possible to combine all that work
into a single session -- but it’s also not necessary. Instead,
by focusing on the components of training and diet that
produce the most “bang for the buck,” you can develop a
ton of size and strength without spending your life in the
gym.
Finally, keep in mind that I can’t give you self-discipline or
motivation -- that comes with practice. I can help you to
learn how to train to reach your goals. That takes practice,
too, but this book will make the process a lot faster and a
lot easier.
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3
This book is structured a bit differently than most ebooks
surplus to gain muscle, getting good nutrition around your
that just give you a simple program to follow. That’s be-
workout, and so on. I’ve also included a diet template in
cause everyone is different! Especially when it comes to
the spreadsheet that might help you get started, but unlike
building muscle, the diet and training strategies you’ll have
the training program, the diet is just a guide. It won’t work
to employ to reach your full potential will very likely be dif-
for everyone, you’ll definitely need to adjust it to fit your
ferent than the ones I use, or the ones anyone else uses.
body and your lifestyle, and if you’re an outlier who needs
an outrageously high or low number of calories to grow,
Don’t worry: there is a detailed, 16-week program for build-
the spreadsheet numbers might be way off base. Still, for
ing size and strength included with Think Big. It’s in the
most people, it’s a starting point.
spreadsheet that came with this book, and I encourage you
to glance over it before you read any further. In fact, you
That’s all the info you should need to dive in. Good luck,
could probably just jump right into training without read-
train hard, and Think Strong!
ing the book, but I think you’ll be much better off understanding some of the principles behind the program. In
particular, you’ll have many opportunities to choose which
exercises you’d like to perform, and this book will help you
choose appropriately. It will also explain the best style of
training to use for different types of exercises, and how to
structure your diet to support your training.
And man, when it comes to diet -- everyone is so different
that it’s very hard to make recommendations that apply
to everyone. One 200-pound guy might need four, five,
even 6,000 calories to grow; another guy with the same
size and structure might only need 2500. In fact, even the
same person can have different caloric requirements during different times in his life, based on training age, activity
levels, metabolism, and a whole host of other complicating factors. And that’s just calories! We’ve got to consider
macros, too: some people respond well to high-carb diets,
others don’t. The same goes for fat and protein.
So it’s complicated. Still, I’ve tried to focus on the points
that do apply to (almost) everyone: eating a small caloric
4
Ben
THE SECRET TO GETTING BIG AND STRONG
Let’s explore this idea of efficiency a little more.
Strength training has come a long way since the days
of legends like Eugen Sandow and even John Grimek.
Modern powerlifting protocols often call for scarily
complex systems of sets, reps, and percentages; toplevel bodybuilders use similarly rigorous schedules
for the amount and even timing of the foods they eat.
Those programs are highly specialized: they’re designed to maximize one’s performance on the platform
or appearance on stage.
CHAPTER 1
BUILDING STRENTH & MUSCLE
5
On the other hand, I know a lot of pro powerlifters who laugh at the idea of counting macros; and if you flip open a
bodybuilding magazine, most of the training programs list exercises, sets, and reps -- but that’s about it. Plenty of great
bodybuilders have never heard of programming principles like using RPEs and couldn’t guess at their 1RMs. Those things
just aren’t important to how they look on stage.
Sports today require this kind of laser-like focus, because they’re so competitive. Look at the difference between Phil
Heath and some random guy who’s been training for a few years: there’s no comparison. It’s the same thing if you compare the numbers of a top powerlifter to a casual gym-goer. The size and symmetry of a Phil Heath and the strength of a
Yury Belkin don’t happen accidentally: they’re the result of a very careful, narrowly-defined plan and years of consistency
(not to mention one-in-a-billion genetics).
THE PARETO PRINCIPLE:
FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS
Ever heard of the 80-20 rule? In academic circles, it’s called
20% to really invest yourself in. So many people fail to
the Pareto Principle, and it says, basically, that 80% of your
reach their goals because they waste enormous amounts
results are going to come from 20% of your work. When
of time on the things that don’t matter, and gloss over the
it comes to getting big and strong, that means that 80%
things that do.
of your muscle and strength are coming from 20% of the
things you do at the gym: squats, bench presses, and
In Think Big, the goal is to maximize size and strength, and
deadlifts. All the other curls, pushdowns, rows, ab circuits,
that balance requires efficiency. So, as much as possible,
handstand tricks -- all that other stuff only adds up to 20%
we’ll spend our efforts on that 20% that will produce big
of your gains.
results. We’ll touch on a little from the remaining 80%, but
the emphasis is always on bang for the training and diet
This is fantastic news if you want to get really big and really
strong, really quickly. Go take a look at a picture of Heath
buck.
or a video of Belkin lifting, and imagine 80% of that. Now
BUILDING MUSCLE
put them together. Not bad, huh? The secret to getting
The rest of this chapter explains some of the theory behind
there -- or somewhere close -- is just finding the right
that 20% -- in other words, it’s getting at why we’re investcontact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
6
ing our time and energy the way we are. Honestly, it’s not
strictly necessary to read this chapter to be able to use the
program and follow the diet effectively, but I do think it’s
worthwhile. The better you understand the reasoning behind what you’re doing, the better you’re able to respond
skillfully when life gets in the way of your plan.
Still with me? Good. Then let’s get into some diet basics.
How many times have you heard the skinny guy at your
gym complain about how he just can’t gain weight, no matter how much he eats? It’s a common problem -- but most
of the time, the problem is between the ears. Everyone
can eat enough to gain weight. The trick is eating to gain
quality weight: lots of muscle and not a lot of fat.
Unfortunately, nobody really agrees on the best way to
do that. Fad diets, gimmicks, supplements, and science
all promise to be the secret answer, but the truth is that
everyone is different, and so there’s no one secret for everyone. That’s why, in Think Big we’ll take a more wholistic
approach: it’s not flashy, but it will help you get big enough,
strong enough, and to learn enough about your body to
find your secret.
7
MACRONUTRIENT BREAKDOWN
If you’re not already familiar with them, you’ve probably at
least heard about macros: the carbs, protein, and fats (and
alcohol) that make up the caloric content of food. “Macros”
is short for “macronutrients,” but food also has micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, that affect your body
as well.
For the most part, we’re only concerned about macronutrients. Micronutrients become important when you’re at
the elite level of powerlifting or bodybuilding and need to
cut significant amounts of water weight or prepare to get
on stage. Otherwise, they don’t matter too much (with the
exception of sodium, which we’ll talk about later).
Most strength athletes are most concerned with how
much protein they consume. Protein is very important:
it’s the raw material your body uses to build muscle, so if
you don’t have enough of it, you won’t grow. But there’s
a catch: most lifters stress about how much total protein
they’re getting, without worrying about when they’re getting it. If the body’s not actively working to build muscle,
then having an overload of protein won’t help. True, eat-
MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS: BREAKING THEM DOWN
There are no “right” and “wrong” diets -- just diets that work and those that don’t. That’s why there’s such a broad range
of macros listed in the table below.
kcal per gram
g per kg BW
% of total cals
zz Carbohydrates (protein sparing, energy for training)
4
3-5
33-50%
zz Protein (muscle building)
4
2-3
20-33%
zz Fats (hormone production, essential function)
9
varies
20-33%
ing a ton of protein helps maximize the chances that your
better; and they are protein-sparing, meaning that if your
body will have it when it’s needed, but it also increases the
body has carbs, it won’t use proteins as a source of energy
chances of adding unnecessary bodyfat. In Chapter 2, we’ll
-- leaving that protein to maintain or build muscle.
take a closer look about how to time protein intake for
maximum efficiency.
The Think Big diet follows a balanced approach to macros:
we won’t restrict carbs, protein, or fats. If your goal is to
When it comes to the debate between carbohydrates and
step on a bodybuilding stage, this might not be the right
fats, the most outspoken voices usually favor an extreme
approach for you, but for someone who wants get big and
stance: either a high-carb or cyclical carb diet; or a strictly
get strong, this type of balance is absolutely crucial. The
low-carb or ketogenic approach. Here’s the deal: both can
combination of volume and intensity in the training pro-
work. The most important aspect of weight loss or weight
gram means that, if you’re following a restricted diet, you’ll
gain is total caloric intake, and that can be managed using
probably start to drag early on in your daily workouts, and
any macronutrient approach. However, some people tend
we don’t want that.
to feel better with a moderate- or high-carb intake; and
others feel better on a higher-fat diet.
MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS
You need both to gain muscle. Fats help the body per-
We’re taking a balanced approach, but your macronutri-
form several important functions, including tissue growth
ent ratios still matter. If you’re eating too little protein, for
and hormone production. Carbohydrates are your body’s
example, your body won’t have the raw material needed
most important energy source. They provide the fuel you
to build muscle when it’s ready. But eat too much, and
need for the intense training in this program, they refill
your body won’t have a good use for it -- so it’ll get stored
glycogen stores, making your muscles feel fuller and work
as body fat. The same is true when it comes to carbohy-
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8
On the other end of the spectrum, you have those that
This is where fats come in. We’ll adjust your carbohydrate
claim 2 or even 3 grams of protein per pound of body-
and fat intake so that we meet the following goals:
weight is necessary. That’s roughly 4-6 grams per kilo,
or 750% more than the studies recommended. Very few
•
Your total number of calories slightly exceeds
people will respond well to such an extremely high pro-
your baseline (to provide extra nutrition needed for
tein intake. The ideal amount is somewhere in the middle;
muscle growth)
more progressive researchers suggest that 1-1.5 grams of
•
protein per pound of bodyweight (2-3 grams per kilo) is
bodyweight range
ideal for those looking to add gain amounts of muscle and
•
strength. That’s the number we’ll use.
than 33% of your total caloric intake. Twenty percent
Your carb intake falls in the 3-5 grams per kilo of
Your fat intake makes up at least 20% but no more
is about the minimum necessary to see the benefits
Thankfully, the studies regarding carbohydrate intake are
of fats that we discussed earlier, but this wiggle room
much clearer. They show, pretty convincingly, that 3-5
gives us the flexibility to make sure you’re also getting
grams of carbs per kilo of bodyweight is ideal for mus-
the necessary amount of carbohydrates.
cular growth. Now, that’s obviously a pretty big range: if
you weigh 100 kilos, for example (about 220 pounds), you
Don’t worry if this nutrition stuff sounds complicated --
could be eating anywhere from 300 to 500 grams of carbo-
we’ll cover all of this in much more detail in Chapter 2.
hydrates per day.
“IF YOU WANT TO LOOK
MUSCULAR AND BE STRONG,
YOU NEED TO EAT RIGHT
AND TRAIN SMART.”
9
BUILDING STRENGTH
When it comes to building muscle, nutrition is king, but if
you want to look muscular and be strong, you’ll need to eat
right and train smart. Periodization is the key to strength.
Periodization guides every effective strength-training program. In fact, the “discovery” of periodization by Soviet scientist Lev Pavlovich Matveyev in the 1960s revolutionized
training for nearly every sport. If you want to succeed as a
lifter, you must understand at least the basics of periodization.
Basically, periodization describes how the body reacts to
the stress of training in the medium- to long-term. (Remember, stress refers to progressive overload: lifting more
weight than you did last time.) It’s built on a theory called
general adaptation syndrome.
Here’s the jist of it: when you train with progressive overload, your body freaks out a little. You might feel sore,
tired, or sleepy for a day after lifting heavy or even for a
week or more after competing — that’s the alarm phase.
During the alarm phase, your body is weaker than it was
before you trained. If you push too hard during this phase,
you make things worse. Your body can’t recover, and you
start down the road to overtraining. This is why, when you
have a bad workout, it’s important to back off and not keep
pushing yourself even harder. Even though it might make
you feel better mentally to persevere, it’s only going to hurt
your progress. (Keep in mind that, as a beginner, sometime it’s tough to distinguish being in the alarm phase from
just “not feeling it” on a particular day. In the latter situation, you do need to push through. This is where having a
coach is helpful!)
The good news is, after the alarm phase passes, your body
“supercompensates” for the stress you put it through, and
you end up stronger than before the workout! Your next
workout should be during the supercompensation phase,
so that you can take advantage of that extra strength. (It
doesn’t last forever — if you stop stressing your body, you’ll
end up right back where you started. That’s undertraining.
All of this occurs in the short term — after one stressful
event, like a workout or a competition. Periodization explains how the whole thing works in the long term, and it’s
a little different. Our long term goal is to string together as
many workouts in the supercompensation phase as possible. To do that, we have to essentially repeat two things,
over and over again:
1.
Stress the body with progressive overload
2.
Give the body enough time (but not too much
time) to recover from that stress
There’s one problem with that. If you’ve ever tried to, for
example, add five pounds to your 10-rep squat PR every
week, you know that (unless you’re just beginning) you
can’t keep it up for very long before you only get 9 reps in
a set, or even just 7 or 8. Say your 10-rep squat PR is 250
pounds. Maybe you push yourself really hard and manage
255x10. And the next week you do the same thing and get
260x10! But then on the third week, even though you gave
it 100%, you can only squeak out 265x9. And that’s super frustrating, so the next week after that you go for 270
anyway and this time only get 7 reps. Now you’re really
pissed off so the following week you try 275, even though
your body isn’t having it, and you only get 3. Now you’re
so discouraged you just say fuck it and decide to take up
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10
bodybuilding or video games instead.
Here’s the secret to strength: Matveyev explained that,
with regard to stress on the body, there should be an inverse relationship between volume (the number of reps
you do in a workout) and intensity (the percentage of your
one-rep max that you use). So, like we saw with the squat
example, as you add more weight and get closer to your
one-rep max, you can perform fewer reps. But if you stay
within a given level of volume for a while, when you decrease that level of volume, you’ll be able to lift at a higher
intensity than you would have otherwise.
So imagine that instead of trying to start out your program
at 255x10, you started light, with 225 for 3 sets of 10. And
the next week you did 230 for 3x10, and then 235 for 3x10,
and then the next week you got 240 for 2 sets of 10 and
one set of 8. And instead of getting discouraged, you took
that as a cue to drop the volume a bit, and up the intensity.
The next week maybe you do 255 for 4 sets of 5, and then
260 for 4 sets of 5, all the way up to 275 for maybe 3 sets of
5 and one set of 3. But look at what happened — instead
of only doing 7 reps with 275, you did 18! And instead of
getting frustrated, you’ve built momentum, and you keep
it up. You go to 285 for 3 sets of 3, and then 290, and
then 295, and then 300. Now you’re doing nearly the same
number of reps with 300 (9 reps) as you could do with one
set of 250 when you started out three months ago. And if
and when you decide to test your 1 rep squat max, it will be
a lot higher than if you had kept banging your head against
the wall trying to just add weight every week.
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11
THE PHASES OF PERIODIZATION
There’s another catch: you can’t just choose your levels of
volume and intensity at random. The next section will get
into choosing your volume and intensity in more detail, but
for now, let’s look at the four broad categories of levels:
hypertrophy, strength, peaking, and rest (these are often
called a whole lot of crazy names like “transmutation,” “realization,” “explogasm,” etc., but I like these ones better.)
Each phase lasts roughly 4-8 weeks, depending on your
goals and schedule, except for the rest phase (1-2 weeks).
In the hypertrophy phase, the primary goal is to build muscle. If you have more muscle, you can lift heavier weights!
If you’re already very muscular and don’t want to move up
a weight class, you’ll probably spend less time in the hypertrophy phase, but it still has benefits: you give your body
and mind a break from very heavy weights, and you can
use that break to address imbalances or technique flaws.
In the hypertrophy phase, you’ll use roughly 55-75% of
your 1RM for 12-30 total repetitions.
In the strength phase, the goal is to build strength. Obviously, that’s always the goal, and we’re still building
strength in the other phases, too -- just like we’re building
muscle in the other phases. But generally it’s a little easier
to add weight to your lifts when you’re using less volume
than in the hypertrophy phase, and working at a lower intensity than in the peaking phase. There’s some other stuff
going on here, too: you’ll start to benefit from nervous system adaptation, and you’ll have a chance to continue practicing any technique changes you made in the hypertrophy
phase before dealing with very heavy loads. This phase
typically uses 75-90% of your 1RM for 10-20 total reps.
12
Finally, in the peaking phase, you prime your body to perform at its maximum. This phase is generally shorter, probably 4 weeks, and you won’t be building as much strength
or muscle as in the other two phases. Your two goals here
are to practice keeping good form and building confidence
using near-max weights, and giving your body enough rest
so that you can be sure you’re in that supercompensation
sweet spot leading up to your meet. The peaking phases
uses more than 90% of your 1RM for fewer than 10 reps.
Technically, the rest phase is optional, but it’s a good idea
to take a week or two off to give your mind and body a
short break after a big competition or even just a very
stressful training cycle (if you choose not to compete). Do
something different, like crosstraining, or even just rest
completely.
UNDULATING PERIODIZATION
Some studies have shown that there are advantages to
combining multiple phases of periodization in a single
week -- for instance, training for hypertrophy one day and
for strength the next. For the typical person, this type of
setup is very demanding, because the overall volume and
intensity still need to progress in the same fashion as with
“standard” periodization; and because it requires a fairly
high training frequency to work successfully (more on that
later).
When it comes to getting big and strong, though, there
are definitely benefits that come from training with lighter weights and higher reps throughout an entire training
cycle, not just in the hypertrophy phase. So the Think Big
program incorporates some of the concepts of undulating
periodization, in the form of assistance and supplemental
sets. You can read more about those in Chapter 3. For
now, just know that, while periodization seems very simple
on the surface, there are nuances (things that fall in the
80% effort/20% results range) that can be useful, so we’ll
take advantage of a few of them.
FREQUENCY
Volume and intensity form the cornerstone of periodization, but frequency -- the number of times you perform
a lift or train a bodypart in a given week -- can affect your
progress, even when everything else is equal. This might
seem a little confusing at first, but basically, doing 3 sets of
10, twice a week, is usually better than doing 6 sets of 10
once a week. Put a little more simply: you’re more likely
to gain more strength and build more muscle by training
more often.
By now, it should be no surprise that the secret lies in
finding balance between training more often and not often enough. If more were always better, the biggest and
strongest people in the world would train 24 hours a day, 7
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
The rest of the book discusses in more detail exactly how
these theories can come together in a simple, brutally effective training and diet methodology that produces extraordinary results. In Chapter 2, we’ll cover the principles
of the Think Big diet, and how to choose which foods to eat,
when, and how much -- as well as a few tips and tricks to
take your physique to the next level. Chapter 3 explains
the Think Big training program, and how we’ll progress on
the heavy lifts without neglecting any of the smaller muscle
groups, like the arms and shoulders. And, since nothing
is ever entirely straightforward, Chapter 4 contains some
strategies for overcoming the plateaus that can keep you
from achieving your goals.
Again, if you’re not all that interested in why the method
works, feel free to skip to the end and check out the actual
program and meal plan. You can always jump right in, but
in my opinion, you’ll be able to train and eat more effectively if you take the time to read on.
days a week. Obviously, that’s not the case: everyone has
a limited ability to recover, and once that limit is exceeded,
training does more harm than good.
There’s no easy way to find your ideal frequency for training, especially because -- like with volume and intensity
-- it often changes over time. However, for many people,
training the upper body twice per week and the lower body
twice per week is a good place to start. In fact, that’s where
we’ll start for Think Big, but in this program, we’ll change up
the training frequency over time to keep the gains coming.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
13
YOU WANT SIZE, NOT SQUISH.
You’ve probably heard the saying about how bodybuilding is 80% diet. That’s not quite true -- but diet is
probably the single biggest factor in determining how
you look, assuming you’re following a halfway decent
program. (And if you’re using the Think Big program,
you’ve got training covered way better than that!)
CHAPTER 2
GROWING MUSCLE & STAYING LEAN
14
“LET’S BE HONEST: NO ONE
WANTS TO LOOK FAT.”
Since this book is about powerbuilding, we’ll focus exclusively on gaining size.
This is not a weight-loss diet strategy! Let’s be honest, though: no one just
cares about size. No one wants to look big and fat when they could be big and
shredded. We want quality size: hard, lean, functional muscle with as little fat as
possible. That’s a lot trickier than just getting big, but it’s not impossible. In fact,
with a good nutrition strategy and a good training program, it’s almost easy.
FOOD CHOICES
DIET IS THE
KEY TO LEAN
GAINS
But it’s not 80% of the equa-
For most people, choosing the right foods to eat will make a huge impact on
tion. You won’t get the size and
your physique -- far more than any macro breakdown, meal plan timing, or
strength you want without a
whatever other complicated strategy Internet gurus rave about.
combination of diet and training.
Here’s the deal: everyone is different. So unless you’re working closely with a
qualified coach, you can only figure out what balance of macros works for you
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
15
by experimenting. Deciding you’re going to rock a keto diet, or carb cycle, or whatever only works if your body responds
well to that strategy. And it’s difficult to maintain rigid macro plans when you go out to eat with friends or are traveling.
Other plans, like intermittent fasting and carb backloading, claim that it doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you time
your meals carefully. To an extent, that’s true: total caloric intake does determine weight loss or gain. But in more practical terms, there are some big problems with strict meal timing. First, it’s almost impossible to accurately estimate your
caloric intake when you’re essentially bingeing every day. Second, if you’re at all concerned about strength, it’s important
to be well fed before and after a workout. Most importantly, who the fuck only wants to eat once a day?
Here’s a better idea: don’t eat like an asshole. That just means choose healthier, less-processed foods that are a bit higher
in protein. Yeah, everyone is different, and some people can get that Greek god physique while pounding chips and guac
at Sunday brunch. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you were that person, chances are, you wouldn’t be read-
DON’T EAT LIKE AN
ASSHOLE.
ing this book right now. On the other hand, smart food choices make it easy to control your caloric intake. As a bonus,
they’re usually lower in the types of fats and additives that can sometimes make you feel sluggish in the gym. Not sure
what the right choices are? No problem. Go check out the appropriate tab in the Think Big spreadsheet, and you’ll see
that you have plenty of options.
From there, it’s just about tracking your changes. Look: I’m not a big fan of counting every calorie you eat and recording
all that data online. If you are, great -- do that. It works. But I don’t have the time or patience for it. I think the easiest
way to track your progress is just by weighing yourself regularly. It’s best to weigh yourself once per week, because daily
fluctuations in water weight can make patterns hard to notice. My weight can fluctuate as much as ten pounds in a day,
and obviously no one can gain ten pounds of muscle or lose ten pounds of fat in so little time.
Body weight isn’t necessarily the best measure of progress, though, because that number doesn’t tell you if you’re achieving your goals or if you’re actually gaining fat and losing muscle instead. There’s two ways to tackle this problem. One
16
is to also measure your body composition, either using calipers or a more
advanced (and expensive) method like hydrostatic weighing or DEXA. That
was you can specifically track muscle gain and fat loss. Unfortunately, body
composition measurements are often inaccurate, and a small discrepancy
in testing between measurements can be enough to make them practically
worthless.
FEELING A
LITTLE OVERWHELMED?
Don’t stress. It’s a lot to process, and
Again, I like to keep things simple. In addition to the number on the scale,
that’s why Think Big includes a fully-
I ask myself two questions: Do I look better in the mirror? And am I getting
customizeable spreadsheet to help
stronger? If the answer to both those questions is yes, and the scale’s mov-
you design the perfect diet plan to fit
ing in the right direction, I know for sure that I’m making good progress.
your needs.
GAINING MUSCLE
Just follow the instructions in the
spreadsheet to get a template for a
First things first: it’s important to start gaining muscle at the right time. Sor-
high-carb or low-carb diet, set up for
ry, but if you’re already 20% bodyfat, eating to gain more size isn’t going to
training and rest days. Be careful! If
make you look better, it’s just going to make you look fat. So, if that’s the
you’ve got some crazy caloric re-
case, spend some time cutting down into the 12% range before you worry
quirements for growth, you’ll prob-
about getting big. Personally, I prefer to stick around 10%; I feel better a bit
ably have to adjust the baseline
leaner and have a better appetite, but this is individual. Go with what makes
numbers a bit to fit your body.
you comfortable.
It’s for
Training, too
Throw your 1-rep maxes into the
REMEMBER TO LOOK FOR
THE EASY WINS.
There’s no reason to stress over
perfecting your macro intakes
when you could just eat healthier and make better progress.
training tab of the included spreadsheet, and you’ll get a program preset
to account for your current level of
strength. Don’t know your numbers?
You can estimate them using the
1-rep max calculator available here.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
17
HOW MUCH TO EAT
WHAT TO EAT
Once you’re ready to start gaining, the first step is to figure
We’ve already covered the importance of not eating like an
out where you are now. If you’re like me, that’s easy. I eat
asshole, and that should still be your first step in diet revi-
pretty much the same foods every day -- I don’t get bored
sion. But there are other, also-important things you can do
and I don’t have a lot of time to devote to meal prep, so
to help address common problems.
that works very well for me. Other people prefer lots of
variety, and that’s totally fine, but it will take you a bit lon-
First, if you have trouble eating enough, chances are, you’re
ger to figure out where you’re at. Regardless, here’s how
just not trying hard enough. You might have to force your-
to start:
self to eat for a couple of days or even weeks, but if you’re
persistent and careful, you’ll adjust to eating more. Do not
You need to track your total caloric intake for at
miss meals! Skipping a meal might make you feel better
least 3, and preferably 5 days. Sign up for a free ac-
in the short term, but it will make it that much harder for
count at a food-tracking website and start logging.
your body to get used to eating more. Struggling? Check
2.
out the “tip” in Chapter 4 for a little inspiration.
1.
Make sure the days you track include both training
and non-training days.
At the end of 3-5 days, you should know how
You can also make things easier on yourself my choosing
many calories and how many grams of carbs, protein,
more nutrient-dense foods. These are foods that pack lots
and fats you ate each day. Average these (add them up
of calories into a small volume of food. Easy example: can
and divide by the number of days you tracked).
you eat more calories in rice cakes or rice? Unless you real-
4.
ly love rice cakes, the answer is obviously rice. One cup of
3.
Note if you ate more or less on training days com-
pared to off days.
rice has more calories than an entire package of rice cakes,
so it’s far easier to get calories from the former. Check out
Now, we’re trying to gain weight, so take whatever number
the list of food suggestions in the spreadsheet for more
you came up with for total calories, and add 10%. So if you
examples of nutrient-dense choices (sorry, McDonald’s
were eating 2000 calories per day, bump that up to 2200; if
doesn’t count as nutrient dense).
you were eating 4000 before, now you’re at 4400. Simple,
right?
WHEN TO EAT
When you eat isn’t as important as what you eat, but there
It should be, and if you’re not too concerned about body
are some easy ways you can minimize fat gain as you add
composition, you can stop here. Stick with the new, higher-
slabs of muscle. Again, we’re going for efficiency here: if
calorie diet until you stop gaining, then add another 10%,
you’re exhausting yourself by following an overly restric-
and so on, until you reach your goals. This is a perfectly
tive diet, you won’t have the energy to sink into heavy bar-
fine method, although it can be improved. If you’re really
bell training.
set on adding muscle with as little fat as possible, read on.
18
CIRCA-WORKOUT NUTRITION
What you eat before, during, and after your workout is important because what you eat during those times fuels your
training and is your number-one opportunity for muscle building.
carbs
zz 1-2 hours before training (a meal that will keep you feeling full)
zz During training: EAA/carbohydrate mix
zz Immediatley after training: easily digested carbs & protein
zz 1-2 hours after training (another “real” meal)
protein
fats
high
moderate
moderate
moderate
n/a
n/a
high
moderate
very low
moderate
moderate
low
Circa-Workout Nutrition
tial amino acids (EAAs) mixed with carbohydrate pow-
Your first step should be to look at what you’re eating
der. I recommend Recovery Factor X from Granite Sup-
around you workouts. I recommend trying to eat about
plements: it’s formulated by IFBB pro bodybuilder and
50% of your daily allotment of carbohydrates in the space
legendary bodybuilding coach, John Meadows, and has
from 2 hours before until 2 hours after your workout.
everything you need for the course of a training session. Use 1-2 scoops depending on your size. More on
That might seem like a lot at first, but let’s break it down:
this in the Supplement section.
3.
1.
As soon as you finish your training, slam a protein
About 2 hours before you train, have a solid-food
shake with 20 grams of quality protein powder and 60-
meal that’s roughly 60-70% carbs, 20-30% protein, and
100 grams of carbs. I actually drink this in the middle
10% fats. My go-to: pancakes, oatmeal, and 2 whole
of my workout, as soon as I’ve finished my heavy train-
eggs. Find something that doesn’t sit heavy on your
ing for the day and am about to start on my accessory
stomach but will keep you from feeling depleted dur-
work. That way, I’m hungry again by the time I’ve fin-
ing a 2-hour workout.
ished training and can immediately eat again.
2.
4.
When you get to the gym, start sipping on essen-
Within 2 hours of finishing your workout, eat
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19
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GRANITESUPPLEMENTS.COM
another solid-food meal that’s moderate in carbohy-
you’re better off sticking with what feels right (at least
drates, with at least 20-30 grams of protein and mini-
in this case).
mal fats.
•
Your sleep: sleep is extremely important to recov-
ery! If you find that you have difficulty sleeping after a
Breaking it down like this will make it easy to get in all the
meal, then adjust your meal timing so that you’re not
calories, carbs, and protein you need, and you can easily
eating with an hour or two of bedtime. On the other
adjust the amounts to fit your own macro goals for the day.
hand, if a full stomach helps you sleep, make sure to
allocate some of your calories for the evening.
Time Between Meals
Conventional bodybuilding knowledge says that you
Carb Frontloading
should have no more than 2-3 hours between meals. This
You might have heard about carb backloading, which is
is a good guideline for most people. However, everyone
essentially binging on carbohydrates before bed. Carb
is different. Here are some things to keep in mind when
frontloading is different. You’re simply trying to eat all of
planning your meal timing:
your carbs for the day in the earlier hours of the morning
and afternoon, and eating more proteins and fats later at
•
Your schedule: if you’ve got an extremely busy
night. If you train later in the day, that’s no problem: have
schedule, then yeah, you could make time to slam a
carbs with breakfast, and then around your workout as de-
protein shake or sneak to the bathroom to eat some
scribed in the previous section.
chicken out of a Tupperware container -- but it’s not
absolutely necessary. If it’s more convenient for you
There are two purposes to carb frontloading. Unlike circa-
to eat every 4 hours than every 2-3, that’s not a deal-
workout nutrition, carb frontloading is unlikely to have a
breaker. Do not let yourself go an entire day without
direct and significant impact on body composition or mus-
food, though. Consider 4 hours the upper limit on meal
cle growth. However, it can have pretty substantial indirect
timing, and if you have any doubt about your ability to
impacts:
get a meal in during that time, carry a protein shake or
some other easy food source with you during your day.
First, most people tend to feel a little more energetic when
•
Your digestion: if you’re eating larger meals, or if
they’re following a higher-carb diet. Is this always the case?
meals tend to sit in your stomach a while, you might
Of course not. But assuming you’re not following an ex-
not want to eat every 2-3 hours because it causes you
tremely low-carb diet -- which would make gaining muscle
to feel uncomfortable. That’s okay -- again, remember
practically impossible -- then it makes good sense to eat
that we’re trying to focus on the 20% that gives the
the majority of your carbohydrates earlier in the day, when
most gains. In this case, the 20% is eating the right
you tend to be more active.
foods and the right amount of foods; if you feel more
comfortable eating 3-4 meals per day instead of 5-6,
21
More importantly, everyone has a finite amount of will-
power. Carb frontloading helps to structure your diet in a
way that reduces the temptation to mindless pound some
cereal or candy late at night, when you’re already exhausted from daily activities.
Is carb frontloading necessary? Absolutely not. At this
point, we’re dealing with minor changes that can make
some difference, but not huge ones.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
22
SUPPLEMENTS
WHERE TO START
Z CREATINE: 10 GRAMS
Z ESSENTIAL AMINO
PER DAY
Creatine is absolutely essential.
ACIDS: PREWORKOUT
Z PROTEIN: IIFYM
It
EAAs (together with training and good
Protein isn’t strictly a supplement
will help you train harder and recover
circa-workout nutrition) will signal
in my opinion, but it is a convenient
faster. Yes, it might cause you to gain
your body to start building muscle
food source for people on the go.
a few pounds of water weight, but
and provide the raw materials neces-
Don’t rely on it exclusively, though.
that’s nothing to worry about.
sary to do so.
OTHER COOL STUFF
Preworkout stimulants, pump enhancers, and intra-workout carbohydrate blends are all valuable additions to your training and diet. Just be aware of two things: first, supplements will never replace training and diet, and second, there’s a lot
of bullshit out there. Most over-the-counter testosterone boosters, for example, aren’t going to get you any extra muscle
or strength.
23
CHEAT MEALS
This is the section you were waiting for, right? Cheat meals
are a great tool for building muscle, but it’s important to remember that they’re just tools. They’re not excuses to let
your diet go to shit, and they’re not something you should
incorporate into your plan haphazardly.
For starters, I’m not a big proponent of regular cheat meals
while trying to gain muscle and not in a caloric deficit. It’s
a different story when you’re trying to lose fat: cheat meals
can really help you to maintain your metabolism and keep
up intense training during the later stages of a diet.
Since that’s not the case here, we’ll go by feel for cheat
meals. Personally, I like to save my cheat meals for special occasions or travel, but there are plenty of other good,
productive reasons to deviate from your regular foods. If
you’re feeling mentally or physically drained from intense
training, for example, cheat meals can be a nice way to regain some enthusiasm. Or if you have weak points that
you want to emphasize, plan a cheat meal for the night
before the training session that you feel needs the most
improvement. (So, if your back is weak, take your cheat
meal around your back & biceps day.)
Let the mirror and your measurements guide your frequency: if you’re gaining too much bodyfat for your preferences, cut back on the number of cheat meals.
One important caveat: do not use cheat meals as an emotional crutch. This can be tempting for many people, but
it’s important you look for healthier ways to deal with
stress that isn’t imposed by your training.
24
And again, remember that a cheat meal is a tool. You
should try to use it to get some extra protein and good
calories, so choose accordingly: fresh meats and healthy
carbs and fat are your best bets. Ice cream and candy
probably aren’t going to help your body grow, but hitting
up some barbecue or sushi very well might. I’m not saying that you should be super strict here -- that would defeat the purpose of using the cheat meal as a physical and
mental break. But remember the first rule of dieting: don’t
eat like an asshole. That still applies, even when you’re
cheating.
Finally, binging until you’re about to burst isn’t healthy or
productive. Eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re one
bite away from a diabetic coma. An easy way to self-moderate here is to just eat slowly, not shovel food down your
throat like you were trying to win Nathan’s Hot-Dog Eating
Contest. But there’s no need to track your calories or macros when you’re having a cheat meal.
SUPPLEMENTS
Supplementation is one of my favorite and least-favorite
topics to discuss. You see, I’m a supplement junkie myself
-- I practically live on EAAs and preworkout -- but supplements are just what they sound like. They’re extras. And
yet I know so many people who rely on them as if some
supplement could make up for a bad diet or bad training.
Supplements will never make or break your progress, but
they can help, and some (like creatine) can help a whole
lot.
The supplement industry is a billions-dollar business, so
there’s a lot of bullshit out there, and even choosing a
brand of creatine or protein can seem overwhelming.
You’ve probably noticed the ads for Granite Supplements
cause they work, they taste great and they are very afford-
in this book -- they’re here because Granite is one of the
able. I put 2 scoops of Granite’s Adamantium Aminos into
very few companies I trust for my own supplements, and
my intra-workout shake, and sip on another 2-3 scoops
so if you are having trouble choosing a brand, you won’t go
spread out throughout the day. That much isn’t necessary,
wrong with them.
although I feel it works well for me. If you want to try EAAs,
though, I do recommend that you make sure to take a dose
Creatine
that provides at least 6 grams of leucine during your work-
If you’re only getting one supplement, it should be cre-
out to see the maximum benefits.
atine. Creatine is proven to safely and effectively increase
strength and weight and is absolutely necessary for a pow-
Stimulants
erlifter. I take 15-20 grams of creatine every day, split up
Stimulants are my absolute favorite kind of supplement.
into two doses to avoid stomach problems. Most studies
They’re also my least favorite. That’s because stimulants
suggest that only 5-10 grams of creatine are necessary,
are a double-edged sword, in more ways than one. You’re
but I have found that a higher intake produces much more
probably familiar with the crash that accompanies most
noticeable results. There are many, many different forms
energy drinks -- and, while that sucks, it’s not such a big
of creatine available, but the “standard,” creatine monohy-
problem. Just choose a product that doesn’t leave you feel-
drate, is just as good as any of the fancier variations, and
ing crashed, or make sure to use it after you’ve finished
much less expensive. I don’t cycle creatine.
most of your tasks for the day.
Essential Amino Acids
The bigger problem with many stimulants involves their ef-
Next on the list are essential amino acids. Note that these
fect on training. You know this deal, too: you take a double
are a little bit different than branched-chain amino acids.
scoop of preworkout, crush your training session, and are
Amino acids are the compounds that make up protein; the
riding high -- until the next day, when you feel like a train
three branched-chain amino acids are leucine, isoleucine,
wreck. Same thing the day after that. In fact, it might be
and valine. BCAAs work: leucine in particular signals your
two or three days until you’re feeling good again, and in the
body to produce muscle, so even taking leucine alone --
meantime, your training suffers.
especially around a workout -- can be beneficial. However,
your body needs more than just leucine and the other
Stimulants don’t directly wreck your training, but they do
BCAAs for proper functioning and muscle building. In fact,
make it very difficult to gauge what you’re capable of and
there are eight essential amino acids that your body can’t
how hard you’re working. As a result, taking too many
produce on its own -- you have to get them from some ex-
stimulants causes many people to overreach in their train-
ternal source!
ing, and to have difficulty recovering in short term. Sustained use can even lead to overtraining.
Personally, I supplement with huge amounts of EAAs, be-
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
25
Pump Enhancers
ficulty eating enough food to grow. Are they necessary?
Another one of my favorites. In the powerlifting world, a
Absolutely not -- again, no supplement is going to make or
lot of people will tell you that the pump doesn’t matter --
break your progress.
and that’s half true. You can get strong without getting a
huge pump every time you train.
I use protein powder sparingly: in my postworkout shake,
and if I’m in a rush. Protein powder isn’t “worse” than
But most guys don’t want to just get strong -- they want
other lean protein sources, like chicken breast, tuna, or
to get big and strong. And the pump is absolutely crucial
egg whites, but I’d caution you to not rely exclusively upon
for muscle growth. A pump drives blood into the muscles
protein powders in your diet. They do lack some of the
you’re training, delivering nutrients and helping them ex-
valuable micronutrients that are present in the other foods
pand. Is it temporary? Sure, in the short term. In the long
mentioned. Like everything else, it’s all about balance.
term, huge pumps lead to growth. Again, my go-to pump
product comes from Granite Supplements: Arc Reactor’s
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
ingredients are proven to be safe and effective, plus Arc
Don’t forget: the purpose of all these diet strategies is to
Reactor contains just a few stimulants -- enough to get you
fuel your training and provide enough for recovery and
going for a good workout, but not so many that you’ll end
muscle buidling without eating so much that you also build
up burning out as described above.
a lot of fat. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on
timing carbs around your training session and restricting
Just a side note: even if you’re not training for size, a pump
carbs at other times; and on using the right supplements
can still be beneficial. A light pumping workout after a
to support your training. Even your cheat meals can be
heavy training day can reduce soreness. And getting a
used as tools to get in better training. At the end of the
good pump can help you feel your muscles working better,
day, it’s often hard to get a feel for exactly how well your
and over time help you form a better mind-muscle con-
diet is working when you’re gaining weight (it’s much easier
nection. That mind-muscle connection is crucial in activat-
when you’re dieting). Training, however, is a much more
ing the appropriate muscle groups when you’re perform-
obvious metric: if your numbers are going up, you’re doing
ing heavy compound lifts like the squat, bench press, and
the right things.
deadlift.
Protein
Protein is last on the list because I don’t really consider
it a supplement -- it’s a food. Protein powders are just a
convenient way to get more protein and more calories in
your diet. They’re extremely helpful if you’re pressed for
time and can’t sit down to eat a meal; or if you have dif-
26
In the next chapter, we’ll learn how to make sure your
numbers are going up. Read on.
DIET & TRAINING GO HAND-IN-HAND.
In Chapter 1, I explained the importance of managing
the three primary variables of training: volume, intensity, and frequency. This chapter takes those concepts
and goes a step further, arranging them in a form that
you’re probably more comfortable with: the weekly
split. Instead of just throwing the program in your
face, I break down exactly how the different pieces fit
together (with a few exceptions -- I gotta keep some
secrets for my personal clients).
CHAPTER 3
TRAINING FOR SIZE & STRENGTH
27
Remember, the diet in Think Big is one of those pieces. The
can buy. Fortunately, they’re competitively priced, as well.
nutrition plan and the training program are synergistic. I
Wrist wraps and either sleeves or wraps to protect your
mentioned before how difficult it can be to gain size while
knees are a good idea, too. That’s all you’ll need to get
following a low-carb diet. It’s even more difficult to do so
started.
while training intensely and with high volume. That’s why
it’s important that you have a meal plan, preferably one
You don’t need fancy equipment because the vast majority
that includes circa-workout nutrition and a good supple-
of Think Big focuses on the big lifts: basic, compound exer-
ment regimen. I’m stressing this point, because if you only
cises that you can load up heavily to build massive strength
follow the training program or the diet, you’ll still have
and add slabs of muscle to your physique. As the next sec-
good results, but following both together is even better.
tion explains, these exercises offer the most bang for the
buck, and they transfer well to other exercises. If you can
And, one more time, if you’re not interested in all the fine
bench 500 pounds, you won’t have a problem repping out
details, feel free to skip ahead and just take a look at the
some heavy tricep extensions, even if you don’t do them
finished product in the spreadsheet. The truth is, the Think
very often. Same for squats and deadlifts: I built my legs
Big program will work just as well regardless of whether
and back almost exclusively through heavy powerlifting.
you understand the principles it’s built on.
THINK BIG: PROGRAM BASICS
Even so, isolation exercises have their place, especially
when you’re looking to get big and strong. Isolation exer-
First things first: to gain size and strength consistently, you
cises help build a balanced body -- one that’s less vulner-
need to use a periodized protocol along with very carefully-
able to injury -- and to add volume to a program without
planned supplemental exercises geared towards hypertro-
significantly impacting recovery. It’s a lot easier on your
phy. If you didn’t follow that sentence, go back and skim
body to crank out 100 reps of leg extensions than 100 reps
the “building strength” section of Chapter 1, and also the
of squats! Machines often make isolation exercises easier
bit about undulating periodization.
to perform, but if you don’t have access to any, the majority of them can be done using resistance bands or dumb-
Assuming we’re on the same page, the next step is prepar-
bells for the home gym crowd.
ing to train. Most good strength programs don’t need a
whole lot of fancy equipment to work right. A good rack
and barbell (and plenty of weights) is enough for most of
the exercises used in Think Big, so it’s perfect if you train at
home or don’t care for machines. For yourself, you’ll need
a good, sturdy powerlifting belt. I strongly, strongly recommend that you buy from Pioneer; I’ve used many different belts and, without a doubt, theirs are the best money
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
28
THINK BIG
THE TRAINING SPLIT
SIMPLE IS GOOD
You’re training four days per week. Under no circumstances should you try to add a training day: extra work isn’t beneficial, and will probably lead to overtraining. If you’re one of those people who just has to get in the gym, that’s fine: use
your extra days to do some cardiovascular work and stretch.
EXERCISE SELECTION
In the split below that, except for the primary movements, specific exercises aren’t listed. Instead, you’ll see a
movement type, like “vertical press,” or a bodypart, like “shoulders.” For these slots, you’ll have the opportunity
to rotate exercsies depending on how you feel on any particular day. All of this is explained in more detail in the
rest of this chapter, but at the very least, make sure to check out the Movement Selection page before you start.
DAY 1: SHOULDERS & ARMS
Your focus here is on speed and smoothness. Move the bench sets as fast as possible, and keep the tempo up between
assistance and supplemental movements. This should be a shorter training session.
Purpose
Sets
Reps
Rep Speed
Speed
4-8
2-3
Maximal
zz Assistance Movement: Vertical Press
Hypertrophy
3-5
5-8
311 Tempo
zz Supplemental: Shoulders
Hypertrophy
2-12
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Supplemental: Arms
Hypertrophy
4-16
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Primary Movement: Speed Bench Press
29
DAY 2: LEGS
There’s a reason leg day has a reputation as a killer: it’s a long, gruelling session. We use strength sets on deadlift because
the risk of injury is higher on that movement unless rep speed is controlled.
Purpose
Sets
Reps
Rep Speed
zz Primary Movement: Squat
Strength
1-4
1-6
Controlled
zz Assistance Movement: Deadlift Variation
Strength
1-4
1-6
Controlled
zz Supplemental: Hamstrings (2 exercises)
Hypertrophy
5-20
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Supplemental: Abs (1 exercise)
Hypertrophy
3-5
10-20+
311 Tempo
DAY 3: CHEST & TRICEPS
Optimal bench training varies from person to person. If you think you need more volume, you can train the bench variation slot as a hypertrophy movement, using higher numbers of sets and reps.
Purpose
Sets
Reps
Rep Speed
Strength
1-4
1-6
Controlled
Strength/Hypertrophy
1-5
1-8
Controlled
zz Supplemental: Pecs (2 exercises)
Hypertrophy
5-18
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Supplemental: Triceps (1 exercise)
Hypertrophy
4-16
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Primary Movement: Bench Press
zz Assistance Movement: Bench Variation
DAY 4: BACK & BICEPS
Because deadlifts are so physically and mentally demanding, we start out with speed squats, which should leave you feeling warm but fresh and ready for some heavy pulls.
Purpose
Sets
Reps
Rep Speed
Speed
4-8
2-3
Maximal
Strength
1-4
1-6
Controlled
zz Supplemental: Lats (2 exercises)
Hypertrophy
5-20
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Supplemental: Biceps (1 exercise)
Hypertrophy
4-16
10-20+
311 Tempo
zz Assistance Movement: Speed Squat Variation
zz Primary Movement: Deadlift
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30
MOVEMENT SELECTION
Main Movements: Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift
If you’re looking for size or strength, these three lifts are
your base builders -- no exceptions. No other full-body lifts
-- and they are full-body lifts, if you’re training heavy and
using good form -- can be loaded as safely and effectively
as these three. If your squat, bench press, and deadlift are
increasing you can be 100% confident that you’re getting
stronger. And if they’re going up and you’re eating enough,
too, you can be 100% confident that you’re building quality
muscle.
If you’re a competitive powerlifter, you need to perform
these movements to competition standard. (That standard will differ depending on where you compete.) But if
you’re not so worried about competing, and you just want
to get big and strong, the details become a little less important. Instead, we’re looking for:
1.
Safety. If you’re performing the lifts safely, that
generally means you’re keeping a tight core and flat
(or slightly arched, for the bench) back, and that you’re
avoiding any imbalances (like knee caving on the squat
and deadlift, or elbows shooting out on the bench).
2.
Effectiveness. This generally means that you’re
moving through a full range of motion: squatting to
parallel or slightly below, touching your chest on the
bench press and locking out fully, and deadlifting from
the floor. Safety is always most important! If you can’t
move through a full range of motion without pain, then
you’re better off with partial lifts. That said, nearly every healthy person should be able to move through a
full range of motion. If your ego gets hurt, that’s okay
-- don’t squat high or cut your bench short just to load
on more weight.
I won’t go through the nuances of technique here. If you
need help, check out the free Exercise Index at EliteFTS.
com -- all the main and assitance movements in Think Big
“FOR SIZE AND STRENGTH,
THE SQUAT, BENCH, AND
DEADLIFT ARE YOUR GO-TOS.
NO EXCEPTIONS.”
31
can be found there.
structural issues when you first start training, you’ll develop some muscles more than others, and those relative
What about other lifts, like the power clean or overhead
weaknesses can really limit your overall strength.
press? Overheads are important for shoulder balance, and
they’re included in Think Big. They’re not listed as a main
Assistance lifts help fix both problems. There’s an almost
movement because for most people, the overhead press
endless number of variations of the squat, bench press,
is difficult to load heavily while maintaining good form.
and deadlift -- just take a look at the exercise index in the
The power clean is not a good strength or size builder for
back of this book. Those variations help mix things up, but
anyone without experience in Olympic weightlifting. It’s
they can also help address weaknesses. If you struggle
too difficult to perform properly, and so the typical power
with your bench press lockout, you can add some board or
clean resembles some sort of a bastardized reverse curl.
pin presses, or close-grip bench presses. If your squat is
It’s a great way to hurt a shoulder or elbow, but not much
weak at the bottom, do some pause squats or box squats.
else.
Finding the right variations that bring up your main lifts is
a key part of getting stronger, but thankfully, you’ll have
Assistance Movements
plenty of opportunities to try different ones to find which
The squat, bench press, and deadlift are kings, but some-
work best for you.
times, they’re not enough on their own. First, it’s easy to
get bored just doing the same things all the time. Bore-
Supplemental Movements
dom isn’t necessarily bad, but the best training is fun, and
Not even all the variations of the squat, bench press, and
oftentimes mixing things up is fun. Second, many lifters
deadlift can work all the muscles in your body evenly
have imbalances that create sticking points in the squat,
enough to create a really balanced physique. Besides,
bench press, and deadlift. For instance, you might be able
some smaller groups, like the arms, shoulders, and calves,
to press a heavy weight off your chest, but it gets stuck 2 or
usually need a huge amount of volume to grow, and doing
3 inches up. Or maybe you can get a heavy deadlift to your
a ton of sets of close-grip bench press and overhead press
knees, and then it stalls out a bit.
is a great way to get an overuse injury.
These kinds of sticking points can exist for a lot of reasons.
So, instead, we’ll be adding supplemental movements.
Oftentimes, they come from technique that is a little off, or
These are simple, single-joint isolation exercises that target
maybe a lot off. (If you suspect that your technique needs
the smaller muscle groups, or muscle groups that don’t get
work, get in touch with a good coach so they can help you
enough work from the rest of your program. They have a
find the right positions for your body!) But other times,
very low risk of injury, because you typically can’t use very
sticking points happen because of differences in bodies --
heavy weights for exercises like leg extensions or lateral
maybe you have long arms, which will make the deadlift
raises. Supplemental movements are also your chance to
easier but the bench harder. If you don’t address these
bro out: if you love reverse-grip preacher curls or thumbs-
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
32
up dumbbell extensions, you’ll choose them as two of your
through your set.
supplemental movements for biceps and triceps.
To help you progress, for the main movements (squat,
bench press, and deadlift), we’ll be using linear periodiza-
There are too many possiblities for supplemental move-
tion. As we increase the weights each week, we’ll decrease
ments to list here, but don’t worry. First, there’s an ex-
the volume. (If you’re wondering why this works, go back
tensive list of options in the spreadsheet. Second, I’ve in-
and take another look at Chapter 1.) Sounds simple, right?
cluded some of my own favorite supplemental movements
By itself, it is -- although there are still nuances in the ex-
in Chapter 4. And finally, you can always subscribe to my
act changes of both volume and intensity throughout the
YouTube channel here -- it’s constantly updated with new
program.
variations to try.
If you’ve used programs based on linear periodization in
It’s very, very important to remember that “sets” of
the past, you might wonder whether we can create enough
supplemental movements differ from sets of main and
stimulus just by changing volume and intensity.-- especially
assistance movements. First, when you’re counting sets
if, like most people, you find that you plateau or get bored
of supplemental movements, everything counts -- from
pretty quickly without a lot of variation in your workouts.
your first warmup set on. Second, you’re using very light
That’s where the hypertrophy and speed sets come into
weights and moving very quickly between sets. That’s why
play.
we’re training with so many sets: even as many as 20 sets
of hamstrings or lats shouldn’t take more than half an hour
When you’re doing strength sets, your goal is to move the
at most. In fact, all three types of movements should be
weight as confidently as possible. Don’t worry about your
peformed differently.
rep tempo. Just lower the weight under control, and lift it
as explosively as possible. When the weights get heavy, “as
SETS AND REPS
explosively as possible” might be pretty darn slow. That’s
Strength Sets
fine -- just make sure you stick with it and don’t give up if
Strength sets are the meat of Think Big. They use 1-6 reps,
the reps slow down.
and, depending on what phase of the program you’re in,
1-6 sets. Multiple sets of low or moderate reps are best
Hypertrophy Sets
for strength for two reasons.
First, it’s easier to keep
If strength sets are the meat, hypertrophy is the bread: it
good form on heavy, compound movements for low- or
rounds out your program by adding volume to help you
moderate-rep sets. On high-rep sets, by rep 8 or 10 or 12,
gain muscle and stay balanced.
you’re feeling pretty tired, mistakes start to creep in, and
bodies are generally injury-free ones.) We’ll use hyper-
the chance of injury rises. Second, it’s easier to add weight
trophy sets for both assistance and supplemental move-
to low-rep sets, because you don’t have to deal with the
ments.
lactic acid buildup or worry about getting winded halfway
33
(Remember: balanced
Hypertrophy sets for assistance movements use 3-5 sets
purpose: it allows you to add more variation to the pro-
of 5-8 reps. Remember, assistance movements are the
gram without beating you up so much that you overtrain.
ones that bring up your weaker muscles to help improve
Strength and speed sets are very physically and mentally
your main movements. They’re exercises like front squats,
demanding, so simply adding more of those would lead to
close-grip bench presses, deficit deadlifts, and other close
burnout very quickly. With hypertrophy sets, you can fo-
variations of the main movements. These exercises are
cus on the mind-muscle connection and get a great pump
usually pretty tough to do for very high reps, but sets of 5-8
while staying fresh.
are typically manageable.
Unlike strength sets, rep tempo is very important for hyHypertrophy sets for supplemental movements, on the
pertrophy sets. Lower the weight on a slow 3-count, and
other hand, use as many as 15 sets of 10-20 reps, or even
as you do, try to squeeze all the muscles in your body and
more -- sometimes up to 50 or 100 reps (more on super-
keep them tight. Pause for a 1-count at the bottom of the
high rep workouts in Chapter 4). Supplemental move-
rep, and then explode up as fast as you can. This increased
ments are simple, single-joint isolation exercises -- curls,
time under tension will further increase the overall volume
extensions, and the like -- so there’s little risk of injury
of your program and really kick your muscle growth into
from fatigue when performing them. The very high vol-
overdrive.
ume makes them great muscle builders, though, especially
for those smaller groups like the arms and shoulders that
Rest between sets is important, too. With the main move-
might not get enough direct stimulations from the other
ments, you should take as long as you need between sets
movements.
to make sure that you can nail all of your required reps.
But on hypertrophy sets, your training needs to be fast-
When you’re doing sets of supplemental movements,
paced. Rest only 2-3 minutes between sets of assistance
there’s no need to count reps, or use a progressively heavi-
movements, and as little as possible -- 90 seconds or less
er weight, or time your rest between sets. Instead, try this:
-- between sets of supplemental movements.
start with a very light weight, and do reps until you’ve got a
good pump going on -- but stop far short of failure. Then
Speed Sets
bump up in weight just a bit, and again, crank out reps
If you’ve read much about powerlifting, you’ve probably
until you feel that you’ve worked the muscle sufficiently.
heard of Westside Barbell and dynamic effort training. Ba-
You’ll notice in the spreadsheet that, most weeks, you have
sically, here’s the theory: by moving a light weight as fast
ranges of supplemental sets listed. In those cases, you can
as possible, you can train to be more explosive, which will
just go by feel: as long as you’re in the suggested set range,
eventually allow you to lift heavier weights. Now, Louie
you’re good.
Simmons works with very advanced lifters who use specialized powerlifting equipment in a very controlled envi-
The high volume of hypertrophy sets serves another
ronment. Dynamic effort training works great for those
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
34
people; for everyone else, it’s a little overrated.
However, speed sets do have some huge benefits, when
they’re used correctly: with moderate weights for low reps
and many sets, and with short rest periods. First, they help
to increase a program’s overall volume without impacting
recovery as much heavier lifting would (go back to Chapter
1 if you need a refresher on why volume is so important
for strength). In fact, speed sets can help you recover from
soreness a day or two after a heavy session. They’re also
the perfect way to practice good technique and build confidence. To take advantage of that, speed sets are usually used with main movements, but sometimes assistance
movements can work well, too -- it depends on your goals.
Again, tempo is pretty important for speed sets, but unlike
with hypertrophy sets, you’re not trying to increase time
under tension -- you’re trying to move as quickly as possible while maintaining control over the weight. A 1-0-1
tempo is perfect: take one second to lower the weight under control, and then immediately blast it up as quickly as
you can. Rest 90 seconds between speed sets.
35
SETS & REPS
In Chapter 1, we touched on the concept of undulating periodization, and how a little variety could have training benefits. In Think Big, we’ll put some of the concepts behind undulating periodization to work in different set types.
FAST STRONG
BIG
SPEED SETS
STRENGTH SETS
HYPERTROPHY SETS
Speed sets increase the overall vol-
Strength sets are the bread and but-
Hypertrophy is important, too! The
ume of a program without hurting
ter of Think Big. They’re used for the
program uses two types of hypertro-
recovery, can help alleviate soreness,
squat, bench press, and deadlift (and
phy sets: for assistance movements
and are a great opportunity to prac-
close variations of those movements),
and for supplemental movements.
tice technique and build confidence
for fairly low sets and reps. If you’re
Both are designed to give you a sick
under the bar.
Ultimately, this all
going to focus on only one thing in
pump, increase the program’s over-
translates into more strength and
this program, focus on the strength
all volume, and ultimately result in
more size.
sets.
insane muscle growth along with
strength.
36
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Here’s a quick summary of where we’re at so far.
1.
The Think Big diet and training programs are synergistic. You can use one without the other, but they’re better
together.
2.
Your diet should set you up to have a killer training session, and to recover from that training quickly enough to
build muscle. By paying attention to the foods you eat throughout the rest of the day, and by controlling your carbs
during the rest of the day, you can gain a lot of muscle while minimizing fat.
3.
Your training program is based on the three powerlifts: the bench press, squat, and deadlift. It also includes
assistance and supplemental movements to help build muscle and keep your body balanced. Each of these movements can be trained using different styles of sets and reps, so it’s important you really focus throughout your entire
workout.
Those three points are our magic 20% -- the things we pour our effort into to produce huge gains without spending hours
and hours counting calories or grinding out endless sets in the gym. Obviously, there are other details that can help
overcome obstacles. Read on for more.
WAIT... WHERE’S THE PROGRAM?
No, you’re not crazy. The actual program -- with sets, reps, poundages, exercises -- that’s not all laid out in the book, for two reasons. First, what are you going to do with a PDF of your program? You can’t interact with that. Second, I find that it’s much easier,
mentally, to deal with actual loads than percents of a one-rep max. So, the Think Big program, in all its glory, can be found in the
spreadsheet that came with this book. It will allow you to input your 1-rep maxes, calculate your poundages for each training day,
and there’s space for you to record your workouts if you choose. Obviously, you should check that out.
37
PLATEAUS SUCK.
We’ve all been there -- those times when it seems like
nothing ever changes, and every day in the gym is just
hours of spinning the wheels, hoping something will
click. Or maybe there’s that weight that never seems
to move, no matter how well training seems to be going: 385 might fly up, maybe for reps, but 405 might as
well be 900.
CHAPTER 4
PLATEAU-BUSTING SECRETS
38
There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that plateaus never go away, no matter how long you train and no
matter how much strength and muscle you build. The good news is that plateaus can almost always be beaten -- and once
they are, gains often skyrocket. To beat a plateau, you need to experiment. But it’s not enough to throw random solutions
at a problem and hope something sticks. You need a plan to figure out what’s causing your stall, and how you can fix it.
Obviously, that’s easier said than done, especially because plateaus aren’t always physical barriers. In fact, they’re often
mental ones: sticking points created by boredom, fear, or laziness. For that reason, breaking plateaus doesn’t always require change -- but often change can help to get over a physical or mental block. If you think you’re dealing with a mental
issue, then it’s time for some serious reflection. But if you’re physically struggling, this chapter has some strategies to
help get you unstuck.
“PLATEAUS CAN BE
BEATEN, AND THEN GAINS
SKYROCKET.”
If you’re following the percentages in the program as
big enough -- are probably the toughest plateau to over-
they’re written (and being honest about your 1-rep max-
come.
es!), it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll run into any plateaus un-
strengths and weaknesses; if you want to be successful at
less you’re a very advanced athlete -- and if you are a very
bodybuilding or powerlifting, you have to strive to find bal-
advanced athlete, you should already know what you need
ance between them.
We’re all genetically predispositioned to have
to do to improve.
But you can be strategic about how you find that balance.
But maybe you’ve just got lousy leverages for a lift, or
Some people take the “more is better” approach and just
maybe you can’t seem to bring up that one lagging muscle
train their weak points with more volume, frequency, and
group (for me it’s always arms). If so, read on.
intensity. Sometimes, that’s the right approach, and if you
WEAK POINTS
Weak points -- whether they’re not strong enough or not
think you just don’t train your weak points enough, skip to
the next section for some ideas on skillfully working more
volume into your training.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
39
Usually, we end up hammering the shit out of weak points,
exercises and reading a written description might not get
and they just don’t seem to respond. In this case, there’s
the point across. Soon you’ll be able to view demonstra-
no sense in stubbornness. Instead of persisting with a
tions of all these exercises and more on my YouTube page
high-volume approach that isn’t working, be a little more
by following this link.) If you’re following the Think Big pro-
creative. Oftentimes, finding that one special exercise that
gram, you can plug these exercises in to your supplemen-
really nails a weak point in just the right way can make an
tal slots.
enormous difference in your results.
WEAK ARMS: YOKE BAR JM PRESS
Take me, for example: for a long time, I had frustratingly
You’ll need an Elitefts Yoke Bar or some other safety squat
small triceps and, as a result, an awful bench press. Then
bar with removable handles for this one. Take the handles
I trained at the S4 Compound at Elitefts, and everything
off and position the bar in a rack at bench-press height,
changed. That weekend, Mario D’Amico and Bryan Do-
but in the direction opposite to what you’d use for a squat
berdruk taught me to use the SSB Yoke Bar to perform JM
(so the pads are pointed towards you). Lie flat on a bench,
presses. I had trained with JM presses before, but they
and unrack the bar. Lower the handles straight down to-
felt uncomfortable, and I had a tendency to put too much
wards your chest, keeping your shoulder blades retracted
emphasis on the shoulders and not enough on the triceps.
and wrists straight. When the handles reach your chest,
The Yoke Bar made it easy to stay in the groove and get a
let the bar rotate along its natural path towards your face
massive tricep pump while moving heavy weight. I started
until your arms are parallel to the floor. Complete the ex-
out with 135; three months later, I was using 315 for reps,
ercise by pressing away from your face until your arms are
my arms had grown half an inch, and my bench press had
fully extended.
shot up by 20 pounds after refusing to budge for years.
Obviously, I was pretty fucking psyched.
How do you find your Yoke Bar press -- that one perfect
movement to help turn your weaknesses into strengths?
Experience is the only sure answer; the longer you train,
the more knowledge you’ll gather from the people around
you, and the more you’ll know how your body responds to
stimulus. Sadly, there’s no easy answer.
But there are good places to start. Below are a few common weaknesses and unconventional exercises to help
obliterate them -- try things out, experiment, and above all
else, be persistent. (Note: these are some unconventional
40
WEAK ABS: VACUUM
Most descriptions of a vacuum are pretty simple. There’s
two steps: first, exhale forcefully, trying to expel all the
air from your lungs; and then suck in your gut, trying to
pull your navel towards your spine. These descriptions
are pretty lousy because they leave out some hugely important parts of a proper vacuum. First, while you’re performing the vacuum, you need to contract your abs (or,
more precisely, your rectus abdominis). This makes your
abs stand out while you’re performing the vacuum, for a
more defined look, and it’s a great way to practice activating your rectus abdominis and your transverse abdominis
at the same time. That’s the secret to a perfect brace for
squatting or deadlifting. Second, we also need to be able
to breathe deeply while lifting, and if you just follow the
two steps above, that’s pretty difficult.
So, instead of just breathing out and sucking in, we need to
add a few steps. First, flex your abs, as if you were preparing for a heavy squat or deadlift. Then exhale from your
diaphragm, keeping your chest high and abs flexed. Finally, use your abs to pull your navel towards your spine, and
try to hold the position while taking shallow chest breaths
and keeping your abs flexed. Try to work up to holding this
position for ninety seconds and see how much your bracing improves and your waist tightens up.
WEAK CHEST: BANDED KETTLEBELL FLYE
Grab an Elitefts mini band and hold it behind your back.
Then grab a pair of light kettlebells, and position yourself
on a flat or decline bench. Hold the kettlebells at arms’
length, and keep your core and shoulder blades tight.
Slowly lower the bells out to the sides (just as in a normal
dumbbell flye) and then drive explosively up, squeezing
your chest as you do. To intensity this exercise, try using
it for very high reps (sets of 30-50) while on a stability ball
(the ball will allow for greater stretch at the bottom).
WEAK SHOULDERS: STANDING RACK PRESS
Set yourself up with a barbell in a four-post power rack
WEAK BACK: DUFFALO BAR PRONE ROW
You don’t need a Duffalo Bar for this one, but the camber
makes the exercise quite a bit more effective. Next, find a
high bench, with enough clearance under the pad so that
your arms can hang fully extended. If your gym doesn’t
have a bench high enough, you can try putting a lower
bench up on plates or blocks to create a little more space.
Place the bar under the bench; you should just barely be
able to reach the bar when it’s resting on the floor. Grab
a pair of straps -- you’ll need them -- and take a grip wider
than shoulder width.
like the Elitefts 3x3 Rack. Set the pins around the level of
your collarbone, and set the bar across the pins, not in the
J-hooks. You’re going to press the bar up, like in a standard overhead press, and then lower it back down onto the
pins, all while keeping it against the front posts of the rack
(you’re using the rack to help stabilize the bar and keep
constant tension on your shoulders). If you’re working in a
nice rack, don’t fuck it (or the bar) up. Instead, put towels
or a pad around the posts to cushion them.
WEAK LEGS: SQUAT
Sorry -- there’s no way around it, you’ve got to squat. Ever
Now row the bar up towards your chest by driving your el-
see a 700-pound squatter with tiny legs? No, you haven’t,
bows up towards the ceiling, keeping your shoulder blades
because they don’t exist. You might not need to squat if
and core tight. When the bar reaches the bench, squeeze
you have fantastic genetics, but no amount of extensions
your shoulder blades together as tight as you can and hold
or leg presses will fix lagging wheels. Get under the bar
for a one-second count. Then slowly lower the bar back to
and pay your dues.
the ground, letting it rest on the floor between reps.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
41
DUFFALO BAR PRONE
ROW: BUILD A BACK
TO FLY WITH
The camber in the Duffalo bar allows for a little extra range of motion,
which will really torch your upper
back. Be sure to use support to protect your low back, too.
YOKE BAR JM PRESS:
TARGET THOSE TRIS
My go-to tricep exercise. The Yoke
bar helps you to stay in the groove
and put all the load onto your triceps,
not your shoulders, chest, or joints.
You can perform this for high or low
reps, but more is better for size.
SQUAT: THE SECRET
Z TO BIG LEGS
There’s no way around it: if you
want massive legs and lower-body
strength, you’ve got to shut up and
squat.
42
LACK OF VOLUME: VOLUMIZING PROTOCOLS
So far, we’ve focused mainly on diet and volume for the
bodybuilding portions of the program. When you find that
your muscles aren’t growing, food is still the first place to
look. But let’s say your diet is on point, and you’re still not
making progress. Then we need to go back to the three
variables that primarily influence our strength -- volume,
intensity, and frequency -- and try to understand what isn’t
working.
Intensity in this program is dictated by percentages, so
if you’re hitting your numbers each week, that’s not the
problem. That leaves volume and frequency (which we’ll
get to later). Sometimes, you just need to kick things up
a notch to get your muscles growing again. That’s where
volumizers come in. These are training strategies that you
can employ during your supplemental sets to increase
muscle stimulus -- without spending hours and hours in
the gym.
ACCOMODATING RESISTANCE (BANDS OR CHAINS)
With most free-weight exercises, there’s an uneven
strength curve: you’re stronger through some parts of
the range of motion than through others. Using bands or
chains can change that: those tools provide more (or less,
depending on how they’re used) resistance in the easier (or
harder) spots. This accommodating resistance makes the
exercise as a whole much more challenging -- and sometimes, much more productive.
Now, I’m pretty conservative when it comes to the use of
bands and chains, because “more challenging” almost always also means “harder to recover from.” Some power-
43
lifters like to really load up on the tension from accommodating resistance on squats, bench presses, and deadlifts,
but in my opinion, bands and chains are better used as
tools to intensify supplemental exercises. Supplemental
exercises are pretty easy to recover from, so even kicking
them up a notch won’t mess with your recuperative ability.
It’s very easy to use bands for this purpose; almost any
exercise that can be performed with dumbbells or pulleys can also be performed with bands. You might need a
little creativity -- as in the banded kettlebell flyes described
above -- but standard exercises, like dumbbell curls or lateral raises are straightforward. You can stand on bands or
attach them to a rack or machine as an anchor, and then
rep away.
POSING
I’m not a big fan of well-known bodybuilding techniques
like forced reps, drop sets, or even supersets -- much as is
the case with accommodating resistance, these techniques
are very demanding and therefore very difficult to recover
from.
Posing, on the other hand, is very difficult but very easy
to recover from, and helps to improve muscle activation
and, when performed between sets, to intensify a training
session. Performing a set of lat pulldowns and then holding a lat spread, for example, might leave you gasping for
breath, but results in an insane pump and better overall
growth. Posing is a skill that takes time and practice to
perfect; if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t just try
to approximate poses. Get a good posing coach to show
you the basics first.
VOLUMIZING PROTOCOLS
If you just need a little more work to bust through those plateaus, you have a few options. Keep in mind that these strategies can really sap your recovery, so use them carefully.
muscle groups use frequency
zz Accomodating resistance (bands and chains) all, but only on major movements
moderate
zz Posing “supersets”
all
frequency
smaller muscle groups preferred
very low
zz Challenge sets/AMRAPs
ing sets for only one muscle group per week, and within
CHALLENGE SETS (AMRAPS)
that muscle group, during only one set per exercise. For
Very, very rarely, I like incorporating challenge sets into
example, let’s say your triceps and shoulders are lagging.
my training. These are often called AMRAP (“as many reps
Your triceps workout might look like this:
as possible”) sets, but I dislike that term because, in my
1.
Skullcrusher: 3 sets. On your last set, when you
opinion, performing high-rep sets to failure is a terrible
cannot complete any more reps, switch to close-grip
idea. Again, it’s just too difficult to recover from. (Noticing
presses (using the same bar/weight) to failure.
a theme here? Recovery is paramount. Too many people
2.
Pulley pushdown: 2 sets
do too much and wonder why they’re stuck.)
3.
Barbell kickback versus mini bands: 1 set to failure
The following week, you could continue to use volumizer
But, occasionally, a challenge set can be useful. A chal-
sets for your triceps, or you could switch to shoulders -- but
lenge set should always be the last set of any given exer-
never both in the same week.
cise, and you should never rep out -- leave one or (even
better) two reps left in the tank. The physical benefits from
LACK OF FREQUENCY: FEEDER WORKOUTS
challenge sets are limited, unless you’re typically training
Generally, you’re better off upping volume than upping fre-
well under your capacity. The mental benefits, however,
quency, because you’ve got more leeway with the former.
can be huge: performing, say, 10 reps with 405 is a huge
Look at it this way: you might perform anywhere from 6-16
confidence boost if you’re planning to attempt 500 later in
sets of supplemental work for some muscle groups -- and
your training cycle.
that’s after all of your heavy training. Adding a little extra
to a couple of those sets is a much smaller change than go-
Be warned: even with the caveats explained above, these
ing from training a muscle twice per week to three times.
are still pretty physically and mentally demanding tech-
That’s a 50% increase.
niques. Use them sparingly! I recommend using volumiz-
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
44
So, to prevent overreaching, we’ll use feeder workouts:
•
quick sessions with very light weights and high reps to help
ercises. Each set must be at least 50 reps and no more
Each feeder workout, you perform 3 sets of 2-3 ex-
pump blood into the muscles and provide a little extra
than 100 reps. Obviously, this requires the use of an
training stimulus to bust plateaus. Here’s how they work:
extremely light weight or resistance band -- probably
no more than 10 pounds.
•
You perform feeder workouts every day at night
before you go to bed (long enough before bed so as to
•
Each time you perform a feeder workout, try to
complete more reps than in the previous one.
not disrupt your sleep).
•
You perform feeder workouts for 10 days in a row,
Again, these are very brutal and should be used sparingly.
and do not use them again for at least 20 days.
I also recommend rotating among different body parts if
•
You choose isolation exercises for small bodyp-
more than one group is lagging. For example, you might
arts. Feeder workouts work best for the arms, shoul-
perform feeder workouts for arms for 10 days, take 20 days
ders, and calves. They are not appropriate for the legs,
away from the feeders, and then hit calves for 10 days.
chest, or back.
SAMPLE FEEDER WORKOUTS
Remember, only use feeder workouts for 10 days in a row, and only for one muscle group at a time. It’s very easy to overreaching using feeder workouts, so again -- be careful.
ARMS
Three sets of standing curls using
Two sets the following circuit: front
Three sets of standing calf raises su-
an Elitefts micro band superset with
dumbbell raise, side raise, bent-over
perset with three sets of donkey calf
three sets of overhead dumbbell ex-
dumbbell raise.
raises.
tensions.
45
DELTS CALVES
LACK OF FOOD: MAN THE F*%! UP
“I can’t eat enough to gain weight.”
So we get outside and he starts talking.
“For breakfast you need to eat four of those breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds. I don’t care which ones you get, but
This isn’t a plateau, it’s an excuse -- a bullshit excuse. In
make sure to get four. Order four hash browns, too. Now grab
fact, one of my biggest pet peeves is hearing someone
two packs of mayonnaise and put them on the hash browns
whine about how no matter how much they eat, they don’t
and then slip them into the sandwiches. Squish that shit down
gain weight. Look: if you aren’t gaining weight, you don’t
and eat. That’s your breakfast.”
want it bad enough. End of story. Sorry, you don’t have
some mysterious genetic condition or alien-like metabo-
At this point I’m thinking this guy is nuts. But he’s completely
lism that makes eating enough to gain impossible. I could
serious.
go on and on about this point, but really, neither I nor anyone else could say it better than world-class powerlifter JM
“For lunch you’re gonna eat Chinese food. Now I don’t want
Blakely, who explained to Dave Tate his secret to gaining
you eating that crappy stuff. You wanna get the stuff with MSG.
weight. Instead of ranting, I’m just going to share Dave’s
None of that non-MSG bullshit. I don’t care what you eat but
story here:
you have to sit down and eat for at least 45 minutes straight.
You can’t let go of the fork. Eat until your eyes swell up and
There was a time at the Old Westside gym where I couldn’t gain
become slits and you start to look like the woman behind the
weight to save my fucking life.
counter.”
There was this dude who trained there who could just put on
“For dinner you’re gonna order an extra-large pizza with every-
weight like fucking magic. He’d go from 198 to 308 and then
thing on it. Literally everything. If you don’t like sardines, don’t
to 275 and back down to 198. And he was never fat. It was
put ‘em on, but anything else that you like you have to load it
amazing.
on there. After you pay the delivery guy, I want you to take the
pie to your coffee table, open that fucker up, and grab a bottle
I finally asked him one day how he did it.
of oil. It can be olive oil, canola oil, whatever. Anything but motor oil. And I want you to pour that shit over the pie until half
“You mean I never told you the secret to gaining weight? Come
of the bottle is gone. Just soak the shit out of it.”
outside and I’ll fill you in.”
“Now before you lay into it, I want you to sit on your couch and
Now remember, we’re at Westside Barbell. And this guy wants
just stare at that fucker. I want you to understand that that
to go outside to talk so no one else can hear. Think about that
pizza right there is keeping you from your goals.”
for a minute. What the hell is he going to tell me? This must be
some serious shit if we have to go outside, I thought.
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
46
This guy is in a zen-like state when he’s talking ab
out this.
“Now you’re on the clock,” he continues. “After 20 minutes your
brain is going to tell you you’re full. Don’t listen to that shit. You
have to try and eat as much of the pizza as you can before that
20-minute mark. Double up pieces if you have to. I’m telling
you now, you’re going to get three or four pieces in and you’re
gonna want to quit. You fucking can’t quit. You have to sit on
that couch until every piece is done.
And if you can’t finish it, don’t you ever come back to me and
tell me you can’t gain weight. ‘Cause I’m gonna tell you that
you don’t give a fuck about getting bigger and you don’t care
how much you lift!”
Did I do it? Hell yeah. Started the next day and did it for two
months. Went from 260 pounds to 297 pounds. And I didn’t
get much fatter. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my
life, though.
One last point. When many people say they can’t gain
weight, what they really mean is that they struggle to gain
weight without gaining fat, too. That’s another story. If
that’s your real problem, Dave’s approach isn’t right for
you. Instead, you need to do two things. First, mentally
accept the fact that you’re going to have to gain some fat to
gain some muscle; it’s reality for nearly everyone. Second,
go back to Chapter 2 and implement some of the more advanced strategies there regarding carb timing. Otherwise,
get back in the kitchen.
47
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Getting stuck isn’t fun, but as long as you frame a plateaus
as a roadblock not the end of the road, you will eventually
get back on track. In fact, plateaus can be great opportunities to learn more about your body and how it responds
to training.
If you’ve hit a plateau, don’t panic. Instead, first identify the
cause: do you have a weak point? Are you not training with
enough volume or frequency to stimulate growth? Are
you eating enough? Once you’ve identified the underlying
cause, you can apply the strategies in this chapter. Many
times, once you bust through a plateau, you start making
progress again even faster than you were before.
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SUPPORT
AND REMEMBER:
THINK STRONG
THINK BIG
I hope that this book has helped you
cated, either -- despite what some In-
to feel a little more confident in your-
ternet gurus might make it out to be.
self and your plan to excel in whatever
With a little planning and a lot of hard
strength sport you choose to pursue,
work and consistency, you can accom-
whether
plish all of your physical culture goals,
that’s
powerlifting,
building, or both.
body-
Building size and
strength isn’t easy, but it’s not compli-
and more.
I’m pretty proud of this program; it represents a lot of what
I have learned over the past several years of competing
as a professional powerlifter, and while I have a lot left to
learn and to accomplish, I’ve already achieved more than
I ever even knew I wanted. I truly believe you can do the
same, so please, trust the program and the process, stay
dedicated, and -- as always -- don’t be afraid to reach out if
you need help along the way.
I am so, so grateful to everyone who’s helped me to reach
this point in my training career, where I even have the
knowledge to share. The truth is, I can’t say thank you any
better than I did in Think Strong, so I’ll just say it again:
Staci Ardison has contributed to this project, and to my life,
in ways that I can’t fully describe. I’m so grateful to her for
her trust in and support of me. She has challenged me to
reexamine the way I think about everything — training included — and I would not have learned to Think Strong or
be strong without her.
Dominic Morais and Jacob Cloud are by far the two most
influential people in my training, and two of the most influential people in my life. I can’t overstate all they’ve done for
me with their patience and friendship, and I can’t describe
how supporting it is to know that I can rely on them for advice — good advice — about anything. And their perspective on training and technique alone has added more to my
total than anything else; they deserve as much credit for
my lifting success as I do.
Tammy Hudson has done so much to keep my going, and
I have never met another sport massage therapist with as
contact: ben@phdeadlift.com l elitefts.com/author/ben-pollack
49
much knowledge of the body and how to fix it. Her support and friendship have been just as important to me, and I’m
grateful to have met her.
All of my family at Big Tex Gym and Hyde Park Gym in Austin have pushed me to continually improve, and I am extremely
grateful for that. Everyone talks about how important it is to have a “hardcore” gym environment for motivation, but fewer
recognize how much of a difference it makes when you train with family. Intense training partners can push you to work
harder when you’re not feeling it, but a family can keep you going through the good times and the hard ones.
I’m also grateful to my parents for everything they’ve given to me. I know that it took them a while to come around to
powerlifting, and I appreciate that they were open-minded enough to support me just because lifting is important to me,
even when they maybe didn’t understand why.
I am so excited to be joining the Iron Rebel and Granite Supplements team. Ed Koo and John Meadows embody a lot of
what I hope to become: guys who balance their families, businesses, and training, and yet are still able to excel in all three
areas to an extent greater than most people even dream of. I know I will learn a lot from them, and I can’t wait.
And finally, I’m so proud to be a member of Team EliteFTS. I’m thankful to Dave Tate for giving me this opportunity, to
Sheena Leedham and Andy Hingsbergen for their help in navigating the team processes, and to the entire team for all
of their support and friendship. To live, learn, and pass on really encompasses everything that I want to get out of this
sport, and really out of my entire life, and so it’s incredibly fulfilling to be a part of something bigger than myself, where
everyone can share that vision.
THE END.
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