Chapter 1
Gregory to the Rescue
My name is Greg O’Gallagher. In this program, I'm going to teach you my
methods to building a well-proportioned, strong, muscular physique.
This program is going to be much different than any other strength or
muscle building course you have ever read.
The workouts, exercises, sets and reps are all geared towards bringing your
body closer to what I call the Kinobody physique. I'm talking about a strong
V-shaped torso, sculpted shoulders, prominent, square pecs, rock hard arms, a
taut waist and lean legs.
This is the exact physique that I have coined as the Kinobody. In the film
industry, "kino" is considered the highest tier of artistry in motion pictures. Flicks,
film, movies, cinema ... everything bows before the kino. And, seeing as we want
to create that appealing Hollywood physique, it would only make sense to go for
the best of the best. Hence, the Kinobody.
At first you might be surprised by the simplicity of the workouts. This is because
you won’t be training five to six times per week. You won’t be doing five
exercises per muscle group. You won’t be using all kinds of fancy bodybuilding
techniques.
Those methods are great if all you care about is getting insane pumps and crazy
muscle soreness. However, if you’re more concerned with building real strength
and muscle, as well as actually making consistent progress, then you need to
abide by a whole new set of rules and training principles.
When it comes to building a lean and muscular physique, we will focus on
increasing strength in the 4-8 rep range. ​This will deliver most of your results.
If you focus on gaining strength with the right movements, then you'll gain solid
muscle to sculpt your physique - useful, dense, powerful muscle.
In conjunction with a specific diet protocol constructed to minimize fat and
promote muscle, you'll be left with a chiseled Greek God look.
Who Is This Program For?
This program is for determined men who want to build the ideal lean and
muscular physique of Hollywood’s fittest.​ I’m talking about guys like Brad Pitt in
"Troy," Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale," Christian Bale in "American Psycho,"
Ryan Reynolds in "Blade: Trinity" and Chris Evans in "Captain America." These
guys all have a nice amount of muscle combined with minimal fat.
This program is for determined men who want to be much stronger and more
powerful, not those just gunning for looks.​ “Looking good” won’t cut it.
This program is for men who want to be a godlike in strength AND aesthetics.
Some people believe you can’t be lean and strong. I'm here to get you both. By
now you've seen my physique, and I can bench press 315 pounds. For reps. You
can look good and be strong - have that cake and eat it, too!
By maintaining a level of leanness, we'll be striving for not just strength, but
relative strength​. (That is, strength compared to your bodyweight.)
This program is for men who like to enjoy life.​ What’s the point in looking good if
your life revolves around your training and diet? Answer: There is no point. It’s a
complete waste. In fact, for most people reading this program, they're going to be
spending less time in the gym and more time enjoying life. Sorry, gym bros.
This program is for men with patience. Y
​ ou'll have to live with the fact that you
won't be gaining 5-10 pounds of muscle per month. The only way to do that is to
either be regaining muscle previously lost or using copious amounts of anabolic
steroids. We aren't about that stuff here. Plus, those that try to pack on muscle
very quickly end up gaining a whole bunch of fat and ultimately ruin their
physiques.
Beginner and intermediate lifters can gain a maximum of 2-3 pounds of
muscle per month. ​While this might sound slow, it’s really not. Most people
need to gain 15-20 pounds of muscle max to achieve the muscularity of the
Kinobody Greek God physique. This takes six months to a year to achieve.
Working out is something that I want you to continue for life. If you could build a
jacked physique in two to three months, then there would be a lot more muscular
guys (and gals) walking around.
That said, most guys actually think they need to gain 30-40 pounds of muscle to
look impressive. This is most definitely not the case. Some people trying to build
muscle tend to overeat as well as do lots of squats and deadlifts. This leads to
excess fat gain and excess lower body mass. If these people were only to gain
15-20 pounds of muscle, their physiques wouldn’t change a whole lot. However,
when you focus on gaining pure muscle and adding that muscle to the right
places in the right amounts, then 15-20 pounds looks incredible!
That's what we're trying to accomplish here. We want to get the minimum
effective amount of muscle gain and fat loss to achieve a badass physique. If this
sounds great to you, let's keep on going!
Chapter 2
The Ultimate Kinobody Physique
Over the years working out and transforming my body, people have always
asked me why I work out.
I tell them, “I workout because, as far as I’m concerned, I only have one body
and I want it to be as healthy, fit and powerful as possible. So tell me, why ​don’t
you workout? What’s stopping you from making the small investment that is
working out and taking care of yourself that will pay off big time?”
As a child I always found it incredible that ​you determine how your body looks,
feels and functions.
Working out a few times per week and taking care of yourself is a small price to
pay for a physique that feels and looks amazing and performs well. Don’t you
think?
Relative Strength: The Key to the Ultimate Lean
and Muscular Physique
What's more impressive: A 220-pound guy that benches 315 pounds, or a
175-pound guy that benches 315?
The 175-pound guy is much more impressive, of course. This is because he's
much lighter yet has the same strength as the bigger guy. Therefore, the lighter
guy must have a higher percentage of lean body mass (i.e., low body fat) and the
muscle he does have is going to be much more dense and powerful.
Relative strength is the key to building the perfect physique.
Get as strong as possible relative to your bodyweight. This will ensure you have
a good amount of muscle and very little body fat.
When your strength-to-weight ratio increases, you'll have a good indicator that
you gained muscle, lost fat or both.
Every workout should be constructed to maximize strength gains. This is
the long-term approach.
From my experience, people get way too caught up in hitting their muscles from
different angles, feeling the burn, and using high-fatigue methods such as
drop-sets and supersets. These methods have their place but should never
replace heavy lifting. One thing remains true: To build muscle, you need to lift
heavier and heavier weights over time.
Want to build muscle? ​Build strength! W
​ ant a big chest? Work your way up to
225-pound incline barbell bench press for five reps.
Want a big back? Work up to chinups with 90 pounds attached for five reps.
You will never see someone lacking in the muscle department that can do both
those tasks. That I can guarantee.
What you WILL see is someone complaining about his flat chest whose workout
routine consists of multiple different chest exercises, all performed to failure with
supersets and drop-sets mixed in. Sounds exhausting. Their bench press
probably hasn’t improved since the first time they benched 185 pounds. Instead,
they should focus on improving strength instead of causing fatigue. Muscle
follows strength.
Want to improve muscular endurance? ​Build strength! ​I can’t stress how
important gaining strength is for improving performance. Building strength is an
effective way to improve muscular endurance. For example, who do you think
can do more reps with 150 pounds on the bench press: someone who benches
200 pounds or someone who benches 300? Definitely the 300-pound lifter.
Want to increase power? ​Build strength! W
​ ho do you think can launch their
body up over a wall with more power, a guy who can do pullups with 100 pounds
attached or a guy who can only do pullups with no weight attached? Obviously,
it's the first guy.
Want to look awesome? ​Build relative strength! B
​ uilding strength relative to
your bodyweight is the key to the ultimate physique, one that is lean, powerful
and functional. The key to gaining relative strength is to ​focus on building as
much strength as possible while keeping body fat to an absolute minimum.
This training program is designed to generate strength gains and the nutrition
protocol is designed to keep fat to a minimum and support muscle growth.
The combination of the two results in incredible relative strength.
How to Build Super Strength and Dense Muscle
First thing's first, there are two different forms of muscle growth: myofibrillar
hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is the growth of your muscle fibers and is trigged by
lifting heavy weights for low reps (three to eight) with long rest periods. Training
for myofibrillar hypertrophy builds hard, dense-looking muscle that will be highly
useful since it's accompanied by large strength increases.
Safe to say, we're going to be focusing on this type of muscle growth.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the growth of the fluid within your muscle cells and
is trigged by high-volume lifting with sub-maximal weights and short rest periods.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy only accounts for about 25 percent of potential muscle
growth. Think of it as the icing on the cake. It doesn’t take much to trigger this
additional muscle growth but it will allow you to walk around with five to eight
more pounds of muscle.
This type of training is fun to do because it delivers a great muscle pump.
Unfortunately, most people get distracted by this type of training and neglect
what really matters - building strength. Therefore, this type of lifting will only be a
small component of the workout program.
Chapter 3
Revamping Your Training
With this strength training program, we'll be diligently tracking five different
exercises that directly contribute to the aesthetic Greek God physique. These key
movements are our "indicator exercises," and they'll be our way to ensure that
we're making consistent progress.
As you become stronger with these key movements, your body will transform.
Your chest, shoulders, arms and back will begin to fill out as you drop fat and
gain muscle. You'll move closer to a strong, V-shaped torso, a masculine, square
chest, rock-hard shoulders and dense arms.
By tracking your six indicator exercises, you'll have visual proof of the
effectiveness of your workout routine. Most people judge their routine based on
how tough it is and how sore it makes them. This is an ineffective way to track
progress and often misleading.
The effectiveness of your training is directly related to the progress on these five
exercises. By accepting that, this training program will become 10 times more
efficient. Direct your efforts on what will make you stronger and muscular, and
divert your attention away from all other distractions.
Every exercise, every set, every rep has a purpose.
Kinobody Indicator Exercises
1 - Incline Barbell Bench Press
There is nothing wrong with the regular flat bench barbell press. It's a terrific
exercise at building the whole pectoral region (if done properly).
That said, I feel most people benefit more from the incline version, which
develops the upper pecs more effectively. In addition, in most athletic pressing
movements the arms push forward at a slightly upward angle, as opposed to
directly straight out. An example of this would be pushing a car or throwing a
punch.
For this reason, the incline press might be more relevant from a functional
standpoint.
2 - Standing Shoulder Press
This is my go-to exercise for shoulder development and true strength. This
exercise also contributes to the square chest look by filling in the top area of the
chest, just below the collarbone. In addition, standing presses will work the
triceps hard.
I recommend avoiding seated shoulder presses with the elbows flared out to the
side. This is a very unnatural position for the shoulders and over time it could
cause pain and injury.
By performing standing shoulder presses, your core will be engaged to keep your
lower body steady, making it a wonderful compound movement that develops not
only your upper body, but your core too.
3 - Weighted Chinups
Chinups have developed my back so well that I’ve actually avoided doing any
additional work for my LATs. In addition, chinups hit the biceps hard. LAT
pulldowns and all the various rows don’t even come close to the effectiveness of
weighted chinups.
With chinups, you can’t cheat and use momentum or a swing like you can with
rows and pulldowns. Plus, chinups are a "closed-chain exercise," whereas LAT
pulldowns and rows are "open-chain exercises." What this means is that with
chinups your hands are fixed to the bar while your body is moving through space.
● Open-chained exercises involve the hands moving with the entire body
staying fixed in position.
● Closed-chain movements have greater overall muscle recruitment and lead
to better muscle and strength gains.
4 - Weighted Dips
Weighted dips are an intense exercise that add massive amounts of pressing
strength and develop muscle in the triceps and pectoral region.
Some exercises are stubborn when it comes to progressing in weight. Weighted
dips are ​not​ one of those exercises. They tend to go up smoothly. And, if you
train this exercise properly, you should be able to add 45 pounds to this exercise
in three months' time. That is a huge gain and would result in bigger triceps, a
fuller chest and a stronger bench.
5 - Bulgarian Split Squat or Box Squat
In the program, you have the option of doing either Bulgarian split squats or
barbell box squats as your primary leg exercise. Both are effective movements
that build strength and stimulate muscle growth. In fact, my favorite approach is
to alternate between these two exercises. I’ll spend a couple months doing box
squats and couple of months performing Bulgarian split squats. This keeps me
progressing, and it also helps me avoid getting burnt out on a movement. Both of
these exercises do an amazing job at developing leg strength and building the
quads, hamstring and glutes.
If you aren’t able to perform squats safely, then focus predominately on the
single-leg movement (Bulgarian split squats). However, focus on squats if you
love doing them.
For box squats, I recommend using a box height that puts you parallel at the
bottom of the squat. Pause for one second, but don’t completely rest on the box;
it’s best to keep some tension. Feel welcome to perform free squats instead.
However, the advantage of box squats is that it ensures proper depth on each
and every rep. The pause at the bottom of the movement also increases power
development. Finally, the box squat does an amazing job at teaching proper
squatting mechanics: sitting back, chest up and weight in the heel of the foot.
6 - Romanian Deadlift (Barbell or Dumbbell)
The Romanian deadlift is my favorite deadlift variation. It does an amazing job at
developing your posterior chain -- hamstrings, glutes and low back. This deadlift
variation is performed by using as much hip drive and hip hinge as possible. It's
also safer than conventional deadlifts, plus it works best for higher reps (8-15
reps). Combined with Bulgarian split squats, you can build strong, powerful legs.
I like to utilize both the barbell and dumbbell variations of this movement. A
barbell typically allows you to lift more weight, but the dumbbell version allows for
a greater range and improve on imbalances. I recommend utilizing both
variations. Focus on the dumbbell version for a couple months, then switch to
barbell.
Kinobody Assistance Movements
I always include additional exercises into the workout routines I create. You could
exclusively train with the five indicator exercises and build a great physique.
However, it's likely that, over time, you'll have lagging muscle groups and hit
strength plateaus.
To ensure complete physique development and optimal muscle gains, I include
assistance movements. These are my favorites:
Close-Grip Bench Press
The close-grip bench is a phenomenal pressing movement that builds a powerful
chest and triceps. By using a close-grip -- with the elbows tucked into your sides
-- you increase muscle recruitment in the triceps and upper chest.
Barbell Curls
The barbell curl is the best exercise for developing the biceps. With this
movement, you can make gradual progress in resistance.
In most biceps exercises, little strength increase is actually seen. For this reason,
I use barbell curls as my main biceps exercise. You can eventually build up to
barbell curls with 135 pounds for reps, increasing by 5 or even 2.5 pounds per
session.
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Incline dumbbell curls are also very effective for the biceps because your arms
are locked to the sides and your back is flat against the bench. In this position,
you're unable to use any back swing; the biceps are forced to work in isolation.
I like to alternate between barbell curls and incline dumbbell curls for 3-4 weeks
for each. This lets you escape plateaus and keeps your biceps guessing.
Skull Crushers
Skull crushers hit the triceps like crazy and allow for regular loading in weight.
For this reason, skull crushers should be your main triceps movement.
As with barbell curls, you can build up to 135 pounds for several reps. This is a
killer exercise and will translate to better pushing strength, specifically in the
lockout position.
Rope Extensions
Rope triceps pushdowns (a.k.a. rope extensions) are another great triceps
exercise. This movement is better suited for higher reps, less weight and short
rest periods. For that reason, I like to use them for Kino rep training and
rest-pause training (which we will get into in a later section).
Lateral Raises
To ensure solid shoulder development, I always include lateral raises in my
workout programs. The medial head of the deltoid never gets fully worked with
shoulder pressing. Most of the stress for shoulder pressing is placed on the
anterior head. For this reason, the medial head can slightly lag behind in overall
growth. Therefore, lateral raises should be incorporated to ensure even muscle
growth.
In addition, by adequately building the medial head of the shoulder, you'll
contribute to the V-shaped frame that we're looking for.
Bent-Over Flyes
Strong rear deltoids will help keep your shoulders balanced and healthy. This will
keep you injury-free from heavy pressing movements. Well-developed rear
deltoids will complete the shoulders, giving them a full, rounded appearance.
However, make sure you have correct form with these. Your rear deltoids are
rarely utilized in normal motions and could be very weak starting out. Don't try for
a heavy weight, or you might get injured in the middle of your back, putting you
out of commission for weeks.
This is the last exercise to create the full, capped shoulders that scream power
and strength.
One-Legged Squats (a.k.a. Pistols)
Pistol squats are an unbelievable exercise that I regularly incorporate into my
routine.
The benefits of mastering the pistol squat are enormous. The pistol requires
great balance, leg strength, flexibility and coordination. For most people, building
up to 6-10 reps per leg -- slow and controlled -- is enough for adequate leg
strength and development.
You can perform this exercise holding a weight in your hands to increase the
difficulty. Another option is to perform jumping pistol squats, where you explode
up from the bottom position into a single leg jump. If you can get to this level,
your legs will be looking the part.
Elevated Single-Leg Calf Raises
I feel it's important to do some direct lower leg training. Small calves create the
illusion of chicken legs, which deters us from our goal. By training your calves
and keeping them around the same size as your upper arm, you'll help yourself
with balance and proportion.
--For chinups and dips, you need a belt that A) you can attach additional weight in
the form of barbell plates to, and B) doesn't bunch you up and have you feeling
uncomfortable.
That's where the Kino Belt comes in. The belt feels amazing, even with multiple
45-pound plates attached in the front. It distributes weight in an ideal way and
allows you to focus on what's most important -- the reps.
Chapter 4
Reverse Pyramid Training:
Maximizing Muscle and Strength
Gains
Reverse pyramid training​ is by far the most effective training style I've ever
used to build both muscle and strength.
Unfortunately, few people employ this very simple technique. In fact, most people
train in the exact opposite way, by grabbing a weight and pumping out 12-15
reps. After a brief rest, they'll add weight and pump out another 10-12 reps. They
repeat this process until they hit a weight that causes them to hit failure in the 5-8
rep range.
The problem with this progression strategy is that ​they become fatigued for their
heaviest set.​ As a result, they end up using a weight that's lighter than their true
5-8 rep max. Because they're lifting below their true potential, they never promote
optimal strength and muscle gains.
I recommend flipping the script and performing your heaviest set first, while you
are completely fresh.
Your heavy set is the most productive set. It has the greatest capacity to trigger
maximum strength and muscle gains. However, in order to get the maximum
training effect, it's essential to begin with the heaviest set.
After performing your heavy set -- and scoring a nice personal record in the
process -- you can follow it up with a few more sets of gradually reduced weight
loads. The subsequent sets will be less demanding on your neural system, since
you'll be lifting lighter loads.
This is crucial because we don’t want to overtax our nervous systems. The
purpose of these extra sets is to simply provide more ​volume​ to the working
muscles. This will encourage optimal muscle gains.
Now, here's where the magic of reverse pyramid training comes in...
You'll notice that your heavy set will make your subsequent sets feel lighter. The
heavy set induces a high degree of central nervous system stimulation, resulting
in greater motor unit recruitment and force, which can last for several minutes. As
a result, you get more efficient muscle fiber recruitment with lighter weights after
your heavy set.
Since you get more muscle fiber activation in your lighter sets, you'll be
stimulating hypertrophy (a.k.a. muscle growth). This is because with loads below
80-85 percent of your one-rep max (1RM), many of your muscle fibers don’t get
activated until the last few reps.
With reverse pyramid training, you can get those muscle fibers to come into play
from the very first rep.​ This is a huge deal when it comes to maximizing muscle
growth.
Warming Up For Your Heavy Set
We can’t jump right into our heavy set or injury will be inevitable. For that reason,
I recommend a specific warmup.
The best way to prepare for your heavy set -- while avoiding fatigue -- is to
perform two or three buildup sets for only one to five reps.
I usually recommend using a weight that is 60 percent of your working-set weight
for five reps, then 75 percent of your working set weight for three reps and then
90 percent of your work set weight for one rep.
You should rest around two minutes between these buildup sets and a full three
minutes before doing your first working set.
The warmup sets are only necessary for the first exercise of any given workout.
After that, you should be ready to jump right into your working sets for all
remaining exercises.
That being said, you should judge how you feel. If you think you need a couple
buildup sets, then take them. ​(Better that than risk injury.)
Here's an example of three buildup sets for a 225-pound bench press:
● 135 pounds x 5 reps (60 percent)
● 170 pounds x 3 reps (75 percent)
● 200 pounds x 1 reps (90 percent)
Reverse Pyramid Training Specifics
Generally, your heavy set should be performed with a weight that allows you to
perform between 4-8 reps with maximum effort (stopping one rep shy of failure).
After performing your first set, you should reduce the weight by about 10 percent
and then perform your second set, striving for one or two more reps.
If you're doing three sets, then you'll reduce the weight by another 10 percent
and shoot for an additional one to two reps.
For example:
● 225 pounds x 5 reps (heavy set, max effort; rest three minutes)
● 205 pounds x 6 reps (rest three minutes)
● 185 pounds x 8 reps (rest three minutes)
You should take at least three minutes rest between these sets for maximum
recovery and lifting performance. Rushing through these sets will drastically
reduce your strength capabilities.
That's all she wrote on reverse pyramid training! This will be the focal point of the
training protocol, so get familiar with this type of set/rep/load structure and learn
how to make progress by doing your heaviest set first.
Chapter 5
Kino Rep Training
In addition to reverse pyramid training, we'll also integrate ​Kino rep training​.
This is an effective training style that increases volume to spur maximum muscle
growth. It involves a mix of intensity (weight lifted), volume (total reps performed)
and your strength progression.
Combining heavy, intense reverse pyramid training with Kino rep training will
produce the ultimate Greek God look.
What Is Kino Rep Training?
Kino rep training is a training style I designed to achieve volume gains ​without
draining the nervous system.
This training style is performed by starting with a relatively light weight for 10-12
reps. Then, you increase the weight and perform another set of 10-12 reps. You'll
increase the weight for a third set of 10-12 reps. You can continue this for up to
five total sets.
By starting light, we pre-fatigue the muscles. This means we don’t have to go
quite as heavy to achieve muscle failure.
I sometimes use this strategy at the end of my workout, especially leg training
because it helps me avoid burn out. Since the legs are big muscle groups, going
really heavy via reverse pyramid training can quickly tax your nervous system.
So, think of Kino rep training as a strategic addition to the program. It’s designed
to fill in the gaps. If this is the only training style you do, you'll never reach your
maximum muscle potential.
That said, if you combine this with a big focus on reverse pyramid training, Kino
rep training will help you gain an extra 20 percent of muscle gains, creating the
perfect Greek God physique you're after.
What’s more, this training style can be very fun. Plus, it can boost your
conditioning and stamina quite a bit. I recommend resting for shorter periods of
time with Kino rep training -- 60-90 seconds works best.
For example: When performing dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, I call for four sets
of 10-12 reps. You may do this:
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts: 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● 40 pounds x 12 reps
● 50 pounds x 12 reps
● 60 pounds x 12 reps
● 70 pounds x 10 reps
Or perhaps the exercise is face pulls for four sets of 15 reps
Cable Face Pulls: 4 sets x 15 reps (Kino rep training)
● 80 pounds x 15
● 90 pounds x 15
● 100 pounds x 15
● 110 pounds x 15 reps
Another powerful benefit to Kino rep training is it helps you build the
mind-to-muscle connection. Since we’re doing higher reps and lots of light sets,
you'll learn how to really feel and squeeze your muscle. This will help you gain
more muscle when you do your heavy lifting sets.
This, I believe, is the best complimentary exercise strategy to use in your workout
routine, other than rest-pause training.
Speak of which...
Chapter 6
Rest-Pause Training
There's one final training style we'll use in this program, and that’s ​rest-pause
training​. I pretty much use this for shoulder exercises like lateral raises and rear
deltoid flyes. There’s a reason why thousands of men who've gone through this
program have some of the best shoulders on this world.
Rest-pause training is an effective training style to maximize muscle growth
without having to lift heavy weights. It’s fast, effective and tough as hell!
The reason why lifting heavy weights for 4-8 reps works so well to gain muscle is
because your body is forced to recruit all of the muscle fibers from the very first
rep.
If you were to use a light weight for 10-15 reps, your body would only start using
maximum muscle fiber recruitment on the last few challenging reps.
What does this mean? It means that for heavy lifting, every single rep is
incredibly productive and effective. ​But for light weights, it’s only the last few
reps that really ignite muscle growth.
What's the solution? Interestingly enough, if you were to limit your rest to only
10-15 seconds, your body will still be in a state of increased muscle fiber
recruitment.
So the solution is to do an all out set for 12-15 reps; then, rest for 10-15 seconds
and perform 4-6 reps (using the same weight). Rest 10-15 seconds and perform
4-6 reps. Rest 10-15 seconds and perform 4-6 reps.
This strategy allows you to get more effective reps that lead to better muscle
growth. I’ve found rest-pause training to be most effective for shoulders (lateral
raises and rear deltoid flyes).
By combining reverse pyramid training, rest-pause training and Kino rep training,
we can experience optimal muscle growth and build the body of a Greek God.
Too many people get stuck on one thing. That one thing, whatever it is, works
until it doesn’t.
I’ve found that the combination of these three training styles to be most effective,
and I can’t wait for you to experience them.
hapter 7
The Art of Strength Progressions
The key to building a great physique is to develop strength with the key lifts of the
Greek God 2.0 workouts. Now, I can give you the perfect training plan and
nutrition strategy, but you ​still w
​ on't see results if you're not dedicated to properly
increasing the weight as you move through the course.
Poor results occur when we plateau because we try to increase the weight too
quickly. Over time, the plateau is compounded by only being able to lift the same
weight for months on end, with little to no change in your physique.
This is what most people do at the gym.
I’ve discovered the sweet spot to increasing strength consistently and
systematically. The Kinobody philosophy works like clockwork. When you’re able
to nail down the strategy for strength progressions, your physique will improve
week by week.
You'll build hard, dense muscle when your strength increase by 20-50 pounds on
your key exercises.
I've uncovered the secret to increasing strength and stimulating muscle growth through
years of research and personal experience.
I call it the ​double progression model​.
The Double Progression Model
The double progression model is when we drill down a rep range, and once we
hit the top end of that range, we increase the load and decrease the reps during
the next workout.
I’d absolutely love it if I could tell you to just add five pounds every workout.
Unfortunately, that’s just not realistic. Sure, you may be able to do it for a few
weeks or maybe even a month or two. But eventually, you'll hit a plateau.
(That said, there are a few exercises that you may be able to go up by five pounds every workout:
squats, deadlifts and weighted dips, for instance.)
The weighted dip is literally the only upper body exercise I’ve been able to
consistently up by five pounds per workout (while hitting the same reps).
To help you with the double progression model, the Greek God Program
provides you with rep ranges for all of your workouts. The rep range may call for
4-5 reps. When you can do five reps, the next workout you will increase the
weight by five pounds, but go back to performing four reps. The following
workout, you'll use the same weight and then go for five reps. Rinse and repeat.
Example of the Double Progression Model
Incline Press (Set 1)
● Workout 1: 200 pounds x 5 reps
● Workout 2: 205 pounds x 4 reps
● Workout 3: 205 pounds x 5 reps
● Workout 4: 210 pounds x 4 reps
● Workout 5: 210 pounds x 5 reps
● Workout 6: 215 pounds x 4 reps
In about six workouts, you’re going to increase the weight by 15 pounds, which is
the ideal rate for strength gains. There’s little to no benefit to increase the weight
faster than this. Even if you could jump the weight up by 10 pounds in a week,
you won’t even be able to realize those muscle gains. It takes time for your body
to pack on muscle. So, increasing your weight on your key lifts by 10-15 pounds
per month is optimal.
This example works well for heavy compound barbell exercises. Some exercises
-- particularly lighter movements and dumbbell exercises -- will need to have a
wider rep range.
Dumbbell exercises increase the weight by five pounds per hand (10 pounds
total). Therefore, you need to give yourself more room to work with before
increasing the weight, since your reps may drop by two or three.
In this case, you'd perform 4-6 reps, 6-8 reps or 8-10 reps (first set, second set
and third set, respectively). Therefore, you’d keep the weight the same until you
can hit the top end of the rep range.
Dumbbell Curls (Set 1)
● Workout 1: 35 pounds x 4 reps
● Workout 2: 35 pounds x 5 reps
● Workout 3: 35 pounds x 6 reps
● Workout 4: 40 pounds x 4 reps
● Workout 5: 40 pounds x 5 reps
● Workout 6: 40 pounds x 6 reps
Closed-Chain Movements
The Greek God Program utilizes a heavy dose of weighted chinups. As well,
many of the routines will incorporate weighted dips. These exercises are intense
and effective for muscle development. Both are examples of ​closed-chain
movements​, which are exercises where your hands are fixed and your body
moves through a certain plane.
Closed-chain movements give you a neuromuscular advantage. Plus, the beauty
of weighted chinups and weighted dips is that we can increase the weight by just
2.5 pounds per workout. This is accomplished by adding a 2.5 pound weight
plate to your ​chinup belt​. By adding just 2.5 pounds per workout, there’s no need
to adjust the reps. You'll be able to increase by 2.5 pounds per workout for weeks
on end without ever dropping your reps.
What if I Hit a Strength Plateau?
Even with an intelligent and methodical progression model, you'll still inevitably
hit a plateau. If you follow this progression model perfectly, you will be adding 15
pounds per month to your key lifts. This is because we're doing a two-day
workout split, alternating between Workout A and Workout B three times per
week. Every month, you'll be performing every workout six times, twelve
workouts total.
If you were to increase your strength every workout for a year, you would be
adding 180 pounds to your lifts. In three years, you would be the strongest
person in the world with incline presses of 600 pounds and doing 500-pound
chinups!
Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. But, don’t worry; the Greek God Program
2.0 provides a solution...
Most people who hit a plateau completely screw up. They freak out! Their bench
press stalls, so they decide to go on some crazy bench press specialization
program and start bench pressing five days per week.
This is the wrong solution. If their strength increases, it’s simply due to practicing
the movement so often. But usually what happens is their strength goes down.
A plateau is your body giving you a signal. When you burn out on an
exercise, your body is telling you to mix it up!
It wants a new challenge, a new stressor. When you repeatedly perform the
same exercises and routines for months on end, you'll get stuck. Your body
adapts to the predicable stimulus and stops changing.
This is how the muscle confusion principle began. People realized if they
kept doing the same exercises, they would hit a plateau.
So, they went from one direction to the exact opposite direction by mixing things
up every single week. This doesn’t work either because if you change things
every week, it’s impossible to improve. You have literally zero way to gauge
improvement if you’re always modifying your workout.
The solution isn’t to do the same thing every week for months on end. And the
solution isn’t to change things up every single week.
The solution is way more methodical. It's to ride the strength wave as long as you
can. When that wave knocks you off your board (your strength gets stuck), then
it’s time to hop on a different wave (new exercises).
Change up the routine. When I say change up the routine, I really mean change
up your exercises. Or rather, rotate your exercises by performing a slightly
different variation.
For example, if you’re stuck on your incline barbell bench press, you can switch
to incline dumbbell bench press. If you’re stuck on weighted chinups, you can
work on weighted pullups. If your standing press is stuck, you can perform a
different pressing movement.
In any case, you’re essentially performing the same movement and working the
same muscles, but in a different way. Both variations will support each other. The
stronger you get on the barbell incline press, the stronger you'll be on incline
dumbbell presses and vice versa.
In fact, for my overhead press, I like to alternate doing a couple months of
overhead press, then instead of doing more shoulder-focused exercises, I’ll work
on my weighted dips or more bench. This helps increase my chest size.
The Greek God 2.0 strategy makes training really, really fun. You’ll find that when
you switch the routine up, you get a new sense of vigor. You get really excited to
smash your next workout.
I’ve used this system to achieve some pretty damn insane lifts at a bodyweight of
180-185 pounds, including a 315-pound incline bench press for two reps and
shoulder pressing 120-pound dumbbells for six reps.
Chapter 8
Optimal Training Frequency
This is a huge debate topic in the fitness industry. In fact, everywhere you go
you’ll likely find a different answer. Time to put it all to rest right here:
Lifting Days Per Week
Three strength training sessions per week is the optimal training frequency
for strength and muscle gains.
Taking a day off from lifting between strength training sessions allows your body
to recover. Also, this day of rest gives your central nervous system a chance to
recharge.
By lifting only three times per week on non-consecutive days, you can hit the
gym with maximum effort and productivity. You'll always be lifting near your true
potential, and strength and muscle gains will be maximized.
You will be able to make the maximum rate of gains by only lifting three times per
week. There is no additional benefit from training four, five, or even six times per
week. It becomes very counterproductive because recovery capabilities are
reduced.
Muscle and Movement Frequency
After an intense lifting session, your muscles actually recover quite quickly.
There's tons of research on muscular recovery indicating that a muscle can be
loaded as often as every 48 hours.
But muscle recovery is only one side of the story.
When you lift heavy, you create lots of neural fatigue. You drain your central
nervous system and your local nerves that fire a particular muscle group. When
these nerves are fatigued, a given muscle group will be short of strength until it's
given enough time to recover.
The CNS takes around 48 hours to recover, much like your muscles. However
the local nerves may take three to four days before they are fully recharged after
a heavy lifting session.
For this reason your best bet is to lift every other day or three times per week on
non-consecutive days. This gives your central nervous system a chance to fully
recharge before your next strength workout.
In addition, you should only hit each muscle group every four to five days to give
the local nerves a chance to fully recover. The best way to do this is to split your
body into two workouts.
Here’s an example split: chest, shoulders, triceps (Workout A) and back, biceps,
legs (Workout B).
Simply alternate between these workouts three times per week. This is what it
would look like:
Week 1:
● Monday - Workout A
● Wednesday - Workout B
● Friday - Workout A
Week 2:
● Monday - Workout B
● Wednesday - Workout A
● Friday - Workout B
Resting a full week before hitting the same muscle group is generally too much
time for maximizing growth and strength gains. Protein synthesis returns to
normal in a muscle group after a few days and your muscles' strength abilities
peak four to five days after being trained. When you wait a full week, many of
your muscles' positive adaptations start to return to normal during those last
couple days of rest.
Therefore, the minimally effective dose of training is three times per week,
with the whole body split into two different workouts.
Chapter 9
The Greek God 2.0 Workout Program for
Strength and Density
Duration:​ Six months
Goal:​ Rapidly increase strength on key lifts for dense muscle growth.
Now for the part you’ve actually been waiting for: the Greek God workout routine!
The first training routine focuses on accelerating strength gains with key lifts.
We'll be training as efficiently as possible with the sole goal of rapidly increasing
strength.
● As we increase your incline press by 30 pounds, your chest is going to fill
out nicely.
● When your weighted chinup increases by 30 pounds, your back and biceps
will start to pop.
● As you increase strength on your standing press and leg lifts, you’re going
to experience incredible changes to your physique.
Remember, the stronger you get with these key lifts, the better you will look. This
routine is about to create the best strength gains of your entire life.
As outlined previously, you'll be working out three days per week, alternating
between two different workouts.
● Workout A ​is focused on chest, shoulders, triceps and abs.
● Workout B​ is focused on back, biceps and legs.
Here's how to schedule your Greek God training:
● Week One:​ Workout A, Workout B, Workout A
● Week Two:​ Workout B, Workout A, Workout B
I recommend lifting on non-consecutive days such as Monday/Wednesday/Friday
or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. This works best for maximum recovery, which
means every single workout you'll be able to hit personal records. Your body will
turn into a strength building and muscle gaining machine.
Phase One: Shoulder Emphasis (8 Weeks)
The first phase will do a fantastic job building the Greek God physique by
focusing on incline pressing, overhead pressing and weighted chinups. You'll
build a square, masculine chest, full, rounded shoulders and a powerful back.
You'll also train the lower body with the proven amount of intensity and volume to
develop proportionate and athletic legs.
Workout A (Phase One)
● Incline Barbell Press:​ 3 sets x 4-5, 6-7, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Standing Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Triceps Rope Pushdowns:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Lateral Raises:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 mini-sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause
training)
● Hanging Knee Raises:​ 3 sets x 8-12 reps (straight sets)
Workout A Notes
This routine is focused on chest, shoulders, triceps and abs.
Incline Barbell Press
We start with the incline barbell press. I recommend performing a few warmup
sets with progressively heavier weight.
For example:
● 50 percent of your heavy set weight for 6 reps
● 70 percent of your heavy set weight for 5 reps
● 80 percent of your heavy set weight for 3 reps
If your goal is to do 200 pounds, you'd do 100 pounds for six reps, 140 pounds
for five reps and 160 pounds for three reps. This progression is designed to
warm you up without inducing fatigue.
Incline Press
● Perform your heaviest set for 4-5 reps. If you achieve the full five reps,
remember to increase the weight the next workout and go for four reps.
● After resting for three minutes, drop the weight by 10 percent and go for
6-7 reps. If you can perform seven reps, increase the weight the next
workout.
● Finally, drop the weight by 10 percent again and perform 8-10 reps. When
you achieve 10 reps, increase the weight on the next workout.
It’s important to note: You should be able to perform your first set with good form.
But for the second and third set, try not to kill yourself. Leave a rep in the tank.
(Meaning your last rep shouldn’t be all out.)
After incline press, I recommend resting 4-5 minutes before moving on to the
standing press.
Standing Press
● Begin by using a weight you can lift for 6-8 reps. If you get eight reps,
increase the weight next workout
● Rest three minutes, drop the weight by 10 percent and go for 8-10 reps. If
you get 10 reps, then increase by five pounds for the next workout
● Finally, drop the weight by 10 percent and perform another set of 10 reps
This should feel pretty easy. At this point of the workout, we’ve done the
most effective, difficult exercises.
Now it’s time to get in a little more isolation work to complete our physique.
Triceps Rope Pushdowns
Rope pushdowns help develop the triceps.
● Perform your heaviest set first for 6-8 reps
● Rest two minutes, drop the weight by 10 percent and go for 8-10 reps
● Rest two minutes, drop the weight by 10 percent and go for 10-12 reps
When you can do the top end of the rep range on all three sets, increase the
weight the next workout.
Lateral Raises
● Begin with a weight you can do for 12-15 reps all out
● After performing the activation set (12-15 reps), you'll rest 10-15 seconds
between each mini-set and perform three mini-sets of 4-6 reps
When you can do 15 reps on your first set, followed by six reps on all mini-sets,
increase the weight the next workout. ​This is the rest-pause training we talked
about previously, and it efficiently develops shoulder mass.
Hanging Knee Raises
Finally, finish off with three sets of hanging knee raises to your chest. If this is too
easy, hold a weight between your legs.
● When you can complete 3 sets of 12 reps, increase the weight. Rest for
only a minute between sets.
Workout B (Phase One)
● Weighted Chinups:​ 3 sets x 4, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Bulgarian Split Squats:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Face Pulls:​ 4 sets x 12-15 reps (Kino rep training)
Workout B Notes
Workout B is focused on back, biceps and legs.
Weighted Chinups
I recommend performing two warmup sets with progressively heavier weight.
For example:
● Bodyweight for 5 reps
● Half of your heavy set weight for 3 reps
If you can do 40-pound chinups, then warmup with bodyweight for five reps and
then 20 pounds for three reps.
For weighted chin ups:
● Do your heaviest set for 4 reps and rest three minutes
● Drop the weight by about 20-30 pounds, perform 6 reps and rest three
minutes
● Drop the weight by about 20-30 pounds and perform 8 reps
● Increase the weight by 2.5 pounds on all sets the next workout
For example:
● 40 pounds for 4 reps
● 20 pounds for 6 reps
● Bodyweight for 8 reps
If you can’t do weighted chinups, just do three sets at bodyweight. If you can’t do
bodyweight chinups, substitute LAT pulldowns for three sets (6-8, 8-10, 10-12
reps) until you can rep out your bodyweight.
Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls
Next we'll be doing incline dumbbell hammer curls.
● Perform your heaviest set first for 6-8 reps and rest two minutes
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds per dumbbell, perform another set of 6-8
reps, and rest two minutes
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds each dumbbell and perform your final set for
8-10 reps
For example:
● 40 pounds for 6 reps
● 35 pounds for 7 reps
● 30 pounds for 10 reps
When you can do the top end of the rep range on all three sets, increase the
weight by 5 pounds during the next workout.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Now, we get into some leg training. Bulgarian split squats are a powerful exercise
that develop leg strength and muscle. Perform Bulgarian split squats Kino Rep
Training-style by beginning with light weights and increasing the load with each
set (resting for two minutes between sets). Below is my recommended starting
point that you can adjust according to your ability:
● Set 1: 10 pounds per hand for 6-8 reps
● Set 2: 20 pounds per hand for 6-8 reps
● Set 3: 30 pounds per hand for 6-8 reps
● Set 4: 40 pounds per hand for 6-8 reps
When you can do all four sets for eight reps, increase the weight by 5 pounds per
hand for all sets. If you go too heavy and your third set is your max, simply
perform that same weight for your fourth set.
Eventually, you'll build up to
● Set 1: 40 pounds for 8 reps
● Set 2: 50 pounds for 8 reps
● Set 3: 60 pounds for 8 reps
● Set 4: 70 pounds for 8 reps
When you've developed weight loads at this level, your legs will be athletic and
well-developed.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
Next, you've got dumbbell Romanian deadlifts for four sets of 10-12 (Kino rep
training-style). I recommend starting with:
● Set 1: 30 pounds for 12 reps
● Set 2: 40 pounds for 12 reps
● Set 3: 50 pounds for 12 reps
● Set 4: 60 pounds for 12 reps
This may seem easy, but it’s a remarkable workout. When you can do all four
sets for 12 reps, increase by 5 pounds per dumbbell on each set.
When you can build up to 60 pounds for 12 reps, 70 pounds for 12 reps, 80
pounds for 12 reps and 90 pounds for 12 reps, you'll have a solid posterior chain
and thick forearms.
Face Pulls
Finally, you finish off by hitting the rear deltoids and middle traps. This is best
accomplished with a face pull. We will be doing this Kino rep training-style.
● Start with a light load for 12-15 reps
● Increase the weight each set for 4 total sets
When you can do all four sets for 15 reps, increase the weight next workout.
Phase Two: Chest Emphasis (8 Weeks)
By this point of the Greek God Program 2.0, you should be seeing significant,
impressive gains. In fact, I bet dollars to donuts that your incline press and
weighted chinup has improved massively. By phase two, most of our clients are
up 20, 30, even 40 pounds on their lifts. This is freaking unreal!
Now, it’s time to keep improving.
Phase two of the Greek God Program 2.0 incorporates a few classic exercises
into the rotation, including a focus on the weighted dip instead of the overhead
press. This will give you a mental break from intense overhead press, and you'll
experience dramatic chest gains with the weighted dip. This routine will fill out
your chest significantly.
And don’t worry, you won’t lose any shoulder size. Your shoulders will get plenty
of indirect work from dips, incline bench press, lateral raises and face pulls. Your
shoulders will keep improving.
If you're unable to perform dips, substitute with a barbell bench press instead.
Workout A (Phase Two)
● Incline Dumbbell Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Weighted Dips:​ 3 sets x 6, 8, 10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● One-Arm Overhead Triceps Extensions:​ 3 sets x 8-10, 10-12, 12-15
reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Dumbbell Upright Rows: ​4 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Side-to-Side Knee Ups:​ 3 sets x 8-12 reps per side (straight sets)
Workout A Notes
Incline Dumbbell Press
The incline dumbbell press is an intense exercise that develops the upper chest.
● Begin with a few warmup sets at a light weight
● For your first set, use a heavy weight you can perform for 6-8 reps
● Rest three minutes, drop the weight by 10 pounds per dumbbell, and go for
8-10 reps
● Rest three minutes, drop the weight by 10 pounds per dumbbell, and go for
10-12 reps
When you can do the top end of the rep range for all sets, increase the weight by
5 pounds per dumbbell next workout.
Weighted Dips
Perform the weighted dip sets reverse pyramid-style. Reduce the weight by
about 30 pounds each set. So if you begin with 60 pounds for the first set, drop to
30 pounds for the second set and bodyweight for the final set. If you're beginning
with 20-30 pound weighted dips, then perform bodyweight for the second and
third set.
I recommend increasing the weight by 2.5-5 pounds every single workout.
One-Arm Overhead Triceps Extensions
For triceps, you'll perform one-arm overhead triceps extensions.
● Start with a weight you can do for 8-10 reps
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds and go for 10-12 reps
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds and go for 12-15 reps
● Rest 2 mins between sets.
Dumbbell Upright Rows
Complete four sets of dumbbell upright rows Kino rep training-style. I recommend
starting with:
● 20 pounds for 15 reps
● 25 pounds for 15 reps
● 30 pounds for 15 reps
● 35 pounds for 12 reps
When the weight becomes easy, increase it the next workout.
Side-to-Side Knee Ups
Finally, finish off the workout with side-to-side knee ups.
If the knee ups are too easy, hold a light weight between your knees.
Workout B (Phase Two)
● Weighted Pullups:​ 3 sets x 6, 8, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curls:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Box Squats: ​5 sets x 6 reps (Kino rep training)
● Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts or Barbell Hip Thrusts:​ 3 sets x 8-12
reps (Kino rep training)
● Seated Bent-Over Flyes:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 mini-sets x 4-6 reps
(rest-pause training)
Workout B Notes
For this new phase, switch to weighted pullups. Perform a couple warmup sets,
then perform your heaviest set first for 6 reps. Drop the weight 20-30 pounds and
perform 8 reps. Drop the weight by 20-30 pounds and perform another set of 8.
Increase the weight by 2.5 pounds per set every workout.
Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curls
Next, we will be doing incline hammer dumbbell curls.
● Perform your heaviest set first for 6-8 reps and rest two minutes
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds per dumbbell, perform another set of 6-8 reps
and rest two minutes
● Drop the weight by 5 pounds and perform your final set for 6-8 reps
For example:
● 40 pounds for 6 reps
● 35 pounds for 7 reps
● 30 pounds for 8 reps
When you can do the top end of the rep range on all three sets, increase the
weight by 5 pounds the next workout.
Barbell Box Squat
Now, you go into some leg training. Start with barbell box squats to parallel.
Perform five sets of six reps per set, increasing the load each set. Rest two
minutes between sets.
For example:
● 135 pounds for 6 reps
● 165 pounds for 6 reps
● 195 pound for 6 reps
● 225 pounds for 6 reps
● 255 pounds for 6 reps
If the weight is too heavy by your fourth or fifth set, simply stay at that weight.
Increase the load each workout by five pounds.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Next, do single-leg Romanian deadlifts. This is a great exercise to develop your
balance, knee stability and to build your hamstrings and glutes. Romanian
deadlifts also pair nicely with box squats.
(Substitute with hip thrusts, if you prefer.)
Perform 8-12 reps per leg. Start with a light weight and increase the load every
set. When you can do three sets of 12 reps, increase the weight the next
workout. Rest two minutes between sets.
Seated Bent-Over Flyes
Finally, finish off with rest-pause-style seated bent-over flyes. Perform a weight
you can do for 12-15 reps. Rest 10-15 seconds between each mini-set and with
the same weight perform three mini-sets of 4-6 reps. When you can do 15 reps
and three sets of six reps, increase the weight next workout.
Phase Three (Final 8 weeks)
For the final eight weeks of strength and density, you'll return to the routine in
phase one. The reason is to keep increasing your key lifts (barbell incline press,
standing press and weighted chinup).
You'll notice that, after doing phase two and different exercises, you feel strong
and invigorated, and you'll progress on the key movements quickly.
By the end of these eight weeks, your physique will be marbled and shredded. In
fact, you should be about 50-60 pounds stronger across the board. Your body
will be infinitely stronger, harder and more developed.
Now, of course, this is when both your commitment and the Greek God Program
2.0 begins to really pay dividends. In the next module, we'll drill down into more
advanced training strategies to supercharge muscle growth from all that strength
you’ve been building. But first, give yourself some huge props for finishing the
first six months of the Greek God Program 2.0!
Workout A (Phase Three)
● Incline Barbell Press:​ 3 sets x 4-5, 6-7, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Standing Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Triceps Rope Pushdowns:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Lateral Raises:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 mini-sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause
training)
● Hanging Knee Raises:​ 3 sets x 8-12 reps (straight sets)
Workout B (Phase Three)
● Weighted Chinups:​ 3 sets x 4, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Bulgarian Split Squats:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Face Pulls:​ 4 sets x 12-15 reps (Kino rep training)
Final Thoughts on Kinobody's Strength and Density
Workout
It’s absolutely essential you track and record these workouts. You can do so by
bringing a notebook to the gym. Or you can record it in your phone on your Notes
app or a tracking app. I personally just use Notes.
Bonus Routine
For those of you who want to grow their legs like crazy or have underdeveloped
legs and you want to have them catch up, I've created the ideal workout for you.
This training schedule involves a hefty amount of deadlifts. Deadlifts will not only
build up your legs into tree trunks, they'll also create an impressive lower back
and core. It's a tremendous all-around exercise that can improve your entire
physique...​fast.
For the full workout schedule, check out the bonus chapter for leg strength and
density.
Chapter 10
MEGA Training (12-Week Program)
Now, it’s time to talk about MEGA training, or ​minimum effort growth
acceleration​.
This is a strategy I developed to maximize muscle growth. It's pretty simple. We'll
be adding a couple bonus exercises every workout that are designed to get in
more volume. MEGA training increases sarcoplasmic hypertrophy towards your
key muscle groups. The icing on the cake, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is muscle
growth due to more fluid in the muscle tissue. It’s best achieved with higher reps
and shorter rest periods.
I don’t recommend MEGA training year-round. I find strength and density work to
be the best at producing long-term strength and muscle gains. MEGA training
creates faster muscle growth in bursts. If you do it too long, it will stop working
effectively, as your body will get used to the higher volume. Strength gains can
start to slow down.
My favorite strategy is to do a 2:1 ratio of strength and density and MEGA
training.​ This, of course, is the case with the two-day split. The two-day split is
pretty damn brutal with MEGA training, since you’re going to be doing pretty big
workouts with a high degree of intensity.
I recommend doing about six months of strength and density, followed by three
months of MEGA training. That would make up the first round. If you want to
repeat this strategy, simply do four months of strength and density, followed by
two months of MEGA training. This would keep your training routine more fun
and engaging. The longer you’ve been training, the more frequently you want to
change things up.
MEGA Training Notes
Be careful not to push every set to failure with MEGA training. You'll quickly burn
out. It’s best to keep a rep in the tank on your sets. If you can get nine reps, stop
at eight. Avoid grinding out your sets. If you have to kill yourself to get another
rep, don’t go for it. By keeping a rep in the tank, you'll maintain greater strength
and performance throughout the entire workout, which allows for better muscle
gains.
I also recommend utilizing Kinobody's ​Superhero Stack​ during this program. The
superhero stack includes ​Kino Octane​ (pre workout), ​Kino Aminos
(branched-chain amino acids) and ​Kino Gains​ (creatine and L-carnitine).
Supplementing your diet with these nutrients will produce the absolute best
results possible.
Phase One: Six Weeks
Workout A
● Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:​ 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Close Grip Bench Press: ​3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 (reverse pyramid
training)
● Cable Cross-Overs:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Lateral Raises:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 mini-sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause
training)
● Triceps Pushdowns:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● (Optional Bonus Movement) Hanging Knee Raises:​ 3 sets x 8-12 reps
(straight sets)
Workout B
● Weighted Pullups:​ 3 sets x 6, 8, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Hammer Dumbbell Curls:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Box Squats:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Hip Thrusts:​ 4 sets x 8-10 reps (Kino rep training)
● Cable Rows:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Machine Curls:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● (Optional Bonus Movement) Shrugs:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep
training)
Phase Two: Six Weeks
Workout A
● Incline Barbell Bench Press:​ 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Standing Barbell Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Machine Bench Press:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep
training)
● Upright Rows:​ 4 sets x 12-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Hanging Knee Raises: ​3 sets x 8-12 reps (straight sets)
Workout B
● Weighted Chinups:​ 3 sets x 4, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Bulgarian Split Squats:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Machine Rows:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Cable Rope Curls:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
Chapter 11
Specialization Routines
For rapid muscle growth, I recommend using specialization routines. This is how
you can force muscle growth at a quicker rate. You simply can’t increase volume
on all of your muscle groups. Doing so would equal overtraining and strength
regression.
Therefore, the solution is to pick one muscle group on each workout day and add
more volume to it.
(Note: Stick with the same specialization workouts for six weeks before
changing.)
Chest Specialization
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
● Incline Bench Press: 5 sets x 5, 6, 8, 8, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Flat Bench Press: 3 sets x 6, 8, 10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll be adding two additional sets to incline bench press. This
extra volume will speed up muscle growth. Use the same weight for the last three
sets. If you're unable to get the full eight reps, that’s fine - do what you can.
In addition, you'll be performing flat bench press for your second exercise. This is
a great overall mass builder to the chest, especially in conjunction with incline
bench as well. For variance, do incline with the barbell and flat bench with
dumbbells.
Shoulder Specialization
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
● Standing Shoulder Press: 5 sets x 5, 6, 8, 8, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Weighted Dips or Close-Grip Bench: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid
training)
● Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll be adding two additional sets to standing shoulder press.
For standing press, use the same weight for the last three sets.
Triceps Specialization
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
● Incline Bench Press: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Weighted Dips or Close-Grip Bench: 3 sets x 6, 8, 10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
● Rope Extensions: 2 sets x 10-12 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll add an extra triceps exercise to the end of the workout.
Keep the rest between 60-90 seconds on rope extensions.
Back Specialization
Workout B: Back, Biceps, Traps, Legs
● Weighted Pullups: 5 sets x 5, 6, 8, 8, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Hang Cleans or Sumo Deadlifts: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Bent-Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll perform pullups instead of chinups.
In addition, you will be performing five sets total. If you're unable to perform at
least five reps on the last three sets, you can switch over to LAT pulldown for the
last few sets.
Biceps Specialization
Workout B: Back, Biceps, Traps, Legs
● Weighted Close-Grip Chinups: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
● Incline Dumbbell Curls: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
● Bent-Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Pistols + Calf Raises: 3 sets x 3-5 reps + 10-12 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll add an extra biceps exercise to the end of the workout.
Keep the rest between 60-90 seconds on incline dumbbell curls.
Legs Specialization
Workout B: Back, Biceps, Traps, Legs
● Squats: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Calf Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Weighted Chinups: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 (reverse pyramid training)
● Bent-Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
● Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
Notes on the Workout
For this workout, you'll be performing squats. The squat is so powerful at building
leg mass that most people don’t need to use this exercise for very long.
If you have slim legs this is a good routine to use. If you don’t want to get bigger
legs, then I would recommend avoiding this routine.
You should be adding 5 pounds to the bar every squat workout. This is because
squats progress at a faster rate than upper body movements.
If you do not wish to perform the barbell back squat, you can perform the pistol
squat instead. Perform three sets of the pistol squat, slow and controlled. If
possible, use weight on your first two sets.
For example:
● Set 1: 40 pounds x 5 reps (or Set 1: 20 pounds x 5 reps)
● Set 2: 20 pounds x 6 reps (or Set 2: Bodyweight x 6 reps)
● Set 3: Bodyweight x 8 reps (or Set 3: Bodyweight x 6 reps)
Chapter 12
Greek God 2.0 Three-Day Split
The final protocol in the Greek God Program 2.0 is the three-day split. Instead of
doing all your training over the course of two workouts (Workout A and Workout
B), we'll be doing it over the course of three workouts (Workout A, Workout B and
Workout C). This allows for more exercise selection and more focus on specific
muscle groups.
Doing the two-day split for several years, it eventually becomes pretty damn
brutal, taxing your body that often. You won’t be able to continue making rapid
rates of strength gains. So, it makes sense to switch to a three-day split. This will
mean a slightly slower rate of strength gain, but you’ll be able to hit your key
muscle groups with more volume per session. This can help you keep gaining
muscle at a solid rate as a more advanced lifter.
Furthermore, after doing the three-day split for three months, you can go back to
the two-day split for two to three months. Mixing things up every few months
allows your body to keep progressing. Of course, if you were to do the two-day
split year round, you'd eventually burn out.
Another advantage of the three-day split is it allows you to work on your shoulder
press completely fresh. This will help you hit more shoulder press personal
records and build greater overall shoulder size and development.
Finally, for the three-day split, we'll be taking your physique to the next level with
some neck and traps training. Filling out your neck and traps will make you look
stronger, more muscular and even more masculine. In fact, a thick neck is a sign
of a more masculine man. It’s incredible how adding a little neck and trap
thickness can make you look more more alpha and attractive. I’ve noticed a big
difference, adding 1-1.5 inches to my neck thickness. (Of course, you don't want
to overdo neck development; that's why we implement the ideal amount of
training.)
All of this to say, once you start to plateau or feel the slog of two-day splits, it's
time to experience the benefits of the three-day split.
The Beauty of the Three Day Split
The three-day split is incredibly powerful. In fact, most of your key muscle groups
will be getting hit hard two times per week. You're hitting your chest hard on
Friday. That said, your chest will be hit indirectly on Monday as well. The same
goes for shoulders. Your shoulders will be hit very hard on Monday. Then on
Friday, you get indirect shoulder work from incline press, bench press/dips and
rear deltoid lifts. Your triceps will be getting hit hard two days a week (directly
from extensions and indirectly from presses). The same goes for biceps.
The only muscle groups that will be hit only once per week are back and legs.
However, from my experience this works perfectly as, typically, these muscle
groups can grow very quickly. The back and legs are big muscle groups and can
easily become overdeveloped. The harder muscle groups to build are the
shoulders, arms and upper chest.
This three-day split is the best protocol to optimize your shoulder, upper chest
and arm development while developing the perfect amount of back and leg size
for the ultimate Greek God Physique.
Phase One: Weeks 1-6
Workout A (Monday):
● Standing Barbell Press:​ 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Weighted Chinups:​ 3 sets x 4, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Seated Cable Rows:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Triceps Rope Pushdowns:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Dumbbell Lateral Raises:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps
(rest-pause training)
Workout B (Wednesday):
● Box Squats:​ 5 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Barbell Walking Lunges:​ 2 sets x 8-10 reps per leg (Kino rep training)
● Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts:​ 3 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Machine Calf Raises:​ 4 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Cable Shrugs: ​3 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Neck Extensions:​ 3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
● Neck Curls:​ 3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
Workout C (Friday):
● Incline Barbell Press:​ 3 sets x 4-5, 6-8, 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Weighted Dips:​ 2 sets x 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline Dumbbell Curls:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Standing Hammer Curls:​ 4 sets x 8-10 reps (Kino rep training)
● Cable Face Pulls:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause
training)
Phase Two: Weeks 7-12
Monday
● Arnold Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Weighted Pullups:​ 3 sets x 6, 8, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Machine Rows: ​3 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Single-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Press:​ 3 sets x 8-10, 10-12,
10-12 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Dumbbell Upright Rows:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps
(rest-pause training)
Wednesday
● Sumo Deadlifts:​ 5 sets x 4-6 reps (Kino rep training)
● Bulgarian Split Squats:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
● Machine Calf Raises:​ 4 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Cable Shrugs:​ 3 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep training)
● Neck Extensions: ​3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
● Neck Curls:​ 3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
Friday
● Incline Dumbbell Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Barbell Bench Press:​ 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Seated Hammer Curls:​ 4 sets x 6-8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Machine Curls:​ 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training)
● Machine Rear Deltoid Flyes:​ 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps
(rest-pause training)
Chapter 13
Nutrition Plan for Building Muscle and
Avoiding Fat Gain
Nutrition for building muscle is actually very simple: Eat plenty of food and
include lots of protein and carbs.
If you follow this protocol and workout, you'll definitely build muscle. However,
when the goal is to build muscle and keep fat gain to an absolute minimum, diet
and nutrition become much more complicated.
Your body can only use so many surplus calories for muscle growth and
storage. Eventually, any additional calories will be stored as fat.
In order to ensure you build muscle without gaining fat you need to be diligent in
tracking your food intake. Eat too few calories and muscle growth will not occur
at a meaningful rate. Eat too many calories and unpleasant fat gain will occur.
We need to find the amount of weekly surplus calories you can handle before fat
gain occurs. For most people, this is around 2,000 surplus calories per week.
This works out to be an extra 285 calories per day.
Most guys trying to build muscle aim to eat 500 calories over maintenance per
day. Those extra 215 calories tend to get stored as fat. Instead of eating 285
extra calories each and every day, it’s better to place more calories on lifting
days and less calories on rest days. This will lead to slightly better muscle gains
since you'll be providing extra calories on days where your body is primed for
muscle growth.
Chapter 14
Determining Maintenance Level
Calories
Without knowing your maintenance intake of calories, this protocol won't be very
helpful.
Fortunately, determining your maintenance calorie intake is rather simple.
Assuming 60 minutes of physical activity per day, most people burn 15
calories per pound of bodyweight.
Now, obviously, this is just an estimate. It's unlikely that these numbers will be
exact. However, there's a very strong chance that you'll be within shooting
distance of the number calculated.
If you're gaining weight too quickly, then you can lower your maintenance level
calories by 10 percent. If you're not gaining weight or gaining weight too slowly,
then you can increase your maintenance level calories by 10 percent.
Eventually, you'll be able to zone in on your approximate maintenance level
calorie intake.
Chapter 15
The Lean Bulk Nutrition Protocol
​The Protocol
● ​Rest Days (4 times per week): +100 calories over maintenance
● Lifting Days (3 times per week): +500 calories over maintenance
Weekly calorie surplus = 1900 calories
Modification
If you tend to gain fat easily, then you can reduce calories slightly on rest days.
Instead of eating +100 calories on rest days you could eat -100 calories on rest
days.
● Rest Days (4 times per week): -100 calories under maintenance
● Lifting Days (3 times per week): +500 calories over maintenance
Weekly calorie surplus = 1100 calories
Recomposition Protocol
If you want to focus on building muscle and losing fat at a slow rate, then it’s
better to use a recomposition protocol. This is where you ​eat at at a calorie
surplus on training days to encourage muscle growth and at a calorie
deficit on rest days to encourage fat loss.
At the end of the week, you'll have eaten very close to maintenance but it's likely
you'll have improved your overall body composition (more muscle and less fat).
● Rest Days (4 times per week): -300 calories under maintenance
● Lifting Days (3 times per week): +400 calories over maintenance
Weekly calorie surplus = 0
It’s best to use a modest calorie surplus/deficit on lifting/rest days. ​Go too low in
calories on rest days, and muscle recovery and growth will be compromised. As
well, going too high in calories on training days will inevitably lead to fat spillover.
Instead of building a little muscle on training days and losing a little fat on rest
day you will be gaining muscle and fat on training days and losing muscle and fat
on rest days.
Obviously, big calorie swings between lifting and rest days aren’t optimal.
Therefore, using a 300-400 calorie surplus/deficit is your best option.
Lean Bulk Protocol for 160-pound Person:
● Maintenance Level Calories: 160 x 15 = 2400 calories
● Rest Days (4 times per week): 2500 calories (+100)
● Lifting Days (3 times per week): 2900 calories (+500)
Weekly calorie surplus = 1900
Recomposition Protocol Using This Example:
● Rest Days (4 times per week): 2100 calories (-300)
● Lifting Days (3 times per week): 2800 calories (+400)
Weekly Calorie Surplus = 0
Chapter 16
Determining Protein, Fat and Carb
Intake
Of secondary importance to calorie intake is the makeup of those calories.
The first thing that you must do is to ensure you are consuming adequate dietary
protein. Since protein is essential for muscle growth, this is the number one
priority in regards to macronutrient intake. Before even worrying about how much
fat and carbs to eat, you need to first determine your protein needs.
Most research indicates that the maximum amount of protein needed to
support muscle growth is 1.8 grams per kg (or 0.8 grams per pound) of
bodyweight, but I feel consuming slightly more protein than this is
beneficial. ​Since we need to be careful not to overeat and cause fat gain, it
makes sense to eat lots of protein to stay full and satisfied. For this reason, I
recommend eating one gram of protein per pound of goal bodyweight. As long as
you include high protein foods in your meals, it'll be relatively easy to reach this
amount. If you have trouble eating this much protein, you're welcome to include
protein shakes into your diet.
If you are 160 pounds and your goal is to be 175 pounds, then aim for 175 grams
of protein per day. Don’t set your protein intake more than 15 over your current
weight in pounds. So if you’re 160 pounds and your goal weight is 180 pounds,
then set your protein intake at a maximum of 175 grams per day. When you are
within 15 pounds of your goal weight, then you can adjust your protein intake up
to 180 grams.
The next macronutrient to set is fat intake.​ Fat should make up 20-30% of total
calories. ​Going too low in fat will leave you hungry between meals and will make
your meals bland. Plus, low-fat diets may negatively impact testosterone levels.
Use 25 percent of total calories as the default for fat intake.
If you prefer to include more fat in exchange for carbs, you can adjust this
number up to 30 percent. If you prefer less fat and more carbs you can adjust
this number down to 20 percent.
A fat intake of between 20-30 percent of total calories will leave the largest
percentage of your calories to come from carbohydrates. ​This is an ideal
scenario for building muscle. A high intake of carbohydrates will ensure that you
maintain full glycogen stores in your muscles. Your body is more efficient at
building muscle and being in an anabolic state when your glycogen stores are full
or near full. In addition, carbs are the most efficient energy source and sufficient
carbs will ensure optimal training performance.
The better and more intense your workouts are, the more muscle growth you will
promote.
● To calculate fat intake:​ Multiply calories per day by 0.25 (25 percent) and
then divide that number by 9 to get grams of fat per day.
● To calculate carb intake: ​Add together fat calories and protein calories.
Subtract this number from total calories per day. This will provide you with
the number of calories to consume from carbs per day. Divide this number
by 4 to get carbs per day in grams.
Chapter 17
Meal Frequency and Distribution
Assuming you are hitting the appropriate amount of calories and macronutrients,
meal frequency isn’t awfully important. Whether you eat two meals or six meals
won’t make an ounce of difference. For that reason, I recommend sticking to the
meal pattern that you enjoy the most.
For most people, having to eat five or more meals per day is a pain in the ass.
Most people I find do best on two to four meals per day. The biggest meals
should come in the evening and after training. This maximizes fat burning during
the day and amplifies glycogen storage in the muscles from training. As well, big
meals early in the day tend to cause tiredness. Lastly, this eating pattern tends to
be the most enjoyable and satisfying.
My recommended plan is to skip breakfast, eat a moderate sized lunch, train in
the afternoon, have a big dinner with plenty of carbs post-workout and then
another big meal 1-2 hours before going to bed.
If you train in the evening, then it would be better to eat a moderate sized lunch,
another moderate sized meal 2-3 hours before training and a big dinner
post-workout.
If you train earlier in the day, then it’s best to take 10 grams of BCAAs before
training, have a normal sized lunch, a big dinner and another meal 3-4 hours
later (2 hours before going to bed).
Example Meal Schedule
● Wake up at 8 a.m.
● 8 a.m. to Meal 1: Coffee and sparkling water (I prefer Fasting Fuel -- ​learn
more here​)
● 2 p.m.: Meal 1 (protein salad or 2 percent Greek yogurt and almonds)
● 5 p.m.: Workout
● 6:30 p.m.: Meal 2 (animal protein and rice, potatoes or yams)
● 10 p.m.: Meal 3 (animal protein and rice, potatoes or yams)
Sample Meal Plan 1:
Meal 1:
● Plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
● Handful of almonds
● Serving of fruit
Meals 2 and 3:
● Chicken breast
● Brown rice cooked in 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
● Veggies and spinach salad
Sample Meal Plan 2:
Meal 1:
● Salad loaded with grilled chicken breast, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers,
shredded cheese and avocado
● Serving of fruit
Meals 2 and 3:
● Beef (flank steak, 90 percent lean ground beef, or roast beef)
● Potatoes or sweet potatoes
● Butter (for taste)
● Veggies and spinach salad
What About Breakfast?
I recommend skipping breakfast.
I can already hear the comments: “Skip breakfast? Are you crazy?”
There's really no good reason to eat breakfast. By pushing your first meal later
into the day, you force your body to burn fat for fuel, elevate growth hormone and
increase insulin sensitivity in the muscles. This creates the perfect storm for
building muscle and burning fat.
As long as you limit the daily fast to 16-18 hours, there will be no muscle
catabolism during the fast.
When you do eat after an extended fast, the anabolic effects of that meal will be
greater. This is due to improvements in your insulin sensitivity. It leads to greater
nutrition partitioning in your muscles stores.
I have found that, by skipping breakfast, I've had a much easier time
building muscle while maintaining leanness. ​That said, it's essential that you
provide your body with the right amount of nutrition during the feasting window. ​If
you're incapable getting in the appropriate amount of calories in 2-3 large meals,
then fasting is probably not for you.
If you wish to workout before your first meal, then I recommend taking 10
grams of BCAAs before training. ​Pre-workout protein is highly beneficial at
increasing protein synthesis and preventing protein breakdown.
Chapter 18
Tracking Progress
One of the main reasons why people fail to follow through on their workout
program and nutrition plan is because of a lack of accountability. They make it
extremely easy for themselves to miss workouts, half-ass it in the gym and not
follow their diet regimen.
This is simply unacceptable!
By purchasing this program, you made the decision right then and there that you
no longer wanted to settle for a mediocre body. You wanted to rise above and
beyond and achieve an awe-striking physique. I’m talking about the level of
physical development which brings with it enormous amounts of self-respect and
confidence.
I want you to commit to following this workout program with absolute
consistency and dedication. ​That you will do whatever it takes to hit the gym
three times per week with extraordinary effort and drive. No matter what, you will
not sabotage your efforts by rationalizing skipping the gym or screwing up your
diet.
The reason most people have so much difficulty following through on a workout
plan is because they make up excuses for why they can’t hit the gym. They lie to
themselves that it will just be this one time and that the following weeks will be
perfect. ​The truth is that if you are going to skip a workout now then you will
do so again in the future. ​You need to hold yourself accountable and do
whatever it takes to drag yourself to the gym.
I have never met anyone in my life that couldn’t find one hour to work out three
times per week. If something comes up, shift things around and make it work.
There's simply no excuse for not being able to work out three times per week.
End of story.
Making This Plan Work
To really maximize your results on this program, it's essential that you track your
strength and physique progress. By doing so, your results will improve
dramatically. When you're tracking your progress, missing a workout or just going
through the motions in the gym has real, substantial consequences. Tracking
progress is the most effective way to keep yourself disciplined and accountable
for your actions.
Progress Tracking 1: Lifts
Each workout, you should be recording and tracking your main lifts. Your main
core lifts are incline bench press, weighted chinups, standing shoulder press, and
your current leg exercise. If you follow the progression scheme correctly, you'll be
adding 10-15 pounds per month to each of these lifts.
Beginners will alternate adding 5 pounds to their second and third set or their first
set each workout. Advanced lifters will add 5 pounds to only one of their three
sets per workouts.
If you’re only capable of doing chinups for 5 reps with 15 pounds, then you could
get up to 75-105 pounds for 5 reps in 6 months. If you are incline bench pressing
135 pounds for 5 reps, then in 6 months you could get up to 195-225 pounds.
These are crazy leaps in strength and muscle gain! But it only works if you track
your progress.
Combine this with a low body fat and you will be dropping jaws.
Progress Tracking 2: Weight and Waist Measurement
Each week, you should be weighing yourself and measuring your waist
circumference around your belly button with a normal, relaxed posture (no
sucking in or flexing). If you're slowly gaining weight - about half a pound per
week - and your waist is staying the same, then you know you're building pure
muscle. This is great! If you're in a recomposition and staying around the same
weight but your waist is becoming smaller, then you know you're gaining muscle
and losing fat.
On the other hand, if your waist measurement is going up, you know you're
overdoing it with your calorie intake. You would want to cut the calories back to
eliminate fat gain.
Make sure to weigh yourself the same day each week.​ Weigh yourself and
measure your waist first thing in the morning (after using the bathroom if
required). This will provide the greatest accuracy.
Progress Tracking 3: Muscle Measurements
Each month I recommend taking a few additional measurements to get the full
picture. This will give you an idea of how exactly your body is changing. I
recommend measuring the chest with relaxed posture at mid-chest level, no
flexing in or sticking out the chest.
I also recommend measuring your arms. The best way to measure the arms is by
flexing them and measuring around the widest point, usually right in the middle of
the biceps.
Take this measurement first thing in the morning. If you measure after a workout,
you'll notice a slightly bigger reading. This is only temporary so it doesn’t count.
Progress Tracking 4: Photos
A picture says a thousand words! A picture can say so much more than a
number. ​For that reason, it's wise to take regular monthly pictures to track
progress. I​ recommend taking pictures in the morning and in the same lighting
conditions each time.
Here are the pictures I recommend taking:
● Front pose relaxed, flexed abs and double biceps pose
● Back pose relaxed and double biceps pose
● Side pose flexed triceps and side pose flexed biceps
Chapter 19
Kinobody Fitness Standards
I'm always motivated when I have certain targets to reach, whether it's 20
consecutive chinups, 8 percent body fat or a 300-pound bench press. Back in the
day, I loved fitness books that provided elite standards to strive for.
Now, I'm going to provide you with the Kinobody fitness standards for achieving
the strong and sexy Greek God physique.
I am using three different levels of development: good, great and godlike.
● “Good”​ is someone who is in above average shape.
● “Great”​ is someone who is in top shape.
● “Godlike”​ is someone who is, quite frankly, a god; someone in such
spectacular shape that you can’t possible fathom that they are in fact
merely human.
Strength Standards
Incline Bench Press
● Good: 1x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Great:​ ​1.2x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Godlike: 1.4x bodyweight for 5 reps
Weighted Dips
● Good: 50 percent bodyweight attached for 6 reps
● Great: 75 percent bodyweight attached for 6 reps
● Godlike: 100 percent bodyweight attached for 6 reps
Weighted Chinups
● Good: 30 percent bodyweight attached for 5 reps
● Great: 50 percent bodyweight attached for 5 reps
● Godlike: 70 percent bodyweight attached for 5 reps
Standing Barbell Press
● Good: 0.7x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Great: 0.85x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Godlike: 1x bodyweight for 5 reps
Barbell Curl
● Good: 0.55x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Great: 0.65x bodyweight for 5 reps
● Godlike: 0.75x bodyweight for 5 reps
Body Measurements Standards
Here are the body measurements standards:
Waist
● Good: 47 percent of height
● Great: 46 percent of height
● Godlike: 45 percent of height
Chest
● Good: 1.3x waist measurement
● Great: 1.35x waist measurement
● Godlike: 1.4x waist measurement
Arms
● Good: 46 percent of waist
● Great: 48 percent of waist
● Godlike: 50 percent of waist
Chapter 20
Conclusion (The Beginning)
As with all my programs, I like to conclude with one last thing…
I can give you all the tools you need to succeed. But in the end, your success
comes down to one thing:
ACTION
I can give you the blueprint, but I can’t do the work for you. ​You​ have to. If you
follow this program and the methods I outline, you WILL see results. You may
have to cast your beliefs aside. You may have to decide to tune out the
mainstream media, stop reading Men’s Health or following the programs made
by all those "gurus."
That’s what it will take: dedication, focus and commitment.
Now, let's build a godlike body. A Kinobody!
Greg O'Gallagher
Kinobody.com
Transform Your Physique and Live the Life of Your Dreams
Bonus Workout:
The Shoulder-Focused Strength and
Density Routine
The structure of this routine is virtually the same as the original Greek God
Program 2.0, with the addition of more exercise variation and more leg work on
Workout B. We'll also be utilizing rest-pause training for the shoulders. This will
help turn your shoulders into absolute boulders. This might be the last lagging
muscle group you need to dial in a godlike physique.
Same as before: You'll train three days per week, alternating between Workout A
and Workout B
Shoulder-Focused Strength and Density: Phase
One
Workout A
● Incline barbell bench press: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Seated dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse
pyramid training)
● Rope pushdown: 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Cable one-arm lateral raises: 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps
(rest-pause training)
Workout B
● Weighted pullups: 3 sets x 4, 5, 6 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Incline dumbbell curls: 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Power cleans or sumo deadlifts: 2 sets x 3, 5 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Bulgarian split squats: 2 sets x 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
Shoulder-Focused Strength and Density: Phase
Two
Workout A
● Incline dumbbell bench press: 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Standing barbell shoulder press: 3 sets x 5, 6, 8 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Barbell skull crushers: 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid
training)
● Dumbbell lateral raises: 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause
training)
Workout B
● Neutral-grip chinups: 3 sets x 4, 5, 6 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Kino curls​: 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Pistol squats: 2 sets x 3-4, 5-6 reps (reverse pyramid training)
● Rack deadlifts: 2 sets x 3, 5 reps (reverse pyramid training)
Notes on Workout B
Check out the link for Kino curls to see how to do them.
As for rack deadlifts, set the barbell in the power rack at a height just below your
knee. Perform a few warmup sets (just like all of your big lifts and key lifts).
Bonus Chapter:
The Leg-Focused Strength and
Density Bonus Routine
If you want to get very strong on your deadlift, I've included the heavy deadlift
option.
You see, the standard Greek God Program 2.0 includes Bulgarian split squats
and Romanian deadlifts (Phase One), as well as box squats and single-leg
Romanian deadlifts (Phase Two). This is great -- and definitely enough -- for
developing your lower body.
However, if you want to really maximize your deadlift strength, you'll want to
perform the heavy deadlift option. Now, I recommend being careful with going
very heavy on deadlifts. This is where I’ve seen injuries happen. Even with the
heavy deadlift option, I recommend not pushing beyond 90 percent of your
maximum.
The reason is simple: Pushing too close to failure on deadlifts can be very risky.
This is where you'll be grinding reps out and you may put your lower back in a
vulnerable position. Plus, going too intense on your heavy deadlifts can interfere
with your central nervous system recovery, which is NOT what we want.
The benefit of keeping your heavy set at about 90 percent intensity is that it
allows you to execute the set with better form and a faster cadence (a.k.a. more
explosive). This means it will better carry over to sports, or to your sprinting and
jumping.
Enter the Deadlift
Now, the deadlift can be a great overall strength movement. The deadlift
develops your hamstrings, glutes, low back, mid back, traps and forearms to a
large degree.
I prefer to do the ​sumo deadlift​, which I feel does a greater job at building your
legs and ensuring your back maintains proper positioning (i.e., no rounding). The
sumo deadlift is performed by taking a wider stance. Your feet should actually be
outside of your hands.
In fact, one of the top sprint coaches in the world, Barry Ross, has found the
sumo deadlift to do an amazing job at carrying over to sprinting; therefore, if you
want to improve your running, I suggest getting strong on your sumo deadlift.
The Heavy Deadlift Bonus Routine
So for the heavy deadlift option, you'll replace the leg exercises from the
standard Workout B with the following routine:
Heavy Deadlift Phase One
● Sumo Deadlifts:​ 5 sets x 5 reps (Kino rep training)
● Bulgarian Split Squats:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
Notes
I recommend performing the deadlifts a'la Kino rep training for five reps per set.
This is where you start light and perform five reps. For each set, increase the
weight. You want to increase the weight accordingly so that your last set is close
to your five-rep max. Rest two to three minutes between sets.
For example, let's say you can deadlift 300 pounds for five reps. Here’s how it
would look:
● Set 1: 135 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 2: 185 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 3: 225 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 4: 275 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 5: 300 pounds x 5 reps
As for the next week, you'd increase the weight on all sets by roughly 5 pounds:
● Set 1: 140 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 2: 190 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 3: 230 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 4: 280 pounds x 5 reps
● Set 5: 305 pounds x 5 reps
You would keep increasing by 5 pounds every workout until you plateau. This
would be the perfect time to go back to the lighter deadlift option in the original
Greek God training schedule (Bulgarian split squats and Romanian deadlifts or
front squats and single-leg Romanian deadlifts).
For Bulgarian split squats, increase the weight on all three sets when you can do
eight reps on each set.
Heavy Deadlift Phase Two
● Sumo Deadlifts:​ 5 sets x 5 reps (Kino rep training)
● Front Squats:​ 3 sets x 6-8 reps (Kino rep training)
Notes
For phase two of the heavy deadlift, you'll be switching the secondary exercise to
barbell front squats. The front squat is a great movement to develop your leg
strength with more focus on your quads. It also does an amazing job building a
rock-solid core.
It's the same as phase one for the sumo deadlift. For front squats, you'll start light
and increase the weight on all three sets. When you can do the top end of the
rep range on all three sets, increase the weight for each set come next workout.
Example:
● Set 1: 135 pounds x 8 reps
● Set 2: 165 pounds x 8 reps
● Set 3: 195 pounds x 8 reps
Next workout:
● Set 1: 140 pounds x 6 reps
● Set 2: 170 pounds x 6 reps
● Set 3: 200 pounds x 6 reps
(Then you would stay at that weight until you get eight reps on all three sets).
May your legs grow as big as tree trunks and may your speed get as fast as the
Flash!
Bonus Chapter
The Greek God Missing Link: Neck
and Traps
If you want to look like a Greek God, there’s one more thing we need to do. You
can build an amazing physique, complete with an incredible upper chest,
developed shoulders and muscular legs. That said, that doesn’t absolutely
guarantee that you'll look your absolute best.
In many cases, there can be something missing. I’ve noticed this myself. I’ve
seen really muscular guys and thought something was off...
Sometimes it’s because their upper chest or shoulders are lacking. But
sometimes they have amazing shoulder and upper chest development and yet
something is ​still​ missing.
Something is making them look less powerful and less masculine and less alpha.
What is it? When you look at someone, you’re looking at the total package...and
after a while, you'll notice two areas that can make them appear far more
powerful and masculine:
Enter Neck and Traps Training
You can have all the muscle in the world, but if your neck and traps are lacking,
it’s going to throw off your whole physique. You’re going to look noticeably
smaller. What’s more, if you gain muscle, but your neck and traps stay roughly
the same size, it’s going to make you look smaller.
Your neck can actually be a force multiplier. If you add a little size to your neck -so that it’s thicker -- your face looks more masculine and attractive. Your overall
physique looks bigger and more powerful. It makes a huge difference.
You can have a muscular upper body, but if you're wearing a shirt or jacket, a
skinny neck can make you look so much smaller.
For instance, here’s Jeff Nippard, a fitness YouTube celebrity. He used to have a
slim neck. Notice how he looks so much better with a thick neck. In fact, the
skinny neck had a negative effect on his physique and even his facial
attractiveness.
What About the Traps?
The same holds true with trap development. If your traps are too small, it’s going
to throw things off. You'll look smaller and less jacked. There will also be
something missing between your body and your face.
For example, this guy has a very muscular physique, but he has a relatively small
neck and minimal trap development. It naturally makes him look less powerful
and dominant.
If he were to wear a button down shirt, his small neck and traps would make him
seem much less jacked and powerful. Many people may not even be able to tell
he works out! That's why training your neck and traps specifically is so crucial; it
gives you the size in underdeveloped areas to complete your Greek God
physique.
The Key to Neck and Traps Training
Now of course, you can ​overdevelop​ your neck and traps. And that’s also far
from ideal. The key is balance. The key is to add the perfect amount of size to
your neck and traps without going overboard.
A lot of Hollywood movie stars that play superheroes naturally have the perfect
neck and trap size. In fact, Chris Hemsworth is a great example of this and that’s
why he looks so damn good on screen.
Thankfully, the neck and traps have a large degree of ​androgen receptors​. This
means that people that naturally have higher testosterone levels will naturally
have a bigger neck and traps. This is an indicator that well-developed neck and
traps portray a more powerful and masculine image.
Here’s Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Notice how he has a well-developed neck? Plus,
you can see how his traps pop nicely and make him look bigger overall. Brad Pitt
was only about 155-160 pounds in "Fight Club." And yet, he looks much thicker
than that. That's the power of the neck and traps, my friend.
How to Supercharge Your Physique with Neck
and Traps
Now make no mistake, it’s not hard at all to add the perfect size to your neck and
traps. In fact, we actually need to be careful not to overdo it.
Some movements in the original program will actually strengthen and develop
your neck and traps. For example, overhead presses and pullups will build your
traps to a decent level. Lateral raises have been shown to activate the neck to a
fairly large degree. So all we're doing is throwing in a little more ​direct work​ to the
neck and traps to add icing to the cake.
I recommend performing this routine once per week at the end of one of your
workouts. For example, every Friday at the end of your workout would be an
ideal place to add this.
The Greek God Neck and Traps Routine (Once Per
Week)
● Leaning One-Arm Dumbbell Shrugs:​ 4 sets x 10-15 reps (Kino rep
training)
● Reverse Neck Curls:​ 3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
● Neck Curls:​ 3 sets x 20-30 reps (Kino rep training)
Workout Notes
The workout begins with leaning one-arm dumbbell shrugs. Alternatively, you can
do cable shrugs. The key, of course, is to not just lift your shoulder straight up.
Instead, lift your shoulder up and towards your ear.​ This puts the focus on your
traps, maximizing activation.
I recommend starting with a lighter weight and performing your first set for 15
reps. Rest one to two minutes and increase the weight to perform another set for
15 reps. Rest and increase the weight to perform your third set for 15 reps.
Finally, rest and perform your fourth set with a very challenging weight that you
can perform for 10-15 reps. At this point, your traps should be activated like
crazy.
For example:
● Set 1: 60 pounds x 15 reps
● Set 2: 70 pounds x 15 reps
● Set 3: 80 pounds x 15 reps
● Set 4: 90 pounds x 10 reps
Next, we get into reverse neck curls. I recommend lying on a bench, face down,
with your head off of the bench. Start with a light weight. A 5- or 10-pound plate
is perfect. With the weight on the back of your head, perform reverse neck curls
for 20-30 reps (raising your neck against gravity and the weight, keeping
everything but the neck immobilized). Rest a couple minutes, increase the weight
by 5-10 pounds and perform 20-30. Do this one more time for three sets.
For example:
● Set 1: 10 pounds for 20 reps
● Set 2: 15 pounds for 20 reps
● Set 3: 20 pounds for 20 reps
Finally, we have neck curls. This is performed by lying on your back on a bench,
with your head off of the bench. Hold a light plate on your forehead and perform
neck curls. Start light for 20-30 reps, increase the weight and perform 20-30 reps.
Do this once more for three sets.
I recommend not pushing too close to failure or your neck can cramp up. Don’t
overdo it. Make sure to control the weight. When you can do the top end of the
rep range (30 reps) for your last set, increase the weight next week.
Last Thing...
This routine is simple but effective (like any and all of my workouts). The cool
thing is you'll notice results in the first few weeks of performing this routine. It
really is that effective. Just a little extra direct neck and traps work will make all
the difference in the world.
You'll start to get more compliments on your physique. In fact, when your neck
and traps are thick, you'll look way more jacked and get way more attention.
(Even more than someone that is actually bigger than you.)
Now, if you start to get your neck and traps to a good level, you can train them
once every two weeks. This is a good plan for maintenance mode, avoiding
overtraining at the same time. Until then, you can train them once per week
(every Friday or Monday).
Looking forward to seeing your gains : )