Achilles
PROGRAM
Crafting The Body Of A DemiGod
About The Achilles Program
This program was inspired years ago by my many interactions and
conversations with young men who have inquired how to look like Brad
Pitt when he played Achilles in the film “Troy”. While this program origin
may seem gimmicky, I assure you it is not. Brad Pitt’s physique and general
athleticism shown in the film is a dramatic representation of a physique
that all men hope to achieve, that of a HERO. All men aspire to look heroic. Whether this aspiration is realized or not
depends on the man’s dedication to training and bringing the vision to life.
The realization that having a powerful, aesthetic body changes your status
and influence in the world happens when a man is young, usually a boy.
As boys turn into teenagers, the desire grows. Young men make their way
into weight rooms and gyms, in the hopes that their physique will
transform into something mighty. To look heroic is to live heroic. If the mind and body are one, then a might
body is an equally mighty mind. Transformation does not happen without
a plan though.
While Brad Pitt no doubt won the genetic lottery in having almost
universally appealing good looks in the face, his actual bodytype is nothing
exceptional in regards to muscle building potential or strength. He is a
“skinny white boy” of average height, and would probably be considered to
have “hardgainer” genetics. His physique over his career was the outcome
of resistance training, having a trainer that knew good exercise selection,
and time spent in the gym. He put in work in the gym, and he got results.
With the right plan, right actions, and dedication, you too can have your
own heroic transformation. And the Achilles Program is that plan.
The “Ideal” Male Body
While a hardcore bodybuilding fan might argue that Pitt is a twerp, the reality is
his body has almost universal appeal.
Both men and women are drawn to symmetry, leanness, and proportion.I’ve
been training clients for 12 years, and to this day, men still comment that they
wish they could look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Troy, or Snatch, or Fury, or
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Pitt’s physique is appealing specifically because
it is the attainable “ideal” body of an average sized man. Pitt is 5’10, looks to
weigh between 155-175 lbs, and while his abdominal definition is largely genetic,
he does not look “freaky” or outsized to an extent that your average guy could
not look at his body and believe “I could look like that”. What are the key factors that create a Heroic Masculine Body?
1. Adonis Index Ratio
A Mans Body should be formed according to the “Golden Ratio” of
1.618. What this means is that your shoulder circumference
(measured from around the medial deltoid and across the chest
and upper back) should be 1.618 times larger than your waist. This
equates to a 20 inch difference between your shoulders and your
waist. So 34 inch waist, 54 inch shoulders. 32 inch waist, 52 inch
shoulders. So on and so forth. While Pitt does not have
humongous shoulders, he has a very small waist, and his
shoulders well defined, which makes him look bigger than he is.
2. Chest, Arms, Abs
Guess which body parts women rank as sexiest on a man? Chest,
arms, abs, in that order. Trust my research on this one. There are
1,001 articles on what women physically want, and chest/arms/abs
comes up on ALL of them.
What stands out on Pitt? Chest (well defined looking, but again, not
huge), arms (cut, but not massive bis or tris), and abs (obviously). I
would include shoulders in this (most women know ZERO about
anatomy and probably were thinking of both) and group them
together with chest.
If your abs, chest/shoulders, and arms are “muscular” and lean,
you will look sexually appealing to literally 99% of women.
2
3. Height, and Hair
Alright, so there is nothing that can be done about making you
truly physically taller, but you can make yourself APPEAR taller
by changing your body. How so? Big shoulders, small waist. Having a V-Taper physique will streamline your body and will
lead people to assume you are taller than you are. And what
about hair? I mention hair not because I am an expert on male
style, but because of one Pitts key traits is his hair is always very
well styled and distinct. The man literally has never had a bad
haircut. Do the same, get a good hair cut that is complementary
to your face. Having long hair myself (which I meticulously take
care of), I can attest that people routinely estimate my height
and weight to be 20-30lbs heavier and 1-2 inches taller than I
actually am. For the record, I am 6’2 and 205 lbs. Yet people
often ask if I am 6’3 and 220lbs. This is not by accident. I have
trained my shoulders and back more than any other muscle
group, and the result is large deltoids, a solid V-taper, and
combined with good posture, the result is a heroic aesthetic.
Everything can be trained. Genetics and the Time It Takes To Build An Ideal Physique
I had to hunt through a lot of photos, but I found enough to create a timeline of
Brad’s physique development. I show this purposely so you can have realistic
expectations about what YOUR body can look like. And to remove the Hollywood
mysticism surrounding transformations and the mythical “Hollywood body”. This program, while effective, is not an overnight transformation. The principles
you learn in this program are universally applicable for the training you do the
rest of your life. 3
(Disclaimer, no copy infringement of any kind is intended with any of these images)
Pitt, 27 Years Old
Here is Pitt in 1990, when he was 27 years old.
What stands out the most? 1. Pitt naturally has wide shoulders that look big. He is clearly skinny as you can
tell by his arms, but because his shoulders dominate, he looks good. 2. Pitt is naturally quite lean. He clearly has never carried much fat in his
stomach at all, and probably always has some level abdominal definition. His
bodyfat % is probably no more than 11% at any given time.
Overall, he still still a skinny guy, would barely fill out a schmedium shirt. He
has no real mass to his physique despite his shoulder structure being good. He’s
lean, but skinny guy lean, and looks like maybe he runs and does pushups and
situps. Maybe you are not as lean as Brad Pitt, but the lesson is clear: you want to look
more aesthetic? Build some shoulder muscle, and drop the excess bodyfat.
4
Pitt, 29 & 34 & 39 Years Old
Moving forward to years, here is Pitt at age 29. And age 34. This is not an
“advanced” physique, this is a slim guy who works out and doesnt get fat.
It is not until 1999 in fact that Brad Pitt shows up RIPPED for Fight Club. While I
believe he worked out through his 20s and 30s with regular cardio, its not until
Fight Club that he seemed to take bodybuilding seriously. His look in this film became iconic; abs, chest, and shoulders, and leaner than he
had ever been prior. While this body might seem unattainable, Brad’s weight during the film was
reported to be between 150-155 pounds, at 5-6% bodyfat. Supposedly he trained a lot of martial arts for this film, which would have been
cardiovascular. He also trained for 6 months before filming began, which is a
reasonable estimate of time given his genetics and overall look he had in the
film.
His supposed lifting program is laughable at how “Bro” it is. According to what
you can find online, he trained ONE muscle group per day, with 3 sets of 15
reps, one exercise at a time. As BRO of a program if there ever was one
5
You can find his Fight Club program by clicking here
Archive: http://archive.is/hpQUV
How much muscle mass did he gain? He looks perhaps 10lbs heavier than he
did before at most, but because his shoulders and abs so are defined, it looks
more impressive than the scale would imply. And we can learn a few things from
this film and his lool
1
Being Lean ALWAYS Makes you look more muscular, and if you
lift like a Bro and prioritize upper body, you will look aesthetic
2
IF you spend 6 months lifting weights, and do a lot of cardio,
and follow a diet…you will probably look VERY different than
when you started
3
A maximum level of effort is the only reliable path for the
maximum possible results. When in Doubt, TRAIN MORE,
CARDIO and Diet like your career depends on it
Basically, follow a bodybuilding program, develop your upper body, and then get
lean enough to see your abs. 6
Following Fight Club, Pitt appeared in Snatch, this time as an Irish Traveler bare
knuckle fighting champion. He was not as lean as Fight Club, but he had more “size” this time around
(relatively speaking. We are talking about a 165lb man here). Not being so
depleted gave him a much fuller look to his muscles. And he seems to have
trained his back more than before. Compared to his late 20s, his arms also are larger overall, and although his
biceps and triceps are not particularly developed (he does not have good arms
genetics), he has more mass. Also consider that LIGHTING is doing a lot of work here. Was he on steroids? That question is always going to come up, but my
professional opinion is NO. Ive said this already, but Pitt is NOT a big guy, he
does not have absurd muscularity. He simply looks like a man that got into
lifting finally in his 20s, and kept on lifting ever since.
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Pitt, 41 Years Old
Now, his next iconic look would not be until Troy in 2004, a full 5 years
after Fight Club.
What made such a difference? What made such a difference? He was TAN. Which makes you look bigger. He was LEAN. He was lean, which makes you look bigger. And he had marginally
more muscle mass than he did a decade prior. Which if you lift weights in a
progressive manner for 10 years, you would expect to happen. Add in a 12 week
cut and tanning bed and cinematic lighting, and you will look good on camera. His trainer for this film was a gentleman by the name of Gregory Joujon-Roche.
THis trainer passed away from cancer years ago, and did no interviews, but after
a lot of sleuthing, I found the supposed routine online.
Word of warning, the given routine is 2-3 hours a day, and I question the
accuracy. Having been a trainer myself in Hollywood, there is a tradition of
embellishing actors transformation programs. And this program looks like
fabrication.
“Roche, who charges $5,000 per week, also came with access to a masseuse,
nutritionist, martial arts instructor, yoga instructor, and core trainer”
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Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. The routine itself is wildly imbalanced, with no
posterior chain or back work at all. The lifting focuses entirely on shoulders/
chest, has ONE arm day, abs, and shoulders/chest again. He apparently also did
nothing but circuits to failure, and no sets or reps or given. The leg training is
entirely cardiovascular, and he never did ANY free weight exercises for legs
other than leg extensions. The weight workouts are all preceded by an hour of interval cardio. What does
stand out is the “boxing” workouts of doing weighted punches, and the sword
fighting training. I can personally attest from having done this for combat sports
that this is a great arm and shoulder workout. The whole thing looks absurd on paper, and it would be incredibly exhausting,
not to mention highly catabolic and downright lousy for muscle growth. Professional opinion, I call BS that he actually did this. But if I ever meet him, I’ll
ask him.
What Can We Learn From This Though?
Interval cardio works really really well for torching through calories and
bodyfat, assuming you are following a diet at the same tim
When in doubt, high volume training works for making things happen faste
Training 6 days weekly will produce results, provided the programming is
effective and a diet is in place
Brad Pitt at age 41, becoming the
aspiration for Bros everywhere
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Training To Be Achilles
Now that you have a thorough overview of the ideal male
physique, Pitts physical history and training, and insight into
what to emphasize in training, let us finally get to the
program
Now that you have a contextual overview of the ideal male physique and we
have demystified the “Troy” body and what looking good requires, let us finally
get to the program itself. This program is not contrived “bro science” that I made up myself. It is based on
proven, scientific principles of programming.
For increased muscle growth in a particular muscle, train that muscle with
higher frequency (2-3 times a week
For increased muscle growth in a particular muscle, train with at least 10 sets
weekly, going as high 20 sets per week (these sets are done across multiple
workouts)
Use effective exercise selection This program prioritizes upper body development. This does not mean you
ONLY train your upper body, it is a total body program (as all my programs are) Assume each workout will take 60-90 minutes. Do not change the program. Do
not change the workouts. Before You Begin The Program, I am Assuming that...
A) You know your way around a gym and are not a total novice that has never
touched a weight in your lift.
B) You do not have any current injuries that need rehab. C) You are Healthy and Ready to Train
10
This program emphasizes chest, arms, shoulders, and abs, and you will look
good with your shirt off at the end of it. This is a muscle gaining program, not a strength emphasis program. While you
can expect to get stronger, do not think this is any kind of “big 3” program for
your squat, bench, and deadlift. It is not. The full Achilles Program is 24 Weeks. The first program is Achilles 3.0, which last 12 weeks, and consists of three
phases. Each phase lasts for 4 weeks. The second half is Achilles Elysium, which is also 12 weeks. They are meant to be
done together. Achilles 3.0 emphasis Upper body, while Elysium emphasizes posterior chain. By the end you will have a holistic understanding of how to train for structural
balance in your physique.
Along with lifting, you are training abs. And training them A lot. You can train abs up 5 days a week, although I recommend 3-4 days as being
sufficient. The ab works are not complicated, consisting of crunch/situp type movement,
and leg raise type exercises. For cardio, you have 3 days of assigned workouts. This can be done with your lifting, or be done entirely separate. If you decided
not to do cardio, that is on you. Word of warning, I would not consider this an “easy” program by any means. You will be in the gym 5 days a week. You need to be focused. A minimalist
routine this is not. 11
The Achilles 3.0 Program is Structured as follows
Weeks
1-4
You will do 20 total sets for all Upper Body
Muscles. This month is an Acclimation phase.
Do NOT do sets to positive failure, leave 1-2
reps in the tank on all sets. I suggest keeping
these workouts faster paced. Take 3 minute
breaks between exercises, but keep the rest
periods short (1-2 minutes) between sets. .
Weeks
5-8
You will do 12-16 total sets for all Upper Body
Muscles, but now we emphasize progressive
overload more, and I want you to take sets to
positive failure. Volume is lower to adjust for
fatigue
Weeks
9-12
You train each muscle group once a week.
Volume is at 8 sets, and I want you to aim for
heavier weights or more reps every week on all
exercises. Set PRs on everything you can
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Abdominal
Workouts
Abdominal workouts are mandatory, and we keep it simple. If you don't train abs, do not complain about your abs not looking as good as
possible. I want you to train abs 3-4 times weekly. Simply pick a movement, and do 4 sets
of 8-15 reps of that movement. There are “upper ab” exercises, which are
basically versions of crunches and situps. And there are “lower ab” exercises which are various kinds of leg raise type
movements. For bodyweight movements, you can double the reps if you feel it
is warranted. Below is a sample Ab training Schedule
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thur.
Fri.
Sat
Sun
Upper
Lower
Rest
Upper
Lower
Rest
Rest
Upper Abdominal
Exercises
Machine Crunches
Stability ball crunche
Bosu crunche
Incline Sit-up
Pulldown crunche
Ab wheel
Lower Abdominal Exercises
Bicycle Crunches
Lying leg raise
Hanging leg raise
Flutter kick
Reverse crunche
Stability ball or
suspension trainer Pikes
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Phase I (All Numbers Are Given In Sets By Reps)
Workout 1: Legs
Workout 2: Chest + Shoulders
1. Seated leg curls or stability ball leg curls
1. Incline Bench
or lying leg curls (use whatever machine is
2.
available) 4x8-15
2. Weighted Step-ups 4x8-10
3. Walking Lunges-Can use DB or BB across
Press 4x5-8
Flat DB Chest Press 3x10-15
3. Cable Decline Chest Fly 2x10-15
4. Incline DB Lateral Raise 4x10-15
5. Bent Over Rear Delt DB Raise 4x10-15
the shoulders 4x8-12 steps per leg
4. Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift 4x8-10
5. Calf raises (4 sets seated and 4 sets
standing) 4x10-15 each
Workout 3: Back + Arms
Workout 4: Chest + Shoulders
1. Wide Grip Pull-ups (substitute with
1. Dips (bodyweight) 4x10-15 add
Pulldowns if necessary) 4x8-10
weight if bw is too easy 2. Cable Seated Pronated Grip Row
2. Converging Chest
3x10-15
3. Chest supported T-Bar Row 2x8-10
4. DB Hammer Curls, Pinwheel Style
Press 3x10-15
3. Decline Cable Chest Flys 2x10-15
4. Seated DB Shoulder Press 5x5-8
5. Sideways Incline Lateral Raise 5x8-10
5x8-10
5. Cable Tricep Pushdowns 5x10-15
6. EZ Bar Bicep Curls 5x5-8
7. Overhead Rope Extension 5x8-12
Workout 5: Back + Arms
1. Single
Arm Pulldowns 4x8-12
2. Chest supported T-Bar Pronated Grip Row 3x6-8
3. 1-Arm Cable Pulldown 2x10-15
4. DB Hammer Curls, Pinwheel Style 5x8-10
5. Cable Tricep Pushdowns 5x10-15 6. EZ Bar Bicep Curls 5x5-8
7. Overhead Rope Extension 5x8-12
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Phase II (All Numbers Are Given In Sets By Reps)
Workout 1: Chest + Shoulders
+ Triceps
1. Incline Bench Press 3x8,6,4 (pyramid up
in weight on each set) 2. Flat DB Chest Press 2x6-10
3. Cable Decline Chest Fly 2x10-15
4. Incline DB Lateral Raise 3x10-15
5. Cable Rear Delt Raise 3x10-15
6. Cable Tricep Pushdowns 3x10-15
7. Overhead Rope Extension 3x8-12
Workout 3: Legs
Workout 2: Back + Biceps
Grip Pull-ups (substitute with
Pulldowns if necessary) 3x8-10
2. Cable Seated Pronated Grip Row
3x8-10
3. Chest supported T-Bar Row 2x8-10
4. DB Hammer Curls, Pinwheel Style
4x8-10
5. EZ Bar Bicep Curls 3x5-8
1. Wide
Workout 4: Chest + Shoulders +
Triceps
0
1. Seated leg curls or stability ball leg
1. Converging Chest Press 3x8-1
curls
or lying
leg
curls (use whatever
Workout
3:
Legs
2. Dips (bodyweight) 2x10-15-add
machine is available) 3x15-20
weight is bodyweight is too eas
2. Weighted Step ups 3x8-10
3. Decline Cable Chest Flys 2x10-15
3. Walking Lunges-Can use Dumbbells
4.
or a barbell across the shoulders
5. Leaning DB Lateral Raise 3x8-10
4x10-15 steps per leg
6. Cable Rear Delt Raise 3x10-15
4. BB Stiff Leg Deadlift 4x6-10
7. Overhead Rope Extension 4x8-12
y
Seated DB Shoulder Press 2x5-8
5. Calf raises (4 sets seated and 4 sets
standing) 4x10-15 each
Workout 5: Back + Biceps
1. Supinated
Grip Pull-ups (substitute
with pulldowns if necessary) 3x8-10
Grip Row3x10-15
I
Row 2x8-20
4. DB Incline Curls 3x8-10 per arm
5. EZ Bar Bicep Curls 4x5-8
2. Cable Wide
3. Bodyweight nverted
15
Phase III (All Numbers Are Given In Sets By Reps)
Workout 1: Chest
Workout 2: Back
1. Incline Bench Press 2x5-8
1. Chinups 2 sets for max reps 2. DB Flat Bench Press 4x6-8
2. Cable Seated Pronated Grip Row 2x8-10
3. Dips, Weighted, 2x6-10
3. Chest supported T-Bar Row, neutral grip
4. Converging Chest Press 2x6-10
2x8-10
4. Bodyweight Inverted Row 2 sets for max
reps
Workout 3: Legs
Workout 4: Shoulders
1. Seated Leg Curl 2x20
1. Seated DB Shoulder Press 2x6-8
2. Seated Leg Extension 2x20
2. DB Lateral Raise 2x10-1
3. Walking Lunges with 45lb barbell on
3. Leaning Lateral Raise 2x8-10
shoulders, 2x20 steps per leg 4. Cable Rear Delt Raise 2x15-20
5
4. Leg Press 2x20
Workout 5: Arms
1. EZ-Bar Biceps Curls 4x6-10
2. Cable Pushdown 4x8-12
3. Supinated alternating DB curls 4x8-10
4. Overhead Rope Extension 4x8-10
6
1
Optional-Phase IV
A Man of Bronze
The Man of Bronze program is an optional one month extension to
the Achilles Program. This program is for those individuals who have
gotten truly awesome results and want to make one final four week
push to maximize their muscle gains.
The Man of Bronze Workouts are less in exercises, but very intense in
the volume. You will be doing A LOT of sets. And the goal here is to
get the workouts done as FAST as possible, lifting the heaviest
weights possible.
While the workouts might end up being short, the density of each
workout is a very powerful stimulus. PLEASE do not do anything
extra. Only do what is given
During this month, I recommend ZERO cardio. You should still train
abs of course. But outside of the workouts, do not do any additional
cardio.
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Optional-Phase IV
A Man of Bronze
(All Numbers Are Given In Sets By Reps)
Workout 1: Legs
DB Goblet Squats 10x1
Barbell Romanian deadlifts 5x8-1
Calf raises (4 sets seated and 4 sets
standing) 8x10-15
The goal with this workout is SPEED. That
doesn't mean light reps, it means
performing each rep with precision and
acceleration. Use weights that will
challenge you on this
Workout 3: Back
Chin-ups/Pull-ups 8x
Cable Rope Facepulls 7x1
Seated Close Grip Cable Row 6x6
8x8 is an old school bodybuilding set/rep
scheme that was created by Vince Gironda,
the worlds first bodybuilding and personal
trainer “guru”. The sets drop down, butyou
still finish with heavy weight on your final 6
sets
Workout 2: Chest + Shoulders
Incline Bench press 7x
Bodyweight Dips 7x6-15
Only two exercises, but A LOT of sets
between the two movements. Except to
have the best chest pump of your life after
this workout
Workout 4: Chest + Shoulders
Flat DB Press 8x
Seated DB Shoulder Press 8x
Machine Rear Delt Flys 7x10
More high volume. 8X8 should be as fast as
possible, BUT still challenge yourself with
the weights. You’ll get a wicked pump while
building strength endurance
Workout 5: Arms
Pronated Cable Curls 5x1
EZ Bar Bicep Curls 5x6Tricep Pushdowns 5x10-1
Overhead Rope Extension 5x10-15
Nothing fancy on this arm workout, 10 sets
of biceps, 10 sets of triceps. Emphasize the
peak contraction on all biceps movements,
and full range of motion on the triceps
movements
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Cardio+Abs
3 Days Weekly
(Can be done separate or together with lifting)
Basic Cardio-Warm-up with a fast 5 minute walk before every
workout. This can be done outside or on a treadmill. This walk
should be done at 4mph
Workouts
There are two different cardio workouts you’ll be performing
Workout A
Workout B
Done once a week.
Done twice weekly.
60 total minutes of sustained aerobic
20 minutes of high intensity interval
cardio.
cardio.
Your HR should between 60-70% of
your maximum HR
This can be any of the following
Sprint
Sled Pushe
Jump Rop
Burpee
Hitting a Heavy Ba
Spine Bike or Airdyne Bik
Concept 2 Ro
Sprint for 10-20 seconds, rest for 40-50 seconds, repeat
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Simple Diet Suggestions
To Gain Muscle Mass:
Your calorie intake 7 days a week is your bodyweight x 1
Your protein intake is your bodyweight x 1=total protein intake in grams
Your carb intake is 40% of your calorie intake. Consume carbs before and
after training
All remaining calories are from Fat
Eat at least 3 meals a day. Have a protein shake before sleeping every night.
If you want to use this program to Cut Bodyfat, then
do the following:
Your calorie intake 7 days a week is your bodyweight x 11
Your protein intake is your bodyweight x 1.25=total protein intake in grams
Your carb intake is 20% of your calorie intake. Consume carbs before
training
All remaining calories are from Fat
Eat at least 3 meals a day. Have a protein shake before sleeping every night
Once every 7-10 days, have a refeed day where you eat unlimited calories.
Wait 10 full days to do this from when you start the diet
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Who Is Alexander
J.A. Cortes?
My name is Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes. I am a writer,
dancer, personal trainer, and storyteller. I have an obsession
with the art and science of self-actualization. I believe that
everything in the body and mind can be trained to be better,
faster, stronger.y difference in your training results. Here’s my website
https://cortes.site/
Follow me on Twitter
@AJA_Cortes
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Learn about my other training programs.