BUILD YOUR PHYSIQUE
By Christian Thibaudeau
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU..............................................................................4
ABOUT CLEAN HEALTH FITNESS INSTITUTE.......................................................5
WHAT IS HYPERTROPHY................................................................................................6
DEFINING HYPERTROPHY...............................................................................................7
BENEFITS OF HYPERTROPHY.........................................................................................8
THE SCIENCE OF HYPERTROPHY.................................................................................14
THE MUSCLE GROWTH PATHWAYS..............................................................................15
MUSCLE FIBER FATIGUE.................................................................................15
MUSCLE DAMAGE............................................................................................15
MTOR ACTIVATION..........................................................................................18
LOCAL GROWTH FACTORS AND LACTATE RELEASE..................................18
PROGRESSION MODELS FOR HYPERTROPHY...........................................................20
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD.......................................................................................20
NUTRITION FOR HYPERTROPHY.........................................................................22
CALORIES.........................................................................................................................22
INSULIN............................................................................................................................ 22
CORTISOL.........................................................................................................................23
CALORIC INTAKE FOR OPTIMAL MUSCLE GROWTH.................................................23
PROTEIN INTAKE.............................................................................................................24
CARB INTAKE...................................................................................................................25
CARBS AND IGF-1 LEVELS..............................................................................................25
CARBS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT...........................................................................25
CARBOHYDRATES PER DAY.........................................................................26
CARBOHYDRATE TIMING...............................................................................26
CARB TYPES.....................................................................................................27
FAT INTAKE......................................................................................................................28
DAILY MEAL SCHEDULE.................................................................................................29
FUNDAMENTALS OF HYPERTROPHY PROGRAMMING................................31
EXERCISE SELECTION....................................................................................................32
LIMB LENGTH AND EXERCISE SELECTION..................................................................33
TRAINING GOAL AND EXERCISE SELECTION............................................................ 35
EXPERIENCE SKILL LEVEL AND EXERCISE SELECTION.............................................35
WHY EXERCISE VARIATION IS IMPORTANT FOR HYPERTROPHY.......................... 40
SETS.................................................................................................................................40
RATE OF PERCEIVED EFFORT.......................................................................................41
PRIMER SETS..................................................................................................................42
WORK SETS PER MUSCLE..............................................................................................43
WORK SETS PER EXERCISE...........................................................................................44
STRAIGHT SETS VS. RAMP VS. PYRAMID VS. WAVE.................................................44
NUMBER OF REPS PER SET..........................................................................................46
REPS VS. TIME UNDER TENSION..................................................................................47
TEMPO..............................................................................................................................47
REST INTERVALS & DENSITY.........................................................................................48
12 WEEK HYPERTROPHY SYSTEMS....................................................................51
ENHANCED VS. NATURAL LIFTERS..............................................................................51
WHO NEEDS TO TRAIN MORE OFTEN?.......................................................51
WHO SHOULD DO MORE CARDIO?.............................................................52
WHO NEEDS TO LIMIT VOLUME?.................................................................52
WHO NEEDS TO PUSH HARDER DURING EACH SET?...............................53
WHO NEEDS TO EAT MORE PROTEIN?........................................................54
WHO NEEDS MORE CALORIES?....................................................................55
WHO SHOULD TRY TO DECREASE CORTISOL LEVELS?...........................55
WHO CAN EAT FEWER CALORIES WHEN DIETING?...................................56
WHO NEEDS TO STOP MAJORING IN THE MINORS?.................................56
INTRODUCTION TO MY 12 WEEKS TRAINING SYSTEM.............................................57
PERIODISATION RATIONALE.........................................................................................58
EXERCISE SELECTION RATIONALE...............................................................................59
WHICH PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR ME?........................................................................60
TRAINING PROGRAMS.............................................................................................64
SHORT LIMBS ADVANCED PROGRAM.........................................................................112
NUTRITION PLAN FOR HYPERTROPHY............................................................212
BEST FOOD CHOICES .................................................................................................215
MEAL SCHEDULE.........................................................................................................216
BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................218
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ABOUT CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU
Coach Christian Thibaudeau has been coaching clients to world class results for over twenty years
and has worked with athletes from twenty-eight different sports as well as pro and high-level
bodybuilders and figure competitors. Christian is the only coach in the world that has worked with
Olympians, Mr Olympia competitors, Ms Olympia competitors, Crossfit Games participants and pro
athletes; he himself has competed in weightlifting and bodybuilding.
Over his career, Christian has published five books on building muscle and strength as well as over
700 articles on training, dieting and supplementation. A generalist, his greatest strength is blending
knowledge and tools from the various worlds of training (powerlifting, athletic performance,
bodybuilding and Olympic lifting) to create the most advanced systems possible which have since
been proven to yield astounding results.
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ABOUT CLEAN HEALTH
FINTESS INSTITUTE
Since 2008, Clean Health Fitness Institute has been regarded as Australia’s premiere fitness
industry educators and personal training organization. Having certified over 10,000 personal trainers
and fitness professionals in over 15 countries globally, we have developed a reputation as pioneers
in the health and fitness industry worldwide.
Clean Health Fitness Institute was founded by industry titan, Daine McDonald. In 2012, they opened
their first high end personal training studio and over the 5 years that followed the company facilitated
over 100,000 personal training sessions and developed a global reputation for results and
excellence.
Since 2008, we have annually coached numerous national and international champions in bikini,
fitness and figure competitions across numerous organizations including the ICN, ANB, IFBB, WBFF
and NPC.
Clean Health Fitness Institute has featured in other publications such as Channel 9 with Kerri Anne,
Fitness First Magazine, Nine MSN’s Health and Well-Being site, along with lecturing at some of the
biggest health and fitness conferences globally including Filex, the Mefit Pro Summit and the
Australian Fitness Expo.
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WHAT IS HYPERTROPHY
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WHAT IS HYPERTROPHY
Hypertrophy is the scientific word to describe muscle growth. In the modern world of fitness, having
a nice, scientific-sounding, name gives you instant ‘street cred’. It sounds much better to say that
you are in a ‘hypertrophy phase’ than to say that you are training to get ‘swole’ or ‘jacked AF!’ But,
really, that is what we are talking about; optimum hypertrophy training refers to a program aimed
at increasing the size of your muscles as much as possible. This increase in size can come with an
equal amount of strength gains, much lower strength gains or even no improvement in strength at all.
Despite this, it is my belief that the best-looking physique is achieved when we train to improve both
strength and size. Including more neurologically (heavier) work in a hypertrophy program favors the
development of the fast-twitch fibers and tends to give the muscle a harder look, even at rest. I will,
of course, explain why that is later in this book.
DEFINING HYPERTROPHY
Muscle hypertrophy is the thickening of the muscle fibers via a process called muscle protein
synthesis. The main stimulus for muscle protein synthesis is resistance training (nutrition can also
trigger this), as resistance training can increase muscle protein synthesis by optimising several
pathways. When you perform a resistance training session it is possible to lose muscle over the
short term via muscle breakdown (either because of muscle damage or the increase in catabolic
hormones) but during the recovery period you will add muscle tissue if the amount of muscle protein
synthesis exceeds the amount of protein breakdown. This is why rest and proper nutrition is
paramount. What happens is that:
1. When you train you will have a greater protein degradation than synthesis
2. For a period of 24-36 hours post-workout, muscle protein synthesis increases and you repair/build muscle.
3. If you wait for too long to stimulate that muscle again you can enter an involution
period: if you do not stimulate muscle protein synthesis again, you will slowly lose the adaptations.
For maximum muscle growth, especially if you are a natural lifter, you need to hit each
muscle group frequently.
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A steroid-using lifter increases his protein synthesis artificially 24/7, he can train a muscle once a
week and progress effectively because his body stays anabolic. The natural lifter will only have
enhanced muscle protein synthesis in the trained muscle for 24-36 hours. If he waits a whole week to
train that same muscle again, growth will be very slow because that muscle has an enhanced rate of
muscle protein synthesis for only 24-36 hours as opposed to the whole week for the enhanced lifter.
By stimulating that muscle again after 24-48 hours you maintain higher rate of muscle protein
synthesis over the week, leading to more muscle growth.
A study by Dr. Brad Schoenfeld (2016) strongly support the notion that an equal volume of work,
hitting a muscle twice per week, is more effective than training it once a week and there is evidence
showing that hitting a muscle three times a week is even better. Frequency is everything for muscle
gains. (Schoenfeld BJ, 2016)
BENEFITS OF HYPERTROPHY
Whether you are a coach or someone who just wants to look and feel better, mastering the art and
science of hypertrophy training is paramount. I rarely meet a client who does not need hypertrophy
work to reach their goal. Even the thirty-eight-year-old housewife who “doesn’t want to get too big”
or the grandpa of seventy-eight who simply wanted a better quality of life will need hypertrophy
training, they just do not realise it! You do not know what you do not know and as a coach it is up to
you to program for hypertrophy training to support your client’s goals and get results. Whether your
goal is aesthetics, performance related or you are simply seeking better health, hypertrophy is part of
the solution. Let’s look at some of the benefits of hypertrophy:
Performance
+ Strength potential
+ Storage of elastic energy
+ Power potential
+ Recovery from injury
- Injury potential
Well-being/ Aesthetics
+ Looking better naked
+ Confidence/self-esteem
- Perception of pain
Health
+ Insulin sensitivity
+ Energy expenditure
+ Quality of life (aging)
- Age-induced muscle loss
- Risk of osteoporosis
Strength potential: A bigger muscle is potentially a stronger muscle; I say potentially because, if the
nervous system is not efficient, you might not get much of a strength increase from making your
muscles bigger. If all things are equal, gaining muscle will essentially increase your strength. Muscle
mass is like your factory, the bigger the factory is and the more employees it has, the more products
you can produce… in theory. However, if few employees show up for work, you will not be able to
deliver on your production potential; this is muscle fiber recruitment. If your muscle is big but the
nervous system is not efficient at recruiting your muscle fibres, your capacity to produce force will fall
short of your potential.
If your employees show up for work, but they are lazy, you still will not live up to your potential. This is
what we call muscle fiber firing rate and it refers to how fast your muscle fibers can twitch to produce
force. If your employees show up, work hard but do not work well together, you still will not be very
productive. This is intramuscular coordination and refers to how coordinated your recruited muscle
fibers are when trying to move a weight.
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Your employees might show up, work hard, work well together within their own division, but all the
divisions involved in pumping out the finished product do not coordinate their actions. You still will
not be able to reach your full potential. This is known as intermuscular coordination and it refers to
how well the muscles involved in an exercise work together. So, as you can see, there is more to
being stronger than having big muscles, but it remains the key foundation to be able to build a lot of
strength.
Storage of elastic energy: Hypertrophy work, especially when the eccentric action is emphasized,
can make the tendons and the part of the muscle closest to the tendons (distal portion) thicker. This
will allow you to store more elastic energy when absorbing force (e.g. when your foot strikes the floor
when sprinting). This can then be turned into potential energy which will, in turn, make the following
concentric action more powerful. A thicker tendon also has a strong stretch reflex which is key in
being powerful, fast and agile.
Power potential: If hypertrophy is the foundation for strength, strength is the foundation for power.
After all, power is nothing more than producing a high amount of force in rapid actions. That is why it
is also called “strength-speed”. The pyramid could look like this:
Of course, when it comes to the higher end of the pyramid, hypertrophy is less important, and too
much of it can actually decrease speed and agility. Increasing muscle mass can potentially increase
your muscle’s capacity to produce strength and power, but if the added body weight surpasses the
increase in power, you might become slower. Furthermore, when you increase the size of a muscle,
the pennation angle will change; this refers to the angle of the muscle fibers. If I am making a muscle
bigger, the angle of the fibers “open up”. Up to a certain point this change in pennation angle will
increase strength; but, if it increases too much, it gives a worse power/speed leverage. That is why
too much muscle can indeed make you slower even if you get a lot stronger in the process.
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Let’s look at a client case study...
I train a member of the Canadian track cycling team who is transitioning to bobsleigh, when he was
on the track cycling team, he weighed 80kg and squatted 230kg for 1 rep! He could also sprint 30m
in 3.71 seconds. A body weight of 80kg is too light for bobsleigh, so we adjusted his training and he
increased his body weight to 88kg, squatted 240kg for 7 reps and ran a 3.58 sec / 30m (which is
fast AF). Next, he increased his body weight to 92kg, squatted 250 kg for 7 reps and his 30m sprint
dropped to 3.68 sec.
If your goal is to increase speed, you will need an optimal amount of muscle mass to achieve your
potential. There is a point of diminishing returns and maybe even a point where performance
decreases, but few of us will get there. Since power and agility are highly dependent on the stretch
reflex, making the tendons thicker (as we saw earlier) will also contribute to increasing your potential.
Injury potential/recovery from injury:
Thickened tendons are less likely to get injured than smaller or thinner ones. Hypertrophy training,
especially when emphasizing the eccentric action, can make the tendons thicker which will help
reduce the risk of injuries. Also, more muscle mass basically becomes your armour and reduces the
risk of injuries via physical contact. As you age, the loss of muscle is one of the main causes of many
serious injuries. Preserving muscle mass, or increasing it, will reduce the risk of this happening. After
an injury you will likely suffer from atrophy for disused; hypertrophy work is also the best way to
regain the lost muscle tissue and get back to normal.
Looking better naked: I do not need to explain this one too much because all of you who bought the
book likely did it to improve physical appearance. However, I want to say that most people who begin
to lift weights, do it to look better, even the woman who does not want to “look too big” or the guy
who “only” wants to “look athletic”. To achieve their ideal physique, they need to build muscle! The
woman who does not want to “get too big” likely wants to look lean, toned and defined; which will
require losing fat and building muscle. Maybe not the amount of muscle that a bodybuilder wants to
build, but certainly enough to look firm and toned. See, muscle mass creates muscle tone and shape.
The misconception with these women who think they will get too big is that they already think that
they are too big before they even begin to lift (likely because they have an extra 10-15 kg of body
fat). If they build muscle while maintaining the fat they have, they will not look more defined or toned
because there is half an inch of fat covering their muscles. This will only make them look bigger, not
better. The problem is not adding muscle; it is the excess of fat.
However, they should not worry; the most muscle a woman can build per week, when everything is
done perfectly, is around 0.25 kg. Of course, she can gain more weight if she also adds fat and water
weight, but the rate of muscle growth is not that fast. It is easy to slow down when you feel like you
are growing muscle too fast. Just train to build muscle and when you have enough and are happy
with the way you want to look, you can switch to a muscle maintenance plan.
Better self-esteem: This one is connected to looking better naked, if you like the way you look, and
others begin to pay more attention to you, it will positively affect your self-esteem. Do not get me
wrong, you should not begin training to please others, but as a side benefit - why not? Getting
stronger often helps to increase confidence, especially as you become better at performing certain
exercises, you will enjoy them more in the gym and this often results in better performance.
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Though there will be a self-esteem increase when improving your strength and appearance, it might
not be as important as you think. Something to be aware of is that a lot of people who become
passionate about training and who start with lower self-esteem can develop body dysmorphia;
though they look great, they are dissatisfied because they develop a distorted body image. Both
adding more muscle and hypertrophy training itself will improve insulin sensitivity.
Insulin sensitivity refers to your cells responding easily to insulin. When we talk about insulin
sensitivity, we tend to refer to the tissues that have the capacity to store nutrients: adipocytes (fat
cells), muscles and the liver; the brain and other tissues also have insulin receptors. To make things
simple, if you are sensitive to insulin and you eat a meal (especially if it contains carbs, and to some
extent, proteins) you will only need to release a small amount of insulin to get the job done (send the
ingested nutrients to their “storage facility”). If you are insulin resistant your cell’s receptors do not
respond easily to insulin and you need to produce a lot more to do the job. We tend to say that being
insulin resistant makes you store more fat because you are producing more insulin; this is incorrect.
You do not store more nutrients/fat simply because you are producing more insulin.
Firstly, because you cannot store more nutrients than you ingest. The fact that you produced more
insulin will not magically cause nutrients to be stored as fat; you will only store what you have
eaten in excess. Furthermore, the reason you are producing more insulin is because your cells do not
respond well to it. If you have to produce 10 IU of insulin to do the job of 5 IU it will not lead to
storing nutrients any faster or to a greater extent than if you were sensitive and producing only 5 IU.
The reason why insulin resistance makes it harder to get lean is not because it leads to more fat
storage but rather, because it makes it harder to mobilise and burn stored fat. The body is inefficient
at doing two opposite things at once. If insulin is elevated it puts your body in “storage mode” and
thus will be inefficient at mobilizing stored energy (including fat). Do not get me wrong, it can be
done; but much less efficiently than if insulin is low.
And that’s where the problem is! if I am insulin resistant, I will produce a lot more insulin in response
to a meal and as a result insulin levels will stay elevated for longer. The issue here is not storing more
nutrients but mobilizing less. Being insulin sensitive is a good thing; especially if the muscles become
more sensitive than the fat cells. See, if your muscles are more sensitive to insulin than your fat cells,
you will more easily store nutrients in muscles rather than in the adipocytes.
And this is where hypertrophy comes into play!
Hypertrophy training increases muscle insulin sensitivity in three ways:
1
It creates more room to store nutrients. One of the ways to increase insulin sensitivity is simply
to create more room in the “storage facilities”. I explain this using a simple analogy; imagine
that your muscles (or fat cells) are like the overhead bin in a plane. If there is a lot of room up
there, it will be very easy to put your carry luggage in the bin; it will not require much effort.
But, if the bin is almost full, you will need to push, pull, tug, move, shift, compress, until it finally
fits. It requires a lot of effort to store the same luggage.
It is the same thing with storing nutrients insulin is the “effort”. The more room there is
in the muscles, the easier it is to store nutrients and the less insulin your need to
produce. If the muscles are almost full it becomes much harder to get those nutrients
in and you have to produce more insulin to get the job done.
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So, in its simplest form, insulin sensitivity is dependent on available storage room. By making
your muscles bigger, you increase glycogen storage capacity which, by extension, improves
insulin sensitivity.
2
Hypertrophy training itself relies heavily on carbs for fuel. You will use up a lot of muscle
glycogen when training for hypertrophy; this is kind of like emptying the overhead bin before
putting your carry-on up there: you create more room so it will be easier to store it. By using
muscle glycogen, you are making more room in the muscles which means that it will be easier
to store the carbs you eat, and thus you will not need to produce as much insulin to get the job
done.
3
Resistance training. Resistance training also increases insulin sensitivity by affecting the
efficacy of the nutrient uptake and insulin systems directly as seen in the following study:
“Strength training increased protein content of GLUT4, insulin receptor, protein kinase B-alpha/
beta, glycogen synthase (GS), and GS total activity (Holten MK1, 2004).” Because of these
adaptations, insulin sensitivity was improved.
Energy expenditure: Training for hypertrophy increases energy expenditure in three ways:
1
High energetic output during the workout; simply put you burn more calories by lifting weights
than by watching TV. Here it is hard to know exactly how many calories are burned during a
workout. It depends on the exercise being performed (a squat uses more fuel than a curl), the
number of reps and training method being used. For upper body lifts, a hypertrophy set lasting
40-60 seconds will “burn” 7-10 calories while it can get as high as 40 calories for a set of squat
lasting one minute (Victor M. Reis, 2011).
A hypertrophy workout for the upper body could “burn” 240 kcals more than your normal
caloric expenditure for the duration of the workout, for the lower body it could burn up to 500
-600 kcals more than your normal caloric expenditure and a whole-body workout could be in
the 300-500 kcal range. If you are an 80kg male, in fairly good shape (12% body fat) your BMR
will be around 1900 kcals/day, or an average of 80 kcals per hour. That 80 kcals would be
added to the energy burned because of exercise.
2
Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC): after the workout is over, your energy
expenditure will stay elevated above baseline for a few hours. This is in part due to the
elevation of adrenaline and cortisol that occurs during your session. As such, EPOC is
proportional to the intensity of the workout, but generally speaking, we are talking about 5-10%
of the energy expenditure from the session. If your workout “cost you” 500 kcals, then you will
“burn” an extra 25-50 kcals in the hours after your session; not huge, but every bit counts!
3
The cost of muscle repair/rebuilding: Building muscle requires two things, protein and energy.
Protein because it is the main solid component of the muscle; 22% of the muscle weight, while
water accounts for around 70%. Therefore, 1kg of muscle requires you to add 220g of protein
to the muscle, plus you need to account for the protein required to repair the damage from the
workout. Considering the constant protein turnover throughout the day (constantly breaking
down and building muscle tissue) you likely need to synthesize more than 220g of protein to
build 1kg of muscle.
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Even if we only look at that 220 g of protein, it’s important to understand that the process used
to fabricate muscle tissue requires energy, 3 kcals per gram of protein synthesized to be exact.
At the very minimum you will need 1,000 kcals of energy to fuel the muscle growth process
that will add 1 kg of muscle to your body. In reality, it is likely twice that considering the
constant protein turnover. As you can see recovering from resistance training and building
muscle increase caloric expenditure.
Having a higher caloric expenditure obviously makes it easier to lose fat and allows you to eat
more without gaining as much fat.
Quality of life: There is a strong correlation between muscle mass and quality of life in older
populations. In fact a recent study by (Haraldstad K, 2017)has shown that elderly individuals
significantly increased their health-related quality of life after 12 weeks of resistance training.
Age-induced muscle loss: Muscle loss as you get older is well established. In non-training
individuals roughly 0.5 – 1% of the muscle mass is lost every year from the age of 50. A 70-year-old
adult can thus have lost up to 20% of their muscle mass (SM, 2015). Resistance training is an effective
way of preventing or even reversing this process.
Here’s an example of this…
Jacques Breton is a former client of mine and a special
case. Jacques always wanted to be a fireman, but he
did not meet the minimum weight requirement as his
body weight was 65kg; the minimum requirements
was 75kg, so Jacques became a carpenter instead.
Finally, at fifty-three years of age he decided to live his
dream and apply for the fire academy again. To meet
the weight requirements, Jacques decided to take
up weight training (and increased caloric intake) and
it worked! He was able to get into the academy and
became a firefighter at fifty-four.
We met two years later, Jacques had fallen in love
with training and started competing in FireFit, a fitness
event for fire fighters; he hired me to coach him for this
event. Jacques won the world championships a few
times in his age group, but more importantly he kept
improving his muscle mass, strength and endurance
for ten years. In fact, he hit his PR on the deadlift at
sixty-three years of age (185kg at 76kg). At sixty-five,
Jacques started to lose strength and size but mostly
because of a string of injuries that prevented him from
training as often. The moral of the story is that it is
possible to prevent or even reverse age-induced
sarcopenias with resistance training.
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Weight training can be a powerful tool to reduce the ill-effects of aging.
Risk of osteoporosis: The benefits of resistance training on the prevention (and even reversal) of
osteoporosis are well established. To quote a recent paper, “It [resistance exercise] exerts a
mechanical load on bones consequently leading to increase in the bone strength. Based on the
available information, RE (resistance exercise), either alone or in combination with other interventions,
may be the most optimal strategy to improve the muscle and bone mass in postmenopausal women,
middle-aged men, or even the older population” (Kim, 2018).
THE SCIENCE OF HYPERTROPHY
Hypertrophy is simple, yet confusing as there are many factors which come into play. If you go on
the internet to read expert’s articles or buy their training books you will encounter a myriad of
totally different ways to train to build muscle. From the very low volume/high frequency approach
of Dr. Scott Stevenson’s Fortitude Training, to medium volume/low frequency used by Paul Carter,
the maximum pump work by John Meadows or the progressively higher volume of work by Dr. Mike
Israetel. Heck, you can even go to the extreme of high volume + high frequency used by Arnold
himself or the very low volume/low frequency system of Dorian Yates or Mike Mentzer. The thing is
that all of these approaches work and these experts can give you many success stories to back up
their claims. However, from experiences, all of these systems also have just as many failures or less
than stellar results.
The reason is that there are many pathways to stimulate growth; but depending on many factors
like your age, muscle fiber dominance, immune system health, hormonal status, not all of these
pathways and their methods will have the same effectiveness.
In this guidebook, I present you two things:
I explain how each approach works and with whom it will be best suited to; so, if you are a
coach it will teach you to make the best choices for your clients.
I provide training programs based on the approach that I used and that led to the best
average results over the largest base of clients. Will it be optimal for everybody? No, not a
single “ready-to-wear” program can do that, but it will work very well with the vast majority of
people.
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THE MUSCLE GROWTH PATHWAYS
I mentioned that there are several pathways that can lead to muscle growth. Let’s look at the main
ones:
1
MUSCLE FIBER FATIGUE
To quote Professor (Vladimir Zatsiorsky, 2006), “A muscle fiber that was recruited but not fatigued
was not trained.” This approach is supported by the work of (Cameron J. Mitchell, 2012) that
showed if you train to muscle failure (until you cannot lift a weight anymore) the muscle gains are
the same over a ten week period whether you used 30% or 80% of your maximum for 3 sets.
Here we are talking about training to, or close to, failure. With each rep you are fatiguing more
muscle fibers and your strength decreases (about 2-4% per rep). This forces your body to recruit
more muscle fibers to continue moving the weight. Once you reach failure, you have recruited and
fatigued a large amount of your muscle fibers and have stimulated them to grow.
2
MUSCLE DAMAGE
For decades, muscle damage was seen as the only way to stimulate growth. Damaging the muscle
cells triggers the repair process, which is driven by the immune system and relies heavily on stem
cells – they donate their material to repair the damaged muscle fibers and re-build them thicker.
Muscle damage is best accomplished by using fairly heavy weights (70-85%) for moderate reps
(5-8, maybe up to 10 reps per set) on exercises where the target muscle will be stretched under
load.
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Out of all the pathways to stimulate muscle growth, muscle damage is the most reliant on
progressive weight overload. Once a muscle has adapted to a load and been rebuilt stronger and
more resilient, if you want to cause further damage while using the same exercise you will need to
add more weight to the bar. This is to impose more mechanical load on each of the recruited fibers,
increasing the chance of causing damage. If you simply repeat the same load week after week,
eventually very little (if any) damage will be done.
Another way to keep causing muscle damage is to change the exercise. Especially if it is a new
exercise. The reason is that when you are performing a new exercise, the intramuscular
coordination is not efficient. As a result, the muscle’s fibers do not work well together, they don
not fire together, meaning that at any given time fewer fibers must handle the load. This places a
greater load per muscle fiber which is more likely to cause muscle damage; this is why you get sore
the first time you do a new exercise but, after a few times, the pain diminishes. Coordination also
improves with every workout, making the fibers work more synchronously as the load is divided
more evenly across the muscle fibers, decreasing the individual load of each fiber and decreasing
the chance of causing damage.
Note that muscle damage repair is heavily dependent on the immune system. People who have a
weaker immune system will thus not respond well to training methods causing a large amount of
damage.
Here are some things that negatively affect the immune system and risk making muscle damage
training less effective:
Aging: as you get older the number of stem/satellite cells decreases and these are needed to
repair damaged muscle
High stress: Cortisol inhibits the immune system, when chronically elevated your immune
system will always be partially shut down
Illness: When your immune system is challenged by an illness it will not be able to handle
muscle repair as efficiently. Which is why, when you are sick, you should not lift heavy: you will
not be able to efficiently repair the muscle damage.
Anxiety: Anxiety comes with an elevated adrenaline production. Cortisol is the hormone that
catalyzes the conversion of noradrenaline into adrenaline. The more adrenaline you produce,
the greater the cortisol release. Since cortisol inhibits the immune system, anxiety will also lead
to a less efficient immune system.
Nutrient deficiencies: Being deficient in some key micro-nutrients can have a negative impact
on the working state of the immune system. Specifically, zinc, selenium, iron, copper, vitamins
A, C, E, and B-6 and folic acid. Note that because it can increase cortisol, an excessively low
calorie/low carb diet can also lead to a weakened immune system. People with a weakened
immune system will thus struggle to build muscle when causing a lot of muscle damage. After a
training session, protein synthesis is elevated for 24-36 hours after a training session.
According to (MacDougall JD, 1995)after a workout protein synthesis is elevated by the
following:
- 4 hours post-workout: +50%
- 24 hours post-workout: +109%
- 36 hours post-workout: +14%
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To grow maximally you need to repair and build the new muscle tissue before the period of
enhanced protein synthesis ends (36 hours); after this, protein degradation and synthesis in that
muscle will be balanced and it will be hard to build new tissue. If the amount of muscle damage
exceeds what you can repair in around 24 hours, it will be very hard to add new muscle on top of
that.
Another variable that can affect how well you respond to muscle damage-type work is your ACTN3
gene variant. The ACTN3 gene determines what type of muscle tissue you have. You have the
ACTN3 RR gene which is often call the “speed gene” which gives people a very high ratio of fast
twitch fibers, a greater level of muscle mTOR activation in response to training and a faster
muscle damage repair. On the other end of the spectrum you have the ACTN3 XX variant which
is the “endurance gene” that leads to a higher ratio of slow twitch fibers, a greater max VO2 but
lower muscle mTOR (so lower protein synthesis) in response to training and slower muscle damage
repair (Kiely, 2017). Then you have people who fall somewhere in between.
Muscle damage training works best with younger people (under forty), with a solid immune
system and less overall stress. And the more slanted toward the ACTN3 RR profile, the better you
will respond. People with the ACTN3 XX (lots of slow twitch fibers) will not gain a lot of muscle from
muscle damage-type work.
To recap...
The hardest approach to recover from: requires more time
People with ACTN3 XX gene cannot tolerate a lot of it slow muscle repair
Not the best approach with people who are « slow-twitch » dominant
The optimal zone to train in is between 70 and 85% (6-10 reps per set)
The best rep style is the 3/4th technique
6-12 work sets per muscle, 6-9 for people who are more slow-twitch or do not
recover well from training, 9-12 for those with a better response to training
Requires the most exercises variation (changing more often) to minimize the impact
of the repeated bout effect
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3
mTOR ACTIVATION
mTOR is a kinase (enzyme) that plays a key role in cellular growth, including muscle growth. It can
increase protein synthesis as well as promote the activation of the insulin and IGF-1 receptors.
Muscle mTOR can be activated via training or an energetic (food) surplus. mTOR triggers protein
synthesis and initiates the muscle-building process. While every type of resistance training
stimulates mTOR activation, two types have a greater impact – loading the eccentric or negative
portion of the exercise and having a muscle under significant tension while it is stretched. So, we
are talking slow eccentrics (4-6 seconds) while contracting the muscles as hard as you can and
flexing the target muscle for 2 seconds in the stretched position.
The mTOR growth pathway is the one that can be the most affected by concurrent (same session)
endurance work; other pathways will be less affected. The reason is that endurance work will
release AMPK, another kinase that antagonize/inhibits mTOR (JA, 2009).
The optimal reps to maximally activate mTOR are as follows:
Accentuate the eccentric (4-6 seconds) and the stretch (1-2 seconds)
Time Under Tension of 40-70 seconds per set
The tempo will be something like 5210 or 4220 or 6110
5-9 reps when using the recommended tempos
Because of the tempo the load will be lighter; 50-60% is a good starting point
Select exercises where the target muscle reaches a fully stretched position
This type of training is made more effective by ingesting protein or amino acids (mostly leucine)
before the workout. Phosphatidic Acid supplements will also help. These increase mTOR activation.
Carbohydrate supplements will also increase the mTOR response to the session.
This training requires less recovery time than the first two methods we saw earlier, but more than
the next method (Growth Factors and Lactate pathway).
4
LOCAL GROWTH FACTORS AND LACTATE RELEASE
The burn, or accumulating lactate (lactic acid), has long been associated with muscle growth by
bodybuilders. And science has recently shown that they were right. Lactate itself can trigger
muscle growth (Oishi Y, 2015).
Lactate increases stem cell activity, increases follistatin and decreases myostatin which leads to
muscle growth. A correlation between lactate and MGF (IGF-1) release in muscle has also been
found. These local growth factors will directly stimulate protein synthesis in the muscle.
Follistatin is important as it inhibits myostatin:
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Myostatin (GDF-8): a myokine produced by the muscle cells that inhibits (blocks) several processes
that are required to build muscle, including muscle cell growth and differentiation. The more
myostatin you release, the less muscle you can build.
Follistatin is a binding protein that can neutralize myostatin, by producing more follistatin, your
muscle growth potential will be higher due to a lower myostatin action. Below is a Belgian Blue. A
breed of cattle born without the capacity to produce myostatin; it essentially looks like Phil Heath
and its does not train or take protein supplements. This shows that the less myostatin you have, the
more muscle you can build.
This is maximized with a long time under tension (40-70 seconds per set) and, in the case of local
growth factors accumulation, keeping the target muscle under constant tension.
Specifically:
Constant tension: keeping the muscle contracted every inch of every rep
Constant loading: ¾ range of motion, not reaching positions in which the loading of the target
muscle(s) is significantly reduced
Time Under Load of 40-70 seconds per set
Avoiding unloading because of momentum/acceleration
Works best with exercises where you can keep the tension on one muscle
Ideally exercises where you have a peak contraction at the end of the range of motion
If there is no peak contraction at the end of the concentric (squats, bench press, curls, etc.) it is
best to cut the ROM short
Works better with exercises that are lower on the neurological scale
Out of all the training approaches, this one is the easiest to recover from.
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PROGRESSION MODELS FOR HYPERTROPHY
Progressive overload remains one of the most important principles for continuous progression.
However, depending on your goal, progressive overload can mean various things. For example,
when using more of a strength-building approach, it means gradually adding more weight to the
bar, this also applies to hypertrophy training, especially if using the muscle damage approach.
However, when it comes to hypertrophy it can also mean two other things:
Gradually increasing volume (adding reps, adding sets or adding exercises)
Gradually adding more “intense” training methods
This is why you should not start with all the ‘cool’ training methods such as rest/pause, mechanical
drop sets, wave loading, drop set, etc. When you are a beginner or even intermediate lifter, it is
best to stick to more basic loading schemes because the more advanced stuff is not yet needed to
stimulate growth. If you start with these advanced methods right off the bat, there will be nowhere
else to go once your body has adapted to this intense stimulus. Here are the most common
progression models when training for hypertrophy:
*Note that the reps and sets used are only for illustration purposes.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Gradually adding weight to the bar every 1-2 workouts
Week 1: 8 reps @ 75%/RPE 8
Week 2: 8 reps @ 77.5%/RPE 9
Week 3: 6 reps @ 80%/RPE 8
Week 4: 6 reps @ 82.5%/RPE 9
Week 5: 6 reps @ 85%/RPE 10
Week 6: Change exercise
Step-like progressive overload
Week 1: 8 reps @ 75%/RPE 8
Week 2: 6 reps @ 80%/RPE 8
Week 3: 4 reps @ 87%/RPE 8
Week 4: 8 reps @ 70%/RPE 6 (deload)
Week 5: 8 reps @ 77.5%/RPE 9
Week 6: 6 reps @ 82.5%/RPE 9
Week 7: 4 reps @ 90%/RPE 9
Week 8: 8 reps @ 72.5% (deload)
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Wave progressive overload
Week 1: 10/8/6/10/8/6 (RPE 7)
Week 2: 8/6/4/8/6/4 (RPE 8)
Week 3: 6/4/2/6/4/2 (RPE 9)
Week 4: 10/8/6 Deload (RPE 6)
Linear rep progression
Week 1: 8 reps @ 70%/RPE 7
Week 2: 10 reps @ 70%/RPE 8
Week 3: 11 reps @ 70%/RPE 9
Week 4: 12 reps @ 70%/RPE 10
Double progression model
Here you use a rep range prescription (e.g. 8-10). You start with a weight you can do for
the lower end of the range (8 in our example) for all of your work sets. When you can
do all of your work sets at the selected weight at the top of the range (10 in our
example) you add weight at the next session.
Methods intensity progression model
Week 1: 8-10 reps @ 70%/RPE 9
Week 2: 8-10 reps + Rest/Pause @ 70% RPE 9.5
Week 3: 8-10 reps + double Rest/Pause @70%/RPE 10
Week 4: 8-10 reps + double Rest/Pause + isometric hold @ 80%/RPE 10+
Furthermore, within a periodized hypertrophy program, volume/tonnage should gradually increase
from phase to phase. Similarly, beginner programs should have less volume than intermediate
programs; intermediate will have less than an advanced program. Basically, as your body adjusts to
resistance training, you must increase the stimulus.
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NUTRITION FOR HYPERTROPHY
Nutrition is just as important as training when it comes to building muscle or losing fat. If you do not
provide the adequate nutrients to fuel the muscle growth process, you will not be able to build the
muscle you want. Let’s look at the science of eating for muscle growth and body re-composition:
CALORIES
Every diet that works to drop fat, works via a caloric deficit, removing a particular nutrient from your
diet (carbs or fat) does not make you lose fat if you are consuming a caloric surplus. To lose fat,
calorie consumption is the most important factor. I have known plenty of keto dieters and intermittent
fasting proponents who have not been remotely lean despite eating that way for a year or more. It
is not that keto does not work for fat loss; it’s that if you consume a caloric surplus while eating keto
you will gain fat, just like with any other eating style.
Similarly, calories are also important when it comes to building muscle. As we saw earlier, protein
synthesis requires energy, mTOR activation is greater when you are consuming a caloric surplus and
IGF-1 requires carbohydrate/insulin to be maximized. This is why building muscle while being in a
caloric deficit is a lot more difficult, if not unlikely. That said, calories are NOT the only important
factors, especially if you are interested in improving body composition (ratio of muscle to fat). We
must also consider the following factors
INSULIN
Many believe nothing is more important than calorie expenditure. They will even say things like
insulin sensitivity and thyroid hormone levels do not matter.
Technically, they are right. Insulin facilitates the entry of ingested nutrients into their respective
storage facilities – muscle, liver, and fat cells. Insulin does not make you store more nutrients than
you ingest. It can’t. So, in a way, those who say that are correct: it is the caloric surplus that makes
you fat, not the insulin itself. But if your insulin is elevated above a certain point you will not mobilize
(burn) fat as efficiently. If your body has produced a lot of insulin after a high-carb meal, it will stay
elevated for longer. You will remain inefficient at mobilizing fat for a longer period of time. Insulin’s
overproduction is what prevents efficient fat loss.
And it affects muscle too. Muscle growth actually benefits from insulin production, especially if your
muscle cells are more insulin sensitive than your fat cells. If they are, then you will be better at
partitioning nutrients toward muscle cells. Did you catch that? Insulin is not always bad. It is important
for muscle growth.
Insulin itself is anabolic and anti-catabolic as it directly increases mTOR activation and your muscle’s
nutrient uptake, and indirectly increases IGF-1 released by the liver. So, even though caloric intake is
key in gaining or losing weight (and losing fat/gaining muscle), insulin and insulin sensitivity are also
important.
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CORTISOL
People are confused by cortisol and its role when it comes to dropping body fat for a lean physique.
On one hand, it is a hormone which should increase fat loss. It plays a role in the breakdown of
stored energy (glycogen, fat, protein) for fuel. As a stress hormone, it gets your body ready to deal
with a stressful situation like running away from a tiger. Energy mobilization is one of the most
important elements of dealing with stress. Furthermore, cortisol increases the body’s release of
adrenaline by helping with the conversion of noradrenaline into adrenaline. Adrenaline increases
energy mobilization too. It also increases energy use.
Charles Poliquin often claimed that cortisol makes you fat, he specifically said that elevated
cortisol makes you store more fat on your belly and lower back. Sadly, this idea of spot-storing body
fat discredited him in the eyes of some coaches and the evidence-based crowd dismissed the impact
of cortisol on fat loss/fat gain. Here’s the thing, cortisol is a mobilization hormone and when it is
released acutely and not chronically, it does help with fat loss.
However, if it stays elevated chronically it can hinder fat loss by reducing the conversion of the T4
thyroid hormone (mostly inactive in regard to metabolic rate) to the T3 thyroid hormone (which plays
a significant role in setting metabolic rate). The more T3 you have, the higher your metabolic rate will
be and the easier it’ll be to lose fat. Chronic cortisol elevation decreases the conversion of T4 into
T3, decreasing metabolic rate over time. This is important for natural lifters because, if you use a form
of dieting (and training) that leads to excessively high levels of cortisol, you run the risk of slowing
down your fat loss efforts in the long run.
Excessive caloric deficits can lead to chronic cortisol elevation and so does complete deprivation of
carbs. Think about it, cortisol’s first function is maintaining a stable blood sugar level. So, when blood
sugar drops down (when carbs or calories are too low) cortisol and glucagon are released to bring it
back up. Cortisol is also released to mobilize other fuel sources so the greater the caloric deficit, and
the lower the carbs, the more you risk increasing cortisol.
For an enhanced lifter, this is not a huge problem because the anabolics can compensate for the
increase in catabolism from the cortisol due to the increase in anabolism from the steroids. And if
they take fat-loss drugs, the impact of cortisol on metabolic rate also does not matter that much,
especially if they take synthetic T3 like Cytomel. But, for a natural lifter, chronic cortisol elevation can
not only slow down fat loss in the long run, but also make it harder to gain muscle or even maintain it
while dieting down. This will be important when we talk about the optimal caloric intake for dieting or
gaining.
CALORIC INTAKE FOR OPTIMAL MUSCLE
Natural lifters cannot force their body to build muscle faster than their physiology allows. Meaning
excess weight gain through a calorie surplus, will also lead to an increase in fat. Dr. Fred Hatfield
presented a table indicating how much muscle you could build per week; for men it averaged out to
0.125 to 0.25 kg per week (Hatfield, 1993).
This is accurate for most people. However, as you get more experienced, this rate will decrease.
Over the course of his training career, an average (non-enhanced) man can hope to add 20-25 kg
of muscle above what would have been his normal adult weight. This is pure muscle we are talking
about; you can gain more “weight” than that, of course.
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There are exceptions. People who are genetically gifted to build muscle (lower myostatin expression,
naturally higher testosterone and IGF-1 levels, as well as having the ACTN3 RR gene variant) can
build more. People who are exercise non-responders (opposite of what I just mentioned) might be
lucky enough to gain 7 kg of muscle over their lifting lifespan.
Adding muscle without gaining any fat certainly is possible. It requires a humongous amount of
precision and control over every variable – stress, rest, food intake, training, NEAT, etc. And even
when all these are accounted for, it can make the process slower. While we do not want to get fat
while trying to add muscle, adding a little bit might make it easier to build muscle. It is not because fat
makes you more muscular, but because eating enough guarantees you are getting plenty of nutrients
to fuel muscle growth.
When trying to add muscle we are shooting for a weekly increase of 0.25 – 0.5 kg of scale weight.
This will give you minimal fat gain though there will be some water weight gain, increases in
muscle glycogen, and fat. A good starting point is 35 kcals per kg of body weight.
The following factors should be taken into consideration when increases calories for muscle
growth:
Natural lifters cannot force their body to build muscle faster than their physiology allows. Meaning
excess weight gain through a calorie surplus, will also lead to an increase in fat. Dr. Fred Hatfield
presented a table indicating how much muscle you could build per week; for men it averaged out to
0.125 to 0.25 kg per week (Hatfield, 1993).
If you gain between 0 and 0.23 kg you should increase calories by a factor of 2. For example,
you could go from body weight x 35 to body weight x 37
If you DROP weight than you should increase intake by a factor of 3-4
If you gain more than 1 kg decrease caloric intake by a factor of 1 to 1.5
If you gain between 0.5 and 0.9 kg it becomes a judgment call. You can either stay at the
same level or decrease intake by a factor of 0.5-1
If you need to increase calories, increase protein, carbs, and fat equally. If you need to add
250 calories per day you would add 84 calories from protein (21g), 84 calories from carbs (21g)
and 84 calories from fats (9g)
PROTEIN INTAKE
High protein intake is the second most important element to promote positive change in your
physique, both during a fat loss phase and during a growth period. During a muscle-building phase, a
greater proportion of what you gain will be muscle (instead of fat) when you eat a higher percentage
of protein. During a fat loss phase, eating a greater amount of protein will allow you to maintain
muscle or even gain it, which means most of the weight you lose will come from fat.
But, here’s the kicker: When you are a natural lifter, it is not just about consuming as much protein as
you can. You have a limited capacity to add muscle mass. So, adding too much protein will not be of
much use and could even reduce the anabolic impact of protein through an increase in deamination
and an increase of the conversion of amino acids into glucose. Enhanced lifters do not really have
this problem because the anabolic steroids increase protein synthesis 24/7, allowing them to use a
much higher amount of protein to build muscle. This is why you sometimes see pro-bodybuilders
consuming 400-plus grams of protein.
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During a mass-gaining phase, bumping protein intake up to 2.2-2.5g per kg of body weight is where
most natural lifters should be. During a fat loss phase, you can go up to 2.5-2.75g per kg of body
weight.
Ingesting more protein when you are dieting down is a good approach as it will likely decrease
muscle breakdown and help maintain a stable blood sugar level, which will decrease cortisol
production.
CARB INTAKE
It is hard to build muscle at an optimal rate, naturally, when you do not consume any carbs. I am not
saying you can’t do it if your protein and calorie intake are high enough, but it will be much harder.
So, how can consuming carbs around your workout increase muscle growth? After all, isn’t muscle
made from protein? Yes, but carbs, and the insulin production they lead to will increase mTOR
expression from the training. If you consume carbs pre or intra-workout, the mTOR will be activated
more than if you do not. And the more you activate mTOR, the greater your increase of protein
synthesis will be from the workout.
This is important for natural lifters who need to trigger protein synthesis with their lifting sessions.
Having carbs around workouts also has other benefits that will positively increase muscle growth.
First, carbs before and/or during the workout will decrease cortisol release. During the session,
cortisol’s main function is to mobilize nutrients to fuel the workout. While lifting, glucose is the most
efficient fuel source. (Yes, even more than ketones.) The more fuel you need to mobilize, the greater
the cortisol production will be.
If you provide easily absorbed carbs like highly branched cyclic dextrin before and during your
workout, you will have less need to mobilize stored glycogen, which means you do not need to
pump out as much cortisol. Less cortisol means more growth. Having carbs around workouts can
also increase your capacity to tolerate a higher training volume (more easily available fuel, decreased
cortisol) and grow from it.
CARBS AND IGF-1 LEVELS
Low-carb diets lead to lower levels of systemic IGF-1. It is likely because, in order to produce a large
amount of IGF-1, you need both growth hormone and insulin. These do not necessarily need to be
present at the same time. One theory is that insulin makes the liver more sensitive to producing
IGF-1 when growth hormone is released. Why is that important? Because IGF-1 is the most anabolic
hormone in the body. You do not need a huge amount of carbs throughout the day, but enough to
stimulate insulin release once or twice a day will certainly help with the muscle-building process.
CARBS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT
Carbohydrates can help you deal with stress and anxiety by increasing serotonin and decreasing
cortisol and adrenaline; carbs can help you relax. The connection between carbs and serotonin is
well known and is likely the reason behind the term, “comfort food.” When you feel sad you tend to
experience an increase in cravings for ‘junk’ food and consuming these foods will make you feel
better. This is likely because of an increase in serotonin.
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We have two key amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan. Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine (which
amps up the nervous system) and tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin (which calms you down).
When you eat protein, both amino acids are present in the digestive system and they can compete
for absorption and transport. The more carbs you ingest with protein, the more tryptophan is favored.
But fewer carbs, relative to the protein you have eaten, mean you will tend to produce more tyrosine.
By consuming more carbs with your protein, you facilitate the production of serotonin, which calms
the brain down, reduces anxiety, and lowers cortisol. When you eat protein and few (or no) carbs you
will get more of a dopamine increase, which amps you up.
Ingesting carbs will also decrease cortisol levels. If you ingest carbs, you keep blood sugar levels
higher, so there is less need to produce cortisol. Finally, when you lower cortisol, you will also lower
adrenaline. Cortisol increases the conversion of noradrenaline into adrenaline. So, you can use carbs
when you need to decrease cortisol and relax.
CARBOHYDRATES PER DAY
Depending on your insulin sensitivity, make carbs 40% to 60% of your non-protein caloric intake –
your total daily caloric intake minus the calories from protein. So, if your calorie intake is set at 2200
per day and your protein intake at 250g per day (250g of protein = 1000 calories) it gives you a
non-protein caloric intake of 1200 calories per day.
40% of 1200 calories is 480 calories or 120 grams
50% of 1200 calories is 600 calories or 150 grams
60% of 1200 calories is 720 calories or 180 grams
The rest of the non-protein caloric intake would come from fat. The more body fat someone carries,
the more I recommend 40%. The leaner someone is, the more I recommend 60%. This is why when I
diet down a client, we normally start with fewer carbs. As the diet progresses, carb intake increases.
CARBOHYDRATE TIMING
The most important time to have carbs is around the workout. Right before or during, have as much
as 50% of your daily carb intake. The most I would use is around 90 grams. The average is 40-60
grams.
Carbs are also most important in the evening. It sounds counterintuitive, but to maximize recovery,
growth, and quality of life, this is the best option. Carbs will help you relax at the end of the day and
lower cortisol levels.
You also do not want to have carbs in the meals prior to the training session. Why? Because you want
to favor dopamine production so that the nervous system will be more activated for your workout. So,
if you train at 4PM, you could have a schedule like this:
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Breakfast: Protein and fats
Lunch: Protein and fats
Snack: Protein and fats
Workout nutrition: Protein and carbs from Plazma™
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Snack: Protein and carbs
The main rule to remember: no carbs in the meals before the workout (except for right before or
during your workout) and divide your carbs between workout time and the meals after your session.
Keep carbs in the last two meals of the day to help you unwind. And eating carbs midday could
reduce the mental edge when you need it. If you have carbs before and during the workout, you do
not need more carbs after the session. In our example above where we consume 2200 calories, 250
grams of protein, and 150 grams of carbs, the schedule would look like this:
Breakfast: 40g of protein and fats
Lunch: 40g of protein and fats
Snack: 40g of protein and fats
Workout: 40g of protein and 60g of carbs
Dinner: 40g of protein and 60g of carbs
Snack: 40g of protein and 30g of carbs
During a mass-gaining phase, since you are consuming more carbs (because the caloric intake is
higher) we often add protein and carbs post-workout; thus, we end up having carbs in four meals or
so.
CARB TYPES
So far, everything I have said would seem to agree with the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) dietary
strategy, wherein someone could eat any food they want, given the allotment of each macronutrient
is met. But, for optimal changes in body composition, food quality also matters.
Granted, if you take an obese person who eats 6000 calories a day from crappy food and you put
them on a 2500 calorie diet with 250 grams of protein, they will lose fat rapidly regardless of their
source of carbs and fats. But, when talking about someone who is already in good shape and wants
to optimize their physique, food quality matters. When it comes to carbs, except for those consumed
around workouts, we want a lower glycemic load which would come primarily from more natural or
unprocessed carbs to minimize the insulin spike. If you spike insulin more, it takes longer to come
back down. As long as insulin is elevated, fat mobilization is less efficient. Try these carb sources for
times outside of your workout:
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Sprouted grain bread (Ezekiel for example)
Oatmeal
Rice
Rice pasta
Quinoa
Potatoes (all types)
Beans
Lentils
Berries
In a muscle-gaining phase, you can consume more carbs and add some post-workout.
FAT INTAKE
The amount of fat you consume is fairly straightforward. You calculate total caloric intake (let’s say it
is 2200 calories), protein intake (let’s say it’s 250 grams or 1000 calories), and carb intake (we went
with 50% of non-protein intake, so 600 calories or 150 grams).
From there it’s only a matter of filling the gap.
You have 2200 total calories per day.
Subtract 1000 calories for protein.
Subtract 600 calories for carbs.
This equals 600 calories from fats.
Each gram of fat is roughly 9 calories, so 600 calories is 67 grams of fat.
If we look at our previous diet schedule it now looks like this:
Breakfast: 40g of protein and 22g of fats
Lunch: 40g of protein and 22g of fats
Snack: 40g of protein and 22g of fats
Peri-workout: 40g of protein and 60g of carbs from Plazma™
Dinner: 40g of protein and 60g of carbs
Snack: 40g of protein and 30g of carbs
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DAILY MEAL SCHEDULE
This guidebook does not include a sample diet because caloric intake will vary based on your size
and goal. Once you have those calculations, it is simple to plug and play using a food tracking app
such as My Fitness Pal. Here is how to set up the meals depending on the time of day you train.
Training Early Morning (No Time For Breakfast)
Workout: Protein and carbs
Breakfast: Protein and carbs
Lunch: Protein and fats
Snack: Protein and fats
Dinner: Protein and fats
Snack: Protein and carbs
Training in the Morning (With Time For Breakfast)
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Lunch: Protein and fats
Snack: Protein and fats
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Snack: Protein and carbs
Training in the Mid-Afternoon
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Lunch: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Snack: Protein and fats
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Snack: Protein and carbs
Training in the Late-Afternoon
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Lunch: Protein and fats
Snack: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Snack: Protein and carbs
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Notice I did not add an evening training time. For a natural lifter this is the absolute worst time to
train.
THE EFFORT AND THE RESULTS
The optimal diet requires some effort and precision, especially for a natural athlete. You will need to
calculate your calories, protein, carbs, and fat needs, weigh your food and adjust your intake weekly.
But, if you are serious about optimizing your physique that is what needs to be done. If you are
content with “good enough” then just wing it, but don’t be disappointed if the results are hit or miss.
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FUNDAMENTALS OF HYPERTROPHY
PROGRAMMING
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FUNDAMENTALS OF HYPERTROPHY
PROGRAMMING
Designing a training program is much like having a doctor select a medication schedule to cure an
illness. The doctor must first analyze the specific needs of the patient, then decide on a strategy to
fix the problem. Choosing a medication, a dosage, a dosing schedule, the treatment duration and
auxiliary strategies.
You do the same with training; you select the medication (exercises), the dosage (sets, reps and
tempo) the strength of the medicine (intensity and density) and the schedule. There is a science
behind muscle growth or strength increases; you are imposing a specific stress on the body to force
it to adapt. This adaptation is what gives you the growth you are aiming for, we used to program
instinctively, according to what “felt right” or based on trial and error. But we now know a lot more
about the processes necessary to increase muscle. To maximize your gains, you must make the best
choices when it comes to volume, intensity, frequency of training and exercises selection. Let’s look
at those variables individually:
EXERCISES SELECTION
Whether you are a coach designing a program for one of your clients or someone who is passionate
about training and writing down his next plan, you must make a series of decisions that will impact
how effective the plan will be. How do you split the body up? How many sets? How many reps?
Any special methods? How about tempo or rest intervals? These are all important to determine the
training effect; but one decision plays an even bigger role. Even though it seems logical to be it at the
forefront of your decision-making, for many people it is an afterthought. The most important
consideration is exercise selection.
Exercises selection
Doctor: According to your symptoms you have the flu. I am going
to prescribe you 200mg twice a day.
200mg of what? : Patient
Doctor: What medicine do you prefer? Which one has worked
best for you?
Does the above example make sense to you? Not really. Well, neither does selecting exercises based
on what you feel like doing or which ones you like. Do not get me wrong; being motivated by your
training is very important to maximize your gains. But, when it comes to selecting the exercises in
your program other elements must be considered: body type (long limbs vs. short limbs), muscle
weaknesses/strength, training objective, injuries and stress levels all are key elements that should be
used to select the best exercises to give you maximal results.
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There are no mandatory exercises!
There is no such thing as an exercise you must do. Not the bench press, nor the deadlift not even the
back squat. However there are priority movement patterns that should be the cornerstone of your
programs:
Squat pattern
Hip hinge
Single leg movement
Horizontal and vertical press
Horizontal and vertical pull
While there are exceptions, these should be in most programs at least to some extent. This does not
mean that you have to have a back squat in your programming. It can be a front squat, Zercher squat,
Goblet squat, landmine/lumberjack squat, etc. The deadlift from the floor is not to be blindly added to
a program either. It can be a Romanian deadlift, good morning, single-leg RDL, etc. The variation you
select will depend on the individual levers and level.
For example, someone with long legs might benefit more from a front squat with heels elevated than
a back squat to build the quads whereas someone with short legs will grow just fine from the back
squat.
LIMB LENGTH AND EXERCISE SELECTION
The first thing to consider when selecting the exercises in a program is someone’s limb length
relative to their height. This will affect the overall exercise selection strategy. Remember that you
have a limited capacity to recover from training stress. In non-beginners it is a smarter strategy to
invest your “training money” where it is needed the most. Rather than spending too much of it on
muscles that grow more easily you should focus on those that will have a hard time being stimulated.
For the upper body
Short arms: Mechanical advantage in pressing movements and disadvantage in pulling exercises. As
such there should be more pulling work than pressing work. This can either mean more pulling
exercises or simply a greater volume of pulling work (higher reps or more sets).
Among the pressing muscles people with short arms tend to be more triceps dominant. Deltoids are
the second-best pressing muscles and pectorals are the worse. Exercise selection should represent
this; they will need more direct pectorals work but very little direct triceps work. For pulling muscles
they will build biceps and traps easily, followed by the mid-back (rhomboids/rear delts) and lats will
be the hardest to build. This means more focus on the lats.
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Long arms: The opposite to those with short limbs; they are at an advantage in pulling exercises and
will need more pressing work, especially if performance is their main goal. The dominance among
pressing muscles is also normally the opposite as for short armed people: they will have an easier
time building the pectorals, delts will be second and triceps will be the hardest to develop. With their
pulling muscles, the lats will be the easiest to build, rhomboids/rear-delts will be second. Traps and
biceps will be harder to stimulate and will require more direct work.
For the lower body
Short Legs: They are at a mechanical advantage with quad-dominant exercises but developing the
posterior chain, especially glutes, will be much harder. Any form of squatting will make their quads
grow but developing their glutes will require a specific strategy and more targeted exercises. If they
are squatting, they do not really need direct quad work and pretty much any form of squatting will
work equally. If strength is their goal, they will need more assistance work for the deadlift but much
less for the squat.
People with short legs don’t benefit as much from unilateral work (lunges, split squats) than people
with longer limbs. They still work but are not as necessary as for people with longer limbs when it
comes to increasing muscle mass. Among the lower body muscles quadriceps are the easiest to
build for them, calves are normally second, hamstrings and glutes are hardest at 3rd and 4th and
normally require more direct work.
Long legs: They are once again the opposite to those with short legs. Their posterior chain will be
more easily involved in the big compound movements.
When selecting a squat, people with longer legs will need variations where the torso can be
maintained more upright to be able to develop their quads. Because of their leverages this often
means elevating the heels and a front- loaded squat (front squat, Goblet squat, landmine squat,
Zercher squat) will work better than a traditional back squat (although a high bar back squat with
heels elevated will work well).
Unilateral work is very effective for those with long legs; unilateral exercises should represent a
higher percentage of their lower body training volume than for people with short limbs. This is likely
the reason why someone like John Rusin instinctively includes more unilateral work in his program
and me much less: he has long legs and my own legs are short.
For people with long limbs the glutes are normally easier to build, hamstrings are second. Quads and
calves are more difficult to grow. Of course, you will have exceptions, but these are true a vast
majority of the time.
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TRAINING GOAL AND EXERCISE SELECTION
When I competed in Olympic weight lifting I chose not to do pectoral work (to avoid losing overhead
mobility) and did not train arms to avoid making it harder to rack the bar in a clean. Similarly,
Canada’s strongest man Jean-Francois Caron puts very little emphasis on the bench press because
horizontal pressing is not really important in strongman competitions and he finds that he loses
overhead mobility and performance when focusing on the bench press. In line with this, male
gymnasts do very little lower body work to avoid getting their legs too heavy which would make all of
their skills more demanding.
With figure competitors, I would often have them train only back, delts, glutes and hamstrings
because that is what they need to get the look that will be rewarded in competition. Training should
be tailored specifically to suit the goal of the client. For example, I am training a track cyclist who is
top three in the world and the ratio of lower body to upper body work is 3:1 with zero isolation work
for the upper body. The moral of the story is that you do not need to train every muscle equally, you
need to put an emphasis on training the muscles and movement patterns that will contribute the
most to achieving your goals.
When I suffered an elbow injury years ago, I focused almost exclusively on gymnastics ring work.
Since then my right elbow has been unable to reach full extension, leading to a compensation which
caused injury to my right shoulder (likely due to a partial labrum tear). I find that I cannot press heavy
weights anymore. Because of this, and since I am goal driven, I decided to train for a 600lbs squat.
To do that, I dropped all neurologically demanding exercises for the upper body to invest all my
neural resources on squatting heavy, thus readapting training to suit my new goal.
When allocating training volume, you should think about what your true goal is. If your goal is
aesthetically based, you must have a clear picture of the look you want to achieve and select
exercises which will help you develop muscle where you want it. I suggest you take a picture of
yourself and objectively assess where you need muscle the most to get the type of look that you
want, then design your exercise plan around this. You might need two thirds of your exercises for the
upper body (or two thirds for the lower body). Either is fine. You should still train most of the basic
movement patterns, but you will not necessarily need any more lower body work than a squat and
a hip hinge. Be objective with yourself, look at what you really want to get out of training and select
your exercises accordingly.
EXPERIENCE SKILL LEVEL AND EXERCISE SELECTION
Though CrossFit has done a lot of good for the training community by democratizing the use of the
big basic lifts like squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches and push presses, amongst others, I still cringe
when I see beginners with very little motor skills doing deadlifts and ‘cleans’. Exercise selection
should always be scaled down or regressed accordingly to your level.
This mistake is not made only in CrossFit boxes. Personal trainers do it daily: they have beginners do
the back squat and deadlift from the floor simply because they are considered “the best”
exercises. As I mentioned, there is no such thing as a mandatory exercise. There are movement
patterns you should train and master. The goal should be to reach the highest level of each pattern,
and this should not be rushed. You should progress gradually through the steps at the pace that your
motor skill development allows.
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Squats
Let’s look at the squat as an example. This is what a progression could look like:
Air squat to bench
Air squat
DB wall squat
Landmine squat
Goblet squat to bench
Goblet squat
DB squat (DBs to your sides)
DB squat (DBs held on your shoulders like a front squat)
Frankenstein squat
Front squat
Back squat
You could even add intermediate steps like box front squat and box squat. The goal is to back squat
and then get strong on the back squat. For us, this looks simple because most of us can squat
properly. But a seventy-year-old lady with no training experience might need to start from step one.
And that is fine! The goal as a coach is to gradually progress this client down the above list at a pace
that will suit her capacity to master the movement patterns and exercises.
Here is a quick list for all the key movement patterns. Yours might differ or you might want to change
it slightly, but the key is to have such a list and use it to establish proper progression.
NOTE: You do not need to use all the steps with every client, some clients might be able to skip a
few exercises if they have good motor learning.
Hip hinge
Hip hinge with plate held on chest
Partial hip hinge with a single KB between your legs
DB RDL (dumbbells held to your sides)
Trap bar RDL
DB RDL (Dumbbells to the front)
Barbell RDL
Pin pull above knees
Pin pull below knees
Pin pull shins level
KB swing
Deadlift from floor
Explosive pull from blocks
Explosive pull from hang
Explosive pull from floor
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Single leg movements
Peterson step-up
Sled walking backwards
Prowler pushing
Split squat
Farmer carry
Bulgarian split squat
Step-up
Lunges
Unilateral farmer’s carry
Backward lunges
Walking lunges (forward)
Walking lunges (backwards)
Horizontal pressing
Smith machine push up (the bar on the Smith machine can be adjusted higher or lower to
make this more or less difficult)
Standing dual cable press
Neutral grip DB floor press
Neutral grip DB bench press
Neutral grip DB incline press
DB floor press
DB bench press
DB incline bench press
Floor press
Bench press
Incline bench press
NOTE: You could argue that dumbbell exercises should be higher up than the barbell version
because they require more motor control. The reason I chose to put dumbbell before barbell is
because someone with left or right imbalances (which will be the case with sedentary individuals)
will likely compensate when using a barbell.
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Horizontal pulling
TRX/Ring row at high body angle
TRX/Ring row at lower body angle
Horizontal row
Horizontal row with feet elevated (so that the body is parallel to the floor)
Horizontal row with high feet elevation (so that, in the low position, the shoulders are lower
than feet)
Seated cable row neutral grip
Seated cable row pronated grip
Seated cable row supinated grip
Chest-supported row (seal row)
DB bent over row
Pendlay row
Bent over barbell row
Vertical pressing
Landmine press with two arms
Single arm landmine press
Half-kneeling single arm DB press
High incline (60-75 degrees) DB press neutral grip
Neutral grip seated DB shoulder press
High incline (60-75 degrees) DB press pronated grip
Seated DB shoulder press pronated grip
Standing neutral grip DB press
Standing pronated grip DB press
Barbell Savickas press (shoulder press seated on the floor with legs extended)
Military press
Push press
Vertical pulling
Neutral grip lat pulldown narrow or mid grip
Supinated lat pulldown, shoulder width
Pronated lat pulldown, shoulder width
Supinated lat pulldown, narrow grip
Pronated lat pulldown, narrow grip
Neutral lat pulldown, wide grip
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Supinated lat pulldown, wide grip
Pronated lat pulldown, wide grip
Active hang
Neutral pull-ups
Supinated pull-ups
Pronated pull-ups
Sternum pull-ups
When working with an intermediate or even advanced trainee who has already mastered the top
exercises in each category, we should still use a progression from phase to phase. Instead of using
a phase ranging from the simplest to more complex exercises, one we will go from general to
specific. So, what is general and what is specific?
Specific: refers to the exercises that most directly improve the goal you are aiming for. These are
the movements that are the most effective and will normally provide the greatest motor unit
recruitment whilst respecting your individual biomechanics the most.
General: refers to all exercises that do not focus on specific movements and are aimed at
developing overall muscle mass, often in muscles other than the ones being targeted by the
specific exercises.
For example, if you are a short-limbed individual, the best and most specific squat variation would
be a regular back squat. Whereas, for a long-limbed individual, it could be a cyclist squat or a front
squat with heels elevated. From there you establish a progression, working your way backwards. If
our program has four three-week phases that gives us four different ‘main lifts’ per movement
pattern. The progression is designed so that the closer you are to the end of the plan, the more
similar exercises are to the ones in the last phase (working from general to more specific).
Let’s look at our short-limbed and long-limbed individuals and what a progression could look like
for the squat.
Short-limbed individual – Intermediate level
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Phase IV
Front squat
Wide stance back squat
Narrow stance back
squat heels elevated
High bar back squat
Long-limbed individual – Intermediate level
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Phase IV
Dumbbell split
squat
Front rack Bulgarian
split squat
Front squat heels
elevated
Back squat with heels
elevated
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Note: If our goal is performance or if you have to perform using particular exercises (such as in
powerlifting where you have to perform on the squat, bench press and deadlift), the “end result
exercise (phase IV)” would be more dependent on the final objective than your own individual
biomechanics and the exercises in the previous phases would be selected to help your own body
progress effectively toward that end result exercise by fixing the weakest links.
WHY EXERCISE VARIATION IS IMPORTANT FOR HYPERTROPHY
Changing the exercises from phase to phase is more important when training for hypertrophy than
when training for strength and performance. In fact, when I work with elite athletes, I normally do not
rotate the main lifts in their workout. For example, I am training two members of the Canadian
national bobsleigh team and one of the best track cyclists in the world. The first two keep the back
squat and close-grip bench press in their program pretty much year-round. The cyclist uses the
safety bar squat in all of his phases.
In regards to athletes, efficiency is more important than variation. On top of that, when training for
performance with heavy weights, every time you do a new “big lift” the neurological stress is
magnified. The athlete’s training is already very demanding neurologically so you do not want to
keep increasing it further, if you can avoid it. However, when your goal is to stimulate maximum
muscle growth, exercise variation is very important. This is especially true on the “A series” exercises
(your main lifts) as these exercises are loaded more heavily and rely mostly on the muscle damage
pathway to hypertrophy.
As we saw earlier, when you become extremely efficient in a lift, muscle damage is reduced because
the load is more evenly distributed on all the fibers involved and they stretch at the same time. This
reduces the amount of muscle tearing taking place. When you switch to a new exercise, your
intramuscular coordination is much less efficient. The load is unevenly distributed on the various
muscle fibers recruited and they lengthen at different paces, thus creating a lot more tearing action.
That is why, when you switch to new exercises you have never done before you may experience
more soreness. After doing these exercises a few times, the soreness decreases significantly.
SETS
When talking about exercise/medication “dosage” the first variable we will be looking at, is the
number of sets. First the number of work sets per muscle group and then per exercise. But first let’s
address one key element.
Work sets and preparation sets
Normally when we write a program, we only include the number of work sets. Most of the time,
especially when doing big compound movements, those work sets need to be preceded by
preparation and warm-up sets. For example, if your first work set calls for a 180kg squat you cannot
just walk in, put 180kg on the bar and go. You risk injury, but you also will not be able to perform
optimally as your muscles are not prepared (blood flow is lower, muscle temperature is colder,
intramuscular friction is higher, there is less synovial fluid in the joints, etc.) and the nervous system is
not activated yet. So, to start, you might need to lift with just the bar, 60kg, 100kg, 120kg, 140kg and
then 160kg prior to your first work set. Preparation sets will always be determined based on the
exercise you are performing. If you are doing a wrist curl you likely will not need more than one
preparation set.
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The ‘big basic’ exercises (multi-joint movements with free weights) require the most preparation sets
because they are bigger lifts (they have greater neurological demands and more weight needs to
be lifted) and since they are done at the beginning of the workout, you need to prepare the body. By
comparison, isolation exercises might not necessarily require a preparation set because, by the time
you are at that point in your program, you are fully warmed-up, the CNS is fully turned on and those
exercises are “smaller” by nature and use much less weight.
The number of preparations sets for intermediate exercises (multi-joint movements on machines/
pulleys or on which you cannot use a lot of weight) will be exercise-specific but will be lower than
with the big free weight lifts. Normally one or two (up to three) preparation sets are used on those
intermediate movements. The number of preparation sets is important because, even though they
are not ‘high stress’ sets, they still represent volume. More volume equals more energy
mobilization, which might seem cool if you are interested in getting leaner, but the more energy you
use in a session, the more cortisol you will release. While cortisol is important for workout
performance (both directly by increasing energy mobilization and indirectly by spiking adrenaline),
too much of it can decrease muscle growth by making muscle protein degradation higher than
protein synthesis. This inhibits the immune system (which is key for muscle damage repair) and may
lead to the overexpression of myostatin; a myokine that can limit how much muscle your body allows
you to build. You want enough preparation sets to optimize performance, but not so many that your
volume becomes excessively high. So, how do we determine how many preparation sets to use?
Let’s first look at the Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) scale to determine what classifies as a warm-up/
preparation set.
RATE OF PERCEIVED EFFORT
The key for a natural lifter who prefers high volume training, is to maintain the proper level of
perceived effort. Below is the reference for each of these levels:
In green you have what we call true warm-up sets. These are sets where the exercise is essentially
effortless. Using an empty barbell up to around 30-40% of your maximum is a good range.
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The yellow zone is that I call ‘preparation sets’. These are still technically warm-ups. The goal is to get
the body ready for the work sets by increasing CNS activation, increasing the sensitivity of the
neuromuscular junction but also by preparing yourself mentally for the heavier weights which will
follow. These sets have anywhere between three and six repetitions in the tank. Since there is
around a 2-4% drop in performance for each repetition this means 9-20% less than the weight which
will be used in the first work set. For example: if your first work set calls for six reps at 80% (I will not
give you a precise percentage but I will present a chart to help you select the weight based on the
number of reps to do) the preparation sets zone would use between 60 and 70% on the bar.
PRIMER SETS
When preparing for big multi-joint lifts I recommend using primer sets. A primer set is a set close to
or at the weight used in your first work set. These should be done with lower reps than planned. The
objective is to get mentally ready for your work set and to top off neurological activation. So, when
warming-up for the big basic exercises you essentially have three steps:
Warm-up sets
Preparation sets
Primer set(s)
Let’s imagine that your squat 1RM is 180 kg and your first work set calls for 145 kg x 6 reps. Your warm
up could look like this:
Empty bar x 10 (warm-up)
60 kg x 8 (warm-up)
80 kg x 6 (warm-up)
110 kg x 6 (preparation)
130 kg x 6 (preparation)
145 kg x 1-2 (primer)
145 kg x 6 (first work set)
As you can see the primer set does not cause stress or fatigue because it is very submaximal.
However, it gets you used to the load for your first work set and will lead to a better performance
right out of the gate. The stronger I am, the more preparation sets I will need to do. Someone who
squats 300 kg might need three warm-up, five preparation and two primer sets whereas someone
who squats 80kg might only need one warm-up, one preparation and one primer set.
For intermediate exercises (multi-joints on machines and pulleys) you do not need ‘warm-up’ sets
if they are done in the middle of the workout because the body and muscles involved are already
ready to go. You only need one or two preparation sets to get into the groove of the new exercise.
With isolation movements you likely will not need any warming-up or preparation work. Once again, if
the “C series” uses big lifts you might need a few preparation sets before your work sets.
Remember, the role of warm-up/preparation sets is to increase the performance in your work sets
and reduce the risk of injuries. If doing warm-up sets does not provide any benefit (because the body
is prepared and the CNS is amped up already) it will just be junk volume that might lead to higher
cortisol levels without giving your body any more valuable stimulation.
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WORK SETS PER MUSCLE
The number of sets per muscle for maximum hypertrophy is an important topic because, instinctively
a lot of us believe the more sets you do, the more growth you will get. This has been reinforced by
the training of a lot of professional bodybuilders who would routinely do twenty sets per body part,
some of them doing as many as thirty. As a result, we have been programmed to associate more,
with better. For example:
If you work more, you will make more money.
If you study more, you will get better grades.
If you practice more, you will play better.
And so on. However, when it comes to building muscle this is not the case.
First you must understand that high level bodybuilders use anabolic drugs. These drugs not only
increase their response to training but completely changes their physiology, allowing them to tolerate
a much greater volume of work whilst still being able to progress. This is due partly to a decrease in
the impact of cortisol on the muscle cells. While cortisol is important for optimal workout
performance, too much of it will greatly decrease your capacity to build muscle. At the cellular level
cortisol and testosterone use the same second messenger to do their job. Basically, a hormone
(cortisol or testosterone) will bind to their respective receptor (glucocorticoid or androgen receptor).
They will use a second messenger to transfer the signal to the nucleus of the cell and then ‘stuff
happens’. The thing is, both hormones use the same second messenger. The more testosterone/
androgen that binds to the androgenic receptors, the more second messenger they use. Meaning
there is less left for cortisol to do its job.
In a steroid-using bodybuilder there is so much artificial androgens (steroids are binding to the
androgen receptors, like testosterone) that there is very little second messenger left for cortisol to do
its job on the muscle cells. As a result an enhanced bodybuilder/lifter can tolerate a lot more volume
without fear of excess cortisol decreasing muscle growth. However, in a natural lifter this is not the
case. They will eventually reach a point where adding volume will no longer provide any added
benefit for muscle growth and could even decrease their results.
So, exactly how many sets is too much? The answer - however many is enough. The optimal range of
sets per muscle group is between six and twelve sets per muscle group.
According to a study documenting
upper
threshold training five - ten sets
per muscle group led to better
results in muscle growth and
strength gains than fifteentwenty sets (Barbalho M Coswig
VS, 2019).
The dose-response curve would
look something like this:
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Of course, there will be individual differences as some can handle more volume than others (e.g.
people with naturally higher anabolic hormones) but you cannot go wrong with around six-twelve
sets per muscle group in a workout. With my hypertrophy system, I often choose to use a full-body
approach or training at least two muscle groups per session. So, the number of total sets per workout
becomes a very important variable too.
The ideal number falls in the twelve-twenty-four total sets range. Up to thirty can be done for very
brief periods of time (one, maybe two weeks) and when we do that we must follow it with a deload
week that will be on the low end of the total sets zone (twelve-sixteen total sets per workout).
WORK SETS PER EXERCISE
While some protocols like German Volume Training gained popularity because it was promoted by
Charles Poliquin and, well - it just sounds cool, recent data indicates that doing more than five work
sets per exercise does not led to better muscle growth (however, there can be benefits for strength
because of greater neurological adaptations).
One study looked at strength and muscle growth results from a program of five or ten sets per
exercise and found that the five sets/exercise group had more muscle growth and got stronger than
the ten sets/exercise group. (Amirthalingam, 2017)
This does not mean that 10 x 10 does not work at all. The subjects in both groups got bigger and
stronger, but the group doing five sets/exercise had better gains overall. The researchers’
recommendation was that for maximal hypertrophy four-six sets per exercise seemed optimal.
When training for hypertrophy a common approach is to use four-five sets/exercise for the “A series”,
three-four for the “B series” and for the “C series”. With advanced trainees we can go a bit higher,
especially when using a whole-body approach.
STRAIGHT SETS VS. RAMP VS. PYRAMID VS. WAVE
Once you decide on the number of working sets to do for your exercises you must select both the
number of reps (which we will see in a minute) and how you organize those sets. You have four ways
of organizing your work sets:
Straight sets: here all your work sets use the same number of reps (or the same rep range) and
roughly the same load (though a 10% difference is allowed). This normally means that the weight
selected is roughly a 7.5 – 8 on the RPE scale on that first set and might feel like an 8.5 on your last
set because of accumulated fatigue. If you go too hard on the first set (an 8.5 – 9 RPE) you will not be
able to respect the parameters in your later sets.
Ramp: In this form of loading the weight is increased from set to set. If you have four work sets of
six-eight reps it could look like this:
Set 1: 8 reps @ 100 kg / RPE 7
Set 2: 8 reps @ 105kg / RPE 7.5
Set 3: 8 reps @ 110kg / RPE 8.5
Set 4: 6 reps @ 115kg / RPE 9
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Ramps are based on the principle of neurological potentiation/activation (with every set your CNS
gets more activated and thus your capacity to produce force increases). However, since fatigue can
mask the improvements due to greater activation, the ramping approach works best with lower reps
and when training for strength and power. Ramps should be kept for sets of five reps or less.
Pyramids: When doing pyramids, the load and reps change from set to set. You either add weight
while decreasing the reps (ascending pyramid) or decrease the weight while doing more reps
(descending pyramid). A typical example would look like this:
Set 1: 12 reps @ 100kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 2: 10 reps @ 105kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 3: 8 reps @ 110kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 4: 6 reps @ 115kg (RPE 8)
Or you could do the opposite progression. You can also use flat pyramids or “plateau loading” which
combines ramping and pyramids. Here is an example:
Set 1: 10 reps @ 100 kg (RPE 7)
Set 2: 10 reps @ 105 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 3: 8 reps @ 110 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 4: 8 reps@ 115 kg (RPE 8.5)
Pyramids are very effective for maximum growth and also make training more mentally stimulating
than straight sets because no two sets are alike.
Waves: Wave loading is my favorite way to train for strength. Essentially a wave is 2-3 sets where the
load is increased on each set and the reps are decreased. One wave could look like this:
Set 1: 5 reps @ 110 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 2: 4 reps @ 112.5kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 3: 3 reps @ 115 kg (RPE 7.5)
This is repeated for two or even three waves, with each wave being heavier than the preceding one.
Doing two 5/4/3 waves (which would be written down as (5/4/3)2 ) would thus look like this:
Set 1: 5 reps @ 110 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 2: 4 reps @ 112.5kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 3: 3 reps @ 115 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 4: 5 reps @ 112.5 kg (RPE 8)
Set 5: 4 reps @ 115kg (RPE 8)
Set 6: 3 reps @ 117.5 kg (RPE 8)
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The most popular waves are:
(3/2/1)
(5/4/3)
(6/4/2)
(7/5/3)
When programming for waves, you do two sets of each wave, so 6 working sets in total, referred to
as “contrasts” and can look like this:
Set 1: 1 @ 120 kg (RPE 8)
Set 2: 6 @ 95 kg (RPE 8)
Set 3: 1 @120 kg (RPE 8)
Set 4: 6 @ 100 kg (RPE 8.5)
Set 5: 1 @ 120 kg (RPE 8)
Set 6: 6 @ 105 kg (RPE 9)
Waves can be on the high end of the “optimal” number of sets per exercise or even above it if we do
three waves (nine total sets). But that is because waves are best suited for neurological work, and
thus for strength and performance rather than pure hypertrophy.
NUMBER OF REPS PER SET
A key variable when it comes to hypertrophy, and the second part of the volume equation is the
number of reps per set. The number of reps per set is important because it is what decides the type
of adaptations that you will trigger with your training. If the reps are really low (and the weights heavy
or the reps explosive) you will have more neurological than structural (muscle and tendons)
adaptations. If the reps are high (more than 15) you will tend to get adaptations that will
predominantly improve the efficacy of the energy systems.
To quote Dr. Mike Israetel: “To gain muscle get progressively stronger for 5 to 15 reps per set”. While
this is a bit simplistic, it does illustrate what should be considered the “hypertrophy zone”. You can
stimulate maximum muscle hypertrophy with anywhere from five reps per set right up to fifteen reps
per set. As we saw earlier in this book, the pathway that triggers muscle growth will vary depending
on the number of reps selected (and how you perform each repetition) but the end result; adding
muscle tissue, will be the same. Specifically, we can divide that hypertrophy zone into two separate
zones:
Zone 1: 5-8 reps/set is what we often call “functional hypertrophy”. When training in this zone you will
gain a fairly equal amount of strength and muscle mass. Not because you will stimulate a different
form of hypertrophy (you could be targeting the fast twitch fibers a bit more) but because you are
stimulating both a high amount of neurological and structural adaptations.
Zone 2: 9 – 15 reps/set is the total hypertrophy zone. This zone might lead to slightly greater overall
muscle growth but less strength gains than when training in the 5-8 reps range. Mostly because the
neurological adaptations (especially muscle firing rate) will not be as important as in zone 1.
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REPS VS. TIME UNDER TENSION
I will be addressing Time Under Tension in more detail in the tempo subsection. But we must
understand that the number of reps without considering the Time Under Tension (TUT) of the set is
not as effective at predicting the type of adaptations you will be stimulating.
Take these two sets for example:
Set no. 1 = 10 reps with 100 kg at a 4020 tempo (TUT of 60 seconds for the set)
Set no. 2 = 10 reps with 115 kg at a 2010 tempo (TUT of 30 seconds for the set)
The faster tempo allows for a greater weight to be used but half as much time under load. Do you
really think that both sets will stimulate the exact same adaptations? Of course not! The number of
times you stretch and contract a muscle is indeed part of the equation, but the time spent loading the
muscle tissue in a set also plays a role.
If we look at our two hypertrophy zones we could also give TUT parameters:
Zone 1: 20-30 seconds under tension per set
Zone 2: 33-60 seconds under tension per set
Which one is more important? TUT or the number of reps? Both are of equal importance. The number
of repetitions, irrespective of TUT, is more important when it comes to the amount of muscle damage
caused. Every time you stretch a muscle under load you cause muscle damage. So, more reps
(provided that the load is heavy enough to cause damage) will lead to more occasions to cause
muscle damage. However, if the reps are too high, the load will be too low to cause a significant
amount of damage. Reps higher than 12 per set cause only limited muscle damage and 6-10 reps
per set are the most effective at maximizing muscle damage. TUT is more important when it comes
to stimulating muscle fiber fatigue and the release of lactate/growth factors which also play a role in
hypertrophy.
TEMPO
The tempo refers to the speed at which you are performing an exercise. It uses a 4-digit number,
each digit referring to a phase in each repetition.
4 2 1 0
In this example…
“4” (first digit) refers to the duration in seconds of the eccentric phase (when the target muscle is
lengthening under load).
“2” (second digit) refers to a pause during the eccentric phase or at the end of the eccentric phase.
For example, it could mean holding the bottom of a squat for 2 seconds.
“1” (third digit) refers to the duration in seconds of the concentric phase (when the target muscle is
shortening under load).
“0” (fourth digit) refers to a pause during the concentric phase or between reps (at the top of the
movement).
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Tempo is important for two main reasons:
1
It allows you to work in the right training zone. If you want to be in the second hypertrophy
zone and do 12 reps per set yet do each rep with a 1 second up, 1 second down speed (which
we often see in gyms) the TUT will be 24 seconds, which is too short for this zone
2
It makes progression more objective.
For example, if you have the following “progression”:
Week 1: 10 reps @ 100 kg with a 4020 tempo
Week 2: 10 reps @ 105 kg with a 2010 tempo
Can you really say that you progressed? Sure, you added weight to the bar. But does the addition of
5 kg compensate for the decrease in TUT of 30 seconds?
Often individuals ask:
“What if i can’t maintain the proper tempo to the end of the set?”
You have to do 10 reps with 100 kg at a 4020 tempo. When you reach rep number 8 you know you
will not be able to get the last 2 reps with a 4020 tempo but you would be able to get them if you
speed up your movement. Should you stop at 8 or should you go up to 10 while speeding up the
tempo? It really depends on the exercise and reps prescription.
If the reps prescription calls for a zone and not a specific number of reps, for example 6-8 reps
instead of 8. And you reach 6 reps at the proper tempo and know you will not be able to get 7 or 8
without changing the tempo, you should stop your set (because you were in the right zone). If you
are doing a big basic lift (squat or deadlift for example) I would also stop the set because speeding
up to get those last two reps might lead to bad form. Ideally, we do not want to go to failure on these
big movements, anyway.
However, if you have a precise number of reps to do and you are using a less traumatic exercise than
I would recommend speeding up the reps to finish the set (whilst still focusing on good form).
However, this would mean that you should not increase the weight during your next session.
REST INTERVALS & DENSITY
When training for hypertrophy, properly selecting the rest intervals can play a significant role in your
growth. I would not say that it is as important as exercise selection, sets, reps or load but it is not
insignificant. As we saw earlier there are several pathways to stimulate muscle growth. Among those
pathways, muscle damage requires heavier loading whereas muscle fatigue requires fatiguing as
many muscle fibers as possible.
When it comes to maximizing muscle damage, longer rest intervals should be used: a longer
recovery period will allow for heavier loading which will help cause more muscle micro-trauma.
However, if you are aiming to maximize muscle fatigue, incomplete rest is a better option. By not
waiting until a muscle is fully recovered to do your next set, you will have to recruit more muscle
fibers and will thus fatigue those fibers more thoroughly.
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If you do not want to have an excessive performance drop, I would say that a 75-80% recovery
between sets is ideal. When using muscle fatigue to stimulate growth you want your last work set to
be the hardest. It could look like this:
Set 1: 8 reps @ 100 kg (RPE 7.5)
Set 2: 8 reps @ 100 kg (RPE 8)
Set 3: 8 reps @ 100 kg (RPE 8.5)
Set 4: 8 reps @ 100 kg (RPE 9)
Due to the incomplete rest between sets you will start each set with a bit more fatigue, forcing you to
both recruit more fibers and create more fatigue in the fibers you previously used. This is a powerful
growth stimulus.
A high overall training density (Density = Work / Time) can also have a positive impact on body
composition (increasing fat loss) and may positively influence muscle growth by increasing the
production of growth hormone. Transient hormonal changes during the session will not play a huge
role in muscle growth, but it can still have a small impact.
How long exactly should you rest between sets?
Rest time will depend on the exercise and training zone. Bigger movements involving more
muscle mass at the same time require a longer rest period than smaller exercises. Training with
heavier weights (to cause more muscle damage) will also mean longer rest periods than training with
lighter weights and longer TUT. Not because it takes less time to recover from that type of work.
It doesn’t. In fact, fully recovering for a set lasting 60 seconds with a lot of lactate being produced
takes longer than a set lasting 30 seconds with more weight.
However, when using lighter loads you are aiming to maximize muscle fiber fatigue, performance and
weight lifted is secondary in importance in this specific case. So, incomplete rest will make it possible
to create a more thorough fatigue.
Understand that when using the A1/A2 system you must use the duration of the sets as well as both
rest periods to calculate the rest between two sets of the same exercise.
For example:
A1. Bench press
4x8
4010 tempo
120 sec rest
A2. Seated row neutral grip
4x8
3010 tempo
90 sec rest
Between sets of bench press you would actually have the following rest
120 seconds after your bench press set
32 seconds during the rowing set
90 seconds after the rowing set
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For a total of 242 sec of rest between bench press sets
When training in zone 1 you can rest a bit longer as the intention is complete rest. Resting a bit “too
long” will not have a negative impact on growth. To keep it simple here are the adjusted rest periods
after each set:
Big compounds
Secondary exercises
Machine work
Isolation exercises
Zone 1 (5-8 reps)
TUT 20-30 sec
120-150 sec
90-120 sec
75-90 sec
60-75 sec
Zone 2 (9-15 reps)
TUT 34-60 sec
90-120 sec
75-90 sec
60-75 sec
45-60 sec
This is what we could call “essential training variables”. The variables you can program to change the
type and magnitude of the training effect stimulated by your session. While you can go outside of the
recommended parameters from time to time, if you utilize the above recommendations, your
programs will effectively stimulate muscle growth.
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12 WEEK HYPERTROPHY SYSTEMS
Have you tried dozens of programs without much in the way of results? Or maybe you are fairly
advanced and made pretty solid gains over your training career and have been stagnating for a
while; struggling to stimulate further muscle growth to get to the next level?
Most “bodybuilding” programs seem to be designed in a similar manner; they train each muscle once
a week, use sets in the 8-12 range, do not focus that much on tempo, use a high volume of work and
very little in the way of progression and variation. Most “bodybuilding” programs are interchangeable
and do not have a logical progression model to gradually increase the stimulus as the body adapts to
the stress of training. On top of that they are often based on the methods that pro/elite bodybuilders
use to train. But here’s the secret to their success with these programs: pro bodybuilders use drugs.
Shocking, I know. But the use of drugs completely changes their physiology and what works great for
them will likely not work for a natural lifter. I am not suggesting that you should throw everything out
the window. But adopting their training methodology as is, will not lead to great results.
ENHANCED VS. NATURAL LIFTERS
I am not here to judge or recommend the use of performance-enhancing drugs. But you have to
realize these substances completely change your physiology. That means the nutritional and training
strategies that are optimal for the enhanced guy will not be ideal for the natural guy. And vice versa.
Whether you are natural or not, here are the ten biggest questions you need answered to optimize
your results.
1
Who Needs to Train More Often?
Answer – Natural lifters.
I normally recommend a higher training frequency, both in the form of more weekly workouts as well
as hitting each muscle (directly or indirectly) frequently during the week. This will work best for both
enhanced and natural lifters, but it is even more important for naturals. While enhanced lifters can still
get significant gains from hitting each muscle once per week, naturals need to stimulate each muscle
at least twice a week, and ideally three or even four times, to get significant growth past the beginner
stage.
The key to building muscle is triggering protein synthesis, the process in which your body uses
amino acids to build tissue. If you want more muscle growth, then protein synthesis must be elevated
to a higher degree and must stay elevated longer. After a workout, protein synthesis remains
elevated in the trained muscles for around 24 hours – slightly more or less depending on the
workout. By training each muscle only once a week, you are not keeping protein synthesis elevated
for long in each muscle. Not only that, if you are training each muscle only once a week, you might
lose the positive adaptation (muscle growth) by not stimulating it soon enough. This is called
“involution.” The body does not want to carry extra muscle mass that is not useful. So, by waiting too
long before hitting a muscle hard again you might slowly lose some of your gains. Not all of them, but
it can certainly diminish your rate of progress.
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A natural lifter needs training sessions as they are the only significant protein synthesis trigger he
has. Eating also increases protein synthesis, but in a systemic pattern and to a much lesser degree.
So, the natural lifter is far more dependent on each workout to stimulate growth as they need the
workout to elevate protein synthesis. And since it only stays elevated for 24-36 hours after a workout,
they need to hit each muscle more often if they hope to make significant gains.
On the other hand, enhanced lifters are artificially increasing protein synthesis with drugs. The
steroids keep protein synthesis elevated around the clock. Their workouts of course increase protein
synthesis to an even higher degree, but hitting each muscle more often is not needed because the
overall rate of synthesis will stay elevated all the time. Some studies have found that taking anabolic
steroids led to some muscle growth without any training. I am not saying that people get huge that
way, but it certainly prevents losing the adaptations that can occur from only training a muscle once
per week.
Enhanced lifters will also make more gains with higher frequency training, but it is not as necessary
for them. (Bhasin S, 1996) (Bhasin S1, 2001)
2
Who Should Do More Cardio?
Answer – Enhanced lifters.
Let’s say you decide to use steroids, growth hormone, clenbuterol, SARMs or peptides. Fine, it is your
choice. But you should understand the importance of doing everything possible to minimize the
negative impacts on your health. The two most important things you can do is keep both blood
pressure and blood lipids/cholesterol under control. Cardio can go a long way in keeping you
healthier for a lot longer.
Low intensity steady-state cardio is good for improving vascular health and lowering blood
pressure; intervals can help with cardiac function. It could even increase heart elasticity and
potentially help break down scar tissue, both of which would increase cardiac function and decrease
the risk of cardiac problems. You do not need to do a huge amount either. Even just 20 minutes of
steady-state cardio (heart rate of around 110-115 beats per minute) at the beginning or end of your
workouts would be helpful - this is not enough to prevent protein synthesis from happening. You can
opt to take few long walks a week and do HIIT once a week.
3
Who Needs to Limit Volume?
Answer – Natural lifters.
A lot of lifters, natural or not, believe that the more volume they do (more sets) the more they will
grow. We have been conditioned to believe that you get more results by doing more work. So, in our
quest for more muscle, it is easy to think that piling on more sets is the key to getting bigger. And to
some extent, if you are enhanced, that can be true. But for natural lifters it can be a gains-stopping
mentality. Why?
Volume and frequency should be inversely proportional. The more often you train a
muscle, the less volume you should do for that muscle during each workout. Since natural
lifters should train each muscle more often, they should do less volume for each workout.
Natural lifters will be more negatively affected by cortisol than enhanced lifters. Cortisol
increases the rate of protein breakdown and can decrease the rate of protein synthesis and
nutrient uptake by the muscles. Growth depends on the difference between protein synthesis
and breakdown. When cortisol is elevated too much it will negatively impact muscle growth.
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Cortisol is the biggest enemy of muscle growth in the natural lifter because steroids, especially the
more androgenic ones, greatly inhibit the action of cortisol at the cellular level. It does so by
binding to the androgen receptor and using the same second messenger as cortisol to send its
message to the nucleus of the cell. If there are less second messengers available to cortisol, it will
have a hard time doing its job.
Natural trainees are not protected against excessive cortisol levels. The function of cortisol when
training is to mobilize stored energy to make sure the muscles have enough fuel. The more energy
that is needed, the more stored glycogen (and fat) you need to mobilize, the more cortisol you will
produce. It should be evident that the more volume you do the more cortisol you will release, as
more volume means a greater energetic demand. A natural trainee needs to train harder and more
often as they cannot afford to compensate a low level of these variables via an increase in daily
workload.
4
Who Needs to Push Harder During Each Set?
Answer – Natural lifters.
Natural lifters, if they want maximum growth, need to push their work sets harder. This is because
they cannot handle as much volume. If you cannot use as much volume to fatigue the muscle fibers,
you must reach maximum stimulation a different way, and this requires pushing each of the work
sets. Take a look at this scale:
Scale of Neurological Demands
Level 1 – Complex gymnastic exercises, Olympic lift variations
Level 2 – Olympic pulls, multi-joint movements involving the whole body or significant axial/
spinal loading
Level 3 – Multi-joint exercises with free weights involving half the body and without significant
axial loading
Level 4 – Multi-joint exercises on pulley/cable
Level 5 – Multi-joint exercises on machines
Level 6 – Isolation exercises with free weights
Level 7 – Isolation exercises on pulley/cable or machines
When using exercises that are lower on the neurological scale, or that have less of a postural
component (levels 4, 5, 6 and 7), go to failure or beyond. Normally I recommend going to failure
when doing level 4 and 5 exercises and going to failure and even beyond – using rest/pause, drop
sets, isometric holds at the end of the set, partial reps, etc. – on levels 6 and 7.
The harder you push your sets, the fewer work sets you should do per exercise. The typical
example is the HIT or Heavy Duty approach of doing one set to total failure per exercise. This is
the cornerstone of my Best Damn Workout Plan for Natural Lifters and it has led to amazing gains
time after time. So natural lifters need to push their work sets harder to stimulate maximum growth.
When doing exercises that are higher on the scale (levels 2 and 3) go heavier and with low reps,
really pushing hard to move more weight.
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What about enhanced lifters? While they should also work hard to progressively overload these
big lifts, they need to be more conservative, using a slightly higher rep range (6-8 instead of 3-5
for example) because steroids make the muscles grow stronger and faster than the tendons. While
enhanced athletes would also benefit from the lower number of work sets, higher effort (failure or
beyond) and more frequency for natural lifters is a prerequisite for maximum growth.
5
Answer – Enhanced lifters
Who Needs to Eat More Protein?
Remember, enhanced lifters have an elevated rate of protein synthesis around the clock. In addition
to blunting the effect of cortisol, steroids increase how much protein you can use to build muscle. An
enhanced body is more efficient at using amino acids to build new muscle tissue. Since protein
synthesis rate is elevated 24/7 enhanced lifters will benefit from a higher protein intake as well as
more frequent feedings, benefitting from a constant influx of protein in their bloodstream.
A natural lifter will not experience these same benefits. While it is undisputable that increasing
protein intake to a certain point will help build muscle, a natural body has a limited capacity to use
protein to build tissue. Studies show that increasing protein intake up to 1 gram per pound when in a
caloric surplus, and up to 1.2 to 1.4 grams per pound when in a deficit, has benefits. However,
increasing protein intake above these amounts will provide no added benefit. (Morton RW, 2018),
(Phillips SM, 2011) (Stuart M. Phillips, 2016).
Furthermore, natural lifters might benefit more from a “protein pulse” approach rather than keeping
a more constant protein intake. A sudden increase in blood amino acid levels (especially leucine,
glycine, isoleucine, and valine) can be an anabolic trigger itself. The key word is “sudden.” You want
a peak, but you can not really have a peak if protein intake is constant throughout the day. So, you
either need periods of higher protein intake preceded and followed by periods of a lower intake to
create that spiking effect, or the use of a rapidly absorbed protein like casein hydrolysate. The faster
a protein is absorbed, the greater the peaking effect.
Excessive protein intake for a natural lifter might actually ‘program’ the body to turn protein into
energy (gluconeogenesis) instead of muscle tissue. The more efficient your body becomes at this
process, the harder it will become to build muscle and lose fat. A lean natural who consumes more
than 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight when in a mass phase, or more than 1.2 grams when
cutting, is doing himself a disservice. On the other hand, enhanced bodybuilders can and should
consume more protein than this to maximize the effect of the substances they are taking. Up to 1.5
grams per pound, and sometimes more depending on the substance(s) they are taking.
For example, though trenbolone does not increase protein synthesis much, it does drastically
decrease protein breakdown, so the net effect is muscle building. It does not require an increase in
protein intake because your rate of protein synthesis is not elevated.
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6
Answer – Enhanced lifters (during growth phases)
Who Needs More Calories?
This goes with the need for more protein. An enhanced lifter simply uses nutrients more efficiently
when it comes to building muscle. Furthermore, a lot of anabolic steroids increase glycogen storage.
If you are enhanced, your muscle can store more glycogen, which might be one of the reasons why
enhanced lifters look more pumped even at rest.
While you can of course still get fat when taking steroids (especially the aromatizing kind) you will not
pile on fat as fast as a natural lifter at the same level of caloric intake. When putting super fuel into
the body, this improves your capacity to use nutrients to build muscle tissue, so ideally you want to
increase the supply of nutrients and take advantage of this enhanced state. When using steroids and/
or growth hormone, it is easier to maintain muscle mass while dieting down. So, even if you gain a bit
more fat you will be able to make drastic dietary changes without fear of losing muscle.
For a natural lifter, bulking makes little sense because your body is limited in its capacity to use
nutrients to fuel growth by its own natural biochemistry. Once you have reached your maximum
rate of growth (nutrient utilization) you will not be able to speed up muscle growth further simply by
eating more and will just retain more water and potentially store more intramuscular glycogen and
triglycerides, which will make you feel bigger. You may also gain fat, which will make you look thicker
with clothes on. Both of these can help you lift more weight in some exercises (better leverage, joint
stability, and fiber-pennation angle) which can make you believe that you are gaining more muscle.
In reality, you are not. Adding more fat will simply make it harder for you to look good naked, as it is
harder to get lean without losing muscle for a natural lifter.
7
Who Should Try to Decrease Cortisol Levels?
Answer – Natural lifters.
Natural lifters need to minimize excess cortisol if they want to grow. Ingesting fast absorbed carbs
such as highly-branched cyclic dextrins before and during workouts will go a long way in preventing
excessive cortisol output. If you have carbs readily available for fuel while you train there is less need
to mobilize your reserves. If you do not need to mobilize as much fuel, you do not release as much
cortisol. Plazma™ by Biotest is the best product for this purpose.
You can also use other strategies such as vitamin C pre or post workout (around 2000mg) as well
as glycine post workout. Z-12™ , which will increase GABA levels (a neurotransmitter that helps fight
stress and anxiety) and magnesium in the evening can keep your cortisol levels low at night, which
will help you sleep better, recover, and grow. Finally, Rhodiola is a great adaptogen that improves
your overall capacity to handle stress and might reduce your daily average cortisol output, which will
improve your immune system and muscle growth.
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8
Who Can Eat Fewer Calories When Dieting?
Answer – Enhanced lifters
The main culprit for muscle loss while dieting is chronically elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol has many
functions, but two of the most important ones are: mobilizing stored energy to provide fuel and
increasing blood glucose levels.
Your body wants to maintain a stable blood glucose level. Around 4.0 - 5.0mmol/L and up to
7.0mmol/L after a meal. If blood glucose level dips down below that (hypoglycemia) you normally get
cravings which compel you to eat and elevate blood sugar, or you will release stored glucose into the
bloodstream. The hormones that increase blood glucose levels are cortisol, glucagon, and (to some
extent) growth hormone. All three of these will tend to be more elevated during periods of caloric
restriction. Things can become even more problematic when you are on a low-carb diet because you
could increase protein breakdown (breakdown of muscle tissue) into amino acids to produce glucose
(gluconeogenesis) from these aminos to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
This means that the more restrictive your diet, and the longer the dieting period is, the more likely
you are to have chronically elevated cortisol levels because you constantly need to mobilize more
fuel and elevate blood glucose levels. This is especially true when carbs are very low and fats are not
high enough to compensate. Since chronically elevated cortisol levels can be destructive for natural
individuals, it makes it almost impossible to build more muscle, and even harder to prevent muscle
loss.
When you are using steroids you are inhibiting the negative action that cortisol can have on
muscle – both by reducing its action at the cellular level and by increasing the protein synthesis rate
to compensate for the increased rate of protein breakdown. If someone is using growth hormone, the
need to produce cortisol might be reduced because GH also increases blood glucose levels and
mobilizes stored energy. If growth hormone is taking care of that, there is less need to release
cortisol. Because of this, enhanced athletes have much less risk of losing muscle while dieting and
can use a much stricter diet. They can even build muscle while losing fat.
9
Who Needs to Stop Majoring in the Minors?
Answer – Natural lifters
This goes along with avoiding too much volume per workout. The most enlightened natural lifters
avoid this and instead focus their training around the most effective exercises. However, every time
I train in a commercial gym, I am reminded that enlightened lifters are few and far between. I see
a great deal of people doing an endless array of minor exercises. It is not uncommon to see guys
doing 6-8 exercises for pecs, back, biceps, triceps, delts and 1-2 for legs - if that. When you look at
their exercise selection it rarely includes movements that you or I would prioritize. There are very
few “worthless” exercises, but there is such a thing as prioritizing. When you are a natural lifter and
cannot grow from as much volume per session, you must carefully select your exercises to get the
maximum return from your investment. Doing six types of curls is not a good investment. I am not
saying to avoid curls, just avoid redundancy and go with the biggest-yielding exercises.
This does not mean you have to use only big compound lifts, either. Rather, avoid doing garbage
volume via too many variations of the same simple movement pattern. If you are a natural lifter, you
just cannot afford it. Essentially a natural lifter will need to hit each muscle group more often than an
enhanced lifter with lower volume per session, focusing more on “big money” exercises. A traditional
bodybuilding plan where you hit each muscle group hard once a week with a lot of volume will not
be optimal for a natural lifter.
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INTRODUCTION TO MY 12 WEEKS TRAINING SYSTEM
My 12 weeks hypertrophy system is extremely unconventional for those who have been doing the
more traditional muscle-building routines as it is heavily based on the principles I used when training
professional and Olympic athletes. The loading schemes (sets, reps, weight) are different than what
I use with athletes because we do not need the same type of adaptations, but the principles behind
the system are the same.
The athletes I work with are subjected to frequent drug testing, especially the Olympians because in
Canada the random/un-announced drug testing program has been severe since the 1988 Ben
Johnson positive test and the ensuing Dubin inquiry. Essentially, a Canadian athlete can get tested
anytime and anywhere throughout the year, yet, all the athletes I work with sport very muscular
physiques and impressive strength. For example, I work with a world class (top 3 in the world) track
cyclist who pushed his squat from 185 kg up to 225 kg in 6 weeks. He also has mutant hamstrings
and adductors that would make any bodybuilder envious. I also train a bobsleigh athlete who
squatted 250 kg for 7 reps and ran a 3.58 / 30m at a body weight of around 85 kg. Even though
the people I work with do not follow a typical bodybuilding system, they tend to build more size and
strength than those who do.
My plan revolves around the following principles:
1
A higher frequency of training per muscle group: all muscles will be hit at least two days a
week, in many phases it will be three days a week and some will receive stimulation four days
a week. This is because, as I explained earlier, natural lifters only have their training sessions to
stimulate protein synthesis, which stays elevated in the trained muscles for 24-36 hours. In an
ideal world you would trigger protein synthesis every other day to maintain an anabolic state
throughout the whole week. However, the training volume per muscle group cannot be super
high because you will not have as much time to rebuild and repair the damaged muscle tissue.
2
The reliance on big money exercises: this is called “training economy”. Remember when I said
that natural lifters should stop majoring in the minors? Yes, there is a place for isolation work.
But, the bulk of your exercises should be multi-joint movements. Why? Because you can get
more done with less work. What you can achieve with a squat might require two or even three
other “smaller” exercises. For a natural, who has less training “money” to invest (he cannot
tolerate as much volume as an enhanced lifter) this is important. There is also the theory that
bigger movements lead to a greater release of anabolic hormones. While this likely will not
play a huge role in increasing muscle growth, it might provide a small benefit.
3
Training all three types of contractions: it is a strong belief of mine that in your training program
you should emphasize the eccentric, isometric and concentric functions of your muscles. First,
because they all have different muscle recruitment patterns. So, by emphasizing all three, you
can recruit more muscle fibers and thus stimulate more growth. Furthermore, each type of
contraction has specific benefits. For example, focusing on the eccentric will strengthen the
tendons as well as the portion of the muscles closer to the tendons, reducing the risk of
injuries. The isometric will greatly improve technique and the mind-muscle connection. I like
to focus on only one type of contraction per session as, when you send a complex adaptation
signal to the body, you risk getting mixed results.
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4
Short to long periodization: in sport performance coaching, you should program by going from
general to specific. The work you do at the beginning of the off-season program (far away from
competition) will be a lot more general and aimed at building a foundation. The closer you
get to the season, the more specific the work becomes. I do the same thing with hypertrophy.
We actually start with lower volume/lower reps/higher weights (short) and progress towards
a higher volume of work with a lower average intensity (long). We first build a foundation of
strength and neurological efficiency to get better results from more traditional hypertrophy
work later. A more efficient nervous system will recruit more muscle fibers when doing
bodybuilding work, allowing you to stimulate more gains. By getting stronger you will also be
able to use more weight on your typical bodybuilding work, making it more effective.
Furthermore, to optimize continuous growth, you need to gradually increase training volume
(within your capacity to recover); that is what we accomplish by using a short-to-long
periodization model.
PERIODISATION RATIONALE
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
To achieve continuous progress, we must gradually impose a greater training stimulus on the body.
That stimulus must be specific to the desired adaptations. Two principles are at play here:
1
Progressive overload: You must gradually increase the stress on your body as it adapts to
previous levels of stress. Otherwise, you will not stimulate adaptations any further.
2
The SAID principle: Specific Adaptations to the Imposed Demands. This means that the
progressive overload must be specific to the type of gains desired. For example, “progressive
overload” for a powerlifter (who desires mostly strength) means gradually lifting more weight.
But, for someone mostly interested in building muscle, progressive overload actually refers to
an increase in training workload/volume.
As such my training system is based on gradually increasing volume over the three phases (without
becoming excessive for the natural lifter) while decreasing the average load to allow for that higher
volume of work without burning out. The training systems will also go from general to specific in the
way that the training has been structured.
At the beginning of the plan we use more of a “performance” split with three whole body sessions
aimed at increasing strength (while still stimulating growth) and one “bodybuilding” day. We then
switch to a “balanced” schedule where we have two “performance/whole body” days and two
bodybuilding days. Finally, the structure is reversed, with three “bodybuilding” days and one
“performance” day. This switch in structure automatically leads to an increase in volume and a
decrease in average load.
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Here is a brief overview of the three phases:
Phase 1 – Intensification (4 weeks)
In this phase you will stay in the first hypertrophy zone when it comes to time under load, so twenty
to thirty seconds. The number of reps will vary as some days you will use a tempo as slow as 6010, in
which case it will call for 3-4 reps but on other days it can be 2010 or 3010, which would give us 5 to
8 reps.
This phase includes three main workouts which hit the whole body with compound exercises. Each
day focuses on one type of contraction. Day one will focus on eccentric loading, day two will include
intra-set isometrics and day three will use “regular” lifting. Finally, we will have a fourth day which
uses low stress exercises; machines or isolation work, to focus on muscles that might not have been
fully stimulated on the other three days.
Phase 2 – Accumulation (4 weeks)
In this phase we have an equal mix of zone 1 and 2 hypertrophy work. We have two workouts that
use more compound, heavy lifting work (one upper and one lower body session), and two other
workouts where we focus more on the second hypertrophy zone with lower stress exercises. This will
reduce the average intensity of work while keeping two days which continue to stim
Phase 3 – Realization (4 weeks)
This phase will include mostly zone 2 hypertrophy work (the advanced program will also include
special techniques) and will constitute 3/4th of the workload, meaning that we will have three
“bodybuilding” days where we use lower stress exercises. The training split will be chest/back,
quads/hamstrings, biceps/triceps, whole body. The whole-body session will use heavier work on
compound movements to still get some good CNS improvements and avoid losing strength as we
focus more on pure hypertrophy work. Once again, this shift will increase overall training volume
while decreasing average intensity.
EXERCISE SELECTION RATIONALE
In this 12-week program we have two types of training days; performance days and hypertrophy
days. The goal with our performance days is to increase both size and strength via functional
hypertrophy (zone 1) training. These days hit either the whole body or half the body. Since we only
have six exercises per workout (some can get away with eight, but six is the sweet spot for most);
we must use exercises that do the most for the least. On those days we need ‘big money’ exercises.
Movements with a high level of training economy (providing stimulation in many muscles at the same
time). For example, a close-grip bench press is superior to a lying EZ bar triceps extension because
the former will also hit the pectorals and deltoids at the top of the triceps.
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While the exercises will vary from workout to workout and phase to phase, those performance days
will include:
One squatting variation
One vertical pressing variation
One hip hinge variation
One vertical pull variation
One horizontal press variation
One horizontal pull variation
There will be a progression in these exercises, moving from those that have a greater neurological
demand (and thus are more effective for lower rep, strength work) to those which can be done with a
higher volume of work without causing too much fatigue.
The second type of days; pure hypertrophy days, or bodybuilding days will have minimal neurological
impact and the capacity to focus on, or isolate, smaller muscle groups. The purpose of these days is
to “fill in the gaps” left after the big money exercises.
Take a bench press and overhead press, for example. While they do hit the triceps and deltoids it is
quite possible that the triceps and medial deltoids do not receive enough direct stimulation to get
maximum growth. On the bodybuilding day(s) we might need to add isolation work for the triceps and
medial deltoids to get optimal development everywhere.
The more we progress in the program, the more “isolated” the exercises will become. This is
because, in the first phase, we only have one bodybuilding day, so we cannot do isolation work for
all the muscles. But by phase 3, we have three of those days, allowing us to invest more exercises
for each muscle group. Again, it goes with the logic of starting by building a big ass block of rock and
then carving in all the details.
WHICH PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR ME?
This book provides six programs; two categories (short limbs and long limbs) with three levels each
(beginner, intermediate, advanced). How do you determine which one is right for you? First,
establish whether you have long or short arms and legs relative to your torso. To do this, look at your
arm length/ You will measure both your height (without shoes) and your wingspan from fingertip to
fingertip with arms extended to your side (like Jesus on the cross). Simply measure if your wingspan
is equal to or shorter than your height; if so, you fall into the “short arms” category. If your wingspan is
longer than your height, you fall into the “long arms” category.
For legs, it is a bit more complex; you will measure your leg from the external malleolus (bone
protrusion on the lateral side of your foot) and the pivot point of your leg at the hip joint. Move your
leg laterally to find where that pivot point is. Then measure from malleolus to the pivot point; this will
give you your leg length. Then, establish the percentage of your height that is represented by your
leg; Let’s say that your height is 180 cm and your leg length is 86 cm.
86 / 180 x 100 = 47.7%
If you are between 40 and 46% you have short legs.
If your legs are longer than 46% of your height, you qualify as long legs.
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In most cases, if you have long arms you will also have long legs. But we might have some cases
where legs are long and arms are short (fairly rare) or where the legs are short and arms are long
(which is the best ratio for deadlifting). In which case, I recommend selecting the program that fits
your weakness (upper vs. lower body) or the program which will target what you want to emphasize
more. For example, if you have short arms and long legs but you would prefer to prioritize your upper
body, select the short limbs program.
The second step is determining which of the levels you will select; beginner, intermediate or
advanced. Naturally you will assume that the advanced program will be harder, thus better, than the
beginner and intermediate programs. And since you want as many ‘gainz’ as possible, you sure as
hell won’t pick the “easy” program, right?
Here is the thing; most of you reading this should start with the intermediate program. If you have
been training for two-four years that will likely be where you are at. Heck, some of you who have
been training for that long might still need to use the beginner program, if to this point your training
was mostly done on machines, pulleys and you have used more isolation work. Individuals who get
to start with the advanced program are those who have a lot of lifting experience behind their belt,
have mastered pretty much every exercises and have added a significant amount of muscle to their
frame during their career.
Here are some guidelines to help you pick your starting level:
Beginner
When I say beginner, I do not simply mean someone who is just starting out. In fact,
chances are that very few people who are reading this e-book, are just starting out
with training. Yet, some of you will be beginners in the scope of my system. One
deciding factor, will be your strength level.
Strength levels:
Bench press: 1.25 x body weight or less
Back squat: 1.5 x body weight or less
Pull-ups: 5 or less
Intermediate
This is where most of you will fall. You have likely added 10 kg of muscle mass to
your frame since you started out and you have a pretty much mastered all the big
basic lifts. Your squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and pull-ups are all
pretty solid technically.
Strength levels:
Bench press: 1.25 – 1.5 x body weight
Back squat: 1.5 – 2.0 x body weight
Pull-ups: 5 to 10
Advanced
I will say that likely 20-25% of you will fall into this category. You probably have
six-ten years of serious lifting behind your and have added close to 15kg of muscle
to your frame since you started. Your technique is excellent on all the big basic lifts
and you have mastered most of the exercise variations.
Strength levels:
Bench press: 1.5 – 1.75 x body weight or more
Back squat: 2.0 – 2.5 x body weight or more
Pull-ups: 10 to 15 or more
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What if I pick the wrong program level?
If you are unsure which level you are, aim to choose the lower option (picking the beginner program
if you are intermediate or the intermediate if you are advanced). It is almost impossible to undertrain,
and even the lower level programs will work for an advanced lifter, if training hard. However, if you
pick a program that is advanced for your level, you might overstress your body and will progress
less than you would with the appropriate program. Even if you are an advanced lifter, you can start
with the beginner program simply because my style of programing is likely different than everything
you have done before; so, it will still be beneficial. It also mean you have a full nine months’ worth of
programs to work with!
Remember that the key to long term progress is a gradual increase in the physical demands of a
program. If the program provides an increase compared to what you used to do (and it likely will
simply because of the high frequency) the beginner program will still provide a strong growth
stimulus and since the intermediate and advanced programs are progressions of the beginner plan,
it will provide you with close to a year of gains. The main differences in the programs is the variation
and intensity. The beginner programs has much less variation within a phase (the big lifts are
repeated three times per week) to engrain motor patterns. The more advanced you become, the
more variation there is to account for your better motor skills and technical mastery. Now, let’s look at
the programs; starting with the short limb ones.
Note on the progression model for phase 1:
In this phase we are using a workload progression; we are adding reps at every workout. The goal is
to use at least the same weight from week to week while doing 1-2 more reps. This gradual increase
in loading is the least traumatic way of stimulating muscle growth.
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TRAINING TEMPLATES
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
Note: On all exercises use a very slow eccentric (6 seconds)
A1. FRONT SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
6010
2
3
6
120
6010
3
3
7
120
6010
4
4
8
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DUMBBELLS ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
6010
2
3
6
120
6010
3
3
7
120
6010
4
4
8
120
6010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
6010
2
3
6
120
6010
3
3
7
120
6010
4
4
8
120
6010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
6010
2
3
6
120
6010
3
3
7
120
6010
4
4
8
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. SAVICKAS DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
6010
2
3
6
90
6010
3
3
7
90
6010
4
4
8
90
6010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
6010
2
3
6
90
6010
3
3
7
90
6010
4
4
8
90
6010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
Note: On all exercises include a 3 seconds isometric hold during the eccentric
A1. FRONT SQUATS, HEEL ELEVATED (HOLD AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT (HOLD IN BOTTOM POSITION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. DB BENCH PRESS (HOLD IN BOTTOM POSITION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. DB SAVICKAS PRESS (HOLD AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
3310
2
3
6
90
3310
3
3
7
90
3310
4
4
8
90
3310
Set 1
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
3310
2
3
6
90
3310
3
3
7
90
3310
4
4
8
90
3310
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
Note: *You should be able to use 10-20% more weight than on the previous days because of the
regular tempo
A1. FRONT SQUATS, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW) NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. DB SAVICKAS PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3010
2
3
10
90
3010
3
3
11
90
3010
4
4
12
90
3010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3010
2
3
10
90
3010
3
3
11
90
3010
4
4
12
90
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
B1. DECLINE DB FLIES
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
C1. PREACHER CURL, NARROW GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
60
3010
2
3
10
60
3010
3
3
11
60
3010
4
4
12
60
3010
Set 1
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C2. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
60
3010
2
3
10
60
3010
3
3
11
60
3010
4
4
12
60
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
B1. BARBELL HIP THRUST (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
3310
2
3
6-8
90
3310
3
3
6-8
90
3310
4
4
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LYING LEG CURL (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
3310
2
3
6-8
90
3310
3
3
6-8
90
3310
4
4
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
C1. ROPE PULL-THROUGH (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
75
3310
2
3
6-8
75
3310
3
3
6-8
75
3310
4
4
6-8
75
3310
Set 1
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|
Set 4
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
75
3310
2
3
6-8
75
3310
3
3
6-8
75
3310
4
4
6-8
75
3310
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
120
3310
2
3
6-8
120
3310
3
3
6-8
120
3310
4
4
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE GRIP, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
120
3310
2
3
6-8
120
3310
3
3
6-8
120
3310
4
4
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
75
6010
2
3
4-6
75
6010
3
3
4-6
75
6010
4
4
4-6
75
6010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
75
6010
2
3
4-6
75
6010
3
3
4-6
75
6010
4
4
4-6
75
6010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B1. BARBELL HIP THRUST
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B2. LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
C1. ROPE PULL-THROUGH
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE-GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURLS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
In this second phase the progression model is called double progression. You are given a rep range
(e.g. 6-8) The goal is to use the same weight for all of your sets and complete all those sets at the top
of the range (8 in our example). If you do that, you add weight at the next session. If you do
something like (8,8,7,6) then you stick with the same weight at your next session.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
A1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE-GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURLS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
4010
2
3
4-6
120
4010
3
3
4-6
120
4010
4
4
4-6
120
4010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
4010
2
3
4-6
120
4010
3
3
4-6
120
4010
4
4
4-6
120
4010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DIPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHIN-UPS, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, BI-ACROMINAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
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C2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
A1. LEG PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT WITH BAND AROUND HIPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. BARBELL HIP THRUST
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
B2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
C1. SPLIT SQUAT, WIDE STANCE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12-15
90
3010
2
3
12-15
90
3010
3
3
12-15
90
3010
4
4
12-15
90
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTOID RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. DB HAMMER CURL (BOTH ARMS AT THE SAME TIME)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. LYING EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
C1. CABLE CURL, WIDE GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
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C2. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12-15
75
3010
2
3
12-15
75
3010
3
3
12-15
75
3010
4
4
12-15
75
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Sets
Reps
Rest
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Tempo
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
D1.
Week
D2.
Week
Short limbs, intermediate program. The main difference between the beginner an advanced program
are a higher number of sets and more exercises variation within a phase.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
Note: On all exercises use a very slow eccentric (6 seconds)
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DUMBBELLS ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. SAVICKAS DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
90
6010
2
4
5
90
6010
3
4
6
90
6010
4
5
7
90
6010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
90
6010
2
4
5
90
6010
3
4
6
90
6010
4
5
7
90
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
Note: On all exercises include a 3 seconds isometric hold during the eccentric
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. BACK EXTENSION (HOLD AT THE PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B1. LOW INCLINE (10-15 DEGREES) DB BENCH PRESS (HOLD IN BOTTOM POSITION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. BENT OVER DB ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. BARBELL SAVICKAS PRESS (HOLD AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
3310
2
4
6
90
3310
3
4
7
90
3310
4
5
8
90
3310
Set 1
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, PRONATED (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
3310
2
4
6
90
3310
3
4
7
90
3310
4
5
8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
Note: You should be able to use 10-20% more weight than on the previous days because of the
regular tempo
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW) NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. DB SAVICKAS PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
8
90
3010
3
4
9
90
3010
4
5
10
90
3010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
8
90
3010
3
4
9
90
3010
4
5
10
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add 1-2 rep(s) per set every
week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight from
week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
B1. DECLINE DB FLIES
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
C1. PREACHER CURL, NARROW GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
60
3010
2
4
8
60
3010
3
4
9
60
3010
4
5
10
60
3010
Set 1
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C2. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
60
3010
2
4
8
60
3010
3
4
9
60
3010
4
5
10
60
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add 1-2 rep(s) per set every
week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight from
week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
B1. BARBELL HIP THRUST (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LYING LEG CURL (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
C1. ROPE PULL-THROUGH (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
75
3310
2
4
6-8
75
3310
3
4
6-8
75
3310
4
5
6-8
75
3310
Set 1
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
75
3310
2
4
6-8
75
3310
3
4
6-8
75
3310
4
5
6-8
75
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE GRIP, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
75
6010
2
4
4-6
75
6010
3
4
4-6
75
6010
4
5
4-6
75
6010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
75
6010
2
4
4-6
75
6010
3
4
4-6
75
6010
4
5
4-6
75
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
A1. BACK SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. REVERSE HYPER OR BACK EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B2. SINGLE LEG, LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
C1. ROPE PULL-THROUGH
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10-12
75
3010
2
4
10-12
75
3010
3
4
10-12
75
3010
4
5
10-12
75
3010
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12-15
75
3010
2
4
12-15
75
3010
3
4
12-15
75
3010
4
5
12-15
75
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. SEATED DB SHOULDER PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. PREACHER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
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C2. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. PIN PULL FROM BELOW KNEES
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
B1. DECLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
B2. PENDLAY ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
C1. MILITARY PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
120
4010
2
4
4-6
120
4010
3
4
4-6
120
4010
4
5
4-6
120
4010
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C2. PULL-UPS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
120
4010
2
4
4-6
120
4010
3
4
4-6
120
4010
4
5
4-6
120
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DIPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHIN-UPS, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, BI-ACROMINAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
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C2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
A1. LEG PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT WITH BAND AROUND HIPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. BARBELL HIP THRUST
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
B2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
C1. SPLIT SQUAT, WIDE STANCE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTOID RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. DB HAMMER CURL (BOTH ARMS AT THE SAME TIME)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. LYING EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
C1. CABLE CURL, WIDE GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
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C2. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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SHORT LIMBS ADVANCED PROGRAM
The advanced program uses a similar structure as the first two levels but it also relies on more
advanced training methods and loading schemes. This is because an advanced trainee as a body that
is better adapted to the rigors of physical training and to represent a stress large enough to stimulate
an adaptation we will need a stronger stimulus, simply adding volume is not enough at this point.
Here are the loading schemes and training methods we will be using:
SPECIAL LOADING SCHEMES
8,8,8,6,6: In this scheme you gradually add weight from set to set. You start with a weight that is an
RPE of 7-7.5 for 8 reps and you do 8. Then you add weight up to an RPE of around 8-8.5 and you do
8, the third set is an RPE of 9-9.5 and you do 8. The fourth set would be an RPE of 10 for 8 but you
only do 6 reps (which would be an RPE of 8-8.5 for 6) and then you finish with an RPE of 9-10 for 6
reps.
7/5/3 waves: This scheme has 6 work sets divided into two waves. One wave is 1 x 7, 1 x 5, 1 x 3. Note
that these are treated like 3 normal sets, meaning that after your set of 7 on the A1 exercise you take
a normal rest period then do your set for the A2 one before going back to A1 for your set of 5. You
add weight on each within a wave and the second wave should be higher than the first one.
For example:
1 x 7 @ 135 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 5 @ 142 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 3 @ 150 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 7 @ 140 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1 x 5 @ 147 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1 x 3 @ 155 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1/6 contrasts: This is somewhat similar to waves in that we are changing the load from set to set.
Specifically, we are alternating a heavy (but not maximal) single with a set of 6 with moderate weight.
The important sets are the sets of 6, the singles (sets of 1) are only there to potentiate the nervous
system and give you a better performance for your sets of 6. Each “couplets” get heavier. 6 total sets
(3 couplets) are done.
Here is an example:
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 138 kg / 77% (RPE 7.5)
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 145 kg / 80% (RPE 8.5)
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 150 kg / 82-85% (RPE 9-10)
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SPECIAL METHODS
6-8RP: This stands for 6-8 reps + rest/pause. You do 6-8 reps (RPE of 8.5 – 9) then rest for 15 seconds
and do as many quality additional reps as you can with the same weight.
Mechanical drop set: In a mechanical drop set you perform the prescribed number of repetitions for
the exercise(RPE of 8.5 – 9) then you switch to a second version of the exercises in which you are a bit
stronger and you do as many quality additional reps as possible then you switch to a third version of the
movement and once again do as many quality reps as you can.
For example:
DUMBBELL PRONATED CURL
8 reps
Rest 10 sec
DUMBBELL SUPINATED CURL
Maximum reps with same weight
Rest 10 sec
DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL
Maximum reps with same weight
End of set
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, TOES ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
B1. INCLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED (SEAL) ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
C1. NEUTRAL GRIP DB SHOULDER PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
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C2. NEUTRAL GRIP PULL-UPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
You use a slow eccentric phase during all the exercises in this workout, doing the eccentric in 5
seconds.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. BARBELL HIP THRUST (PAUSE AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
B1. DECLINE BENCH PRESS (PAUSE AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
B2. SEATED ROW, PRONATED GRIP (PAUSE AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
C1. SAVICKAS BARBELL PRESS (PAUSE AT EYES LEVEL)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
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C2. SUPINATED PULL-UPS (PAUSE AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
On this day you add an isometric hold of 3 seconds during the eccentric, on each repetition. The position of the hold is mentioned in the table.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. WIDE STANCE BACK SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
B1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
C1. MILITARY PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
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C2. NARROW SUPINATED PULL-UPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. MACHINE CHEST PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
2
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
3
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
4
5
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
2
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
3
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
4
5
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
B1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
3010
2
4
10
90
3010
3
4
11
90
3010
4
5
12
90
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTS RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
3010
2
4
10
90
3010
3
4
11
90
3010
4
5
12
90
3010
C1. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
75
3010
2
4
10
75
3010
3
4
11
75
3010
4
5
12
75
3010
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C2. PREACHER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
75
3010
2
4
10
75
3010
3
4
11
75
3010
4
5
12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
For A1 and A2 use the double progression model. Only add weight if you can get 8 reps for all of your
set before the rest/pause. If you have to drop your reps, keep the same weight the next week.
For B1/B2 and C1/C2 you add 1-2 reps every week, trying to at least maintain the weight from week to
week.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. RACK PULL FROM BELOW KNEES
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
B1. CYCLIST DB SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
B2. BACK EXTENSION (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
C1. BARBELL HIP THRUST (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
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C2. LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
4010
2
4
6-8
90
4010
3
4
6-8
90
4010
4
5
6-8
90
4010
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Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW, PARALLEL GRIP (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B1. DIPS
Week
B2. BI-ACROMIAL, PRONATED PULL-UPS (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. HACK SQUAT MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. REVERSE HYPER OR GLUTE-HAM RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
B1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8/leg
120
3010
2
4
10/leg
120
3010
3
4
11/leg
120
3010
4
5
12/leg
120
3010
B2. ROPE PULL-THROUGH
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
C1. BACK EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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C2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DECLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. PENDLAY ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
B2. DB PULLOVER
Week
C1. DECLINE DB FLIES
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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C2. REVERSE PEC DECK/REAR DELTS MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. FLOOR PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
B1. SUMO DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
B2. PUSH PRESS
Week
C1. BARBELL HIP THRUST
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
3310
2
3
6-8
90
3310
3
3
6-8
90
3310
4
4
6-8
90
3310
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C2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
4010
2
3
6-8
90
4010
3
3
6-8
90
4010
4
4
6-8
90
4010
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Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DB PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. SEATED ROW MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B1. DB SHOULDER PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LAT PULLDOWN MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. PEC DECK MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. FACE PULL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
DB PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- High incline (75 deg)
- Low incline (30 deg)
- Flat
SEATED ROW MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Leaning forward
- Torso 90 deg
- Leaning back slightly
DB SHOULDER PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Arnold press
- Strict shoulder press
- Push press
LAT PULLDOWN MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Behind the back
- In front mid grip pronated
- Close-supinated
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SHORT LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. LEG PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B1. WALKING LUNGES MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LYING LEG CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. DB FROG PUMPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. BACK EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
LEG PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Feet together and low
- Feet hip width in middle
- Feet wide and high
DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Narrow, toes elevated
- Narrow, feet flat
- Wide, feet flat
WALKING LUNGES MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Short steps
- Medium steps
- Long steps
LYING LEG CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Gironda leg curl
- Feet/legs turned in
- Feet/legs turned out
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP BENCH MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. BARBELL CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
B1. LYING DB TRICEPS EXTENSION MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B2. INCLINE DB CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. CABLE CROSS-OVER
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. STRAIGHT-ARMS PULLDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
CLOSE-GRIP BENCH MECHANICAL DROP SET
- 15cm
- 30 cm
- 45 cm
BARBELL CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Pronated (Reverse) grip
- Supinated wide
- Supinated narrow
LYING DB TRICEPS EXT. MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Supinated
- Pronated
- Neutral
INCLINE DB CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Pronated
- Supinated
- Neutral
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
Note: On all exercises use a very slow eccentric (6 seconds)
A1. SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
6010
2
4
6
120
6010
3
4
7
120
6010
4
5
8
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DUMBBELLS ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
6010
2
4
6
120
6010
3
4
7
120
6010
4
5
8
120
6010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
6010
2
4
6
120
6010
3
4
7
120
6010
4
5
8
120
6010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
6010
2
4
6
120
6010
3
4
7
120
6010
4
5
8
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. HALF-KNEELING, SINGLE ARM DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
6010
2
4
6
90
6010
3
4
7
90
6010
4
5
8
90
6010
Set 1
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C2. SINGLE-ARM LAT PULLDOWN, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
6010
2
4
6
90
6010
3
4
7
90
6010
4
5
8
90
6010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 10
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
Note: On all exercises include a 3 seconds isometric hold during the eccentric
A1. SPLIT SQUAT (HOLD AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT (HOLD IN BOTTOM POSITION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. DB BENCH PRESS (HOLD IN BOTTOM POSITION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACWeek
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
120
3310
2
3
6
120
3310
3
3
7
120
3310
4
4
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. HALF-KNEELING, SINGLE ARM DB PRESS (HOLD AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
3310
2
3
6
90
3310
3
3
7
90
3310
4
4
8
90
3310
Set 1
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Set 5
Set 6
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C2. SINGLE ARM LAT PULLDOWN, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
5
90
3310
2
3
6
90
3310
3
3
7
90
3310
4
4
8
90
3310
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 10
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
Note: You should be able to use 10-20% more weight than on the previous days because of the regular
tempo
A1. SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW) NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
120
3010
2
3
10
120
3010
3
3
11
120
3010
4
4
12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. HALF-KNEELING, SINGLE ARM DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3010
2
3
10
90
3010
3
3
11
90
3010
4
4
12
90
3010
Set 1
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C2. SINGLE ARM LAT PULLDOWN SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3010
2
3
10
90
3010
3
3
11
90
3010
4
4
12
90
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 10
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. LEG PRESS PRESS, NARROW STANCE FEET IN MIDDLE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. STANDING CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
B1. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
Set 1
B2. PREACHER CURL, NARROW GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
75
3010
2
3
10
75
3010
3
3
11
75
3010
4
4
12
75
3010
Set 1
C1. DB HAMMER CURL (ALTERNATING ARMS)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
60
3010
2
3
10
60
3010
3
3
11
60
3010
4
4
12
60
3010
Set 1
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C2. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
60
3010
2
3
10
60
3010
3
3
11
60
3010
4
4
12
60
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 10
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
A1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
B1. LEG PRESS, NARROW STANCE, FEET LOW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
6010
2
3
6-8
90
6010
3
3
6-8
90
6010
4
4
6-8
90
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LYING LEG CURL (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
3310
2
3
6-8
90
3310
3
3
6-8
90
3310
4
4
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. LEG EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
75
3310
2
3
6-8
75
3310
3
3
6-8
75
3310
4
4
6-8
75
3310
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
75
3310
2
3
6-8
75
3310
3
3
6-8
75
3310
4
4
6-8
75
3310
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
Set 2 Set 3
|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP (BI-ACROMINAL WIDTH) BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
120
3310
2
3
6-8
120
3310
3
3
6-8
120
3310
4
4
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
6010
2
3
4-6
120
6010
3
3
4-6
120
6010
4
4
4-6
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE GRIP, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
120
3310
2
3
6-8
120
3310
3
3
6-8
120
3310
4
4
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
75
6010
2
3
4-6
75
6010
3
3
4-6
75
6010
4
4
4-6
75
6010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
75
6010
2
3
4-6
75
6010
3
3
4-6
75
6010
4
4
4-6
75
6010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
Set 2 Set 3
|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
A1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
B1. LEG PRESS, NARROW STANCE, FEET LOW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
C1. LEG EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE-GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURLS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Monday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
B1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE-GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
150
4010
2
3
4-6
150
4010
3
3
4-6
150
4010
4
4
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. INCLINE DB CURLS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
4010
2
3
4-6
120
4010
3
3
4-6
120
4010
4
4
4-6
120
4010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
4-6
120
4010
2
3
4-6
120
4010
3
3
4-6
120
4010
4
4
4-6
120
4010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
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|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 10
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DECLINE CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHIN-UPS, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
B1. HIGH INCLINE (60 DEG) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
B2. SEATED ROW, BI-ACROMINAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
C1. DB BENCH PRESS NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
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C2. FACE PULL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
Set 2 Set 3
|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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POWERED BY
LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Friday
A1. HACK SQUAT MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT WITH BAND AROUND HIPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
120
3010
2
3
10-12
120
3010
3
3
10-12
120
3010
4
4
10-12
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. LEG PRESS, FEET HIP WIDTH, IN THE MIDDLE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
C1. SPLIT SQUAT, NARROW STANCE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
90
3010
2
3
10-12
90
3010
3
3
10-12
90
3010
4
4
10-12
90
3010
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
12-15
90
3010
2
3
12-15
90
3010
3
3
12-15
90
3010
4
4
12-15
90
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
Set 2 Set 3
|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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POWERED BY
LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Beginner Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTOID RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. DB HAMMER CURL (BOTH ARMS AT THE SAME TIME)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. LYING EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
C1. CABLE CURL, WIDE GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
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C2. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
10-12
75
3010
2
3
10-12
75
3010
3
3
10-12
75
3010
4
4
10-12
75
3010
Set 1
CHRISTIAN THIBAUDEAU’S GUIDE TO HYPERTROPHY
Set 2 Set 3
|
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
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Set 9
Set 10
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161
POWERED BY
LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
A1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DUMBBELLS ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
120
6010
2
4
5
120
6010
3
4
6
120
6010
4
5
7
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. SAVICKAS DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
90
6010
2
4
5
90
6010
3
4
6
90
6010
4
5
7
90
6010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4
90
6010
2
4
5
90
6010
3
4
6
90
6010
4
5
7
90
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
Note: On all exercises include a 3 seconds isometric hold during the eccentric
A1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DUMBBELLS ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW), NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
120
3310
2
4
6
120
3310
3
4
7
120
3310
4
5
8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. SAVICKAS DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
3310
2
4
6
90
3310
3
4
7
90
3310
4
5
8
90
3310
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
5
90
3310
2
4
6
90
3310
3
4
7
90
3310
4
5
8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
Note: You should be able to use 10-20% more weight than on the previous days because of the
regular tempo
A1. FRONT SQUATS, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
B1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED DB ROW (SEAL ROW) NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
120
3010
2
4
8
120
3010
3
4
9
120
3010
4
5
10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. DB SAVICKAS PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
8
90
3010
3
4
9
90
3010
4
5
10
90
3010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
90
3010
2
4
8
90
3010
3
4
9
90
3010
4
5
10
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. CHEST PRESS MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTOIDS RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B1. DB HAMMER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
B2. EZ BAR OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
75
3010
2
4
8
75
3010
3
4
9
75
3010
4
5
10
75
3010
Set 1
C1. PREACHER CURL, NARROW GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
60
3010
2
4
8
60
3010
3
4
9
60
3010
4
5
10
60
3010
Set 1
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C2. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6
60
3010
2
4
8
60
3010
3
4
9
60
3010
4
5
10
60
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
The progression model for this day is the gradual volume increase. You add one rep per set
every week. You also add one set on week 4. The goal should be to at least use the same weight
from week, with the rep increase that does represent a progression. If you can weight too, even
better, but don’t sacrifice form simply for adding more weight.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, BARBELL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
B1. HACK SQUAT MACHINE (HOLD AT MID RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LYING LEG CURL (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. SINGLE LEG PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
6010
2
4
6-8
90
6010
3
4
6-8
90
6010
4
5
6-8
90
6010
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C2. STANDING CALVES RAISE (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
3310
2
4
6-8
90
3310
3
4
6-8
90
3310
4
5
6-8
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. INCLINE DB BENCH PRESS (30 DEGREES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B1. STANDING DB PRESS, PRONATED GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
3-5
120
6010
2
4
3-5
120
6010
3
4
3-5
120
6010
4
5
3-5
120
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, CLOSE GRIP, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. PREACHER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
75
6010
2
4
4-6
75
6010
3
4
4-6
75
6010
4
5
4-6
75
6010
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C2. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
75
6010
2
4
4-6
75
6010
3
4
4-6
75
6010
4
5
4-6
75
6010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
A1. BARBELL CYCLIST SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B2. SINGLE LEG, LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
C1. LEG PRESS, WIDE, FEET HIGH
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10-12
75
3010
2
4
10-12
75
3010
3
4
10-12
75
3010
4
5
10-12
75
3010
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12-15
75
3010
2
4
12-15
75
3010
3
4
12-15
75
3010
4
5
12-15
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. DB BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. SEATED DB ARNOLD PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. STANDING BARBELL CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
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C2. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. GLUTE-HAM RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
B1. INCLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
B2. PENDLAY ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
150
4010
2
4
4-6
150
4010
3
4
4-6
150
4010
4
5
4-6
150
4010
C1. MILITARY PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
120
4010
2
4
4-6
120
4010
3
4
4-6
120
4010
4
5
4-6
120
4010
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C2. PULL-UPS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
120
4010
2
4
4-6
120
4010
3
4
4-6
120
4010
4
5
4-6
120
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP (SHOULDER WIDTH) DECLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. CHIN-UPS, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
B2. SEATED ROW, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, PRONATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
C1. DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
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C2. REVERSE PEC DECK (REAR DELTS MACHINE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
4-6
75
3010
2
4
4-6
75
3010
3
4
4-6
75
3010
4
5
4-6
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Friday
A1. HACK SQUAT MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
120
3010
2
4
8-10
120
3010
3
4
8-10
120
3010
4
5
8-10
120
3010
B1. LEG PRESS NARROW STANCE, ON TOES (HEEL NOT TOUCHING)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
C1. STATIC LUNGES FRONT FOOT ELEVATED, GOING AS FAR FORWARD AS POSSIBLE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
90
3010
2
4
8-10
90
3010
3
4
8-10
90
3010
4
5
8-10
90
3010
Set 1
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Set 7
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C2. SEATED CALVES RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
12-15
90
3010
2
4
12-15
90
3010
3
4
12-15
90
3010
4
5
12-15
90
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Intermediate Level
Day: Saturday
A1. STANDING BARBELL CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
A2. INCLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
B1. DB HAMMER CURL (BOTH ARMS AT THE SAME TIME)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
B2. LYING EZ BAR TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
C1. CABLE CURL, WIDE GRIP, SUPINATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
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C2. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8-10
75
3010
2
4
8-10
75
3010
3
4
8-10
75
3010
4
5
8-10
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
This day uses the double progression model. The goal is to use the same weight for all of your work
sets. When you can get the top of the rep range you add weight at the next session.
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LONG LIMBS ADVANCED PROGRAM
The advanced program uses a similar structure as the first two levels but it also relies on more
advanced training methods and loading schemes. This is because an advanced trainee as a body that
is better adapted to the rigors of physical training and to represent a stress large enough to stimulate
an adaptation we will need a stronger stimulus, simply adding volume is not enough at this point.
Here are the loading schemes and training methods we will be using:
SPECIAL LOADING SCHEMES
8,8,8,6,6: In this scheme you gradually add weight from set to set. You start with a weight that is an
RPE of 7-7.5 for 8 reps and you do 8. Then you add weight up to an RPE of around 8-8.5 and you do
8, the third set is an RPE of 9-9.5 and you do 8. The fourth set would be an RPE of 10 for 8 but you
only do 6 reps (which would be an RPE of 8-8.5 for 6) and then you finish with an RPE of 9-10 for 6
reps.
7/5/3 waves: This scheme has 6 work sets divided into two waves. One wave is 1 x 7, 1 x 5, 1 x 3. Note
that these are treated like 3 normal sets, meaning that after your set of 7 on the A1 exercise you take
a normal rest period then do your set for the A2 one before going back to A1 for your set of 5. You
add weight on each within a wave and the second wave should be higher than the first one.
For example:
1 x 7 @ 135 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 5 @ 142 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 3 @ 150 kg (RPE 7.5 – 8.0)
1 x 7 @ 140 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1 x 5 @ 147 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1 x 3 @ 155 kg (RPE 8.5 – 9.0)
1/6 contrasts: This is somewhat similar to waves in that we are changing the load from set to set.
Specifically we are alternating a heavy (but not maximal) single with a set of 6 with moderate weight.
The important sets are the sets of 6, the singles (sets of 1) are only there to potentiate the nervous
system and give you a better performance for your sets of 6. Each “couplets” get heavier. 6 total sets
(3 couplets) are done.
Here is an example:
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 138 kg / 77% (RPE 7.5)
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 145 kg / 80% (RPE 8.5)
1 x 1 @ 160 kg / 90% (RPE 8)
1 x 6 @ 150 kg / 82-85% (RPE 9-10)
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SPECIAL METHODS
6-8RP: This stands for 6-8 reps + rest/pause. You do 6-8 reps (RPE of 8.5 – 9) then rest for 15 seconds
and do as many quality additional reps as you can with the same weight.
Mechanical drop set: In a mechanical drop set you perform the prescribed number of repetitions for
the exercise(RPE of 8.5 – 9) then you switch to a second version of the exercises in which you are a bit
stronger and you do as many quality additional reps as possible then you switch to a third version of the
movement and once again do as many quality reps as you can.
For example:
DUMBBELL PRONATED CURL
8 reps
Rest 10 sec
DUMBBELL SUPINATED CURL
Maximum reps with same weight
Rest 10 sec
DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL
Maximum reps with same weight
End of set
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. FRONT SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, TOES ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
5010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED (SEAL) ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
C1. SAVICKAS DB SHOULDER PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
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C2. NEUTRAL GRIP PULL-UPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
5010
2
4
6-8
120
5010
3
4
6-8
120
5010
4
5
6-8
120
5010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
You use a slow eccentric phase during all the exercises in this workout, doing the eccentric in 5
seconds.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DB CYCLIST SQUAT (PAUSE AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. GLUTE-HAM RAISE (PAUSE AT MID-RANGE)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3310
B1. DB BENCH PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
B2. SEATED ROW, PRONATED GRIP (PAUSE AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
C1. SAVICKAS BARBELL PRESS (PAUSE AT EYES LEVEL)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
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C2. SUPINATED PULL-UPS (PAUSE AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
On this day you add an isometric hold of 3 seconds during the eccentric, on each repetition. The position of the hold is mentioned in the table.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. FRONT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
2
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
3
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
4
5
8/8/8/6/6
150
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS, PRONATED GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
B2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
C1. STANDING DB SHOULDER PRESS, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
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C2. NARROW SUPINATED PULL-UPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3010
2
4
6-8
120
3010
3
4
6-8
120
3010
4
5
6-8
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
On this day you use a progressive overload method. The goal is to use a bit more weight every week.
I might not be possible to do it every week, but it should be your goal.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 1
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. MACHINE CHEST PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
2
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
3
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
4
5
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. DB PULLOVER
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
2
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
3
4
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
4
5
Rest/pause 6-8
120
3010
B1. DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
3010
2
4
10
90
3010
3
4
11
90
3010
4
5
12
90
3010
B2. CHEST-SUPPORTED REAR DELTS RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
90
3010
2
4
10
90
3010
3
4
11
90
3010
4
5
12
90
3010
C1. DECLINE DB TRICEPS EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
75
3010
2
4
10
75
3010
3
4
11
75
3010
4
5
12
75
3010
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C2. PREACHER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
75
3010
2
4
10
75
3010
3
4
11
75
3010
4
5
12
75
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
For A1 and A2 use the double progression model. Only add weight if you can get 8 reps for all of your
set before the rest/pause. If you have to drop your reps, keep the same weight the next week.
For B1/B2 and C1/C2 you add 1-2 reps every week, trying to at least maintain the weight from week to
week.
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. WALKING LUNGES, LONG STEPS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
2010
B1. CYCLIST DB SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
B2. BACK EXTENSION (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
C1. LEG PRESS, NARROW STANCE, ON YOUR TOES (HEELS NOT TOUCHING)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
4010
2
4
6-8
90
4010
3
4
6-8
90
4010
4
5
6-8
90
4010
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C2. LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
90
4010
2
4
6-8
90
4010
3
4
6-8
90
4010
4
5
6-8
90
4010
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP (SHOULDER WIDTH) BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. T-BAR/LANDMINE ROW, PARALLEL GRIP (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
3310
2
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
3310
3
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
3310
4
6
7/5/3/7/5/3
150
3310
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B1. DIPS
Week
B2. BI-ACROMIAL, PRONATED PULL-UPS (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. HIGH INCLINE (75 DEGREES) DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
4010
2
4
6-8
120
4010
3
4
6-8
120
4010
4
5
6-8
120
4010
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C2. LAT PULLDOWN, BI-ACROMIAL WIDTH, SUPINATED (HOLD AT PEAK CONTRACTION)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
6-8
120
3310
2
4
6-8
120
3310
3
4
6-8
120
3310
4
5
6-8
120
3310
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. HACK SQUAT MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. REVERSE HYPER OR GLUTE-HAM RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
B1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8/leg
120
3010
2
4
10/leg
120
3010
3
4
11/leg
120
3010
4
5
12/leg
120
3010
B2. SINGLE LEG LYING LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
C1. BACK EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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C2. SEATED LEG CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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Set 4
Set 5
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Set 7
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 2
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP DECLINE BENCH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. PENDLAY ROW
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
2
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
3
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
4
6
Rest/pause 6-8
150
3010
B1. INCLINE DB PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
8
120
3010
2
4
10
120
3010
3
4
11
120
3010
4
5
12
120
3010
B2. FACE PULL
Week
C1. INCLINE DB FRONT RAISE, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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C2. REVERSE PEC DECK/REAR DELTS MACHINE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
4
10
90
3010
2
4
12
90
3010
3
4
13
90
3010
4
5
14
90
3010
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Set 5
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Monday
A1. BACK SQUAT, HEELS ELEVATED
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
4010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. CLOSE-GRIP (SHOULDER WIDTH) FLOOR PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
2010
B1. DEADLIFT
Week
B2. DB PUSH PRESS
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
2
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
3
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
4
6
1/6/1/6/1/6
150
20X0
C1. BARBELL HACK SQUAT
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
3310
2
3
6-8
90
3310
3
3
6-8
90
3310
4
4
6-8
90
3310
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C2. SEATED ROW, NEUTRAL GRIP
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8
90
4010
2
3
6-8
90
4010
3
3
6-8
90
4010
4
4
6-8
90
4010
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Set 5
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Set 7
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Wednesday
A1. DB PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. SEATED ROW MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B1. DB SHOULDER PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LAT PULLDOWN MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. INCLINE DB LATERAL RAISE
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. FACE PULL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
DB PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- High incline (75 deg)
- Low incline (30 deg)
- Flat
SEATED ROW MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Leaning forward
- Torso 90 deg
- Leaning back slightly
DB SHOULDER PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Arnold press
- Strict shoulder press
- Push press
LAT PULLDOWN MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Behind the back
- In front mid grip pronated
- Close-supinated
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Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Friday
A1. LEG PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B1. WALKING LUNGES MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
B2. LYING LEG CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. LEG EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. BACK EXTENSION
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
LEG PRESS MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Feet together and low
- Feet hip width in middle
- Feet wide and high
DB ROMANIAN DEADLIFT MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Narrow, toes elevated
- Narrow, feet flat
- Wide, feet flat
WALKING LUNGES MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Short steps
- Medium steps
- Long steps
LYING LEG CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Gironda leg curl
- Feet/legs turned in
- Feet/legs turned out
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LONG LIMBS
Client:
Coach: Christian Thibaudeau
Phase: Phase 3
Level: Advanced Level
Day: Saturday
A1. CLOSE-GRIP BENCH MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
A2. BARBELL CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
B1. LYING DB TRICEPS EXTENSION MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
B2. INCLINE DB CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET (SEE BOTTOM FOR EXERCISES)
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
2
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
3
3
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
4
4
6-8 + max + max
120
3010
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
C1. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
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C2. ROPE HAMMER CURL
Week
Sets
Reps
Rest
Tempo
1
3
8
90
3310
2
3
10
90
3310
3
3
11
90
3310
4
4
12
90
3310
Set 1
Set 2 Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
CLOSE-GRIP BENCH MECHANICAL DROP SET
- 15cm
- 30 cm
- 45 cm
BARBELL CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Pronated (Reverse) grip
- Supinated wide
- Supinated narrow
LYING DB TRICEPS EXT. MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Supinated
- Pronated
- Neutral
INCLINE DB CURL MECHANICAL DROP SET
- Pronated
- Supinated
- Neutral
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NUTRITION PLAN FOR
HYPERTROPHY
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NUTRITION PLAN FOR HYPERTROPHY
I will not be giving you a plan where all the foods are selected for you. Rather I will tell you how to
build your own diet. First by calculating your macros, then by showing you where to eat what, what
are the best foods to pick and how to adjust your calories/nutrients on a weekly basis.
Nutritional Variable
Heavy Training Day
Meal frequency
Every 4 hours (4-5 meals a day)
Starting calories
Body weight in kg x 35
Progression target
Gain 0.5 – 1 kg per week
Weekly adjustment
If you do not reach that goal increase caloric intake by a
factor of 2 (e.g. 37 instead of 35) if you gain more than 1.25
kg reduce by a factor of 1-2
Proteins
2.25 – 2.5 g per kg
Spread evenly across meals
Fats
50% of non-protein calories
Spread fat outside of the pre, insta and post-workout
window
Carbs
50% of non-protein calories
40% of the carbs are around the workout (pre/intra/post)
40% or so is in the evening meal and the rest is in the other
carb meal and trace carbs in protein + fat meals
Refeeds
Depends on how lean you are. Since you are in a
mass-gaining phase there is no physiological need for
refeeds but if you are lean you can have a cheat meal once
every 7-10 days
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Nutritional Variable
“Bodybuilding” Training Day
Meal frequency
Every 4 hours (4-5 meals a day)
Starting calories
Body weight in kg x 35
Progression target
Gain 0.5 – 1 kg per week.
Weekly adjustment
If you do not reach that goal increase caloric intake by a
factor of 2 (e.g. 37 instead of 35) if you gain more than 1.25
kg reduce by a factor of 1-2
Proteins
2.25 – 2.5 g per kg
Spread evenly across meals
Fats
30% of non-protein calories
Spread fat outside of the pre, insta and post-workout
window
Carbs
70% of non-protein calories
40% of the carbs are around the workout (pre/intra/post)
40% or so is in the evening meal and the rest is in the other
carb meal and trace carbs in protein + fat meals
Refeeds
Nutritional Variable
Off Days
Meal frequency
Every 4 hours (4-5 meals a day)
Starting calories
Body weight in kg x 25
Progression target
Gain 0.5 – 1 kg per week
Weekly adjustment
If you do not reach that goal increase caloric intake by a
factor of 2 (e.g. 37 instead of 35) if you gain more than 1.25
kg reduce by a factor of 1-2
Proteins
2.5 – 2.75 g per kg
Spread evenly across meals
Fats
70% of non-protein calories
Spread fat pretty evenly throughout your meals
Carbs
30% of non-protein calories
Consumed mostly in the evening meal
Refeeds
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BEST FOOD CHOICES
Though important when trying to get crazy lean, food selection is less crucial when trying to build
as much muscle as possible. While building muscle flexible dieting/IIFYM can be applied. However,
I still recommend food choices based on non-transformed foods as much as possible. That is not to
say that you cannot have some “non-optimal” foods occasionally provided that it stays within your
planned macros. Here is my recommended food choice list:
Carbs Sources
Amount of carbs per 100g
Sprouted grain bread
47g
Oatmeal
11g
Rice
25g
Rice Cereals
87g
Rice Pasta
81g
Quinoa
26g
Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes
20g
Beans, Lentils
17g
Pineapple
17g
Berries
8g
Banana
23g
Maltodextrin, Destrose, Wazy
Maize, HBCD
100g
Protein Sources
Amount of Protein per 100g
Turkey
29g
Chicken Breast
29g
Lean Cut Beef
29g
Lean Pork
29g
Eggs
13g
Cod
21g
Whey Protein
87g
Shrimp
28g
Elk
23g
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Fat Sources
Amount of Fats per 100g
Walnuts
65g
Pumpkin Seeds
46g
Avocado
15g
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100g
Almonds
51g
Coconut Oil
100g
Grass Fed Butter
81g
Almonds/ Peanut Butter (All Natural)
50g
MEAL SCHEDULE
Though important when trying to get crazy lean, food selection is less crucial when trying to build
as much muscle as possible. While building muscle flexible dieting/IIFYM can be applied. However,
I still recommend food choices based on non-transformed foods as much as possible. That is not to
say that you cannot have some “non-optimal” foods occasionally provided that it stays within your
planned macros. Here is my recommended food choice list:
Training Early Morning (no time for breakfast)
Workout: Protein and carbs
Breakfast: Protein and carbs
Lunch: Protein and fats
Dinner: Protein and fats
Evening: Protein and carbs
Training in the Morning (with time for breakfast)
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Lunch: Protein and fats
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Evening: Protein and carbs
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Training in the Mid-Afternoon
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Lunch: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Evening: Protein and carbs
Training in the Late-Afternoon
Breakfast: Protein and fats
Lunch: Protein and fats
Workout: Protein and carbs
Dinner: Protein and carbs
Evening: Protein and carbs
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Physiology, 72-81.
Cameron J. Mitchell, T. A.-V. (2012). Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated
hypertrophic gains in young men. Journal of applied physiology, 71-77.
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Christian Thibaudeau powered by Clean Health Fitness Institute
Build Your Physique 2019
First published & distributed May 2019 by Clean Health Fitness Institute
Disclaimer:
The content of this e-book is to serve as a general overview of matters of interest and is not intended to
be comprehensive, nor does it constitute medical (or other) advice in any way. This e-book is a compilation
of one person’s ideas, concepts, ideologies, philosophies and opinions. You should carry out your own
research and/or seek your own professional advice before acting or relying on any of the information
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accept sole responsibility for the outcomes if you choose toadopt and/or use the systems, methods, ideas,
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