SWEAT!
Special Workouts, Exercises
and Advanced Techniques
By Geoffrey Verity Schofield
1
SWEAT!................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Special Workouts, Exercises and Advanced Techniques........................................................................................1
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 4
About the Author & Book........................................................................................................................................ 5
Compendium One: Body Parts.................................................................................................................................7
Compendium Two: Exercises................................................................................................................................. 14
Hinge...................................................................................................................................................................17
Squat...................................................................................................................................................................32
Row.....................................................................................................................................................................44
Push.................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Pull...................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Press................................................................................................................................................................... 70
Shoulders............................................................................................................................................................77
Curl..................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Extend.................................................................................................................................................................94
Abs...................................................................................................................................................................... 98
Calves................................................................................................................................................................105
Compendium Three: Programming..................................................................................................................... 108
Sets and Reps................................................................................................................................................... 108
Volume............................................................................................................................................................. 109
Intensity............................................................................................................................................................113
Frequency.........................................................................................................................................................115
Balancing Volume, Intensity and Frequency....................................................................................................115
Example Volume and Intensity Combinations................................................................................................. 117
Choosing a Split................................................................................................................................................ 119
Putting It All Together...................................................................................................................................... 123
Example of Creating a Training Plan.................................................................................................................123
Risk vs Reward..................................................................................................................................................125
Keeping a Training Log..................................................................................................................................... 127
Compendium Four: Equipment........................................................................................................................... 129
Essential Equipment......................................................................................................................................... 129
Optional Equipment......................................................................................................................................... 131
Personal Equipment......................................................................................................................................... 134
2
Compendium Five: Special Workouts and Techniques....................................................................................... 137
Manipulating Sets.............................................................................................................................................138
Manipulating Reps............................................................................................................................................147
Compendium Six: Cardio......................................................................................................................................154
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).............................................................................................................. 154
HIIT Protocols................................................................................................................................................... 158
Low Intensity Steady State (LISS)..................................................................................................................... 159
Tracking Cardio.................................................................................................................................................159
LISS vs HIIT: How to Program Cardio................................................................................................................162
Compendium Seven: Injuries...............................................................................................................................164
General Strategies for Staying Healthy............................................................................................................ 164
Exercise Specific Technique Cues.....................................................................................................................168
My ______ Hurts.............................................................................................................................................. 172
Compendium Eight:............................................................................................................................................. 174
Sample Training Plans.......................................................................................................................................... 174
Training Plan One: The Lazy Man’s plan............................................................................................................ 175
Training Plan Two: The Busy Man’s plan..........................................................................................................181
Training Plan Three: Athlete Power Plan......................................................................................................... 185
Training Plan Four: Beast Plan..........................................................................................................................191
Training Plan Five: Deva Plan........................................................................................................................... 199
Training Plan Six: Spartan Plan......................................................................................................................... 203
Compendium Nine: Making Progress.................................................................................................................. 206
Swapping Exercises...........................................................................................................................................206
Progressing....................................................................................................................................................... 206
Minor Adjustments...........................................................................................................................................208
Major Adjustments...........................................................................................................................................213
Compendium Ten: Strength Standards............................................................................................................... 217
Frequently Asked Questions................................................................................................................................219
Appendix.............................................................................................................................................................. 221
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................................. 246
3
Introduction
Exercise is the elixir of life, and the single best thing that you can do for yourself.
The only people who don’t agree with that statement are those who have never exercised
and thus have never experienced its benefits, or those who always have and thus take it for
granted.
The goal of this book is not to set you on the path of exercising. You are clearly already
interested in pursuing that goal if you have opened this book. It will give you ideas, options
and general guidelines to optimize your plan. This book can be read from page one straight
through, or in any order that you want. Read some of it, all of it, or none of it. It’s up to
you.
The information is here for you to take, but you’ll need to apply it to yourself through
personal experimentation. You will not be spoon-fed, but you will be better off because of
it. Doing so will allow you to become a better personal trainer of yourself than I or anyone
else can. It will give you the satisfaction of taking the responsibility of how you look and
feel onto your own shoulders. Or, into your own hands, if you prefer deadlifting metaphors.
That’s my gift to you.
Compendium one is a brief introduction to your muscles, divided up by body parts. Also
included are the three most effective exercises as a reference for those who want to
specifically develop that area. Compendium two is the movement pattern section with a
variety of exercises to choose from, divided up into beginner, intermediate and advanced. A
description of how to do the exercise, a few pictures of yours truly and some tips and tricks
are included. At the end it gives a suggested rep range, recovery cost and overall
effectiveness. All pictures are from REAL SETS, not just posing for the camera!
Compendium three will teach you about programming-how best to take the exercises from
compendium two and schedule them into your week for maximum results. How many sets,
how heavy of weight to use, how often you work out and more will be addressed here. The
goal is to “hack” working out to get more results in less time and effort. Time and
willpower are limited resources, and you want to use them intelligently. Compendium four
is all about the equipment that will help you reach your goals and how to tell if a gym is
garbage. Compendium five introduces some special techniques that can help intermediate
and advanced lifters get more out of their training. If you’re looking for something to
redefine what it means to work hard and supercharge your progress, this is the section for
you!
Compendium six is all about cardio and how to implement it into your schedule.
Regardless of the intensity or the form of exercise you choose, all the information you’ll
need is here. Compendium seven talks about injuries. How they happen, how to avoid
them, and what to do if you’re already experiencing one.
4
Compendium eight shares some sample training plans that you can try if you don’t want to
fully develop one for yourself. Compendium nine is about making adjustments to your
training plan. Sometimes entropy gets in the way of the best laid plans, and this will show
you how to make things right. Compendium ten is about strength standards, to give you an
idea of how you compare to the rest of the world.
About the Author & Book
Ever since I popped out of the womb, I’ve always been interested in
how things work. I’ve also always been pretty active. In high school
I ran cross country and track and field, but was constantly injured
due to poor training choices. I was either skinny, or worse, skinnyfat. Diet was less than an afterthought, as a
lot of it got burnt off in the furnaces of
youth and hard miles, but often my progress
was transient and unpredictable. About five
years ago, I started lifting weights. I started with just the bar on a lot
of exercises, and some less than that. I made good progress though,
and went from 68kg to 78kg in about four months. I was hooked.
Over the next few years, I read hundreds, if not thousands of hours
about training. Websites, articles, books, forum posts, social media
groups, old Soviet training manuals, descriptions of Olympians
favorite workouts, anything I could get my hands on about how to get top results. During
this time I went up to about 96kg, all drug free. I made a lot of friends along the way too! I
don’t have a degree in physiology or anything fitness related, but I’ve discovered what works
for me, and I’m determined to help you find what works for you. Every body is different,
and I would never claim that my plan should be your plan-but between these pages is
something that is perfect for you.
I’ve read many workout books that looked professional but were actually complete crap-the
knowledge between these covers is what motivates me to write it. In
some ways it’s like the training itself. If you stick
to the basics and work hard, you don’t need a lot
of fancy technology or automation to get the job
done.
You can find a plethora of posts on quora-20
million or more views there, and training videos on
Instagram. My DMs are open, just mention that you are a proud owner
of this book.
5
https://www.quora.com/profile/Geoffrey-Verity-Schofield
https://www.instagram.com/geoffreyverityschofield/
Finally, a shout-out to my sponsors, www.baleaf.com You guys are the best.
6
Compendium One: Body Parts
This section will give a brief and simple introduction on the anatomy of the area and its
main functions. It won’t go into excruciating detail or use overly scientific language, but will
share enough to help you train more effectively. When you know the function of a muscle,
you can target it better. This section is also useful for those who are interested in
developing or improving a certain area of their body. If you want bigger biceps or quads,
this can give you a quick glance at the “best” three exercises for that area. There is some
overlap between this section and the movement pattern sections. You’ll see the same
exercises in both.
Shoulders
Shoulders, or “deltoids”, are one of the most important body parts. They are vital to create
a “V-shape” of the body which is aesthetic for both men and
women. Direct shoulder work can
also help maintain shoulder health,
something that is certainly important
for long term progress in the gym!
Shoulders can be difficult to train,
because the shoulder joint has a huge
range of motion and the various parts
of the muscle have many different
functions. The front of the shoulder raises the upper arm or
brings it in front across the body, and is heavily involved with pressing and pushing
exercises like bench press, dips and overhead press. The side of the shoulder raises the arm
to the side and is involved in overhead work, particularly behind the neck, as well as lateral
raises. The rear shoulder does the opposite of the front of the shoulder, moving the arm
from in front to back behind you and is recruited with most pulling and rowing exercises.
Shoulders respond well to higher reps (twelve to twenty) and recover fast as well, making
how frequently you train them important.
Three best front shoulder exercises:
• Standing Barbell Overhead Press
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Incline Bench Press
Three best side shoulder exercises:
• Lateral Raise
• Cable Lateral Raise
• Seated Lateral Raise
Three best rear shoulder exercises:
7
• Seated/Prone Rear Delt Raise
• Standing Rear Delt Raise
• Face Pull
Traps
The traps are a large muscle in the back that attaches the entire
length of the shoulder blades.
The main function of the traps
is to move your shoulder blades
up, together or down. Since the
first and last of those functions
are complete opposites, a
variety of exercises are necessary to fully develop the traps.
Large traps convey an appearance of power and density, and proper development is crucial
for long term shoulder health. Because they are near the head, trap development is very
recognizable, if someone has development in this area it can completely change the way they
look. They have the fastest growth response of any muscle group listed here. If you train
them properly you should notice results almost immediately, certainly in less than a week.
They respond very quickly to heavy weights with a bit of higher rep work. They’re also very
durable so don’t be afraid to really go after ‘em.
Three best upper trap exercises:
• Shrug
• Farmers Walks
• Low Pull from the Hang
Three best middle trap exercises:
• Barbell Bent Over Row
• Cable/Chest Supported/Machine row
• Kroc Row
Three best lower trap exercises:
• Wide Grip Pullup
• Behind the Neck pulldown
• Face Pull
Lats
The lats are the largest back muscle and are
among the largest in the entire body. They are
mainly responsible for bringing the upper arm
from above the body to down alongside it.
8
Well-developed lats are important for creating width in the upper body and are visible from
both the front and back. They are also the only muscle that attaches to both the upper and
lower body, making them a vital stabilizer during many lifts. The lats respond best to
higher rep training, in the twelve to twenty rep range, and a higher overall volume. They’re
very durable and can tolerate a lot of punishment. I’ve never even heard of someone tearing
a lat. Attack those bad boys.
The three best lat exercises are:
•
Pullups
•
Pulldowns
•
Standing Cable Pullover
Chest
The chest, or “pecs”, are a vital and visible
part of the upper body. Even when wearing
clothes, it is very clear when fully
developed. The chest is mainly responsible
for bringing the upper arm across the body.
The chest is best hit with compound
exercises like all sorts of bench pressing and dips, but isolation work
like flys can be useful as well. The chest responds to a good range of motion and stretch,
and a variety of rep ranges. They are a bit more fragile than some other muscles, so be
slightly more conservative when training chest. Pec tears and strains are very common in
those who bench press a lot.
The three best chest exercises are:
• Incline Bench Press
• Dips
• Dumbbell Bench press
Triceps
The triceps are a three-headed muscle that are located on the back of the upper arm. Their
main function is to extend the elbow, straightening the arm.
The triceps are actually a lot bigger
than the biceps, particularly if the arm
is resting alongside the torso. Since it
is most of the time in life, if you want
bigger arms, triceps are the place to
put emphasis on.
The triceps are hit quite hard from both pushing and pressing exercises such as bench press,
incline press and overhead press. Direct exercises to isolate the muscle is not necessary but
can accelerate growth. Overhead triceps work is the best way to hit the “long head” of the
9
triceps, which has the most potential for growth. Triceps respond best to low to moderate
reps. The six to eight rep range for compound exercises (dips and close grip bench press)
and the eight to twelve for isolation is perfect. No need to go crazy with the volume.
The three best exercises to hit the triceps are:
• Overhead Cable Extension
• Dips
• Overhead Dumbbell Extension
Biceps
The biceps are a small yet potentially
visually stunning muscle. When
someone asks you to flex a muscle,
they invariably expect you not to
show your leg, chest or back but to
raise your arm and show your bicep.
The main function of the bicep is to flex or curl the elbow,
which happens during pulling and rowing exercises, but isolation work is perhaps useful for
maximal growth. The best way to train the biceps are through pullups and rows, but also
through curling variations such as basic barbell curls, reverse curls, preacher curls, dumbbell
curls and hammer curls. Biceps respond best to the eight to fifteen rep range, and can
handle quite a bit of volume. Try to keep your form strict when curling, not swinging the
weight. It’s very easy on some of these exercises to be working hips, shoulders and lower
back rather than the actual bicep!
The three best bicep exercises are:
• Pullups
• Standing Barbell Curl
• Preacher Curl
Forearms
Forearms are a crucial, yet often overlooked body part.
When wearing clothing that humans typically prefer, they
are one of the few body parts that are visible, and thus
their development or lack thereof is almost always on
display. They are also critical for elbow and wrist health,
and holding onto heavy rows and deadlifts. The forearms
will naturally get trained when holding onto such heavy
barbell work, but for maximal growth some specific work should be done.
The three most effective forearm exercises are:
•
Bent over row
10
•
•
Reverse Grip Curls
Farmers Walks
Quads
Aesthetically, quadriceps are the most impressive muscle in the lower body.
Furthermore, well developed quads are
important for keeping the knee joint healthy.
Their main function is to extend the knee, like
in a kicking motion. They also greatly
contribute to squatting and deadlifting strength,
sprinting and overall sports performance. Quads respond well
to high volume, but to make sure that your knees feel fine, it’s
best to add sets gradually over time. Additionally, when
squatting, make sure that you are actually using the quads rather
than the hamstrings, glutes and lower back-see the squat
movement pattern section for more details.
The three best quadriceps exercises are:
• High Bar Back Squat
• Front Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat (short step)
Glutes
Glute development is the most widely sought out
muscle group for female trainees but they are
important for men as well. They mainly extend
the hips which happens naturally when walking,
running or getting up from a chair. Strong glutes
greatly contribute to athletic performance. The squat, deadlift,
Olympic lifting as well as sprinting and jumping all rely heavily on “dat
ass”. If you want to be more athletic, the glutes are a good place to add muscle. They
respond well to low reps, but the occasional high rep set can also be very effective.
The three most effective glute exercises are:
• Glute Bridge
• Sumo Deadlift
• Lunge (long step)
Hamstrings
The hamstrings are located on the back of the
11
upper leg and are responsible for extending the hip joint, just as the glutes, but also flexing
the knee joint. While not a particularly visible or aesthetic muscle, the hamstrings are vital
for sports performance. Sprinting, jumping, deadlifting and Olympic lifting are all very
reliant on the massive explosive power that the hamstrings provide. If you want to run faster
and jump higher, focus on the hammies. They respond best to low reps and low volume.
They definitely aren’t the most resilient muscle group in the body, so it’s best not to go
crazy with how many sets you do.
The three most effective hamstring exercises are:
• Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
• Nordic Hamstring Curl
• Hamstring Ball Curl
Calves
When calves are not very well developed it is very obvious,
contributing to the “chicken leg” appearance. They
mainly extend the ankle, like when a ballerina is
dancing. The calves are somewhat stimulated by
lower body movements such as squats and Olympic
lifting, as well as running and sprinting, but for
maximal development isolation work is definitely
needed. You can do damn near anything to the
calves and they won’t have problems. We walk around on them all day so
they are build to last. Higher reps, or slower reps including pauses to really
feel the calf muscle rather than the Achilles tendon work, are ideal due to
the range of motion naturally being pretty short.
The three best calf exercises:
• Standing calf raise
• Seated calf raises
• Leg press calf raise
Abs
The abdominal region is comprised of several distinct muscle groups
and fully developed abs are very visually impressive, especially at a
low body fat percentage. That last point
is mainly a factor of diet, not training,
which is slightly beyond the scope of this
book.
Many of the abdominal muscles will be
hit during overhead presses, squats and
deadlifts, but targeted work can really
make the abdominal muscles appear clearly. They can also help you
12
maintain correct posture and prevent injury. Abs respond better to higher reps and high
variety of movements.
The three best ab exercises:
• Side bend (obliques-side of abs)
• Ab wheel (upper abs)
• Foot to bar (lower abs)
Section Recap: Each muscle group has a unique group of
functions, and requires specific exercises to maximize its
potential.
13
Compendium Two: Exercises
The exercises listed below are grouped by movement pattern. This means that each group
of exercises works similar muscles, listed below:
Hinge-Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back, Abs
Squat-Quads, Glutes, Lower Back, Abs
Row-Lats, Traps, Rear Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms
Push-Chest, Front Shoulders, Triceps
Pull-Lats, Rear Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms
Press-Front+Side Shoulders, Triceps, Abs
Shoulders-Front+Side+Rear Shoulders
Curl-Biceps, Forearms
Extend-Triceps
Abs-Abs (duh)
Calves-Calves (also duh)
Having a good variety of movements to choose from allows you to really tailor your
program to yourself. Don’t like a movement? Then don’t do it. Switch it out for something
similar but different. That isn’t to say you should completely avoid squatting variations just
because you don’t like them, but if you really like back squatting and detest front squatting,
there is absolutely no harm in choosing what you like to do. You need to enjoy your
training for it to be sustainable.
I don’t give you hundreds of exercises so that you can do hundreds of exercises. I give you
hundreds of exercises so that you can find the best twenty to forty that are ideal for you.
Find two to four exercises per movement pattern that target the muscles that you want to
develop, you enjoy doing on some level, and can do pain free.
How to read this section
This section is broken down into the eleven movement patterns, with roughly ten to fifteen
exercises for each. In each movement pattern section, it will note which muscles it targets,
give some tips and tricks on how to get optimal results, share some considerations for
volume, frequency and intensity as well as how to keep you safe and injury free. For each
exercise, there will be a picture or two showing the movement and a short description of
how to perform the exercise. There will also be a few notes for every exercise: difficulty,
effectiveness, recovery cost, rep range and priority.
Difficulty is simply when it is suggested to try this movement.
14
Beginner means that this exercise is appropriate for anyone, even someone on their first day
starting in the gym.
Intermediate exercises are ones that should be tried only after a few months of mastering
beginner level exercises. A beginner COULD start off with these, but there is no real reason
to, they are better off left for later in most cases.
Advanced exercises are ones that complete beginners have no business
attempting under any circumstances. These exercises are often extremely
effective, but are more difficult to learn and are potentially risky if you
haven’t already mastered the lower levels. Try them after you have a few
months of beginner and intermediate exercises under your belt.
Keep in mind that some exercises in the
beginner section are extremely effective.
Just because they are easy to learn does
not mean that they are not great exercises.
Even Olympic level athletes have a lot to
gain from “simple” exercises like back
extensions (see left) and pulldowns (see
right). When you “graduate” to another level of exercises, that doesn’t mean you can’t go
back to or keep doing the lower level ones.
Effectiveness is simply how effective the exercise is at changing your body. This number is
compared to the other exercises in the same movement pattern, but also as a whole. For
example, the average hinge exercise, many of which work half a dozen or more major muscle
groups, has an effectiveness higher than that of a curling exercise, which is mainly targeting
just part of the arms and not much else. A deadlift will be far more effective at changing
your body than a bicep curl will be, just because it is affecting more of your body. It’s
science.
Pulling and rowing exercises can work the biceps just as well as curling exercises, pushing
and pressing exercises can stimulate the triceps about as well as extending exercises, and
other upper body movements can replace some direct shoulder work.
The curl, extend and shoulder movement patterns are thus best
thought of as supplements to the main lifts. You could cut them
out and not see much of a difference. They’re replaceable. No
exercise, however, can truly replace hinging, squatting, pressing,
pushing, rowing and pulling exercises, especially the heavy barbell
and dumbbell movements. They are fundamental.
You’ll notice that there is no exercise listed that is a ten-that’s
because no exercise is fully effective. I just couldn’t bring myself
15
to put any exercise on that pedestal. You’ll also notice that no exercise listed is below a
three. That’s because I’m not going to write a book and bother including shitty exercises.
You only get the good ones.
Three=Niche movement, perhaps useful in some situations
Four=Fully replaceable, but useful in some circumstances
Five=Decent exercise, worth cycling in occasionally
Six=Good movement, use it sometimes
Seven=Great exercise, consider scheduling it in often
Eight=A staple. Definitely worth regularly using.
Nine=Truly amazing exercise, keep in your program much of the time.
Recovery Cost is how much of a physical and mental toll the exercise takes on your body.
This often closely correlates with effectiveness. The more effective an exercise is, generally
the longer it takes to recover from. That’s just the nature of the game. Greater risk
sometimes equals greater reward. The exercises that can “mess you up” also trigger the most
possible gains, for that very reason.
Rep Range is how many reps you should do per set for the exercise. Just because a certain
number is listed, doesn’t mean you have to use any or all of them, it just means that
generally speaking, that range is a good place to be.
For example, pulldowns are listed at eight to twenty, so that means that you could do sets
of ten reps, sets of twelve reps, sets of sixteen reps. You could do eight reps per set
sometimes and twenty sometimes, even in the same workout. Now…you could do sets of
six reps, or sets of twenty-five reps. I’m not your mom. It just means that it is either
inefficient, less effective, or dangerous.
Priority is how you can program the movement, which I’ll admit is somewhat subjective.
This is mostly just to give you a general idea of which exercises you should be focusing on.
Main movements are those that can be focused on and progressed for years and years.
These are mainly barbell and dumbbell movements and are your “bread and butter”. If you
are gluten intolerant, pick another phrase-I guess they are your “rice and oil”. Assistance
movements are slightly lower priority-they are mainly used to correct weaknesses, get in
extra volume and add some variety to your program. They’re usually slightly easier to
recover from. Tertiary movements are those that are the lowest priority, easiest to recover
16
from and are mostly used to balance your physique, bring up your weak pointsor target a
specific area.
Equipment is what you need to do the movement. Make sure you have access to these items
before charging into battle. There’s no point in planning to do back extensions when you
don’t have access to a forty-five degree back extension machine or benching when your gym
doesn’t have a bench press!
Section Recap: Each exercise has a difficulty, effectiveness,
recovery cost, suggested rep range, programming priority
and required equipment listed in it’s description, as well as
instructions on how to do the exercise itself in bold.
Hinge
Hinge exercises generally work the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. If you want an
attractive back of the body, incorporating some of these exercises is a must. These are some
of the most physically and mentally difficult of physical things you can do, but the payoff is
worth it, because no movement pattern can so completely transform your physique.
I would encourage everyone to deadlift in some manner, and there are many types in this
section to choose from that vary in difficulty. It’s the best lower back muscle strengthener
out there, and when those muscles are strong, they will actually protect you from back pain.
They’re also a great trap, lat and forearm developer. However, I would not recommend
doing deadlift variations with high frequency or volume-because they are so taxing, it’s
better to be conservative. A good rule of thumb would be deadlifting once a week in most
circumstances, and if you want to add more hinge type work, substitute in exercises that are
easier to recover from such as back extensions, hamstring curls, pullthroughs and glute
bridges.
For almost all of these exercises, it is vital that you are hinging at the HIPS, not the lower
back. You want your spine to move minimally, if at all. Before lifting, make sure that you
take a deep breath into your belly to stabilize your core. Breathing through the nose will
help make sure you are breathing into your belly. Pretend like you are about to get punched
in the stomach. A lifting belt can help, see the section on equipment for details.
17
Back Extension
One of the best hamstring and glute exercises, the back extension is beginner friendly, very
safe, and the best way to learn how to properly hinge at the hips. The pad locks you into
the correct position and you can focus on using the glutes and hamstrings. It’s important to
place the pad in the correct place-it should be at the top of your thigh as shown in the
pictures. If it is too high, it will prevent you from hinging at the hip and it will turn into a
lower back exercise. If it is too low, it’ll bother your knees. Find the correct placement for
you and remember to use the same one every time. A bar on the back (above) or on the
ground (right), dumbbell, plates or even bands can be used to provide resistance. If you
place the bar on your back, slowly lower yourself till your face is almost at the ground and
you feel a stretch on your hamstrings, then push your hips into the pad to return to the
upright position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
If the bar or plate is on the ground, grab it and then
squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to lift it off the
ground, pushing your hips into the pad-don’t arch your
lower back excessively. Gently lower it back down.
Because the bottom position of the movement
decompresses the spine, this is a great complement to
exercises that compress the spine like squatting and
deadlifting, especially the bar on back version. Russian weightlifters have even said “If I am
talking to someone who does not do their back extensions, I know I am talking to a walking
corpse”. That might be a slight exaggeration, but they are definitely worth including in any
weight training program.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 3-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Forty-five degree back extension machine; barbell, plates or dumbbell
18
Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is a very safe exercise that can be performed with just body weight, or
using a barbell, bands or plates to provide resistance. A barbell is ideal because most people
can get quite strong on this exercise, so other forms of resistance will quickly be outgrown.
It can also be performed on one leg. Similar to the back extension, it works the hamstrings
and glutes while keeping the lower back in a very safe position. This is one of the best glute
exercises you can do.
Set up by putting the bar on the ground with a 20kg plate on each side. Sit down with your
legs straight out in front of you. Slide the bar over your legs and lie down on your back.
Position the bar over your pubic bone. You’ll want to put a pad on the bar, otherwise this
can be painful. Keeping your feet and upper back on the ground, push your hips into the
bar, lifting it up. Be sure to use a full range of motion, squeezing your buns at the end range
of motion for maximal benefits. Return to the starting position and repeat.
The main drawback for this exercise is that you can get VERY strong on it and it can take
some time to set up.
Lugging a dozen or more
twenty kilo plates,
loading them up, getting
under the bar, setting up
and getting out from
under the bar, putting
the plates away can take
more time than actually doing the exercise itself! The one legged variation might be a good
fit for those people.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates; bar pad
Hamstring Curl Machine
Full disclosure-this
isn’t really a hinge
movement, as the
hip joint doesn’t
19
really move at all. It is, however, a great hamstring isolation exercise, making it worth
including in any program. The hamstring extends the hip during most hinging movements,
but also is responsible for bending the knee. Part of the hamstring muscle is ONLY
responsible for the latter movement, meaning that if you want full development, you’ll want
to have a knee flexing movement in your program such as this one. To perform the exercise,
just curl the pad towards your butt, squeezing your hamstrings at the top, then lower it
back to the bottom position. Make sure to use a full range of motion, and keep your hips
pushed into the pad. Don’t let your lower back arch.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Hamstring Curl Machine (duh)
Pullthrough
This exercise works primarily the glutes and is a fantastic way to build up your backside.
To perform the exercise, first set up rope attachment to the cable station, on the lowest
setting. Stand facing away from the station and reach down between your legs, grabbing the
rope with both hands. Thrust your hips forward using your glutes, pulling the rope through
your legs as you do so. Squeeze your glutes at the finish, and pause for a second or two,
really get a good contraction of those honey buns. Slowly lean forward and push the hips
back, lowering the rope down and back towards the
cable station. Get a slight stretch on the hamstrings,
then thrust the hips forwards again and repeat for reps.
You aren’t really pulling with your arms, most of the
force comes from your hips. This is best done for
light weight and higher reps, and makes a good
warmup before deadlifting or squatting to get the hips
warmed up.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Tertiary
20
Equipment: Cable station
Trap Bar Deadlift
This exercise uses a special bar called a trap bar, named as such because it has a trapezoidal
shape. This means that you can stand inside the weight, instead of it being in front of you.
This reduces stress on the spine, making it safer. It is also easier to hold onto because the
bar cannot roll as easily in your grip. If you have access to this bar, it is a great total body
building exercise, and one of the best ways to teach a beginner how to deadlift.
Stand inside the bar, and push your hips back while keeping your chest up to grab the
handles. Keeping your chest up, and back flat, drive your feet into the ground, pushing it
away to lift up the weight. To move the weight up, you need to apply an equal yet opposite
force into the floor. Visualizing this will help you stay in the correct position and can be
applied to any deadlifting movement.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Trap bar; plates
Sumo Deadlift
The sumo deadlift is a great option for beginners and is one of the safer options. Compared
to the conventional deadlift with the feet together described below, it works the quads and
hips a bit more, and the lower back
and hamstrings slightly less. It’s not
uncommon for people to be able to
use slightly more weight as well.
Set up quite close to the bar, with
your toes pointing about forty-five
degrees out. When looking straight
down, you should see half of your
foot in front of the bar, and half
behind. Sit your hips back and reach down to grab the bar. Keeping your chest up and back
flat, take as big of breath into your belly as possible. Drive your feet into the ground and
lift the weight, pushing your hips through to lock out the weight.
21
Try different stance widths to see which is most comfortable for you, just mind your toes
when lowering the weight if you take a very wide stance. They are breakable. You can also
elevate the weights on plates or mats if you are having trouble getting in the correct position.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
Romanian Deadlift
Fondly referred to as the “RDL” by weight trainers around the world,
this is a deadlift that does not touch the floor at the bottom of the rep
it is performed floating during the set. The set can either be started by
deadlifting the weight off of the floor, or taking it out of a rack. This
is one of the best hamstring exercises in existence.
the heels and coming back up.
Take a deep breath
and deadlift the
weight up normally
(see the
conventional deadlift description below).
From the top position, focus on pushing
the hips back and keeping the lower back
tight, going down until you feel a stretch
in the hamstrings, then pushing through
This also works the glutes, forearms, traps, lats and spinal erectors heavily, but you should
focus on the back of your thighs to target the hamstrings. Generally, sets of eight to fifteen
are best, although “burnout” sets of up to thirty can also be very effective. Going below sets
of eight can make it hard to focus on just the hamstrings, as the other muscles will often
take over, usually the lower or mid back.
You can stand with your toes on 5kg plates to get an even better stretch. Another tip is to
perform this exercise with your back to a wall or other hip height object that’s about a foot
or two away. Try to tap your caboose against it gently every rep. This will ensure that you
are hinging at the hips (good) rather your back (bad). Both are demonstrated in the right
picture.
22
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 8-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates
Conventional Deadlift
This is a typical deadlift, with the feet in a narrow stance with the grip just outside of them.
It works almost every muscle in the body, but is very stressful and can take a significant
amount of time to recover from.
Walk up to the bar and set up with your feet under the bar and about shoulder width apart,
pointing straight ahead or toeing out just slightly.
Push the hips back and reach down to grab the
bar just outside your legs. Keeping your chest up
and lower back flat as much as possible, drive
your feet into the ground and lift up the weight,
finish the lift by driving your hips to the bar.
Try to keep the lower back from rounding and
use the legs as much as possible. If the sumo
deadlift feels better, there really isn’t any harm in
doing that most of the time. As always, assess how
you respond to the exercise. The conventional
deadlift is, in general, a better test of strength then a builder of strength.
Most guys or gals that built up a very strong deadlift did so primarily with other exercises:
back extensions, RDLs, squats, lunges, rows, pullups and Olympic lifting are the usual list
that strong people give. That isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t deadlift, just keep in
mind that you can improve the lift without doing it often, or at all.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
23
Hamstring Ball Curl
Grab one of those big balls then lie down on your back. Wow that sounds dirty. Anyway,
put your feet up on the ball, lift your hips up using your hamstring muscles, then curl the
ball towards you, keeping your hips high throughout the range of motion.
You should feel your hamstrings working, both to extend your hips and flex your knees.
Repeat for reps, the higher the better. You can also do this exercise with one leg at a time,
but this is much more difficult and requires a lot of balance and athleticism.
This exercise is great for runners because it works the hamstrings with both hip extension
and knee flexion, which is exactly
what running entails. It’s also a bit
easier to recover from than a lot of
other hamstring exercises, so it’s a
good fit for those who are looking
to take part in a sport outside of the gym and don’t want to get really sore from a bunch of
deadlifts.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 20-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Swiss ball
Broad Jump
This former Olympic event is a great test of total body power.
It works the entire lower body as well as a bit of upper.
Crouch down into a quarter squat, while at the same time
throwing your arms behind your body (keep them attached)
as in the first part of the picture. This will activate the stretch
reflex and allow you to jump further. Reverse direction,
extending at the hips, knees and ankles while simultaneously
flinging your arms up and forward, similarly to picture two.
As you soar majestically through the air, bring your legs
forward towards your landing point and your arms down
lower to give you extra air time (picture three). When landing,
24
try to reduce the impact as much as possible by squatting down as you land.
It’s best to do this exercise for lower reps, usually doubles or triples are a good choice. It’s a
good pairing for heavy hinge exercises like back extensions, deadlifts and hip thrusts. The
combination of the heavier, slower reps of the barbell movements, and the lighter, more
explosive jumping complement each other nicely.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-5
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: None!
Rack/Block Pull
By pulling
from slightly
higher than
off of the
ground,
generally
more weight
can be used. The technique is similar to a conventional deadlift, pushing the hips back,
reach down and grab the bar. Keeping your back flat, drive your feet into the ground and
lift up the weight, pushing your hips towards the bar.
This can be a great way to “feel” heavier weights as well as develop grip strength and the
entire back, particularly the traps and erectors. The hamstrings and glutes are used as well,
but the main stimulus is going to be on your back. Even though more weight can be used,
because the range of motion is shorter and the torso can be kept more upright, recovery is
slightly faster. You can experiment with different heights. Keep in mind that if it starts
above knee height, you can lift a LOT of weight, but it is more of a grip and trap exercise,
not typical hinge muscles.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 5-20
Priority: Assistance
25
Equipment: Barbell; plates; rack or blocks
Low Pull from the Hang
Olympic-style lifting works similar muscles to a deadlift-nearly every muscle in the bodybut the focus is on moving lighter loads explosively. This movement is one of the best ways
to develop total body explosiveness and power, but is also a lot easier to learn and easier on
the body than traditional Olympic lifting.
Technique is vital for the clean and jerk, which is performed in the Olympics, as it requires
a lot of coordination and total body control, but the low pull is much easier because you
never actually have to catch the weight.
You can always “graduate” to the traditional clean later, but this is a good way to develop
your explosiveness in the meantime.
It’ll also put slabs of meat on your
forearms, upper and lower back,
hamstrings and glutes. Perform the
exercise by first deadlifting the weight
up, starting with the weight around
knee height can be a good idea, but
isn’t necessary. Then, keeping the chest
up and lower back arched, lean forward
slightly(1) till the bar reaches about
midway down your thigh(2).
From that point, reverse direction,
explosively extending at the hips (3)
and pulling the bar as high as possible
(4). On the way down, catch the weigh-when the weights get heavier, you may want to
arrest the bar’s momentum by partially catching it in the crease of your hips. Despite the
exercise being called a “low pull” you should try to launch it as high as you can with each
rep.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 9
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 3-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
26
Deficit Deadlift
Pulling from a deficit-usually by standing
on a plate or mat-generally works every
muscle involved in the deadlift but simply
to a greater degree. Usually one to four inch
(2.5cm to 10cm) deficits are used-any
higher and it can become unsafe for the
lower back, not to mention that your feet
can also get in the way.
This is one of the best ways to improve your
deadlift but is definitely more stressful on the
body. If you have short arms, you might not
want to attempt this variation at all, as just
the conventional or sumo deadlifts are
sufficient stimulus.
Set up the same as a normal deadlift despite
standing on the mats or plates. Keep careful
attention on your back position, driving with the legs and lifting the weight, finishing with
the hips.
Again, try to keep the lower back from rounding. You can pull sumo style from a deficit, as
on the left, but keep in mind that you’ll need to stand on two sets of mats, as shown. I
wouldn’t recommend standing on two plates as they can slide around a bit, you want to be
standing on a very stable surface.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; mats
Snatch Grip Deadlift
The snatch grip is a wide grip deadlift.
Reach down and grab the bar in a wide
grip, most people grab around the rings
about double shoulder width apart along
the barbell. Keeping the chest up, drive
the feet into the ground, lifting the
weight and pushing the hips through at
27
the end.
Because the hands are wider, it is quite similar to a deficit deadlift, but is also higher at the
top, so the range of motion is greater at both sides. It also hits the back and rear delts in a
slightly different way, as well as the quads slightly more. It can be combined with a deficit
for an even greater range of motion, as in the pictures. Grip can quickly become a limiting
factor due to the hand placement, so don’t be afraid to use straps if needed.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
Good morning
The good morning is a difficult and unusual exercise that uses the glutes and hamstrings but
also requires a lot of core stability and strength. Perform the exercise by unracking the bar
like a squat. Instead of squatting down, keep your legs almost fully straight throughout the
movement. Push the hips back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then come back
up. Keep your chest up and your lower back flat.
Lighter loads for higher reps is better, and be very careful of your hip and spinal position
when performing this exercise. Be sure to keep your chest up and lower back in a flat
position. Yes, I said that twice,
because it’s that important. If you’ve
ever had back problems, this is one
that is best to avoid. The RDL
provides similar benefits but is safer
because you can drop the bar at any
time, but with the good morning you
don’t have that luxury.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 6-12
Priority: Assistance
28
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack
Nordic Hamstring Curl
Also known as the “Russian Hamstring Curl”, the “Natural Hamstring Curl” or two days
later as the “Oh-man-my-hamstrings-are-sore-as-hell Curl”, this is one of the most insanely
difficult hamstring exercises out there, and what’s even crazier is that it doesn’t require any
equipment at all! No barbell, plates or dumbbells needed, you can do this one at home-if
you’re strong enough, that is. Begin by hooking your heels under an object that won’t move.
A bed, cabinet or a bench with a few plates on it are the most common culprits available.
You might want to place a towel or pad beneath your knees.
Keeping your hips in a fixed position and lower back from arching, slowly lower yourself as
far towards the ground as you can control. When you can’t, fall the rest of the way into a
push up and push yourself back up to the starting position, contracting your hamstrings as
you do to help out.
Most people cannot do even one
full rep, so don’t worry if you
cannot lower yourself the full way
and have to help out a lot with the
upper body. While the lower back
and glutes are used a bit in this
exercise, for the most part it’s just
pure hamstring destruction. You can add weight with a plate at the chest but for most
people that’s just not needed.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 1-6
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: None! (just somewhere to hook your feet under)
Hip thrust
This advanced variation of the glute bridge involves
placing your upper back on a bench in order to
increase the range of motion. Place your back on the
bench with the barbell in your lap. Extending your
29
hips, push your heels into the ground and lift the barbell. Pause at the top and then lower
the bar back to the ground and repeat for reps. This gives a slightly different feel to the
exercise, you probably won’t be able to use as much weight as the hip thrust, but it might
give you better results. As in the glute bridge, you’ll want to use a pad on the bar. You may
want to place plates on the bench so that it doesn’t tip over or move as easily. Try both
exercises and see which you prefer.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates; bench
Power Snatch from the Hang
The power snatch involves using your legs and hips to rocket launch the bar high, and then
catching it above you and standing up. The hang means that you do it from a standing
position for each rep.
Perform the exercise by grabbing the bar resting on the ground with a wide grip, your hands
should be somewhere around the rings on the bar, about double shoulder width apart.
Stand up with the bar similarly to a deadlift, keeping the chest up.
After you get to the top, lower the bar back down towards your knees (left side of the
picture), then change directions back up, ending with an explosive thrust of the hips that
sends the bar shooting overhead. Duck under it and catch it overhead in roughly a quarter
or half squat position as shown in the right side of the picture, then stand up.
This is one of the most challenging movements you can do, inside or outside of the gym.
Much less weight than a deadlift can be used, but that also means that it is better for
developing explosive power. Low
reps are better.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-6
Priority: Main Movement
30
Equipment: Barbell; plates
If I had to choose three exercises to do from this section, I would probably choose back
extensions, sumo deadlifts and low pull from the hang. These are all extremely effective
exercises that are slightly less taxing on the body compared to some of the other variations.
That means that you’ll be able to do them for higher volumes, higher frequency and heavier
while still recovering faster, which in the long term will lead to much better progress.
Movement Pattern Recap: Hinging exercises work the
hamstrings, glutes and lower back, and are some of the
most challenging yet beneficial movements that you can do.
31
Squat
If the deadlift is the king of all exercises, the squat is certainly the queen. This royal pair has
made a decree to get your ass in shape. Madame Squat is by far the best overall lower body
building movement pattern, hitting the quads and glutes wonderfully, and to a lesser extent
the calves and hamstrings. She’s a hard taskmaster, but that’s exactly the reason the squat
produces such fantastic results.
Bodyweight Squat
The simple bodyweight squat is a good way for the beginner to learn the squat movement
pattern. To perform the exercise, from a standing position, bend your knees and hips at the
same time, sinking down between your legs. Return to the starting position and repeat.
How deep you go is dependent on your individual body structure and mobility, but a good
goal is to go down to where the top of your leg is at least parallel with the floor-you may
wish to video yourself to check. This ensures that you’ll get the most out of the exercise.
You can go lower if you can, but it’s not necessary, and if you lack the proper mobility it
can potentially be dangerous, especially when loading with weights.
Two things to watch out for are your back rounding and your knees caving inwards. Your
back position should not move at all. If your lower back is tucking under at the bottom,
also known as “butt wink”, then you either need to work on your hip mobility or squat
higher. Knees going out OVER the toes is fine, but if they are caving inward at any point,
that’s no bueno for most people. Strengthen your hips with lunges and Bulgarian split
squats and focus on pushing the knees out to keep them over the toes as you squat.
Although not a fantastic muscle or strength builder due to the lack of resistance, someone
new to weight training might see some results from body weight squats because at that early
stage, almost anything will work! It’s also very safe and can be done anywhere, without any
equipment or gym membership at all. At the very least, it’s a good warmup for the exercises
listed further below.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 3
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20+
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: None!
Goblet Squat
This squat involves taking a dumbbell
and holding it clutched vertically with
both hands in front of the chest. This
32
ensures proper posture as well as providing a bit of loading. It’s an almost foolproof way to
teach beginners how to squat. Higher reps are better, sets of twenty to thirty work very well
but if you have the guts to do it, sets of fifty or sixty are also brutally effective. Low reps
really should be avoided because most gyms don’t have dumbbells that heavy, and it can be
a challenge to even get the damn thing in place. Using more than about 40kg is very
difficult.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 20-60
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbell
Leg Extension Machine
This isn’t really a squatting exercise, but is an isolation exercise for the quads, so it gets
thrown in this section. Get in the machine and adjust the pads, the knees should be right
around the edge of the seat, and the leg pad should be just above the foot on the shin.
Flexing your legs, raise the pad until your legs are straight, squeezing your quads at the top
and holding for a second. Lower under control and repeat. Don’t bounce the weight. It’s a
somewhat decent alternative to squatting and makes a great superset-see compendium five
for more details. Be sure to squeeze the quads at the end of the range of motion, the
difference between focusing on the muscle you are using and playing on your phone during
the set is HUGE with this exercise, so don’t shortchange yourself. Concentrate!
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 15-30
33
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Leg extension machine
Box Squat
Place a bar in the squat rack. If you can adjust the height, place it low enough that you can
unrack it without going up on your toes. This should be around chest height or slightly
higher. Place the box (or bench) behind you, a few feet from where you’ll unrack the bar.
Make sure the box or bench is sturdy!
Walk up to the bar, and duck under it, placing it on the back of your shoulders, behind
your neck. There should be a natural shelf there to support the weight. Feel around for it,
and make sure that you are in the middle of the bar. Lift the weight out of the rack, and
take two or three steps back. Take a big breath of air into your belly, then squat down to
the bench, pausing slightly when on it, but staying “tight”, keep your chest up and the
tension on your legs. You aren’t sitting in a hammock, so don’t get lazy. Focus! Stand back
up, and repeat for reps.
Normally when squatting, you have nothing between your rear end and the ground to
support you, but placing a bench or “box” of varying heights can have several benefits. One,
it can make it very easy for beginners to control how deep they squat, often when they start
with a completely free movement they are “all over the place”, to put it nicely. Second, it
can allow you to “sit back” into the movement, as in the second picture, which will lead to
greater hamstring, glute and hip activation.
Third, it can conversely focus the movement on the quads if you sit straight down, as in the
last picture. Note the difference in knee angle between the second and third parts of the
picture. Finally, in both cases it separates the downward and upward halves of the
movement with a pause, which can increase explosive power. All of the above make it a
viable movement for many athletes.
34
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack; box or
bench
Leg Press
This machine exercise is a staple in most gyms,
and is an effective and versatile way to train the
quads, hamstrings and glutes. It takes the lower
back and core mostly out of the equation,
meaning that you can just focus on the muscles
that you want to develop, mainly for this
reason, most people can leg press two to four
times as much weight as they can squat. Use a
full range of motion, doing quarter reps will
allow you to move a ton of weight but give you very little effect other than potentially
tearing up your knees. Throw your ego out on this one, or it’ll throw out your patellar
tendons.
The movement is quite simple, just unrack the weight, and slide it down towards you,
keeping the tension on your legs. Go down till the angle of your thighs and shins are
roughly ninety degrees, then push the pad back to the starting position. Don’t let your back
round at any point, keep it flat against the pad.
Putting your feet higher on the pad will work more hamstrings and glutes, whilst putting
them lower will work more quads. Medium and higher reps are better, usually anywhere
from ten and up is fine. The main drawback from this exercise is transporting all the plates
back and forth…consider it cardio I guess.
Some people also find that this machine gives them lower back pain, due to the lower back
being in a fixed range of motion during the set, unlike a squat where the back can move
freely. If that’s the case with you, just avoid it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 10-30
35
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Leg press machine; plates
Bulgarian Split Squat
This single leg movement involves placing one leg behind you on a bench and using the
forward leg to squat up and down.
Set up a bench behind you, and place one foot on it, you can either put your toes on the
bench as shown in the picture, or rest the top of your foot on it. Try both and see which
you prefer. Putting most of your weight on your front leg, squat down until your feel a
stretch in your glutes. Return to the
starting position under control.
Experiment with how far out in front
of you your forward leg is-further
away is more glutes and hamstrings,
nearer is more quads. This requires a
LOT of stability and control, and uses
the muscles of the leg and hip in a very
different way compared to traditional,
two legged variations. Additionally,
you’ll need enough flexibility of the back leg to get full range of motion. If you are very
flexible and want even more range of motion, you can elevate the front leg as well.
Loading can be provided by dumbbells, a weighted vest, or a barbell on the back, but
starting out just doing bodyweight is plenty. This is one of the most miserable exercises in
existence. High rep sets will have your quad muscle on fire and your lungs gasping for air.
Then you get to do the other leg. Your glutes will be sore for days afterwards.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 9
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Bench or other place to put back leg; dumbbells or barbell and plates
High Bar Back Squat
This exercise is one of the most popular
forms of squat, at least 95% of
professional weightlifters and powerlifters
36
have done this exercise. It primarily works the quads and glutes, although there is hamstring
and lower back activation as well. Sets of all kinds work well, from single reps up to twenty,
perhaps even more if you really enjoy pain.
Set up similarly to the box squat, but without the box, place the bar high on your shoulders
on the natural shelf that is created by your traps. Unrack the weight in a controlled manner
and take a few steps back, taking about a shoulder width stance. Take a deep breath, then
bend the knees and hips at the same time to descend. Go down until roughly parallel or
slightly below, then squat back up and return to the starting position.
You can place thin 2.5kg plates under your heels, which helps keep you more upright and
place more stress onto the quad muscles. Experiment with stance width, anywhere from just
inside to just outside shoulder width is most comfortable for the majority of people.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack
Walking Lunge
This simple yet brutal movement hammers the quads, hamstrings and glutes as well as the
forearms, shoulders, traps, heart and lungs.
The movement is quite natural for most people,
simply take deep steps, alternating each leg as you
go. You should go deep enough that your back knee
lightly touches the ground; don’t slam it for obvious
reasons.
Sets of ten to forty steps are ideal, but higher are
viable as well. Shorter steps will hit the quads
slightly more, while longer ones focus on the
hamstrings and glutes. Try to keep the foot, knee
and hip in line as you stride valiantly forth, fighting
the urge to allow your knees to buckle or twist.
Dumbbells can be used for additional loading, they’re better than a barbell on the back
because they’re easier to balance and you need less space. That being said, doing high reps
with bodyweight only is a pretty good workout!
Difficulty: Intermediate
37
Effectiveness: 9
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 10-100 steps
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: None, or dumbbells
Vertical Jump
Jumping ability is incredibly useful in a variety of sports, from basketball and volleyball to
football and rugby. It’s also a great test of lower body “power”, the ability to produce force
quickly. They test the verts of American Football players every year at the NFL combine
because it provides a very good insight into the athleticism of an individual. If someone can
jump high, they can almost always run fast as well.
This exercise shows up in the squat section because a
vertical jump is essentially a quarter squat followed by
the legs and hips “throwing” the upper body as high as
possible. It utilizes the same muscles as squatting, quads
and glutes with a bit of calves and core. A strict vertical
jump as tested from a standing start, no run up allowed!
To perform the exercise, begin by lower your arms
down and behind you and quickly dipping down into a
quarter squat position. Quickly reverse direction,
exploding with the ankles, knees and hips together in
unison, while at the same time throwing your arms
towards the ceiling to aid with the ascent. Try to land
as gently as possible.
If you are over 90kg, you might want to limit the volume of vertical jumping because of the
impact when landing. If you are more than 110kg, this one might be best avoided. Power
snatch from the hang, low pulls, broad jumps and box jumps are all good replacements for
developing power that are easier on the joints.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 1-5
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: None!
38
Low Bar Back Squat
Set up is identical to a high bar squat, with one exception-the bar is placed lower down.
Placing the bar slightly lower on the back, on the rear of the shoulder rather than the top of
the shoulder blades, means that the movement changes in several ways.
One, because the bar is closer to the hips, the lever arm is shortened, and thus more weight
can usually be used. Second, the torso will be in a more bent over position, which means
that the glutes and hamstrings will be used more and the quads less. Most people can squat
about ten percent more using low bar compared to the high bar position described above.
However, there are some drawbacks. The bar position itself places more stress on the
shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, and the leaned forward torso can potentially place more
stress on the lower back. For these reasons, even many powerlifters who are interested in
maximizing their squat
only use this variation
when preparing for a
competition or even just
in competition itself.
They use other squat
variations such as high
bar for the majority of
their training. Ultimately it is up to each individual to decide whether using more weight is
worth the potential drawbacks.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack
Front Squat
This variation, as the name suggests, involves placing the bar not on the back but on the
front of the body, right on the top of the front shoulder/clavicle area.
Walk up to the weight in the rack, and place it on
the front on the shoulder, putting your hands on
the bar and raising your elbows high. Lift the bar
out of the rack, and take a few steps back. Squat
down, staying upright. At the bottom position,
squat back up, and repeat for reps.
39
It can be quite uncomfortable or even painful as the body adapts, as you might get red
marks where the bar is placed. Due to this bar position, the torso can be kept quite upright
during the movement, keeping a good amount of stress on the quadriceps.
It also increases the lever arm between the bar and the back of the body, meaning that the
back and core must work harder to keep the torso from folding forward. Most people can
use roughly 80-85% of their high bar back squat. If your front squat is much lower than
that, you likely have weak quads or abdominal muscles.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack
Step Up
I first saw the step up in one of those magazines undoubtedly targeting middle aged women
that overly mentioned “toning” and “shaping”. While I dismissed the exercise just based off
of seeing it in that context, I later stumbled across it while reading an old Russian exercise
manual that had been linked on a message board. They used the step up as a way to target
the quads and glutes, and used it with a variety of athletes from powerlifters to high
jumpers.
I’ve since implemented into my own training and really enjoy it. It requires a lot of balance
and stability in the hips and really is good for
any athlete that does lateral movement or runs
a lot. To perform the exercise, find a high
bench. In the pictures there are some mats and
a plate stacked up on a bench as a replacement,
but this is slightly unsafe and less than ideal.
If you can find a stable surface that’s around
thigh level, maybe a wall or something-that’s
perfect.
Place one foot on the bench and push
through its heel, stepping up to the top.
Don’t use the bottom leg at all. Your instinct will be to help by springing off of the toe of
the bottom leg to help get up. To minimize this, think about curling the toes up of the
bottom leg as you stand up. Do all sets of one leg then switch to the other. This allows you
40
to find a rhythm and fully tire the working leg, and thus is much better than switching legs.
Higher reps are better.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Bench; dumbbells
Anderson Squat
Named after one of the strongest men in history, Paul Anderson, this is a squat starting
from the bottom instead of the top position. Paul used to squat in his back yard, using a
bar attached to some big concrete-filled drums.
He would start by standing in a hole in a quarter
squat position using a short range of motion
(right picture), and every few weeks fill in the
ground underneath the drums, thus slowly
increasing the range of motion and the difficulty
of the movement (left
picture). You probably
won’t have the option to squat outside and use dirt, but you can
use a power rack to also use this progression.
Set up a bar in the power rack-slightly lower than chest height at
the highest (right pictures), progressing to slightly lower than hip
height for the lowest (left pictures). Duck under the bar and place
it on your shoulders. Keeping an even pressure through your feet,
stand up under control. Lower the bar slowly back to the starting position, placing it gently
back on the supports. Repeat for reps, starting each one from a dead stop.
You won’t be able to use as much weight as you can squat in a traditional manner, as you
cannot use the bounce to slingshot the weight up, making this is a great way to train the
bottom part of the movement that many people are the weakest at. If you are strong “out of
the hole”, you can improve your squatting weights immensely.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 1-10
41
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; Plates; Power Rack
Overhead Squat
Holding a bar above you while squatting
severely limits how much load can be used,
but is a fine test of full body mobility. If you
cannot do this movement correctly, almost
anything from the ankles to shoulders could
be a limiting factor.
Unrack the weight and press or push press
(see the press movement pattern section) it
above you, then slowly sink down into a squatting position. Return to the top.
This isn’t really used as an overloading movement for the legs. You are better off just
placing the bar on your back or front and squatting normally, but it’s worth mentioning as a
novelty. A narrower grip is more difficult, while a wider grip makes it slightly easier.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 3
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 1-5
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat rack
Squat Jump
This explosive variation, as you might imagine, involves squatting down and then…jumping
up. Extra resistance can be provided by two dumbbells held in your hands, or a barbell on
the back. The former is better as it is easier to balance and puts less stress on the lower back,
so I’d strongly recommend that option.
Pick up both dumbbells, then brace your core and be prepared to get explosive (picture
one). Squat down into a full squat, making sure to control the decent (picture two), and
then explosively reverse direction, jumping as high as you can (picture three).
Lighter weights will allow you to jump higher, as in picture four. A good amount of loading
should be anywhere from ten percent to forty percent of your maximum barbell back squat,
but the most important thing is that you feel explosive when you are doing the reps. If they
feel slow, lower the weight a bit.
42
Lower reps are better to develop explosive power. Higher reps are a decent form of cardio
but can put a lot of stress on the knee joint, especially if you get tired and your form breaks
down, so I’d recommend just using it as an explosive, low rep exercise.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 1-6
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: None, or dumbbells
Box Jump
This is similar to a squat jump but involves jumping up onto a box. Stand a few feet away
from the box. Squat down into a quarter squat and then reverse direction, jumping up and
towards the box. Pull your legs up and land on the box like a graceful leopard. Stand up,
then carefully return to the floor.
It’s mostly used as a test of jumping ability, or for high reps onto a low box as a form of
cardio. Be careful of overdoing this movement. If you fail, it’s easy to end up on a YouTube
fail reel. This isn’t a great muscle or strength builder but worth mentioning as a fun option
to try out your explosiveness occasionally. Just be careful.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 3
Recovery Cost: Low...but maybe High if you fail
Rep range: 1-5
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Box
Gun to my head, if I had to pick just three variations to choose from, I would pick high bar
back squat, Bulgarian split squat, and front squat. Lunges would come in a very close fourth
place.
Movement Pattern Recap: Squatting is tough but builds the
quads, glutes and lower back, some of the largest muscles
in the body.
43
Row
Rowing exercises involve the entire back fairly evenly, working the lats, traps and in many
cases the spinal erectors in a balanced way. They add a density and thickness to the middle
and upper back that no other type of exercise can replicate. As an added bonus they also
will stimulate the forearms and biceps. They are also known as “horizontal pulling”
exercises, because they generally involve pulling something towards your torso at a
perpendicular angle.
For most rowing movements, the last few inches of the range of motion as the bar or
dumbbell approaches the body are the most difficult. In some rowing type movements it is
possible to use leg and hip drive to get the weight moving, meaning that cheating will let
you use a lot more weight than keeping strict form. I suggest keeping your form strict, at
least at first. It’s not only safer, but you’ll ensure that any progress you make is the muscles
you want to target getting stronger, and not just the result of cheating more.
Because of this, most rowing exercises are better performed for higher reps and lighter
weights, because at lower reps and heavier weights, most people tend to cheat more. Maxing
out on rows is just not particularly productive.
Pulling towards the belly button will work the lats and enhance the overall width of your
back, whilst pulling higher will work on thickness more, building a granite-like density to
the upper back. Flaring the elbows a bit will work the back of the shoulder (rear delts)
slightly more, while tucking them will put more emphasis on the lats and area under the
armpits. An underhand grip will work more biceps and lats, while an overhand grip will
work the traps slightly more. Keep in mind that this is fairly individual, and you should
experiment with which style feels the most natural and comfortable for each exercise. That’s
paramount.
Now go and row to grow.
Cable Row
This beginner-friendly variation involves sitting at a machine or cable station and pulling
the weight towards you. A variety of handles can be used, which will target the back in a
slightly different way. A hands-facing each other, narrow grip attachment is ideal, but all are
good. Grab the handle and pull it towards you with your arms and back. At the end of
every rep, focus on driving your
elbows back and squeezing your
shoulder blades back and together,
like you are cracking an egg between
them. Don’t use a real egg, because
it gets messy and you’ll get kicked
out of your gym. Trust me on this
one.
44
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable row machine
Chest Supported Row
Another useful and safe way to work your back, the chest supported row requires a machine
that, as you may have guessed, supports the chest as you row the weight towards yourself.
Hard to mess this movement up. Just grab the handles and pull them back, making sure to
use a full range of motion. Again, crack that (metaphorical) egg between your shoulder
blades. Slowly lower the weight and repeat for reps.
You can also set up your own on an incline bench, and use dumbbells. In either variation,
because the chest is supported, it is very easy on the lower back. You can even potentially
let the shoulders sloop forwards a bit at the
bottom of the range of motion to get a bit of
extra stimulus, which is hard to do in more
difficult variations. Additionally, it allows
you to focus directly on the back without
having to worry about stability or balance.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Machine or incline bench+dumbbells
Machine Row
A machine row is similar to a chest supported row, and also very simple-just sit there and
pull the handles towards you.
Every machine is slightly different, if your gym has a machine that you feel the back
working well and is
comfortable, it can be a
45
great addition to your program. Try it out. Keep in mind if you change gyms, the leverages
might be different in the new machine, so any weights might seem lighter or heavier. Go by
feel.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Machine row
Bar Row
Set up a bar in the rack about three feet off the ground. Lie on the ground with your chest
up, then pull yourself to the bar. Try to get full range of motion, getting your chest close to
the bar with each rep. Keep your body in a straight line if possible, keep your glutes firing
throughout the set!
This is a very safe rowing movement as there is no stress or compression on the lower back
and can be surprisingly difficult, even for advanced athletes. Experiment with narrow or
wide grips-narrower is a bit more biceps and forearms, while wider puts more emphasis on
the back.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Assistance
46
Equipment: Power rack; bar
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Grab a dumbbell and set up with one arm braced against a bench or a rack. With your back
and biceps, pull the weight up and beside you under full control, not twisting the torso or
using too much momentum.
Using a dumbbell rather than a barbell or machine row has several benefits. One, you can
address any left to right imbalances that you might have. If you are stronger on one side
compared to the other, this can give you a useful tool to assess and solve that problem.
Second, you can use greater range of motion when using a dumbbell, at both the top and
bottom of the movement.
Thirdly, you can freely rotate your arm, getting a better “squeeze” and “contraction” and
potentially more muscle growth. Try not to cheat by using the legs or hips much, as that is
a different exercise. One drawback is that your gym might not have heavy enough
dumbbells once you get decently strong. You can use a bench or the dumbbell rack to brace
against.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 12-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Dumbbell
Seal Row
This exercise requires a special, tall horizontal bench. Put the barbell below it, and reach
down and pick it up, pulling it towards your mid-torso using your arms and back. Squeeze
and return to the starting position.
If the bench is too low, you won’t be able to get a full range of motion because the bar will
start too high. It’s called a seal row not because of the navy seals but because with heavy
weights people start flailing like a seal. Don’t do that, keep the form as strict as possible,
using only the muscles you are trying to develop.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
47
Rep range: 5-15
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: High bench; barbell; plates
Trap Bar Bent Over Row
This exercise is a bit easier on the lower back than the standard barbell bent over row (see
below) due to you standing inside of the center of mass. Deadlift the weight up, then bend
forward at the hips. Start rowing, using the back and arms to pull the weight up and back
towards you.
The neutral grip is also easier on the
wrists and shoulders for most people.
Definitely worth including if you have
access to this type of bar. If the bar hits
you in the rear end, you may have to
adjust your positioning, try staying more
upright as you row.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Trap bar; plates
Pendlay Row
This row is a great upper back developer. It starts with the bar on the ground. Bend over,
pushing the hips back and reaching down to the bar. Keep the lower back arched (stick
your butt out) and chest up. The torso should be roughly parallel to the ground, with the
arms hanging straight down,
perpendicular to the bar. Row the
bar up under control, pause with
the weight touching your body
(anywhere between belly button
and sternum fine), then slowly
return it to the ground.
Your hips or back angle should
48
move minimally during the movement, it’s a back movement not a legs movement! You
won’t be able to use as much weight because you are only pulling with the back and arms,
not the legs or hips, but this in some ways is a good thing, because it ensures that you are
using the correct muscles.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 5-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
Shrug
This row-like exercise can be performed
with dumbbells or a barbell, and is the best
way to isolate the upper traps. To perform
the exercise, simply pick up the weight and
then shrug your shoulders up towards your
ears as high as possible. Pause for a second,
then lower the weight again, making sure to
get a full stretch on the muscle in the
bottom position.
While cheating the weight with some leg and hip drive can allow more weight to be used,
it’s best to keep the form strict on this one, there’s no point in overloading the lower back
more than necessary.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 5-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Barbell+plates or dumbbells
Barbell Bent Over Row
This is the “basic” rowing exercise but is actually one of the more difficult variations.
Deadlift the bar up. Starting from around the knees is advised as it will allow you to stay
49
tight. Lean over about forty-five degrees, making sure to push the hips back to reduce stress
on the lower back. Use your arms and back to pull the weight towards you, making sure to
touch the barbell to yourself with each rep. You can use some slight leg drive or keep them
strict, but make sure to be consistent.
It requires a lot of stability and strength in the hamstrings, glutes and lower back that many
of the above variations don’t. It can become somewhat dangerous if you let your form break
down-keep your lower back arched and chest proudly up! That being said, as often is the
case with lifting
weights, with greater
risk comes greater
reward. The barbell
row is a great full
body strength exercise
and is a fantastic way
to improve your
deadlift as well.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 9
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 6-30
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
T-bar Row
range of motion.
This classic exercise builds the middle
of the back extremely well and is a bit
safer than a standard bent over row. It’s
also awesome for biceps. You can either
use a special machine, or do it old
school: place one end of the barbell in
the corner, and a dumbbell on top to
hold it in place. Then place plates on
the other end, grab the barbell and row
it to the upper abdomen area.
Pro Tip One: Use 10/15kg plates
instead of 20/25kg to get a bigger
50
Pro Tip Two: Use a V-shape or rope handle attachment for even more range of motion.
Pro Tip Three: Don’t hit yourself in the crotch.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates; V-handle
Kroc Row
This exercise can best be described as a massively cheated, super heavy one arm row, usually
done for high reps. Unlike the strict one arm row, you can use leg and hip drive to get the
weight going, just be sure to not twist with the lower back.
Only do this exercise after you have
mastered the standard one-arm row and
have built a base of strength using that.
Make sure to get a full range of motion,
and if your grip strength is not sufficient,
feel free to use straps. This exercise will
murder the back of the shoulder (in a
good way) and the middle traps. It’s also
surprisingly good cardio. Even more so than the traditional one-arm row, it can be hard
finding heavy enough dumbbells.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 20-50
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbell
Rubish Row
Named after the ancient Gregorian knight
Sir Peter of the house Rubish, this is
51
similar to the Pendlay row but uses leg drive to get the bar moving off of the ground.
Place the barbell on the ground, and set up like a conventional deadlift. Pulling with your
arms and back, explosively extend your hips , pulling the weight up towards your belly
button at the end of the motion.
This means that much more weight can be used, but also means that it places a bit more
stress on the lower back, so be somewhat conservative in weight selection and keep your
core tight. It’s also good for explosive power and is a great deadlift accessory movement.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: High
Rep range: 3-12
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates
One-Arm Barbell Row
This unusual exercise is
very different from both a
standard two-handed
barbell row and a one-arm
dumbbell row. It’s
somewhat similar to a Tbar row but only uses one
arm. This allows a greater range of motion, as it lets you get a great stretch at the bottom of
the motion and a fantastic contraction at the top. There are two main ways to perform this
exercise. The first, shown on the left, involves standing to the side of the barbell facing the
same way as it’s resting lengthwise.
Grab the barbell inside the plate and pull it back alongside you, pausing at the finish. Lower
it under control, getting a good stretch at
the bottom. Allow your shoulder blade to
come forward slightly for full range of
motion, but don’t twist your torso. Repeat
for reps.
You can experiment with where you are
standing in relation to the barbell to find
52
where is most comfortable for you. The second version is shown on the right, above, when
you are facing perpendicular to the barbell. You’ll be holding the fat end of the barbell, so
that you don’t hit yourself. Again, row and lower under control. This allows a slightly
different feel to the movement. With your non-rowing hand you can let it hang, rest it on
your thigh or make gang signs at other gym members for bonus points.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates
If I had to choose just three movements from this section, I would pick the barbell bent
over row, Kroc row and cable row/chest supported/machine row (whichever the gym has,
some only have one of them).
Movement Pattern Recap: Rowing exercises stimulate the
traps, lats, biceps and forearms, making them one of the
most potent developers of the upper body.
53
Push
Pushing exercises work the triceps, front of the shoulder and chest. For all of the exercises
below, elbow and especially shoulder health is crucial. Generally speaking, “tucking” the
elbows in closer to your sides rather than letting them flare out is much more forgiving on
your shoulders, as is taking a narrower grip on the bar when doing barbell exercises. If you
are wide bench pressing with your upper arms perpendicular to your torso, shoulder
problems are generally not a question of if-they are a question of when.
Another factor to keep in mind is to keep your shoulder blades as retracted as possible to
give yourself a strong and safe position to push from. This requires a strong upper back.
Make sure you balance your pushing exercises with rowing ones, particularly cable rows and
chest supported rows with a squeeze at the end range of motion and your shoulders pulled
back. You can’t fire a cannon out of a canoe! Stability of this region is crucial.
Pushup
The pushup (or press up for those from ye old England) has likely been around since fish
flopped out of the ocean and started evolving arms. Get down on the floor in a plank
position, with just your feet and hands touching the floor. Lower yourself by bending your
elbows and shoulders, going down until your chest almost touches the floor, then push
yourself back up. Your body should be in a straight line the entire time, not sagging or
arched up. Your elbows should be TUCKED not flared out, they should be roughly 45
degrees when looked at from a birds eye view. Let’s both hope that bird doesn’t relieve itself
on you!
There are a lot of upsides to the pushup. It’s extremely convenient, very safe and is very easy
to recover from. The only real downside is that eventually you’ll get to the point where
pushups aren’t really heavy enough to stimulate growth-you can add weight but it’s a bit
hard to do without a partner. Useful variations include clapping pushups, feet elevated
pushups, one-arm pushups and diamond pushups with the hands together.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: as many as you can
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: None!
54
Machine Press
Most machines aren’t worth the metal they’re made out of, but often machine chest presses
are pretty good. They’re one of the few that work for most people, and if you have one at
your disposal it could be worth trying out to see if it’s right for you.
The motion is pretty simple, just push the handles away from you using your chest and
arms, until your arms are almost straight. Return to the starting position.
A machine can be great for beginners for a variety of reasons. First, they are completely safe
and there is no intimidation
factor. Second, they require
less work from your
stabilizer muscles, you just
sit down and push the
handles back and forth.
Finally, they are easy and
require less coordination
and practice.
For more advanced athletes, they might not provide enough stimulus for those same reasons
that they are ideal for beginners. However, they might still be worth including in your
programming if they feel good for you, even at intermediate and advanced levels. Higher
reps are generally better.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Press machine
Dumbbell Bench Press
Grab two dumbbells and sit down on the bench, putting them on your thighs. Lie back, at
the same time moving the
dumbbells into position over
your shoulders. Press them
up above you using your
chest and arms, moving both
dumbbells together. Pause at
the top, then lower them
55
back down again till your upper arms are roughly parallel with the floor. Repeat.
Using dumbbells to press has several advantages. One is that you can rotate your shoulders
however you want at any point in the motion, whereas when using a barbell, you are
somewhat locked in. Another plus is that you can use a greater range of motion than a
barbell at both the top and bottom of the exercise. Finally, dumbbells are innately safer than
a barbell. If you fail with dumbbells you can just drop them to the sides, but with a barbell
you now have a heavy weight on your chest (or on your face or neck if you’re less lucky).
They can also highlight any muscle imbalances that you might have-if one dumbbell is
reaching the top first and the other is lagging behind, you’ll need to address that. A
worthwhile exercise to include in any program. Make sure you use full range of motion,
bringing the ‘bells down to almost your armpits at the bottom, and squeezing your chest at
the top.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Dumbbells; bench
Assisted Dips
The dip is a fantastic upper body movement, but many beginners cannot do a single
bodyweight dip, let alone several in a
row. Using a machine to effectively
reduce your own body weight is a good
way to learn the proper technique of the
dip.
Adjust the weight-unlike most exercises,
the more weight you use, the easier it
gets, as the weight is assisting you.
Hold onto the handles and get on the
pad, in that order. If you just hop on
the pad, you’ll drop like a rock. Bending
at your elbows and shoulders, lower yourself till your upper arms are roughly parallel with
the floor, then push yourself back up. Repeat.
56
You can also use a band to support your own bodyweight, just make sure that you always
use the same band so that you can accurately measure progress. Different types of bands
have different amounts of tension, so they provide different amounts of assistance. Some
gyms also have a machine that you can mimic the dip movement with various amounts of
weight.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Assisted dip/pullup machine
Close Grip Bench Press
This variant of the bench press lets you use about ninety percent of your standard bench
press weight while being much easier on the shoulders, which is why I always advocate
starting with this exercise over a wider grip.
Set up the bar in the bench press, it should ideally be just under the height of your
outstretched arms. Grab the bar with your hands about shoulder width apart, then lift it
carefully out of the rack. Lower it down to around your sternum area, then push it back up
and repeat for reps.
A grip around
shoulder width is
ideal. A bit
narrower hits the
triceps harder but
limits the amount
of weight you can
use. At the bottom
position your
hands should be just outside your ribs. An extremely narrow grip width really hammers the
triceps but also puts excessive stress on the wrists, so should be avoided. It ain’t worth it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
57
Rep range: 1-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Bench press; barbell; plates
Incline Press
This movement uses a special bench that places you at an angle. This makes it somewhere
between a flat bench press and an overhead press, which is in the pressing movement pattern.
To carry out the exercise, take the bar out of the rack, then lower it under control to your
sternum,
keeping
your chest
as high as
possible.
Press it
back up to
the
starting
position.
As you might suspect, this means it works the shoulders, chest and triceps, with an emphasis
on the upper chest. Many people find that this exercise is easier on the shoulder joint
compared to the flat bench press. Dumbbells or a barbell can (and should) both be used.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Incline bench; barbell+plates or dumbbells
Dips
Along with pullups (see the pull movement pattern
section), it’s possible to develop a great upper body
without using a barbell or dumbbells at all! Dips are a
great chest, shoulder and triceps builder, and you only
need a set of parallel bars. You can find these in many
parks-doing a few sets of pullups and dips is a very
convenient workout.
58
Grab the handles and jump up, holding yourself with almost straight arms. Bend at the
shoulders and the elbows, lowering yourself under control until your upper arms are
roughly parallel with the floor, then push down through the handles to return to the
starting position.
You can add weight by stringing plates through a chain hanging from a special “dip belt”,
stringing chains around your shoulders or by shoving a dumbbell in between your legs, but
for most people there is no need to add weight for a long time. There are lots of ways to
progress without adding weight: slowing down the movement, focusing on the muscles
involved, pausing at the bottom position, doing high reps sets, resting less…if you can work
up to sets of fifteen to twenty with a slow lowering and pause at the bottom, that shows
incredible strength and endurance, and is probably accompanied with a huge upper body.
Some people find that dips bother their shoulders, clavicles and/or sternum. If that is
consistently the case for you, then the answer is simple: don’t do dips. They’re an awesome
exercise, but no movement is worth getting injured over. That’s also why there’s no point in
doing very low reps for dips, the risk is just not worth it.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 8-as many as you can
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Dip station (and maybe a dumbbell, chains or dip belt+plates)
Fly
The dumbbell fly is not really a compound “pushing” exercise, but it is a fantastic chest
builder and thus is included
in this section. Set up is
similar to the dumbbell
bench press, but you’ll be
using lighter weights, likely
half or less. Press them up to
the top position, then with
relatively straight arms, lower
them down till you feel a
stretch in your chest. Squeezing your chest, lift them back up to the top. Be sure to get a
full range of motion. If you cannot, lower the weight.
59
The main benefit of this exercise is the stretch at the bottom, so make sure you are feeling
that. You can do them on flat, incline or decline benches, and can lower the dumbbells
tucked to your sides or more flared out.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Bench; dumbbells
Wide Dips
This exercise is done identically to dips, but with a wider grip. Doing dips with a wide grip
puts more stress on the chest, but
also the shoulder joint. If your
shoulders can tolerate it, it’s a good
variation to try, but start with the
narrower grip width first. Dips (both
wide and narrow) generally place a
lot of stress on the sternum
(breastbone) and clavicles
(collarbones), so monitor your body
to see how you respond to the
exercise. Pursed lips are optional.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 8-as many as you can
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Wide dip station (and
maybe a dumbbell, chains or dip
belt+plates)
Cable Crossover
This isn’t really a compound pushing
60
exercise, but it is a great chest movement. Set up both sides of the cable station at the same
height, using the basic single hand attachment. Grab both handles and walk out a few feet
from the station. Bring the handles in front of you in a sweeping motion, briefly touching
them together and squeezing your chest at the end. Return to the starting position under
control, and repeat for reps.
You can use any height-lower
heights will work the upper chest
(see left picture), higher heights will
work the lower chest (see right
picture), while the middle will work
(you guessed it) the middle. You
won’t be able to go super heavy on
this movement, but it allows for a
great range of motion and is
relatively easy on the shoulders.
Make sure to get both a stretch and squeeze. This isn’t really a movement suitable for
explosiveness, just try to control the weight and feel the muscles working.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Cable station
Wide Grip Bench Press
This exercise is set up like a close grip bench press, but the hands are about twice as wide
on the barbell. It’s lowered to the same area, but the range of motion is much shorter. Be
sure to keep your upper back tight.
Similar to the wide dip, a wide grip bench press will work more chest than tricep. This is
much harder on the shoulder joint compared to the close grip variation and should be done
sparingly. You CAN max out on this variation, but usually higher reps are better. It is wise
to warm up well before this exercise. Try placing it later during the workout and using
lighter weights under control. Another good idea is to combine it with a rowing movement
to make sure that the positioning of your upper back is perfect, as this will help avoid injury.
Difficulty: Advanced
61
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost:
High
Rep range: 1-20
Priority:
Assistance
Equipment: Bench press; barbell; plates
Decline Bench Press
While less common than an incline bench, some gyms
do have a decline bench. The movement is similar to a
close grip bench press, except the bar usually touches
slightly lower on the chest, and the range of motion is
shorter.
This movement is a great overall chest builder. Many
people find that they can use more weight than the
flat bench press and it’s easier on the shoulder joints.
It helps to have a partner to assist you in unracking
the weight; it’s significantly more difficult than in a
flat bench press. Dumbbells can also be used.
Another tip is to use a normal flat or adjustable bench
and put a plate under one end. Depending on which
end, this will turn it from a flat bench into a slight
decline or slight incline. Everyone has a unique
shoulder joint anatomy, and a small five to ten percent
change in angle could turn a painful movement into a
completely pain-free one.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Decline bench press; barbell+plates or dumbbells
62
Reverse Grip Bench Press
This odd-looking exercise is a standard bench press but using a grip that is…well,
reversed…so your palms are facing you.
Grab the bar in the
reverse grip with
your thumbs
wrapped around the
bar, and lift it out of
the rack. Lower it
under control to
your chest, then
return it to the
starting position and
repeat for reps.
It tends to place less stress on the shoulders and more emphasis on the upper chest, which
are both good things. However, for some it causes wrist pain, and unracking the bar
without a partner is potentially dangerous, so only use this variation after you have a lot of
experience under the bar, and definitely use a spotter when going heavy, or do it in a power
rack with safety bars.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Bench press; barbell; plates
If I had to choose three exercises from here, it would be close grip bench press, incline press,
and dips.
Movement Pattern Recap: Pushing movements put slabs of
muscle on your chest, shoulders and triceps, making them
an irreplaceable part of any program.
63
Pull
Pulling exercises generally involve using the back and arms to pull something towards the
body, generally in a downward, vertical direction. They differ from rowing exercises in that
generally the plane of movement is parallel to the body rather than perpendicular-hence
they are often referred to as “vertical pulling exercises” or “vertical pulls”. Whilst they are
not as good of a trap developer as rows, they are fantastic at building the overall width of
the back by developing the lats.
Pulldown
This machine exercise is one of the staples of any gym, and for good reason: it is a great
upper body exercise. The amount of weight can be adjusted, making this ideal for beginners
who might not yet be comfortable with using their own bodyweight when doing a pullup.
Higher reps are generally better, the twelve to twenty rep range being ideal.
Sit down. Reach up and grab the attachment, then pull it down towards your chest using
your arms and back. Squeeze your back at the end, keeping your chest up. Return it to the
starting position, making sure to get a good stretch, a full range of motion is imperative! A
bit of a backwards lean is acceptable, and actually increases lat activation, but avoid
swinging too much and using momentum
to pull the weight down.
A variety of attachments can be used. My
personal favorite is a hands facing each
other (neutral grip) narrow attachment,
although wider neutral grip and straight
bars are good as well. Both over and
underhand grips are fine, experiment with
which feels best for YOU.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Pulldown machine
Standing Cable Pullover
Using a cable pulley machine is a great way to hone in on the lats whilst taking the biceps
out of the equation. The tricep is also heavily involved in this exercise, as it helps to extend
64
the shoulder joint. Set the cable attachment to the highest possible setting for best results. I
like to use a rope attachment, but a straight bar is also fine.
Under control and with
nearly straight arms, pull the
attachment
down
and
towards you in an arc,
keeping your chest up. Pause
with your hands down near
your hips and your back in
the contracted position, then slowly re-extend your arms straight out in front of you,
getting a good stretch on the lats. Don’t jerk the weight or use momentum, this movement
is best done under control. Reduce the weight if you need to.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Dual Handle Cable Pulldown
This cable exercise is easy to learn and a great way to stimulate the lats, lower traps and
biceps. To perform the exercise, set up both cables with a single grip attachment each in the
cable station around chest height. Grab the
handles and sink down into a seated position
with your legs out in front of you.
Under control, pull the cable down and
towards you, squeezing your elbows down
into your sides and holding for a second.
Slowly return to the starting position, making
sure to get a full range of motion.
A wide or narrow cable station will result in a
different angle of pull, so if you are in a new gym be aware that the movement will feel
slightly different.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
65
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Chinup/Neutral Grip Pullup
The chinup is a classic exercise that involves the
forearms, biceps, lats and core muscles working together
to pull the body from a hanging and extended position
up to and over the bar. It uses an attachment as shown
in order to have your hands facing each other. A chinup
is an underhand grip, with your palms are facing
towards you. Hanging from the bar with your legs
motionless, use your arms and back to pull yourself up
until your chin is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself
back down to full extension and then repeat.
The difference between grips isn’t great, both are working the same muscle groups, but
there is enough that it is worth changing occasionally. Similar to a dip, weight can be added
in the form of a weighted vest or backpack, a dumbbell or plates attached to a chain that is
hanging between your legs, or a dumbbell squeezed betwixt thy nether region. Unlike
pulldowns, where you should never try a one rep max, with this movement it is a viable
option to try occasionally. Just don’t get carried away with doing it. The five to fifteen rep
range is better than maxing out all the time.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 1-as many as you can
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: A bar (and maybe a dumbbell, dip belt+plates)
Wide grip pullup
The wide grip pullup, often just referred to as a
pullup, is typically only used with the overhand
grip. It’s a great outer back developer. It is
slightly more challenging than a narrower grip,
but the range of motion is slightly lower at the
66
shoulder joint. This makes it an inferior lat developer, but definitely hits the smaller
assistance muscles of the lower traps and back of the shoulder much harder, making it
worthwhile to include occasionally.
Again, hang from the bar with your legs motionless, use your arms and back to pull yourself
up until your chin is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself back down and then repeat. Again,
you CAN max out but definitely don’t do it all the time.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-as many as you can
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: A bar (and maybe a dumbbell, dip belt+plates)
Dumbbell Pullover
This old school exercise isn’t seen much anymore, which really is a shame. Depending on
your technique, it can be used to work the triceps, lats, chest or abs…talk about an exercise
superstar! Mind your shoulder position when doing these, it’s definitely best to start lighter
and progress very slowly, as the bottom position puts the shoulder joint in a potentially
precarious situation.
Lie down across the bench and get the dumbbell in position. If it’s heavy, you might want
to have a training partner help you. Lower the dumbbell back and down behind you till you
feel a stretch in your lats, then return it to the starting position above you. Only go down as
far as is comfortable, and always keep the weight one hundred percent under control. You
may want to “test” the depth as the set goes on and you loosen up.
Slightly bent arms will work the triceps more, bringing the elbows in closer together will
work the chest more than the lats, while crunching the pelvis up towards you during the
lifting portion will activate the abs, but these are just rules of thumb. What matters most is
where you feel it. With time you’ll be able to alter your individual form to attack the area
that you want to develop. You can
also do this on a decline bench for
increased difficulty.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 10-30
67
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Bench; dumbbell
Behind the neck pulldown
Using a wide grip, pulling the bar down behind you instead of in front of you allows a
better contraction of the lats and
mid-back muscles.
Grab the bar and, under control,
pull it down and behind you,
pausing at the finish. Raise your
arms back up to the starting
position and repeat.
This is best done with lighter
weights, and if it feels
uncomfortable or painful, don’t do it at all. Some people-often those who sit at computers
all day-don’t have the shoulder mobility to safely do this exercise, which is why it’s in the
advanced section. If you sit at a computer all day, it might not be for you.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 15-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Pulldown machine
One-arm pullup
This incredibly difficult exercise (full disclosure: I still haven’t done one yet!) is less of a
muscle builder and more of a crowning achievement of bicep and lat strength. As the name
implies, it simply involves pulling yourself up…with one arm. Rarely does the term “easier
said than done” apply more! To perform the exercise, hang from one arm, then pull
yourself up to the bar. You’ll have to twist slightly as you go up to keep balance. Repeat for
reps…if you’re herculean.
Having a low body weight helps a lot, so if you have excess body fat or even just leg
muscular development, this might be impossible for you, but give it a shot. Hanging with
one arm (see middle of picture above), slow eccentrics and one-arm pulldowns in the three
to ten rep range (see picture to the right) are good places to start building up.
68
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: Even one is awesome
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Pulldown machine or bar
If I had to choose three exercises from here, it would be neutral grip pullups, pulldowns and
standing pullovers. They’re all great exercises that are safe, easy to recover from and you can
add lots of weight over time.
Movement Pattern Recap: Pulling exercises are the best lat
developers, and also involve the biceps and forearms,
making them critical for a balanced physique.
69
Press
This variety of exercises focuses on moving something over your head, generally either a
barbell or dumbbells. The prime movers are the triceps and shoulders, although there is
often a lot of upper back, upper chest and core activation as well. These exercises improve
your body from every angle.
Machine shoulder presses do exist, but unlike chest presses, the majority are pretty shit. Feel
free to try them out to see if you like them, though. The final few variations listed still
involve moving something overhead, but work primarily the core and legs, rather than the
triceps and shoulders. They aren’t really “pressing” movements, but they go in this section
anyway, ‘cause I can write the book any way I want to.
Seated Dumbbell Press
This basic exercise works the entire shoulder, upper traps and triceps. Start with the
dumbbells resting on your thighs and use your legs to help “kick” the weights up into
position. Press the weights up over your head, keeping the dumbbells over your elbow and
following a natural arc. At the top the
dumbbells should almost touch each other.
Lower to the bottom position with the
dumbbells almost touching your shoulders,
and repeat.
Because the exercise is performed seated,
you can focus entirely on the muscles being
used. Sets of at least six reps are a good
idea. Anything heavier and it becomes hard to get the dumbbells into position. Use a full
range of motion and avoid the temptation to arch your back to use your chest. It’s a
shoulder exercise. Arching can also put stress on the lower back. Don’t do it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
Arnold Press
The Arnold Press is named after the
70
most famous bodybuilder of all time, Schwarzenegger. It is similar to a basic dumbbell
overhead press but the range of motion is increased by bringing the dumbbells together in
front of you.
Start with the weights just below your chin and your knuckles facing away from you. Press
them up, rotating your arms outwards as you lift. Pause at the top and them lower them
back to the starting position. Focus on controlling the weights and pushing both up and
behind you. You won’t be able to use as much weight as the basic dumbbell press but it
should still give good results in terms of muscular development. Higher reps are better,
usually anywhere from eight to twenty is good.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
Standing Barbell Overhead Press
The basic barbell overhead press is a staple exercise that has been around for centuries. It’s
also known simply as the overhead press (OHP) or even more simply as “the press”. If
someone asks how much you press, they’re asking about this exercise.
You can either take the weight out of
a rack or hoist it to the starting
position. Take a deep breath of air
and brace your core, squeezing your
abs and glutes. Press the weight
overhead using your shoulders and
arms. Lower the bar under control
and repeat for reps.
Higher or lower reps are both good. Experiment with a narrow, medium or wider grip-a
narrow to medium grip is generally easiest on the shoulder joint but a wider grip can get
more shoulder muscle activation. Again, experiment with what works for you. Keep your
abs and glutes tight, don’t arch your back.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
71
Rep range: 1-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates (squat/power rack optional)
Klokov Press
The Klokov press is named after the Russian weightlifter and modern legend Dmitri
Klokov. It is a wide grip, behind the neck press. Set up like a squat, with the bar on your
shoulders. Place your hands with your index fingers on the rings of the barbell. Unrack the
bar and step a couple steps back. Take a big breath of air, then press the barbell up till your
arms are nearly straight. Lower the bar back to your shoulders and repeat.
The wide grip makes it much more comfortable than a narrower grip behind the neck press.
Anything over three reps is
OK. Make sure you have
adequate shoulder mobility
before doing any behind the
neck pressing. If this
exercise feels awkward or
uncomfortable, do not do it.
It’s a great exercise but not
worth getting hurt over.
That being said, it IS
typically easier on the lower back than pressing from the front.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 3-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates (squat/power rack optional)
Z-Press
This is a press performed in a seated position on the floor. You’ll need a power rack.
Arrange the supports so that
the bar is resting around your
collarbones or slightly above.
Scoop the bar up and press it
overhead exactly like in an
overhead press, using only the
72
muscles of your arms and shoulders. Make sure to keep your legs on the ground…try to
stick your head through the gap between your arms as soon as possible, which will help you
from falling over backwards.
You won’t be able to use as much weight as the standing variety, but it is a great way to mix
things up or if you have a lower back injury, as it puts less stress on the spine and pelvis. It
works the abs and hip flexors in a very unique way as well.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 3-15
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates; squat or power rack
Push Press
The push press is similar to a barbell overhead press but it uses some leg drive to get the bar
moving overhead. Because of this, you can use more weight, usually around fifteen to thirty
percent more.
Take the bar in an overhand grip, with your thumbs wrapped around the bar. Take a deep
breath and brace, then take the bar out of the rack and step out a foot or two from the rack.
If you have to rebrace, do so, then squat down into a quarter squat position. Change
direction, using the power of your legs and hips to launch the barbell into the air above you.
As the barbell slows, continue to press the bar overhead, using your arms and shoulders to
lock the bar out overhead.
73
Holding the bar overhead for as long as possible can also be a fantastic way to stimulate the
shoulders, traps and core. Lower reps, between one and five, are best. This is a great bridge
between bodybuilding and Olympic weightlifting as it teaches you to be explosive while still
using the shoulders and arms to move the weight.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 8
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 1-5
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates (squat/power rack optional)
Bradford Press
The Bradford press involves pressing the weight from a forward position over your head
and lowering it behind your head, then pressing it back over your head and lowering it in
front. Unrack the weight, then press it up and behind you, over your head. Lower it slowly
part of the way down behind your head, then reverse direction, pressing it back above your
head and lowering it back down in front of you, returning to the starting position.
This limits the amount of weight you can use but the constant tension on the shoulders can
create a nice growth stimulus if you are in a rut. You should develop a rhythm after a few
reps. Your head can move slightly forwards and backwards to accommodate the path of the
barbell, but not an excessive amount. Keep the reps higher, usually at least eight and even up
to twenty. Again, make sure you have adequate shoulder mobility before doing any behind
the neck pressing. If it gives you pain or discomfort, ditch it.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
74
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates (squat/power rack optional)
Jerk
The jerk is a type of Olympic lifting that involves the legs and hips more than the shoulders
and arms. Instead of focusing on driving the weight up with your arms, the goal is to drive
yourself under the bar. More weight than a push press can be used, and lower reps from one
to three are ideal. I would suggest looking up how to do it on Youtube (or Youku), as it is
quite a complex movement.
It requires incredibly fast timing and precision. If you are too fast or too slow, or out of
position by even a few millimeters,
you’ll miss the lift. Definitely an
advanced movement, I’d recommend
push presses for several months
before attempting this. As I
mentioned before, they’re a good
bridge between bodybuilding and
Olympic weightlifting.
There are two main ways to do this lift. They both start the same way. Unrack the bar, and
step back a couple of feet (first picture). Brace your core, then dip down into a quarter
squat, keeping tension on the bar. Change direction, exploding tremendously through the
ankles, knees and hips as you explosively catapult the bar overhead.
In the first method (middle picture), quickly dip back into a quarter squat and catch the bar
overhead. This is called a power jerk. In the second method, instead of catching the bar
with both legs together, you put one leg in front and the other behind you, as in the last
picture.
Most people find this position to be more stable and allows them to get lower, so they can
lift more weight. This second method is called a split jerk, and is how most Olympic lifters
compete. The Jerk is a fine way to train explosive power, but takes a lot of specific training,
so before you put it into a training plan, ask yourself if you are ready to commit yourself to
learning it.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 1-3
75
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell; plates (squat/power rack optional)
If I had to select just three pressing exercises, they would probably be standing overhead
barbell press (OHP), seated dumbbell press and push press.
Movement Pattern Recap: Pressing is incredible for
shoulder development and as an added bonus your triceps
get some work, making them a must for any program.
76
Shoulders
Many of the exercises listed above will develop various parts of the shoulder. Pushing and
pressing exercises will develop the front part of the shoulder, while pulling, rowing and
some hinge exercises will target the back of the shoulders, but for complete development
you’ll want some more focused exercises. These should not form the basis of your workout,
they are best thought of as a supplement to add on to the end of a workout to keep your
shoulders healthy and ensure that you are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to your
progress, so to speak.
You’ll notice that they all have the same rep range of twelve to thirty reps, because the
shoulders respond better to isolation work with higher reps. There’s really no point in going
under twelve reps for these exercises, as most people tend to cheat the weight too much, and
the risk/reward isn’t worth it. You’re already getting the heavy shoulder stimulation from
pullups, pulldowns, dips, bench pressing, overhead pressing, push pressing: these are more
higher rep exercises done a bit lighter.
Seated Lateral Raise
Sit down on a bench or seat, and grab two dumbbells. Under control, raise them up until
your arms are roughly parallel with the floor. Lower them under control back to your sides,
and repeat for reps.
This will target the entire
shoulder, but especially the
side of the shoulder that
many other exercises cannot
effectively hit. You won’t be
able to use much weight with
this exercise, so don’t be
underwhelmed if you are
using 5kg dumbbells or less.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
77
Reverse Pec Dec
This machine exercise hits the traps and the back of the shoulder delightfully. Higher reps
are best, and this exercise is ideally suited to drop sets (see compendium five), as it is very
easy to adjust the weight downward with each set. Set up the machine with the handles as
close to the machine as
possible, most have holes
that you can select to
adjust the position of the
handles.
Sit down facing the weight
stack, and grab the handles.
You can push with the side of your palm as shown in the pictures, or grab the horizontal
handles. Using the back of your shoulders, push the handles back as far as you can behind
you, squeeze for a second, then return them to the starting position. Repeat for reps.
To hit the traps harder, you can squeeze your shoulder blades together. To target the rear
delts, keep them apart and focus on pushing more “out” rather than “back”.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
Prone Rear Delt Raise
The back of the shoulder is a small but essential
area for both aesthetics and shoulder joint health.
Lie down on an incline bench, set at a fairly shallow
angle.
Grab two dumbbells on the floor just below you
and raise them up until your upper arms are roughly
parallel with the floor. Lower them back down in
front of you and repeat.
This exercise is very safe and targets the back of the
shoulder and traps very effectively. It’s also almost
impossible to mess up, making it great for beginners
and drop sets.
78
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Incline Bench; dumbbells
Machine Lateral Raise
This somewhat rare machine is a very safe way to
grow your shoulders. Adjust the machine pads so
that they are resting just above your elbows.
Using your shoulders, lift your elbows up as high as
possible, how high this is will depend on the
machine itself. Slowly lower the pads back down to
the starting position and repeat.
This machine is great for those with injured elbows:
when you do a typical lateral raise with dumbbells, the weight is in your hands and thus it
does place torque on the elbow joint. With this exercise, the force is actually above the
elbow, so the joint gets almost no tension. This exercise is also almost impossible to cheat
at, which definitely is not something that can be said of typical lateral raises.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Lateral Raise Machine
Face Pull
Building big muscles is great and
all, but health is vital as well.
One of the best exercises for
shoulder health, the face pull is a
79
crucial exercise to include in any program, especially if you are bench pressing. Use a rope
attachment and set the cable height to around face height. Take one side of the rope
attachment in each hand.
You can hold the “ball” of the rope attachment between your fingers with index and middle
fingers above, and pinky and ring fingers below, or you can just grab the rope itself with
your whole hand. I prefer the former but the latter is simpler.
Slowly and under control, pull it toward your forehead. Pause with your upper back and
shoulders contracted, then slowly return to the starting position. Try not to jerk the weight.
The hardest part of the motion is at the very end where the rope is near your face, so try to
focus on that end contraction.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Seated Rear Delt Raise
This exercise involves sitting down on a seat or bench, bending forward, and raising the
dumbbells until your upper arms are roughly parallel with the ground.
This is a very safe exercise and a good way to get in a lot of
volume for the back of the shoulder-it is almost pure
isolation of the muscle you want to develop. How much you
want to bend forward is up to you, experiment with what
feels comfortable. Anywhere from your torso being parallel
with the floor to a forty-five degree angle is fine.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
80
Lateral Raise
This is similar to the first exercise listed in this section, but is performed standing up. Grab
two dumbbells, and stand up. Using
your shoulders, raise your arms to the
sides till they are around parallel with
the ground. Return to the starting
position with the dumbbells under
control, and repeat for reps.
Compared to the seated version, this
allows slightly more weight to be used,
but make sure that the “cheating” of
the weight is only slight, the weight
should still be under control at all times.
The elbows should be slightly bent when doing this movement.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Dumbbells
Standing Rear Delt Raise
Quite similar to the prone rear delt raise above, this exercise involves bending over from a
standing position till the torso is roughly parallel with the ground, then using the back of
the shoulder to
raise your arms.
This means that
the hamstrings,
glutes and lower
back are under
tension during
the movement.
Some people say
that they can feel the back of the shoulder working more effectively with this variation, try
it out and see if you prefer it to the seated version. It is also a great trap exercise.
Difficulty:Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
81
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbells
Cable Rear Delt Raise
This is one of the best rear delt exercises out there, because it has a huge range of motion.
To perform the exercise, set up both sides of the cable station around shoulder height with
the single hand attachment. Reaching across your body with your right arm, grab the left
side handle. Move to the right side and grab the
right side handle with your left hand.
Move to the middle, you should now be standing
with your arms across your body as in the top
picture. Using the back of your shoulders,
straighten your arms and extend them fully,
making a T with your body, as in the bottom
picture. Return to the starting position under
control and repeat. When finished, place one
cable back and then the other. It can take a few
sets to get used to how to actually disentangle yourself from the cables.
You won’t be able to use a lot of weight for this exercise, but the range of motion and
constant tension make it a big winner. Please ignore the fact that the two pictures fused
together makes it look like my head is up my own ass.
Difficulty:Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Cable Lateral Raise
Trot on over to the cable station, and put the
handle attachment on the lowest setting. You
won’t be able to use much weight for this
82
exercise, so start light.
Facing perpendicular to the cable station, reach down and across your body with the arm
that is further away from the cable, and grab the handle. Without twisting, use your
shoulder muscles to lift your arm up and across your body, pausing at the top. Repeat for
reps.
This movement can bother the elbows of some due to the angle of the pull, so if that is the
case for you, do this movement sparingly or not at all.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Cable station
Bus Driver
This somewhat humorously
named exercise hits the
shoulders as well as the traps
and a bit of biceps. Grab a plate
and lift it up in front of you
with both arms. Rotate the plate
to the left until your left hand is
on the bottom and your right hand is on top.
Pause and then slowly reverse direction, until your right hand is on the bottom and your
left hand is on top. Return to the center. That’s one rep. Most people will probably start
out with using a 5k or 10kg plate, so don’t expect to go super heavy on this one.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 3
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: A plate
83
Front Raise
The front raise, as you might imagine, targets the front of the shoulder. Usually the front of
the shoulder gets plenty of work in from pushing and pressing exercises, but this can be a
nice way to get in more volume by isolating it.
Perform this exercise by grabbing either a
pair of dumbbells or a plate. Standing in one
place, raise your arm in front of you till your
hand is about face level, then lower it back
down to your side. If using dumbbells,
alternate the left and right arms. If using a
plate, hold it with both hands and lift with
them together.
When using a plate, you can also try raising
the plate all the way over your head: this will
work the upper back really hard as well. Do not
drop the plate on your head.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Dumbbells or plate
Smith Machine Upright Row
This movement is a strange amalgamation of row and lateral raise that works the traps,
biceps, shoulders and forearms. I greatly prefer the smith machine for this exercise, it puts
the shoulders in a potentially precarious position so this is a rare case that it’s better to have
the stability that the smith machine offers.
While standing, grab the smith machine bar with a wide grip, roughly 50% wider than
shoulder width is best. Keeping the bar close to you, lean forward slightly and pull it
upwards, flaring your elbows and raising them at the top.
This movement can be stressful on the shoulders, so if it feels uncomfortable or painful,
don’t do it. There are
lots of other good
movements to choose
from.
Difficulty: Advanced
84
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Smith Machine, plates
If a mad scientist had a loved one hostage and forced me to name the three most effective
exercises here to help him make the best possible shoulder gains, I’d have to go with lateral
raises, face pulls, and standing rear delt raises.
Movement Pattern Recap: Shoulder exercises target the
specific parts of the shoulder muscle, giving you better all
around development than other movements.
85
Curl
While the biceps are recruited during both pulling and rowing exercises, for full
development, you’ll absolutely want some more specific exercises to target them. Curling
exercises of all kinds fit the bill perfectly.
Seated Dumbbell Curl
Grab a couple of ‘bells and plop down on a bench. Starting with one arm, curl the weight
up, being sure not to twist or rock too much. Lower the weight under control, then do the
same with the opposite arm.
Using a pair of dumbbells to curl while
seated has a few advantages that makes
it worth including in your program.
One, because you are seated, it is easier
to focus on using the arms to lift the
weight, instead of any other body part.
Two, it allows you to freely rotate your
shoulders and wrists, which means that
it is easier on the joints.
Third, you can assess strength differences between your left and right arms. Those are
normal but are best corrected, just do the same number of reps on both sides and eventually
the imbalance should fix itself over time. You can also curl both dumbbells at the same time
rather than alternate left and right, but I prefer the latter as you can really focus on one arm
at a time.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 4-12
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Seat; dumbbells
Cable Hammer Curl
The cable hammer curl is one of the best exercises
for the brachialis, a small muscle that is in the
middle of the arm, between the bicep and tricep.
Usually it is not apparent, but at low body fat
percentages, it is visible as a ball between the bicep
and tricep. Using a rope attachment, set the cable
86
to the lowest setting.
Grab the end of the rope and stand up. Keeping your thumbs up and knuckles facing each
other, use your arms to curl the weight up towards your chest. Pause at the top, then lower
the weight under control and repeat for reps. Don’t arch your back, lean backwards or heave
the weight up: if anything, lean slightly forward and keep the weight under control.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Machine Preacher Curl
This is one of the few machines that I like, and it’s a great variation to try if your gym has
this machine. It usually provides a very even resistance curve: the bottom, middle and upper
range of motion are all equally challenging. Adjust the machine so that the handles feel
comfortable.
Grab the handles with both hands, and smoothly
lift them up, squeezing your biceps at the top of
the motion. Lower to nearly straight arms and
repeat. You can also do one arm at a time. Lower
and higher reps are both fine. This works well as
a finisher for the end of a workout.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Preacher curl machine
Strict Curl
The strict curl is a variation of the
barbell curl where you stand with
87
your hips, back and shoulders against an immovable object. This prevents cheating and thus
focuses all of the tension of the movement on the biceps muscle.
Stand up with the weight, and put your shoulders, back and butt against a wall or post.
Curl the weight up, using only your arms. Curl it all the way to where your forearms are
vertical, then return under control to the starting position.
You can’t really use legs and back to help if only the arms are moving, which can be a useful
reality check. If there is a big difference between your barbell curl and strict curl, you may
wish to either focus more on the strict curl for a while, or clean up your form a bit on the
barbell curl as you are possibly cheating too much.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 1-12
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; Plates; place to lean against
Preacher Curl
This classic exercise is a great isolation movement that really allows you to get a good
stretch on the muscle. Place your upper arm(s) on the pad of the machine or bench as
shown, then slowly lower the weight. When
your arm is almost fully straight, curl the
weight back up and repeat for reps.
Make sure to go all the way down to the
bottom, the most difficult part is at the very
bottom, and that is where most of the benefit
is as well. Don’t cheat yourself out of some
gains! This can be done using both arms
together on a barbell or one arm at a time
using a single dumbbell. The barbell is more
time efficient so I’d suggest that.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Assistance
88
Equipment: Preacher curl station or incline bench; EZ-curl bar or dumbbell
Spider Curl
This exercise is a great way to isolate the biceps. Because the arms are hanging down, it
takes the shoulders out of the motion completely, making it almost impossible to cheat. Set
up an incline bench, probably on the lowest setting, but maybe the second lowest.
You should have enough room to use full range of motion,
so if the barbell is hitting the bottom of the bench, raise it
up a notch. Lie down on the bench and grab the barbell.
Using your biceps, curl it up as high as you can. Squeeze at
the top, then lower it back to the starting position and
repeat for reps.
Don’t swing the weight at all, it’s better to start each rep
from a dead hang. Visualize curling with your pinky fingers,
putting the tension on the inside of your hands will increase
bicep activation. Also picture keeping your shoulders as low
as possible-just let your arms hang down. If your shoulders
begin to shrug up, the exercise will be a lot less effective.
You can do this exercise with dumbbells, but I’d
recommend a barbell, if only to save time.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 6-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Incline Bench, barbell or dumbbells
1-arm Cable Curl
Set up the cable machine with a single arm
attachment. Stand just beside but facing away
from the machine, then reach down and grab the
cable.
Step away a few feet, then curl the cable in front
of you, pausing at full flexion. Slowly return to
the starting position, making sure to use a full
89
range of motion-get a good stretch on that bicep!
This exercise puts constant tension on the bicep, making it a good choice for your last arm
exercise of the day, you’ll leave the gym with your bicep so full of blood you won’t be able
to itch your nose.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Cable station
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Similar to the seated
dumbbell curl, this exercise
involves using two
dumbbells as resistance. Sit
yo’ fine ass down. Keeping
your back against the
bench, curl the weight up,
finishing with the
dumbbells right around face level.
You can do one dumbbell at a time, or both together as shown. Due to the angle of your
torso, this puts the biceps in a stretched position during the beginning of the motion, which
can be a great stimulus for growth.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbells; Incline Bench
90
Barbell Curl
This exercise can be performed either using a straight bar or a specially made curved bar
called an EZ-curl bar. Try both and see which you prefer. Many find that the EZ curl bar is
more comfortable and easier on the elbow and wrist joints. You can also use narrow,
medium or wide grips;
all will hit the muscle in
a slightly different way.
Again, experiment and find what is best for YOU.
The biceps has two
heads. A narrower grip
will hit the outer head,
while a wider grip will
attack the inner head.
To perform the exercise, take the bar in an underhand, palms up grip. With minimal
movement of the torso or hips, use the bicep muscle to curl the weight up towards your
face. Don’t hit yourself in the face, which would constitute bad form. Pause at the top, and
slowly lower the weight under control. Repeat until really tired.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 6-15
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Barbell; plates
Reverse Grip Curl
Similar to the above but with an overhand
grip, this exercise targets the arm in a
slightly different way. Wrap your fingers
and thumbs around the barbell and stand
up. Under control and without any
assistance from the lower body, curl the weight up to just in front of your chest, then lower
it back to the starting position.
It is a great forearm developer, as well as a potent stimulator of upper arm thickness. It’s
also a good grip developer. If it bothers your wrists, play around with your grip width
and/or use an EZ curl bar, or simply reduce the weight. This exercise is best used for higher
reps, about fifteen to twenty is ideal.
Difficulty: Intermediate
91
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 10-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell or EZ-curl bar; plates
Concentration Curl
This exercise offers pure isolation for the bicep. Sit down on a bench, grab a light dumbbell,
and place your elbow on the inside of your thigh.
Curl the weight up, squeezing your bicep at the top.
Lower it under control and repeat.
You can also use the edge of a preacher curl bench
and let your arm
hang straight down,
as in the left
picture. You won’t
be able to use a ton of weight, but this offers a great way
to really focus on the peak contraction of the bicep. It’s
best done for slightly higher reps.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Seat; dumbbell
Hercules Curl
This exercise is sure to transform your biceps into godlike proportions, or at least demigodlike ones. Set up the cable station with the single grip attachment at the highest level on
each side. If your cable station is one of those narrow ones, this won’t work, as it needs to
be wide enough for your wingspan.
Reach over and grab each handle, then curl them towards your ears, flexing your biceps at
the end of the range of motion. Pause, then slowly lengthen your arms. Repeat for reps.
92
This is a great constant tension isolation
movement for the biceps but is best used at
times when the gym isn’t very crowded, as it
takes up both sides of the cable station.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Cable Station
For the top three exercises here, I’d have to go with the barbell curl, incline dumbbell curl
and reverse grip curl.
Movement Pattern Recap: Curling exercises target the
biceps and forearms in a way that rowing and pulling
exercises can’t quite replicate, making them essential for
anyone looking to fully develop their arms.
93
Extend
This group of exercises all involve extending the elbow by using the triceps muscle, located
on the back of the upper arm. The triceps are also stimulated by compound movements,
primarily pushing and pressing exercises, but you can also use these isolation exercises to get
maximum development.
Cable Pushdown
You can use either a curved bar, straight bar or rope attachment for this exercise. Again, try
all of ‘em and see which you prefer. Grab whichever
attachment you choose and simply push the weight
down till your arms are straight. Return to the starting
position and repeat. Try not to use momentum, focus
on only using your arms.
You can also try experimenting with flaring your
elbows out slightly or keeping them tucked in by your
sides. Always keep the weight under control, and keep
the “cheating” to a minimum. Higher reps of twelve to
thirty work well.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Overhead Dumbbell Extension
This dumbbell exercise is one of the best upper arm exercises out there. This will put meat
on the back of your arm like no other.
Take a dumbbell and lift it overhead, then slowly
lower it behind your head. The elbow should move
very little, just the forearm should move as you keep
the elbow more or less fixed in place. Extend your
elbow to lift the weight above you.
Use as much of a range of motion as you can, getting
a good stretch on the tricep, even if it means using a
lighter weight than you could for partial range of
94
motion.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Dumbbell
Kickback
Grab two light dumbbells, one in each hand, and lean forward at the waist slightly. Starting
with your arms bent, straighten them, extending the dumbbells back behind you. Pause and
squeeze the triceps at the end of the range of motion.
Repeat till your upper arms are afire.
This is a great exercise to finish your workout with and is
quite easy on the elbows compared to most other
extending exercises. Higher reps are better.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 15-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Dumbbells
Overhead Cable Extension
This is the cable version of the dumbbell overhead extension above. To perform the exercise,
set the cable to the highest
attachment point, then hook on
a rope attachment.
You’ll have to muscle the
weight down and to the side as
you twist around. Once you are
in position with your arms
straight out in front of you,
95
move your arms behind your head, getting a stretch in your triceps. Extend your elbows and
straighten your arms.
Repeat for reps.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Lying Dumbbell Extension
This is also a dumbbell exercise, but involves lying down on a bench. Press the weights up
like a dumbbell bench press,
then lower them by slowly
pushing your elbows out as the
weights come down and in
towards your chest. Gently
touch them to your chest very
briefly. Under control, return
the bells to the starting
position. Repeat for reps.
You should feel a stretch in your triceps at the bottom of each rep. If you don’t, you’ll need
to keep your elbows higher. This works the entire tricep fairly evenly.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Bench; dumbbells
Skullcrusher
This somewhat
morbidly
named exercise
96
is done with a straight or EZ curl bar.
Taking a narrow grip and pressing the bar up like a bench press, slowly lower it to around
forehead level. Pro tip: Don't actually crush your skull. Then extend your elbows until your
arms are straight. Repeat for reps.
For some people, this exercise causes elbow pain. If that’s the case, pushing the elbows
forwards slightly and lowering to the chin similar to the JM press below can alleviate some
of the stress on that area. You can also experiment with letting the elbows drift back and
lowering behind your head slightly.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Medium/High
Rep range: 8-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Barbell or EZ-curl bar; plates; bench
JM Press
This exercise is similar to a skullcrusher but is easier on the elbows and allows more weight
to be used. Lift the bar out of the rack like a bench press, then push the elbows forward and
lower the bar to around the neck/chin
area, then press it back up. If it still
bothers your elbows, just avoid these
particular exercises and use dumbbells or
cable work.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: 5-12
Priority: Main Movement
Equipment: Bench press; barbell; plates
If I could only choose three, I’d go with cable overhead extension, dumbbell overhead
extension and cable pushdown..
97
Movement Pattern Recap: Extend exercises stimulate the
triceps better than pressing or pushing exercises can, and
therefore they are also critical for full upper arm
development.
Abs
Many of the exercises in different movement patterns work the abdominal muscles. Any
type of overhead pressing, front, back and goblet squatting as well as deadlifting will all
have significant activation of the core musculature. That being said, the exercises in this
section are all target the core to a greater degree and doing some of them are essential to
fully developing the area. It’s also worth mentioning that while these exercises will develop
the muscles, you won’t be able to see them if you are carrying around excessive body fat, so
if you really want abs the dinner plate is just as important than the plates in the gym.
Plank
The plank is a commonly performed isometric exercise that is usually done for time. Make
sure that your feet, knees, hips, shoulders and head are all in a straight line: take a video if
you aren’t sure. Keep your butt squeezed tight and your core completely immobile. While
you probably won’t get much out of this exercise once you’ve mastered it, it does have a few
benefits that more advanced athletes might be interested in.
First, it can be done anywhere, with no equipment, making it ideal when traveling. Second,
it is a good activation exercise for the core before squatting and deadlifting. Do sets for
time, holds of thirty seconds to
two minutes. You can add
weight by getting a friend to
place plates on your lower back,
but be conservative with the
loading.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 3
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: Holds for time
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: None!
98
Cable Crunch
This cable exercise hits the “six pack” part of the abdomen well. Put a pad or mat on the
floor to rest your knees on, and set the cable machine so that the rope attachment is around
head height when you’re on your knees. Kneel down on the pad and grasp the ropes as
shown in the picture. Crunch down, breathing out as you do so and contracting the abs as
hard as you can in the
bottom position.
Try to round your back as
much as possible. This is the
exact opposite of what you
should do when squatting or
deadlifting. With those you
want a big breath of air, the
hips to provide all of the movement and the lower back not to round at all.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 15-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Cable station
Pallov press
This exercise is seldom seen, which is a shame because it is one of the best ab exercises out
there! It’ll hit the obliques and improve your pressurizing power for the squat and deadlift
as well. Set up the cable thingy around chest height, pull it towards you, and face away from
it at about a ninety degree angle.
Take a big breath of air and then press the attachment away, keeping your abs tight. Hold it
at full extension for a
second, then return it to
your chest. Breathe out,
then take another big
breath and repeat for reps.
The only body parts that
move during the set are the
99
arms, the torso is kept completely still. Resist the cable pulling you towards it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Cable station
Farmer’s Walk
This isn’t just an ab exercise, it’ll also work your grip and forearms, shoulders, traps and
legs a bit. It’s also very simple, just pick something up and go for
a walk.
Dumbbells, a trap bar or a special farmer’s walk implement can be
used to provide loading. Keep your chest up and shoulders back
and stride forth gallantly. You might get a burning sensation in
your traps and forearms. That’s muscle growing.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Medium
Rep range: Done for time, see description
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbells or trap bar or farmer’s walk implement
Weighted Crunches
A great ab and hip flexor exercise, weighted crunches are a classic ab exercise that have been
used by bodybuilders for decades. Hook your feet into the grooves in the bench, and under
control lean back till your back touches the bench. Using your abs and hips, sit back up till
you are in the top position. Repeat
for reps.
You can load the movement with a
dumbbell or plate, and to make it
more challenging you can hold the
weight behind your head rather than
100
at your chest. As with almost all ab exercises, you don’t want to go too heavy, keep the reps
on the higher range of things.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Incline situp bench; dumbbell or plate
Hanging Leg Raises
This ab exercise works the hip flexors as well, making them great for athletes that depend
on hip flexor strength like sprinters and combat athletes.
Place your elbows on the pads, and your hands on the
handles. Don’t let your shoulders “shrug up” towards
your head. Let your legs hang straight down. Using your
abdominals, lift your knees as high as you can. Pause
slightly, then lower them down again. Repeat.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 4
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 15-30
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Captain’s chair (I’m not joking, that’s the real name!); dumbbell
Dumbbell Side Bend
One of the best oblique (side abs) exercises, this will work
the entire side of your torso from hip to shoulder. The first
time you do it, use a light dumbbell. Put the other hand on
the side of your head, which will make the exercise slightly
more challenging.
Take a deep belly breath, then lower the dumbbell to around
knee height, moving only side to side, not back to front.
101
Return to the starting position, squeezing the side of your abs for a second. Repeat for reps.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 15-30
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Dumbbell
Stir the Pot
This surprisingly difficult exercise works the entire abdominal region. To do it, place your
elbows and forearms on an exercise ball with your body
in a plank position. Only your feet on the ground and
your arms on the ball should be supporting your weight.
Begin by rolling the ball in a circle, keeping your abs
tight and avoiding excessive movement. Switch up the
direction of rotation every few circles, doing equal
amounts of clockwise and counterclockwise.
Every full circle is one rep. Keep the movement
completely under control: each rep should take two to
three seconds.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 10-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Swiss ball
Ab Wheel
This is one of the best exercises for the six pack out there. Kneel down with the wheel in
your hands, and slowly roll it forward till your arms are fully outstretched in front of you.
Roll it back towards you and repeat for reps.
102
It’ll work the lats a bit as well. You can also move the wheel a bit to the left or right with
each rep to work the side of the abs. If you are really advanced, try doing it while standing
instea
d of
on
your
knees.
Anoth
er way
of loading is to put plates on your back, but you’ll probably need a training partner for that,
as well as an iron core.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low/Medium
Rep range: 5-20
Priority: Assistance
Equipment: Ab wheel
Feet to Bar
This challenging exercise is a great lower ab developer. Hang from a bar. Using your abs
and hips, lift your feet towards your hands. Pause at the top, then lower your legs under
control. Repeat for reps. This is a great way to
start getting into gymnastic type movements.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 7
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 5-20
Priority: Tertiary
Equipment: Bar
If I had to choose just three exercises for the abs, I’d probably choose side bends, ab wheel
and Pallov press.
103
Movement Pattern Recap: Abdominal exercises utilize the
core in a way that compound movements cannot, making
them a great addition to your plan.
104
Calves
The calves aren’t the most essential body part for aesthetics, but you may wish to target
them anyway in order to fully develop your physique. They can be important for balance,
stability and force production for a variety of sports as well.
Seated Calf Raise
The calf actually has two main muscles-the Gastrocnemius and the Soleus. The former is
the ball-like muscle that is more prominent and visible, while the latter rests underneath.
This exercise will target the Soleus due to your knees being in a bent position.
Scoot into the machine and place your toes on the platform with your upper thighs on the
pad. Flexing your calves, lift the pad by going up onto your toes. Pause for a second at the
top, then slowly lower the weight, getting a full stretch at the bottom position and pausing
again. Repeat.
It’s very easy to bounce
the weight in this
exercise, but that is just
using the Achilles
tendon to store and
release energy, not the
muscle. If you want to
build the muscle, you
have to use the muscle,
so do this exercise in a more slow and controlled manner. Because the range of motion is
short, higher reps are better.
Difficulty: Beginner
Effectiveness: 5
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Accessory
Equipment: Seated Calf Machine, Plates
Standing Calf Raise
This exercise will work the Gastrocnemius muscle more than the Soleus, which is essential
for a well developed and full looking calf area. You can use a barbell or dumbbells, but I
actually prefer using the smith machine for this one. You can focus on just moving the load
up and down with your calves rather
than balancing.
105
Set up the smith machine with the bar around shoulder height. Place a plate on the ground
under the bar, maybe two to get a good stretch, but make sure that they are stable. You can
also use mats or an aerobic step, the important thing is that it won’t be going anywhere
during the set!
Duck under the bar and place it on your shoulders like a squat. Step onto the object with
your toes, so your heels are hanging off the end. Unrack the bar, and use your calves to get
up on your toes, flexing at the top. Lower the bar under control till you feel a stretch in
your calves, pause for a second or two, and then do another rep.
This exercise is best for higher reps. You can experiment with pointing your toes in, straight
ahead, or out. Each will work the calf in a slightly different way.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
Priority: Accessory
Equipment: Smith Machine or Barbell, plates
Leg Press Calf Raise
This exercise utilizes the leg press to perform a similar movement to the standing calf raise.
It does, however, have quite a different feel, so I’d definitely recommend trying it out at
some point.
Begin by pressing the pad up out of the supports, just like in a standard leg press, then place
your feet as low on the pad as possible, so that only the balls of your feet are supporting the
weight. Let it come down towards you until you feel a stretch in your calves, pause, and
then press it up till full extension, feeling your entire calf fully contract. Pause at the top,
then repeat the process.
Be careful when reracking the weight, you may want to place your entire foot again on the
pad like in a typical leg press before putting it back. That way if you mess up, you can just
leg press it back up, which would be a fairly awkward movement if your feet are so low on
the pad. Like the standing calf raise, you can try different toe angles to stimulate the calves
in a slightly different manner.
Difficulty: Advanced
Effectiveness: 6
Recovery Cost: Low
Rep range: 12-30
106
Priority: Accessory
Equipment: Leg press, plates
Movement Pattern Recap: Calf exercises are an often
overlooked aspect of building your lower body.
107
Compendium Three:
Programming
How you set up your training structure is vital for your overall success, enjoyment and
safety of your time spent in the gym. This includes the exercises you choose, how heavy of
weights you are lifting, how many times per week you hit the gym and how long you are
there for, and more. This section will teach you how to get the most out of your training
with as little time and effort as possible.
If the exercises in compendium two are the ingredients, programming is everything from
what order to put them together and how to combine them to the temperature of the oven
and how long you keep it in there. In other words, it’s vital.
The goal of this section, and the book in general, is to make your training as simple and
enjoyable as possible and giving YOU the power to train yourself. Spending a little time
now learning these basic concepts will save you potentially hundreds of hours later. Now
let’s learn how to bake that cake.
Sets and Reps
Apart from exercise selection, one of the things that I most regret from my first few months
or so of training was that I had no idea what I was doing in terms of sets and reps.
Absolutely none. I didn’t even know what a set or rep was for a while. I just went in and
lifted, counting nothing.
How many reps and sets you do have a huge impact on whether or not you make progress,
and how much progress you make. First of all, some definitions (no, there won’t be a test):
A rep is one repetition of an exercise. For example, in a squat that means all the way down,
then all the way back up.
A set is a series of repetitions with little to no rest in between. So if you squat down five
times in a row, that is one set of five reps. Do that whole thing two more times and you’ve
done three sets of five reps.
They are usually written shorthand like 1x5 or 3x5. That would read as “one set of five
reps” and “three sets of five reps”, respectively. You can also say “one by five” or “three
times five”. Just make sure when you read “3x5” are doing three sets of five reps, and NOT
five sets of three reps!
Generally, shorter and heavier sets of one to five reps are better for increasing strength,
108
longer and lighter sets of sixteen or more reps are better for increasing endurance, while
naturally the middle six to fifteen rep range is a mixture of both, and is also generally best
for size gains. But, it’s not as black and white as you might think. You CAN build strength
with sets of sixteen and size with sets of three, it just won’t be as efficient as the ideal “rep
range”. If you’ve been doing higher reps for a few weeks, try out lower reps with heavier
weight occasionally, or vice versa. Your muscles constantly trying to adapt to a new
stimulus by varying the exercises and rep ranges are what will produce the best results.
Section Recap: Measure your exercises in SETS times
REPS.
Volume
This is how much you are doing. This is somewhat important for strength and even more
so for size. One set will get you some growth, but several sets will get you more. Doing
more will get you more results, up to a point. Volume can be measured in several ways, but
the simplest way is just by using how many hard
sets that you do of a type of exercise.
response as ten sets. Why is that?
The triangle line marked “MPS” (muscle protein
synthesis) is what we are interested in. This line
represents how many sets per workout of
squatting will impact their results. One set will get
you sixty percent of potential results. Three sets
will get you about seventy-five percent, five sets
will get you around eighty-five percent and ten
sets will get you a hundred percent. Increasing
that to twenty sets will get you the SAME
At a certain point, everyone runs into recovery problems. When you work out, you are
damaging muscle tissue, stressing bones and ligaments, sending out waste products into
your bloodstream, disrupting your hormone levels in some ways. This all takes time, sleep
and food to repair, meaning that it’s entirely possible to do too much.
Think about how long it takes for a cut or scrape to go away. It’s a
somewhat similar process that happens inside your body during
recovery from lifting. It’s even possible to train so much that you
lose muscle! Just look at the skinny legs of most marathoners to see
what happens to those who do a lot of volume.
So, a beginner has chicken leg syndrome and wants to increase the
mass on dat ass, so they buy a gym membership, this book
(obviously!) and begin squatting. How many sets should our
chicken-legged hero do? The trick is to find the sweet spot where you are not spending
109
forever in the gym, are making good progress and recovering well.
According to this chart, you could argue that anywhere from just one set to ten sets are
viable choices, depending on dedication, lifestyle, schedule and dozens of other factors. If
you don’t like working out and are very busy, just doing a couple of sets of an exercise will
cause changes, at least for a few months. Doing nothing gets you zero percent, doing one set
gets you sixty percent. Talk about a good deal! Above ten sets just doesn’t make any sense.
You’ll also feel like shit and/or break in half if you’re a beginner doing twenty sets of hard
squats a week.
Section Recap: Choose an appropriate training volume,
measured in sets per week of a certain type of exercise.
Variety
Be sure to change your training up occasionally. If all you do is squat, eventually you’ll need
to squat more and more to get the same results, you’ll be desensitized to the stimulus of
squatting.
But, if you swap out squatting for a new
exercise such as Bulgarian split squats, all
of a sudden, the stimulus is new and
you’ll keep making progress, because you
are essentially a “beginner” to Bulgarian
split squats. They work the same
muscles, but in a slightly different way.
This swapping exercises in and out over
time is a big part of getting maximum
results! Luckily you have this book, so
you have many exercises per movement
pattern at your disposal for rotating through. That being said, it’s definitely possible to use
TOO many exercises. If you swap out exercises too often, you’ll never master any of them.
Another factor is the exercise itself. A bicep concentration curl is naturally easier to recover
from than a deadlift, and thus the body can tolerate many more sets of it. You can’t swap
bicep curls for deadlifts and expect everything to go smoothly, you can only swap exercises
that are of a similar overall stress level!
Section Recap: Choose a variety of exercises for each
movement pattern, and occasionally change them.
110
Assessing your level
A good way to tell whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced athlete is by the
following table.
 Has your training been hard?
Hard training is done with passion, pushing most sets with high effort.
 Has your training been focused?
That means that you have goals, and are working towards them actively.
 Have you been consistent?
That would be defined as making it to the gym at least a few times per week, most weeks of
the year. Sometimes life gets in the way, but showing up is half the battle and as long as you
lace up your shoes a few times a week ninety percent of the time, that’s consistency.
This combination of hard, focused and consistent training is what gets you results, and is
what turns you from a beginner to intermediate and finally to advanced. Keep in mind this
table is just an estimate, and everybody is individual.
All Three
Two of the Three
One of the Three
None of
the Three
Beginner
Less than six months
Less than one year
Less than two years
Always
Intermediate
Six months-Three
years
One to five years
More than two
years
Never
Advanced
More than three years
More than five years
Never
Never
So if you have been training hard and focused but not consistently for three years, that
would place you in the intermediate category. If you’ve been training consistently but not
hard or focused, for one year, that would mean you are likely a beginner. If you have been
training hard, focused and consistently for four years, you’d probably be advanced.
You can also check Compendium Ten: Strength Standards for another rough guide to
where you are.
 If you cannot match most of the “Strong” standards, you probably are a beginner.
111
 If you are in the “Strong” to “Beast” range, you probably are intermediate.
 If you can match most of the “Hulk”
standards, there is a very good chance
you are advanced.
 If you can match any of the WR
standards, I’m really surprised that you
are reading this book.
Astute readers will note that there is overlap between the text on beginner/intermediate and
intermediate/advanced. This is because these concepts are how mature you are as an
individual athlete and how close you are to your genetic potential, and thus set in stone
numbers on these lifts have a good deal of wiggle room.
A freak with very little formal weight training experience might deadlift 180kg their first
day in the gym, while it takes a less gifted trainee years of hard and focused training to hit a
similar number. The former is a beginner and the latter might be an advanced athlete
despite both lifting the same weight. The concept of beginner/intermediate/advanced is
more to measure your training experience than your absolute performance, although in
general the two will correlate.
The charts below are good general starting points on how many hard sets per week you
should aim for when writing your workout schedule.
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
CALVES
Balanced Sets
Beginner
Intermediate
3-6
4-10
3-8
4-10
3-6
4-8
4-8
6-12
2-8
6-12
2-6
4-8
4-8
6-12
0-4
2-8
0-4
2-8
2-4
4-6
0-4
2-8
Advanced
6-14
6-14
8-10
8-16
8-16
8-12
10-18
6-12
6-12
6-14
6-12
The chart above is a “balanced” number of sets. This is a good number of hard sets per
week for each movement pattern to start with for those who want to develop a balanced,
even physique, not overspecializing in any one area. If you aren’t sure what to do, go with
112
this.
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
CALVES
Specialization Sets
Beginner
Intermediate
6-10
10-14
8-12
12-18
6-10
10-14
8-14
12-18
8-12
12-16
6-10
10-14
10-12
12-18
6-8
12-16
6-8
10-14
6-8
12-18
10-12
12-18
Advanced
12-22
12-22
12-22
16-30
16-24
12-22
16-30
16-22
16-22
16-30
16-30
Specialization is the maximum number of sets you should use if you are specializing in that
movement pattern. I’d recommend specializing in no more than two movement patterns at a
time, and probably just one if they are larger ones like hinge, squat, push or row. You can
get away with a double specialization program on shoulders and abs, but trying to hammer
your entire body at same time will not end well.
Trust me. Also, keep in mind that hinge/squat, press/push or pull/row work such similar
muscle groups that if you specialize in one, the other will need to be low volume.
Section Recap: Use your training history and strength to
check whether you are a beginner, intermediate or
advanced lifter. Then, use that information to help select
your training volume.
Intensity
Intensity is an important factor for making progress for both strength and size. This refers
not to how difficult or intense a set feels, but rather how heavy you are lifting. So if your
maximum deadlift is 150kg, a set that uses 120kg is 80% intensity, regardless of how it
feels or how many reps you do. In general, for most people, on most exercises:
% of maximum
40%
Max # of reps
40+
Set Length
75s+
Feeling
A Joke
Effect
Endurance
113
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
25-40
20-25
12-16
7-10
3-5
1
45-75s
30-45s
25-35s
15-30s
8-15s
2-6s
Light/Easy
Moderate
Bit Heavy/Hard
Very Hard
Extremely Hard
Maximal
Endurance+Size
Size+Endurance
Size+Strength
Strength+Size
Strength
Strength+Fatigue
Glancing down the table, a few notes on each section:
 40 to 50% or under is really too light for long term progress. You’ll make slight
improvements when starting out but stall very quickly using such light weights.
 50 to 60% is when you’ll notice better results compared to lighter weights
 60 to 70% is a good rep range for muscle building.
 70 to 80% is a nice mixture of both strength and muscle building.
 80 to 90% is the sweet spot for strength.
 Above 90% should be reserved for when you are preparing for a competition or want
to test your strength.
If I had to choose one % range to lift in for the rest of my life, it would be at 70-80%.
60% is a bit too light, 90% is too heavy, but the 70-80% range is a good balance of being
challenging while not too hard on the joints. Spending too much time with weights above
90% is difficult to recover from and is unnecessarily stressful for most people considering
their goals.
If you aren’t a serious or professional athlete, there’s no reason to go super heavy. You can
use this formula to check weights and reps.
(Number of reps*.033*Weight lifted)+Weight lifted=Maximum
For example, if you can do 60kg for twelve reps, you’d just plug in the numbers:
(12*.033*60)+60=Maximum
23.76+60=Maximum
83.76=Maximum you can do for one rep
Section Recap: Intensity is how heavy you are lifting, and is
the most important factor for gaining strength and muscle.
Most of the time, 70 to 80% of the most weight you can lift
just once is a good weight to use for training.
114
Frequency
This is how often you do a movement pattern per week. Frequency is important because
after a workout, muscle protein synthesis (aka sweet, sweet gains) is only elevated for about
24-48 hours after a workout. So after a bench press workout, your shoulders, triceps and
chest are really only growing for a day or two at most. Working out a muscle group just
once per week is definitely leaving gains on the table.
If you’re not satisfied with your progress, but only lifting once per week, higher frequency is
the first thing to implement into your program. However, keep in mind that the law of
diminishing returns definitely applies. Twice a week is about twice as good as once per
week, but four times per week isn’t twice as good as twice per week. In fact, it is probably
*worse* because you cannot recover in between workouts.
More isn’t always better!
Times/Week (per movement pattern)
Less than once per week
Once per week
Twice per week
Three per week
Four per week
Five per week or more
Frequency
Very Low
Low
Moderate
High
Very High
Psycho
Efficiency
Very low
Low
Ideal for most
Ideal for some
Usually Overkill
Train-wreck
Approx % results
0-40%
30-70%
75-100%
75-100%
50-90%
0-80%
Section Recap: Frequency is how often you work out a
movement pattern, and is another vital factor for your
progress. For most movements, two to three times per week
is ideal.
Balancing Volume, Intensity and Frequency
Volume, intensity and frequency are all vital parts of any effective workout program, but
they must be balanced. Achieving an ideal balance between the three for YOU will require
experimentation and self-assessment. Everyone responds slightly differently. Some prefer
heavy weights, others enjoy doing more sets for higher reps. Some like just three days a
week in the gym, others enjoy going more often.
My advice would be to experiment with different training styles and see which one is
suitable for you, given your lifestyle, personality and current schedule. As long as you are
training each movement pattern two to three times per week and feel you are recovering
115
well, that is almost certainly very close to ideal. You can train any way you want; it is
YOUR training. As long as you stay within a fairly wide range of parameters and work hard,
you WILL get fantastic results.
Not Training: None high, all low
 Low volume, low intensity, and low frequency is not training. You’ll never get any kind
of results with this type of “workout”. This might be something like doing some gentle
yoga occasionally, a few bodyweight squats once a week, or a few supersets of chip-todip-to-mouth while watching Game of Thrones reruns.
Casual Training: One high, two low
Having one of the three variables high is generally referred to casual training. This might
get you some results, but they won’t be nearly as good as the two high, one low options
described below. This can be a somewhat viable way to maintain your strength or size for
short periods of time, but in the long term it is not good for progress.
 High volume, low intensity and low frequency would be something like distance
running once a week, or doing many sets of twenty to thirty reps with very light weights
sometimes. You might see some gains from it if you are a complete beginner, but it isn’t
intense or frequent enough to be optimal. You’ll might get “toned” but you probably
won’t get very big.
 Low volume, high intensity and low frequency would be working up to the heaviest
weight you can do once per week. The low frequency and volume are not ideal for size
or endurance gains but you can get somewhat strong using this method as you have
plenty of time to recover.
 Low volume, low intensity and high frequency might be best represented by one or two
bodyweight sets of pushups, pullups and sit ups done every day. You’ll get in decent
shape this way but there is definitely a ceiling to
this method. Eventually you’ll have to add either
more volume or more intensity. The benefit to this
is convenience, put a pullup bar in your house and
you can make decent gains in just a few minutes a
day.
Real Training: Two high, one low
This is real training that will get you the best results.
You just need to figure out which two variables to
keep up, and which to keep low. This will require
personal experimentation and assessment. Try all three
116
and see which you like the most.
 High volume, high intensity and low frequency would be where a body part is
absolutely blasted once a week and then given a long time to recover. You can definitely
make gains off of this method but is not ideal, especially for natural trainees. You
might blast your chest Monday and feel like it’s growing all week, but it is actually
probably only growing for about one to two days. You’d be better off moving some of
those sets from Monday to Thursday and getting two “spikes” of growth. Also,
combining heavy weight with high volumes is hard on the joints, so training this way
can be difficult in the long term.
 High volume, low intensity and high frequency is using light weights for many sets
several times per week. It’s a great way to bring up a particular body part in a short
period of time, but be careful to only use this approach for a couple weeks at most
before going back to something more reasonable. The biggest benefit of this method is
that it is quite easy on the joints due to the light weights but it does take a lot of energy
to recover from. Be prepared to eat a lot.
 Low volume, high intensity and high frequency. This would be working up to as heavy
of weight as you can manage many times per week. This is one of the best ways to
increase strength quickly but is difficult to recover from, particularly for the joints. Also,
don’t expect ideal muscle growth because the volume is low.
Crazy Training: Three high, none low
 High volume, high intensity and high frequency is using heavy weights several times per
week for many sets. It’s crazy and unsustainable. You might make good progress for a
few weeks doing some kind of crash training like this, but injury or burnout are
inevitable if you are truly pushing yourself for a lot of sets using heavy weights many
times per week. You might even feel great for a short period of time doing this, but
eventually such idiotic programming will catch up to you and your patellar and bicep
tendons will explode in a defiant yet fruitless show of rebellion.
Section Recap: Emphasizing two out of the three of volume,
intensity and frequency is what produces the best results.
Example Volume and Intensity Combinations
These set, rep and intensity templates are tried and true methods for building muscle and
strength that you can use for just about any exercise. They show how to best balance
volume and intensity.
117
 5×5 (5 sets of 5 reps each) using ~ (75%-85%)
This tried and true method uses a moderately heavy weight for a moderate number of sets
and a moderate number of reps. Sound boring? It is. But just because a program isn’t flashy
doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Lots of personal trainers will try to write super-complexundulating-periodization-standing-on-a-ball-one-legged-squatting-while-firing-a-bow-andarrow programs when basic exercises using heavier and heavier weights over time will
produce the best results. You can progress week by week using greater weight each time for
many months or even years just using this rep scheme.
 3-6 sets of 8-15 reps using ~ (60%-75%)
These include 6×8, 5×10, 4×12, 3x15, and are all classic set and rep schemes that will
produce solid results in size. Getting forty to fifty reps total using a moderate weight, it’s
enough to provide a stimulus but not extremely difficult to recover from. It’s quick, simple
and efficient. It’ll get you out of the gym fairly fast with the effect you want.
 12,8,4,2,20 using ~ (60%/70%/80%/90%/60%)
This method uses the concept of using “post-activation potentiation”. In plain English,
after lifting a heavy weight, a lighter weight seems lighter. With each set you use a heavier
and heavier weight for a lower and lower number of reps, followed by dropping the weight
back down and doing one all-out set. This is a quick and efficient way to get both stronger
and bigger. You combine both heavy weight as well as at least one higher rep effort, and
reap the benefits of both.
 10×3 (using ~85-90%)
Doing ten sets of three reps is much more strength focused. You can use a heavier weight
and get used to how that feels. It’ll still give you good results in size as well, but the real
sacrifice is time and effort. Doing ten sets of three definitely takes longer than three sets of
ten, and is more mentally and physically draining as well. You can either do all sets with the
same weight or you can do three reps each set but slowly adding weight each time till you
get to a heavy weight.
 5/4/3/2/1 (using 75%/80%/85%/90%/95%)
This rep scheme is really good for strength and is a lot of fun. Increasing the weights and
reducing the reps each time builds momentum through the workout.
 25 reps (as many sets) (using ~80-85%)
Use a weight you can lift about six to eight times in a row and do as many sets as it takes to
reach twenty-five total reps. So it might look something like: 6,5,4,4,3,3=done. Rest as
long as you want (one to two minutes is typical) between sets. This is a nice way to train
hard, yet give yourself a bit of flexibility on how you get the reps.
118
 50 reps (as many sets) (using ~70-75%)
Use a weight you can lift about ten to twelve times in a row and do as many sets as it takes
to reach fifty total reps. So it might look something like: 10,8,8,7,6,6,5=done. Again, rest
as long as you want (two to three minutes is typical) between sets.
 6×6 with thirty seconds rest (using ~60-70%)
This method uses a fairly light weight with minimal recovery time in between sets. This
triggers muscle growth by flooding the muscle with lactic acid and other waste products
that are produced from the muscle contracting without fully recovering (yes, this will burn).
Not for the faint of heart but a nice option to try every once in a while, especially when you
are in a rush and can’t take long in the gym.
 10×10 (using ~60%) [German Volume Training]
German Volume Training (or GVT) is an advanced training protocol that uses the same
weight and doing ten sets and ten reps with just one minute rest between each set. This is
very taxing on the body and should only be performed occasionally. It’s difficult to recover
from but produces fantastic results in size very quickly.
This can be done with many exercises but back squats, overhead presses, pullups and bench
presses are the most common. Be careful on exercises where it is easy for your form to break
down like push presses, bent over rows, front squats and conventional or deficit deadlifts.
These are but a few options when it comes to sets and reps, the possibilities of
combinations are quite literally endless.. Using a variety of sets and reps is a surefire way to
keep your training interesting while maximizing your results.
Writing your own training can be difficult at times, but the good news is that you have the
potential to do it better than ninety to ninety-five percent of personal trainers you meet,
with just a small investment of time.
Section Recap: There are an endless number of set and rep
combinations, but generally doing twenty-five to fifty total
reps in the sixty to eighty percent intensity range will get
you great results.
Choosing a Split
A split is basically just how you fit all of your exercises into your training week. In other
words, which muscles you work when. There are a few options for you to choose from, all
119
of which can be very effective. If you are busy and can’t make it to the gym, don’t worry
about pushing a workout back a day. For your long term progress it will make very little
difference. You don’t necessarily need to start your week on a Monday, and your training
cycle doesn’t need to be seven days, either. A week is a social construct. Your body is an
evolutionary construct.
Full Body
Behind door number one…is doing full body workouts three times per week. This is good
for those who can’t make it to the gym that often, and you can really make fantastic gains
off of this type of schedule.
The drawback is that full body workouts are very physically and mentally demanding, and
they take longer.
Still, being able to work
out Monday,
Wednesday and Friday
and have the entire
weekend off is a huge
boon to those with busy
work or social lives. You
could also do Tuesday,
Thursday and Sundayany three days as long as
none are back to back
days.
Monday
Full Body
Tuesday
Wednesday
Full Body
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Full Body
Upper/Lower
The second is
doing four
workouts per
week, two
focused on the
upper body, and
120
two focused on the lower body. Lower is hinge/squat, upper is…basically everything else.
This has the advantage of being able to devote slightly more focus to each half, and perhaps
slightly shorter workouts. You’ll also have three or four days between workouts for each
half to recover more fully.
As mentioned above, on upper days it’s a good strategy to alternate between rowing/pulling
movements and pushing/pressing ones. It’ll save you a lot of time and can improve your
workouts, since doing rows is the opposite movement to bench pressing, and pulling is the
opposite of pressing, they complement each other very well.
Also keep in mind that some “upper body” movements like push pressing, bent over rows
and Rubish rows involve the lower body, and some “lower body” movements use the upper
body. Any deadlift, dumbbell lunge or split squat will use the traps, forearms and lats to a
certain extent.
Monday
Tuesday
Upper
Lower
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Upper
Lower
Sunday
Pull/Push/Legs
Another great option is doing a split called “pull/push/legs”, or PPL for short. This works
well because the upper body has more movements and thus requires more attention, and the
lower body requires a bit more recovery time anyway. This means that you put your rowing,
pulling and curl exercises on “pull” day, your pushing, pressing and extend exercises on
“push” day, followed by your hinge and squat exercises on the “leg” day.
You then start again with
the fourth, fifth and sixth
days being pull/push/legs
again, with the 7th day off.
Alternatively, you can take a
day off after each cycle,
making it an “eight day week”. The advantage to PPL is that your workouts are shorter and
you can focus on each body part more, but it also means that you need to commit to being
in the gym more often. If you are busy and realistically can’t make it to the gym that often,
this isn’t a great choice.
“Seven day week”
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Pull
Push
Legs
Pull
Push
Legs
OFF
121
OR “eight day week”
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Pull
Push
Legs
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Pull
Push
Legs
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pull
Push
Legs
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Pull
Push
Legs
Etc, Etc…
Monday
Legs
Week 4
Monday
Tuesday
Push
Legs
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Pull
Push
Legs
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Pull
Push
Saturday
Sunday
Pull
Modified Body Part Split
A typical body part split (aka a bro-split) means only hitting a certain muscle group once a
week, usually with the weekend off to chug Jägerbombs and hit up tanning salons.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
“Chest”
“Back”
“Shoulders”
“Legs”
“Arms and Core”
(Push)
(Row/Pull)
(Press/Shoulders)
(Hinge/Squat)
(Curl/Extend/Abs)
At first glance, this is far from ideal, as you’ll want to be targeting most muscles two to
three times per week. However, it’s not that bad. The back gets brilliantly blasted on
Tuesday and Thursday (from deadlifting), the triceps get tremendously trashed Monday,
Wednesday and Friday, various parts of the shoulders are seriously stimulated on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday in some way, and the biceps are beautifully blown up on both
Tuesday and Friday.
The only blind spot seems to be the legs only getting worked once a week, but some rowing
variations might work the hamstrings enough to overcome that. If you find your legs
lagging behind, you might want to add a small squat workout to Monday to keep the bench
press company.
Section Recap: Choosing a workout split will mostly be
based on your personal preference and schedule.
Experiment with different splits to see which suits you best.
122
Putting It All Together
Recapping, a brief checklist of what you’ll need to decide when making your program:
1. Select Your Volume
First, you’ll need to decide how many sets per movement pattern that you’ll be doing. This
mostly depends on how advanced you are. Go to the volume section above, and check the
table for a good starting point based on whether you are a beginner, intermediate or
advanced lifter. Start with the low end of the range listed on the table. As you adapt to
training, you’ll probably need to add sets over time so that you keep adapting. You can also
specialize in a movement pattern if you want to bring up a certain body part or area.
2. Select Your Split
This will depend on your personal preference, I suggest starting with either full body or
upper/lower. If you have more days per week to devote to the gym, push/pull/legs can be a
viable choice, and if you take longer to recover, a body part split can also be viable.
3. Select Your Exercises
In the words of Bruce Lee “You’ve got to train every part of your body, so that when you
want it, it’s there.” Any lifting program should include the main compound movement
patterns, and perhaps some isolation work depending on your goals. Switch up exercises
occasionally, variety is the spice of life and the gym is no different.
4. Select Your Intensity
Finally, select your intensity, or how heavy you’ll be lifting. This is mostly goal based: for
endurance, focus on the 50-70% of one rep max range, for size focus on the 60-80% range,
for strength focus on the 70-90% range. Whatever the range, try to increase your weights
over time progressively.
Example of Creating a Training Plan
Let’s say you’re a beginner that wants to create a training plan. You don’t really have any
specific body part goals, you just want to start building up everything and getting in shape.
You look at the volume section above,
and see how many sets per week you’ll be
doing.
You have four evenings a week that you
think you’ll be free to hit the gym, so
you go to the training split section and
select “Upper/Lower”.
123
Monday
Tuesday
Upper
Lower
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Upper
Lower
Sat
Sun
You have to fit all of your sets into those four days. For the first day, since you are a
beginner, you choose exercises that are labeled “beginner” from the movement pattern
section. Since you should do about half the upper body volume on the first day, you
allocate about half the sets from the volume chart.
 Look through the movement pattern section and try to find suitable exercises to try out.
You settle on three sets of fifteen of pulldowns, three sets of twelve for seated dumbbell
shoulder presses, two sets fifteen of cable rows, two sets of eight for close grip bench
press, three sets of fifteen for seated lateral raise, two sets of twenty of pushdowns and
two sets of ten for preacher curls.
 For the second day, you remember your gym has a back extension machine so pencil
that in for two sets of twelve, then sumo deadlift for three sets of twelve, ten and eight
reps, goblet squats for two sets of twenty and hanging leg raises for two sets of fifteen.
 For the third day, you select three more sets of pulldowns but decide to mix it up and
do sets of twenty, fifteen and ten reps, adding weight with each set. You also pick three
sets of seated dumbbell shoulder press of twelve, ten and eight reps, two sets fifteen of
one-arm rows (each side), two sets of twelve for dumbbell bench press, and two sets of
twenty of face pulls and two sets of twenty reps and thirty reps of the prone rear delt
raise.
 On the fourth day, you choose three sets of high bar back squats for twelve, ten and
eight reps, two sets of twenty reps for the Bulgarian split squat, a solitary set of thirty
on the leg extension machine, followed by a single set of twenty of back extensions and
two sets of twenty of cable crunches. Because your goal is size, you’re going to be
working in the 60-80% of one rep max intensity range, or roughly the eight to twenty
rep range.
Final Plan
Monday (Upper)
Tuesday (Lower)
Thursday (Upper)
Friday (Lower)
3x15 pulldown
2x12 back extensions
20,15,10 pulldown
12,10,8 high
bar back squat
3x12
seated 12,10,8
dumbbell press
deadlift
sumo 12,10,8
dumbbell press
seated
2x20 Bulgarian
124
2x15 cable row
2x20 goblet squat
2x8 close grip bench 2x15
press
raises
3x15 seated lateral
raise
2x20 pushdowns
2x10 preacher curls
hanging
2x15 1arm rows per split squat
side
leg
30 leg
2x12 dumbbell bench extension
press
20 back
2x20 face pulls
extension
20,30 prone rear delt 2x20 cable
raise
crunches
And that’s it. As long as you stay within the guidelines, you use this formula to create a
customized training plan that will work great. When you stop progressing, you can add sets
over time, swap out exercises or change your program completely. See Compendium Nine:
Making Progress for more details.
Risk vs Reward
This chart represents where some of the exercises in this book are in terms of risk vs reward.
 The lower left area represents exercises that are very safe, but don’t really provide a
huge amount of benefit. These are best done by beginners who don’t need more
advanced exercises, but can also be done by more advanced athletes who are looking to
get in more volume, because these exercises are so safe, they can be done for many sets.
Most machines are in this area, as well as many seated exercises or cable movements.
You probably aren’t going to get injured doing pushups or bodyweight squats.
 The lower right area includes exercises that don’t provide a huge amount of benefit for
muscle or strength, but are much more inherently risky or require more recovery time.
Good mornings are a decent hamstring exercise, but put a lot of stress on the lower
back. Split and power jerks require you moving massive weights overhead but don’t
really build the body very efficiently. Wide grip benching is a good chest exercise but
stresses the shoulder and rotater cuff unduly. Box jumps…leaping up to an unsteady
object the height of your chest…what could go wrong? Don’t spend a ton of time in
this area.
125
 The upper right area is potentially high risk, but roughly equally high reward. These are
exercises that you SHOULD do, but be aware of how your body is moving. A bent
over row, push press or deadlift has YUUGE benefits, but also puts a lot of stress on
many areas of the body. Be conservative when programming them and rarely, if ever, go
to failure. These are more suitable for advanced or intermediate athletes who have more
body awareness.
 The upper left area is the “money exercises” area. These are exercises that are both
amazingly effective, but also quite safe. A low pull conveys many of the benefits of a
deadlift but is much easier on the lower back. One-legged exercises like Bulgarian split
squats or lunges are fantastic leg, grip and trap developers while loading the lower back
less compared to two-legged exercises.
Pullups, pulldowns, incline presses, back extensions, Romanian deadlifts, dips, close grip
bench presses and front squats are all in this area. Spend as much time in this area as
possible. In the appendix, there are charts arranged by movement pattern that make it easier
to find the exercises that you are looking for.
126
Section Recap: Not all exercises are equal, and you should
focus on the exercises that give you the best risk versus
reward ratio.
Keeping a Training Log
Can you remember what you had for lunch on the 7th of last month?
Didn’t think so.
Training sessions tend to blend together over time…you might remember particularly hard
or fun workouts but most will be lost even just after a few days. Thus, a recorded history of
your training is absolutely vital. It essentially gives you a time machine that allows you to
check what you did at a certain point in time, and this imparts the ability to analyze and
optimize your training like nothing else. It will be more effective than a personal trainer and
is free! It doesn’t take long to do, and can provide a lot of value in the future. Perhaps your
distant future self will thank you.
You don’t have to record your heart rate, recovery times, mood, body weight or anything
else really complicated. I mean, you can if you want to. I don’t. Really the only essentials are:
 The date of the workout.
 What exercises you did, preferably written in the order you did them.
 How many sets you did.
 How many reps you did.
 How much weight you used.
So it might look something like this:
“January 6, 2019
High Bar Back Squat 3x10x80kg, 2x5x90kg
Lunges 2x40 bodyweight only, 2x20x10kg dumbbells
Romanian Deadlift 2x20x60kg, 2x15x70kg, 1x10x80kg
Hamstring Curl Machine (Drop set) 10x40kg-->12x30kg-->20x20kg
Leg Extension Machine (Drop set) 12x70kg-->14x50kg-->21x30kg”
That’s all. It takes about two minutes once you get the hang of it.
127
Section Recap: Keeping some essential information in a
training log is one of the best investments of time and effort
that you can make.
128
Compendium Four: Equipment
For a beginner looking for a new gym, it can be quite a challenge. This section is to help
you know exactly what to look for when selecting a gym. This might affect your
programming, because if you don’t have the equipment to do a certain exercise, you will
have to swap it out for something else. If the gym doesn’t have a decline bench press or a
ninety-degree back extension, that’s somewhat expected, but if it is lacking very basic
equipment like barbells, dumbbells, a squat rack or a bench press…run away. Don’t waste
your money. It’s a sign that they don’t know what they’re doing and you shouldn’t
encourage their ignorance by financing it. Equipment that you need to look for includes the
following, in rough order of importance.
Essential Equipment
Barbells
The barbell is a crucial piece of equipment that can be used for
squatting, deadlifting, bench pressing, overhead pressing, bent over
rowing and more. Check to see if they are
straight, not bent. Give them a roll across
the floor to see if they wobble. The ends
should spin freely. Having at least three or
four is ideal, as other people will use them
as well.
Plates
Should have at least 5kg/10kg/20kg, but having 2.5kg is nice as well. Rubber is best, for
Olympic weightlifting and deadlifting, but metal is OK. Round is better than hexagonal.
Dumbbells
The heavier the better, 40kg is a minimum. If they only have 25kg
or 30kg you’ll outgrow those quickly, especially if you’re a dude.
Don’t believe them when they say 30kg is enough. Tell them just
about every proper gym has 40kg, 50kg and 60kg dumbbells.
Squat rack
Essential for many movements. Try it out a few times, it should have a place to catch the
bar if you fail that is just BELOW the height of the bar in
the bottom position of your squat. You
don’t want to be hitting the supports!
Also check the pegs where you rack and
129
unrack the barbell from. They should be at a suitable height for you or
adjustable. If your gym doesn’t have this, a power rack is a suitable
alternative (see below).
Power rack
An incredibly useful piece of equipment, this will allow you to do
everything from benching and incline benching to squatting, rack pulls and
partial reps.
Forty-five Degree Back Extension
Try it out a few times, it should feel sturdy, as you’ll want
to add weight eventually. You should be able to adjust the
pad to where it feels
comfortable.
Benches
The incline should be adjustable,
and they should be sturdy. Give them a kick or two to see if they
fall over.
Cable Station
The weight on each side
should go up to at least 20kg,
30kg is better. The pull should
feel smooth, the cable should not
jerk or tug against the wheels.
Dip/Pullup station
Try it out a few times-the dip handles should be comfortable and
about shoulder width apart. The pullup should have a palms facing
grip as well as a straight bar.
Pulldown machine
The weight should go up to
120kg+, ideally. If it is less than
that, you might be able to place
dumbbells on the stack to add
weight. Make sure that in the
upper position your arms are
straight. If you have long arms,
sometimes you can’t fully extend
them on some machines.
130
Seat with back support
For seated dumbbell pressing and Arnold pressing, can also do dumbbell curls, lateral raises
and more.
Bench press
For bench pressing, obviously. Try it out a few times, the most
important factor is that the pegs where you rack and unrack
the weight are at an appropriate height. They should be
slightly less than arms length away as you lie down on the
bench.
Cardio machines
Exercise bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, and rowing machines are all great ways to get
in cardio. They are all a lot easier to recover from than running on the road, which a lot of
people don’t like anyway.
Optional Equipment
Incline Bench Press
If they don’t have one, flat bench will
have to suffice. You can also set up an
incline bench in the power rack and
bench press that way.
Preacher Curl Bench
If they don’t have one, you can use an incline bench and dumbbells,
doing one arm at a time. The results will be almost identical, it will
just take longer.
EZ curl bar
This curved bar is generally used for arm movements, and
provides a more natural position to grip the bar, making it
easier on the joints, particularly
the wrists and elbows. Any
movement can still be done with
a straight bar, it’s just more
comfortable with this type of bar.
Trap bar
Used for deadlifts, rows and
131
farmers walks, this trapezoid shaped bar puts less stress on the spine as you are standing
inside of it. If they don’t have one, a normal barbell is OK for deadlifts and rows, and
dumbbells will suffice for farmers walks.
Bands
Good for warming up, and for advanced lifters to modify movements by changing the
resistance curve. For example, you can hook bands around the bottom of the squat rack and
the barbell when squatting to provide extra difficulty for the top part of the movement.
This forces you to accelerate against the weight, making you
more explosive.
Clips
These slide around the edge of the barbell in order to hold the
plates on while you probably don’t have to use these while
warming up, when doing your heavy sets it’s definitely nice to
not have the plates sliding around at all. This is particularly
useful for the deadlift, because when the bar returns to the ground, the impact can jossle the
plates and cause them to move and become unbalanced.
Chains
Good for adding resistance for barbell movements and dips. As you lower the weight, the
chains fall onto the floor, making the bottom position easier. As you lift the weight back up,
the chains also lift, making the top position more challenging, similar to bands. Chains also
make the bar less stable, forcing you to work harder to balance it.
Swiss ball
You can use this inflated, usually blue ball for
crunches, stir the pot and hamstring ball curls. It’s a
nice addition to your workout plan, as most of these
exercises are easier to recover from compared to more
stable options.
Hamstring Curl Machine
This exercise is usually performed lying down, but there are
standing variations of this machine. The hamstring muscle
performs both hip extension and knee flexion, and you need
both for maximum development.
Leg extension Machine
This classic quadriceps exercise is
one of the only ways to truly isolate
the muscle. Doing high reps is a
132
great way to fatigue thighs and make your squatting more
effective.
Leg Press
This machine compound exercise allows you to put a lot
of growth inducing tension on the quads, hamstrings and glutes without putting a barbell
on your back.
Chest Press Machine
Many machines are garbage, but most
chest presses are pretty good. As with
all of the equipment listed here, give it
a whirl. Always try before you buy
when possible.
Cable Row
The machine allows a very natural feeling rowing movement and
should be done in almost any program. It works the entire back very
evenly, the lats, traps and spinal erectors all getting hit.
Chest Supported Row
The chest supported row is a fantastic back developer that is very
safe. Give it a try. Most allow you to adjust the machine to better
suit your particular build.
Machine Row
Similar to the chest supported row, this exercise allows loading either through plates or a
weight stack selector. Both are fine, do a few reps to see if you like
the feel of it.
Decline Bench Press
This quite rare piece of equipment allows you to bench at a
decline. This is usually easier on the shoulders, and is a good lower
chest developer. I’d advise doing this one with a partner, as it can
be tricky to unrack the weight by yourself.
Seated Calf Machine
While calves aren’t really a crucial body part for aesthetics in my
opinion, having a calf raise machine can’t hurt. However, there is a
pretty big variety in effectiveness of these
machines, so definitely do at least a light
set to see how it feels.
133
Ab Wheel
You can’t do ab wheel roll-outs without an ab wheel, obviously. This
conveniently small and portable piece of equipment is an essential part
of one of the best ab exercises out there.
Sit-up Bench
Basically all this is good for is sit-ups, which are a fine abdominal
exercise. You can load this exercise pretty heavy, and it also works the
hip flexors pretty well.
Smith Machine
Can be used for lunges, squats, bench press,
incline press, overhead press, and upright
rows.
Micro-plates
These are plates that are less than 2.5kg. These
allow you to load a barbell in very small
increments, allowing you to be very exact. For a
beginner, this isn’t really necessary, but for a more advanced athlete, they
can be useful for making progress.
Personal Equipment
This section includes items that the gym may or may not provide for you. They’re usually
quite small items that you can fit in a bag and bring with you to the gym. None of them are
necessary, but they may make your lifting experience safer, more enjoyable or more fun.
Lifting belt
When you are performing exercises like heavy squats, deadlifts
and standing rowing and pressing movements, you want to
brace your core as much as possible. You need to transfer force
from your lower body to your upper body, and that force needs
to pass through your core without breaking your body in half.
Normally, you would take in a deep breath of air, and contract
your abs to brace. Using a belt aids in creating as much internal
pressure as possible by giving you something to “push against”.
Different people wear their belts in different ways, so you’ll want to experiment with
different tightnesses and heights.
134
Straps
These are generally 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide, twelve to eighteen inches long, and made out of
leather, canvas, or nylon. You can wrap them around the bar to essentially tie yourself to the
bar. If you are having trouble gripping heavy rows and deadlifts, these can be a good
solution. I would, however recommend that you try to build your grip strength as much as
possible before using straps.
Chalk
This messy white substance (out of the gutter, you!) is used to make sure you don’t release
too soon (I said out!). You can rub it on your hands, the bar, your back when squatting,
chest when benching and more. Many powerlifters rub it damn near anywhere they can
think of. Many gyms won’t allow this at all, so be warned that it might not be an option for
you. Gloves
Dip belt
This is different from a lifting belt, it allows you to attach plates to you and let them hang
between your legs like an absurdly heavy pair of wind-chimes. It might take some getting
used to, but is the best way to load up dips and pullups.
Wrist wraps
These, as you can likely guess, are wraps that you place around the wrists. They provide
support when bench pressing and doing other lifts, typically low bar squatting, overhead
pressing and the like.
Knee sleeves
These are made out of soft neoprene and are used to provide support, warmth and blood
flow to the knee joint, sort of like what a cup of coffee does to my brain when writing.
They can also provide feedback when squatting, as you can feel how the joint is working a
bit better due to the compression of the sleeve. They will not add to the weight that you
can lift, but they might be a worthwhile investment.
Knee wraps
Think of knee sleeves on…well, steroids. They completely encircle the entire joint,
providing both support and warmth but also a large amount of bounce out of the bottom
position of the squat. It’s not unusual for competitive powerlifters to be able to squat 1540kg more with wraps, depending on how strong they are, their leverages and skill at using
the wraps themselves.
Fat grips
Put them on the bar. They make the bar thicker and more difficult to hold. This will help
your forearms grow and grip strength improve. Class dismissed.
Bar pad
This also makes the bar thicker, but is used to make it more
135
comfortable to use. The usual culprits that you would use it with are glute bridge, hip
thrust and front squat. Maybe the back squat too if you really feel uncomfortable.
Weightlifting shoes
These fashionable footwear have a raised heel, which put you in a more upright position.
They’re usually used for front squats, back squats and Olympic weightlifting to improve
your positioning. They’ll also put more stress on the quads when squatting, which is
basically the entire reason most people squat, so that’s easy
to chalk up as a win.
Gloves
While I don’t personally use these, gloves can be a nice
option for those who don’t want to build up calluses on
their hands when holding the barbell.
Towel
Particularly useful in the summer, these are used to mop the sweat off of your brow, and
likely the bench and surrounding areas as well if you live in Shenzhen.
Section Recap: Essential and optional gym equipment as
well as personal equipment can have an impact on your
results. Try before you buy when possible to make sure the
equipment is high quality and is suitable for you.
136
Compendium Five: Special
Workouts and Techniques
The techniques listed below are not for complete beginners. This is not because they can’t
handle them, but because they don’t need them. Beginners can just perform the exercises
under control and slowly progressing in sets, reps and weight used. That alone will give you
great progress. However, if you have been lifting for at least six months and want to add
some spice to your workouts, are stuck in a rut, have lost motivation or are just bored with
your training, these techniques can really help. They can provide noticeable changes in your
physique very quickly.
A few things to keep in mind:
 These techniques are more difficult to recover from than normal sets. The effect will be
noted in the description.
 Not everyone will respond the same to each advanced technique. You’ll need to analyze
which help you, which have no effect and which you respond to poorly.
 Some techniques are better for strength, while others are better for size, which will
usually be noted in the description. Others are a mixture or can be either depending on
how you perform them.
 Your form is still critical, never sacrifice how you perform the exercise to add these
techniques. Performing these techniques with bad form is asking for disaster.
 These can have slightly more risk compared to normal sets, but with more risk often
comes more reward.
This section is split up into two parts. The first are advanced techniques that change the
sets you do, and the second are techniques that change how you do the reps themselves.
Check the appendix for two full charts detailing which techniques can be applied to which
exercises.
137
Manipulating Sets
One Rep Max
Normally during training, it’s best to work with weights that are sub maximal. This means
weights that are below how much you could lift just one time. Whether you are interested
in strength or size, normally working in the 60-80% weight range is more productive and
safer. However, there may be a time to do a set of just one rep as heavy as possible, in other
words, to test your “one rep max”.
This is neither necessary nor useful as a complete beginner, but since you’re probably going
to attempt it at some point anyway, there might as well be a section about it. On some
exercises, you should never max out. Check the table above or the rep ranges in the
movement pattern section. A one rep max attempt still counts as just one set for
programming purposes, but make sure that you count all of the hard sets that it took to
warmup-see ramping below for more information.
Ramping
Ramping is a special way of warming up that is one of the best ways to improve raw
strength and explosive power. You may think that your muscles are what lifts weights.
You’re right. But, it’s the nervous system that controls those muscles and how much weight
they can lift. The central nervous system is almost always the limiting factor when trying to
lift heavy weights, so when you are aiming to lift the heaviest weight possible, you want to
make sure that you get as much CNS activation while limiting fatigue.
When you do a set of an exercise, two things happen:
You activate the central nervous system (CNS) [improving performance]


You create fatigue [reducing performance]
Ramping keeps your body healthy, and allows for better muscle and strength gains. During
each successive set during the ramp, try to move the bar as quickly and explosively as
possible. This will further activate the central
nervous system. Moving a light weight explosively
uses just as many of the fast twitch muscle fibers as
moving a heavy weight more slowly.
Pro tip: try to make the plates “rattle” against each
other at the end of each rep. This will ensure you
are moving explosively.
Dumbbells generally aren’t good for ramping,
because a three rep max of dumbbells is heavy and
awkward to do compared to barbell movements.
Machines and isolation exercises are also better with high reps, meaning that they aren’t
great choices for ramping.
138
Stick to the basic, heavy compound barbell movements, like bench press, overhead press,
push press, bent over rows, deadlifts and squats. Ramping is also how almost all Olympic
weightlifters train. There are a variety of ways to ramp but here are some examples.
If your three rep max is ~80-100kg:
 20kgx10 Just the bar to warm up and get some blood in the joints. Such light weight
won’t cause much fatigue even for higher reps, and helps warm up, preventing injury.
 40kgx3 (starting the ramp, be as explosive as possible each set)
 50kgx3
 60kgx3
Keep adding 5kg plates each side and doing triples till you hit a three rep max
If your three rep max is ~100-180kg:
 20kgx10
 40kgx10
 60kgx3
 70kgx3
 80kgx3
Keep adding 5kg plates each side and doing triples till you hit a three rep max
If you’re strong and your three rep max is ~180-260kg, it might look something like this:
 20kg (just the bar)x 10 to warm up
 60kgx10
 80kgx3
 100kgx3
 120kgx3
Keep adding 10kg plates each side and
doing triples till you hit a three rep max
If you’re very strong and your three rep
max is 260kg+, it might even look like
this:
 60kgx10
 100kgx3
 140kgx3
Keep adding 20kg plates each side and doing triples till you hit a three rep max.
At that point you have a few choices:
From heaviest to lightest options:

If you are feeling good you can add more weight and go for a set of one or two reps
or a new personal best. See “One Rep Max”.

You can do a few more sets of one to three reps with that top weight
139
You can drop the weight down to 90-95% of that top set and do a few more sets of
three.

You can drop the weight down to 60-70% of that top set and do some other kind
of advanced technique-drop sets, rest pause, AMRAP, EMOM, etc. Or, just do
something simple like three or four sets of eight to twelve reps to get in more volume.
You can stop the exercise and move to a new one. Or go home.


Note that for deadlifts, and Olympic lifting from the floor it’s best to start with 20kg
plates per side, starting with the bar resting on the floor is effectively a deficit and a
different movement entirely!
The ramping method is the best way fully activate the central nervous system while keeping
fatigue low. The ideal rep range is three to five reps per ramping set. Singles and doubles
(one or two reps per set) can be used but three is better. It doesn’t cause much more fatigue
but stimulates the CNS better. More than six reps you can’t really move explosively and
each set creates more fatigue than three to five reps, limiting your maximum weight.
The mind is the key to progressing in the gym, just as it is the key to progressing anywhere
else in life. Try out ramping, you may find that you hit a new personal best and it feels a lot
easier than you expect due to the magic of manipulating the central nervous system. When
counting sets for ramping, count any set that is more than 50% of your one rep max as a
working set…a set of three at 50% might normally be very easy, but when you are moving
the bar as explosively as possible on a compound movement, it is enough
to generate progress.
Section Recap: Ramping is increasing the weight with each
set while lifting as explosively as possible to activate the
central nervous system.
AMRAP
This stands for “As Many Reps As Possible”. Choose a weight on a certain exercise and
just do as many reps as possible for ONE, all-out, balls to the wall set. Aim for about ten to
thirty reps done over the course of about thirty to ninety seconds. A good weight to use is
around 60-80% of your one rep max. This works well for almost any movement and is a
very time-efficient way to train. Count an AMRAP as one set for programming purposes,
but because it is more stimulatory and also more stressful, only do one AMRAP set per
exercise. Next workout, try to get more reps or increase the weight.
Section Recap: An AMRAP set is just doing as many reps
as you can during that set.
140
EMOM
EMOM isn’t using tinder to hit up your friends mama. It’s “Every Minute On the Minute”
This involves doing a set starting once every sixty seconds…so for the next five to fifteen
minutes you’ll perform one to five reps on a given exercise every time the clock hits :00
seconds. You’ll need a watch or a clock with a second hand that you can check.
It’s best to use a fairly heavy weight, about 75-90%. You might find that as the sets go on,
it actually becomes easier to lift the weight. This is your central nervous system “figuring
out” how to be more efficient and producing the necessary force more easily.
This advanced technique works best with compound movements that work the whole body
like squats, bench presses, push presses, deadlifts and Olympic lifting.
For programming, just count the EMOM as the number of sets that you do. So if you do
three reps of a deadlift on the minute, for ten minutes, that counts as ten sets. Pretty simple.
Section Recap: An EMOM set is starting a set every minute
for a prescribed period of time.
Rest Pause
What do getting drunk and muscle fiber recruitment have in common? Read on and find
out.
Your body is lazy, and only uses as much muscle as it needs to lift the weight. So if you are
lifting a light weight only a few times, you are only using your weaker, slow twitch muscle
fibers. As the set with the light weight goes on, those weak muscle fibers get fatigued, and
you start to recruit more and more of the stronger muscle fibers. If you do a set of twenty
reps in a row to failure, you are really on recruiting everything on the last four to six reps.
You can tell when you are close to failure because you’ll be trying to move the weight as
hard as you can but it won’t go very fast. The first fifteen or so reps were really just the
pregame for the actual party. Fun, but not as effective as an actual party.
And doing three sets of twenty with full recovery is basically the same as getting drunk,
sobering up, getting drunk again then sobering up yet again, and repeating it a third time.
You need a lot more “drinks” for a lot less “drunkenness”. If you do three sets of twenty
with full recovery, you have sixty total reps and only about fifteen are fully effective. It’s
just not cost-effective.
Conversely, if you are lifting an extremely heavy weight-over eighty-five percent of your
maximum, or about the one to six rep range-you are using all of your muscle fibers starting
with the first rep. However, you can’t lift heavy weights all the time. It’s a bit like starting
the night off with twelve shots of tequila. It’ll be effective, but not really sustainable. You’ll
get drunk quickly, but also probably end up lying in bed with things drawn on your face. If
you do three sets of five with your six rep max, all fifteen reps are effective…but it’s still
only fifteen reps.
141
Rest pause uses a weight somewhere in the middle. It’s the barhopping of the weightlifting
world. You get to that good level and then you sustain it for the whole night and reap the
benefits. You don’t let your body fully recover between sets, aka sober up. But nor are you
going ham right out of the gate and blowing your load.
That’s not going to satisfy anyone.
Choose a weight that get about ten to twenty reps on
the first set. This will be roughly sixty to eighty
percent of your maximum. Rest pause involves pausing
slightly between reps during a set so you can do more
of them. The short ~15second break in between reps
lets lactic acid clear from the muscle and lets the
central nervous system clear it’s head a bit, but not too
much.
So if you do one set of twenty, followed by five sets of five each with fifteen seconds rest,
you get five effective reps on the first set, and all twenty-five of the 5×5 reps are also
effective because you are fatigued and are recruiting all your muscle fibers for those minisets. Forty-five reps total, and thirty of them are effective…. sound like a better deal? Rest
pause is a great method to gain size quickly, and will definitely help your strength as well,
especially with heavier weights.
Protocol
3x20 normal sets
3x5 normal sets
20+5x5 rest pause
Load
~60%
~85%
~60%
Total Reps
60
15
45
Effective Reps
15
15
30
Total Time
12-15 minutes
8-10 minutes
3-4 minutes
There are many different protocols that can be used-a few popular ones include:
DC training
Choose a weight about seventy-five to eighty percent of your one rep max that you can lift
ten to twelve times. Do so till one rep before failure, put it down, rest about thirty seconds,
lift it again and try to get three to six reps, then rest another thirty seconds, and try a third
time and get two or three reps. All sets should be until either failure or one rep close to it.
Myo Reps
Choose a weight about sixty-five to eighty percent of your one rep max that you can lift
twelve to twenty-five times till one rep before failure, put it down, take fifteen seconds rest,
then do three to five more. Repeat the mini-set four more times. So it might look
something like 15+3+3+3+3+3 or 18+4+4+4+4+4.
Predetermined Number
142
Another way is to use as many “mini-sets” as you want to hit a predetermined number,
usually twenty to forty. For example, you might chose to do twenty-five total reps, and do
eight reps on the first set. Rest fifteen seconds, then get back to work, and get five more
reps. Continue until you hit that twenty-five total rep target. It might look something like
this: 8+5+4+2+2+2+1+1=25.
This is very fatiguing and difficult mentally but produces amazing results. If you choose to
do this on exercises that load the spine, such as squats and deadlifts, be sure to keep good
form. Predetermined number gives quite a bit of flexibility and allows for some creativity
when training. It’s a good way to implement rest pause training for those who don’t like
structure. Just put the weight on the bar, pick a number and go. Even the rest time can be
instinctive.
Protocol
DC training
Myo Reps
Predetermined
Number
Approx
%
75-80%
65-80%
65-85%
Rest
First Set
30s
15s
~15
s
10-12
12-20
8-15
Second
Set
3-6
3-5
4-8
Third Set
2-3
3-5
3-6
FourthSixth Sets
3-5
2-4
Total Reps
15-21
27-45
20-40
For programming purposes, a good way to count rest pause sets is take the total number of
sets, divide them by two. If you get a fraction, round up. So, if you do 20+5x5, that is six
sets, divided by two, so three total sets. If you did DC training and did 10+5+3, that
would be three, divided by two, then rounding the 1.5 up to two, so two sets total.
Section Recap: Rest pause involves doing multiple sets with
short rest, in order to not let your body fully recover in
between.
Clusters
These are similar to rest pause but are planned out more in advance and usually use a
heavier weight. Also, while rest pause uses one all-out set followed by several smaller and
shorter ones, clusters do the same number of reps for each mini-set. For programming,
count it as two sets.
So, you might use a heavy weight that you could do for five to seven reps for one set, but
do only two reps, then rest ten to fifteen seconds, two more, rest ten to fifteen seconds, etc
until you do ten reps total. 2+2+2+2+2, or 5x2. Rack the bar in between mini-sets.
143
This allows you to get more reps total because you
are recovering slightly between each “mini-set”. They
are a very advanced technique and very draining on
the body, but are one of the best ways to gain
strength. This technique works best with heavy
compound exercises. Weights under 85% are best
used with rest pause rather than clusters. Weights above 92.5% are not suitable for clusters
either, as that heavy of weights you will likely need full rest between sets.
% of One Rep Normal Max Reps
Max
85%
5-7 reps
87.5%
4-6 reps
90%
3-5 reps
92.5%
2-4 reps
Rest Time
Cluster Rep Examples
10-20s
10-20s
10-20s
10-20s
5x2 or 3x3
4x2 or 2x3
6x1 or 3x2
3x1 or 2x2
144
Section Recap: Clusters use heavy weight and multiple sets
with short recovery to elicit sweet gains.
Dropsets
A dropset involves doing a set, and then immediately afterwards starting another set with a
lighter weight. You can then do another set after that second set if you want. The drop is
generally about thirty to fifty percent. Dropping less than thirty percent and the weight
difference isn’t enough, while dropping more than fifty percent and it won’t be heavy
enough. Usually the same exact exercise is used, not a different one.
So it might look like this: ten reps with 100kg–>eight reps with 60kg–>eight reps with
40kg. The number of reps is just as an example. For each set, you are trying to get as many
reps as you can. That way, you are really going to failure three times. Yes, these hurt as
much as it sounds. For programming, that would count as three total sets.
This method is effective because it traps lactic acid, calcium ions, hydrogen ions and other
waste products inside the muscle which is painful, but can also trigger muscle growth. This
works well with isolation exercises and machine work however it should usually be avoided
with most squats, deadlifts and bent over rows.
Also keep in mind the body adapts quite quickly to this stimulus and gets very efficient at
clearing out waste products, meaning this technique should only be used on a certain body
part or movement for a couple weeks in a row before changing it out for something else.
After a few weeks your body re-sensitizes to this method and you can use it again.
Section Recap: During a drop set you lower the weight in
successive sets with minimal recovery to pump up the
muscle and get you swole.
Supersets
A superset involves completing a set of one exercise and then, with little to no rest, moving
directly to another exercise. This minimal rest period has some benefits, but also some
drawbacks.
145
If the two exercises both work the same muscles, the accumulation of fatigue, lactic acid and
waste products within those muscles can be a potent stimulator of growth. If the two
exercises work different muscles, the body is forced to shift large amounts of blood and
oxygen to different areas of the body quite rapidly, which stimulates the metabolism and
cardiovascular system.
The only way that I like to do supersets in my training is called an “isolation sandwich”.
This is an isolation exercise, followed by a compound exercise using the same muscle,
followed by another isolation exercise. For example:
This allows you to really focus on the muscle that you want to develop. A lot of people feel
squats more in their lower back or glutes than their quads, and this can help you to feel the
quads working more, just be sure to focus on using them on the squats! You’ll certainly
have to reduce the weight on the squats compared to what you usually use.
Another example, for chest:
For programming, just count each set as a set. The main drawback of supersets is that they
take away from the quality of all of the sets. Mentally it is difficult to give a 100% effort
back to back, meaning most people won’t try as hard as they can during the first set if they
subconsciously know that they still have a set to do right afterwards. The second set quality
suffers simply because…well…you’re tired. Subsequent sets also suffer so try to place super
sets later in the workout.
Supersets don’t work for very long, for the same reason that dropsets can get stale after a
while. Sprinkle them in occasionally for a few week cycles on some exercises, but they
shouldn’t be the bulk of your training plan.
Section Recap: Supersets are two exercises performed back
to back with as little rest as possible, with the goal of
maximizing your training efficiency.
146
Manipulating Reps
Failure
The concept of failure is simple: if you lift a weight until you no longer physically can lift it,
that’s failure. However, implementing failure into your workouts is a controversial topic.
Some trainers say that you MUST fail in order to gain muscle, with their logic being if you
don’t fail, the body has no reason to adapt and grow to the stimulus. Others say that failure
is a bad thing, and that it is something that should be
avoided at all costs.
The truth, as it so often is, lies somewhere in the middle.
You CAN gain muscle without ever failing, but there may
be some value in occasionally training till failure. At the
very least, if you are able to push a set until you fail, you
can be damn sure that the set was effective. It also shows
that you have large nuts.
It’s very rare to see someone with the guts to push a set close to failure, let alone to it. For
90% or more of people, the mind will give up before the body does. So if you are able to
actually go to failure, that shows that you’ll get great results, just due to you having a
different mentality.
That being said, usually the best method is to avoid failure and stop a few reps away from it.
When you fail, sets that you do after that usually suffer in quality, because you are tired. So
if you do four sets, all to failure, you might do something like ten reps, seven reps, five reps
and four reps. If you controlled yourself and didn’t go to failure on the first set, you could
probably do four sets of eight reps.
The first gets you twenty-six reps, while the latter gets you thirty-two reps, and the
difference in volume could mean that the second might actually be better for muscle growth!
If you really want to go to failure, it’s best reserved for the last set of an exercise, closer to
the end of the workout. That way, it won’t effect sets afterwards.
Section Recap: Failure is failing, which
can help grow muscle but also can be
more dangerous and increase recovery
time. Just be careful bro.
Partials
Usually, training with a full range of motion is a better way to
develop both strength and size, but there may be some
circumstances where training with partial range of motion may
147
be beneficial.
Do the full range of motion first, until you cannot do any more reps, then reduce the range
of motion and doing partials. For example, if you are doing cable hammer curls, usually you
start the rep with your arms fully straight, then flex your elbows using your biceps until the
weight is up near your face. A partial would be just using the bottom half of the range of
motion.
So you might do ten reps till failure, using full range of motion, then
do another ten reps just using the bottom half-up to the point shown
in the picture on the right. You can do this with a lot of machines,
many movements for arms or shoulders, but it is best avoided for
heavy squats and deadlifts. Count partials as you would dropsets:
once for the main set of full range of motion, and again for the set
that has partial range of motion. This will generally be two sets, but
could conceivably be three in some circumstances.
Section Recap: Partials are less than full range of motion
used to overload the muscle after full range of motion has
fatigued the muscle.
Isometrics
An isometric hold is when there is no movement at all. You are just holding the weight in a
certain position and lifting as hard as you can. This keeps the tension on the muscle rather
than using momentum to lift the weight, making it one of the best ways to improve your
form. It is usually reserved for barbell exercises like the bench press, bent over row, squat or
deadlift. The best way to do this is to lift the bar against an object that will never move. For
example, you might put a bench in the power rack and set up bars at two different levels:
one just off the chest, and one at mid-range.
To start a set, you’ll take the empty bar resting just off the chest, and press it as hard as you
can into the mid-range bar for a few seconds. The weight won’t actually be going anywherebe sure to weigh down the power rack or the bar enough-but you’ll be exerting all of the
force you possibly can. About four to six seconds is ideal, although you can go up to ten
seconds.
This can be done either before or after your main weightlifting exercises, but I suggest
before as it is a good way to activate the central nervous system-aka warm up. For
programming, just count the isometric hold as one set.
148
squats in the bottom position.
Paused Reps
Similar to isometrics, this involves pausing at a certain
point in the movement. In contrast to isometrics,
however, this can be done with just about
any exercise, and no power rack is needed
The only ones that shouldn’t be paused
are Rubish and Kroc rows, which are
always performed explosively, and which
pausing would somewhat defeat the
purpose. You can pause other explosive
exercises like push presses and jump
It is one of the best ways to clean up your form as it basically forces you to
do the movement properly. For example, when deadlifting, you might pause
just off the floor for three to five seconds, at the knee for three to five seconds, then fully
locking it out. You can either use this for all your sets or just your lighter ones to warm up.
This forces you into using perfect form during the warm ups, which translates into making
the heavier sets also have better form. It’s almost
impossible to hold a weight isometrically unless all
your joints are in the right position. This helps
prevent injury, just be sure to adhere to using perfect
form. You can also use longer pauses of twenty to
sixty seconds to strengthen a specific area of a lift.
Progressively overload by adding time or weight to
the bar.
This is also a good muscle building technique for
two reasons:

It increases the amount of time that the muscles are under tension for.
It eliminates the bounce or stretch reflex, placing greater stress on the muscle and

less on the joints.
Some good places to consider using pauses for some common exercises:
Movement
Squat
Deadlift/Olympic Lifting
Bench Press
Location of pause
Bottom position
Half squat position on the way down
Half squat position on the way up
Around the knees (see above left)
Just off the floor (see above right)
On chest
Difficulty
Hard
Hard
Very Hard
Moderate
Very Hard
Easy
149
Overhead Press
Pullup
Row
Curls
Midway point
Just off the chest
At bottom or lockout
Around forehead (see above left)
At full hang
At full contraction
At mid-range (see above right)
Mid-range
At full contraction
At hang
At full contraction
Mid-range
Moderate
Hard
Easy
Very Hard
Moderate
Moderate
Hard
Hard
Very Hard
Easy
Moderate
Very Hard
Section Recap: Paused reps are stopping temporarily
during a particular part of the movement to make it more
challenging.
Eccentrics
The eccentric part of a lift refers to the lowering part of the exercise. While you’d never say
“Hey bro, I’m gonna go to the gym and *lower* some weights, want to come?”, the
eccentric is actually a vital part of working out. You can lower twenty to forty percent more
weight under control than you can lift, which makes this a very potent stimulator of growth.
It also causes more muscle damage, which is one
factor of muscle growth, just don’t overdo it. You
can do eccentrics with special “weight releasers”
that fall off the bar when you are finished
lowering the weight, or a very trustworthy training
partner that can push down on the bar as you are
lowering it, and help on the way up.
Eccentrics are ideal for dips, pullups, curls, lateral
raises and flys. You can easily get back to the
starting position by jumping up with the weight
(the first two) or cheating it up with a slight leg drive (the last two). For an exercise like a
chest fly you can bench press the weight up and lower it with the fly movement. For bench
press, and most machine work, you will need a partner. For some machines such as leg
extensions and hamstring curls you can lift with two legs and lower with one leg.
Generally, don’t do eccentrics for squats, deadlifts, standing overhead pressing or bent over
rows as it can be dangerous, the lumbar spine is an oft-injured region that doesn’t tolerate
this type of overload very well. Also, don’t do it on any exercise where a partner couldn’t
150
help you if you completely fail. If you get stuck under a heavy three hundred kilo leg press
on a shitty machine, you’ll need everyone in the gym to save your ass from getting squished.
Eccentrics
Never
Yes, with GOOD training partner
Yes, alone
Movements
Squats, Deadlifts, Standing Overhead Press, Bent
Over Rows, Leg Press
Bench Press, Seated Shoulder Press, Many Machines
Curls, Lateral Raises, Dips, Pullups, Flys, Some
Machines
There are a few different ways to do this.
Method One is to take a weight that is roughly 110-120% of your one rep max and lower
it slowly under control for three to five reps. Aim for each rep to be lowered over the
course of about three to five seconds…if you can’t lower it that slowly, reduce the weight.
Don’t do more than a few sets using this method, as it’s difficult to recover from. This
works well for maximal strength as well as size gains because when you go back to using a
lighter weight it will feel strangely light, and you can get more reps than you otherwise
would be able to. An AMRAP set following heavy eccentrics is a potent stimulator of
growth.
Method Two is similar but you use a lighter weight, around 60-85%. You start the set
normally, with no assistance. When you hit failure in the set, go past it by doing extra
eccentric-only reps. Either a partner will help you to lift the weight, or you’ll get it up by
cheating. Be careful with this one.
Section Recap: Eccentrics are emphasizing the lowering
part of the movement in order to stimulate muscle growth.
Explosive Reps
Usually when lifting, you want to fully control the
weight on the way up and the way down. However,
there can be benefits to moving explosively, or as fast
as possible on the lifting part of the movement. A
cool study split subjects into two groups.
One group was told to lift normally, while another
was coached to move as explosively as possible on
every rep of every set, even the warmups. The second
group made TWICE as many strength gains as the
151
first group, JUST from that one cue of moving explosively. How is that possible?
Similar to the concept of ramping, moving a light or moderate weight as fast as you can
could actually generate MORE force than a heavy weight.
Incoming science…. (if not interested, skip down a few lines)
Force=Mass X Acceleration (time)
So, if 100kg is your one rep max on the bench press, it might take you four seconds to lift-a
long time, because you’ll really be straining and grinding against the weight. If you reduce
the weight a bit to 75% of your one rep max,you will be able to lift it a lot more quicklysay, two seconds. If you reduce it further to 50% of your one rep max, you might be able to
lift it even more quickly, perhaps even one second. Reduce the weight even further, you
might be able to move 25kg even faster…but not twice as fast. Lets say .8 seconds. The
distance travelled is all the same, about half a meter.
Mass
25kg
50kg
75kg
100kg
Distance
.5m
.5m
.5m
.5m
Time
Force (kg*m/s^2)
.8 seconds
19.5
1 second
25
2 seconds
9.4
4 seconds
3.1
So actually you’ll be producing the most force NOT with the heaviest weight, nor with the
lightest, but somewhere in the middle.
…Science over.
Anyway, the best way to implement this into your program is to choose about 40-60% of
your one rep max, and do five to ten sets of three to five reps with the weight, and trying to
move all reps as explosively as possible. The intention is everything here. You need to really
focus on accelerating the weight as much as possible when lifting it. Throw it through the
roof.
Section Recap: Training explosively is a fun and exciting
way to elicit gains and improve your athleticism.
For programming, here is a chart that shows exactly how to count these advanced
techniques. As said before, some of these techniques are stressful, and that’s exactly why
they work! However, to represent that when planning your training, refer below to see how
to program them.
One Rep Max Count as one set
Ramping
Count each set during the ramp as one set
152
AMRAP
EMOM
Rest Pause
Clusters
Dropsets
Superset
Failure
Partials
Isometrics
Paused Reps
Eccentrics
Explosive
Reps
Count as one set, but only do one AMRAP set per exercise
Count each set during the EMOM counts as one set
Count as 1/2 the total sets, rounded down
Count as two sets
Count each set during the drop counts as one set
Count each set during the superset counts as one set
Count as one set, and use sparingly
Count as one set for the full range of motion part, plus one set per
partial part
Count as one set
Count normally, as one set
Count normally, as one set if just eccentrics (method one). Count as two
sets if you went to failure on your own beforehand (method two).
Count normally, as one set
153
Compendium Six: Cardio
Often overlooked, cardiovascular exercise is essential not just for health but for your
performance in the gym. In this section, we’ll look at how to program cardio in your
workout plan, and whether High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Low Intensity
Steady State (LISS) is a better choice for you. For most people, it’ll be a combination of the
two. We’ll also go over a few forms of cardio exercise, from biking to sprinting to weight
training.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
This style of cardio involves short bursts of all-out sprints followed by recovery periods.
This has the benefit of the EPOC effect-Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, aka
calories burnt after the workout. This is also known as the “afterburn” effect. While small,
it can actually keep your metabolism elevated for days following the effort. It also reduces
appetite for a long time as well, making this one of THE best ways to lose fat. There are
many ways to incorporate HIIT into your training. First is a list of types of exercise to
choose from, followed by some of the most popular and effective ways to structure the
intervals.
Sprinting
Sprinting has the advantage of using the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, core, arms and
torso, and thus you can burn a lot of calories very quickly. It also is potentially very useful
in real life, such as when running from the cops or other assailants. However, it is hard on
the body and difficult to recover from. I wouldn’t include hard sprint workouts on the
roads or track more than once a week, MAYBE twice if you can recover quickly. It’ll also
interfere with weight training, especially squatting and
deadlifting. From hardest to easiest on the body:
Roads
Asphalt, and even more so concrete is very punishing on the
body, especially when you combine it with roads that are often
slightly sloped to one side, making it easy to develop muscle
imbalances which lead to injury. Downhill running is
particularly damaging, so definitely avoid that.
154
Track
The track is a bit springier than most roads, and of course are always flat, but the left hand
turns can also lead to injury. I would suggest doing half of your intervals clockwise and the
other half counter clockwise to avoid muscle imbalances in the hips. I prefer 300m intervals
over 400m ones because you can run two straights and one bend rather than two of each.
Intervals anywhere from 150m-600m will get you shredded up quick. Personal favorites are
8x150m with short recovery(about ten to fifteen seconds), 8x300m with slightly longer
recovery (about one minute) and 8x600m with two to three minutes recovery. They all suck
in their own special way.
Treadmill
If you can find a treadmill at your gym that goes fast enough, they can be a great way to do
intervals. Setting the incline up a few degrees
can make it even easier on the body…but
harder on the heart, legs and lungs which is
exactly what we are trying to attack. You can
hop on and off the treadmill and stand on the
sides to rest, just be careful when starting each
interval, especially the faster you go.
Hill Sprints
Hill sprinting is somewhat easy to recover from as there is less impact, but they absolutely
destroy the entire lower body as well as the cardiovascular system. There is no better way to
get in shape than running hills. They are shitty and will make you want to vomit at the end
of them, but boy do they work. My personal favorites are 1620x100m (15-20 seconds) and 6x300m (50-60 seconds). If you
can’t measure the length of the hill, just go by time.
The hundred meter sprints are more for maximal speed and is less
metabolic. The three hundred meter sprints will make you hate life
but are awesome for stripping fat away. Any type of gradient is fine,
but keep in mind if you are training for a track race steeper
gradients will have less carryover to your event. Smooth surfaces
are fine, but avoid running on trails or uneven grass as the risk of
turning an ankle is too great. You can run stadium stairs if you can
find them, but be careful. Don’t trip and get a face full of concrete!
155
Sled Dragging or Prowler Pushing
The former involves strapping yourself to a weighted sled and pulling it behind you. The
latter involves pushing a special sled. Both work the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves,
and are exceptionally easy to recover from as there is no impact. If anything it will help your
recovery from weightlifting, rather than hinder it like other forms of sprinting might.
Cardio machines
Most machines in the gym are fine to use-stair steppers, rowing machines, exercise bikes,
elliptical machines, etc will all get your heart rate up if you set the correct resistance and are
prepared to work your ass off. Most also have the advantage of being very low impact and
easy to recover from.
Battle ropes are OK but only work the upper
body and thus might not be able to generate
enough whole-body fatigue. They’re only in the
gym because they look cool. Other sports like
boxing, rowing, swimming and cycling are also
good options…the main thing is that it uses
the large muscles like the quads, hamstrings,
glutes and back.
Lifting
With a moderate weight and a short recovery times, doing high rep training on full body
movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges and push presses can definitely have a big training
effect on your cardiovascular system. Lifting uses the muscles (duh) and the muscles use
oxygen, so your heart and lungs can get a good workout if you plan the sets well.
German Volume Training is particularly
brutal but will get the job done. Keep your
form strict, as lighter weights can still hurt
you. Also, keep in mind that this WILL
impact your workouts afterwards because
you will probably get really sore from this
type of training. I’ve personally recorded
my heart rate at 200+ beats per minute
after higher rep sets of full body
movements.
156
Complexes
A specific type of weightlifting, these involve doing several different exercises back to back,
usually using a light to moderately loaded barbell. Generally, whole body movements are
used such as deadlifts, back/front squats, push presses, overhead presses, bent over rows,
hang power cleans/Power Snatch from the Hang, etc.
This type of full body lifting uses enough muscle mass that it WILL get your heart rate up.
A big advantage is that it also stimulates muscle growth, and might have some carryover to
your heavy weightlifting. The biggest disadvantages are that it can be harder to recover from,
particularly on the joints, as well as being basically impossible to do in a crowded gym.
Trust me. Killing someone and ending up in jail for manslaughter might actually be decent
for your gains but it sucks for other areas of your life.
Exercises that are effective in complexes:
Bar in Hands
Bar on shoulders
Bar on back
Any Deadlift
Front Squat
Back Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Overhead Press
Good Morning
Bent Over Row
Push Press
Klokov Press
Rubish Row
Split Jerk
Low Pull from the Hang
Power Jerk
Power Snatch from the Hang
Overhead Squat
Try to put exercises in the same group consecutively, so you don’t
have to adjust too much. You can be creative and create your own
complexes, just err on the side of caution.
Bodyweight exercises
Doing exercises like squat jumps, clapping pushups and burpees
can definitely get the heart rate up and have the big advantage of
being extremely convenient. Sprinting often requires a track, hill
or roads…and takes a long time to warm up to prepare the body.
Bodyweight exercises often require almost no warm up and can be
done anywhere. Burpees are particularly effective. To perform
them, do a pushup, followed by jumping as high as you can and
157
throwing your arms overhead. Repeat till you can’t.
Section Recap: High intensity interval training is a time
efficient way to burn a lot of calories very quickly.
HIIT Protocols
This section is all about the length of the work and rest times that can be manipulated to
generate slightly different training effects. Some of the most popular ways to “hit it and
quit it” are as follows:
Tabata
The Tabata method was invented by a Japanese sports scientist who experimented with
many different ratios of work/rest times…so you know it’s good. He found that eight sets
of twenty seconds on/ten seconds off produced the optimal amount of fatigue. On means
ON…it really is an all out sprint, pretend like someone has a loaded gun to your head and
will pull the trigger if you don’t give 100%. This protocol is extremely fatiguing in the
short term but it only lasts about four minutes total, making it quite easy to recover from.
You can do Tabata several times per week if you want, and it has many positive effects on
your health.
10-12xThirty seconds/Thirty seconds rest
This is a slightly more endurance focused version of HIIT. The
intervals are slightly longer compared to tabata, and there are more of
them, but you get significantly more rest. It’s also convenient because
every interval will start on the minute, making it easy to know when to
go. Things can get hazy during the heat of battle, so simpler is often
better.
5-8×One minute/One minute rest
This is a good mix between endurance and sprinting. The intervals are
long enough that you will have to pace yourself, but you also get twice as much recovery.
This will work your VO2 max (the most oxygen you can use in a certain time) very
effectively.
4-6×Two minutes/One minute rest
This is firmly on the endurance side of things, but definitely still high intensity! This is a
good way to train the heart and lungs without losing muscle that longer endurance training
can cause.
158
Those are some tried and true versions to start with, but feel free to mix and match intervals
to suit your needs. You can do something like a pyramid of 15s on/off, 30s on/off, 45s
on/off, 60s on/off, 75s on/off, 90s on/off…then back down.
Or just go for a run and throw in short 20-40 second sprints every minute or two. Perhaps
go to a 200m hill and sprint up, walk down until you question why you did this. The main
thing is to be strict with the rest intervals…when you are going all out you’ll instinctively
want to rest more, and the training effect is lost if you rest too much.
Section Recap: You can choose a variety of protocols to
make your HIIT training as effective as possible.
Low Intensity Steady State (LISS)
As you might expect, this type of cardio is easy effort sustained for long periods of time.
Typical sessions are thirty to forty-five minutes, although you can go longer. This type of
cardio is good because not only is it easy to recover from, it can actually enhance recovery
from your weightlifting training because it is good for blood flow to the joints, tendons,
ligaments and muscles. Another benefit of LISS is that it is mentally easier than HIIT, and
also much less complicated. You can sort of just zone out while it’s happening.
The main drawback of LISS is that it’s…slow. A HIIT workout could be done in a mere
fraction of the time that a LISS workout might. So if you’re rushed for time, HIIT is a
better option. Another drawback is that it CAN interfere with muscle gains if you are doing
it over thirty to forty-five minutes, especially if you are running.
Section Recap: Low intensity cardio is easy to recover from
and can actually enhance recovery.
Tracking Cardio
Heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor is a fairly cheap and common device that simply tracks how fast your
heart is pumping, usually displayed in beats per minute. This has the benefit of producing
extra data to analyze…but has the drawback of producing extra data for you to analyze. If
you are the type of person that enjoys tracking extra workout data, this is a good thing. If
not, it’s probably best to not even buy one in the first place, just go by feel.
Heart rate does have a fair amount of variability from person to person and even for a
particular individual from day to day. So, if your heart rate was 130 beats per minute
159
during last cardio session, then next session at the same intensity
your heart rate might be 125 or 135.
Also keep in mind that most devices
are not 100% accurate, especially at
higher heart rates. You can check your
heart rate manually by holding a finger
on your neck, wrist or inner thigh,
counting how many beats you feel in
fifteen seconds, then multiplying by
four.
Pace
You can track how fast you are going and use this to gauge your
intensity. This also will vary somewhat day by day, so don’t be
worried if you have a slight five to ten percent fluctuation in your pace compared to the
effort you are putting out. If you are using a machine, it is very easy to track your pace and
even your caloric output.
If you are outside (whether cycling, running, walking, rowing, etc) you can track your pace
by using a GPS or timing yourself and checking on Google pedometer, Baidu maps,
onthegomap.com and the like afterwards. Keep in mind that GPS might not be 100%
accurate if you are doing interval training, but for long and steady efforts it should be very
consistent.
Effort
Another way to track cardio is simply to go by effort. You try to feel the correct pace. The
overall effort should require some noticeably elevated breathing but you should be able to
fairly comfortably sustain the pace over the entire session.
This has the disadvantage of having no numerical feedback to track your progress but the
advantage of not having to worry about it. Your body doesn’t know if you are writing down
the numbers in a training log, it just knows that fuel is being burned and that energy has to
come from somewhere.
However, it’s important to note that LISS doesn’t burn a ton of calories. A good
estimation would be roughly three to six hundred calories per hour depending on the
exercise and intensity. It won’t effect your recovery too much from lifting weights,
particularly if you do it at a separate time than lifting, so it’s generally better to do LISS
than to not do it.
160
It’s also worth pointing out that this caloric expenditure can be compensated very easily by
eating a bit more, especially if the foods are very calorie dense “junk foods”. If you are
doing cardio to lose weight, you are better off cleaning up your diet in the vast majority of
circumstances. And if you are doing cardio for heart health, HIIT is probably a better
choice overall.
Section Recap: You can track cardio by heart rate, effort or
pace.
161
LISS vs HIIT: How to Program Cardio
These two forms of cardio are both great and you should at least do one of them. Here’s a
quick chart of the pros and cons of each to help you decide which you might prefer.
First of all, I haven’t been completely honest with you. There is actually a middle ground
between LISS and HIIT, called “MISS”, or “medium intensity steady state”. This is doing
moderately hard, sustained efforts for twenty to sixty minutes, like running a 10k or
something.
This zone seems to be bad for muscle and strength gains, why most distance runners are
very thin. It seems like HIIT is too short to cause these muscle losses, while LISS is too low
intensity. It’s only tough, lengthy cardio that causes it. So if you want to gain muscle and
strength, avoid that type of work. Give it…a miss. (da dum chhhh)
LISS
HIIT
Effort
Easy and relaxed
High to spleen-bursting
Time
30-45+ minutes
4-15 minutes
Physical Recovery Cost
Minimal, can do lots of it
Moderate to High
Strength/Muscle Growth
Helps recovery
Helps (if programmed well)
Calories Burned per Minute
~5-10 calories per minute
~15-20 calories per minute
Calories Burned per Workout
~150-450
~100-250
Afterburn Effect?
Minimal
Slight (~ 50-100 calories)
Overall Health
Good
Great
Secondly, if you are doing cardio to burn calories…well, lets just say the difference isn’t a
lot. While LISS will probably burn more calories than HIIT overall, both forms of cardio
represents a small portion of your calorie intake. If you want to lose fat, diet is much easier
to focus on changing. This book won’t really touch diet but it’s worth noting that the few
hundred calories burned during cardio quite literally could be a few mouthfuls of food.
In terms of how it might affect your weightlifting, LISS can help reduce soreness after a
workout. Going for a walk or pedaling an exercise bike the day after a leg workout can help
recovery noticeably. So, a day or two after a lower body workout is a good time to put LISS.
It can even be just a short thirty minute walk. HIIT will not only not help you recover, it’ll
add to the stress load the body is facing. If you are doing a lot of sets of squats or deadlifts,
162
you might not want to be doing sprints on the track or hill sprints, both of which are at
least as stressful to the body as weight training.
That being said, if you time your HIIT workouts well, they can actually help your strength
and size. Many people that do cycling or hill sprints report gains in leg size and to a lesser
extent, squatting strength. The trick is to put them as far apart in your training week from
squatting and deadlifting as possible. Directly after upper body workouts that aren’t the day
before a lower body workout works best for HIIT.
In terms of overall health, HIIT is probably going to have more of an impact than LISS.
It’s effects on belly fat loss, diabetes prevention, heart disease and metabolic syndrome are
well documented. LISS might get you some results, but if you really want to supercharge
things, HIIT is probably a better way to go.
At the end of the day…you can and probably should use both in your training. A couple of
quick five to ten minute HIIT sessions a week after upper body workouts and a few LISS
sessions, which could be as easy as walking around a bit during a lunch break, and you’ve
got a jump start on more than ninety-five percent of people.
Section Recap: LISS and HIIT both have benefits and
drawbacks, and you should include both in your training.
163
Compendium Seven: Injuries
You’ve probably heard it from someone you know:
“Yea, my training was going great, and then I got injured and it took forever to heal. That
was two years ago, I’ll probably start up again next year”.
Hey, maybe that guy is YOU. Don’t be that guy! And don’t let any of your friends that lift
or are thinking about starting lifting be that guy either, share this book with ’em! Here we’ll
go over the most common causes of injury and how to prevent them.
I’m not a doctor, and this isn’t medical advice, obviously.
It’s much better than that.
If you go to your doctor, who probably doesn’t even lift, they will probably simply say
“stop training”, when in fact that is one of the worst things that you can do. You need to
keep active, work around the injury, get blood flowing, and strengthen the areas that need
to be strengthened.
Part one will be more general strategies to avoid getting your shit snapped up, while part
two will be exercise specific. Part three will be body part specific, more of a quick reference
of what could be causing pain in a particular area. You can also check the injuries section of
Compendium Nine: Making Progress for more details on how to work around an injury.
General Strategies for Staying Healthy
Lifting weights is actually very safe compared to most other sports, but there are some
general strategies you can follow, and things to avoid, to ensure you stay 100% healthy.
Every time that you step in the gym, your number one priority is not getting injured.
Progressing with heavier weights or more sets and reps is secondary. You can’t get better if
injured.
Doing stupid shit
Whether it’s pulling a bicep during a 405 pound twoman barbell curl, doing squats on an unstable object or
trying to jump on a box the height of your face, doing
stupid stuff is probably the quickest ticket to injury. Go
on youtube for a few minutes and watch a bunch of gym
fail videos.
Watching natural selection in progress will be more
164
effective at keeping you safe than anything I can write here. Don’t be part of Darwin’s
theories in action. If you aren’t sure if something is stupid, it’s probably stupid.
Solution: Don’t do it.
Going too heavy.
Lifting weights above ninety percent of your one rep maximum creates significantly more
wear and tear on your joints, ligaments and tendons compared to slightly lighter weights. It
can be addictive going heavy every workout and constantly testing your strength, but it
often comes at a toll. Some areas such as the lower back and shoulders are particularly
susceptible to heavy weights. Even with correct form, heavy weights can mess you up. Going
heavy has its time and place, always analyze the risk vs reward.
Solution: Don’t go heavy every week, avoid doing reps at absolute hundred percent most of
the time, and don’t do more than ten reps total across all sets at above ninety percent. Some
exercises are absolutely not suitable for performing maximum, ten rep efforts-check section
four for more details, or the “Special Workouts and Techniques-Modifying Sets” chart in
the appendix. Maxing out on bent over rows or skullcrushers is just asking for problems.
Going to failure too often.
Going to failure, or beyond, is a great way to
stimulate muscle and strength gains, but can place
significant stress on the joints. It’s also dangerous
with some exercises. Failing a bench press or squat is
pretty miserable. The bar goes up...and then it stalls,
and comes back down. Failure is a better option for
isolation exercises or machines but even then, only go
to failure on a few sets per exercise at most.
Solution: Avoid failure on bench presses, squats,
deadlifts, rowing exercises, and most other spinal
loading exercises most of the time.
Doing excessive volume.
Everybody has a limited amount of training that they
can recover from. While this varies from person to
person, for the average guy, if you are spending more than about an hour in the gym per day
training hard, it will be difficult to recover from. Volume is important for progress, but
make sure that you aren’t doing too much. If you feel tired all the time and your joints ache,
you will probably be better off cutting back.
Solution: Train less but train smarter. If you plan your training well and use the most
effective exercises you won’t need as many sets to get the same, or better results. Rest pause
can help you get more from less volume-see section four for more details.
165
Becoming Unbalanced
No one is perfectly symmetrical, even many elite
athletes have some muscle or even bone length
imbalances. For example, analysis by researchers
shows Usain Bolt’s right leg generates thirteen
more peak force and his left foot is on the ground
fourteen percent longer. And he’s still the greatest
sprinter of all time.
Still, having an imbalance can leave you vulnerable
to injury. Usain actually has back pain in part
because of it. Having an imbalance between opposing muscle groups can cause a joint to
become “uncentered”, and thus receive more stress. If you bench press a lot and don’t do
any upper back work, a shoulder injury is not a question of if, it’s a question of when.
Stretching can help but simply having a balanced program is better. Doing twice as much
“pulling and rowing” exercises as “pushing and pressing” exercises is a good idea if you have
achy shoulders.
Having a left to right imbalance is an even quicker ticket to injury. If you notice you are
shifting or rotating to one side when squatting or deadlifting, for example, that’s an issue
you need to sort out sooner rather than later. Common causes of imbalances are deadlifting
with a mixed grip-one hand over, one under-or too much running sloped roads or curved
tracks.
Solution: For upper body occasionally substitute barbell movements for dumbbells, and for
the lower body sometimes do single-leg exercises like lunges and Bulgarian split squats.
Letting your form break down
Everyone is built differently, and everyone will look slightly different when lifting weights,
but if your form begins to change during a set that
increases your chance of injury dramatically. Your last
rep of a set should look exactly like your first one,
only perhaps slower due to fatigue.
The best way to improve your technique is with
moderate weights in the seventy to eighty percent
range, not the ninety percent or more area. If your
technique is breaking down, either do less reps with
the same weight, or use less weight for the same
number of reps.
Solution: Learn to feel how your body is moving, and if you know your form is breaking
down, stop the set.
166
Not listening to your body.
When warming up and cooling down, listen to your “pain teacher”. If something hurts,
usually there is a reason for it. Pain usually doesn’t happen for no reason. The entire reason
pain exists is to give you feedback that you are causing damage to yourself! Also, learn to
differentiate between pain and discomfort.
Pain is sharp, acute, and localized. If your shoulder joint hurts, that is tissue damage and
reactive inflammation. In other words, a problem. Taking anti-inflammatory medication to
reduce the swelling can help, but is treating the symptom, not the cause. Furthermore, the
inflammation is part of the healing process, so taking medication to reduce the pain is only
smart when the inflammation is excessive. Usually pain=problem.
Discomfort is the last few reps of a set of squats or the last hundred meters of a fourhundred-meter race-it hurts, but not in a specific joint. It sort of just feels bad…everywhere.
That’s lactic acid and hydrogen ions building up in the muscle and in your bloodstream.
From an evolutionary perspective, discomfort exists to keep us from wasting energy. It’s
why you’ll never see people sprinting to work. It’s inefficient compared to walking so the
body would rather have us walk. The entire reason why pain exists is to prevent us from
doing stupid shit that could cause injury and jeopardize us getting laid and passing on our
genes. No one wants to put that at risk, so listen to your body.
Question
How does it feel?
Where does it happen?
What does it represent?
Why does it happen?
When does it happen?
Who does it happen to?
What does it result in?
Pain
Sharp, acute, localized
Joint
Tissue damage
Stop you from injuring yourself
Excess or awkward loading
Stupid people
Injuries
Discomfort
Difficult to pinpoint
Muscle, everywhere, your soul
Metabolic stress
Stop you from “wasting” energy
During hard 30-90s efforts
Gutsy people
Adaptation
Solution: Learn to differentiate pain and discomfort. Work with your body instead of
against it.
Not enough variation.
Limiting yourself to a handful of exercises is a double-edged sword, you master those few
exercises but you constantly stress your joints in exactly the same areas, leading to potential
overuse injuries. Even small changes, like using a slightly narrower grip, a wider stance, or
adding a pause can change the angle of stress on a joint enough to keep you healthy in the
long term. Luckily you were smart enough to get your hands on this book, and thus many
exercise variations for each movement pattern are at your fingertips.
167
Solution: Vary your exercises every two to four weeks. Learn which varieties work for you.
Avoid movements that give you pain.
Not recovering enough.
This is obvious when you think about it, but often overlooked. Most recovery methods are
simple. You don’t have to be standing in a chamber of freezing cold air alternated with a
massage in a scorching hot sauna. Eating more quality food, getting more quality sleep and
walking for ten to fifteen minutes a few times a day can go a long way towards recovering
and staying healthy.
Solution: Make recovery a priority, and if for whatever reason you can’t, reduce your
training volume and/or intensity.
Section Recap: A lot of factors can put you at risk for
injury. Using your common sense is generally enough to
avoid injury.
Exercise Specific Technique Cues
Many of the most effective exercises are the ones that cause the most injuries. This is
because most of the exercises below put the muscle in a stretched position, and while that is
fantastic for stimulating a muscle to grow, it can put excessive stress on the joint. Everyone
is built differently and there is always a safer variation to try if you can’t do a certain
exercise safely. Refer to the exercises section for the best exercises to start with, as beginner
exercises will almost always be safer than more advanced exercises, just by their nature.
Deadlift
The number one area that the deadlift will mess up is the lumbar spine-the lower back.
Herniated discs are no fun. The
reason your back rounds is because it
is actually stronger in that position, as
it allows the weight to rest on the
passive tension on the spinal disks
rather than the muscles, and shortens
the range of motion. This is good for
lifting maximal weights but bad for
staying healthy, because those discs
and soft tissues can be injured.
In general, when under load, keep
your back in a neutral, straight
168
position, never rounded. This tip also applies to bent over rowing and squatting. Having a
slightly rounded upper back is acceptable, but the lower back should never round under
load, unless you really want to chip in for your orthopedists new Ferrari.
Poop-dog deadlifting is a quick-ticket to back pain
for most people. A good mental cue for deadlifting is
to push the floor away with your legs, and keep your
chest up. This will help most people stay in the
correct positions.
Another is to always lift with a belly full of air.
Pretend like you are about to be punched in the
stomach before lifting the weight, keep everything
tight. Pallov presses (see the abdominal exercises
section) are perfect for learning to brace.
If you don’t have the hip mobility or natural leverages to get into the proper position for
the conventional deadlift, try sumo style. It’s much more forgiving on the lower back and
you can stay more upright. Other good options are a trap bar deadlift or a rack pull from
around the knees. The Romanian deadlift, or RDL, is another nice option. Avoid
movements that increase the range of motion, like deficit or snatch grip variations.
Squat
The best leg builder, the two main areas that
squats stress are the knees and lower back. The
low bar variation can also put a lot of stress on
the wrists, elbows and shoulders due to the
awkward position of the bar. I would suggest
beginners start with high bar and try out low
bar later. It’ll always be waiting for you.
For the knees, letting them travel forward
slightly over the toes is fine, but don’t let your
knees cave inwards at any time. That’ll mess
you up. Also, try to control the decent and
bounce-using a stretch reflex is fine, but constantly dive-bombing your squats is a recipe for
injury.
Try different depths and foot positions to see which type of squat works best for you. For
the lower back, learn to brace your core, as well as open your hips up when squatting. If
your back is rounding (butt wink) in the bottom position, either squat higher or improve
your mobility. At least once every three workouts, do single leg work like lunges or
Bulgarian split squats. Box squats are usually fairly forgiving on the knee joint.
169
Bench Press
The bench press is a known shoulder-killer. Doing excessive volume or intensity on the flat,
wide grip barbell bench press is a sure-fire way to leave your shoulders achy, even with
perfect technique. There are a few solutions to this issue. One, is take a narrower grip. This
shifts stress from the shoulder joint and chest
muscles to the elbow joint and triceps muscles,
which are generally more durable for most
people.
Two, learn to tuck your elbows and touch
lower on the chest as opposed to flaring them
out and touching higher.
Three, use variation to your advantage. Using
dumbbells, decline and incline variations will
definitely keep your shoulders happier in the long term. Finally, do plenty of rowing
exercises for the upper back, including external rotation movements like the face pull.
Doing light cable rows, face pulls, and/or rear delt raises between sets of bench press won’t
make you weaker for your actual workout and will make you feel more stable when bench
pressing. The upper back is one of the most resilient areas of the body and recovers very
fast, so it shouldn’t take away from your actual back workout.
Dip
The dip is a great chest, shoulder and triceps exercise but it can be stressful on the shoulders,
breastbone (sternum) and clavicles even if performed correctly. Some solutions are avoiding
the deep stretch at the bottom of the movement, using a slightly narrower grip if possible,
and slowing down the lowering part of the movement.
Don’t attempt to add weight until you can do ten clean
reps in a row, and waiting until fifteen or even twenty reps
isn’t a bad idea either.
When you do add weight, keep the reps per set at eight or
more. Maxing out on the dip is pointless unless you want
your breastbone snapped like a turkey at thanksgiving.
Like any exercise, if it consistently gives you pain even
though your form is good, it’s not worth doing. There is
always an alternative that suits your anatomy better.
Curl
The standing barbell curl is a great biceps exercise but it can be potentially injurious to the
lower back, wrists, elbows and bicep muscle itself. Avoid leaning back too much, keep your
170
form fairly strict, and minimize the use of the hips and lower
back.
Control the eccentric part of the movement and keep your
core tight. Using a curved EZ-bar can also help alleviate wrist
or elbow strain. Curls using a preacher bench can help isolate
the biceps and keep other muscles out of the movement. Use
dumbbells with a neutral grip occasionally as they are easier
on the wrists. Max out rarely, if ever.
Skullcrusher
The name alone sounding ominous, this “elbow shredder” is a fantastic triceps exercise but
does put significant stress on the joints. The elbow is probably the most claustrophobic
joint in the human body, as there’s a lot of nerves, muscles, tendons, veins and arteries
passing through quite a small area.
One simple technique hack is to push your elbows slightly forward when lowering the
weight instead of just hinging back, lowering the weight to your chin rather than your
forehead. Also keeping the reps above ten puts less stress on the joint. Finally, the overhead
dumbbell tricep extension, close grip bench press and pushdowns are good alternatives that
all put less stress on the elbow for most people.
Pressing
Pressing is one of the best overall upper body movement patterns but does have potential
for injury. Avoid leaning back excessively, particularly using the lower back. Make sure to
brace your core as in a squat or deadlift and squeeze your glutes to keep your hips stable.
Make sure your upper back is strong and you have enough shoulder mobility. Avoid behind
the neck movements if they give you any pain at all. Use
dumbbells at a minimum every third workout. If all
pressing still gives you pain, a combination of incline
bench pressing and lateral raises should give you just as
good overall shoulder development.
Olympic lifts
The Power Snatch
from the Hang and
clean and jerk as well as their variations are one of the best
ways to develop total body explosive power, but they can
also be a common cause of injury. A few technique hacks
to consider. One, if you don’t have the overhead shoulder
171
mobility, avoid the snatch as it can put a lot of stress on the shoulders if you aren’t prepared
for it.
Two, avoid doing high reps sets as it can cause your form to break down when fatigued.
Three, the jerk places a lot of stress on the knees as well as the lower back, so if you have
issues with these areas just skip it after cleaning the weight.
Four, doing lifts from the “hang” position requires less mobility and coordination and gives
you most of the benefits. Finally, the low pull from the hang is probably the easiest option,
as you don’t even have to focus on catching the bar at all, just pulling it as high as you can.
Section Recap: Every exercise has specific cues that can
help you stay healthy, and not every exercise is equal in
risk.
My ______ Hurts
This section is a quick reference if a particular body part hurts. It won’t go into exhaustive
detail, but will give you a few quick reasons why it might be hurting and what you might
want to try changing in your training. The exercises are listed roughly in the order that
might be causing the problem. They’re followed by what might be some good exercises to
do in the meantime that put less stress on the area while you heal up.
Knee
Squat, Lunge, Push Press, Jerk, Running/Sprinting, Olympic Lifting, Sumo Deadlift
If your knees are giving you trouble, focus on conventional deadlifting rather than squatting.
Hip
Sumo Deadlift, Squat, Deficit/Snatch grip Deadlift, Other Deadlift variations,
Running/Sprinting, Bulgarian split squats, Lunge, Push Press, Jerk, Olympic Lifting
If your hips are giving you trouble, avoid deep squatting. Something like a box squat or rack
pull can help give you a chance to heal.
Lower Back
Deadlift, Squat, Overhead Press, Push Press, Jerk, Olympic Lifting
Z-press or seated dumbbell press can take stress off the lower back and still give your
shoulders plenty of growth stimulus, and Bulgarian split squats and lunges hammer the legs
while being easy on that lumbar.
172
Shoulder
Upright Row, Bradford Press, Flys, Klokov Press, Wide Grip Bench Press, Low Bar Back
Squat, Overhead Press, Push Press, Dips, Behind the Neck Pulldowns, Pullover, Jerk,
Olympic Lifting
Close grip bench press and close grip pulldowns/pullups can maintain upper body size
while putting less stress on the shoulder joint. Light seated lateral raises, rear delt raises and
face pulls can hep get blood in the area.
Elbow
Skullcrusher, JM Press, Push Press, Jerk, Overhead Dumbbell Extension, Barbell Curl, Low
Bar Back Squat, Cable Lateral Raise, Olympic Lifting, Lateral Raise
High bar back squat puts minimal stress on the elbow and is a great lower body option. For
upper body, avoiding heavy curling and extending exercises is a must. Go lighter in the
twenty or higher rep range.
Wrist
Front Squat, Low Bar Back Squat, Barbell Curl, Reverse Curl, Chinups, Deadlift, Olympic
Lifting
Neutral (hands facing each other) grip options are almost always easier on the wrists. Using
an EZ curl bar when curling is a good idea as well. If you’ve been low bar squatting, that’s
probably part of the problem so do high bar for a while.
Section Recap: If you have an issue with a specific part of
your body, these are the likely culprits that are causing the
problem.
173
Compendium Eight:
Sample Training Plans
These sample training plans are a good starting point for those who want something that
will definitely work well. Each training plan WILL be effective, but feel free to tweak it
within the guidelines presented-personalizing the program will not only help you get even
better results, but will start you on the path of writing your own training. That’s the
eventual goal. You can scale each plan to your level by starting out with fewer sets, and
increasing them over time. You may want to start with about half the recommended volume
at first.
Each training program will have beginner, intermediate and advanced variations.
All Three
Two of the Three
six Less than one year
One of the Three
None of
the Three
Less than two years
Always
Beginner
Less than
months
Intermediate
Six months-three One to five years
years
More than two years Never
Advanced
Three years
Never
Five years
Never
174
Training Plan One: The Lazy Man’s plan
This plan is designed to get you in the habit of going
to the gym and learn some basic exercises. This is a
balanced plan that doesn’t focus on any particular
muscle group, and you’ll be in the gym doing just three
full body workouts per week. For the beginner, the
workout will take about forty-five to sixty minutes and
for the intermediate around seventeen-five to ninety
minutes. There’s no advanced lazy man’s plan. If you
are advanced you can’t be lazy. This plan utilizes
beginner exercises, but even famous bodybuilders such
as Arnold Schwarzenegger used them regularly in their
heyday, and even still use them today, fifty years later.
That’s how easy on the body they are.
Beginner Lazy Man’s Plan Description
This plan is focused on the basic movements and will
get you great results. The first day starts with two
exercises performed in alternating fashion. You’ll do a set of fifteen reps in the pulldown,
take a minute or two of rest, then do a set of twelve reps in the seated dumbbell shoulder
press. The sets should be hard, but under control. You should feel like you could do a few
more reps. Repeat three more times for a total of four sets of each. Then you’ll do two sets
for each leg of the Bulgarian Split Squat, each with twenty reps. You might not be able to
use much weight, if any, but try to progress week by week. That’s the key to progress on
this plan, adding weight over time.
This is followed by a couple sets of the goblet squat, doing fifteen reps on the first set. Rest
a minute or two, then use a slightly lighter weight and try to get thirty reps on the last set.
Try to stay as upright as possible. Rest a few minutes, then scrounge around for two light
dumbbells. For the seated lateral raise, again, do a set of fifteen, rest a bit, then use a
slightly lighter weight and do a set of thirty reps. Finally, go to the captains chair (yes that’s
the real name of it!) and do hanging leg raises till failure. Rest about a minute, then do a
final set to failure. Go home.
Day two starts similarly to day one, with two exercises performed in alternating fashion. In
this case, the chest supported row and close grip bench press. Again, each set should be
moderately hard. After that, do three sets of the sumo deadlift, adding weight with each set.
Aim for twelve reps on the first set, eight on the second and six on the third. After that,
perform a couple sets each of the seated dumbbell curl and cable pushdown, both for
sixteen reps. Go home.
175
Day three again has you doing two exercises back to back, a pulldown and dumbbell bench
press. Start each with a set of ten reps, and then do a lighter set of twenty reps afterwards.
Then bang out two sets of goblet squats, a twenty and a lighter thirty. Move over to the
back extension machine and do two sets of fifteen, using a full range of motion. Add weight
with a plate or dumbbell held at your chest if possible. Then go do two sets of seated lateral
raises-similar to the goblet squats, do a set of twenty and a lighter thirty. Finish up with two
sets to failure of cable crunches-try to use a weight
Movement Pattern Sets per week
that you can get around twenty to thirty reps with.
HINGE
5
Go home.
SQUAT
6
All of this is in the chart below, which you can use
PRESS
4
for quick reference. Over time, try to progress by
PULL
6
using heavier weights. When you feel ready, add
PUSH
6
weight to the bar or use heavier dumbbells.
ROW
4
SHOULDERS
4
IMPORTANT: If you are completely new to
CURL
2
training, or haven’t exercised in a long time, the first
EXTEND
2
week, do HALF of the written number of sets!
ABS
4
As a beginner, you can run this plan for a long time
TOTAL
43
and make great progress. Try it out for four to six weeks and enjoy the results you will get.
After that, you can keep going, stay on the same plan but switch some exercises, or switch
to a completely new plan to spice things up.
Program Recap: The Beginner Lazy Man’s Plan is great for
beginners as a way to acclimate your body to the gym.
176
Beginner Lazy Man’s Plan Schedule
Day One
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Pulldown
Seated
Dumbbell
Shoulder
Press
Bulgarian
Split Squat
Goblet Squat
Seated
Raise
Sets and Reps
4 sets of 4 sets of 2 sets of 15- 1 set of 15,
12-15
10-12
20
1 set of 30
1 set of 15,
Ex 1 and 2 alternated
performed
set by set
2nd set lighter
Notes
2 sets per leg
#6
Lateral Hanging Leg
Raise
1 set of 30
2nd set lighter
2 sets
failure
till
Day Two
#1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Notes
Chest
Row
#2
#3
Supported Close Grip Bench Sumo Deadlift
Press
and 4 sets of 12-15
Ex 1 and
performed
4 sets of 6-8
#4
#5
Seated
Dumbbell Curl
Pushdown
3 sets of 12,8,6 reps 2 sets of 12-16
2 alternated set by set
2 sets of 12-16
Add a bit of weight Ex 4 and 5 alternated
each set
performed
by set
Day Three
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Pulldown
Dumbbell
bench press
Goblet
Squat
Back Extension
Seated Lateral Cable Crunch
Raise
Sets and Reps
1 set of 10
1 set of 10
1 set of 20
2 sets of 10-15
1 set of 20,
1 set of 20
1 set of 20
1 set of 30
Notes
Ex 1 and 2 alternated set 2nd
performed
by set
lighter
set
#6
2 sets till failure
1 set of 30
2nd set lighter
177
set
Intermediate Lazy Man’s Plan Description
This more advanced plan is for those who have been in the gym for
some time already. The volume is roughly twice as much as the
beginner plan and there are some special techniques used. If you are
just starting out, get some time under the bar with a beginner plan
first. As an intermediate lifter, you are starting to know how your
body responds to some exercises, probably better than I do. Thus,
while I encourage you to keep experimenting with new exercises, if
you want to swap in one of your favorite exercise variations for
something here, feel free. As long as it’s of the same movement
pattern, it shouldn’t effect how the program runs much, and your enjoyment of your
training IS important. This plan will develop the body fairly evenly and is focused on both
strength and aesthetics. It will introduce AMRAP (as many reps as possible), dropsets,
supersets and rest pause sets, check them out in Compendium Five: SWAT. While this is
billed as a “Lazy Man’s Plan”, once you’re an intermediate lifter, you’ll have to work harder.
That’s just a law of the iron game. Unlike the beginner version, I won’t walk you through
the entire plan step by step, but I will make note on some areas that might require
clarification.
For the day one pullups, try to get to the thirty reps in as few sets as possible. Once you can
do the thirty reps in less than five sets, add weight. For the back squats, add weight to the
bar each set. All sets should be pretty hard, followed by a final all-out set. Back extensions
are two normal sets, then dropping the weight a bit on the third for high reps. The lateral
raises are business as usual for the first three sets, but really push it on the final drop set. It
helps if you have the weights you want to use arranged beforehand, so you don’t have to go
searching for them, try to take as little rest as possible. Finish with hanging leg raises.
Day two, the bent over row and incline press are
NOT supersets, take plenty of time between sets!
Add weight to the bar each set. For the Romanian
deadlifts, really attack that last set. Your hamstrings
should be on fire! Finally, for the last reverse
curl/overhead cable extension superset, be prepared
for some pain. Expect to lower the weight for
subsequent sets. Day three, the pulldowns and close
grip bench press are performed alternated, but NOT
for the rest pause sets. So for the 15-20+5x5, for the
5x5 you just rest fifteen to twenty seconds in between
those mini-sets till they are done.
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
TOTAL
Sets per week
11
9
5
10
11
6
12
4
4
6
78
IMPORTANT: If you haven’t exercised in a long time, do HALF of the number of sets
week one!
178
Program Recap: The Intermediate Lazy Man’s Plan is great
for intermediate athletes as a way to keep progressing.
179
Intermediate Lazy Man’s Plan Schedule
Day One
#1
#2
#3
#4
# 5
#6
Exercise
Pullup
Push Press
Back
Squat
Back
Extension
Lateral Raise
Hanging
Leg Raise
Sets and Reps
30
reps 5x3
total over
multiple
sets
Notes
Ex 1 and 2 alternated set
performed by set
4 sets of 2 sets of 8-12,
15,10,8,5
Then
1
Then 1 AMRAP set
AMRAP of
~20-30
set of 15- reps
20 reps
3 sets of 12-15, 3 sets till
failure
1 triple drop set
of 20, 20, 20,
reducing
the
weight by half
each time.
Ex 5 and 6 alternated
performed
set by set
Day Two
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Notes
Ex 1
Ex 2
Bent Over Row
Incline
Press
Ex 3
Ex 4
Ex 5
Bench Romanian Deadlift Reverse Curl Overhead
Cable Ext
and 6
sets
of 6
sets
of 2 sets of 10 4 sets of 15
20,15,12,10,8,6
20,15,12,10,8,6
AMRAP
20-30
reps
Ex 1 and
performed
2 alternated set by
set
Ex 4 and 5
4 sets of 15
performed
supersetted
Day Three
Exercise
Ex 1
Ex 2
Ex 3
Pulldown
Close
Grip Front
Bench Press
Squat
Ex 4
Ex 5
Pause Glute Seated
Bridge
Raise
Ex 6
Lateral Cable
Crunch
Sets and 2 sets of 15,
2 sets of 10,
4x6
Reps
1 rest pause set 1 rest pause set
of 15-20+5x5
of 15-20+5x5
2x10,
Rest
pause set of
~15-20+5x5
reps
Notes
Pause at the Ex 5 and
top
performed
Ex 1 and 2 alternated set by
performed
set
2 triple drop sets 3 sets
of
20,20,20 till
reduce weight by failure
half each time.
6 alternate
d set by
set
180
Training Plan Two: The Busy Man’s plan
The Busy Man’s Plan is for those who have learned to push themselves, and want to maximize their time
efficiency in the gym. It’s different from the intermediate lazy man’s plan in a few ways. First, this plan will
use heavier weights than the lazy man’s plan. This will usually be done by ramping. Second, it will often
have one hard set that you really expend a lot of effort. If you have the ability to really push yourself, this
plan will get you fantastic results in less time. If you don’t, you’re better off focusing on the higher volume
lazy man’s plan for the time being. You can check the “Compendium Five: SWAT” section for more
details, but ramping is basically when you increase the weight with each set, being as explosive as possible.
This is a great way to ensure that you get the most out of your workout.
Intermediate Busy Man’s Plan Description
Feel free to swap exercises in and out if you prefer. By now, you’re a somewhat seasoned lifter who knows
what exercises are ideal to you. If you want to swap out back squat for front squat or incline bench for
decline, that’s fine by me. In particular, you can change the snatch grip deficit deadlift into another form of
deadlift, especially if you are preparing for a competition and want to practice without a deficit or use
sumo style.
Day one-for the pullups and push presses, ramp up to a three rep max, adding weight each set till you are at
your maximum. The sets on the way up are hard sets but not all out. Then, reduce the weight and do one
AMRAP set each. Take plenty of rest between each. Then move to the back squat, again ramping to a
three rep max by adding weight each set. Then, do one AMRAP with around eighty percent of your one
rep max weight. Move to the sumo deadlift, warming up and then doing five sets starting on the minute,
making sure every rep is explosive. Moving on to the gun show, do three sets each of barbell curl and
skullcrushers, then one rest pause set of each. After that come lateral raises, with drop sets, and foot to bar.
Day two, start with alternating between bent over row and incline bench press, going up in weight each set,
ramping to a six rep max. Then do a cluster of low pull from the hang, 5x2 each time, followed by an
AMRAP set. This is followed by reverse curls with lower half partials. Go to failure with full range of
motion, then just do the bottom half of the range of motion till your forearms are on fire. Move to
overhead cable extension for the triceps. Again, go till failure, then do partials, using the top half of the
range of motion. Finish up with a drop set of prone rear delt raises, and after the final rep of the final set,
hold the top position as long as
possible.
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
TOTAL
Sets per week
12
11
4
10
10
8
12
8
8
4
87
Day three, start with wide grip pulldown and close grip
bench press. Ramp to a ten rep max and three rep max
respectively, alternating between exercises, then one rest
pause set of each. Follow it up with front squats and then
back extensions and then lunges. Really push it on the
AMRAP sets here, as they’ll determine if you grow or not.
Follow that leg destruction with cable rows and paused face
pulls-really focus on the end range of motion for both.
Alternate the latter with cable crunches. The more advanced
you get, generally the more training you can tolerate.
However, if you are very strong and thus lifting very heavy
weights, you might have some trouble recovering, so make sure to constantly assess your current situation.
181
Program Recap: The Busy Man’s Plan is a time efficient and
effective way to train.
182
Intermediate Busy Man’s Plan Schedule
Day One
#1
Exercis Pullup
e
#2
#3
#4
Push Press
Back Squat
Sumo deadlift
Sets
and
Reps
Ramp to 3 rep max using Ramp up to 3RM Ramp to 3RM using 5x3 EMOM
~3 sets
using ~3 sets.
~3 sets
explosive reps
Notes
Ex 1 and 2 performed
alternated set by set
# 5
#6
#7
#8
Skullcrusher
Lateral Raise
Foot to Bar
Then a 10-15 rep AMRAP Then a 8-10 rep Then a 10-15 rep
AMRAP
AMRAP
Exercis Barbell Curl
e
Sets
and
Reps
Ramp to 6RM using ~3 Ramp to 10RM 2 triple drop sets 2 sets
sets
using ~3 sets
15,15,15,
reducing failure
weight by half each
1 Rest Pause set 15,5x3
1 Rest Pause Set
time.
15,5x5
till
Notes
Ex 5 and 6
set
alternated set by set
Ex 7 and 8
alternated
by set
Day Two
#1
#2
Exercis Bent Over Incline
e
Row
Press
#3
#4
Bench Low Pull from Reverse
the Hang
Curl
Sets
and
Reps
Ramp to Ramp to 6RM
6RM using using ~3 sets
~3 sets
A 10-15 rep
A
15-20 AMRAP
rep
AMRAP
Notes
Ex 1 and 2
Ramp up to
cluster set 5x2
w/ 10s rest, A
10-15
rep
AMRAP
1 set of
15+15
lower half
partials
#5
#6
Overhead
Cable Ext
Prone Rear
Delt Raise
1
set
of
15+15
far
range
of
motion partials
Triple drop
set, 20,20,20
Hold at the
top last rep
alternated set by
set
Day Three
183
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercis Wide grip pulldown
e
Close Grip Bench Front Squat
Press
Sets
and
Reps
Ramp to 10RM using ~3 sets
Ramp to 3RM Ramp to 3RM Ramp
to
using ~3 sets
using ~3 sets
6RM
using
~3 sets
1 rest pause set of A 15-20 rep
15+5x5
AMRAP
A 15-20 rep
AMRAP
Notes
Ex 1 and 2 performed
alternated set by set
#5
#6
#7
#8
Cable Row
Pause Face Pull
Cable Crunch
1 rest pause set of 20+5x5
Exercis Lunge
e
Sets
and
Reps
Back
Extension
Bodyweight 2x20
Ramp to 10RM Triple drop set of 2 sets
using ~3 sets
20,20,20 reduce failure
2 heavy dumbbells for 30-50
the weight by
step AMRAP
1 AMRAP for 20~half each time.
30 reps
Notes
184
till
Training Plan Three: Athlete Power Plan
This plan is for those who play a sport and are looking to add some functional muscle,
strength or power to supercharge their competitiveness.
If you want to run faster, jump higher or further and
generally embarrass your competition, this is the plan for
you! This will use an upper/lower split, and will focus
on these muscle groups-glutes, hamstrings, abs and lats.
The glutes and hamstrings are responsible for hip
extension, which is integral for everything from throwing
a punch to swinging a racket to jumping and sprinting
ability. The abs are
important for
transferring force from
the upper to the lower
body and vice versa, as
well as ensuring injury
resistance. The lats are a crucial muscle for pulling objects
(or people!) towards you, as in grappling or climbing.
While this program will focus on those muscles, it will
work the entire body to some degree, while leaving plenty
of energy for your normal training. This plan will be more
conservative for risk vs reward when selecting exercises-the
last thing you want is for something to happen in the gym that prevents you from doing the
sport that you love. This is supplementary to the main endeavor.
Furthermore, for a lot of movements, the focus will not be on controlling the weight, but
on moving as explosively as possible. You really want to be trying to put maximum force
into the bar on every rep, even during the warm up sets. This will give the exercise much
greater transfer over to whatever sport you play. This plan will make you faster, springier,
more stable and more injury resistant.
Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the training plan dependent on your own sport
situation-if you are a field sport athlete and have a game on Saturday, Friday is not a good
day to do a bunch of lower body work! Adjust the program to you, not the other way
around.
IMPORTANT: If you haven’t lifted in a long time, the first week, do HALF of the
written number of sets! Start conservatively!
185
Intermediate Plan for Athletes Description
As with the other intermediate plans above feel free to swap exercises in and out, as long as
they are from the same movement pattern.
Day one starts with pullups and push presses alternated set by set. For each of them, do five
sets of three, being as explosive as possible with each rep. Rest about one minute between
each set. Move to the cable row and close grip bench press next, doing four sets of fifteen
and four sets of five for each exercise, respectively. For the rows, do them under control, but
be as explosive as possible for the bench. Next move to face pulls and hanging leg raises.
For each of them, really try to feel the muscle working.
Day two is a lower body day, and starts with three sets of five reps on the squat jump. Be as
explosive as possible and take as much rest as you need to in between sets-at least two
minutes so that you are completely fresh. Next move to the low pull from the hang, also for
three sets of five. Focus on maintaining good form and being as violent as possible as you
launch the bar as high as you can. Next, move to the Bulgarian split squat, and do a set of
twenty with your left leg then right leg. Go up in weight and do a set of fifteen with each
leg and then finally go up in weight again and do a set of ten with each leg. Next move to
the glute bridge, and simply do two sets of ten, followed by an all out set with the goal of
getting to twenty reps. Finish up with cable crunches, pounding out three sets of twenty
reps.
Day three is another upper body workout, starting with pulldowns and dumbbell bench
press. Alternate them set by set, doing 3x15 on the pulldowns and 3x10 on the presses.
Move next to the chest supported rows and dips, doing three sets of twelve, ten and eight
reps for each, going up in weight with each set and
alternating between the two exercises. Finish up with Movement Pattern Sets per week
HINGE
9
weighted crunches, doing three sets until failure.
SQUAT
18
Day four is back to the lower body, again starting with
PRESS
5
three sets of five on the squat jumps for activation.
PULL
8
PUSH
10
Then move to the pause high bar back squat, doing
ROW
7
five sets of three reps while being as explosive as
SHOULDERS
3
possible. Pause in the bottom position for three
CURL
0
seconds, and then explode upwards with purpose.
EXTEND
0
After that, reduce the weight and do an AMRAP set
ABS
12
of about ten reps. Move to lunges next, warming up
TOTAL
72
with forty steps with just your bodyweight, and then
loading up for two sets of twenty reps after that. Next move to back extensions, doing
progressively heavier sets of fifteen, ten and five reps, alternated with three sets of fifteen at
a constant weight on the Pallov press.
186
Program Recap: The Intermediate Power Plan is great for
athletes to become more explosive, faster and healthier.
187
Intermediate Plan for Athletes Schedule
Day One Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
Exerci
se
Pullup
Push
Press
Cable Row
Close Grip Bench
Press
Face Pull
Hanging Leg
Raises
Sets
and
Reps
5x3
explosive
reps
5x3
4x15
4x5 explosive reps
3x20
3 hard sets
Notes
Ex 1 and
2
alternated
set by set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set by set
Ex 5 and 6
alternated set by
set
Day Two Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Squat jump
Low Pull from
the Hang
Bulgarian split
squat
Glute Bridge
Cable Crunch
Sets and Reps
3x5
3x5
20,15,10
2x10
3x20
AMRAP 20 reps
Notes
Day Three Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Pulldown
Dumbbell
Bench Press
Chest Supported Row
Dip
Weighted
Crunches
Sets and Reps
3x15
3x10
12,10,8
12,10,8
3 sets till failure
Notes
Ex 1 and 2
alternated set
by set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated
set by set
Day Four Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Squat jump
Pause High Bar Back
Squat
Lunge
Back Extension
Pallov Press
Sets and Reps
3x5
5x3
1x40
bodyweight
15,10,5
3x15
Ex 4 and 5
alternated set
by set
AMRAP 10 reps
2x20
weighted
Notes
188
Advanced Plan for Athletes Description
This plan is the same as the intermediate, with a few changes and additions noted below.
Day one add an AMRAP set for the pullups and push presses. The cable row changes to
bent over rows, with the same set and rep scheme. The hanging leg raises are replaced by
foot to bar.
Day two adds a set to the squat jumps, and a ten to fifteen rep AMRAP for the low pull
from the hang. For the Bulgarian split squats change the movement so that you are jumping
as high as you can with each rep. This takes a lot of balance and skill. The glute bridge gets
shifted to hip thrust with a pause. Really squeeze your glutes at the end of the range of
motion. Do an extra set of cable crunches.
Day three the pulldowns get swapped out for the Kroc row, and the chest supported row
gets swapped out for Pendlay rows. Add a set to weighted crunches.
Day four, add a set to the squat jumps again. For the pause high bar back squat, do four sets
adding weight each set, then a twenty rep all out set. Lunges are unchanged, but back
extensions also gets a twenty rep AMRAP set, and
Movement Pattern Sets per week
the Pallov presses get an extra set.
HINGE
12
In all, this program has nineteen squat sets (six of
SQUAT
19
which are jump squats, which are pretty easy to
PRESS
6
recover from), nine hinge, eight pull, five press, ten
PULL
6
push, seven row, three shoulder, and twelve abs.
PUSH
10
ROW
10
IMPORTANT: This is a lot of volume, so don’t be
SHOULDERS
3
afraid to be a bit less. It’s best to progress slowly!
CURL
0
EXTEND
0
ABS
16
TOTAL
82
Program Recap: The Advanced Athlete Power Plan is great
for advanced athletes to become even more explosive,
faster and healthier.
189
Advanced Plan for Athletes Schedule
Day One Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Pullup
Push Press
Bent over row
Close Grip Bench
Press
Foot to Bar
Sets and
Reps
5x3 explosive reps
5x3
4x15
4x5 explosive reps
4 hard sets
AMRAP 15-20
reps
AMRAP 6-10
reps
Notes
Ex 1 and 2
alternated set by
set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set by set
Day Two Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Squat
jump
Low Pull from the
Hang
Jumping Bulgarian
split squat
Pause Hip thrust
Cable Crunch
Sets and Reps
4x5
20,15,10
12,10,8
4x20
3x5
AMRAP
reps
10-15
AMRAP
reps
Notes
15-20
Ex 4 and 5
alternated set
by set
Day Three Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Kroc Row
Dumbbell Bench
Press
Pendlay Row
Dip
Weighted
Crunches
Sets and Reps
40,30,20
12,10,8
3x8
12,10,8
4 sets till failure
Notes
Ex 1 and 2
alternated set by set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set by set
Day Four Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Squat jump
Pause High Bar
Back Squat
Lunge
Back Extension
Pallov Press
Sets and Reps
4x5
10,8,6,4
1x40
bodyweight
15,10,5
4x15
AMRAP 20
AMRAP 20 reps
2x20
weighted
Notes
Ex 4 and 5
alternated
190
Training Plan Four: Beast Plan
This plan is for those who want to change their physical appearance as much and as quickly as
possible, with the goal of looking like they actually lift weights. The plan achieves this by focusing
on the muscles that have the greatest impact on your physique-the “circle of power” that surrounds
the shoulder blades and includes the chest, traps, and shoulders. The triceps and lats are also given
some focus-the former is the most important aesthetic muscle of the arm while the latter adds to
both the width and density of the upper body from all angles. Finally, the glutes are also given a
minor amount of attention, as they can add to the look of power.
The hamstrings, quads, calves, abs, biceps and forearms are put on stasis while on this plan, so
don’t expect much growth there. This plan is NOT for those who are interested in developing
strength or the entire body equally-it is a specific plan for a very narrow goal-looking more jacked
in a very short time period. Because this is a specialization program, it isn’t really suitable for
beginners, and thus there are only intermediate and
advanced versions. Both will have you in the gym
five to six days a week doing short, intense workouts
and running a pull/push/legs split.
Intermediate Beast Plan Description
The first day is pull day, focusing on the traps, lats
and back of the shoulders. For the bent over row,
do three sets of twelve under control, squeezing the
back with each rep. From there move on to pullups,
doing three sets of ten. You can use an assisted pullup machine if needed, or add weight if you can,
just make sure you are doing hard sets of ten. From there move onto the cable row, doing four sets
of fifteen-again squeezing the back with each rep. From there, move on to the farmers walk and
prone rear delt raise superset. Walk for one minute, ending around an incline bench with
dumbbells nearby. When you finish the farmers walk, immediately begin the set of rear delt raises,
controlling the weight with each rep. Repeat three more times, keeping in mind that you may need
to lower the weight from set to set a bit.
Day two is a push day, focusing on the upper chest, shoulders and triceps. Start with the incline
bench, working up to a top set of six reps. Drop the weight down and do 3x10, getting a good
stretch and squeeze on the chest. Move next to dips, doing 3x10 and then a final AMRAP (as
many reps as possible) all out set of fifteen to twenty reps. Next it’s cable crossovers and
skullcrushers, performed alternated set by set. This isn’t a superset, take plenty of time in between
each. With the crossovers, keep your arms tucked close to your body and make sure you feel your
chest working with each rep-if not, drop the weight and slow the movement down a bit. On the
skullcrushers, make sure to get a good range of motion-and if they give you elbow pain, switch
them out for the lying dumbbell extension. Finally are the overhead dumbbell extension and seated
lateral raise. Control both movements, and do each for three sets of fifteen, alternating each set by
set. Do a triple drop set on the last set of lateral raises.
191
Day three is a leg day, although your back will also get a bit of work as well. Start with the low
pull from the hang, doing 3x6. After that, move onto rack pulls, doing two sets of ten reps. With
this exercise, start with the weight around knee level, and lift the weight up, making sure not to
round your back. Lower the weight slowly under control. Don’t bounce the weight, reset with each
rep. Finish with an all out set of twenty reps with a slightly lighter weight. Move to Bulgarian split
squats, doing just one all out set of 20 with each leg. Get a good range of motion. Finish up with
lunges, doing 1x20 bodyweight to warm up, then adding weight if possible and doing 2x20 again.
Day four rest up, then get ready on day five for another pull day! Start with pulldowns, doing four
sets and adding weight each set. Move next to standing cable pullovers, doing three sets of twenty.
Next up are some machine rows, doing three sets of twelve. Finally, perform a face pull and prone
rear delt raise superset-do the first
exercise for a tough set of twenty, then
move right away to the next and do
another hard set of twenty. Repeat
twice more-you will probably need to
adjust the weight downwards to keep
completing sets of twenty.
Day six is another push day. Start with
overhead press this time, workin’ up to
a heavy set of three reps and dropping
the weight down and doing two sets of ten with a slightly lighter weight. Move to dumbbell bench
press, doing sets of fifteen, twelve, ten, adding weight with each set before dropping back down
slightly and doing an all out AMRAP set in the fifteen to twenty rep range. Squeeze that chest!
Next are cable crossovers, lateral raises and overhead cable extensions. Perform these in circuit
fashion, doing a set of fifteen on crossovers, then a set of fifteen lateral raises and then a set of
fifteen cable extensions. Remember, this isn’t a superset, so take enough rest in between. Repeat
one more time, doing a triple drop set for each.
Day seven is the second leg workout-start with the Power Snatch from the Hang, ramping up to a
three rep max. Drop the weight down a bit and then do two sets of three. Move to the high bar
back squat, doing an all-out set of twenty with as much
Movement Pattern
Sets per week
weight as you can handle. Pick yourself up off the floor,
HINGE
12
then do a set of ten of the Romanian deadlift, keeping
SQUAT
6
the lower back tight and feeling your hamstrings work.
PRESS
6
Lighten up the load a bit and do a set of twenty
PULL
9
afterwards. Finish up with lunges, doing 1x20 with
PUSH
17
bodyweight, then two sets of ten reps going as heavy as
ROW
10
you can. Day eight is a rest day, then start over with day
SHOULDERS
17
one. This will mean that the plan won’t line up perfectly
CURL
0
with a week, which isn’t a problem-you’ll be doing a
EXTEND
9
different workout each day of the week compared with
ABS
4
the previous one.
TOTAL
90
192
IMPORTANT: if you haven’t exercised in a long time, the first week or two, do HALF of the
written number of sets!
Program Recap: The Intermediate Beast Plan is ideal for
guys trying to changing their appearance as much as
possible and as quickly as possible.
193
Intermediate Beast Plan Schedule
Day One Pull
#1
#2
#3
Exercise
Bent Over Row
Pullup
Sets and
Reps
3x12
3x10
#4
#5
Cable Row Farmers Walk Prone Rear Delt Raise
4x15
Notes
4x1minute
4x20
Ex 4 and 5
supersetted
Day Two Push
#1
Exercis Incline Bench
e
Press
Sets
and
Reps
Ramp to 6
RM, 2x10
lighter weight
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
Dip
Cable
Crossover
(low to
high)
Skullcrushe
r
Overhead
Dumbbell
Extension
Seated
lateral raise
10,
AMRAP
15-20
reps
2x15
2x10
3x15
3x15
Ex 3 and 4
alternated
Ex 5 and 6
alternated
Notes
Day Three Legs
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercise
Low Pull from the
Hang
Rack Pull
Bulgarian Split Squat
Lunge
Sets and
Reps
3x6
2x10,
AMRAP 20
reps
20 AMRAP each side
1x20
bodyweight,
2x20 weighed
Day Five Pull
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Pulldown
Standing Cable
Pullover
Machine Row
Face Pull
Prone Rear Delt
Raise
Sets and
Reps
15,10,8
3x20
3x12
3x20
3x20
194
Notes
Ex 4 and 5
supersetted
Day Six Push
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Overhead
Press
Dumbbell
Bench Press
Cable
Crossover (low
to high)
Lateral
Raise
Overhead Cable
Extension
Sets and Reps
Ramp to
3 RM,
2x10
lighter
weight
15,12,10
AMRAP
15-20 reps
2x15, Triple
2x15,
drop set on last Triple drop
set on last
Notes
Ex 3, 4 and 5
alternated
2x15, Triple drop
set on last
set by set
Day Seven Legs
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercise
Power Snatch from
the Hang
High Bar Back
Squat
Romanian
Deadlift
Lunge
Sets and Reps
4x3
AMRAP 20
reps
10,20
1x20 bodyweight,
2x10 weighed
195
Advanced Beast Plan Description
The advanced beast plan is similar to the intermediate version, with a few exceptions. The
volume is overall a bit higher, with some sets added here and there. Additionally, it’ll utilize
ramping more often. This plan is NOT for the faint of heart! Be prepare to be tired!
For day one, you’ll be doing wide grip pullups rather than normal ones-add weight if you
can. After the last cable row, hold the attachment in the contracted position for thirty to
forty-five seconds-drop the weight if you need to. Additionally, for the rear delt raises,
when you get to twenty reps I want you to HOLD the dumbbells in the top position for
thirty seconds or as long as you can.
Day two, the dips will also include an isometric hold-at around ninety degrees just pause
until you can’t hold it anymore. After that there will
Movement Pattern Sets per week
be drop sets of the crossovers, skullcrushers and
HINGE
20
seated lateral raises
SQUAT
12
Day three there are no major changes, just slightly
higher volume and slightly different rep schemes.
Day four,
again there is
more volume,
and on the
rear delt raises
some holds at
the end.
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
TOTAL
6
11
25
14
20
0
15
4
127
Day five and six also just more volume-try and focus
on holding your technique even as you get tired.
IMPORTANT: this is a LOT of volume…listen to
your body, don’t be afraid to do a bit less. Progress
gradually.
Program Recap: The Advanced Beast Plan is ideal for
advanced guys trying to changing their appearance as
much as possible as quickly as possible.
196
Advanced Beast Plan Schedule
Day One Pull
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Bent Over Row
Wide grip
Pullup
Cable Row
Farmers Walk
Prone Rear
Delt Raise
Sets and
Reps
Ramp to 6 RM,
3x12 lighter weight
4x10
4x15+ISO
hold
4x1minute
4x20+hold
Ex 4 and 5
supersetted
Notes
Day Two Push
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
Exercise
Incline Bench
Press
Dip
Cable
Crossover
(low to
high)
Skullcrushe
r
Overhead
Dumbbell
Extension
Seated lateral
raise
Sets and
Reps
Ramp to 6
RM, 3x12
lighter weight
3x10,
3x20,
3x8,Triple
2x15,
AMRAP
Triple
drop set on
Triple
15-20
drop set on
last
drop set on
reps+ISO
last
last
hold
Notes
Ex 3 and 4
2x20, Triple
drop set on last
alternated
Day Three Legs
#1
Exercise
Sets and Reps
#2
Low Pull from the Hang Rack Pull
Ramp to 3 RM, 3x6
lighter weight
3x6,
AMRAP
30 reps
#3
#4
Bulgarian Split
Squat
Lunge
20, 10 each leg
1x20 bodyweight,
3x20 weighed
Day Five Pull
Exercise
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Pulldown
Standing Cable
Machine Row
Face Pull
Prone Rear
197
Pullover
Sets and Reps
20,15,10,
8
Delt Raise
3x20
Notes
4x12
3x20
3x20+hold
Triple drop
set on last
Ex 4 and 5
supersetted
Day Six Push
#1
#2
#3
Exercise
Overhead Press
Dumbbell
Bench Press
Cable
Lateral Raise
Crossover
(low to high)
Overhead Cable
Extension
Sets and Reps
Ramp to 3 RM,
3x12 lighter
weight
15,12,10,
AMRAP
15-20 reps
4x15, Triple
drop set on
last
4x15, Triple
drop set on
last
4x15, Triple
drop set on last
Ex 3, 4 and
5
alternated
set by set
Notes
#4
#5
Day seven Legs
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercise
Power Snatch
from the Hang
High Bar Back
Squat
Romanian
Deadlift
Lunge
Sets and Reps
Ramp to 3RM,
4x3 at 90% of
that
3x6, AMRAP
20 reps
3x10
1x20
bodyweight,
3x10 weighted
Notes
198
Training Plan Five: Deva Plan
This one is for the ladies, who are looking to create a sexy and streamlined physique able to
effortlessly seduce men everywhere. It’ll focus on the lower body, with a particular emphasis
on the glutes. The upper body will get some love as well though, as creating a V-taper
through developed shoulders and lats enhances the appearance of a small waist. This plan
will give you the proportions to look your best in everything from jeans to a bikini.
Intermediate Deva Plan Description
Day one is an upper body day. Start with pulldowns and overhead press, alternating
between each exercise set by set and adding weight. After four sets of each, move to the
cable row and close grip bench press, using the same weight for each set of the particular
exercise. Follow that with three sets of face pulls supersetted with seated lateral raises. You
might need to lower the weight with each successive superset.
The next day is a lower body day. Start with Bulgarian split squats, adding weight with each
set. Make sure to get a full range of motion, feeling a stretch in your glute with each rep.
Follow that up with three sets of ten and an AMRAP set on glute bridges. Really try to feel
your glutes working on this exercise-lower the weight if you need to. Move to pullthroughs
next, again trying to really get a nice peak contraction with each rep. Do just one rest pause
set-an all out set of twenty, followed by 5x5 with about
Movement Pattern Sets per week
fifteen seconds of rest in between each mini-set. Finish
HINGE
17
with three sets of twenty on both the hamstring curl
SQUAT
10
machine and cable crunches, alternating each set by set.
PRESS
3
Day three is an upper body day. Begin with wide grip
pulldowns and dumbbell bench presses, doing three sets of
each, alternating set by set. For both exercises, control the
weight at all times. Then move to seated rear delt and
seated lateral raises-this one is a superset. Do fifteen reps of
the rear delt raises, then sit upright and continue the set,
aiming to get fifteen more reps of the lateral raises. Move
next to overhead dumbbell extensions and seated dumbbell
curls, and finish up with three sets of weighted crunches.
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
TOTAL
6
7
4
12
3
3
9
74
The final lower body day starts with the low bar back squat. Ramp up to as much weight as
you can use for five reps. After that, reduce the weight and do a set of ten, and then again
and do a set of fifteen. Move to the hip thrust next, adding weight with each set. Then,
drop the weight back down and do an all out set of twenty. Move to lunges next, doing a
warmup set of twenty with bodyweight only, and then doing two sets of twenty with added
weight. Take long strides, getting a stretch in your glute with each rep. Finally, end the glute
destruction with back extensions and Pallov presses alternated set by set. Squeeze your hips
into the pad with each rep, using your glutes and hamstrings rather than your lower back.
199
200
Intermediate Deva Plan Schedule
Day One Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
Exercise
Pulldow
n
Overhea
d Press
Cable
Row
Close Grip
Bench Press
Face Pull
Seated Lateral Raises
Sets and
Reps
20,15,10 15,10,8,
,8
3
4x15
4x8
3x20
3x15
alternated set
by set
Ex 5 and
6
supersetted
Notes
Ex 1 and alternate Ex 3 and
2
d set by
4
set
Day Two Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Bulgarian
split squat
Glute
Bridge
Pullthrough
Hamstring
Curl
Machine
Cable Crunch
Sets and Reps
20,15,10
3x10
20+5x5 rest
pause
3x20
3x20
Ex 4 and 5
alternated set by set
AMRAP 20
reps
Notes
Each leg
Day Three Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
Exercise
Wide
grip
pulldo
wn
Dumbbell
Bench
Press
Seated
rear delt
raise
Seated
lateral
raise
Overhead
Dumbbell
Extension
Seated
Dumbbell
Curls
Weight
ed
Crunch
es
Sets and
Reps
3x15
3x10
3x15
3x15
3x15 (do
each side)
3x16
(alternate, 8
per arm per
set)
3 sets
till
failure
Notes
Ex 1
and 2
alternated
set by set
Ex 3
and 4
supersette
d
Ex 5,6 and
7
alternated set
by set
201
Day Four Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Low bar
back squat
Hip thrust
Lunge
Back
Extension
Pallov Press
Sets and Reps
Ramp to 5
rep max,
then 10,15
10,8,6
1x20
bodyweight
3x20
3x15
Ex 4 and 5
alternated set by set
Notes
AMRAP
20 reps
2x20 weighted
202
Training Plan Six: Spartan Plan
This minimalist training plan requires no gym membership at all. A pair of parallel bars and
a pullup bar are all that are required. While you probably won’t get huge off of this plan,
you can definitely build muscle without a barbell or dumbbells and be in better shape than
99% of people. It’s also very cost and time effective
Intermediate Spartan Plan Description
Day one is an upper body workout, you’ll start by alternating pullups and dips, doing six
hard sets of each. Don’t go to failure, but push pretty hard. If you get the same number of
reps for each set, you were holding back too much. For both of them, control your body at
all times during the movement. Next move to bar rows and pushups, using a wide grip on
both of them. For the bar rows, flex your back with each rep, touching
your chest to the bar. For the pushups, get a full range of motion,
controlling the movement and trying to feel your chest working. For
both, take all of the sets close to failure.
The second day is a lower body, doing three sets of five exercises.
Start with jump squats, doing three sets of three reps. Take plenty of
recovery time, even if you don’t feel tired, you want to be jumping as
high as possible. Quality over quantity for this one. Move next to
lunges, doing three hard sets. You’ll want a large space for this one, as
it’s possible to lunge for quite a distance if you’re in good shape. Rest a couple of minutes
in between sets but no longer. Next move to bodyweight squats, doing
as many reps as possible continuously. Don’t pause in between reps, just
keep them continuous-the set ends when you stop. When you do, do a
set of planks. Alternate between bodyweight squats and planks for three
total sets of each. Finally,
Movement Sets per
finish up with hanging leg raises, doing three
Pattern
week
hard sets with about a minute rest in between.
HINGE
3
The third day is another upper session,
SQUAT
16
PRESS
0
starting with wide grip pullups and wide dips.
PULL
9
If you have shoulder issues, take a narrower
PUSH
18
grip, especially on the dips. Do three hard sets
ROW
9
of each, alternating between them. Then move to bar rows and
SHOULDER
0
pushups, taking a narrow grip this time. Focus on your arms this
S
time, flexing your biceps on the rows and your triceps on the
CURL
0
pushups. This workout should be pretty quick so is a good option
EXTEND
0
if you’re in a rush.
ABS
7
The last workout has sets of four, three, two and one. Start with
TOTAL
62
203
four sets of three jump squats, getting as much air as possible. Next move to one leg glute
bridges, really getting a good contraction in your glute. Follow it up with two sets of of
Bulgarian split squats per leg, and then just one hard set of lunges. Finish up with one set of
hanging leg raises and call it a week.
Intermediate Spartan Plan Schedule
Day One Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercise
Pullups
Dips
Bar Row (wide)
Pushups (wide)
Sets and
Reps
6 hard sets
6 hard sets
6 hard sets
6 hard sets
Notes
Ex 1 and 2
alternated set by set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set by set
Day Two Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Jump Squat
Lunge
Bodyweight
squat
Plank
Hanging Leg Raises
Sets and Reps
3x3
3 hard sets
3 hard sets
3 hard sets
3 hard sets
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set
by set
Notes
Day Three Upper Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
Exercise
Wide
grip
pullup
Wide Dips
Bar Row (narrow)
Pushups (narrow)
Sets and Reps
3 hard
sets
3 hard sets
3 hard sets
3 hard sets
Notes
Ex 1 and
2
alternated set by set
Ex 3 and 4
alternated set by set
Day Four Lower Body
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Exercise
Jump Squat
1 leg Glute
Bridge
Bulgarian Split
Squat
Lunge
Hanging Leg Raises
Sets and Reps
4x3
3 hard sets
2 hard sets per
leg
1 hard set
1 hard set
204
Notes
205
Compendium Nine: Making
Progress
Sometimes life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. Making a training plan is a bit like
cooking…you can follow a recipe perfectly, but the result might not be exactly what you
expected. It’s as much art as it is science. This section will allow you to manipulate the
ingredients over time till the finished product is perfect for your palate. It’s crucial that you
can adjust your training over time so that it is ideal for YOU.
The first section, progressing, is something you should try to do all the time. If you aren’t
getting better, there isn’t much point in going to the gym. The second section, minor
adjustments, is comprised of small changes that you might make to your program when
something unexpected happens, these are more slight nudges to the rudder to keep you on
the right course or an extra pinch of salt to bring out the flavor in your training recipe. The
third section, major adjustments, refers to what to do when the aforementioned rudder gets
blown off by an enemy missile, or the kitchen starts filling with smoke.
Swapping Exercises
This is the most basic form of making progress. There will be a time when you will want to
change the exercises that you’ve been doing. I recommend staying with a particular exercise
long enough to really get a good feel for it. If you swap out exercises too often, you’ll never
truly master any of them! A good rule of thumb would be that if you haven’t progressed on
an exercise in three workouts, you’ll want to consider changing it. The appendix is bursting
with charts of most of the exercises in this book, sorted by risk/recovery and reward. They
will help you be able to view at a glance which exercises are relatively “swappable”. A
walking lunge is directly interchangeable for a Bulgarian split squat, but a snatch grip
deadlift is not swappable with a hamstring curl, bodyweight squat or leg extension.
Section Recap: Occasionally swapping exercises for each
other is a great way to keep your training fun and
interesting.
Progressing
It’s critical that you progress over time if you want to see any changes from your training.
This might mean adding weight to the bar, but there are many other ways to progress as
well. The key to making progress is progression.
206
Progressing in Intensity
This means adding weight to the exercise over time, whether it is plates to the barbell, an
extra weight stack to a machine or cable, or swapping in heavier dumbbells. Progressing in
intensity (getting stronger) is the best way to progress, whether your goal is size or strength.
Using heavier and heavier loads is the best way to force your muscles to adapt over time by
growing.
However, there are a few factors to keep in mind. First, technique trumps tonnage. If you
can add weight but you lose form doing so, it’s not worth it. You aren’t ready. Second, if
you really cannot do very much volume while working at heavier weights, the trade-off
probably isn’t worth it. You’ll be better off sticking with the slightly lower weight and
adding weight later when you’ll be able to master the greater weight. Third, you should be
able to control the heavier weight, if you are flinging it around and not feeling the proper
muscles working, lower the weight used.
Progressing in Reps
If you did 50kg for six reps two weeks ago, eight reps last week and ten reps this week,
you’ve definitely gotten stronger, despite using the same weight. Progression in reps is one
of the best ways to improve, but keep in mind you can only use this to a certain extent.
Continuing the above example, if you progress to 50kg for thirty reps in a few months,
you’d be better off increasing the weight and progressing in intensity for a while, because
thirty reps is really too high for optimal muscle growth.
Progressing in Sets
Doing more sets is the easiest way to increase your volume, which does have an impact on
your size and strength gains, especially the former. Doing more sets can be beneficial, but
only up to a point. If you find yourself spending a lot of time in the gym doing endless sets
and not really seeing any results, you might want to cut back on the number of sets you are
doing and try to progress in another way for a while. Volume IS important but it should
only be high some of the time.
Progressing in Rest Time
How much rest you take between sets is another way to progress, secondary in importance
to the above three. Lets say you did four sets of ten at 50kg last week, taking two minutes
rest in between each set. If you took one minute and thirty seconds this week, that’s
progress, even if the sets, reps and weight are identical. This can be a great way to stimulate
cardiovascular gains as well. Be strict with the timing. This progression method is useless if
you don’t measure the rest periods accurately or actually start the set later than you should.
207
Progressing in Tempo
Usually when you are lifting weights, you don’t pay that much attention to how long the
lifting or lowering phases take, but if you time them it provides another way to progress.
Generally, slower tempos are more difficult. So, if last week you took three seconds for the
lowering phase, doing it in four seconds this week will make it more challenging. Doing it
in five seconds next week will be even harder. I’d recommend slowing down the lowering
rather than the lifting part of the movement, but either can be modified.
Again, make sure to be STRICT with the timing, it’s very easy for “five seconds” to turn
into two seconds when you are tired! Similarly to changing rest time, this is definitely
behind intensity, reps and sets in terms of priority for progressing.
Progressing in Range of Motion
This one doesn’t apply to all exercises, but can be a valuable way to advance your training.
Using the same weight, sets and reps but progressively increasing the range of motion can
be a great way to get stronger. For the squat, you can do the Anderson squat, and slowly
lower the pins over time. You can do the same with the deadlift and bench press. For lateral
raises and dumbbell curls, you can do half reps and slowly raise the dumbbells up higher as
you get stronger, keeping the weight, sets and reps the same.
Section Recap: There are many ways to progress, and you
should try to do so as much and often as possible.
Minor Adjustments
Adjusting Volume
Volume is probably the easiest place to make adjustments, you can add or subtract sets
from a workout very easily.
If you are going through a
stressful time at work or a
breakup, that mental stress
WILL effect your ability
to recover, so it’s best to
be proactive and reduce
the amount of work you
are doing. In general,
though, your volume
should go up as you gain
208
training experience. Looking at the graph, you want to have a Goldilocks level of volume
compared to your experience-not too little, nor too much.
When trying to adjust your training volume, ask yourself two things:
 Am I making progress?
 Am I feeling good?
Kindly peruse the charts below.
209
Progress Chart
Question
Are you getting stronger at the main
lifts?
(Bench
press,
Pullup/pulldowns, Overhead press,
Bent over row, back/front squat,
deadlifts, etc)
Are you getting stronger at the
accessory lifts? (cable crossover, cable
pullover, Arnold press, cable row,
goblet squat, back extensions, etc)
Are you getting stronger at the
tertiary lifts? (standing rear delt
raises, machine preacher curl,
kickbacks, etc)
Are your muscles appearing to slowly
grow, or are you losing fat and
looking leaner?
Is your bodyweight moving in the
right direction (up or down?)
Answer One
Answer Two
Answer Three
No, I haven’t gotten a Yes, I occasionally OH YEA, the
new best in months
get new bests
PRs are coming
weekly!
No, I haven’t gotten a Yes, I occasionally OH YEA, the
new best in months
get new bests
PRs are coming
weekly!
No, I haven’t gotten a Yes, I occasionally OH YEA, the
new best in months
get new bests
PRs are coming
weekly!
No, I’m definitely Hard to tell,
seeing no progress
maybe
seeing
some changes
If anything, it’s going Perhaps
slow
in the wrong direction! progress…
Feeling Chart
Question
Answer One
Are your muscles sore 1-2 Walking and sitting on the
days after a workout?
toilet are monumental tasks
Do your joints hurt?
Daily life activities are a
struggle. Can’t do things I
used to be able to
How is your mood?
F*ck off! Why are you even
asking me these stupid
questions??!
How is your sleep?
Zzzzz…what?
How are your energy Part of the 24/7 caffeine
levels?
dream team
How is your hunger?
Sometimes
ravenous,
sometimes none for hours
How would you rate your The world is collapsing in on
life stress at the moment?
me!
How would you say you I’m like a towel, I fold pretty
personally handle stress?
easily.
Old friends don’t
recognize me
Yup, no doubt
about the scale!
Answer Two
Slight soreness, a bit
achy or stiff
Occasionally,
but
goes away after a
day or two
Uh…normal
I
guess.
Answer Three
I feel nothing
unusual
Joints…can hurt?
Usually pretty good.
Sometimes tired but
normally good
A bit inconsistent
Solid 7-9 hours
Consistent energy
all day, boo ya!
Normal
This is fine.
No worries at all,
maan
Very well, I’m as
resilient as they
come
OK, I guess
Great!
grand!
Life
210
is
Give yourself one point for answer one, two points for answer two, and three points for
answer three answers.
You’ll come up with a number between five and fifteen for progress and between eight and
twenty-four for feeling.
Progress # 5-7=Not improving
Progress # 8-11=Improving
Progress # 12-15=Winning!
Feeling # 8-13=Feel shitty
Feeling #14-18=Feel OK
Feeling #19-24=Feel awesome!
Find where you are in the chart below:
Winning!, feel awesome!
WOW, Definitely don’t
change anything!
Winning!, feel OK
Definitely don’t change
anything!
Winning!, feel shitty
Lower volume.
Improving, feel awesome!
Definitely don’t change
anything!
Improving, feel OK
Don’t change anything but
keep assessing weekly.
Improving, feel shitty
Definitely lower volume.
Not improving, feel awesome!
Definitely raise volume.
Not improving, feel OK
Raise volume.
Not improving, feel shitty
Take a break from training
Adjusting Frequency
Frequency shouldn’t need to be changed much. The main reason to modify it would be if
your schedule changes. If you suddenly have to work overtime several times per week, you
might need to workout fewer days because of that. Conversely, if your schedule frees up,
you might want to experiment with more days in the gym.
Adjusting Intensity
Modulating your intensity is mainly dependent on your goals. If you normally use the 7080% range but are interested in taking part in a powerlifting competition, you’ll want to
slowly incorporate more work at higher intensity. If you have been using the 85-90% range
for a few months now and are not seeing any progress, you might want to reduce the
weights back down to the 60-70% range and build back up. The heavy weights will still be
there in a few months and your joints will thank you later. Using a variety of loads ranging
from 50-90% will be ideal for progress in the long term.
211
Surprise Day!
Sometimes things don’t quite go as planned. Maybe it was going to be a nice, relaxing, well
earned day off, but your old friend is in town and wants to do a leg workout…what to do?
You could either refuse to workout with them, do a moderate workout, or go balls to the
walls and try for an epic session. I’d say the middle option is best…working out with
friends can be a rare treat, so you don’t really want to miss it. On the other hand, if you had
planned for a day off, you probably don’t want to push it as hard as you normally would.
Holding back is sometimes hard, but it’s the ideal solution in many cases. Just take a rest
day the next day, there’s no real harm in pushing it back one day. The human body is pretty
resilient.
Conversely, if you had planned to have an epic session but are slammed with a surprise
after-hours meeting at work…just take the day off and do the session when you can. It can
be frustrating but that’s part of life. Moving days around in your workout schedule won’t
have a large effect in the long term.
Lagging Body Parts
As you gain experience training, you might notice that some body parts respond better or
faster. Over time, this can result in some body parts becoming much more dominant than
others. Because these muscle groups are stronger, they’ll tend to take over movements from
the weaker muscle groups, which causes them to get even stronger, a vicious cycle than can
make it very difficult to build a balanced body. If you are primarily interested in strength,
then it’s less of an issue, as it doesn’t really matter how you lift the weight during a
competition. If you are interested in aesthetics, however, you will want to continuously
assess your physique and change your training to mold the balanced body that you want.
For example, most squat and hinge movements use similar muscle groups-quads, glutes and
hamstrings. However, they all use a different ratio of quad to hamstring. From most
“hamstring dominant” to the most ‘“quad dominant”.
212
So, if you wanted to build quads more, you’d select squats and hinging movements that
were relatively more quad dominant, like the trap bar deadlift. If you wanted to build
hamstrings, you’d focus more on hinging movements and hamstring dominant squatting
variations like long step Bulgarian split squat and low bar back squats. How you perform
the exercise is important as well, if you stay very upright and drive your feet through the
floor, squatting is very quad dominant, but if you focus on pushing the hips back and
leaning forward a bit, it is much more hip dominant and thus uses relatively more
hamstrings, even for the same movement.
Section Recap: Adjusting your intensity, frequency and
volume are critical to keep progressing over time.
Major Adjustments
These are large changes that will have to be made due to significant roadblocks in the path
to your fitness goals. Everyone has these, and if you haven’t yet encountered one, you just
haven’t worked out long enough! A good thing to keep in mind is that time off isn’t the
worst thing in the world. It can be hard to take a break, but you’ll lose a lot less fitness than
you think.
Most people think that
you lose size and
strength instantly, but it
actually takes a few
weeks for you to stop
unadapting, and the
losses are never as great
as you think.
Furthermore, once you
start training again, those
adaptations come back
amazingly fast, because you are so sensitive to training. Some exercise scientists actually
theorize that taking a few weeks off per year is better for long term progress, because it
allows the muscles to re-sensitize. Essentially you are taking one step backwards to take two
or three forward in the future. So don’t sweat time off.
213
Injuries
Lifting weights is actually very safe compared to most other sports. You are far more likely
to get hurt during almost any team sport compared to lifting. Trust me, your knees are not
happy when you are playing a pickup basketball or football game, all that twisting and
turning is just tearing up the joint in a way that squats could never dream of. That being
said, if you train hard enough, for long enough, you’ll probably eventually encounter some
minor injury that will force you to adjust your training.
The first thing to do is to analyze what caused the problem. Sometimes it’s very obvious. If
you just started a program that has you front squatting four times a week and now your
knee hurts, well there you go. Other times it can be harder to diagnose. If your new
program introduced wide grip bench presses, behind the neck pulldowns, push presses, flys
and low bar back squatting, then your shoulder starts to hurt…well, that’s tricky, because it
could be any of those exercises, all of those exercises, or just the combination of a few of
them that caused the issue.
The best solution is to try to add exercises in one at a time, so you can assess how it effects
you. If it hurts during the exercise, then don’t do that exercise, or try to modify it so that
you can do it pain free. If you have an injury, total rest is usually not a good plan.
Nowadays, most doctors will get their patients moving as soon as possible after the injury,
because it helps a LOT with recovery.
Potentially good rehab movements (all very light, performed slowly, if more than slight pain
don’t do them)
Area
Exercise
Knee
Leg extensions, walking
Hip
Forty-five degree back extensions, pullthroughs, Yoga, hip flexor
stretching, walking
Lower back
Forty-five degree back extensions, pullthroughs, glute bridge, plank,
walking, hanging from a bar, leg raises
Shoulder
Face pulls, seated lateral raises, cable/chest supported/machine rows, rear
delt raises, pushups
Elbow
Pushdowns, dumbbell kickbacks, dumbbell curls, pushups
Wrist
Dumbbell curls
If you have to take time off, definitely do so, but you may get better long term results by
working around the injury. Just because you cannot squat heavy doesn’t mean that you
should sit on the couch. At the very least, it keeps you in the habit of going to the gym.
214
Sickness
Usually you can still go to the gym when you have a cold, you might just reduce the volume
or intensity slightly to make it easier to recover. However, major sickness will require time
off. Take care of the health issue and then ease back in to training when you are ready.
Again, your strength and size will come back very quickly once you get going, so don’t be
afraid if you’ve lost a bit the first few sessions back.
Planned Time Off
A lot of the above situations are unplanned time off. No one plans to get injured or sick.
There might be a time, however, when you know that you won’t be able to make it to the
gym. A good strategy is to train harder than usual before you are going to take the time off.
If you know you are about to go on vacation and won’t be able to train hard, you might as
well train a bit beyond your capacity to recover beforehand. Plenty of time to recover when
lying on the beach, eh?
This is also known as “crash training” and is widely used by professional athletes. Instead
of training “somewhat hard” all the time, the pros usually train brutally hard for a week or
two, then take a period of very easy training for an equal amount of time to recover,
recuperate and adapt. I wouldn’t recommend most people train like this year round, but if
you know that you’ll be unable to workout normally for a week or two, you can give it a
shot if you want. A good way to implement it is keep intensity the same, and increase
volume by 50-100% compared to normal. You might want to increase frequency to handle
this extra volume. Yes, you will feel shitty, but you might be pleased with the results.
Competing
Whether competing in weightlifting, strongman, powerlifting or bodybuilding, these will all
require major changes to your programming. Weightlifting will obviously require you focus
on the two weightlifting movements, the snatch and clean&jerk, but it will also demand that
you change your program in other ways. You might need to cut out some arm movements
so that you can improve your mobility, you might need to reduce upper body work and
increase squatting frequency, volume and/or intensity. Strongman definitely demands both
a strong cardio and strength base, practice on some unique movements and a lot of guts.
You might need to buy or create some of the strongman equipment that they use in their
sport. Powerlifting requires practicing with heavy weights on the squat, bench press and
deadlift to refine your technique. You might need to reduce or modify some assistance and
tertiary work.
The main requirement of bodybuilding besides muscular development is having a low body
fat percentage, which will require dieting. When you are eating less food, you have less
energy, so you might need to adjust your volume and intensity if preparing for a show. You
also might need to focus on more isolation work for lagging body parts, such as arms,
shoulders and hamstrings.
215
Section Recap: Working around injuries, sickness, planned
time off and competitions are incredibly important for your
long term progress. Keep an eye on the horizon as well as
the more short term goals.
216
Compendium Ten: Strength
Standards
With the internets, it’s a lot easier to compare yourself to others. While everyone is an
individual with their own goals and abilities, knowing how your strength ranks in the
general scheme of things can be a huge source of motivation.
Furthermore, it definitely checks the ego a bit. When people tell me I’m strong, I simply
reply that the world record is almost double what I can do. That tends to make people
chuckle, humility is never a bad thing. Of course, the look on their faces a few seconds later
when they realize that if their level is half of what I can do, and I am calling myself weak,
they definitely are as well is quite priceless. Onward and upward!
 Starting is a weight that the average untrained person could walk in and do with little to
no previous training. If you can’t do this, don’t worry. Just because your starting point
is below average doesn’t mean your potential is.
 Trained represents a good goal to achieve within three to six months of starting training.
 Strong is a good weight to shoot for within about six to twelve months of starting
training. Getting here means you’ve added some muscle and are definitely stronger than
the average person.
 Beast means you are much stronger than the average person and probably look like it
too. This would be a good goal after about two years of training.
 Hulk status indicates you are probably stronger than ninety-nine percent of people out
there. Very few people achieve this level of strength and it usually takes three to four
years.
 Elite requires a combination of great genetics, work ethic and smart programming. For
most people it takes more than five years of consistent, hard training to achieve this
level of strength, but you’ll be rewarded with a great physique and strong body as well
as mind. You’re probably stronger than 99.99% of the general population.
 World record is roughly the official, drug tested IPF (International Powerlifting
Federation) world record in the squat, bench and deadlift at the time of writing for the
90kg weight class, or 85kg in the International Weightlifting Federation for the
clean&jerk. For women it’s the 60kg/58kg divisions. Just an idea of what the ultimate
combination of training, genetics, work ethic, diet and programming can do. Something
to shoot for, ya know?
217
Men
Exercise
Starter Trained
1 Rep Max Back Squat
60kg 100kg
1 Rep Max Bench Press
60kg 80kg
1 Rep Max Deadlift
80kg 120kg
1 Rep Max Clean and Jerk 40kg 60kg
5 Rep Max Bent Over Row 40kg 60kg
5 Rep Max Pullup
60kg 80kg
1 Rep Max Overhead Press 40kg 50kg
Strong
120kg
100kg
140kg
80kg
80kg
100kg
60kg
Beast
140kg
120kg
180kg
120kg
120kg
120kg
80kg
Hulk
180kg
140kg
220kg
140kg
140kg
140kg
100kg
Elite
220kg
180kg
260kg
160kg
160kg
160kg
120kg
Women
Exercise
Starter Trained Strong
1 Rep Max Back Squat
40kg
60kg
80kg
1 Rep Max Bench Press
30kg
40kg
50kg
1 Rep Max Deadlift
50kg
70kg
90kg
1 Rep Max Clean and Jerk 30kg
40kg
60kg
5 Rep Max Bent Over Row 30kg
40kg
50kg
5 Rep Max Pullup
40kg
50kg
60kg
1 Rep Max Overhead Press 20kg
25kg
30kg
Beast
100kg
60kg
110kg
80kg
60kg
70kg
40kg
Hulk
120kg
80kg
130kg
90kg
70kg
80kg
50kg
Elite
140kg
100kg
160kg
110kg
80kg
90kg
60kg
WR
300kg
250kg
350kg
220kg
-
WR
220kg
140kg
225kg
140kg
-
 Squat (front/high/low bar, but must be down to upper legs being parallel with the
floor or below)
 Bench Press (pause or no pause, any style or grip width)
 Deadlift (sumo or conventional, but rack pull doesn’t count)
 Clean and Jerk (This advanced exercise isn’t included in this book but is a fantastic test
of explosiveness)
 Bent Over Row (fairly strict, minimal cheating)
 Pullups (any grip, body weight+added weight, full range of motion, strict)
 Overhead Press (One rep, strict, no leg drive, not a push press!)
The above exercises were selected because they are commonly used-the squat, bench and
deadlift are the three movements tested in powerlifting competitions and the clean and jerk
is done in the Olympics. The bent over row, pullup/pulldown and strict overhead press are
very commonly performed as well.
If you don’t do the basic exercise, you can substitute another from the exercise progressions
and variations page, but keep in mind the strength standard here definitely won’t apply. For
example, you can substitute a dumbbell bench press for a barbell one, a Bulgarian split squat
for a back squat or a back extension for a deadlift in your training. But because they are
using different implements, one leg instead of two, and a shorter range of motion,
218
respectively…you can’t really compare them. You can, however, can check the appendix for
a longer and much more inclusive list of standards.
These standards may seem high to some, and impossible to others, but they are assuming a
level of commitment higher than the average gymgoer, and there’s no shame in not
achieving a high level.
Section Recap: These strength standards for ladies and
gents are the best way to see how you measure up against
others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is diet important?
Yes, it’s very important. There will be an upcoming book on diet as it’s a very complicated
topic! As a very general guideline, eat a diet consisting of natural, whole foods like
vegetables, eggs, fish, meat and poultry. Fruits can be added in moderation as well. High
carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta, rice, corn, potatoes and oats can be included if you
want to gain weight, but if you want to drop body fat they should be reduced or eliminated.
Processed carbohydrates, sugar and packaged foods should be avoided regardless of your
weight goals.
How should I warm up?
The best way to warm up for lifting is doing light sets of the exercise that you are about to
do. This will get the joints, muscles, central nervous system and brain ready to perform the
task at hand. For most exercises, that’s as complicated as it gets.
Should I do stretching?
If you enjoy stretching, feel free to do it! That being said, the research on stretching shows
that it doesn’t really have a benefit for health or strength. The best way to increase your
range of motion is to USE that range of motion. Babies can get in a deep squat position but
many adults cannot, because they don’t put themselves in that position anymore, and they
slowly lose the ability to do that movement. In many ways, just doing the movements
themselves is enough to regain the ability to do them, just make sure to progress slowly.
219
Should I take steroids?
That’s a personal choice. I never have and likely never will. Be aware of the side effects and
plan accordingly. You shouldn’t even think about taking them unless you have 5+ years of
consistent training and a solid diet. Taking steroids without those in place will get you all
of the harm and very little benefit.
Also keep in mind that they can cause lasting damage to your endocrine (hormonal) systems,
and that if you stop taking them, you’ll lose all of the muscle and strength you gained
anyway. If you are natural, what you earn is what you keep.
I’m not getting the same results as you, what’s wrong?
We’re different people. Genetics, lifestyle and work ethic are all just as important as the
exercises you choose and how you program them. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same
results as I have, but I can guarantee that I can optimize the results that you DO get.
Everyone is dealt a different hand in life, you can only play the iron game to the best of
your ability. I can’t help you look like me, I can only help you look and feel like the best
version of yourself.
220
Appendix
MAIN MOVEMENT
ASSISTANCE
TERTIARY
HINGE
Trap Bar Deadlift, Sumo Back extension, Glute Bridge,
Deadlift,
Conventional Romanian Deadlift, Rack Pull, Good
Deadlift, Low Pull from the Morning, Broad Jump, Hip Thrust
Hang, Deficit Deadlift,
Snatch Grip Deadlift,
Power Snatch from the
Hang
Hamstring
Curl Machine,
Hamstring Ball
Curl,
Pullthrough,
Nordic
Hamstring
Curl
SQUAT
Box Squat, Bulgarian Split Bodyweight Squat, Goblet Squat, Leg Leg Extension
Squat, High Bar Back Squat, Press, Overhead Squat, Squat Jump, Machine
Walking Lunge, Low Bar Box Jump, Vertical Jump, Step Up
Back Squat, Front Squat,
Anderson Squat
ROW
One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Cable Row, Chest Supported Row, Shrug
Pendlay Row, Barbell Bent Machine Row, Bar Row, Seal Row,
Over Row, T-bar Row, Kroc Row, One-Arm Barbell Row
Trap Bar Bent Over Row,
Rubish Row
PUSH
Dumbbell Bench Press, Pushup, Decline Bench Press, Wide Flys,
Cable
(Assisted) Dips, Close Grip Dips, Wide Grip Bench Press, Crossover
Bench Press, Incline Press
Reverse Grip Bench Press, Machine
Press
PULL
Pulldown, Pullup/Chinup
PRESS
Seated Dumbbell Press, Arnold Press, Klokov Press, Bradford
Standing Barbell Overhead Press, Jerk, Z-Press
Press, Push Press
Wide grip pullup, Behind the Neck
Pulldown, Standing Cable Pullover,
Dumbbell Pullover, One-arm pullup,
Dual Handle Cable Pulldown
SHOULD Lateral Raise, Upright Row Seated Lateral Raise, Face Pull, Prone
Rear
Standing Rear Delt Raise, Cable Delt
Raise,
Rear Delt Raise, Bus Driver
Cable Lateral
Raise, Front
Raise, Seated
221
Rear
Raise
Delt
CURL
Barbell, Strict
Seated Dumbbell, Reverse Grip, Concentration,
Cable Hammer, Incline Dumbbell, Machine
Preacher
Preacher,
Hercules, Onearm
Cable,
Spider
EXTEND
Overhead Dumbbell
Extension, Skullcrusher
Cable Pushdown, Overhead Cable Kickback
Extension,
JM
Press,
Lying
Dumbbell Extension
ABS
Dumbbell Side Bend, Ab Wheel, Plank, Cable
Pallov Press, Weighted Crunches
Crunch,
Hanging Leg
Raises, Feet to
Bar, Stir the
Pot
CALVES
Seated, Standing, Leg Press Calf
Raise
222
Movements by Difficulty
BEGINNER
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
HINGE
Back extension, Glute Bridge,
Trap Bar Deadlift, Sumo
Deadlift, Hamstring Curl
Machine, Pullthrough
Romanian Deadlift, Rack
Pull, Hamstring Ball Curl,
Low Pull from the Hang,
Conventional Deadlift, Broad
Jump
Good Morning, Power
Snatch from the Hang,
Deficit Deadlift, Snatch
Grip Deadlift, Nordic
Hamstring Curl, Hip
Thrust
SQUAT
Bodyweight Squat, Goblet
Squat, Leg Press, Leg
Extension Machine, Box
Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat,
High Bar Back Squat
Walking Lunge, Low Bar
Back Squat, Front Squat,
Vertical Jump, Step Up,
Anderson Squat
Box Jump, Overhead
Squat, Squat Jump
ROW
Cable Row, Chest Supported Seal Row, Kroc Row,
Trap Bar Bent Over
Row, Machine Row, Bar
Pendlay Row, Barbell Bent
Row Rubish Row,
Row, One-Arm Dumbbell
Over Row, T-bar Row, Shrug One-Arm Barbell Row
Row
PUSH
Pushup, Machine Press,
Dumbbell Bench Press,
Assisted Dips, Close Grip
Bench Press
Flys, Cable Crossover, Wide
Dips, Incline Press, Dips
Wide Grip Bench
Press, Reverse Grip
Bench Press, Decline
Bench Press
PULL
Pulldown, Standing Cable
Pullover, Dual Handle Cable
Pulldown
Pullup/Chinup, Wide grip
pullup
Behind the Neck
pulldown, Dumbbell
Pullover, One-arm
pullup
PRESS
Seated Dumbbell Press,
Arnold Press
Standing Barbell Overhead
Press, Klokov Press, Push
Press, Z-Press
Bradford Press, Jerk
SHOULD Seated Lateral Raise, Face
ERS
Pull, Prone Rear Delt Raise,
Seated Rear Delt Raise
Standing Rear Delt Raise,
Lateral Raise, Cable Rear
Delt Raise
Cable Lateral Raise,
Front Raise, Bus
Driver, Upright Row
CURL
Reverse Grip, Barbell, OneConcentration,
Arm Cable, Incline Dumbbell Hercules
Seated Dumbbell, Preacher,
Cable Hammer, Machine
Preacher, Strict, Spider
EXTEND Kickback, Overhead
Dumbbell Extension, Cable
Overhead Cable Extension,
JM Press, Lying Dumbbell
Skullcrusher
223
Pushdown
Extension
ABS
Plank, Cable Crunch, Pallov
Press, Farmer’s Walk
Weighted Crunches,
Dumbbell Side Bend, Stir the
Pot, Hanging Leg Raises
Ab Wheel, Foot to Bar
CALVES
Seated Calf Raise
Standing Calf Raise
Leg Press Calf Raise
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
CALVES
Volume Guidelines
Balanced Sets
Beginner
Intermediate
3-6
4-10
3-8
4-10
3-6
4-8
4-8
6-12
2-8
6-12
2-6
4-8
4-8
6-12
0-4
2-8
0-4
2-8
2-4
4-6
0-4
2-8
Advanced
6-14
6-14
8-10
8-16
8-16
8-12
10-18
6-12
6-12
6-14
6-12
Movement Pattern
HINGE
SQUAT
PRESS
PULL
PUSH
ROW
SHOULDERS
CURL
EXTEND
ABS
CALVES
Specialization Sets
Beginner
Intermediate
6-10
10-14
8-12
12-18
6-10
10-14
8-14
12-18
8-12
12-16
6-10
10-14
10-12
12-18
6-8
12-16
6-8
10-14
6-8
12-18
10-12
12-18
Advanced
12-22
12-22
12-22
16-30
16-24
12-22
16-30
16-22
16-22
16-30
16-30
224
225
Equipment Checklist
Equipment (Essentials!)
Barbells
Notes
Should be straight, not bent. The ends should spin freely. At least
three or four is ideal, as other people will use them as well.
At least 5kg/10kg/20kg. 2.5kg is nice as well. Rubber is best,
for Olympic weightlifting and deadlifting, but metal is OK.
Round is better than hexagonal.
The heavier the better, 40kg is a minimum. If they only have 25
or 30kg you’ll outgrow those quickly. Don’t believe them when
they say 30kg is enough, tell them every proper gym has 40, 50,
60kg usually.
Essential for many movements. Try it out a few times, it should
have a place to catch the bar if you fail that is just BELOW the
height of the bar in the bottom position of your squat.
Very useful; similar to a squat rack but more versatile, this will
allow you to do everything from benching and incline benching
to squatting, rack pulls and partial reps.
Try it out a few times, it should feel sturdy, as you’ll want to add
weight eventually.
Incline should be adjustable, and they should be sturdy
Weight on each side should go up to at least 40kg
Try it out a few times, the dip handles should be comfortable and
about shoulder width apart. The pullup should have a palms
facing grip as well.
Weight should go up to 120kg+, ideally.
For seated dumbbell pressing and Arnold pressing
Exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, row machine
Plates
Dumbbells
Squat rack
Power rack
45 Back Extension
Benches
Cable Station
Dip/Pullup station
Pulldown machine
Seat with back support
Cardio machines
Equipment (Optional)
Incline Bench Press
Preacher Curl Bench
Trap bar
Bands
If they don’t have one, flat bench will have to suffice
If they don’t have one, you can use an incline bench and
dumbbells.
If they don’t have one, a normal barbell is OK.
Good for warming up, and for advanced lifters modifying
movements by changing the resistance curve.
Good for adding resistance for barbell movements and dips
Crunches, stir the pot and hamstring curls
Curl One of the best hamstring exercises
Chains
Swiss ball
Hamstring
Machine
Leg extension Machine
Leg Press
Chest Press Machine
One of the best quadriceps exercises
A great full lower body developer
A very solid chest developer
226
Cable Row
Chest Supported Row
Machine Row
Decline Bench Press
Ab Wheel
Sit-up Bench
90 Back Extension
Smith Machine
Exercise
A staple rowing exercise
Another great rowing exercise
Yet another great way to row
Rare but useful chest developer
One of the best abdominal developers
Fantastic way to stimulate the abs and hip flexors
Great glute, hamstrings and lower back exercise but woefully rare
Lunges, squats, bench press, incline press, overhead press
Special Workouts and Techniques-Modifying Sets
1RM
Ramp AMRAP
EMOM
HINGE
Back Extension
No
No
Yes
No
Glute Bridge
Yes
No
Yes
No
RDL
No
No
Yes
No
Deadlifts (not RDL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Low pull from hang
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good Mornings
No
No
No
No
Power Snatch from the Hang
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Bodyweight Squat
No
No
Yes
No
Goblet Squat
No
No
Yes
No
Box Squat
Rack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Leg Press
No
No
Yes
No
Bulgarian Split Squat
No
No
Yes
No
Back Squats
Rack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Front Squats
Rack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Walking Lunge
No
No
Yes
Yes
SQUAT
227
Overhead Squat
No
No
No
No
Squat Jump
No
Yes
No
Yes
Exercise
1RM
Ramp
AMRAP
EMOM
ROW
Cable/Chest Supported/Machine Row/Seal No
Row
No
Yes
No
One-arm
Row/
Barbell/Bar No
No
Yes
No
Pendlay Row
No
No
Yes
Yes
Kroc Row
No
No
Yes
No
Barbell Row/T-Bar Row/Trap Bar Row
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Rubish Row
No
Yes
No
Yes
Pushup
No
No
Yes
No
Machine Press/ Cable Crossover
No
No
Yes
No
Dumbbell Bench
No
No
Yes
No
Assisted Dips
No
No
Yes
No
Close/Wide/Reverse/Incline/Decline Bench
Spot Yes
Yes
Yes
Dips/Wide Dips
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Exercise
1R
M
Ramp
AMR
AP
EMOM
Pulldown/Behind the neck pulldown/ Standing No
Pullover
No
Yes
No
Pullup/Chinup/Wide Grip Pullup
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dumbbell Pullover
No
No
Yes
No
Dumbbell/One-arm
PUSH
PULL
228
PRESS
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
No
No
Yes
No
Arnold Press
No
No
Yes
No
Barbell Overhead Press
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Klokov Press
No
Yes
Yes
No
Bradford Press
No
No
Yes
No
Push Press
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Jerk
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
SHOULDERS (ALL)
No
No
Yes
No
Seated Dumbbell/ Reverse Grip/ Preacher No
Curl/One-arm Cable Curl/Cable Hammer Curl
No
Yes
No
Barbell Curl
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EXTEND (ALL)
No
No
Yes
No
ABS (ALL)
No
No
Yes
No
CALVES (ALL)
No
No
Yes
No
CURL
229
Exercise
Rest
Pause
Cluster
Drop
Sets
Super Sets
Back Extension
No
No
Yes
Yes
Glute Bridge
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
RDL
No
No
Yes
No
Deadlifts (not RDL)
Yes
Yes
No
No
Low pull from hang
No
Yes
No
No
Good Mornings
No
No
No
No
Power Snatch from the Hang
No
Yes
No
No
Bodyweight Squat
No
No
No
Yes
Goblet Squat
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Box Squat
Yes
Yes
No
No
Leg Press
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Bulgarian Split Squat
No
No
Yes
No
Back Squats
Yes
Yes
No
No
Front Squats
No
Yes
No
No
Walking Lunge
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Overhead Squat
No
No
No
No
Squat Jump
No
No
No
No
Exercise
Rest
Pause
Cluster
Drop
Sets
Super Sets
Supported/Machine Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
One-arm
Dumbbell/One-arm Yes
Barbell/Bar Row
No
Yes
Yes
Pendlay Row
Yes
No
No
HINGE
SQUAT
ROW
Cable/Chest
Row/Seal Row
Yes
230
Kroc Row
Yes
No
No
No
Barbell Row/T-Bar Row/Trap Bar No
Row
No
No
No
Rubish Row
No
No
No
No
Pushup
Yes
No
No
Yes
Machine Press/ Cable Crossover
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Dumbbell Bench
No
No
Yes
Yes
Assisted Dips
No
No
Yes
No
Close/Wide/Reverse/Incline/Decline Yes
Bench
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dips/Wide Dips
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Exercise
Rest
Pause
Cluster
Drop
Sets
Super Sets
Pulldown/Behind the neck pulldown/ Yes
Standing Pullover
No
Yes
Yes
Pullup/Chinup/Wide Grip Pullup
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dumbbell Pullover
No
No
Yes
Yes
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Arnold Press
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Barbell Overhead Press
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Klokov Press
Yes
No
No
Yes
Bradford Press
No
No
Yes
Yes
Push Press
No
Yes
No
No
Jerk
No
Yes
No
No
SHOULDERS (ALL)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
PUSH
PULL
PRESS
231
CURL
Seated Dumbbell/ Reverse Grip/ Yes
Preacher
Curl/One-arm
Cable
Curl/Cable Hammer Curl
Yes
Yes
Yes
Barbell Curl
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EXTEND (ALL)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
ABS (ALL)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
CALVES (ALL)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Special Workouts and Techniques-Modifying Reps
Exercise
Failure
Partials
Isometrics
Back Extension/ Glute Bridge
Yes
No
No
RDL/Good Mornings
No
No
No
Deadlifts (except RDL)
No
No
Yes
Low pull from hang
No
No
No
Power Snatch from the Hang
Yes
No
No
Bodyweight Squat
Yes
Yes
No
Goblet Squat
Yes
Yes
No
Box Squat
No
No
No
Leg Press
No
Yes
No
Bulgarian Split Squat
Yes
Yes
No
Back Squats
No
No
Yes
Front Squats
No
No
Yes
Walking Lunge
Yes
No
No
Overhead Squat
No
No
No
Squat Jump
No
No
No
HINGE
SQUAT
232
Exercise
Failure
Partials
Isometrics
Cable/Chest Supported/Seal/BarOne-arm
Dumbbell/Barbell Row
Yes
Yes
No
Pendlay Row
No
No
No
Kroc Row
Yes
No
No
Barbell Row/T-Bar Row/Trap Bar Row
No
No
Yes
Rubish Row
No
No
No
Pushup
Yes
Yes
No
Machine Press
Yes
Yes
No
Dumbbell Bench
Yes
Yes
No
Assisted Dips/ Cable Crossover
Yes
Yes
No
Close/Wide/Reverse/Incline/Decline Bench
No
Yes
Yes
Dips/Wide Dips
Yes
No
No
ROW
PUSH
233
PULL
Pulldown/Behind the neck pulldown/Standing Yes
Pullover
Yes
No
Pullup/Chinup/Wide Grip Pullup
Yes
Yes
No
Dumbbell Pullover
No
No
No
PRESS
Failure
Partials
Isometrics
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Yes
Yes
No
Arnold Press
Yes
Yes
No
Barbell Overhead Press
Yes
No
Yes
Klokov Press
Yes
No
Yes
Bradford Press
No
No
No
Push Press
Yes
No
No
Power/Split Jerk
Yes
No
No
234
SHOULDERS (ALL)
Yes
Yes
No
Seated Dumbbell/ Reverse Grip/ Preacher Yes
Curl/One-Arm Cable Curl/Cable Hammer
Curl
Yes
No
Barbell Curl
Yes
Yes
Yes
EXTEND (ALL)
Yes
Yes
No
ABS (ALL)
Yes
Yes
No
CALVES (ALL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
CURL
Exercise
Paused Reps
Eccentrics
Explosive Reps
Back Extension/ Glute Bridge
Yes
No
No
RDL/Good Mornings
Yes
No
No
Deadlifts (except RDL)
Yes
No
Yes
Low pull from hang
Yes
No
Always
Power Snatch from the Hang
Yes
No
Always
Bodyweight Squat
Yes
No
No
Goblet Squat
Yes
No
No
Box Squat
Yes
No
Yes
Leg Press
Yes
No
No
Bulgarian Split Squat
Yes
No
Yes
HINGE
SQUAT
235
Back Squats
Yes
No
Yes
Front Squats
Yes
No
Yes
Walking Lunge
Yes
No
No
Overhead Squat
Yes
No
No
Squat Jump
Yes
No
Always
Exercise
Paused Reps
Eccentrics
Explosive Reps
ROW
Cable/Chest
Supported/Seal/Bar/One-arm
Dumbbell/Barbell Row
Yes
No
No
Pendlay Row
Yes
No
No
Kroc Row
No
No
Yes
Barbell Row/T-Bar Row/Trap Bar Yes
Row
No
Yes
Rubish Row
No
No
Always
Pushup
Yes
No
Yes
Machine Press
Yes
Partner
No
Dumbbell Bench
Yes
Partner
Yes
Assisted Dips/ Cable Crossover
Yes
No
No
Close/Wide/Reverse/Incline/Decline
Bench
Yes
Partner
Yes
Dips/Wide Dips
Yes
Yes
No
Pulldown/Behind the neck pulldown/ Yes
Standing Pullover
Partner
No
Pullup/Chinup/Wide Grip Pullup
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dumbbell Pullover
Yes
No
No
PUSH
PULL
236
PRESS
Paused Reps
Eccentrics
Explosive Reps
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Yes
Partner
No
Arnold Press
Yes
Partner
No
Barbell Overhead Press
Yes
No
Yes
Klokov Press
Yes
No
No
Bradford Press
Yes
No
No
Push Press
Yes
No
Always
Power/Split Jerk
Yes
No
Always
SHOULDERS (ALL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grip/ Yes
Cable
Yes
No
Barbell Curl
Yes
Yes
Yes
EXTEND (ALL)
Yes
Yes
No
ABS (ALL)
Yes
No
No
CALVES (ALL)
Yes
No
No
CURL
Seated Dumbbell/ Reverse
Preacher
Curl/One-Arm
Curl/Cable Hammer Curl
237
238
Additional Strength Standards (Men)
Exercise
HINGE 10 Rep Max Back Extension
10 Rep Max Glute Bridge
Starter
30kg
60kg
Trained
60kg
120kg
Strong
80kg
140kg
239
10 Rep Max Romanian Deadlift
1 Rep Max Broad Jump
1 Rep Max Low Pull from the Hang
10 Rep Max Good Morning
SQUAT 10 Rep Max Leg Press
10 Rep Max Bulgarian Split Squat
20 Step Walking Lunge
1 Rep Max Vertical Jump
ROW 10 Rep Max Cable Row
10 Rep Max One-Arm Dumbbell Row
10 Rep Max Shrug
10 Rep Max T-Bar Row
10 Rep Max Pendlay Row
30 Rep Max Kroc Row
PUSH 10 Rep Max Fly
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Bench Press
10 Rep Max Incline Bench Press
10 Rep Max (Assisted/Wide) Dips
PULL 10 Rep Max Pulldown
10 Rep Max Standing Cable Pullover
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Pullover
10 Rep Max One-Arm Pulldown
PRESS 5 Rep Max Push Press
10 Rep Max Seated Dumbbell Press
SHOULDERS 20 Rep Max Face Pull
20 Rep Max Lateral raise
20 Rep Max Rear delt raise (any)
CURL 10 Rep Max Barbell Curl
10 Rep Max Reverse Grip Curl
10 Rep Max Barbell Preacher Curl
EXTEND 10 Rep Max Skullcrusher
10 Rep Max Cable Pushdown
10 Rep Max JM Press
10 Rep Max Overhead D. Extension
ABS 1 min Farmer’s Walk total wgt
Plank
10 Rep Max Pallov Press
40kg
1.80m
40kg
20kg
100kg
20kg
20kg
40cm
40kg
15kg
40kg
40kg
20kg
25kg
10kg
20kg
40kg
60kg
50kg
20kg
10kg
25kg
50kg
15kg
10kg
5kg
2.5kg
25kg
15kg
15kg
15kg
15kg
25kg
10kg
40kg
1 min
10kg
80kg
2.10m
80kg
40kg
200kg
40kg
40kg
50cm
60kg
25kg
80kg
60kg
40kg
35kg
15kg
30kg
50kg
80kg
80kg
30kg
20kg
40kg
70kg
20kg
15kg
10kg
7.5kg
35kg
25kg
25kg
25kg
25kg
40kg
15kg
60kg
2min
15kg
100kg
2.45m
100kg
60kg
300kg
60kg
60kg
60cm
80kg
35kg
100kg
80kg
60kg
45kg
20kg
40kg
70kg
100kg
100kg
40kg
30kg
50kg
80kg
25kg
20kg
12.5kg
10kg
45kg
30kg
30kg
35kg
35kg
60kg
20kg
80kg
4min
20kg
Exercise
HINGE 10 Rep Max Back Extension
10 Rep Max Glute Bridge
Beast
100kg
180kg
Hulk
120kg
220kg
Elite
140kg
260kg
240
10 Rep Max Romanian Deadlift
1 Rep Max Broad Jump
1 Rep Max Low Pull from the Hang
10 Rep Max Good Morning
SQUAT 10 Rep Max Leg Press
10 Rep Max Bulgarian Split Squat
20 Step Walking Lunge
1 Rep Max Vertical Jump
ROW 10 Rep Max Cable Row
10 Rep Max One-Arm Dumbbell Row
10 Rep Max Shrug
10 Rep Max T-Bar Row
10 Rep Max Pendlay Row
30 Rep Max Kroc Row
PUSH 10 Rep Max Fly
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Bench Press
10 Rep Max Incline Bench Press
10 Rep Max (Assisted/Wide) Dips
PULL 10 Rep Max Pulldown
10 Rep Max Standing Cable Pullover
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Pullover
10 Rep Max One-Arm Pulldown
PRESS 5 Rep Max Push Press
10 Rep Max Seated Dumbbell Press
SHOULDERS 20 Rep Max Face Pull
20 Rep Max Lateral raise
20 Rep Max Rear delt raise (any)
CURL 10 Rep Max Barbell Curl
10 Rep Max Reverse Grip Curl
10 Rep Max Barbell Preacher Curl
EXTEND 10 Rep Max Skullcrusher
10 Rep Max Cable Pushdown
10 Rep Max JM Press
10 Rep Max Overhead D. Extension
ABS 1 min Farmer’s Walk total wgt
Plank
10 Rep Max Pallov Press
120kg
2.75m
120kg
80kg
400kg
80kg
80kg
70cm
100kg
45kg
120kg
100kg
80kg
55kg
25kg
50kg
90kg
120kg
120kg
50kg
40kg
60kg
90kg
30kg
25kg
15kg
12.5kg
55kg
35kg
35kg
45kg
45kg
80kg
25kg
100kg
8min
25kg
150kg
3.05m
140kg
100kg
500kg
100kg
100kg
80cm
120kg
60kg
160kg
120kg
100kg
70kg
30kg
60kg
110kg
150kg
140kg
60kg
50kg
70kg
120kg
40kg
30kg
20kg
15kg
65kg
45kg
40kg
55kg
55kg
100kg
30kg
160kg
16min
30kg
Additional Strength Standards (Women)
Exercise
Starter
HINGE 10 Rep Max Back Extension
20kg
10 Rep Max Glute Bridge
40kg
Trained
40kg
80kg
180kg
3.35m
180kg
120kg
600kg
140kg
140kg
90cm
140kg
70kg
200kg
140kg
120kg
90kg
40kg
70kg
130kg
180kg
160kg
80kg
60kg
80kg
140kg
50kg
40kg
25kg
20kg
80kg
55kg
50kg
70kg
70kg
120kg
40kg
200kg
30min
40kg
Strong
50kg
100kg
241
10 Rep Max Romanian Deadlift
1 Rep Max Broad Jump
1 Rep Max Low Pull from the Hang
10 Rep Max Good Morning
SQUAT 10 Rep Max Leg Press
10 Rep Max Bulgarian Split Squat
20 Step Walking Lunge
1 Rep Max Vertical Jump
ROW 10 Rep Max Cable Row
10 Rep Max One-Arm Dumbbell Row
10 Rep Max Shrug
10 Rep Max T-Bar Row
10 Rep Max Pendlay Row
30 Rep Max Kroc Row
PUSH 10 Rep Max Fly
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Bench Press
10 Rep Max Incline Bench Press
10 Rep Max Dips/Wide Dips
PULL 10 Rep Max Pulldown
10 Rep Max Standing Cable Pullover
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Pullover
10 Rep Max One-Arm Pulldown
PRESS 5 Rep Max Push Press
10 Rep Max Seated Dumbbell Press
SHOULDERS 20 Rep Max Face Pull
20 Rep Max Lateral raise
20 Rep Max Rear delt raise (any)
CURL 10 Rep Max Barbell Curl
10 Rep Max Reverse Grip Curl
10 Rep Max Barbell Preacher Curl
EXTEND 10 Rep Max Skullcrusher
10 Rep Max Cable Pushdown
10 Rep Max JM Press
10 Rep Max Overhead D. Extension
ABS 1 min Farmer’s Walk total wgt
Plank
10 Rep Max Pallov Press
30kg
1m
30kg
15kg
60kg
10kg
10kg
20cm
20kg
10kg
20kg
20kg
10kg
15kg
5kg
10kg
20kg
30kg
25kg
10kg
5kg
15kg
25kg
7.5kg
10kg
2.5kg
2kg
15kg
10kg
10kg
15kg
15kg
15kg
5kg
20kg
1 min
5kg
50kg
1.3m
50kg
30kg
120kg
30kg
30kg
30cm
30kg
15kg
40kg
30kg
20kg
25kg
7.5kg
15kg
25kg
40kg
40kg
15kg
10kg
20kg
40kg
10kg
15kg
5kg
4kg
20kg
12.5kg
12.5kg
20kg
20kg
25kg
7.5kg
30kg
2min
10kg
60kg
1.5m
70kg
40kg
160kg
40kg
40kg
40cm
40kg
20kg
50kg
40kg
30kg
30kg
10kg
20kg
35kg
50kg
50kg
20kg
15kg
25kg
50kg
15kg
20kg
7.5kg
5kg
25kg
15kg
15kg
25kg
25kg
30kg
10kg
40kg
4min
15kg
242
Exercise
HINGE 10 Rep Max Back
Extension
10 Rep Max Glute Bridge
10 Rep Max Romanian Deadlift
1 Rep Max Broad Jump
1 Rep Max Low Pull from the
Hang
Beast
60kg
Hulk
80kg
Elite
100kg
120kg
80kg
1.8m
90kg
140kg
100kg
2m
110kg
160kg
120kg
2.2m
120kg
243
10 Rep Max Good Morning
SQUAT 10 Rep Max Leg Press
10 Rep Max Bulgarian Split Squat
20 Step Walking Lunge
1 Rep Max Vertical Jump
ROW 10 Rep Max Cable Row
10 Rep Max One-Arm Dumbbell
Row
10 Rep Max Shrug
10 Rep Max T-Bar Row
10 Rep Max Pendlay Row
30 Rep Max Kroc Row
PUSH 10 Rep Max Fly
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Bench Press
10 Rep Max Incline Bench Press
10 Rep Max Dips/Wide Dips
(total)
PULL 10 Rep Max Pulldown
10 Rep Max Standing Cable
Pullover
10 Rep Max Dumbbell Pullover
10 Rep Max One-Arm Pulldown
PRESS 5 Rep Max Push Press
10 Rep Max Seated Dumbbell
Press
SHOULDERS 20 Rep Max Face
Pull
20 Rep Max Lateral raise
20 Rep Max Rear delt raise (any)
CURL 10 Rep Max Barbell Curl
10 Rep Max Reverse Grip Curl
10 Rep Max Barbell Preacher Curl
EXTEND 10 Rep Max
Skullcrusher
10 Rep Max Cable Pushdown
10 Rep Max JM Press
10 Rep Max Overhead D.
Extension
ABS 1 min Farmer’s Walk total
wgt
Plank
10 Rep Max Pallov Press
50kg
200kg
50kg
50kg
50cm
50kg
25kg
60kg
240kg
60kg
60kg
60cm
60kg
30kg
80kg
280kg
70kg
70kg
70cm
70kg
35kg
60kg
50kg
40kg
35kg
12.5kg
25kg
45kg
60kg
80kg
70kg
50kg
40kg
15kg
30kg
55kg
70kg
100kg
90kg
60kg
45kg
20kg
35kg
65kg
80kg
60kg
25kg
70kg
30kg
80kg
35kg
20kg
30kg
60kg
20kg
25kg
35kg
70kg
25kg
30kg
40kg
80kg
30kg
25kg
30kg
35kg
10kg
7.5kg
30kg
20kg
20kg
30kg
12.5kg
10kg
40kg
25kg
25kg
35kg
15kg
12.5kg
50kg
30kg
30kg
40kg
30kg
40kg
12.5kg
35kg
50kg
15kg
40kg
60kg
17.5kg
50kg
60kg
80kg
8min
20kg
16min
25kg
30min
30kg
244
245
Acknowledgements
So, that’s it. You made it to the end. Or you skipped to the back and started
reading this way. Cheater. Go to the front! Do not pass GO! Do not collect
200$!
I’m just kidding, read this book however you want. It’s like a trampoline, it’s
meant to be able to jump around in.
First-and this list is in order of importance-I’d like to thank my wife. You’ve
been amazing throughout this whole process of me writing-on-a-website-andnot-making-any-money. Your support means the world to me and everything I
do is just to make you happy and proud. I love you.
Second, my first trainees, the ones who let me advise them even though I had
zero experience. You all took a leap of faith, and I’ll never forget you all.
Third, I’d like to thank my fans on Quora and elsewhere. You guys are great!
Thoughtful, inquisitive, supportive and thoroughly wonderful. Someone
answering questions is nothing without just that-the questions. Thank you for
asking. And thank you for being awesome.
Fourth, Baleaf. You guys came to me when I had a hundred followers and were
willing to put your faith in the fact that I had great content and was willing to
work my ass off.
Fifth, you. If you’re reading this, you’re likely past the free chum that Amazon
throws in the water. There are plenty of things to spend eight bucks on and I’m
honored and grateful that you chose this manuscript.
For feedback, feel free to add me on Instagram and shoot me a DM-good or
bad, I’d love to hear it. This is my first book, I wrote it alone, over a few
months, in a word document, on a whim, and there are bound to be errors and
imperfections.
Till next time
-Geoffrey Verity Schofield
246