Body-Comp Six Weeks to More Muscle, Less Fat, and Probably Some Extra Time In Front of the Mirror by
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They say you can’t do two things at once. They say you have to focus on a single goal. They say you can’t lose fat and gain muscle at the the same time. They say things like, “if you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” They console you with clichés and platitudes, like the idea that body transformation is, at best, “two steps forward, one step back, repeat.” Repeat ad infinitum, that is. Well, THEY got it wrong. What if you’re NOT doing two things things at once? What if you are focusing on a SINGLE goal? What if that one, SINGLE goal happens to be “get a better body— fast body— fast ?” ?” And what if, to you, a better body means more muscle AND less fat, at the same time? That’s one goal—one achievable goal—so far as I’m concerned. Let me just qualify this for a second. I’m not suggesting that you can gain muscle and lose fat as a rule. I’ve been at this game too long to believe that, that, and I’m too honest to try and convince convince you something that I don’t believe. I am not saying that a person who has never worked out can do a single program and wind up being a shredded bodybuilder. I am also not saying that the regular trainee who wants to look like Brad Pitt can do so using any run of the mill program from a muscle magazine. What I AM I AM saying saying is: under the right conditions, with the right program, for a short period of time, it is VERY possible to pack on a few pounds of muscle while dropping some fat. What I AM I AM saying saying is: it IS possible, with with the right program, program, for the right right period of time, to radically change your body. What I AM I AM saying saying is: is: this is that program. program. This is that time.
Enter: the BLITZ Body-Comp BLITZ is your 6-week rapid fire plan of attack, focusing on a single goal: full body re-composition. In other words, this program is not going to change what you weigh—it is going to revolutionize how you look.
Body-Comp Six Weeks to More Muscle, Less Fat, and Probably Some Extra Time In Front of the Mirror by
!"#$ &"'($)*++"
They say you can’t do two things at once. They say you have to focus on a single goal. They say you can’t lose fat and gain muscle at the the same time. They say things like, “if you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” They console you with clichés and platitudes, like the idea that body transformation is, at best, “two steps forward, one step back, repeat.” Repeat ad infinitum, that is. Well, THEY got it wrong. What if you’re NOT doing two things things at once? What if you are focusing on a SINGLE goal? What if that one, SINGLE goal happens to be “get a better body— fast body— fast ?” ?” And what if, to you, a better body means more muscle AND less fat, at the same time? That’s one goal—one achievable goal—so far as I’m concerned. Let me just qualify this for a second. I’m not suggesting that you can gain muscle and lose fat as a rule. I’ve been at this game too long to believe that, that, and I’m too honest to try and convince convince you something that I don’t believe. I am not saying that a person who has never worked out can do a single program and wind up being a shredded bodybuilder. I am also not saying that the regular trainee who wants to look like Brad Pitt can do so using any run of the mill program from a muscle magazine. What I AM I AM saying saying is: under the right conditions, with the right program, for a short period of time, it is VERY possible to pack on a few pounds of muscle while dropping some fat. What I AM I AM saying saying is: it IS possible, with with the right program, program, for the right right period of time, to radically change your body. What I AM I AM saying saying is: is: this is that program. program. This is that time.
Enter: the BLITZ Body-Comp BLITZ is your 6-week rapid fire plan of attack, focusing on a single goal: full body re-composition. In other words, this program is not going to change what you weigh—it is going to revolutionize how you look.
Body-Comp BLITZ is beginners get into shape. Nor is BLITZ is not a catch all program designed to help beginners it a super-advanced program that only elite level athletes can use.
This program is for YOU – the person working out who wants wants to take their physique physique to the next level. Forget 2 steps forward, forward, 1 step back. In the next 6 weeks , Body-Comp BLITZ is going to propel you 5 steps closer to your goal of having a body that makes you resent having to wear clothes in public. Which, by the the way, is a law they actually actually enforce. If you were wondering. wondering.
The Program
With a combination of heavy lifting, explosive movements, dynamic dynamic exercises, and bodyweight BLITZ has been used to strip off anywhere between 5-10 pounds of fat training, Body-Comp BLITZ has while ADDING some muscle mass, due to careful programming. The BCB program is designed with a few things in mind: stimulating muscle tissue to create an environment suitable for muscle growth; and increasing the overall metabolic process to burn fat without entering into an energy deficit that would make hypertrophy impossible. To that end, you will spend the next 6 weeks training 3 days per week, on a program that rotates 7 unique workouts based on 4 different training methods. That sounds like a lot of weird math, but ignore that. Focus instead on this math: if you lost 5 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle, you’d weigh the same…but can you even begin to imagine how good you would look? Can you mentally calculate the kind of impact changing your body composition in that way has on your physique? No need. You’ll find find out in 6 weeks.
Body-Comp BLITZ Methods
Heavy Training Lifting heavy weight is an integral part of training for muscle growth. An in depth discussion of the process by which training stimulus results in muscular hypertrophy is a bit beyond the scope of this discussion; discussion; however, it must be mentioned that training with heavy loads (roughly 60-80% 1RM) has certain benefits. benefits. Chief among these is an obvious obvious increase in strength. strength.
In addition, heavy training—used properly—has tremendous applications to increasing size. Although lifting heavy necessitates utilizing lower reps, by keeping the volume (relatively) high with a great number of total sets, we allow for enough microtrauma to induce hypertrophy. On top of that, the aforementioned strength increase allows us to lift more weight when we use higher rep training, allowing for continued future gains. If that weren’t enough, enough, there are hormonal considerations considerations as well. That is, heavy lifting (particularly with larger muscle groups) releases a lot of our favorite hormones: testosterone, IGF-1, and Growth Growth Hormone. These hormones increase increase both the rate of hypertrophy hypertrophy and the speed at which you lose fat. Finally, training training with heavy loads increases both both neurogenic neurogenic and myogenic myogenic muscle tone. The more relevant of these two is myogenic, which can be defined as residual tension in in a muscle at rest. That is, once you are lean enough, enough, having a high level of myogenic myogenic muscle tone will give you a harder, leaner, more impressive physique—the physique—the lithe, fit look of an athlete we all want.
Descending Pyramid Training Pyramid training is a method that has been used for decades by some of the world’s most successful athletes. In fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger Schwarzenegger was an advocate and and used pyramids extensively in his training. The idea of pyramids is pretty simple: do short sets with descending numbers of reps, allowing you to do perform a good deal of work in minimal time, all while having built in rest periods. Here is an example with bicep curls: curl a weight with you left arm 5 times, then with your right arm 5 times. Then 4 with your your left, followed followed by 4 with your right. right. Repeat for 3, 2, and and 1. This is a rather clever c lever protocol when you use the right weight. In the example above, let us say you were using your your 10 rep max, which in a dumbbell curl might be 25 pounds. If you perform a normal set of 10 reps, you are lifting a total of 250 pounds (10 reps X 25 pounds = 250 pounds lifted). Not too bad. Let us say you use that same weight for a descending pyramid. You are lifting that same 25 pounds, pounds, but for a total of 15 reps (5 +4+3+2+1 = 15). You are able to lift your 10RM for 15 reps because of the rest periods that are built into the protocol, and so you
are able to recover and keep working. More to the point, over that set, you will have lifted a total of 375 pounds. With descending pyramids, you are doing more work, more reps with a weight you normally could not lift that number of times, all for more total weight lifted; given those factors it is not difficult to see how this method can lead to significant muscle growth.
In addition, because you are doing more work with challenging weight, and more work overall, this is a very calorically expensive training method; of obvious benefit for fat loss, nutrient partitioning, and body re-composition.
Bodyweight Training Before the inception of weights, machines, genetic engineering, time travel, light sabers, or the Internet, people who wanted to get big and strong had to train using only their bodyweight. Although it originated out of “necessity,” this training method continues to be used because of its efficacy. The methodology of bodyweight training has a long and storied history, particularly in military settings. From the Spartans to the Romans to the Navy SEALS, bodyweight only training has been a consistent component of the methods of nearly every military organization from antiquity to the present. Admittedly, this is due in part to the inexpensive nature and the inherent convenience of not needing any equipment and being able to perform these exercises anywhere. However, expense and convenience notwithstanding, bodyweight workouts are undeniably effective for everyone from new recruits to drill sergeants. Outside of being used in the training of the world’s greatest warriors, bodyweight workouts continue to be used in the athletic training world, and are a key component of many of the best fat loss and muscle gain programs available, anywhere—like this one. Within the context of the Body-Comp BLITZ program, bodyweight training was included for two reasons. Firstly, the aforementioned fact that bodyweight exercises have been empirically proven to be effective. Secondly, (speaking generally) bodyweight exercises are fundamentally different from most weight bearing exercises—even when the same muscles or movement patterns are involved. As an example, I don’t think anyone would debate that there is a tremendous difference between a bodyweight pull-up and a machine pull-down.
This fact remains true despite the fact that the same muscles—the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, et al.—are involved; this will also remain true if one were to use the same load. That is, use weight on the pull-down comparable to your bodyweight, which acts as the load on the pull-up. Of course, this raises the question: why are they different? Most bodybuilders or athletes or general gym d-bags will tell you it’s a matter of pull-ups being “hardcore” and pull-downs being kind of a wussy exercise. That argument is obviously not grounded in science, but the reasons why it is stupid isn’t really relevant to your goals. Instead, let’s focus on something substantial. Bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges, and the like belong to a group of movements known as “closed kinetic chain exercises.” These are exercises performed where the hand or foot is fixed or in constant contact with a surface, and does not move relative to the body. Speaking generally, you are moving your body towards or away from an object Compare these with exercises like the pull-down, bench press, leg press, or leg curls, which are known as “open kinetic chain exercises.” In contrast to CKCEs, open chain kinetic exercises are performed without the movement hand or foot being fixed, and instead allow movement relative to body position. In this case, you are moving something either towards or away from your body. This differentiation is of vital importance when considered within the context of a complete training paradigm. Going back to the example of the pull-up (CKCE) versus the pull-down (OCKE) we want look at the total picture. Physiologically, pull-ups require more in the way of coordinative ability and stabilization. More importantly: from a neurological standpoint, there is a tremendous difference between pulling yourself towards a fixed object and pulling an object towards yourself in a fixed position. While a complete discussion of what those differences are is a bit beyond the scope of this writing, there is a central point to make: incorporating bodyweight closed kinetic chain exercises into training programs stimulates your nervous system in a way that is completely different from open chain kinetic exercises. This has numerous benefits. Exposing your nervous system to different types of stimuli helps to increase overall neurological efficiency; therefore doing CKC exercises like a push-up will have carryover to and help with increases in OKC exercises like the bench press. Over time, this will help you increase both strength and mass.
In addition, the neurological stimulation activates muscle tissue in a different way, allowing for greater total recruitment. This is great for hypertrophy, but also increases energy expenditure and fat loss.
High Speed Dynamic Training Dynamic training is probably the largest part of what we do for fat loss at my facility. In fact, the idea of Dynamism is one of the main components of what makes the training protocols at Roman Fitness Systems. Because it is a somewhat nebulous term, I’ll just briefly describe how we use the phrase “dynamic training” within the context of our fitness programs. For Roman Fitness Systems, dynamism is essentially the principle of using movement to increase the ability to move. That is, using a combination of explosive exercises, speed drills, and numerous varietals of traditional methods, we seek to improve explosiveness, agility, dexterity, and mobility. This of course is all while focusing on fat loss, muscle gain, or both. With Dynamic training, we seek to use as many compound exercises, hybrid and combination movements and complexes as possible to meet our goals. Nearly every exercise is performed standing, and the majority of the selection of exercise have the idea of increased movement involved. Suffice it to say that my belief is this: if your goal is decreased fat or increased fitness, you are doing yourself a grave disservice if you are performing even 20% of your exercises with your feet rooted to the ground, you are probably getting 50% of the results you could be. With Body-Comp BLITZ in particular, almost all of the workouts have a lot of built in dynamism. So, to spice things up a bit, the dedicated Dynamic Training sessions each have an upper or lower body focus. Not only will these workouts be incredible for losing fat quickly, they will also allow for a good deal of muscle growth. As an added benefit, because of the structure of the dynamic training sessions, they are also somewhat intentioned to increase overall strength endurance. That is, you will be able to do more reps with a given weight at the conclusion of Body-Comp BLITZ, which has implications for further hypertrophy down the line.
Cardio Concerns Okay, so it’s a fat loss program. Obviously I can’t let you get away without doing a little cardio. Don’t bitch too much, it’s actually not bad. I’m not going to write too much about it, because the only thing lamer than having to do cardio is writing about having to do cardio. You’ll be doing one High Intensity Interval Training cardio workout per week, and one moderate intensity cardio session per week. Both are included, so just do them on the assigned days and watch the fat melt off. You may whine about doing cardio for the next 3 seconds. 3… 2… 1… Okay, done. Enjoy your cardio.
!"# % &#'()* +#,,-./, Workout 1 – Heavy Training
Circuit A Set-Up: Casually Alternate between A1 and A2; once again, there is no need to time rest periods, just don’t waste time hanging out by the cardio area trying to catch the attention of that chick on the elliptical—she has a boyfriend. Trust me, I asked. After your last set of deadlifts, perform mountain climbers for 120 seconds. A1) – Push Press – 6x6 A2) – Deadlift – 6x4 Mountain Climbers – 2 minutes Circuit B – Perform B1, B2, B3 sequentially, resting 60 seconds between exercises and 180 seconds between circuits. Perform this circuit 5 times, for a total of 5 sets each exercise.
B1) Barbell Bent Over Row – 5x5 B2) Barbell Front Squat – 5x5 B3) Push-up Position Plank – 5x45 seconds Circuit C – Alternate between exercises, resting 30 seconds between each. Perform this circuit twice, then proceed to the jump rope. C1) – Alternating Reverse Lunges – 2x25 C2)—Explosive Push-Ups – 2 x as many reps as possible Finish this workout with 5-10 minutes of jump rope work, performed as quickly and efficiently as you can. Only rest when you mess up and catch your shoe with the rope. Rest a minimally as possible, and continue.
Workout 2 – Descending Pyramids A) Same Side Dynamic Lunges Sets: 5 Reps: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Set-Up: Using your 10 rep max, perform 5 forward dynamic lunges with your left leg, then 5 for your right leg, then 4 for your left leg, etc. Coin This circuit is to be performed twice, with 60 seconds of rest between them. After the second circuit, proceed immediately to Circuit B.
B1) Plank B2) Push-Ups Sets: 5 Set-up: Perform a plank for 30 seconds, then 20 push-ups. Without rest, transition back to the plank and hold for 25 seconds, follow by 15 pushups. Perform a plank for 20 seconds followed by 10 pushups. Perform a plank for 15 seconds followed by 5 pushups. Perform a plank for 10 seconds followed by as many pushups as possible. Perform this circuit only once. Rest 120 seconds and proceed to C circuit. C1) Bicep Curl C2) Dumbbell Top-Squat C3) Overhead Press Sets: 6 Reps: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Perform 6 bicep curls. At the top of the last curl, secure the dumbbells on your shoulders and perform 6 dumbbell top-squats. At the apex of your last squat, press the dumbbells overhead for 6 reps. Drop the dumbbells back down to your sides, and perform 5 bicep curls. Proceed this way until you have completed all reps. This circuit is to be performed twice, with 60 seconds of rest between each. After the second circuit, proceed immediately to Circuit D.
D1: Bulgarian Split Squat D2: Front Raise Sets: 4 Reps: 4, 3, 2, 1 This circuit is to be performed three times, resting 30 se conds between each circuit.
Finish this workout with 5-10 minutes of jump rope work, performed as quickly and efficiently as you can. Only rest when you mess up and catch your shoe with the rope. Rest a minimally as possible, and continue.
Workout 3- Bodyweight Only Training (With Pulse Reps)
A1) Parallel Bar Dips with Pauses – 15 reps Description: Pause 1 second at the bottom of each movement, and 2 seconds at the top
A2) Push-Up Position Plank – 30 seconds core
Description: In the locked out position of a push-up, hold a plank f or 30 seconds. Focus on keeping your as tight as possible and your body in a perfectly straight line.
A3) Spiderman Lunges – 10 reps each Leg A4) Push-Ups – 15-20 reps A5) Push-Up Position Plank – 30 seconds A6) Pulse Push-Ups - Failure Description: Instead of doing full push-ups, perform only ! of the range of motion. That is, from push yourself only from the floor to ! of the way for as many reps as possible
Perform A1-A6 sequentially. Do not rest between exercises, but rather transition smoothly from one to then next. Rest 60 seconds and move on to circuit B. B1) Single Leg Romanian Deadlift – 20 reps per leg Description: Perform 20 consecutive reps for one leg, then the other. Focus on form and move slowly. Concentrate on flexing and squeezing the working hamstring on your way up.
B2) Reverse Lunges with Pulse Reps – 10 reps/20 pulses Description: Perform 20 consecutive reps for one leg; after the last rep, perform 20 pulses motion. Repeat for the other leg.
B3) Plank – 60 second B4) Mountain Climbers – 60 seconds
at the top of the range of
Perform this circuit twice, resting 60 seconds between each. Rest 120 seconds and proceed to circuit C.
C1) Pull-Ups – As many reps as possible C2) Push-Up Position Plank – 30 seconds C3) Chin-Ups – As many reps as possible C4) Inverted Rows, Pulse Reps Only – 25 pulses the
Description: From the top of the Range of Motion (chest touching bar), lower yourself ! of the way and pull back up without pausing. Repeat this rapidly for 25 reps. Focus on flexing and squeezing all of the muscle of your upper back for entire set.
Perform this circuit twice, resting 180 between each. During this rest period, perform the abdominal exercise of your choice.
Workout 4 – High Speed Dynamic Training with Upper Body Focus
A1) Incline DB Chest Press -10 reps A2) DB Row on Incline Bench – 10 reps A3) DB Squat (both dumbbells) – 10 reps A4) DB Reverse Lunges (both DBs) – 10 reps each leg A5) Incline DB Chest Press – 10 reps A6) Single Arm DB Row – 10 reps each arm A7) DB Squat (single DB) – 10 reps A8) Single Arm DB Row – 10 reps each arm Set-Up: These exercises are to be performed back to back, with a little rest as possible, using the same dumbbells for the entire circuit. Perform the incline chest press, then flip over on the bench and perform a set of chest supported DB rows; stand up and perform 10 squats with those same dumbbells. Without resting, transition immediately into the alternating reverse lunges. After the lunges do another set of chest presses, then use the bench as support for a single arm, single DB bent row. Using that same dumbbell, perform 10 squats, then 10 more single arm DB bent rows. Vomit. Rest 3 minutes, and repeat this circuit one more time. Rest 3 minutes, and proceed to B. B1) Seated Over Head Press – 6 reps B2) Alternating Forward Lunges – 6 reps each leg B3) Low Incline DB Chest Press – 6 reps B4) DB Rows on Incline Bench – 6 reps
B5) DB Romanian Deadlifts – 10 reps B6) DB Push Press – 6 reps Set-Up: The same as circuit A. Transition as quickly as possible with as little rest as possible between exercises. You should use weights roughly 10-15% heavier than your A circuit. Perform this circuit 3 times, resting 2 minutes between each. After your second circuit, rest 3 minutes, and proceed to circuit C C1) Wide Grip Pull-Ups – 5-10 C2) Wide Spaced Push-Ups – 10-15 C3) Narrow Grip Pull-Ups – 5-10 C4) Narrow Spaced Push-Ups – 10-15 C5) Wide Grip Pull-Ups – As Many Reps as Possible Perform this circuit only once. Finish this session with the abdominal training of your choice.
Workout 5 – Heavy Training
Circuit A Set-Up: Casually Alternate between A1 and A2; there is no need to time your rest periods, but if more than half a song on your iPod has gone by, you’re being a little bitch. Pick it up. After your last set, proceed to the jumping jacks. I hope you wore compression shorts, or your junk is going to be flopping about rather tastelessly. A1) – High Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 8x3 A2) – Wide Grip Weighted Pull Up – 8x3-5 Jumping Jacks – 500 Circuit B – Perform 5 sets of hack squats, resting about 60-90 seconds in between each. If you find you need longer rest periods, utilize the time with by performing one set of 10-15 reps of the abdominal exercise of your choice. Don’t dilly dally. Immediately after your last set, perform the jump squat for two minutes. This is a contrast method that allows for increased fiber recruitment due to something called post-activation potentiation. After your jump squats, rest 60 seconds and perform 5 more sets of hack squats. B) Barbell Hack Squat (minor heel elevation) – 5x5 Jump Squats – as many as possible in 120 seconds – rest 60 seconds. B) Barbell Hack Squat (minor heel elevation) 5x5
Circuit C – Alternate between exercises, resting 30 seconds between each. Perform this circuit twice, then proceed to the jump rope. C1) – Low Incline Neutral Grip Bench Press 2x25 C2)—Inverted Row with 1 second pause at top – 2 x as many reps as possible Finish this workout with 5-10 minutes of jump rope work, performed as quickly and efficiently as you can. Only rest when you mess up and catch your shoe with the rope. Rest a minimally as possible, and continue.
Workout 6 – Descending Pyramids A) Bulgarian Split Squat Sets: 6 Reps: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Set-Up: Using your 12 rep max, perform 6 Bulgarian Split Squats with your left leg, then 6 for your right leg, then 5 for your left leg, etc. You wind up doing 21 reps for each leg, so you are exposing yourself to nearly 60% more stimulus than normal. This circuit is to be performed twice, with 60 seconds of rest between them. After the second circuit, proceed immediately to Circuit B.
B1) Hand Walk-Outs B2) Jump Squats Sets: 8 Reps: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Set-up: Perform 8 hand walk-outs, moving back and forth as quickly as you can. At the end of your last rep, stand up, and perform 8 jump squats. Immediately proceed back to hand walk-outs for 7 reps, followed by 7 jump squats. Follow this method until you have completed all reps for all sets. Perform this circuit only once. Rest 90-120 seconds and proceed to C circuit. C) Push-Up/Renegade Row Combo Sets: 4 Reps: 4, 3, 2, 1
Perform 4 push-ups (on dumbbells), then 4 renegade rows with your right arm. Perform 4 more pushups, then 4 renegade rows with your left arm. Perform 3 push-ups, then 3 renegade rows with your right arm. Continue this pattern until you have completed all sets
This circuit is to be performed 3 times, with 60 seconds of rest between each. After the third circuit, proceed immediately to Circuit D.
D1) Squat-to-Press Description: holding dumbbells at shoulder level, perform a single squat; at the top of the squat, press the dumbbells over head for a shoulder press. Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder level.
D2) Push-Up Position Plank Sets: 6 Reps: 6/30sec, 5/25sec, 4/20sec, 3/15sec, 2/10sec, 1/5sec Set-Up: Perform 6 Squat-to-Presses, then put the dumbbells down and get into a push-up position plank. Hold this for 30 seconds. Pick up the dumbbells and perform 5 Squat –to-Presses, then hold a plank for 25 seconds. Repeat this pattern until all sets are completed. This circuit is to be performed twice, resting 120 seconds between each circuit.
Finish this workout with 5-10 minutes of jump rope work, performed as quickly and efficiently as you can. Only rest when you mess up and catch your shoe with the rope. Rest a minimally as possible, and continue.
Workout 7 – High Speed Dynamic Training with Lower Body Focus
A1) Alternating Forward Lunges - 15 reps each leg A2) Standing Overhead Press – 10 reps A3) DB Squat (both dumbbells) – 10-15 reps A4) Single Arm DB Row – 10 reps each arm A5) Alternating Reverse Lunges – 10 each leg A6) Single DB Squat – 12 reps
Set-Up: These exercises are to be performed back to back, with a little rest as possible, using the same dumbbells for the entire circuit. This circuit is to be performed 2 times, with 120 seconds rest between. After y B1) Standing Overhead Press – 8 reps B2) Alternating Forward Lunges – 8 reps each leg B3) DB Step-Ups onto Bench – 6 reps each leg B4) DB Flat Bench Press – 6 reps B5) Single DB Squat – 12 reps
Set-Up: The same as circuit A. Transition as quickly as possible with as little rest as possible between exercises. Perform this circuit 3 times, resting 2 minutes between each. After your second circuit, rest 3 minutes, and proceed to circuit C C1) Right Leg Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat – 20 reps C2) Right Leg Bodyweight Step-Up – 15 reps C3) Right Leg Bodyweight Single Leg Squat to Bench – 5-10 reps C4) Left Leg Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat – 20 reps C5) Left Leg Bodyweight Step-Up – 15 reps C6) Left Leg Bodyweight Single Leg Squat to Bench – 5-10 reps
Set-up: Perform These exercises sequentially, resting 15 seconds between each. As listed, perform all exercises for one leg, then all for the other. Focus on form and try to complete all reps, despite the fact that it’ll hurt worse than the time you had to run the mile in 7 th grade and you puked on your shirt in front of the 8 th grade girls soccer team and everyone called you Retching Roman for 2 years. Not that that happened to me, I’m just saying theoretically, it is possible you may have gone through something like that. Anyway, perform this only once. Rest 60 seconds and proceed to circuit D
D1) Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlift – 10 reps D2) Barbell Stationary Lunge – 10 reps D3) Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlift – 8 reps per leg D4) Barbell Stationary Lunge – 8 reps per leg Set-up: Perform these two exercises alternately, resting 60 seconds between each. After your first set, increase the weight by 15% and perform a second set of each, resting 90 seconds between each. This circuit is to be performed once. Finish this session with the abdominal training of your choice.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Cardio Workout Warmup – 4 min jog Work
Rest
30
10
20
10
20
20
10
30
10
10
10
10
10
50
10
60
20
60
10
40 30
Cooldown: 2 minute Jog, 1 min walk The number on the left represents your work-time—that is, the amount of seconds you sprint. The number on the right is the amount of time you rest. Just go to a track, sprint for the prescribed amount of seconds, and for “rest” just slow it down to a walk or very slow jog. When the rest time runs out, kick it back into a sprint. Complete all of the work:rest segments, and finish up with a full sprint for 30 seconds. After that, cool down.
20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout
0-/12#
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567
1
Warm up
3 out of 10
2
Warm up
4 out of 10
3
Warm up
4 out of 10
4
Moderate
6 out of 10
5
Moderate
6 out of 10
6
Hard
8 out of 10
7
Moderate
5 out of 10
8
Hard
7 out of 10
9
Moderate
4 out of 10
10
Hard
8 out of 10
11
Easy
3 out of 10
12
Hard
7 out of 10
13
Moderate
5 out of 10
14
Moderate
5 out of 10
15
Easy
4 out of 10
16
Moderate
6 out of 10
17
Crazy!
10 out of 10
18
Dying
2 out of 10
19
Less Dead
4 out of 10
20
That wasn’t so bad
3 out of 10
The above is your 20 minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout. You can tell, because I cleverly labeled it “20 minute moderate intensity cardio workout.” I know my classification system is somewhat advanced, but if you’ve stuck with me so far in the program, I trust you to keep up. This is to be performed on a scale of subjective intensity. I like to use what we call the “Rate of Perceived Exertion.” Basically, this is trainer talk for “How Much This Sucks.” So the warm up, boring though it might be, is just a walk, which on a scale of 1-10 only sucks at like a 3. Towards the end of the workout you do an all out sprint, which after 16 minutes of fluctuating difficulty, sucks a whole lot. It’s pretty self explanatory. So anyway, as you can tell, I generally feel that cardio is pretty lame. But it does help a bit in fat loss. Of course, I’ve said time and again I don’t think moderate intensity cardio is as good for fat loss as HIIT; so why include it in the program? Well, simply put, because adding more high intensity stuff on top of the program would probably kill you. Or, at least, push you a bit towards over training. Basically, moderate intensity cardio is a nice way to keep the fat loss going without breaking you down too much. In addition, low and moderate intensity cardio workouts actually aid a bit in recovery, particularly from leg workouts. Still though—seriously, it’s lame.
The Schedule Below is a complete layout of how you will be spending the next 6 weeks. While it is not written in stone, it IS written in the blood of a 7 th son of a 7 th son. I had to fight 3 dragons and 2 Jedi to get to him, so the blood was valuable. Given that, try to follow the schedule as closely as possible, but make changes if you need to. It’s not like I put a lot of thought into this or anything. Whatever. Week 1 Monday – Workout 1 Tuesday – HIIT Cardio Wednesday – Workout 2 Thursday – OFF
Friday – Workout 3 Saturday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Sunday – Light physical activity (walk, jog) during the day Week 2 Monday – Workout 4 Tuesday - OFF Wednesday – Workout 5 Thursday – HIIT Cardio Friday – Workout 6 Saturday - OFF Sunday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Week 3 Monday – Workout 7 Tuesday – HIIT Cardio Wednesday – Workout 1 Thursday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Friday – Workout 2 Saturday - OFF Sunday - OFF Week 4 Monday – Workout 3 Tuesday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Wednesday – Workout 4 Thursday - OFF Friday – Workout 5 Saturday – HIIT Cardio Sunday – Light Physical activity Week 5 Monday – Workout 6 Tuesday – HIIT Cardio Wednesday – Workout 7 Thursday - OFF Friday – Workout 1 Saturday – Light Physical Activity Sunday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Week 6 Monday – Workout 2 Tuesday – HIIT Cardio
Wednesday – Workout 3 Thursday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout Friday – Light physical activity Saturday – Workout 4 Sunday – 20 Minute Moderate Intensity Cardio Workout
Week 7
Monday – email me at
[email protected] and tell me about your experience with the program Tuesday – spend time in front of the mirror. Take some pics. Facebook time.
Barbell Front Squat (“Bodybuilder Grip”) • With a barbell across the front of your shoulders, hold the bar with your arms crossed. • Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
Single Leg Squat to Bench • Stand with your feet slightly greater than shoulder-width apart. • Pick one foot off the ground and extend that foot forward, and extend the arms for balance • Flex your abs and begin the movement at the hips. Squat slowly and focus on balance. • Squat until your hamstrings brush the bench, but do not sit. • Reverse the movement and surge upwards, using your glutes, hamstrings and quads • Complete all the given repetitions for one leg and then switch.
Single Dumbbell Squat • Clasp a dumbbell in front of you in both hands stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
Dumbell Top-squat • Balancing dumbbells on shoulders, stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
Dumbbell Squat • Holding dumbbells at your sides, stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
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Bulgarian Split Squat • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Place the instep of one foot on a bench. Step forward with the other foot, taking a slightly larger than normal step. • Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position. • Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. • Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat. • Push up to the upright position. Stay in a split-squat stance. • Perform all reps for one leg and then switch
Barbell Squat • With a barbell across your shoulders, stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
Barbell Front Squat (“Clean Grip”) • With a barbell across the front of your shoulders, hold the bar with the tips of your fingers as if you just finished a clean. • Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width • Begin by forcing your hips as far back as possible –think of trying to sit in a chair. • Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position. • Drive upwards with your glutes, hamstrings, and qu adriceps to return to a standing position.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL) • Holding dumbbells at your side, stand with feet roughly shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bend • During the entire exercise, maintain bent knees, tight core, and keep your head up. It helps to find a focal point on the wall in front of you and stare at it. •Pivot at the waist--push your butt back while keeping the knees stationary and your back flat and lower DBs towards the floor. Keep the ‘bells as close to your shins as possible. • Reverse the movement before your back starts to round. • Drive forward at the hips to stand up.
Step-Up • Stand facing a bench. Place one foot on the bench and the other on the floor. • Flex your abs and glutes and begin stepping up. Focus on trying to drive your heel through the bench. • Lower your body under control; touch the ground lightly and surge back upwards • Complete all reps for one side, then the other. • You can vary intensity by adjusting step height, or holding weight (DB’s shown)
Dumbbell Stationary Lunge with Front Foot Elevated • Stand in a Lunge position, with right foot elevated on a step. Make sure to drive the toe of the back foot into the ground for maintenance of balance • Slowly descend until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee nearly touches the ground • Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat. • Push yourself back into the standing, but stay in a lunge stance. • Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.
Spiderman Lunge • Start in the top of the push-up position. • Keeping your abs flexed, lift your right foot and bring your knee up outside of your shoulder and touch your foot to the ground. Aim to get your foot at close to your hand as possible. • Return the leg to the starting position • Alternate sides until you complete all of the required repetitions. • Throughout the set, try to focus on not allowing your torso and hips to rotate too heavily. Stay straight and stable.
Reverse Lunge from Step • Stand on a step or small platform with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Flex the abs and glutes. In a single, fluid motion step backward with left leg, allowing the toe to touch the ground, and lower yourself down with the right leg supporting the body weight. Stop when the right thigh is parallel to the floor and the left knee nearly touches. • Return to the start position by surging forward with the right leg, focusing on the glutes and hamstrings.
Reverse Lunge • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Flex the abs and glutes. In a single, fluid motion step backward with left leg, allowing the toe to touch the ground, and lower yourself down with the right leg supporting the body weight. Stop when the right thigh is parallel to the floor and the left knee nearly touches. • Return to the start position by surging forward with the right leg, focusing on the glutes and hamstrings.
Lateral Lunge • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Take a large stride laterally to the left with your left leg • Allow your left leg to bend and your right leg to straighten completely • Keep your abs flexed and your lower back flat. • Push explosively back towards the middle with your left leg to return to the starting position.
Jump Lunge
Stand in a lunged position with you right leg forward and your left leg back Quickly dip into a full lunge, and jump explosively upwards While in the air, bring your right leg back and your left leg forward As you land, allow the force of your descent to bring you back into a fully lunged position Immediate reverse direction and explode up again, switching leg position in the air Repeat for all reps or time
Forward Lunge • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Take a large stride forward with your left leg. • Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground. • Keep your abs flexed and your lower back flat. • Push backwards with your left leg to return to the upright position.
Forward Lunge onto Step • Set up a step or small platform in front of you • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart • Take a large stride forward with right leg. • Lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground. • Keep your abs flexed and your lower back flat. • Push backwards with your right leg to return to the upright position
DB Pullover • Lie on bench set up perpendicular to your body. Only rest your upper back and neck on the bench. The top of your head and bulk of your body will be unsupported. •Hold a dumbbell over your chest. Your arms should be extended with a tiny bend in the elbow • Maintaining the bend in your elbow, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until you feel a good stretch in the lats and upper chest. • Using your lats and chest, bring the dumbbell back to the start position.
Inverted Rows (standard) • In a smith machine, power cage, or squat rack, set a bar to roughly hip height • Lie underneath the bar and take a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. • Focusing on flexing your lats and upper back, pull yourself upward until your collar bone touches the bar • Slowly lower yourself to the start position. • During the set, make sure to keep you abs tight and your body in a straight line
Inverted Rows with High Incline (easier) • In a smith machine, power cage, or squat rack, set a bar to roughly chest height • Lie underneath the bar and take a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. • Focusing on flexing your lats and upper back, pull yourself upward until your collar bone touches the bar • Slowly lower yourself to the start position. • During the set, make sure to keep you abs tight and your body in a straight line
Beginner Inverted Rows • In a smith machine, power cage, or squat rack, set a bar to roughly hip height • Lie underneath the bar with your knees bent at 90* take a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. • Focusing on flexing your lats and upper back, pull yourself upward until your collar bone touches the bar • Slowly lower yourself to the starting position. • During the set, make sure to keep you abs tight and your body in a straight line
Side-to-Side Push-Up
Place your hands on the ground spaced slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Bracing your abs, lower yourself towards the right, focusing on moving slowly and maintaining balance Pause for a moment, then drive with your right hand, pushing your body upwards and back towards the center. Pause for a moment. Lower your body towards the left side, then drive through your left arm, pushing upwards towards the middle.
Alternating Push-Up with Medicine Ball
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with your right hand on the ground and your left hand on the medicine ball. Lower yourself down, then perform a push up, focusing on driving with equal force through both arms. When your right arm locks out, brace your abs and roll the ball with your left arm to the right. Place your left hand on the ground, and shift your weight and body position to receive the ball with your right hand. Lower yourself down, and perform another push-up.
Decline Push-Up • Place hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width, with feet elevated on a bench. • Slowly lower yourself down until you are roughly 2 inches off the ground. • Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position. .
Push-up • Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. • Slowly lower yourself down until your che st brushes the ground. • Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position.
Pike Push-Up
Place your hands on the ground spaced slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Walk your feet about 6 inches closer to your hands than in a regular push-up. Angle your torso down and your hips up. Your shoulders will be leaning towards the ground and your butt sticking up in the air. Lower yourself to the ground until your face nearly touches the floor. Drive through the chest, shoulders, and triceps, locking out at the top of the movement.
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press • Lie on a bench with the backrest inclined at 45-60 degrees. • Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms turned toward your feet. • Lower the dumbbells to chest level, allowing for a good stretch at the bottom. • Press the dumbbells upwards, while focusing on flexing the chest as hard as you can.
Dumbbell Chest Press on Stability • Lie on a stability ball with only your upper back, neck, and head on the ball. Maintain a tight core, and keep your glutes flexed. This will stabilize your body throughout the movement. • Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms turned toward your feet. • Lower the dumbbells to chest level, allowing for a good stretch at the bottom. • Press the dumbbells upwards, while focusing on flexing the chest as hard as you can.
Flat Dumbbell Chest Press • Lie on a bench with the backrest set to a flat position. • Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms turned toward your feet. • Lower the dumbbells to chest level. Focus on flexing the chest, and press the dumbbells straight up.
Standing Dumbbell Y-Press
Stand with dumbbells at shoulder height with abs braced and glutes flexed. Press upwards and outwards in Y motion, aiming to achieve a 45 degree angle with you arms. Pause for a brief second, then pull the dumbbells back inwards.
Barbell Upright Row
Take hold of a barbell with a double over-hand grip and stand with feet hip-width apart. Flex the abs and pull the barbell upwards, leading the elbows Make sure to flare the elbows UP, not OUT, as you complete the rep.
Pause when the barbell is roughly even with your collar bone, then slowly return to the starting position
Push Press • Hold dumbbells or a barbell at shoulder level and stand with a slight bend in your knees. • Start the movement with a very quick, very small dip at the knee • Explode upwards and press the weigt overhead, locking out briefly. • Lower the weight under complete control back to the starting position.
Lumber Jack Press
Hold a barbell lengthwise at shoulder height and resting on top of your right shoulder, taking a one-hand-in-front-of the other grip Driving equally with both arms, press the weight overhead Bring the barbell slowly down to your left shoulder Repeat Each set, or every few reps, make sure to switch which hand is in front of the barbell
Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Holding dumbbells at your sides, stand with feet roughly hip-width apart. With abs flexed, raise the weights to your sides, leading ever so slightly with your pinky side Pause for a brief second at the top, then slowly lower the weights to the starting position
Javelin Press
Hold a barbell length wise at your right shoulder Keep your abs flexed, and press the weight overhead, pausing at the top to lock out Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position As you press and lower, make sure to keep the bar completely level and balanced Do not allow your hips or torso to move; keep your core tight. If necessary, you can offset your feet to increase stability.
Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press
Holding dumbbells at shoulder height, stand with feet roughly hip width apart. Tuck your tail slightly, keeping your glutes flexed and core tight. Press the weight upward and slightly inward—imagine trying to trace the letter “A” with the dumbbells. Pause for a moment at the top, and lower the weights to the starting position.
Standing Barbell Overhead Press
Holding a barbell at shoulder height, stand with feet roughly hip width apart. Tuck your tail slightly, keeping your glutes flexed and core tight. Press the weight straight upward, focusing on flexing the shoulders and triceps Pause for a moment at the top, and lower the weight to the starting position.
