Vince Delmonte - Living Large.pdf

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Praise for Living Large  “Having been a ‘skinny guy’ growing up, I wish I’d had Vince’s Living Large  to  to guide me. It would have saved me years of frustrating trial and error. Vince knows his stuff and is not only a great teacher when it comes to building muscle, he’s also an ongoing student, always open to learning about the science of hypertrophy. His ‘Twig to Big’ column in Iron Man was always the one I looked forward to receiving most, as it never failed to impress me with rock-solid muscle-building info— and he continues that with his new book.” —STEVE HOLMAN, FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, IRON MAN  MAGAZINE   MAGAZINE

“Vince Del Monte is a worthy guide for skinny guys who want to bulk up fast, as well as safely. He’s been there and earned every pound. This book will save you time, money, and heaps of frustration.” —SEAN HYSON, CSCS, TRAINING DIRECTOR FOR MEN’S FITNESS  AND  AND MUSCLE & FITNESS  MAGAZINES  MAGAZINES

“Vince has put together an excellent book on the meat and potatoes of how to gain muscle the natural way. His programming is easy to follow but brutally effective. I think you’ll learn a lot by reading this and if you implement these methods I have no doubt that you will make a change!” —BJ GADDOUR, FITNESS DIRECTOR FOR MEN’S HEALTH 

“Anyone who’s ever wanted to be able to build muscle without spending hours in the gym can benefit from Vince’s simple, no-nonsense approach to building muscle.” muscle.” —MARK SISSON, AUTHOR OF THE PRIMAL BLUEPRINT  AND  AND PUBLI SHER OF M ARKSDAIL ARKSDAILYAPPLE.COM YAPPLE.COM

“As a how-to guide, this book contains everything you may need to know. Brimming with straightforward strategies anyone can use to overcome the key fears associated with becoming the Strongest Version of Yourself Yourself and dominating live.” live.” —ELLIOTT HULSE, OWNER OF WORLD-FAMOUS STRENGTH C AMP GYM

“If I could have a personal coach training me to get bigger each day, I’d want Vince Del Monte by my side. Since we live in different countries, this is the next best thing! Use this book as your personal coach to put on healthy size that lasts!” —LEWIS HOWES, NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLING   BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND HOST OF “THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS” PODCAST

“Getting bigger isn’t always easy, but Vince’s book will get you off to a great start.” —ARMI LEGGE, FOUNDER OF EVIDENCEMAG.COM

“Vince is known worldwide as ‘the skinny guy savior’ and for good reason. For years, years, he’s helped hundreds of thousands of men not only build the body of their dreams but (perhaps more importantly) has also empowered them to live large. Vince is more than just a ripped body. And this book is a reflection of that. Not only will it show you how to build muscle (even if you think you’re doomed with skinny genes) genes) but it will show you how to be best man you can be in all areas of your life. If you’re a man, this is a must-read.” —YURI ELKAIM, NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLING  BESTSELLING AUTH OR OF THE ALL-DAY ENERGY DIET  AND  AND THE ALL-DAY FAT-BURNING DIET 

“Vince writes in an engaging, conversational style that doesn’t undersell the difficulty of adding 30 pounds of muscle, but provides all the tools to make it happen.  Living Large is a solid introduction to building a solid physique.” —LOU SCHULER, COAUTHOR OF THE NEW RULES OF LIFTING SERIES

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“Frankly, it doesn’t matter how much muscle you build with Vince’s advice, whether it’s 30 pounds in 30 weeks or just the “Frankly, extra 10 you need for the perfect body. . . . That pales in comparison to what you will REALL REALLYY get from the book, and that’s the confidence and attitude you need to Live Large, get the girl of your dreams, and leave the legacy for your life. That is his true gift to you. Vince has long been a mentor and role model to me, and I highly recommend you make him the top one in your life today, too.” —CRAIG BALLANTYNE, AUTHOR OF THE PERFECT DAY FORMULA 

“I’ve known Vince for over a decade . . . and he is definitely not a fitness meathead. He’s a husband, father of two, and extremely successful guy who uses his physical accomplishments of living large inside the gym to inspire others to live large outside of the gym. Vince shows that muscle can be the ‘silver bullet’ to getting whatever else you want in life . . . whether it be a career, relationship, or lifestyle enhancement . . . and this is the ultimate guide to show you exactly how to do just that.” —BEN GREENFIELD, AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIME S BESTSELLER BEYOND TRAINING: MASTERING ENDURANCE, HEALTH, & LIFE

“I have known Vince for a period of over 5 years. In that time I have been continually amazed at the thoroughness of Vince’s approach to building muscle. Rather than use old-school bro science, Vince is willing to delve into actual science first and then create a program from this. Using the perfect mixture of personal experience and research, Vince has created a groundbreaking new book that is virtually fail-proof. The reason I say that is because it is designed to be flexible to your needs and your genetic makeup. I fully endorse this book!” —DR. JACOB WILSON, CEO OF THE APPLIED SCIENCE AND PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE

“For nearly 30 years, I’ve been in the ‘muscle game.’ The last 15 I’ve had the joy of watching Vince grow from a skinny kid, eager to learn, to the hulking, strong, wise master teacher of the muscle game he is. In your own quest for the perfect physique you will be sent down many dead-end roads by wanna-be gurus. Please, spare yourself the wasted years and money and grab this intelligent guide to muscle and a full strength life. When Vince speaks, listen. For he speaks the truth earned in the trenches, with blood, sweat and iron.” LUTI TI ON  —SHAWN PHILLIPS, “THE PHI LOSOPHER OF FIT” AND AUTHOR OF STRENGTH FOR LIFE  AND  AND  AB SO LU

“When it comes to health and fitness, Vince Del Monte is a forward thinker. Vince knows what it takes to keep the body healthy and allow you to train at a high level. Through his thought process, Vince prepares clients to optimize o ptimize their fitness goals. Utilizing the components of exercise and recovery discussed in Living Large  will   will enable you the opportunity to maximize your health gains.” —GREG ROSKOPF, DEVELOPER AND FOUNDER OF MUSCLE ACTI VA VATION TION TECHNIQUES

“Living Large is one of the few books I’ve seen on gaining solid development that not only provides a detailed workout program, exercises, and meal plans, but also really digs deep into the actual mindset that will produce an excellent physique, which is in line with most of my own writings as well. (I especially liked the section ‘Focus on Habits, Not Outcomes.’) Outcomes.’) In its discussion of the workout program, the book focuses on going beyond moving the weight from point A to point B, but also on getting the most out of every rep of every exercise. In short, this is a book from someone who has put in his time in the weight room, and who respects both the art and the science of bodybuilding.” —SCOTT ABEL, AUTHOR OF THE HARDGAINER SOLUTION

“Vince Del Monte is the ultimate coach for that special breed of people who are willing to take a no-nonsense approach to their training and life. This book simply delivers! For anyone who has been wasting their time in the gym and wants everything to build muscle in one spot, this is it. You’re going to get the 30-week DTS muscle-building program and much more and how to execute every single rep for maximum results! The best part? The Living Large  principles  principles are timeless.” timeless.” —MATT STIRLING, WBFF PRO AND THREE-TIME THREE-TIME WORLD BODYBUILDING CHAMPI ON

“We need more specialists and fewer ‘jacks of all trades.’ Most fitness plans lack the focus needed for body transformation. Living Large  is  is a realistic plan on a realistic schedule for real results that last. No false hype or 4-week promises. Vince uses the best equation: hard work + great plans that work.” —ADAM BORNSTEIN, NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLING   BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND FOUNDER OF BORN FITN ESS

“Living Large  is  is a concise, step-by-step process that will help the hardgainer build muscle. The training and eating programs are easy to follow and there are a ton of useful tips and tricks to ensure your success.” —DR. KEN KINAK IN DC, CSCS, FOUNDE R OF THE SOCIETY OF WEIGHT-TRAINING WEIGHT-TRAINING INJ URY SPECIALISTS

“Vince Del Monte’s  Living Large  is   is one of the absolute best books I have ever read on gaining muscle. Vince maps the entire process out in a series of simple-to-follow methods and techniques that will help any person achieve serious gains in the fastest time possible. I only wish I had this valuable resource when I was starting out! I f you want a no-BS approach to transforming your body, this is it.” —BRUCE KRAHN, AUTHOR OF TROUBLE SPOT FAT LOSS  AND  AND THE FAT-FIGHTER DIET

“If you’re scrawny, you need to read this book, the info is out-of-this-world good. The real gem, however, is in Vince’s approach to life and the mind-set required to ‘live large.’ When you get a chance c hance to get into the mind of someone like Vince, take it. It’s an awesome read, a rite of passage for any skinny on his way to big things.” things.” —CHAD HOWSE, AUTHOR OF THE MAN DIET

“A genuine advantage for any guy serious about gaining his first 30 pounds of muscle. Living Large would have saved me years of frustration as a scrawny hardgainer.” —SCOTT TOUSIGNANT, CREATOR CREATOR OF METABOLIC MASTERPIECE

“If you’re a skinny guy looking to build muscle, this book is going to be your new best friend . . . your roadmap to serious muscle and strength and the body you want. Vince has done a phenomenal job not only with the physical aspect of training for muscle growth, but the all-important mental aspect as well (which honestly, can be even harder to master than the physical). Get this book, follow the step-by-step program, and succeed.” succeed.” —NICK NILSSON, CRE AT ATOR OR OF MAD SCIENTIST MUSC LE

“Vince truly brings exceptional passion, knowledge, and motivation to the table in this book. Vince has spent years learning from and surrounding himself with the top experts in the field in regards to exercise, nutrition, and supplementation. He has been able to marry both the science and practical application into one piece. Vince doesn’t just talk the talk but he walks the walk and pushes himself each and every day to be better and live larger. larger. This book is a gem to be treasured and a must to share with friends and family.” —RYAN —RY AN LOWERY, LOWERY, PRESIDENT OF THE APPLIE D SCIENCE AND PERFORMANCE IN STITUTE

“If there’s a unifying characteristic of Vince’s decade’s worth of articles on Bodybuilding.com, it is that he consistently overdelivers. Living Large  continues  continues the trend. The programming is rock solid, Vince’s perspective is spot-on, and you get to eat the egg yolks. What more do you want? This is how you’ll grow.” —NICK COLLIAS, DEPUTY EDITOR OF BODYBUILDING.COM

“I LOVE it when I come across powerfully effective fitness advice that comes from an amazing person oozing tremendous energy—who is also successful in all areas of life. That’s when you KNOW you’ll be able to actually follow through with everything you learn and use it forever. Vince Del Monte’s Living Large is a welcomed and much-needed source of information in this world filled with impractical advice from fitness extremists who only think about their bodies all day long.” —SKIP LA COUR, SIX-TIME NATIONAL NATIONAL DRUG-FREE BODYBUILDING CHAMPION AND SUCCE SS COACH

“Vince Del Monte has incredibly rare talent: he makes a complex process simple to understand without trying to trick the reader into thinking it’ll be simple to achieve. All the while, he provides the tools necessary to shorten the learning curve and build an impressive body in record time. Living Large  is  is a masterwork of knowledge, insight, and balance; one that will easily earn a place in the library of any training enthusiast, from gym newbies to seasoned fitness pro.” —JOHN ROMANIELLO, NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLING   BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ENGINEERING THE ALPHA

“Vince Del Monte has created a very solid resource with the release of his book Living Large . He blends a good amount of evidence-based science, with real world, in-the-gym training advice. If you read this book, you are sure to walk away with some great takeaways.” —GREGORY O’GALLAGHER, FOUNDER OF KINOBODY. KINOBODY.COM COM

“Vince Del Monte is a man who practices what he preaches! I have known Vince for many years and what I l ove about him is that he lives what he speaks and writes about; he was the skinny kid who was treated poorly and who knows, first hand, just how it can negatively affect a man’s life. . . . As a fellow published author of over 30 books and 2 million copies sold, I applaud Vince and his obvious passion for wanting to truly help men become their very best. I don’t typically ever endorse other writers, simply because I never know if they are the ‘real deal’ and don’t want my name attached to people who are simply in it for a ‘quick fix.’ Vince has been at this for many years, has achieved tremendous success, and will be here, helping people, for years to come. Bravo on writing a wonderful book, Vince. Your Your book will surely help many men learn how to finally begin living LARGE!” —JAMES VILLEPIGUE, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BODY SCULPTING BIBLE FRANCHISE

“If you want proven techniques the pros use to get results, read closely. In Living Large , you’ll learn how to harness the power of muscle damage, mechanical tension, and metabolic stress in a progressive, step-by-step program. Put these strategies to work and you’ll be a superhero in no time.” —ABEL JAMES, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WILD DIET 

“Building muscle can be one of the most challenging goals regardless of your experience level, age, or genes. What I love about Vince is his confidence to hit the reset button and rethink muscle growth. In the years that I have known Vince he has never stopped learning and never stopped educating himself— he is truly a student of muscle building. If you’re looking for a simple, smart, and strategic approach to building muscle, then don’t miss out.” —BRAD PILON, AUTHOR OF EAT STOP EAT 

“Amazing but true . . . people really did call him ‘Skinny Vinny.’ But with discipline and determination, Vince transformed himself and is living large in every way. way. Even more, he’s helped thousands of other guys transform themselves, too. Honestly, if you put the lessons in this book to work for you, you’ll gain muscle, confidence, and live a richer life.” life.” —DR. JOHN BERARDI, COFOUNDER OF PRECISION NUTRITION

“I sure do wish I had this book when I started clanging the weights as a twelve-year-old! I would have made a lot more progress in my training, prevented a lot of injuries, and saved a lot of wasted time. Vince has produced a one-of-a-kind masterpiece with Living Large  and  and when he asked as ked me to review it, I simply couldn’t put it down. Vince cuts through ALL of the industry BS and gives you the no-nonsense TRUTH about training hard to build muscle. No wonder they call him the ‘Skinny Guy Savior!’ I have had the pleasure of knowing Vince for several years now and he never ceases to amaze me with his ability to distill very complex concepts into simple and easy-to-understand instructions. This book is your step-by-step blueprint of how to gain the most muscle mass possible in the shortest amount of time. Vince lays out the science behind muscle building, but in a manner that those of us who don’t live in lab coats all day can understand, and learning the power of optimizing D-T-S (you’ll know what that means when you crack open the book) is the key to unlocking your muscular potential. This is, in my opinion, the best muscle-building book of all time!” —RYAN —RY AN FAEHNLE, INTERN ATIONAL STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE COACH

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Living Large

Living Large T H E SKINNY GUY’S GUIDE T O NO-NONSENSE

MUSCLE BUILDIN BUILDING G

VINCE DEL MONT MONTE E BenBella Books, Inc. Dallas, TX

This book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific medical situation. Any product mentioned in this book does not imply endorsement of that product by the author or publisher. Copyright © 2016 by Del Monte Fitness Services, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

PO Box 572028 Dallas, TX 75357-2028 www.benbellabooks.com Send feedback to [email protected] Printed in Singapore 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request. 978-1-941631-82-9 Editing by Heather Butterfield and Eryn Carlson Copyediting by Karen Levy Proofreading by Sarah Vostok and Jenny Bridges Text design and composition by Kit Sweeney Front cover design by Ty Nowicki Full cover design by Sarah Dombrowsky Cover and interior photography by Arsenik Studios Inc. Printed by Tien Wah Press Distributed by Perseus Distribution www.perseusdistribution.com To place orders through Perseus Distribution: Tel: (800) 343-4499 Fax: (800) 351-5073 E-mail: [email protected]

Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available. Please contact Aida Herrera at aida@benbellaboo [email protected]. ks.com.

To my B.M.W., a.k.a. my beautiful, marvelous wife for supporting me in living larger inside and  outside  outside of the gym!

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YOUR FREE Online Videoo Course: Vide Course: ACCELERATE YOUR GAINS WITH THE BRAND-NEW MUSCLE Activation SETS WARM-UP GUIDE, DEDICATED TO “SWITCHING ON” THE TARGETED MUSCLE SO THAT YOU SUPERCHARGE YOUR WORKOUT AND SET THE STAGE STAGE TO GAIN 30 POUNDS OF PURE MUSCLE…THE NATURAL WAY! Do you want to get the best bang for your workout buck? Do you want to improve a weak body part? Do you want to learn how to activate your muscles more effectively for a better muscle pump and, ultimately, your best body ever? The Muscle Activation Warm-Up Warm-Up Guide will introduce you to the world of activation sets for more productive workouts, harder muscle contractions, faster gains, and reduced injury risk. Activation sets squeeze the most out of every workout by turning on the right muscles so they fire optimally when you you need them. Best of all, activation sets don’t take much time, just a few minutes max, so you can easily fit them into your workout. After you start experiencing superior muscle contraction, you’ll never attempt another workout without them. Plus, you’ll be added to my B.S.-free VIP newsletter where I debunk the biggest bodybuilding lies and give you my newest muscle and fitness advice to keep you highly motivated, always growing, and ahead of the pack.

Join Us and Get Instant Instant Access Access GetLivingLarge.com/ActivationSets

Contents Introduction 5

PART 1

MUSCLE MISINFORMATION: MISINFORMATION: THE FIVE MUSCLE-BUIL MUSCLE-BUILDING DING ENEMIES YOU MUST AVOID Naysayers—How to Deal with Them 13 Bodybuilding Magazines—Why I Tossed Mine in the Garbage 14 Personal Trainers Who Are More About Sales Than Size 15 “Superhumans” and the Juiced-Up Bodybuilder 15 Gizmos and Gadgets 16

PART 2

HOW TO LOSE THE TOP FIVE B.S. EXCUSES FOR NOT GAINING MUSCLE Cut the “I Don’t Have Great Genetics” Crap 17 Quit Saying, “I Don’t Have Enough Money” 19 Drop the “I Don’t Have a Lot of Time” Speech 20 No More “I’m Too

” (Insert Your Limiting Belief Here) 20

PART 3

USE YOUR BRAIN TO ADD BRAWN: SEVEN KEY MIND-SET STRATEGIES Set Goals in HD 23 Shrink the Change 24 Focus on Habits, Not Outcomes 25 Slow Equals Fast 25 View Weaknesses as Strengths 26 Let Go of “I Know” 26 Belief Is Better Than Steroids 27

PART 4

FIVE ESSENTIAL TRAINING PRINCIPLES TO GAIN YOUR FIRST 30 POUNDS OF PURE MUSCLE Get Lean to Get Big 28 The Importance of Tracking Something : Know Your Critical Numbers 30 The Top Four Ways to Measure Your Bod y Fat Percentage 31

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Living Large

Track Your Your Progress Slideshow Fashion 32 Introducing DTS Training: A Science-Based Approach to Defeating Your Skinny Guy Genetics . . . Forever! 33 Micro-Progression: The Smarter and Safer Way to Constant and Never-Ending Improvement 36 The Suntan Analogy: The Key to Muscle Growth 37

PART 5

MASS MECHANICS: UNLOCKING UN LOCKING THE PRINCIPLES OF OWNERSHIP, RESPECT & DISADVANTAGES FOR IMMEDIATE GAINS Mass Mechanics Principle #1: The Principle of Ownership 41 Mass Mechanics Principle #2: The Principle of Respect 42 Mass Mechanics Principle #3: The Principle of Disadvantages 43

PART 6

THE ULTIMATE 30-WEEK, ZERO GUESSWORK MUSCLE-BUILDING PROGRAM Phase One 49 Phase Two 61 Phase Three 68

PART 7

THE EXERCISE EXECUTION DEMONSTRATION GUIDE: DON’T DO  ANOTHER  ANOTH ER REP WITHO WITHOUT UT THESE TH ESE MA MAX X CONTR CO NTRACTIO ACTION N CUES C UES Abs 91 Back 102 Biceps 110 Calves 122 Chest 126 Hamstrings 138 Quads 148 Shoulders 159 Triceps 171

PART 8

FIVE RITUALS TO RAPID R APID RECOVERY Recovery Ritual #1: Contrast Baths and Showers 181 Recovery Ritual #2: Massage 183 Recovery Ritual #3: Muscle Activ ation Technique (MAT™) 183 Recovery Ritual #4: Handling Stress 184 Recovery Ritual #5: Sleep 185

2

Contents

PART 9

FOURTEEN SIMPLE, NO-NONSENSE NUTRITION PRINCIPLES TO GAIN YOUR FIRST 30 POUNDS OF PURE MUSCLE The Nutritional Hierarchy of Muscle Growth (and Fat Loss) 187 Choose Your Goal: Don’t Chase Two Rabbits at Once 189 Calories and Macronutrients: Setting Your Best Targets (Without Complicated Formulas) 190 Protein: The Body’s Most Important Building Block 191 Fat: The Key to Optimal Testosterone Production and Sex Drive 192 Carbs: You Need to Earn Them! 193 Hydrate to Look Fuller and Stay Stronger 194 Establish a Regular Meal Cadence 195 How to Use “Treat Meals” to Bulk Your Muscles, Not Your Belly 196 Alcohol: You Booze, You Lose? 197 Consistency: The “Best Diet” Is the One That You Follow 197 The Devil Is in the Dose, Never in the Food Itself 198 Arm Yourself with the Only Kitchen Tools You Need 199 Invest in Cooking Lessons and Cook Like a Pro 200

PART 10

THE DONE-FOR-YOU DONE-FOR-YOU MASS AND SHRED MEAL PLANS PL ANS Training Day: Mass Phase Meal Plans 203 Non-Training Non-T raining Day: Mass Phase Meal Plans 209 Training Day: Shred Phase Meal Plans 216 Non-Training Day: Shred Phase Meal Plans 219

PART 11

SUPPLEMENTS THAT ACTUALLY WORK (DON’T WORRY, THIS PART IS SHORT) Do You Earn the Right to Take Supplements? 224 How to Build More Muscle with Less Protein 225 The War in Your Gut: Are You Losing? 226 Protein Powders: Whey Is Not the Only Way 227 Carbohydrate Powder: The Ultimate Muscle-Building Solution 228

PART 12

 A NO-NONSE NO- NONSENSE NSE GUIDE GU IDE TO LIVING LIV ING LARGE L ARGE OUTSIDE O UTSIDE OF O F THE GYM Build Muscle to Serve, Not to Be Served 229 Take Massive Action (Don’t Just Think or Talk About It) 231 Avoid Broken Focus 232

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Get Blood in the Game 233 Recognize the Gym Is a Metaphor for Life 234  Acknowledgments 236 Can You Hook A Brother Brot her Up? 238  About the Author 240 Endnotes 241

4

Introduction WARNING!  If  If you were blessed with great genes, want want to look lo ok like a

“bodybuilding mutant mutant,” ,” or if you think steroids and supplements are the answer, then close this book right now. It’s not for you.

“Scrawny,” “Bones,” “Toothpick,” “Pencil Neck,” “String Bean”—I’ve been called them all. I bet you have too. And if you’re like I was, you’ve searched all the bookstores and scoured the Internet looking for someone to explain to you how to gain weight and build life-changing muscle. You found plenty of information on how to lose weight, but it seems no one wants to help the skinny guy. Tell friends that you hate being thin, and you’re trying to gain weight , and they just roll their eyes and tell you you’re lucky. Want to know what’s worse? No one cares! No one cares that no matter how hard you train, your muscles will not grow as fast as you want them to. No one cares that guys mock you and gir ls pity you. No one but a skinny guy can understand the disadvantages of your ectomorph physique. I’m Vince Del Monte, and I am excited that you are reading this book! Why? Because mine is the first book written by an ex-skinny guy specifically for skinny guys like you. My nickname used to be “Skinny Vinny.” Now I’m called the “Skinny Guy Savior.” I came into this world as a scrawny, awkward pipsqueak. I mean, I had no muscle mass whatsoever. The only thing I wanted was to be big and muscular and not be intimidated by the bigger guys at school. Adding to my misery, when I got to university, all my roommates were jacked and ripped. I’m talking six-packs, eight-packs, and guns the size of Howitzers! I wanted what they had, but I was a puny runner with a lame social life. I figured I was destined to be “Skinny Vinny” Vinny” forever. forever. I started to believe everyone who said, “It’s not your fault. You have bad genetics,” and, for a while, I gave up the fascination with being muscular muscular,, but I still wanted to make the most of the skinny body I was cursed with. I become a triathlete—a lean and mean swimming, biking, and running machine. I actually got good at it, and I competed at the provincial and national levels. l evels. I became the captain of my university squad and even represented my country at the world triathlon championships one year. But it wasn’t everything I wanted. Just like you, I wanted muscle and respect. Just like you, I wanted to be ripped and feel confident. Just like you, I wanted all the things I figured I could never have. After four years of university, my athletic eligibility was over, and it was time for me to move into the real world. Like just about everyone else who graduates from an exercise sciences program, I had no 5

Living Large

clue what I wanted to do, so I pursued the fitness industry as a personal trainer. The only problem was that I did not resemble a personal trainer in any way. I was still Skinny Vinny. On top of that, I figured I had damaged my potential for muscle growth by making my “muscleunfriendly genes” even more unfriendly by training long hours each day using primarily my slow-twitch muscle fibers (the kind that don’t contribute to big muscles, only endurance). My diet consisted of mostly mac and cheese in a box, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, bagels, pasta, Power Bars, and Gatorade. I got my protein, fruits, and vegetables on Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving—during Thanksgiving— during an Italian ten-course dinner. Even worse, worse, I had no experience with weight training. If there had been a reality-based TV show called The Biggest Gainer , I would have been the prototype for the show’s most embarrassingly scrawny, geeky weakling and instantly cast. I moved back home to live with my parents and began working at my local YMCA as a personal trainer (for $10 an hour) on a Monday, and I decided that would be the day that I’d start to put to death the nickname that had plagued me my entire life. Doubtful that I could overcome my stubborn genetics, I banked on the hope that perhaps I could transfer the same qualities that made me successful succ essful in the runner’s world to the gym. I went to my room and took a series of “before” pictures to act as proof, just in case I did transform my skin and bones into the body of my dreams. It wasn’t long after my first bodybuilding mentor had taught me an entirely new way of of training that the unimaginable happened. I began to see and feel a difference in just one week (three workouts). My muscles got thicker, denser. My high school crush, who had moved here from Italy, approached me  in  in the gym and said, “Wo “Wow, w, you look different!” I interpreted that to mean, “Wow, you’re looking hot.” After a few more weeks, my buddies started to yell, “VIN-SANITY!” when I’d walk into the gym, inspired by my no-nonsense style of training (which you’ll you’ll be learning shortly). I started lifting heavier weights weights and was getting stronger every week. I finally started to look like “one of the bigger guys,” and a few of my close friends would come up to me and say, “Yo, Vinny [notice they did not  say  say “Y “ Yo, Skinny Vinny”]. Vi nny”]. You’re Vince, when he was known as “Skinny Vinny.” Vinny.” looking jacked, man!” 6

Introduction

My mom even threw away my protein powder. After she witnessed her son transform so fast, she worried that the container in her kitchen was powdered steroids. My brothers just laughed at me with awe or begged, “Vince, flex your muscles,” when their friends came over. The compliments and recognition fueled my mission. I was starting to get what I had thought I could never have. I continued to trust my body, trust the program, and stay focused on the six-month deadline when I would take my “after” photos. I was determined to capture my transformation on film. After I gained the first 20 pounds, I felt invincible and unstoppable! Over the next five months I gained another  20  20 pounds and became the talk of my gym. I started testing out my tactics on my clients. Everyone I trained bulked up fast and got super shredded. They started referring to me as the “Skinny Guy Savior” and “Transformation Specialist.” Other trainers joked, “Vince is about to do another extreme makeover.” Two years later, I began competing in natural fitness model shows (let me stress this is natural  fitness, no steroids allowed). I placed seventeenth in my first show and then fifth in my next a few months later. A few years after that, I returned to the stage and earned my World Beauty Fashion and Fitness (WBFF) Pro Card, and I went on to compete at the World Championships against some of the best physiques in the business. When I became known as “ripped” and “buff,” those words became central to my new identity. However, I was unaware that at that point, the muscle had more control over me than I had over the muscle.

While I was competing, my life revolved around my workouts, food, supplements, sleep, schedule, and competition outfits. I never missed a meal, and I never missed a workout. I took great pride in sticking to my plan, and I learned a lot about focus, consistency, and discipline; however, I let this goal control my entire life, which created a lot of selfishness and anxiety. It became sickening. Although I looked damn good, I realized that I was heading down a road of never having enough. That’s when I realized I needed to start looking at muscular development development differently. differently. I needed to figure out how I could use my gains to serve others, and I’m going to teach you about that, too. And so, this book is here to help you defeat your skinny genetics and build a body that is covered with head-turning muscle that you can be proud of, but not at the expense of your physical, physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual health.

This book is here to help you defeat your skinny genetics and build a body that is cov covered ered with head-turning muscle that you can be proud of, but not at the expense of your physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual health. 7

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Living Large

I know too painfully well about your trials and struggles to put on muscle. I know how it feels to walk into the gym where it seems like everyone is growing except you. I know what it’s like to go to the beach and wish you didn’t have to take your shirt off around cute girls, or to feel intimidated when you walk into a bar or club surrounded by guys who are more muscular than you. I know how annoying it is to not be able to find fi nd clothes that reveal a strong and proportioned body or to feel frustrated when you step into a confrontation and you don’t have enough respect for yourself to man up. But finding your identity in how many “likes” you get on your shirtless Facebook selfies will suck your soul dry. Freaking out over a missed meal or the next meal, falling in love with the mirror, pushing through injuries that should be rested, revolving the day around me, me, me, leaves you isolated and obsessive. Don’t worry. I’m not promoting any of that crap in here. This book is about believing in yourself enough to build an empowering and well-proportioned physique that exceeds your your body’s normal limits and represents you being in control of your life.

This book is about believing in yourself enough to build an empowerin empowering g and well-proportioned physique that exceeds your body’s normal limits and represents you being in control of your life. It’s about living large in the gym and  in  in life. When I talk about building life-changing muscle, I mean that along with the big biceps, you develop develop the self-confidence to approach the lady of your dreams when you see her. That you feel relaxed and at ease in the company of great men. That you become a man of strength and influence around your coworkers, employees, your spouse, children, parents, and friends. Does having muscle give you all that? No. But going through the process of building it in a natural and sane way does. Yes, it is possible. You can build the buff body you want without becoming obsessive, working out two hours a day, or spending thousands of dollars on supplements. And you definitely don’t need to screw around with steroids. It doesn’t matter if you’re a skinny guy who calls himself a “hard-gainer.” It doesn’t matter if you’ve been training seriously for six months to a year and have little to show for it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had some initial success, but your gains have come to a screeching halt. It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape. It doesn’t matter if you’re suffering from “skinny-fat” syndrome. It doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner to weight training, already built and ready to take it to the next level, or making a comeback. Whatever the case, you have no need to stress because soon you’ll learn lear n how I overcame my genetics and built an exceptional physique, and how I’ve helped more than 150,000 others in 120 different 8

Introduction

countries who have bought my programs, and the 750,000+ people who follow me on Facebook and the 300,000 who subscribe subscri be to my You ouTTube channel do the same. sa me.

In May 2006, I released my first e-book, No-Nonsens No-Nonsense e Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets to Insane number-one-selling Muscle Gain, and it went on to sell 81,300 copies in 120 countries and became the number-one-selling muscle-building e-book for skinny guys. Since then I’ve released numerous digital programs, including The Live Large Inner Circle , Your Six Pack Quest, Maximize Your Muscle, 21-Day Fast Mass Building, Live Large TV, Stage Shredded Status, 1,000 Rep Muscle, The 7x7 Size & Strength Solution, Hypertrophy MAX, Get Juiced, 1-on-1 High Level Physique & Performance Coaching, The Vanity Specialization Programs, No-Nonsense Muscle Building 2.0 , and Maximize Your Muscle 2.0 .

As I write this, my first e-book is almost ten years old. That’s like a million years in “Internet time.” time.” I’ve learned a lot since then, and I’ve added a ton of upgrades based on new science that wasn’t available in 2006. Every claim I make and every recommendation I give is backed by the latest and best research. I’ve traveled the world speaking to today’s top experts. I’ve hired the best coaches. I’ve found the sources with the best research. I’ve tested the information on my own physique as well as the people I coach, so you don’t have to. This book isn’t like li ke anything else I’ve ever released. I’ve condensed the best information I’ve found to date and put it in a format to give you only usable content, with no fat—nothing fat—nothing but meat. This is a book you can bring anywhere you want and open it at any point to pull out muscle-building advice you can benefit from immediately. I wrote this book because I want to give the muscle-building community an easy-to-read, portable resource where you can find the information you want fast, when you need it. It has a detailed table of contents, so you can look up the information i nformation you need, and get right to it. You You don’t have to wade through pages and pages of fluff to find the one point you need to clarify or the one exercise you want want to try next. The goal of this book is simple: to help you pack on 30 pounds of life-changing muscle in the next 30 weeks . . . the natural way. It’s a big promise, and it’s doable . . . but it won’t be easy. (If you’ve already gained more than 30 pounds of rock-solid muscle since you began lifting, don’t expect another 30 pounds from this book, but do expect some extraordinary results.) Some of the highlights include a brand-new 30-week step-by-step step-by-step three-phase program based on DTS Training—the Training—the most scientific, most strategic, and simplest way to build life-changing muscle. It includes a complete set of simple, no-nonsense meal plans that eliminate all the nutritional guesswork. It tells you the only four supplements to consider if you desire to optimize your results. As for the workouts, I won’t just show you what to do in the gym but how to do it. This is the first and only book that teaches you what to think  when  when moving a weight from point A to point B, along with the most biomechanically effective cues. 9

Living Large

I’ll expose how the bodybuilding industry has been scamming you out of your time and money, so you’ll no longer be a casualty of misinformation, and you will learn the bottom-line truth about gaining weight and building lean muscle the no-nonsense way. way. By purchasing this book, you’ve put your trust in me as your coach. I know you’re busy and a lot of things are fighting for your attention. The most valuable things I can ask from you are your time and attention. I respect that above anything else, and I promise not to waste it. I understand that, even though there is no one out there purely dedicated to the skinny guy like I am, there are a ton of muscular dudes who could teach you a thing or two about building your body, so I’m honored that you’ve decided to give me your attention and spend your time with me. Here’s how this book is different than any other muscle and fitness book you have read:

1. Everything Is Backed by Science There was a period when I was uploading so much content that people started to challenge the quality. I started hearing people call me a “bro-scientist” online. At first, I wrote them off as “haters,” but as I did some further research, I realized I hadn’t done my due diligence, and I was doing my audience a disservice. I have some of my biggest critics to thank for inspiring me to go to a “quality vs. quantity” model when it comes to sharing content on my blog, Facebook page, newsletter, and YouT YouTube channel. ch annel. I wrote this book with the most evidence-based science guys in mind. I want them to be able to read this book and say, “This is really good.” Any claim I make is backed with a reference, so you can be sure nothing I am saying is simply my opinion or pulled out of my rear.

2. Everything Is Backed by Gains Based on what I said above, you may wonder if I only follow the science. Absolutely not. Effective bodybuilding involves art and science, but frankly, it is more of an art. Don’t blindly conform everything you do to the latest study because scientific conclusions do not always meet the needs of the individual. I have adopted or discarded all of my approaches based on a combination of personal experience, clients’ experiences, and the scientific data available. Use the science as a starting point, but then use your intuition and modify the program based on what works for you. Don’t be afraid to conduct your own personal experiments. Test, tweak, and optimize. You don’t need a study to justify every single action. All that matters is that you take action every day, keep what works for you, and throw away what doesn’t.

3. I Don’t Just Teach This Stuff, I Live and Breathe It There are a ton of people teaching muscle, fitness, and fat loss whom I call “me-too experts.” That means they are not saying anything different or bringing anything new. They are repackaging the same old material you’ve heard a million times already in a sexier way or with a new hook. And they don’t 10

Introduction

always practice what they teach. They have a lukewarm passion for fitness but a burning passion for profits and cashing in on people’s fears and insecurities. I’m here to do something about that. My goal is to be your go-to resource when it comes to building muscle without the foolishness or fearmongering. If someone pulled the plug on the Internet tomorrow, tomorrow, you would still find me in the gym grinding away away..

4. I Don’t Just Learn from the Internet; I Rub Shoulders with Real Experts Warning: the majority of the information you read online is bad information. If you’re constantly adopting your strategies from things you learned from headlines and fitness marketing, you’ll always struggle. I want to help you avoid “shiny object syndrome” and keep you focused on easy-to-understand and quick-to-implement quickto-implement advice that works.

5. I Cut Straight to the Chase . . . No-Nonsense Style I wanted to write a book that gives you advice you can follow right now and see a result right after you apply it. I included the word “no-nonsense” in the subtitle of my book, so I’d have to live up to it. A fitness book should contain clear marching orders with no fluff. It should inspire and motivate. It should help you believe in your ability. It should be easy to toss in your gym bag and bring with you to workouts. So, here’s to your new ripped and muscular physique and becoming the next Biggest Gainer ! Train HARD, train SMARTER, build FASTER, and, after 30 weeks, send me your before-andafter photos, so I can celebrate with you, and I would be honored to share your story on my social media platforms.

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“Nothing in business or life is more expensive than bad information.” —GARY HALBERT

Part 1

Muscle Misinformation: The Five Muscle-Building Enemies  You  Y ou Must Avoid

The muscle and fitness industry is full of more lies, myths, and total B.S. than nearly any industry on the planet. Some good information is getting through, but in most magazines, social media venues, and mainstream media, the information is flat-out wrong. While there are plenty of charlatans and scammers out there, I don’t believe the majority of fitness “gurus” are intentionally lying. They are repeating lies they believe to be true. Overwhelmed with information overload, the fitness industry is becoming a case of the blind following the blind. My duty and mission is to bust industry myths and deliver to you the most direct and efficient way to build muscle—withou muscle—withoutt the nonsense or foolishness. Let’s get started.

Naysayers—Ho Naysa yers—How w to Deal with Them When I started bodybuilding, my father caught me checking myself out in the mirror, admiring my newfound muscles while taking mental “selfies,” “selfies,” and he questioned me, “What are you doing? Are you in love with yourself? What is this sport?” He walked away shaking his head. I felt embarrassed. I love my father. I trust him. I respect him, and he has always encouraged me. If I’d been inclined to give up on my goal due to anyone’s opinion, my father’s would have been it. Rather than interpret his skepticism skepticism as a reason to stop, I used it to remind myself that my building muscle needed to have a bigger purpose than just looking good. I took the gift and kept going. 13

Living Large

Naysayers come in many forms, and often there’s a grain of truth in what they say. Your job is to take the useful part of the message and discard the rest. Some naysayers are just ignorant. Do not believe anyone who tells you that you can only have an average body. Average results come out of average knowledge and average effort. They are not destiny. To add 30 pounds pound s of muscle you must first obtain o btain your own 100 percent commitment. commi tment. Do not allow a llow naysayers in any form to dissuade you. Instead, turn their doubt into your determination. Let their ignorance ignite your passion. Turn their ridicule into your resolve. Know in your heart that you are doing the right things. Do not waste any energy arguing or trying to convince. The results show soon enough. Let your muscular body do the talking. When naysayers see the change in you, they will either shut up or tell everyone they always knew you could do it.

Bodybuilding Magazines—Why Bodybuilding Magazines—Why I Tossed Tossed Mine in the Garbage Fashion magazines exist to sell clothes and makeup. Advertisers hire gorgeous models, airbrush the photos so they look flawless, and then use the perfected images to sell their wares. Bodybuilding magazines are similar in that they exist to sell supplements. Advertisers use photographs of shredded models with huge muscles, and every month they tell you that your dream body is locked up inside some liquid, powder, or pill. Don’t buy it. Aside from the very few exceptions that I’ll share with you, every new supplement is made with the same crap that the last supplement had. If a bodybuilding magazine spent all two hundred pages of one issue teaching you how to properly eat and weight train, then you wouldn’t have the desire to buy any supplements. Supplement sellers would stop buying ad space, and the magazine would be out of business. And that’s just what it is—a business. While they inspire millions, bodybuilding magazines also mislead millions. They aren’t going to tell you the truth—that drugs combined with exceptional genetics are responsible for these guys’ massive size. Just like the fashion model will say say,, “It’s the mascara,” the featured hulks will wil l claim their results came from supplements because they’re being paid to promote them. Most of the routines recommended in these magazines would kill an adult gorilla. The workouts workouts involve so much volume, even if you can do them for a while, it’s not sustainable. It’s like asking a beginning runner to sprint a marathon, five times a week. If you’re not taking steroids, the advice in these articles will cause overtraining, injuries, or illness, and lots of wasted time, and you should avoid them.

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PART 1: Muscle Misinformation

Personal Trainers Who Are More About Sales Than Size You shouldn’t pump iron without expert guidance, but finding a good trainer can be a real challenge. In the fitness world, it’s pretty easy to become an “overnight expert”—take your shirt off, show your abs, start a YouTube channel, and you’re in business. It’s one thing to change your own physique, but helping others requires another skill-set. The best trainers have one aim—and it’s not to cause you the most pain, make you sore, or chew your ear off and waste your time. It is  to   to get you to your goal optimally and safely with nonstop progress. As of this writing, no state agency sets standards for, regulates, or monitors personal trainers. Some trainers get “certified” by just taking a written test online, but even a degree in exercise physiology does not mean the trainer knows how to help you gain size. Most teach exercise and give nutrition advice designed to help the general public improve i mprove overall overall fitness. They do not deliver specialized knowledge on how to gain massive amounts of muscle. Working for a gym or having years of experience doesn’t guarantee your trainer knows what he’s doing either. Most gyms survive not on memberships but by selling personal training packages, and a lot of them hire novice trainers to do it. If you go to your local big-box gym and look, you’re more likely to meet a great salesperson than a kick-ass trainer. Know what to look for and which questions to ask. Do a demo session or two. Ask about the last certification or seminar they invested in. Ask who mentors them. Make sure the trainer has his or her own coach and stays up-to-date on the latest science. I instantly disqualify potential trainers who don’t have their own coach. It sounds harsh, but this one rule will help you rule out average trainers. Only keep a trainer who comes to the session with the attitude that for every minute that he’s not delivering value, that’s a dollar back to you. If they show up 15 minutes late, that should be a $15 discount on the session. If they’re rambling about nothing for 10 minutes, that’s $10 off! Look for someone with a solid track record who has helped others achieve the results you want. Ask to see their success stories. Look at or talk to their other clients. If your prospective mentor doesn’t have a track record of success helping people achieve goals identical to yours, then you’ve dodged a bullet. Move on.

“Superhumans” and the Juiced-Up Bodybuilder Eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Jay Cutler bench-pressed 315 pounds the first time he lifted weights. 1 Rumor has it that Arnold ripped out his own umbilical cord. Some people were born to develop massive size and strength. If at age sixteen you looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger when when he 15

Living Large

was sixteen, you wouldn’t need this book to gain size. The genetically gifted can lift more. They don’t don’t get as sore. They recover faster. So, yeah, they have an unfair advantage. For you to try to follow their regimen to get their results is ridiculous. It’s like a poor man taking wealth-building advice from a guy who inherited a fortune. Even though he has the money money,, he doesn’t know how to go from broke to wealthy. His methods don’t apply. The juiced-up bodybuilder is also your enemy, and if he’s lying about taking steroids, it’s worse. When you follow the advice of these “fake naturals” or “fake nattys” and fail to get great results, it can strip you of your motivation. Problem is, almost everyone who takes takes steroids hides it, making you believe it’s the “hard training,” “clean diet,” and “new breakthrough program” that forced that muscle growth. “B.S.,” I say. If a fitness guru is taking steroids, he should at least be honest about it so people can see the whole picture.

Gizmos and Gadgets The next time you find yourself sitting on the couch late at night watching an infomercial for fitness equipment or a quick-fix nutritional product, drop and give me 20 pushups—one-handed—while repeating, repeatin g, “I’m not a sucker . . . I’m not a sucker . . . ” That ought to wake you up out of your stupor before you get your credit card and buy a $1,000 coatrack. Whether or not it’s you, I bet you know someone with a massive “fitness” contraption that has become the world’s most expensive clothesline, because thousands of people buy this crap. A good sign of how well a product is selling is how long the ads run.2  No advertiser would keep running an ad unless it sold a lot   of product. Good marketing can get people to buy all kinds of things, but let’s face it, if you think any fitness model built his body using a vibrating dumbbell, you’re dreaming. These guys got buff with hours in the gym and hard work, so keep your ass off the couch and your hand off the remote. You can build mega muscle mass without spending a ton of money on equipment or supplements. If you have some money to put into this quest, spend it on high-quality food, a decent gym membership, and a solid coach.

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PART 2

How to Lose the Top Five B.S. Excuses for Not Gaining Muscle

So many people ask me how to build muscle, and I tell them—I belong to a gym, eat healthy, stay consistent, educate myself, and take a few select supplements. Next they unload an earful of excuses, excuses, excuses. I am so sick and tired of hearing excuses! I have zero sympathy for people who make excuses. All it means is they haven’t taken responsibility for their lives. Your life today is the result of choices you made before. You can take responsibility for everything you have in life, or you can choose to blame others and outside forces. I have found that the results you achieve in and out of the gym rarely exceed your willingness to stop making excuses and start taking personal responsibility for everything you have, do, and are at this moment and every moment to come. Next up are the typical excuses and how to overcome them.

Your life today is the result of choices you made before. You can take responsibility for everything you have in life, or you can choose to blame others and outside forces.

Cut the “I Don’t Have Great Genetics” Crap Most people think they are limited by their genetic potential. Really, you’re limited by your lifestyle potential . You don’t need great genetics. You do need to train hard, eat right, be consistent, and excel in all the lifestyle areas you can control. 17

PART 2: How

to Lose the Top Five B.S. Excuses for Not Gaining Muscle

Your genes don’t determine det ermine what you can or can’t do. d o. They express how your body responds to what you do. I’ve helped scores of men and women who thought they were genetically destined to be skinny or fat achieve their goals just by fixing a few things they were doing wrong. It’s true that guys with great genetics can afford to make more mistakes in training and nutrition strategies, and they may still get bigger faster than most.

Your genes don’t determine what you can or can’t do. They express how your body responds to what you do. If you build muscle a little slower, the added time it takes to get there is irrelevant. It might take one guy one year and take you two years. Big deal. If you’re afraid you can’t build the body you want and maintain it, throw those fears out. The only people who can’t build muscle have a terminal disease. If, like me, you were born with the genetics to be a skinny guy, you’re not doomed to remain skinny. But you need to be more scientific and strategic. I’m going to teach you to do what’s necessary. Nothing more. Nothing less. One more thing I want you to experience: satisfaction. Nothing is more satisfying than overcoming a legitimate obstacle and reaching your goal. Your transformation transformation will inspire others, so the next skinny guy will say, “Holy cow, he did it! Why can’t I?” (Remember,, this book is about building life-changing muscle, not just self-serving muscle.) (Remember

Quit Saying, “I Don’t Have Enough Money” I’ve never heard anyone complain complain about putting in a lot of money when they’re getting a big return on investment, have you? The top three investments I’ve made have gone to food, mentoring, and a great MAT TM (Muscle Activation Technique) Technique) therapist, therapi st, and I’ve received exponential expone ntial returns—in retur ns—in my body and in my business. You don’t have to be a fitness expert exper t to benefit from having havi ng a great physique. TIME  magazine  magazine reported in June 2012 a study by the Journal of Labor Research  that found employees who exercise earn 9 percent more than those who don’t. Invest in your weakest weakest link. Eating organic is healthier, but it won’t have a “game-changing” impact on your results, so if you want to be frugal, maybe you’ll buy conventional and wash your produce a little more thoroughly. Maybe your your weakest weakest link is in the gym. If you don’t train with enough intensity or you are having trouble finding a workout partner who is as committed as you, invest in a trainer. Supplements—the few that work—only have a marginal impact, maybe a 10 percent improvement, in your results, so hold off on most of those for now. Later, I’ll show you the four supplements that you can’t go without. 19

Living Large

For the next 30 weeks, I’m asking you to prioritize your finances toward this goal. You don’t need to spend a ton of money money,, but if you’re willing to invest some, you will see more gains.

Drop the “I Don’t Have a Lot of Time” Speech If you think you don’t have any time, then I’m not sure why you’re reading this book. Put the book down and go make up your mind about what your priorities are. If you’re not ready to show up, I can’t help you. No one can help you. You’re beyond help. If you don’t have time now, you never will. Life gets faster, busier. Start with the time you do have. You don’t need a lot. The first time I trained with one of my mentors, I ended up puking in the bathroom after six sets of body weight split squats. It took nine minutes. I was used to pumping out a couple dozen “junk sets” for an hour and a half, but he raised the intensity so high that after the first few sets, I was done. I didn’t need to do anymore. I saw black spots for days. If you’re training a lot but not intensely, you might even need to make your workouts shorter. Most people aren’t investing time in the gym. They are spending it. i t. Wasting it. Most guys try to work out six days a week with 18 to 24 sets per workout (inspired by the misleading “muscle & fiction” magazines). You don’t need that many sets. You didn’t earn it. Time in the gym has to be earned. Volume has to be earned. Learn to get the most out of one set, then add more sets. Don’t add more volume until you’ve earned the need for more . Get the most out of the least amount of effort. Eliminate junk sets. Pare down to the “minimum effective dose” of workout time. Get in. Get it done. Get out. The solution to building 30 pounds of muscle in 30 weeks is focused intense effort in the moment—making each rep, each set, each workout matter. If you’re training for zero minutes a week right now, even five minutes will help. Do three killer sets in five minutes, and you will grow grow..

No More “I’m Too Belief Here)

” (Insert Your Limiting

Everyone has some B.S. story that they pull out as an excuse of why they can’t reach their goals. I had the limiting belief that I always blow my diet when I go on a trip. Thinking that way, way, I was giving myself permission to get off course, and I became my own worst enemy. I shared my frustrations with others who used the same excuse. “Oh, yeah, me too!” they would say, and that only reinforced my belief that it was beyond my control. It wasn’t until I met a guy who traveled traveled as much as I did, who went to as many five-star five-star hotels and restaurants, but was absolutely shredded. He didn’t have any trouble staying lean and continuing to make gains. 20

PART 2: How

to Lose the Top Five B.S. Excuses for Not Gaining Muscle

“What do you do?” I asked. “I don’t drink booze, and I avoid appetizers and dessert,” he said. “Huh? I can do that. I can cut the dessert!” I thought. And so I did, and I saw that I too could come home from a trip looking just as good as when I left. I changed my story about what’s possible, tried a new strategy, strategy, and the results changed my belief!

Find the areas where you think you’re being held back by some mysterious power. Realize these are the areas where you need a better story and a better strategy. For you, no whining and no wallowing. Find the areas where you think you’re being held back by some mysterious power. Realize these are the areas where you need a better story and a better strategy. Whatever your limiting story is, make up an empowering one to replace it. Wherever you use a faulty strategy, get a new one. Establish new patterns and habits. Hang out with people who have raised their standards and commitment to the level that’s required to get the results you want. Whenever I go out with these friends, I don’t even worry about willpower, because I know they’re not ordering.

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“The mind is the limit. As A s long as the mind can envision the fact you can do something, you can do it.” —ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

www.Ebook777.com

PART 3

Use Your Your Brain to  Add Brawn: Brawn: Seven Seven Key Key Mind-Set Strategies

Your muscle-building muscle-buil ding success is all in your head. When you compare good physiques to great physiques, physiqu es, mind-set is the difference maker. Building a better body isn’t about what your muscles can do; it’s what your mind believes is possible and having the right strategies to guide your belief. Anyone who has trained consistently hard with focus, desire, and discipline knows that the brain will beg you to drop the weight and call it a day long before your muscles are truly finished.

Building a better body isn’t about what your muscles can do; it’s what your mind believes is possible and having the right strategies to guide your belief. To get the best results with this challenging 30-week program, go into each set with a certainty that you have what it takes to move the weight and hit the number of reps you need to crush. While you may conceptually buy into the idea of unwavering conviction, it helps to have a set of strategies that bring out the best in you, and that’s what we’re going to cover next.

Set Goals in HD A lot of guys say they know what their goals are, but really, they only have a vague sense. To actually reach a big goal, you need to set it in HD.

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Living Large

A high-def goal has four components: it’s specific, realistic, measurable, and has a due date. Let’s look at each one. Specific: If you start out saying, “I want to gain a lot of muscle,” that is not specific enough. The key to unlocking your your motivation is to state exactly what you plan to achieve. “I will gain 30 pounds of muscle in the next six months.” Realistic: Notice I didn’t suggest you make goals goal s too pie-in-the-sky. pie-in-the-sk y. Don’t say you’ll take six months mont hs to “go from 150-pounds to 250-pounds and ripped.” If a goal is too high, you do yourself a disservice. Make a goal that forces you to stretch your limits, but also is attainable within the designated timeframe. Measurable: CEOs of billion-dollar companies know that what gets measured gets managed and what gets managed gets multiplied. Many of the world’s top CEOs got where they are because they measure everything—profits, costs, markets, productivity, and on and on. The same rules apply here. Set goals you can measure—size gains, body fat percentage, target weight, or whatever ties to your desired outcome, then state the number(s) you want and track your progress, so you can course-correct when you need to. Due Date: I bet you never took a course where the teacher said the final would be given “at some point.” All the important things in life have a due date, because without one, a lot of important things would not get done. Paying bills and taxes, planning a wedding, raising money for a specific event—all of these have dates by which they must get done, or there will be consequences. The same is true with your fitness goals. Set a deadline to reach your goal, and define some consequences. Decide what happens if you don’t.

Shrink the Change One meal at a time, one workout at a time, one day at a time. That’s all it takes. If you shrink the change down to these small increments and daily actions, you’ll grow faster, and in 30 weeks, you’ll achieve your absolute best body so far. When you’re at the beginning, don’t obsess about what’s going to happen in the middle, because the middle will look different when you get there. It’s like when you’re traveling, you can look at a map, but you don’t know for sure what that road will look l ook like until you’re driving on it. Have a sense of urgency to do what’s most important right now. If you’re reading this before you go to bed, and you haven’t prepared your meals for tomorrow, close the book, go to the kitchen, and prep your meals. Once you’ve done that, make sure your next workout is printed out, your training partner knows what time to meet, and that you know exactly what you’re you’re going to do when you get to the gym. Don’t worry today about a strong finish six or seven months from now. You have no business even worrying about next week! Don’t try to anticipate every turn on the road. That’s impossible. Focus on what is right in front of you. All you need to know is the very next thing you need to do, and then do it . Just focus on taking each step one at a time, and make today the best day ever. 24

PART 3: Use Your Brain to Add Brawn

Focus on what is right in front of you.  All you y ou need nee d to know is the very next thing you need to do, and then do it.

Focus on Habits, Not Outcomes Guys with great bodies built great habits over an extended period of time. Instead of comparing yourself to others, obsessing over factors you can’t control, or focusing too much on the desired result, focus on the daily habits that will achieve that result—meal preparation, workout scheduling, training intensely, grocery shopping, getting sufficient sleep, listening to your coach, and social support and accountability with like-minded trainees. I know some of this information isn’t very sexy, but it’s always the nonsexy stuff that gets the best results. A good friend of mine, John Berardi, taught me to implement habits that provide the greatest physical benefit with the least psychological resistance. Develop the habit of waking up and having a cup of water with lemon to help cleanse your body and hydrate. Or start taking fish oils. How hard is it to take two pills every day? But that’s going to start helping your body utilize fats and carbs better. Or build the habit of getting five to ten servings of veggies every day, and after a month it has a huge impact on your body’s ability to recover. Habits stack on top of each other. As you develop more good habits, you’ll see a cumulative effect. If you can build one new habit a month that helps you grow, just imagine where you’ll be a year from now with twelve new muscle-building habits.

Slow Equals Fast If you think you’re going to transform your body (I mean dramatically) in two to four weeks, slap yourself and wake up! Although rapid muscle growth is possible at the very beginning for novice lifters, serious muscle building is a long and tedious process. Be patient. It takes six to twelve months to gain your first 30 to 40 pounds of lean mass. If you try to grow too fast, putting yourself through a killer workout your first night at the gym, cutting your calories to 1,000 a day and going into starvation mode, and trying out six new supplements at once, you’ll end up sore, sick, and broke—if you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky, you’ll also end up injured. Successful people are task completers. They are quick to commit and slow to change their minds. They realize that anything worth having comes with a price, and they are willing to pay

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it. They pick a solid plan and stick to it until they reach the goal, making slight adjustments as needed along the way. Focus on making consistent and incremental improvements over time, and you’ll be happy with your results.

 View Weakness Weaknesses es as Strengths Strengths I’m an open book when it comes to how I built my online fitness business. If people ask me for advice, I share what I know. Many years ago, someone tried to tell me that was a weakness. “You’ve got to hold your cards closer to your chest, man. You reveal way too much.”

Look at everything as a positive. Even your perceived weaknesses are helping you right now. For a little while, I listened to him, and I stayed quiet. But I stopped seeing the reciprocation from others. I wasn’t putting out as much goodwill, so I got less in return. I realized then that my so-called “weakness” of sharing my best business practices was really a strength. This holds true in the gym. For example, one positive of being skinny is that it’s harder for you to gain fat. Look at everything as a positive. Even your perceived weaknesses are helping you right now. I don’t care that I’m not the biggest guy, or the strongest, or the most articulate. I might view all this as a weakness in building my online business, but I don’t. My physique is attainable. It’s realistic. That makes me relatable, and that’s a strength I play to. I don’t have extraordinary genetics, yet I make the most of what I do have, and that has allowed me to inspire hundreds of thousands of guys and gals to strive to be their best. What do I care if some guy looks at me and says, “That guy’s not even big. He’s a joke”? Real, regular, everyday people can look at me and say, “He’s real. I could achieve that. I want to learn more from this guy.” Right now, write down the top ten weaknesses you think are holding you back, and transform them into ten reasons to succeed.

Let Go of “I Know” My good friend Peter, a brilliant man who’s no longer with us, taught me an important lesson about “I know..” He drew a little circle on a whiteboard and put a dot in the middle, pointed to it, know i t, and said, “This is me in the middle here.”

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The only way to really know whether anything is true is to take what you’ve learned and create a result. Then he shaded in the rest of the circle. “This is everything I know within the circle. And then, when I learn something that I didn’t know...” He drew another circle on the outside of the circle. “I realized that there’s a whole other circle that’s surrounding the first circle, new information, and a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t know!” He explained that the more we learn l earn within each circle, there’s another circle beyond that, and in the end, “The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.” Very often, we think we “know” something because we’ve heard it said so much. But the only way to really know whether anything is true is to take what you’ve learned and create a result. You might look at some of the strategies here and say, “I knew that.” But there’s a big difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. So to be frank, if you don’t have new muscle muscle mass or strength to show for the knowledge, you don’t really know it. You don’t know anything until you have something to show for it.

Belief Is Better Than Steroids Whatever you want to achieve, believe you can do it, and you will. Act “as if” you already have the 30 pounds of muscle. Carry yourself with the same confidence. Think about your day from that perspective. Make decisions as the guy who already has  bulging  bulging muscles and six-pack abs, and you will become him. This applies outside the gym as well. Before I met my wife, I dated this girl I liked a lot. I swore she was The One, but she dumped me after three weeks. I never forgot her because of what she said: “Look at it as a positive. God never sticks you with second best. If you liked me, just imagine how amazing the woman you’re going to marry is!” I believed what she told me was true. I took that belief with me into every relationship I had after that, and I viewed every breakup as a positive. I later dated one girl for a year and a half. I thought she was The One, too, and when that ended, I thought, “Wow! I wonder what the next one is going to be like?” My belief kept me going with a positive mind-set all the way up to the day I met my wife. I knew as soon as I met Flavia that she really was  The  The One. We were engaged within six months, married six months after that and at the time of this writing, we have a little girl and a baby boy. boy. Keep your belief alive. No matter what you want, it will power you towards your goal with more strength and speed than even the world’s most advanced steroids could . . . and no bad side effects.

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PART 4

Five Essential Training Principles to Gain Your Your First 30 Pounds of Pure Muscle

Ask any good coach about a complex problem, p roblem, and the first fi rst response you’re likely li kely to get is, “It depends.” As much as it may seem like a boring, wishy-washy half-answer, this is the best answer because “it depends…” acknowledges that it’s best to know more about the situation and the context of the question before giving definitive advice. The good news is that gaining your first 30 pounds of muscle is not a complex problem. Until you gain your first 30 pounds of muscle, you don’t deserve to ask questions that require an “it depends” answer. answer. I have done it and hundreds of my top clients have done it, and because this book is based on the no-nonsense strategy of achieving that goal, we will start with the five essential training principles where not one factor  falls  falls into the realm of “it depends.” If you try out this program and you’re not gaining muscle, come back to these five principles.

Get Lean to Get Big If you stand shirtless in front of the mirror, and you can’t see a four-pack, you’re suffering from the dreaded “Skinny Fat Syndrome.” The best advice I can give you is to get lean first . I know you might be feeling impatient and want to go right into building mass, but starting off lean will prime your body for rapid muscle gains and fuel your mental drive. If you’re starting out lean already, you’ve got a hormonal advantage3 and can move right into building mass. The old-school bodybuilder model of an initial six to twelve-mon twelve-month th “bulk up” phase where you eat tremendous amounts of food (and put on a bit of muscle and mostly fat) followed by a three to four28

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month “cutting” phase (where you “lean down” and end up losing some of the muscle you gained) is antiquated and counterprod counterproductive. uctive. People who carry a lot of excess body fat can build muscle, but it’s a lot harder. In my personal and professional experience, experience, the “sweet spot” for males maximizing lean muscle mass and minimizing fat accumulation is 8 to 12 percent body fat. Maintaining 8 percent or lower likely means you’re not eating enough to exert sufficient training effort4 to build new muscle and grow at a consistent rate. Also, having less than 8 percent body fat has a negative effect on some hormones, specifically the androgens, 5,6 and you risk losing muscle mass. Above 12 percent, you trigger two hormonal responses that will make growing muscle difficult: 1) increased estrogen production and 2) insulin resistance. Testosterone is the primary hormone that helps you build muscle. When you’re lean, testosterone levels go up and building muscle becomes easier. Too high of a body fat percentage leads to an increase of activity in the fat cells of an enzyme called aromatase. 7 Aromatase converts testosterone testosterone into estrogen, which is terrible for growing muscle. If you have too much estrogen in your system, all you’re going to grow is a nice set of man boobs. The second hormonal response is insulin resistance. As long as you don’t have diabetes, insulin is the easiest hormone to self regulate. Insulin’s job is to shuttle glucose (and other nutrients) from the blood into the cells where nutrients can be utilized. Once the cells have been “fed,” anything in excess has only one place to go—into the fat cells, and adipose (or fatty) tissue cells can grow as big as they want. Insulin resistance means it’s harder for your body to remove all the excess glucose from the blood, so it either remains there (which leads to type II diabetes) or goes on to be stored as fat. As long as you’re insulin resistant, the muscle-building effects of even the best nutrients will be diminished.8

The Importance of Tracking Something : Know Your Your Critical Numbers It all started in Amsterdam. My best friend and I did a tour through Europe to visit five countries in five weeks. Our plane landed in Amsterdam where we were to spend the first three days of our thirty-fivethirty-fiveday trip. It was my first time in Europe without my parents, parents, and the stubborn Italian in me did not want to use a map. We got massively lost. All the street signs looked the same. We had no idea where we were going, so we got nowhere for a long time. If I had done the smart thing and used a map, we could have backtracked, figured out where we went wrong, and gotten back on course quickly and easily. I made the same stupid mistake a few years later when I was on my honeymoon with my wife. This time we were in Napoli, Italy. I could have avoided a lot of confusion, tension, and wasted energy if I had just learned my lesson in Amsterdam! 30

PART 4: Five Essential Training Principles to Gain Your First 30 Pounds of Pure Muscle

The lesson here, guys: create a map! You don’t need to track everything, but you do need to track a few key metrics. I call them critical numbers .9  A critical number summarizes your overall progress. In fitness, your weight, body fat percentage, or a body part measurement are solid critical numbers to monitor. If the critical number you choose is moving in the right direction, pat yourself on the back and keep pressing forward. The rest is minutiae. The reason you track something is because you need to see that you’re progressing every single week . If you’re not progressing, you’ll need to pinpoint exactly where you’ve gone wrong and get back on course. If you don’t track something, you’re you’re training blind, hoping you progress. And hope is not a strategy.

If you don’t track something, you’re training blind, hoping you progress. And hope is not a strategy. I’m old school. When it comes to training, I use a notepad that I carry with me to the gym, so I can record my workouts and look back at what I did last time and create some goals. To track your meals and log your workouts, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses

The Top Four Ways to Measure Your Body Fat Percentage Most methods for testing body fat are imprecise, so don’t lose sleep over which tool you use. No matter which instrument you pick, stick with it. Use the same measuring device each time. Also, make sure conditions stay as consistent as possible. If you initially measured first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, do it that way every time. The same goes for tracking your weight. Measuring body fat will help you stay focused on your goals and know what is giving you the best results.10

#1: Calipers To get the skin fold caliper test, go to a skilled trainer or health professional who will pinch between four to twelve fat deposit sites, tally the total and refer to a chart to reveal your body fat percentage. Because increased blood flow can affect the level of thickness in the skin, never do this test right after a workout.

#2: DEXA Scan The DEXA (duel-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan is the least accessible, most expensive (it normally costs around $100 a pop), and one of the most accurate. This device can be found at universities 31

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and vitality clinics. It’s the gold standard and reveals how much body fat and muscle you’re carrying throughout your entire body.

#3: Bod Pod The Bod Pod is a machine that uses air displacement to determine body composition. This method is one of the most accurate body fat tests. Subjects sit still in an egg shaped machine for about three minutes while the machine clicks on and off performing the test. Bod Pods can be found at many universities, colleges, and high-level training facilities, and the cost ranges anywhere from $50-$200 per test.

#4: Eyeball It One of my favorite tools is to look in the mirror, and if all you want to know is whether or not you’re below 12 percent body fat, it will do. When you look at your abs, if you can see a clearly defined fourpack, you’re in the zone. If your four-pack is invisible or blurry, lean out before you add any bulk. If you do not have access to body fat measurement tools than go to www.getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses to see some pictures to help you determine your body fat percentage.

Track Your Progress Slideshow Fashion It’s time to take an honest look in the mirror, get real, and accept the truth. Flex. Pinch. Compliment yourself on areas you like. Identify areas that suck and need major improvements. Take an array of photos and measurements to document where you started. This is one time I encourage “selfies.” The ideal is to be able to watch yourself inch closer toward your ideal physique in slideshow fashion. Take full body shots with a front, side, and rear view. Get a series of relaxed photos and then a series of photos where you flex. Write the date on the photos each time you take them. Don’t leave the shots on your camera. Print them out. In addition to progress photos, record your weight and body fat. Get naked, hop on the scale, and jot down your weight. Record your body fat percentage. Get a tape measure and write down the circumference of each upper arm flexed, chest and back flexed (aka “lat spread”), hips (around the hip bones), belly (around the belly button) thighs (6 to 8 inches up from the kneecaps), and each calf (the thickest part). Now you know where you started. The most accurate way to track your weight is to weigh in at least three times per week (every other day) and then once a week, calculate the average. To check your weight every day is unhealthy and unnecessary. Your body weight will go through numerous changes, and your weight will fluctuate dayby-day, often hour by hour. 32

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PART 4: Five Essential Training Principles to Gain Your First 30 Pounds of Pure Muscle

Each week, take take your photos and log all your measurements again. Be sure to do it all at the same time of day—first thing in the morning, before you work out, and before you eat or drink anything. For the photos, use the same angles, same poses, same lighting, same camera. The workout program in this book is divided into three 10-week phases. If you don’t manage to take your photos each week, at a minimum weigh in and take weekly measurements, measurements, and do your photos at the very beginning and at the end of each 10-week phase. Send me your photos for weeks 1, 10, 20, and 30, so you can shock me with your progress and we can show the world your transformation on my social media. For a full tutorial on how to track your progress and take before and after pictures so you can watch your transformation in slideshow fashion, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses. Follow the steps above closely or you’ll get a ton of haters saying your transformation is “fake.” Let’s give the haters undeniable proof that leaves them speechless!

Introducing DTS Training:  A Science-Based Science-Based Approach Approach to Defeating Defeating Your Your Skinny Guy Genetics . . . Forever! As far as science can tell, there are three mechanisms that create the biochemical reactions in muscle to make it grow. Anything else is considered nonsense and foolishness. If you use any other approach you are wasting your time. Mainstream techniques like super light, super slow, muscle confusion, strengthfocus only, one set to failure—all of these approaches are a crock and not applicable to muscle growth. And I don’t care which guy with a great physique you can name who endorses that approach. Just because they say it works for them doesn’t mean the science supports it or it is actually what caused their growth. This is not my opinion. It is the consensus of the leading research in exercise physiology. 11 Enter DTS Training. DTS training refers to these three mechanisms for muscle growth. They are: muscle Damage, mechanical Tension, and metabolic Stress (DTS). I will explain each one, and you’ll learn unique techniques to activate these three mechanisms for muscle growth in the 30-week workout plan included in this book. Most guys take a haphazard approach to training, building a workout around what “feels right” or simply “winging it.” The DTS training program is based on science and strategy. If you only focus on training like a power lifter and increasing strength (mechanical tension), then you’re leaving gains on the table. If you focus solely on training like a bodybuilder and increasing size (metabolic stress), you’re leaving gains on the table. In short, if your workout doesn’t incorporate all three mechanisms of muscle growth, you’re not going to grow like you could. Let’s take a closer look at each mechanism of DTS training. 33

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Create Muscle Damage Your training program must create micro-trauma, otherwise known as muscle damage, which can include the micro-tearing of muscle fibers, the sheath around the muscle, and the connective tissue. It can also include stress to the tendons and bones. You You create muscle damage when you do something unfamiliar, such as trying a new exercise or using a new angle, or by creating high levels of strain, such as stretching the muscle under load or emphasizing the “negative,” lowering phase of a lift. Small tears in the muscle lead to inflammation, both of which act to create a perceived threat. The muscle says, “Danger! I don’t want to die. I need to grow bigger for next time,” so it grows.12,13 When it comes to exercise selection, it’s critical to pick the right move for the mechanism. For instance, exercise movements movements that place the tension on the muscles in a lengthened position (stretched position) are optimal for muscle damage. This is why you will see chest flies, pullovers, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, incline dumbbell curls, and overhead triceps extensions inside the program. We’ll also use plenty of dumbbells and cables to have your muscles travel through the greatest range of controllable motion. Lastly, we’ll utilize a variety of intensity techniques such as pyramiding for mechanical tension; double, triple, and quadruple drop sets for metabolic stress; slow speed eccentric (lowering the weight) reps to failure; and a killer eccentric overload overload technique called 2 Up/1 Down to maximize muscle damage. Keep in mind there is a fine line between optimal damage and excessive damage. Just like you want a suntan, not a sunburn; you want to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it. Feeling sore for one to three days is normal, but anything longer means you overkilled the muscle.

 Apply Mechanical Mechanical Tension Tension There will be times while lifting heavy weights weights that you feel like your muscle is about to rip off the bone. Welcome to the world of mechanical tension. This is when you focus on moving the heaviest loads possible, with strict form of course, from point A to point B. Many people argue, “All you need to do to get big is to get strong,” and while there is a degree of truth to this, mechanical tension alone is not sufficient for maximal muscle gains. Ever seen a huge power lifter? Power lifters maximize strength via improvements in central nervous system efficiency and coordination, but they don’t get massive rippling muscles. Your goal is to pack on 30 pounds of muscle mass, so you’ll need more than just neural improvement for strength increases.14 We must also understand how the “size principle” impacts your muscle gains.15 The “size principle” states that the body will recruit just enough muscle to complete a task. In muscle tissue, there are two types of fibers. Type 1 muscle fibers (“slow twitch”) are designed for endurance. They are the body’s go-to muscles for repetitive tasks and light loads. When trained, they help you go longer before you get fatigued, and they are more challenging to grow in bulk. To add 30 pounds of muscle to your skinny frame, you need to recruit and develop more type 2 (“fast twitch”) muscle fibers, which are responsible for quick bursts of power and only activate when type 1 fibers are fatigued and begin to fail . The idea here is to recruit more type 2 fibers by applying greater mechanical tension. The best exercises for achieving maximal mechanical tension are squats, deadlifts, bench presses, shoulder 34

PART 4: Five Essential Training Principles to Gain Your First 30 Pounds of Pure Muscle

presses, chin-ups, dips, and rows. However, However, there is no single exercise that will maximize mechanical tension through the full spectrum of muscle fibers available within a muscle, which is why we include a wide variety of exercises (96 in total) throughout your 30-week training program. The basic movements are great, but for optimal gains you must include dozens of others, because each movement targets unique fibers.

Build Metabolic Stress Metabolic stress is all about going until it burns and chasing that skin-stretching pump. pump. Add a ton of metabolic stress, and you get the pump! That truly amazing and powerful feeling caused when your muscles swell up with a blood surge during your workout and they fill like a water balloon, leaving you looking full, tight, and pumped up. This is primarily how bodybuilders train. You keep the weight moving with a continuous cadence while squeezing your muscles like they owe you money. You know you’re doing this right if it hurts —a —a lot! Creating metabolic stress is by far the most painful aspect of training. You You need to be prepared both mentally and physically physically,, and you’re going to get a ton of it over the next 30 weeks! The burning sensation you feel is from lactic acid, a metabolic by-product of burning the energy that was stored in your muscle cell. My great friend, Dr. Jacob Wilson of the University of Tampa, likens it to the exhaust that comes out of the tailpipe of your car after the engine burns up gasoline, only lactic acid isn’t a pollutant. In fact, it has an interesting benefit. If you add lactic acid to muscle in a petri dish, the muscle will grow grow..16 Translated to you, the idea is to get your muscles to produce lots of lactic acid, and let it accumulate. Don’t allow the body to clear it out. Not right away, anyway. When it comes to maximizing metabolic stress, he who can become the most comfortable with being uncomfortable wins! When you allow the lactic acid to build up, your body perceives a threat, which triggers the muscle to grow, and it also causes an increase in vascularity. Bonus! The best exercises to build up metabolic stress are ones that help you place constant tension on a muscle or that place the greatest tension in the shortened range of the movement (contracted position). This is why you’ll be performing leg extensions, leg curls, peck deck flies, cable rows, high pulley curls, cable pressdowns and dumbbell lateral raises. Although this particular 30-week series does not include the use of bands or chains, these are two tremendous tools of value value for equalizing the tension through the full range of motion, which results in producing a killer skin-splitting pump. Now you you have a solid understanding under standing of the three mechanisms of muscle growth and a nd DTS training. When you get rocking with the 30-week training program you’ll get to experience each one intimately. The best part about your 30-week DTS training program is that after every workout you can leave the gym knowing that you did exactly what you must do to maximize muscle growth—nothing less and nothing more.

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Micro-Progression: The Smarter and Safer Way To Constant and Never Never-Ending -Ending Improvement “See these 2.5-pound plates, Vinny?” IFBB Professional bodybuilder “Big Ben” Pakulski said as he waved two tiny disks in my face. “These are your new best friends!” After qualifying for the World World Fitness Model Championships, I wanted to test my body’s limits and increase the muscularity around my upper chest, back, and arms. At the very least, I needed to get leaner than I was at my Pro qualifier while keeping all my muscle mass. I was in a caloric deficit, which made the goal even more challenging. I had hired Ben, a 300-pound beast who’s nicknamed “The Thinking Man’s Bodybuilder,” to help me get my WBFF Pro card, and after we crushed that goal, I rehired him to help me prepare for the competition coming up in just four short months. At the time, I didn’t even know 2.5-pound plates existed. I thought the lightest weight in the gym was 5 pounds. I knew that moving up in weight in tiny increments can work for smaller muscles, like triceps, but I had never considered considered incorporating them in my progression on larger muscle groups. As I watched him slide one on each end of a bench bar, I was reminded of the principle of kaizen , a Japanese word that translates to “improvement” or “change for the better.” It’s a philosophy that encourages a focused effort to strive for constant and continual improvement improvement in all areas of life, and Ben used the 2.5-pound plates toward the never never-ending -ending pursuit of maximizing our time in the gym. Up to that time, I had let my ego get carried away with thinking big, big, big, adding as much weight as I could every chance I got. I found out that 2.5-pound plates can make a huge impact. While putting 2.5 pounds on both sides of the bar only added 5 pounds more weight, 5 extra pounds times 20 reps equals an added 100 pounds moved during a set. Impressive, right? Now multiply that by 4 total sets, and you have just moved an additional 400 pounds  than  than you did the previous week, and that’s just one exercise. Not so little now, is it? Following Ben’s advice, I was able to get leaner, maximize the muscularity in my chest, back, and arms and bring my best to the stage. I made it i t to the stage injury-free, feeling indestructible. His advice also helped me apply the three mechanisms of muscle growth more effectively. effectively. Ben believes in taking as many steps as possible to reach your goal. Small steps taken consistently lead to massive results. This is true in muscle building, fat loss, and every area in life. Micro-progression is the name of the game when it comes to executing the three mechanisms mecha nisms of muscle growth effectively ef fectively and the key to sustainability and continual improvement over the long term. Like my father always told me, “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch, yard by yard, life is hard.”

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The Suntan Analogy: The Key to Muscle Growth Sunlight on skin is i s analogous to stress on the body. Exposure to sunlight does not instantly i nstantly produce produce a tan. Exposure to weight training does not instantly produce muscle. The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight  the skin’s melanocytes to produce  more  more melanin as a protective mechanism, which ends stimulates  the up darkening the skin. The more intense the sun, the stronger the stimulus . The same situation arises when you expose exercise stress to your body—the greater the exercise stress, the more stimulus for “super-compensation” (adaptation) to occur. If you go to the beach at dawn, while the sun’s angle isn’t right above, bearing down on the earth and your skin, you can lie outside for a few hours and not experience much of any tanning effect because the UV radiation would not be sufficient to stimulate the skin to protect itself.17 Exercise stress is the same. You can spend hours in the gym working out, and if the stimulus is not sufficient, you will not see much, if anything, in terms of muscle growth. Skinny guys have been led to believe that they need to train longer to build big muscles. The reality is that skinny guys need to train less and eat more. Skinny guys must approach building muscle the same way they would approach getting a suntan.

Skinny guys have been led to believe that they need to train longer to build big muscles. The reality is that skinny guys need to train less and eat more. They must get the minimum effective dose . Our bodies have a limit to how much stress we can handle within a period of time. For example, a certain amount of ultraviolet radiation will produce a nice-looking tan. Beyond that, the skin becomes damaged and burns. Up to a certain point, an intense workout will create the potential for new size, strength, and stamina, but going too far will lead to exhaustion that can result in overtraining or injury. Your goal is to experience a training effect . It could be anything from increased relative strength, hypertrophy, or muscle endurance. The training effect is triggered during the workout but not experienced until you recover  from  from the training. If you suntanned for 5 minutes, your body needs time to recover (adapt) from that 5 minutes before you expose it to 6 minutes. The same is true for exercise. If you bench-pressed 4 sets of 225 pounds with 2 minutes of rest in between, you will need a few days of recovery before you can bench-presss 4 sets of 230 pounds with 2 minutes of rest. bench-pres Failure to respect these recovery needs can lead to overtraining, long plateaus, or becoming weaker. The 30-week training program is designed around a progression model that applies the minimum effective dose, so you’ll get to experience the benefits firsthand.

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PART 5

Mass Mechanics: Unlocking the Principles of Ownership, Respect & Disadvantages for Immediate Gains

Want to know the number-one reason you struggle to build muscle? It’s not what you think. It has nothing to do with your diet, supplements, workout program, exercise selection, or failing to apply progressive overload. While those are critical aspects to muscle growth, none of these is the number-one reason you can’t build muscle. And it’s not genetics either. In my opinion, nine times out of ten, it’s ineffective movement , otherwise known as crappy lifting technique. Most people in the gym, even guys with great physiques, have never been taught how to move. The goal is to contract the muscle you intend to grow. Most guys go to the gym and swing weights around hoping their muscles will “catch” some contractions, but due to poor movement patterns they often experience contractions contractions in the wrong muscle groups. The fitness industry is missing the boat on optimal movement. The majority of “gurus” and personal trainers simply have you smash the muscle into oblivion by throwing at it every exercise and intensity technique known to man, hoping to trigger some growth. This is a surefire way to destroy your joints and keep your muscles weak and small (and eventually injured). You’ve probably tried that approach, which is why you’re here now. You’re looking for something better and smarter. Did you know your body doesn’t want to build muscle? Not a single ounce more than it needs. Muscle is expensive. It takes a lot of calories to feed and keep it. Your body evolved to be fast and efficient, so it can respond to danger and survive on limited food if necessary.18 Your body has zero interest in gaining 30 pounds of muscle over the next 30 weeks, so you need to be prepared to make your body do what you want it to do, not what it wants to do. 39

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The second you pick up a challenging weight, your body is looking for strategies to make that action as efficient and easy as possible because it has no idea how long you’re going to need to meet that challenge. Your body will immediately recruit your strongest, most appropriate muscle groups, and when those get tired, it seeks the next best available muscle groups. Essentially, Essentially, your body is looking for a way to disperse the load you’re attempting to lift through as many muscles groups as possible so it can achieve the path of least resistance.

Your body has zero interest in gaining 30 pounds of muscle over the next 30 weeks, so you need to be prepared to make your body do what you want it to do, not what it wants to do. Let’s say you desire a crazy-looking V-tapered back. Even if you’re doing the “best back exercises” prescribed by experts, your body has zero idea that you’re doing a “back exercise exercise”” and will find a way to dump tension into stronger surrounding muscles that pick up the load unless you teach and train it to selectively recruit and isolate the back muscles you want to target. All the “progressive overload” techniques in the world don’t mean squat if your exercise execution execution lacks precision. When your ego dictates how much you lift, your strong muscles get stronger (and more developed), and your weak muscles get weaker (and stay underdeveloped), leaving you with an unbalanced physique.

The good news is that you can break crappy movement patterns by learning my Mass Mechanics Execution Principles—the Principles—the blueprint to build your muscles as big as you desire. This information is simple to apply, but you won’t find it floating around freely. The only place I’ve seen it taught is where I learned it, in physical therapist and internationally renowned biomechanics expert Tom Purvis’ advanced exercise mechanics personal training course RTS123.com. My view of exercise completely changed when I took his course. I learned muscles respond respo nd to tension and torque. Muscles do not know weight. You must learn how to get your “mind inside the muscle” to maximize tension19 in muscles you selectively recruit throughout every single inch of the rep. No matter how much weight you put on the bar, no matter what diet you’re on, no matter which supplements you take, you will never pack on the kind of mass you desire until you learn how to do this. Next up, you’ll learn the exercise execution principles that will instantly  unlock new massive growth, so you can see for yourself that there is no such thing as a “weak body part”—just a poorly trained one.

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 All the t he “progressive “progr essive overload” overload ” techniques techni ques in the world don’t mean squat if your exercise execution executio n lacks precision. When your ego dictates how much you lift, your strong muscles get stronger (and more developed), and your weak muscles get weaker (and stay underdeveloped), leaving you with an unbalanced physique.

Mass Mechanics Principle #1: The Principle of Ownership The number-one component of muscle growth is time under tension which comes down to owning You maintain complete control of the tension on the intended muscle from start to finish. the weight . You This principle is of the highest importance to muscle growth potential to the point that beginners who learn to maintain control of the muscle tension all the way through through the range of motion can have an advantage over advanced lifters who have years of bad movement habits to break and undo. To use the principle of ownership properly, prope rly, you you must create the greatest challenge chall enge possible (maximal (maxi mal tension) for the muscle. The more neuromuscular connection you can generate in the working muscle, the higher the growth potential.

For muscle growth, if you can’t control it, you can’t challenge it, and if you can’t challenge it, you can’t grow it. To do this, first learn to engage the working muscle throughout the full range of motion (ROM). It’s easy to control the midrange, but you’re leaving a ton of gains on the table if you don’t own every single inch of the movement path, which includes both extremes of the range (the shortened and lengthened positions). It’s at the extremes of the ROM where you are the weakest, and anywhere you’re weak there is opportunity for growth. For muscle growth, if you can’t control it, you can’t challenge it, and if you can’t challenge it, you can’t grow it.20 41

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Want to know whether you own the weight? Imagine doing a squat and during the movement I yell, “STOP!” Would you be able to go into an isometric hold (no movement) at any point of the range? Most importantly,, would you be able to hold it at the bottom, where the weight feels the heaviest? If you can, importantly you own that weight. If you can’t, it means the weight is controlling you, and you’re less likely to see the growth you want and more likely to get injured. By using these key concepts, you can activate untapped muscle fibers at the extreme ends of the range to build new muscle and take your physique to the next level.

Key Concepts To To Apply & Goals To To Think About Ab out Durin Duringg Your Your Set ■

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“Initiate “Initi ate with the working muscle.”  Top  Top bodybuilding bodybui lding coach Ben Pakulski brought b rought this cue to the muscle and fitness world. It reminds you to create tension before  you  you start moving. movin g. You’ll You’ll know kn ow

you’re doing this properly if you initiate each movement without using momentum. Instead of swinging the weight like you’re in a circus act, to get the weight moving, contract against the resistance . Perform this same practice over and over to train your muscles to optimize time under tension.  and “Let the weight beat you 1 pound at a time as “Beat the weight 1 pound at a time as you lift”  and  Think about that for a moment. The muscle should feel every single pound of tension you lower.”  Think from the beginning of the movement to the very end. This cue reminds you to slow down. If you perform each repetition too fast, it’s hard to keep the tension on the targeted muscle. Instead, the tension gets dumped into the joints, which leads to aches, pains, and injuries.  Momentum is the adversary of gains. If you swing the weight, “Squeeze the weight, don’t do n’t swing it.”  Momentum you can’t own it. Aim to squeeze out every single rep using the targeted muscle. You’ll know you’re doing it right if your muscles are burning like crazy and even begin to cramp. Make every effort to squeeze the weight through your full range of motion, including both top and bottom. These are the hardest reps and where it’s most tempting to give up ownership.

Mass Mechanics Principle #2: The Principle of Respect I learned this brilliant concept through RTS123.com. RTS123.com. The phrase “full  range  range of motion” is probably the most misused in bodybuilding. It’s tossed around without considering that each of us has a unique body.. We all have our own joint structure, length/tension body length/tension relationships, and neural recruitment abilities. Not only that, but our body’s abilities can vary from day to day and even set to set. The principle of active and controllable range of motion means you only train through the range of motion that is available to you at each moment. Range of motion should never be determined by generic preset end points that you see someone else use. Just because someone in a video says to 42

PART 5: Mass 5: Mass Mechanics

squat “ass to grass” does not mean you can or should. The body has built-in protective mechanisms to prevent injury. Some limitations are structural and set for life; others vary. Growing up as a long-distance runner and triathlete, I was always taught that “tight muscles are bad” and that you need to stretch. A tight muscle is not necessarily a bad thing. The question is, why is it tight? If a muscle is tight, it means something near it is weak, and you have to respect that (until you get it fixed). Many muscle imbalances can be worked through with Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), which I’ll discuss later on. Before you begin any lift, determine what you can control based on your structure and current abilities. Don’t lift any weight that’s too heavy to control through your full range, or it’s near certain you will increase wear and tear on the joints for zero net benefit. As a special bonus, to get access to a free video tutorial on how to access your active and controllable range of motion for all the major movement patterns, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

Key Concepts To To Apply & Goals To To Think About Abo ut Durin Duringg Your Your Set ■

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 Before you add any weight to an exercise, go through “Don’t attempt to correct it. Just respect it.”  Before a full ROM practice rep to determine your “active and controllable” range of motion. Never disrespect these limits by adding weight and forcing yourself into a dangerous position that you can’t control. Remember, if you can’t control it, you can’t challenge it. “Listen to your body.”  Your  Your body uses this novel sensation called pain to motivate you to take an action—usually to protect body parts that your brain thinks are damaged, or about to be. If you feel any type of sensation or discomfort, it means your central nervous system thinks your body is under threat. If nothing is done to remove the “threat,” your body turns up the “pain volume” until you must do something about it. Translated to the gym, a burning sensation in your muscles is the only pain that you should train through. If a certain grip/handle/stance/angle hurts your wrist, forearm, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, etc., or causes any pain, then abandon it and find a position that allows you to lift pain free. People without the abilit abilityy to feel pain (yes, they actuall actuallyy exist) don’t live very long. If your body is speaking to you, listen!21

Mass Mechanics Principle #3: The Principle of Disadvantages Unlike other performance-based sports, the goal with weight training is to make every movement as hard as possible. You want to stay inefficient . Building muscle is not about how much you lift or how many reps. It’s about how well and how long you are able to keep the muscle under maximal tension. 43

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Building muscle is not about how much you lift or how many reps. It’s about how well and how long you are able to keep the muscle under maximal tension. The easier the movement, the harder it is to build muscle because you’re giving yourself an advantage. Training Training advantages do not build muscle; training disadvantages do. If your goal is to lift heavier weights, use wrist straps and a weight belt. Give yourself that advantage. If you want to do 100 reps in 5 minutes, go ahead and swing it! Take the advantage of momentum! But to force your muscles to grow, you must make each rep, each set, and each workout as challenging as humanly possible. The more disadvantages you present to the muscle, the more you force it to grow. Here are some key concepts concepts to maximize tension and disadvantage within the muscle.

Key Concepts To To Apply & Goals To To Think About Ab out Durin Duringg Your Your Set: Set : ■

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“No pain, no gain.”  Sometimes  Sometimes clichés are overused for a reason. When you maintain continuous tension through a muscle, weight training hurts . It’s supposed to hurt. It’s supposed to burn! Your muscles  (not   (not joints, tendons, or ligaments) are supposed to experience burning pain and skin-

splitting pumps. You’re supposed to feel like the lactic acid within the muscle can’t escape. You’re supposed to want to escape the pressure within the muscle. That’s normal! Fight against mentally giving up too soon. Your Your body was made to withstand tremendous stress, so get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s all about getting into The Hurt Box, an “insider” term my buddies and I used to referenc referencee “make or break moments” during grueling running workouts or the final leg of a race. The person who can go deep into The Hurt Box has a huge muscle-building edge. Yes, Yes, we must train smart, but training smart only works when you train hard! “Lock it down. down.”  ”  Your  Your body will always try to find a way to make the lift easier by shifting tension to surrounding muscle groups as you fatigue. This is known as cheating. We don’t want any part of that. The next time you feel your form start to shift, think about “locking it down” to avoid losing tension in the targeted muscle.  Unless the tempo prescribes otherwise, avoid making “Avoid pausing at the top and bottom.”  Unless the set easier by pausing at the top or the bottom. The name of the game is continuous tension from the first rep to the last rep. “Fully lengthen the muscle.”  A  A muscle is fully lengthened when its antagonist (the opposite) is fully contracted. For instance, when you’re doing an incline biceps curl, contract your triceps at the bottom of the range to ensure your biceps are fully lengthened before you initiate a contraction with the biceps. When doing lying leg curls, contract your quads at the bottom end of the range to ensure your hamstrings are fully lengthened before you engage them. Be prepared to use lighter l ighter weights. 44

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“Fully shorten the muscle.”   How

do you know whether a muscle is fully shortened? It’s fully contracted. In my experience most people are only contracting a muscle to 60 to 70 percent of their ability. They fail to understand that force is created internally, which is why concepts such as “squeeze it like it owes you money” are valuable. A great way to teach your brain to “fully shorten the muscle” is to pose and contract as hard as possible. Posing practice will translate into better contractile efficiency and shortening during your workouts and improve the “mindmuscle” connection. You shouldn’t be able to hold an all-out contraction for much longer than 10 to 15 seconds. You’ll know you’re doing it right when your muscles cramp. Once you experience a maximal contraction without weights, weights, your job is to replicate that same hard contraction, which will direct you to loads that you can control and own. “Oppose the th e force.”  Thanks  Thanks to Isaac Newton, we know that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. When you apply force force in one direction, an opposing force will come along with it. You can use this principle to stabilize each exercise and prevent changes in form that would take tension off the targeted muscle. For example, shoving your shoulder blades into the bench before you do a chest press and keeping that pressure will force the back muscles to engage, which stabilizes the lift and helps keep tension in the chest muscles. During a T-bar row, if you lean back, you’re using momentum to pull the weight, but if you shove your chest into the pad, you can lock your trunk into position, so that the target muscles get the maximum contraction. And when you train your lower body, for any closed-chain (your feet are touching something) leg movements, you should shove your feet into the ground or platform. “Focus on the path of the joint, not the path of the dumbbell.”  The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. l ine. The shortest distance to muscle growth is to use the fullest arc of the joint’s range of motion that you can perform without pain. With each rep, this creates maximum muscle tissue tension at the extremes of the range. It also creates a greater training disadvantage and delivers a more purposeful workout. The goal here is to make the load adjust to your body, not to adjust your body to the load. We do this by identifying the invisible path the joint must travel, not the path of the dumbbell. If you just focus on moving the weight “up and down” and not taking the joint throughout its greatest arc, you’ll miss out on “waking up” untrained muscle fibers at the extreme ends of the range, and you’ll fail to develop your perceived “weak” body parts. The idea of “arcs” is a simple one to grasp when I describe it on video, which is a reason you should subscribe sub scribe to my You YouTTube channel, channe l, youtube.com/vincedelmonte, youtube.com/vincedelmont e, where I show s how you how to maximize the arc for every exercise.

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PART 6

The Ultimate 30-Week, 30-W eek, Zero Guesswork Guesswork Muscle-Building Progr Program am

What you are about to receive is 30 weeks of intelligently designed, step-by-step training programs that are 100 percent unique and that you won’t find anywhere else. This is the program that delivers the training component to help you gain 30 pounds of pure muscle in the next 30 weeks. I’m proud of this program. I had a lot of fun creating it. I believe it will be my greatest contribution to the skinny guy community.

Program Overview In designing this program, I’ve taken the three mechanisms for muscle growth and integrated all of them into three 10-week phases to help you build your best body ever. In Phase One, you will train your entire body three days a week and focus your entire workout for the day on Damage, Stress, or Tension, which means you will get three unique workouts this phase. In Phase Two, we move into a “Cube Rotation” where you will hit two major muscle groups hard and add a few “touch-up” sets for a few other muscle groups four times each week. Each workout is dedicated to either a Damage, Tension, or Stress Day, to provide you a total of twelve unique workouts in this phase. And finally, in Phase Three, you’ll apply all three mechanisms while focusing on one major muscle group per workout and add a touch-up set on one other body part six times each workout, which means this phase gives you six more unique workouts. Each phase contains nine weeks of hard training followed by one week of “de-loading,” which is a purposeful reduction in training volume and intensity to improve performance, maximize muscle and strength gains, and prevent injury. To see a full overview of the entire 10 weeks, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses. 47

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Here is some more information to help you follow the program.

Tempo Tempo is a prescription for how long each phase of a repetition should last in seconds. There are four parts to every repetition. For example, a tempo may be written 4122. Here are what the numbers mean, and which part of the repetition they correspond to: First number: Eccentric portion (when the load is going toward the floor) Second number: Pause in the stretched position between eccentric and concentric portions Third number: Concentric portion (when the load is moving away from the floor) Fourth number: Pause between repetitions ■ ■ ■ ■

Note: Any time there is an “X” in one of the four tempo slots, it means you are to perform that portion of the lift as Note: Any explosively and powerfully as possible. For example, in order to perform a bench press on a 32X0 tempo, you would un-rack the barbell from the supports, take 3 seconds to lower it to your chest where you will pause for 2 seconds, then forcefully explode up as hard as possible with your arms extended, and go immediately into the next repetition. In another another example, example, to perform chin-ups chin-ups on a 4011 tempo, you take take 4 seconds seconds to lower your body from from the bar, and with no pause at the bottom, pull your chest up to the bar in 1 second, then hold your chin over the bar for 1 second before lowering your body toward the floor on a 4 count.

Weightt Selection Weigh The sets prescribed are work sets, meaning you should be busting your butt. You can do 1 or 2 warm-up sets prior to starting your first work set. The warm-up sets help you find an appropriate starting weight. On your Tension workout, if you need more than 1 to 2 warm-up sets, take them. There is no “right” or “wrong” number of warm-up sets. The goal is to prepare your muscles and brain for the first work set. Some days you may feel you need more and other days less. The weight you select for your work sets is based on the reps, tempo, and rest period prescribed. If it says 6 to 8 reps, then that means 6 to 8 reps. If you can only do 5, it’s too heavy. If you can do more than 8, it’s too light (assuming you are following the prescribed tempo and rest periods). Don’t overthink this. The more you become familiar with your body, the easier it will be to select your weights. Be sure to record what you do, so you have a range to gun for at the next workout.

Rest Periods The rest periods indicate how much you should rest between each set and between each exercise. A 60-second rest means a 60-second rest. It doesn’t mean you start getting ready for the next set after 60 seconds; it means you start the next set 60 seconds after you completed the final rep of your previous set. This requires a stopwatch. Sometimes, I indicate rest periods with ranges that give you the flexibility to customize the intensity. intensity.

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Exercise Order Do all the sets of one exercise in a row (with rest periods between each set) before moving on to the next exercise.  A1:A2 represents a super set, which means you will do both exercises back-to-back before resting and repeating.  A1:A2:A3 represents a giant set, which means you will do all three exercises back-to-back before resting and repeating.

I realize I just gave you a lot to absorb, so you might want to read through this a few times to get familiar. It will all make more sense once you get in the gym. Trust the program. Follow it. Everything here has a reason to be and has been well thought out. I reassure you that there are no typos in this program. Pick a start date, ideally this coming Monday. Track your workouts. Enjoy the journey. I can’t wait to see your results!

Phase One Objective The goal of this phase is to expose your body to the three mechanisms that contribute to hypertrophy: muscular damage, mechanical tension, and metabolic stress. In this phase, you will train three times per week doing full body workouts. Each session is focused on one of the three mechanisms. For the mechanical mechanica l tension workouts, focus on lifting heavy heav y weights with full recovery. recovery. Do not shorten the rest periods even if you feel inclined to do so. The more weight you can load while maintaining proper technique, the more tension you will create. Aim to increase your loads each week as you make your way through this first phase. Big barbell lifts are key in this workout. For the metabolic stress workouts, you will shoot for high reps and take short rest periods. Expect to feel a big burn in this phase! The more burn you feel, the more metabolites are present in your bloodstream. These metabolites are powerful signalers for muscle growth, so learn to embrace the burn! We will mainly use machines and isolation moves for this phase, so that you don’t have to worry too much about balance, and you can fully fatigue the targeted muscles. Finally, in the damage workouts, you will lift heavy weights with a slow eccentric (lowering) component. Eccentric stress creates a lot of muscle damage, which is critical for maximizing hypertrophy. Many of these exercises are done in the stretched position, making them even more effective at creating muscle damage. 49

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Training Split The recommended split for this phase is: Monday – Workout One Tuesday – Off Wednesday – Workout Two Thursday – Off  Friday – Workout Three Saturday – Off  Sunday – Off  ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Intensity Technique *Drop Sets: On Sets: On your full body stress days, pay attention to the last set of each exercise, where you will be asked to reduce the weight and do more reps. This technique progresses every 4 weeks and is outlined below.

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Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 1 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing Dumbbell (DB) Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 20 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 10 to 15 percent and do another 20 reps to finish that exercise. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

8–10 8–10 8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0 60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

8–10

60X0

90 sec

3 3

8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec

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WEEK 2 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X 1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 20 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 10 to 15 percent and do another 20 reps to finish that exercise. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

8–10 8–10 8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0 60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

8–10

60X0

90 sec

3 3

8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec

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PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 3 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20* 20*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 20 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 10 to 15 percent and do another 20 reps to finish that exercise. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

8–10 8–10 8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0 60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

8–10

60X0

90 sec

3 3

8–10 8–10

60X0 60X0

90 sec 90 sec

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WEEK 4 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X 1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 15 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 8 to 12 percent and do another 15, then decrease the weight another 10 to 15 percent and do 15 reps to finish that exercise, for 45 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

7–9 7–9 7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0 70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

7–9

70X0

90 sec

3 3

7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec

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Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 5 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 15 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 8 to 12 percent and do another 15, then decrease the weight another 10 to 15 percent and do 15 reps to finish that exercise, for 45 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

7–9 7–9 7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0 70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

7–9

70X0

90 sec

3 3

7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec

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WEEK 6 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X 1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15* 15*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 15 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 8 to 12 percent and do another 15, then decrease the weight another 10 to 15 percent and do 15 reps to finish that exercise, for 45 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

7–9 7–9 7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0 70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

7–9

70X0

90 sec

3 3

7–9 7–9

70X0 70X0

90 sec 90 sec

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PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 7 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 10 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 5 to 7 percent and do another 10 reps, then decrease the weight another 8 to 10 percent and do another 10 reps, and then drop another 10 percent of the weight and do 10 reps to finish that exercise, for 40 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second and third drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0 80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

6–8

80X0

90 sec

3 3

6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec

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WEEK 8 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X 1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 10 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 5 to 7 percent and do another 10 reps, then decrease the weight another 8 to 10 percent and do another 10 reps, and then drop another 10 percent of the weight and do 10 reps to finish that exercise, for 40 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second and third drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0 80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

6–8

80X0

90 sec

3 3

6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec

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PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 9 Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10* 10*

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

*Drop Set: On Set: On your last set of each exercise, do your hard 10 reps, then immediately decrease the weight 5 to 7 percent and do another 10 reps, then decrease the weight another 8 to 10 percent and do another 10 reps, and then drop another 10 percent of the weight and do 10 reps to finish that exercise, for 40 reps total in your final set. For the push-ups, push-ups, drop to your knees for the first drop set and widen your hands for the second and third drop set.

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

3 3 3 3

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0 80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

3

6–8

80X0

90 sec

3 3

6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec

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WEEK 10 – UNLOADING WEEK Workout One – Full Body Tension ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Clean Grip Deadlift Barbell Bench Press Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

30X0 30X0 31X0 30X0 30X 1 30X0 30X0

2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min 2–3 min

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Press Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row Push-Up Low Pulley Pull Through Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope Triceps Pressdown with Rope Standing DB Hammer Curl

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

10 10 10 10 10 10 10

2010 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011 2010

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Front Squat Incline DB Bench Press Lying Leg Curl Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension) Incline DB Curl  Seeated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise  S

1 1 1 1

6–8 6–8 6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0 80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec 90 sec 90 sec

1

6–8

80X0

90 sec

1 1

6–8 6–8

80X0 80X0

90 sec 90 sec

Workout Two Two – Full Body Stress ORDER  A  B C D E F G

Note: No drop sets this week  Note: No

Workout Three – Full Body Damage ORDER  A  B C D

E F G

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PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

Phase Two Objective In this phase, we will continue to trigger you to the three mechanisms of muscle growth, but in a different way. way. This time, you will rotate through workouts workouts that focus on each mechanism. You will train four times per week in this phase, with a main workout focused on each body part and a few “touch-up” sets for a few other muscle groups. These touch-up sets allow you to spread the volume over two workouts per week and give you a twice-per-week stimulus sti mulus per body part, par t, which is the perfect frequency for maximal hypertrophy.

Training Split Monday: Chest and Back (Shoulders and Arms Touch-Up) Tuesday: Quads and Calves (Hamstrings and Abs Touch-Up) Wednesday: Off  Thursday: Shoulders and Arms (Chest and Back Touch-Up) Friday: Hamstrings and Abs (Quads and Calves Touch-Up) Saturday: Off  Sunday: Off  Maintain the split above for the entire phase, but rotate which workouts you do. There are three different workouts for each body part to cycle through for the main body part of each session. You’ll do each workout three times in this phase, and you should strive to outperform your previous week’s workout by adding load (with good technique, of course) each time you repeat the workout. The The best way to visualize this is to write the split on your calendar. Then, go through, starting with the first f irst workout and going goin g in order, or der, and write writ e “Tension,” “Tension,” “Damage,” “Damage,” “Stress,” “Tension,” “Tension,” “Damage,” “Damage,” “Stress,” etc., from workout to workout to the end of the cycle. The cycle will repeat itself in weeks 4 to 6 and again in weeks 7 to 9. In week 10, you will do a very simple unloading week to get ready for phase three. You can find your unloading workouts (which you will do for each body part that week) at the end of this phase’s workouts. Here’s a full cube rotation schedule of the first three weeks so that you can see what I mean. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

WEEK 1 ■ ■ ■ ■

Monday: Chest and Back – Tension Workout Tuesday: Quads and Calves – Damage Workout Wednesday: Off  Thursday: Shoulders and Arms – Stress Workout 61

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■ ■ ■

Friday: Hamstrings and Abs – Tension Workout Saturday: Off  Sunday: Off 

WEEK 2 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Monday: Chest and Back – Damage Workout Tuesday: Quads and Calves – Stress Workout Wednesday: Off  Thursday: Shoulders and Arms – Tension Workout Friday: Hamstrings and Abs – Damage Workout Saturday: Off  Sunday: Off 

WEEK 3 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Monday: Chest and Back – Stress Workout Tuesday: Quads and Calves – Tension Workout Wednesday: Off  Thursday: Shoulders and Arms – Damage Workout Friday: Hamstrings and Abs – Stress Workout Saturday: Off  Sunday: Off 

WEEKS 4, 5, AND 6

and

WEEKS 7, 8, AND 9

Repeat weeks 1 through 3 in order.

WEEK 10 Repeat unloading. Intensity Technique: For the 2 up / 1 down technique, lift the weight with 2 arms, and then lower under control using only 1 limb with the proper eccentric tempo. Do 1 complete set with 1 limb li mb before switching sides. This will make you very sore! 

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CHEST AND BACK WORKOUTS (SHOULDERS AND ARMS TOUCH-UP) Chest and Back Tension Workout (Shoulders and Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2 B3

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Incline Barbell Bench Press Wide Grip Pronated Pull-Up Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Low Pulley Rope Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension

10 10 2 2 2

5 5 8–10 8–10 8–10

30X0 30X0 3011 30X0 30X 1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 60 sec

Chest and Back Damage Workout (Shoulders and Arms Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Machine Chest Press (2 up / 1 down technique*)  A1 Machine Row (2 up / 1 down technique*)  A2 Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise B1 Low Pulley Rope Curl B2 EZ Bar Triceps Extension B3

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

8 8 2 2 2

6 ea 6 ea 8–10 8–10 8–10

80X0 80X0 3011 30X0 30X 1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 60 sec

*For the 2 up / 1 down technique, lift the weight with two arms, and then lower under control using only one limb with the proper eccentric tempo. Do 1 complete set with 1 limb l imb before switching sides. This will make you very sore!

Chest and Back Stress Workout (Shoulders and Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2  A3  A4 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2 C3

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Incline Press Machine DB Chest Fly Low Pulley Dual Cable Incline Fly Pec Deck Chest Fly Supinated Grip Seated Cable Row Mid-Grip Supinated Lat Pulldown Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row DB Pullover on Flat Bench Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Low Pulley Rope Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2

12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 8–10 8–10 8–10

3011 2 21 0 2011 2011 3010 3011 2011 3030 3011 30X0 30X 1

10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 60 sec

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QUADS AND CALVES WORKOUTS (HAMSTRINGS AND ABS TOUCH-UP) Quads and Calves Tension Workout (Hamstrings and Abs Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Heels Elevated Barbell Back Squat Standing Calf Raise Machine Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up Lying Leg Curl

10 10 2 2

5 10 8–10 8–10

30X0 21 1 2 3011 30X 1

60 sec 3 min 10 sec 60 sec

Quads and Calves Damage Workout (Hamstrings and Abs Touch-Up) ORDER  A1

 A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Leg Ex tension (2 up / 1 down technique*) Standing Calf Raise Machine (2 up / 1 down technique*) Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up Lying Leg Curl

8

6 ea

80X0

90 sec

8

6 ea

80X0

90 sec

2 2

8–10 8–10

3011 30X 1

10 sec 60 sec

*For the 2 up / 1 down technique, lift the weight with two arms, and then lower under control using only one limb with the proper eccentric tempo. Do 1 complete set with 1 limb before switching sides. This will make you very sore!

Quads and Calves Stress Workout (Hamstrings and Abs Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2  A3  A4 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Hack Squat Machine Alternating Barbell Lunge Heels Elevated DB Squat DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated) Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Standing Calf Raise Machine Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Body weight 1-Leg Calf Raise Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up Lying Leg Curl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2

12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 8–10 8–10

3011 2 21 0 2011 2011 3010 3011 2011 3030 3011 30X 1

10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 60 sec

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PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

SHOULDERS AND ARMS WORKOUTS (CHEST AND BACK TOUCH-UP) Shoulders and Arms Tension Workout (Chest and Back Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Seated DB Shoulder Press  A  Close Grip Barbell Bench Press (shoulder width) B1 Mid-Grip Straight Bar Scott Curl B2 Pec Deck Chest Fly C1 DB Pullover on Flat Bench C2

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

10 10 10 2 2

5 5 5 8–10 8–10

30X0 30X0 30X0 2012 3020

100 sec 75 sec 75 sec 10 sec 60 sec

Shoulders and Arms Damage Workout (Chest and Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2

 A3 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Eccentric Emphasis “L” Lateral Raise Machine Curl (2 up / 1 down technique*) Triceps Extension Machine (2 up / 1 down technique*) Pec Deck Chest Fly DB Pullover on Flat Bench

8 8

6 6 ea

80X0 80X0

60 sec 60 sec

8

6 ea

80X0

60 sec

2 2

8–10 8–10

2012 3020

10 sec 60 sec

*For the 2 up / 1 down technique, lift the weight with two arms, and then lower under control using only one limb with the proper eccentric tempo. Do 1 complete set with 1 limb l imb before switching sides. This will make you very sore!

Shoulders and Arms Stress Workout (Chest and Back Touch-Up) ORDER

 A1  A2  A3  A4 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2

EXERCISE

Seated EZ Bar French Press (overhead triceps extension) Triceps Pressdown with Rope EZ Bar Triceps Extension Shoulder Width Push-Up Mid-Grip Straight Bar Scott Curl Standing Barbell Drag Curl Incline DB Hammer Curl Low Pulley Rope Curl Seated DB Shoulder Press Snatch Grip Upright Row

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3

12–15

31X0

10 sec

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

12–15 12–15 Max reps 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15

3011 2011 20X0 3010 3011 2011 N/A 2011 2011

10 sec 10 sec 60 sec 10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 60 sec 10 sec 10 sec

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(Continued) ORDER C3 C4 D1 D2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Prone Steep Incline DB Lateral Raise Rear Delt on Pec Fly Machine Pec Deck Chest Fly DB Pullover on Flat Bench

3 3 2 2

12–15 12–15 8–10 8–10

2011 2011 2012 3020

10 sec 60 sec 10 sec 60 sec

HAMSTRINGS AND ABS WORKOUTS (QUADS AND CALVES TOUCH-UP) Hamstrings and Abs Tension Workout (Quads and Calves Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Snatch Grip Deadlift Hanging Garhammer Raise (90 degrees and up) Standing Calf Raise Machine DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

10 10 2 2

5 15-20 8–10 8–10 ea

30X0 2012 1011 30X1

60 sec 3 min 10 sec 60 sec

Hamstrings and Abs Damage Workout (Quads and Calves Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Lying Leg Curl (2 up / 1 down technique*) Hanging Garhammer Raise (90 degrees and up) Standing Calf Raise Machine DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

8 8 2 2

6 ea 6 8–10 8–10 ea

80X0 80X0 1011 30X1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 60 sec

*For the 2 up / 1 down technique, lift the weight with two arms, and then lower under control using only one limb with the proper eccentric tempo. Do 1 complete set with 1 limb before switching sides. This will make you very sore!

Hamstrings and Abs Stress Workout (Quads and Calves Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2  A3  A4 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell RDL Swiss Ball Hip Bridge / Leg Curl Combo Horizontal Back Ex tension Lying Leg Curl Hanging Garhammer Raise (90 degrees and up) Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up

3 3 3 3 3 3

12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15 12–15

30X0 2020 2011 2011 3010 3011

10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec

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PART 6: The

ORDER B3 B4 C1 C2

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Front Plank Side Plank Standing Calf Raise Machine DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

3 3 2 2

Max time Max time ea 8–10 8–10 ea

2011 N/A 1011 30X1

10 sec 90 sec 10 sec 60 sec

WEEK 10 UNLOADING WEEK WORKOUTS Chest and Back Unloading Workout (Shoulders and Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2 B3

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Incline Press Machine (light weights) Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row (light weights) Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise (light weights) Low Pulley Rope Curl (light weights) EZ Bar Triceps Extension (light weights)

2 2 1 1 1

10–12 10–12 8–10 8–10 8–10

2010 2010 3011 30X0 30X1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 60 sec

Quads and Calves Unloading Workout (Hamstrings and Abs Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Heels Elevated DB Squat Standing Calf Raise Machine (light weights) Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up (light weights) Lying Leg Curl (light weights)

2 2 1 1

10–12 10–12 8–10 8–10

2010 2010 3011 30X1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 60 sec

Shoulders and Arms Unloading Workout (Chest and Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2  A3 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Seated DB Shoulder Press (light weights) Mid-Grip Straight Bar Scott Curl (light weights) EZ Bar Triceps Extension (light weights) Pec Deck Chest Fly DB Pullover on Flat Bench

2 2 2 1 1

10–12 10–12 10–12 8–10 8–10

2010 2010 2010 2012 3020

60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 10 sec 60 sec

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Hamstrings and Abs Unloading Workout (Quads and Calves Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Lying Leg Curl (light weights) Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up (light weights) Standing Calf Raise Machine DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

2 2 1 1

10–12 10–12 8–10 8–10 ea

2010 2010 1011 30X 1

90 sec 90 sec 10 sec 60 sec

Phase Three Objective For this phase, you will experience and stimulate all three mechanisms of muscle growth within the same workout! We will start with a mechanical tension-based exercise when you are still fresh. Then we’ll move into a muscle damage exercise with a stretched position pause, which is great for creating soreness and stimulating growth. Finally, we’ll finish off with some high rep exercises with short recovery recov ery to build up a lot of metabolites to help create cellular swelling (aka The The PUMP!) and signal the muscles to grow.

Training Split The recommended split for this phase is: Monday – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) Tuesday – Chest C hest and an d Abs (Back (Bac k Touch-Up) Touch-Up) Wednesday – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) Thursday – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) Friday – Back Bac k and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) Touch-Up) Saturday – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) Sunday – Off ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Intensity Technique: 10+10+10 Drop Sets: Drop the weight 20 percent on each drop. However, if you cannot complete

your 10 reps, continue to move the weight within the range that you still have available until you hit all 10 reps before reducing the weight to do the next drop. Continue to forcefully contract the muscle so that it burns like crazy. I don’t care if the weight is only moving 2 inches. Do not put the weight down for even a second. Make it hurt! 

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Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 1 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C

D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Alternating DB Drop Lunge Leg Press High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) Standing Calf Raise Machine Standing Leg Curl

3 4 3

8 10 ea 30

30X0 41X0 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec

3

30 e a

20X0

60 sec

8 1

10 10+10+10 drop set*

1011 30X 1

20 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline DB Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

3 4 3 3 3 1

8 10 30 30 10–15 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2010 2011 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front  A  Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise B Bent Rear Delt Raise C DB Upright Row D

E F

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3

8 10 ea 30 30

30X0 41X0 2010 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X 1

N/A

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X 1

N/A

Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

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Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE SETS REPS Clean Grip Deadlift 3 8  A  DB RDL 4 10 B 45-Degree Back Extension 3 30 C Lying Leg Curl 3 30 D Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) 5 15 E Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) 5 10 F Alternating Barbell Lunge 1 10+10+10 drop set* ea leg G

TEMPO

REST

30X0 41X0 2011 20X0 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 20 sec 20 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

3 4 3 3 3 3 1

8 10 ea 30 ea 30 Max reps Max reps 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2011 2011 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 10 sec 60 sec N/A

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Ex tension Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

3 3 4 4

8 8 10 10

30X0 30X0 41X0 41X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

30 ea

2011

30 sec

3 3 3 1

30 30 30 10+10+10 drop set*

2011 21 1 0 2011 30X0

30 sec 30 sec 30 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 D1 D2 E

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

70

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 2 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C

D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Alternating DB Drop Lunge Leg Press High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) Standing Calf Raise Machine Standing Leg Curl

3 4 3

7 10 ea 30

30X0 41X0 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec

3

30 ea

20X0

60 sec

8 1

10 10+10+10 drop set*

1011 30X 1

20 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline DB Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

3 4 3 3 3 1

7 10 30 30 10–15 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2010 2011 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front  A  Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise B Bent Rear Delt Raise C DB Upright Row D

E F

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3

7 10 ea 30 30

30X0 41X0 2010 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X1

N/A

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X1

N/A

Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

71

Living Large

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE SETS REPS TEMPO REST Clean Grip Deadlift 3 7 30X0 2–3 min  A  DB RDL 4 10 41X0 90 sec B 45-Degree Back Extension 3 30 2011 60 sec C Lying Leg Curl 3 30 20X0 60 sec D Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) 5 15 1011 20 sec E Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) 5 10 1010 20 sec F Alternating Barbell Lunge 1 10+10+10 drop set* ea leg 20X0 N/A G *10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up  A  Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position B 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown C Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope D Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees E Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees F Incline Barbell Bench Press G

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3 3 3 1

7 10 ea 30 ea 30 Max reps Max reps 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2011 2011 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 10 sec 60 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Ex tensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

3 3 4 4

7 7 10 10

30X0 30X0 41X0 41X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

30 ea

2011

30 sec

3 3 3 1

30 30 30 10+10+10 drop set*

2011 21 1 0 2011 30X0

30 sec 30 sec 30 sec N/A

C2 D1 D2 E *10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

72

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 3 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C

D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat Alternating DB Drop Lunge Leg Press High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) Standing Calf Raise Machine Standing Leg Curl

3 4 3

6 10 ea 30

30X0 41X0 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec

3

30 e a

20X0

60 sec

8 1

10 10+10+10 drop set*

1011 30X 1

20 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

3 4 3 3 3 1

6 10 30 30 10–15 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2010 2011 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front  A  Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise B Bent Rear Delt Raise C DB Upright Row D

E F

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3

6 10 ea 30 30

30X0 41X0 2010 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X 1

N/A

1

10+10+10 drop set*

30X 1

N/A

Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

73

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Living Large

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift Dumbbell RDL 45-Degree Back Extension Lying Leg Curl Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

3 4 3 3 5 5 1

6 10 30 30 15 10 10+10+10 drop set* ea leg

30X0 41X0 2011 20X0 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 20 sec 20 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up  A  Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position B 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown C Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope D Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees E Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees F Incline Barbell Bench Press G

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3 3 3 1

6 10 ea 30 ea 30 Max reps Max reps 10+10+10 drop set*

30X0 41X0 2011 2011 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 60 sec 60 sec 10 sec 60 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 D1 D2 E

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Ex tensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

3 3 4 4

6 6 10 10

30X0 30X0 41X0 41X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

30 ea

2011

30 sec

3 3 3 1

30 30 30 10+10+10 drop set*

2011 21 1 0 2011 30X0

30 sec 30 sec 30 sec N/A

*10+10+10 Drop Sets: Review Sets: Review Intensity Technique on page 68.

74

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 4 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) D Leg Extension E Standing Calf Raise Machine F Standing Leg Curl G

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3 3 8 2

5 8 ea 20 20 ea 20 8 15

30X0 42X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline DB Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

3 4 3 3 3 3 2

5 8 20 20 20 15–20 15

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

3 4 3 3 3

5 8 ea 20 20 20

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec

2

15

30X1

45 sec

2

15

30X1

45 sec

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E

F G

75

Living Large

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G H

EXERCISE

SETS

R EPS RE

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift Dumbbell RDL 45-Degree Back Extension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

3 4 3 3 3 5 5 2

5 8 20 20 20 12 8 15 ea

30X0 42X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

SETS

R EPS RE

TEMPO

REST

3 4 3 3 3 3 3 2

5 8 ea 20 ea 20 20 Max reps Max reps 15

30X0 42X0 2011 2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 10 sec 60 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up  A  Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position B 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown C Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope D Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row E Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees F Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees G Incline Barbell Bench Press H

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 D1 D2 E1 E2 F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Extensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

3 3 4 4

5 5 8 8

30X0 30X0 42X0 42X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

20 ea

2011

20 sec

3 3 3 3 3 2

20 20 20 20 20 15

2011 21 1 0 2011 2010 2010 2011

20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

76

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 5 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) D Leg Extension E Standing Calf Raise Machine F Standing Leg Curl G

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

4 4 3 3 3 8 2

4 8 ea 20 20 ea 20 8 15

30X0 42X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

4 4 3 3 3 3 2

4 8 20 20 20 15–20 15

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

4 4 3 3 3

4 8 ea 20 20 20

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec

2

15

30X 1

45 sec

2

15

30X 1

45 sec

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E

F G

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Living Large

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G H

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift DB Romanian Deadlift (RDL) 45-Degree Back Ex tension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

4 4 3 3 3 5 5 2

4 8 20 20 20 12 8 15 ea

30X0 42X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G H

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2

4 8 ea 20 ea 20 20 Max reps Max reps 15

30X0 42X0 2011 2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 10 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Extensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Ex tension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

4 4 4 4

4 4 8 8

30X0 30X0 42X0 42X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

20 ea

2011

20 sec

3 3 3 3 3 2

20 20 20 20 20 15

2011 21 1 0 2011 2010 2010 2011

20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 D1 D2 E1 E2 F

78

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 6 Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) D Leg Extension E Standing Calf Raise Machine F Standing Leg Curl G

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

5 4 3 3 3 8 2

3 8 ea 20 20 e a 20 8 15

30X0 42X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

5 4 3 3 3 3 2

3 8 20 20 20 15–20 15

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

5 4 3 3 3

3 8 ea 20 20 20

30X0 42X0 2010 2011 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec

2

15

30X 1

45 sec

2

15

30X 1

45 sec

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E

F G

79

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Living Large

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G H

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift DB RDL 45-Degree Back Ex tension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

5 4 3 3 3 5 5 2

3 8 20 20 20 12 8 15 ea

30X0 42X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D E F G H

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

5 4 3 3 3 3 3 2

3 8 ea 20 ea 20 20 Max reps Max reps 15

30X0 42X0 2011 2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec 45 sec 10 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Extensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Ex tension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

5 5 4 4

3 3 8 8

30X0 30X0 42X0 42X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

3

20 ea

2011

20 sec

3 3 3 3 3 2

20 20 20 20 20 15

2011 21 1 0 2011 2010 2010 2011

20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 D1 D2 E1 E2 F

80

PART 6: The

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

WEEK 7 In weeks 7 to 9, for your tension workouts, you will be doing pyramids. For example, in week 7, it says 4 sets and the reps say 7,6,5,4. This means that you’ll do one  set  set of 7 reps, increase the weight and do one set of 6 reps, etc., until you’ve done 4 sets. Also, for the final weeks of this program, you will do the metabolic stress portions of the workout as giant sets and tri-sets. If you can’t do this due to gym set-up, then simply do straight sets with 30 to 45 seconds rest.

Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C1 High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) C2 Leg Extension C3 Standing Calf Raise Machine D Standing Leg Curl E

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

4 5 4 4 4 6 3

7,6,5,4 6 ea 15 15 ea 15 20 12

30X0 33X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

4 5 4 4 4 3 3

7,6,5,4 6 15 15 15 20–25 12

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise

4 5 4 4 4

7,6,5,4 6 ea 15 15 15

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3

Continued 81

Living Large

(Continued) ORDER

D E

EXERCISE

Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3

12

2011

45 sec

3

12

30X1

45 sec

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift DB RDL 45-Degree Back Extension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

4 5 4 4 4 4 4 3

7,6,5,4 6 15 15 15 30 15 12 ea

30X0 33X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

4 5 4 4 4 3 3 3

7,6,5,4 6e a 15 ea 15 15 Max reps Max reps 12

30X0 33X0 2011 2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 10 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Extensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Ex tension

4 4 5 5

7,6,5,4 7,6,5,4 6 6

30X0 30X0 33X0 33X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

4

15 ea

2011

10 sec

4 4

15 15

2011 21 1 0

10 sec 10 sec

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 C3

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PART 6: The

ORDER C4 C5 C6 D

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

4 4 4 3

15 15 15 12

2011 2010 2010 2011

10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 45 sec

WEEK 8 In weeks 7 to 9, for your tension workouts, you will be doing pyramids. For example, in Week 8, it says five sets and the reps say 6,5,4,3,2. This means that you’ll do ONE set of 6 reps, increase the weight and do ONE set of 5 reps, etc., until you’ve done 5 sets. Also, for the final weeks of this program, you will do the metabolic stress portions of the workout workout as giant sets and tri-sets. tri -sets. If you can’t do this due to gym set-up, then simply do straight sets with 30 to 45 seconds rest.

Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C1 High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) C2 Leg Extension C3 Standing Calf Raise Machine D Standing Leg Curl E

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

5 5 4 4 4 6 3

6,5,4,3,2 6 ea 15 15 ea 15 20 12

30X0 33X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

5 5 4 4 4 3 3

6,5,4,3,2 6 15 15 15 20–25 12

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 60 sec 45 sec

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Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3

D E

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

5 5 4 4 4

6,5,4,3,2 6 ea 15 15 15

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec

3

12

2011

45 sec

3

12

30X1

45 sec

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift DB RDL 45-Degree Back Ex tension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3

6,5,4,3,2 6 15 15 15 30 15 12 ea

30X0 33X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3

6,5,4,3,2 6 ea 15 ea 15 15 Max reps Max reps 12

30X0 33X0 2011 2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 10 sec 60 sec 45 sec

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Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 D

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Ex tensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

5 4 5 5

6,5,4,3,2 7,6,5,4 6 6

30X0 30X0 33X0 33X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

4

15 ea

2011

10 sec

4 4 4 4 4 3

15 15 15 15 15 12

2011 21 1 0 2011 2010 2010 2011

10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 45 sec

WEEK 9 In weeks 7 to 9, for your tension workouts, you will be doing pyramids. For example, in Week 9, it says five sets and the reps say 5,4,3,2,1. 5,4,3,2,1. This means that you’ll do ONE set of 5 reps, increase the weight and do ONE set of 4 reps, etc., until you’ve done five sets. Also, for the final weeks of this program, you will do the metabolic stress portions of the workout as giant sets and tri-sets. If you can’t do this due to gym set-up, then simply do straight sets with 30-45 seconds rest.

Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Barbell Back Squat  A  Alternating DB Drop Lunge B Leg Press C1 High Bench DB Step Ups (do all reps for 1 leg first) C2 Leg Extension C3 Standing Calf Raise Machine D Standing Leg Curl E

85

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

5 5 4 4 4 6 3

5,4,3,2,1 6 ea 15 15 ea 15 20 12

30X0 33X0 2010 20X0 2011 1011 30X1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Living Large

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press Incline DB Chest Fly Incline Barbell Bench Press Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low) Push-Up Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row

5 5 4 4 4 3 3

5,4,3,2,1 6 15 15 15 20–25 12

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010 2011 30X 1

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 60 sec 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise Bent Rear Delt Raise DB Upright Row Standing DB Lateral Raise Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl

5 5 4 4 4

5,4,3,2,1 6 ea 15 15 15

30X0 33X0 2010 2011 2010

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec

3

12

2011

45 sec

3

12

30X1

45 sec

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3

D E

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1 C2 C3 D E F

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift DB RDL 45-Degree Back Ex tension Lying Leg Curl Low Pulley Pull Through Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral) Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine) Alternating Barbell Lunge

5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3

5,4,3,2,1 6 15 15 15 30 15 12 ea

30X0 33X0 2011 20X0 2010 1011 1010 20X0

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec 10 sec 75 sec 20 sec 20 sec 45 sec

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C1

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown

5 5 4

5,4,3,2,1 6ea 15 ea

30X0 33X0 2011

2–3 min 90 sec 10 sec

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ORDER C2 C3 D E F

Ultimate 30-Week, Zero Guesswork Muscle-Building Program

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees Incline Barbell Bench Press

4 4 3 3 3

15 15 Max reps Max reps 12

2011 2010 1011 3020 30X0

10 sec 75 sec 10 sec 60 s e c 45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) Standing Barbell Curl Incline DB Triceps Ex tensions Incline DB Zottman Curl Low Pulley Triceps Kickback (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position) Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl EZ Bar Triceps Extension Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl Triceps Pressdown with Rope Low Pulley Rope Curl Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

5 5 5 5

5,4,3,2,1 5,4,3,2,1 6 6

30X0 30X0 33X0 33X0

90 sec 90 sec 75 sec 75 sec

4

15 ea

2011

10 sec

4 4 4 4 4 3

15 15 15 15 15 12

2011 21 1 0 2011 2010 2010 2011

10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 10 sec 90 sec 45 sec

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 D

WEEK 10 – UNLOADING WEEK Workout One – Quads and Calves (Hamstrings Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Back Squat (light weights) Leg Press (light weights) Standing Calf Raise Machine (light weights) Standing Leg Curl (light weights)

2 2 2 1

10–12 10–12 10–12 12

2010 2010 1011 3011

2–3 min 2–3 min 60 sec N/A

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Barbell Bench Press (light weights) Pec Deck Chest Fly (light weights)

2 2

10–12 10–12

3010 2011

2–3 min 60 sec

Workout Two – Chest and Abs (Back Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B

Continued 87

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(Continued) ORDER C D

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife Gironda Pulley Row (light weights)

2 1

10–12 12

2011 3011

60 sec N/A

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

2 2

10–12 10–12

3010 2010

2–3 min 60 sec

1

12

2011

N/A

1

12

3011

N/A

Workout Three – Shoulders (Arms Touch-Up) ORDER EXERCISE Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front (light weights)  A  Seated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise (light weights) B

C D

Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment (light weights) Low Pulley EZ Bar Curl (light weights)

Workout Four – Hamstrings and Calves (Quads Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B C D

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Clean Grip Deadlift (light weights) Lying Leg Curl (light weights) Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral, light weights) Alternating Barbell Lunge (light weights)

2 2 2 1

10–12 10–12 10–12 12 ea

2010 2010 1011 2010

2–3 min 60 sec 45 sec N/A

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up (light weights) Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope (light weights) Reverse Crunch with Med-Ball Between Knees (light Med-Ball) Incline Barbell Bench Press (light weights)

2 2

10–12 10–12

2010 2011

2–3 min 60 sec

2

10–12

1011

60 sec

1

12

30X0

45 sec

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

Dips (torso upright) (light weights) Standing Barbell Curl (light weights) Triceps Pressdown with Rope (light weights) Low Pulley Rope Curl (light weights) Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low) (light weights)

2 2 2 2 1

10–12 10–12 10–12 10–12 12

3010 3010 2010 2010 2011

90 sec 90 sec 45 sec 45 sec N/A

Workout Five – Back and Abs (Chest Touch-Up) ORDER  A  B

C D

Workout Six – Arms (Shoulders Touch-Up) ORDER  A1  A2 B1 B2 C

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PART 7

The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide: Don’t Do Another Rep Without These Max Contraction Cues

It’s not what you do; it’s how you do it. It doesn’t matter how much you lift or how many reps you do if they all suck. Most people learn to lift weights by watching videos and looking at pictures in magazines. But exercise happens with the force you create internally, including what you think about  while  while you do the actual movement. If I were standing next to you, I wouldn’t be giving you cues about what you can figure out by watching a video or looking at a picture. I’d be telling you what to think  so  so that you initiate the movement with the working muscle  and  and direct maximum tension into the targeted muscle and nowhere else..

Exercise happens with what you do internally, including what you think while you do the actual movement. Here are a few critical “max contraction cues” to help you generate the greatest amount of tension within the muscle so that you get a high return for your time in the gym. Review these over and over. It takes a long time to retrain a muscle and break old crappy movement patterns. Pay close attention. You will not find these cues anywhere else.

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Abs ABS – LEG RAISE MOVEMENTS Hanging Garhammer Raise (90 degrees and up)

See cues on page 92

91

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ABS – LEG RAISE MOVEMENTS Reverse Crunch—Med-Ball Between Knees

Cues: Roll your hips up in an arc to flex your lumbar spine and close the gap between your thighs and chest. Exhale all your air before reaching the top position to allow your abs to fully shorten. Don’t just let your hips drop down; retrace the same arc on the descent and maintain constant tension. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Med-Ball or Weight Plate V-Up

Cues: Keeping your arms and legs straight, bring your upper and lower body together by forcefully contracting your abs, balancing on your butt at the top. Exhale all your air before reaching the top position to allow your abs to fully shorten. Don’t just let your body drop down; slowly return to the starting position to maintain constant tension. ■

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ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Swiss Ball Straight Leg Jackknife

Cues: Don’t let your hips move up and down— keep them in line with your shoulders. Bring your knees into your chest, flexing your lumbar spine, and squeeze your abs hard. Exhale all your air before reaching the top position to allow your abs to fully shorten. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Swiss Ball Rollouts from Knees

Cues: Lead with your hands, reaching out as far as you can while maintaining a neutral spine—avoid spinal extension. Contract your abs hard throughout to keep your pelvis neutral to ensure you challenge the abs and not the lower back. Don’t allow your upper back and shoulders to round—keep your head, chest, and hips in a straight line. ■

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ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Front Plank

Cues: Don’t let your hips move up and down— keep them in line with your shoulders. Don’t allow your body to twist or tilt—keep your shoulders square. Center your pelvis—it should not be tilted anteriorly or posteriorly. Think about driving your elbows and toes together to increase the contraction of your abs. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Side Plank

Cues: Don’t let your hips move up and down—keep your body in a straight line. Don’t allow your body to twist or tilt—keep your entire body perpendicular to the floor. Contract your abs, glutes, quads, and lats throughout. ■

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ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Wide Grip Palm Forward (overhand) Pull-Up

See cues on page 101

98

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Mid-Grip Supinated Pulldown

See cues on page 101

99

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ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS Narrow Grip Neutral Chin-Up

See cues on page 101

100

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

ABS – OTHER MOVEMENTS 1-Arm Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown

Cues Don’t think about pulling down—think about pulling your elbows outward (pronated grip) or forward (supinated and neutral grips) in an arc. Don’t think about pulling with your arms—retract and depress your shoulder blades as you pull to challenge the lats. Drive your elbows toward your lats (pronated grip) or behind you (supinated and neutral grips) to maximally shorten the lats. ■

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101

Back

BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Neutral Grip Seated Cable Row

See cues on page 103

102

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Supinated Grip Seated Cable Row

Cues: Don’t think about pulling with your arms, but pulling with your elbows—retract and downwardly rotate your shoulder blades as you pull to challenge the lats. Don’t allow your upper back or shoulders to round as you pull—push your sternum forward to maximally shorten the lats. Keep your shoulder blades retracted and downwardly rotated through as much of the range as possible as you return to the starting star ting position. ■

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BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Machine Row

See cues on page 103

104

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Prone Incline 2-Arm DB Row

See cues on page 103

105

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BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Gironda Pulley Row

one

two

See cues on page 103

Three 106

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BACK – ROWING MOVEMENTS Low Pulley 1-Arm Row from Lunge Position

See cues on page 103

107

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BACK – OTHER MOVEMENTS Seated Cable Face Pull with Rope

Cues: Avoid any torso movement—keep your core braced and sit tall with your shoulders above your hips. Don’t think about pulling the rope toward you—think about ripping the rope apart and pulling your elbows out to opposite walls. Don’t let your elbows drop—keep your elbows slightly above your shoulders and pull the rope toward your nose. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BACK – OTHER MOVEMENTS DB Pullover on Flat Bench

Cues: Don’t allow excessive spinal extension—brace your core and keep your lower back “locked down” to the bench. Think about pushing the dumbbell as far away from you as possible and move the weight in an arc in both directions. Don’t think about moving the dumbbell up and down. Think about moving it backward and then forward. ■

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Biceps BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Low-Pulley Rope Curl

See cues on page 111

110

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Low-Pulley EZ Bar Curl

Cues: Don’t think about curling the weight up—think about moving the weight forward for the first half of the rep and then backward for the second half of the rep, all while you concentrate on closing the gap between your forearm and biceps. Minimize movement of the upper arm—the majority of the movement should occur at the elbows, not the shoulder. Don’t curl your wrists—keep them neutral or extend them slightly. ■

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BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Kneeling Dual High Pulley Curl

Cues: Create some slight external rotation of your shoulder so that your biceps are facing upwards to begin. Don’t think about the cables in your hands. Think about closing the gap between your forearm and biceps. Minimize movement from your upper arms and keep your body “locked down” the entire time. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Machine Curl

See cues on page 111

113

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BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Prone Incline EZ Bar Spider Curl

See cues on page 111

114

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Incline DB Zottman Curl

one

two

three

four

See cues on page 111 115

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BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Incline DB Hammer Curl

See cues on page 111

116

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Incline DB Curl

See cues on page 111

117

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BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Standing DB Hammer Curl

See cues on page 111

118

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Standing Barbell Curl

See cues on page 111

119

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BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Standing Barbell Drag Curl

Cues: Drag the bar up your body in a straight line while pulling your elbows backward until you experience a massive contraction. Lower the bar in a straight line while letting your elbows move forward. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

BICEPS – ALL MOVEMENTS Mid-Grip Straight Bar Scott Curl

Cues: Drive your triceps into the pad before you initiate any contraction in the biceps and maintain constant contact the entire time. As you contract, close the imaginary line between your forearms and biceps. Think about your biceps crawling up and under your sleeve if you’re wearing a t-shirt as you contract. At the top, reverse direction before your forearms become vertical to maintain constant tension on the biceps. ■

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Calves

CALVES – ALL MOVEMENTS Toe Press (calf raise on leg press machine)

See cues on page 125

122

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CALVES – ALL MOVEMENTS Standing Calf Raise Machine

See cues on page 125 123

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CALVES – ALL MOVEMENTS Seated Calf Raise (toes neutral)

See cues on page 125

124

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CALVES – ALL MOVEMENTS Body Weight 1-Leg Calf Raise

Cues: Don’t think about standing up—think about pushing your ankles forward to raise your heels as high as you can without rolling onto the outside of your feet. Don’t think about dropping down—think about pulling your ankles backward until you contract your anterior tibialis (muscle that runs along the shin) for a full stretch. (Excluding Seated Calf Raises) Keep knees locked out and contract quads throughout so that you eliminate any assistance from your quads. ■

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Chest CHEST – PRESSING MOVEMENTS Barbell Bench Press

See cues on page 127

126

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – PRESSING MOVEMENTS Incline Barbell Bench Press

Cues: Don’t think about pushing the weight up—think about pushing your elbows toward each other and across your body as you push your shoulders back into the bench. Keep your wrists directly above your elbows and finish each rep with your wrists slightly outside your shoulders. Don’t just let the weight fall toward you—retract your shoulder blades and pull your elbows out and down. ■

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CHEST – PRESSING MOVEMENTS Incline DB Bench Press

See cues on page 127

128

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – PRESSING MOVEMENTS Machine Chest Press

See cues on page 127

129

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CHEST – PRESSING MOVEMENTS Incline Press Machine

See cues on page 127

130

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – PUSH-UPS Push-Up

See cues on page 132

131

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CHEST – PUSH-UPS Shoulder Width Push-Up

Cues: Don’t think about pushing yourself up—think about pushing the floor away from you. Don’t let your hips or lower back sag—contract your abs and glutes throughout to keep your body in a straight line. Don’t just drop toward the ground— retract your shoulder blades and think about pulling yourself toward the floor. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – FLY MOVEMENTS DB Chest Fly

Cues: Don’t let the weight pull you through the negative—retract your shoulder blades and pull your elbows out in an arc. Don’t think about bringing your hands together—think about bringing your elbows together as you contract your pecs. With dumbbells, finish each rep with your wrists slightly outside your shoulders; with cables and machines, bring your elbows together as much as possible. ■

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CHEST – FLY MOVEMENTS Low Pulley Dual Cable Incline Fly

See cues on page 133

134

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – FLY MOVEMENTS Pec Deck Chest Fly

See cues on page 133

135

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CHEST – FLY MOVEMENTS Incline DB Chest Fly

See cues on page 133

136

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

CHEST – FLY MOVEMENTS Cable Crossover Chest Fly (high to low)

See cues on page 133

137

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Hamstrings HAMSTRINGS – DEADLIFTS Clean Grip Deadlift

See cues on page 139

138

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

HAMSTRINGS – DEADLIFTS Snatch Grip Deadlift

Cues: Prior to the lift, pull a bend into the bar as you pull a slight arch into your lower back by pushing your hips back and pulling your chest tall. Don’t think about standing up—think about pushing the floor away from you and driving your hips forward. Don’t pull the bar with your upper body—keep your arms long and locked out and use your legs to move the weight. ■

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HAMSTRINGS – STIFF-LEG MOVEMENTS Barbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

Cues: Don’t think about bending over—think about pushing your hips back on the descent and forward on the ascent. Don’t allow any movement at the knees—maintain a slight bend in the knees but keep your legs rigid. Don’t pull the bar with your upper body—keep your arms long and locked out and use your legs to move the weight. ■

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140

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

HAMSTRINGS – STIFF-LEG MOVEMENTS Dumbbell RDL

See cues on page 140

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HAMSTRINGS – STIFF-LEG MOVEMENTS Low Pulley Pull Through

Cues: Don’t “crowd” your groin—keep your arms long and locked out and reach back between your knees. Don’t think about standing up and down, think about moving your hips back on the descent and forward on the ascent. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

HAMSTRINGS – LEG CURLS Lying Leg Curl

Cues: Don’t let your hips move up and down, think about bracing your core and shoving your pelvis and hips into the pad throughout. Don’t think about bringing your heels to your butt, think about closing the gap between your calves and your hamstrings. Avoid any torso movement—pretend your torso is stuck in cement. ■

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HAMSTRINGS – LEG CURLS Standing Leg Curl

See cues on page 143

144

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

HAMSTRINGS – LEG CURLS Swiss Ball Hip Bridge / Leg Curl Combo

Cues: ■

Drive your hips toward the ceiling as you close the gap between your calves and hamstrings.

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HAMSTRINGS – BACK EXTENSION MOVEMENTS 45-Degree Back Extension

Cues: Don’t think about bending over—think about hinging at the hips and extending your spine long and forward with your back flat. Don’t round your back at the bottom—reverse directions before you lose a neutral spine. Don’t arch your back at the top—drive your hips into the pad and squeeze your glutes to bring your body back to a straight line. ■

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PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

HAMSTRINGS – BACK EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Horizontal Back Extension

See cues on page 146

147

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Quads

QUADS – SQUA S QUATTING TTING MOVEMENTS Barbell Back Squat

See cues on page 149

148

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

QUADS – SQUA S QUATTING TTING MOVEMENTS Heels Elevated Barbell Back Squat

Cues: On the descent, push your hips back and knees forward and slightly outward so that your knees track over your ankles; on the way up, push your hips forward and knees back. Don’t just drop down—shove your feet into the floor and think about pulling yourself down with your hamstrings. Don’t think about standing up—think about pushing the floor away from you. ■

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QUADS – SQUA S QUATTING TTING MOVEMENTS Barbell Front Squat

See cues on page 149

150

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

QUADS – SQUA S QUATTING TTING MOVEMENTS Heels Elevated DB Squat

See cues on page 149

151

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QUADS – SQUA S QUATTING TTING MOVEMENTS Hack Squat Machine

See cues on page 149

152

PART 7: The Exercise Execution Demonstration Guide

QUADS – LUNGES  Alternating  Alterna ting DB Drop Drop Lunge Lunge

Cues: ■ ■ ■

Don’t think about standing up—think about pushing the floor away from you. Don’t push with the front of your foot—push with the entire surface area of your foot. At the bottom, the angle of your shin should match that of your torso.

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QUADS – LUNGES  Alternating  Alterna ting Barbell Barbell Lunge

See cues on page 153

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QUADS – STEP UPS AND DB BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUA SQUATS TS DB Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

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Don’t use your back leg to assist—do all the work with your front leg. Don’t push with the front of your foot—push with the entire surface area of your foot. At the bottom, the angle of your shin should match that of your torso.

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QUADS – STEP UPS AND DB BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUA SQUATS TS High Bench DB Step Ups

See cues on page 155

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QUADS – LEG PRESS Leg Press

Cues: Don’t just let the weight fall—pull your knees toward your chest. Don’t allow your back to round at the bottom—maintain a slight arch to keep the tension in your legs, not your back. Use the handles to pull your butt into the seat. Don’t allow any rotation at the hips— keep your hips, knees, and ankles in a straight line. ■

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QUADS – LEG EXTENSION Leg Extension

Cues: Avoid any extraneous movement—brace your core to prevent spinal extension and use the handles to pull yourself down into the seat throughout. Don’t lean back against the pad—sit tall with your chest up and shove your butt into the seat. Don’t allow any rotation at the hips—make sure your kneecaps point directly toward the ceiling at the top. ■

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Shoulders SHOULDERS – OVERHEAD PRESSING MOVEMENTS Mid-Grip Barbell Shoulder Press in Front

See cues on page 160

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SHOULDERS – OVERHEAD PRESSING MOVEMENTS Seated DB Shoulder Press

Cues: Don’t think about pushing the weight up—think about pushing your elbows outward for the first half of the rep and then inward on the second half of the rep. Reach for the ceiling, too. Keep your wrists directly above your elbows and finish each rep with your wrists slightly outside your shoulders. Don’t just let the weight fall toward you—pull your elbows back to the starting position while retracting and downwardly rotating your shoulder blades. ■

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SHOULDERS – SIDE LATERAL MOVEMENTS Seated 2-Arm DB Lateral Raise

Cues: Don’t think about lifting the weight up—think about pushing the weight away from you and dragging your knuckles along the floor while reaching away from your sides. Don’t shrug your shoulders—but allow for upward rotation of the scapula (shoulder blade) as the motion progresses. Don’t think about lifting the weight with your hands—keep your arms rigid (though slightly bent) and think about leading with your elbows and reaching for opposite walls. ■

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SHOULDERS – SIDE LATERAL MOVEMENTS Lean-Away DB Lateral Raise

See cues on page 161

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SHOULDERS – SIDE LATERAL MOVEMENTS Eccentric Emphasis “L” Lateral Raise

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Cues: Perform a hammer curl, drive your elbows out and up to ear height and extend your arms, then focus on a slow, controlled negative. ■

Use as little energy as possible on the way up (this is one of the rare times we want to follow the path of least  resistance)—save  resistance)—save all energy for the negative. ■

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SHOULDERS – SIDE LATERAL MOVEMENTS Prone Steep Incline DB Lateral Raise

See cues on page 161

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SHOULDERS – REAR DELT DELT MOVEMENTS Rear Delt on Pec Fly Machine

Cues: Don’t retract your shoulder blades—instead, protract your shoulders and think about keeping your hands as far away from you as possible and push your shoulders out and away throughout. Don’t think about pulling the weight backward—think about pushing the weight away from you and dragging your knuckles along the wall in front of you. Reverse direction just before your shoulder shoulder blades start star t to retract to keep the tension in your rear delts and prevent assistance from the traps. ■

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SHOULDERS – REAR DELT DELT MOVEMENTS Bent Rear Delt Raise

See cues on page 165

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SHOULDERS – REAR DELT DELT MOVEMENTS Rear Delt Cable Fly (high to low)

See cues on page 165

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SHOULDERS – UPRIGHT ROWS Snatch Grip Upright Row

Cues: Don’t think about pulling the weight up—think about pulling your elbows out and away from you in an arc. Reverse direction just before your forearms start to angle up toward the ceiling to keep the tension in your delts and prevent assistance from the forearms. Don’t just let the weight fall— retrace that same arc of the elbows on the negative (as you lower the weight) and maintain constant tension. ■

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SHOULDERS – UPRIGHT ROWS DB Upright Row

See cues on page 168

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SHOULDERS – UPRIGHT ROWS Low Pulley Upright Row with Rope

See cues on page 168

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Triceps TRICEPS – CABLE PRESSDOWN AND KICKBACK MOVEMENTS Triceps Pressdown with Rope

See cues on page 173

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TRICEPS – CABLE PRESSDOWN AND KICKBACK MOVEMENTS Reverse Grip Pressdown with EZ Curl Attachment

See cues on page 173

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TRICEPS – CABLE PRESSDOWN AND KICKBACK MOVEMENTS Low Pulley Triceps Kickbacks (palm facing the ceiling in contracted position)

Cues: Don’t allow your shoulders to shrug up or round forward—keep your scapula neutral and triceps pointing straight back behind you. Don’t think about pushing the weight down (pressdown) or back (kickbacks)— focus on creating an arc and maximally straightening your arms forward for the first half of the rep and then backward for the second half of the rep all while you concentrate on extending your elbow as straight as possible. Minimize movement at the shoulder—the majority of the movement should occur at the elbows. ■

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Kneeling Low Pulley French Press with Rope (overhead triceps extension)

Cues: Don’t allow your shoulders to shrug up or round forward—keep your scapula neutral, against your ribcage, and triceps pointing straight ahead, which requires that you externally rotate your shoulder. Don’t think about extending the weight up—focus on creating an arc and maximally straightenn your arms backward for the first half of the rep and then forward for the second half straighte of the rep, all while you concentrate on extending your arm as straight as possible. Don’t allow your elbows to flare out—keep your biceps facing backward by maintaining external rotation of the shoulder. ■

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Incline DB Triceps Extension

See cues on page 174

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Triceps Extension Machine

See cues on page 174

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Seated EZ Bar French Press (overhead triceps extension)

See cues on page 174

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS EZ Bar Triceps Extension

See cues on page 174

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Dips (torso upright)

Cues: Don’t think about pushing yourself up—think about pushing the bars away from you. Don’t allow your elbows to flare out—maintain external rotation at the shoulder throughout. Don’t allow your shoulders to shrug up or round forward—do your best to keep your shoulder blades retracted and depressed. ■ ■ ■

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TRICEPS – EXTENSION MOVEMENTS Close Grip Barbell Bench Press (shoulder width)

Cues: Don’t think about pushing the weight up—think about pushing your elbows toward each other and across your body as you push your shoulders back into the bench. Don’t think about squeezing your chest—focus on squeezing your triceps throughout. Don’t tuck your elbows into your sides—keep your elbows outside of your hands. ■

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PART 8

Five Rituals to Rapid Recovery

Increased muscle mass occurs because of two main causes—training and recovery. One of the most important ideas I learned from Australian strength coach Ian King is: “Training in itself does not produce the training results.” He explained that the training session stimulates the change, but the actual changes can only be optimized when “training is matched with a suitable recovery.” If your training regimen exceeds your ability to recover, you will not achieve the training effect you desire. Suitable recovery includes time off between workouts and certain methods that assist the restorative process.

You are what you can recover from!  To sum up: You are what you can recover from! With this truth in mind, it only makes sense that your focus should be on taking the appropriate measures to ensure your body has everything it needs to recover. While there are thousands of recovery strategies out there, I’m going to share a few longtime favorites that have worked tremendously well for my clients and me. You don’t have to apply all of them at the same time though.

Recovery Ritual #1: Contrast Baths and Showers When I ran varsity cross-country at Western University, one of the strategies our team used to combat our heavy training volume was contrast baths and showers. The rate of recovery was noticeably different, and if it weren’t I would have kicked this strategy to the curb. Trust me, I don’t sit in 60 degree or colder water for fun!

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The optimal protocol is to alternate between 1 minute of cold water and 2 minutes of hot water for up to five rounds. This technique is very effective at increasing peripheral blood flow, thus facilitating recovery.22 The biggest advantage of contrast showers showers when it comes to building muscle is that it helps you remove a lot of the metabolic by-products of training—things that make you feel sore the next day, like lactate.23

Recovery Ritual #2: Massage One of the best ongoing investments I make in my own training is massage therapy. Building muscle always relies on the health of your body’s internal tissues, which requires optimal circulation of fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients and the ability to remove toxins. toxins.24 This can all be achieved with the varying types of strokes of a massage therapist. Stretching the tissues tissues during a massage helps muscle fibers release tension and pressure buildup. The massage helps stretch muscles both lengthwise and sideways along the natural blood flow across the muscle tissues. The following are some of the benefits associated with massage: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Greater flexibility25 Improvedd circulation26 Improve Reduced pain27 Improved sleep28 Decreased tension29

I’ve found that getting a deep-tissue massage at least two times per month is i s optimal. During extremely intense training phases, you might consider going once per week. Or if that’s not in the budget, be sure to get a massage at least once every 10 weeks. Your body will thank you with improved performance.

Recovery Ritual #3: Muscle Activation Technique (MAT™) MAT has changed my life. If I could only prescribe one recovery ritual for the rest of my life this would be it. Every time I get a treatment, I feel like I’m walking out with an S on my chest. “Look out, here comes Superman!” MAT is based on a very simple premise known as the Roskopf Principle,30 which gets pretty scientific. But in simple terms, if you have a muscle that refuses to grow, then there is a very good chance it’s not “turned on.” It’s unable to contract, leaving the muscle you’re trying to train weak, and the opposing muscle tight. 183

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When I first started seeing a MAT specialist, my body had muscle weaknesses everywhere. I was unable to sprint. In fact, any form of running left me crippled for days. I was constantly tight and didn’t move fluidly. Leg training would leave my lower back sore for weeks. People told me this pain was simply because of how hard I trained. Others told me it was because I sit at my desk all day. Both camps were wrong. After working with Eric Seifert, my MAT specialist in Ontario, we were able to identify and treat my weak links. Now I’m able to sprint up to three times per week plus train my legs without being debilitated. My body also looks l ooks more balanced and my muscles contract more forcefully, forcefully, which allows me to build muscle “easier.” The best part about MAT is that a single session can stick for weeks. If you can’t tell, I’m a raving disciple of the therapy. Thank God for Greg Roskopf and MAT!

Recovery Ritual #4: Handling Stress The French eat baguettes, croissants, fatty meats, creamy sauces, and rich desserts, and drink lots of wine. They basically do everything health experts in North America tell us not to do, and yet Forbes  magazine reported a 201431 comparison study of health in eleven industrialized nations, and France ranked number-one for healthy lives, while the U.S. ranked dead last. 32 Why? We are far more stressed out than the French. Stress stimulates the body to produce cortisol, and too much cortisol will mess with your health and hinder your ability to lose fat or put on muscle.33 To build 30 pounds of muscle in 30 weeks, you must keep cortisol levels under control. One problem with stress is there are so many triggers coming at you each day, and it’s impossible to control what hits when. Some sources include: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Heavy traffic Your kid is in trouble at school Your girlfriend left you for your best friend The IRS is after you You lost your phone People are getting laid off at work, and you’re wondering if you’re next

The list goes on and on. Cortisol also can overload your system system when you’re exposed to pollution, junk food, overtraining, and too much caffeine, and also when you don’t get enough sleep. You can’t control what happens to you, but you can learn to control how you respond. The best way to manage cortisol is to start adding these tools to your anti-stress toolbox: toolbox: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Script out tomorrow’s day before you go to bed Go to bed 30 minutes early to get better sleep Spend at least 5 minutes praying or meditating when you you rise Participate in yoga or stretch for anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes a day Kiss someone or tell someone how much you appreciate him or her 184

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Don’t turn on your phone or look at your email until after lunch Stay hydrated and don’t skip any of your planned meals Listen to inspirational podcasts while you’re in your car Start outsourcing projects and “to dos” that you hate doing Hang out with people who have a positive outlook on life Indulge in a TV series that allows you to completely disconnect disconnect Have at least one date night per week with your partner or spouse and spend time with your friends and family at least once per week Plan a “No Screen Saturday” where you view zero screens for a day Have sex for as long and as often as possible Look at tests and trials as gifts and opportunities to grow Read at least one book per month Take a vacation as often as possible Surround your world with laughter Take a power nap And most important, as we Italians say, “Fuhgeddaboudit ”

You can’t control what happens to you, but you can learn to control how you respond.

Recovery Ritual #5: Sleep Of all of the recovery strategies, this is by far the most important. Your body cannot function to its true potential without a restful night’s sleep. Poor sleep will leave you more prone to putting on fat, slow your recovery, and impede gains in both strength and muscle mass. A lack of sleep will quickly wreak havoc on your hormone profile, including causing a drop in key recovery hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. Other side effects are increased cortisol levels,34 decreased thyroid function,35 decreased motivation, increased craving for junk food, 36 compromised immune system,37 increased chance of injury, and the list goes on. Key to improving both the quantity and quality of your sleep is developing better bedtime habits. Teach your body when it’s time to shut down for the night. After a few weeks of practice you’ll notice a huge improvement in sleep quality—withou quality—withoutt pills or prescriptions. Here are seven simple and actionable steps that you can begin immediately. Don’t panic if you don’t notice a change right away away.. Some people require a little longer for habit shifts to kick in. Step 1: Hydrate throughout throughout the day. Drink a minimum of a gallon (128 ounces or 3.75 liters) of water or 70 percent of your body weight in ounces per day. If you weigh 180 pounds, drink 126 ounces of pure 185

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water. If you’ve you’ve been sweating a lot, sprinkle in a little colored salt (such as Himalayan pink salt) to bring your electrolytes back into balance.38 Step 2: Make sure you get enough zinc and magnesium. These two minerals help your body slide into a good night’s sleep.39 If you buy a magnesium supplement, for best absorption, opt for magnesium gluconate, magnesium lactate, or magnesium citrate.40 Step 3:  Establish a regular bedtime. Building better habits is a crucial part of improving sleep quality, and one of those habits is going to bed around the same time each and every night. When sleep becomes a part of a regular routine, then falling asleep on time becomes infinitely easier. Step 4: Create the optimal sleep environment. To ensure a good night’s sleep, at least one hour before you go to bed, unwind and unplug. Turn off the TV, put your cell phone away from your bed, and unplug all nearby electrical equipment (you may use a fan for white noise). If you set an alarm, use a cheap watch, as it has no electrical activity. Use a mask to block light when you travel, or if your bedroom never gets completely dark.41 Also, keep the room cool. Room temperature should be 67 to 70 degrees. You You will fall asleep faster and also get a more restful night’s sleep in a colder environment. environment. Step 5: Clear your mind. A lot of people bring the anxiety of their day to bed with them, and that can make it hard to fall (or stay) asleep. The best solution is to clear your mind before you go to bed. Write down anything you’re thinking about that you need to accomplish the next day. Doing this will eliminate the “I can’t forget this” chatter that might keep you tossing and turning all night. Write these tasks down and release them from your mind, so your mind can relax and get ready for a restful sleep. Step 6: Read before bed. I find that any type of book is great before bedtime, and after 5 to 30 minutes reading, I’m out cold! One important note: for the best rest, read old-fashioned print books. Lit screens reduce melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep.42 Step 7: Use minimal light after 6 p.m. The body is light sensitive, and the presence of light signals “daytime,” which leads to disruption of your body’s internal clock and reduced production of melatonin. The more you are exposed to light in the evening, the less sleepy you’ll be.43 To optimize sleep benefits, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. 44 The best situation is to go to bed early enough so that your body wakes wakes up naturally, without an alarm clock.

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PART 9

Fourteen Simple, No-Nonsense Nutrition Principles to Gain Your Your First 30 Pounds of Pure Muscle

It seems everyone feels pressure to fit into a diet camp or nutrition cult these days—carb cycling, ketogenic,, paleo, vegan, flexible dieting, and if you don’t belong to one then you’re the wacko! People’s ketogenic diets have become their identities, and my advice is: when someone tells you that you must  eat  eat one particular way, run! The best muscle-building results come when you simplify  nutrition and don’t complicate it with minutiae and nonsense. Trust Trust sources that stick to the science and teach sustainable approaches that show how you can still enjoy your favorite foods while achieving your goals. In this section, we’ll cover the simple, no-nonsense principles to gaining your first 30 pounds of pure muscle.

The Nutritional Hierarchy of Muscle Growth (and Fat Loss) If you could ask me just one question about nutrition, what would it be? If your question has anything to do with supplements, you’re majoring in the minors and maybe minoring in the majors. You’re You’re too focused on details that have marginal impact. You You need to understand the big picture. There is a specific order of importance when setting up your diet. If you don’t understand the most impactful variables, you’ll waste time and money money.. I believe people are confused about what’s important because the important variables are, frankly frankly,, boring, basic, and not at all sexy sexy.. But it’s the nonsexy information that delivers the best results. 187

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The least important variables, such as supplements and nutrient timing, are exciting and sexy! Sexy sells. Sexy goes viral. Sexy can confuse the heck out of you. Under the right conditions, you can incorporate the sexy variables, but first you must dial in all the basics. First—calories. How many you take in versus how many you use will determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight. Surprisingly, this is the most neglected variable. Second—macronutrients. How much protein, fat, carbs, fiber, and alcohol you consume will have the greatest impact on your body composition—which composition—which ratio of those calories get converted to muscle mass and/or fat.

Complicated is your enemy. Just handle your Complicated calories, then macros, and forget the other points until you master these two. t wo. Third—micronutrients and hydration. If you are dehydrated, building muscle is nearly impossible, no matter how much creatine or other supplements you use. Stick to the meal plans, and you’ll get sufficient fruits and vegetables to safeguard against deficiencies. Nutrient timing and supplements are fourth and fifth respectively. They They are only minor factors when you’re going after your your first 30 pounds of muscle, but I will say a little l ittle about each in parts 10 and 11. My advice to you is the K.I.S.S. Principle: Keep It Simple, Stud-man! Focus Foc us on simple, simple, simple. Complicated is your enemy. Just handle your calories, then macros, and forget the other points until you master these two.

Choose Your Your Goal: Goal: Don’t Chase Two Rabbits at Once “If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” —ANONYMOUS

You’re either cutting (losing weight) or bulking (gaining weight). Beginners can sometimes achieve both for a brief period, but very few people dramatically transform their body when they they pursue bulking up and getting lean at once. With a split focus, they don’t achieve either one. Don’t be that guy. Focus on one goal and one goal only onl y until you achieve it. Do not shift your focus until you accomplish the original goal. If you start out with 12 percent body fat or less, and your first goal is to build muscle, 189

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submerge your your life in i n muscle and don’t even give cutting a second thought until you achieve the muscle mass you desire. When it comes time to get lean, apply the same laserlike focus. The end result will become dramatically bigger and leaner. Your friends won’t recognize you.

Calories and Macronutrients: Setting Your Best Targets (Without Complicated Formulas) Calories are the most important factor to body weight regulation (whether you you want to build muscle or lose fat). You You can have the perfect macros, nutrient timing, and meal frequency strategies in existence; you can have the highest quality supplements money can buy; you can avoid all the alcohol, gluten, and dairy in the world, but it won’t mean squat if you fail to hit the right calorie target. You must fuel yourself with sufficient energy to train hard and recover quickly. Here’s how. First, figure out how many calories it takes to maintain your current body weight with a sedentary lifestyle. Here’s the formula: Body weight x 14 = estimated maintenance calories EXAMPLE: A 190-pound man needs 2660 calories per day to remain at that weight. (190 x 14 = 2660) Next, add or subtract 250 to 500 calories per day depending on whether you’re you’re in a shred phase or a mass phase.

MASS PHASE Those who come to the program at less than 12 percent body fat will start with the done-for-you done-for-you Mass meal plans included in part 10. You will be eating roughly 250 to 500 calories above your calculated maintenance weight, and your macronutrients will break down like this:

Mass Phase Training Days: ■ ■ ■

Protein: 30 percent of your daily intake Carbohydrate: 50 percent of your daily intake Fat: 20 percent of your daily intake

Mass Phase Non-T Non-Training raining Days: ■ ■ ■

Protein: 30 percent of your daily intake Carbohydrate: 20 percent of your daily intake Fat: 50 percent of your daily intake

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your dominant fuel source on training days. When you’re not training, your body doesn’t need as many carbs.

SHRED PHASE Those who come to the program at above 12 percent body fat will start with the done-for-you Shred meal plans included in part 10. You will be eating 250 to 500 calories below maintenance, and your macronutrients will break down like this:

Shred Phase Training Days: ■ ■ ■

Protein: 30 percent of your daily intake Carbohydrate: 40 percent of your daily intake Fat: 30 percent of your daily intake

Shred Phase Phas e Non-Training Non-Training Days: ■ ■ ■

Protein: 50 percent of your daily intake Carbohydrate: 20 percent of your daily intake Fat: 30 percent of your daily intake

The logic is the same as the Mass meal plans when it comes to protein. Keep it high to promote muscle growth and prevent muscle loss. My rule of thumb is to always keep carbs higher on training days and lower on non-training days whether your your goal is to gain muscle mass or shred fat. These formulas are guidelines to begin. There is no “one-size-fits-all” perfect formula so pay close attention to how your body responds and adjust as needed.

Protein: The Body’s Most Important Building Block The word protein comes from the Greek proteos , meaning “the first one” or “the most important one.” It’s the body’s most important building block. There are only twenty-one different amino acids from which all animal and plant proteins on earth are constructed. Nine of these twenty-one amino acids are known as incapabl e of synthesizing them. They must come through food. essential amino acids , because the body is incapable You need protein to help you pack on 30 pounds of muscle in the next 30 weeks. Protein is super awesome, but it’s critical to understand that more is not better. Your Your daily protein requirement will stay consistent at 30 percent whether you are on the Mass or Shred meal plan. Each meal should contain at least 20 to 30 grams of protein to hit the leucine threshold. Leucine Leucine is one of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and is considered the anabolic trigger 45 because of its ability to stimulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis. 191

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Avoid eating the same protein source twice in a day. Rotating protein sources is one of the best things you can do to optimize absorption and digestion, and it keeps your life more interesting. I’ve personally noticed better energy, less need for sleep, and faster recovery when I follow this rule. Here are two simple tips for protein rotation: 1) When you dine out, choose meats you rarely (or never) would prepare at home. This can be as

simple as common steak, lamb, turkey, or pork chops, or meats you might never find in a regular grocery store. Try new sources to keep your diet exciting, such as alligator, buffalo, black bear, elk, kangaroo, ostrich, ostr ich, venison, wagyu, wild boar, boa r, and yak. If poultry is more your thing, try duck, goose, guinea fowl, pheasant, quail, and squab. You may not have heard of all of them, but somebody in your city probably has. Check ethnic markets, butcher shops, or search online. 2) Whey (milk protein) is not the only way to build muscle. Rotate milk protein powders (such as whey and casein) with plant protein powders (such as rice, pea, or hemp). My favorite protein powders can be found at the private customers link: getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

Fat: The Ke Keyy to Optimal Testosterone Testosterone Production Produc tion and Sex Drive For many years, dietary fat got a bad rap. Viewed for decades as the evil ingredient that makes you sick, in truth, fat is essential to muscle building and health.

Viewed for decades as the evil ingredient that makes you sick, in truth, fat f at is essential to muscle building and health. Too little dietary fat will make your muscle building a living nightmare. The right amount of fat in your diet helps maintain optimal levels of testosterone,46 which is responsible for muscle growth, strength, and sex drive.47 This is why we keep fat at anywhere between 20 to 50 percent of your daily intake depending on the day and phase you’re on. I recommend you rotate seven key oils through your diet because they offer a wide variety of fatty acids and a broad spectrum of nutrients (so now you have zero excuses for being stuck on one oil): red palm oil, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, extra virgin olive oil, hemp seed oil, walnut oil, and avocado oil. The oils to avoid because of their poor omega 6:3 ratio are safflower oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, pumpkin seed oil, corn oil, pistachio oil, sesame oil, canola oil, and soybean oil. Rotate foods so you get all three types of fat—saturated fats (butterfat from cows and goats, whole eggs, coconut oil, beef, cocoa butter, and chocolate), monounsaturated fats (oils, avocados, and most 192

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nuts), and polyunsaturated fats, which are also known as essential fatty acids because your body requires them for life. These are the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids are most abundant in fish and fish oil supplements and omega-6 fatty acids are found in most vegetable vegetable oils and nuts). One of my secrets to gaining muscle mass is rotating different nut butters into my protein shakes: almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, macadamia nut butter, pecan butter, walnut butter, and of course, everyone’s favorite—peanut butter. Each has a variety of health benefits, and all are delicious. Before you start slamming spoonful after spoonful, keep in mind that nut butters are just that: butters. Sure, it’s good fat, but your body takes what it needs and turns the rest into stored fat. Always keep it pure—as few ingredients as possible. Ideally the ingredient list on your almond butter reads, “Almonds.” Nothing else. Maybe, “Almonds, salt.” But if reads something like, “Almonds, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt, fancy molasses, mono and diglycerides,” leave that jar on the shelf.

Carbs: You Need to Earn Them! Carbohydrates are the only macronutrient we can live without, but not optimally. Carbs are like gasoline. They allow you to drive far and fast, meaning they allow you to train longer and harder. Carbs restock glycogen (80 percent of a workout is fueled by glycogen stores), prevent muscle breakdown, and keep life a lot tastier. A low glycogen state will compromise your ability to train hard. It’s like taking a road trip with little gas in the tank. But, “You need to deserve your carbs,” says Charles Poliquin, one of the world’s most accomplished strength coaches. If you’re under 12 percent body fat, you can eat more carbs, and if you’re over 12 percent body fat, you need to restrict them, but don’t eliminate them, as outlined in the meal plans. Regardless of body composition, reduce carb intake on non-training days. If your body doesn’t have use for the immediate energy carbs provide, then it stocks the remainder in the liver and muscles through the process known as glycogen glycogenesis. esis. When the liver and muscle reserves are full (appro (approximately ximately 500 grams or 2000 calories),48 excess sugars get shuttled off to the adipose tissue to be stored as body fat. Carbohydratess are usually divided into three types: complex, simple, and indigestible (fiber). This is Carbohydrate based on their chemical structure and reflects how quickly they’re they’re digested and absorbed. Complex carbohydrates are the staples that will get you jacked. They burn nice and slow and provide a long-lasting supply of energy. They are your go-to carb source for every meal except postworkout nutrition. This includes most fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice, and couscous. Simple carbohydrates are fast acting and rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. Consume these within the first 60 minutes after your workout to restock glycogen. My go-to whole food sources are carbs that are high on the glycemic index and low in fructose, so they are digested very quickly. This is when you can use a well-designed carb powder, as you’ll learn in the supplement section. If you want 193

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to stick to whole food, good examples are grape juice, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, white rice, prunes, figs, and whole grains. All the carbs on your meal plan come in i n whole food form (rice, fruit, vegetables). vegetables). You won’t find any refined or processed carbs, such as breads, cereal, juices, cookies, crackers, or sweets because they are packed with empty calories, contain no fiber, spike your blood sugar, trigger overeating, alter the architecture of your your brain, trigger inflammatory responses, and can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes if abused. You will eat a ton of foods with naturally occurring fiber such as fruits and vegetables. Especially aim for green vegetables and dark-colored dark-colored fruits. Fiber keeps us feeling full without a significant calorie content, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol, delays digestion, 49 helps us avoid constipation,50 reduces colon cancer,51 and a ton of other great things. Don’t go overboard, as too much can leave you with some nasty gas, diarrhea, and skid marks in your pants. Aim for 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day day..

Hydratee to Look Fuller and Stay Stronger Hydrat People generally overlook hydration as a factor in muscle building, but the human body is composed of about 70 percent water.52 Being properly hydrated can mean the difference between an average workout and an amazing workout. It also makes the difference in whether your your muscles look full or flat.53 People are still so naïve about the power of hydration, allowing supplement companies to cash in on pre-workout supplements that promote “insane energy” and “mind-blowing pumps.” The real reason you have “insane energy” and a “mind blowing pump” has to do with the fact you consumed an extra 2 cups of water when you mixed in their worthless powder. For optimal hydration, each day, aim for 0.7 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Therefore a 180-pound person would need 126 ounces, or just under a gallon (3.5 liters), per day (180 x 0.70 = 126). This is a general recommendation that neglects individual requirements. You can determine whether this is enough water based on two little tests: 1) Color of urine. If it is clear, odds are you are properly hydrated. If it is a dark color then you’re

slowing your progress. 2) Sweat rate. Weigh yourself before and after you train. If you gain weight or it stays the same then you’re properly hydrated. If your weight dropped, you need to up your intake. Water is involved in so many processes that being just 2 percent dehydrated can hinder your body’s workout performance.54 Dehydration also saps testosterone because water-depleted water-depleted lifters have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can depress testosterone. Here are some tips to maximize your hydration levels and health: Avoid BPA-treated bottles. Most bottled water contains BPA or bisphenol A, a chemical used in making plastic bottles. BPA contains contains chemicals that lower testosterone levels and contribute to feminine traits, including the dreaded “man boobs” that make your nipples look like Frisbees. ■

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A lot of guys say, “I’m not dehydrated. I drink a lot.” Prove it. Measure your daily water intake out in a large jug. Drink it all before you go to bed. If you know your local water supply comes from poor sources, invest in filtered water and avoid using water right from the tap. Even a purchase of a small home filtration pitcher or faucet attachment can remove a lot of toxins from tap water. Infuse your water with berries, oranges, lemons, or limes to give it a kick and improve its detox capabilities. Cook with quality sea salt. It is rich in trace elements that are the basis for optimum cell health and hydration. Caffeine is a diuretic (pulling water out of your cells). Consume an extra 2 cups of water for every cup of caffeine you drink. Drink coconut water, water, as it’s rich in electrolytes, particularly potassium and sodium, and it tastes great. Kick-start your day with a huge green drink each morning. Juicing vegetables can help to clear your GI tract, move out toxins, 55  and reboot your fat-burning ability. For 101 muscle charging juicing recipes, check out my program called Get Juiced , which you can learn more about at this private link: getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

Establish a Regular Meal Cadence If you want want to look solid, eat solid food. That means you will not be living on meal replacement shakes shakes and protein bars. To optimize muscle growth, consume at least four or five whole food meals a day. To get in all those meals requires planning. If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. The problem most guys have is not in the meal planning, but in the execution. They don’t think ahead, they don’t grocery shop ahead, they don’t cook meals ahead, and they don’t establish the meal cadence that is going to make the most sense for their current lifestyle. If you miss an occasional meal, make it up somewhere else. But no mindless eating or else it can sabotage your results. If you fail to follow a regular meal cadence, you will get the results of the average attempt, not the exceptional attempt. A regular meal cadence will give you control and keep you on track. Have a look at how the meal plans are laid out in this book and line it up with your typical day. Schedule your meals into your calendar until you’ve mastered this habit. Decide which day of the week you will go grocery shopping and which day you’ll do meal prep. This gives you a bulletproof schedule. When you set and follow a regular meal cadence, you will be less likely to stray from your plan and will experience your fastest transformation results.

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How to Use “T “Treat reat Meals” to Bulk Your Muscles, Muscles , Not Your Belly Back in the day, I used to put skinny guys on the “see food diet.” See food; eat it. But after a while it started to backfire. Guys with great physique potential started ruining their bodies because they gained more fat than muscle. Now, my diet advice is based on science, strategy, and simplicity simplicity.. A lot of other experts recommend “cheat days” or “cheat meals” as a strategy to reward yourself and keep from going hog wild after a week or month of strict eating. I hate the term “cheat days” or “cheat meals.” I call them “treat days” and “treat meals” because they are planned and they serve a positive muscle-building purpose. Muscles grow on calories and even faster on nutrient-rich calories, so it’s critical to hit your daily caloric intake; however, however, this poses a problem for guys who complain about having no appetite (if that’s you, try taking in more B vitamins). Under-eating is a common reason guys can’t manufacture new muscle tissue. For skinny guys who are under 12 percent body fat and have trouble hitting their daily caloric target, my best advice is to swap out any one regular meal in the plan for a treat meal of similar macronutrients. For instance, post workout it’s always carbs and protein, so instead of having chicken and potatoes, go for all-you-can-eat sushi. Let’s say one of your meals is carbs, proteins, and fats, and you want to go to my favorite burger and fries spot, 5 Guys. Go for it. Or if you need a break from oatmeal and eggs in the morning, hit up your favorite pancake pancake house for a big breakfast. Use common sense and moderation. Don’t subsist on pizza, burgers, and fries regularly regularly.. The goal is to make the rest of your meal plan easier to stick with. As long as you’re under 12 percent body fat, your body will use those calories efficiently. Some rules: It’s a treat meal—NOT a treat day! When you stand up from the table, the meal is over. Never eat to the point of discomfort. Avoid alcohol with treat meals. Ideally,, use on training days when you’re hitting big body parts like back and legs. Ideally If your treat meals are hurting your physique more than helping, reevaluate the rules above. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

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 Alcohol:: You  Alcohol You Booze, Booze, You You Lose? Lose? Alcohol is a fact of life, more so in some areas than others. Complete avoidance has a time and place, but it’s not typically a sustainable solution for most people. From an energy standpoint, alcohol contains 7 calories per gram,56 so if you subtract the alcohol calories from your carb macros, you can consume alcohol in moderation without messing up your meal plan. The key is learning how many carbs are in your drink of choice. I consider alcohol a “screwup” to muscle-building goals because it takes away from the body’s ability to recover, restock glycogen, and optimize testosterone levels. However, I enjoy wine tastings with my wife and cracking open a new bottle of Scotch with my buddies, so I plan for these “screwups. “screwups.”” I’ve tried living by the “you do the booze, you lose” philosophy and it’s only caused failure. Since I’m an extremist, if I have one drink I illogically think, “I’ve already screwed up, so I may as well finish the bottle.” This often happens in a fancy setting, which leads to another bottle, dessert, and now it’s game over.. Here are some rules to guide your alcoholic decisions: over Don’t plan an epic workout the day after a party night. Alcohol lowers your testosterone levels for a couple of days.57 Avoid alcohol if shredding fat is your top priority. Your body will use alcohol calories as fuel rather than fat stores and glycogen. This is because the metabolic by-product of alcohol, acetate, is toxic. So when you drink, fat burning stops until after you burn those calories off.58 Do plan some interval i nterval cardio training to burn off the excess calories the next day, before they get stored as fat. Lower your fat intake and carb intake on the days you plan on drinking “hard.” Plan your drinking for special occasions. I consider alcohol one of the finer delicacies in life, so I save my indulgences for wine tours, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and vacations. ■

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Consistency: The “Best Diet” Consistency: Diet ” Is the One That  You  Y ou Follow Everyone asks me, “What’s the best juicer?” I tell them, “The best juicer is the one that you use.” It doesn’t matter how many features or how much horsepower it has if it sits idle on a shelf. Same holds true with your meal plans. Just because a plan looks good on paper, if you can’t follow it, you’ll fail to achieve your goals. Don’t waste time trying to find the “best” diet. The best diet is the one that you follow . You can build muscle 197

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on a lot of different meal plans if you follow the right principles and adjust the plan to how you’re responding (or not responding).

The best diet is the one that you follow. Never underestimate the small dietary choices you must make each day, because they add up. Each situation presents an opportunity to make a decision that will either help your goals or hurt your goals. If you make enough “help” decisions, the accumulation of those will speed you toward your goal. To gain 30 pounds of muscle muscl e in 30 weeks, you’ll make a lot of choices that might not seem appealin a ppealingg in the moment. You can’t have treat meals every meal. You’ll have to interrupt what you’re doing to grab one of your meals on time. You’ll You’ll need to say no to alcohol al cohol on more occasions than you’ll partake. You’ll need to pay attention to your portion sizes instead of mindlessly eating. You’ll need to eat when sometimes you don’t feel like it. At the end of the day, no diet works for you. You work the diet. If it were easy, everyone would have bulging muscles and six-pack abs. It comes down to personal accountability for the choices you make and making more help decisions than hurt decisions.

The Devil Is in the Dose, Never in the Food Itself  I got an email with the headline, “Which vegetable makes you fat?” Shaking my head, I opened it and saw three choices: “Click here if you think it’s spinach, here if you think it’s kale, here if you think it’s broccoli.” “Are you kidding me?” I muttered. “I’ve never met a single person in my life who’s gotten fat on any vegetable!” Many marketers try to get your attention with sensationalism and fearmongering. If you see a headline that reads, “NEVER eat these foods,” take it as suspicious because many of these marketers have good intentions, but they fail to reveal the truth: The devil is in the dose. Every food that gets labeled “good” can also have an unhealthy or “bad” dose, just as every food that is labeled “bad” can have a perfectly acceptable acceptable dose that will do no harm to either your health or your physique physique goals. And I mean an any y food—even if it’s trans fat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, genetically modified anything, high fructose corn syrup, nonlocal foods, refined white flour, or that “toxic” chemical you can’t pronounce. Forget the hype. As long as you don’t overdo it with any single item, there’s no such thing as a “bad food.” The devil is always al ways in the dose, not the food itself. A teaspoon of sugar in your coffee can make it the highlight of your day. Pounding pounds of sugar in the form of sweets, sodas, snacks, dressings, and baked goods will give you diabetes. Follow these simple and practical rules: 198

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1) Cook at home as much as possible.  When you dine out, you can’t control how fresh the ingredients ingredi ents

are, what goes into your food, or how they cook it. Usually restaurants use more fat than you would use at home. 2)  Avoid foods that make you feel like hell.   Obviously, if you’re violently allergic to a food, you shouldn’t ever eat it. If you eat something and feel like crap, you might have a mild food allergy or intolerance. Visit a naturopathic doctor to help you find out what you’re sensitive to and avoid those foods. 3) The best foods are the ones you can find in nature.  Eighty percent of your nutrition should come from unprocessed whole foods. Another 10 percent should come from minimally minimal ly processed foods, such as canned tuna, tomato sauce, or salad dressing with chemical-free ingredients (example: olive oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper). And you can have up to 10 percent of your diet from the heavily processed processed category (packaged foods with ingredients listed that sound more like a recipe for a chemistry class experiment than anything you could make at home). Likely, this is where your treat meals would fit in. At the grocery store, shop the perimeter where the fresh foods are stocked. The The middle aisles typically are laden with heavily processed foods, so avoid them, or go in to find something specific.

 Arm  Ar m You ours rsel elff wi with th th thee Onl Onlyy Ki Kittch chen en Too ools ls You Ne Need ed I used to be terrified of cooking. It seemed like an extreme sport. I thought I’d need tons of special equipment. But after hiring a professional chef for hours of cooking lessons, I learned the truth. The list of essential kitchen tools is short. Here are the essentials that, when combined with a little know-how, know-how, can get you making tasty meals in no time: a cutting board, a chef’s knife, a vegetable peeler, a can opener, a paring knife, and a good set of steak knives. If you want to make a big investment upfront for a set of knives that will last, go for a full-blown set of professional knives or a top home brand like Cutco. (Did you know I paid my way through university selling Cutco knives on the side? True story!) Other essential equipment: a good spatula for stir-fries and omelets, mixing bowls, a large and a small saucepot, and a nontoxic frying pan. Get a set of stainless steel measuring spoons, and grab a spice rack. They are incredibly cheap, and you’ll be able to make flavorful meals. Buy a meat thermometer,, so you don’t overcook your meat until it tastes like a dried old towel. thermometer If you can afford it, pick up a quality blender. I bought a Vitamix ten years ago for $400, and it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. You can make your own homemade shakes and even nut butters. The first blender I ever bought was a vertical handheld blender for $40 and I must have made hundreds of shakes with it. To optimize your health, buy a juicer and start your day with a few of your favorite greens blended up to infuse your body with a ton of vitamins and minerals. I do. 199

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A slow cooker and a George Foreman grill is a must for busy people on the go. You can cook a few days’ worth of food with these bad boys. Last, but very important, stock your kitchen with big eating tools—big plates, big cups, big forks— big everything. To get big you need to eat big, so it only makes sense to have big eating equipment to support your goal.

Invest in Cooking Lessons and Cook Like a Pro I met a bodybuilder who was 230 pounds and 5 percent body fat. I asked him, “How the heck do you maintain your physique?” “It’s easy, man.” “What do you mean, ‘It’s easy?’ I’ve never heard anyone say that!” “My wife knows how to cook. Her chicken breast is amazing. It’s never raw. It’s moist. It’s juicy.” That got my attention. As a young guy, I didn’t get the importance of having a few good cooking skills and the difference dif ference it could make. After I got married, my wife and I were very, very busy. We were working from home, and we both went to extremes with our diet preparing for photo shoots. We realized our main limitation was that we didn’t know how to make our food taste good. We enrolled in cooking lessons with Chef Amy Stoddart in Toronto, Ontario, and just learning a few tricks made a huge difference. First, I learned how to create simple seasonings and marinades. I learned time-saving tips to prepare my meals in advance; how to make meals in as little as five minutes; how to use residual heat to never overcook my meat; how to chop like a pro; and how to produce restaurant-quality meals inside my own home. To get you started, I’m giving you my simple no-nonsense meal plans to follow. When those start getting bland and boring, I have a resource called Max Muscle Recipe Guide & Gourmet Meal Plans  that comes as a bonus with my Living Large Inner Circle membership site, where you can get more than forty cooking lessons with my wife, Chef Amy, and me. We will teach you more than fifty gourmet recipes, so you can substitute more tasty meals for the meals that may be getting bland. You You can learn l earn more at getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

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The Done Done-for-for-Y You Mass and Shred Meal Plans

The nutrition part is vital. You’re in the gym one hour a day. The other 23 hours, you’ll make or break your success by what you put into your body. b ody. To To make this easy, ea sy, here is a complete compl ete set of done-for-you d one-for-you meal plans. They are nutritionally balanced, wholesome, and designed to help you recover so you can build your body bigger and stronger than ever before. (They are not gourmet. If you want gourmet options, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses and find out how you can get access to gourmet recipes that are designed by a professional chef.) I’ve given you meals for both phases of bodybuilding—Mass (for building muscle) and Shred (to cut the fat and reveal your ripped body). These are the optimal plans to help you lose fat and build muscle. You’ll You’ll also find two sets of meal plans—one to follow on training days, the other to use on non-training days. Tailor the meal plans to fit your individual goals. If you’re over 12 percent body fat, start with the Shred phase, and if you’re under 12 percent, begin with Mass phase. Choose one to start. Next, figure out your optimal caloric intake (see page 190). Whatever your calculation says, round the number down or up to the nearest increment. For example, if you get 2,750 calories as your target intake, and you’re in a Shred phase, go down to 2,500 calories. If you are in a Mass phase, round up to the 3,000-calorie plan. Re-assess your body weight every three weeks to determine when you should transition to a new meal plan. It is critical that you are following the meal plans at least 90 percent of the time to ensure that the changes to your nutrition help you and don’t hurt you. The two main excuses I hear from guys regarding nutrition are “I don’t know how to cook,” and “I don’t have time to cook.” These simple, no-nonsense meal plans are easy to make and don’t take a lot of time to prepare. So no excuses!

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TRAINING DAY: MASS PHASE MEAL PLANS 2,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

4 oz lean meat 3  ⁄   cuup raw nuts 8 c Totals:

187 309 496

0 11 11

35 11 46

4 27 31

187 216 22 425

0 45 5 50

35 5 2 42

4 2 0 6

188 34 222

50 0 50

0 8 8

0 0 0

300 86 386

80 0 80

0 21 21

0 0 0

4 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 2 cups vegetables Totals:

187 433 46 666

0 90 8 98

35 10 4 49

4 4 0 8

3 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries Totals:

2 33 84 317

2 21 23

19 1 20

16 1 17

DAILY TOTALS

2,512

312

186

62

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 4 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 50g carb powder 10g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT 80g carb powder 25g whey isolate Totals:

2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

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3,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

234 206 440

0 7 7

44 8 52

5 18 23

234 216 23 473

0 45 4 49

44 5 2 51

5 2 0 7

263 52 315

70 0 70

0 12 12

0 0 0

469 103 572

12 5 0 1 25

0 25 25

0 1 1

5 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 medium banana Totals:

234 433 23 105 79 5

0 90 4 27 1 21

44 10 2 0 56

5 4 0 1 10

3 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries 1 tbsp nut butter Totals:

2 33 84 94 411

2 21 3 26

19 1 4 24

16 1 8 25

DAILY TOTALS

3,006

398

220

66

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 5 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 70g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT 125g carb powder 30g whey isolate Totals:

2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

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3,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

234 206 440

0 7 7

44 8 52

5 18 23

234 216 23 473

0 45 4 49

44 5 2 51

5 2 0 7

188 52 24 0

50 0 50

0 12 12

0 0 0

37 5 103 478

100 0 100

0 25 25

0 1 1

5 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 medium banana Totals:

234 433 23 105 795

0 90 4 27 121

44 10 2 0 56

5 4 0 1 10

4 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 medium orange Totals:

187 216 62 465

0 45 15 60

35 4 1 40

4 2 0 6

3 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries ¼ cup raw nuts 1 tbsp nut butter Totals:

2 33 84 206 94 61 7

2 21 7 3 33

19 1 8 4 32

16 1 18 8 43

DAILY TOTALS

3,508

420

268

90

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 5 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 50g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT 100g carb powder 30g whey isolate Totals:

2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

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4,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado Totals:

234 206 1 61 601

0 7 9 16

44 8 2 54

5 18 15 38

234 216 23 473

0 45 4 49

44 5 2 51

5 2 0 7

225 52 277

60 0 60

0 12 12

0 0 0

469 1 55 624

12 5 0 1 25

0 37 37

0 1 1

5 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 medium banana Totals:

234 433 23 105 79 5

0 90 4 27 1 21

44 10 2 0 56

5 4 0 1 10

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 ½ cups brown rice 1 medium orange Totals:

234 11 9 32 5 62 740

0 0 67 15 82

44 0 8 1 53

5 14 3 0 22

4 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries 1 tbsp nut butter Totals:

3 10 84 94 488

2 21 3 26

25 1 4 30

21 1 8 30

DAILY TOTALS

3,998

479

293

108

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 5 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 60g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT 125g carb powder 45g whey isolate Totals:

2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

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4,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

281 1 61 442

0 9 9

53 2 55

6 15 21

281 216 23 5 20

0 45 4 49

53 5 2 60

6 2 0 8

225 52 27 7

60 0 60

0 12 12

0 0 0

675 15 5 830

180 0 180

0 37 37

0 1 1

281 433 23 105 165 1,007

0 90 4 27 24 145

53 10 2 0 7 72

6 4 0 1 7 18

234 32 5 62 94 715

0 67 15 3 85

44 8 1 4 57

5 3 0 8 16

310 84 206 94 694

2 21 7 3 33

25 1 8 4 38

21 1 18 8 48

4,485

561

331

112

MEAL 1 6 oz lean meat ½ avocado Totals: 1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 6 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals: INTRA-WORKOUT 60g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals: 15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT POST-WORKOUT 180g carb powder 45g whey isolate Totals: 2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT 6 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 medium banana 1 cup chocolate milk Totals: MEAL 2 5 oz lean meat 1 ½ cups brown rice 1 medium orange 1 tbsp peanut butter Totals: MEAL 3 4 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries ¼ cup raw nuts 1 tbsp nut butter Totals:

DAILY TOTALS

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5,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 50/30/20 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

6 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado 1 tbsp ground flax Totals:

281 206 1 61 40 68 8

0 7 9 3 19

53 8 2 3 66

6 18 15 2 41

281 216 23 520

0 45 4 49

53 5 2 60

6 2 0 8

431 52 483

115 0 11 5

0 12 12

0 0 0

938 1 55 1,093

250 0 25 0

0 37 37

0 1 1

6 oz lean meat 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 medium banana 1 cup chocolate milk Totals:

281 433 23 105 1 65 1,007

0 90 4 27 24 145

53 10 2 0 7 72

6 4 0 1 7 18

6 oz lean meat 1 ½ cups brown rice 1 medium orange 1 tbsp nut butter Totals:

281 216 62 94 653

0 45 15 3 63

53 5 1 4 63

6 2 0 8 16

5 whole eggs 1 cup blueberries

388 84

3 21

32 1

27 1

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 6 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 115g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT 250g carb powder 45g whey isolate Totals:

2–3 HOURS POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

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MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

1 tbsp peanut butter Totals:

94 566

3 27

4 37

8 36

DAILY TOTALS

5,010

668

347

120

NON-TRAINING DAY: MASS PHASE MEAL PLANS 2,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

4 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

187 206 188 581

0 7 6 13

35 8 8 51

4 18 16 38

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

105 206 311

0 7 7

25 8 33

1 18 19

4 oz lean meat 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 cup berries Totals:

187 216 23 46 472

0 45 4 11 60

35 5 2 1 43

4 2 0 0 6

4 oz lean meat 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

187 23 1 61 371

0 4 9 13

35 2 2 39

4 0 15 19

4 whole eggs 30g light Havarti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

310 118 206 634

2 1 7 10

25 8 8 41

21 9 18 48

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

Continued 209

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(Continued) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

1 whole egg 1 medium orange Totals:

78 62 14 0

1 15 16

6 1 7

5 0 5

DAILY TOTALS

2,509

119

214

135

MEAL 6

3,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

234 206 188 628

0 7 6 13

44 8 8 60

5 18 16 39

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado Totals:

105 206 1 61 472

0 7 9 16

25 8 2 35

1 18 15 34

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cups vegetables Totals:

234 11 9 46 399

0 0 8 8

44 0 4 48

5 14 0 19

4 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ¾ cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

187 11 9 162 23 1 61 652

0 0 34 4 9 47

35 0 4 2 2 43

4 14 1 0 15 34

4 whole eggs 30g light Havar ti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts 2 slices 12-grain toast

3 10 11 8 206 220

2 1 7 42

25 8 8 10

21 9 18 3

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

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MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

Totals:

854

52

51

51

DAILY TOTALS

3,005

136

237

177

3,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

234 206 188 628

0 7 6 13

44 8 8 60

5 18 16 39

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado Totals:

105 206 1 61 472

0 7 9 16

25 8 2 35

1 18 15 34

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 cup berries Totals:

234 119 216 23 46 638

0 0 45 4 11 60

44 0 5 2 1 52

5 14 2 0 0 21

4 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

187 119 23 1 61 490

0 0 4 9 13

35 0 2 2 39

4 14 0 15 33

5 whole eggs 30g light Havarti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts 2 slices 12-grain toast Totals:

388 118 206 220 932

3 1 7 42 53

32 8 8 10 58

27 9 18 3 57

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

Continued

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(Continued) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

1 scoop whey protein 1 cup cherr y juice 1 tbsp coconut oil Totals:

105 1 35 1 17 357

0 35 0 35

25 2 0 27

1 0 14 15

DAILY TOTALS

3,517

190

271

199

MEAL 6

4,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

287 11 9 206 188 800

0 0 7 6 13

53 0 8 8 69

6 14 18 16 54

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado Totals:

105 206 1 61 472

0 7 9 16

25 8 2 35

1 18 15 34

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables 5 oz olives Totals:

287 11 9 216 23 236 881

0 0 45 4 10 59

53 0 5 2 0 60

6 14 2 0 19 41

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

287 11 9 23 1 61 590

0 0 4 9 13

53 0 2 2 57

6 14 0 15 35

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

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MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 whole eggs 30g light Havarti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts 2 slices 12-grain toast Totals:

388 118 206 220 932

3 1 7 42 53

32 8 8 10 58

27 9 18 3 57

1 scoop whey protein 1 cup cherr y juice 1 tbsp coconut oil Totals:

105 135 1 17 357

0 35 0 35

25 2 0 27

1 0 14 15

DAILY TOTALS

4,032

189

306

236

MEAL 5

MEAL 6

4,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

287 119 206 188 800

0 0 7 6 13

53 0 8 8 69

6 14 18 16 54

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado 1 medium banana Totals:

105 206 1 61 105 577

0 7 9 27 43

25 8 2 0 35

1 18 15 1 35

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 cup berries 5 oz olives Totals:

287 119 432 23 46 2 36 1,143

0 0 90 4 11 10 11 5

53 0 10 2 1 0 66

6 14 4 0 0 19 43

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

Continued 213

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(Continued) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

6 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

287 11 9 23 1 61 590

0 0 4 9 13

53 0 2 2 57

6 14 0 15 35

5 whole eggs 30g light Havar ti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts 2 slices 12-grain toast Totals:

388 118 206 220 932

3 1 7 42 53

32 8 8 10 58

27 9 18 3 57

2 scoops whey protein 1 cup cherry juice 1 tbsp coconut oil Totals:

210 1 35 1 17 462

0 35 0 35

50 2 0 52

2 0 14 16

DAILY TOTALS

4,504

272

337

240

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

MEAL 6

5,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/30/50 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

234 11 9 206 188 747

0 0 7 6 13

44 0 8 8 60

5 14 18 16 53

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts ½ avocado 1 medium banana Totals:

105 206 1 61 105 577

0 7 9 27 43

25 8 2 0 35

1 18 15 1 35

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

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MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cups brown rice 1 cup vegetables 1 cup berries 5 oz olives Totals:

234 119 432 23 46 2 36 1,090

0 0 90 4 11 10 11 5

44 0 10 2 1 0 57

5 14 4 0 0 19 42

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ½ cup brown rice 1 cup vegetables ½ avocado Totals:

234 119 108 23 1 61 645

0 0 22 4 9 35

44 0 3 2 2 51

5 14 1 0 15 35

5 whole eggs 30g light Havarti cheese ¼ cup raw nuts 2 slices 12-grain toast Totals:

388 118 206 220 932

3 1 7 42 53

32 8 8 10 58

27 9 18 3 57

2 scoops whey protein 1 cup cherr y juice 1 tbsp coconut oil Totals:

210 1 35 117 462

0 35 0 35

50 2 0 52

2 0 14 16

4 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup berries 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

187 119 46 188 540

0 0 11 6 17

35 0 1 8 44

4 14 0 16 34

DAILY TOTALS

4,993

311

357

272

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

MEAL 6

MEAL 7

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TRAINING DAY: DAY: SHRED PHASE MEAL PLANS 1,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 40/30/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

2 oz lean meat ½ cup raw nuts 2 tbsp nut butter Totals:

94 413 94 601

0 14 3 17

18 15 4 37

2 36 8 46

222 46 26 8

39 8 47

8 4 12

4 0 4

75 34 109

20 0 20

0 8 8

0 0 0

40g carb powder 25g whey isolate Totals:

150 86 236

40 0 40

0 21 21

0 0 0

2 oz lean meat ½ cup quinoa Totals:

94 1 11 205

0 20 20

18 4 22

2 2 4

½ cup fat-free cottage cheese 1 cup vegetables Totals:

40 23 63

3 4 7

7 2 9

0 0 0

DAILY TOTALS

1,482

151

109

54

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 1 cup quinoa 2 cups vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 20g carb powder 10g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

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2,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 40/30/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

3 oz lean meat ½ cup raw nuts Totals:

14 0 413 553

0 14 14

26 15 41

3 36 39

14 0 222 23 385

0 39 4 43

26 8 2 36

3 4 0 7

169 52 221

45 0 45

0 12 12

0 0 0

50g carb powder 40g whey isolate Totals:

188 13 8 326

50 0 50

0 33 33

0 0 0

3 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ½ cup quinoa 1 medium orange Totals:

14 0 1 19 11 1 62 432

0 0 20 15 35

26 0 4 1 31

3 14 2 0 19

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese 2 cups vegetables Totals:

80 46 126

6 8 14

14 4 18

0 0 0

DAILY TOTALS

2,043

201

171

65

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 3 oz lean meat 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 45g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

217

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2,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 40/30/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

7 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

3 27 11 9 206 652

62 0 7 69

0 0 8 8

7 14 18 39

281 222 23 5 26

0 39 4 43

53 8 2 63

6 4 0 10

113 52 1 65

30 0 30

0 12 12

0 0 0

35g carb powder 40g whey isolate Totals:

13 1 138 269

35 0 35

0 33 33

0 0 0

3 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil ½ cup quinoa 1 medium orange Totals:

140 119 1 11 62 432

0 0 20 15 35

26 0 4 1 31

3 14 2 0 19

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese 2 cups vegetables Totals:

80 46 1 26

6 8 14

14 4 18

0 0 0

1 scoop whey protein ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

105 206 311

0 8 8

25 8 33

1 18 19

DAILY TOTALS

2,481

234

198

87

MEAL 1

1–3 HOURS PRE-WORKOUT 6 oz lean meat 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetables Totals:

INTRA-WORKOUT 30g carb powder 15g whey isolate Totals:

15 TO 60 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

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NON-TRAINING DAY: SHRED PHASE MEAL PLANS 1,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/50/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

5 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

234 206 440

0 7 7

44 8 52

5 18 23

1 scoop whey protein 1 tbsp flax seed Totals:

105 47 152

0 3 3

25 2 27

1 3 4

5 oz lean meat 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetables Totals:

234 222 23 479

0 39 4 43

44 8 2 54

5 4 0 9

5 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium orange 1 cup vegetables Totals:

234 119 62 23 438

0 0 15 4 19

44 0 1 2 47

5 14 0 0 19

DAILY TOTALS

1,509

72

180

55

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

2,000-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/50/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

7 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

327 206 533

0 7 7

62 8 70

7 18 25

1 ½ scoops whey protein powder 1 tbsp flax seed Totals:

158 47 205

0 3 3

38 2 40

1 3 4

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

Continued 219

Living Large

(Continued) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

7 oz lean meat 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetables Totals:

3 27 222 23 572

0 39 4 43

62 8 2 72

7 4 0 11

7 oz lean meat 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium orange 1 cup vegetables Totals:

3 27 11 9 62 23 531

0 0 15 4 19

62 0 1 2 65

7 14 0 0 21

1 egg + ½ cup egg white 1 medium orange Totals:

141 62 203

2 15 17

19 1 20

5 0 5

DAILY TOTALS

2,044

89

267

66

MEAL 3

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

2,500-Calorie Meal Plan – 20/50/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

7 oz lean meat ¼ cup raw nuts Totals:

3 27 206 533

0 7 7

62 8 70

7 18 25

1 scoop whey protein 1 tbsp flax seed Totals:

105 47 1 52

0 3 3

25 2 27

1 3 4

7 oz lean meat 2 cups quinoa 1 cup vegetables Totals:

3 27 444 23 794

0 79 4 83

62 16 2 80

7 7 0 14

MEAL 1

MEAL 2

MEAL 3

220

PART 10: The 10: The Done-for-You Mass and Shred Meal Plans

MEAL/FOOD

CALORIES

CARBS (G)

PROTEIN (G)

FATS (G)

7 oz lean meat 1 medium orange 1 cup vegetables Totals:

327 62 23 412

0 15 4 19

62 1 2 65

7 0 0 7

2 scoops whey protein ½ cup raw nuts Totals:

210 412 622

0 14 14

50 16 66

2 36 38

DAILY TOTALS

2,503

126

308

88

MEAL 4

MEAL 5

221

PART 11

Supplements That Actually Work Work (Don’t Worry orry,, This Part Is Short) Short)

Finding good information on supplements can be a daunting task. It seems everywhere you you look, you find conflicting claims on the good, the bad, and the garbage. One day you feel like you should be taking everything, and the next you’re sure that all of it is worthless. Sorting out the truth becomes simpler as soon as you understand that supplements don’t actually have “druglike” properties, as the ads suggest, nor are they adequate replacements for healthy meals. Supplements are exactly what the name states: “supplements” to a good diet. As basic as this sounds, it’s this realization that has allowed me to experiment with supplements without losing my mind or burning a hole in my wallet. I like to separate supplements into two categories: the workers workers and the situational supplements.

The Workers Workers are the supplements to take all year round, no matter what. For me, this includes vitamins, minerals, fish oils, probiotics, and enzymes. If you’re deficient in the “workers,” then your body will lack the staples to maintain optimal health. Investing in these types of supplements supplements is the best use of your supplement budget. You should always put your money toward the “worker” supplements before you spend anything on the next category.

Situational Supplements For most of you, the whole conversation around situational supplements is premature. But suffice to say that situational supplements can be useful when you are preparing for a specific athletic event, photo shoot, or competition.

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Full Disclosure In this section I will provide a link where you’ll find my exact product recommendations. And, And, yes, I earn a commission if you purchase any of the products through the links I provide. I disclose this because some people may decide to discredit my recommendations because of that, which is silly, because, guess what? I could promote any supplement in the world and still earn a commission! Every single supplement company in the world cuts commission checks to their affiliates and partners! Still, I only promote the products that I’ve extensively used on myself and have recommended to my family, friends, and clients. I’ve been promoting the same brands and products for a long time, but as you know, nothing stays the same forever. That’s why I opted to put my recommendations on a live webpage, rather than here in the print book. That way, I can add new excellent products that may come along, and if a supplement company changes ownership and/or loses quality, I can remove them and all their products from my page. No matter what I recommend here or what you choose to purchase, never let supplements distract you from the main essentials—eating right and training hard.

Do You Earn the Right to Take Supplements? The gym I train at is full of young guys who often approach me for supplement advice. “Vince, what’s the best pre-workout supplement?” “What kind of creatine should I take take?” ?” or “What’s “ What’s your favorite favorite mass gainer?” “Do you think I should get this fat burner?” “Can you recommend recommend a good testosterone booster?” I can answer all of these questions, but I don’t—unless they can answer my questions: “How many calories are you consuming daily? What are your macros? How is your body responding?” If people can’t tell me their calories and macros, or provide clear feedback about their progress, I don’t give them an answer. Not because I’m a jerk, but because their priorities are mixed up. They are shopping for supplements before they’ve even seen what they can accomplish with whole food. That goes for you, too. Don’t ask me any of these questions unless you are consistently (at least 80 percent of the time) hitting your target calories and macros. If you aren’t, then put down the supplement catalogs, review the meal plans in this book, and go to the grocery store. If this sounds harsh, too bad. It’s annoying to hear these guys fixate on supplements that may have a 10 percent impact when they are neglecting the 90 percent that will transform their physiques. I’m just as guilty as the next guy who wishes supplements were magical! But there is absolutely no substitute for consistently hitting your calorie and macro targets. If you’re not compliant with your meal plan at least 80 percent of the time, you can forget about any degree of muscular development, because supplements can’t correct a bad diet, regardless of which ones you take. Over the years, I’ve become a bigger and bigger believer in nutritional supplements to bio-optimize the body, fix deficiencies,

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That Actually Work

and increase performance, but don’t assume that they should, or even could, take the place of a well-designed, healthy, healthy, and balanced nutritional plan. The only supplements I used when I gained over 40 pounds of lean mass were whey protein, protein, creatine, vitamins and minerals, and some fish oils.

There is absolutely no substitute for consistently hitting your calorie and macro targets. Still, I doubt you’ll come close to realizing your full muscle-growt muscle-growthh potential without the addition of a few well-chosen, high quality nutritional supplements. In this book, I’m only going to focus on four. The first two supplements I recommend in the following sections are “workers” (as discussed earlier), and the second two are “fuel.” “fuel.” The “workers” aid your body’s ability to absorb and utilize the nutrients that the “fuel” can provide. Nutrients can’t work as well for you if you’re not fully absorbing them. One caveat that applies to all: get a full physical exam before taking any supplement and consult with your doctor. However, most traditionally trained physicians don’t know jack about nutrition or supplements, so you may want to seek out a naturopathic doctor or a very smart and up-to-date nutritionist. My naturopathic doctor reads my blood work and tells me exactly which supplements I’m wasting my money on and points out beneficial supplements I’ve never even heard of to make up for my body’s deficiencies. Do your own research before making a decision on what to take. For more information on naturopathic doctors I recommend, go to getlivinglarge. getlivinglarge.com/ com/musclebonuses. musclebonuses.

How to Build More Muscle with Less Protein Everybody has been brainwashed that pounding more protein equals more muscle. However, your first goal must be to optimize the protein you’re already consuming. consuming. Without getting too complicated, enzymes are key to your body’s life force. Enzymes are the sparks that make everything happen, and without them you cannot possibly maximize muscular growth. Enzymes help digest your food, break down proteins into amino acids, stimulate your brain, provide cellular energy, and help repair all the cells, tissues, and organs of your body. Nature designed food to break itself down in the digestive tract. However, modern man has gone against nature’s ways. As soon as you heat any food to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, it kills all the enzymes that exist in whole foods.59  That and the processed foods, irradiated foods, foods sprayed with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or grown in mineral deficient soils is why an average forty-year-old forty-year-old has 60 40 percent less enzyme reserves than a child. Dr. Howell’s book Enzyme Nutrition points to evidence suggesting enzyme-deficient diets are a potential contributing factor in disease. Dr. Howell also states that by age twenty-se twenty-seven, ven, for individuals who train intensely, most of the protease functioning in the body has shut down as the body recogniz recognizes es

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it cannot keep up to the metabolic pace. If you examine the careers of most superstar athletes, their performance tends to peak around age twenty-six to twenty-eight and then starts to decline.61 One of the biggest insider secrets I learned from the director of education for BiOptimizers, advisor for the American Anti-Cancer Institute, and three-time All Natural Bodybuilding Champion Wade Lightheart is that the key to bigger and faster muscle gains is extreme amino acid absorption. This is how steroids work, but of course, steroids eventually cause you to crash and burn. So how can we do this naturally? A potent proteolytic enzyme formulation. Proteolytic enzymes replenish your enzyme pools so that you can become more efficient at absorbing protein and get more benefit from what you eat, making it easier to gain muscle long-term. Taking a potent proteolytic enzyme formula can keep you from building up undigested protein that can lead to a multitude of degenerative diseases. And there are other health benefits. To To learn lea rn more about how to increase your muscle gains without increasing your protein intake, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

The War in Your Gut: Are You Losing? Over the course of your lifetime, approximately one hundred tons of food will pass through your digestive system, and the digestive tract is host to more than four hundred different types of bacteria that outnumber all  the  the cells in your body. Here’s the breakdown: ■ ■ ■

10 percent are good (“friendly” bacteria) 10 percent are bad (“unfriendly” bacteria) 80 percent are opportunists—meaning they will proliferate, depending on environmental circumstances.

As long as you have plenty of friendly bacteria, the unfriendly bacteria will be kept under control. However, changes in environment, diet, stress levels, toxic load, hydration, enzyme content of food, and especially the use of antibiotics can upset this delicate balance. Left unchecked, unchecked, the “bad” bacteria in your gut tends to get stronger as you age, especially if you’ve ever taken antibiotics (one of the side effects is extremely hardy bad bacteria that survived a full-on antibiotic attack). Antibiotics destroy both good and bad bacteria, so if you’ve ever taken antibiotics in your life, you’ve most likely compromised this important balance of bacteria in your gut, weakening weakening your body’s ability to function—and build muscle. “Good” bacteria assists in assimilating the nutrients you take in, but there’s not a lot of it, and it’s under constant threat. Consumption of aspartame, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), (GMOs),62 chemicals, and environmental toxins all cause mutations in gut bacteria,63 reducing your ability to absorb your food.64 Also, changes in diet and psychological stress can affect gut bacteria and its ability to work for you. 226

PART 11: Supplements

That Actually Work

You want the protein you consume to help make more muscle, mu scle, adding addi ng size and strength streng th to transform that skinny guy frame. But most guys are only seeing a fraction of the muscle-building results they should because there’s a secret war being waged in the intestines about where that protein should end up, and right now, most guys (probably you) are losing. A regular probiotic supplement is not enough to shift the balance. And that stuff they put in yogurt and sell you through the grocery store is useless. Manufacturers add so many junk food ingredients along with it that they counteract all the good that the probiotics would deliver.65 For info on the best available today, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

Protein Powders: Whey Is Not the Only Way No matter how many people ask me, I still get the same three questions on protein powders, so let’s address each one. 1) Is protein powder necessary?   Solid food is always better than processed protein powders. Yet modern life does not always allow us to consume our daily caloric target in solid food form each day. Protein powders can help. The fastest way to reach your muscle-building goals is to reserve shakes for peri-workout nutrition, and no more than one homemade shake per day. Don’t make the mistake believing that protein powders can take the place of solid food. You’ll You’ll end up staying soft and scrawny.

Live by this mantra: To To look solid, eat solid food. food . 2) Does protein powder really work?  Studies have shown that protein supplements, such as protein

powder, can increase muscle mass and improve exercise performance, particularly when taken shortly after training sessions.66 They work best when you respect their role as supplements and avoid using them as a fallback for laziness and a lack of preparation. 3) What is the best protein powder?  There is no such thing. Each one has pros and cons depending on your goal. Just like you should consume a variety of whole food protein sources, rotate your protein powders too. For instance, casein is great for cooking. You can make some awesome cheesecake, ice cream, and muffins due to its gel-forming gel-formi ng properties. properties . For muscle building, buildi ng, it’s a waste of money. Soy is as good as other protein sources in terms of amino acids and protein quality; however, it can be a hormonal disaster, which is why I avoid it.67,68 Rice and pea protein are bundled together because they are both incomplete protein sources, but by mixing them, you have a complete vegan source. It’s a great option for people allergic to eggs, dairy, and soy. Egg protein is good for variety but there is no evidence to support its usage over other protein powders. 69

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Here are my top two options: Whey. Whey protein makes up 20 percent of total milk protein. Whey is acknowledged for its superior amino acid profile, high cysteine content, fast digestion, and mixture of peptides. However, its practical benefits are far overstated in marketing copy. Sure, it digests faster. But the speed of digestion does not make a big difference to your body, so don’t get all excited about “fast absorption.” absorption.” Personally, I think the whole absorption-rate debate is blown out of proportion. I’ve tried them all, and I’ve noticed zero difference. Just focus on getting your daily protein intake and use a high-quality protein powder that that you can afford. Also, don’t worry worr y if you’re using a whey concentrate, isolate, isola te, or hydrolysate. Frankly, Frankl y, you can use whey protein any time of the day. I reserve it for peri-workout. Hemp. Hemp protein is one of the few plant proteins that contain all twenty-one twenty-one amino acids used by humans, including the nine essential amino acids that must come from diet.70 Hemp also contains a perfect ratio of essential fatty acids along with massive quantities of insoluble fiber, which is essential for digestive health.71 Hemp boosts testosterone levels with the most potent source of essential fatty acids in nature, increases protein synthesis naturally because of its high globulin protein,72 boosts your body’s “friendly” bacteria, 73 switches your body from an acidic state to an alkaline state, and helps eliminate intestinal toxemia (that bloated belly look). To view my recommendations for protein powders, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

Carbohydrate Powder: Carbohydrate The Ultimate Muscle-Building Solution With so many new carb powders hitting the market, sorting them all out has become as confusing as protein powders. powders . Carb powders “spike” your insulin and help restock glycogen before your next workout, prevent muscle breakdown, breakdown, maximize performance, and help you meet your high carbohydrate needs. I have experimented with virtually every carb powder on the market: Gatorade, dextrose, maltodextrin, Karbo-Lyn, Vitargo, highly branched cyclic dextrins (HBCD) and SuperStarch. Don’t lose sleep over which one “absorbs faster.” Not a big deal. I recommend you try a few and pay attention to gut issues. If you experience bloating, diarrhea, or gastrointestinal discomfort, switch it up and try a different one. During your workout workout you can substitute carb powder with any sports drink, red berry juice, or pineapple juice. After your workout you can substitute carb powder with rice cakes, white rice, cornflakes, maple syrup, or honey. To view my recommended carb powders, go to getlivinglarge.com/musclebonuses.

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 A No-N No-Nonsense onsense Guide to Living Large Outside of the Gym

Let’s first be clear. To To me, living l iving large has nothing to do with the Urban Dictionary’s definition, which is “Living with an extravagant or self-indulgent lifestyle.” To me, living large is not about the size of your wallet, or even your biceps. It’s about how you show up. When you’re truly living large, you’ll be an action-taker, dedicated to serving others. You’ll get outside of your comfort zone, betting on yourself, and inspiring others while you demonstrate a spirit of gratitude and humility.

When you’re truly living large, you’ll be moved to a place of gratitude and humility as you realize all experiences, even difficult ones, turn out to be unexpected gifts.

Build Muscle to Serve, Not to Be Served Ser ved Muscle is very hard to build and calorically expensive to maintain. One key question to ask yourself about building muscle is, Why do you want it? The true motivation has nothing to do with muscle itself. Virtually every guy gets into muscle building to mask an insecurity. They want an ego boost. They hope the muscle will fill a void in their life. They want an identity that includes confidence, respect, money, power, and sex. And muscle can give you all of that. 229

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The problem comes when you try to use muscle like an armor to hide a gaping void inside. You will never be able to fill an internal void by building a better body. body. And if you try, be prepared to get a complex. No matter how much muscle you build, you’ll end up feeling unfulfilled, empty, empty, and probably lonely. When I finally dropped my “Skinny Vinny” label for good, I quickly realized that becoming obsessed with chasing more self-serving muscle for the sake of getting bigger  would  would lead to a dead end.

You will never be able to fill an internal void by building a better body. If gaining 41 pounds of scale weight without adding any fat to my midsection couldn’t make me happy, how would another 10 to 20 pounds be any better? I saw early on that it would lead to a selfabsorbed and selfish lifestyle that was all about me, me, me, and leave no room for anyone to get close. This reality inspired me to find a way to use my efforts in the gym to go beyond my own selfinterests and serve others. This is one of the reasons I stayed in the fitness industry as a personal trainer. It’s one of the reasons I started my online fitness business. And it’s one of the reasons I started doing live events and running Muscle Camps, which you can watch on my YouTube channel. It is one of the reasons I wrote this book. By sharing the same knowledge that helped me transform, I have a bigger purpose than my own selfish gains. I have created a world where others count on me to be there for them and to give them hope.

Living large is about staying humble and inspiring others. Living large is being a walking billboard of “trading up” in life. Living large is about staying humble and inspiring others. Living large is being a walking billboard of “trading up” in life. Living large is not bragging about how far you’ve come or viewing anyone with a lesser body as a lesser person. Living large is about remembering where you started and helping others get to where you are with the hope that they pay it forward, too. Even on the smallest level, every time you’re in the gym, you have the opportunity to live large by encouraging a new member, or giving someone with poor technique some help, or complimenting someone on their progress.

Take Massive Action (Don’t Just Think or Talk  About It) Back in 2005, I was invited into a one-on-one Internet marketing coaching program where the price to play was $7,500 $7,500 for a six-month course to learn how to create digital information products, so that 231

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I could create a second stream of income and profit from my knowledge. It was a huge investment for me at the time. I had to shuffle money around and use more than one credit card to cover it. But I signed up and sprung into action despite the risk of failure and being outside of my comfort zone. Within six months, I’d created my first e-book, No-Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets to www.vincedelmontefitnes cedelmontefitness.com; s.com; and started making sales. In my first Insane Muscle Gain; put up a website, www.vin year online, I made exactly $10,000. In my second year, I made $101,000—more than at my job as a personal trainer, so I decided to fire my boss. In my third year, I made $350,000. In my fourth year, I made $850,000. Before the age of thirty, I made my first million mill ion dollars and was well on my way to the lifestyle of my dreams. I’m not the biggest, strongest, or leanest guy. I’m not the smartest guy. But it’s rarely the smartest person who wins. It’s the one who takes massive action and is willing to work. That whole time, I worked 40 hours a week at my job, and 40 hours a week online. I didn’t take any days off. No one could stop me. Some may find these numbers big, some will see them as small. Income numbers don’t define me, just like the size of my biceps doesn’t define me. What matters is that I got results not by thinking about it, not by talking about it, but by taking action. The cool thing about taking action is i s that things start to happen. Sales pages go live. Products are born. Your first affiliate promotes. Customers rave. Money flows. You start to hire. Systems emerge. Your brand gains popularity. Recognition fuels the fire. You went from a skeptic to a believer, and now you’re inspiring others to follow your path. It seems magical, but it’s not. It’s because you took action. Persistent action. Focused Focused action. Massive action.

There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going. There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going. It starts with a decision you make on one single day,, and taking action that compounds until you are living your dreams. day

 Avoid  Av oid Broken Broken Focus Focus Focus is saying “yes” to one thing and defending that “yes” by saying a thousand “nos.” 74 People often don’t understand the power of focus because they are unable to say “no” to nonessential activities. But focus has rewards. And broken focus has consequences. Back in high school, I was on the track team, and I was thinking of joining some of my friends on the soccer team in the fall. Most of my friends did every sport—basketball, soccer, track—and I thought maybe this was a time I should be trying out lots of things. My track coach took me aside and pointed out the top runners in the country, saying, “Want to race against this guy? You think this guy plays soccer on the side?” I realized then that, if I wanted greater rewards, I had to focus—focus on one thing and sacrifice the others. I loved soccer. I actually liked playing soccer more than running, but I saw more of a future with my running, so I focused. 232

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The result: I made the university track team. I got to travel all over Canada and the United States for meets. Very few of my friends took a sport beyond high school. But I got more out of my sports experience because I was willing to commit to a single focus and sacrifice other sports.

Focus has rewards.  And broken br oken focus focu s has consequenc consequences. es. The same could be said about business. I love the saying, “Go an inch wide and a mile deep.” That’s what I’ve done with the skinny guy market. I’ve gone deep. I’ve built my online fitness business around helping men to gain their first 30 pounds of muscle, then their next 20 pounds of muscle, and finally another 10 pounds of muscle. I’m not trying to be the fat-loss guy, or the strength guy, or the “insert next flashy trend” guy. I’m focused on skinny guys. In business, this idea sounds counterintuitive because it seems like you’re shrinking your market, but by going deeper and not wider, it in fact creates more success. The same could be said about women in your life. You can choose to experience lots of women in a shallow way, or focus on one woman and go deep. You will never experience the rewards of focusing on one woman if you’re always playing the field. And it’s the same with training. I have shown you three 10-week phases. Each phase and each workout has a primary focus. To get the best results, focus on one goal at a time and go as deep with it as you can.

Get Blood in the Game Every time I sign up for a fitness model competition, I’ve got to get some blood in the game. It helps me do my best. You might say it’s motivating enough just to know I have to go up on stage and parade around in a skimpy bikini and pose for a bunch of strangers while being judged against other guys who are absolutely shredded and ripped too. But having just my ego on the line isn’t what does it for me. I’m not looking to take the top prize on stage, anyway. I’m happy to finish in the top ten. I know I don’t have the best physique, and I’m not prepared to do what it takes to have it. I am more interested in leveraging the experience to grow my online fitness business, and that means I’ve got even more at stake—my livelihood, my reputation, my wife, my family, my finances, and my credibility. When I decide to compete, the first thing I do is announce it on social media. I tell my entire audience to follow along with me. I hire a top expert coach. I also leverage the experience, and often tie it to a new information product, as I did with Stage Shredded Status . So, if I have four weeks until the contest, and it seems like my body’s not changing, I’m going to say to myself, “I have to keep going. The stakes are so high.” 233

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If I got to the show and I sucked, I would embarrass myself on social media. I would forfeit a $4,000 investment working with one of the best coaches in the world. I would pay a huge opportunity cost from not making a great product, and I would lose my credibility with my following. If I don’t get a solid return on my time invested, my relationship with my wife takes a hit. Anyone who’s competed knows that the people closest to you get kicked to the curb for a period of time, since competing for a show is an all-consuming, self-absorbed process, so when my wife gives me her blessing to “go for it,” I can’t afford not to maximize the experience. This is what helps me crash through the quitting points. To succeed, you must set up the circumstances so that it’s impossible to allow yourself to fail. You put something at stake. In my case, I put the most important things in my life at stake. Average people run away from misery, discomfort, guilt, or embarrassment. But the people who become great are willing to put enough on the line to risk experiencing all of those things. Here’s a good way to know if you’ve set the stakes high enough: you should feel extremely uncomfortable. You have to get to uncharted territory. You should be thinking, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to pull this off, but I have never been here before.” Get way outside your comfort zone. It’s been said that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, and I couldn’t agree more.

It’s been said that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, and I couldn’t agree more.

Recognize the Gym Is a Metaphor for Life It’s great for you to develop the body, but the biggest impact on your life from training will come out of the life skills you gain. Training Training in the gym is training for life. The gym is a metaphor for life. Pushing your physical limitations is an opportunity to grow not only physically, physically, but also to mature as a person. Sticking to your workout goals can and should translate into the belief and confidence that you can stick to your life goals. To get your body in shape, you have to track your food and prepare it the right way. You have to show up. You You have to be consistent. cons istent. You have to be focused and track tra ck your workouts. You You have to finish fin ish things. Those are all skills—skills that help you set and achieve goals in all areas of life. When I see someone who competes, it tells me instantly that that guy has the power to say no. He goes out in social situations and he doesn’t indulge. He can stick to a goal. He’s disciplined. He can suffer.

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During a time when I was struggling spiritually, I excused myself with “The Christian faith is too hard to live. . .” and my father gave me perspective. He said, “Vince, if you took just 5 percent of the effort you put into your body and your business into your spiritual life, then you would be a spiritual giant.” He was right. I was not translating the skills I had built in fitness and business to my spiritual life. My father’s words helped me realize that if I can experience physical victories, I can experience spiritual victories as well.

It’s great for you to develop the body, but the biggest impact on your life from training will come out of the life skills you gain. Training in the gym is training for life. Sacrifice, hard work, discipline, commitment, focus, persistence, and grit are essential to creating a great life. Don’t just leave it in the gym. Practice there, and take it into all areas. When you prove to yourself that you have what it takes to build your body, you get to see that you have what it takes to develop your your mind, expand your heart and soul, and build your life. You will get to say, “I can stick to this diet. I can stick to a budget. If I can stay focused in the gym, I can say no to gossiping. If I can rise for an early workout, I can say no to the late night porn.” You will get to say, “If I can say no to an average body, I can say no to an average life.” Say yes to Living Large inside and outside of the gym.

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Acknowledgments It’s amazing this book is finally here. There was a point where I thought it would remain an idea. Six years ago, my good friend Joel Marion helped me write a book proposal for what was going to be called “The Skinny Guy Savior,” but for some reason I never got pen to paper to write the darn book, so it sat on the backlog for years. So, here are the people I wish to thank who helped trigger a series of events that finally put this book into your hands. First of all, to my parents, Luciano and Rosetta. It’s amazing to say that my parents are my best friends. Thank you for inspiring me to read at an early age and letting me read everything from fantasy novels to my favorite comic books. Thank you, Mom, for taking me to Collage to buy my weekly comic books. My love for books opened my mind up to a world of possibility and eventually led to my creating something special of my own. Dad, thank you for the hundreds of books you’ve put in my lap at birthdays and Christmas. I’m already al ready passing the love of reading on to my kids. To my brothers from the same mother, Adrian and Michael Del Monte. We have an unbreakable bond, and I thank you both for always bringing me back to reality, keeping me humble, and inspiring me to be a real man. A special mention goes out to all the rest of my family for your interest in my weird world of muscle and marketing. I’m grateful I have each of you. To my muscle-building mentors and coaches, Dr. John Berardi, Ian King, Matthew Craig, Murray Middlemost, Charles Poliquin, Ben Pakulski, the late Peter Chiasson, Eric Seifert, Ryan Faehnle, Faehnle, Wade Lightheart, Brandon Green, Joseph Bennett, Dr. Jacob Wilson, and Ryan Lowery. You each wow me with your expertise, passion, and brilliance. To my past and present business mentors and coaches, Sandro Salsi, Craig Ballantyne, Bedros Keuillian, Eben Pagan, Mark Widamer, Dean Jackson, and Ryan Levesque. Each one of you helped lay the marketing foundation to make my ideas profitable. You have each had more impact on me than you know. To Team Del Monte for taking this nonstop roller coaster ride with me through the years and bearing with my hundreds of always “urgent,” last minute, “guaranteed breakthrough” ideas. To Robin Colucci, my book coach, coach , who got this book off the starting star ting line li ne and over the finish line. l ine. Your Your help and partnership on this book has been monumental. You You underpromised and overdelivered and this book is equally yours as it is mine, I just get all the credit! Mille grazie. To Yuri Yuri Elkaim, who introduced intro duced me to his incredible incredibl e book agent Celeste Fine Fi ne at Sterling Sterlin g Lord Literistic, Literisti c, who walked me through the book negotiating process and landed me a great deal. You both rock! 236

 ACKNOWL  ACK NOWLEDGMENTS EDGMENTS

To all the staff at Chapters bookstore in Ancaster, Ontario, for telling me every time I walked in there, “I’m waiting for your book, Mr. Vince!” To Joel Marion, Marion , who helped me write wri te the original origi nal book proposal pr oposal for this book bo ok way back in 2009. Your Your level of generosity is above the rest, Brosef! Thank you James Villepigue for your generous insights, believing in my vision, and helping me move this project forward. To the entire BenBella team. I’m truly honored to get to work alongside and learn from each one of your exceptional “super powers.” To the original “marketing” gangsters who all met up in West Palm Beach so many years ago with plans to rule the world. You each supported me at the very beginning and guaranteed my success, Jeff Anderson, Mike Geary, Jon Benson, Craig Ballantyne, Joey Atlas, Ryan Lee, Chris Guerriero, Chad Tackett, Scott Colby, and Jim Labadie. To my incredible circle of Christian brothers living larger than ever—Joel Marion, Mike Westerdal, Shaun Hadsall, Ryan Colby, Dan Long, Mike Whitfield, Geoff Neupert, John Rowly, Jim Rowly, Chad Howse, Bruce Krahn, Todd Kuslikis, Dan Ritchie, Chris Wilson, Anthony Alayon, Charles Livingston, Vinnie Leone, Nate Hopkins, Joe Barton, Jeff Radich, Cody Sipe, and the leader of our group, the one and only Italian Stallion, my pops, Luciano Del Monte. I’m grateful for your love, encouragement, encouragement, realness, resourcefulness, resourcefulness, and never missing a single event in my life. To Kory and Richard, for helping to market, promote, and make the entire world aware of this book and the message behind it and for putting up with my constant flow of “game changing” ideas. To each and every influencer and leader who reviewed my book and wrote an endorsement. To Arthur and Jo at Arsenik Studios for (both) the awesome photo shoots. To Stephanie Matos, the ultimate fact-finder. Thanks for double-checking every single claim in this book. To each one of my affiliates, affilia tes, you know who you are. If you’ve ever endorsed endors ed any of my programs over the years, I can’t tell you how grateful I am by your support and sends. To Team VIP (Vinny’s Important People): If you read my newsletter, watch my YouTube videos, engage with my Facebook posts, and/or and/or share my work, thank you. I’d like to offer my deepest gratitude gratitud e for following my work, investing in my programs, betting on yourself yourself,, taking action, and getting outside of your comfort zone. I’m super pumped to see your 30-week “shock and awe” transformation pictures from my brand-new program. Gains without the gear, baby! To my B.M.W. (beautiful, marvelous wife) Flavia, thank you for “living large” in your own life well before you met me and living larger than ever today. Thank you for being my #1 fan, best friend, and confidante. I’m so happy that we’re doing life together and raising the two sweetest (sometimes) kids in the world! Ready to start working on #3? Most importantly, none of this would be possible without God, my father in heaven. Thank you for blessing me beyond measure and enlarging my world.

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Can You Hook a Brother Up? THANK YOU FOR BUYING MY BOOK. Pat yourself on the back for taking action and betting on yourself. I’m super pumped to see your before and after pictures when you complete the program. There’s no doubt you have 30 weeks of muscle-building greatness in your hands and are about to radically transform your body. Please send me your before and picture pictures along with your story to [email protected] with the SUBJECT LINE “My 30-Week Living Large Transformation.” I would love to share your story on my sites. Now, I have a small favor to ask. Could you take just a few minutes and leave l eave a comment on Amazon? I love hearing from the ambitious guys like you who follow my work, and it would be awesome to hear your feedback. I’m on a mission to help one million men build muscle by the year 2020, and this is a way that tracks my progress. Your feedback will inspire more men to take action and defeat their skinny genetics. Also, be sure to tell your best buddy who also deserves to build a rockrock-solid solid body about this book. That would mean the world to me. Thanks again, I look forward to reading your comments, and hearing about your success. To living larger than ever,

facebook.com/vincedelmontelivelargetv youtube.com/vincedelmonte instagram.com/vincedelmonte vincedelmonte

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TAKE THE THE NEX NEXT STEP Claim Your Free 7-Day Trial to the Live Large Inner Circle Today! I want to coach YOU with one mission, one goal, one focus: your leanest, strongest, and most muscular body ever . . . the no-nonsense way! Led by Vince Vince Del Monte and his personal inner circle of coaches and mentors, the Live Large Inner Circle is our private members’ community where where fellow members are always there to answer your questions and to help accelerate your transformation, transformation, so you don’t have to go it alone. Inside, you will have the opportunity to receive personalized help and attend monthly “Anything Goes” coaching calls to ensure your fastest, safest, and easiest possible results, plus so much more. Be sure to claim your free 7-day trial inside the Live Large Inner Circle right now.

Join us and Start living larger today GetLivingLarge.com/InnerCircle

About the Author Vince Del Monte’s mission is to help one million men learn the most direct and efficient way to build muscle without the nonsense, and so far he has transformed tens of thousands of lives with his bestselling No-Nonsen No-Nonsense se Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets to Insane Muscle Gain, which has sold more than 80,000 copies in over 120 countries. countries . He’s since gone on to create an entire suite sui te of programs and live events to build a multi-million-dollar information business based around helping skinny guys build muscle the natural way. Vince received an Honors Kinesiology degree from the University of Western Ontario. He enjoys the natural bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle, and he has competed in over a dozen fitness model competitions and earned his Pro Card with the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) in 2011. Vince has been featured in Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness , Maximum Fitness , Reps , Inside Fitness , World Physique , Iron Man, FitnessX , and dozens of other online and offline publications. He lives in Ontario with his wife and two children.

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Endnotes 1. By the time he was 11, Cutler was hefting 80-pound concrete forms while working for his brothers’ concrete foundation business in Sterling, MA. “I was always the strongest kid,” Cutler recalls. “The first time I went in the gym I benched 315 pounds—and I’d never lifted weights before.” “Mister Muscle/Jay Cutler Profile.” For Him Magazine  (FHM), (2004). (20 04). Retrieved from: http:/ http: //andrewvontz.com/wp-conten /andrewvontz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/CLIPS-FHM t/uploads/2012/09/CLIPS-FHM-7-04-Jay-7-04-JayCutler-Feature-Compressed-6.pdf 

f itness products represented 14 of the top 50 most frequently run long-form product 2. In 2013, health and fitness infomercials, with Total Total Gym (a $799 home exercise bench) ranking #3. Lipozene (a weight loss product) ranked #1 in spendingg for short-f spendin short-form orm infomercials infomerci als during the same period. http:/ http: //money.usnews.com/money/ /money.usnews.com/money/person personal-fina al-finance/ nce/ articles/2013/01/02/the-heavy-price-of-losing-weight gain,” 3. G. B. Forbes et al, “Deliberate overfeeding in women and men: energy cost and composition of the weight gain,” British Journal of Nutrition 56, no. 1 (1986): 1–9. 4. Shape Up America! “Everything You Want to Know About Body Fat,” www.shapeup.org/bfl/basics1.html.

Malarkey, “Weight loss in amateur wrestlers and its effect on s erum testosterone 5. R. H. Strauss, R. R. Lanese, and W. B. Malarkey, levels,” JAMA 254, no. 23 (1985): 3337–38. 6. J. N. Roemmich and W. E. Sinning, “Weight loss and wrestling training: effects on growth-related hormones,” hormones,” Journal of Applied Physiology 82, no. 6 (1997): 1760–64. 7. E. B. Geer and W. Shen, “Gender differences in insulin resistance, body composition, and energy balance,” Gender  6 (2009): 60–75. Medicine  6 Investigation n 106, no. 4 (2000): 473. 8. B. B. Kahn and J. S. Flier, “Obesity and insulin resistance,” resistance,” Journal of Clinical Investigatio

9. Verne Harnish, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm (Ashburn, VA: Gazelles, Inc., 2002).

A . Brawner, ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription 10. David P. Swain and Clinton A. (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2012). 11. B. J. Schoenfeld, “The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training,” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24, no. 10 (2010): 2857–72. 2857–72. 12. M. Toigo Toigo and U. Boutellier, “New fundamental resistance exercise determinants of molecular and cellular muscle adaptations,” European Journal of Applied Physiology  97 (2006): 643–63. 13. J. Vierck et al., “Satellite cell regulation following myotrauma caused by resistance exercise,” exercise,” Cell Biology International  24 (2000): 263–72. 14. S. E. Mulligan et al., “Influence of resistance exercise volume on serum growth hormone and cortisol concentrations in women,” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 10 (1996): 256–62.

hypertrophy 15. T. N. Shepstone et al., “Short-term high- vs. low-velocity isokinetic lengthening training results in greater hypertrophy of the elbow flexors in young men,” Journal of Applied Physiology 98 (2005): 1768–76.

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16. Y. Takarada, Takarada, H. Takazawa, Takazawa, and N. Ishii, “Applications of vascular occlusion diminish disuse atrophy of knee extensor muscles,” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise  32  32 17. http://baye.com/the-sun-t http://baye.com/the-sun-tan-ana an-analogy logy http://www.leanandmusc http:/ /www.leanandmuscular.org/3-th ular.org/3-things-youings-you-must-kn must-know-to-bui ow-to-build-musc ld-muscle.php le.php

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