This is my world. This is not doomsday. It's not the end of the world. It's just another training day for me. Everything in life is up for grabs. I've got to take what's mine. I've got to be right in the middle of it. I stopped once to watch the sights. It was the worst mistake I ever made. Don't make the same mistake. Not a single day will go by when you won't miss out in life, but I'm here to tell you the real life begins when you're in the weight room, struggling for a breath of air, fighting to re-rack that bar. Yeah, you can go out and play instead. But remember, playtime is for when you're a kid. And you're a man. So be prepared to get your hands dirty. Let's see some f*&king sweat and blood. Let's rock 'n' roll brothers.
Below is the Training Schedule, Exercise Descriptions and Mass Building Diet.
Training Schedule
This is a basic, no frills workout that covers all the basics. It's a great routine for thickening up the muscles and providing an awesome physique overall. If something in this routine is not working for you, improvise and get it right. Keep the rest between sets short, no longer than 60 seconds.
Cycle: 4-Day Split, 3 Days Off
Level: Intermediate To Advanced
Goal: Overall Physique
Monday: Chest/Biceps/Calves
Chest:
- Flat Bench Presses: 5 Sets x 8 Reps
- Incline Dumbbell Presses: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Flat Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets x 8 Reps
- Close Grip Bench Presses: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
Biceps:
- Straight Barbell Curls: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Close EZ-Bar Curls: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
Calves:
- Standing Calf Raises: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Seated Calf Raises: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
VIEW A PRINTABLE LOG OF THIS WORKOUT
Tuesday: Legs/Abs
Legs:
- Squats: 5 Sets x 8 Reps
- Leg Presses: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Leg Extensions: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Leg Curls: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
Abs:
- Straight Leg Lifts: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Bent Knee Leg Lifts: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Incline Sit-Ups: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
VIEW A PRINTABLE LOG OF THIS WORKOUT
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back/Calves
Back:
- Cable Pull-downs: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Reverse Barbell Rows: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Dumbbell Rows: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Barbell Shrugs: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Rear Shrugs: 3 Sets x 8 Reps
Calves:
- Standing Calf Raises: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Seated Calf Raises: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
VIEW A PRINTABLE LOG OF THIS WORKOUT
Friday: Off
Saturday: Shoulders/Triceps/Abs
Shoulders:
- Rear Military Presses: 5 Sets x 12 Reps
- Front Military Presses: 5 Sets x 12 Reps
- Bent-Over Laterals: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
Triceps:
- Nose Breakers: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Dips: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
- Triceps Push-downs: 4 Sets x 8 Reps
Abs:
- Straight Leg Lifts: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Bent Knee Leg Lifts: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
- Incline Sit-Ups: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
VIEW A PRINTABLE LOG OF THIS WORKOUT
Sunday: Off
Exercise Tips
Abs
Leg Lifts: Lie flat on your back. Place your hands, palms down, under your buttocks. Keep your lower back rounded and slightly raise your shoulders off of the floor. Keeping your legs slightly bent, raise them about 12-to-16 inches off the floor. With control, lower them back until they are about 6 inches away from the floor. Repeat until you have completed your desired repetitions. This exercise can also be performed by keeping your legs straight. Don't arch your back.
Incline Sit-Ups: Lie on a decline bench or an adjustable sit-up bench. With your hands placed in front of your chest or behind your head, sit up and curl your upper body toward your knees. Hold this position for a moment before lowering your body back to the starting position.
Back
Barbell Shrugs: Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, grab a barbell and hold it to the front of your thigh. Keeping your back straight, tilt your head forward and with a shrugging motion, pull up with the shoulders and lift the bar as high as possible. Focus on contracting the trapezius muscles while doing this move.
Reverse Barbell Rows: Similar to the standard bent-over row, the difference is that you reverse your grip. Bend over at the hips. Grab barbell and pull up and in toward your midsection. Squeeze and contract your back while performing this move. Keep knees bent slightly to remove pressure from lower back, reducing the chance of injury. This move hits the inner and outer back.
Rear Shrugs: Grab the barbell and stand with the bar behind you, feet shoulder width apart. Raise the bar up as high as you can along your back, while keeping your elbows back. Hold this position, and then return the barbell to the starting position and repeat.
High Pulls (Cable Pull-downs): Sitting straight up, arch your back and take a wide grip on bar. Pull the weight down to the top part of your chest. Do not use your arms to pull the bar down. Instead, pull with the back. Squeeze and contract through out the movement. This hits the outer back for width and thickness. Note: There is another exercise called high pulls, but it's not to be confused with cable pull-downs.
Dumbbell Rows: This movement is similar to a bent-over barbell row except you use dumbbells. Begin by placing your left leg on a bench, keeping your knee straight, and your left arm on the bench, with your arm straight. Grab a dumbbell in your right hand, with your palm facing inward. Holding the weight in your hand, slowly bring it up to your rib cage area. Bring the weight back down to the starting position and repeat.
Biceps
Barbell Curls: Hold the barbell in front of you, shoulder-width apart, with your knees slightly bent and your elbows back. Slowly curl the bar up toward your shoulders and then slowly bring back down to start position. Make sure you squeeze the biceps throughout the movement, keep your heels on the plate and push back up.
Close EZ-Bar Curls: This movement is similar to the barbell curl except you use a special EZ-bar. Use a close grip here and again, make sure you squeeze the bicep throughout the curling movement and avoid using momentum to swing the bar up.
Calves
Standing Calf Raises: Place feet close together, on the ball of your foot(the part just behind the big toe) on the toe plate of the calf raise machine, keep knees locked and then raise the weight using just your calf not your butt or your knees, come up all the way and then back down all the way to stretch the calf. Do not relax the muscle at any time. always keep tension on the calf even when stretching.
Seated Calf Raises: Using the seated machine do the same move as with the standing machine but use the seated machine, it hits the outer portion of the calf as opposed to the standing raise which hits more of the inner calf.
Chest
Flat Bench Press: Lie on a flat bench and position your legs at the sides of the bench, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. Slowly lower the weight to your chest. Exhale as you raise the weight and inhale as the weight is lowered. Avoid arching your back.
Flat Dumbbell Flyes: Lie on a flat bench and grab two dumbbells. Your palms should be facing inward. From the starting position at the top, slowly lower the weights following a semi-circular motion until the dumbbells are out to your sides. Be sure to keep your elbows slightly bent to take pressure off them.
Close-Grip Bench Press: While lying on a flat bench, grab the bar with a grip between 8-to-12 inches wide. Slowly lower the bar to your lower pecs and then back up to the starting position. Keep your elbows in and close to body. Control the weight in the downward motion, never relaxing the control.
Incline Dumbbell Press: Lie on an incline bench and grab two dumbbells. Slowly let the weight come down to where the bottom of the dumbbell is just below the pec line where you should feel the stretch in your pec, but not in your shoulder.
Legs
Squats: While in the squat rack, place the bar on your back just above the traps, step back and set your feet about shoulder width or maybe a little wider, toes pointed forward, keep your head up and then squat the weight down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, make sure your back is flat and never relax your back while squatting, push the weight back up to the start position.
Leg Presses: Keep your feet close together on the push plate of the machine. Press the weight all the way up till just prior of the full extension of the leg, keeping tension on your thighs while doing this move. Lower the weight all the way down, keep your butt on the pad, do not raise your hips or roll your hips up off to your sides. Concentrate on using the rear section of your should. This targets the rear delt.
Leg Curl: On a leg curl bench, curl the weight up and flex the hamstring at the top of the movement, slowly lower the weight down and stop just before total extension keeping the tension on the leg biceps throughout the movement. You can also do a leg curl standing up on a standing leg machine. Lean forward if you can and curl the leg all the way up squeeze the leg biceps, then slowly lower the weight down to just before full extension similar to the lying leg curl.
Leg Extensions: Extend the thighs all the way up in the movement and lower slowly. Do not jerk the weight or try to use to much.
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: Stand with your feet about shoulder width, grab a barbell and stand straight up while holding the bar. Keep your knees locked and concentrate on keeping your butt back and up, now bend at the waist while keeping knees locked and butt up, lower the weight till just past your knees, (about three quarters of the way down your leg) and then back up to the start position.
Shoulders
Military Press: While using a seated press bench have someone assist you with lifting the barbell. From the over head position slowly lower the weight in front of you till it reaches your upper pec, then press back up to the over head or start position. This move hits the entire shoulder for overall size and thickness.
Bent-Over Laterals: Bending over at the waste, knees slightly bent, grab 2 dumbbells. While in this position lift the weight out and up and don't swing the weight up using momentum.
Triceps
Nose Breakers: Lie on a flat bench and grab a barbell using an overhand grip. With your grip about 12 inches apart, start by keeping the bar up away from your body at arm's length. Bending at the elbows, lower the weight toward your forehead. Nosebreakers are also commonly known as 'skull-crushers.'
Dips: Position yourself between a set of parallel bars and lift yourself so that you are held erect by your arms, with your elbows at your sides. Keeping your elbows into your sides, lower your body down as far as possible. Press your body back up until you lock out your elbows.
Tricep Push-downs: Standing in front of cable machine elbows tight at your sides. Slowly push the weight down and extend arms, squeezing the tricep then back up to start position.
Mass Building Diet
Most people think dieting for a show is tough work. Brother, you don't know the half of it. It takes loads of dedication and focus. But when it comes to gaining weight in the off season, most guys think it's a walk in the park. Hell, eat whatever you want, whenever you want? Trust me, this is not a dream come true. You try shoving down can after can of tuna and you'll see what I mean. Even filet mignon sounds good until you're eating it every single day for weeks on end. The biggest mistake lifters make is not taking diet and nutrition seriously when it comes to gaining.
Most lifters think insane, balls-the-the-wall training is enough. Other less informed athletes think supplementing with creatine and whey protein or some trendy supplement is going to do the trick. Both groups are mistaken. Listen up. Training is secondary to diet. Training is the enjoyable part; eating big can be difficult. Just trying to keep your body fed when you're training with heavy-ass weights is a tall order. To gain weight, you've got to add calories on top of that. I guarantee there are going to be times when you have to chow down even though you can barely keep from puking the food back up.
Start with protein, plenty of protein. When bulking, I keep my protein somewhere in the 450-600g range. For you, here's my rule of thumb: No fewer than 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight. So if you weigh 200 pounds, your goal should be a minimum of 400g of quality protein every day. When bulking, get your protein primarily from whole foods like lean cuts of beef and pork, eggs, low-fat chicken and turkey, salmon, and tuna packed in water. Lamb chops aren't too bad, but they're higher in fat than pork chops. Here's one tip: In my experience, red meat is better than white meat for a gain, so you may want to focus heavily on beef as opposed to chicken or turkey.
"The biggest mistake lifters make is not taking diet and nutrition seriously when it comes to gaining."
Lean cuts have similar amounts of fat, but better amino acid profiles, tons more B vitamins essential for energy, and more calorie-dense. I eat 20-30 egg whites per day as well, but I use an egg white product that's pasteurized and comes in a carton. You can find them in most grocery stores. Raw eggs are more difficult to digest and contain a lot of harmful bacteria. Don't eat them raw. Here's my secret shake mix: 1/2 quart of my pasteurized egg whites plus 3 scoops of UniSyn powder. I don't know of a single pro who doesn't use a protein shake. Just don't overdo with the shakes. Focus on whole foods.
If you're getting 400g protein per day, then you should also eat half of that in carbs, or 200g. So, that's 2g protein per pound of bodyweight, and 1g carbs per pound of bodyweight. My preferred sources of carbs include whole oats (not the sugar-filled instant oatmeal), brown rice, steamed white rice, pasta (in the off-season), sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, whole wheat bread and all kinds of leafy green vegetables.
Once you've got your protein and carbs in order, divide the total amounts of each into as many meals as you can get in per day. In other words, let's say you need 400g protein and 200g carbs during the first week. If you can, divide those grams into 5-6 meals spaced every 2-3 hours. What you end up with is about 80g protein and 40g carbs per meal. Now I didn't mention anything about fat because most of the fat you need will come from the foods you are eating, like the nuts (peanuts, pecans, almonds, cashews), beef, eggs, natural peanut butter (not the sugar-rich peanut butter commonly found) and the like. However, you can always supplement a little with flaxseed oil or other essential fats. Limit your total fat intake to about 20% of your total calories. No more.
Supplement-wise, take the Animal M-Stak every single day, on training and non-training days. Take the M-Stak 30 minutes before you lift. On non-training, take the M-Stak on an empty stomach between meals. Bear in mind that with the M-Stak, you can use your other supplements. I recommend a good multi like the Animal Pak. Other supplements you can use with the M-Stak are creatine, liver tabs, BCAAs, and glutamine. I use these myself. Most lifters today think liver tabs are outdated and obsolete. They don't know what they're missing.
Now here's the important part. Follow this diet for 7 days, or the first week of the Animal M-Stak cycle. At the end of the week, get on the scale. Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you gaining weight? Yes or no? If no, then you need to increase your calories. For the second week of the M-Stak cycle, keep your protein intake at 2g while increasing your carbs to 1.5g per pound of bodyweight. After the second week of the cycle, check the scale and the mirror again. Is the weight coming on? If not, for the third week, go to 2g carbs per pound of bodyweight, and check results at the end of the third week. If everything looks good, follow the same diet for the fourth week (the off cycle the M-Stak).
The whole trick here is to do things in increments. You add thousands of calories right off the bat, and I guarantee you'll put on more fat than you expected. Listen, everybody and his brother wants quick results, but this kind of short-sighted thinking will only set you back, not forward. Be patient. Just like you pace yourself with lifting, being careful to avoid overtraining, pace yourself with your meals. Don't try to gain everything all at once. If you need to, continue with a second Animal M-Stak cycle the following month. You can safely use Animal M-Stak for up to six consecutive months.
Believe me, it's not going to be easy adding a ton a calories immediately. Since you're eating every 2-3 hours, you'll probably never feel hungry. Sometimes, you're going to have to force yourself to eat. Listen, eating this way isn't for everyone. If you want to look like an animal, you got to eat like one. As a final reminder keep your protein intake high, drink plenty of water, and make sure your sugar intake low. Avoid junk foods and try to eat clean. Combined with your training and Animal M-Stak, you should be able to put on quality weight by the end of the month, and feel stronger too.
Conclusion
Give this program a try and before you know it you will be packing on muscle like never before.