Workout Guide PDF
Important Notes:
Before getting into this guide know that you must track:
1) The weight you lifted for each set of each exercise.
2) The number of reps you performed for each set of each exercise.
in the training app for each workout in order to make sure you are progressing and building muscle.
Form Checks
Please post Form Check videos in the whatsapp channel for Form Checks. Please trim the clip to just before your first rep and after your last rep using your phone's photo software. If you have specific questions about an exercise try searching the channel with that exercise name to see if a reply to a previous check answers your question.
How to Warmup
After you complete all your warm up exercises and are ready to begin your loaded exercises your body usually still won't be ready to lift the heaviest weight you can for the prescribed rep ranges and so you will do one or more warm up sets in preparation doing the same exercise for a lighter weight.
Here is a sample warm up guide (the number of warmup sets depends upon how much heavy the exercise is, see below):
This is for a single exercise, but for my program you will often be doing two exercises in paired sets so you alternate doing warmup sets for each exercise.
Your first warm up set will be approximately 50-60% of the weight you anticipate you will use for your working set for approximately 6-8 reps and your second will be 70-80% for 3-5 reps with a break in between just like your paired sets.
For heavier weights I would add another set at about 80-90% of your working set weight for 1-3 reps.
They key here is that as you approach your working set weight you lower the reps because you don't want to accumulate fatigue, you want to save all your energy for your working set, because doing that with intensity is what will stimulate the most growth.
An important note is that for exercises where the weights can get very heavy (hundreds of lbs) you will most likely need to add additional warmup sets between the sets 1 and 5 here in this guide in order to prepare your body and for very light weights you likely only need 1 or 2 warmup sets such as sets 2&3 in the image above.
Lastly if its later in the workout and your muscles are already warm from being stimulated indirectly then you can do just one warm-up set at around 60-70% of your working weight for that exercise and 60-70% of the rep range.
How Much Weight Should You Use?*
You should select a weight for which you stay within the rep range on all your sets while training close to failure but not so light that you could go beyond the rep range. This typically means picking a weight you can do the upper-middle of the rep range for on your first set so by the last set you are still able to hit the minimum reps required for that set.
For example, if your exercise has a rep range of 8-12, you probably want to pick a weight where on the first set you can do around 10 reps so that by the last set you can still squeeze out 8 when fatigued. It is ok however to lower your weight for your last set, just not ideal.
The only exception to this rule is when doing reverse pyramid training or RPT (see intensity techniques section).
What do I mean by failure?
Going to failure simply means that you perform a set with maximal effort – until you physically cannot perform another rep. One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that you have to push yourself maximally every single workout – which usually means going to failure on every set of your workout.
*Proper form is essential. Every single rep you perform needs to be done with proper form. Try not to force out an extra rep by swinging your body and using momentum!
Not only is this methodology detrimental to your progress, but it actually doesn’t provide any further benefit in terms of strength and hypertrophy when compared to leaving a rep or two in the tank (Nobrega & Libardi 2016).
This is because consistently going to failure (especially on compound movements like the squat) causes a great deal of neurological stress and burnout later on in your workout. This makes it much more difficult to continue making strength progressions with your key lifts. Thus, I’d advise always leaving 1 rep in the tank aka getting close to failure (thinking maybe I could do 1 more) but not failing.
How to Get Bigger and Stronger Each Workout
(example shown uses Straight Sets)
The best way to ensure you are gaining and retaining your muscle while losing fat is to make sure you are getting stronger every workout on each exercise. The easiest way to track this is by using something called Rep-by-rep progress.
Basically what this means is each workout you should be doing at least one extra rep on one set of each exercise.
For example if on the bench press exercise with a prescribed rep range of 8-12 reps, and last time you did:
Set 1: 10 reps at 100lbs Set 2: 9 reps at 100lbs Set 3: 8 reps at 100lbs
Then the next workout you would try to get at least 1 extra rep on one of these sets at the same weight, typically the first set.
For example:
Set 1: 11 reps at 100lbs Set 2: 9 reps at 100lbs Set 3: 8 reps at 100lbs
When you first start you will typically increase your reps on all the sets but as you keep getting stronger and leaner this process will slow down and you may only improve on one set and this is all that is needed to keep making gains!
Once you can do the max amount of reps for each set, only then would you increase the weight.
For example if on your last workout you maxed out all the sets on the bench press which has a prescribed rep range of 8-12 reps:
Set 1: 12 reps at 100lbs Set 2: 12 reps at 100lbs Set 3: 12 reps at 100lbs
Next workout you would use 110 lbs. Most likely this means you would start again with a rep scheme like 10, 9, 8 again and progress the same way.
Intensity Techniques for
Beginner and Novice Programs
Depending on what experience level you are there a few different intensity techniques we use during the training. We'll start off with the one common to all the training programs which is paired sets.
A paired set is when you do two or more exercises back to back with breaks in between each exercise.
In the app this will show up under the label "superset" even though this is a not a true superset, which is when you do two exercises back to back with no break between, until after you complete both exercises. A true superset only occurs in the program for some warmup exercises and for the calf and ab circuits at the end of your lower body workouts.
In all other cases, they will be paired sets, you can tell by noticing there is an extra break time between inserted between each exercise.
For example, if you have two exercises Exercise A and Exercise B in a paired set, you will complete exercise A, take a break, then complete exercise B, take another break, and then repeat for the total amount of sets required, which will almost always be 3.
The reason we do paired sets is that it allows you to keep your heart rate up during workouts and increase your calorie burn and cardiovascular health while giving each muscle group adequate time to recover by pairing it with an opposing muscle group which doesn't impact the former's recovery and vice versa (research shows longer breaks are superior at increasing muscle strength and size).
The rest time prescribed for all paired sets is the minimum rest time recommended and can be made as long as needed to rest adequately so you can give your next set your best. Just don't wait too long and let your body cool down, upto 3-4 minutes is usually fine.
For each exercise in a paired set you will be doing Straight Sets.
After warming up properly (see 'How to Warmup' section above) you will pick a weight that you should ideally be able to do for all three sets of the exercise with reps decreasing each set as you get fatigued.
Here’s how this might look for three sets of curls at a rep range of 8-12 reps:
Set 1: 10 reps with 25 pounds Set 2: 9 reps with 25 pounds Set 3: 8 reps with 25 pounds
If you fatigue too fast and need to use a lighter weight than you initially started with for subsequent sets this is ok but not ideal.
Over time as you get stronger you will be able to increase the reps and once you have maxed out the rep range on all sets using the same weight, you can
increase the weight. (see 'How to Progress' above for additional details)
Intensity Techniques for Intermediate Programs
Now let's talk about a few advanced techniques, feel free to skip this part and go straight to the warmup section if you selected the beginner or novice programs.
If you selected the intermediate program there will be three additional intensity techniques we use to switch things up and increase the difficulty and volume of your workouts Reverse Pyramid Training or (RPT) for short.
Rest-Pause Training and Pyramid Sets.
Very typical RPT rep scheme, sometimes two sets will be the same rep range. For my program you will often be doing two exercises in paired sets so you alternate doing sets for each exercise.
The way reverse pyramid training works is this:
Each set of an exercise will have a specific rep range and you must pick a weight
that allows you to get within 1-2 reps of failure within that rep range.
Your first set will usually be your heaviest and the weight will either stay the same or decrease each subsequent set.
If the weight stays the same it means you are able to still stay within the required rep range for the next set with that weight but your reps should not exceed the prior set, if they do it means you did not push enough on the first set or you did not warm up properly, and your first set served as a warmup rather than a working set (See 'How to Warmup' section below).
Increase the weight for each rep range once you hit the max reps in the range of each set with good exercise form.
Note: this technique will be used in conjunction with 'Paired Sets' above
An example of a rest pause set using 50lbs for an exercise
For rest pause training think of this as one big set, where you start off with a normal set at a high rep range, say 8-12 and instead of a long break after you will take mini breaks of 15-20 seconds and add on mini-sets of less reps, say 4-5.
This should cause a good burn and pump or blood flow in the muscles and is a good way to make your training more intense and fun. Increase the weight when you can do the max rep range across all of the rest-pause mini sets.
The last intensity technique is called a pyramid set.
In a pyramid set you start off with a light weight on your first set, and simply increase your weight each set. The first set should be somewhat easy and the last set should be difficult. Your rep range will not change set to set but typically as you accumulate fatigue while increasing your weight used your reps should go down. Increase the weight each set when on the all the sets you are doing the max reps of the rep range.
Now this might be a lot to remember but don't worry you will find a brief description of these techniques as reminders in each workout that requires them.
Can't Do Chin Ups / Pull Ups?
(This applies to men's programs only)
Pull-ups are a staple in your routine, as they will be one of the best (if not the best) exercise for adding width and thickness to your back. However In the case that you can’t do a chin-up at all you will be doing something called 'Negative Reps' ('Negatives' for short) for your whole set, or to finish it off after doing as many regular reps as possible.
Here is how to do Chin-up or Pull-up negatives:
Note this depicts a pull up where you grip the bar with an overhand position, you will be starting with chin ups which are an underhand position (palms facing towards you).
You’re simply going to use a platform high enough such that you can jump into the top position of the chin-up, and then you want to slowly control your descent to be as slow as possible over the course of 3-5 seconds.
The longer the duration of your negative rep the harder. Once you cannot control your descent speed for at least 3 seconds(ie. you start dropping too fast) you know your set is done.
Work towards hitting the rep range of 5-8 reps and then once you can do 8 reps, try performing a regular chinup on your next workout! (warm up with 1 or 2 negatives and then take a break before your attempt).
If you can now do a partial chinup (bend in your elbows of more than 10 degrees) then start your sets from then on with as many partials as possible and finish off the rest of the rep ranges with negative reps once you cannot do partials.
Over time your range of motion will increase, your partial reps will get better and you will soon do your first chinup/pullup!
Weighted Pull ups
If you program prescribes weighted pullups and you cannot do them simply replace them with regular pull-ups (or negatives if needed), once you can do 8 reps you should be able to add weight.