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The Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout

September 17th, 2009

Since building the Squidoo Lens about Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool Workout, I have become a big Deadpool fan and am really looking forward to the movie. I think the studio made a great choice casting Ryan “Smart Ass” Reynolds in the role of Wade Wilson.

But, as I mentioned in the lens, Ryan is naturally a pretty skinny guy.

As a result, adding a whole lot of muscle mass was job #1 as he got ready to take on the role of Deadpool.

And he did a pretty good job.

But we can do better.

In Part 1 of this series, I outlined the concepts behind my Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

In this post, I give you a mass building workout that will put Deadpool to shame.

And I have named it…

The Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout

Like I mentioned in the previous article, the key to the success of this mass building phase is the focus on your nervous system and fast-twitch muscle fibers.

The theory is that since most hardgainers are slow-twitch fiber dominant, and slow-twitch fibers aren’t built for hypertrophy, we need to do something special to wake up those dormant fast-twitch fibers and force them to grow.

And here’s how we’re going to do it:

Each workout will consist of a series of 2-exercise supersets
The first exercise in each superset is designed to wake up the fast-twitch muscle fibers
The second exercise in each superset is designed to take advantage of the newly awakened fast-twitch fibers

How to Wake Up your Fast-Twitch Fibers

I was exposed to this concept about 15 years ago. At that time, I was training for powerlifting and strongman events. But my bench press was stuck. So, here’s what I did.

I would perform a partial bench press in a power rack with as much weight as I could handle. After a few sets of single reps, I would crawl over to standard bench press and attempt a maximum lift.

This technique allowed my to put over 30 lbs on my maximum bench press…after just 2 workouts.

The Theory

My strength was improved due to some combination of fast-twitch muscle recruitment and improved neuro-muscular co-ordination.

Since then, I have researched this topic…without much success. At least in the English speaking world. Those Russians were way ahead of us back in the day.

Anyway, most of you probably don’t care very much about the theory, so let’s move on.

The Wake-Up Exercises

I use 3 different methods to wake up the fast twitch fibers

Very Intense Concentric Muscular Contractions – that’s what I did with the partial rack bench press
Very Intense Eccentric Muscular Contractions – Plyometric movements
Very Fast Concentric & Eccentric Muscular Contractions - think sprints or throwing movements

Okay, your fast-twitch fibers are awake…now what?

Now we take advantage of those FTs, by exposing them:

Slightly Less Intense Concentric Muscular Contractions…through a full range of motion and performed as fast as possible. Think explosive bench presses.
Slightly Less Intense Eccentric Muscular Contractions….but we drastically increase the time under tension. Sloooowwww negatives on those bench presses.
With no pause at the top or bottom of the lift. The muscle is always under tension.

Reps, Sets & Bodyparts

Here’s where individual goals play a part.

Are you interested in athletic performance or just getting big and buff like Arnie?

My GPs were athletes, so I had them doing total body workouts. If they had been interested in appearance only, I would have had them do split body workouts (ie Back & Bis on Monday, Chest & Tris on Wed)

When it comes to rep selection, I had the GPs perform 3-8 reps on the Wake Up sets and 3-8 reps on the Work sets

For sets, I was much more fluid and looked at performance and time.

Max time for a workout was 45 min
But more important than time was speed. If I noticed a drop in the speed of movement, we shut everything down and hit the showers….not together. You get my point.

So, there you go. That’s the nuts and bolts of the Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout

In the next installment, I will give you some examples of Wake-Up Exercises and show you how to pair them with the traditional lifts to get the best results.

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The Official "Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch" Workout

September 14th, 2009

A few months ago, I created a Squidoo Lens about Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool Workout.

The lens was essentially an introduction to the workouts that Reynolds had to endure in order to transform his naturally thin (aka scrawny) frame into a muscular, ripped physique worthy of superhero status.

Since then, I have received a ton of emails from guys eager to build their own Deadpool bodies.

The only problem was that I was underwhelmed by the original workout.

It was good, but it wasn’t great.

Sure, it would help you look like a superhero, but it wouldn’t help you perform like a superhero.

So, I re-invented the Deadpool workout and spent the summer beta testing it on some willing victims up here in Toronto.

And, if I say so myself, I have come up with a seriously kick-ass training program.

Over 3 months, my 4 scrawny test subjects:

Gained between 5 and 14 lbs of muscle
Increased their max strength between 55 & 197% (Front Squat)
Saw their speed, power & anaerobic endurance go through the roof (Hill Sprints)

And, oh yeah, they also lost a ton of baby-fat in the process.
The average body-fat percentage at the beginning of the test was 21%.
At the end of the 3 months, the average body-fat was down to 9% (a Bod-Pod was used to measure BF%)

In short, by the end of the summer, my little guinea pigs didn’t just look like superheroes.

They were superheroes.

So, without any further ado, I would like to present…

The Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

(Because this workout is too detailed for one post, I am going to break it into chunks – today’s chunk will outline the theory behind my madness)

Like the original workout, my MRRYB workout had two distinct phases.

Phase 1 – Muscle Building

The key to the success of this phase was the focus on the nervous system and the development of fast twitch muscle fibers.

Using a combination of high speed movements and plyometric style loading, my GPs forced their fast twitch muscle fibers to engage during part 1 of their 2-part supersets.

(Here’s how I activated their fast-twitch muscle fibers)

Once I had the fast twitch fibers turned on, I moved them immediately to part-2 of the superset.

In part 2, the GPs were able to handle loads much heavier than normal because of the activation of their hard to activate fast twitch fibers.

Taking advantage of this situation, part 2 of the superset consisted of explosive concentric movements combined with slow eccentric movements. The GPs were not allowed to pause at either the top or bottom of the lift.

And yet, due to the activation of the fast twitch fibers, the GPs were able to lift more than ever before, add more muscle than ever before and yet experience only moderate muscle soreness.

Depending upon the exercise, the muscle group and the techniques used, reps for each part of the superset ranged from 3 to 8 reps.

Phase 2 – Getting Ripped

Phase 2 is all about melting the baby-fat off of the newly built muscle.

To do that, I introduced the GPs to some particularly nasty HIIT and HIRT workouts.

And while I expected fairly rapid fat loss, I did not expect what happened.

For some reason, in the first week, each of the GPs lost over 6 lbs of fat.

And this is after almost 2 months of very intense training and a strict diet. They had already lost fat during phase 1.

I can only speculate on the reason behind the very rapid fat loss, but to be honest, I don’t care. I am more than happy to leave the science to the scientists. All I know is that this workout hit one out of the park.

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In the next installment of this series, I will get into the nuts and bolts of the workout.

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The "I don't have time to workout" Workout

September 3rd, 2009

No more excuses.

You do have time to exercise.

workout

If you only have 5 minutes to spare, do 1 of these workouts.

10 minutes = 2 workouts

15 minutes = 3 workouts….

…You don’t even have to go to the gym.

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The Rules

Each workout lasts 5 minutes (the set/rep combinations are suggestions based upon my experience with clients)
If you get to 5 minutes before you get to the end of the workout…STOP. 5 minutes max means 5 minutes max.
Each workout involves 2 or 3 different exercises
Perform 1 set of exercise A, then move on to exercise B
No rest between sets – the workouts are designed to be performed with no rest
If your form gets sloppy…slow down. Catch your breath. Good form is more important that getting one extra rep. Injuries suck.

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5 Minute Workout # 1

1. Air Squats - bodyweight only – 5 sets of 30 reps

2. Hindu Pushups – 5 sets of 15 reps

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #2

1. Dragon Flag – 5 sets of 5-10 reps or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Shuffle or Scissor Lunges – 5 sets of 40-60 reps (20-30 per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #3

1. Spiderman Lunge – 5 sets of 12 reps (6 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Hip Thrust/Bridge – 5 sets of 40-60 reps (20-30 per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #4

1. Swing Snatch – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per arm) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. 1 Arm Dumbbell Press – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

3. Siff Lunge – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 15 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #5…my personal favorite

1. Jumping Bulgarian Squat – 5 sets of 20 reps (10 reps per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Band Woodchops – 5 sets of 20 reps (10 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

3. 1 Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 15 sets in 5 minutes

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Bonus Workout…if you have a partner

5 minutes of this…

BTW, Marv is another personal trainer from Toronto

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It HIRTs So Good

August 28th, 2009

I just finished destroying two clients with this workout.

Enjoy….

pdf version

Exercise Videos

Ab Roll-Outs

Hindu Push-Ups

Bodyweight Squats (Arms Overhead) – ball not required

Inch Worms

Body-Weight Row

Standing Angled Woodchop (DB/Plate/Med Ball)

Push-Ups

Side Lunge

Shuffle Lunge

DB Bicep Curl & Overhead Press Combo

Shuffle Lunge
Standing Face Pull

Glute Ham Raise (on pulldown machine)

Bodyweight Skullcrushers

Combo Pullover / Crunch on Stability Ball (imagine the ball)

Seated Shoulder Press

Reverse Flyes (DB, Band)

DB Hammer Grip Bicep Curl

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Are You Tough Enough for This Workout?

August 5th, 2009

Are you tough enough to handle one of my custom HIIT/HIRT workouts?

hiit

And by handle the workout, I don’t mean just survive the workout.

I mean, can you push yourself harder than you ever have before?

Can you kick my ass at this workout?

Well, can you…punk?

The Workout

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Part 1 – The HIIT

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30 minutes of HIIT sprints on a Stationary Bike

10 min Cardio – Moderate level of intensity (12-13 on Borg Scale)
5 min of HIIT Sprints – 10 Sprints – (10 sec sprint : 20 sec active rest – Level 20 on the Borg Scale)
5 min Cardio – Moderate level of intensity (12-13 on Borg Scale)
5 min of HIIT Sprints – 10 Sprints – (10 sec sprint : 20 sec active rest – Level 20 on the Borg Scale)
5 min Cardio – Moderate level of intensity (12-13 on Borg Scale)

Note:

These are short duration sprints – 10 sec. As such, they are to be performed at Maximum Intensity.

(20 on the Borg – Perceived Exertion Scale)

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And when I say max intensity, I mean max intensity.

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A trick I use is to count the number of revolutions (1 leg) I pedal in my first 10 second sprint. For the rest of my sprints, I use that number as a target. I find that when I have a target to aim for, I push myself harder.

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The 20 sec Active Rests should be performed at a 6-8 on the Borg Scale…very, very light effort.

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Part 2 – The HIRT

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This second part of the workout is a 10 Minute HIRT Circuit consisting of 3 exercises, performed back to back with no rest between sets.

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Each set will consist of 5 reps performed in an explosive manner.

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We will be using bodyweight exercises.

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Push-Up – 5 Reps per Set – As Many Sets As Possible in 10 minutes
Body-weight Row – 5 Reps per Set – AMSAP in 10 minutes
Bulgarian Split Squat – 5 Reps per Leg per Set – AMSAP in 10 minutes.

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For most, body-weight will be more than enough resistance. However, if you think you can handle it, feel free to add some resistance (weight vest, chains, bands, plates, dumbbells…your choice). But, I don’t want you sacrificing intensity & speed just to add some weight.

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Remember, there is no rest between sets. Perform all 3 exercises in the same spot. I find that a Power Rack or Smith Machine works well for the Body-weight Rows. So, I just camp out there for the full 10 minutes using the bar (or a bench) for the Bulgarian Split Squats.

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PDF copy of the workout

So, do you think you can kick my ass at this workout?

Here’s how I did earlier today:

HIIT Sprints

All sprints completed as designed
Bike Resistance set at 80% of maximum
Fastest Revolutions per Leg in 10 seconds – 32 (3rd sprint)
Slowest Revolutions per Leg in 10 seconds – 24 (last sprint)

HIRT Workout

Push-Up – BW (248) + 20 lb Weight Vest for 100 reps
BW Row – BW (248) + 20 lb Weight Vest for 100 reps (Body held parallel to floor)
Bulgarian Split Squat – BW (248) + 20 lb Weight Vest + 25 lb plate for 105 reps per leg (Back leg on std. flat bench)

So, can you kick my ass?

PDF copy of the workout

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13 Training Mistakes You Need to Avoid

August 4th, 2009

Fitness training isn’t rocket science.

Good training & nutrition decisions produce good results.

Poor training & nutrition decisions produce poor results.

So, how come when I go to the gym this afternoon, I can pretty much guarantee that I am going to see a lot of intelligent, well-educated, gainfully employed people making some pretty stupid training decisions?

Maybe fitness training is rocket science?

Maybe I am some sort of fitness training genius.

So, as a public service to all of the non-fitness-training genii out there, here is a list of some of the training mistakes I will probably see at the gym today.

Try and avoid them.

Doing Cardio Training before Resistance Training
Doing Static Stretching before Resistance Training
Training Core before Legs
Chugging a Gatorade while reading a book on the Exercise Bike
Thinking that the Inner Thigh (Adductor) Machine is going to work some sort of magic.
Ignoring your Weaknesses and over-training your Strengths
Believing that Core Training is all about Crunches & Planks
Training Body Parts instead of Body Movements
Believing that you can Out-Train a Bad Diet
Making chronic neck & shoulder pain worse by ignoring your postural muscles
Thinking that Resistance Training will make you too big
Thinking that Cardio training will make you too small
Performing a one size fits all type of fitness program

And if you see yourself on the list and want to change your evil ways, feel free to comment.

I or one of your fellow readers would be glad to lend a hand.

Addendum

I just received an email from a quasi-famous strength coach/trainer to the stars telling me that I was an idiot for believing that cardio prior to resistance training is a bad idea.

Personally, I can’t believe that he took the time out of his day to tell me off via email (wouldn’t a comment have been quicker?) but I would like to thank him because it helped me come up with another fitness training mistake:

Dogma

Believing that one way of training is the 100% right and that all other methods are 100% wrong.

Whether it’s hardcore cardio junkies or Crosfitters or bodybuilders of Yoginis, being close minded to different training methods seems prety stupid to me.

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Mechano Growth Factor

July 3rd, 2009

Scientists in the UK and Denmark have shown that elderly men are capable of dramatically increasing their muscle mass.

All it takes is some growth hormone and some deep knee bends (elderly man speak for squats).

Growth hormone???

Isn’t that the same stuff Barry Bonds was (allegedly) self-medicating with?

Well, yeah, but it’s okay because….because the doctor says so.

In fact, study researcher Dr. Geoff Goldspink says that this reseach “raises the question: Can age-related loss of muscle strength and increased fragility be ameliorated by the therapeutic application of mechano growth factor (MGF)?”

Question 1:

Is it morally acceptable to demonize athletes for taking GH or MGF or all manner of anabolic steroids and then turn around and put Grandpa on the juice?

Answer:

Next Question

Question 2:

What the heck is MGF?

Answer:

According to the Dr. Goldspink, MGF is a local muscle growth/repair factor (MGF).

This means that MGF is produced locally in response to mechanical stress and acts on those muscle fibers that produce it. And once released, that local MGF pulse lasts for a few days.

It is derived from the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene by alternative splicing, but, owing to a reading frame shift, MGF has a unique C-terminal peptide. After resistance exercise, the IGF-I gene is spliced towards MGF which ‘‘kick starts’’ hypertrophy and repair of local muscle damage by activating the muscle stem cells as well as anabolic processes.

When you stretch your muscles during exercise, they start pumping out your own supply of MGF. That activates the stem cells that are already present in your muscles. And once “activated, these progenitor cells begin to divide, creating additional muscle fibres and increasing the size and strength of the muscle”.

Interestingly, loss of muscle mass in old age and in certain diseases is associated with an impaired ability to express MGF. In these conditions it seems that the muscle stem (satellite) cell pool is not adequately replenished.

Question 3: I’m young and loaded with growth hormone. Where do I get some of this MGF to kick start my anabolic process?

Answer:

Option 1 – You can buy a synthetic version of MGF on the internet. (link is strictly for illustration purposes. I am not advocating buying MGF on the web) Currently it’s expensive, but the price is expected to drop in the coming months.

And yes, this stuff is already popular amongst bodybuilders, strength athletes, professional ball players, old men aching to strut their stuff on the beach… In fact, the combination of IGF and MGF is preferred by many performance enhancement gurus over the use of straight GH as an anabolic agent.

Option 2 – Research has shown that MGF is a stretch sensitive growth factor. And not just any old 30 second static stretch. Both MGF and IGF respond much more strongly to clclic/dynamic stretching than to static stretching. This research jibes well with the research that shows eccentric resistance exercises to have a very powerful effect on MGF production. This makes sense as it combines muscle lengthening with increased mechanical stress (load).

So, what does this mean to you?

If you want to naturally increase your production of MGF and IGF and get bigger and stronger and more powerful, you need to stretch your muscles under load.

I would like to suggest 2 different methods to achieving this goal.

Eccentric weight training.
Resistence Stretching ala Dara Torres

But remember, this is bleeding edge science kind of stuff. Listen to your body and don’t do anything stupid. Also, go see your doctor for a check-up…turn and cough

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This Weekend's Workouts – June 13 & 14, 2009

June 15th, 2009

Saturday’s Workout

Warm-up

10 min of Joint Mobility exercises & Dynamic Stretching

Workout

Superset #1

Kicking, Punching & Jump Lunges for 7 minutes straight

no rest between sets2 min rest between superset 1 & 2 as I move from room to room

Superset #2

Push-Ups – 10 sets of 10 reps
BW Row on Smith Machine – 10 sets of 10 reps

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #3

1 Arm DB Incline Chest Press – 5 sets of 5 reps for each arm (total reps – 50), 120 lb DB supersetted with
Reverse Lunge – 5 sets of 20 reps, Bodyweight

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #4

Band Chest Press – 250 lb approx – 7 sets of 20 reps (last set 16), supersetted with
1 Arm Standing Cable Row – 7 sets of 5 reps @ 195 lbs, supersetted with
1 Leg DL – Bodyweight – 7 sets of 5 reps each leg

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #5

1 Leg Kneeling Leg Curl – 230 lbs x 5 sets of (5,5,5,4,3) reps, supersetted with
Bulgarian Squat – 5 sets of 10 reps @ bodyweight

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #6

DB Concentration Bicep Curl – 65 lbs x 5 sets x 5 reps, supersetted with
Cybex Incline Chest Press – 5 sets of 5 reps @ 305

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Flexibility/Mobility Training

15 minutes of static & pnf stretching

Notes:

Loooooonnnnngggg workout – had tons of energy

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Sunday’s Workout

Warm-up

10 min of Joint Mobility exercises & Dynamic Stretching

Workout

Superset #1

Ab Wheel – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
BW Squat – 10 sets of 20 reps – full depth, as fast as possible

no rest between sets2 min rest between superset 1 & 2 as I move from room to room

Superset #2

St. Arm Standing Cable Pulldown (dynamic motion like a Med Ball slam) – 8 sets of 15-11 reps, weight increasing from 130 lbs to 235 lbs, (focus on speed & power), supersetted with
Pullthroughs – 8 sets of 15-13 reps, weight same as Pulldowns, supersetted with
Super-stretched Bulgarian Squats – extreme stretch on rear leg – 8 sets of 15 reps @ BW

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

***Note – weakness in left hand due to hyperextended thumb – grip is becoming a problem

Superset #3

Hybrid Exercise – DB Bench Pullover combined with “Dead Bug” spine flattening – lying lengthwise on bench, knees bent, back flattened – DB is punched back & overhead instead of in the traditional arc – 95 lb DB x 8 sets of 15 reps supersetted with
Standing DB Curl – 8 sets of 15 reps – 55 lb DB, supersetted with
DB Lateral Raise – 8 sets of 15 reps – 35 lb DBs

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Flexibility/Mobility Training

15 minutes of static & pnf stretching

Notes:

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Posted in Exercise, fat loss, fitness, health, obesity, strength, weight loss

Tags: Exercise fat loss fitness health high intensity interval training obesity power strength weight loss workout

Today’s Workout – June 10, 2009

June 10th, 2009

Resistance Training Day

Warm-up

5 min of Joint Mobility exercises & Dynamic Stretching

Workout

Superset #1

10 minutes of heavy bag work – fists, knees, feet & elbows

No rest between techniques…sweat pouring off me like Niagara Falls

60 sec rest between superset 1 & 2 as I moved from the heavy bag room to the weight room

Superset #2

Push-Ups – various grips – Bodyweight – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
BW Row on Smith Machine – Bodyweight – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
Swing Snatch – 35 lb plate – 10 sets of 10 reps

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #3

Straight Arm Pushdowns – Dynamic movement – lots of core involvement – 8 sets of 20 reps, weight pyramiding from 145 – 260 lbs., (last 3 sets 19, 16, 14 reps) supersetted with
Jumping / Shuffling Split Lunges – 8 sets of 40 reps, Bodyweight

No rest between sets

60 sec rest between superset 3 & 4

Superset #4

Cybex Incline Chest Press – 10 sets of 20 – 13 reps – weight increasing from 145 – 300 lbs, supersetted with
Bulgarian Split Squat – 10 sets of 7 reps, Bodyweight,

Flexibility/Mobility Training

no time to stretch…oops, gonna pay for that

Notes:

Short on time today. 35 minute workout. No rest between sets. No rest between supersets. Exhausted at the end of 35 minutes. Jogged to the gym and jogged/stumbled home from the gym

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Posted in Exercise, fitness, health, weight loss, working out

Tags: abs anaerobic back bench press bicep boxing chest chin up circuit training core endurance Exercise fitness heart hiit hirt interval training kicking lats lunge power press pushup row sprints strength superset swing snatch weight loss workout

Do You Wanna Get Big and Strong?…Phase 1

June 10th, 2009

It’s a common theme in gyms all around the world.

Guys want to get bigger and stronger.

So, that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

A kick ass training program designed to get you bigger and stronger.

big strong muscles

The Program – Phase 1

big strong muscles

10 x 10 Training

In phase 1, we are going to use one of the all-time best size building programs.

It goes by many names.

Call it 10×10 training, call it German Volume Training, call it that mother-blanking workout that causes so much pain that you can barely walk after a workout, call it whatever you want.

Here’s what you’re going to do.

Lift 3x per week on non-sequential days (M,W,F)
Rest between lifting sessions (Tu,Th,Sa)
Sunday is devoted to either HIIT training or Cardio training or something else athletic.

Day 1 focuses on Chest & Back training
Day 2 focuses on Legs & Abs/Core
Day 3 focuses on Arms & Shoulders

Each bodypart will be hit with one main compound exercise for 10 sets of 10 reps.
You are going to stick with that same exercise for the next 6 weeks

I have also included a couple of supplemental exercises in each workout. If you find that your muscle mass isn’t noticeably increasing, remove the supplemental exercises and just stick with the basic 10×10 sets.

When it comes to weight selection, choose a weight that you perform for 20 reps. This means that the first few sets of the 10×10 will seem way too easy. But don’t worry, around set number 6, you WILL feel the pain.

If you are able to complete all 10 sets of 10 reps, you need to increase the weight. Don’t make a huge jump in weight. A 5% jump should be about right.

After 6 weeks, you should be ready to move onto Phase 2. However, if you find that you’re still growing like a weed after 6 weeks (and you aren’t too bored of doing the same exercises over and over) feel free to stay on Phase 1 for another 2 weeks.

Suggested Exercises

For the 10×10 exercises, we are going to choose big, long range of motion, compound exercises. We want to involve as many muscle groups as possible while still maintaining simplicity of movement.

In the past, some people have tried to incorporate olympic style lifts into 10×10 training. It doesn’t work real well. Too much volume. Too much fatigue. Too high a chance of injury. Stick to the basics

Suggested 10×10 Chest Exercises – Presses – BB or DB, Incline, Decline, Flat…it’s your choice. You can even do push-ups with additional resistance (chains, bands)

Suggested 10×10 Back Exercises – Chins or Rows - Try to resist doing pulldowns – do a band assisted chin-up if you need help. For rows, standing cable, bent-over barbell, even bodyweight rows with additional weight (weight vest, chains)

Suggested 10×10 Legs Exercises – Squats or Deadlift - Front squat, back squat, safety bar squat, trap bar squat – For deadlift, if technique is an issue, partial deadlifts out of the rack may be an option – set the pins just below knee height

Suggested 10×10 Arms & Shoulders Exercises – Dips, Curls & Presses – no machines

Why the 10×10 Program works

It’s simple. You are exposing your biggest muscle groups to a huge volume of work.

You will grow. I have seen this program work time and time again.

And if you don’t that even the skinniest guy can get big and strong, check out Christian Bale…

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Health Habits

Do You Wanna Get Big and Strong?

Phase 1 Workout Log – PDF

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Health Habits

Posts Tagged ‘power’

The Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout

The Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout

How to Wake Up your Fast-Twitch Fibers

Okay, your fast-twitch fibers are awake…now what?

Related Posts

The Official "Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch" Workout

The Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

Phase 1 – Muscle Building

Phase 2 – Getting Ripped

Related Posts

The "I don't have time to workout" Workout

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It HIRTs So Good

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Related Posts

Are You Tough Enough for This Workout?

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Related Posts

13 Training Mistakes You Need to Avoid

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Related Posts

Mechano Growth Factor

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Related Posts

This Weekend's Workouts – June 13 & 14, 2009

Saturday’s Workout

Sunday’s Workout

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Today’s Workout – June 10, 2009

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Do You Wanna Get Big and Strong?…Phase 1

The Program – Phase 1

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