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Ultimate Guide for Lean Gains, Part 2: Your Lifting Program

So you nailed your diet. Atta boy. You can thank Eric for that - hes given you all the tools to pack onlean mass with carb cycling. But now the problem is you need more than a sound eating plan to build aHerculean physique. You could nail your diet 100%, but if you your evenings involve nothing butCatching up with The Kardashians or posting selfies on Instagram, those extra calories and muscle-building protein will do nothing but make you one chunky S.O.B. You need the right training plan to blastyour muscles into a muscle building frenzy.

Where to Start?

Flip through the pages of Muscle and Fiction, Beefy Biceps Weekly, or whatever other bodybuildingpublication you fancy, and youll come across some hardcore workouts. Things like supersets, dropsets, forced reps, high volume, heavy weights, and specialization programs so complicated they makeEinsteins theory of relatively look like a kindergarten math test. Then you look at the guys promotingthese workouts, and theyre massive - sheer behemoths, men of muscle and might. This is surely atestament to the effectiveness of these routines, so youd be forgiven for thinking thats what youllget here.

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Not so fast, young grasshopper. Yes, the bodybuilders in the magazines do train like this. And yes, theydo make the Incredible Hulk look like a pre-pubescent schoolgirl, but this isnt how youre going to train.Professional bodybuilders have - how shall we say this - some assistance. Plus, they dedicate everyminute of every day to training, eating, and sleeping. Something you dont have the luxury of doing.Along with years of experience lifting heavy weights and stellar genetics, this makes them poles apartfrom you and I.Does this mean the busy, dedicated muscle-seeking brethren cant get jacked? Hell no, were just to goabout it in a different, more effective way.

No B.S. Plan for Maximal Hypertrophy

Youre a natural lifter. Rather than pound each muscle into oblivion once per week with every intensity-boosting technique, rep range, machine, and tempo known to man, youre going to adopt a highfrequency approach. Hit every muscle group twice per week. Yes, even biceps. High frequency trainingprovides additional training stimulus and increasing the rate of muscle protein synthesis.

Muscle Protein Synthesis and Training Frequency

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To build muscle, you need to have a positive net protein balance. Net protein balance (NPB) equalsmuscle protein synthesis (MPS) minus muscle protein breakdown (MPB).

NPB = MPS - MPBIn other words, the higher MPS in relation to MPB, the better your gains. Increased training frequency isoptimal because training a muscle increases muscle protein synthesis in that muscle, peaking around24 hours post-session and returning to baseline roughly 36 hours after your workout.So, that means just crushing more volume each workout, right? Hold on just a second. Research hasshown that increasing your volume per workout, using extra intensity techniques, or generally trainingpast the point of muscle failure, doesnt have any extra impact on MPS. Going past failure and onlyworking muscles once a week in your typical bodybuilder split neglects a massive opportunity to sparkmore growth through optimal MPS.

The Solution: Train More Frequently

If youre a beginner, then full-body workouts are the best way to train. But an intelligent, iron junkie likeyourself is no longer a beginner, so you cant train all the major movements at a high intensity in onesession because, ironically, youre too strong to maintain that long term. Plus, youre so smoked fromworkouts filled with squats, deadlifts, chin ups, and bench presses that you neglect those mirrormuscles. Yep, guys who spend all their time curling get a lot of grief, and in a battle of biceps curlsversus squats its no-contest of whats more effective for building maximum muscle, but neglectingthose smaller muscles wont give you the jaw dropping physique youre seeking.

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Enter the Upper-Lower Split

By using an upper-lower split, you get the massive benefits of increased MPS, along with adequaterecovery between workout, and can give every muscle group the attention it deserves.

Day 1: Monday1A. Bench Press or Incline Bench Press - 4-6 sets of 3-5 repsAlternate between variations week to week and work up to one heavy set of three to five reps.So, week one would be bench presses and week two would be incline presses. Each time youtrain the exercise, aim to hit a new weight or reps personal record.2A. Chin-ups (Neutral grip) - 4 sets of 6-8 reps3A. Cable Rows - 4 sets of 6-8 reps4A. Seated Dumbbell Press - 2 sets of 6-8 reps5A. EZ Bar Curls - 3 sets of 8-105B. Dips - 3 sets of 8-10Day 2: Tuesday1A. Back Squats or Deadlifts (sumo or conventional) - 4-6 sets of 3-5 reps2A. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts or Paused Squats (SLDLs if squats or front squats were your mainexercise, paused squats if you deadlifted first) - 4 sets of 6-8 reps3A. Barbell Lunges - 3 sets of 6-8 reps each leg

3B. Glute Ham Raise - 3 sets of 8-10 reps4A. Standing Calf Raises - 5 sets of 8-10 reps5A. Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 repsDay 3: Thursday1A. Flat Dumbbell Press or Incline Dumbbell Press - Alternate as per days one and two, but for 4sets of 8-12 reps2A. Dumbbell, Barbell or Chest-Supported Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps3A. Wide Grip Pulldowns - 3 sets of 8-12 reps4A. Dumbbell or Machine Flyes - 2 sets of 15-20 reps5A. Cable or Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 2 sets of 15-20 reps6A. Close Grip Bench Presses - 3 sets of 8-10 reps7A. Straight Bar Curls - 3 sets of 8-10 reps8A. Pushdowns - 2 sets of 15-20 reps8B. Seated Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 15-20 repsDay 4: Saturday1A. Leg Press or Hack Squat - Alternate as per days one, two, and three, but for 4 sets of 8-12reps2A. Lying, Seated or Standing Leg Curls - 3 sets of 8-12 reps3A. Cable Pullthroughs - 3 sets of 10-15 reps3B. Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 20 reps4A. Walking DB Lunges - 1 set of 20-30 reps each leg, performed immediately after your final setof extensions5A. Seated Calf Raises - 2 sets of 20-30 reps6A. Calf Raises on Leg Press 4 sets of 12-15 reps

Notes: Days One and Two

Days one and two are your power or strength based days. The goal is to train fast-twitch musclefibers to build maximum strength and increased muscle density.Take ninety to 180 seconds between all sets. Except for your top set of backsquats/deadlifts/front squats, where you may need four or five minutes to psyche yourself upfor a personal record.Aiming for a new personal record on your main exercises on these days is a must. You may notalways get it, but thats your main aim for these sessions. For the accessory work, using moreweight or increasing your reps within the desired ranges is desirable, but not essential.There are no set tempos for this workout. Each rep should be quick and powerful.The letters A and B represent a superset. When you see a pair of exercises labelled like this,perform your set for exercise A and then go straight into exercise B with minimal break.Take some time off. Rest for a day or two between sessions two and three to promote recovery.

Notes: Days Three and Four

Days three and four are hypertrophy-based days. The volume is higher, the weights are lighter(though still challenging) and your time under tension (TUT) is increased.This type of training targets moderate-twitch fibers. This increases muscle cell volume and

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storage of glycogen.Treat your first exercise each session in much the same way as in the strength workouts. Aimfor extra weight/reps on this set.Shorten your rest periods to thirty to ninety seconds between all sets. This creates metabolicstress and muscular damage, two proven components of muscular hypertrophy.Perform every rep using a controlled tempo. Take two seconds to lower each rep, pause brieflyat the bottom, take one second to lift, then go straight into your next rep. Done right, thisshould feel like the target muscles are under constant tension.

References:

1. JD MacDougall et al., "The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise," Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology 1995 Dec;20(3):480-6.

2. MJ Gibala et al., "Myofibrillar disruption following acute concentric and eccentric resistance exercise in strength-trained men," Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology

2000 Aug;78(8):656-61.

3. Brad Schoenfeld, "The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training," Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Oct 2010; 24,10;2857.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Topic: HypertrophySee more about:strength training, hypertrophy, workouts, muscle activation

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MIKE SAMUELS

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Mike is a personal trainer and diet coach, based in Southampton, England.He qualified as a level 3 trainer with Premier Global in 2008, and achievedDr. John Berardi's Precision Nutrition coaching award in 2011. He runs hisown business, training clients for fat loss and sports performance. Mike's love of writing started as soon as he'd broken out of the sterility ofthecommercialgym environment and began working with people seriouslyfocused on their... Read More

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