More programs, for me, by me

Now that I’m (for now) through with fat loss, I’m intent on gaining strength, which will eventually result in a much greater ability to induce hypertrophy–that is, gain muscle.

I find that a 2-upper/2-lower, 4 day split works best for combined strength and hypertrophy. Three (or more) full body sessions per week, a la Chad Waterbury, is great for hypertrophy and seems decent for strength, but you have more time to recover with the double split, which is vital for strength gains. I keep the volume high, especially on “assistance” exercises, for increased hypertrophy during these phases however.

Think of this as a power-lifting program with a focus on increasing muscle mass and much more vertical plane work. If you choose to do this, the main focus should be increasing weight weekly by not much more than 2.5%. You don’t even have to increase it on every set, though. That’s part of the beauty of wave-loading. Post any questions about it here if you’re interested in it, and realize that I DID tailor this workout to my needs…I really need to get better at pull-ups and increase my bench press right about now!

The best workout for you A) uses exercises you haven’t used in a while [this program will probably satisfy that requirement, as it uses some unusual exercises], B) hits your weak points hardest and C) challenges you and maintains your interest.

I’m a big fan of doing Day 1 on M, 2 on T, 3 on Th, and 4 on F because you get the weekend off.

Day 1
A. BB bench press; 3-sec pause, no arching, to 3RM Rest as needed
B1. Close-grip JM Press 5×5 Wave-loaded No rest
B2. Dumbbell Row 5×5 Wave-loaded 60 seconds rest
C. Dumbbell Cuban Press against wall 3×10 60 seconds rest

Day 2
A1. Sumo rack pull fr. upper shin; 2-second lockout 8×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
A2. Pull-ups 8×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
B. Dumbbell row to lat 3×8 60 seconds rest
C. Low platform Bulgarian split squat 2×5 90 seconds rest

Day 3
A. Strict Military Press up to 3RM Rest as needed
B. Leaning-away lateral raises 4×6 60 seconds rest
C. Overhead Rack Lockout (flared elbows) 2×8 90 seconds rest
D1. Left side plank max time 60 seconds rest
D2. Right side plank max time 60 seconds rest
D3. Front plank max time 60 seconds rest
E1. One-leg dead bug 2×10 No rest
E2. Low trap raise 2×10 No rest
E3. Neutral-grip face pulls 2×10 No rest

Day 4
A. Good Morning squats 10×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
B1. Standing Cable Crunches 3×8 30 seconds rest
B2. Saxon Side Bends 3×8 30 seconds rest
B3. Medicine ball explosions 3×4 30 seconds rest
C. One-leg RDL 2×5 90 seconds rest

By the way, I’ve got my supplements dialed in and perfected, $155 a month – just enough to get free shipping from Biotest:

2 containers Metabolic Drive
2 containers Surge
1 bottle ZMA
1 bottle Rez-V (“Highly pure resveratrol” – look into the benefits of it on, say, www.pubmed.gov)