Justin Harris

Troponin Nutrition
 Program Structure

This is a high frequency, dual-focused training program where myofibrillar and

sarcoplasmic hypertrophy are both targeted. The body is trained over 3
workouts, which each workout placing its focus on those two aspects of muscle
growth—increasing contractile strength through progressive overload and
increasing non-contractile growth through increased blood flow and nutrient
partitioning. The routine is meant to be performed exactly as listed. Movements
are to be in the order listed, and in the set order listed. There is enough allowed
variation in the “additional movements” and set number/methods to keep the
routine feeling fresh for the duration of the program.

This program can be utilized for an arbitrary length of time. The limiting factor to
progression and results will be one’s ability to continue improving in strength for
the movements being used. Once strength plateaus are reached and progress
begins to stall, it is recommended that a short “de-load” is taken where the user
backs off on the intensity and workload for as long as necessary before restarting
the program with the same core structure, but with different exercises.

Program Focus
The focus of this program is purely on increasing muscular size. There is a strong
sub-focus on increasing the strength of the worked muscle, but only in the
manner that an increase in contractile strength leads to an increase in muscle
size. Each workout places some focus on progressive overload as well as some
focus on sarcoplasmic growth—or “blood volume” training. The way in which this
program tracks progress and looks for growth is as follows:
1. Making a muscle stronger.
This means that the muscles performing the movement are getting
stronger—not that you have become more biomechanically efficient in the
movement. There is a difference between getting stronger in a movement
and making a muscle stronger. Getting stronger in a movement can occur
because of improved mechanical advantage, neurological adaptation,
better supporting equipment, variations in diet, rest time between sets,
and location of the movement in the workout (first exercises vs last
exercise). Getting stronger because of a stronger muscle means that no
outside changes have occurred that would improve your strength in a
movement. The same form is used, the same machine is used, the same
rest period is used, etc. This type of strength increase is MUCH slower and
less obvious than simply getting stronger in a movement. However, it is
MUCH more closely correlated to an increase in muscle size. A stronger
contractile tissue is largely the result of an increase in muscle proteins that
make up the contractile tissue of the muscle.

2. Making a muscle’s sub-components larger.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we are always focused on setting PRs in
every exercise. There is some aspect to training that is unrelated to
muscular strength but increases the size of a muscle. It is hard to argue
that there isn’t some benefit to non-strength increasing training that
focuses on increasing blood flow to the trained muscle, looks to increase
the “pump” of that muscle, and likely produces as much or more DOMS as
the training that focuses on making a muscle stronger.

3. The structure of the program is this:

All red colored sets are “PR sets” or “myofibrillar sets.” Your primary focus
in these sets is hitting a PR without any change to form, rest time, or any
other variable other than muscular strength. You MUST hit at least one PR
in the “core” movement (squats, bench, deadlifts) every single workout.
You SHOULD hit at least one PR for every single body part. You should TRY
 to hit a PR in every red colored set of every workout.

All black colored sets are “hypertrophy sets” or “sarcoplasmic sets.” The
goal in these sets isn’t necessarily to get stronger, but rather to bring blood
flow to the tissues and get as good of a “pump” as possible. Strength
increases in these sets will be happily accepted, but that is not the primary
goal of the sets.

Day-to-Day Focus of the Program

While the general approach to this protocol is progressive overload, there are
multiple adaptations in which a muscle group grows larger. If you were to slice
through the cross-sectional area of a muscle group in half, you would see that the
majority of the “muscle” is not contractile tissue, but instead a conglomerate of
fluid volume, blood vessels, capillary density, and other non-protein components.
While increasing the contractile strength of the associated proteins will indirectly
increase the size of these components as well, there is a more direct approach to
stimulating the growth of the non-contractile muscle components. This is where
the daily workout programming becomes important.

How can we maximize training frequency without the risk of over training and
injury? Clearly there is a point where a muscle can be trained—and trained
relatively intensely—without a physiological level of DOMs. This is the key to
increasing the frequency of training, maximizing the rate of strength increases,
and stimulating the maximum amount of muscle protein synthesis.

How is this approached?

1. The part of training that the “bro-split” gets correct is the need for
increased blood flow to the trained tissues and the delayed onset muscle
soreness associated with high intensity, higher volume training. Training
frequency can be maximized if muscle soreness is minimized—but that
 does not also optimize the synthesis of new muscle tissue—it only
maximizes the number of times in which a PR can be attempted. There is
some benefit to the increased volume that comes with training a body part
to the point of noticeable soreness.
2. The part of training that the “bro-split” gets incorrect is that most people, if
they’re training reasonably hard under a reasonably high workload, they’re
probably creating a stimulus for new protein synthesis that is higher than
their recovery and diet can cover. If this were not the case, then for any
given training program, an increase in training volume should create a
correlating increase in muscle growth—but this isn’t the case. This is also
the explanation for why so many top bodybuilders seem to be able to train
with limited intensity while still growing—because most people are training
harder than they can locally (locally as in the short term) cover completely
through diet and rest.

How do we correct for these issues?

1. Focus some effort of each training session on maximizing the sarcoplasmic

aspects of hypertrophy. This means that some body parts of each training
day will need to be trained to the point of soreness.
2. Focus some effort of each training session on maximizing strength/PR
progression without taxing recovery to the point of those muscle groups
seeing DOMs to any appreciable level.

Types of Muscle Growth

Myofibrillar Hypertrophy
The standard understanding of muscle growth is that the myosin and actin
contractile fibers increase in size and number through the synthesis of new
proteins. This results in an increase in muscular strength and an increase in
muscle size. The idea that this is the only form of muscle growth is a hot topic in
the science of muscle building. The problem with the idea of myofibrillar growth
being the only form of muscle growth is that it does nothing to explain the vast
differences in muscle size between professional bodybuilders and competitive
weightlifters. In addition, anyone who’s ever seen a piece of steak can quickly
spot the difference between a fresh cut of meat and one that has been dried into
beef jerky. If all that remains once a cut of meat is dried out is the actual
contractile proteins of the meat, then what is all that other stuff? Steak is made
of muscle—are we to believe that the only portion of that muscle which can be
influenced through weight training is that small portion that remains as beef
jerky?

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is still the primary focus of this training program.

Regardless of whether there are other forms of hypertrophy, the fact that a
stronger tissue will be a more resilient tissue and will likely amply the ability for
any other types of hypertrophy to occur remains true. Training a muscle under a
heavy load in the rep range and time under tension that appears to stimulate
protein synthesis most effectively will work—new proteins will be synthesized to
the myosin and actin and the result will be a larger, stronger muscle tissue. This is
where our PR focused training comes into play.

Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy
The idea of a non-myofibrillar form of hypertrophy is becoming more accepted in
the science community. If you look at it from a logical standpoint, it seems hard
to wave off the size discrepancy between athletes like Olympic weightlifters—
who are incredibly strong and explosive with that of professional bodybuilders—
who have a greatly reduced strength level but much larger muscle mass as just
normal variance. Something is clearly different—whether the difference in size is
called “muscle” is really just a semantic argument. The cross-sectional area of a
bodybuilder’s muscle is much larger than that of athletes who are much stronger.
You could argue that the non-contractile portion of that cross-sectional area isn’t
technically muscle mass, but if it increases the volume of the muscle and appears
to be influenced by training, then I don’t see why it matters what you call it. It
can be increased through training and it increases the size of the muscle—period.

Training for each Type of Growth

Myofibrillar Training
As I said above—the point of the myofibrillar portion of the training is to create
stronger muscles. This is done by progressive overload and breaking PRs in your
training sessions.
So, what constitutes a PR? At its core, it’s using either more weight for the same
number of reps or doing more reps with the same number of weight, but there is
more to it than that.

This thought process is where people FAIL in progressive overload.

We aren’t simply trying to get stronger in a movement (this isn’t powerlifting).

We’re trying to make a MUSCLE stronger. If you did 10 reps with 405 on squats
last week and 11 reps this week—BUT to get those 11 reps you widened your
stance for better leverage, then you didn’t make the muscle stronger. You simply
found a better mechanical advantage.

Set variations that do not count as a PR

• Changing your form.

 Widening your stance on squats
 Placing the bar lower on your back
 Adjusting the seat to a more mechanically advantageous position on
a machine
• Taking a longer rest period.
 If you get a PR because you rested an extra minute between sets, you
were just more rested—not stronger. Taking 10 minutes between
sets isn’t bodybuilding
 • Changing machines.
 A PR set on a machine is for that machine only
• Changing the order of the workout.
 If your previous PR on a back movement was with that movement as
the third exercise, then moving that to the first exercise so the
muscle is fresher is not a PR

Sarcoplasmic Training
The sarcoplasmic training portion of this program should be the most familiar to
readers. It is essentially the standard type of training shown in nearly every
bodybuilder’s training program since the sport began. Although any chance to
increase the weight used in a movement should be taken advantage of, the goal
of this portion of the program isn’t setting PRs. The goal in the sarcoplasmic
training sets is to lift in the manner that current studies show to stimulate the
greatest level of muscle protein synthesis following training.

Considerations for sarcoplasmic Growth

• Lift explosively. The concentric (positive) portion of the rep should be

completed in rapid form. While you may have been taught that “good
form” involves slow controlled reps, I urge you to consider the difference
between “good form” and “form that builds muscle” because studies on
the subject show that an explosive concentric motion is most effective
• Focus on getting a “pump” in the muscle. We’re looking to increase blood
flow to the tissue. We want the tissue to be overwhelmed with blood flow
to the point that its only recourse is to increase the size and density of its
blood vessels and capillary beds. These things take up space in the muscle
tissue and increasing their size and density will add size to the tissue—as
well as increasing the functional capacity of that tissue to bring and remove
nutrients and waste products.
• It’s not entirely clear what role delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
plays in muscle growth, but the fact that our sarcoplasmic training will
include a higher number of sets and reps than the myofibrillar focused
portions means that soreness will be higher in the muscles targeted with
the sarcoplasmic training. Because of this, the workload of the program is
structured such that which muscles will experience greater DOMS is taken
into consideration.
Training Split

Day 1: Push 1

 Chest, Side Delt -- Hypertrophy focus

 Front Delt, Triceps -- PR focus

Day 2: Legs 1

 Quads, Calves -- Hypertrophy focus

 Hams, Adductors, Glutes -- PR focus

Day 3: Off

Day 4: Pull 1

 Lats, Rear Delts, Biceps -- Hypertrophy focus

 Mid/Lower Back, Traps – PR focus

Day 5: Push 2

 Delt, Triceps – Hypertrophy focus

 Chest – PR focus

Day 6: Off

Day 7: Legs 2

 Hams, Adductors, Glutes, Calves – Hypertrophy focus

 Quads – PR focus

Day 8: Pull 2

 Mid/Lower Back, Traps – Hypertrophy focus

 Lats, Rear Delts, Biceps – PR focus

Day 9: Off

Day 10: Repeat

Push 1
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Incline Barbell Bench Press:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 Take as many warm-ups as needed

 Each set should be to positive failure

Flat Dumbbell Bench:

3 sets x 8-10 reps

 Try to move up in weight when you can, but these are not PR sets—form
should never suffer here

Seated Lateral Raises:

5 sets x 12-15 reps

 Pick a weight where 15 reps is positive failure for the first set.
 Resting minimally, make sure you get at least 12 reps each set.
 Adjust your rest times so that each set gets at least 12 reps with the same
weight

Close Grip Bench:

2 sets 8-10 reps

 Try to hit PRs, but make sure your triceps are doing the work—not your
chest
 There are many ways to get a PR here.
 More total reps over the 2 sets
 More weight than the previous week (once you get to 2 sets of 10
reps, you will be forced to increase the weight)
 Less rest between sets
Seated Military Press:
1 set 10-12 reps

 Perform warm ups as needed

 This is a PR set--you must either get an additional rep or use more weight
each time you cycle through

Overhead Rope Extensions:

3 set 15-20 reps

 These are done as a mechanical drop set. Start with hands separated.
When you hit failure that way, keep hands separated on the eccentric, but
put hands together (for leverage) on the positive portion. When you hit
failure there, keep hands together the entire time and bang out a few extra
partial reps. So, this is essentially a triple drop set

Pec Deck:
4 sets 20 reps

 Pure blood volume here—get blood in the area

 This is your hypertrophy day for chest, so push these HARD

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

 Learn to adjust these based on your soreness. This is NOT a hypertrophy

day for triceps. If your triceps are getting very sore, then you should not be
adding a movement here

Dips:
2 sets to failure

Clean and presses:

2 sets 12-15 reps (hang clean to press)
Replacement Movements – replace a core movement when you hit sticking
point on PRs

Cable Crossovers:
4 sets 20 reps (as replacement for pec deck)

Incline Dumbbell Presses:

1 set x 8-10 reps (as flat barbell replacement)

Incline Barbell presses:

1 set x 8-10 reps (as flat barbell replacement)
Legs 1
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Standing Calf (any variation):

4 sets x 15-20 reps

 Squeeze these—don’t bounce. These aren’t PR sets. Your goal is to

contract the calf, not bounce up more weight

Seated Calf:
3 sets x 15-20 reps

 At the start of the movement, lean your body forward to place more weight
over your feet. As the set gets harder, begin leaning back until you’re
actively pulling back on the handles to extend the set

Walking lunges:
3 sets 30 total steps (warm up)

Lying Leg curls:

1 set x 10-12 reps

 Add 1-2 forced reps, partial reps, and/or slow negative

 This is a PR set, not a hypertrophy set so make sure you’re putting
everything into this one set and getting stronger each week

Leg Press:
2-3 sets 10-20 reps (warm up)
3 sets of 10-12 reps

 These are hypertrophy sets so the focus in on FRYING the quads, not just
pushing more weight. It’s very easy to move up in weight here by
tightening your knee wraps, widening your stance, not going as deep, etc.
The goal is not to just use more weight—the goal is to make your quads
sore.
Seated Leg Curls:
2 sets x 10-15 reps

 Your PR is the total reps with the same weight over the two sets
(somewhere between 20-30 reps). A PR is more total reps than the
previous workout

Leg extension – Barbell Squat super set:

3 sets of:
20 reps on leg extension
10 reps on squats

 These should be brutal. The leg extensions are to positive failure. The
squat should follow IMMEDIATELY (within 10 seconds) of finishing the leg
extensions

Adductor Machine:
1 set x 20 reps

 This is a PR set so get stronger each week

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

 Learn to adjust these based on your soreness. We have explained how

more volume does not directly correlate to more growth. Your PR body
parts on each day are for getting stronger—this is just a supplement to
that. Do NOT just turn each body part into a hypertrophy-focused body
part by adding volume to every PR-focused body part or you will stall
progress.

Wide stance stiff leg deadlifts:

2-3 sets x 12-15 reps (a few reps short of failure)

Bulgarian split squats:

1 set x 20 reps per leg
Single Leg presses:
2 sets 15-20 reps

Hack Squats:
1 set 15-20 reps
Pull 1
Warm Up:

 Do a few sets of pull downs or cable pull overs to get blood in the lats and
muscles around the shoulder.

Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Pull ups:
5 sets to failure

 Start with as few reps as you need to. If you’re a larger bodybuilder who
hasn’t done pullups in a long time, you might be doing sets of 5 reps to
start. That’s fine.
 Whatever the total rep count is for a given workout, you must get more the
next week.
 E.g., if you get 25 total reps in the first workout, then 26 total reps in
the next is a PR. It won’t be very long until you’re doing sets of 10+
reps—but only if you don’t force the new reps. Counting half reps as
a PR is going to lead to a sticking point and stall progress.

Deadlifts, Rack Pulls, or Pendlay Rows:

Warm ups: as many as needed to get to your max weight
1 set x 5-8 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 Just like on squats, you have more than one movement to work with. If
you’re feeling strong on deads, always use those as the primary movement.
If your legs are too sore from the leg workout, use rack deads as your back
up movement. If you’re not feeling strong at all, use pendlay rows and find
a way to grind out another rep on the higher rep set.
 Pendlay rows are a deadlift/bent over row combination. You start each set
from the ground as a deadlift and it turns into a bent row as it passes your
 knees – there are videos online of the movement. Find a variation that
works for you.

Rope Pull Downs:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 These are done with the rope attachment—the one you would typically use
for triceps pushdowns. This is almost a hybrid pullover/pulldown
movement. Adjust your form until you feel your lats being the prime
mover. This is not a weight movement—the lats are a weak link in this
position so you will need to be very focused on making sure they are pulling
the rope handles down and not the other muscles of the back

Shrugs: (any variation)

3x15

 Work through these sets with minimal rest

One Arm Rows (Kroc Rows):

1 set x 15 reps

 These are done similarly to a standard one-arm row, but you will do them
without a knee on a bench. You’ll lean forward with your opposite hand on
a bench or dumbbell rack. You will pronate your hands slightly so that the
dumbbell is perpendicular to your torso (similarly to how your hand would
be angled to hold a barbell in a barbell row). This allows for better
leverages and heavier weight.

Reverse Pec Deck:

5 sets x 15 reps

Preacher Curls:
4 sets x 15-20 reps

 Form is everything here—these are not PR sets. These are to fry your
biceps
Drag Curls:
3 sets x 10-12 reps

 There are many videos online of drag curl form—you basically just do a
barbell curl while dragging the bar along your body

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

 Learn to adjust these based on your soreness.

Seated Rows:

3 sets x 10-15 reps

Hammer Strength pulldowns (any pulldown or row variation):

3 sets x 10-12

Cable curls (any variation):

6 sets 6 reps

 This is done one arm at a time—it’s essentially one very long set where you
rotate between arms for 6 sets of each arm. Only perform an additional
bicep movement on EITHER the pull1 or pull 2 workouts—not both.
Push 2
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Machine Press of your choice (typically a hammer press is best):

3 sets x 5-7 reps

 On the 3 sets of 5-7 reps, you have multiple ways of achieving a PR

 Increasing the total number of reps. You can increase the total
number of reps over the three sets. For example, if you did 3 sets of
5 reps with a weight this week for a total of 15 reps, then 1 set of 6
reps and 2 sets of 5 reps with the same weight the following week
would be a 16 rep PR
 Increasing the weight. Once you hit 7 reps in all three sets, you can
increase the weight used
 Increasing the weight on the first set. Increase the weight on the first
set and then complete the second two sets with the same weight and
reps as the previous week.

Incline Dumbbell Bench:

1 set x 6-8 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 These are PR sets, but form should not suffer. Keep yourself injury free, but
get stronger each week

Cable Lateral Raises:

3 sets x 12-15 reps

Dead-Stop Skull Crushers on the Floor

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 Each rep should pause briefly on the floor, like in a deadlift

One Arm Behind-the-Neck Smith Machine Press
3 sets 10-12 reps

 This is performed on a traditional smith machine, but only one arm is used.
The machine will still run smoothly along the bearings of each side—the
arm being used does not need to be placed in the center of the bar

Dumbbell Front Raise:

3 sets 12-15 reps

 Don’t swing these up. If you’re not doing dumbbell shoulder press with
200lb dumbbells, you won’t be able to contract your front delts to use
more than about 70lb dumbbells here. If you’re using more than that,
you’re swinging the weight and making it a trap movement

Machine Dips:
4 sets x 20 reps

Triceps Pushdowns:
3 sets x 10-15 reps

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

 Learn to adjust these based on your soreness. This is NOT a hypertrophy

day for Chest. If your Chest is getting sore from this workout then you’re
not going to benefit from the hypertrophy work in the Push 1 session.

Dips:
2 sets to failure

Clean and presses:

2 sets 12-15 reps (hang clean to press)
Legs 1
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Standing Calf (any variation):

3 sets x 15-20 reps

 Squeeze these—don’t bounce. These aren’t PR sets. Your goal is to

contract the calf, not bounce up more weight

Seated Calf:
2-3 sets x 15-20 reps

Walking lunges:
3 sets 30 total steps (warm up)

Lying Leg curls:

4 sets x 10-12 reps

 Use as many warms-ups as needed. These are done to positive failure—not

beyond that.

Squat (back squat or front squat – rotate between them as needed to always hit
a PR):
1 set x 5-7 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 The goal is to get stronger every week, but ONLY if your form is unchanged.
If you’re putting the bar lower on your back, widening your stance, or
resting 10 minutes in between sets to get a PR, you’re not getting
stronger—you’re just more rested or have better leverage.

Dumbbell Leg curls:

3 sets x 10-12 reps
  Place a dumbbell between the soles of your feet. There are many videos
online if you have trouble figuring the movement out.

Leg Press with feet high and wide:

4 sets x 15-20 reps

 Put your feet high and wide on the leg press and arch your lower back. You
should feel these in your glutes, adductors, and also hamstrings.

Hack Squat:
1 set x 12-15 reps

 Use as many warm-ups as needed, but if you’re not warm by this part of
the workout, something is terribly wrong.
 Focus on getting stronger without any change in the movement.

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

 Quads are your PR movement for the day. It’s very hard to get stronger on
quads without also making them sore—so be very sure you truly need the
additional workload before you add an additional movement.

Bulgarian split squats:

1 set x 20 reps per leg

Single Leg presses:

2 sets 15-20 reps
Pull 2
Warm up:

 Perform a few sets of cable pull overs or light pulldowns to get the muscles
of the back and shoulder properly warm and ready for the training session

Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Pull downs (overhand grip):

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 Focus on squeezing the lats. Pulldowns aren’t a strength movement.

Spread the scapula and then contract the lats. That is the goal here. If we
can get stronger in that form—great. But don’t sacrifice the contraction for
weight.

Rack Pulls:
1 set x 5-7 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 Use as many warm-ups as necessary.

 I don’t really care where you put the bar—it can be below the knee, at the
knee, or even at the top of the knee. This isn’t an ego lift and you don’t get
brownie points for putting the pins lower on your lower leg. This
movement is to make your midback freakishly strong—so pick the pin
location for that, not for internet points. I personally got the most benefit
from placing the bar at the top of my knee. Lower than that and I might
have well just done a regular deadlift because the weights used would have
been the same.

T-Bar Rows:
2-3 sets x 10-12 reps (not to failure)
1 set x 10-12 reps
  Keep some semblance of form but get f’n strong on these.

Way bent over rows:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 Stand on a box if needed. These are bent over rows with a wider grip (a lot
wider) where you stay bent over past parallel to the floor. You pull to the
chest on these.

Barbell Curls:
1 Rest Pause set 15-20 total reps

 1-2 warm up sets to get blood in the area and then right into the main set

Dumbbell Hammer Curls:

1 set 15-20 reps

 Straight set, not rest pause. Start with both arms at the same time. When
you get close to failure, begin alternating arms for more momentum and
leverage.

Rear Delt Dumbbell Swings:

2 sets x 12-15 reps

 Lay facing down on an incline bench and use dumbbells about twice as
heavy as you would for standard bent over laterals. Keeping your arms
straight, attempt to perform a rear lateral. You’ll only be able to move the
weight about 15 degrees---but that’s the movement. Try to swing them out
as far to the side as possible.

Additional Movements – choose 1-2 movements per workout to supplement the

volume of your PR body parts for the day.

Hammer Strength pulldowns (any variation):

3 sets x 10-12
Hammer Strength Rows (any variation):
3 sets x 8-10 reps

Machine Curls (any variation):

6 sets x 6 reps

 Perform an additional bicep movement on EITHER pull 1 or pull 2, not both.

This is meant to alternate between arms, so it would be essentially one
very long set where you do 6 reps back and forth between arms
Alternative Workouts
Use when progress stalls with the base workouts
Push – Alternative
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Incline Hammer Press:

1 set x 5-9 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 Take as many warm-ups as needed.

 Each set should be to positive failure.

Dumbbell Floor Presses:

3 sets x 8-10 reps

 Try to move up in weight when you can, but these are not PR sets—form
should never suffer here.

Cable Lateral Raises:

3 sets x 12-15 reps

 Pick a weight where 15 reps is positive failure for the first set.
 Resting minimally, make sure you get at least 12 reps each set.
 Adjust your rest times so that each set gets at least 12 reps with the same
weight.

Dumbbell Flys:
1 set x 20 reps

 This is in the style of a “widowmaker” from DC training.

Seated Military Press:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

Wide Grip Pushdowns:

1 set 15-20 reps

 Grab a lat pulldown bar and use it for pushdowns.

  Grab wider than shoulder width (slightly) and tuck your elbows into your
side for the movement. You should feel a strong contraction in the long
head of the triceps.

Close Grip Pushups:

4 sets x failure

 Pure blood volume here—get blood in the area.

 Rest as little as possible between sets.
Legs – Alternative
Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Standing Single Leg Calf Raise:

3 sets x 15-20 reps

 Grab a 25-35lb dumbbell and complete a set to failure while holding that
dumbbell. As soon as you reach failure, drop the dumbbell and continue to
failure again on the same leg.

Seated Calf:
2-3 sets x 15-20 reps

Single Leg Press:

3 sets x 12-15 reps

 Use as many warm up sets as necessary—these are essentially replacing the

walking lunges as warm ups from Legs 1.

Seated Leg curls:

1 set x 9-11 reps
1 set x 14-19 reps

 Do NOT sacrifice form for a PR. It’s not about just using more weight each
week—it’s about making your hamstrings smaller. They are a small muscle
group and this is a single-joint movement. Because of this, the ultimate
strength limit for the movement is rather low, so it will be slow progress for
PRs if done correctly.

Favorite Leg Press or Hack Squat Machine

1 set x 5-7 reps
1 set x 10-12 reps

 If you have a specific machine that you really like where you train, then use
that machine here.
Single Leg Curls:
3 sets x 10-12 reps

Jefferson Squats:
3 sets x 10-12 reps

 These are not PR sets. It is very difficult to use correct form on these with
no weight, let alone with a new PR weight each week. Get the form correct
and focus on contracting the correct muscles.

Adductor Machine:
1 set x 12-15 reps

 The adductor machine is one of those machines where you can very easily
pile a ton of weight on with a few minor modifications to form. Do not fall
down that path. The adductors are small muscles—if you’re adding huge
chunks of weight to the machine each week you can be sure that It’s not
because the relatively small muscles of the inner thigh got stronger and
instead that you’ve just found a better mechanical advantage.
Pull - Alternative
Warm up:

 Perform a few sets of cable pull overs or light pulldowns to get the muscles
of the back and shoulder properly warm and ready for the training session.

Core Movements – Perform each week

 Sets in red are PR sets

Favorite Lat Movement

4 sets x 10-12 reps

 If you have a favorite lat machine (pullover, hammer pulldown, etc) at your
gym, this is the time to implement it.

Snatch Grip Deadlifts:

3 set x 7-9 reps

 Most of the “snatch grip” movements I see online are not a true snatch
grip. Google “world record snatch” (careful that no kids are in the room…)
and see what a snatch grip really is—your hands will be nearly to the
collars.

Favorite Machine Row

2-3 sets x 10-12 reps (not to failure)
1 set x 10-12 reps

 If you have a favorite machine row at your gym—feel free to include it

here.

Two Arm Dumbbell Rows:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

 These are done just like a regular barbell row, but with two dumbbells
instead.
Barbell Spider Curls:
3 sets x 12-15 reps

Machine Curls
3 set 15-20 reps

 If you have a favorite bicep machine, feel free to use it here.

Reverse Cable Crossovers

3 sets x 15-20 reps

 Just grab the ball at the end of the cable—no need to use a handle
attachment. The cables should be in the high position and you just do a
reverse fly from there. There are many videos online if the exercise
description is confusing.