4 Weeks to Bigger, Leaner, Stronger

by Ryan Munsey 11/30/2012

It's probably not a stretch to assume you want to get bigger, stronger, and leaner. However, you've always been told to focus on just one goal at a time. The hunter who tries to snare three rabbits at once usually goes home empty-handed to a disappointed wife and a cold bowl of corn flakes, or so the saying goes. But what if you didn't have to choose? What if you could snag all three rascally rabbits at once? I have your answer, Elmer Fudd. The program outlined in this article has helped my athletes and clients accomplish the physique Holy Trinity. Furthermore, for extra assurance, I recently put this program to the ultimate test in that I had the opportunity to participate in a special SEALFit Kokoro challenge alongside some of the leaders in the fitness industry. I was given 4 weeks' notice to prepare for this challenge. I was warned to up my cardio and conditioning work and to drop heavy lifting altogether. Now I love my heavy lifting just as much as the next T Nation reader, so that wasn't an option! I still wanted to continue getting bigger and stronger, although I knew I had to get leaner and improve my conditioning.

Bigger, Stronger, & Leaner

Developing these three attributes requires training specificity. In other words, to get stronger, you must train appropriately, i.e., lift heavy. Likewise for hypertrophy and leanness. This template involves lifting four days a week and consists of four 1-week phases. Each training session combines everything required to get stronger, bigger, and leaner at the same time!

Stronger

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Building strength requires high-tension and high force production. As such, we'll start each training session with an activation or explosive movement. This helps prime your CNS and prepares your body to perform optimally. These movements range from box jumps and medicine ball throws to Olympic lifts and their variations. They'll always be performed explosively and for low reps. Next, we'll move on to high-tension lifts. Each day revolves around one of the four main moves: bench press, squat, overhead press, or deadlift. Any variation of a main lift will work, whether it be board presses, Zercher squats, front squats, pin presses, push presses, rack pulls, whatever. You're only limited by your creativity. Here's a partial list of options. Pick one from each category and stick with it for the entire 4-week phase. Bench Press Overhead PressSquat Deadlift Flat Barbell Barbell Back Squat Conventional Board Press Push Press Box Squat Sumo Floor Press Log Press Front Squat Reverse Band Incline Barbell Viking Press Zercher SquatRack Pull Reverse BandPin Press Pin Squats Snatch Grip As noted, the development of strength is dependent upon the ability to produce force. This comes from creating tension inside the body and expressing it outwardly. As Christian Thibaudeau says, strength is a skill. You must practice this skill to become better at it. But remember, we train to build strength, not test it. That means using weights that you can control and lift with good form while accelerating the bar. If you need a refresher, check out Thibs' Perfect Rep series.

Bigger
Once the strength work is completed, we move to the assistance work where the focus is on getting bigger. Hypertrophy is induced by tension, specifically, load, and time under tension. We've already covered the heavy loads with our primary movement, so now let's focus on time-under tension, or TUT. We know that 30-70 seconds of continuous tension leads to muscular growth. The classic bodybuilding set/rep scheme of 3 x 8-12 offers the perfect TUT to induce muscular hypertrophy. Sure, you can build muscle with lower rep ranges, but it's wise to acknowledge that if sets of 1-5 reps were optimal for hypertrophy, successful bodybuilders would use them almost exclusively. And they don't. Choose from the list of accessory movements below and perform them as supersets, tri-sets, or circuits. Our focus now and continuing through the "finisher" of each training session will be keeping your heart rate elevated. This helps burn fat while building work capacity. Upper Body Assistance Pulldown Pull-Up Rowing Floor Press Dumbbell Bench Press Dumbbell Incline Lower Body Assistance Glute Ham Reverse Hyper Romanian Deadlift Kettlebell Swing One-Leg Squat Lunge
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Dumbbell Shoulder Press Prowler/Plate Push Overhead Sandbag PressSled Work Triceps Pressdown

Leaner

Again, let's acknowledge some truths. Heavy loads build strength. Increased TUT helps induce hypertrophy. Short rest periods, increased heart rates, and high intensity activity performed for short durations help induce favorable hormonal profiles and strip body fat (provided your diet doesn't suck). Every session will end with a finisher. These will be short bouts of very high intensity training lasting 4-10 minutes. For simplicity sake, your finisher will remain constant for each 4-week phase, just like your main lift and assistance movement for each day. To help force continued adaptations, there will be progression built into these as well. Your goal is to go all out and save nothing.

Weekly Splits
4 days per week Upper/Lower

Option 1
Monday: Upper Tuesday: Lower Wednesday: Off Thursday: Upper Friday: Off Saturday: Lower Sunday: Off

Option 2
Monday: Off Tuesday: Upper Wednesday: Off Thursday: Lower Friday: Off Saturday: Upper Sunday: Lower

Sample Sessions

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Upper Day 1
Exercise A Plyo Push-Up Plyo push-ups can be done with hands on a bench if needed. Fat Bar Incline Press B1 The 1/6 Contrast and 5/4/3 Wave are described in detail by Christian Thibaudeau here. B2Cable Face Pull C1Swiss Bar Floor Press C2T-Bar Row D1Ring Dip*** D2Pull-Up D3Band Pull-Apart Week 1 4 x4 Week 2 4 x4 Week 3 4 x4 Week 4 4 x4 Work up to 3RM Done 8-10 3 x8 3 x8 10, 9, 8...1 10, 9, 8...1 10, 9, 8...1

Work up to Work up to Work up to 5RM 3RM 5RM 3-5 x 1 @ 3RM 1/6 Contrast* 3 x 5/4/3 Wave** 8-10 8-10 8-10 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 5 reps 10, 9, 8...1 5 reps (EMOTM) (EMOTM) 5 reps 10, 9, 8...1 5 reps (EMOTM) (EMOTM) 10 reps 10, 9, 8...1 10 reps (EMOTM) (EMOTM)

* 1 rep x 90%, 6 reps x 80%, 1 rep x 92%, 6 reps x 82%, 1 rep x 95%, 6+ reps x 85% ** for example: 225 x 5, 250 x 4, 275 x 3 250 x 5, 275 x 4, 300 x 3 275 x 5, 300 x 4, 325 x 3 *** For the finisher on Day 1 of Week 1, perform D1, D2, and D3 as a circuit, completing the prescribed reps of each movement every minute, on the minute (EMOTM), for a total of 10 minutes. Do 10 circuits in 10 minutes. The time you have remaining within each minute is your rest period. (If it takes you 45 seconds to perform the circuit, rest for the remaining 15 seconds before repeating the next round.) In Week 3, repeat the same finisher, using additional resistance. A weight vest or ruck sack works well, as does a dip belt. Ten to 25 pounds is a good progression. In Week 2, perform the same movements, but use a reverse ladder. Set 1 will be 10 reps of each move. Set 2 will be 9 reps of each move. Repeat this pattern until you reach 1 rep of each move. This is to be performed for time and in Week 4, you should aim to best your time in Week 2.

Lower Day 1

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Exercise A Hang Snatch

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 Work up to 3RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 3RM B Back Squat 3-5 x 1 @ 3RM 1/6 Contrast 3 x 5/4/3 Wave Done C1Glute Ham Raise 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 C2Romanian Deadlift 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 D1Kettlebell Clean* 6 reps/arm 10, 9, 8...1 6 reps/arm 10, 9, 8...1 D2Kettlebell Reverse Lunge6 reps/leg 10, 9, 8...1 6 reps/leg 10, 9, 8...1 D3Ab Rollout 10 reps 10, 9, 8...1 10 reps 10, 9, 8...1 * In Week 1, perform 3 rounds of this circuit. Complete in as little time as possible. Repeat in Week 3, adding a fourth round to the circuit. In Week 4, strive to beat your time from Week 2.

Upper Day 2
Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 A Medicene Ball Push Press4 x 3 4 x3 4 x3 4 x3 Work up to 3RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 3RM B1Push Press 3-5 x 1 @ 3RM 1/6 Contrast 3 x 5/4/3 Wave Done B2Band Pull-Apart 8-10 8-10 8-10 8-10 C1Pull-Up 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 C2Triceps Pressdown 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 5 reps D1Ring Row* 10, 9, 8...1 5 reps (EMOTM)10, 9, 8...1 (EMOTM) 5 reps D2Push-Up 10, 9, 8...1 5 reps (EMOTM)10, 9, 8...1 (EMOTM) 5 reps D3Sandbag Press 10, 9, 8...1 5 reps (EMOTM)10, 9, 8...1 (EMOTM) * The finisher for Upper Day 2 uses the same set/rep schemes as Day 1, but on opposite weeks. In Week 3, try to beat your time from Week 1. In Week 4, add weight in the form of a vest, ruck, or dip belt.

Lower Day 2
Exercise A Hang Clean Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 5-6 x 2-3 Work up to 3RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 5RM Work up to 3RM B Deadlift 3-5 x 1 @ 3RM 1/6 Contrast 3 x 5/4/3 Wave Done C1Reverse Hyper 3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 C2Bulgarian Split Squat3 x 8-10 4 x 8-10 5 x 8-10 3 x8 D Tabata Set* Kettlebell SwingsKettlebell CleansKettlebell SwingsKettlebell Cleans Stone Loading Sprint Stone Loading Sprint * For these Tabata sets, alternate the movements each round. For example, in Week 1 do the following: Round 1 = 20 sec Kettlebell Swings / 10 sec rest Round 2 = 20 sec Stone Loading / 10 sec rest Round 3 = 20 sec Kettlebell Swings / 10 sec rest Round 4 = 20 sec Stone Loading / 10 sec rest...repeat for 8 rounds.

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Note on de-loading: I used the week leading up to SealFit as a de-load/peak week.

Your Turn
This program wasn't the most enjoyable 4 weeks of my life, but I'm happy to report my performance at SEALfit justified the suffering. I kicked ass. And now it's time for you to do the same. Specialization routines are great, and focusing on just one goal at a time is some of the best advice a trainee can follow. But for just 4 weeks, let's see what you can accomplish chasing all the big goals at once. You may just return home from your quest with three juicy rabbits and one happy wife.

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