The Foundation

to Reaching
Your Peak
Performance
With
BIG
: Building Greatness

The Foundation to Reaching Your Peak Performance

Revision 2016.06.22.v1

About the Authors

Steve Cook
Steve Cook is one of the most recognizable faces in the Fitness Industry. He is best
noted for being an IFBB Pro Mens Physique Competitor, Optimum Nutrition and
Bodybuilding.com Spokes Model, international fitness personality, and the founder of
Swoldier Nation.
Playing football for Dixie State College gave Steve the foundation and experience to
achieve a successful career in competitive bodybuilding. Steve has always excelled in
this arena, winning the Muscle and Fitness Male Model Search, Bodybuilding.com
FitBody Contest, BodyBuilding.com BodySpace Spokesmodel Search, and then moving
on to become the 3rd person ever to obtain his Mens Physique Pro Card, 1st ever
Mens Physique Competitor to qualify for the Mr. Olympia, and much more.
Today, Steve works to entertain and educate large audiences on fitness and health.
Steve aims to redefine how exercise is perceived across the world, starting with this
program.

Michael Cazayoux
Michael is best known for his competitive CrossFit career, in which he competed at
the CrossFit Games 3 years in a row. In 2012 and 2013, his team won the World
Championship becoming the only team to do so back to back.
Cazayoux started his coaching career at Southern Utah University, where he was a
strength and conditioning coach for the football, gymnastics, soccer, and track and
field teams. Following his time at SUU, he assisted with multiple teams at Louisiana
State University, working with future MLB and NFL players.
Michael has worked with Olympians, CrossFit Games athletes, and everything in
between. He is also CSCS, USAW, FMS certified and is writing his Masters Thesis in
Sports Performance and Conditioning. His specialty is Sports Psychology and what
well call Program Adherence. He understands the little things that get in peoples
way and throw them off track. Hes set out to make this a program one that sticks.

Jacob Hutton
Jake was a freak football player throughout his youth. He was named a Freshman
All-American as he played for the Utah State Aggies. After being courted by every
single NFL team, he became plagued by foot injuries that eventually cost him the
opportunity to play in the NFL.
In his pro day, he weighed 250 lbs. was about 7% body fat, ran a 45 40 yard dash,
bench pressed 225lbs for 48 reps (3 short of the all time record), and jumped over
40. A freak.
He then started his coaching career at Southern Utah University, where he worked
with football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and track and field teams. Jake is also
CSCS, USAW, FMS certified and is writing his Masters Thesis in Sports Performance
and Conditioning. His specialty is in hypertrophy (muscle gain) and fat loss. He is well
versed in dozens of training methodologies and diets that greatly contributed to the
writing of the BIG program.

Whats the BIG idea?

BIG is a program that is designed and proven to help you reach your peak
performance. Joining the BIG team doesnt necessarily mean youll get big, unless
thats your goal. What it means is that you will be equipped with the resources needed
to make a big difference in your life. You will lose fat, gain lean muscle and become
the strongest youve ever been.
The BIG program is our recipe to making these body transformations. We do the
preparation and give you the ingredients. It isnt easy, but, if done correctly, we
guarantee it will be successful.
In this ebook, we share some of the key fundamentals that the BIG community
and program embody. We hope you use this guide as a starting point in your
fitness journey with BIG.

Inside youll discover:

6 Major Factors in Gaining Lean Muscle

6 Lifestyle Choices Your Gym Idols Make
4 Fairytales on Fat Loss
5 Tips for a Bigger Chest
2 Ways to Get Ripped, Not Ripped-Off

Bonus Material

1 HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training Workout

2 Days of Upper Body Programming

6 Major Factors in Gaining Lean Muscle

1. Consume A LOT of protein
95% of our clients arent eating enough protein before starting with us. If you are
serious about training, eating at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is a
minimum. A high concentration of amino acids in the blood stream is imperative to
keeping the body in an anabolic (muscle building) state. This will provide every chance
to repair and build muscle, reducing day-to-day recovery time and muscle soreness.


This also keeps the hormone cortisol in check. High cortisol levels can lead to
inflammation and excess body fat.

Tips:

Spend 3 days tracking your food to get an honest evaluation of how much protein you are
currently eating.
The 1 gram per pound of bodyweight should be consumed in whole foods. Shakes should
be a supplement to meals and be used post workout to speed up the recovery process.
If your protein intake is very low, start by adding 3 grams a day until you reach the desired
amount. Your digestive system and toilet will thank you.

2. Respect the micros

There are 2 things to keep in mind when eating big to get big: macros and micros.
Everybody knows that if you arent getting enough protein (macronutrient), you wont
grow. BUT, if you are deficient in ANY vitamin or mineral (micronutrients), you have no
chance!
Magnesium and vitamin D deficiency are nothing short of an epidemic in the United
States. Magnesium deficiency is prevalent in the western diet due to grains, rather
than leafy green vegetables, making up our predominant source of plant based food
intake. Magnesium is critical for nervous system and cardiovascular regulation, as well
as glucose tolerance. Vitamin D has been proven in research to be important for
power and force development, muscle strength, bone development and lean body
mass.

Tips:

Find a high-quality multivitamin to help you fill in the gaps.

Supplement magnesium daily with a minimum of 400 milligrams.
Supplement your vitamin D levels with a minimum of 4,000 IU per day.

3. Focus on compound movements

There is a reason that the biggest guys in the gym hang out in the squat rack.
Exercises that train more than one muscle are the biggest bang for your buck when it
comes to getting big. There is also excellent research showing the bodys
physiological response of increased testosterone and human growth hormone
response to multi-joint, compound movements. The reason we put this in the guide is
to remind you to prioritize these movements, follow a progression and always make
sure these make up the bulk of your training.

Tips:

Start adding in additional squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and chin-ups to build more
muscle mass.

4.
Train through a full range of motion

Dont get us wrong, there is a time and a place for partial rep training, but doing it as a
year round main movement, rather than as an accessory, is the fast track to
plateauing. The rule of thumb when training full range is to completely close the
joint. For example, if youre training a hamstring curl, get the calf to the hamstring
until there is no space between them. The same is true for biceps curls, you want your
forearm to get all the way to your biceps until there is no space between them. Half
reps get half results!

5. Follow techniques geared towards muscle growth

A strong muscle is a bigger muscle. This is especially true for a natural lifter. You must
be constantly overloading the muscle to get it to adapt and grow. Going into the gym
without a plan, only doing metcons and never getting stronger, is a waste of your hard
work. If you are using performance-enhancing drugs, you might be able to get away
with it. If you are a natural lifter, you must use training techniques scientifically
proven to get you stronger and build muscle at the same time.
Focus on the growth of type II muscle fibers. Fast twitch (type II) muscle fibers are
fibers that produce the most force and contract very quickly. Luckily, these are the


fibers with the most growth potential as well. The best ways to tap into these fibers
are:

1. Slow eccentric training

This
puts you under the bar for a longer period of time with greater percentages of your 1 rep

max. Time under tension at heavy loads is the name of the game if you are trying to grow. This
causes more damage to the muscle and allows more potential for growth. The muscle is built back
bigger and stronger.

2. Training at maximal loads (1-3 reps)

Training at maximal loads forces you to tap into fast twitch muscle fibers. You must tap into these
fibers to move the weight! Heavy weight train your central nervous system to engage fast twitch
fibers, allowing them to grow and increasing strength.

3. Dynamic effort and ballistic training (explosive movements/plyometric)

Dynamic effort and ballistic training are also ways to tap into these fibers. To be strong you must
have a well-developed central nervous system. You must be able to elicit the response of fast
twitch fibers on command. This type of training is another way to get strong without putting a
heavy barbell on your back. You must know when to incorporate these movements not only
during the week, but also during your training session to benefit from this type of training.

Tips:

Add a day for dynamic effort training at least once a week.

These movements must be prioritized to the beginning of the training session. To reap the
full benefits of this type of training you must be fresh and able to give 100% effort every
rep.

6. Exercise in the correct rep ranges

The amount of reps you are completing per sets of an exercise is a very important
component of building muscle. Sets of 1-5 reps are geared for strength. You can
definitely build muscle with these sets, but low reps like this are better for building
absolute strength. Sets of 15+ are great to build muscular endurance, but cause less
muscle damage and less growth. If you are serious about building muscle, you must
spend a significant amount of time training in rep ranges geared toward hypertrophy
(muscle growth). Sets of 6-15 reps are great for building muscle, with the sweet spot
landing in the 8-12 rep range.


Heres the kicker
train to failure
(or at least close to it). Weve all seen people in
the gym rack weight the weight on a set of 12 when they clearly have more in the
tank. Completing a set of 12 when you are good for 25 reps isnt going to get the job
done.
However, for compound, multi-joint leg movements,
you must be careful
and follow
a periodized plan. Training to complete failure on these movements on a weekly basis
can have a negative impact on your training and overtax the central nervous system.
With upper body and single joint movements, training to complete failure can be done
more consistently.

Tips:

Train to complete failure in the 8-12 rep range on upper body accessory work and single
joint movements. Failure means you cant complete one more rep. Actually FAIL!
Want big arms fast? Train 2 reps past failure in the 8-12 rep range. Ex: BB Biceps Curl - you
fail at 8 reps. Have your training partner assist with the concentric phase of the lift (curling
the bar up), then control the eccentric (lowering) phase for a 4-6 count for 2 more reps.

6 Lifestyle Choices Your Gym Idols Make

1. Set a sleep schedule
The quickest way to derail a phenomenal nutrition and training protocol is to have an
irregular sleep schedule. Sleep is the most underrated performance enhancer and general
health promoter. Anything less than 7 hours a night is not good enough. 8 hours a night is
great. 9 hours a night will leave you feeling invincible. To keep your metabolism firing and
your energy levels optimal (energy=motivation), g
et more sleep!

Tips:

Drink at least 12 ounces of water prior to falling asleep so you dont wake up in a fatigued
state from dehydration.
Take magnesium before bed as a sleep aid. Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous
system.
Get rid of the TV! Your bedroom should be a place you go to sleep. Taking away distractions
will allow you to get in a routine of falling asleep faster when you enter the bedroom.

2. Follow a diet with structured macros

Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fat. Every gram of each macronutrient
contains calories. Protein and carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, and fat contains 9
calories per gram.
We recommend everyone spend at least two months following a diet plan with daily macro
goals. Ex: Every day you must consume 220 grams of protein, 300 grams of carbohydrates,
and 80 grams of fat. Learning to track macros will teach you what foods contain certain
macronutrients, portion sizes that best fit your body and how your body responds to food.
Learning about food will set you up for long-term success.

Tips:

Find someone qualified to guide you through the process if you are new to macro counting.
Buy a food scale. Weighing and measuring your food for a few months will teach you
portion sizes.

3. Always have a plan

He who fails to plan is planning to fail. This is especially true when talking about achieving
the body of your dreams. Whether you are trying to gain 20lbs or lose 20lbs, you must have
a plan to succeed.
The old saying, eating five meals a day speeds up your metabolism, has never been proven
by science. The reason people succeed when they eat five meals a day is because they are
making healthy food choices! Imagine someone eating five meals a day saying, For meal
one Im going to eat two donuts, I think Ill have two slices of pizza and a soda for meal two,
etc.
Maximize your willpower by planning your meals and structuring your life for success. No
one has an unlimited amount of willpower. Knowing that and preparing for temptation is a
huge step in the right direction.

Tips:

Prep your meals for the middle of the day. Most people have time to make breakfast and
dinner, and this is where you can add more variety.
Only buy and keep healthy groceries in your house. If you arent around bad food, the
chances of eating poorly reduce dramatically. Also, junk food is by far the easiest to get
your hands on. Never keep it in your house.

4. Cut out sugary drinks

Drinking beverages loaded with sugar is a huge factor causing Americans to become obese.
Our friend Bruce Pitcher from
Extreme Weight Loss
was over 400lbs at one point in his life.
Years of soda consumption had a big impact on this. The calories he consumed from soda
every day was equal to about 17 donuts. 17 donuts on top of everything he was actually
eating!
Tons of different beverages out there are loaded with sugar and many people don't even
realize it. Be aware of this and check nutrition labels. A 32oz Dr. Pepper contains 108 carbs,
and it's not uncommon to see people drinking a couple of these a day. Cutting this out will
have a huge impact on your body composition.

Tips:

Always opt for a 0 calorie choice.

Save your calories for food, which will keep you full longer and give you more sustenance.

5. De-stress daily
Meditation has a positive impact on hormone regulation. People who meditate on a regular
basis experience higher testosterone and lower cortisol levels. If cortisol levels are too high
they can have a negative impact on recovery and muscle building. Think you are too busy?
Ten minutes or even less can have a huge impact on your daily stress levels.

Tips:
1.
2.

Download
and use the app

Headspace
for 10 days or
Listen to Sam Harris explain meditation
and practice it on your own for 10 days

6. Train with purpose

Setting a goal, making a plan to achieve that goal and staying accountable are key
components to changing your body. You must clearly define your WHY. Why am I doing
this? Why am I getting up early to hit the gym while everyone else is still in bed? It could be
to make it to the Olympics, or it could be as simple as having a good Christmas picture this
year. Define your WHY and let it motivate you every day.
Next, you must figure out how you are going to achieve this goal.
Make a plan and stick to
it.
If you dont know where to start, find a qualified professional to guide you through the
process. Becoming part of a motivating community is one reason Brute athletes have so
much success. Our athletes feed off of each other, compete against each other and push to
be the best versions of themselves.

Tips:

Find a good training partner. A good training partner is one of the most valuable tools to
stay accountable. Talking yourself out of going to the gym is 10 times harder when
someone else is relying on you. Also, the chances of having a bad training day reduces
dramatically when you have a training partner to raise your game.

4 Fairytales on Fat Loss

1. A calorie is a calorie
First and foremost, a calorie is not just a calorie. Everything you put into your body creates a
physiological response within the body.
This is called the thermic effect of food. Animal
protein and leafy greens take much more energy to digest than white bread and candy.
This is why counting macronutrients is so important. It is a way to make sure your calories
are coming from foods that will help you be lean and support muscle repair and growth. 6
00
calories from ribeye steak, cauliflower and yams looks significantly different than 600
calories from pizza, Oreos and Pepsi. You should look to consume nutrient dense, low
glycemic index food options.

Tips:

Follow the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy nutrient dense food 80% of the time and allow room to
enjoy less healthy options 20% of the time. This will keep you on track, while allowing you
to eat food you enjoy and have fun with friends.

2. You can work off a bad diet

The fact that there are still trainers pushing for you to buy more training sessions, but never
doing anything to help with your nutrition protocols shows that there is a disconnect with
the true way to get lean. There is no denying the anatomical and physiological benefits of
training, but your biggest advocate in weight loss is the kitchen.

3. Fat makes you fat

Fat is an essential macronutrient required for healthy bodily function. Fat gets a bad rap
because there are 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram of protein and
carbohydrates. When it comes to fat intake, remember that omega-3s are your best friend
when trying to get lean. Consuming a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids will ensure the fat
(lipid) layer of your cells is built using omega-3s. This cell layer can be made of any types of
fat, like omega-6 and trans fats. Having the lipid layer of your cells composed of omega-3s
will improve insulin sensitivity, a huge factor for fat loss.

Tips:

Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids. (Ex. Grass fed beef, wild game, wild caught fish, etc.)
Buy a high-quality fish oil (look for total omega-3 content when making your purchase).

4. You have to do long duration cardio to burn fat

Too often we see people spending hours at the gym doing cardio in the fat burning zone.
These workouts are great and have many benefits physiologically and aesthetically. But, if
we are talking about the most bang for your buck, high intensity interval training is the king
of fat loss. The physiological effects of intense interval training are much different than low
and slow cardio. This is because of EPOC - E
xcess post-exercise oxygen consumption. After
a session of intense interval training your bodys response is to increase the consumption of
oxygen to bring the body back to homeostasis. This increased oxygen consumption lasts for
hours and is accompanied by the need for more fuel. If you want to increase your
metabolism, do high intensity interval training.
Also, the hormonal response to high intensity interval training trumps low and slow cardio
every time.

Heres a HIIT workout to get you started:

First - Test your mile time. Do an all out mile and record your time. We will be using this to
measure your intensity on the HIIT workout.

Workout:
Incline Treadmill Sprints
10 rounds 20 sec on 1 min rest
15% incline
Set speed at PR mile pace

4 Tips for a Bigger Chest

Building the chest of your dreams requires more than just hitting a few sets on the
bench press and pec deck every time you go to the gym. Many people focus a lot of
time and energy building their chest, but avoid other exercises, causing an imbalanced
physique and structural imbalance in the shoulder.

Follow these tips to:

- Avoid injury
- Avoid strength plateaus
- Keep steady gains

1. Never neglect the bench press

When it comes to chest-building exercises, the bench press is the VIP. The barbell flat
bench is probably the most commonly used variation of the bench press, but you
arent going to build a huge chest by only doing a few sets of the barbell flat bench a
week. We recommend doing 6-12 sets twice a week for real chest gains.

Heres a list of our top 5 chest exercises:

1.
Bench Press
2.
SA DB Bench
3.
Incline DB Bench
4.
Dips for Chest
5.
Incline DB Chest Fly - High DB Path

2. Build a strong back

If you are trying to build a big, strong chest and dont give the same amount of
attention to your back, youre in trouble. If you dont strive for structural balance, the
shoulder immobility issues are sure to come. Also, if you are bench pressing correctly,
lat engagement is a huge factor in pressing more weight. More weight = bigger chest.
Watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou7yLU627Ro
for how to bench
properly/lat engagement:

Heres a list of our top 5 pulling exercises:

1.
Wide Grip Pull-Ups
2.
Pendlay Row
3.
Single-Arm DB Row
4. CG Pulldowns
5.
DB Pullovers

Here is an example of how to structure your workouts:

Monday

Sets x Reps

1a*

Close Grip Bench Press @55%-60%-65%-65%

4 count lower up / all the way up

1b

Face Pulls - AHAP**

4x8
4 x 12

Rest 2-3 min

2a

Chin-up: 4 count lower AHAP**

4x8

2b

Behind the Neck Press 60%,65%,70%,70%

4 x 12

2c

Seated side lateral raise

4 x 12

Rest 2 mins

3a

Neutral Grip Single-Arm DB Bench Press AHAP** close to

failure at 10 reps

3b

DB Row @AHAP** close to failure at 10 reps

3 x 10 each
3 x 10

Reset 90 seconds

Giant Set
3 x 8-12 FAIL in the 8-12 range. Rest 30 sec or less between exercises. Complete all
exercises then rest for 2 min.

4a

Machine Incline Bench

3 x 8-12

4b

Lat Pulldown

3 x 8-12

4c

Dips

3 x 8-12

4d

T-Bar Chest Supported Row

3 x 8-12

Workouts
(continued)
Thursday
1a*

Sets x Reps
20 Incline Bench Press leave 2 in the tank and go all out on 3rd

2 x 15

This means to pick a weight that you can complete 15-20 reps. On the
first 2 sets you will stop when you feel like you are 2 reps from failure.
On the third and final set, go to complete failure.

1b*

Chest Supported Row

3 x 15

1c*

Incline Rear Delt Raise

3 x 15

Rest 2 mins

2a

Strict Pull-Ups

2b

SA DB OH Press AHAP**

3 x 15
3 x 15 each

Rest 2 mins

Giant Set
-

Rest 30 sec or less between exercises. Complete all exercises then rest for 2 min.
3a

Arnold Press

3 x 15

3b

Lat Pulldown Behind Neck

3 x 15

3c

Machine Shoulder Press

3 x 15

3d

Prison Push-Ups

3 x 15

*(1a. - 1b.) -
This means you will need to superset the exercise. In a superset, you will complete both
exercises in the numbered pairing back to back. Once both exercises are completed, rest for the
prescribed amount of time before restarting the superset. Once all sets of (1a.-1b.) are complete, you will
advance to the next superset (2a.-2b.). (1a.-1b. - 1c.) will be completed the same way.
**AHAP
- As Heavy As Possible

3. Gain monster triceps

The more weight you can do, the bigger and faster your muscles will grow. Strong
triceps are a key component to strong pressing. Also, working your biceps and triceps
is a great way to clear up tendonitis in the elbow and forearm. You will surprise
yourself with how heavy you can go on these movements.

Heres a list of our top five exercises to build some triceps you can be proud
of:
1.
BB Skull Crushers
2.
Incline DB Skull Crushers
3.
Bench Dips
4.
Rope Pushdowns
5. DB French Press

4. Maintain mobility

With all the added pressing it takes to build a bigger chest, mobility is key to shoulder
health and keeping your game on point. Dont let tight shoulders slow you down. Take
10 minutes a day to stretch your chest and the rest of your upper body.
10 min chest opener on roller -
https://youtu.be/2EbUNmfFyY8

5. Strengthen your external rotators

Extra pressing is going to make the internal rotators of your shoulder girdle really
strong. Make sure you are going out of your way to give your external rotators some
love. We like to start every upper body lifting day with some extensive prehab work
for the external rotators and upper back. We also add it to the lifting during supersets
to increase the volume.

Heres a list of our top 5 exercises for the external rotators of the arm and
upper back:
1.
DB external rotator off the knee
2.
Cuban Press
3.
Lying Side Raise
4.
Incline Y Raise
5.
Face Pulls

2 Ways to Get Ripped, Not Ripped-Off

1. Acknowledge there are no shortcuts
There are two things that all experts know about getting results: You need to work
hard and you need to prioritize nutrition. If somebody is trying to convince you that it
takes anything other than that, they are playing you. The quickest way to spot this rip
off is when a trainer tries convincing a novice client that it only takes a few hours a
week to change their body. It is no secret that 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week
doesnt work. However, for those novices who have never trained before, this is
exactly what they want to hear and they will fall victim to the sales pitch.

2. Dont trust claims that have no credibility

Is your expert willing to share before and after pictures? Does your expert have
clients who have reached an elite level? Has your expert actually done anything they
say theyve done? You get what you pay for! The value is in the results.
If your goal is to reach the Olympia, you should hire a coach who has trained athletes
to reach the Olympia. If your goal is to set new PRs on your power lifts, you should
hire a coach who has coached athletes to get PRs on the power lifts. If you want abs
that pop, hire a coach that has gotten overweight clients six packs. You work hard for
your money, dont give it away to an imposter that hasnt actually gotten the results
you are paying to get.

Thank you for trusting BIG as a guide on your fitness journey. Signing up for this
program means joining a team of individuals tirelessly working towards their goals
and coaches dedicated to seeing them to the finish line.
Making the transformation youre looking for is a two-way street. While we will
provide you with the resources needed for success, its up to you to implement them.
We take our jobs very seriously, and we hope you do the same.
Click
here
to learn more about this program.