HSP Training Program - Ebook PDF [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

HSP TRAINING

stretch

12 weeks… TO UNLEASH YOUR INNER BEAST

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRO TO HSP TRAINING………….....….2 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS……...……..3 GAMEPLAN………………..………………..6 THE PROGRAM.…………….……..……….9 MACROS & NUTRITION GUIDE……...…10 MEAL PLAN……………...……………..….11 FAQs……………………..………...……….12 THE END…………………………..……….13

2

INTRO TO HSP TRAINING In order to understand HSP Training, you must first understand how muscles grow. The goal of skeletal muscle is to produce force, that is, to move an object towards or away from you. You have slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. The former are primarily used for endurance, or low intensity every day tasks. The latter are primarily used for explosive, high intensity (heavy) activities. It is mainly those high threshold, fast twitch fibers that are capable of growing the most, and they are therefore the ones that we wish to target in our workouts. You must first recruit those high threshold units and fibers, and then fatigue them in order to cause them to adapt and grow. You can recruit them in one of 3 ways: lifting heavy, lifting light or moderate weights to failure, or lifting light or moderate weights when the muscle is in a fatigued state. All of those methods will result in high motor unit recruitment, mainly due to the force-velocity relationship and the Henneman size principle. The former states that muscles produce the most force when they contract slowly. When you are lifting heavy weights, muscle contractions are slow, and therefore the actin-myosin bridges have plenty of time to cross and produce force. When you are lifting moderate or light weights to failure, the first few repetitions are too fast and too easy for enough force to be produced, but as the slow twitch muscles begin to tire, the fast twitch muscles eventually take over (Henneman size principle), and as you approach failure, your contraction speed becomes slower and slower, causing each recruited fiber to produce as much force as possible. This is why tremendous and equal gains can be achieved regardless of the amount of weight on the bar, and is one of the reasons why Dropsets and Rest-Pause training works so well on top of being extremely time efficient. But despite this, different training techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages. The benefits of heavy lifting include faster strength gains, faster motor unit recruitment, greater increases in bone density, greater release of anabolic hormones (if using compound movements) and other growth factors. The disadvantages include a greater risk of injury, connective tissue damage, longer workouts, CNS fatigue (if coupled with high volume), and a reduction in total weekly volume and training frequency. Moderate to lighter weights offer better pumps, better lactic acid buildup (which is a sign that fast twich muscles are being recruited and fatigued), better improvements in work capacity and cardiovascular endurance, shorter workouts, smaller risk of injury or connective tissue damage, and are able to be performed far more frequently leading to higher weekly volumes. And since volume is the number one driver of hypertrophy, the more volume you can perform and recover from, the faster you will adapt, grow, and be able to progressively overload over time. See, many people have it backwards. They believe that you must progressively overload in order to grow, when really is it because you have already grown and adapted from your previous workouts that your body is able to progressively overload. Thus, progressive overload is a RESULT of training and hypertrophy, not the cause of muscle growth. The goal is to therefore focus on increasing the amount of training sessions and volume you can perform in a week, because those will yield the fastest adaptations, and therefore the fastest injury-free increases in strength and hypertrophy. Another training technique that HSP is based upon is weighted stretch and heavy eccentrics. Those allow you to maximally recruit fast twitch fibers, and even lowers the threshold needed for them to activate. They also lead to the biggest increases in IGF-1 and the biggest drops in Myostatin, while simultaneously reducing the amount of volume you have to do to grow. A 5 set per muscle protocol utilizing weighted stretch and/or eccentrics is equivalent to a 10 set protocol that uses only concentric reps. So you are getting the same results, in far less time. HSP Training combines all of these principles (high volume, high frequency, high motor unit recruitment, time efficiency, bone density, strength gains, progressive overload, maximum anabolic response, maximum pump etc.) all in one program. The H stands for Heavy, the S for Stretch, and the P for Pump.

3

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS ANDROGEN RECEPTOR (AR) – if Testosterone is the key, the AR is the lock. Testosterone must bind to this receptor in order to do the majority of its functions inside the cell. The AR is the single most important molecule when it comes to building muscle, and it is the most predictive of how much muscle a person can build before they even begin training. The more nuclei a muscle has, the more androgen receptors it also contains, which is another reason why my brainchild theory “Nucleus Overload” works so well, since it increases the AR density within the muscle. Also, AR activity is highly increased after a workout, and increased even more if you train frequently during that same week, another reason why training a muscle multiple times a week is so beneficial. DOPAMINE – Neurotransmitter (messenger) responsible for motivation and the pursuit of pleasure. Converts into Adrenaline (the #1 fat burner in the human body). It is synthesized from the amino acid Tyrosine. Increase it by setting and achieving goals, eating enough protein, listening to music, training, and pretty much living a “hunter/conqueror” lifestyle. If your motivation is low, chances are your dopamine levels or receptors are too low. DROPSETS – A training technique in which a set is take close to failure, the weight immediately reduced, and the set continued (subsets) with almost no rest in between each subset. These produce the same (and in some cases more) growth as traditional “straight sets”, with up to 60% less time. For example a triple dropset is the equivalent of 3 traditional straight sets, but can be completed in a minute or less. ECCENTRICS – also called “negatives”. That is the lowering part of each contraction (ie: lowering the weight during barbell curls). You are 20% stronger in this phase, and they are the most anabolic type of contractions by far. They also cause the most muscle damage, so use them carefully. Some of their benefits include increasing muscle activation and fiber recruitment, and amplifying the local and systemic IGF1 release from training (as well as lowering Myostatin). They also lower the amount of volume you need to perform to build muscle by half (it takes twice the amount of concentric-only sets to obtain the same growth as one concentric/eccentric set). FORCE-VELOCITY RELATIONSHIP – the amount of force a muscle can produce and the speed of the muscle contraction are inversely related. So the slower a muscle contracts under load, the more actinmyosin bridges are formed, and the more force it produces. This is why heavy weights build muscle (you can’t move the weight fast even if you want to), and also why high reps to failure do the same (your bar speed slows down as you approach failure). FAILURE – training to a point where you can no longer move the weight with proper form. If training with light to moderate loads, it is imperative that you approach failure, or maximal muscle recruitment and fatigue will not be attained. The downside is that training to failure too often impedes recovery, so the key is to get as close to failure as possible without really touching it. Ideally with 1-3 RIR (reps in reserve) or a RPE (rate of perceived effort) of 8-9. FREQUENCY – the amount of times you train a muscle. As long as the muscle is not heavily damaged, it is best to train it as often as possible, from at least 3 times a week to at most 6-7 times. This will always result in faster muscle growth and optimal stimulation of anabolic growth factors, as long as recovery is also optimized to match this added stress. HENNEMAN SIZE PRINCIPLE – Muscle fibers are recruited from low threshold to high threshold, from slow twitch to fast twitch, depending on how heavy the load is or how fatigued the slow twitch muscles are. This is another reason why you cant recruit fast twitch muscles using higher reps with moderate to light weights. The slow twitch fibers eventually fatigue, forcing the fast twitch fibers to take over.

4 HYPERPLASIA – Hypertrophy is the increase in size of muscle fibers, whereas hyperplasia is the increase in NUMBER of muscle fibers. It can happen in one or two ways, either through fiber splitting as a result of injury or extensive muscle damage, or when satellite cells fuse and donate their nuclei to an already existing muscle fiber and grow adjacent to it (the goal of Nucleus Overload). A combination of both hypertrophy and hyperplasia is paramount to maximize your natural genetic muscular potential. IGF1 – stands for Insulin like growth factor 1. Strongest activator of satellite cells, protein synthesis (mTOR pathway), and repressor of Myostatin. It also increases Androgen Receptor activity, making your Testosterone more efficient. It is produced by the liver in response to HGH (Human Growth Hormone), and in muscles in response to hard muscle contractions. Increase it via training frequently and consuming enough protein. It’s strongest form, Mechano Growth Factor (produced in muscle) only lasts 12-24 hours at most, so it is another reason why you must train frequently. MGF – Refer to IGF1. It stands for Mechano Growth Factor. It is a more potent form of IGF1 produced only in muscle cells in response to hard contractions (especially eccentrics). Potent activator of satellite cells and protein synthesis. Very short duration, so must be produced frequently (by training more often). MOTOR UNIT – A neuron (brain cell) and the muscle fibers it “commands”. The heavier the weight (or the more fatigued the muscle), the more motor units are recruited and therefore the more muscle fibers are activated and placed under load. These high threshold motor units command the most muscle fibers and are therefore critical for putting on size. MTOR – The mammalian target of Rapamycin. Main enzyme responsible for RNA translation and the synthesis of proteins from the amino acids. It does so by activating your ribosomes (where protein synthesis takes place). Train too much without breaks and it becomes desensitized to training. MYOSTATIN – the #1 enemy of muscle growth. It stops satellite cell activity and breaks down protein. Its goal is to stop you from getting too muscular. It is lowered by IGF1, follistatin (binds to it and makes it inactive), Testosterone, lactic acid, and a few other compounds. It is increased by cortisol. Training lowers it but only for up to 12-24hours, which is why training frequently is so important. NUCLEUS OVERLOAD – Overworking a muscle several times a week leads to an increase in several of the factors explained above (Androgen receptors, IGF1, MGF, satellite cell activity, less Myostatin etc.). This results in an increase in satellite cell content, which primes the muscle for faster growth in the future. This is the reason why ballerinas have big calves, sprinters and cyclists have huge quads, Olympic lifters and powerlifters have big traps, swimmers have big lats, mechanics have big forearms, boxers have big shoulders, and gymnasts have huge arms (and deltoids). It is also why people who accidentally “overworked” a muscle in their teens, found that muscle to be extremely responsive to training when they began bodybuilding. The “muscle memory” effect coupled with additional effortless growth even when the former size was regained. Most attributed this to “genetics” until I explained the process on YouTube, and a ton of light bulbs went off. The stories I received were endless. Former soccer players who couldn’t understand why their legs grew so fast when they started bodybuilding, or people who used to do pushups everyday as teens who couldn’t understand why their chests grew so fast and with almost no effort once they started training. The stories were endless. It is a mechanism I observed my entire life but could never understand until I read several studies back in 2012. Prior to that, all I had was my experience and those case studies to back up my claims, and I was heavily ridiculed by the “know it all” imbeciles of the fitness community. But since then a lot more research has come out to support my “theory”, and it has spread like wildfire. To properly apply N.O, train a muscle several times a week (sometimes even several times a day), ideally with moderate or lighter weights and higher repetitions (to reduce the risk of injury and for recovery purposes). After 4 weeks, take at least a one week break from training that muscle to allow it to re-sensitize to training (if you don’t stop, eventually the increase in satellite cell activity, Androgen receptors, and mTOR activity will peak or reverse). When you finally return to training after that break, the muscle will be much more responsive to future stimulus, and grow much faster than before since it now has more nuclei to support growth, among other things. That is why I

5 named it “Nucleus Overload”, because you are drastically increasing the amount of Nuclei within that muscle, and “Nucleus Overload” just sounded much cooler than “Nuclei accumulation” or “Nucleus multiplication” etc. Repeat this as many times as needed, and watch your body change before your very eyes in a matter of months. Another perk of Nucleus overload that it lowers the amount of volume that muscle needs to maintain its size or even grow. So for example, if a muscle needs 20 sets a week to grow, after a few N.O cycles it can grow with only 10 sets a week, and maintain its size with much less. PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD – the ability to place more stress on the muscle. Either through more weight, more reps, more time under tension, shorter rest periods, more training frequency, or more sets. It is the result of training and hypertrophy, but many mistake it as the driver. You cannot force your muscles to do something they cannot. But as you grow and adapt from your previous workouts, your current routine will eventually become too easy. So you will automatically perform more reps (or use more weight) as you continually chase that “close to failure” point. Example, a new trainee benching 135 pounds to failure may fail at 10 reps. But if he trains long enough, eventually his failure point will AUTOMATICALLY become 12, then 15, then 20 reps etc. Eventually he will be doing so many reps with that same weight that he’ll have to increase the weight just to be time efficient. But notice how that progressive overload was the RESULT of his training and past adaptations, not the driver. PROTEIN SYNTHESIS – the arrangement of amino acids from the diet to form new proteins and muscle tissue. It takes place in mainly 2 stages: RNA transcription and RNA translation. The former is when a transcription factor (such as the Androgen Receptor) binds to the nucleus of the cell and copies the genetic code (instructions for how to make new proteins). The latter is when that genetic code (called mRNA) is read and translated into actual protein (muscle tissue). This is how muscle is built. Protein synthesis after training usually lasts no more than 24 hours in trained individuals, which is another reason why training must be performed frequently. REST-PAUSE – Similar to dropsets, with the only difference being that the weight is not reduced, and the rest period is extended to 10-20 seconds max. SUPERSETS – A training technique where you perform one exercise immediately after another, with no rest in between. Antagonist supersets involve doing an exercise followed by another exercise of the opposing muscle group (example a bicep exercise followed by a tricep exercise). Supersets are a great way to save time. SATELLITE CELLS – See them as “baby muscle cells”. They surround muscle cells, and when activated, they multiply, fuse, and donate their nuclei to already existing muscle, repairing, enlarging it and increasing the speed at which that muscle can grow in the future. Their biggest enemy is Myostatin, their biggest activators are IGF1 (MGF) and Testosterone. Activate them by training very frequently, followed by brief breaks. This was the main objective of my Nucleus Overload theory which is now widely proven. TESTOSTERONE – the most anabolic hormone in the human body. Activates mTOR, lowers Myostatin, increases strength (via conversion to DHT), increases motivation (through Dopamine), increases fat loss (by boosting adrenaline receptors on fat cells and transforming pre-fat stem cells into soon-to-be muscle cells), increases bone density, and many other things. Increase it naturally through sleep, caloric surplus, competition, heavy compound movements, increase in social status, sufficient vitamin & mineral intake, and lower body fat (fat contains Aromatase which converts Testosterone to Estrogen). VOLUME – the number one driver of hypertrophy. It is also a component of progressive overload. It is defined as reps x weight x sets x load. The goal is to maximize weekly volume within one’s ability to recover. 5 sets per muscle per day is the sweet spot, repeated as many times per week as possible. Also keep in mind that Nucleus Overload lowers the amount of volume you have to perform to maintain or grow a muscle, due to the higher number of nuclei and androgen receptors in the muscle. That is why not every muscle needs to be trained under exceptionally high volume. Save that for your weaker, less nuclei-filled body parts, and do less volume on your strongest, easy to grow parts.

6

GAMEPLAN FREQUENCY This is a 3 day FBW split, that you can repeat twice a week if a) Your recovery management is perfect b) you are overweight.. As long as recovery management is optimal, higher frequency will always result in better results. Day 1 is your Heavy day, Day 2 is Stretch day, Day 3 is Pump day. If you prefer a Push/Pull or Bro-split style, simply perform all the HSP movements for a muscle on the same day (example on Push day you can do HSP chest, HSP shoulders, HSP triceps etc. all on the same day). I don’t recommend this unless you’re a) very advanced or b) can recover very fast from workouts due to a low stress lifestyle. LOAD (RPE of 8-9 on all working sets) For HEAVY exercises, use your 8RM, leaving no more than 1-2 reps in reserve (make sure to control the negatives). If and only if your goal is to maximize strength, you can use your 3-5RM instead, and do traditional straight sets only (no dropsets or rest-pause). For STRETCH exercises, go as heavy as you can (6-8RM), and focus on the eccentric first (4 second tempo on the eccentric part), and when you get close to failure, stay in the stretched position for up to 20-30 seconds. For PUMP exercises, use your 20RM, and try to get a MAXIMUM pump (squeezing on the last 5 reps will maximize the pump as well). The goal for these is to get a MASSIVE pump AND burn, so don't worry about the weight, FOCUS on the goal.

SETS & PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD You will progressively increase volume each week. On week 1, you will perform ONE working set per "H, S and P" exercise, after 4 "pump" warmups (20-30 reps, very light weight, avoid fatigue). Each following week, you will increase the number of working sets by 1, while decreasing the amount of "pump warmup" sets by 1, all the way until week 4. You'll be using dropsets for your multiple working sets (once you get into week 2, 3 and 4), except for Barbell and bodyweight exercises where you'll be using "rest-pause" instead, since it is not time efficient to do dropsets on those without a spotter. So for example on week 4 (4 working sets), for let's say the Bench press (not easy to dropset), you'll be doing the first working set followed by 3 additional rest-pause sets. For an exercise that is easy to dropset (like pulldowns for example), you will just use dropsets. Each drop counts as one full set, despite the very short rest periods. So a dropset of 120 lbs, 100lbs, 90lbs, 80lbs counts as 4 sets instead of 1 set. Use 15-20% drops in weight for the dropsets. After EACH week 4, you will take a full one week break from the gym OR all heavy lifting (if you have a very high body fat percentage, go to the gym but ONLY do very light work, ZERO failure). Then you will repeat again starting with week 1, but obviously with heavier weights this time since your body SHOULD have adapted. You will continue this cycle for 12 weeks (not counting the recovery weeks), so 4 cycles. Also remember to track every single workout so you can see your performance improve over time.

7 REPS HEAVY: 6-8 (3-5 if your goal is maximum strength, and straight sets only). STRETCH: start with about 6-8 reps of heavy eccentrics, then end the set with 20-30 seconds of TUT in the stretched position. PUMP: 15-20 fast reps, squeezing on the last 5 reps to get a maximum pump. Use a RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort) of 8-9 on ALL sets, to ensure full motor unit recruitment. REST PERIODS No more than 3-5min between different exercises, no more than 20 seconds between "Rest-pause" sets, and no more than 10 seconds between dropsets.

WORKOUT DURATION Try to be out of the gym as quick as possible, to increase your work capacity and leave room for maximum recovery. so no more than 60-120min per session.

EXERCISES Whenever I list more than 1 exercise for the same "letter", it is up to you to pick one based on your gym's equipment, injuries/pains, or preference. But once you pick one, you must stick to it for the entire program's duration.

NUCLEUS OVERLOAD & NON-INCLUDED BODY PARTS Those have been excluded because they indirectly get a ton of work already (like front delts), or because they're so small that you can pretty much train them anywhere or at home. Feel free to exclude them or insert them at the end of your workout if you have time. I also recommend doing Nucleus Overload (at home) on ONE muscle (ideally the one you desire the most, or are lagging the most on), no more than 5 minutes per day, high reps only (15-20). A perfect example of this is DB side laterals. Those can (and should) be performed at home every day or every other day at the very least.

PRIMER MUSCLES & CARDIO I refer to quads and hamstrings as "Primer muscles". Those should be done at the start of every workout because they are the most taxing, recruit the most muscles, and illicit the highest anabolic and catecholamine response to get you fired up for your next exercises. They'll also make you stronger on the upper body movements due to this increase in CNS activation. Finally, they'll also help with cardiovascular endurance since blood flow will be distributed towards your entire body throughout the workout, so no need for cardio, especially if you're already active throughout the day. I know many people are not interested in developing quads or hamstrings, but they are at the foundation of all my programs due to the reasons I just mentioned. They indirectly help the other muscles as well as your entire body grow faster.

8 RECOVERY This is NOT an easy workout program, so make sure your nutrition is optimal. No room for error here. If you mess up a macro on one day, make up for it the next day so that the weekly average stays constant (example if your goal is 200g protein and you eat 180g by accident, eat 220g the next day to make up for it. Same for carbs and fats etc. If your goal is rapid muscle gain, and you're under 15% body fat, aim for about 0.5-1% of your body weight per week. If not, increase your carbs each week by 50g, and if you’re on a cut, do the reverse (if you have me for 1 on 1 coaching, ignore this part because I will take care of your macros myself). Peri-workout nutrition is paramount, so make sure your glycogen stores are always replenished after each workout. You can also include intraworkout nutrition on workouts that last longer than 45 minutes to an hour. Your nutrition and recovery management are what will make this program work, so if you're not sure what macros or meals to follow, purchase my Macro/Meal plan program or hire me for coaching. Don't forget your vitamins (especially C, B family, and D), minerals (especially Magnesium, Zinc, Potassium, Calcium), and Omega 3s. Take probiotics and protein enzymes if you have digestion issues (speak with a physician first). Make sure you get enough sunlight (especially if you have darker sin), or supplement with Vitamin D after speaking to your doctor. Hydration is king, so drink PLENTY of water. At least a gallon a day for males. Make sure you sleep at LEAST 8-10 hours a night if possible, in addition to daily naps, and aim to sleep even more on weeks 3 and 4 of each cycle. This is not optional; sleep is too crucial for growth. Manage stress any way you can. Avoid negative people and situations. Listen to calming music, watch comedy videos daily, spend time with loved ones and friends. Anything to keep your sympathetic nervous system and cortisol levels in check. Finally, make sure your bloodwork is in good standing, as well as your key hormones. Doing bloodwork before and after starting this program is highly recommended.

9

THE PROGRAM Note: Remember to choose only 5-7 body parts at most, for the entire duration of the program (focus on your lagging body parts). The other body parts can be ignored (if you don’t care about them and they won’t lead to imbalances), trained at home, or in the next cycle. Most people are not interested in competing in a show, so there’s no reason to obsess over every little muscle. Save your energy and recovery capacity for muscles you actually care about.

10

MACROS AND NUTRITION GUIDE MACRO GUIDE These calculations are for your STARTING macros. Follow them strictly for an entire week, and record your change in weight. If on a bulk aim for a gain of 1% (aggressive) or 0.5% (moderate) of your body weight per week. Do the reverse if on a cut. If you gain more than your goal at the end of the week (remember to factor in water weight due to carbs), cut your carbs by 50g. If you gain less than your goal, increase your carbs by 50g. Do the reverse if on a cut. Obviously a lot more goes into this, but that’s what 1 on 1 coaches are for. This is just enough to get you started on your own.

CALORIES: Bodyweight (Total, pounds) x 15 PROTEIN: Bodyweight x 1.25 FAT: calories x 20% CARBS: (Total calories - Protein calories – Fat calories) / 4 PS: Protein calories = grams of protein * 4, and Fat calories = grams of fat * 9. NUTRITION GUIDE 1 - Prep: prepare all your meals in advance. Never wait until the last minute to start preparing your meals, or life will eventually get in the way and you'll end up skipping meals or eating out. 2- Junk Food: Eat your favorite junk food at least once a day or once every other day. This will keep you sane and make you stick to your diet, instead of going long periods of time without junk food and binging in 1-2 days. So, manage your macros throughout the day so that you have room for some junk food POST WORKOUT, to reward you for a day well fought. 3- Supplements: You can take the recommended supplements with your morning meal or spread out throughout the day, but take your fish oil or omega 3 supplements with every meal, for maximum protein synthesis. Do not take preworkout or coffee if you train in the evening, else those will interfere with your sleep. 4- Wildcard and Cheat days: Give yourself at least 2 "Wildcard" days per week. Wildcard days are to keep your dopamine levels high and keep you from burning out. On those days, you get to choose your own meals as long as you meet your macros of course. Sundays are your cheat days (you can pick any day of the week you want, but only one cheat day per week). On cheat days, you get to lower your protein drastically and replace those calories by carbs or fats, but again, you must stay within your total calorie goal. To make up for the low protein and high carbs/fats on cheat days, you will have to eat 50% more protein on the day before your cheat day (while lowering carbs or fat on that day in order to keep total calories the same). This way, your average weekly macros won't be affected too much by the cheat day. 5- Average weekly macros: Finally, remember that it is the average macros that count, so if you mess up on one day, balance it the next day (example: goal is 70g of fat and you ate 90g. The next day just eat 50g to balance it out. Same with protein and carbs etc. PS: Another tactic that works great at increasing adherence is having ONE protein and ONE carb source for each day of the week. Example Monday can be chicken and pasta day, Tuesday fish and rice day, Wednesday beef and potatoes day etc. This makes meal prep and macro tracking extremely easy.

11

MEAL PLAN Email me with proof of purchase and your macros, and I will send you the serving size adjusted Meal Plan. If you don’t know your macros, send me your bodyweight and goal (bulk/cut/maintain) instead.

[email protected]

12

FAQS Isn’t this too much volume? Many people underestimate their own bodies’ ability to recover. At first, you may experience symptoms of “overtraining”, but your body will eventually adapt if you keep your nutrition, hydration, sleep, and stress management in check. Also, week 4 of each cycle has an extremely high weekly volume, but remember that you are only doing this once a month, followed by a full week of rest. Another benefit of week 4 is that it will help you discover the maximum volume you can recover from, a number which varies drastically from person to person.

Isn’t the volume on week 1 too low? Not really. You are still doing at least several warmup/pump sets per muscle and training several body parts in the same day. It is also never a good idea to jump into high volume workouts right away. You always want to start low and slowly increase sets to avoid running into a wall too early. Starting low on week 1 will prepare you for the more brutal weeks that are to come, without tapping too much into your body’s ability to recover.

Do I have to take a full break after each cycle is completed? It is highly recommended to take the full week off, but if you can’t help it and wish to train, do not go to failure, do not lift heavy (stay above 10-12 reps), and avoid taxing your CNS. The goal is to let not just mTOR, but your entire body, enzymes, hormones and CNS recover and rebalance. So avoid interfering with that process.

On the week off, do I keep the same macros? No, the purpose of high carb intake is to fuel your insanely high volume and high frequency workouts. If you are not training, there is no reason to eat that many carbs. So keep your protein high, but drastically lower your carb intake on the weeks or days that you do not train. You do need more than 100-150g of carbs on a week where you are not training at all.

After the 12-week cycle, should I repeat with the same exercises? No, rotate your lifts.

Is it ok if I replace some of the exercises with others I prefer? Yes, adherence is everything, so it is always best to perform exercises you enjoy in order to keep motivation high. Just avoid replacing too many movements as they were carefully selected for a reason.

13

The end Good luck on this program. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] .

DISCLAIMER I am not a licensed physician nor doctor. The information presented is based only on my years of experience and personal research. Do not substitute any of the information provided here for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare professional before starting any training program.