Throughout my 10+ years of lifting, I’ve been fortunate enough to only injure myself a handful of times.

I remember every single injury:

• Tweaked my lower back deadlifting off the floor twice.
• Tweaked my lower back doing Romanian deadlifts twice.
• Tweaked my left shoulder flat dumbbell bench pressing once.
• Got stuck under the bar bench pressing 135 lbs once (don’t ask).
• Tweaked my lower back doing the leg press once (my butt lifted off the seat).

Luckily all these injuries healed on their own within a few days and I never had to get surgery or go rehab.

Majority of these injuries were to due lifting more than I could handle and poor form.

I am still a HUGE promoter of lifting heavy and think that if you can lift moderately heavy, you should.

Just not too heavy like Ronnie Coleman:

Now when I say you should lift “moderately heavy,” I consider that to be anything that’s 4 reps and up.

Anything lower than 4 reps, and injury risk just shoots up like crazy.

But let’s say you just can’t lift heavy at all.

Let’s say you can’t lift anything lower than 10 reps (whether that’s due to injury or lack of equipment).

Are you doomed?

Not quite….

5 ways to spice up your basic “3 sets of 10 reps”

Most people who don’t lift heavy do something along the lines of “3 sets of 10 reps.”

This isn’t the worst thing in the world but there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential here.

10 reps is relatively easy to recover from since the weight isn’t too heavy, so we have to find a way to make it harder.

Here are the simplest ways to make that happen:

1. Decrease rest periods
2. Superset
3. Dropset
4. Rest-pause training
5. Increase time under tension

Decrease rest periods

Arguably the simplest thing you could do in your next workout.

I see people resting for too damn long in their workouts.

If you’re lifting in the 10+ rep range, you really don’t need to rest that long. In most cases, you need no more than 1 minute of rest.

But no…

I see people do a set of 10-12 reps then take a 2 minute micro porn break on Instagram.

Do me a favor and time your rest periods.

Just rest 1 minute. In some cases, you might need even less.

If you’re doing something like reverse barbell curls or calf raises., you might only need 30 seconds rest because the muscles being worked are so small.

Superset

Chances are you’ve heard of supersets.

It basically involves doing 2 exercises back to back without any rest in between. You only rest once you complete the second exercise.

For example, you could do:

• Dumbbell shoulder presses superset with dumbbell lunges.
• Barbell back rows superset with Romanian deadlifts.
• Incline dumbbell bench press superset with incline dumbbell flyes.

Supersets can be done with the same muscle group or opposing ones (depends on how the rest of the workout is structured).

Dropset

The classic “run the rack” model where you do one set then decrease the weight and immediately do another set. Repeat for however many sets.

For example, take cable rows.

Let’s say you are doing 5 drop sets with the cable row.

• Set 1: Use 150 lbs and you would aim to do 15 reps.
• Set 2: Use 130 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 3: Use 110 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 4: Use 90 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 5: Use 80-70 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.

There is zero rest in between these 5 sets.

Rest-pause training

A more underutilized training method but still effective.

Basically you do the following:

• Pick a weight you can lift for 15 reps (doesn’t have to be 15, but we’ll use it for this example.)
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Lift as many reps as you can with the same weight.
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Lift as many reps as you can with the same weight.
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Repeat a few more times.

Do this for 4-6 rounds and your muscles will be on fire.

Go slower

I think most people would benefit from going slower on their reps, but this is ESPECIALLY true for those lifting lighter weights for higher reps.

So you basically find opportunities to increase the amount of tension placed on the muscle.

For example, if you’re doing curls, that could mean:

• Holding at the top of the curl for 2-3 seconds
• Holding at the mid way point of the curl for 2-3 seconds
• Deliberately going 50% slower on the negative portion of the curl.

If you’re benching, that could mean:

• Holding the rep when the bar is down to your chest.
• Holding the rep when the bar is mid way to your chest.

This can be applied to virtually any exercise and I guarantee you’ll see 10x better muscle growth and definition.

If you want to maximize strength, this probably ain’t for you

Using the methods above work well if your goal is to build muscle and lose fat, but not great for building raw strength and power.

Of course, if you don’t have much lifting experience, you’ll still gain a ton of strength regardless.

But if your goal is to maximize strength, then yeah, you gotta lift heavy at least once in a while.

But if you just want to look good naked…

Then not everything needs to be a hardcore 5 sets of 5 reps workout.

Not everything needs to be focused on increasing your 1 rep max.

There are plenty of ways (as I wrote above) to look good without following conventional heavy lifting programs.

In the end, 90% of people simply want to look good and you can do that without lifting crazy heavy.

Want a 100% customized workout program?

Next Tuesday (Sept 25, 2018) I’m launching a service called Project Sculpt.

In it, I’ll be creating 100% customized 12-week workout programs for both men and women.

When it comes to training, context is key and telling everyone to follow the same 5×5 workout just doesn’t work.

Some people can safely lift heavy, and some can’t.

Some need something more customized to their goals, experience, and body type.

That’s what you’ll get with Project Sculpt, 100% customized training programs tailored to YOU.

Stay tuned.

What is your experience with not lifting heavy? Lemme know in the comments below.

The post Can’t Lift Heavy? 5 Simple Tricks To Get Results Without Snapping Yo’ Sh!t Up appeared first on FitMole.

After almost 10 years of training, the upper lower workout split is still one of my favorite programs in the world.

It just works and can be a great transition for guys who have been doing full body or body-part splits for while.

In this post I’ll be going over pretty much everything you need to know about upper lower workouts and all its different variations.

WTF is an upper/lower body split?

On an upper/lower split, you switch between 2 workouts – an upper body and lower body workout.

Mind blowing, I know.

The great thing about upper/lower splits is that they allow for a shit ton of flexibility.

The most popular one is the 4-day upper/lower split.

Here are two examples:

4-day upper/lower example 1

• Monday: Upper body
• Tuesday: Lower body
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Upper body
• Friday: Lower body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

4-day upper/lower example 2

• Monday: Upper body
• Tuesday: Lower body
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Upper body
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Lower body
• Sunday: Off

4-day upper/lower example 3

• Monday: Upper body
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Lower body
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Upper body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Lower body
  *Next upper body session will be on Tuesday.

You can schedule this to fit whatever schedule you have, but it’s best to wait 72 hours before you repeat an upper or lower session for the second time during the week.

Alternatively, we have the three-day upper/lower split, which involves rotating through 3 workouts per week.

You just continue the next week where you left off.

Here’s how it looks like…

3 day upper/lower week #1

• Monday: Upper body
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Lower body
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Upper body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

3 day upper/lower week #2

• Monday: Lower body
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Upper body
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Lower body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

As you can see, you’re just alternating between upper and lower days. So one week you’ll have 2 upper sessions but that will be balanced out with 2 lower sessions the following weeks.

Upper/lower muscle groups

During your upper body workouts, you would train the following muscle groups:

• Chest
• Back
• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps

And the following muscle groups during your lower body workouts:

• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Lower back
• Calves
• Abs

Some people, however, like to train abs or calves on their upper body workouts.

Doesn’t matter too much.

Like I said, there’s a bunch of flexibility with upper-lower splits.

Is an upper/lower split right for you? The hell if I know.

First off, there is no perfect workout routine.

The right one for you depends on your age, recovery abilities, stress level, lifestyle, nutrition, and much more….

So I’m not going to say an upper/lower split is right for the 7 billion people on the planet.

That said, the upper/lower body split is best suited for intermediate lifters (at least 6 months lifting experience).

This setup allows you to hit each muscle group twice per week, which is optimal for building muscle.

In this large meta-analysis of 140 resistance training studies, these science guys concluded, “Untrained participants experience maximal gains by training each muscle group 3 times per week and trained individuals two days per week.

Personally I’ve experience the best results when I started training with more frequency.

Hitting a muscle group once per week can work, but if you feel like you’ve been plateauing, I highly recommend increasing your training frequency.

Three day or four day upper/lower split – which is better?

It comes down to this:

• If you can stick with a 4-day split, recover well from a 4-day split, and it fits your schedule/lifestyle – do a 4-day split.
• If you know you can’t stick with a 4-day split. If you feel like you never recover too well from a 4-day split. Or if you’re a busy motherfucker and can’t train 4 days per week – do a 3-day split.

Consistency beats everything, and being consistent on a 3-day split will destroy any half-assed attempt at a 4-day split.

Optimal training volume on an upper/lower split

There are a lot of training variables we can change to get the results we want.

Total training volume is one of them (in addition to masturbating before a workout).

The optimal training volume for intermediate and advanced lifters are:

• Between 60-120 total reps per week for bigger muscle groups (e.g. chest, back, quadriceps, etc.)
• Between 30-60 total reps per week for smaller muscle groups. (e.g. biceps, triceps, calves, etc.)

So if we train each muscle group twice per week, that would mean…

• Between 30-60 total reps per session for bigger muscle groups.
• Between 15-30 total reps for smaller muscle groups.

Why do small muscle groups require less volume than bigger muscle groups?

Because they already get a ton of indirect work from compound exercises.

For example, most back exercises also hit your biceps while most chest exercises also train your triceps (and shoulders to some extent.)

Upper/lower workout split template

Like going on Tinder at a Starbucks while sitting next to a hot girl in hopes she’ll see you and ask you out, creating a workout program can be a scary.

There are a lot of variables you have to consider, which increase your chances of fucking up.

So if you’re unsure on how to create your own upper/lower body split, use the template below.

It’s easy.

Pick one exercise from each category and incorporate the described amounts of set and reps.

Also, the exercises selected are by no means your only options. Feel free to choose your own exercises, even if they are not on the list.

Just make sure the movement pattern remains the same, and try to use some common sense.

Day 1: Upper body

1. Upper body horizontal push

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 4-6 reps.

• Bench press
• Incline bench press
• Parallel bar dips
• Close grip bench press
• Dumbbell flat bench press
• Dumbbell incline bench press

2. Upper body horizontal pull

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 6-8 reps.

• Barbell rows (underhand or overhand)
• Pendlay row
• 1-arm dmbbell row

3. Upper body vertical push

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps.

• Barbell shoulder press
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Arnold press

4. Upper body vertical pull

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps.

• Weighted chin ups
• Weighted pull ups
• Lat pull downs

5. Triceps

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Lying triceps extensions (dumbbell or barbell)
• Overhead extension (dumbbell, barbell, or cable)
• Triceps push down (all variations)

6. Biceps

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps.

• Barbell curls (straight or EZ-bar)
• Dumbbell curls
• Incline dumbbell curls
• Hammer curls
• Zottman curls

Day 2: Lower body

1. Squat variation

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 4-6 reps.

• Back squat (regular bar, safety squat bar)
• Front squat
• Box squat (regular bar, safety squat bar)

2. Knee flexion dominant

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

• Lunges (all variations)
• Step-ups
• Bulgarian split squat
• Leg press

3. Hip extension dominant

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps

• Romanian deadlifts
• Straight leg deadlifts
• 45-degree hyperextension
• Reverse hyperextensions
• Pull-troughs
• Hip thrust (all variations)
• Glute ham raises
• Good mornings

4. Calves

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Standing calf raises
• Seated calf raises

5. Abs

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Cable crunches
• (Hanging) leg raises
• Weighted Swiss ball crunches

Day 3: Upper body

1. Upper body vertical push

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 4-6 reps

• Barbell shoulder press
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Arnold press

2. Upper body vertical pull

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 4-6 reps

• Weighted chin ups
• Weighted pull ups
• Lat pull downs (all variations)

3. Upper body horizontal push

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps

• Bench press
• Incline bench press
• Parallel bar dips
• Close grip bench press
• Dumbbell flat bench press
• Dumbbell incline bench press
• Machine chest press

4. Upper body horizontal pull

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps

• Barbell rows (underhand or overhand)
• Pendlay row
• 1-arm dumbbell row
• Cable row
• Machine row

5. Triceps

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Lying triceps extensions (dumbbell or barbell)
• Overhead extension (dumbbell, barbell, or cable)
• Triceps push down (all variations)

6. Biceps

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Barbell curls (straight or EZ-bar)
• Dumbbell curls
• Incline dumbbell curl
• Hammer curls
• Zottman curls

Day 4: Lower body

1. Deadlift variation

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 4 sets of 4-6 reps

• Conventional deadlift
• Sumo deadlift
• Trap bar deadlift
• Rack pulls
• Deficit deadlift

2. Knee flexion dominant

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Lunges (all variations)
• Step-ups
• Bulgarian split squat
• Leg press

3. Hip extension dominant

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Romanian deadlifts / straight leg deadlifts
• 45-degree hyperextension
• Reverse hyperextensions
• Pull-throughs 
• Hip thrust (all variations)
• Glute ham raises
• Good mornings

4. Calves

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps \

• Standing calf raises
• Seated calf raises

5. Abs

Choose one of the following exercises and perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Cable crunches
• Hanging leg raises
• Weighted Swiss ball crunches

4 day upper/lower split example

The following is how your routine can look like based on the template above.

Day 1: Upper body

1. Bench press 4 x 4-6
2. 1-arm dumbbell row 4 x 6-8 per arm
3.  Seated dumbbell overhead press 3 x 6-8
4. Overhand grip lat pull down 3 x 6-8
5. Lying dumbbell triceps extension 3 x 8-10
6. Barbell curl 3 x 8-10

Day 2: Lower body

1. Back squat 4 x 4-6
2. Leg press 3 x 6-8
3. Stiff leg deadlift 3 x 6-8
4. Standing calf raises 3 x 8-10
5. Cable crunches 3 x 8-10

Day 3: Upper body

1. Barbell overhead press 4 x 4-6
2. Weighted chin up 4 x 4-6
3. Dumbbell incline bench press 3 x 6-8
4. Cable row 3 x 6-8
5. Triceps push down 3 x 8-10
6. Dumbbell incline curl 3 x 8-10

Day 4: Lower body

1. Conventional deadlift 4 x 4-6
2. Dumbbell lunges 3 x 6-8
3. Barbell hip thrust 3 x 8-10
4. Seated calf raises 3 x 8-10
5. Hanging leg raises 3 x 8-10

Note: “4 x 4-6” means 4 sets of 4-6 reps. 

In the template, you’ll find the reps described as “4-6 reps.” This means you pick a weight that allows you to do a minimum four reps, but no more than six.

If you can do more than six reps, increase the weight for your next set.

If you cannot do at least 4 reps, drop the weight for your next set (or workout) so that you can do 4-6 reps.

During the rest periods, take 2-3 minutes between sets done in the 4-6 and 6-8 rep range and 1.5-2 minutes between sets done in the 8-10 rep range.

3-day upper/lower split variations

I get it…

Not everybody can workout four days a week.

Maybe you don’t have enough time because you have shit like kids, or you’re the CEO of a Fortune 100 company being blackmailed by a stripper.

Or maybe 4 days is simply too much from a recovery standpoint.

Or maybe you’re just a lazy fuck, which is totally fine.

Whatever the reason, let’s me show you how to adapt your workout so it fits your life.

Three-day upper/lower variation

Here’s the  easiest way to change a 4-day upper/lower split to a 3 day variation.

Use the same template as the 4-day split – two upper and two lower body workouts.

During week 1, do the first 3 workouts.

The next week, you just continue where you left off.

Basically just switching between the four workouts.

We’ve already covered this variation a bit at the beginning of this article. But here’s how it looks like:

Week 1

• Monday: Upper body 1
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Lower body 1
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Upper body 2
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

Week 2

• Monday: Lower body 2
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Upper body 1
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Lower body 1
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

And continue…

Here’s an example three-day workout routine based on the template above.

Week 1 – Monday: Upper body

1. Incline bench press 4 x 4-6
2. Barbell row 4 x 6-8
3. Arnold press 3 x 6-8
4. Weighted chin up 3 x 6-8
5. Overhead triceps extension (dumbbell) 3 x 8-10
6. Barbell curl 3 x 8-10

Week 1 – Wednesday: Lower body

1. Front squat 4 x 4
2. Dumbbell lunges 3 x 6
3. 45-degree hyperextension 3 x 6-8
4. Seated calf raises 3 x 8-10
5. Hanging leg raises 3 x 8-10

Week 1 – Friday: Upper body

1. Barbell overhead press 4 x 4-6
2. Weighted pull up 4 x 4-6
3. Dumbbell bench press 3 x 6-8
4. 1-arm dumbbell row 3 x 6-8 per arm
5. Lying triceps extension (dumbbell) 3 x 8-10
6. Hammer curl 3 x 8-10

Week 2 – Monday: Lower body

1. Conventional deadlift 4 x 4-6
2. Dumbbell step up 3 x 6-8
3. Glute ham raise (or leg curl) 3 x 8-10
4. Standing calf raise 3 x 8-10
5. Cable crunch 3 x 8-10

Etc…

Another three-day variation is the upper/lower/upper split.

You do two upper body workouts each week and only one lower body workout.

Here’s how…

• Monday: Upper body
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Lower body
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Upper body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

This setup is good for lifters who want/need to train their legs less often. Like when they already have well-developed, or even over-developed legs, and just want to maintain their leg size.

The upper/lower/upper split is also a good option for athletes who use their legs intensively in their sport.

For them, training their lower body twice per week, or even more often, can be too much. Especially during competition season.

If you decide to train legs only once per week using the template above, switch between lower body workout 1 and 2.

So one week you start off with a squat variation (lower body workout 1). The other week with a deadlift variation (lower body workout 2).

A 2-day upper/lower split?

Whatever your reason for working out only twice per week, you will not progress optimally.

In fact, you probably won’t build any muscle and not gain much strength, especially if you’re beyond the beginner stage.

Training volume is just too low.

But as a last resort, a 2-day split can work well to maintain strength or a general level of fitness.

Here’s how to set it up:

Week 1

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

Week 2

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

And repeat…

Week 1 – Monday: Upper body

1. Incline bench press 4 x 4-6
2. Barbell row 4 x 6-8
3. Arnold press 3 x 6-8
4. Weighted chin up 3 x 6-8
5. Overhead triceps extension (dumbbell) 3 x 8-10
6. Barbell curl 3 x 8-10

Week 1 – Thursday: Lower body

1. Front squat 4 x 4
2. Dumbbell lunges 3 x 6
3. 45-degree hyperextension 3 x 6-8
4. Seated calf raises 3 x 8-10
5. Hanging leg raises 3 x 8-10

What’s the final word on upper/lower splits?

The fitness industry can be confusing at times.

There are so many different training splits to choose from that it often leads to program hopping, or worse, mentally masturbating all day about the perfect training split and not doing anything at all.

If you’re looking for a proven but simple training split to take your fitness to the next level, the upper/lower body split is a great option.

With the template outlined above, creating your own workout routine is simpler than ever.

Combine that with a non-crappy diet, and you’ll be well on your way to landing a male fitness model contract (maybe…prob not).

If you need help with setting up your diet, check out my step-by-step course Superhero Shredding 2.0.

It takes away all your guesswork and teach you how to build a lean, head-turning physique while eating your favorite foods every day.

Have questions about  upper/lower splits? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours. 

The post The Ultimate Upper Lower Split Guide: 2 Day, 3 Day, & 4 Day Workouts appeared first on FitMole.

Sometimes you can put in weeks, months, even years in the gym.

And that glorious room of sweat, iron, and half naked dudes just won’t give back.

Here’s a 7 reasons why, your workout might not be producing the results you want:

You’re not progressing

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As ridiculous as some workouts are, most will produce results if you just stick with it and progress in some way.

Go from doing 5 push-ups to 100 push-ups, and you’ll probably look better.

That’s why progression is so important.

If you bench press 135 pounds for 6 reps, and 3 months later you’re still bench pressing 135 pounds for 6 reps…absolutely shocked at why your chest still looks the same, then you’re a dumb ass.

You can’t expect to progress in any way if you’re moving the same weight you’ve been moving the same weight for the past 3 months.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Workout suck balls? You’re probably making one of these 7 mistakes”]

You need to be pushing more reps, more sets, more ANYTHING.

The #1 thing you must avoid is doing the same shit you were in the past.

You’re not lifting heavy enough

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“Heavy” is subjective.

But for the sake of simplicity, lets say lifting “heavy” is anywhere from 3-8 reps which is where a lot of the Superhero Shredding 2.0 workouts are done.

You can make a lot of progress lifting in this range.

A big problem guys have is that they tend to do a lot of high rep lifting (10+ reps).

Sure it might be easier, but you’re missing a lot of the benefits from not lifting in the lower rep range lifting including faster strength and muscle gains.

You’re too focused on cardio

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I’m not against cardio.

But I am against cardio when used as a primary fat loss driver while factors like dieting are completely ignored.

You can’t overdo cardio when you’re in a calorie deficit.

And you can’t make it your primary form of exercise (unless you want to lose a ton of muscle mass).

You pick crap exercises

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Push-ups are great.

But unless you start doing heavy weighted pushups, it doesn’t matter if you can do 500 push-ups in a row.

You’re still not going to build a big chest.

Same goes with everything else.

Leg extensions alone won’t build the best possible legs.

Exclusively doing lateral raises won’t build boulder shoulders anytime soon.

So learn to pick the exercises that give you the most bang for buck.

These include bench press (barbell or dumbbell), pull ups, rows, squats, and so on.

If you’re just starting out, leave most of the isolation work at the door.

But with that being said….

You’re leaving all isolation work out

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I wrote an article before on how I “hate training arms” and doing isolation arm work like bicep curls.

I’m still in that camp but I also know you can’t expect to maximize any body part without throwing in some isolation work.

It doesn’t need to be a ton, but if you really want some arm-hugging sleeves or diamond-shaped calves, then you need to throw in some isolation work (just not too much).

You hate your workout

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You hate to workout.

Actually scratch that.

You hate any form of physical exercise.

The most exercise you’ve gotten in the past 24 hours was walking from your couch to the freezer so you could make a Hot Pocket.

Well here’s the thing – no one feels sorry for you.

Tough shit.

The world doesn’t care about you and your excuses.

And if you really want to get in shape, then you need to get active.

There’s no secret or hack around it.

You need to learn to reframe what exercise is to you.

Instead of viewing it as something you absolutely dread.

Look at exercise as the “vehicle” you must ride in to build the body and life you want.

If you’ve always been inactive your whole life, then I’m not asking you to hit the gym tomorrow and start a hardcore routine of squats and deadlifts.

Not at all.

What I’m asking is that you do more than you did yesterday.

That’s all.

You’re using shit form

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• Doing lat pull downs but pulling with your biceps instead of your lats.
• Bench pressing but burning out your shoulders and triceps instead of your chest.
• Performing 1/4 rep squats with 3 plates when you really should just be doing 1 plate.

All examples of guys who are either too ignorant to know their form sucks ass or refuse to leave their ego at the door.

No one cares how much weight you’re lifting (or not lifting).

You aren’t warming up

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And I’m not talking about stretching either.

I’m talking about dynamic mobility drills like leg swings before squats combined with adequate warm up sets.

I recommend 3-4 warm up sets before any major lift.

Isolation movements typically don’t require any warmups (although one set before your working set is helpful to just feel out good form).

You don’t commit for the long haul

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Guys will see someone a fitness model or celebrity, their body, and the first thing they ask is “How long will it take to look like him?” 

Maybe it’s genuine curiosity.

But in most situations it’s a case of “How much can I half ass this crap, do the least amount of work possible, and still look like a fucking fitness model within the next 3 months?” 

Humans are inherently lazy.

We want results in 3 months, not 3 years.

I’m not saying you can’t get amazing results in a few months if you put in the work…

But you can’t expect to maintain those results if your mindset is only programmed to “how much longer will this shit take” mode.

That’s why a lot of people lose weight for the summer but never keep it off.

Want to look fucking awesome and stay that way?

Then you need to understand that there is never an “end.”

How to make sure your workout doesn’t suck balls

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You probably don’t want to go through life doing ball sucking workouts.

Unfortunately most guys go through their entire lives sucking balls.

Follow the advice above and you’ll be better off than 99% of guys out there.

For a complete blueprint on how to workout in a way that actually gets results and helps you keep them, check out Superhero Shredding 2.0.

The post 7 Reasons Your Workout Sucks Balls appeared first on FitMole.

Much more impressive than having big arms.

Humans are very visual creatures, so a lot guys would rather focus on training their chest or arms instead of their back.

And in addition to looking good, doing a variety of pulling movements is important for shoulder health and not having that “hunched forward” look.

So how do you build a big back and what’s the best back workout to do so?

Great question!

So let’s dive in.

The muscles that make up your back

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Your entire back is made up of 4 main sections:

1. Traps
2. Upper back
3. Lats
4. Lower back

To build an aesthetically pleasing back you need to train all 4 sections of your back.

But at the same time you don’t want to pay too much attention to any single section, as that will screw up your back proportions and make you super fugly.

How to train your back 101

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Guys with big backs are like unicorns, there aren’t that many of them.

Guys with big bloated chests are everywhere, but a well-developed back? Not so much.

What, you say unicorns aren’t real? Hey there are children here, don’t be dream killer.

Anyways, I recommend training your back like you do with any other major muscle group.

The majority of your training should be done with heavier weights in the lower rep ranges (4-6 reps).

Research has shown the biggest gains for both size and strength are made in lower rep range. 

A lot of guys make the big mistake of doing high rep pump training in hopes of getting bigger.

But as the research above has shown:

All three major fiber types (types I, IIA, and IIB) hypertrophied for the Low Rep and Int Rep groups, whereas no significant increases were demonstrated for either the High Rep or Con groups…

Note: Con group refers to the no-exercise control group in the study

But that being said, the best workout routines are those that incorporate a wide variety of rep ranges.

Most guys would just benefit the most from lifting in the lower end of the rep range spectrum if they want to maximize strength and muscle.

But whatever you do, avoid training exclusively in high rep ranges (12+ reps).

The 3 fundamental back exercises you should be doing

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1) Vertical pull movement (pull-up, lat pull down)

Pretty much all forms of back training involve some type of vertical pulling motion (pull ups, chin ups)

If you absolutely can’t start with pull-ups, do lat pull downs or even inverted rows first.

Whether it’s a pull-up (palms facing away from the bar), chin up (palms facing you), netural grip (palms facing each other), or ring pull ups…getting really good at pull-ups is a surefire way to grow your back.

I would start with your bodyweight only and once you can do at least 10 reps with your bodyweight, start adding weight.

You can add weight by either putting a dumbbell between your legs or by using a belt (I use the BruteBelt) to help me get up to 140 pound weighted chin ups.

While putting a dumbbell between your legs works at first, it becomes very hard to do one you start using heavier weights.

2) Rowing movement

Different variations: Bent over barbell row (over hand/under hand), pendlay row, 1-arm dumbbell row, cable row, 1-arm cable row, t-bar row, and probably a few more I’m missing

And now we have rows.

There are a TON of row variations, each one with it’s own pros and cons.

It basically boils down to what equipment you have access to and what you like doing.

Are some row variations better than others? Sure, but nothing is going to make or break your back development.

As long as you get really strong at one of these variations, you’ll be good to go.

Let’s go through each of these variations:

Bent over barbell row (over hand/under hand)

Arguably the most common and “well-known” row is the classic bent over barbell row.

If you do these, make sure you play around with over hand vs under hand grips to see which one works better for you.

Pendlay row

I like to think of Pendlay rows as the bent over barbell row’s older brother that you don’t fuck around with.

Pendlay rows require a lot more lower back and core strength since your entire back needs to stay parallel to the ground. And unlike barbell rows, the bar touches the floor after each rep.

Here’s a video demonstrating the different types of barbell rows including Pendlay rows:

1-arm dumbbell row 

Compared to barbells, dumbbells provide a much greater range of motion on almost every lift. You’re not restricted by the bar and you can move in virtually any direction.

One of my favorite dumbbell back exercises is the 1-arm dumbbell row.

2 big mistakes I see guys make is that they either pull too much with their biceps or pull too much with their rear delts.

Here’s a video demonstrating proper form on the 1-arm dumbbell row:

3) Deadlift

I injured my lower back early on in my early lifting days due to rounding my lower back while deadlifting.

Luckily it wasn’t serious.

But since then I’ve also made the stupid mistake a few years back of not deadlifting due to the fear of the deadlift screwing up my proportions and making me look to “bulky.”

Big mistake.

If you don’t perform a lift like the deadlift, you risk having a very soft and pudgy lower back compared to the rest of your back.

Plus deadlifts work your traps like crazy, so if you get strong at deadlifts, you probably won’t need direct trap work (see below).

The deadlift is a very technical lift so DO NOT start loading up the weight until you can execute it with perfect form using only the bar.

Here’s a video on good deadlift form:

I’m serious about this and very surprised that more people don’t talk about how dangerous a deadlift can be if done with bad form.

Depending on your body and your unique leverage points, you may need to experiment between conventional deadlift, sumo deadlift, trap bar deadlift, or even rack pulls (partial deadlifts).

If you really can’t deadlift for whatever reason, heavy dumbbell/kettle bell swings + weighted hyperextensions are your next best bet.

Direct trap work (optional)

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I put this as optional because traps are heavily worked when doing deadlifts so a lot of guys don’t need direct trap work and also if you’re not doing deadlifts, then you definitely should be doing direct trap work.

A lot of people think of the traps as part of the shoulders but actually run in your back and gives you that sleek pyramid look near your neck.

And lately I’ve found that a lot of guys avoid direct trap training and only stick to training their shoulders because they’re afraid it’ll screw up their body proportions or some nonsense like that.

If you don’t deadlift and you find yourself with very tiny traps, then I highly suggest throwing in a few sets of dumbbell or barbell shrugs.

The 2 biggest back training mistakes

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Knowing the right back exercises to do is one thing, but make any of the 2 mistakes below and none that matters.

Problem #1: Lifting with your arms, not your back

This problem stems primarily when you’re using more weight than you can handle.

For example, the moment a row gets too heavy, you start using your arms more to help move the weight and you end up jerking the weight into yourself instead of lifting in a controlled manner.

You’ll end up building up your biceps more than your back.

[thrive_text_block color=”note” headline=”Visualization Tip”]Imagine your arms are hooks simply attached to the weight. Your back is ALWAYS the primary mover. So if your biceps are burning more than your back, then you’re doing something wrong[/thrive_text_block]

Problem#2: Not having a strong mind-muscle connection (i.e. not feeling it in your back)

Semi-related to problem #1 above….a lot of guys just can’t “activate” their back muscles when lifting.

What I mean by this is guys have a very poor mind-muscle connection and when they’re doing a pull-up or a row, they don’t “feel” that exercise in their back.

Feel like your rear delts or biceps are burning more than your back? Then something is very wrong.

There are a few ways to fix this:

• Make sure you’re warming up properly. Before your first working set, make sure you perform a minimum of 3 warm-up sets. Your first warm-up set should be 50% of your 1RM with each subsequent set increasing by 15% and lowering the reps by 1-2.

• Perform a few warm-up sets with super light weight and hold the top portion of your lift for 2 seconds. This really lets you get a feel for how your back should feel when training.  If you can’t activate your back when lifting a super light weight, do not move on to a heavier weight.

• Substantially lower the amount of weight you’re lifting. This might crush your ego, but trust me, no one gives a shit (the hot girl on the treadmill you think is looking at you…I promise…she is not looking at you). But if you’re lifting with your arms like mentioned in problem #1 above, then you’re doing your back any favors. So drop the weight and really “feel” each and every rep. If done correctly, your back should burn like crazy.

Progressive overload (aka getting stronger): Your #1 goal for building a big back

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Nothing, and I mean nothing matters when it comes to building muscle matters more than progressive overload.

If you aren’t progressively getting stronger over time, then it’s scientifically impossible for your back to grow.

The exact back exercises you do don’t matter nearly as much as adding more weight to the bar each week.

So don’t get so caught up in what the “best” back exercise or workout routine is as much as trying to get stronger on a consistent basis.

Putting it all together: 4 easy back workout routines you can do

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How you structure your back training HEAVILY depends on your current split, training experience, and goals, and about 500 other factors.

So simply giving you one routine and calling it a day won’t do you much good if it doesn’t align with your current goals and situation.

But to help you out, here are a few of the most popular ways to structure your back workout to build a badass superhero back.

Note: All exercises in sample routines below are structured as “[Name of exercise]: # of reps/# of total sets”

Workout setup #1: Train your back as part of a full body split

You can train your back as part of a full body split.

This typically means you will train your entire body 2-3x per week with various back exercises thrown into the mix.

A setup like this is more ideal for beginners or people short on time to workout.

Make sure to reset one day between each workout.

Day 1

• Deadlift: 4-6/3
• Dumbbell lunges: 6-8/3
• Military press: 4-6/3
• Pull ups: As many as you can with bodyweight

Day 2

• Bench press: 4-6/3
• Weighted bar dips: 6-8/3
• Side lateral raises: 10-12/3
• Chin ups: 2/As many as you can with bodyweight

Day 3

• Squat/Leg press: 6-8/3
• Cable row: 4-6/3
• Incline DB press: 6-8/2
• Barbell curls: 8-10/3

Workout setup #2:  3-day Push/pull/legs

This workout setup is based on splitting your muscles into push/pull/leg categories.

Your push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull muscles (back, biceps), and legs (self-explanatory – basically your entire lower body) all get their own dedicated day.

Again, make sure to rest one day between each workout.

Push 

• Incline bench press: 4-6/3
• Flat dumbbell bench press: 4-6/3
• Seated dumbbell shoulder press: 5-7/3
• Side lateral raises: 8-10/2
• Close grip bench press: 6-8/3

Pull 

• Deadlift: 4-6/3
• Pullups: 6-8/3
• Cable row: 6-8/3
• Barbell curls: 8-10/3

Legs

• Squat: 4-6/3
• Leg press: 6-8/3
• Romainian dumbbell deadlifts: 6-8/2
• Leg curl: 8-10/3
• Calf raise: 3/as many as you can

This allows you to train each muscle with more volume each day but you’ll be using less frequency compared to a full body or upper/lower split as seen below.

I find 3-day push/pull/leg splits to work well for beginners, but once you past that newbie stage, it’s best to do something like a upper/lower split.

Workout setup #3: Train your back as part of an upper/lower split

Now we dive into the next level of workout splits, upper/lower splits.

If you’re a beginner you can also do this split if you like to isolate the upper and lower portions of your body. Just know that while deadlifts do hit your back, they are primarily a lower body movement so it’s best to stick those on your lower body days.

Upper/lower splits can also be split into 3 day or 4 day variations.

With a 3 day upper/lower split it will look something like:

• Day 1 – Upper
• Day 2 – Lower
• Day 3 – Upper

And you would typically reverse the order the following week so it’s Lower, Upper, Lower and so on.

A 4 day upper/lower split will look something like:

• Day 1 – Upper
• Day 2 – Lower
• Day 3 – Upper
• Day 4 – Lower

Each day can also be given it’s own “focus.”

For example, you could do an Upper day focused on primarily your back while the other Upper day will be a push focused day. Or you could change each day so it’s focused on a specific rep range (i.e. lower reps for strength on one day vs. high reps for hypertrophy on another day).

Workout setup #4: One body part per day split

While 5 day per week splits get a bad rep (no pun intended) since most people think they’re only for hardcore bodybuilders, but they can actually be very effective for beginners or anyone who wants to train 5x per week.

The secret is to to not blast each body part with 30+ sets of 15 rep sets.

If you want to make a 5 day per week split work for you, you need to lift hard and heavy (in the 4-6 rep range).

A 5 day split could look something this:

• Day 1 – Chest
  • Bench press: 4-6/3-4
  • Incline bench press: 4-6/3
  • Cable crossover: 10-12/3
• Day 2 – Back
  • Pull up: 4-6/3-4
  • Cable row:4-6/3
  • 1-arm DB row: 8-10/3 per arm
• Day 3 – Shoulders
  • Military press: 4-6/3-4
  • Arnold press: 6-8/3
  • Side delt raise: 10-12/3
  • Face pulls: 8-10/3
• Day 4 – Legs
  • Deadlift: 4-6/3
  • Leg press: 4-6/3
  • Lunges: 5-7/3 per leg
• Day 5 – Arms/Abs
  • Close grip bench press: 4-6/3
  • Hammer curls: 6-8/3
  • Barbell curls: 8-10/2
  • Cable crunches: failure/3
  • Hanging leg raises: failure/2-3

Get strong + eat more = Superhero back

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If you boil down the essentials to getting a big, muscular back, it would be to get stronger (progressive overload) and make sure you’re getting enough calories to fuel that muscle growth.

That’s it.

Don’t overthink this stuff.

If you’re consistently adding 5 pounds to your rows and weighted pull-ups every week and eating enough, you’re going to build a big back.

It’s not even a question of “if.”

So what are you favorite back exercises and what does your back workout look like?

Let me know in the comments below.

P.S. Want to learn the exact step-by-step blueprint and science behind building a lean and muscular superhero body like Chris Evans and Henry Cavill? Check out Superhero Shredding 2.0.

The post Superhero Back Workout: The Best Back Exercises For A Muscular V-Shaped Back appeared first on FitMole.

Note: This is Part 2 of 2 of my minimalist training article series. If you didn’t read Part 1 yet, be sure to read it here first. 

So in Part 1 of this blog series, I talked about the big minimalist training lie and how it only works for a certain group of people (primarily beginners) and how it’s one of the worst ways to help intermediate/advanced guys pack on more muscle and strength.

In this article, I’m going to cover my modified approach to minimalist training called Minimalist Adaptive Training (MAT).

What is Minimalist Adaptive Training (MAT)?

MAT is my approach to training (and one of the main pillars of the non-fitness lifestyle) that works no matter what your current goals or training experience is.

It’s like traditional minimalist training in the sense that there’s no useless exercises or crap in it, but at the same time it has the ability to mold and adapt itself (pun intended) to the user’s goals and lifestyle as the user gets more advanced.

With MAT, you’ll continue to progress, lose fat, and build muscle for years to come because its not a “set in stone” routine.

MAT isn’t one of those 30 day programs either; I don’t just give you a set routine that tells you to workout 3-5x per week and at the end of the 30 days you have no idea what the shit you’re going to do next.

Think of MAT as more of a template and set of guidelines more than anything else and as long as you apply these guidelines and templates, you’ll never have to question yourself about what workout you should do next.

MAT progression

Progressive overload is the most important law in training.

With progressive overload you need to constantly get stronger over time to build more muscle and improve your physique.

If you’re benching 135 pounds for 5 reps, you’re not going to build any more muscle if you continue to bench 135 pounds for 5 reps over the next 6 weeks.

There are A LOT of different ways to progress in training, but the 2 most common (and most powerful) are to:

1. Increase the weight (e.g. go up from 135 pounds to 145 pounds)
2. Increase the amount of reps you’re lifting (e.g. lift 135 pounds for 6 reps)

Other methods to achieve progressive overload include:

• Increasing training frequency (lifting 4x per week vs 3x per week)
• Increasing relative strength (lifting more weight at the same bodyweight)
• Using training styles such as drop sets, rest pause training, super sets, partial reps, forced reps, pause reps to further fatigue the muscle
• Decreasing rest times between sets
• Doing more work in the same amount of time (do 15 reps in 60 seconds vs 10 reps in 60 seconds)
• Changing the rep tempo
• Changing training styles (ex: straight sets, pyramid training, reverse pyramid training)
• Lifting the weight faster (with more speed)

As you can see, there are a lot of different ways to progress in your workout, and which method you use largely depends on your current training and strength levels.

I’m going to break down which method is best depending on your current situation below.

Beginners: Focus on the basics, and please, slow the fuck down

You can’t go “balls to the walls” and train 6x per week as a beginner…you just can’t

You need to rewire your mindset and understand that you’re a beginner, a complete newbie.

I don’t say this to insult you, but to make you understand and save you years of frustration.

Want to get the fastest possible results? Then don’t train more than 3x per week, regardless if your goal is fat loss or building muscle.

Since your body isn’t used to the stimulus provided by weight lifting, that’s all you need.

[x_custom_headline type=”center” level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”true”]MAT Beginner Fundamentals[/x_custom_headline]

• Train 2-3x per week.
• Train 2x per week using a full body split if you have a lot of weight to lose (30+ pounds).
• Train 3x per week if you only have 20 pounds or less to lose
• Train 3x per week using a full body or upper lower split if you are trying to build muscle.
• Beginners tend to lose fat and build muscle quite easily so this can mess up the scale since you’ll build muscle while losing fat. So pay more attention to the mirror than anything else.
• Workouts should be within 10-16 working sets, closer to 10 if you’re trying to lose fat and 16 if you’re trying to build muscle.
• Strength gains are fast and linear as a beginner. You will not gain strength any faster than when you’re a beginner.
• Training style should primarily be straight sets. This means you lift the same weight for the same number of reps. Straight sets are typically done in a “range” (e.g. 4-6 reps).  This is how you progress on straight sets using the 4-6 rep range example:

1. Pick a weight you can only lift for 4 reps
2. Keep lifting it until you can lift that same weight for 6 reps.
3. Once you hit 6 reps, increase the weight by the lowest possible increment(typically about 5 pounds).
4. Repeat steps 1-2.

• The only other training style I recommend for beginners are super sets.
• Stay away from advanced rep schemes and training styles like as reverse pyramid training and rest pause training for now.
• You should primarily lift in the 4-6 rep range for compound lifts like bench press, squats, and deadlifts. Accessory or secondary lifts should be done in the 8-12 rep range.
• You are a beginner until you get at least 12 months of solid training under your belt.

Intermediates: Periodization and bumping volume up a bit

Graduating from a beginner to an intermediate is a big change.

You’re well past the newbie stages of training and you now have a solid base of muscle to work out of.

Maybe you’re even happy with the way you look now and have no desire to keep going forward. That’s totally fine. I’m not one of those guys who say you need to constantly keep building muscle and getting stronger. Do whatever makes you happy…

Anyways, as an intermediate, you need incorporate more periodization (which means you basically need to rotate and cycle around your training a lot more). This will help you smash through any strength and muscle building plateaus you experience as an intermediate lifter.

[x_custom_headline type=”center” level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”true”]MAT Intermediate Fundamentals[/x_custom_headline]

• Train 3-5x per week with 3-4x per week being the sweet spot.
• I find training 5x per week is largely unnecessary unless you enjoy it.
• A more advanced full body or upper/lower split works best.
• Total training volume should be between 16-20 working sets, closer to 16 if you’re training for fat loss and 20 if you’re building muscle.
• Start using training methods such as reverse pyramid training, rest pause training, and drop sets to help blast through plateaus.
• Remember, strength gains come A LOT slower than when you were a beginner. Don’t expect to bump up the weight you’re pushing every week like you were before. Aim for slow, consistent progression.
• Rotate exercises every 6-8 weeks if you’re experiencing a plateau. For example, if you’ve been stalling on the flat bench press for a while, switch to flat dumbbell presses.
• You can also rotate rep ranges every 6-8 weeks. If you’ve been performing a lift in the 4-6 rep range, start doing it in the 6-8 rep range. Or if you’ve been performing a lift in the 6-8 rep range, start doing it in the 8-10 or 10-12 rep range.
• Throw in a bit more isolation work. As a beginner you primarily focused on big compound lifts because you had to build a solid foundation. Now you can focus a bit more on “fine tuning” your physique and doing more isolation work to bring up lagging body parts. But still try to make sure at least 70% of your workout are heavy compound lifts.

Advanced lifters: More work, more results, and slow ass gains

You’re now at a stage very few people ever reach.

As an advanced lifter, strength and muscle gains come very very slow and you’ll have to do even more work than you did before.

Sound scary? Well maybe it does if you’re a beginner but most seasoned lifters understand the slow nature of progression when they’re at this stage and they love it.

[x_custom_headline type=”center” level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”true”]MAT Advanced Fundamentals[/x_custom_headline]

• Train 4-6x per week. Sorry it’s time to leave the 3x per week routines behind. There’s simply not enough you can do with a 3x/week routine to spark muscle growth as an advanced lifter.
• Train each muscle at least 2x per week. To spark more muscle growth, train it more often. How do you think pro athletes get extremely good at their sport? It’s not by reading articles on the fucking internet. They practice more and more as they get more advanced.
• Body part specialization becomes a focus. By now, you should have an extremely solid base of muscle. Everything is pretty well developed but like most people, you probably have 1-2 muscles you feel are lagging. This is why you see a lot of advanced lifters “focusing” on a certain body part and they have good reason to. Give these extra attention while doing your best to just maintain your other muscles.
• Gains come extremely slowly at this stage, don’t expect to gain more than 1 pound of lean muscle per month if you’re lucky.
• Incorporate principles from all rep ranges (yes even 20+ rep range) and training styles.
• While you typically do need to train with more sets and volume as an advanced lifter, it’s not all about “quantity.” Quality still wins in the end. You still need to lift with a high degree of intensity and really contract your muscles with every rep.

That’s MAT in a nutshell

So that’s MAT in a nutshell.

As you can tell, these are guidelines that a dependent on your current level of experience.

A good workout plan is never written in stone because so much of it is dependent on the individual’s unique traits and goals. That’s why you don’t hear me saying stuff like “Everyone needs to be benching 10 sets or 10 reps.”

That might work for certain people, that might be under training for others, and that might be overtraining for others.

The point is – you need to adapt your workout to your body and goals.

That’s my goal with Superhero Shredding 2.0, which will launch (hopefully) next month in September. If you get the original Superhero Shredding now, you will get 2.0 for free when it launches.

SS 2.0 will lay out not only what you need to do in terms of training, but also give you the framework and blueprint needed to adapt and customize it to your unique lifestyle.

The post An Overview Of Minimalist Adaptive Training [Part 2] appeared first on FitMole.

Note: This is Part 1 of 2 of my minimalist training article series. 

You can read part 2 here.

Minimalist training is so hot right now.

Like hotter than Alexandra Daddario in True Detective.

Yeah…that hot.

The basic idea behind minimalist training is to train as little as humanly possible in a way that still gets results.

Typically this involves training 2-3x per week, only doing 2-3 exercises, for no more than 30-60 min.

And then there are the guys out there who say you can get ripped in 15 minutes per day with nothing but your bodyweight and a towel.

Sounds pretty awesome, right?

Why should I train 4+ times per week if I can get the same results with 2-3x per week?

And hey, a towel? We all have those. Fuck weights.

But there’s a big fat lie about minimalist workouts that very few people seem to talk about.

The big minimalist training lie – it doesn’t work for everyone

When someone says something like “Oh I’m only training 2-3x per week for 30 minutes and I’m losing fat and building muscle,” I can’t help but shake my head.

But that’s the truth.

A typical minimalist training program might look like this:

Day 1: 

• Front squat – 3 sets x 5 reps
• Pull ups – 3 sets x 5 reps

Day 2

• Lunges – 3 sets x 5 reps per leg
• Barbell row – 3 sets x 5 reps

Day 3

• Bench press – 3 sets x 5 reps
• Standing military press – 3 sets x 5 reps

So a routine like this isn’t necessarily bad…

It works if you’re a:

• beginner who wants to build muscle
• beginner who wants to lose fat
• person who just really wants a way to stay in shape

But that’s about it.

You can get to single digit body fat levels and look decent. If you need someone for comparison sake, you will most likely build a body akin to Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love.

And if that’s your goal, awesome. I won’t tell you what your ideal body should or shouldn’t be.

But if you want to pack on substantially more muscle and strength and build a body that looks more like a fitness model or superhero, then you need to increase your total amount of volume and/or training frequency.

That’s just how it is.

Especially when training research shows that higher frequency training is best for building muscle, how can you expect to spend the rest of your life doing these 30 minute minimalist routines?

You need to understand fucking context

Context is absolute king when it comes to everything in life.

It’s like reading books.

For example, if you read Green Eggs and Ham (one of my favorite books EVER) and you only read the end where “Sam-I-Am” finally tries the green eggs and ham and says “I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam-I-Am,” then that just makes no damn sense.

You need to start from the beginning and get to know the deep, complex nature of the characters and why motherfucking “Sam-I-Am” didn’t want to eat the green eggs and ham in the first place.

You need context or nothing makes sense or works.

Same with minimalist training….

You can’t just do a minimalist training program like the one above and say that’s the best routine for you.

What are your goals?

If you’re a newbie who has never lifted before, a minimalist training approach is good.

But if you’re an intermediate lifter who has been lifting for 3+ years and wants to gain more muscle, doing a routine like the one above is just stupid. I guarantee it’s not going to work. In this case you would most likely need a higher volume routine where you train 3x per week while implementing different lifting styles or a higher frequency routine (4-5x per week).

Minimalist training is sexy but it’s not a magic bullet

There’s nothing sexier in the world than saying you can get amazing results by only doing a fraction of the amount of work.

That’s exactly why diet pills and supplements sell so well. People believe that if they take a diet pill, they don’t need to do anything else.

They believe all their fat ass problems can be solved with one magic pill but nothing could be further from the truth and when they’ve flushed $200 down the drain on supplements, they finally learn “the hard way” that the only way to get in amazing shape is through hard work and sweat.

I am definitely not saying minimalist training is useless. It definitely works for the groups of people I outlined above but if you constantly want to progress, you need to adjust your training accordingly and that means you need to put in more work.

Minimalist Adaptive Training (MAT) – A contextual approach to minimalist training that works

MAT is a contextual approach to minimalist training that works.

This Bruce Lee quote sums up MAT perfectly:

[x_blockquote cite=”Bruce Lee” type=”center”]Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own.[/x_blockquote]

So what this means is that MAT is built on the “cut out all the useless shit” foundation that traditional minimalist training is built on, but at the same time, dynamically adjust your training as needed as your goals change and you get more advanced.

It’s a very simple but powerful concept.

And it’s a big part of the non-fitness lifestyle.

I will go into much more detail about MAT and how to apply it to your own workouts in Part 2 of this article.

So stay tuned

If you have any questions about minimalist training, be sure to leave them below.

The post The Big Minimalist Training Lie [Part 1] appeared first on FitMole.

Picking the right workout routine is a hotly debated subject.

You have guys on one end of the spectrum saying that you should train 5-6x per week in order to build muscle and get ripped but on the other hand you have the “minimalist” training guys who think training 5x per week is the worst thing in the world and you should only train 1-3x per week.

So who’s right and who’s wrong?

Neither side is right.

The thing about training is, it’s all dependent on your current situation and goals.

When trainers tell people that they should only workout 2x per week or only 5x per week, it shows just how little they actually know.

What if someone is trying to prep for a fitness competition? Do you really think it’s wise for that person to only train 2x per week just because they’re’ in the minimalist training circle jerk?

Note: Just so you know, a circle jerk doesn’t involve actual dudes jerking each other off. It’s simply when a belief is constantly reinforced because it gets repeated in the same environment. Walk into a crossfit gym and you’ll see what I mean Jk I love the crossfit cult culture. Okay getting off topic…

And just so there’s no confusion, this article is strictly talking about resistance training. If you do bodyweight stuff, that’s great but it’s an entirely different beast and not my specialty.

Make a choice – what is your #1 goal?

Your workout routine will vary greatly depending on whether you’re currently trying to lose fat or build muscle.

If your goal is to lose fat, then you can get away with training a bit less than someone trying to build muscle.

If your goal is to build muscle, you’re going to need more and more volume over time especially once you hit advanced stages of development (that is, if you wish to be super muscular).

Your aesthetic preference is completely up to you, I know some guys are happy with a Brad Pitt “Fight Club” look while others want a much more developed Chris Evans “Superhero” look.

Training as a newbie

I classify beginners (newbies) as someone who has never lifted weights or someone who has lifted but hasn’t done so consistently for at least a year.

Fat loss training for newbies

Beginners are a special breed.

They’re the only group of people who are able to easily lose fat and build muscle at the same time even while in a calorie deficit.

This means that even if you’re overweight and want to lose weight, chances are you’ll gain a decent amount of muscle as well if you start lifting.

This is due to the new stimulus that lifting gives beginners. Lifting weights is a huge shock to your body so if you’re a beginner who has never lifted before, your body will have no choice but to build muscle (regardless of your diet).

Most beginner programs on the market only tell beginners to lift 3x per week so following something like Stronglifts 5×5 or this guide is great.

Something along the lines of a 3-day upper/lower/full body split is great as well.

My Superhero X12 course is also structured around lifting 3x per week.

Training any more than 3x per week is going to lead to burnout and shitty recovery.

And ideally, your 3-day split will be structured around compound lifts (squats, heavy presses, pull ups, etc…). You want the most bang for your buck at this stage, so doing nothing but endless amounts of curls won’t do much good.

Muscle building workouts for newbies

The amount of training you need as a beginner looking to build muscle is actually very similar if you’re trying to lose fat.

The only difference might be a slight increase in volume.

Most importantly, you need to make sure you’re eating in a calorie surplus so you’re actually gaining weight.

As a newbie, expect to gain about a .75-1 pound of muscle per week.

So within 3 months, you should be able to pack on about 15 pounds of muscle which is very solid.

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tl;dr

• A 3-day full body split or a 3-day upper/lower/full body split is recommended for beginners looking to gain muscle or lose fat.
• Beginners are able to build muscle, even in a calorie deficit, due to the new stimulus of lifting weights.
• Training more than 3x per week isn’t ideal for beginners since they haven’t built up the training tolerance yet, plus it’s just unnecessary on so many levels.
• Your diet matters more when it comes to building muscle as a beginner.

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Training as an intermediate 

You’re not an intermediate, until you’ve gained your first 15-20 pounds of muscle and have been training for at least a year.

Sorry, that might seem like a long time but if you think about it, most serious guys lift their entire lives.

The best physiques in the world…including fitness models and guys like Hugh Jackman and The Rock, have all been lifting for at least 5 years, most lift for over 10 years.

Point is, if you’re not in this for the long haul, you won’t last long.

Fat loss training for intermediates

As an intermediate looking to lose fat, a 3 day split is typically best.

But not the same 3 day split you used as a beginner.

Intermediate lifters typically need either more overall volume or a change in training style.

Since intermediates already have a fair amount of muscle, their #1 goal when cutting should be to maintain the muscle they have. They shouldn’t expect to gain any muscle and any strength gain while cutting is simply a bonus.

This is when I recommend people to incorporate training styles like reverse pyramid training into their workout.

A 3 day split incorporating reverse pyramid training  is more than enough to maintain muscle and lose fat.

Muscle building workouts for intermediates

Because you’re already well past the newbie growth spurt, you obviously won’t see the same fast results as someone who just started lifting.

The rate at which you can gain muscle as an intermediate will slow down, A LOT.

At this point, you should expect to gain only about 2 pounds of muscle per month.

That might not seem like a lot but if you look at it over the course of 6 months, that’s 12 pounds of rock hard muscle.

And 12 pounds of muscle can make a huge difference in your physique.

Intermediates can still gain muscle on a 3 day split if they incorporate more advanced training techniques like reverse pyramid training and if volume is sufficient but eventually a 4 day split may be needed.

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tl;dr

• Intermediate guys require an increase in volume and intensity to continue to progress.
• Gaining muscle as an intermediate is much much slower than a beginner.
• A routine that incorporates reverse pyramid training principles is highly recommended for both fat loss and building muscle
• A 3-day split is fine for fat loss as long as long it incorporates high intensity training styles like reverse pyramid training
• Graduating to a 4-day split will most likely be necessary if you’re trying to gain muscle

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Training as an advanced/super advanced lifter

At this point, you’ve been training for at least 5 years and things are going great.

But it’s both a blessing and a curse.

It’s great because at this stage, you probably already have a pretty badass physique.

You look great naked and you can push some pretty damn heavy weight in the gym.

But it also sucks because progressing any more at this point requires some serious effort and strategic planning.

Strength gains will be much more sporadic and volume will once again need to be bumped up in order to force growth.

At this stage, it’s more about your training than your diet.

Fat loss for advanced lifters

Losing fat as an advanced lifter is the same as everyone else – your #1 goal is to retain muscle mass.

While you can technically “get away” with a well put together 3-day split, I find that the majority of advanced lifters do best while training at least 4x per week.

As an advanced lifter, you’re already at the top 1% of strength and muscularity so to really ensure no muscle mass is lost while you’re cutting, it’s best to lift 4x per week.

Something like an upper/lower split can work great for fat loss as an advanced lifter.

Muscle building for advanced lifters

Building muscle as an advanced lifter requires much more strategic planning and periodization.

Also know that gaining muscle at this point is EXTREMELY slow (don’t expect to gain more than 1 pound per month).

You can’t just follow a 5×5 routine and expect to progress but you also can’t just follow a high volume pump training routine either.

So what do you do?

You do everything.

Well not technically everything, but you incorporate high rep training, low rep training, higher frequency training, lower frequency training, along with different training styles (reverse pyramid training, pyramid training, drop sets, super sets, cluster sets, etc…), and different rep schemes.

Programs like Visual Impact Frequency Training are great here since they are catered to advanced lifters and will help you easily blast through any strength plateaus.

This is really the only way you continue to progress as an advanced lifter.

For example, this is a solid mass building routine you could do as an advanced lifter:

• Workout A: Upper (Lower rep, strength focus)
• Workout B: Lower (Lower rep, strength focus)
• Workout C: Upper (Mid-high reps, hypertrophy focus)
• Workout D: Lower (Mid-high reps, hypertrophy focus)

Or as a super advanced lifter, could do a 5-day split:

• Workout A: Upper (Lower rep, strength focus)
• Workout B: Lower (Lower rep, strength focus)
• Workout C: Push (Mid-high reps, hypertrophy focus)
• Workout D: Pull (Mid-high reps, hypertrophy focus)
• Workout E: Legs (Mid-high reps, hypertrophy focus)

But this is FitMole, I thought you said lifting 5x per week isn’t necessary to build a Superhero physique?

That’s totally true.

If you want a body like Daniel Craig, Chris Pratt, Stephen Amell, Chris Evans, Brad Pitt, or even Gerard Butler in 300…you DO NOT need to train 5x per week.

You can do a lot with a 3-4 day split.

But if you want to take your physique to that next level of muscularity…

If you want something akin to a pro fitness model or Hugh Jackman in Wolverine (who’s been training for over 10 years), you really will need a 5th day at some point in your lifting career.

Not saying you will need to lift 5x/week permanently, but it will need to be incorporated into your routine at some point to spark new muscle growth.

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tl;dr

• Advanced lifters require not only more volume but much more strategic planning and periodization in order to continue gaining  strength and muscle
• Gaining muscle as an advanced lifter is extremely slow. Expect to gain only about 0.25-1 pound of muscle per month depending on how advanced you are.
• Incorporate a wide variety of training styles into your routine if you want to continue to progress.
• A 4-day split is ideal for advanced lifters looking to lose fat.
• A 5-day split will most likely be needed at some point to gain muscle.

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What workout can I do to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

Like I said before in this article, you should not try to lose fat and build muscle simultanenously.

Is it physiologically possible?

Yes.

By essentially calorie cycling (overeating on training days and under eating on off days, you can lose fat and build muscle) you can do both, but it’s an extremely slow process that will make you want to kill yourself.

However, like I said before, beginners tend to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously pretty easily since they’ve never properly trained or dieted before.

But if you’re not a beginner, focus on one or the other, not both.

What are your goals and how do you train? Let me know in the comments below.

The post What Workout Routine Should I Do To Lose Weight Or Build Muscle? appeared first on FitMole.

To summarize the picture above:

Marathon runners = skinny, weak, no muscle, pale.

Sprinters = lean, ripped, muscular, dark and handsome.

But there are some huge misconceptions about sprinting and running which I cover below.

Running does not make you lose muscle.

This is the most popular myth that a lot of fitness pros love to spread. Their argument is that due to the long distance nature of running, you’re burning your muscles for fuel.

But there’s really no proof to back this up. When asked for proof, all anyone says is blah blah blah look at the pic above.

Dude…look at marathon runners. They’re so skinny and weak, obviously they’re burning muscle when they run.

Truth: Just think about it logically. Maybe the reason a marathon runner is so skinny and doesn’t have any muscle is because they’re not trying to build any muscle and they don’t have much muscle in the first place.

Marathon and long distance runners train for their sport and that sport is running for a very long time without stopping. For a runner, lifting weights is just time wasted that could be focused on improving their running.

Marathon runners can gain muscle…if they want

You’re right, I’ve never seen someone look like Arnold Schwarzenegger compete and win in a marathon but there’s a damn good reason for that.

Here’s what you need to know:

1) Running is an aerobic exercise and doesn’t involve the explosiveness of sprinting or weight lifting. It’s all about endurance and running for as long as you can.

2) Runners don’t try to gain muscle. Their focus is on running fast and far.

3) Train for your sport. Bodybuilders train to look as lean and muscular as possible. Sprinters train to run as fast as possible over a short distance. Runners train to run as fast and far as possible. You train for your sport so you can’t criticize a runner for the physique they have.

Pick your battles

Sprinting and running are 2 very different sports. Sprinting is usually done in conjunction with weight lifting and runners tend to be laser focused on well…running.

A person who’s running 10 miles a day will simply not have the energy to hit a heavy weight lifting session as well.

It’s not that a runner’s body lacks the ability to gain muscle, it’s simply that runners don’t try to gain muscle. It’s counter-intuitive to their goal (which is to run as fast as possible and win marathon medals).

Also note, runners tend to have a diet that is much higher in carbs and lower in protein, so once again this is the polar opposite of most sprinters/weight lifters who put a larger focus on eating massive amounts of protein which you need to maintain muscle mass.

So should you be running or sprinting for the best look physique?

Obviously, most of you guys are not marathon runners.

I know most of my readers simply want to look and feel good and that’s great. And if that’s the case, just stick with a couple heavy lifting sessions per week and maybe throw in a quick workout finisher at the end.

My main point that I want to drill into your head is – don’t believe that doing a little or even a lot of cardio will cause you to lose muscle. The act of running itself doesn’t cause muscle loss, but it does take your focus and energy away from things like weight lifting.

What are your thoughts? How do you incorporate running or sprinting into your workout routine?

The post The Truth About Sprinters vs. Marathon Runners appeared first on FitMole.

After lifting for a while, you’re inevitably going to hit some strength and muscle plateaus. But luckily, I’m going to show you what is hands down the easiest and most simply way to dramatically increase your strength on any exercise.

The BIG problem with bro splits

The typical bodybuilder bro split looks something like this:

• Monday – Chest
• Tues – Back
• Wed – Leg
• Thurs – Shoulders
• Friday – Arms

…or some variation of that.

While this may be fine for guys who are juicing or even maybe some genetically gifted individuals, the majority people simply don’t see the best results when doing a program like this.

So on Monday for example, you’ll probably do something along the lines 15-20 sets just for your chest. That’s a lot of fucking chest work but trainers will tell you that it’s okay because you’re only training your chest once per week and you’ll have the next 6 days to recover (FYI, one of the best ways to recover is to optimize your sleep. And if you’ve been sleeping poorly make sure to check the temp of your bed…you want to make sure it’s cool and not hot. Here’s the best cooling mattress in my opinion.)

The main problem with this type of split is that you’re only training each muscle group once per week.

Whenever I do this kind of split, I rarely get stronger. Hammering out 20 sets for my chest only leaves me incredibly sore for the next 3 days and by the time I train chest again, I’m stuck at the same weight and can’t progress.

Just think about it logically, if you’re trying to get stronger at a specific exercise, does it really make sense to wait 7 days before the exercise again? Hell no.

Put a gun to your fucking head

I always love to use this example.

What would you do if I put a gun to your head and told you that you had to double your bench press over the next 90 days or I’m going to kill you?

Huh? What would you do?

Would you only do the bench press on international bench press day (a.k.a Monday) and wait 6 days in between while your life hangs in the balance or would you be the smart, logical person and do the bench press every freaking day?

If I had a gun to my head, I would be busting my ass off in the gym, bench pressing every single day, or at least multiple times per week.

1 simple trick to get stronger – perform the same exercise 2-5 times per week

Yup, my secret trick to getting stronger at ANY exercise is to do the exercise more often.

Mind blowing stuff, I know.

But unfortunately, so many people avoid training the same muscle more than once per week because they’ve been brainwashed by bodybuilders that doing so will risk over training.

One of the best ways to train is with a simple upper lower split so you hit your entire body 2x per week.

And once you hit a plateau after training 2x per week, you can up the dosage and start training 3, 4, or even 5 times per week. But I must warn you, when you start training the same muscle 3+ times per week, you absolutely cannot train to failure. You should aim for 2 reps short of failure, as this will allow you to consistently train the same muscle and still gain strength without over training.

How do you train when you hit a plateau? Leave a comment below.

The post 1 Simple Trick To Get Stronger At Any Exercise appeared first on FitMole.

Okay, ‘hate’ is a strong word but I’m really not a huge fan of direct arm training.

While most guys would love nothing more than to do 10 sets of bicep curls each workout, I just don’t find direct arm exercises to be all that exciting or effective for that matter.

The 2 main problem with direct arm exercises:

Progression sucks on direct arm exercises

For example, let’s take a dumbbell curl for example. Most guys start off by curling 20-30 pounds, then within a year they’re up at 50 pounds. And after that…progression slows down to a halt.

You’re not going to see many (if any) guys in the gym curling past 60 pounds with strict controlled form. Sure you can find a bunch of guys curling 100+ pound dumbbells on YouTube but they are always using shit form or they’re juicing.

The truth is, you won’t be doing 100 pound dumbbell curls with good form no matter how many years of you have been training. The biceps are just too small of a muscle to handle that load.

And this goes for any isolation exercise such as tricep extensions or even lateral raises – you will very quickly hit your upper weight limit very soon and after that increasing the weights you do will be next to impossible.

At this point the only variables you can manipulate are: rest time, number of total sets, rep tempo, and training frequency. And I know this is just my opinion, but I find direct arm training to be pretty boring after 1-2 sets.

Direct arm exercises don’t build a good foundation

Virtually every major pushing or pulling movement will train your arms. And as you get stronger at them, your arms will grow proportionally in size.

Understand that the majority of your arm gains are going to happen by getting really strong at a handful of compound movements.

Big arm equation:

80% = getting really strong at compound movements

20% = high rep direct arm work

So think of direct arm exercises as icing on the cake.

Weighted chins and dips – my favorite ‘arm’ exercises.

If you really want to get bigger arms, focus on weighted chin ups and weighted dips. That’s my best advice.

Someone who’s doing dips and chins with 135 pounds strapped  to them, won’t have small arms. I guarantee it.

You probably don’t need a dedicated arm day

Unless you’ve been training for 5+ years and can already do weighted chins and dips for 8+reps with 3 plates strapped to yourself, then you really don’t need to dedicate a whole day of training just for your arms.

You don’t need to ditch arm exercises altogether, but they definitely shouldn’t be the focus of your program.

Main Points

• Direct arm exercises are just icing on the cake. Don’t structure your workout around these movements.
• If you want to build a some nice big arms focus on getting stronger at compounds, especially dips and chins.
• If you do direct arm training, I wouldn’t do more than a total of 6 sets per week split over 2 days (3 sets per workout).
• If you need a minimalist yet badass program to help you get insanely strong at compound movements and skyrocket your arm growth, I recommend checking out Jason Ferruggia’s Minimalist Training Program.

What’s your take on arm training? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Why I Hate Training Arms appeared first on FitMole.