Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

by Michael Matthews

9–15 Do 9 to 15 Hard Sets Per Workout

2–4 Rest 2 to 4 Minutes in Between Hard Sets

Short or no rest periods is fine if you’re looking to merely burn calories, but if you’re there to build muscle and get stronger, it’s a mistake. Strength training involves pushing your muscles to their limits, and resting enough in between sets is a vital part of this process because it prepares your muscles to exert maximum effort in each set.

In terms of acute responses, a key finding was that when training with loads between 50% and 90% of one repetition maximum, 3-5 minutes’ rest between sets allowed for greater repetitions over multiple sets. Furthermore, in terms of chronic adaptations, resting 3-5 minutes between sets produced greater increases in absolute strength, due to higher intensities and volumes of training. Similarly, higher levels of muscular power were demonstrated over multiple sets with 3 or 5 minutes versus 1 minute of rest between sets.6

3–5 Train Most Major Muscle Groups Once Every 3 to 5 Days

The higher the intensity and volume of the individual workouts, the less frequently you can do them.8

Furthermore, and more importantly, really, when it comes to gaining muscle and strength, research shows that training frequency isn’t nearly as important as how heavy the weights generally are and how many hard sets you generally perform each week.9 In other words, so long as you’re lifting heavy weights, frequency is mostly a tool you use to reach your target weekly volume for each major muscle group.

1–2 Take 1 to 2 Days Off Per Week

This is why I recommend no more than six days of serious exercise per week (resistance training and higher-intensity cardio), with one day of no intense physical activity whatsoever (very low-intensity cardio or sports, however, like swimming, walking, or golf is fine). I also recommend two days off resistance training per week when in a calorie deficit.

8–10 Take It Easy Every 8 to 10 Weeks

In double progression, you work with a given weight in a given rep range, and once you hit the top of that rep range for a certain number of hard sets (one, two, or three, usually), you increase the weight. Then, if you can at least come to within a rep or two of the bottom of your rep range in your first hard set with the new, heavier weight, you work with that weight until you can hit the top of your rep range again.

If you want to get the most out of double progression, you want to end each of your hard sets one or two reps shy of technical failure, which again, is the point where you can’t do another rep with proper form.

I recommend that you follow the traditional “1–1–1” rep tempo for all weightlifting exercises.

Here’s an easy and effective routine that will warm you up without doing so much that your performance on your hard sets is compromised: Do 10 reps with about 50 percent of your hard set weight, and rest for a minute. Do 10 reps with the same weight at a slightly faster pace, and rest for a minute. Do 4 reps with about 70 percent of your hard set weight, and rest for a minute.

By intensity, I mean the level of physical and mental effort you give to your workout. It’s how intent you are on pushing yourself to make progress. A high-intensity workout is one where you feel like you didn’t leave anything in the tank. You hit every set with determination and didn’t miss reps that you could have gotten if you had really tried. By focus, I mean the amount of concentration you apply to the task at hand. A focused workout is one where you have your attention on the work in front of you, not on the TV show you watched last night, your Instagram feed, or the argument you had with your partner.

The primary purposes of deloading are fourfold: Alleviating “accumulated” nervous system fatigue Reducing joint and ligament strain Reducing the risk of injury Reducing psychological stress

That said, a reasonable recommendation is to plan a deload week every 8 to 10 weeks of heavy, intense training. If you’re in a calorie deficit, make this once every 6 to 8 weeks due to the added physical stress and impaired recovery.

Many weightlifting injuries aren’t caused by training too intensely in any individual workout, but by failing to fully recover from previous workouts.27

Although the exact mechanisms behind HIIT’s fat-burning advantages aren’t fully understood yet, scientists have isolated several factors, including the following:4 Increased metabolic rate for up to 24 hours Increased insulin sensitivity in the muscles Increased fat burning in the muscles Increased growth hormone levels Increased catecholamine (fat-burning chemicals) levels Decreased postexercise appetite

I’ve worked with many people who’ve used a combination of weightlifting, high-intensity interval training, and walking to lose fat rapidly. The most successful approach looks like this: Three to five one-hour weightlifting sessions per week One to three 25-to-30 minute HIIT sessions per week Two to three 30-to-45-minute walks per week

The Best Chest Exercises You Can Do Barbell Bench Press (Incline and Flat) Dumbbell Bench Press (Incline and Flat) Dip* Cable Fly*

The Best Back Exercises You Can Do Barbell Deadlift Barbell Row One-Arm Dumbbell Row Pull-Up Chin-Up T-Bar Row Lat Pulldown (Wide- and Close-Grip) Seated Cable Row (Wide- and Close-Grip)

The Best Biceps Exercises You Can Do Barbell Curl E-Z Bar Curl Alternating Dumbbell Curl Dumbbell Hammer Curl Chin-Up

The Best Triceps Exercises You Can Do Close-Grip Bench Press Seated Triceps Press Dip* Lying Triceps Extension (“Skullcrusher”) Triceps Pushdown

The Best Core Exercises You Can Do Captain’s Chair Leg Raise Hanging Leg Raise Lying Leg Raise Crunch Cable Crunch Weighted Sit-Up Plank Abdominal Rollout

The Best Leg Exercises You Can Do Barbell Squat Barbell Front Squat Hack Squat (Sled, Not Barbell) Single-Leg Split Squat (Barbell or Dumbbell) Leg Press Lunge (Dumbbell or Barbell, Walking or In-Place, Forward or Reverse) Romanian Deadlift Leg Curl (Lying or Seated)* Standing Calf Raise* Seated Calf Raise* Leg Press Calf Raise*

They’re known as the “Big Three,” and they are as follows: Barbell squat Barbell deadlift Barbell bench press

instead, I want to focus on the six types of supplements that are going to be most beneficial for you: Protein powder Fish oil Vitamin D Multivitamin Fat burner Muscle builder

Transforming your body composition is a rewarding process, but it’s probably going to feel slow to you. Many guys find they need to lose anywhere from 10 to 15 percent body fat and gain 20 to 30 pounds of muscle to have the bodies they really want. That can take a couple of years. This is why fitness isn’t for the weak-minded and weak-willed. You can’t slide by on BS. Your body doesn’t care about your excuses or justifications. The only way to undo skipped workouts is to put your butt in the gym and do the work. The only way to overcome screwy dieting is to stop screwing up.

To begin is easy, to persist is an art. —GERMAN PROVERB

A good rule of thumb is this: your cut phases should end when you’re around 8 to 10 percent body fat (unless you have a special reason to get leaner, don’t bother because it’s not sustainable for most people), and your lean bulk phases should end when you’re around 15 to 17 percent body fat (go any further and you’ll regret it once it comes time to cut).

When you get settled into this rhythm of moving between cut and lean bulk phases, you’ll probably find that your cuts last 10 to 14 weeks and your lean bulks 12 to 16 weeks.

Eat plenty of nutritious foods.

Take diet breaks if needed.

Drink plenty of water.

Get enough sleep.

Don’t drink calories.

Follow a meal plan.

Drink calories if necessary.

Keep cardio to a minimum.

We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals. —QUARRY WORKER’S CREED

Phase 1 The Five-Day Routine Workout 1 Push Barbell Bench Press: Warm-up and 3 hard sets Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 hard sets Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 hard sets Triceps Pushdown: 3 hard sets Workout 2 Pull and Calves Barbell Deadlift: Warm-up and 3 hard sets One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 hard sets Lat Pulldown (Wide-Grip): 3 hard sets Leg Press Calf Raise*: 3 hard sets Workout 3 Upper Body and Core Seated Dumbbell Press: Warm-up and 3 hard sets Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise*: 3 hard sets Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (Seated)*: 3 hard sets Cable Crunch: 3 hard sets Workout 4 Legs Barbell Squat: Warm-up and 3 hard sets Leg Press: 3 hard sets Lying Leg Curl*: 3 hard sets Seated Calf Raise*: 3 hard sets Workout 5 Upper Body and Core Close-Grip Bench Press: Warm-up and 3 hard sets Barbell Curl: Warm-up and 3 hard sets Seated Triceps Press: 3 hard sets Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 3 hard sets

Workout 1 Deload Push Barbell Bench Press: Warm-up and 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Dumbbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Workout 2 Deload Pull Barbell Deadlift: Warm-up and 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Barbell Row: 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Lat Pulldown (Wide-Grip): 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Workout 3 Deload Legs Barbell Squat: Warm-up and 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Leg Press: 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Lying Leg Curl: 2 sets of 3 reps with last hard-set weight Put at least one day in between each of these workouts.

six worthwhile types of supplements you can include in your regimen: Protein powder Fish oil Vitamin D Multivitamin Fat burner Muscle builder

here are my recommendations for protein powder intake: Don’t get more than 30 percent of your daily calories from protein powders. Don’t have more than 40 to 50 grams of protein from powder in one sitting.