Workout Summary
Workout Description
This is an intermediate muscle building workout for lifters who:
- Have experienced beginner gains and are confident they know how to build muscle.
- Have a solid grasp of exercise form on the major compound movements.
- Know how to set up an effective muscle building eating plan.
Overload. Overload is critical to the muscle building process. Push each set for the maximum number of reps, stopping that set either when you feel your form is slipping, or if you feel like you may fail on the next rep. Do not train to failure. The point is to stimulate growth, not annihilate your body and central nervous system.
Add weight to each exercise as frequently as possible, when it makes sense. I recommend using the same weight for every set of a given exercise, and when you are able to perform a comfortable number of reps on each set, add weight.
Rep Ranges. Rep ranges are simply a guideline. It's is ok to go over them, or a hair under at times. Again, the magic is overload. Rep ranges are simply a tool.
5 Minute Burn Periods. For each body part you will perform a 5 minute burn out period. These sets are brutal. Pick a weight that allows you to perform about 12-15 reps. Over a 5 minute period you perform as many reps as possible with that weight, starting and stopping sets as needed. Rest only long enough to catch your bearings and breathe, and then start knowing out more reps.
5 minute burn out periods are not about sets and reps. They are about finishing off an already fatigued muscle. Don't obsess (or even count) over how many total sets you do. Instead, try to do as many reps as possible in 5 minutes using whatever rest periods you need to survive.
4 Day Maximum Mass Workout Split
- Day 1 - Back and Biceps
- Day 2 - Chest and Triceps
- Day 3 - OFF
- Day 4 - Quads, Hamstrings and Calves
- Day 5 - Shoulders, Traps and Forearms
- Day 6 - OFF
- Day 7 - OFF
| Day 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Back and Biceps | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Deadlift | 2 | 5 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Wide Grip Pull Up or Lat Pull Down | 3 | 10-12 |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Cable Row or Machine Row | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| EZ Bar Preacher Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| Concentration Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| Seated Dumbbell Curl | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Day 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chest and Triceps | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Bench Press | 3 | 6-10 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Chest Dip | 3 | AMAP* |
| Cable Crossover or Pec Dec | 3 | 12-15 |
| Machine Press or Dumbbell Bench Press | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| EZ Bar Skullcrusher | 3 | 8-12 |
| Two Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
| Cable Tricep Extension | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Day 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quads, Hamstrings and Calves | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Squat | 3 | 6-10 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 15-20 |
| Hack Squat or Dumbbell Lunge | 3 | 8-12 |
| Leg Extension | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Leg Curl | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 10-15 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Day 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shoulders, Traps and Forearms | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Seated Barbell Press | 3 | 6-10 |
| Seated Arnold Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 10-15 |
| Hammer Strength Press or Smith Press | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Upright Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Barbell Shrug or Dumbbell Shrug | 5 Minutes | Burn |
| Seated Barbell Wrist Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Barbell Static Hold | 5 Minutes | Burn |
*AMAP = As many as possible.
Barbell Static Holds. Instead of performing reps you simply hold the bar as long as possible.
Comments (407)
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Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 16:45
Nice one Steve! Like the different rep ranges like in power muscle burn routine!
The static work is a nice add-on! Very complete routine!
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 19:39
Thanks FD.
Posted Mon, 04/15/2013 - 15:04
Hello Steve,
Can i replace T-bar Row with dumbell row.Kindly suggest.
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 17:01
Very intriguing wkout plan. Hopefully this helps me gain some mass while getting ripped quick. Does anyone know if it'd be fine (other than exhausting) to add in 1.3 miles of cardio between exercises. Also looking to add pool sessions on the off days to get in more cardio. Trying to train quick for a Spartan Sprint halloween weekend.
Posted Wed, 10/24/2012 - 08:05
cardio and adding mass dont exactly go hand in hand
Posted Thu, 11/15/2012 - 16:49
Long distance, granted 1.3miles isnt too far is not the best if your looking at gaining mass. ive run a few 5k obstacle courses myself and i had to drop heavy lifting seriously for a little while. (all in all body building= sprints short 15-30 min cardio) long distance burns too many calories that you need to repair and build your body
Posted Mon, 02/11/2013 - 19:39
why 1.3 exactly
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 17:05
i wanna try this next week, sounds pretty good thanks, by the way what you mean with 5 min to burn, i need to do Dumbbell Bench Press for 5 min ?
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 19:41
Yes, taking short rests when needed. The specifics are listed in the description.
Posted Thu, 04/25/2013 - 12:24
Hello Steve.
It's enough to exercise a grup of muscles once a week ? Maybe you have to exercise them more? Like twice a week with more intensity the first day and less the second time during the week. I mean alternating , rotation . Following your 4 day program and at the end exercise for a 10-15 min a dif muscle . Ex today I'm gonna exercise legs as the program. May I do some bicipts or shoulders at the end? Again, it's enough to exercice once a week to get mass????
Thank you!
Marco
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 17:10
Very intriguing workout routine. Does anyone know whether adding in 1.3 miles of cardio between every exercise would be fine (other than exhausting) on the muscles during this routine? Also I plan to add in pool time, maybe 1500 meters every off day. My point is to train quick ( about 3 weeks) for a Spartan Sprint halloween weekend and I think this could help me gain mass and get ripped quick.
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 20:31
I have to workout 4 days straight due to my schedule. Will this workout still be ok with that type of schedule and no rest?
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 11:40
Not optimal, but that should be ok as long as you eat and sleep big.
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 20:40
Ive been trying to create a workout plan like this. Im an ectomorph and been utilizing big lifts like this. I want to stay as cut as a can while building serious muscle. This is exactly what i needed to organize my lifts. Thanks steve
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 20:47
Hi steve......hope u doing fine
Well this workout seems to have a similar philosphy of your earlier Muscle burn workouts right?.....i have just started your 4 day power muscle burn.....well i made few changes but the base is pretty same.....would try out this workout in November...Take care
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 23:45
Hi Steve,
I wanna ask about is it ok if I change the routine to chest and bicep to be worked out together in one day and tricep and back to be worked out in another day?
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 12:15
Not as it stands, no. Your triceps would be fatigued heading into chest day. Something like this would work:
Day 1 - Shoulders, Traps and Forearms
Day 2 - Back and Triceps
Day 3 - OFF
Day 4 - OFF
Day 5 - Quads, Hamstrings and Calves
Day 6 - Chest and Biceps
Day 7 - OFF
Posted Thu, 10/04/2012 - 23:49
Can this workout be condensed to a 3-day schedule?
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 12:16
Yes, but it would require some precision planning. Perhaps in the future I can add a 3-day variation.
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 01:27
thank you for this workout plan! im going to do this workout for nex 8week.
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 12:16
Get big!
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 07:09
when you do the barbell static holds how do you hold the bar? like just hanging there, mid rep or what?
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 12:17
Yes, just hold the bar as long as possible. Hold the bar in a rack that has high safety pins or bars, so when you drop it you're not going to get kicked out of your gym.
Posted Sat, 10/06/2012 - 08:17
Are you putting any weight on the bar?
Posted Sat, 10/06/2012 - 19:42
Absolutely. As much as you can lift :)
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 16:32
Hi Steve sir, nice routine and always different reps like to workout in that way, I have been following the compound only routines with small changes from past 4 weeks and have improved a lot.... Can I get defined muscles by following the same routine by increasing the repetitions and by adding cardio to the off days....
Thank you sir.....
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 10:44
Defined muscles come from:
1) Adding muscle.
2) Reducing fat.
My recommendation is to pick a single goal to focus on at a time. This workout can help you with the first goal.
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 20:39
I have a pinched ulnar nerve and a pinched nerve in my neck at c5-c6. Because of this the grip in my left hand is extremely weak and my pinky and thumb have started to atrophy, but it is responding and getting stronger. That being said what would you recommend for rest periods between sets? If I keep my rest between 60 seconds and under then my grip gives out after 4-5 reps. My doctor says that as long as I keep making improvements in strength then surgery is off the table. I lost 40 pounds following Bill Phillips 5-25 workout but I'm interested in building muscle mass now and strengthening my neck and grip and much as possible.
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 10:46
For muscle building I would rest at least 2 minutes between sets of compound lifts, and maybe 60-90 between sets of isolation moves. Go a little longer if you need time for your grip to recover.
Posted Fri, 10/05/2012 - 20:44
one question Steve, if you just swap day 1 with day 2 and everything else is the same would cause a big difference?
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 10:50
That should work ok.
Posted Sat, 10/06/2012 - 11:25
Hey Steve, would it be fine if I add Abdominal workouts in my schedule? would this work ?
Day 1 - Chest and Biceps
Day 2 - Quads, Hamstrings, Calves and Abdominals
Day 3 - OFF
Day 4 - Back and Triceps
Day 5 - Shoulders, Traps, Forearms and Abdominals
Day 6 - OFF
Day 7 - OFF
Thank you
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 10:51
That works.
Posted Sun, 10/07/2012 - 17:46
I normally train my Chest and Back one day, then Biceps and Triceps another. Would it be ok to do that with this routine? So instead of the Chest and Tricep, I would merge all the chest exercises with the back exercises?
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 10:51
I would have to see the layout of the entire workout to comment. Best to post that in the forum:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/forum/
Posted Tue, 10/09/2012 - 13:02
Never mind, I just followed the workout as it's shown here, and I've got that lovely muscle burn which I haven't felt in a long time with my old regime! Loving it so far, thanks.
Posted Mon, 10/08/2012 - 17:45
Found this workout looked great just finished day 1 did not finish reached muscle failure at concentration curls. I've worked out on and off for years but am woundering if this is the best workout for me or if there is one you would recommended for someone after a six month break maybe longer.
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:31
Hi Volk,
Take is slow for a few weeks, ease into things and then you could go full speed with this workout.
Posted Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:12
Hi Steve,
I realy likes your workouts.
I'm confused about two workouts which are this one and the "Power Muscle Burn 5 Day Powerbuilding Split", which one is better for the lower body part (quads, Hamstrings)
I'd like to know whats the different between muscle and power sets is it the number of reps or the way of performing each of.
thanks
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:33
Power sets are more strength focused. They help build muscle, but in a different way.
Posted Wed, 10/10/2012 - 19:44
Are the workouts for each day designed to be comleted in order? Can they be switched around if a machine or weight is not available at the moment?
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:34
Perform them in the order listed.
Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 00:45
Hey steve i was wondering for each set how much weight should i go up by?
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:36
From the workout description:
"I recommend using the same weight for every set of a given exercise, and when you are able to perform a comfortable number of reps on each set, add weight."
Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 09:53
Hey Steve. Can you give me an ideal calorie/carb/protein intake a day to gain 30 pounds from 150 as quick as possible? And an estimated time that it would take. My brother got me on this split and it has kicked my ass. Thanks!
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:38
I would start with 4000 calories per day and 200-250 grams of protein per day. Carbs and fats will fill in the blanks naturally. I wouldn't worry about counting them as much as counting protein.
You want to gain about 2 pounds a month your first year.
Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 16:17
On the off days would it be advisable to run up to 10 miles?
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:38
If that's what you enjoy doing, by all means.
Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 16:41
Can I do in 2 of the days off Pilates and Yoga ? That won't be affect my muscles growth ?
Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:39
Yes you can do them. No they won't impact gains.
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