Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration8 weeks
- Days Per Week4
- Time Per Workout20-30 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
If you want results you have to work for them.
However, you probably already knew that being a loyal Muscle & Strength reader.
But obtaining an awesome physique shouldn’t cost you hours of your time a day and it shouldn’t take years to obtain.
In short, that type of time commitment just isn’t fair!
Especially since you’ve got school, work, and life taking up so much of your time.
Cutting down on time spent in the gym is exactly what the Fast Mass program does best.
It’s one of my favorite programs to do when I want to get in, get the work done, get out, and enjoy the benefits of my fitness lifestyle.
So, if you’re ready to start getting in pump-inducing and effective workouts in under 30 minutes a day, then read on!
The Fast Mass program is perfect for anyone whose looking for maximum results in minimal time. Lets face it, we are all busy. This program allows you to commit just 2 hrs to the gym on a 4 day split with 30 min workouts. -Brett Kahn, IFBB Pro
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Why Should I Perform The Fast Mass Program?
The Fast Mass program utilizes a common, but often misunderstood, intensity technique known as the superset. I’ll touch more on this in a bit, but for now just know that a superset combines two sets of exercises (that use opposing muscle groups) into one elongated set by performing them one after another without rest.
Related: DumbBar Workout - Gains With Dumbbell & Barbell Supersets
By utilizing the superset technique, we can do more work in a shorter amount of time. It also allows us to target multiple muscle groups within one weight lifting session at a high enough tempo to involve the cardio-respiratory system.
In another effort to make sure you get the best bang for your buck with this workout program, we hit each muscle group twice a week with a hypertrophy rep range so that you will gain quality lean muscle mass.
Before I move into describing the workout and providing the workout tables, I want to touch on the topic of what makes a superset a superset.
Why Are Supersets so Great?
As previously mentioned, supersetting is a great way to increase the amount of work you’re able to perform in a shorter amount of time.
A lot of lifters overgeneralize the term superset to make it include any set that is composed of two separate lifts. However, that’s not exactly the case.
True supersets involve opposing muscle groups, while compound sets involve the same muscle group. This workout is predominately made up of supersets. However, a compound set or two may have made its way into the program to ensure enough recovery time was given to each muscle group.
Often the only time I have to get a lift in is over an extended lunch break. Supersets are perfect for shocking and stimulating the muscle. I consistently implement the superset strategies found in the fast mass program throughout the year. -Brett Kahn, IFBB Pro
Personally, the only instances I will normally use compound sets is when training the larger muscles of the leg or during a shredding phase. Otherwise, they can be effective if you really want to keep a muscle under an insane amount of stress, but with the excessive time under tension, you’re bound to experience a breakdown in proper form on the second exercise performed.
However, with traditional supersets, you wont experience that as much as they use opposing muscle groups such as your back and chest. The only issue you may run into is a lack of cardiovascular conditioning, which building upon by using this workout will only help you with your long-term goals.
Describing The Fast Mass Workout
The Fast Mass program is a 4 day split composed entirely of supersets. To begin each superset, you will preform lift “a” before jumping right into lift “b” with no rest period in between.
After you finish your superset, you’ll want to take a rest period of between 45-90secs. For the larger, more complex lifts such as the squat, bench, and dumbbell press, I like to rest for the complete 90 seconds. As the workout progresses, you’ll be able to shorten that rest time closer to the 45-60sec mark while performing some of the accessory lifts.
All the lifts are also programed so that if you work out in a commercial gym, you wont have to hog a whole lot of equipment. Nothing is as disheartening as going to perform the second part of your superset only to see another lifter run off with the equipment you needed for the first part.
Day 1 of the program is a legs and shoulder workout (minus pressing). You will need to bring over a pair of dumbbells to the squat rack to perform lateral raises in a squat/lateral raise superset. After your first superset, you’ll move into dumbbell Romanian deadlifts paired with bent over rear delt raises.
Although bodybuilding is a large component of mens physique, I prefer to train in more of an athletic/functional manner, Supersetting feels like a continuous battle. You Vs. The Weights, minimal rest, start to finish. - Brett Kahn, IFBB Pro
The final superset hits the hamstrings and the quads by performing leg extension and leg curls together. Some gyms have a machine that has them both. If yours does, that's great. If not you can either superset on separate machines or perform one and then the other if you don’t have the opportunity to superset them for whatever reason (i.e. busy gym).
Day 2 features pretty much every other muscle group. You’ll start off on a bench doing dumbbell bench press and dumbbell pullovers to work the chest and lats. Once completed, move the bench up to a 30-45* incline for incline dumbbell presses and chest supported dumbbell rows. Finally, get a great arm pump by performing EZ bar curls with skullcrushers as a superset.
Day 4 is your second leg day of the week. Kick things off with goblet squats paired with goblet lunges in a great leg compound set. Then move over to the machines to hit the quads and hamstrings with another leg extension and leg curl superset.
For your second compound set, hit some calf work with seated calf raises and standing calf raises. For standing calf raises, these can be completed either with a machine, with weight, or with bodyweight depending on the gym flow during your workouts.
Related: 5 Day Superset & Timed Set Muscle Building Workout
Day 5, and the final day of the lifting week, features a whole upper body day. Start off with standing dumbbell military presses followed up with a bent over dumbbell row. Next head over to the cables for a lat pulldown paired with one of the greatest bodyweight exercises of all time, the pushup.
End your workout and go into the weekend with a killer arm pump by performing alternating dumbbell hammer curls and overhead tricep extensions.
On the off days, you’ll want to walk for 20-40 minutes as an active recovery. Active recovery sessions are great for loosing up your tight muscles, and increase blood flow so that you can pump nutrients into your muscles to help them repair. I prefer walking, but I also live in an area where it doesn’t get cold very often. Do whatever light cardio works best for you.
You may also want to include some additional core workouts on your off days. Although, you certainly don’t have to. The amount of work done during you workouts should be plenty to shred fat and work the stabilizing muscles of your core.
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1a. Squat | 4 | 8-12 |
| 1b. Lateral Raise | 4 | 8-12 |
| 2a. Dumbbell RDL | 3 | 8-12 |
| 2b. Rear Delt Raises | 3 | 8-12 |
| 3a. Leg Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
| 3b. Leg Curls | 3 | 8-12 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1a. Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| 1b. Dumbbell Pullover | 4 | 8-12 |
| 2a. Incline Dumbbell Bench | 3 | 8-12 |
| 2b. Dumbbell Row on Incline Bench | 3 | 8-12 |
| 3a. EZ Bar Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| 3b. Skullcrusher | 3 | 10-12 |
Day 3
off (light cardio 20-40 minutes of walking for active recovery)
Day 4
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1a. Goblet Squat | 4 | 12 |
| 1b. Goblet Lunge | 4 | 12 |
| 2a. Leg Extension | 4 | 10-12 |
| 2b. Leg Curl | 4 | 10-12 |
| 3a. Standing Calf Raises | 4 | 12-15 |
| 3b. Seated Calf Raises | 4 | 12-15 |
Day 5
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1a. Standing Dumbbell Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| 1b. Bent-Over Dumbbell Row | 4 | 8-12 |
| 2a. Lat Pulldown | 4 | 10-12 |
| 2b. Pushup | 4 | 10-12 |
| 3a. Alternating Hammer Curl | 3 | 10 |
| 3b. Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 | 10 |
Day 6 & 7
off (light cardio 20-40 minutes of walking for active recovery)
Conclusion
The Fast Mass Program is great, because it utilizes supersets, which allows you to perform a lot of exercises and train multiple muscle groups in a short amount of time.
It is perfect for the average person looking to put on muscle mass, but may not have the time to spend longer than 30 minutes in the gym.
247 Comments
Late to the party but let me say I love this program. I am in weeks 5 and other gym bros have been making comments on my gains!!
I have trouble with the rest periods, should I decrease weight or just rest longer?
Give yourself an extra 30 seconds, Teddy. If that doesn'e help, decrease the weight. Hope this helps!
Hi I workout at home and this routine looks great. But my question is I have Dumbbells that go up to 90lbs and resistance bands and ez curl bar and bench. Most of the routine I can do at home . But what would you change for leg extensions and leg curls. Thanks
If you have bands, then you can do extensions and leg curls with those by securing one end on a squat rack or solid object and wrapping the other end around your legs. I can't share external links, but there are video demos on YouTube.
Hi, Great program ,I stick with it and it is very helpful , but now i have problems in my left knee,plz i need alternatives for the exercises in day1,3
My thanks,and greetings
It's hard to make suggestions without knowing what is going on with your knee. Have you spoken to a doctor about it?
Plz , male over 50 ,175 cm ,weight81kg,14.7%fats,is it safe to do this programe with endurance focuse or keep hypertrophy in , moderate weights with higher rep, or keep adding weghts , thank yoy
You can do it either way safely. If you feel the weight you're using isn't enough, then add a few pounds. If the weight feels challenging without completely exhausting you, that is ok too. Go at your personal level.
I love this workout, now in my second week. Three sets may not seem like much, but they work you hard and make good use of your time when you dont have a lot of it to spare. I incorporate cardio (20 min jogging or exercise bike) before or after on the same day as well. Quick question- the lunges- are they 12 per leg or 12 total for 6 per leg?
12 per leg. Unless it's written otherwise, any workout with each leg or arm working separately will call for the rep number to be per side.
the program duration is 8 weeks. Could you comment on this?
What exactly am I commenting on? Mind making that question a little more specific?
What about standard deadlifts? Aren't they important?
Also, does it make a difference if you do seated shoulder press instead on day 5?
They can be, and you can do them if you like. Day 4 would be a good spot for them.
Standing dumbbell press challenges the core more, but if you must do them seated, that is okay.
Please advise me about protien intake according to what ? Muscle mass or total body mass ?and the precentage ,male 50y ,81kg,thanks
I recommend taking protein based on total body mass, regardless of age. So, I suggest 2 grams for each kilo of bodyweight.
81 * 2 = 162 grams per day.
If it is a 4 day workout program why is there workouts for 5 days?
Days 1, 2, 4, and 5 are the only training days. That is 4.
Why is there an "a" and "b" next to the exercise?
Those are supersets. Perform exercise A, then B before taking a rest.
Hello, do you perform one exercise then move on to the next one? or do you move through each exercise one set at a time? how much rest time between sets?
The A and B are supersets. Perform A, then B, then rest.
90 seconds rest between sets or supersets.
Great workout Josh.
Can we add Hill Sprints on Day3 ? How will it affect recovery ? With this in mind, I thought for better recovery I could do Day4 Leg exercises on Day5 and Day5 exercises on Day4. Will this negatively affect the gains ? How many days can we do high intensity cardio(e.g. HIIT, S.M.I.T) after workout sessions ?
Hi, Zeb. The hill sprints may impact your recovery going into the next workout. That is why Josh recommended light cardio. You could switch Days 4 and 5 if you like. He didn't recommend HIIT because of the supersets you're doing during the workouts themselves. If you feel you must do them, then save them for after your upper body workout days. Hope this helps!
Much thanks for reply.
So any form of HIIT done on any day with this workout can negatively impact recovery ? Battling ropes HIIT I have done in the past - can it be done and on which days? Another option which I was thinking is doing Day 4 exercises on Day 5 and then after this leg workout do hill sprints or battling ropes HIIT - I can have 2 full days of rest on the weekend before beginning the Day1 Leg workout next week ? On other days (Day 1,2,3,4) I could do brisk walk and/or jogging after workouts.
If your goal is to build muscle and/or get stronger, then yes, HIIT could negatively impact recovery. There are people that may be exceptions to that, and you could be one of them, but I would usually recommend focusing on steady-state cardio if you're trying to build muscle. IF you must do HIIT, then I would say doing battle rope after the leg workout and hill sprints after upper body days. That way, the same bodyparts aren't having to do intense work twice in the same day. The other days with walks/jogs would be ok.
Hello. I am going to try this program, but can you tell me with how many
RIR per excersise to work with? Should I change weights or do with the same?
I would leave 1-3 RIR until the last set, which I would personally take to failure.
Change weights each set for the big lifts at least. If you want to use the same weight and go with 1 RIR on those sets, that would be ok.
Good day all.
so me and the wife started this program on the 12/09/2022
one week past and starting our 2nd week today, supper exited of what to expect on week 8, we cut out on sugar, started eating less and must say feeling better every day.
Please keep us posted on how you progress, Gert. Thanks for trying this program and reading M&S!
Hi. Now you know it’s almost impossible to do Supersets in a gym. Most of the time to crowded. So in that case what would you recommend to do
Rearrange the exercises so they are in close proximity. That way your transition time is minimal, and you're less likely to have something taken. For example, two dumbbell exercises or two machines that are side by side. Hope this helps!
hi
a)the second leg day can i replace leg curls-extensions with sissy squat - stiff leg deadlift ?just to do other exercises for the same muscles.i don't know if it is better or not but you know better for sure if it is ok for the programm and the target
b)can i add face pulls - shrugs on 5 day or the load is too much ?
Yes to both, Theo. Go for it, and please let us know how those changes work out for you!
Currently training for a 5k is it okay to do a fasted run in the mornings before performing this workout
I don't advise that, Sam. Your performance in the workout will be greatly diminished, and it will do more damage than good for the muscles. I've ran a few 5k's and I feel training first, then doing the 5k is better, but even then, I ate at least 1 meal first.
Is it ok to substitute the push ups with barbell bench press on day 5
Hi, Rudy. You can do that. I would actually suggest dumbbells instead of barbell for the extra range of motion, but do the barbell if you really prefer to.
Is it ok to do pull ups and additional push ups after days 2 and 5 or on rest days.
If you wanted to do them on days 2 and 5 after, that would be ok, Rudy. Save the rest days for recovery. It will help you achieve the best possible results if you allow the body to recover completely.
How much weight do you use is it 70
Nathan, use whatever weight allows you to reach the rep ranges that the workout calls for. Everyone's strength levels are different, so there is no way to recommend specific weights.
Would this program work on a caloric deficit?
Myles, if your goal is to gain mass, then you shouldn't be in a deficit. If you're looking to get leaner, then you may want to consider another program.
Hi I workout at hone right now for the legs what would you recommend for leg curls and leg extensions I mainly have access to dumbbells and a bench and I have resistance bands. Thanks
Hi, Steve. Do leg extensions with a dumbbell between your feet. You may have to sit up on a higher seat so your feet don't touch the floor. As for leg curls, do standing banded curls with one end around a solid object and the other around your ankle. You could also do leg curls with a dumbbell between your feet as well.
Great workout. Can this workout be done three days in a row then a rest day before completing the last workout ? Assuming HIIT is done with the third workout.
Hey Zeb, it can be done that way. Just pay attention to your recovery and nutrition since you're training for that many days in a row.
So do I have to repeat the same superset after the break or move on the next one like a circuit?? for example Day 1 do I complete 1a and 1b before moving on to 2???