Models Greg Cornthwaite, Daniel Ventura
Do you follow a traditional body-part workout split, training each muscle group around once a week? It’s a legitimate tactic, and with the right training programme you’ll add muscle size at a decent rate. But if a decent rate is too slow because you want to make big muscle gains as quickly as possible, this month’s main Men’s Fitness workout is for you. When you do this four-times-a-week training plan, you’ll work your chest and back twice each week, while working your biceps, triceps and shoulders directly and indirectly twice a week too. This additional workout volume can help you transform your torso by adding lean muscle mass where you want it to create a V-shaped torso that screams health, strength and fitness.
HERE’S HOW THE PLAN WORKS
This month’s four-week workout is made up of four sessions a week. Workout one targets your chest and back; workout two, your legs and shoulders; workout three, your chest and triceps; and workout four, your back and biceps. This approach means that all your major upper body muscles get trained directly or indirectly twice a week, and it’s this increased gym time and increased training volume that will prompt these muscles into growing bigger quickly.
Each workout is made up of six moves, split into three parts. The first is a superset comprising two big compound lifts, and you’ll do five sets. The second superset is done for four sets and the number of reps increases. The third set is a single exercise but the reps are even higher. This approach will work your more of your muscle fibres to a greater stage of fatigue by taxing them with a mix of heavy-weight, low-rep sets, moderate-weight, moderate-rep sets and light-weight, high-rep sets. Simply do the workouts in order, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest periods detailed, and transform your torso with more muscle mass across the board.
TEMPO TRAINING
To get the full effect from these workouts, you need to stick to the four-digit tempo code for each exercise. The first digit indicates how long in seconds you take to lower the weight, the second how long you pause at the bottom of the move, the third how long you take to lift the weight, and the final digit how long you pause at the top. The accumulated time under tension increases your heart rate to burn body fat and break down muscle tissue so it’s rebuilt bigger and stronger. Keep each rep smooth and controlled so your muscles – not momentum – do the work, and move through a full range of motion.
YOUR FOUR-WEEK MUSCLE PLAN
Here’s how each week is structured
WORKOUT 1 CHEST AND BACK
WORKOUT 2 LEGS AND SHOULDERS
WORKOUT 3 CHEST AND TRICEPS
WORKOUT 4 BACK AND BICEPS
WORKOUT 1 CHEST AND BACK
1A BENCH PRESS
Sets 5 Reps 8
Tempo 2110
Rest 30sec
Lie on a flat bench, holding a barbell with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and press your feet into the ground, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.
1B BENT OVER ROW
Sets 5 Reps 8
Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Hold a barbell using a shoulder-width overhand grip just outside of your legs. Bend your knees slightly, then bend forwards, hingeing from the hips and keeping your shoulder blades back. Pull the bar up towards your sternum, leading with your elbows, then lower it back to the start.
2A CHIN UP
Sets 4 Reps 6
Tempo 2011
Rest 30sec
Hold a chin-up bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in to your body. Lower until your arms are straight again.
2B INCLINE FLYE
Sets 4 Reps 12
Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Lie on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your face, with your palms facing and a slight bend in your elbows. Lower them to the sides, then bring them back to the top.
3 DIAMOND PRESS UP
Sets 3 Reps 15
Tempo 2110 Rest 60sec
Start in a press-up position but with your thumbs and index fingers touching to form a diamond. Keeping your hips up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor. Push down through your hands to return to the start.
WORKOUT 2 LEGS AND SHOULDERS
1A BACK SQUAT
Sets 5 Reps 8
Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec
Stand tall with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and core braced, squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Drive back up through your heels to return to the start.
1B OVERHEAD PRESS
Sets 5 Reps 8
Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across the top of your chest with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press the bar overhead until your arms are straight, then lower it back to the start.
2A BARBELL SPLIT SQUAT
Sets 4
Reps 6 each side
Tempo 2010
Rest 30sec
Stand tall with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up, take a big step forwards with your right foot, then bend both knees to 90°. Drive back through your right foot to return to the start. Repeat for six reps, then switch legs and do another six reps with your left foot.
2B BARBELL HIGH PULL
Sets 4 Reps 12
Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip and straight arms. Keeping your chest up and core braced, pull the bar upwards, leading with your elbows, until it reaches chin height. Then lower it back to the start.
3 LATERAL RAISE
Sets 3 Reps 15
Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides, palms facing each other. Keeping your chest up, core braced and a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height. Turn your thumbs down at the top, then lower them back to the start.
WORKOUT 3 CHEST AND TRICEPS
1A BENCH PRESS
Sets 5 Reps 8
Tempo 2110
Rest 30sec
Lie on a flat bench, holding a bar with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and press your feet into the ground, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.
1B SEATED DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS
Sets 3 Reps 12
Tempo 2010
Rest 60sec
Sit on an upright bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.
2A HAMMER GRIP DUMBBELL PRESS
Sets 4 Reps 12
Tempo 2010
Rest 30sec
Lie on a flat bench, holding dumbbells by your shoulders with palms facing. Drive your feet into the floor and press the weights straight up, then lower them slowly back to the start.
2B DUMBBELL TRICEPS EXTENSION
Sets 4 Reps 12
Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall holding a dumbbell over your head with both hands, arms straight. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows pointing up, lower the weight behind your head, then lift it back to the start.
3 DIAMOND PRESS UP
Sets 3 Reps 12
Tempo 2010
Rest 60sec
Start in a press-up position but with your thumbs and index fingers touching to form a diamond. Keeping your hips up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your chest down towards the group, then push down through your hands to return to the start.
WORKOUT 4 BACK AND BICEPS
1A PULL UP
Sets 4 Reps 6
Tempo 2011
Rest 30sec
Hold a pull-up bar using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your lower chest touches the bar. Lower until your arms are straight again.
2B CHIN UP
Sets 4 Reps 6
Tempo 2011
Rest 60sec
Hold a chin-up bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in to your body. Lower until your arms are straight again.
2A BARBELL BICEPS CURL
Sets 3 Reps 12
Tempo 2010
Rest 30sec
Hold a barbell with an underhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the bar up to your chest, squeezing your biceps as you go. Lower it back to the start.
2B REVERSE GRIP BENT OVER ROW
Sets 3 Reps 12
Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Hold a bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip just outside of your legs. Bend your knees slightly then bend forwards, hingeing at the hips and keeping your shoulder blades back. Pull the bar up towards your sternum, leading with your elbows, then lower it back to the start.
3 DUMBBELL BICEPS CURL
Sets 3 Reps 12
Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Hold dumbbells by your sides with straight arms, palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps as you go, then lower them back to the start.