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New Year, New You!
Maybe one year you lost a good amount of weight. Another could have been the time you started eating everything in sight and lifted like a maniac. Still another could have been your “Hey, why don’t I try to run a marathon?” phase (which in retrospect you describe as “Holy crap, I was too thin”).
The catalyst for many such changes may have been the coming of a new year and a little thing called New Year’s resolutions — that common societal moment when millions of people take stock of their lives and resolve to make changes. Thus, how you look year in and year out could be a direct result of either sticking to a resolution, or starting with great intentions but soon veering completely off course. This year can be different, because now you have the ultimate three-month guidebook to help you get stronger, leaner and more muscular. The information on the following pages will allow you to look back on this point in your life in a future home movie and say, “I looked awesome.” And because you’ll have M&F along the way to help you continue gaining and maintaining, you’ll be able to add: “And I still do.”
Your Next Three Months
This first four weeks is all about one thing: strength. That means you’ll concentrate on low reps and heavy weights. In fact, all sets you do during this month will be for 3–6 reps, with up to three minutes of rest in between.
As you increase the resistance you use each week, your reps will drop. For instance, Week 1 reps start out at six per set, then drop to five the second week, four the third week and three the final week. You’ll also do weighted ab work to keep your core strong for the challenges to come. A final note you may like: no cardio. We’ll save that for the leaning-out portion of the program.
Month 1: STRENGTH IN FOCUS
DAY 1: Legs Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Squat 5 6 5 4 3
Leg Press 5 6 5 4 3
Leg Extension 5 6 5 4 3
Romanian Deadlift 5 6 5 4 3
Leg Curl 5 6 5 4 3
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 5 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 2: Chest/shoulders/traps Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Bench Press 5 6 5 4 3
Incline Bench Press 5 6 5 4 3
Dumbbell Flye 5 6 5 4 3
Upright Row 5 6 5 4 3
Lateral Raise 5 6 5 4 3
Shrug 5 6 5 4 3
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 5 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 3: Back Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Deadlift 5 6 5 4 3
Bent-Over Row 5 6 5 4 3
T-Bar Row 5 6 5 4 3
Rack Pull 5 6 5 4 3
Lat Pulldown 5 6 5 4 3
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 5 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 4: Arms Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Curl 5 6 5 4 3
Hammer Curl 5 6 5 4 3
Lying Triceps Extension 5 6 5 4 3
Seated Overhead Extension 5 6 5 4 3
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 5 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
NOTES: Rest 2–3 minutes between sets. Take a day off from the gym between days two and three, and two days off after day four. (So, for example, train Monday and Tuesday, take off Wednesday, train Thursday and Friday, and rest on the weekend.)
Next up, Month 2. After building a strong base to work from, you’ll focus on size. We ramp up the rep count to 8–12 reps per set. The intensity increases, too, as we introduce a valuable intensity technique — drop sets — into each workout.
Month 2: PACK ON THE MASS
DAY 1: Legs Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Squat 5 8 9 10 12
Leg Press 5 8 9 10 12
Leg Extension 5 8 9 10 12
Romanian Deadlift 5 8 9 10 12
Leg Curl 5 8 9 10 12
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 5 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 2: Chest/shoulders/traps Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets* Reps
Bench Press 5 8 9 10 12
Incline Bench Press 5 8 9 10 12
Dumbbell Flye 5 8 9 10 12
Overhead Press 5 8 9 10 12
Upright Row 5 8 9 10 12
Lateral Raise 5 8 9 10 12
Shrug 5 8 9 10 12
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 5 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 3: Back Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets* Reps
Deadlift 5 8 9 10 12
Bent-Over Row 5 8 9 10 12
T-Bar Row 5 8 9 10 12
Rack Pull 5 8 9 10 12
Lat Pulldown 5 8 9 10 12
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 5 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
DAY 4: Arms Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Curl 5 8 9 10 12
Hammer Curl 5 8 9 10 12
Lying Triceps Extension 5 8 9 10 12
Seated Overhead Extension 5 8 9 10 12
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 5 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 5 20 20 20 20
NOTES: On your last two sets of each exercise, upon initial failure, drop the weight 20%–30% and continue doing reps until you reach failure again. Take 1–2-minute rest periods between sets. Take a day off from the gym between days two and three, and two days off after day four.
After two months, you’ll be stronger and you should have added some size. The next step to transforming your physique is to lean out. Because you’ve used low- and mid-range reps up to this point, we’ll crank up the reps pretty high, even going up to 25 per set. You’ll also get very little rest between sets, which allows you to keep your heart rate up throughout the workout and burn more calories. In addition, you do cardio each training day to help rid your body of excess fat.
In just three months of this progressive and all-encompassing plan, you’ll notice that it’s almost spring. That’s a good thing, because with your new body to show off, the warmer days will come in handy.
Month 3: LEAN OUT
DAY 1: Legs Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Squat 4 12 15 20 25
Leg Press 4 12 15 20 25
Leg Extension 4 12 15 20 25
Romanian Deadlift 5 12 15 20 25
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 4 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 4 20 20 20 20
CARDIO: Do the bike, treadmill or StepMill for 30 minutes interval-style (two minutes at high intensity interspersed with one minute at a lower intensity).
DAY 2: Chest/shoulders/traps Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Bench Press 4 12 15 20 25
Incline Bench Press 4 12 15 20 25
Overhead Press 4 12 15 20 25
Upright Row 4 12 15 20 25
Lateral Raise 4 12 15 20 25
Shrug 4 12 15 20 25
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 4 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 4 20 20 20 20
CARDIO: Do the bike, treadmill or StepMill for 45 minutes at a steady, challenging pace.
DAY 3: Back Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Deadlift 4 12 15 20 25
Bent-Over Row 4 12 15 20 25
T-Bar Row 4 12 15 20 25
Rack Pull 4 12 15 20 25
Lat Pulldown 4 12 15 20 25
Weighted Decline Sit-Up 4 10 10 10 10
Seated Calf Raise 4 20 20 20 20
CARDIO: Do the bike, treadmill or StepMill for 60 minutes at a steady, moderate pace.
DAY 4: Arms Week 1 2 3 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Curl 4 12 15 20 25
Hammer Curl 4 12 15 20 25
Lying Triceps Extension 4 12 15 20 25
Seated Overhead Extension 4 12 15 20 25
Weighted Hanging Leg Raise 4 10 10 10 10
Standing Calf Raise 4 20 20 20 20
CARDIO: Do the bike, treadmill or StepMill for 60 minutes interval-style (five minutes at high intensity interspersed with five minutes at a lower intensity).
NOTES: Take 30–60-second rest periods between sets. Take a day off from the gym between days two and three, and two days off after day four.
