To get large—and we mean large—you need to focus on heavy compound movements to recruit the most amount of muscle and trigger huge releases of muscle-building hormones. On the following slides, you’ll find a series of moves that do just that in the form of a squat, a hip hinge, a push, a pull, and a loaded carry—aka every movement you need to become a mass monster.
The exercises below are ordered in such a way that you’ll start by priming your body, front to back, with a front-loaded lunge before moving on to heavy squats. The chest flyes and kettlebell straight-leg deadlifts will serve as a “break,” while still pumping up your physique, before the brutal finale of this session—deadlifts to carries.
Be warned: This workout is not for the faint of heart. Make sure you rest a day or two before and after doing this. And feel free to feast afterward—if you are going to have a cheat meal, now is the time for it. Feed the monster and watch it grow.
The Moves
DIRECTIONS: Perform the prescribed sets and reps for each move in order before moving on to the next. Rest about a minute in between sets and a minute and a half between movements. For the deadlift and carries, rest three to five minutes between “runs.”
5 Moves to Put on Scary Mass
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1 OF 5
1 of 5
Marius Bugge / M+F Magazine
Alternating Front Rack Lunge
WHY DO IT: The stability required to hold weight in the front rack position while lunging will light you up from head to toe, which is perfect as a warmup. You’ll also tax your core, your upper back, and your legs during the lunge portion. DO IT: Hold a loaded barbell in the front rack position with elbows up. Then lunge forward until your front and back legs are bent at 90 degrees. Now repeat on the other leg. SETS x REPS: 4 x 8 (per leg), using moderate weight.
2 of 5
Marius Bugge
Zercher Squat
WHY DO IT: Holding the bar in the crooks of your elbows requires a strong, rigid upper back and strong-as-hell spinal erectors (low back). This is a more quad-dominant squat variation, too, so you’ll add size to the fronts of your legs. DO IT: Rest a loaded barbell in the crooks of your elbows, arms no more than a foot apart. (No one will judge you if you use a towel or bar pad—these hurt.) With closed fists, drive your hands upward to create tightness in your upper back, and pinch your elbows to your sides. Squat down, keeping your chest high so that your elbows don’t slam into your knees, then explode back up. SETS x REPS: 3 x 5, going as heavy as possible.
3 of 5
Marius Bugge / M+F Magazine
Chain Flye
WHY DO IT: Flyes remove reliance on the triceps and deltoids so you can better isolate the chest muscle for growth. And besides looking badass, using chains takes some pressure off the shoulder joints, increases instability for more muscle recruitment, and ensures that there’s more tension on your pecs from start to finish, as the chains start at chest level and extend to the floor. DO IT: Hook a carabiner to some lifting chains and connect a D-handle to the other end. From there, lie back on a bench and perform a chest flye, as you would with dumbbells. (If no chains are available, use a cable machine.) SETS x REPS: 3–4 x 12–15, using moderate weight.
4 of 5
Marius Bugge / M+F Magazine
Kettlebell Straight-Leg Deadlift to Shrug
WHY DO IT: Most deadlift variations utilize more hip and leg drive, which is great for building strength but not muscle. This variation takes momentum out of the equation for maximum hamstring growth. (Your deadlift will get stronger, too—don’t worry.) The shrug at the top is just to help you add mass to your traps, because nothing screams “mass monster” more than a thick neck and a beastly upper back. DO IT: Hold a kettlebell in each hand. Bend your knees slightly and hold the bells out in front of you, arms extended. Push your butt out and hinge at the hips to lower the weight to a three count until you feel a stretch in your hammies, keeping your back straight throughout. Reverse the movement and then shrug the weight at the top. SETS x REPS: 4 x 10
5 of 5
Marius Bugge / M+F Magazine
Trap-Bar Deadlift and Carry
WHY DO IT: Nothing builds a set of steel traps like loading up a heavy trap bar and taking it for a walk. Including deadlifts at both the beginning and end of your runs helps add some volume to your hamstrings, glutes, and back, too, while keeping strength high. DO IT: Load up a trap bar. Heavy. If you want to really hammer your traps and upper back, remove the weakest link, your grip. Slap on a set of straps, ignore the chants of “cheater” from all of your smaller and weaker friends, and lock into the bar. You’ll perform five standard deadlifts, walk 50 feet, and then do five more deadlifts. That’s one “run.” SETS x REPS: 4 x 1 total “runs.”
WHY DO IT: The stability required to hold weight in the front rack position while lunging will light you up from head to toe, which is perfect as a warmup. You’ll also tax your core, your upper back, and your legs during the lunge portion. DO IT: Hold a loaded barbell in the front rack position with elbows up. Then lunge forward until your front and back legs are bent at 90 degrees. Now repeat on the other leg. SETS x REPS: 4 x 8 (per leg), using moderate weight.
Zercher Squat
WHY DO IT: Holding the bar in the crooks of your elbows requires a strong, rigid upper back and strong-as-hell spinal erectors (low back). This is a more quad-dominant squat variation, too, so you’ll add size to the fronts of your legs. DO IT: Rest a loaded barbell in the crooks of your elbows, arms no more than a foot apart. (No one will judge you if you use a towel or bar pad—these hurt.) With closed fists, drive your hands upward to create tightness in your upper back, and pinch your elbows to your sides. Squat down, keeping your chest high so that your elbows don’t slam into your knees, then explode back up. SETS x REPS: 3 x 5, going as heavy as possible.
Chain Flye
WHY DO IT: Flyes remove reliance on the triceps and deltoids so you can better isolate the chest muscle for growth. And besides looking badass, using chains takes some pressure off the shoulder joints, increases instability for more muscle recruitment, and ensures that there’s more tension on your pecs from start to finish, as the chains start at chest level and extend to the floor. DO IT: Hook a carabiner to some lifting chains and connect a D-handle to the other end. From there, lie back on a bench and perform a chest flye, as you would with dumbbells. (If no chains are available, use a cable machine.) SETS x REPS: 3–4 x 12–15, using moderate weight.
Kettlebell Straight-Leg Deadlift to Shrug
WHY DO IT: Most deadlift variations utilize more hip and leg drive, which is great for building strength but not muscle. This variation takes momentum out of the equation for maximum hamstring growth. (Your deadlift will get stronger, too—don’t worry.) The shrug at the top is just to help you add mass to your traps, because nothing screams “mass monster” more than a thick neck and a beastly upper back. DO IT: Hold a kettlebell in each hand. Bend your knees slightly and hold the bells out in front of you, arms extended. Push your butt out and hinge at the hips to lower the weight to a three count until you feel a stretch in your hammies, keeping your back straight throughout. Reverse the movement and then shrug the weight at the top. SETS x REPS: 4 x 10
Trap-Bar Deadlift and Carry
WHY DO IT: Nothing builds a set of steel traps like loading up a heavy trap bar and taking it for a walk. Including deadlifts at both the beginning and end of your runs helps add some volume to your hamstrings, glutes, and back, too, while keeping strength high. DO IT: Load up a trap bar. Heavy. If you want to really hammer your traps and upper back, remove the weakest link, your grip. Slap on a set of straps, ignore the chants of “cheater” from all of your smaller and weaker friends, and lock into the bar. You’ll perform five standard deadlifts, walk 50 feet, and then do five more deadlifts. That’s one “run.” SETS x REPS: 4 x 1 total “runs.”
