>> For a three-day version of our 10-pound mass program, pick up the January issue of M&F, on newsstands now.
Sometimes, your workout split can make all the difference. Four days a week or more – as many of you out there like to get – at the gym simply isn't reasonable at this time of the year. In the January issue of M&F (Merry X-Mass, pg. 126), we're helping you make the most of your dwindling holiday time by condensing your workout schedule into three, high-octane days at the gym. But for some people, even three days can get cumbersome. That's why we're giving you a two-day version of the same program right here at M&F Online. Either of these programs has the makings of a 10-pound mass gain this month.
And we're not lying when we say you only need two days to pack on 10 pounds of muscle. But you will need to schedule three total sessions. That's because on the first day of the week, you'll hit the gym twice – once in the morning, once in the evening. (You didn't think you'd get off that easy, did you?)
The first day in your split is divided into two workouts. The day is divided into a morning session consisting of work on the pushing muscles of your upper body (chest, shoulders and triceps), while the evening routine bombards the pulling muscles of your upper body (back, biceps). You'll also hit traps in the morning and abs during both sessions.
This two-a-day approach on Monday serves two purposes. On one hand, you'll attack all the major muscles of your upper body in one day, saving you time and gas on subsequent trips to the gym. Also, this high-volume day allows you to maximally stimulate the muscle fibers of your upper body, which not only sets you on course for more growth but also ups your caloric expenditure after what was likely a weekend full of pumpkin pie and stuffing.
For those of you out there who actually take the time to train legs the way you should – with an eye toward thicker thighs and without regard for your gait – you can understand why we give legs a day of their own. On leg day, to be performed each Thursday, you'll bombard your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves, mainly with traditional mass-building exercises such as squats, leg presses and romanians because of the. While you will encounter a few off-center exercises, these big-weight moves comprise the bulk of your leg work for the month for a simple reason: they work. Keep in mind that if you plan on hitting the targeted 10-pound mark, your leg days will make all the difference since they house the biggest muscle fibers on your physique.
Two days. Three workouts. 10 pounds. You don't need to be at the gym everyday to grow everyday. In fact, the additional built-in rest will likely help your body grow in ways you haven't experienced before. Just make sure to pour every bit of intensity you can muster into each workout. So perhaps the winter rearranges your priorities a bit, forcing you to sacrifice your gym schedule to accommodate your "everything else" holiday schedule. With this split, however, your body sees all the benefits.
MERRY X-MASS PROGRAM
TWO-DAY SPLIT Day Bodyparts worked
1 Chest, triceps, shoulders, traps, abs (a.m.) Back, biceps, abs (p.m.) 2 REST 3 REST 4 Quads, hamstrings, calves 5 REST 6 REST 7 REST >> For each bodypart, hit it with your normal assortment of mass-building exercises in the moderate-to-heavy rep-range. Use advanced techniques such as drop sets, rest-pause and negatives to boost your gains.
>> For best results, follow the program as outlined in "Merry X-Mass" in the January issue of Muscle & Fitness.
