How to Gain Super Strength and Chiseled Muscle Mass – Part One
In my last article, I uncovered why lifting weights three days per week is the absolute best training frequency. If you haven’t read that post then make sure to check it out here. It’s important that you first understand the power behind strength training on an every other day basis.
Now in this article, I will be exploring the training concepts that have allowed me to build incredible strength and an absolutely chiseled physique. Just take a look below! I’m walking around at roughly 180-185 lbs at single digit body fat and have built up to some ridiculous lifts. What’s crazy is that I’ve actually been actively trying to stop myself from gaining more muscle to keep my frame trim and versatile. In fact, I do very little back training today, because my lats grow like crazy from these training techniques.
Muscle Gain becomes predictable
You see, with this training approach, muscle gain becomes very predictable. Each session you’ll be lifting heavier with a protocol that will maximize muscle growth better than anything you’ve ever tried before. As a result, many muscle groups will respond so well that they’ll invariably hit a point when they’ll become too big. This has been the case for me and quite a few others!
Building up my weighted chin ups, standing press and incline bench press with this routine has led to a huge increase in upperbody size. Because of this, I’ve actually had to switch to maintenance mode to avoid getting my physique any bigger! This routine is the fastest and most effective way to gain the required muscle size for the Greek God Physique. After which, you’ll want to cut back on the number of sets per exercise to only 1-2 for muscle groups you don’t want to get bigger.
First Things First
For this protocol to work, we first need to hack your training down to the essential. The more exercises you’re doing and the more fatigue you’re generating, the more you’re sabotaging your ability to make consistent strength gains. One way to tell if you’re doing too much training is to evaluate how you feel at the end of your strength training workout. Each session you should finish feeling powerful and on top of the world. This strategy allows you to come back to the gym each week stronger than ever. If you’re feeling trashed and exhausted then you need to reduce your training volume.
I recommend using one to two exercises per muscle group and then focusing on progressing on those exercises as fast as possible. I’ve found that using fewer movements results in a faster rate of strength gain. One of the reasons why people struggle to gain strength on their chest is because their chest workout consists of bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press and chest flyes. In essence, they’re hitting their chest with way too much volume and consequently, the strength stimulus starts to become diminished with excessive amounts of exercises and sets.
Embrace minimalism, it will foster greater strength gains and therefore continued muscle growth! When you’re adding 10-15 lbs to your weighted chin ups and incline bench press each month, you’ll be gaining plenty of muscle size. Furthermore, when these two movements increase in strength, all similar exercises will also increase. Therefore getting your basis covered with less movements will lead to better results
Key Movements
My favorite exercises are as follows: Incline Bench Press, Standing Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, Weighted Chin ups, Barbell Curls, Skull Crushers, Sumo Deads/Hang cleans and Single Leg Squats. You can then structure these exercises into two simple workout routines.Workout A = Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Workout B = Back, Biceps and Legs
Workout A:
Incline Bench Press
Standing Press
Skull Crushers
Lateral raises
Workout B
Weighted Chin ups*
Sumo Deadlifts or Hang Cleans
Barbell Curls
Bulgarian Split Squats
*When adding weight to chin-ups, you absolutely need to use a high-quality weight belt that won’t get in the way or distract you from pushing hard during the set.
The Power of the Two Day Split
Spreading your workouts over two days is extremely effective at gaining strength and building muscle. You get to hit each movement once every four to five days. This provides the perfect amount of rest and recovery. Training a muscle more often than every 4 days tends to lead to poor recovery. This is because the local nerves that fire a particular muscle group require about 3-4 days to fully recharge.
Training a muscle once per week with a three day split routine can also work, but your progress will be slower since you’re training each movement four times over the course of a month instead of six times with the two day split. This makes the three day split the ideal approach when undergoing a diet since recovery is hampered with a lower calorie intake. As well, the three day split works well for advanced lifters who have less room for strength gains.
Lastly, the three day split can work well if you want to focus on increasing one to two muscle groups while maintaining the rest of your physique. In the Greek God Muscle Building Program most of the routines involve a two day split for maximum progress on the key lifts. There’s also a bonus manual with a three day split routine that works great once you’ve hit ‘great’ level lifts.
Closing Thoughts
In Part 2 I will be discussing the most effective set and rep scheme to promote maximum muscle growth while getting stronger week after week. In fact, many strength training approaches actually make strength gains harder than they need to be while also limiting your ability to promote as much muscle growth as possible. We will be avoiding these mistakes and using a training approach that works better than anything I have ever tried before. So stay tuned for part 2.
Oh and if you want my full blown course on building the Greek God Physique then be sure to pick up the Greek God Program. This course is packed with several different workout routines that I customized to add muscle aesthetically while building some pretty insane strength. You’ll also learn my strategic nutrition and supplement protocols that make eating for pure muscle gain simple, practical and downright enjoyable.
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Hey greg, is this a 4 day training week or a 3 day training week?
3 days a week.
Hey Greg!
I have a question pertaining the use of dumbbells on your GGMBP: how can we incorporate dumbbell training into the program using your progression system (adding weight instead of adding reps) when the jumps in weight are so high (in my gym dumbbells go up 2,5kg each, so in bilateral movements that means a 5kg jump)?
The reason why I ask this is twofold:
1. You preach exercise rotation as the most effective way to break through strenght plateaus, so it’d be logical to switch up to a dumbbell variation when one plateaus in the barbell variation in the GGMBP, right?
2. My left shoulder hurts a little when doing Standing Presses, so I’d rather play it safe and use a different variation of the movement, which would mean using dumbbells instead of the barbell.
Thanks!
I’d suggest doing rep intervals with dumbbells. Example 3 sets of 5-8 reps (increase weight weight you get to the top end of the rep range). Of you can do RPT style ex: 4-6, 6-8, 8-10.
You can also by magnetic stick on plates and add 1.25 lbs to one side of each dumbbell.
Owww…Really fantastic
Thanks man for the amazing tips!
Greg,
1) Can I put shoulder press before incline press? I want my shoulders to catch up to my chest size.
2) 3 sets of RPT for each exercise, except lateral raises?
And
3) Where can I add a flat bench and a reverse flye exercise.
Thanks, you Greek God you.
1) Yeah that’s fine
2) Yes
3) add reverse flye on workout B. You won’t do flat bench on a two day split. Well you can either do flat bench or incline. Spend 6 weeks on incline then 6 weeks on flat.
Thanks bro
Is this similar to Rusty Moore’s program with the whole “two day on, one day rest” split? Or is this more of a four days a week split?
Hey Greg
I think about compete in Chin-ups, Dips and bench press, We have a competition once a year in the town i live in. What program would you recommend for getting better in these lifts?
Thanks
You might have to craft together a workout that hits these 3 lifts optimally. Just use the strength and density template from my greek god program and replace standing press with weighted dips.
Your chest looks like plates of armor, full and defined all around. I don’t get it man. My chest grows easily on the outer parts but it’s hollow on the upper-inner part . Got any tips for that ?
I’d suggest working heavily with incline bench presses and close grip bench presses.
Hello Greg
I have start training thai-boxing 2-3 times a week and i want gain som strenght and size. Would you recommend this workout or some other of your earlier workouts?
Cherrs
This workout would be good! Your best bet is to get my greek god program (http://greekgodprogram.com)
I been doing assisted pistol squats of 2-3 sets 3-5 reps for a few moths with this routine. But i cant do a real pistol squat, feels like i m stuck :P would you recommend i add in another exercise like Romanian dead lift or leg curl to get some more power in the hamstrings?
Read my new article here – https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/sleek-powerful-legs/
What kind of info will you have in Part two?
This is the next post – https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/reverse-pyramid-training/
Oh ok.
Got it.
Thanks.
I’m looking at gaining strength and size while stripping a bit of body fat ,,, what program that you sell is the best for me ?? I’m not interested in getting to 6 percent body fat eg brad pit fight club lean
Greek god program – http://greekgodprogram.com
I’m planning on following your bonus 3 day split in the GGP. I love being active 5-6 days per week. Would you recommend adding some HIIT and steady state cardio in on 1 or 2 of the rest days and maybe a barbell complex on the other off day?
Regards,
Zach
I would say no to barbell complex but you can do some HIIT or cardio if you want.
Hey Greg
I just bought your Greek God Program and I have a question concerning weighted chins:
i’m about 84 kg and can do + 10 kg for 5. So for my second set i would have to reduce 10% wich means about 9 kg. So for the 3rd set i would have to do supported chins somehow wich can’t be right. Till now i would just do + 10, + 5 and than bodyweight wich would approximetly bring me to the target rep range.
What do you think?
Don’t over complicate it. You might just have to do set 2 and 3 with just bodyweight. As you get stronger you can reduce each set by the same weight.
Hey Greg,
What rep range would you recommend for these workouts? Should I incorporate RPT into it?
Thanks
For the most part – most of your sets should be done in the 5-10 rep range with RPT style.
Hey Greg
I been following this routine for a while know but i have started to feel pain in on of my elbows when i perform weighted dips, I use a pretty wide grip on my dips. Would you recommend change to a narrow grip or substitute dips with close grip bench or skull-cruchers?
Yah don’t go so wide or go with close grip bench.
Hey Greg
Just curious, during the actual working sets of the strength and density exercises with rep ranges of 5,6,8…..what percent of my 1 rep max should I be working with each set like 75%, 80%, etc. My max on incline was 215lbs and I believe I’m lifting too heavy on those sets which are sometimes causing me not complete all the reps in the set.
Thanks
Zach
Don’t worry about the percentage of 1rm. All you need to do is find a weight that you can do for 5 reps. Increase it over time. No need to over complicate it.
What do you think will the rate of fat loss be by following the Recomp Plan with Strength & Density Routine from the GGMBP?
You’re probably looking at dropping about 2 lbs of fat a month. Could be more, could be less, that will depend.
Hi Greg,
Do you know how many days it takes for your muscles to fully recover and so you can hit them again?
A PT at my gym said it takes 2 full days before you can hit the same muscle group, another PT at the SAME gym said 7 days lol (contradictions everywhere) and then online, well that’s just a minefield of contradiction. Can you offer some clarity?
at the moment I would like to do Monday-Wednesday-Friday of full body workouts and rest on tuesday and thursday. I can’t make it to the gym at weekends. Is only one day of rest before you hit the same muscle group too little? Thanks!
It depends on the muscle group. But usually it takes about 3-4 days for the muscle and the local nerves that fire that muscle group to recover.
Is there any supplementation that can reduce this recovery time such as Creatine?
Thanks.
Some supplements can heighten CNS activity. Caffeine does this. But you’ll still be stronger with the full rest.
Hey Greg,
I have been following your Greek god program and wondered should I be cycling back and forth from mega workouts to strength and density work outs? For example, I have been doing mega workouts sincevnovember. How often should I switch back to strength and density while doing a body recomp?
Thanks
I’d alternate 2-3 months of mega and then 2-3 months of strength and density ideally.
Hey Greg,
I’m on your Greek God Program and I have a few questions:
– Do you suggest doing incline bench press with a barbell or dumbbells?
– I’d like to get bigger glutes and legs. What shoud I change in your routine? Right now I’m doing this for Workout B:
Squat
Chin ups
Bent over Flyes
Barbell Curls
Single Leg calf raises
Thanks for your input! Keep up the great work!
1. Barbells, easier to gain strength. But incorporating dumbbells is a great idea to mix it up for a couple of months.
2. Do the leg specialization routine for Workout B
Hey Greg
I just wanna say that this is probably the best routine i ever tried. i increasing my lift every workout with either reps or weight on the bar. I doing a clean bulk and eating around 2600 calories each day and my physique is turning more in to the Greek god look.
My shirts fits allot better and i notice that woman check me out in the gym.
Less is more :) and more is less.
/Andreas
Thanks for sharing this Andreas! Keep up the spectacular work and shoot me a picture testimonial when you’re so inclined.
Hi Greg if my wife ever wanted to do this with me. Is there some key movements for women?
She can focus on the same stuff but I’d incorporate romanian deadlifts, step ups and squats to build a great lowerbody.
One more question sorry. What is the difference between muscle overload and muscle fatigue?
You see, I go the gym and hit heavy weight compound exercises taking a couple of minutes rest between sets and I aim for the 8-12 rep range. But afterwards, even after trying my absolute hardest my muscles do not feel like they have had a strenuous workout.
However when I do high rep drop sets with no rest, so 12,12,12,12 slightly dropping the weight each time with no rest, I really feel like i’ve worked my muscles. Is this however just muscle fatigue that makes me think I’m hitting my muscles hard when i’m not? Thanks.
Yah that’s completely different. You don’t need to fully fatigue your muscles. All you want to do is trigger strength gains so that you’re stronger the next workout.
Hey greg, recently purchased your greek god muscle building program and am loving it. can the routine be used for cutting?
Yeah just the strength and density workouts though.
Hi Greg,
I’m currently on a bulk diet (i’m 150 pounds eating 2700 calories a day) and I’ve noticed good gains in muscle but i’ve also noticed i’m getting fatter at the hips. If I were to reign in the calorie intake would I see my gains in muscle slow down? I don’t want to slow down the great pace in muscle gain i’m making. Should I just accept fat gain when bulking as an inevitability and sort it out later? Cheers.
I’d suggest more along the lines of 2400-2500 calories per day max. 2700 is high for someone of your weight. No you shouldn’t see much of a decrease in actual muscle gains. But you will see slower weight gains.
It’s been a month since i returned to the gym and i have seen good muscle gains (thanks to muscle memory) but as I have overshot the calorie intake i’ve notice a little pot belly develop and am wider at the hips. Do i continue training normally but on the lower calorie intake you have recommended or do i hit a cut plan to get rid of this new fat and then start again? Thanks bro.
It’s just a matter of tightening up the diet.
Hi Greg,
How does one build a strong back without having that condition of the arms being flared out to the sides when in a standing position? Kind of like what your arms are doing in the picture (I know you’re flexing though). I don’t want that look. I want my arms to remain touching my sides while having a good posture and a strong back.
I wouldn’t worry too much about that happening Mike. It takes years of intense and progressive training to get there. But if you get close to that point, focus more on close grip chin ups and rows.
I doing handstand push ups instead of Standing press on workout A but i want to get better at doing them. I feel its quite hard to do them after a few heavy sets of incline bench press. Would you recommend i start workout A with hand stand push ups instead of bench or move them over to workout B?
You could do them on Workout B after chin ups. Then do flat bench after incline bench on Workout A
Workout A:
Incline Bench Press
Skull Crushers
Lateral raises
Bulgarian Split Squats
Workout B
Weighted Chin ups
Handstand push ups
Sumo Deadlifts or Hang Cleans
Barbell Curls
What do you think about this set up?
That looks pretty good! The only issue is that your legs may still be recovering during each session. That’s why I’d suggest putting sumo deads and bulgarian split squats on teh same day.
Workout A:
Incline Bench Press
Bench press
Skull Crushers/Dips
Lateral raises
Workout B
Weighted Chin ups
Hanstand pushups
Sumo Deadlifts or Hang Cleans
Barbell Curls
Bulgarian Split Squats
That works.
What exercise could i substitute the Box Jumps: 3 sets x 5 reps? i dont have any boxes at my gym :P
You can just do regular squat jumps.
Yeah gonna give them a try, would you recommend body weight or with weights? 3×5
Start with bodyweight. Eventually you could hold 10 lbs dumbbells.
Just figured out a good way to test if you are building proportionate muscle. I go running twice a week and you can instantly tell if your centre of gravity is off. So this past run I felt ‘forward heavy’ and i realised this is because my chest was more developed than my back and shoulders. Just thought I would share that cause it seems like a good test.
Hi Greg,
Are there any ways to train the lateral deltoid muscles without doing lateral raises? This movement flares up my tendonitis and so i was just wondering if there were any alternative movements i could try out that bypass the irritation lateral raises cause me? Thanks.
You can try doing wide grip upright rows. Or cable lateral raises. You’ll hit the muscle with shoulder pressing but not to the same degree
Thanks, I tried cable lateral raises and it was completely pain free!
I have just one more question. The only movements I can’t do because of my tendonitis in my shoulder are shoulder military presses and any form of chest press. so at the moment I am working around this to continue my development whilst allowing the tendonitis to improve. I have rear delts covered with reverse dumbbell flys on a swiss ball, I have lateral delts covered with the cable side raises, but I can’t seem to find a good isolation exercise to develop my anterior deltoids. Front raises don’t really do anything for me. Do you know the best alternatives? Thanks!!
Try weighted dips and weighted push ups. Those will hit them hard. It’s also possible that handstand push ups won’t bother your shoulders. But becareful if you’re going to try them. start with dips and push ups first
I can’t do push ups as they aggravate my shoulder and i have found that dips cause a problem too. It seems that most people use front raises to isolate the anterior deltoid, maybe my technique is off hence why i don’t really feel them working the anterior deltoid. I am going to try cable front raises and see if that makes a difference, thank you for your response again.
Hey Greg… just a couple questions.
1) Every time you give a weight to lift, for example 200lb for incline bench, you’re not factoring in the weight of the olympic bar right? You’re just referring to the actual weight plates that are loaded on to the bar?
2) Regarding the alternate type of weight progression scheme from your Muscle Building course… the one where you add 5lb to the second and third set, then to the first set (instead of using fractional plates to increase every lift each week)…
If, for example, I’m starting at 80lb on the incline bench, so that would be 40lb per side on the bar. Reducing the next two sets would put the weight per side at approx. 35lb for the second set, and 30lb for the third set.
Then, for the next week, increasing the second and third set by 5lb would put the second set at 40lb… the same weight as the first set.
Does this seem right? It seems that until I got a lot heavier on the first set, the second set is always going to catch up to the same weight as the first. Just wondering if this seems right, or I’m calculating something wrong?
Thanks as always!
1) always include the weight of the bar
2) You’d be dropping the weight by 10 lbs per set just so you know. So it would work fine.
Thanks!
Would you recommend this routine on a bulk?
Yes this will definitely work on a bulk. I’ve built most of my muscle mass with such a strategy.
Hi Greg,
I’m returning to university later this year in September. So guess what? I want to get totally ripped
for a very obvious reason. I have eight months to get into shape which i deem acceptable (Christian Bale in American Psycho, Gosling in Drive). I’m currently 150 pounds with a low body fat percentage I would at least hope to get to 160 pounds in 8 months. So I have the willpower, I have the correct info on diet, but the only problem is that I am being driven crazy by conflicting information all over the internet! I would like a clear cut, no bullshit, definitive answer to this one question which the internet can’t seem to answer for me: What rep range will build the most muscle mass in the shortest period of time?
Some sites say it has to be 6-8 reps. Then another is like no no it has to be 4 sets of 12,12,12,12 . Then another site is like no no it has to be 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6. This is the single most frustrating thing to hear for a newcomer to body building. Please please please can you be the sledgehammer to break the glass of ambiguity and confusion. Thanks! Again I would like to stress the speed required, only 8 months I have left and there is no way i’m juicing. Cheers!
I’d recommend doing Reverse Pyramid Training. Build up to a heavy set of 4-6 reps. Rest 2-3 minutes and reduce the weight by 10%. Perform your second set for 6-8 reps. Rest 2-3 minutes and reduce the weight again by approx 10%. Perform your third and final set for 8-10 reps. This works wonders. Check out my article on reverse pyramid training if you want to know exactly why this is so effective
Thanks for your response. Ok so this type of training produces the fastest results? What about the visual impact programme saying ‘cumulative fatigue’ (12,10,8,6) to gain quick size? Again its these contradictions in the fitness world that are annoying…one of you has to be wrong.
Both work. Don’t worry about what’s right and what’s wrong. Find out what works best for you. This is my approach, I’m not saying you have to believe it or do it. But try something and stop thinking so much about it.
Hi Greg,
Just one other thing. There is hugely conflicting information on the internet about how to correctly warm up before your ‘working sets’. Some say just one set at 50% rep max is sufficient. Others say do 2 or 3 warm up sets. Others say just do one set of 5 or 6 reps at 75% rep max…omg it’s annoying!
what is the best way to warm up to reverse pyramid training? Thanks!
Two options:
warm up 1 – 60% x 5
warm up 2 – 80% x 3
or
warm up 1 – 60% x 5
warm up 2 – 75% x 3
warm up 3 – 90% x 1
Note – just do warm up sets for the first exercise of a muscle group. After that you can go right into your work set.
Ok, just read the why rpt is so good article. Very well written, i’m fully convinced, you clearly know what you are doing. I don’t see much point in me following the phase 1 rusty moore ‘pump’ routines when those gains may just be temporary and deflate after 2 weeks anyway. Thanks! You should be some sort of hollywood trainer to movie stars. This site is so damn good!
haha thanks Laurence. Although if I was training these hollywood actors, I wouldn’t have the time to keep up with kinobody haha. Perhaps I’ll just take on one or two when the time is right :)
Hi Greg,
I never got the follow-up email regarding access to the webinar- where can I watch it?
Cheers,
Jonny.
I’ll be sending out an email next week to watch the video.
How would you recommend warming up on Weighted Chin ups? sets/reps? percent
I
I’d do 5 reps with bodyweight and 3 reps with 50% of the additional weight you plan on using for your first set. So if you want to do 40 lbs for your first set. You would do bodyweight x 5 reps and 20 lbs x 3 reps.
Hi Greg,
I am just starting this routine (just finishing up the first week) and was wondering if you would suggest doing a reverse pyramid for the sets/reps? Thanks!
Yes definitely!
Hi Greg,
what about trainig the abs with this program?
I’d recommend doing hanging leg raises, abs wheel roll outs and renegade rows 1-2x per week for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Hi from Spain, Greg! I summit the comment again, I guess that as my previous comment had a URL in it, It was suspicious to be spam, hehe…
Fist of all: THANK YOU SO MUCH for such a great blog and all the amazing info you give up for free.
Wanted to ask for your opinion in a workout routine I’m trying based on the one you suggest:
For different reasons I train at home (main reason I don’t own your program… yet…) with body weight mainly. I also have a pair of dumbbells (variable weight up to 45 lbs total), a sandbag (about 55 lbs) and a chin-up bar (where I can perform dips too). I have lots of room for improvement but where I need more strength and mass by far are my shoulders. How about these routines:
A
Weighted dips (RPT) deep and incline to involve chest
Handstand push ups (RPT) (as I can’t drop weight I “climb down” a wall/chair to be lighter)
Diamond push ups/triceps extensions (12-10-8-6-6-6)
Lateral raises (12-10-8-6-6-6)
B
Weighted Chin-ups (RPT)
Weighted Pistol squats (RPT)
DB curls (12-10-8-6-6-6)
Sandbag swings (kettle bell like) 3×12-15
I’d really appreciate that you let me know what you think about it and/or make any suggestions.
Thanks again and keep it up!
Looks like a very solid workout routine Nacho! Great work setting it up. If possible, I’d recommend doing the diamond push ups with your feet elevated on a chair or bench.
I’ll definitely do! Thanks a lot for your time, Greg!
What exercise could i substitute Sumo Deadlifts or Hang Cleans with?
Why no rear delt work in this routine?
The rear delts will get work from pull ups and rows. What’s the reason for not doing sumo deads or hang cleans? There’s not really a perfect substitute for either of those movements. You could do glute ham raises or leg curls but it wouldn’t quite be the same.
My gym only has the smith machine available for the incline bench press. Do you recommend another exercise for the chest , or can I use the smith machine…or just concentrate on the regular bench press then( I added the regular bench press because my chest is lagging other body parts)
You can do flat grip bench press and then do incline dumbbell bench press. Smith machine isn’t bad, but free weights are definitely better.
Hey Greg,
I am about to hit the point where my leg are just fine when it comes to size. I know you do not do deadlifts or squats at all, but will sumos promote any leg growth or can I do them without any concern once I increase my calories?
Thanks!
Kris
It really depends. Most people should be fine with sumo deads without gaining size. My recommendation would be to go a little lighter than your actual max. Focus on proper technique and maximum power and you should build strength and power without causing excessive muscle growth.
Hi from Spain, Greg!
Fist of all: THANK YOU SO MUCH for such a great blog and all the amazing info you give up for free.
Wanted to ask for your opinion in a workout routine I’m trying based on the one you suggest:
For different reasons I train at home (main reason I don’t own your program… yet…) with body weight mainly. I also have a pair of dumbbells (variable weight up to 45 lbs total), a sandbag (about 55 lbs) and a chin-up bar (where I can perform dips too). I have lots of room for improvement but where I need more strength and mass by far are my shoulders. How about these routines:
A
Weighted dips (RPT) deep and incline to involve chest
Handstand push ups (RPT) (as I can’t drop weight I “climb down” a wall/chair to be lighter)
Diamond push ups/triceps extensions (12-10-8-6-6-6)
Lateral raises (12-10-8-6-6-6)
B
Weighted Chin-ups (RPT)
Weighted Pistol squats (RPT)
DB curls (12-10-8-6-6-6)
Sandbag swings (kettle bell like) 3×12-15
I’d really appreciate that you let me know what you think about it and/or make any suggestions.
Thanks again and keep it up!
P.S: I’m an actor but I blog about lifestyle, food, cooking…, in Spanish. Anyways I make videos (mostly cooking) and those are in English, you can check my youtube channel, I hope you have some laughs: https://www.youtube.com/user/elquebajodelas/videos
Substitute sumo deadlift and hang cleans with?
You can do bent over barbell rows instead or seated cable rows.
Hey Greg, you have mentioned many times what you do for building strength and mass but I think you haven’t ever mentioned if you do anything particular for fat loss. Do you do any cardio? Thank you.
I’m not too big on cardio. Fat loss really comes down to creating a calorie deficit and I do that mostly through proper nutrition and increasing activity level in non intrusive ways. This means trying to get 40-60 minutes of daily walking.
Hey Greg,
I am 5’8″ and working on cutting my waist down to 30-31 inches from 33.5 inches. Doing workout A and B for 2 sets each exercise. Not doing any direct leg work on workout B, only chins and barbell curls. I don’t want anymore leg size, but should i still do leg work or is skipping them alright? I also want to add more upper body size to Greek God look but still want to look good in dress suits. Will this look be ok for dress clothes?
Thanks,
Ed
Yah don’t worry, if you lean down to a 31″ waist, your upperbody won’t get too big for looking good in dress suits. You don’t need to train the legs. I would hit some sprints or something once per week just to keep the legs athletic.
Why do you recommend sumo deads instead of regular deadlifts? Also could I sub in pistol squats instead of the Bulgarian split squats and sub dips for scull crushers?
Sumo deadlifts are a lot safer for the back. They also work the legs better than conventional deads. You can do pistols instead of Bulgarian, not everyone can do pistols so that’s why I put bulgarian. You can do dips.
Hey Greg,
I know how strongly you advocate training only three days a week… But what if you love to train and three days isn’t enough?
I find that I’ve settled into a habit of going 4 days a week… And it’s hard to have a minimalist attitude too, when I’m going with my apartment mates in college and we’re all pushing each other.
If you’re going to go 4 days per week, I’d make sure all your really hard workouts fall after a rest day. And just have one workout that’s back to back.
Hey Greg, hoping you can help. I just read your thread and have been following you for a while and getting great results from all your wisdom:)
I’m training 3 times a week jiu jitsu and can only fit 2x strength workouts in per week on top of Jits and endurance work. Would you recomend 2x full body compound movements plus accessory total 5 exercises with RPT or should I do a
5 reps 10 sets scheme? Just trying to get the balance for improvement in both physique and Technique. Sorry so long
Marc :)
I’d definitely go with RPT. 5 sets of 10 won’t build strength.
2 full body workouts would work well.
Hey Greg, I saw that video of yours, “the wolf of fitness” and I want to ask you something. Did you train specifically to perform the human flag and the one arm chin up, or did the strength come just from weighted chin ups? Thank you!
Most of the strength came from weighted chin ups then it just took a little practice.
Hey Greg… just a few questions from your Muscle Building program (which is awesome of course!).
1) For someone who can’t yet get to the 5, 6 and 8 rep progression for all 3 chin up sets lifting only bodyweight, at what point would you suggest they start adding additional weight?
2) What would you consider the strength standards to strive for for Hang Cleans and Dips?
Thanks!
Add weight to your first set of chin ups when you can do 8 reps for the first set. Then make your second and third set bodyweight only.
0.75x bodyweight attached for 5 reps on dips is great. 1x bw attached for 5 reps on dips is godlike. For hang cleans aim for bodyweight for 5 reps.
Hi Greg,
I’ve been doing your Greek God program for about a month now and I have two questions.
1. On every set should I be stopping 1 rep short of failure or is it just the first set of every excercise?
2. I’ve been struggling to figure out what weight I should use for weighted pull-ups because my strength falls off so dramatically on the third set. Should I keep putting the weight down on the first set until I can complete all three sets or just keep the weight the same until I can complete the reps on the third set?
The programs great btw it really gets me fiendin to hit the gym
Thanks
1. Stop 1 rep short of failure on all of your sets.
2. You need to factor total bodyweight into the 10% drop in weight. So if you’re 150 lbs and you’re using 50 lbs then you need to drop the weight by 20 lbs per set. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to reduce the weight by the proper amount. Go down to bodywegiht if you have to and aim for as many reps as you can.
Hey Greg, bought your Greek God program and am wondering if I should start the clean bulk.
I am 6ft, 136lbs (which may sound like nothing, I am quite lean), should I start the clean bulk? Another aspect I do not understand is the whole muscle specializations, do 6 weeks of the normal program, then start the muscle specialzations, or do them immediately?
Thanks, J
Yes, start the lean bulk. Start with the regular routine for 12 weeks before specialization.
Hi Greg,
I forgot to Mention another question… No. Weighted dips,,:)
You can incorporate weighted dips into the routine if you want to. Substitute them for skull crushers.
Hi Greg,
Why do you recommend Sumo deadlifts in your new program over a regular deadlift?
Thanks,
Safer for the back and works the legs better.
Does carb cycling really have a great effect on body composition? Have you tried it, and does it really make a difference? Because, someone said it is undoubtedly effective from his experience.
It’s all about controlling calories. If cycling carbs makes that easier then it will help. I don’t cycle carbs because I don’t enjoy going very low in carbs.
What exercise could i substitute Sumo Deadlifts or Hang Cleans with?
High pulls or romanian deadlifts. Or you could ditch them completely and add some extra calf work.
could i substitute Bulgarian Split Squats with one legged pistol squats?
Warm up sets for all 4 exercises in this workout?
Yes, that’s completely fine. No need to warm up for curls or split squats / pistols.
Hi Greg I purchased your Warrior shredding programme in Septemner.
since then I’ve lost 14lbs and the lifts keep getting better.
I was wondering what would be my “cut” target weight?
at the moment I’m 5’6” and 154lbs.
Also what should I be aiming for on the incline bench (currently 132lbs for six reps)
Many thanks
185 lbs for 5 reps on the incline bench would be great!
You’ll want to keep dropping fat until your waist measurement is about 45% of your height.
Hey Greg,
For your lean mass gain protocol, what should the macros look like roughly on both a training and rest day? And +20-30% on training days and -10-20% on rest days? Should the deficit still apply to HIIT, such as hill-sprints, because I feel as if that deficit might directly take from leg mass which is definitely not what I need.
Thanks heaps,
Jonny.
NO that’s way too high. You don’t want to fluctuate calories by that much on a daily basis. No more than a 600-800 calorie difference from rest days to training days. No you won’t lose muscle if you do HIIT on a lower calorie day.
Could You add Rear Delt Flys to Workout B, and if yes, should you do it seated?
Yes you can. You have to have your torso parallel to the floor to actually do rear felt flyes, just so you know. You can’t do them seated.
Interesting thoughts for maintenance to keep muscle growth down. Would love a post on how to possibly lose muscle in a muscle group if its overpowering another muscle group. Could be handy to know how to keep everything in proportion if something is too big.
Hi greg,
Because my chest is faling behind, can i add the bench press to this scheme,so i have 2 exercises for my chest.
Yeah you can do incline bench and then bench press followed with 1-2 sets of standing press
Hey Greg,
Im 5’9 148 pds and approx 13-14% bf.
My lifts are:
Incline bench – 165 x 5
Shoulder press – 110 x 5
Weighted chins – 87.5 x 5
Deadlift – 225 x 5
I would like to get down to 9% bf before lean bulking but I’m concerned with being to small. Before the holidays I was dieting hard! Following ur muscle building program and doing 600 cal of cardio everyday that I was not lifting(eating 1800 cals a day). I was down to 145 pds but only approx 12% bf. Im afraid that in order for my body to dip below 10% bf I’m gonna have to dip below 140pds (a.k.a I will be lunch to an avg sized man). In your opinion should I continue cutting or put on some mass?
I’ve also dropped the volume lately to 2 sets per exercise as you’ve been recommending. Do I continue rpt though?
Thanks bro & happy holidays!
You should be around 10% body fat at 140-142 lbs. You can keep lean bulking and go up to 155 lbs while keeping your bf under 15%. Then cut down to 148. Only do 2 sets if you’re cutting. IF you’re lean bulking then definitely do 3.
I never received the “bonus manual” with the greek god program… I was one of the ones who received it as an upgrade ( from having previously bought the muscle building course ).
The bonus manual will be sent 2 days later.
Hey Greg,
Been seeing some slow progress now at my weighted chins. I have been stuck at 65lbs for 5 reps for a couple of weeks now. What can I did to help the progress keep coming? Also when will we receive an email if we already have purchased the older kinobody muscle building course that allows to get the new Greek god course?
Thanks brotha
Drop the weight about 20 lbs. And work in the higher rep range. You should start to hit personal bests again.
What is your current abs routine?
I’m not training my abs that hard currently. When I do, I usually hit hanging leg raises and abs wheel roll outs or dip bar leg raises and renegade rows.
Hi Greg,
Thank you for this post, I’ve been following the workout routine in the Kinobody Blueprint so have opted out from the Greek God program for now but I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to best incorporate HIIT type training into the 3 day split please?
i used to be a sprinter and am very much looking forward to getting involved in the sport again.
Happy holidays!
You can do 20 minutes of HIIT two times per week on non lifting days.
Great article–thanks. How many sets and reps do you recommend for the exercises you listed in the article?
Thanks,
Chris
Three sets. I’ll be covering the exact set and rep scheme in the next article that will be up next week.
Hey Greg!
Quick question: for the three day split like in your shredding program is it like this?
Week 1
Mon A
Wed B
Fri C
Week 2
Same
Or would week 2 consist of alternating like
Week 2
Mon C
Wed B
Fri A
Which one is right?
The first one. The workouts fit into a 7 day schedule so there is no need to alternate them. You want to hit each workout the same number of times over the course of a month.
By 2day split do you mean:
monday:Workout A
tuesday Workout B
wednesday:rest
Thursday:Workout A
Friday:Workout B
Saturday:rest
Sunday:rest
or do you mean this:
monday:Workout A
tuesday rest
wednesday:Workout B
Thursday:rest
Friday:Workout A
Saturday:rest
Sunday:Workout B
Week 1
Monday – Workout A
Wednesday – Workout B
Friday – Workout A
Week 2
Monday – Workout B
Wednesday – Workout A
Friday – Workout B
Great article Greg. Quick question though. Do you do abs on your off days or at the end of each workout?
It depends. Right now I’ll hit abs 1-2x per week on off days.
Cool post. I picked up your old Shredding Program earlier this year and am thinking about buying the Greek God program. How much detail do you go into in terms of the nutrition aspect of the new program? Thanks!
I don’t go as deep into nutrition as my shredding programs. I pretty much focus on nutrition for building muscle and staying lean.
Got it. Do you lay out the daily macros and stuff for lean bulking? Does the program put any emphasis carb re-feeds? Thanks!
Yes, most definitely! The carb refeeds are done strategically on lifting days.
Greg, will I have the same results if I do pistol squats, weighted dips and chin ups 3 days per week? Thank you. Great post! Keep it up!
Pistol squats and weighted chin ups on their own will now build a great physique. You need to hit your entire body.
Hey Greg,
For the past six weeks I couldn’t train or do anything but lay in bed due to a severe virus.Tomorrow I will finish all treatments and I can then start to eat and lift again, like I used to.
I’ve lost quite a bit of strenght (decreased by 30%) and dropped 7 lbs in weight,I now weigh 178 lbs at 6 ft.
What should I do?
1 Follow the routine in your course while eating 5-600 cals below maintenance to lean down to 170 lbs, and then leanbulk?
2 Build my strenght back up, and then cut followed by a lean bulk?
Thanks for your answer in advance, happy holidays!
Cheers,
Farid
It depends how much fat you have. If you still have fat to drop then you can start cutting, you may even gain strength while doing so. Then you can switch to a lean bulk.
Hey Greg,
Sorry to bother you with this again, but when is the “missing chapter” released?
Thanks.
For the greek god program you should get the bonus pdf about 2 days after purchasing it.
I purchased it a few hours before the release on the site you put up ( I think it’s called Greek god program) and still haven’t received the bonus. It’s not in the kinobody elite downloads either. The e-mail is migftg95@gmail.com, just in case you wanna check.
Thanks!
It will be sent to you two days later.