HSS-100 Routine (Original)The HSS-100 Program — Bodybuilding With an Edgeby Christian Thibaudeau

The Most Powerful Muscle Building Program Ever?

When you observe the strength training community, you quickly notice how each coach has his own "pet program." For example, Coach Staley has EDT, Coach Poliquin has GVT and GBC, Chad Waterbury has several different programs, Westside guys have, well, Westside training, and the list goes on and on. 

My problem is that I love the iron game so much that I'm never able to design what I'd call my "ultimate program." Sure, when I first talked about Optimized Volume Training it made a lot of noise, and many people fell in love with the program and the results it brought on. But I have a deep-rooted, visceral need to experiment and find new ways to spark muscle growth. As such, I always hated to limit myself to the confines of one single training methodology. 

I personally need to be allowed some freedom when designing or using a program, and I'm sure that a lot of you are the same way. That having been said, it's also important to have a certain framework to work from. So I recently designed a training system specifically for bodybuilding purposes; one that has proven to be super effective for all those who've used it, and which still allows for a lot of variation. 

This system is called HSS-100. Quite frankly, I never used anything as powerful when it comes to building muscle mass.

HSS-100: What Does That Mean?

While it's a cool name for a program, it must mean something, right? It sure does:

H = Heavy lift

S = Superset (or triple set)

S = Special technique or special exercise

100 = 100 rep set

Let's break it down!

Exercise 1: Heavy lift performed as a stand-alone 

Heavy lifting can stimulate muscle growth even though you're "technically" outside of the proper hypertrophy zones. It does so via three mechanisms:

1) Direct Action: Heavy lifting places an important growth stimulus on the fast twitch fibers. While the total volume might not be high enough to stimulate maximum muscle growth, it can certainly increase FT fiber size.

2) Indirect Action: Gaining strength will allow you to use more weight during a subsequent accumulation phase and this will translate into much improved gains.

3) Potentiating Action: Heavy lifting improves the CNS's capacity to recruit the high threshold fast twitch muscles fibers. These have the highest growth potential but are very difficult to stimulate. Increasing neural efficiency is a very effective way to develop the capacity to stimulate them and thus drastically enhance growth potential. 

Plus, heavy lifting increases myogenic tone (tonus) which makes your muscles appear and feel "harder."

For this first exercise in your workout, you should pick a compound movement, preferably with free weights. For example:

Quads: Front or back squat 

Hamstrings: Romanian deadlift or good morning

Back: Bentover barbell rowing or chest-supported dumbbell rowing

Pectorals: Incline, flat, or decline press (barbell or dumbbells)

Deltoids: Push press, military press, dumbbell shoulder press

Biceps: Standing barbell curl (barbell or EZ-bar)

Triceps: Close-grip press (incline, flat or decline) or JM press

Traps: Power shrugs (barbell or dumbbells) 

You should train this first exercise mostly in the 4-6, 6-8, and 8-10 rep ranges, although it's possible to go down to 2-4 reps from time to time. 

Between 3 to 5 sets should be performed (3 sets if working in the 8-10 range; 4 sets if working in the 6-8 range; and 5 sets if working in the 4-6 range).

Exercise 2: Superset (or triple set)

A superset (basically alternating between two different exercises) can stimulate hypertrophy via several pathways. First of all, it drastically increases training density, which has been shown to favor the onset of an anabolic hormonal milieu mostly via an increase in growth hormone release. While I'll be the first to admit that transient hormonal changes won't turn you into the incredible hulk, when you want to attain that perfect physique every little bit helps.

A superset can also allow you to thoroughly stimulate a certain muscle group. This is accomplished by coupling a compound exercise with an isolation exercise. While it's no secret that big multi-joint, complex exercises are the best growth stimulator, they do have their shortcomings, the most important being that your body will always strive to complete the exercise with the less energy expenditure/effort as possible. This means that it won't necessarily put the most training stress on the desired muscle group, but rather on the one best suited to do the job. 

For example, you might perform the bench press to build up your pecs, but if your front delts and/or triceps are overpowering, chances are that your chest will be left sub-optimally

stimulated from your bench pressing work. By adding an isolation exercise for the pectorals either after (post-fatigue), before (pre-fatigue), or before and after (pre and post-fatigue) you'll be able to fully fatigue the chest.

As we just saw, there are three main types of supersets:

1. Pre-fatigue (isolation first, compound second): Advantageous if you have problems recruiting a muscle group during a compound movement. Pre-fatiguing the muscle group will make it fail first during the compound lift. 

Pre-fatiguing the muscle will also increase the mind-muscle connection as you'll "feel it" more because of the pre-existing fatigue/burn. So if you have problems "feeling" or recruiting a certain muscle group, pre-fatigue might be the solution. The downside is that you'll have to use less weight for the compound movement because of the pre-fatigued state of the muscle.

2. Post-fatigue (compound first, isolation second): The main advantage of this method is that it allows you to keep on using big weights in the compound lifts because you're finishing the muscle with the isolation exercise instead of fatiguing it first. In most cases, this will lead to better growth stimulation. 

However, if you have problems recruiting or feeling a certain muscle group during the compound lift, the post-fatigue method might not be as effective as the pre-fatigue method.

3. Pre and post-fatigue (isolation, compound, isolation): This method combines the preceding two methods into one giant set of three exercises. It's very effective as it'll ensure that you fully annihilate the targeted muscle group, plus it'll improve the mind-muscle connection by pre-fatiguing it. 

The downside is that this method is tremendously stressful on the body and nervous system. More than one such set is probably overkill for most natural trainees. However, if you decide to use this method and perform only one such giant set, it can prove to be quite effective. 

Exercise 3: Special exercise or technique

The third exercise is used to really isolate the desired muscle group or portion of a muscle group. This is accomplished either by selecting a special exercise or a training technique favoring the development of the muscle group (e.g. iso-dynamic contractions are great to build the back, biceps, and hamstrings).

Here are some exercise suggestions:

Chest 

Combo PressCombo Low Incline PressMulti-Angle Dumbbell PressStart at a high incline, perform reps to failure, drop down to a low incline, perform reps to failure, drop down to a flat press, and once again rep out to failure. Keep the same weight for all angles and don't rest between positions.Close-to-Wide Dumbbell PressPress-to-Flies DumbbellsSimply execute the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement as a dumbbell press then the eccentric 

(lowering) portion as a dumbbell flye.

BackRope Lat PulldownEagle PulldownSeated Rope Rowing (trunk bent forward)Spider RowingRack PullChest Supported Incline ShrugOne-Arm Barbell RowingScapular Retraction

QuadsSissy Hack SquatPulley Hip-Belt SquatIsometric Bulgarian Squat (30-60 seconds per leg)Sissy SquatOne-Leg Squat

HamstringsPull-ThroughLoaded Back ExtensionOne-Leg Back Extension

Biceps Wide Grip/Elbows-In Preacher CurlClose Grip/Elbows-Out Barbell Concentration Curl Jettison Technique Barbell CurlThe Jettison curl is a form of drop set. You begin with a dual source of resistance: a barbell plus a resistance band. You perform reps to failure with both implements. As you reach failure, you drop the resistance band and continue to rep out with only the bar. When you once again reach failure, you drop the bar, grab the band, and finish off with more reps to failure.Drag Curl2/1 CurlAs you can see by the pics, you lift the weight with two arms and lower it using only one. 

TricepsDecline Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionRotating Triceps ExtensionBodyweight Triceps Extension

TrapsLean Away One-Arm ShrugsCalf Machine ShrugsHaney ShrugsSupinated Cable Shrugs

DeltoidsAhrens Press

Exercise 4: 100-Rep Set

The final exercise of the workout is a "flushing" set of 100 repetitions. Ideally you'd complete the 100 reps without any rest, but at first, while you build up your work capacity, it's okay to take a few 3-5 second pauses during the set.

The purpose of this set isn't to stimulate hypertrophy directly, but rather to enhance recovery from the previous workload. The very high rep/low intensity set will increase muscle flushing which will help bring blood and nutrients to the muscle group as well as the tendons. 

It'll also help get rid of the metabolic wastes accumulated during the workout. Plus, systematic use of very high rep sets can increase muscle capillary density (more blood vessels going to the muscles) which will further enhance recovery capacity as well as work capacity.

There will still be a minimal hypertrophy effect from such sets, mostly in the slow-twitch muscle fibers. While athletes don't want that, bodybuilders who are only interested in size will accept any added hypertrophy they can get!

Workout Breakdown

How do you put all this together? I'll show you! A workout will look like this:

Accumulation Phase (4 weeks)

Heavy: 4-5 sets in the 6-8 rep range (with occasional foray into the 4-6 range)

Superset (pre-fatigue) isolation movement: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Superset (pre-fatigue) compound movement: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Special exercise: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

100-reps exercise: 1 set of 100 reps

Intensification Phase (4 weeks)

Heavy: 4-5 sets in the 4-6 rep range (with occasional foray into the 1-3 range)

Superset (post-fatigue) compound movement: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Superset (post-fatigue) isolation movement: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Special exercise: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps

100-reps exercise: 1 set of 100 reps

High Volume Phase (4 weeks)

Heavy: 4-5 sets in the 8-10 rep range (with occasional foray into the 6-8 range)

Superset (pre and post-fatigue) isolation movement: 1-2 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Superset (pre and post fatigue) compound movement: 1-2 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Superset (pre and post-fatigue) second isolation movement: 1-2 sets of 12 to 15 reps 

Special exercise: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

100-reps exercise: 1 set of 100 reps

Max Strength Phase (4 weeks)

Heavy: 5-6 sets in the 1-3 rep range 

Superset (post-fatigue) compound movement: 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps

Superset (post-fatigue) isolation movement: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Special exercise: 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps

100-reps exercise: 1 set of 100 reps

Training Split

With HSS-100, I suggest training each muscle group once every 5-7 days to allow for maximum recovery. The following split is adequate:

Monday: Quads

Tuesday: Back/Traps

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Hamstrings

Friday: Chest/Shoulders

Saturday: OFF

Sunday: Biceps/Triceps

Conclusion

The HSS-100 system is probably the most powerful muscle-building program I've ever designed or tried. Understand that this program is designed to put a lot of beef on your frame and necessitates a large caloric intake with at least 1.25 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. 

Proper post-workout nutrition is a must and so is during-workout nutrition. The latter will allow you to reap the most benefits of the 100-rep set: you'll have more nutrients floating in your bloodstream to carry in your muscles during the 100-rep set. 

The beauty of this program is that it can be adapted to your liking and needs. It allows for some variety while keeping its powerful effect. Most of all, it makes training fun again!

SAMPLE ROUTINES:The routine:

Monday - Quads (Post fatigue)A Front Squats 5 x 4-6 B1 Sissy Squats 1 x 6-8 B2 B1 Leg Press 1 x 6-8B3 Sissy Squats 1 x 6-8C Isometric Bulgarian Squat 4 x 6-8 D Leg Extensions 1 x 100 

Tuesday ? Back (pre fatigue) / Traps A Bench Row 5 x 4-6 B1 Pull Overs 3 x 8-10 ---B2 Lat Pulldown 3 x 8-10 ---C Seated Rope Rowing (trunk bent forward) 3 x 8-10 D Straight arm pulldown 1 x 100 

A Chest Supported Incline Shrug or Supinated Cable Shrugs 3 x 8-12 

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Hams (pre fatigue)/ CalvesA Romanian Deadlift 4 x 6-8 B1 Lying Leg Curl 3 x 8-10 B2 Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 x 8-10 C Pull-Through 3 x 8-10 D Seated Leg Curls 1 x 100 

Friday ? Chest (pre fatigue) / Shoulders A Flat Barbell Press 4 x 6-8 B1 Cable Crossover 3 x 8-10 B2 Bench Machine Press 3 x 8-10 C Close-to-Wide Dumbbell Press 3 x 8-10 D Pec Deck Flys 1 x 100

A Rear Delt Flys 3x 8-12

Saturday - Off

Sunday ? Triceps (pre fatigue) / Biceps (post fatigue)A Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 8-10 B1 Overhead Extension (cable/DB) 3 x 6-8 B2 Dips 3 x 6-8 C Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension 3 x 8-10D Cable Pulldowns 1 x 100 

A Standing Barbell Curl 3 x 8-10 B1 Preacher Curls 3 x 8-10 B2 Elbows-Out, Close-Grip Barbell Curl 3 x 8-10 C Drag Curls 3 x 8-10

D Cable Curls 1 x 100 

OR

Quads 

H - Back Squat 4-5 x 6-8 90s S - Front Squat 3 x 8-10 90s Sissy Hack Squat 3 x 10-12 S - Isometric Bulgarian Squat 3-4 x 10-12 60 s 100 - Legt Extensions 1 x 100 

Back/Traps 

H - Power Barbell Rowing 4-5 x 6-8 90s S - Lat Pulldown 3 x 8-10 90s Straight Arm Pulldown S - Rope Lat Pulldown 3-4 x 10-12 60 s 100 - Straight-Arm Arc DB Row 1 x 100 

Hamstrings 

H - Deadlift 4-5 x 6-8 90s S - Good Morning 3 x 8-10 90s Seated Leg Curl 3 x 10-12 S - Pull Through 3-4 x 10-12 60s 100 - Gironda Leg Curl 1 x 100 

Chest/Shoulders 

H - Neutral Grip DB Press 4-5 x 6-8 90s S - Decline DB Press 3 x 8-10 90s Half DB Flyes 3 x 10-12 S - Press To Flyes 3-4 x 10-12 100 - Machine Incle Press 

Biceps/Triceps 

Alternate Set 

A1 Dip 4-5 x 6-8 A2 BB Curl 4-5 x 6- 8 

Tri-Set 1 

B1 Close Grip BB Press 1 x 10-12 B2 BB Curl Lying on an incline 1 x 8-10 

B3 Decline BB Extension 1 x 6-8 

Tri-Set 2 

C1 Standing Bicep Curl 1 x 10-12 C2 Decline EZ Tricep Extension 1 x 8-10 C3 Close Grip EZ Bar Curl 1 x 6-8 

Alternate Set 2 

Both 3-4 x 10-12 60 s 

D1 Wide Grip Elbows in Preacher Curl D2 Rotating Tricep Extension 

1 x 100 

E1 Low Pulley Cable Curl E2 Low Pulley Tricep Extension 

25 rep alternate set until 100 reps on each exercise 

OR

I plan on doing 5x5 for each heavy lift, 3x10 for B and C, and 1x100 for D.

Quads A Front Squat B1 Leg Press B2 Sissy Squats C Iso Bulgarian Squat D Leg Extensions

Back/Traps A Rows B1 Cable Pull Over B2 Lat Pull Down C One Arm Barbell Row D Stiff Arm Pulldown

Hamstrings A Romanian Deadlift B1 Lying Leg Curls B2 Sumo Deadlift C One Leg Back Extension D Seated Leg Curls

Chest/Shoulders A Flat Bench B1 Smith Bench B2 Cable Crossovers C Press to Fly D Cable Press

Arms A Barbell Curl B1 Hammer Curl B2 Elbows Out, Close Grip Barbell Curls C Drag Curl D Cable Curl

A Close Grip Bench Press B1 Overhead Extension B2 Dips C Decline Dumbbell Extensions D Cable Pulldowns

Upper Body Specialization Routine

Perform each workout once per week, taking at least one day off between sessions. You can also add your lower

body workouts to the same workout session or do them on an entirely different day as well.

Workout A

 

Exercise Reps Sets Rest

Bench Press 6 5 90 seconds

Bent Over Row 6 5 90 seconds

Incline Dumbbell Chest

Fly supersetted with

Reverse Fly

10 3 60 seconds

 

Workout B

 

Exercise Reps Sets Rest

Push-Ups 12 3 60 seconds

Pull-Ups 12 3 60 seconds

Lat Pull-Down

supersetted with Cable

Chest Fly

15 2 30 seconds

 

Stripped Down HypertrophyThe Ultimate Program for Putting on Sizeby Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT

The Stripped-Down Workout

For each workout, you'll be choosing one exercise from each of the following lists. Whatever exercises you choose, you'll continue to use those same exercises for three weeks.

Upper body horizontal push — Flat, incline, or decline barbell or dumbbell bench press, close-grip bench press, iso-ballistic push-up

Upper body horizontal pull — Bent-over row (supinated or pronated grip), one-arm dumbbell row, seated row (triangle handle, straight bar, double-D bar handle)

Upper body vertical push — Standing military press, push press, push jerk, dip, wide-grip dip, close-grip triceps push press

Upper body vertical pull — Pull-up (pronated, supinated, or semi-supinated grip), pulldown (pronated, supinated, semi-supinated grip, wide pronated grip, double-D bar handle)

Quad-dominant lower body — Back squat, front squat, hack squat, lunge, leg press, duck deadlift

Hip-dominant lower body — Deadlift (sumo or conventional), Romanian deadlift, sumo squat, good morning, one-leg back extension, glute-ham raise, dumbbell swing, one-arm dumbbell snatch

Note: If you choose a squat for the quad-dominant exercise, choose somethingother than the deadlift as the hip-dominant exercise (like dumbbell swings). Likewise, if choosing the deadlift as the hip-dominant exercise, choose something other than a squat for the quad-dominant lift (like lunges).

Each workout consists of two groups of movements. Alternate between the A movements of Group 1, then perform the B movement via straight sets. Repeat for Group 2.

Group 1

A1) Upper body horizontal pushA2) Upper body horizontal pullB) Quad-dominant lower body

Group 2

A1) Upper body vertical pushA2) Upper body vertical pullB) Hip-dominant lower body

Sample Workout

Group 1

A1) Dumbbell bench pressA2) Seated rowB) Back squat

Group 2

A1) DipA2) Pull-upB) One-arm dumbbell snatch

Sets and Reps

For each workout, you'll train one group with a 4x10 set/rep scheme and the other with a 5x5 set/rep scheme, switching the two schemes each workout. So if you train Group 1 with 4x10 and Group 2 using 5x5 one day, the next time you hit the gym you will train each group with the opposite pattern.

Here's a more visual example:

Monday

Group 1 5x5Group 2 4x10

Tuesday

Group 1 4x10Group 2 5x5

Thursday

Group 1 5x5Group 2 4x10

Friday

Group 1 4x10Group 2 5x5

And so on...

Frequency and Variations

Perform five workouts per week. I don't care how you set that up, although something like Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is better than working out five days in a row. Also, the setup doesn't need to stay the same from week to week; just be sure to get in five sessions.

Although I'm not big on variation, it's somewhat necessary when performing workouts this frequently and it also helps to keep things interesting. That said, I'd recommend selecting a new group of exercises from the above lists every three weeks. If you choose to continue with the program beyond six weeks, switch the set and rep schemes to 6x3 and 5x8.

A Stripped Down Summary

One daily workout, five days a week.

Maximal stimulation, maximal results.

Extremely simple, extremely effective.

How's that for stripped down?

NOTE: IT COULD ALSO BE DONE VIA RAMPING SET TO PREVENT CNS OVERLOAD

SAMPLE ROUTINES

Group 1:Incline Dumbbell Bench pressBent-over Row or Seated Straight Bar RowSquat or Lunges

Group 2:Military PressLat PulldownDeadlifts

Monday: Group 1- 5x5Group 2- 4x10

Tuesday:Group 1- 4x10Group 2- 5x5

Wednesday:Group 1- 5x5Group 2- 4x10

Thursday:Group 1- 4x10Group 2- 5x5

Friday:Group 1- 5x5Group 2- 4x10

or

The exercises i chose were;

Group 1A1) BB BenchA2) Dumbell RowB) Back Squat

Group 2A1) Push JerkA2) Pull UpB) Dumbell Swing

Or

Group 1: 5x5Bench press - 90,90,95,95,100kgBOR - 70,70,75,75,75kgSquat - 110kg

Group 2: 4x10Standing Barbell Military press - 55,55,55,60kg (failed at 6 reps with 60)Pull ups - 4 x10 bodyweight un-assisted25kg Plate swing - 4x 10 - really into these at the minute, feel great at the lower back and abs.

WhenGroup 1: 4x10BP - 90kgBOR - 70kgSquat - 100kg

Group 2: 5x5SBMP - 55kgPU - with 10kg dumbell between feet25kg Plate swings

Or

A Front Squat 5x5 (5x155, 5x165,5x175,5x185, 5x185)B1 dumbell bench press 5x5B2 BB bent over row 5x5

A DB Snatch 4x10B1 lat pull down 4x10B2 Push Press 4x10

Or

Notes: There are two groups in each training sessions consisting of A1, A2, and BA1 & A2 are super-sets with no rest in between.I then move on to the B exercise which is performed via straight sets.Therefore, I perform the movements, A1, A2, rest. Repeat until all sets completed, then B movement, rest, repeat until all sets completed. Then move on to group 2 and repeat.5x5 A movements will have 75s rest in between sets5x5 B movements will have 120s rest in between sets.4x10 A movements will have 45-60s rest.4x10 B movements will have 60sec rest.

Group 1A1: Standing Military Press (strict)-4x10 115lbsA2: Pronated Grip Pull-ups (my weak spot for high reps. 4x10 Bodyweight, struggled to finish last 2 sets.

B: Deadlift-4x10 225lbs felt too light, need to increase weight. Also need to perform some grip work as my grip starts to give between 8-10th reps provided I'm sweating.

Group 2:A1: BB Bench press-5x5 205lbsA2: 1 arm DB row-5x5 65lb DB

B: Lying leg press w/ bi angular foot plate-5x5 500lbs +sled, knees touching chest, slight pause at bottom to let the force absorb into the machine (there are small safety springs at the bottom and I want to let the force absorb so as not to use bounce..unless need obviously)

Power/Hypertrophy TrainingOn days 1 and 2, you will be following a “power” style training with multiple sets of 5 reps. We want you to choose an exercise for your power exercise from this list, and that is the exercise you will be focusing on for 6 weeks. On your power days, you will not train to failure on any auxiliary exercise; you will stop 1–2 reps shy of failure.

Chest: Incline or Flat Dumbbell or Barbell Presses Back: Barbell Bent-Over Rows, T-Bar Rows, Rack Chins, or Weighted Pull-Ups Shoulders: Dumbbell or Barbell Military Presses Quads: Squats, Front Squats, Hack Squats, or Deep Deadlifts Hams: Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, Glute/Ham Raises, or Good Mornings

On your hypertrophy days, use failure sparingly – maybe 1 set for each muscle group at most, then stop 1–2 reps shy on the others. You will do 3 sets of 10 of your power exercise on hypertrophy days to start that particular muscle group, but only use 65 percent of your normal 10-rep max weight. Focus on form and speed, and then drive the positive up quickly with authority.

UPPER POWER

Back Power Exercise

Auxiliary Back exercise: Incline-Braced Dumbbell Rows, Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Machine Rows or Lat Pull-Downs

3 sets of 8–10 reps

Chest Power Exercise

Auxiliary Chest Exercise: Dumbbell Flyes or Machine Flyes

3 sets 8–10 reps

Shoulder Power Exercise

Bicep Auxiliary Exercise: EZ-Bar Curls or Dumbbell Curls

2 sets of 6–8 reps

Triceps Auxiliary Exercise: Skullcrushers or Cable Press-Downs

2 sets of 6–8 reps

LOWER POWER

Quad Power Exercise

Leg Extensions

2 sets of 8–10

Ham Power Exercise

Leg Curls or Single-Leg Curls

2 sets of 8–10 reps

Standing Calf Raises or Donkey Calf Raises

3 sets of 6–8 reps

Seated Calf Raises

2 sets of 6–8 reps

CHEST/BACK HYPERTROPHY

Chest

Chest Power Exercise 

3 sets: 10 reps

Chest Auxiliary Exercise: Dumbbell Incline or Flat Press, Hammer Strength Press (Incline/Flat/Decline) 

3 sets: 8–12 reps

Chest Auxiliary Exercise: Dumbbell Incline or Flat Flyes, Cable Flyes, Cable Crossovers 

3 sets: 12-15 reps

Back

Back Power Exercise 

3 sets: 10 reps

Back Auxiliary Exercise: Barbell Bent-Over Rows, T-Bar Rows, Close-Grip Cable Rows, or Dumbbell Rows 

3 sets: 8–12 reps

Back Auxiliary Exercise: Rack Chins, Weighted Pull-Ups, Lat Pull-Downs, or Close-Grip Cable Pull-Downs 

3 sets: 8–12 reps

SHOULDERS/ARMS HYPERTROPHY

Shoulders

Shoulder Power Exercise 

2 sets: 10 reps

Shoulder Auxiliary Exercise: Dumbbell or Cable Lateral Raises, Dumbbell or Cable Rear Raises 

3 sets: 8–12 reps

Arms

Bicep Auxiliary Exercise: EZ Standing Curls or Dumbbell Standing Curls 

3 sets: 6–10 reps

Bicep Auxiliary Exercise: Cable Curls, Preacher Curls, or Dumbbell Concentration Curls 

2 sets: 10-15reps

Triceps Auxiliary Exercise: Skullcrushers or Overhead Cable Rope Extensions 

3 sets: 6–10 reps

Triceps Auxiliary Exercise: Cable Press-Downs or Reverse Grip Cable Press-Downs 

2 sets: 10-15 reps

You can superset bicep exercises with triceps exercises to cut down on time.

LEGS HYPERTROPHY

Quads

Quad Power Exercise 

3 sets: 10 reps

Ham Power Exercise 

3 sets: 10 reps

Quad Auxiliary Exercise: Leg Extensions 

2 sets: 8–10 reps

Ham Auxiliary Exercise: Leg Curls 

2 sets: 8–10 reps

Calves

Standing Calf Raises or Donkey Calf Raises 

3 sets: 8–12 reps

Seated Calf Raises 

2 sets: 6-15 reps

High Rep WorkoutsFUSION does calves and abs every training day. Our calf exercises are donkey calf raises, seated calf extensions, or leg press calf raises at 3 sets of 25 reps. We do abs most days at 3 sets of 15–20 reps.

Choose a weight that allows you to get 12–25 reps. As soon as 15 reps comes easy, it’s time to raise the weight for set number two! After a couple of weeks on this program, you’ll find that you’re lifting the same weight for 15 reps as you were for 8 reps. It’s an unreal feeling!

With this style of training, we utilize a lot of machines. This is more of an advanced training program because as a beginner, you want to focus on the bread-and-butter exercises such as squats. But as you’ll see, we incorporate these core lifts into this program regularly. Here is a sample routine. Try the following for the complex exercises unless otherwise noted:

Week 1: 2 sets of 6–20 reps Week 2: 3 sets of 6–20 reps Week 3: 4 sets of 6–20 reps Week 4: Repeat Week 1

After an eight-week run, please take a deload/off week, This type of training is very taxing on the central nervous system and can really lead individuals to feel run down after some time. If your body isn’t accustomed to training with volume, you’re going to be in for the shock of your life. This will be a great program to utilize while coming off a Max-OT or low-volume program.

Back

Deadlifts* T-Bar Rows Low Rows Seated Pulldowns to Chest Straight-Bar Cable Pullovers Dumbbell Pullovers Calves of choice—3 sets of 15 reps Abs of choice—3 sets of 15 reps

Chest

Incline Smith Press* Machine Chest Press Dumbbell Flyes Machine Flyes Cable Crossovers Calves of choice—3 sets of 15 reps Abs of choice—3 sets of 15 reps

Legs

Leg Extensions (2 warm-up sets) Squats (we use this as a warm-up only, with 2 sets of 15 light reps) Leg-Press Pyramid – We start at 4 plates each side for 15 reps and work up to 8

plates each side for 15 reps V-Squats or Hack Squats Leg Curls Lunges (4 sets of 6 reps each leg) Tip-Toe Smith Squat Calves of choice—3 sets of 15 reps Abs of choice—3 sets of 15 reps

Shoulders / Traps

Smith Shoulder Press* Smith Behind-Back Shrugs Seated Lateral Raises Alternate Front Raises Machine Shrugs

Rear Delt Machine Calves of choice—3 sets 15 reps Abs of choice—3 sets 15 reps

Arms

EZ-Bar Curls – we work up in 10-pound increments from 40 pounds to 80 pounds for 15 reps –slow and focused

Preacher Curls Skullcrushers Machine Dips Rope Pulley Hammer Curls Reverse-Grip Pressdowns Calves of Choice—3 sets of 15 reps Abs of choice—3 sets of 15 reps

Day of DropsetsEvery now and then it’s critical to change up your lifting routine to stimulate new muscle growth and keep your muscle fibers growing. Drastically changing your routine forces your muscles to grow and keeps them from adapting to training. These workouts are designed to force your muscles to recruit every last fiber and test the limits of your nervous system. We all know that the nervous system is responsible for activating muscle fiber contraction and it’s important to force it to adapt just like our muscles do. Using drop sets, these workouts require you to perform a high volume of repetitions with little rest time. The purpose is to confuse the muscle and force it to adapt to a new style of training. Do not use these workouts on an extended basis. Use them occasionally to change up a particular muscle group, otherwise you run the risk of overtraining.

Progress the weight so that you fail on the last rep of each set. Take 90 seconds between sets. After the final set, immediately decrease your final weight by 40 percent and knock out as many repetitions as possible. Concentrate on proper technique and squeezing the muscle as much as possible.

Chest and Triceps

Incline Barbell Press: 3 sets of 6–8 reps. Flat Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 8–10 reps. Standing Cable Flyes: 3 sets of 10–12 reps.

Barbell Cable Pushdowns: 3 sets of 8–10 reps. Lying Dumbbell Skullcrushers: 2 sets of 10–12 reps. Reverse-Grip Cable Extensions: 2 sets of 8–10 reps. Dumbbell Kickbacks: 2 sets of 10 reps.

Back and Calves

Wide Pull-Ups, weighted if possible: 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Barbell Seated Cable Row: 3 sets of 8–10 reps. Close-Grip Pulldowns: 2 sets of 8–10 reps. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows: 2 sets of 10–12 reps.

Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets of 12–15 reps. Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 8–10 reps.

Shoulders and Biceps

Side Dumbbell Raises: 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Seated Barbell Military Press: 2 sets of 6–8 reps. Reverse Pec Deck / Rear Delt: 2 sets of 10–12 reps. Seated Dumbbell Hammer Raises: 2 sets of 8–10 reps.

Barbell Curl: 2 sets of 8–10 reps. One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls: 2 sets of 10–12 reps. Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 2 sets of 8–10 reps.

Legs

Single-Leg Extensions: 2 sets of 12–15 reps. Single-Leg Hamstring Curls: 2 sets of 12–15 reps. Barbell Squats: 3 sets of 6–10 reps. Straight Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Barbell Lunges: 2 sets of 10–12 reps.