The lean bulk (training phase 2)

3 weeks down 7 to go!...in this post I will cover my workout plans for phase 2 of my lean bulk. I’m really looking forward to getting into this phase as I love the feeling you get after performing a full body push or pull workout. Due to the amount of muscle recruited in each workout my heart rate shoots through the roof and fatigue sets in rather quickly. To me, the feeling of walking out of the gym after giving it everything you have physically and mentally is like no other. With that feeling each time you leave the gym I can guarantee you will see results in no time!

Once again each workout is warmed-up with the ‘barbell warm-up complex’ and mobility drills, which I presented in a previous blog post back in September. I’m using a 4 day a week split, which I’ve put together using the template I talked about in my previous blog post back in October called “the push/pull formula”. The spit is as follows:

·         Explosive exercise, push, abs

·         Pull, biceps

·         Explosive exercise, push, abs

·         Pull, triceps

You’ll notice I am now training abs twice a week and performing explosive exercises twice a week at the beginning of my sessions. Calf training has been dropped for this phase as I find they get a great workout from explosive Olympic lifts. There is also a lack of isolation exercises. Lastly to try and eliminate any imbalances I may have, I’m also performing a uni-lateral (one limbed) exercise for every bi-lateral (two limbed) exercise I do. The basic principle behind this phase is to build bigger, stronger muscles through performance based conditioning. There may be a few exercises you might be unfamiliar with, so I’ve included a few photos at the bottom of this post to help you should you need it.

Day 1: explosive exercise, push, abs

exercise	sets	reps	notes
Power clean	4	1-3
Smith machine front squat	4	8-10	Ass to the floor!
Incline bench cable decline press	4	8-10	See image below for exercise set up
Standing BB press	4	8-10
Seated Russian twist	3	8-10
Valslide pike	3	8-10	use a TRX or exercise ball if you don’t have valslides

Day 2: pull, biceps

exercise	sets	reps	notes
1 leg weighted back extension	4	8-10	Use 45 degree angle back extension bench
Cable face pull	4	8-10	Use a rope attachment
1 arm lat pulldown	4	8-10
TRX bicep curl	4	8-10	Elbow in front of the body works on inner bicep
Fatgripz incline DB curl	4	8-10	Elbow behind body works outer bicep

Day 3: explosive exercise, push, abs

exercise	sets	reps	notes
Power snatch	4	1-3
Walking DB lunge	4	8-10
Incline smith machine bench	4	8-10	Use a low incline
Arnold press	4	8-10
Cable wood chop	3	8-10
plank	3	30-60 sec.

Day 4: pull, triceps

exercise	sets	reps	notes
Cable pull through	4	8-10	See image below for exercise set up
Seated 1 arm cable row	4	8-10
Fatgripz close grip pull-up	4	8-10	4 seconds down, 1 second up
TRX overhead extension	4	8-10
Cable kickback	4	8-10

Cable pull through – stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with your back to a cable machine. Use a rope attachment set at knee height. Grasp the rope between your legs and forcefully extend your hips until you’re in an upright position. Slowly return to the start and repeat for reps.

Incline bench cable decline press – attach D handles to a cable machine set at about waist height.  Sit on an inclined bench and press the handles in front of you. Slowly return to the start and repeat for reps. This is a great exercise for hitting the lower pecs.

Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a merry christmas and a happy new year. I’ll be back in 3 weeks with a review of how this training phase went, hopefully I will still have some abs visible after all that Christmas food!