In this article, you will see what it takes to take your physique to the next level. (A competitive level for that matter)
The workouts you are about to see here, are based around some of the most powerful principles and methodologies, which we went through in the first section of MeanMuscles.
Now, we won’t point out things like ‘the importance of warm up’ and how to do your sprints. You should know that by now.
So, let’s get right into it.
Below are some of the elite principles and methods we use in this split.
- Emotional Principle
- Cheating Principle
- Prolonged Sets
- Forced Repetitions
- Pre-Exhaustion
- Pause-Rest
- Peak Flexion
- Constant Tension
- Double Split
Athlete profile
Now we’re going to trace our lovely friend Dan’s story, up until the point where he got competitive.
Dan worked out for a couple of years, using the advanced, as well as some of the elite training principles that he read on our information-dense website.
Dan was gaining and gaining, month after month, year after year. As Dan got up to multiple triple digits for most of his compound lifts, he started to notice serious, dense, saturated muscle gains.
One day, Dan stood in front of the mirror, stroke a front double bicep pose, followed by a quarter spun double bicep pose (That famous Arnold pose) and then hit a solid side chest. Dan saw the fire in his eyes and decided it was finally time to show his craft and get competitive in the sport of bodybuilding.
After years and years of hard work, Dan managed to get his physique to a solid level of development. His physique-presenting skills (aka posing) were flowing well with his physique as well.
Now, Dan knew he wasn’t ready for the stage yet. He started watching videos of bodybuilders in his weight division, and noticed they were significantly bigger. Dan knew he would get smaller once he started preparing for the competition (Simply because your body burns fat and muscle in the on-season period), so he decided to take 1 year off of any fat shredding phases.
During that one year, he would be in a constant off-season, where he would gain as much muscle as possible with as little fat as possible. Over the years, Dan developed a very aesthetic physique. He applied all the needed principles, in order to get his weak points up to par with the rest of his body.
However, in bodybuilding competitions, there are a couple of things that are NEVER enough.
- Glute & hamstring separation
- Calves
- Back
Building the off-Season workout regimen
For the weekly scheme, we will use a double split- two workouts a day, one in the AM and one in the PM. The AM workout will target the relatively weaker muscle groups, while the PM workout will target the stronger parts of the musculature.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM Workout | Sprints + calves | Abdominal muscles & stretching | Glutes, calves and hamstrings | Rest from weights. Vacuum workout (10-20 mins), posing | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
| PM Workout | Chest & back, posing | Biceps and triceps, posing | Quadriceps, shoulders, posing | Rest from weights, stretching, posing | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
So, basically, with this scheme, your workouts are split into 3 days, followed by a rest day, during which you do vacuums and stretching. After the rest day, you repeat the same rotation.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- On
Thursday- Rest, stretching, vacuums
Friday, Saturday, Sunday- On
Monday- Rest, stretching, vacuums
Etc.
| Day 1 AM Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sprints, followed by a calf workout in the gym | ||
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Calves | Bodyweight standing calf raises (each leg done separately) | 3 sets of 15 |
| Donkey calf raises | 4 sets of 15 reps | |
| Barbell calf raises | 3 sets of 15 reps | |
| Seated calf raises | 2 sets of 20 reps | |
| Leg press calf raises | 2 sets of 15 | |
| For this exercise, it’s recommended to use lower weights and achieve optimal contraction and stretch of the calf muscles. | ||
| Day 1 PM Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Chest | Flat barbell bench press | Pyramid- 15,12,10,8 |
| Final set- 6 repetitions until failure followed by 2 repetitions, using 90% of the STARTING weight, used in the set until failure. After that, 2-3 repetitions using 80% of the starting weight, and the final step- 2-3 more repetitions using 70% of the starting weight (Prolonged sets). | ||
| Incline barbell bench press | Set 1- 12 repetitions | |
| Set 2- 10 repetitions | ||
| Set 3- 8 repetitions | ||
| Set 4- 6 repetitions until failure, then 2-3 more repetitions beyond failure with the help of your spotter (Forced repetitions). | ||
| Weighted parallel bar dips | 2 sets of 12 | |
| Back | Wide grip pull-ups | 3 sets until failure |
| Conventional dead-lifts | Set 1- 10 repetitions | |
| Set 2,3- 8 repetitions, high intensity, failure is not reached | ||
| T-bar rows | Set 1- 12 repetitions | |
| Set 2- 10 repetitions | ||
| Sets 3– 8 repetitions | ||
| Set 4- Final set- 6 repetitions until failure followed by 2 repetitions, using 90% of the STARTING weight, used in the set until failure. After that, 2-3 repetitions using 80% of the starting weight, and the final step- 2-3 more repetitions using 70% of the starting weight (Prolonged sets). | ||
| Narrow grip lat pulldowns (Using the cable row V pulley) | 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions | |
| Pullovers with a dumbbell | 3 sets of 12-15 | |
| Lower back hyperextensions | Set 1- 15 repetitions with bodyweight | |
| Set 2,3,4- 8-10 repetitions with a weight. | ||
| The weight used for this exercise can be either a disc or a barbell. | ||
| Day 2 AM Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Abdominals and stretching | Hanging leg raises | 3 sets of 15 reps |
| Side twists from a dead hang | 3 sets of 10 repetitions per side | |
| Plank hold | 2 sets until failure | |
| Day 2 PM Workout | ||
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Biceps | Alternating dumbbell curls | 3 sets of 12-15 using light weights, good stretch and contraction |
| Barbell curls | Set 1- 10 reps | |
| Set 2- 8 reps | ||
| Sets 3 and 4- 6 reps until failure, followed by 2-3 more reps beyond failure, using momentum to get out of the dead point (cheating principle). | ||
| Preacher curls (Machine or straight bar) | 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions | |
| Dumbbell hammer curls | 2 sets of 12 repetitions | |
| Incline bench dumbbell bicep stretch | 2 sets of 20-30 second stretch | |
| Triceps | Close grip bench press | Set 1 – 15 repetitions |
| Set 2 – 10 repetitions | ||
| Set 3 – 7 repetitions | ||
| Set 4 – 4 repetitions | ||
| Set 5 – until failure | ||
| Machine triceps dips | 3 sets of 10, solid contraction | |
| Rope pushdowns | 2 sets of 15 | |
| Day 3 AM Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Glutes, hams, calves | Bodyweight squats, contracting the glutes at the top | 3 sets of 15 |
| Hip thrusts with a barbell | Set 1- 10 repetitions | |
| Set 2- 10 repetitions | ||
| Set 3- 8 repetitions | ||
| Set 4 and 5- 6 repetitions until failure | ||
| Glute contractions | 5 sets of 10-20 second holds | |
| Romanian deadlifts | 4 sets of 10 | |
| Hamstring curls (Seated, laying or standing) | 4 sets of 10 | |
| Standing calf raises | 4 sets of 15 repetitions | |
| Seated calf raises | 2 sets of 20 repetitions | |
| Day 3 PM Workout | ||
| Body Part | Exercise | Repetitions |
| Quadriceps | Bodyweight squats, no contraction in glutes, constant tension is kept throughout the whole exercise. | 4 sets of 15 repetitions |
| Barbell squats | Set 1- 15 repetitions | |
| Set 2- 10 repetitions | ||
| Set 3- 7 repetitions | ||
| Set 4- 4 repetitions | ||
| Set 5- until failure | ||
| Leg presses | Set 1- 15 repetitions | |
| Set 2- 12 repetitions | ||
| Set 3- 12 repetitions | ||
| Set 4- 10 repetitions | ||
| Set 5- 10 repetitions until failure | ||
| Pre-exhaustion– Before going into each set of leg presses, you complete a set of 12-15 reps on the leg extension machine | ||
| Hack squats | 2 sets of 10 | |
| Walking lunges with a barbell | 4 sets of 12 repetitions per leg | |
| Shoulders | Barbell shoulder press (Military press) | Set 1- 15 repetitions |
| Set 2- 12 repetitions | ||
| Set 3,4,5- 8-10 repetitions | ||
| Hanging lateral raises (each arm is done separately) | 4 sets of 8 reps using a heavy weight | |
| Front raises with a disk | 3 sets of 10, moderate intensity | |
When it comes to elite workouts, we mostly use the very best, intense bodybuilding methods, namely- Cheating and forced repetitions. Other important but not mandatory principles, that you need to apply in every workout, are the peak flexion, constant tension and double/triple split.
Principles like pre-exhaustion, pause-rest, prolonged sets, incomplete ROM, etc (Check out Training for Elite Athletes) can be used instinctively, at will, and there is no practical need to use them in every single workout.
Again, going into your off-season, you can use a wide variety of exercises- Pick what works best for YOU and focus on COMPOUND movements. We, here, at MeanMuscles give you the PRINCIPLES and METHODS you need to apply in your workouts!
Going into the workout emotionally
Once you decide to compete, you are supposed to reach a whole new level of ball game. Once you step into the gym, you are a different kind of animal. There is NOTHING in the gym that distracts you from your main goal. You are there for the sole purpose of training HARDER than anyone in your category will.
Your goal is to be the HARDEST WORKING man in the room. Psyche yourself up before every workout, get into a WAR ZONE. Put your headphones on, play your favorite music and get into it. DO NOT talk to anyone in between sets, stay FOCUSED.
When you’re resting between sets, play the next motivational song or speech, flex your juicy, pumped, vascular pectoral muscles or whatever group you’re training and prepare for the NEXT set. Give yourself a challenge, torture yourself, make your training partner torture you while he’s spotting you.
Make him take you to slap city, just so you can get that extra burst of adrenaline that your workout requires. It might sound dumb and look stupid, but if you want to compete, your regular 5 times a week workout, done with 2 exercises of 4 sets of 12 reps just won’t cut it. That’s why competitions require more dedication, more time and more will power.
Stay focused!
