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Workout Summary
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The last few months have been great for many of us in the iron game.
We’ve upped the calories as well as the weights and the result has been new found mass and power.
I hope you’ve had fun with that but now spring is here which means summer isn’t far behind.
The jackets go away and the tank tops come out to play.
So now our focus needs to be on taking that foundation we’ve built since Thanksgiving and sculpting it out so come June we can reveal our ultimate physique.
You ready for this eight week program? I thought so. Let’s go.
Weight Training
While you might not be using the extra plates and bigger dumbbells like you were during your bulk, you will still be going heavy and upping the intensity. This five day split won’t be a traditional program. You’re going to push yourself in a variety of ways to develop that muscle while etching out the detail that you need to create that shredded look.
Related: Tank Top Workout - 4 Day Muscle Building Split
This means supersets, forced reps, drop sets, holds, and rest-pause training. For those of you that need to know:
Supersets: 2 exercises performed back to back without rest.
Forced Reps: Having a partner or spotter help you lift the weight while you lower it yourself under control.
Drop Sets: Upon failure, reduce the weight you’re using and continue your set until you reach your desired rep range or failure.
Holds: Upon completing the set, you hold the weight with muscles contracted until failure.
Rest-Pause Set: Upon failure, rest for 10-15 seconds and continue your set until you reach failure again or reach your desired rep range.
Outside of your warm-up sets, there isn’t a single straight set in this program. This not only increases the intensity to help bring out the best in your muscles, it also will help you burn more calories.
This is an eight week program. The rest periods change over the course of the eight weeks. This means every time you step in the gym, you’re going to have to bring it because the rest time will gradually decrease.
- Weeks 1 and 2 – 2 minutes rest between sets.
- Weeks 3 and 4 – 90 seconds rest between sets.
- Weeks 5 and 6 – 60 seconds rest between sets.
- Weeks 7 and 8 – 45 seconds rest between sets.
Day 1: Chest & Abs
| Exercise | Warm up Sets | Work Sets | Intensity Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Incline Barbell Bench Press | 2x8-10 | 3x10 | 2-3 forced reps |
| 2. Dumbbell Fly | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | Drop sets |
| 3. Weighted Dip | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | Rest-pause |
| 4. Pec-Deck | 1x10 | 3x12 | Holds on last rep |
| 5a. Cable Crossover | - | 3x12 | Superset |
| 5b. Pushup | - | 3x12 | - |
| 6. Hanging Leg Raise | - | 3x12 | Holds on last rep |
| 7a. Decline Situp | - | 3x15 | Superset |
| 7b. Side Bends | - | 3x15 | - |
| 8. Plank | - | 3xfailure | - |
| 9. Rope Crunch | - | 3x15 | Drop sets |
Day 2: Back
| Exercise | Warm up Sets | Work Sets | Intensity Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Neutral Grip Pullups | 2x8-10 | 3xfailure | Rest-pause |
| 2. Bent Over Barbell Row | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | Holds on last rep |
| 3a. Reverse Grip Pulldown | 1x10 | 3x8-10 | Superset |
| 3b. Straight Arm Pulldown | 1x10 | 3x8-10 | - |
| 4. Wide Grip Seated Row | 1x10 | 3x12 | 2-3 forced reps |
| 5. Rack Deadlift | 1x10 | 3x15 | Drop sets |
Day 3: Shoulders
| Exercise | Warm up Sets | Work Sets | Intensity Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a. Upright Row | 1x10 | 3x10 | Superset |
| 1b. Seated Lateral Raise | 1x10 | 3x10 | - |
| 2. Seated Smith Machine Shoulder Press | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | Drop sets |
| 3. Front Plate Raise | 1x10 | 3x12 | 2-3 forced reps |
| 4. High Rope Face Pull | 1x10 | 3x12 | Rest-pause |
Day 4: Arms
| Exercise | Warm up Sets | Work Sets | Intensity Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. EZ Bar Preacher Curl | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | 2-3 forced reps |
| 2. Close Grip Bench Press | 1x10 | 3x10-12 | Rest-pause |
| 3. Hammer Curl | 1x10 | 3x12 | Drop sets |
| 4. Overhead Rope Extension | 1x10 | 3x12 | Holds on last rep |
| 5a. Standing Cable Curl | 1x10 | 3x15 | Superset |
| 5b. Reverse Grip Pushdown | 1x10 | 3x15 | - |
Day 5: Legs
| Exercise | Warm up Sets | Work Sets | Intensity Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Squat | 1x10 | 3x8-10 | Rest-pause |
| 2. Leg Press | 1x15 | 3x15 | Drop sets |
| 3. Single Leg Extension | 1x15 | 3x15 | Holds on last rep |
| 4a. Stiff-Legged Deadlift | 1x15 | 3x15 | Superset |
| 4b. Seated Leg Curl | 1x15 | 3x15 | - |
| 5. Lying Leg Curl | 1x15 | 3x15 | Forced reps |
| 6a. Standing Calf Raise | 1x20 | 3x20 | Superset |
| 6b. Seated Calf Raise | 1x20 | 3x20 | - |
Cardio
Cardio will be performed High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT Style) for 20 total minutes. If possible, perform your cardio separate but if you must do it when training, do it post-weight training when glycogen storages are depleted.
Related: Fast Shred Program - 4 Day Compound Set Workout Split
Here’s your format for HIIT:
- 2 minute warm-up
- 30 seconds all-out effort followed by 90 seconds low-moderate effort.
- Repeat for a total of 8 rounds.
- 2 minute cool down.
You can do any form of cardio you like but my personal recommendations are elliptical, walking/sprinting, and boxing/kickboxing with the heavy bag. Alternate which forms of cardio you do so the program stays interesting and will challenge you in different ways.
HIIT cardio can be performed 3-4 times a week or as you see fit based on your individual goals.
63 Comments+ Post Comment
Is the 2 min cooldown for the hit training a break between every round?
Hi about drop set
How should a drop set be performed? is 3 sets = 1 drop set ?
im doing leg press - warm up -> start with heavy weight -> reduce weight -> reduce again -> finished its only one set u mean or i make same in up 3 set from heavy to failed tree time??
Hi about drop set
How should a drop set be performed? is 3 sets = 1 drop set ?
im doing leg press - warm up -> start with heavy weight -> reduce weight -> reduce again -> finished its only one set u mean or i make same in up 3 set from heavy to failed tree time??
Hi Rock ... I liked the workout but only concern is all 8 weeks will i do the same exercise and same reps till 8 weeks or do i need to add more exercise such as 1 day incline bench and next chest exercise i put flat barbell bench press and bext time decline bench press or just follow this to shred.. kindly advise as I am on my 1st day today.
Thank you
cheers!!!
Is there an excel sheet available to track workouts or is this workout available on an app?
LOVE THE WORKOUT! WHAT WORKOUT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AFTER COMPLETING THE 8 WEEK SHRED?
Hi Screwbert,
Depends on your goal. If your goal is still fat loss, you may enjoy one of these: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/fat-loss
Hi thanks for the workout,
Could I add abs in a couple more days a week? Of has to be necessarily only with chest?
Can I add more workouts to this when I do it or should i only do what's on here
Hi Phil,
I'd recommend sticking to what's outlined within the program.
Do you complete each set before moving on to the next exercise. For example. I would do 2x 8 Warm up for incline barbell bench press. Once that is completed, do 3x10 incline barbell bench press. Then move onto dumbbell fly.
Or would I just do down the list
Warm up
Incline
Dumbbell Fly
Weight dip
and etc
Hi Pat,
Perform all of the sets of an exercise before moving on to the next exercise.
Is this workout intended to be used at a caloric deficient or maintanance calories?
Hi Brenden,
In a deficit to burn fat.
How often with this plan should we do cardio? It says 3-4 times a week but also says it's better if you do it separately from training. Should we be doing cardio 3-4 times a week?
Hi Sarah,
Sure, you could do 3-4 cardio session per week paired with this program.
For the drop sets, I can see that sometimes set counts are limited to 10-12 counts. Are those counts are enough to perform a drop set or we are expected to have the weight heavy enough to reach failure early?
hello im Donand i am 22, 6 feet, 330lbs. i am looking to burn fat and tone out the mass and muscle i already have. will this work for me? im pretty big and strong i just dont wanna be a fat guy anymore.
Hi Don,
Yes, this would be a good workout to use for those goals.
Hope this helps!
So this is a 12 week program right? Am I supposed to do the workouts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and repeat the same routine until I hit 12 weeks? Wouldn't my muscles get too used to the training? Or will I still get good results? If anyone could recommend anymore good workout programs to get a Tom Hardy kind of build that'd be awesome.
Hi Nathan,
No. As long as you are moving up in weight and challenging your muscles, your body will not get used to the training. Muscle confusion is somewhat of a myth. Your body needs progressive overload to get results - and that is best achieved (in my opinion) by doing the same workouts for a period of time and tracking them so you know when you can increase the weight used.
We have this bane workout: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/insane-like-bane-training-pro...
Tom hardy's venom inspired workout will also be coming on 9/4, so stay tuned!
So for the warm up if it says 2×8-10
And for the workout it says 3×8-10
Basically I'm doing same exercise 5 sets just 2 are warmup? Correct
Hi Honest,
Yes, that is correct.
How should a drop set be performed? is 3 sets = 1 drop set ?
im doing leg press - warm up -> start with heavy weight -> reduce weight -> reduce again -> finished
when im done i can barely walk haha. cant imagine doing more than 1 round.
Should the weight we are lifting be heavy through the whole workout or be a build up?
Hi Sara,
Use 70-85% of your working max for these rep ranges.
Hope this helps!
I’m finishing up week 6, and I’m having trouble keeping up the number of reps as the rest time between sets decreases. Should I lower the weight, bump back up the rest time, or just do as many of the reps as I can?
Hi Michael,
Any of those or a combination of all of the above is a fine way to adapt the program to your individual capabilities.
These programs are simply templates and progressions to them are just recommendations. If you're not ready to progress, there's nothing wrong with keeping the workout the same for a couple of weeks. Progress isn't always linear. So long as you're challenging yourself consistently over time, you'll see results.
Hope this helps!
Where is day 6 and the rest of the workout or do you just repeat days 1-5 for 8 weeks
Hi Ryan,
There are only 5 workouts for this program. Yes, that is correct.
Hope this helps!
I need to ask about supersets for the same exercice
It means that if I have bench press 3x10 then I have to repeat 30 continuously
Hi Mohammed,
Supersets are depicted by letters within this workout (i.e. 1a and 1b). You perform both exercises without resting in between. After you've finished both you rest and that equals one set.
Hope this helps!
Thank you I didn't notice a and b
Workout plan looks solid, thanks for the guide. I'm excited to try it out.
I was just curious about what kind of diet you followed while on it. What are your macro percentages?
Hi, would you suggest this workout for women to lose fat/weight? Also is the HIIT cardio done every day after workout?
Thanks
Hi Michaela,
Sure this is a fine program and will help anyone with fat loss goals. The HIIT cardio can be performed 3-4 times a week or as you see fit.
Hope this helps!
How soon should I expect to see results?
Hi... I am.about his workout routine ... Can explain abt the drop set .. how to use them ..
Hi Vikram,
Drop Sets: Upon failure, reduce the weight you’re using and continue your set until you reach your desired rep range or failure.
Hope this helps!
hi,
But u have given there is no single straight sets. shud i perform all the stuff like rest pause, drop set only in the last set of a exercise?
Hi,
Thank you for the response. For example there is a ex with 3*12 drop set. shud i perform the first set with 12 rep and den go for lower wt till failure?
Hi Vikram,
Drop sets are traditionally performed on the very last set of each exercise.
Hope this helps!
Hi Vikram,
Yes, that is how this particular program is written to be performed on every set. However, it is important to know your own capabilities. Personally, I would only perform the the intensity method on the final set of each exercise. But, if you feel you're advanced enough to do it on every single set, then you could do that as well.
Hope this helps!
Does battle rop HIIT count as cardio here...can i do it after workout?
Hi Nibras,
Yes, absolutely. That'd be a fine form of HIIT cardio for this program.
Hope this helps!
So for 8 weeks it's the same routine of these five days? And could you carry this program out longer then 8 weeks?
Hi James,
Yes, that is correct. After 8 weeks you may want to take a week to deload and reassess your goals. Check this article out:
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-deload
If you're goals are the same, you're enjoying the program, and seeing results, you can run it again. If not, find something fresh and new that is aligned with helping you reach your goals.
Hope this helps!
Do i have to do the cardio everyday or only the days i k going to gym?
Hi Nibras,
You can do either or. Try to figure out what works best for you. Also, don't forget to account for the additional calorie expenditure and the affect it will have on your caloric needs and your recovery time.
Hope this helps!
Can i do low intesity cardio for this program?..and do i have to change the items of workout or continue this workouts for straight 8weeks?