5x DAY HIGH-FREQUENCY Training-to-Failure Training Plan. This Training Plan manipulates DEC-19 training principles by making each day Full Body and including slightly high rep ranges at the end of the sesison.
Continuing the low daily volume, with the the primary goal being Strength and Strength-Rep PR’s for weekly progressive overload.
Looking for just enough maximally effective reps through heavy lifting and training to failure, whilst managing muscle breakdown to enable 5x 45-60min full body session a week. This will jack up protein synthesis, without creating too much catabolic damage and fatigue.
p.s. I (Steve) am walking the talk with training to failure in these workouts. It ain’t pretty… but this is what it takes. #trainingface
Table of Contents:
What this Workout Plan is, and isn’t…
Keeping true to AdapNation’s #HyperWorkouts physique and wellness objectives, this workout plan looks to help you naturally develop lean muscle mass, as efficiently as possible.
It’s about minimum dose training volume whilst eliciting maximum muscle development. This is not a sweatfest or an insane high-volume plan. This is intelligent programming.
This is a Training Plan for men and women who want to train smartly and productively. It’s about making progress from a functional strength and muscle growth perspective, whilst also burning calories and feeling great having worked out.
It doesn’t mandate cardio, outside of a little warm up. Instead, it’s about truly challenging your muscles to strength failure to illicit adaptation, followed by adequate rest between sets.
That said, it does not exclude you from additionally getting in low intensity NEAT activities, or some moderate effort steady state cardio for fitness conditioning. Moving is encouraged – do what feels right and makes you feel vibrant!
Workout Plan quick glance
WHO? Men & Women
WHERE? At Gym or Equipped Home Gym
DURATION? 45-60mins (including warm up and rest periods)
HOW? Real-world Exercise Videos for each exercise
WHY? Muscle Development, Strength Gains & Calorie Burn
WHEN? 5x Week (can be as little as 3x)
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Objectives of this Plan
- Efficient Muscle Development – to illicit a net-anabolic effect without wasted time & effort. Driving up muscular and strength adaptations
- Minimum dose, maximum effect – low training volume but with very high intensiveness per set
- Increase frequency & improving recovery – 5x right-sized full body routines that appropriately tax major muscle groups to allow for daily training and recovery
- Post-Failure Fatiguing techniques – Rest/Pause sets to increase maximum effective reps per session (see HERE)
NB: Can be used for Lowering, Increasing or Maintaining Bodyweight. The critical factor to which path you take on this programme will be your diet.
Training is NOT that important…
We’re going to get into the workout plan detail now.
But please note that Diet Choices, Sleep, Mobility, General Activity (NEAT), Time Outdoors, Mindfulness, Kindness and Keeping Busy are going to play a much bigger role on your wellbeing, physique and mental health than a 45-60min Workout Session.
Deliberate and appropriately demanding physical activity should absolutely be part of your healthy and vibrant lifestyle – just don’t expect a workout to be a silver bullet. And if you want to gain muscle, training is only effective if it’s challenging enough, and is supported by a consistent nutrient-dense calorie surplus of sorts (.e.g Lean Bulking).
APR-20 GYM WORKOUT PLAN
APR-20 Home Workout Plan Guidance
| 1 | Use HeavySet to track each workout so overall volume can be logged |
| 2 | Warm Up & Mobility – See below for ideas of both. 5mins of Skipping / Stationary bike is perfect |
| 3 | Strength / Rep PR’s – The number one goal is to lift more weight in the 8-10 rep range. Where that’s not possible, go for rep PR’s within your max weight for this rep range |
| 4 | 5-6x Working Sets Per Session! – 1 per exercise. Go to true failure on each working set. You won’t need to do more |
| 5 | Warm Up Sets – For the HEAVY lift, warm from from 50-93% intensity for the defined reps. Don’t go to failure. This is warming up and prepping for the one truly challenging Working Set |
| 6 | Post-Failure Training – Train to failure across each set. For exercises 2-5, include Rest/Pause sets, where in 20sec intervals, look to replicate volume of initial effort * |
| 7 | Rest Periods – Rest 2-3 mins between Working Sets, with 60-90 secs between warmups |
| 8 | Rest Days – Aim for two rest days a week, slotted in where it feels right for you. No weight training or demanding cardio efforts |
* REST/PAUSE Explanation: Say you get 8 reps before muscle failure. Wait 20 seconds, and then look to get another 8 reps, in as few sets as possible, each with a 20 sec rest in between.
- EX 1: 8 reps to failure, followed by another 8 reps in 20s intervals (4, 3 then 1)
- EX 2: 9 reps to failure, followed by another 9 reps in 20s intervals (5 then 4)
- EX 3: 10 reps to failure, followed by another 10 reps in 20s intervals (4, 3, 2 then 1)
SESSION 1
Click the playlist button 
on top-right of video to view each exercise for this session:
SESSION 2
Click the playlist button on top-right of video to view each exercise for this session:
SESSION 3
Click the playlist button on top-right of video to view each exercise for this session:
SESSION 4
Click the playlist button on top-right of video to view each exercise for this session:
SESSION 5
Click the playlist button on top-right of video to view each exercise for this session:
Log & keep track of your training!
If you don’t measure, you can’t manage. Plus, if you want to efficiently get started and blitz through these workouts, there is no better solution than to get this entire Gym Workout Plan loaded up into HeavySet with just a couple clicks.
Here’s what you need to do:
- STEP 1: Install HeavySet iOS App and accept terms (you can perform 2x workouts for free)
- STEP 2: Press the button below to load data into HeavySet
- STEP 3: Open up the HeavySet app, press the top-right
Button. Then Click Import and Choose - STEP 4: Train! Just click on the imported Folder, and select Session 1
APR-20 Gym Workout Plan Principle & Pointers
- HEAVY – Each workout is focussed on your first and heaviest lift. You’ll warm up with 50% of your 1RM for 20 reps. As per the plan, you’ll increase your % of 1RM whilst decreasing your reps, all the way up to a heavy single. The goal here is not to fatigue yourself, but to warm up your muscles and get used to heavy weight in your hands. Then, give you ONE working set everything you’ve got. To complete failure at 8+ reps. If you have it in you, add one rest/pause micro set after 20secs.
- REST/PAUSE – Lifts 2-6 will be Rest/Pause post-failure sets. Aim for 8-10 reps to failure, followed the same reps again in as few sets as possible (2-3) with only 20 secs break between each. This is all about increasing your Maximum Effective Reps with this one working set. Max Effective Reps only really come into account when the relative intensity is 80%+, hence the post-failure reps end up being there be default.
- Workout PR Tracking, % Guidance & Goal Setting – Even more so with this training block, there is a need to track every set within a workout. In HeavySet, you can review prior workout volume and PR’s and get a real-time read on what you need to aim for within your session. Plus, all the % Intensities, Rest Periods, Tempos and Post-Failure Techniques are loaded into the Routine for your convenience. You can calculate your lifting weight goals with this Rep Max / % Intensity Calculator (or any other online/app 1RM calculator)
- Don’t Increase The Volume! – It’s tempting, but trust the process. If you are truly going to failure whilst using solid form, getting stronger, and using the post-failure techniques listed above, you would have sent a strong muscle building signal to your muscles. The goal with muscle building is to have a net-positive protein synthesis. If you do too much volume, the muscle building signal may get dampened by the increased damage and fatigue – leading to a net-negative anabolic response. Remember, we’re going for min dose max effect!
General Weight Training Program Guidance
- Progressive Overload is the Most Important Thing – The name of the game is to progress in some fashion every week. This creates a stress response that results in muscle damage followed by repair and body adaptation. So, always aim to improve each lift from week-to-week. The best metric for progressive overload will be getting stronger, or more reps to failure on your 80% intensity weights.
- Mobilise – Having a few mobilisation drills to do in the evening, during the day or before your lifting can have a profound impact on body mechanics, exercise form, pain and body calmness
- The Role of Cardio – For a deep dive into the pros and cons of cardio, I would recommend you list to this AdapNation Podcast – #4: Cardio Pro and Con Deep Dive. In summary, if you are not training to be an endurance athlete, and cardio is purely a means to burn calories for you, then for the most part you can switch cardio for resistance training. The 5-10mins moderate steady state cardio (or you can do HIIT cardio) finishers are more for active recovery after weight lifting training and getting some stress-relieving deep breaths in, versus the calorie burn.
- Increase your NEAT for greater Calorie Burn & Weight Loss – instead of doing loads of cardio exercise, I would generally recommend you increase your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). Basically, your moving around during the day. Go for walks, stand up regularly from your desk, do housework, yoga, get your steps in etc. You have the chance to burn significantly more calories through NEAT than pounding the streets for 30-60mins.
- Expect a 250-450 Calorie Burn, plus More! – On average, I burn about 350 calories per training session. Lighter folk or those with less muscle will burn less, naturally. Moreover, there then is the recovery energy needed to repair which is yet more calories burned. Even better still, the more lean mass on your frame, the higher your BMR is – as in, you burn more calories every day just by having more muscle. It’s a beautiful thing! I use an Apple Watch to estimate my calorie burn during exercise and during the day.
Other than that, ENJOY! 💪
USEFUL RESOURCES
A. If You Want To Get Bigger, Stronger (& Leaner)
If you want to double-click into Progressive Overload, then check out this Podcast – #34: What Is Progressive Overload & All The Ways To Do It.
There is a ton other useful discussion on Training & Nutrition related topics on the AdapNation Podcast – check it out on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
B. If You’re Looking For Useful Gym & Training Guidance
Check out the AdapNation PT Corner, where you can find how-to’s, nifty gym tools, great insights and some interesting perspectives to staying motivating and achieving physique results.
C. If You Want To Lose Weight (& not necessarily put on muscle size)
Listen to this 2-Part AdapNation Podcast – 101 on Losing Fat for GOOD! Revisited, or read the associated 3-Part Article – Losing Body Fat For Good – Here’s All You Need To Know, and follow this gym workout plan. You will see results you want. Strength training is that versatile.
D. If You Want Guidance On Eating To Thrive AND Look Good
Then you’ll want to read up about AdapNation’s IIFYM+ Thrive Eating Approach, as well as check out the 90+ (and growing) exciting meal ideas at AdapNation’s Food Diary. Lastly, check out this Article or Podcast, if you want some practical selection, prepping and cooking tips from Michelle.
E. If You Want To Learn More About Mobilisation
Enjoyed the read?Comment below, and check out our longer-form Articles, our shorter Micro Blog sections, grab Healthy Meal Ideas from AdapNation Food Diary, and Free Gym Workout Plans at #HyperWorkouts. |
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