If you’ve been grinding it out in the gym for the past four weeks, you’re probably starting to notice your abs peeking through and newfound strength. Hopefully, you also have realized that your life doesn’t have to come to a halt while you’re in pursuit of a six-pack. However, this deep into a program we wouldn’t blame you if you were hungry for a change of pace. We anticipated that, which is why, to keep things fresh, we’re switching you over to high-intensity circuit-style training to incinerate the last few pounds of fat, while still building mass with a high-volume approach.
As for nutrition, your only job is to stay the course. Whether you’re trying to build muscle or lose fat, you probably notice that you feel better if you’ve stuck to our menu of nutrient-dense, whole foods. Get the full nutrition plan here.
The workouts and diet will be challenging, but you’ve come this far, so continue to go after it. Think of it this way: You’re only four weeks away from your best physique yet.
RHC Directions
We kept the same three-day split so that time management doesn’t become an excuse. You’ll do each workout (Day 1, 2, and 3) once per week, resting a day in between sessions. And you’ll still lift heavy for the first exercise to retain strength and mass, with a descending rep scheme week to week.
There are no percentages listed, but you should select a load that is heavy relative to the number of reps you have to perform. For example, you may want to stick to 60–65% of your one-rep max when performing four sets of 12 reps—too heavy and you won’t finish, but too light and it may not be challenging enough. For sets of four to six reps, lift closer to 80–85% of your 1RM. As the reps lessen, the weight should increase but not be taken to failure. Leave one or two reps in the tank for each set. You’ll make steady progress but won’t burn out. Make sure that you’re getting an adequate amount of rest between sets of the main lift.
However, once you’re done with those sets, the intensity gets jacked up during your accessory work. Compound movements for brutal straight sets are still a staple, but now they’re supersetted with exercises like pullups and hammer curls to add more volume to pump up your trophy muscles. The newest implement is the TRX, which will finish off whatever muscle fibers managed to survive the onslaught, as using a suspension trainer recruits more muscles to stabilize your body.
