With warm weather on the horizon, you might not be sure which workout protocol to adopt to lead into summer. Should you stay the course? Start looking to lean out? Finally test out that Zumba class? To help give you direction we tagged in trainer and coach Prince Brathwaite, CEO and founder of Trooper Fitness in New York City and winner of last October’s 2016 NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix. Leading up to the contest, Brathwaite wasn’t sure which division he best fit—Physique, Classic Physique, or Bodybuilding—so he trained his ass off and put on size while staying lean and shredded and competed in all three. Follow his routine and pair it with an ultra-clean diet and you’ll see similar results—lower body fat and way more muscle.
Part 1: Endurance
“In the endurance phase of the program you’ll work with more volume to prime your muscles for the literal heavy lifting ahead,” explains Brathwaite. “The four-day split allows the lifter to ease back into using perfect form on his lifts, which will carry over to more efficient form for when things get heavy.” Start by performing 12 reps. For each subsequent set, lighten the load and increase the reps. This will ensure that you can lift the most weight during the first set, then tax different muscle fibers with lighter weight. You’ll preserve your joints as well, as you’ll have to lighten the load to complete all of the reps.”
Part 2: Strength
Use six reps as your benchmark. Once you can perform each set for six reps, add weight to the bar. Just don’t allow your ego to take over; stick with a light progression of 5 to 10 lbs max.
If it’s been a while since you went heavy on the squat, bench press, or deadlift. Use the first week of this phase of the program to ease back into the proper form so the mechanics of the movement become comfortable.
