The go-to bulk up formula is often to add weight to the bar, reduce the reps, rinse, and repeat. It’ll work, but it’s not optimized for maximum results.
In fact, a review of 15 studies published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that periodized training—implementing various training phases in one program—had a greater effect on performance improvements compared with programs that applied no variance.
And that’s what Pat Davidson, Ph.D., had in mind when he developed Mass, a 16-week periodized program that trains all your energy systems, or pathways. “If you don’t train a particular pathway, it won’t develop,” says Davidson, a New York City-based personal trainer. Just one underdeveloped pathway can lead to diminished strength, lackluster conditioning, and less muscle mass.
Davidson’s Mass regimen, which he’s adapted to an eight-week program for M&F, targets one pathway per workout and requires balls-to-the-wall intensity from start to finish—but it’s worth it.
“If you complete this program, you’re going to put on muscle mass and get a lot stronger,” he says. “You’ll also be a grittier, more confident person.”
Note: This the first block of an 8-week program consisting of four different days of routines. Follow the week-long template below four times to complete Part 1 of the plan, then check out Part 2 here when you’re ready.
Also, refer to this percentage chart and follow the protocol for the back squat and bench press on Day 1:
Work capacity: Davidson named this specific protocol “Staring Down the Barrel of a .45,” since you’ll be completing 45 total repetitions for the first two lifts, resting 45 seconds between sets. This combination of high volume with minimal rest is designed to increase your work capacity and trigger a huge hormonal response. “The moderate load combined with the short rest periods is going to create a lot of metabolic stress,” Davidson explains. “The person should get a pretty significant growth hormone response, which should last up to 72 hours post-lift. This increases your potential to build muscle and burn off some fat.”
Directions: Perform exercises marked 5A, 5B, and 5C back-to-back-to-back, resting only after the last exercise is complete.
Target: Davidson uses Triphasic training, a lifting protocol, invented by strength coach Cal Dietz, that breaks down each lift into the lowering (eccentric), static (isometric), and lifting (concentric) phase. You’ll focus on just the eccentric, as “an eccentric tempo puts your muscle fibers under tension for longer, which should lead to a greater adaptive response and can help your muscles grow four times as fast,” Davidson says.
The takeaway: The more overall fibers you recruit, the greater your potential for overall strength.
Directions: For the first two main lifts, use 80% of your one-rep max. For the accessory work, complete exercises marked A, B, and C back-to-back-to-back, resting only after the last exercise is complete.
The target here is hypertrophy and this day is all about building muscle through time under tension (TUT), which is achieved with a high rep count. Unlike the other three days, you’ll have a little more time to rest between sets and supersets, but you should be reaching failure at 15 reps for every set. “It’s still a pretty decent load if you really are pushing yourself hard,” Davidson says.
The target here is conditioning and you will be performing three full-body exercises as a circuit taxes your major muscles, sends your heart rate soaring, and improves your efficiency in each movement. “Because the volume is reduced by about 50% compared with Day 1, it’s not as stressful on the system,” Davidson says. “It just feels that way, because while you’re doing it, it’s just vicious—this workout will kick you in the dick every time you do it.”
Directions: Complete all three exercises as a circuit. The goal is to get 15 reps per move and to do the reps within 30 seconds—if you get 15 before the 30-second window is over, stop. Rest 30 seconds between exercises, then 2 minutes between rounds.
