How To Gain 10lbs Of Muscle In 4 Weeks
Sounds Difficult But It Can Be Done!
It might sound madness : Put on 10 lbs of hard lean muscle mass in just 4 weeks, but it is possible.. sure you cannot continue at this rate, but its been proven that for a short term, high intensity few weeks you really can pile on some quality muscle mass…
It can be done, thats for sure, but a program as bold as this needs proper planning as well as the right nutrition to be successful….
Its a fact that you can exercise all day long, but if you aren’t taking on board the correct number of calories alongside the right nutrients, you will fail.. its that simple…
We will cover nutrition in another article –
Click Here to read our guide – Building Muscle – What To Eat
The Program
The program is in two phases, it is designed to help you build muscles though the right balance of exercises, volume and intensity building techniques.
Weeks 1-2 Heavy Hitter
We start off with some mass building heavy compound exercises…. for most exercises doing 6-8 reps ( except calves and abs – 8-12 reps) This does mean lifting heavier weights than you would usually, but this is the key to adding strength and size.. you will see that there is not a lot of actual isolation exercises during this stage…
The volume isn’t too excessive either, with 11 sets for each muscle group (aside from the shoulders which requires 15 sets) and you will train each body part just once a week.
The main reason for this is the fact that you need sufficient recovery time too…. pushing yourself through endless sets can easy push you into a catabolic state where your muscles are actually broken down, not built up…. To gain 10lbs in this short period of time will need the right balance of exercise alongside plenty of rest… Split over 4 days, this section pairs smaller muscle groups with other larger ones, this helps keep you as fresh as possible when doing the heaviest exercises..
Day 1 – Chest And Triceps (All exercises are 6-8 reps unless otherwise indicated)
Incline Barbell Presses – 3 sets
Flat Dumbbell Press – 4 sets
Weighted Dip – 4 sets
Close Grip Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets
Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension – 3 sets
Day 2 – Legs,Calves and Abs :
Machine Squat – 3 sets
Leg Press – 4 sets
Barbbell Hack Squat – 4 sets
Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets
Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets (20 reps)
Hanging Leg Raise – 2 sets (20 reps)
Cable Crunch – 2 sets (20 reps)
Day 3 – Traps and Shoulders:
Overhead Dumbell Press – 3 sets
Arnold Press – 4 sets
Barbell Upright Row – 4 sets
Bent Over Lateral Raise – 4 sets
Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Day 4 – Back Biceps and Abs
Barbel deadlift – 3 sets
Barbell bent over row 4 sets
T-Bar Row – 4 sets
Biceps Barbell curl – 4 sets
Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl – 4 sets
Barbell Preacher Curl – 3 sets
Abdominal Crunch – 2 sets of 20 reps
Reverse Crunch – 2 sets of 20 reps
Day 5
REST
Day 6
REST
DAY 7
REST
DAY 8 – Chest and Triceps
Incline Barbell Bench Press – 3 sets
Flat Dumbbell Press – 4 sets
Weighted Dip – 4 sets
Close Grip Barbell Press – 4 sets
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension – 3 sets
Day 9 – Legs Calves and Abs
Machine Squat – 3 sets
Leg Press – 4 sets
Barbell hack squat – 4 sets
Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets
Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raise – 2 sets of 20 reps
Cable Crunch – 2 sets of 20 reps
Day 10 – Shoulders and Traps
Overhead Dumbbell Press – 3 sets
Arnold Press – 4 sets
Barbell Upright Row – 4 sets
Bent Over Lateral Raise – 4 sets
Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Day 11 – Back Abs and Biceps
Barbell Dead Lift – 3 sets
Barbell Bent Over Row – 4 sets
T-Bar Row – 4 sets
Barbell Biceps Curl – 4 sets
Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl – 4 sets
Barbell Preacher Curl – 3 sets
Stomach Crunch – 2 sets of 20
Reverse Crunch – 2 sets of 20
Day 12
REST
Day 13
REST
Day 14
REST
WEEKS 3-4 -Intensity Boost
The second half of the four week period is all about maximising size by slightly increasing reps and intensity…. WE have increased urge reps up to 10-12 for the majority of exercises ( the optimum number for build muscle).. we have also increased volume slightly too by adding isolation exercises which fatigue the target muscle before working it with the compound move.. this is called pre-exhaustion and it dramatically increases the intensity of the workout, making your target muscle group work harder.
We have kept to the 4 day split but have changed the way the body muscle groups are put together… this changes things up, and helps to provide more muscle growth stimulus… each workout also includes drop sets which again increase intensity but we have only used one set per muscle group to make sure that we overwork the muscles…
Day 15 – Chest And Back – all 10-12 reps unless otherwise marked
Dumbbell Fly – 3 sets
Barbell Bench Press – 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 sets
Cable Crossover – 3 sets
Rack Pull – 3 sets
Lat Pull Down – 3 sets
Single Arm Neutral Grip Barbell Row – 3 sets
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets
Day 16 – Legs Abs and Calves
Leg Extension – 3 sets
Barbell Squat – 3 sets
Leg Press – 3 sets
Barbell hack Squat – 3 sets
Romanian Dead Lift – 3 sets
Lying Leg Curl – 3 sets
Seated Calve Raise – 3 sets
Donkey Calf Raise – 3 sets
Reverse Crunch – 2 sets of 12 reps
Hanging Knee Rise – 2 sets of 12 reps
Double Crunch – 2 sets until you cannot continue
Day 17 – Shoulders and Traps
Cable Lateral Rise – 3 sets
Arnold Press – 3 sets
Machine Overhead Press – 3 sets
Leaning Dumbbell lateral Raise – 3 sets
Reverse Pec Dck Fly – 3 sets
Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Day 18 – Abs, Triceps and Biceps
Lying Barbell Extension – 3 sets
Weighted Bench Dip – 3 sets
Reverse Grip Press Down – 3 sets
Close Grip Biceps Curl (EZ Bar) 3 sets
Preacher curl (cable) 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raise – 2 sets of 20
Double Crunch – 2 sets of 20
Day 19
REST
Day 20
REST
Day 21
REST – ENJOY!!
Day 22 – Back and Chest
Dumbbell Fly – 3 sets
Barbell Bench Press – 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 sets
Cable Crossover – 3 sets
Rack Pull – 3 sets
Lat Pull down – 3 sets
Single Arm Neutral Dumbbell Row – 3 sets
Seated Dumbbell Row – 3 sets
Day 23 – Calves Legs and Abs
Leg Extension – 3 sets
Barbell Squat – 3 sets
Leg Press – 3 sets
Barbell Hack Squat – 3 sets
Romanian Dead Lift – 3 sets
Lying Leg Curl – 3 sets
Seated calf Raise – 3 sets
Donkey calf raise – 3 sets
Reverse Crunch – 2 sets of 20
Hanging Knee Raise – 2 sets of 20
Double Crunch – 2 sets – until you cant do any more
Day 24 – Traps and Shoulders
Cable Lateral Raise – 3 sets
Arnold Press – 3 sets
Machine Overhead Press – 3 sets
Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 3 sets
Reverse Pec Deck Fly – 3 sets
Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Shrug – 3 sets
Day 25 – Abs, Biceps and Triceps
Lying Barbell Extension – 3 sets
Weighted Bench Dip – 3 sets
Revers Grip Pulldown – 3 sets
Close Grip Biceps Curl (EZ Bar) – 3 sets
Preacher Curl (Cable) – 3 sets
Hammer Curl – 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raise – 2 sets of 20
Double Crunch – 2 sets of 20
Day 26
REST
Day 27
REST
DAY 28
REST – YOU HAVE REALLY DESERVED THIS!!
Conclusion
You will have gathered now that this will not be an easy ride.. furthermore, you need to attack this workout with zest and intensity keeping minimal recovery times between reps…. If it takes you 2 hours to complete each daily workout in a leisurely manner, it’s not going to give you the results you desire..
Most exercises mentioned are commonly known, if you are unsure, ask a personal trainer at your gym, or there is even Google as a last resort….
Work Hard And Enjoy The Results!!
