The biggest thing to remember when working out is your goal. If you are in the gym to BUILD MUSCLE, then TRAIN MUSCLES and stop obsessing about lifting weights. What do I mean by that? If you want to be a power lifter, then train like one. If you want to be a bodybuilder, then your SOLE focus is to gain site specific muscle. This is only going to be achieved by throwing your ego out the window when it comes to the weight you are actually lifting. Does this mean you will never be strong? Hardly. It just means that strength is a side effect of your ultimate goal. SIZE in all the right places. When you focus the effort on the actual muscle you are training, you focus the results. Sure, it may look cool to squat 400 lbs, but if you have to recruit your back to do it, it is going to lead to injury, and one ugly looking physique. The same applies to every exercise. Don't do 100lbs on db curls if you have to swing your body. Make the decision right now, do you want to look "cool" to a few weirdo's in the gym actually watching you train, or do you want to win some shows?
On this page...
• When Starting Weight Training...
• Once You Can Flex...
• BOSS PHASE 1
• Routine #1(conditioning the muscles)
• BOSS PHASE 2
• Routine #2(basic HIT)
When Starting Weight Training...
You are going to want to learn to flex the muscles first. Now, this sounds easy enough, but can you actually flex each muscle on your body individually? Don't be embarrassed if the answer is no. You're just starting out, so remember this is a learning process. If you already knew everything, then you wouldn't be reading this. There are two excellent ways to build the necessary mind muscle connections that will help you achieve all the muscle you desire later.
Minute on minute off
The first method is something BOSS has dubbed the "minute on minute off" principle. This involves first setting up your workouts in splits. I suggest you split the muscles up into back, chest, arms. So you have 3 days to perform twice in one week. Now from there, you will choose 2 exercises per day. So let's examine how the principle works, using back. We have decided to go with seated rows. You will perform 3 sets of the seated row. Choose a weight that you can handle repping for 1 minute continuously. Following that, you take 1 minute rest. Repeat this two more times, and then pick a second exercise and employ the same principle. The reason why this works is that you are focusing your complete attention to the muscle, not the weight. You have chosen something well below a low-moderate rep maximum, and this allows you to start recruitng the muscle fibers in one specific group. Consider dumbbells curls with a weight you can handle for 5 reps versus this method. Which one is going to allow you to begin developing a mind muscle connection that allows for full isolation? The goal is always to achieve the maximum contraction on the belly of the muscle you are training. If you're feeling your calves on tricep pushdowns, you're doing something wrong. The "minute on minute off" principle is a great way to ensure success from day one.
So to conclude, pick two exercises a day (in my example this would mean back day consists of 2 exercises, same for chest; arms would consist of one exercise for triceps and one for biceps).
Static training
This is a pretty straight forward practice, and after a week of the "minute on minute off" principle, you can add a 30 second-1 minute phase of simply holding the weight with the desired muscle group in a fixed position. A good example is holding the bar on bench press at the mid point, and flexing the chest muscles for all they're worth! This also helps you to build the mind muscle connection and to recruit more fibers that you can later train heavier to enduce hypertrophy.
Once you can flex...
Once you feel comfortable contracting all the muscle groups on your body, you can start to move in to more specificed training. I do want to discuss a few principles though that will help you continue making progress, and avoid plateaus.
One common mistake is constantly changing the exercises that you perform. If the exercise works really well for you, then there is nothing wrong with sticking with it. The change you should employ is how you perform the exercise. This can involve modifying several
factors. Rest period, weight/reps, and even the sequence with which you perform the exercises can all help ensure your continued success in the gym. Another key point is the time you spend in the gym. I'm sure you have heard somewhere that to build muscle, you require
an hour or two. To be honest, I have no idea why people have this misconception. Consistently working out for 1-2 hours a few times a week is going to quickly lead to overtraining, even if it does lead to some initial gains. When starting out, and even in more experienced
phases, I am hesitant to advise workouts longer than 40 minutes, with the bulk of the workouts lasting closer to 20 minutes. I am of course referring to the weight portion of workouts only. If you decide to do a bit of cardio, 10 minutes post workout on an elliptical or rowing
machine is just the trick to keep your metabolism firing. Performing an hour on a bike or treadmill is moronic. Again, the key here is working WITH your central nervous system, and not trying to abuse it. Muscle is built based on your brain telling the muscle to get bigger,
not just because you lifted a weight. Your muscles do not have a brain, you do (hopefully). There are many more principles, adjustments and factors to consider when training, but for now the goal is to get you started and keep things simple, so let's jump in now to some
workouts summaries, employing all the techniques and methods we have just discussed.
BOSS MUSCLE ROUTINES
BOSS PHASE 1
BOSS Routine #1
Basic Routine Goal - Pre-Program, conditioning the muscles for what is to come
Routine Methods - Multiple Sets
Splits - 3 day split performed twice per week(6 days on 1 day off)
Tempo - 1/0/1, 1 minute rest intervals
Comments - These are short workouts and should be completed in roughly 10-15 minutes. We are employing the "minute on minute off" and "static" principles in this routine. Keep in mind that the exercises we have chosen are fully interchangable with ones that work better for you. The goal is to make you your OWN trainer, so if pec flyes work better for you than bench press, have at it!! Just remember to stick to the muscle groups, and you're on your way to BOSS MUSCLE. (I have also thrown in some abs adn calves at the end of the workouts).
Workout 1
Back
Seated Row - 3 sets 1 minute per set
Close-grip Pulldowns - 3 sets 1 minute per set
Crunches - 2 sets to failure
Workout 2
Chest
Bench Press- 3 sets 1 minute per set
DB flyes- 3 sets 1 minute per set
Standing Calf Raises- 2 sets 25 reps per set
Workout 3
Arms
Tricep Pushdowns - 3 sets 1 minute per set
Preacher Curls - 3 sets 1 minute per set
Crunches - 2 sets to failure
BOSS PHASE 2
BOSS Routine #2
Basic Routine Goal - Site specific muscle growth
Routine Methods - 2 sets per muscle group
Splits - Full-upper body, legs
Tempo - 1/0/1, 1 minute rest intervals
Perform workout one, 4 days in a row, take a day of rest, then perform workout two.
Comments - This is a basic and quick routine that is good for someone who is just beginning the high intensity way of weight lifting. Remember to keep the rest periods to 1 minute or less here. This allows you to exhaust the muscles quickly. Again, don't forget we are no longer lifting weights, we are training the muscles. Exhausting the muscles faster will get you out of the gym faster, with more results, and most importantly, your CNS won't hate you!
Workout 1
Bent Over Rows - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
Biceps Curls - 2 sets 20 reps, 15 reps
Bench Press - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
Military Press - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
Triceps Pushdowns - 2 sets 20 reps, 15 reps
Crunches - 2 sets to failure
Workout 2
Leg Curls - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
Leg Extensions - 2 sets 20 reps, 15 reps
Squats - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
Standing Calf Raises - 2 sets 25 reps, 20 reps
This will be enough to get you to a base. Check back soon for updates on some more advanced training methods and principles designed to keep the gains coming! I know the shorter workout concept is a stretch for some people, but believe me it works like nothing else! Once you start training WITH your body instead of against it, the results will start flowing. You are on your way to some BOSS MUSCLE!
Well, that's it for now. This should be enough to get you started! Any questions, don't hesitate to ask us. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals, so please, ask away!
