alpha muscle | alain gonzalez · 2018-10-11 · or require the help of a spotter to lift the...

ALPHA MUSCLE | ALAIN GONZALEZ

THE ATHLETIC-AESTHETIC PHYSIQUE BEAT UP LIFTERS PLAN | ALAIN GONZALEZ

ATHLETIC AESTHETIC PHYSIQUE FOR BEAT UP LIFTERS

WARM-UPSDAYS 1 & 3 (UPPER BODY)

1. 2-3 minutes jump rope, elliptical, rowing, or bike to get blood flowing

2. Arm circles forward/backward x 10 each direction

3. Band Pull Apart x 20

4. Reverse Lunge w/ reach x 5 per leg

5. Cable/Band Face Pull x 15

6. Pushup x 6

DAY 2 (LOWER BODY)1. 2-3 minutes jump rope, elliptical, rowing, or bike to get blood flowing

2. Leg swings forward/backward

3. Ankle alphabet x A-Z with each leg

4. Bird Dog x 5 per leg

5. Bodyweight Split Squat x 10 per leg

6. Band Pull Apart or Face Pull x 20

WHAT DAYS SHOULD I TRAIN?If possible, avoid doing three of the strength-training days in a row. Other than that, you are free to select the days that fit with your schedule/preferences to complete the workouts each week. If you want “ideal” setups, here are some options:

• Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday

• Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday• Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday

If your schedule gets crazy and you have to train 3 or 4 days in a row every once in a while, that’s not a huge deal, but it’s not ideal as a long-term solution.


SHOULD I TRAIN TO MUSCULAR FAILURE?Muscular failure is when you lift a weight until your muscles temporarily “fail”, causing you to drop the weight or require the help of a spotter to lift the weight. While training to this point has been shown to help build muscle, it also increases the likelihood of injury and causes a lot of fatigue. For this reason, you should avoid training to muscular failure most of the time, especially on “big” exercises like barbell presses, squats, and deadlifts. For those lifts, you want to stop each set at “technical failure”, which is when your form breaks down. For isolation exercises (think: biceps curls), it’s safer to train to muscular failure more often. It can take some practice to get this down, so don’t freak out if you stop a set too soon occasionally or accidentally push to muscular failure every now and then. Just aim to stop at technical failure on most lifts, most of the time.

DO I NEED TO DO ANY WARM-UP SETS?On the workout logs below, I’ve listed the “work sets” that you should do. You should always do 1-4 warm-up sets first to grease the groove of that particular exercise and warm-up your muscles to avoid injury. If it’s an exercise you are really familiar with, 1-2 sets is probably good. If it’s a new exercise or something you haven’t done in a while, 3-4 may be better. Same goes for when in your workout you’re doing an exercise: movements at the beginning of a workout probably deserve more warm-ups (3-4) than something at the end of your workout (1-2).

Just so this is clear: when you see the following below:

1. Low Incline Bench PressNotes: 1, 1, 1, = 1 set of 10-12, 1 set of 8-10, 1 set of 6-8.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 120s2 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 120s3 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 120s4 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 120s

You can see that you’re are to do 3 total “work sets” for incline press. However, you also should be doing 1-4 warm-up sets first. Don’t overthink this. Do a few lighter warm-up sets before each exercise and you’re good to go.

WHAT IF I CAN’T DO THE EXERCISE LISTED?If you can’t do the exercise listed due to equipment, substitute with the closest alternative (i.e. dumbbell for barbell, bands for cables, etc.). Each exercise has been chosen and placed for a specific reason, so only make changes if you absolutely have to.



PHASE 1: DAY 11. Low Incline Bench PressNotes: 1, 1, 1, = 1 set of 10-12, 1 set of 8-10, 1 set of 6-8.


2. Neutral Grip Standing Shoulder PressNotes: Can use barbell with neutral grip option (if accessible) or dumbells

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 8-12 90s2 3 8-12 90s3 3 8-12 90s

4 3 8-12 90s

3. Prontated Incline Dumbbell RowNotes:

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 8-12 90s2 3 8-12 90s3 4 8-12 90s4 4 8-12 90s

4. Cable Face PullNotes:


5. Dumbbell Hammer Curl (Rest-Pause)Notes: Perform 1 set of 12-15 reps to muscular failure. Rest 15 seconds and perform as many reps as possible. Do 4 more sets, resting 15- seconds in-between each set. Use the same weight for all sets.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s2 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s3 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s4 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s

ATHLETIC FINISHER

Jump Rope. 15 seconds “sprint” / 45 seconds rest. Repeat 10 times.

*The “sprint” here just means going fast. But don’t go 100%. Keep it at around 85-90%.** No jump rope? Just do jumping jacks.



PHASE 1: DAY 21. Bodyweight Jump SquatNotes: Be explosive!

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 5 60s2 3 5 60s3 3 5 60s4 3 5 60s

2. Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftNotes: Do 3-4 progressively heavier warm-up sets and then 3 “work sets”.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 2-3 minutes2 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 2-3 minutes3 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 2-3 minutes

4 1, 1, 1 10-12, 8-10, 6-8 2-3 minutes

3. Rear Foot Elevated Split SquatNotes: Do reps with one leg, rest 60 seconds, do reps for other leg -- that’s one set. Do same amount of reps for each leg.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 10-12 per leg 60s2 3 10-12 per leg 60s3 3 10-12 per leg 60s4 3 10-12 per leg 60s

4. Dumbbell Reverse LungeNotes: Do reps with one leg, rest 60 seconds, do reps for other leg -- that’s one set. Do same amount of reps for each leg.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 10-12 per leg 60s2 3 10-12 per leg 60s3 3 10-12 per leg 60s4 3 10-12 per leg 60s

5. Farmers WalkNotes: Pick up a dumbbell or kettlebell with each hand, stay upright with good posture, and walk.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 35 seconds 60s2 3 35 seconds 60s3 4 35 seconds 60s4 4 35 seconds 60s

ATHLETIC FINISHER

Timed One-Mile Run. You can do this on a treadmill or outside on the street, track, etc. Try to complete the distance in the least amount of time and record your time. Try to beat the previous week’s time each week!



PHASE 1: DAY 31. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressNotes: 1, 1, 1, = 1 set of 10-12, 1 set of 8-10, 1 set of 6-8.


2. ChinupNotes: AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 AMRAP 120s2 4 AMRAP 120s3 4 AMRAP 120s

4 4 AMRAP 120s

3. Standing Cable RowNotes:


4. Standing Lateral Raise (Rest-Pause)Notes: Perform 1 set of 12-15 reps to muscular failure. Rest 15 seconds and perform as many reps as possible. Do 4 more sets, resting 15- seconds in-between each set. Use the same weight for all sets.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s2 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s3 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s4 5 12-15, AMRAP 15s

ATHLETIC FINISHER

Timed Max Pushups. Use the table below to determine how many pushups to do. Perform that number as quickly as possible, resting only as needed. Record the time it took you to complete the total number of pushups.

If unable to do at least 10 pushups in a row: do 4 sets of as many reps as possible, resting 60 seconds in-between sets.If able to do between 10 and 20 pushups on first set: Complete 50 total pushups.If able to do between 20 and 30 pushups on first set: Complete 75 total pushups.If able to do between 30 and 50+ pushups on first set: Complete 100 total pushups.


PHASE 2 NOTESWarm-ups

DAYS 1 & 3 (UPPER BODY)1. 2-3 minutes jump rope, elliptical, rowing, or bike to get blood flowing





6. Pushup x 6







UNDERSTANDING SUPERSETSOn day 3, exercises are set up in superset fashion. This simply means that for any exercises notated as “supersets”, you will alternate back and forth between exercise. So you will perform one set of exercise 1A, rest, perform one set of exercise 1B, rest, and repeat for the total number of sets. Exercises to be performed as supersets are notated with a gray box on the left side that says “superset”, as shown below:

1a. 1-arm Dumbbell RowNotes: Perform a set of 6-8 reps with your left arm, rest 30 seconds, and perform 6-8 reps with right arm.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3S

UP

ER

SE

T

1 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms2 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms3 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms4 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms

1b. Dumbbell Alternating Bench press Notes: Alternate with 1-arm rows in superset fashion.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3

SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 6-8 per arm 60s2 3 6-8 per arm 60s3 3 6-8 per arm 60s4 3 6-8 per arm 60s

So, in the example above, you would do one set of 1-arm rows with your left arm, rest 30 seconds, and perform a set of rows with your right arm, rest 30 seconds, perform a set of Dumbbell Bench Press, rest 60 seconds, and repeat that cycle two more times.



PHASE 2: DAY 11. Low Incline Bench PressNotes: 1, 1, = 1 set of 9-11, 1 set of 7-9

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 1, 1 9-11, 7-9 120s2 1, 1 9-11, 7-9 120s3 1, 1 9-11, 7-9 120s4 1, 1 9-11, 7-9 120s

2. Standing Barbell Shoulder PressNotes: If you can do Handstand Pushups for prescribed reps, feel free to do that instead.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 1, 1 8-10, 6-8 120s2 1, 1 8-10, 6-8 120s3 1, 1 8-10, 6-8 120s

4 1, 1 8-10, 6-8 120s

3. Neutral Grip Pull-UpNotes: Increase difficulty by adding weight (weight belt or dumbbell between feet)


4. Seated Cable RowNotes:


5. Triceps Rope PushdownNotes: If you don’t have access to a rope attachment, just use whatever you do have and perform same movement.


ATHLETIC FINISHER

Rowing/Jump Rope/Bike Intervals. 20 seconds “sprint” / 40 seconds rest. Repeat 8-10 times.

*The “sprint” here just means going fast. But don’t go 100%. Keep it at around 85-90%.**Choose one: rowing, jump rope, bike. Feel free to mix it up from week-to-week.



PHASE 2: DAY 21. Bodyweight Jump Squat w/ 5-Pound DumbbellsNotes: Rest 5-pound dumbells on your shoulders. Be explosive!


2. Barbell Hip ThrustNotes: Perform 3-4 progressively heavier warm-up sets, resting 60-90 second in-between sets. Then perform two progressively heavier “work sets”: 1 set of 10-12 reps, and one set of 8-10 reps.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 1, 1 10-12, 8-10 120s2 1, 1 10-12, 8-10 120s3 1, 1 10-12, 8-10 120s

4 1, 1 10-12, 8-10 120s

3. 1-Leg Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)Notes: Do reps with one leg, rest 60 seconds, do reps for other leg -- that’s one set. Do same amount of reps for each leg.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 8-10 per leg 60s

2 3 8-10 per leg 60s

3 3 8-10 per leg 60s

4 3 8-10 per leg 60s

4. Goblet SquatNotes:




ATHLETIC FINISHER

Tabata Style Jump Rope. Jump rope as fast as you can for 15 seconds and then 10 seconds off. Repeat 5-6 times. Can replace with jumping jacks if no access to jump rope.



PHASE 2: DAY 31a. 1-arm Dumbbell RowNotes: Perform a set of 6-8 reps with your left arm, rest 30 seconds, and perform 6-8 reps with right arm.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 5

SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms2 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms3 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms4 3 6-8 per arm 30s b/t arms

1b.. Dumbbell Alternating Bench pressNotes: Alternate with 1-arm rows in superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 6-8 per arm 60s2 3 6-8 per arm 60s3 3 6-8 per arm 60s4 3 6-8 per arm 60s

2a. Dumbbell Bent Lateral RaiseNotes: Alternate with biceps curls in superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 8-12 60s2 3 8-12 60s3 3 8-12 60s4 3 8-12 60s

2b. Dumbbell Biceps CurlsNotes: Alternate with bent lateral raises in superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 8-12 60s2 3 8-12 60s3 3 8-12 60s4 3 8-12 60s

3. Hanging Leg RaiseNotes: Pull with the abs, not the hip flexors. Start with knees bent if necessary.


AESTHETIC & ATHLETIC FINISHERKettlebell/Dumbbell “Crush” WalkNotes: Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at chest height. While walking, push inward with both hands to “crush” the weight. The goal is to feel a lot of tension in your chest/shoulders/arms.



PHASE 3 NOTESWARM-UPS

DAYS 1 & 3 (UPPER BODY)1. 2-3 minutes jump rope, elliptical, rowing, or bike to get blood flowing





6. Pushup x 6







UNDERSTANDING 12, 10, 8, 6, 15During phase 3, we will be using a method called “pyramid training.” You will do four progressively heavier sets (one set of 12, one set of 10, one set of 8, one set of 6), resting as prescribed between sets and adding weight each set, if possible. Then, for any exercises that include a set of 15, you will decrease the weight and do one final set of 15 reps. This is a “pump” set where reps should be fast and fluid, with the goal to get at or near muscular failure. If this sounds complicated, don’t overthink it. Just do four progressively heavier sets and then decrease the weight and do a set of 15. *For exercises that just have sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, you will just do four progressively heavier sets.



PHASE 3: DAY 11. Flat Dumbbell Bench PressNotes: 4 sets = 1 set of 12, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 6. Aim to increase the weight each set.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 4 12, 10, 8, 6 90s2 4 12, 10, 8, 6 90s3 4 12, 10, 8, 6 90s4 4 12, 10, 8, 6 90s

2. Seated Cable Rows (neutral or wide overhand grip)Notes: 4 progressively heavier sets (12, 10, 8, 6), then reduce the weight by 20-30 pounds and do one final set close to muscular failure for around 15 reps.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

3a. Divebomber PushupsNotes: Maximize tension throughout. Each rep should be slow and controlled. Superset with inverted rows.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 10-15 45s2 3 10-15 45s3 3 10-15 45s4 3 10-15 45s

3b. Underhand Grip Inverted RowNotes: Alternate back-and-forth with Divebomber Pushups in Superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 3 10-15 45s2 3 10-15 45s3 3 10-15 45s4 3 10-15 45s

4a. Triceps Dumbbell Overhead ExtensionNotes: Alternate with Dumbbell Hammer Curls in Superset fashion.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 5S

UP

ER

SE

T

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s

ATHLETIC FINISHER

4b. Dumbbell Hammer CurlsNotes: Alternate with Dumbbell Hammer Curls in Superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 10s


ATHLETIC FINISHER

Rowing/Jump Rope/Bike Intervals. 30 seconds “sprint” / 30 seconds rest. Repeat 8-10 times.

*The “sprint” here just means going fast. But don’t go 100%. Keep it at around 85-90%.**Choose one: rowing, jump rope, bike. Feel free to mix it up from week-to-week.



PHASE 3: DAY 21. Bodyweight Jump Squat w/ 10-Pound DumbbellsNotes: Rest 10-pound dumbells on your shoulders. Be explosive!


2. Single Leg Hip ThrustNotes: Perform reps with left leg, rest, perform reps with right leg, rest. Repeat.

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 2 12-15 per leg 45s b/t legs2 2 12-15 per leg 45s b/t legs3 2 12-15 per leg 45s b/t legs

4 2 12-15 per leg 45s b/t legs

3. Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftNotes:

WEEK SETS REPS REST SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 SET 4 SET 51 3 8-12 60s

2 3 8-12 60s

3 3 8-12 60s

4 3 8-12 60s 4. Goblet SquatNotes:




ATHLETIC FINISHER

10 minutes of Jump Rope. Rest as needed. Aim to decrease the amount of rest time from week-to-week.



PHASE 3: DAY 31a. Incline Dumbbell RowNotes: Alternate with Seated Shoulder Press in Superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

1b. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressNotes: Alternate with Incline Rows in Superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

2a. Dumbbell Lateral RaiseNotes: Alternate with Dumbbell Shrugs in superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

ATHLETIC FINISHER

2b. Dumbbell ShrugsNotes: Alternate with Lateral Raises in superset fashion.


SU

PE

RS

ET

1 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s2 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s3 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s4 5 12, 10, 8, 6, 15 60s

AESTHETIC & ATHLETIC FINISHER

Timed Pushup/Pullup Pyramid. Start by doing 8 pullups and 1 pushup. Then do 7 pullups and 2 pushups, 6 pullups and 3 pushups, etc. until you reach 1 pullup and 8 pushups. Rest only as needed. Record the time it took to complete the entire pyramid and try to beat the previous week’s time from week-to-week.

*Note: If you’re flying through the pushups with ease, add a 2-second eccentric (lowering potion of the movement) to each rep. If you cannot complete this many pull-ups, use assisted pull-up machine or do Lat Pulldowns.

alpha muscle | alain gonzalez · 2018-10-11 · or require the help of a spotter to lift the...

Documents