Another new year is upon us, and along with it, a pile of new resolutions. But this isn’t about shallow, short-lived promises that end up on the heap of plans gone awry. This is for people looking for permanent changes. If you’re ready to go-all in on a plan you can truly sink your teeth into, then you’re in the right place.
Another new year is upon us, and along with it, a pile of new resolutions. But this isn’t about shallow, short-lived promises that end up on the heap of plans gone awry. This is for people looking for permanent changes. If you’re ready to go-all in on a plan you can truly sink your teeth into, then you’re in the right place.
Let’s get to the meat of the matter. You want to reshape your physique. You want to build muscle and strength while stripping away unwanted body fat. The best way to get there is to have a plan, something you can follow without second-guessing yourself and beating your head against the wall regarding sets, reps, exercises, and overall programming.
This plan is for those who want to reshape their physique into that of a Greek statue, with performance to match. It will help you optimally build muscle, burn fat, and turbocharge your metabolism without wasting any time. It’s designed to get the most out of every single training session without fancy bells and whistles. In other words, you’ll be performing more military presses than cable concentration curls.
It’s also not exclusive to men. Women can benefit just as much from a program like this, without the unreasonable fear of getting “too bulky.” Contrary to popular beliefs, women can do the same type of training as men and get great results. Testosterone dictates the amount of muscle mass one can carry, and women have around one-tenth of the stuff that men do, on average. All women will gain is a little more muscle and strength, lower body fat levels and increased performance.
The Ground Rules
In order for this plan to produce results, you’ll have to follow a few principles so you can put the wheels into motion and get everything you possibly can from it. But don’t worry, these aren’t all that difficult to follow. But be warned: you won’t have any time to check status updates on your phone—you’ll be too busy.
- Prime the engine: Warming up should involve more than just a brisk walk. Here you will have a 3-phase warm up series, which will include separate general, dynamic, and specific parts. The general segment is to get increased blood flow and a rise in body temperature; the dynamic is to get the motor neurons firing and ready for action; and the specific is to focus on particular areas about to be trained.
- Focus on technique: At the risk of beating a dead horse, form and technique are everything. I can’t stress that enough. The more you practice perfect technique, the faster you’ll progress toward your goals. Using your muscles the way they were designed to perform will guarantee that they are functioning purposefully without wasted energy.
- Live by the clock: One of the most undervalued and critical components of any training program is the rest between sets. For the purposes of this program, you will take minimal breaks. In order to reshape your physique, fatiguing the muscle is the name of the game. No more sitting around between sets.
- Get used to tracking: You will need to to keep detailed notes on your progress. Keep a notebook or journal of sets, reps, weights, and overall health such as sleep quality, stress levels, or other times life throws you a curveball and your workouts are affected.
- Leave the past in the past: We all have those down days where every pound lifted feels like 10, and it takes more than the average amount of willpower to make it to the gym. This time is critical, and you shouldn’t spend it wallowing in self-pity or beating yourself up over a perceived lack of self-discipline. If you stumble for any reason, don’t throw it all away. Pick up where you left off and get back at it.
- Commit yourself to completion: Arguably the most important rule for this program is your personal commitment. This isn’t something that you try out for a day or two. The mere act of following a structured program will ensure you will see results, but it will require dedication, consistency, and persistence on your part in order for it to have a chance.
Once you decide to take this program on make the conscious commitment to finish it until the end. Write down a mission statement or a promise to yourself and sign it. Treat it like a contract with yourself.
16 Weeks to a Big New Year
The following 16-week program is split up into four-week segments. In other words, you’ll be shifting gears every four weeks. This will help you stay interested and keep your body progressing.
After each training session, you will perform a short, high-intensity cardio conditioning session. Use your choice of exercises, such as elliptical, treadmill, bike, or running (sprints). Do 15 to 20 minutes of alternating between one minute of low intensity, and one minute of high intensity.
Click Here to Download the Training Plan
Weeks 1-4
- Frequency: 3 days per week
- Volume: Low to moderate
- Load: Moderate
Perform each training day once per week on nonconsecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.
Weeks 5-8
- Frequency: 3 days per week
- Volume: Moderate to high
- Load: moderate to high
Perform each training day once per week on nonconsecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.
Weeks 9-12
- Frequency: 4 days per week
- Volume: Moderate
- Load: Moderate
Perform each training day once per week with distributed rest days, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On one or two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.
Weeks 13-16
- Frequency: 4 days per week
- Volume: Moderate to high
- Load: Moderate to high
Perform each training day once per week with distributed rest days, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On one or two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.
More workouts to make this year your best yet:
PR Your Fran Time: A 6-Week Workout Plan
About Brad Borland
Starting out as a scrawny 125lb kid at 6’2,” Brad took up weight training at the tender age of fourteen and ended up a 220lb competitive, drug-free, natural bodybuilder several years later.
He now publishes through his blog, and armed with both knowledge and muscle, he has helped countless individuals domestically and abroad.
Brad is a University Lecturer with a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and he is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Brad is a veteran of the Air National Guard and proudly served on several deployments including Afghanistan in 2003. He served a total of 21 years. However, upon coming home from Afghanistan, Brad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (2004), an immune system cancer which both his brother and father were survivors of prior. He went through nine months of chemotherapy before a full recovery and eventually found his way back to the bodybuilding stage.
Brad writes for several publications on the subjects of training, nutrition, supplementation, motivation, and everything cool. With a “keep it simple” mindset, drug-free approach, and ability to help people go from scrawny to brawny, Brad’s experience, education, and know-how have influenced people from all walks of life.
Brad has a son with his wife Courtney.
