Reactive Pump™  Training

1 - Leg Curl

Do 2-4 warm-up sets to get started. This week we're going to do a simple pyramid. Do 12, 10, 8, and 6 reps, adding weight on each set. You'll be surprised at how much you can leg curl now after all the high intensity sets you've been doing. Keep your form perfect – hips on the pad, and all reps nice and smooth with no jerking.

2 - Stiff-Legged Deadlift

On these I want you to work the top half of the movement. Usually we use 25-pound plates and focus on stretching, but today you'll go down to just below your knees and then drive up hard, pushing your hips forward and flexing your glutes at the top.

I want you to do a simple pyramid on these, too. Do 10, 8, 6, and 6 reps. Use a belt, and again, flex your hams and glutes at the top.

Note: I occasionally like performing stiff leg deadlifts first when taking a break from squatting. That way you can take your hamstrings to an even deeper level of exhaustion before working quads.

3A/B - Leg Press / Partial Leg Extension

This first superset will annihilate your VMO/teardrop. Use a close stance and place your feet a little high on the platform. Do several warm-up sets so that your knees are ready (all the hamstring work you've done should have your hips warmed-up already). Once you reach a weight that's somewhat challenging, do the following rep scheme: 20, 15, 10, and 8 reps. Go progressively heavier each set.

Supersetted with partial leg extensions:

The goal here is to develop a ton of mechanical tension, so all sets will be performed with a 3-second descent. Do a couple of low-rep sets to get up to your working weight. Once you find it, do sets of 8 with 3-second descents. Drive up hard out of the bottom – don't worry about tempo, just drive the weight up with force. Don't lock out either; stop at 3/4 lockout. Use the foot placement that allows you to be at your absolute strongest. If you hit 8 reps, go up 25 or 45 pounds per side. Keep going until you just miss 8 reps. We'll call this 4 sets.

4A/B – Wide Stance Leg Press / Partial Leg Extension

This leg press is more for quad "sweep" (vastus lateralis). Use a wide stance and turn your toes out (like a frog-style stance). Allow your knees to come down outside of your body, so you'll be sort of pushing your knees out as you lower the platform.

The concentric is going to be done explosively. Ideally your leg press will have stops or something that will allow you to perform rest pause reps. You don't have to go as deep here as the closer stance leg presses so set the stops kind of high, and let the weight rest for 1 second before blasting it back up explosively. You'll be surprised at how good this shortened range of motion feels. Do 10 reps on all sets. If you don't have stops, don't worry – just blast the weight out of the bottom!

Supersetted with partial leg extension:

Now we work the top half of the movement. Flex hard at the top and only lower the weight half way before driving back up. You'll need to lighten the weight considerably compared to what you were doing on the partials out of the bottom. These should burn like fire!

Stretches – After each set of leg extension partials out of the top, stretch your quads intensely for 30 seconds.

5 - Lunge

Nothing fancy here. I just want you to lunge with dumbbells or kettlebells (my preference) for 10 paces per leg. Do 3 sets and your legs should be toast.

1 - Flat Dumbbell Press

Work your way up doing warm up sets. Once you get to a weight that's a tough 8 reps, stick with it for 3 sets. On all 3 sets, just do as many reps as you can – you might get 8 per set, you might get tired and only do 6, or maybe you'll find another gear and suddenly knock out 10!

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2 - Incline Bench Press

Do sets of 6 reps, increasing the weight until you reach a weight that you can barely get 6 reps with. Keep constant tension on your pecs – stop an inch shy of your chest at the bottom and don't lock out. We'll count the last 3 sets as working sets.

3 - Chain Bench

Attach 2 chains on the inside of the weight and then quickly find a load that you can do for 5 explosive reps. I want the bar flying off your chest – touch your chest, pause for a split second, then ram the weight up! Do 5 sets of 5 reps.

4 - Stretch Push-up

Time to max out the pump. You're going to do dips with your elbows flaring out and chin tucked into your chest as you come down. Work the stretch and only come up halfway. Go balls out to failure. Do this 2 times.

Set up a pair of aerobic step benches so that you can sink deep into the stretched position. Make sure you keep your chin up and your lower back from swaying. Get as many reps as you can. Be sure to stretch at the bottom – try to touch the floor with your chest! If you do 15 reps or more, throw a chain across your back. If you do 15 reps again, add a second chain. Do 3 sets to failure.

5 - Dumbbell Bent-Over Side Lateral

Let's start shoulders with rear delts. Use a full range of motion and do 4 sets of 15 reps. It won't take much weight. Remember to relax your traps and back so that you just use your rear delts.

6 - Dumbbell Side Lateral

Last week we worked these heavy and with a partial range of motion. Let's go back to a full range of motion and do 4 sets of 12 reps. At the highest point, your arms should be straight out to the side (at 3 and 9 o'clock). Your shoulders should be on fire after these.

7 - Cage Press

Set the pins a little higher this week so you can drive up a bit more weight with a shorter range of motion. Eye level should be about right. Explode the weight up hard, stop on the pins, reset, and repeat! Do 4 sets of 5 reps.

1 - Chin-Up Death

Here I'm looking for 6 sets to failure. In other words, when you feel your back rounding and your form getting loose, stop the set. Be sure to keep your sternum lifted throughout, and only descend about 4/5 of the way down. I'm not that concerned about how high up you get, either. I'm more concerned with you keeping your sternum arched and actually using your lats instead of your arms.

Start with 2 sets using a wide, pronated (palms facing away from you) grip. After doing 2 sets, bring your grip in to shoulder width and do 2 more sets to failure. Finally, throw a small V-handle across the bar or find another suitable way to do your final 2 sets with a close grip and your palms facing in towards each other. Each grip hits your lats a little differently and should kick things off with an awesome pump.

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2 - Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row

These are dumbbell rows where you set the dumbbell down on the floor for a split second on each rep and then ram your elbow up hard. Don't pull with your arms – think elbows – and don't bounce the dumbbells off the floor, either. Do 4 sets of 8 reps like this. Even though these are explosive in nature, it'll surprise you how much more blood rushes into your lats.

3 - Dumbbell Pullover

Remember to use the 'lying on the bench' style, as opposed to lying across the bench. Also, remember to not force the stretch. Take your time lowering the weight to maintain tension on your upper lats and serratus. Bring the dumbbell to the top of your forehead – if you bring it up all the way to above the chest you'll lose valuable lat tension. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

4 - Dumbbell Shrug

Back to dumbbells this week for shrugs. Do 3 sets of 10 reps with a 1-second pause and flex at the top.

5 - Banded Hyperextension

Let's kill these again, just like last week!

To recap, I want you to use a band while doing hyperextensions. Loop one end of the band around the machine at the bottom and hold the other end behind your head, or you can hold it out in front against your chest.

Besides providing a powerful pump, these are also incredible for strengthening the lower back. As you come up, the band tension will make it harder. You'll probably feel your glutes and hams working hard too, and that's okay. There's no way for your lower back to not be working hard.

Do 3 sets to failure. Do your best to beat your rep count from last week on at least one set!

1 - Machine Press

After a few warm up sets, pyramid up. Remember to use a full range of motion – when you get to the deepest point, make sure your sternum is "lifted," and you're fully arched. You'll feel an awesome stretch right in the middle of your chest on the sternal fibers when you do this right. Make sure you flex for 1 second in the contracted position as well.

The rep scheme is 15, 13, 11, 9, and 7. Take small jumps each time.

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2 – Dumbbell Hex Press

I moved these up in the rotation this week for you to experience how they feel when you're more "fresh." You should be able to use a bit more weight than last week. Remember, the dumbbells need to stay in contact with each other the whole set. Lower the dumbbells to your chest, and then drive up and flex hard, "smashing" the dumbbells together. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

3A/B – Pec Minor Dip / Over and Back With a Band

This week you won't need any weight. By this point your pecs should already have a really good pump. Just do 3 sets to failure.

Supersetted with over and backs with a band:

Go over and back 10 times each set.

4A/B – Dumbbell Bent-Over Side Lateral / Spidercrawl

On these I want you to do sets of 15 reps. Remember to not use your traps or back, just hinge off your shoulder joints and flex your rear delts. It won't take much weight. Use a full range of motion this week on these, not hang and swing partials.

Supersetted with spidercrawl:

Stand facing a wall with a short red pro-mini band stretched between your wrists. Now move your hands up and down along the wall (a foot above head, down to just below the waist) 3 times for each set. Be sure to forcefully push your arms apart against the band so that you have to really fight to keep your hands from coming in during the set.

Note: The band has to provide significant tension; otherwise it won't work. Do this right and your delts will be on fire. They'll also benefit your rotator cuff musculature.

5A/B – Horizontal Dumbbell Press / Face Pull With a Band

Lie face down on a bench and execute a horizontal dumbbell press. In the fully stretched position, you should look like Superman trying to fly. You'll need to fight to keep the dumbbells up and your wrists from sagging down. Do 10 reps. You can't use much weight – I typically use 5 or 7-pound dumbbells. Sounds easy, huh? Wait until you do it!

Supersetted with face pulls with a band:

Grab a micro-mini band and pull your hands out to the side with straight arms. Once your arms are straight out to the side, flex your rear delts and hold it for a second. Do 10 reps in this manner.

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1A/B – V-bar Pushdown / Barbell Curl

Do as many warm-up sets as needed. Don't worry about flexing at the bottom; I just want continuous blood-pumping tension up and down. We're going to start off with very high reps on the first superset combination. Do 20 reps on the pushdowns.

Supersetted with barbell curl:

Do 8 reps on these. Don't lower the weight all the way down – stop just before you lose tension at the bottom. Be sure to squeeze the bar hard throughout the set to activate the biceps as much as possible. If you have a thick/fat bar – or Fat Gripz or Grip4orce attachments – use them here and squeeze as hard as you can. These tools (especially the Grip4orce) can help get you as close to 100% muscle fiber recruitment as possible, and they also help deliver a pump, and not just to the forearms, either.

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2A/B – Hammer Curl / Dip

Do 8 reps on these. Flex your arms hard throughout the entire set. Use a full range of motion, going all the way down before curling up and flexing your arms.

Superset with dips:

You can do these the old-school way between benches, or on a dip machine. I just want a lot of tension here. Take 3 seconds to perform the eccentric phase of the movement and then drive up and flex your triceps. I want you to do around 10 reps on each of your sets.

3A/B – Bent-Over Triceps Extension / Incline Dumbbell Concentration Curl

Face away from the pulldown machine, bend over at the waist, extend your arms and lock them out. You can use a rope or a straight bar, whichever you prefer – I like to mix it up. You should now have a very good pump, so we want to work from a fully stretched position and these fit the bill perfectly. Do 10 reps, followed by 5 partials from the stretched position (the opposite of the locked-out position).

Supersetted with incline dumbbell concentration curls:

These are a unique and effective exercise, and they aren't like standard concentration curls at all. You know how we smash the dumbbells together during the hex press (from the last chest workout)? This is similar.

Lie face down on an incline utility bench and let your arms hang down in a fully supinated (palms up) position. Now smash the dumbbells together and curl them up while continuing to smash them. Adjust your position on the bench to find what feels best for you. I like to be a bit high on the bench because the biceps contraction feels more intense that way. Do 10 reps per set.

4A/B - Standing Calf Raise / Dorsiflexion

We're going heavy this week. Do sets of 8 reps working up in weight and just keep going up in small increments until you've done 8 quality sets of 8 reps. On the last 2 sets, do 10 additional partials out of the stretched position.

Superset with dorsiflexion:

After each set of calves, I want you to stand up and simply dorsiflex your foot repeatedly to train the anterior tibialis. Do them until your tibialis goes numb. This usually happen between 30-50 reps.