How I Finally Got Muscle to Grow

If you want to stop spinning your wheels and finally build some muscle, and I mean a lot of muscle, you need to use two training methods: heavy strength training to build muscle density and hardness, and hypertrophy methods that focus on rep volume and intensity techniques.

In the first part of this three-phase program, I outlined the exact workouts I use for the Strength phase. Now let's look at the next 10-day phase: Volume.

Volume

To get big, not just strong, you need volume in your training in addition to strength and power exercises. There's going to be a lot of exercise variety with any high-volume training program, and variety is good! Every time I've introduced something new to my training that my body isn't used to, it's had a positive effect on muscle growth and strength.

However, variety doesn't mean "cram as many goofy exercises into one training program as you can." You need a strategic plan. You have to apply volume and variety intelligently, in its own phase.

Here's how you do it:

Phase 2 - Volume

Day 1 – Quads, Hams, Posterior Chain

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Lying Hamstring Curl – After the fifth set, keep doing additional sets until you can't do 10 reps	5	25, 20, 15, 12, 10
B	Deadlift	3	12
C	Barbell Lunge (wide stance)	3	12-15
D1	Standing Hamstring Curl	3	12-15
D2	Stiff-Leg Deadlift	3	12-15
E	Seated Hamstring Curl	2	20
F	Leg Extension	4	20, 15, 12, 12
G	Wide Stance Leg Press	4	25, 20, 15, 12
H	Pendulum Squat/Hack Squat	3	12-15

Day 2 – Chest, Triceps

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Incline Barbell or Dumbbell Press	4	15, 13, 11, 10
B	Low Incline Dumbbell Flye	3	12-15
C	Flat Dumbbell Press	3	12-15
D	Machine Flye	3	12-15
E	Hammer Strength Press (Decline)	2	12-15
F	Machine Dip	3	12-15
G	Cable Straight Bar Pushdown	3	12-15
H	Straight Bar Overhead Extension	3	12-15
I	Close Grip Bench Push-up	2	failure

Day 3 – OFF

Amit Back

Day 4 – Back, Biceps

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Neutral Chin-Up	4	12-15
B	Wide Grip Pulldown	3	12-15
C	Low Row, Cable or Hammer	3	12-15
D	One-Arm Reverse Pulldown	2	12-15
E	High Row Hammer	2	12-15
F	Standing EZ Bar Curl – 2 sets close, 2 sets wide	4	12-15
G	Preacher Machine Curl	3	12-15
H1	Concentration Dumbbell Hammer Curl	2	12-15
H2	Preacher One-Arm Machine	2	12-15

Day 5 – Shoulders

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Reverse Pec Dec	3	15-20
B	Standing Lateral Machine	3	12-15
C	Seated Hammer Press	4	15, 12, 11, 10
D	Dumbbell Front Raise	3	12-15
E	Seated Lateral Machine	2	15-20

Day 6 – OFF

Day 7 – Quads, Hams (Quad emphasis)

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Leg Extension	5	25, 20, 15, 12, 12
B	Pendulum Squat/Hack Squat	4	12-15
C	Narrow Barbell Lunges (Smith)	4	12-15
D	Front Squat	2-3	20-25
E	Hamstring Circuit – Pick 3 different hamstring curl machines and perform a circuit. Do 12-15 per exercise.	3	12-15

Day 8 – Arms

	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	Standing Barbell Curl	3	12-15
B	Lying Decline Dumbbell Skullcrusher	3	12-15
C	Standing Hammer Curl	3	12-15
D	Rope Pushdown	3	12-15
E	Hammer Preacher Machine	3	12-15
F	Close-grip Decline Bench	3	12-15
G	Dumbbell Concentration Curl	2-3	12-15
H	Overhead Dumbbell Extension	2-3	12-15

Day 9 & 10 – OFF

Enjoy this second phase... if you can. The volume is crazy, so expect a skin-tearing pump. You can also expect to be thoroughly exhausted after each workout. And if you find yourself dreading the never-ending nature of these workouts, don't think things are going to get any easier. The insanity of Phase 3 is yet to come.