Muscle Proof

My first weight set

No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training… What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. – Socrates

MUSCLE PROOF
May 2014

I started this website as a place to archive really useful things I learn about marketing and weight lifting. But for several years now I have not posted anything about lifting, because I have been saving it for this.

Backstory

I'm no different from every other guy in the gym -- lifting for me is all about getting bigger, faster, and stronger. I've been lifting for 10 years now and if I'm honest, the iron game is full of extremism, questionable science, and conflicting ideologies. The problem is, I just want to be big, fast, strong, and HEALTHY. I do not want to live my life by crazy regimens that are only suitable for steroided freaks.

So that's what I went to work on. I have been experimenting for about 5 years to find the workout that is both most effective and also most simple. I call it Muscle Proof.

It works well for me, but what I'm most happy about is that it has been working for others too. I get asked for lifting tips by friends (and friends of friends) alot, and for the past couple years I have been copy and pasting my program into an email and wishing them well. But now I figure it's time to post Muscle Proof up for everyone to see. It would also be great to start a conversation so we can improve upon it.

Muscle Proof Program

DAY 1:
Squat (d)
Pull Ups (s)
Bicep Curl (s)

DAY 2:
Deadlift (d)
Bench Press (s)
Dips (s)

DAY 3:
Overhead Press (d)
Romanian Deadlifts (s)
Hang Cleans (s)

Specifications

The (d) means "Disco Sets" and the (s) means "Straight Sets" -- these are the set and rep schemes and they are really important. Disco Sets are what I am most proud of because they are beautifully simple and yet brutally effective. It is the most critical component to this program because it is simultaneously a power lift and volume lift.

DISCO SETS. You do 2-3 sets of really heavy work at just 2-4 reps per set. Then for the same exerrcise you drop the weight and follow up with 2-4 sets of 10+ reps each. Emphasis on the light sets is form and the pump, not weight.

STRAIGHT SETS. This is the basic setup you read about in the fitness magazines. 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps each.

You can see that the big/heavy lifts go first and the lighter/supplementary stuff goes last. This is very intentional and the order *must* be followed. This program is also brief because it is intended to be a framework -- you can add more work on top of it, but you don't have to. If you do, it can only be added in the end after you have completed the core lifts for the day.

The entire goal of this program is to build a superior body, the gym is just a means to that end. So get in and out in about an hour, if you need to stay longer you are not working hard enough. That is pretty much it.

Let me know how it works for you! You can email or tweet me @yes.

Jack Lalanne had the iron game figured out 70 years ago.

APPENDIX

Exercise modifications
Muscles don't discriminate as much as the fitness industry leads you to believe. Heavy, compound lifts will stimulate them and with enough work they will respond/grow accordingly. I have intentionally chosen to include these lifts above because they give you the biggest bang for your buck. That said, maybe you want to add variety into your program: Yates rows instead of pull ups, incline dumbbell press instead of flat bench press, snatch grip high pull instead of hang cleans, tricep extensions instead of dips etc etc. If you want to switch it up you definitely should, but here is the catch -- you cannot add exercises, you can only substitute. I know it's hard to believe that adding exercises is not the answer, but it's true. Focus instead on getting quality work out of the few exercises you do choose. You can change it up week to week though and that will give you plenty of variety.

Adding volume
You can add anything else you like. Off the top of my head: rear delts, abs, neck, calves, forearms. More important is to try different kinds of resistance altogether. Stuff like heavy carries, jumps, stretching, etc. Sprinting on off days is probably the best thing you do if you have time.

If you feel like you are not getting enough work done on the core lifts, you can do more sets than what I have prescribed above. That means you can do more of the lighter Disco Sets, or just more on the Straight Sets.

Muscle Proof is not for beginners
For reals. Muscle Proof is for guys who know how to lift heavy already and are trying to take their game to the next level. The heavy disco sets are incredibly grueling and require practice and form to do correctly. If you are just starting out go check out http://stronglifts.com/ and come back to Muscle Proof after you have put on 10-20 pounds of muscle.

Don't do cardio
Sounds like blasphemy I know, but it's true. Doing cardio like steady state running and biking will only improve your cardiovascular endurance. That is fine if that is your goal, but it probably is not. Cardio training does not make you stronger, it does not make you bigger, and it does not lower body fat. In fact it does the opposite.

For the record, cario is super important to general health and well being. I do it regularly, especially running. But you should do it as a complement to weight training regimen, not to support it. It does not belong anywhere near your gym session unless you have time at the very end (maybe).

Don't bench press on Mondays
Pecs are actually one of the least important parts of the male physique. It's much better to have broad shoulders and a thick neck and arms. Further, an over developed chest leads to arched over shoulders and a mis aligned back. For all those reasons and more, chest pressing is intentionally not a core lift in Muscle Proof. Also, avoid doing it on Monday at all costs because while all the other dumb gym bros fight for the benches, the squat rack will be good to go for you.

Crossfit sucks
I'm not going to bother debating their general philosophy because it would take too long. Some of it is total bullshit, and often Crossfit resembles more of a church than valid science. But even that would be okay for what it is, a philosophy. The problem is with their core practice of high reptition Olympic lifting. High repetition Olympic lifting (10 reps +) is downright dangerous. It's absurd that so many people hurt themselves so bad and yet they continue to do Crossfit! It's dangerous and wrong.

Personal trainers suck
Personal trainers don't work for a very simple reason: they are paid hourly, so they have a dis-incentive to give you the hardcore program you need to actually see results. It's mostly not their fault because they drink more of the kool-aid than anyone. Ever notice how the best physiques and the strongest dudes in the gym are usually NOT the trainers? Case and point. Personal trainers in commecial gyms give you average and ineffective programs for average and ineffective people.

Prove it
Okay. Here is me deadlifting 3x my bodyweight, which is considered an "elite" lift in the world of powerlifting. Most lifters work their whole life and never come close to elite status, I did it with Disco Sets by age 25.