Add major muscle in just four weeks

How much muscle is it possible to pack on just four weeks? Much more than you think – if you follow this plan

HOW THE PLAN WORKS

Adding major muscle mass to your body is easy. That’s right. All you need to do is tax your muscles hard in the gym four times a week, eat more protein and less sugar, and get plenty of quality rest. This four-week training plan will provide the intense in-gym stimulus your muscles need to be coaxed into growing bigger and better. Simply do the four body part-focused workouts each week – sticking to the exercises, sets, reps, tempo (see panel, right) and rest periods detailed.

The first workout of each week targets your chest and triceps, the second your back and biceps, the third your legs and abs, and the fourth your shoulders. That way your major muscle groups are hit hard every week to create the perfect conditions for your body to grow lean muscle mass fast.

All the workouts have five moves, done in straight sets. This means you do all the sets of move 1, then move on and do the same for move 2 and so on. The first two moves are done for eight sets of eight reps to blitz multiple muscle fibres, while moves 3, 4 and 5 are higher-rep sets to fatigue your muscles fully, which will add serious size fast.

TEMPO TRAINING

To get the full effect from these workouts, you need to stick to the four-digit tempo code for each exercise. The first digit indicates how long in seconds you take to lower the weight, the second how long you pause at the bottom of the move, the third how long you take to lift the weight, and the final digit how long you pause at the top. X means that part of the move should be done explosively. The accumulated time under tension increases your heart rate to burn fat and break down muscle tissue so it’s rebuilt bigger and stronger. Keep each rep smooth and controlled so your muscles – not momentum – do the work.