SCALE UP AT HOME

Getting big can be very clever. By fusing old-school hypertrophy with modern movements, our four-week plan will deliver functional muscle and size that will last you for life

With a simple set of weights and something to hang off, you can chase a full-body pump that will leave you on a lasting high

There’s been a rising tide in fitness, arguing that any “authentic” training regimen should focus entirely on measurable, athletic improvements, and that pursuing any kind of aesthetic goal is somehow less noble, or even narcissistic. Some have even felt shamed into avoiding training routines that they would otherwise enjoy, fearful of being labelled an egomaniac for doing the odd bicep curl or dabbling with the pec deck.

At MH, we’re very much proponents of well-informed strength and conditioning. We appreciate what the rise of functional fitness has done for the community. But for a while there, it seemed the pendulum had swung too far. As our editor in chief recently put it, “Since when were we supposed to feel

shame for enjoying the aesthetic by-products of our training?” There’s often little difference between chasing after performance goals and pursuing changes in the mirror. So long as you are happy, is a deadlift PB more meaningful than an extra inch on your arms?

Fortunately, like all tides, this one has ebbed. On the shoreline are men eager to get their pump on again. Better still, we’re learning that being as jacked as

Arnie and moving like Usain

Bolt aren’t mutually exclusive ideals. With clever programming, you can get swole and hit your other goals.

So, rip off your sleeves and don your shortest shorts. The following workouts combine traditional hypertrophy with modern thinking, for a pump that truly pumps up your mobility, strength and physical preparedness. We are in the age of functional bodybuilding – and, boy, is it a good time to be alive.