Free Weight Training Programme

Do you want to put on mass? Gain strength? Burn that fat? Get lean? How about all 4? Then this is the programme for you. It can be used to facilitate any goal. Ultimately your goal will be determined by your diet, if you eat a 500 calorie surplus then you will make huge gains & on the contrary if you put yourself in a calorie deficit you will get lean whilst maintain your strength & muscle.

I have used many different routines and this is the best one I've used by far. It comprises of two 4 week routines that are split with a taper week (basically means a rest week for you to recover) in between. The first 4 weeks will be based around strength, low reps with heavy weight. The second 4 weeks will be based on hypertrophy lifting predominantly lighter weights for more reps with supersets.

Before we get into the programme I just want to explain a few bits. Below you will find info on the programme, the TDEE calculator, macros & supplements. I highly recommend that you follow all aspects as stated to get the best possible results. for example having a great attitude in the gym with a poor diet will bring you poor results.

You need a goal! if you don't have a goal, set one now. It needs to be a SMART goal make sure it is attainable and something you can measure. Training without a goal will give you a lack of clarity and you may lack motivation. If your goal is to cut/tone up you can still use this programme to achieve that goal, in fact using this routine you will still be burning those calories up to 38 hours after and you will maintain your strength by lifting heavy. But remember without the right diet and supplementation no plan will be 100% effective.

This programme has allowed me to reach huge personal gains and PB’s in the gym. The first time I used this programme I weighed 90kg and my 1 rep maxes before I used it are below:

Bench Press - 85kg

Military Press - 45kg

Squat 100kg

Deadlift - 100kg

After following the programme with a 2 month bulk I weighed 112kg. I then did a 2 month cut down to 80kg.

My 1 Rep maxes at the end of the 4 month strict routine were as follows:

Bench Press - 120kg

Military Press - 70kg

Squat 160kg

Deadlift - 180kg

As you can see these results a huge. So without further ado here is the programme!

A few things to note:

DB = Dumbbell

KB = Kettle Bell,

1RM = Your 1 Rep Max (This is the heaviest you can lift on an exercise for 1 rep)

(Example) My clients 1RM on Mil Press is 60Kg

So his 80% of his 1RM on Mil Press is 48. Which means he will be aiming to lift 5 sets of 48 for 5 reps.

I urge you to get a notebook and write down all of your info such as your starting TDEE, macros etc at the front. And then day by day write down your exercises and what you achieve to keep on track of what you have done. It also gives you a record to look back on. If you just follow it by memory I can almost guarantee you won’t be pushing yourself as much as if you write it down and follow it.

Next is the boring bit, but nevertheless very important. The diet.

Diet

If you want to lose weight then the most effective and easiest way is to sort out your nutrition. Get yourself on a calorie restricted diet that you can stick to long term. Ideally get an experienced coach to design it for you rather than go on a fad diet.

Use the TDEE Calculator at www.tdeecalculator.net and input your details. This will then work out the information specific to your body. TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure, this is an estimate of amount of calories your body burns per day with exercise taken into account. To maintain we can stay around the TDEE calories, for bulking we want a 500 calorie increase and to lose weight we want a 500 calorie deficit. The key with this is to be honest with your exercise levels to make it as accurate as possible.

Using the TDEE calculator here is an example of one of my clients.

He is 28, weighs 95kg and is 190cm tall. His body will use 3,104 calories totally in one day (including exercise.)

Now we can see what we are working with. To gain weight & size he would be eating 500 more calories, to maintain he would be eating the same (3104) and to lose weight he will be doing a 500 calorie deficit below his TDEE.

Knowing your TDEE you can see how many calories your body needs to maintain, bulk or cut. The TDEE calculator shows you a breakdown of this and it has 3 tabs for which goal you want to achieve.

Macros

Macronutrients or ‘Macros’ are the building blocks of nutrition. They are split into 3 categories of Carbohydrates, Fats & Proteins. Following your macros (as worked out by the TDEE calculator, example below) will ensure that you gain/lose weight in the healthiest and most efficient way possible.

If you wanted you could eat nothing but chocolate bars and if you were still in a calorie deficit then you would lose weight. Now this would not be good for retaining your muscle and would be extremely unhealthy but it just proves that as long as you are in a deficit you will lose weight.

So as you can see below here are the options for my client. We have selected the cutting tab and it shows 3 columns with the different options available to him. They all follow his macros but offer a slight variety in the makeup of each macro. I personally recommend the medium carb option.

Now we know our macros we can plan our meals! Ensuring we stick to our macros we will be reaching our goal in no time.

Below is a list of where you can get your macros from and how many calories are in what. This is just a small amount available, the rest will be down to you to find what calories are in what you eat.

Supplements every weight lifter needs to use

Here are all the supplements I used during my programme and that I continue to use. I won't train without them!

Optimum Nutrition Tribulus – is a natural testosterone booster that is also known to increase lean mass and strength. This is one of the best products I have

used, my energy levels were higher and I saw my body change at a much quicker rate than before using them. Safe to say that I always use them now.

Creatine – This is the cheapest and most effective supplement on the market. It is the best supplement to improve sports/gym performance. Studies show that it can increase muscle mass, strength and exercise performance. Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. Check out this product which I highly recommend.

Omega 3 - Fish oil is high in the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. These fatty acids have several benefits for bodybuilders, such as reduced muscle soreness, less severe DOMS. They aid muscle strength and range of motion. Check out this Vitamin D supplement that I use myself. I take one a day just before eating my breakfast.

Vitamin D - Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has been proven to bolster your immune function, bone health, reducing hypertension, strengthen bones, improves muscle function, decreases risk of type-2 diabetes and even facilitates weight loss. Sunlight is a key source of vitamin D absorption in humans, with deficiency being rife in the UK, especially when there is a lack of sunlight during the winter months. Check out this supplement that I use, I’ve been using these for 4 years and they’re worth their weight in gold.

I hope you enjoy the programme and I would love to hear back from you and see your personal results. If you would like to message me using the form below or join our mailing list that would be great. Plus if you have any further questions I would be happy to help!

Stay Strong!