Gym Workout Plan for Muscle Gain
To take on our four-week challenge, you’ll need some dumbbells, discs and a barbell. Yes, the challenge is tough, but the prize is worth it: starting the year in top shape.
- We show you how to gain muscle in just four weeks with this training program.
- Not all strength workouts are created equal. These three workouts are designed to overcome the daily challenges you face while shaping your body.
Strength is the foundation on which all athletic skills are built, from power to speed. And what makes everything else in your daily life a little easier, whether it’s playing on a Sunday morning with your kids, doing DIY, tidying the garden or simply carrying the shopping bags upstairs. If we approach our training according to the motto “strength first,” we can improve in other physical areas, such as being less prone to injury when running or getting to carry more weight doing bench presses. In addition, we will benefit from a hormonal balance that will keep us as healthy on the inside as we are on the outside. And, of course, you’ll also look better in your shirt. So, if you’re looking for a training style tailored so that daily obstacles don’t hold you back, then strongman is your recipe.
This training plan steals fire from the bodybuilding gods (in imitation of Prometheus) and gives us ordinary mortals the opportunity to lift heavier and dare with unusual lifts and unstable loads, so we can tackle any physical challenge that comes our way, no matter how tough. This circuit has been designed by Tom Kemp, MH Elite member coach and strongman competition regular. Here he offers a tough but effective four-week plan to build functional strength. Give it your all in every session, allow a rest day between workouts, and then repeat with a lot more gusto. And in no time you’ll see how you increase the number of discs on the bar – may your strength be with you!
One-month best workout program for muscle gain
WORKOUT 1 – LOADING ZONE
Rest 3 minutes between sets for the first movement, 2 minutes on the second and only 1 minute between loads. Then rest as much as you think is necessary, before moving on to the final movement, to ensure maximum quality in the execution of the exercise. Don’t do reps at any cost. And concentrate on mastering deadlift technique to avoid injury.
1- SUPPORTED DEADLIFT: 3 sets of 8 reps. Place a barbell with weights about 6 inches off the floor on discs. Bend down and grab the bar. Then breathe, activate your core, dig your feet into the floor and lift the bar until you stand up. Carefully lower the bar to the discs and repeat.
2- PENDLAY ROW: 6 sets of 5 reps. First, hinge with your hips and grab the bar with your hands on it. Make sure to keep your back straight and parallel to the floor at all times, then row the bar up towards your stomach. Pause slightly before lowering it back to the floor. Repeat the exercise.
3- DUMBBELL LOADED WALK. 4 sets of 30 meters. Grab a pair of medium-weight dumbbells and do a clean to bring them up to your shoulders, elbows facing forward. Take a purposeful stride forward, keeping your torso upright at all times. Halfway through (about 15 meters), turn around and come back.
4- DEAD WEIGHT: 3 sets of 60 seconds at maximum effort. Hinge with your hips to grab the bar. Then take a deep breath, activating your core, and dig your feet into the floor to lift the bar while standing up. Lower the bar back down in a controlled manner and repeat. Remember to always push yourself to your maximum effort. Deadlift: how often should you do this exercise?
WORKOUT 2 – CRUNCH TIME
This is a push-up circuit, which means we’re going to be working your shoulders, chest and triceps. Work each movement, and reduce rest throughout the session. As before, you’ll rest 3 minutes between sets for the first movement, then 2 minutes on the second, and only 1 minute between sets of weights. And be sure to rest as much as you need to achieve the maximum performance possible on the last movement.
1- CLEAN WITH DUMBBELLS AND PRESS: 3 sets of 8 repetitions. Hinge with your hips to grab the dumbbells placed on the floor next to your feet. Be careful not to bend your back at any time. Activate your lats and lift explosively. Use the momentum to raise the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Then, raise them above your head. Lower them and repeat.
2- FLOOR PRESS: 6 sets of 5 reps. This is the hard version of the bench press. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, holding two dumbbells. Explosively lift the weights toward the ceiling, fully straightening your arms. Lower the weights slowly until your upper arms rest on the floor (B). Pause quickly and repeat.
3- FARMER’S WALK WITH HEAVY LOAD: 4 sets of 30 meters. Pass the strap of a gymnastic ring through several weighted discs. Repeat with another set of discs. Grab the rings, stand up and activate the core. Stride forward. Halfway through (about 15 meters), release the weights, turn around, grab the weights again and walk back.
4- ONE-ARM PRESS: 3 sets of 60 seconds. Hinge at the hips to grab a heavy dumbbell off the floor. Lift explosively, bringing the dumbbell up to your shoulders. Then lift the dumbbell overhead. Lower it back down to your shoulder and repeat as many times as you can, switching sides as needed to keep the pace.
WORKOUT 3 – STRENGTHEN YOUR ROOTS
If we compare a strong upper body to a house, the legs would be the foundation. Make sure you refuel before this circuit: it’s an important session, so do it justice. And you know what to do when it comes to rest: follow the same protocol as in sessions one and two, to make sure you push yourself to the max on the final movement.
1- BACK SQUAT: 3 sets of 8 reps. Grab the rack bar, lean it firmly against your back and stand up. Keeping your torso as upright as possible and your core engaged, take a deep breath and perform a deep squat, until your hip crease passes below your knee. Get back up explosively and repeat.
2- BARBELL STRIDES (6 FOR EACH LEG): 6 sets of 5 reps. Apologies in advance for tomorrow’s sore glutes. Place the bar over your shoulders and stand up. Step forward with one leg and bend your front knee until your back knee touches the floor. Stand up, pause and repeat with the other leg, stepping forward with each step.
3- PUSH A DISC: 4 sets of 30 meters. This is going to be your only chance to get the weight off of you. Stack some discs on the floor and position yourself in a quadruped position with your hands resting on the disc that serves as a base. Lift your knees off the floor and push the discs forward. Bring your legs forward and repeat. Turn around halfway and push backwards.
4- DUMBBELL SQUAT: 3 sets of 60 seconds. Stand holding a pair of heavy dumbbells at your sides. Activate your core, then perform a deep squat and lower yourself down until your hip crease passes below your knee and the weights almost touch the floor. Then rise explosively and repeat. Types of squats and how to do them well.
5 important steps to muscle building – which you can easily tick off at home