Three-month training plan for building more mass

Over three months, training has to be simple, heavy and consistent. If you want to gain as much muscle mass as possible, don’t jump from program to program: eat more, sleep more and make real progress in the basic exercises.

Why does a three-month training plan work at all?

Three months is long enough for your body to get a strong signal: now it’s time to grow. That doesn’t happen just because you pick a new program. It happens when training, food and rest all move in the same direction.

The original recommendation was harsh and simple: on top of your normal diet, drink 2-3 liters of milk every day, eat often and plenty, and do PHASE 1 TRAINING. The point wasn’t that milk is magic. The point was that most skinnier lifters eat less than they think. If your body weight doesn’t go up, you won’t gain as much muscle mass as you’re hoping for.

PHASE 1 TRAINING means you push hard and work under heavy training load for 3 weeks, then take 1 week of light training load. Then you repeat the same cycle three times. That adds up to 84 days of serious training. After that, rest completely for six days: eat, sleep and let your body do its work.

Training: 3 weeks under load and 1 light week

The program is built on basic exercises. Squats, presses, rows and deadlifts create a bigger training load than small isolation exercises. Honestly, that’s also why a plan like this feels boring. It doesn’t offer a new toy every workout. It forces you to get stronger.

Training load weeks

MONDAY
Squat 4 x 5
Bench press 4 x 6
Bent-over dumbbell row 4 x 6

WEDNESDAY
Front squat 4 x 5
Standing press or push press 4 x 6
Deadlift 4 x 3

FRIDAY
Squat 4 x 5
Bench press 4 x 6
Bent-over dumbbell row 4 x 6

Light-load week

A light week doesn’t mean slacking off. Use the same weights you finished the last heavy week with, but do fewer sets and reps. That way your nervous system and joints can catch their breath without you losing your rhythm.

MONDAY
Squat 3 x 3
Bench press 3 x 4
Bent-over dumbbell row 3 x 4

WEDNESDAY
Front squat 3 x 3
Standing press or push press 3 x 4
Deadlift 3 x 2

FRIDAY
Squat 3 x 3
Bench press 3 x 4
Bent-over dumbbell row 3 x 4

How do you make training actually progress?

Simple truth: don’t mess around with the exercises. You can swap the standing barbell press for a seated dumbbell press, or the bent-over dumbbell row for a bent-over barbell row, but the overall idea stays the same. The program is built on basic exercises.

Isolation exercises take a back seat in this phase. There’s no need for flyes, lateral raises or leg extensions. They can give you a nice pump, but for mass and strength they aren’t the main thing right now. Arnold/Dorian/Lee/Ronnie and Jay didn’t build their foundation on flyes alone.

Warm up properly. Since the working sets are short and the weights are heavy, do several lighter sets before them. Exactly how many depends on you. Some people get going faster, some need more preparation.

Follow the one-hour rule. Including the warm-up, PHASE 1 workouts shouldn’t last more than an hour. After a heavy squat, press or row, 3-5 minutes of rest is normal. That said, there’s no point sitting on your phone for 5 minutes after every set of dumbbell rows.

Practical tips for muscle building

• Progress is the foundation of everything. From workout to workout, try either to add weight or to hit your target rep count.
• If the plan says 4 x 6, try to actually complete that scheme with the weight you’ve chosen.
• If you press 100 kg on Monday and get 6, 6, 5, 4, nothing is broken. In Friday’s workout, try to get 4 x 6 with the same weight.
• Once you complete 4 x 6 with 100 kg, add 2.5-5 kg and start again with the same goal.
• Don’t believe promises that you can gain 15 kg of pure muscle in 90 days. If it were that easy, what you see on the street would look different.
• For supplements, a simple base is usually enough: protein powder, a multivitamin and a course of creatine. The rest won’t save poor eating or lazy training.
• Technique comes before weight. If you get injured, heal properly before you return to heavy weights.
• Pick a plan and stick with it. There are plenty of programs online, but constant switching kills measurable progress.

The translator added a personal note: given how little training volume this plan includes, they would be somewhat skeptical of it. They would raise the number of working sets to about twenty, add arms, abs on some days and pull-ups, and in some exercises throw in a few sets of eight. It’s a sensible remark: a beginner can grow on a simple plan, but a more experienced lifter sometimes needs more volume.

So what actually happens? If you eat enough, get the heavy basic lifts done and don’t skip the light week, your body has a reason to get stronger. Muscle mass comes along with that, rather than as a separate trick.

FAQ: training and muscle mass

Can you add arm work to this plan?

You can, but in moderation. If you add too many exercises to each day, the workout drags on and the weights on your main lifts start to suffer.

Is the light week mandatory?

Yes, if you want to complete all three cycles. The light week helps you recover, so the next training-load period doesn’t start when you’re already tired.

Do you absolutely have to drink milk?

No, as long as you get your calories and protein from other sources. The original recommendation of 2-3 liters of milk was a simple way of saying: eat more, and don’t rely on the plan alone.

What Can I Do to Get as Big as Possible in 3 Months? Iron Hercules on November 15, 2008

Translated by: Janar Rückenberg

Source: Turg.Fitness.ee

Come and train! ArtGym