16 weeks minimum
Muscle Building
Training with measurable progression, rather than consistent effort in no particular direction.
Increase muscle mass through structured progressive training and adequate nutrition.
Apply for a place6 of 6 places remain for October.
Approach
Training for a year without visible change is usually a programming problem rather than a discipline problem, and it is frequently accompanied by insufficient food intake.
Muscle develops in response to a gradual increase in training demand over time, supported by adequate energy and protein. Both requirements are commonly overlooked. Programs are changed too often for progression to be measurable, and intake is frequently set at a level more appropriate for fat loss.
This program is structured around measurable progression. Loads and repetitions are tracked from session to session, nutrition is set to support muscle gain without excessive body fat accumulation, and the program runs long enough for the changes to become apparent.
This program is less suitable if
This program is not appropriate if you are unwilling to increase your food intake. Muscle cannot be developed in a sustained energy deficit.
In practice
What a week on this program contains
A general illustration of the structure, using the usual ranges in the research. Your own week is written after the consultation and will differ in the specifics.
- Training
- Three or four sessions of about forty five minutes, kept the same for eight to twelve weeks so that progression can be measured. Each session has a load and repetition target for every working set. Ten to twenty hard sets per muscle per week is the general range the block is built to reach. Rest between hard sets is two to three minutes and is not cut to save time.
- Nutrition
- Intake set for a slow gain in body weight, around a quarter to half a kilogram a fortnight, so that what is gained is mostly muscle. A protein target in the general range of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram, and a real carbohydrate source at the meals around training.
- The weekly review
- Once a week you submit your session records, body weight trend, and any footage of a lift you are unsure about. I reply with the next week's targets, technique notes on the footage, and any change to intake.
An example of a weekly review adjustment
Illustrative, drawn from the kind of situation that recurs on this program. Not a specific client.
- What was reported
- Week four. Every session completed and every target hit, but body weight has not moved in three weeks. Reports feeling flat in the last sets and hungrier in the evenings.
- What changed
- Intake up by roughly 200 to 300 calories a day, added as a carbohydrate source at the meal after training. Training targets left unchanged for one more week.
- Why
- Progress in the gym with no change in body weight, plus fatigue and hunger, points to insufficient energy rather than a training problem. Muscle cannot be built in a sustained deficit. Changing the program at the same time would have made it impossible to tell which change worked.
Not ready to apply? The free guide for this program covers the substance of a first consultation and asks for nothing but an email address.
Apply
Start with Muscle Building
The form takes approximately two minutes. Every application is read personally and answered within 24 hours, including in cases where I believe a different program would suit you better.
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Free resource
A practical guide to fat loss on a limited schedule
A concise guide covering the five factors that make the greatest difference when training time is limited, including what to do in the week you would normally fall off. You will also receive one short email a week on training and nutrition. One click removes you at any time.