GIANT SETS 4 GIANT GAINS!!

As some of you may have noticed, it has been 4 months since I last posted something on here. That's because I have been busy. Busy training a good old friend of mine and also busy training along side him. I was sort of a trainer/workout partner.  A few months back in October, my friend came up to me and said "Manny! I'm ready to train man! I'm ready! I wanna make some serious gains this time. I always get good results when you train me." Then he continued on explaining his goals. Basically he wanted to add 10 lbs of muscles to his frame, add some inches to his arms, chest, quads, back and shoulders. Most of all he wanted to be able to bench press 315 lbs ten times without a spot. All of this he wanted to achieve in 6 months.

Warning - Long post ahead.

Knowing how dedicated he is to his training I agreed to train him. As a matter of fact we made a bet. I said to him that I had this workout where you do giant sets. And if I was stronger then him at the end of our training he would pay for my dinner at my favorite Brazilian grill house. And if he was to make the gains that he wanted, this would be the workout for him, guaranteed. I explained that the workout is not like any other conventional workout and unlike any other workout we have done in the past. It is an extremely challenging workout, both mentally and physically. I also told him that he would have to consume a lot of food to sustain the energy levels needed to perform this training on a daily basis.

So before you begin the workout, let me outline a few things that YOU need to know and need to do before YOU begin the workout.

1. First you must COMMIT to the training, Show up on the days you are supposed to train. You will see no gains if you don't COMMIT.
2. Be willing to train past your comfort level. To trigger muscle growth you MUST train your muscles past their threshold. You must lift at least 80% of your 1 rep max for the prescribed amount of reps.
3. You must EAT to sustain the energy levels necessary for this training. Include lots of protein in your diet.
4. Lift with GOOD FORM and SLOW LIFTS. This way you recruit the majority of the muscle fibers in the exercise. Which will induce growth in return.
5. EAT! Can't stress that enough. You must consume a good amount of healthy nutritious food throughout the day.
6. After a 4 week cycle REST. Don't do anything, just relax for a week.. When you come back you will be stronger and be able to lift more.
7. EAT!

There you have it. Those are the basic rules if you want to achieve some type of gains. On another note, if you are wondering about any use of supplements. Yes, my friend did use a few supplements. I suggested that he use a Pre-workout supplement called C-4 Extreme. This supplement allows for energy boost, helps you focus on your training and boost muscle growth. He also used creatine supplement called Purple K and a Weight Gainer supplement and multi-vitamins. So nothing too crazy. Aright so before we began lifting, we took his measurements. Here they are:

Right Biceps: 15"  

Left Biceps : 14 1/2"
Chest : 41" 

Shoulders: 49 1/2"  

Right Quad: 22" 

Left Quad: 22 1/2"

Right Calf: 14 1/2" 

Left calf: 14 1/2" 

Weight: 181 lbs 

After 4 months of training:

Right Biceps:  16"

Left Biceps: 16"
Chest:  44"
Shoulders:  52"

Right Quad:  24
Left Quad:  24"
Right Calf:   15"
Left calf: 15"

Weight:   192 lbs

As you can see in terms of measurements, those are some pretty good gains. Especially since we were able to add 11 lbs of muscle to his frame. Now remember how he said that he wanted to be able to bench 315 lbs 10 times by June. Well he did better! He was able to bench 315 lbs 12 times and 385 lbs 6 times. Yesterday we tested his 1 rep max and he pushed 405 lbs! He managed to surpass his fitness goals in just 4 months.  Now those are some GIANT GAINS!

Enough said. If you are ready and think you can do the workout peep below for the routine.

When you perform this workout ensure that your 6 reps are with a heavy weight at least 80% of your 1 rep max, 12 reps are with a medium heavy and the 25 reps are with a light weight. Then each week increase the weight by 5 – 10 lbs. The goal is for you to complete 3 giant sets.  You may not be able go beyond 1 giant set at first. That is OK. Simply work your way up to 2 giant sets and eventually 3 giant sets. Not being able to go beyond 3 is normal. However, if you still got juice in the tank then you can attempt 4-5 giant sets.

Day One: Shoulders & Abs

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Standing Military Press
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Seated Dumbbell Presses (elbows facing forward)
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Prone Dumbbell Lateral Raises on 45 Degree Incline 

Bench: Perform drop sets of 6 -12- 25 reps
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Weighted Hanging Leg Raises
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Weighted Cable Crunches
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Floor Crunches
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Day Two: Biceps & Triceps

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Standing Dumbbell Curls
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Incline Cable Curls
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: High Cable Curls
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Weighted Dips
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Lying Dumbbell Extension
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Overhead Rope Extension
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Day Three: Off

Day Four: Quads & Hips

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Medium Stance Squats
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Bulgarian Split Squats with Weight
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Leg Extensions
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Medium Stance Deadlifts  
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Leg Curls
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Back Extensions
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Day Five: Off

Day Six: Chest & Back  
Exercise 1: 6 reps: Incline Bench Press  
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Flat Dumbbell Press
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Cable Flys
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.

Exercise 1: 6 reps: Bent Over Rows   
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 2: 12 reps: Neutral Grip Chin Ups
Rest 10 seconds

Exercise 3: 25 reps: Rope Rows
Rest 120 seconds. Repeat 2-5 times.