Accelerated Strength Program

Too many people these days are not getting the results they want. They spend too much time in the gym socializing and spinning their wheels. If you’re looking for fast results you need to cut out all the bullshit and start pushing some heavy weight. The only way to get bigger and stronger is to add more weight to the bar. Now I don’t mean adding 5 lbs to your preacher curl. I mean training big compound movements that give you fast results. Face it, you’re not Arnold Schwarzenegger, nor should you train like he did. Bodybuilding icons like Arnold and Ronnie Coleman train body part splits because have the ability to attain massive levels of muscle size. Sadly you do not, however this does not mean you should give up.

So how can you build serious muscle in as little as four hours a week? The answer is simple. You are going to perform 3-4 sessions a week, for 45-60 minutes apiece, and train lots of compound movements. I will give you two options here. You will do either 3 full body sessions a week or 2 upper body days and 2 lower body days. Regawrrdless of which spilt you pick, choose no more than 5 movements a session. You are probably saying “what the hell, how are 5 exercises going to get me bigger”. It is all about exercise selection. If you are choosing the right exercises, anymore than 4 is just overkill. Remember the key is progression and you want to leave something in the tank for the next session. Still don’t believe me? Look at the way elite powerlifters and bodybuilders train. They train the shit out of 3-4 exercises and they use $100,000s of steroids a year! Why in God’s world would you train with a higher volume than an elite lifter?

Sample Program

Day 1-Max Effort Upper Body

1) Max Effort Bench Press- Build up to 3 working sets of

your 3-5 rep max.

2A) Incline Dumbbell Press- 4 sets of 8-12 reps

2B) 1 Arm Dumbbell Row

3A) Wide grip Pull-ups 4 sets of submax (leave 1 or 2 in the tank)

3B) Dumbbell Clean- 10-15 reps

Day 2- Lower Body

1) Front Squats-4 sets of 6(less than 90% of 1RM)


2) Sandbag Lunges-3-4 sets of 8-12

3) Romanian Deadlifts- 3-4 sets of 10-15

4) Weak Point training-Upper back work

Day 3- Repetition Upper Body

1A) Military Press 4 sets of 6

1B) Close Grip Chin Ups- Submax

2A) Pushup variation- 4 sets of max reps

2B) Recline Row- 4 sets of max reps

3) Face Pulls- 3 sets of 15

Day 4- Max Effort Lower Body

1) Max Effort Trap Bar Deadlift-Build up to 3 working

sets of your 3-5 rep max.

2) Barbell Reverse Lunges- 4 sets of 6-10 reps

3A) Kettlebell Swing- 3 sets of 10-15

3B) Weighted Back Extension

Repeat this same workout for weeks 1-4. Each week you should try to break a record. This could mean adding more weight to your last set, or getting an extra rep or adding another set. The goal is to increase the total amount of lbs for each lift. Week 4 you will deload. In a nutshell, cut all your weight and volume in half. This will allow your body to reload for the next 4 weeks and will also allow you to practice your technique. For weeks 5-8 you are going to use the same template except you are going to choose variations of each lift. If you need help with this, message me and I will personally tell you what to change.

While this program isn’t perfect, it will get you on the right track to adding some serious muscle and strength. I always recommend ending your training with some grip and abdominal work. You can also add some conditioning for 10-15 minutes following your session. The best choices here are sled drags and prowler pushes.

Report back to me in 8 weeks with your progress!

Lift strong,

Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach

Lower Body Training

If you are like the masses, you probably have been neglecting lower body training for quite some time now. Most people focus on the upper body because these are the most visible muscles. Lower body training is paramount to increasing strength and overall muscular development. Movements like the deadlift and the squat are “the king of all exercises” because they develop the body unlike any other lift. In this article I will provide you with a common template that I use to train many of my clients.

After a complete dynamic warm-up, our athletes will start with a Max Effort squat or deadlift variation. We work up to a 3-5 rep max above 85% of 1RM. For more information on how we use the Max Effort method read this. Here are some examples of the variations we use:

• Back squat
• front squat
• Zercher squat
• Box squat
• Front squat grip +box squat
• Straight bar deadlift
• Trap bar deadlift (both low and high handles)

After our Max Effort movement, we perform unilateral training. Unilateral training is critical to improving muscular imbalances and is used a preventative measure to keep the lower back, hips and knees healthy. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Below is a snapshot into some of the movements we use:

• Step ups-performed with dumbbells or a barbell
• Walking lunges- performed with a sandbag, dumbbells or kettlebells
• Reverse Lunges-performed with a sandbag, dumbbells, barbell (on the back or with a front squat grip), kettlebells (goblet or rack position).
• Bulgarian Split Squats

After unilateral training, we perform posterior chain work. Posterior chain work is necessary to improving athletic performance and also decreasing hip, knee, and lower back pain. Additionally, posterior chain work will have a significant impact on increasing your max squat and deadlift. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Here are some sample movements we use:

• Romanian deadlifts
• Kettlebell swings
• Back extension
• Glute ham raise
• Good mornings
• Olympic lifts

After these 3 movements we end the session with conditioning. My favorite finishers
are the sled, prowler, jumping rope or heavy farmer walks. Our advanced athletes may finish with a kettlebell, dumbbell or barbell complexes. We limit the conditioning to 10-15 minutes.

While this is the template we use with most of our athletes, it is not written in stone. The exercise selection, load and volume, depends on training experience, sport, goals as well as other factors. For athletes who need to focus on strength endurance (combat athletes) we will perform some explosive training (jumps) in-between sets of heavy squats. Additionally, we may perform all the assistance work as a circuit and will continue to focus on conditioning at the end of the session. Beginners, or those who physically cannot squat or deadlift properly, will goblet squat and perform a ton of posterior chain work as well as unilateral movements. Below is a sample session my baseball players perform in the off season:

Lower body day

1) M.E Front Squat- work up to a 3-5 rep max.
2) Sandbag Lunges- 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps
3) RDL’s-3-5 sets of 7-12 reps
4) Prowler push- 4 trips- 200 feet each trip
5) Grip/Abs- Circuit style for 5-10 minutes

Strength endurance athletes training may vary slightly. See this example:

1A) M.E Zercher Squat- work up to a 3-4 rep max
1B) Broad Jump- 2 reps per set
2A) Kettlebell Goblet squat – 4 sets of 8-12
2B) Kettlebell Goblet lunge- 4 sets of 8-12
2C) Kettlebell Swing- 4 sets of 8-12
3) Prowler Suicides- 3-4 sets
4) Grip/Abs- Circuit style for 5-10 minutes

The important thing to remember when training the lower body is to limit the amount of exercises to around 3 or 4. If you train these 3 or 4 lifts properly, anything more will just be overtraining. Also, avoid most leg machines like the leg extension and leg curl. Instead, opt for compound movements that give you a great bang for our buck. Now get under the bar and start training!

Lift Strong,

Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach