Tag: Challenge
The 30-Day Arm Challenge for Dramatic Size & Strength Gains
Big arms demand immediate respect.
They are the body’s “show muscles,”; the most frequently displayed part. So the faster we can add size to our biceps, triceps, and forearms, the better.
However, most lifters fail to grow their arms. You might be one of them.
Are you having trouble making your forearms bigger? Have your biceps reached the height of their potential? Are you unable to get that amazing triceps horseshoe out?
What’s needed is an intervention — a short, sharp arms shock that will leave your bis, tris, and forearms no choice but to respond.
This 30-day arm challenge is designed to do just that.
Understanding the Arm Muscles
The arms consist of the following three muscle groups:
Biceps
Biceps Anatomy
The biceps brachii muscle comprises two heads — long and short. The short head originates higher than the long head on the scapular. The radius, or forearm bone, is connected to the one tendon that traverses the elbow joint and receives both the long and short heads.
The biceps are responsible for extending the elbow. They also have a small impact on shoulder flexion, which occurs when the arm extends in front of the body.
Triceps
The triceps is situated behind the biceps, on the upper arm. The biceps and triceps are opposing muscle groups so that when one contracts, the other relaxes. Since its purpose is to straighten the arm, any exercise that requires you to do so while facing resistance will engage your triceps.
The triceps muscle has three heads:
Medial
Lateral
Long
The region immediately below the side of the shoulder is known as the outer or lateral head. This head gives the arm a thicker, more robust appearance when fully developed and originates at the shoulder socket on the scapula. The long and medial heads originate at the top of the humerus, or upper arm. The triceps tendon is attached to the olecranon process of the ulna, the bigger of the two forearm bones, where all three heads of the triceps insert.
When completely developed, the triceps give the back of the upper arm a horseshoe shape.
Forearms
The muscles of the forearms can be divided into four groups:
Flexors
Extensors
Rotators
Extrinsic muscles
The flexor muscles are located on the side of the palm. The extensor muscles are on the side of the back of your hand. The forearm rotators supinate the hand, rotating it externally. They also pronate it to move in internally.
The fingers are moved by very small muscles divided into extrinsic muscles on the forearm and intrinsic muscles in the hand itself.
The forearm is capable of six actions. These are:
Wrist Flexion
Wrist Extension
Wrist Abduction
Wrist Adduction
Forearm Supination
Forearm Pronation
Should Women Train Their Arms Differently?
No, women should not train their arms differently from men. Men and women should not only perform the same forearm, biceps, and triceps movements, but they also shouldn’t use different rep ranges. In the past, women have been advised to tone their arms by using those lovely pink lightweight dumbbells and focusing on high repetitions. That counsel, however well-intentioned it may have been, will not produce the outcomes that most women desire.
Any lady I have ever met with strong, athletic arms has managed to lift what seemed like a heavy object to them. These women’s lack of testosterone, rather than their training methods, was the main reason their arms didn’t get bulky.
The musculature of men and women is the same despite our hormones being different. As a result, this 30-day arm challenge is just as effective for women as it is for men.
30-Day Challenge Overview
The 30-day Arm Challenge is divided into four 7-day phases as follows:
Strength A
Hypertrophy A
Strength B
Hypertrophy B
Strength and size go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Each week you will develop greater arm strength to propel muscle growth. You will train each body part (biceps, triceps, and forearms) twice to thrice weekly.
Let’s now drill down on each of the four training phases:
Phase One: Strength
Rep ranges: 4-6 & 6-8
Focus: Strength development / Balanced strength across arm muscles
Rep Style: Straight sets
Main Stimulus: Central nervous system
The exercises selected for this stage are those that most people struggle with. As a result, you can improve your arm strength and balance, preparing you for the hypertrophy phase.
You will gradually increase the weight with each set during each strength phase. Your final set will be the heaviest weight you can lift while maintaining perfect technique. As a result, if you are performing eight reps, a ninth rep would be impossible for you to complete with good form.
Phase Two: Hypertrophy
Rep range: 10-12, 12-15, 15-20
Focus: Muscular development (hypertrophy) / targeting muscle heads
Rep Style: Tri-sets
Main Stimulus: Muscular system
The goal of Phase Two is to build the various muscle heads. Tri Sets are a part of your Phase 2 exercises. You perform these three exercises back-to-back. You can rest for 10 seconds between exercises and 120 seconds before your next round.
Phase Three: Strength
Rep ranges: 3-5 / 5-7
Focus: Strength development / Balanced strength across arm muscles
Rep Style: Straight sets
Main Stimulus: Central nervous system
During your second strength phase, you will lower your reps slightly from Phase One. Your body has already adapted to the 4-6, 6-8 rep range, so you need to go lower to continue getting stronger. You will be alternating between biceps and triceps exercises over four exercises. Rest between sets ranges between 60 and 120 seconds.
Phase Four: Hypertrophy
Rep range: 12
Focus: Muscular development (Hypertrophy) / targeting muscle heads (double emphasis)
Rep Style: Supersets
Main Stimulus: Muscular system
During this phase, you will double down on a particular muscle head by performing supersets (i.e., Scott curls and prone incline curls for the short biceps head). This forces the body to recruit maximal muscle fibers. After each superset, you will rest for 90 seconds. The workout will consist of a bicep superset (A1 & A2) followed by a triceps superset (A3 & A4). Then, move on to your second biceps superset (B1 & B2) and a final triceps superset (B3 & B4).
The Workouts
Here’s what the workout split for the four phases looks like for this 30-day arm challenge:
Strength A: Days 1-8
Hypertrophy A: Days 9-16
Strength B: Days 17-23
Hypertrophy B: Days 24-30
You won’t train your arms daily, as it can lead to over-training. Instead, you will train them every 48 hours. Recent research shows this is the ideal time frame for optimal hypertrophy and recovery. [2]
Here is an overview of your training days:
Day 1
Workout One
Day 2
Day 3
Workout Two
Day 4
Day 5
Workout Three
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Workout Four
Day 9
Day 10
Workout Five
Day 11
Day 12
Workout Six
Day 13
Day 14
Workout Seven
Day 15
Day 16
Workout Eight
Day 17
Day 18
Workout Nine
Day 19
Day 20
Workout Ten
Day 21
Day 22
Workout Eleven
Day 23
Day 24
Workout Twelve
Day 25
Day 26
Workout Thirteen
Day 27
Day 28
Workout Fourteen
Day 29
Day 30
Workout Fifteen
Phase One Workouts: Days 1-8
Your phase one workout consists of a pair of superset exercises that have you alternate a biceps and triceps exercise. Moving between the superset exercises should take you at most 10 seconds. That means you must have each exercise set and ready to go before you begin your workout. Rest for 90-120 seconds between supersets.
Superset A
Optimized Exercise Form:
Preacher Cable Curls:
Take an underhand grip on the barbell or EZ curl bar before settling into a preacher curl bench position. Your chest and upper arms should be in touch with the arm pad once you adjust the seat.
Keeping your chin tucked the entire time, extend your arms down the pads with a slight bend in the elbows. Keep your wrists in a neutral position and use a relaxed grip.
Squeeze your biceps and bend your elbows to start the upward movement while keeping your upper arms in touch with the arm pad. Lift until your shoulders are in line with the barbell or EZ bar.
Squeeze your biceps in the top contracted position.
Slowly straighten your elbows to bring the barbell back to the beginning position.
Close-Grip Bench Press:
Lay down on a flat bench with your feet planted on the floor. Grab a barbell with a grip that is just inside your shoulder width.
Unrack the bar.
From a starting position with the bar hovering above your chest, slowly lower the bar to your lower chest while keeping your elbows close to your body.
Press the bar firmly back up to the starting position.
SuperSet B
Close-Grip Chin-Ups: 4 x 8,6,6,4
Dips: 4 x 8,6,6,4
Forearms:
Reverse Curls: 3 x 12,10, 8
Optimized Exercise Form:
Close-Grip Chin-Ups
Reach up and hold the bar with a supinated grip and your little fingers about six inches apart.
Pull your chin up to and over the bar by pulling with your biceps and back.
Holding your arms in the highest contracted position, squeeze your biceps as hard as possible for a two-second hold.
Lower back to starting position under control.
Dips
Grab parallel bars with a neutral grip, then lift yourself until your arms are completely extended. Maintain an upright body position with straight legs.
Now, descend by bending your elbows to bring your torso toward the floor (do not allow your elbows to flare out to the side).
Push through the triceps to return to the start position.
Reverse Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length with a pronated grip in front of your thighs.
Maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your elbows at your sides, bring the weights up to shoulder level.
Lower under control and repeat.
Phase Two Workouts: Days 9-16
Your phase two workout consists of a pair of tri-sets. Moving between each exercise in the tri-sets should take at most 10 seconds. Rest for 120 seconds between tri-sets.
TriSet A
Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3 x 20/15/10
Tricep Pushdowns: 3 x 20/15/10
Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 20/15/10
Optimized Exercise Form:
Alternate Dumbbell Curl
Hold dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing inward towards your thighs while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Turn your right wrist to the front while keeping your elbow at your sides. Curl the weight up until your bicep is fully contracted.
Lower under control reversing the wrist motion so that your palms face your thighs in the bottom position again.
Repeat with the other arm.
Tricep Pushdown
Stand in front of a high pulley cable with a rope attachment. Hold the bottom of the rope handles with your elbows pinned to your sides.
Your hands should be at mid-chest level at the start position. Extend your arms down and slightly outward to fully extend the triceps.
Return to the start position under control and repeat.
Triceps Kickbacks
Grab a light dumbbell in your right hand and stand with your torso at a 45-degree angle and your left hand resting on your thigh.
Fully extend your right arm back from the starting position.
Revere and repeat, making sure not to use momentum to lift the weight.
TriSet B
Skullcrusher: 3 x 20/15/10
Barbell Curl: 3 x 20/15/10
Triceps Kickbacks: 3 x 20/15/10
Forearms:
Zottman Curl: 3 x 20/15/10
Optimized Exercise Form:
Skullcrusher
Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly set on the floor. Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands and hold them above your chest. Angle your arms slightly toward your head.
Keeping your elbows in, bend at the elbows to slowly bring the weight down and over your head. Do not move the position of your upper arms as you lower the dumbbells.
Press through the triceps to return to the start position.
Barbell Curls
Grab a barbell with your hands at shoulder width.
Keeping your elbows at your sides, bring your forearms up while squeezing your biceps. Contract as strongly as you can in the top position.
In that position, your knuckles should be at the level of your shoulders.
Now, slowly lower the bar to the start position. This eccentric portion of the rep should take twice as long as the concentric lifting portion.
Zottman Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length with a neutral grip.
Supinate the dumbbells during the eccentric motion. Your palms should face the ceiling when your hands are at your chest level.
Rotate your hands into a pronated (palms down) position.
Slowly lower the dumbbells to the start position.
Rinse and repeat.
Phase Three Workouts: Days 17-23
In phase three, you will do straight sets. Your total focus is on lifting maximum weight with perfect form. Rest as long as needed between sets to fully recover for the next set. At this stage, you should use a dip belt to add poundage to your bodyweight exercises.
Close-Grip Bench Press: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 7,5,5,3
Close-Grip Chin-Up: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Barbell Curls: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Dips: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Reverse Wrist Curls: 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8
Optimized Exercise Form:
Reverse Wrist Curls
Sit on the edge of a bench with a pair of dumbbells held with a palms-down grip. Your hands should be about eight inches apart. Rest your forearms on your knees with your wrists hanging over the edge of your knees. Make sure your forearms are parallel to each throughout the movement.
Extend your wrists down all the way as you allow the dumbbells to roll down your fingers.
From the bottom position, flex your forearms to bring the dumbbells back to the start position.
Phase Four Workouts: Days 24-30
Your phase four workouts consist of nine exercises. They are divided into four supersets, two each for biceps and triceps and a standard set for forearms. Rest for 90 seconds after each superset.
Superset A1
Preacher Cable Curls: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Incline Dumbbell Curls: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form:
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Set the angle on an incline bench to 45 degrees.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on the bench with your arms hanging at your side.
Rather than starting with your arms hanging down in a fully vertical or neutral position, begin the exercise with your forearms about 10 percent from the vertical position. Your palms should be facing the ceiling.
Flex at the elbow to bring the right-handed dumbbell to the shoulder; contract the bicep in the top position.
Lower under control, again stopping 10 percent short of full extension.
Repeat with the left arm and continue alternating to complete your rep count.
SuperSet A2
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown: 4 x 12
Reverse Dips: 4 x 12
Forearms:
Farmer’s Walk: 3 x 20 paces
Optimized Exercise Form:
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown
Attach a single-handle attachment to a high pulley cable.
Stand in front of the pulley, facing it. Grasp the handle in your right hand and hold it at chest level with your elbows at your sides. Adjust your positioning so that the cable is taut in the start position.
Extend your arm and contract your triceps.
Reverse the motion to return to the start position, keeping your elbow at your sides.
Reverse Dips
Position yourself in front of a chair with your palms resting on the chair seat and feet on the ground about two feet in front of it. Your hands should be about six inches apart and your knees bent.
Lower your body toward the floor by bending at the elbows, going down all the way.
Push through the triceps to return to the start position.
Farmer’s Walk
Grab a heavy pair of dumbbells off the rack and hold them at arm’s length by your sides.
Walk around your workout area, taking 20 paces away from the dumbbell rack and then returning. This should take 3-60 seconds.
Replace the dumbbells on the rack.
SuperSet B1
Close-Grip Chin-Up – (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Alternate Cable Curls – (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form
Alternate Cable Curls
Set the cable pulleys at their lowest level.
Stand in front of the machine, facing away from it, and grab the cable handles.
Adjust your position so the cables are taut, with your arms slightly behind your torso and elbows at your sides.
Flex the right elbow to curl your hand up to your shoulder. Squeeze the biceps tightly in the top position.
Lower under control and repeat with the left arm.
Alternate sides to complete your rep count.
SuperSet B2
Close-Grip Bench Press: 4 x 12
Triceps Push-Ups: 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form:
Triceps Push-Ups
Get down in the standard push-up position, but with your hands together under your body so that your thumbs and first fingers are touching. The gap between your hands will form a diamond shape.
Maintaining a tight core and a straight line from head to toe, lower your chest to the floor.
Push back to the start position.
30-Day Arm Challenge Nutrition
You will never grow your arms unless you eat a personalized nutrient-dense diet. Your body can only work with the building materials you provide it. Even if you are following the best arm workout on the planet, you will not add a single gram of muscle to your body without creating the right sort of caloric surplus.
Your workout places stress on your muscles. The type of workouts in this program will cause micro-tears in the muscle fibers. As a result, when you walk out of the gym, you will be weaker and smaller. Only when you feed the muscle with the protein and carbs needed to repair the micro-tears in your muscle fibers can you benefit from all your hard work. Besides repairing the muscle, your body will add a little bit more size to the muscle fiber to meet a similar challenge in the future.
You must create a daily caloric surplus to give your body the nutrients needed to build muscle. That means you are taking in more calories than you use.
To determine how many calories you need, multiply your body weight by 20. So, a 180-pound guy needs to consume 3,600 calories to give his muscle cells the building blocks for creating new mass.
Those 3,600 calories should be divided into six meals of equal size and spaced around three hours apart to get the most benefit from them. Each meal should have 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 20% healthy fats as its macronutrient ratio. Aim for one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
These are the best protein sources to include in your mass gain diet:
Eggs
Dairy products
Whey protein powder
Lean beef
Chicken breast
Lean pork
Fish
You should also be consuming generous servings of these starchy and fibrous carbohydrates:
Potatoes
Yams
Brown rice
Corn
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Asparagus
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Maintaining Your Gains
The week after you complete the 30-day arm challenge, you should take a break from training your biceps. Then follow a periodization program where you spread out each training phase from a week to a month. Here’s how it will look:
Month One: Hypertrophy 1
Month Two: Strength 1
Month Three: Hypertrophy 2
Month Four: Strength 2
Take a week off from training at the end of the second and fourth phases. You can follow this periodization program continuously to make ongoing gains.
Myths Around Arm Training
Several persistent myths surrounding arm training must be wiped away before every lifter can get the best bang for his lift. Let’s put straight the four most common arm workout fallacies:
Myth #1: You Can Build Arms with a Partial Range of Motion
Everywhere you look, whether in your local gym or on YouTube, you see guys doing partial reps, usually with weights that are far too heavy for them. Make no mistake; this is not a smart way to train. You need to work a muscle through its full range of motion for full development and maximum strength.
Myth #2: Standing Barbell Curls Are All You Need
The standing barbell curl has been the go-to exercise for the biceps since the beginning of organized weight training. As a result, you see a lot of guys rely on it as their sole bicep builder. That, however, is a mistake. Barbell curls allow you to use a lot of weight but have limitations. They do not allow for grip supination to target the different heads of the biceps.
When it comes to the triceps, a lot of guys spend their time on exercises of dubious value that do not allow for much weight, such as triceps kickbacks, when they could be doing moves that allow for a lot of weight, like close grip bench press and dips.
The bottom line is that you do not want to rely on just one or two exercises for arm development – variation is a must for overall development.
Myth #3: It’s All About the Weight
The standing barbell curl has got to be the most abused exercise in the gym. The reason is simple — people try to impress others with how much weight they can curl. As a result, they use so much body swing and momentum that their biceps are getting no stimulation at all.
Don’t be like those guys — leave your ego behind and focus on perfecting your exercise form and increasing your strength. Remember, 5 pounds curled perfectly is much better than 10 pounds with a bad form.
While we’re on the subject of weight, progressive overload should be gradual. So, rather than jumping from a 10-pound to a 15-pound dumbbell on the curl (a 50% increase), look to add just a single pound on the next set (a 10% increase). If your gym has microplates, you can make jumps of just 1-2%, which is even better.
Myth #4: You Can Wing It
The old saying that those who fail to plan, plan to fail is as true on the gym floor as anywhere else. You cannot turn up and train by feel if you are serious about getting results. Instead, you should record every exercise, set, rep, and weight in a training journal. That will allow you to know exactly how many sets, reps, and pounds to target on the next workout.
Most Common Arm Training Mistakes
There is generally no shortage of enthusiasm when it comes to arm training. There are, however, many common mistakes that tend to hold people back from getting anywhere near achieving their potential. Here are three of the common arm training mistakes and what to do about them:
Over-Reliance on Isolation Exercises
Which exercise will get you to bigger arms faster, curls or chin-ups? Pushdowns or triceps dips?
When you encounter someone who trains frequently but has poor arm development, they are usually weak for their body weight in the fundamental heavy compound pulling and pushing exercises.
All exercises can be divided into two main groups — isolation (single joint motions) or compound (gross motor activities). Compound movements often involve two joints, whereas isolation movements only involve one. Curls are single-joint exercises solely using the elbow, whereas chin-ups are compound exercises using both the elbow and the shoulder. Compound movements are the type of exercise that contribute the most to muscle growth. So, you won’t be able to add inches of thick, powerful muscle if you don’t focus on getting stronger at challenging pulling and pushing exercises like chin-ups or presses.
Lack of Arm Training Frequently
In the early stages of weight training, before drugs and protein powders, the training methods differed significantly from those employed today. They worked out their entire bodies three to five days a week, including their arms. Nowadays, training a body part more than twice per week is uncommon. In fact, the most popular bro split involves working out one body part per day and then working out every body part once weekly.
The introduction of steroids is credited with starting the tendency to train body parts sparingly. After bodybuilders began using steroids, training more than once weekly became unnecessary. All they had to do to gain muscle was pound a muscle group long and hard once every week. But for the vast majority of natural lifters, this simply does not work.
You transmit a signal to your muscles to grow when you lift weights. This signal can be measured using a process known as “muscle protein synthesis.” According to studies, this signal increases significantly after exercise, peaks at around 24-48 hours, and then rapidly declines. It reaches baseline and even deviates from baseline after 48 to 72 hours. [1]
This is not a concern for steroid users, but it is for natural lifters. Additionally, studies reveal that the duration of this muscle-building signal decreases with expertise. Only 14 hours may pass with an elevated signal for advanced lifters. You need to frequently send that muscle-building signal if you are like most participants in these trials. Maybe even every day. Sounds simple enough, but if you train and pound your arms daily, the cumulative damage will make you extremely sore, swollen, and over-trained. So, how can we circumvent this issue?
By adjusting the intensity.
Start by exercising your arms thrice weekly at a relatively high intensity. On these days, work out hard, but don’t lift to failure; instead, stop one or two reps shy of it. Divide the volume you currently perform for your arms each week into three workouts.
For most people, this translates to 12–21 sets overall per week for each muscle. For instance, if your objective is to complete 12 sets over the week, perform four sets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Allowing Workouts to Get Stale
The saying “everything works, but nothing works forever” is certainly true when it comes to gaining muscle. No matter how great your training plan, exercise, and rep range, your body will eventually stop responding. People who find themselves in this scenario frequently increase the intensity or make minor adjustments, such as concentrating more on muscle contractions. They usually end up hitting the dreaded training plateau.
Unless you regularly alter your programming, your body won’t be able to build muscle consistently. Although switching up your workouts is crucial, switching up your rep range is even more important. Most rep ranges are beneficial for gaining muscle, but training in each one is a completely distinct experience.
Consider contrasting sets of 20 reps with sets of doubles. Both rep ranges create muscle, although being very different. Low reps (1–5 reps), moderate reps (8–12 reps), and high reps (15–20 reps) are the three main rep ranges for gaining muscle. Each one of them has been shown to increase muscle mass.
Use low rep ranges to maximize the development of grinding strength, use the low rep ranges. The traditional bodybuilder rep range for muscular development is the moderate rep range. In research, the 8–12 rep range consistently produces the highest muscle growth when other rep ranges are compared head-to-head. Most people undoubtedly get trapped in this rep range for this reason, and after being locked for a few months, their muscles cease reacting.
When used in a cycle with other rep ranges, going as high as 30 reps, this rep range is fantastic. Workouts with this rep range may seem like marathon sessions. They produce the craziest skin-bursting muscle pumps, but they are also draining. Remember that up to 70% of your arm’s volume consists of fluid and non-muscle fiber components. By increasing the ability of your arms to hold more non-muscle fiber structures and fluids, they will grow bigger if you train them to produce insane pumps with high reps. Start with a single rep range, then switch to a different range after a few weeks. Each time, observe how your arms respond.
Key Arm Training Principles
Here are five principles that need to form the foundation of your 30-day arm challenge:
1. Intensity + Volume
Many people who want to focus on arms development are relatively weak in terms of their arm strength. As a result, they cannot lift enough weight to build bigger arms consistently. You will not progress unless you combine intensity with volume.
2. Variety
If you repeatedly do the same thing, your body will adapt and stop responding. As a result, periodization has been a part of organized weightlifting from the beginning. That is why you must switch between intensification (strength work) and accumulation (hypertrophy work).
3. Targeted Stimulation
The key job of the arm muscles is elbow flexion and extension. The elbows flexors consist of four muscles:
The brachialis
The brachioradialis
The pronator teres
The bicep brachii (long head + short head)
Each of these muscles responds differently to stimuli. For example, the brachialis responds better to force, while the brachioradialis responds better to speed. Changing the grip also changes the focus of the exercise. A pronated grip targets the brachialis, while a supinated grip hits the biceps brachii. Even though the exercises may seem similar, they have a very different effect on the arm muscles.
4. Prioritization
To prioritize your arm development, you must train them at the beginning of the week. This applies to your training week cycle and your specific workout. So, arm training should be on Day One, and you should train your arms first during that workout. That way, you can pour all your training energy into your arm workout while you are fresh.
5. Progressive Overload
When you work a muscle, the stress leads to micro tears within the muscle fiber. Proper nutrition and rest allow the muscle to get bigger and stronger to meet that stress in the future. So the muscle can meet the previous stress level in the next workout. Unless you add extra stress in the form of either more weight or reps, it will not be overly stressed, and the micro-tears that lead to growth will not occur.
Read also: Progressive Overload: The Science Behind Maximizing Muscle Growth
Bonus Section: How To Improve Arm Vascularity
Nothing says badass like a pair of big and vascular arms. Vascularity refers to the clearly visible veins running throughout the body. A vast network of veins crisscross your body. These veins are typically not visible as they are covered by body fat that lies underneath the skin.
The pinnacle of fitness is having a muscular body that is also vascular. It announces that you are in excellent physical condition with little body fat. Of course, there are a lot of folks who have never set foot inside a gym but have visible veins. Some people are genetically predisposed to develop insane vascularity. There are also several medical problems that increase a person’s vascularity.
Even if you were born on the wrong side of the veiny genetic pool, there are definitely things you can do to improve your vascularity:
1. Reduce Your Body Fat Percentage
The more fat you have, the less noticeable your veins will be. Therefore, reducing your body fat percentage is the first thing you should do to highlight your vascularity.
Men must be in the 10 to 12 percent body fat range to have clearly visible veins. On the other hand, women must be even lower.
The first thing you need to do is enter a negative calorie balance. The difference between the calories you burn off and consume should ideally be 500 calories.
Second, drastically reduce your complex carb intake. The timeframe immediately following your workouts is the only time you should be eating carbohydrates. Approximately an hour after your workout, consume a meal or smoothie that is 50% carbs and 30% protein.
Add steady-state cardio to your weight training sessions if you’re trying to get vascular. Most of the calories you burn while exercising with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will come from your glycogen stores. The calories you burn from steady-state cardio will come from your body fat reserves.
2. Strength Training
Contrary to popular belief, doing a lot of high rep sets with lesser weights is not the greatest approach to developing arm vascularity. The best technique to develop size and vascularity simultaneously is through heavy training in the 8–12 rep range. Blood pumps through the body more intensely the harder you train. The veins enlarge as a result, making them easier to observe.
You should end your workout with high-repetition sets to achieve a maximum pump. This will saturate the working muscle with blood, giving it the impression that it is about to explode. This kind of exercise is a component of Hany Rambod’s FST-7 program for bodybuilders trying to get into a super-ripped (and veiny) condition.
3. Include Isometrics
You should perform isometric holds during your recovery period and after your workout to further improve your vascularity.
4. Cut Water
A layer of fat beneath the skin will prevent your veins from peeking through. Water can also get between your veins and your skin. The bodybuilders on the Mr. Olympia stage appear so diced because they have removed most of the water from under their skin.
Wrap Up
The 30-Day arm challenge works. So long as you stick to the plan, you will develop significantly bigger and stronger biceps, triceps, and forearms. And those arms will not only be big but also defined. Put your all into this program with total dedication, belief, consistency, and grit, and you’ll be rewarded with arms to impress!
References
MacDougall JD, Gibala MJ, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDonald JR, Interisano SA, Yarasheski KE. The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise. Can J Appl Physiol. 1995 Dec;20(4):480-6. doi: 10.1139/h95-038. PMID: 8563679.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/frequency-66701244
30-Day Abs Challenge for A Rock-Hard Core
Most decent fitness information revolves around building good long-term diet and workout habits. This makes a lot of sense, as fitness and health should be life-long pursuits. Sadly, you cannot store fitness, and your strength and conditioning will soon decline if you stop working out or eating healthily.
There is a reason that ex-athletes often look so out of shape – they stopped training.
So, in most cases, long-term consistency will always beat short-term fitness fixes. That said, there is a time and a place for workouts and diets that are only meant to last a few weeks. Things like 30-day push-up challenges or 14-day diets can help restore lost momentum and bust through plateaus.
Short-term workout challenges and diets can also test and develop your willpower and intestinal fortitude, or guts. You’ll undoubtedly feel a sense of satisfaction on reaching the end of one of these challenges, which can be a reward in its own right.
This 30-day abs challenge will give you a hard, strong core and could even take you a few steps closer to developing a shredded six-pack.
Abs Anatomy Basics
So, what muscles will you be working during this 30-day abs challenge? Rather than focus just on those at the front of your abdomen, this workout is designed to work all the muscles that encircle your waist and make up your core:
Rectus abdominis – located at the front of your abdomen, this is your six-pack muscle, although you’ll need to be pretty lean to see it. The functions of your rectus abdominis are flexion and lateral flexion of your spine. It also plays a part in compressing your abdominal contents.
Obliques – there are two sets of oblique muscles: internal and external. They work together to laterally flex and rotate your spine. The obliques are basically your waist muscles.
Transverse abdominis – encircling your midsection like a weightlifting belt, the TVA compresses your abdominal contents to produce intra-abdominal pressure, or IAP for short. This pressure helps stabilize your lumbar spine from within.
Erector spinae – the erector spinae is a group of three muscles that run up either side of your back. Together they extend and stabilize your lower and upper spine.
30-Day Abs Challenge – Program Overview
This is an abs specialization program. That means you’ll be working your abs more frequently than usual and with more volume and intensity than you’re probably used to. However, you won’t be training your abs every day, which could lead to injury and overtraining. Instead, you’ll be hitting your abs four days a week for one month straight.
It’s up to you on which days you train, but it’s generally best to avoid doing all your abs workouts in a row. We don’t want you to work your abs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Instead, separate at least a few of your abs workouts with a different form of training or a rest day. For example:
Monday – Abs Workout
Tuesday – Cardio/Strength Training
Wednesday – Abs Workout
Thursday – Abs Workout
Friday – Cardio/Strength Training
Saturday – Abs Workout
Sunday – Rest
Each workout contains four exercises so that you work all your core muscles equally. Each week involves different, more demanding exercises to ensure your core strength increases over the coming 30 days. The workouts themselves are also progressive, and the volume/intensity builds up over the course of the month.
In terms of equipment, you don’t need much to complete this 30-day abs challenge. In fact, you can do this challenge at home with a few items of basic workout gear.
However, you will need:
Exercise mat
Ab wheel or a barbell and weight plates
Resistance bands
Stability ball
Pull-up bar/captain’s chair
Medicine ball or dumbbell/kettlebell
Finally, this 30-day workout challenge is not designed for beginners. Instead, it’s aimed at intermediate or advanced exercisers looking to take their core conditioning to a new, higher level. Beginners should follow a less intense workout plan that focuses on building basic core strength.
30-Day Abs Challenge – Week One
Week one of our 30-day abs challenge starts with some fairly basic exercises and a moderate level of volume and intensity. Think of this as your warm-up week. Do three sets of each exercise, resting 60-90 seconds between efforts. However, regarding reps, continue each set until the target muscles start to fatigue. The reps quoted in the chart below are for guidance only.
#
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
RKC plank
3
20-30 seconds
60-90 seconds
2
Stability ball crunch
3
15-20
60-90 seconds
3
Reverse crunch
3
15-20
60-90 seconds
4
Side plank
3
15-20
60-90 seconds
1 – RKC Plank
Unlike regular planks, RKC (Russian kettlebell challenge) planks are designed to fatigue your abs as fast as possible. Brace and contract your core as hard as you can; seek failure, and don’t wait for failure to come to you! If you feel that you can go for more than 30 seconds, you weren’t bracing hard enough.
Steps:
Lie on the floor and rest on your elbows and forearms. Clasp your hands together if you wish. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down.
Lift your hips up so your body is straight. Contract your hands, arms, chest, shoulders, legs, and glutes.
Without holding your breath, contract your core as hard as possible.
Hold for as long as you can but, if you can do more than 30 seconds, you weren’t bracing hard enough.
Tips:
Rest your elbows on a folded mat for comfort.
Imagine you are trying to drag your toes toward your elbows to maximally engage your abs.
Do not hold your breath, as doing so can cause your blood pressure to rise.
2 – Stability ball crunch
While floor crunches are fine, they have a short range of motion, so they’re too easy for fitter, more experienced exercisers. Using a stability ball makes crunches much more challenging, especially now your abs are tired from the RKC planks.
Steps:
Sit on your stability ball. Walk your feet forward and lean back until the ball fills the curve of your lower back. Place your hands on your temples and brace your abs.
Press your lower back into the ball, curve your spine, and lift your upper back up to form a C shape.
Lean back, get a good stretch in your abs, and repeat.
Tips:
Make this exercise harder by holding a weight behind your head or across your chest.
Exhale as you lift your shoulders to maximally engage your abs.
Pause at the top of each rep for a more effective workout.
3 – Reverse Crunch
There is no such thing as upper abs vs. lower abs. Instead, your rectus abdominis is one long, flat muscle. That said, it is possible to use your abs to lift your shoulders or lift your hips by engaging different groups of muscle fibers. Reverse crunches tend to emphasize the lower fibers of the rectus abdominis, but the upper fibers are working, too.
Steps:
Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet in the air. Place your hands on the floor next to your hips.
Press your lower back into the floor and lift your hips off the floor. Pull your knees toward your shoulders.
Lower your hips and legs back down and repeat.
Tips:
Avoid pressing with your arms, which takes work away from the target muscles.
Exhale as you lift your legs to increase abs engagement.
Pause at the top of each rep to make this exercise more challenging and effective.
4 – Side plank
Where regular planks emphasize your rectus abdominis, side planks hit your obliques more. Most people find side planks harder than front planks, which makes sense given that the obliques are much smaller than the rectus abdominis muscle.
Steps:
Lie on your side so your body is straight and your hips and shoulders are square. Rest on your lowermost forearm and elbow. Brace your core.
Lift your hips and then hold them up for the required duration.
On completion, lower your hips to the floor, roll over, and repeat on the opposite side.
Tips:
Do not hold your breath, as doing so can cause your blood pressure to increase.
Lift your uppermost leg to make this exercise more challenging.
You can also do side planks with your supporting arm straight, like this:
30-Day Abs Challenge – Week Two
Week two of our 30-day abs challenge builds on what you achieved in week one. The exercises are slightly more difficult, so you should be ready to work a little harder. Your interset rest periods are also a little shorter. As before, reps are quoted for illustrative purposes only. Do as many reps as it takes to fatigue the target muscles.
#
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
Stability ball stir the pot
3
15-20
45-75 seconds
2
Serratus crunch
3
15-20
45-75 seconds
3
Hanging knee raises
3
15-20
45-75 seconds
4
Russian twist
3
15-20
45-75 seconds
1 – Stability ball stir the pot
Planks on a stable surface are fine, but you’re probably ready for a more challenging abs workout. Stability ball stir the pot is a much more dynamic and challenging way to do planks. This is an exercise you’ll love to hate!
Steps:
Place your forearms on a stability ball and then walk your feet out and back so your body and legs are straight. Brace your core.
Without dropping your hips, make small circles with your arms, alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise.
Keep your body extended and your core braced throughout.
Tips:
The larger the ball, the less challenging this exercise becomes.
Make larger circles to increase instability and make this exercise harder.
Move your feet further apart to make stir the pots a little easier.
2 – Serratus crunch
The serratus crunch is so-called because, as well as working your rectus abdominis, it also hits your serratus anterior muscles. While not strictly part of your core, these small but visually impressive muscles can add a lot to your appearance. Needless to say, this exercise also overloads your abs.
Steps:
Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a weight in your hands (medicine ball, dumbbell, kettlebell) and extend your arms so they’re vertical. Press your lower back into the floor.
Contract your abs and lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Reach up with your arms as if you’re trying to touch the ceiling.
Lie back down and repeat.
Tips:
Exhale as you lift your shoulders to fully engage your abs.
You can also do this exercise with your legs raised.
Don’t go too heavy too soon; this exercise works best when you focus on the movement rather than the load.
3 – Hanging knee raises
Like reverse crunches from last week’s program, hanging knee raises target the lower fibers of your rectus abdominis. However, lifting the entire weight of your legs makes this exercise much more challenging. On the downside, you will need a pull-up bar or captain’s chair to do this exercise.
Steps:
Hang from your pull-up bar with your arms straight. Alternatively, rest on your elbows on a captain’s chair station. Brace your abs.
Without using momentum to help you raise your legs, bend your knees and lift them up until they’re higher than your hips.
Lower your legs under control and repeat.
Tips:
Use lifting chalk or wrist straps if your grip fails before your abs.
Do not swing your knees up. Instead, move slowly and deliberately to keep the tension on your abs.
Too easy? Clamp a dumbbell between your feet to make this exercise more demanding:
4 – Russian Twist
It’s not really clear why Russian twists are so-called because they don’t have anything to do with Russia. Regardless, they’re a challenging and effective oblique and rectus abdominis exercise that most people love and hate in equal measure.
Steps:
Sit on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat.
Lean back until your body is inclined to about 45 degrees.
Extend your arms out in front of you at shoulder height.
Rotate your upper body as far as possible to the left and right. Do not lean back or lift your torso; keep the angle the same.
Continue for the specified number of reps.
Tips:
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell to make this exercise more challenging.
Anchor your feet if necessary.
Maintain a neutral spine throughout. Do not round your lower back.
30-Day Abs Challenge – Week Three
Week three sees an increase in training volume as you progress from doing three sets of each exercise to four. There is also a slight increase in exercise difficulty. Don’t worry – you can handle it. And congratulations on reaching the halfway stage of this four-week challenge!
#
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
Ab wheel rollout
4
15-20
45-75 seconds
2
Bicycle crunch
4
15-20
45-75 seconds
3
Straight leg lifts
4
15-20
45-75 seconds
4
Resistance band Pallof press
4
15-20
45-75 seconds
1 – Ab wheel rollout
Ab wheel rollouts are a sort of moving plank. With this exercise, you extend your arms out in front of you to create a long lever which puts a lot of tension through your abs. This is a challenging core exercise, but after two weeks of intense core training, you are ready for it!
Steps:
Kneel down and place your ab wheel on the floor in front of your knees. Hold the handle with an overhand grip, arms straight, and core braced.
Push the ab roller away from you and lower your body toward the floor. Take care not to hyperextend your spine.
Use your abs and lats to pull the roller back to your legs and repeat.
Tips:
Shorten your range of motion if you feel this exercise in your lower back.
Kneel on a folded exercise mat or foam pad for comfort.
You can also do this exercise from standing. However, this is MUCH more demanding:
2 – Bicycle crunch
The bicycle crunch is a tough but popular abs exercise. It involves all your significant core muscles, as well as your hip flexors. Done slowly and through a full range of motion, this exercise will challenge even the strongest exerciser.
Steps:
Lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands on your temples. Press your lower back into the floor and lift your feet a few inches off the floor. Keep them up for the duration of your set.
Lift your head and shoulders and bend one leg. Twist and touch one knee to the opposite elbow.
Return to the starting position and then repeat on the opposite side.
Continue alternating for the duration of your set.
Tips:
Start with legs bent and feet on the floor to make this exercise more manageable.
Take care not to pull on your neck, which could lead to injury.
Try to touch the outside of your elbow to the outside of your knee to hit your obliques harder.
3 – Straight leg lifts
Straight leg lifts are a low-tech but high-effect abs exercise. Like hanging knee raises, they target the lower fibers of your abs and hip flexors. Doing straight leg raises after bicycle crunches will be a special kind of core-training hell!
Steps:
Lie down and press your lower back into the floor. Lift your feet a few inches off the floor. Rest your arms on the floor next to your hips.
Without using your arms for assistance, raise your legs up until they’re vertical.
Lower your legs down until your feet are a few inches above the floor and repeat.
Tips:
Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout. Do NOT allow your back to arch.
If necessary, place your hands under your butt to help keep your back flat.
Bend your legs to shorten the lever and make this exercise easier. You can also try raising one leg at a time.
4 – Resistance band Pallof press
The Pallof press is an anti-core exercise, meaning it works your muscles without involving any movement. Don’t let this put you off; the Pallof press is still a great way to work your abs, especially your obliques.
Steps:
Attach a resistance band to a chest-high anchor.
Grip the end of the band and stand sideways onto your anchor point. Hold your hands in front of your chest.
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Extend your arms in front of you, noting how the tension on your core increases. Do NOT allow your torso to twist.
Bring your arms back in and repeat.
Do the same number of reps on both sides.
Tips:
Stand further away from your anchor point to put more tension on the band and make this exercise harder.
You can also do this exercise with a cable machine.
You can also do this exercise in a half-kneeling position for variety:
30-Day Abs Challenge – Week Four
Week four is graduation week, and we’re going to finish strong! As well as introducing another four new core exercises, you’ll also get shorter rests between sets, turning the intensity up to the max. Keep pushing hard all the way to the end, and keep reminding yourself it’s the final week of workouts.
#
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
Renegade row
4
15-20
30-60 seconds
2
V-sit
4
15-20
30-60 seconds
3
Flutter kick
4
15-20
30-60 seconds
4
Saxon side bend
4
15-20
30-60 seconds
1 – Renegade row
Renegade rows were invented by NFL strength and conditioning expert John Davies. It is a plank variation that also involves an anti-rotation element. It’s a challenging exercise, so don’t go too heavy too soon!
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms, legs, and body should be straight. Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back.
Keeping your body tight and still, bend one arm and row the dumbbell off the floor and into your lower ribs.
Place the dumbbell back on the floor, swap sides, and repeat.
Alternate arms for the duration of your set.
Tips:
Use hex-shaped dumbbells if available, as they tend to be more stable.
You can also do this exercise with kettlebells.
Bend your legs and rest on your knees to make this exercise easier.
2 – V-sit
The V-sit is an old-school abs strength and conditioning exercise. This is a tough move, but after three weeks of prep work, you’re ready for it. The V-sit is so-called because your body makes a V-shape at the midpoint of each rep.
Steps:
Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms above your head. Press your lower back into the floor and brace your abs.
Lift your legs and upper body simultaneously and reach up toward your toes. At this point, you should be balancing on your butt, body making a V-shape.
Lie back down and repeat.
Tips:
Place a folded matt under your lower back for comfort.
Make this exercise harder by holding a medicine ball and touching it to your feet.
Bend your legs and pull your knees into your chest to make this exercise easier.
3 – Flutter kick
Flutter kicks are a favorite abs exercise in the military. You’ll often see this exercise done by Navy SEALs, usually as they lie on a beach with waves breaking over them. Part punishment, part core strengthener, this challenging exercise will hammer the lower fibers of your rectus abdominis.
Steps:
Lie on your back with your legs straight, hands together, and under your butt.
Press your lower back into the floor and lift your feet a few inches off the floor.
Lift your head and shoulders a few inches off the floor.
Keeping your legs straight, kick your legs up and down like you are swimming. Four kicks equal one rep.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Tips:
Stop your set if your lower back starts to lift off the floor.
The slower the tempo, the more challenging this exercise becomes.
Bend your knees slightly to shorten the levers and make this exercise easier.
4 – Saxon side bend
Saxon sidebands are named after old-school strongman and bodybuilder Arthur Saxon. Performing with his brothers, Saxon was known for his incredible feats of strength, which included lifting horses and pressing several times his body weight overhead. The Saxon side bend was one of his favorite abs exercises.
Steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Brace your core.
Raise and hold a weight (dumbbell, medicine ball) overhead.
Keeping your arms extended, lean to the left and then to the right for the prescribed number of reps. Only lean sideways, and not forward or backward.
Tips:
Take care not to twist your shoulders or hips.
Bend your arms and lower the weight to your head to make this exercise a little easier.
Because of the long levers involved, this is a challenging exercise, so don’t go too heavy too soon.
FAQs
Do you have a question about our 30-day abs challenge or core training in general? No sweat Boba Fett, because we’ve got the answers!
1. Will this challenge give me a six-pack?
Getting a six-pack is as much about your diet as it is your workout program. This 30-day abs challenge will definitely strengthen and harden your abs, but you won’t be able to see them unless you carve your body fat down to under ten percent for men and less than 15 percent for women.
Because of this, it’s often said that abs are built in the kitchen, although the saying should really be that abs are revealed in the kitchen.
Getting leaner invariably means eating less and exercising more to create a calorie deficit, so your body has no option but to burn stored body fat for fuel.
Read more about eating for ripped abs here.
2. Can I change the exercises in the 30-day abs challenge workouts?
If there are any exercises that you cannot do or that cause pain, feel free to do something else instead. However, try and use similar exercises so that you stay true to the spirit of the program. For example, you could do cable crunches instead of stability ball crunches, as they are basically the same movement. However, sit-ups and hanging leg raises are too dissimilar to be interchangeable.
If you are thinking of changing an exercise because you find it hard – don’t! This is a CHALLENGE, and it’s the hard exercises that will deliver the best results. Even if you can only do a few reps, stick with the hard moves. Your efforts will be rewarded in the end.
3. XYZ exercise hurts my back – what should I do?
If any of the exercises cause back pain, you should stop immediately and revisit your technique. Make sure you are doing the movement correctly. If it still causes pain, replace that exercise with something similar that doesn’t cause you problems. While exercise is good for everybody’s body, some movements may not suit your body type or fitness level.
4. How do I know if I’ve done enough reps?
One of the reasons that prescribing a rep range for a workout is so hard is that we have no way of knowing how strong you are. For some, 15 reps of leg raises will be too easy, but for others, it’ll be way too hard. If we tell you how many reps to do, we’d just be guessing.
So, instead, do as many reps as you can, stopping 2-3 short of failure. At this point, you should feel your muscles working (love that burn!), and your movements will probably noticeably slow down.
Push yourself close to failure, and your muscles will respond by getting stronger. But stop too soon, and your workout won’t be as effective as it could have been.
That said, try to do more reps workout by workout. This is called progressive overload, which is one of the cornerstones of effective training.
5. Will doing abs exercises help me lose belly fat?
Many people believe that doing exercises for a particular body part will melt fat from that area. This is called spot reduction. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that spot reduction happens, so it’s probably best to forget about this much-loved myth. The same is true for “sweating off fat” – that’s impossible, too.
Your body stores and burns fat globally, i.e., all over. While exercising, healthy eating and a calorie deficit will force your body to burn fat for fuel, you cannot influence from where that fat will come. It MAY be your abs, but it could also be your arms, butt, or chest.
So, while you can lose belly fat, we cannot guarantee that abs exercises will help give you a slimmer stomach. Forget about spot reduction, and focus on your entire body for the best fat-loss results.
30-Day Abs Challenge – Closing Thoughts
Sometimes, the best way past a fitness plateau is to smash through it! Sticking with your regular workout program is not the answer. Instead, you need to push the volume and intensity up a notch and get Hulk-mad, going beyond your normal limits.
This 30-day abs challenge might not give you a six-pack, but after four weeks, your core will be harder and stronger than ever before. Dial in your diet, and, who knows, you may even start to see your abs.
And the best part? You can do these workouts at home, so it’s virtually excuse-free.
So, what are you waiting for? Get started today!
28 Day Workout Challenge: Get Fit, Feel Powerful, and Unlock Your True Potential
Irrespective of your experience level, fitness challenges are a great tool for leveling up. Beginners can use challenges to kickstart their fitness journey and build healthy habits, whereas more advanced athletes can use them to break through plateaus.
However, there are a few common problems with most fitness challenges. Some challenges are so overly ambitious that people detect a hint of deception and refrain from embracing them; ‘Build six-pack abs in seven days’ is one example of such a fitness challenge. On the other hand, some fitness challenges are so excessively fixated on results that they repel exercisers; for instance, no beginner (in their right mind) will ever sign up for a “Learn to squat 315 pounds in 30 days” challenge.
Process goals should be the way to go for most people, especially beginners. Process goals are milestones that comprise smaller, controlled accomplishments that help you achieve a larger objective. “Hit the gym six days a week for 28 days” is a process goal. Most beginners will be more receptive to this objective as there are no overwhelming expectations here. We will focus on a process goal in this program.
The 28 day workout challenge will help you kickstart your transformation journey and get fitter, faster, and healthier. This training program includes a balance of strength, hypertrophy, and conditioning exercises to help you get in the best shape of your life and improve your overall functioning.
The following 28-day workout regime is broken into four weeks. The programming for each week will change to help you build a well-rounded physique. You will require a pair of light dumbbells and an iron grit for this program.
Although this is a challenge, the objective here is not to bench 225 pounds or run 5K at the end of these 28 days. The test is to stick to the workout regimen for 28 days and do your best. The results will follow. I promise.
Prerequisites For The 28 Day Workout Challenge
The benefits of an exercise program go far beyond improved aesthetics. Following a training regime can boost your overall health and mental well-being, enhance your daily functioning and heighten your productivity. [1]
Since this is a beginner-friendly workout challenge, the barriers to entry are shallow. Here are a few requirements of the 28 day workout challenge:
Experience
You don’t need to know every exercise in the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding to start this exercise program. That said, it would make a world of difference if you knew how to perform some of the most basic compound movements correctly.
If you are a rookie, I recommend turning this four-week program into a five-week program and using the first week to learn the exercises in this program. I will link each exercise to a detailed guide. Please feel free to explore those guides to drill the movements. Learning the correct exercise technique improves your exercise form and significantly reduces your risk of injury.
Basic Equipment
Don’t worry; I won’t ask you to drop a bundle on a squat rack or a treadmill. This 28 day workout challenge requires minimum training equipment, such as a pair of dumbbells and a resistance band. You can also switch the dumbbells with kettlebells if you have a few lying around your house.
People that lack the budget to buy new training equipment can use water jugs, backpacks, and suitcases. Think outside the box and use anything in your home to challenge yourself.
Diet and Recovery
Although training is a crucial aspect of building muscle and losing fat, it is not the be-all and end-all of a transformation program. You must focus on your nutrition and recovery program to make the needle budge in the right direction.
Begin by determining your daily calorie goal and using an appropriate macro intake target to help you move toward your body recomposition objective. Further, you must sleep seven to eight hours each night to allow your body enough time to rest and recuperate from your workouts.
Remember, you cannot outwork a bad diet, and you break muscle tissue while training. Your muscles grow back bigger and stronger when you are resting.
28 Day Workout Challenge Program Outline
Burning workouts are one of the most common reasons why people give up on their transformation journey without achieving their objective.
This 28-day workout program is different. This training regimen is programmed to ensure the exercises deliver enough stimulus to build strength and muscle mass and boost fat loss and will keep you on your toes with consistent volume and intensity changes over the four weeks.
Outline of the 28 Days Workout Program
Although the exercises will remain the same in this four-week workout challenge, you will perform a different number of reps and sets and use different weights (if possible) to boost muscle fiber stimulation. It will help you drill the form of these exercises, which will set you up for better performance down the line.
If you are a rookie, you should spend the first week, let’s call it “Week 0,” learning the correct exercise form and building a foundation. Although one week will probably not be enough to drill the movements, it will be enough to make you feel comfortable. Since you’ll not be using heavy weights in this 28 day workout challenge, these four weeks will also help you master the exercises without putting you at risk of injury.
Without any further ado, here is a brief outline of this four-week workout challenge:
Week 1: Build a Foundation
We will use the first week to ease into the 28 day workout challenge. Week one is not the time to go pedal to the metal. You want to keep muscle soreness to a minimum, as you don’t want to sit out of a workout because of restricted joint and muscle range of motion due to stiffness. Avoid lifting heavy and focus on familiarizing yourself with the exercises.
Week 2: Increase the Reps
You will increase the intensity slightly in the second week by ramping up the number of reps you perform in each exercise. Limit the rest time between sets and exercises to 60 seconds to keep your heart rate up. Doing more sets with the same weights as week one should result in better muscle pumps.
You will remain in the 8-12 rep range in the first, third, and fourth weeks. However, you must bump up your reps to 15-20 in the second week. You might have to use lighter weights to achieve the new rep goal.
Week 3: Lift Heavier
Two weeks of training will improve your form and develop muscle memory, making it the right time to go heavier. If you train at home and want to purchase dumbbells, I recommend getting adjustable ones, as they are more versatile and take up less space. Folks that do not have heavier weights can get creative with resistance bands to make the exercises more challenging.
Beginners can go up to 20% heavier in the third week. Ensure you don’t compromise your form while chasing bigger weights. Use a weight that allows you to complete eight reps with perfect form. Feel free to reduce the reps to six as fatigue starts to set in.
Week 4: Boost the Volume
Three weeks of training will condition your muscles enough to handle more volume. For the fourth week, you will increase the training volume by doing an additional set of each exercise. Plus, we will be adding one exercise to each workout. Following the same training program for too long can lead you to a plateau. Programming progressive overload into your training regimen ensures you are making consistent gains.
28 Day Workout Challenge: Weekly Split
Here is the weekly split of this training challenge:
Day 1: Upper Body Strength
Day 2: Full-Body HIIT
Day 3: Lower Body Strength
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Full-Body Strength
Day 6: Cardio and Core
Day 7: Mobility and Skill / Rest
This 28 day workout challenge involves training six days a week. Although the seventh day of the week is reserved for mobility and working on developing new skills, you can also use it as a rest day if you feel sore.
Workout Plan
Although the exercises will remain the same week-over-week, keep an eye on the sets and reps and adapt your workouts according to the weekly outline described above.
Day 1: Upper Body Strength
You can swap the dumbbells with resistance bands in each exercise in this workout. Furthermore, if you don’t have access to a flat bench, you can swap the first exercise of this workout with the dumbbell or resistance band floor press.
Day 2: Full-Body HIIT
After the upper body strength workout, you will perform a full-body HIIT workout focusing on increasing your heart rate and burning calories. This will be a 14-minute bodyweight workout. Complete three circuits of these seven exercises. You are allowed a 15-second rest between exercises and a 60-second rest after completing each circuit.
Feel free to break up your sets if you cannot perform an exercise for the stipulated time. For example, take a five-second breather if you cannot perform pull-ups continuously for 30 seconds.
Perform four circuits of this full-body HIIT workout in the fourth week.
Day 3: Lower Body Strength
Spend 5-10 minutes warming up before each workout. It will get your blood flowing, improve your range of motion, and significantly reduce your risk of injury. Your warm-up routine should include a combination of static and dynamic stretches.
Day 4: Rest
Rest days on this 28 day workout challenge are not a free pass to becoming a couch potato. You must keep your body moving on your rest days as well. Go for a 20-30 minute walk, bike ride, or hike on your off days.
Day 5: Full-Body Strength
Most exercises in this workout program are compound movements, which demand greater energy input than single-joint exercises. However, you must limit your rest duration between sets to 60 seconds to maintain a high intensity.
Day 6: Cardio and Core
You’ll be doing a 15-minute HIIT cardio session and five core exercises on day six of this training program. Training your core will help develop a six-pack, improve your overall functionality, and reduce your risk of lower back pain and injury.
Day 7: Mobility and Skill / Rest
The seventh day of each week is reserved for mobility drills. Working on your flexibility will improve your range of motion, leading to greater muscle stimulation. You can also use this day to drill exercises you have difficulty performing. CrossFitters can work on their Olympic lifts or gymnastics techniques on day seven. Feel free to take this day off if you feel sore and tired.
Tracking Progress
Twenty-eight days is a relatively short time to see any significant improvement in your physique. However, you must track your progress weekly to ensure you are on the correct path. Recording body weight, anthropometric measurements, workout performance (sets, reps, and weights used), and taking physique photos are the most popular ways of tracking your progress. Seeing the needle budge in the right direction can boost your motivation and push you to work harder.
Common Obstacles
These are the most common problems faced by people on a transformation program:
Diminishing Motivation
Many people lose their motivation to train and eat healthy when they do not see progress within a few weeks. To avoid this, set measurable short-term objectives. For example, you can set a new goal to do 20 sit-ups in a set by the end of two weeks if you can only do 15 right now. Routinely ticking off goals will keep you excited about your workouts.
Lack of Support
The importance of a support system is often overlooked in a training program. A support system can keep you accountable and motivated. A support group consisting of individuals who share common goals can be invaluable. Your friends and family can also be a part of your support group.
Unplanned Events
Major life events, emergencies, and other unplanned events can disrupt your workout program. Some of these events are unavoidable. However, you must ensure that you return to your transformation program after dealing with the situation at hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to lose weight?
Losing weight boils down to calories in vs. calories out. You must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, meaning you must burn more calories daily than you consume. According to the CDC, you can lose 1-2 pounds weekly by cutting 500-1,000 calories from your daily diet. [2]
Can I build a six-pack in 28 days?
Technically, yes, you can. If you have a low body fat percentage, you can improve the definition of your six-pack by performing ab exercises. However, folks with a body fat percentage of 20% or more usually require more than a month to build washboard abs, as they must first lose the excess fat by running a calorie deficit.
Is it possible to spot-reduce belly fat?
No. You cannot spot-reduce fat from your abdomen. Most people lose fat in a generalized manner across their entire body while in a calorie deficit. Genetics can also play a role in your fat loss pattern.
Note: The content on Fitness Volt is for informative purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice to diagnose, prevent, or treat health problems. If you’re suffering from a health issue, are pregnant, or are under 18 years old, you should consult your physician before starting any new supplement, nutrition, or fitness routine.
Wrapping Up
Congratulations on seeking a challenge. Following a 28 day workout program requires you to leave your comfort zone, try new things, and test your limits. You should be proud of yourself for making this decision to explore your potential and work toward your best self.
Remember, the challenge here is not to build a six-pack in record time or maximize your VO2 performance. This 28 workout challenge has just one goal — hit the gym for four weeks and complete your workouts. Give yourself a pat on the back after you complete this challenge. On the other hand, don’t hang your head low if you can’t achieve this objective for some reason. Shake off the unpleasant emotions and try again. Best of luck!
References
Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018 Jul 2;8(7):a029694. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a029694. PMID: 28507196; PMCID: PMC6027933.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Losing Weight. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html
Powerlifter Bradon Gulch Attempts 525-lb Tom Platz Squat Challenge, Impresses with 21 Reps
Bodybuilding has produced many legends, but few have been as iconic as Tom Platz. Tom was, and is to this day, recognized for his incredible lower body workouts, which have proven to be quite effective considering the size of Platz’s legs. Tom became known as the “Quadfather” for good reason. His legs weren’t just a sight to behold, they were also incredibly strong, with some of his impressive feats still unmatched today. His quad muscles were the stuff of legend, and he rightly earned his place among the greats of bodybuilding and strength training. The most remarkable one was his 23-rep squat set with 525 pounds on the barbell. Platz completed this set in 1992, and ever since many world-class athletes have attempted to match it.
Everyone knows the best squatters usually come from powerlifting, which is why it’s no surprise to see a lot of them taking on the Tom Platz Challenge. Most recently, Bradon Gulch was the man who gave his maximum effort to achieve the incredible feat. In addition, he came extremely close to matching Tom Platz’s result, having performed only two reps less than him. So, after reaching his limit, Bradon ended up with a 21-rep 525-pound squat set.
Bradon Gulch utilized a pair of knee sleeves and a lifting belt to complete this set, making it raw by the majority of standards. In addition, Bradon is just 22-years-old, making his attempt even more impressive. He didn’t seem to struggle much until he hit his 18th rep, but he pushed through and managed to eke out three more. In the end, Bradon failed while attempting his 22 repetition, as he was not able to get up from the squatting position. After the spotters took the barbell from his back, Bradon fell back and decided to remain on the floor until the burning sensation in his legs started to dull.
Watch the lift here:
Related: Tom Platz Shows Off Shredded Quads in Latest Update at 67
Bradon Gulch isn’t the first elite powerlifter to tackle Tom Platz’s squat challenge. Joe Sullivan attempted the same challenge a year ago. In spite of being a World Record holder, Joe was only able to complete 20 repetitions, putting him behind Bradon.
The bodyweight of Tom Platz during his 23-rep 525-pound squat set was 198 pounds, while Bradon Gulch’s bodyweight was unknown at the time of the attempt. Just two weeks prior to his attempt, Bradon participated in a powerlifting competition, where he weighed 271.2 pounds.
It is also important to note that Bradon Gulch is focused on improving his one rep max on the squat and not improving his AMRAP sets. So, the heaviest official squat of his career came out to 705.4 pounds, which is significantly heavier than Platz’s reported PR of around 600 pounds. So, it all depends on one’s primary goals.
Overall, Bradon Gulch took part in 11 sanctioned powerlifting competitions, winning seven of them. Even though he has been competing for only two years, it is apparent that he will continue to improve for years to come.
Bradon Gulch’s Competition PR
Squat: 320 kilograms (705.4 pounds) — (2022 USAPL Liftmas Open)
Bench Press: 212.5 kilograms (468.4 pounds) — (2023 USAPL Arnold Pro Bench)
Deadlift: 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds) — (2022 USAPL Liftmas Open)
Total: 825 kilograms (1,818.8 pounds) — (2022 USAPL Liftmas Open)
Related: Leg Day Motivation: Tom Platz “I Was Willing To Die For It”
Bradon Gulch seems to be the closest man to Tom Platz’s record currently, as two reps don’t seem too far away. In addition, as explained earlier, if Bradon decides to work on his AMRAP instead of a One-Rep Max at some point, it is very likely that he would be able to surpass the 23 reps performed by Tom Platz.
Published: 5 May, 2023 | 3:22 PM EDT