Cardio will increase each week by 5 minutes during The Program. Utilize whatever method you find to be most enjoyable and productive. The key is to remain consistent and to include a cardio component to every training day.
All workouts are to be completed in a simple and efficient manner, typically in 10-15 sets and in 45 minutes to an hour. “Mastery” comes with the ability to get the most (intensity/productivity) out of the least (time/overall workload).
All exercises are to be performed on the most simple and basic equipment. The Program exists to remove excuses, so if you do not have access to a specific exercise or machine, comparable alternatIves always exist. Where there’s a will, you will find a way.
Most workouts include burnouts or bodyweight exercises so as to once again extract more from less and to squeeze the juice out of the target muscle groups.
Concentrate on establishing the mind/muscle connection. Focus on feeling the target muscle stretch and contract throughout the full team range of motion. Proper execution is more important than how heavy you train. Lift the weights properly and the heavy weights will come over time.
The technique of “pre-exhaustion” is another means of enhancing the mind/muscle connection. With this method, you’re performing an isolation movement to warm-up and engage the target muscle before moving to the heavy compound movement. Good examples of “pre-exhaust” are flyes before bench presses or leg extensions before squats. We will utilize this technique on occasion.
“Sunday Service” is a tradition of The Program. This brief Sunday session takes an off day and dedicates it to a brief and productive ten sets of squats with a quick cardio warmup. This is whole body conditioning and the extra work that others aren’t willing to do, will set a new standard for your life. Get in, get it done and get on with your Sunday recovery as Week 2 is only but hours away.
With a nod to Arnold and the gods of the Golden Era, abs will be trained with more frequency for regular maintenance. Tightening, strengthening, and enhancing the mind/muscle connection with the abdominals will lead to better overall athletic performance, a streamlined waist and will make you more injury-proof on the training journey that is the rest of your life.
