Hey there Muscles,

Over the last few weeks I've been making the case for simplicity. Stop program hopping. Commit to your movements. Give it real time to work. So this week I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

What I'm giving you below is the exact framework I use for clients who are busy, stressed, and serious. Business owners, parents, people who can't live in the gym but refuse to stop training hard. People who want to build real strength and muscle as they age without spending hours a day doing it.

Three days a week. Two main compounds lifts per day. A couple accessories. Ten weeks. That's it.

Who This Is For (You, and Your Gym Buddy, So Share This!)

If you can get to the gym three days a week and push hard for sixty minutes, this will work for you. You don't need to be advanced. You don't need a rack full of specialty bars. You need a barbell, a bench, a cable stack, and a leg press or hack squat machine.

The Structure (Share this with a friend too)

Day 1: Squat + Bench

• ​Back Squat (or Hack Squat or Pendulum Squat) - 3 sets
• ​Bench Press - 3 sets
• ​Machine Chest Supported Row- 3 sets
• Leg Press - 3 sets
• ​Incline Press (Dumbbell or Machine) - 3 sets

Day 2: Deadlift + Press

• ​Deficit Deadlift (or Romanian Deadlift) - 3 sets
• ​Overhead Press - 3 sets
• ​Lat Pulldown - 3 sets
• ​Leg Curl or Hip Thrust (Barbell or Machine) - 3 sets
• ​One Arm Row (Dumbbell) - 3 sets

Day 3: Front Squat + Bench Variation

• Front Squat (or Hack Squat) - 3 sets
• ​Incline Bench Press - 3 sets
• ​Bent Over Row - 3 sets
• ​Flat Bench Press (Dumbbell or Machine) - 3 sets
• Leg Press or Walking Lunges - 3 sets

The Rep Scheme

• Weeks 1-5: Compounds (bold, and ideally done with a barbell) at 6-8 reps. Accessories are 8-12 reps.
• Weeks 6-10: Compounds at 3-5 reps. Accessories at 8-12.
• Week 1 and Week 6 are your baseline weeks. Don't be a hero. Come in, set your numbers, get a feel for the weights. Think of these as structured deloads that set you up for the four hard weeks ahead.

How to Progress

This is where most programs overcomplicate things. Here's how I want you to think about it:

Show up and read yourself honestly. If you feel good, hit a heavy top set at your target rep range, then drop 5-10% for your back off sets.

• A top set is a hard effort set that you CANNOT repeat again.
• A back off set is a hard effort set that you CAN repeat again.

If you're unsure how you feel, do straight sets across at a consistent weight. Over time, your floor rises. Your top set rises. That's progress.

Here's what that looks like in practice:

1. Week one you do three sets at 90lbs.
2. Week two you feel good, so you hit 100 for a top set and back off to 95.
3. Week three you do all three sets at 100.
4. Week four you hit 110 for a top set and back off to 95.

Every single one of those weeks is progress. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

A Few Notes...

For exercise demos on any of these movements, I'll be dropping videos on my YouTube channel (I also hyperlinked the exercises above). If a movement doesn't work for your body, reply to this email and we'll find the right swap.

And if you want this fully dialed in programming tailored to your schedule, your history, and your goals, with coaching support along the way, that's exactly what my remote coaching is for. Reply to this email and let's talk.

This program works. I've run versions of it with clients for years. The only thing that determines whether it works for you is whether you show up and do it.

Stay strong, stay durable,

– Mike

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