How to get strong now

a strength training guide

First Edition

A copy of this guide is sent out to those

seeking strength. The following advice
has been taken from Barbell Shruggeds
Muscle Gain Challenge.

Published by
Barbell Shrugged
Website: BarbellShrugged.com
Email: Help@BarbellShrugged.com
Legal notice

ii

INTRODUCTION

Unless commitment is made there are

only promises and hopes, but no plans.
- Peter Drucker

Have you ever heard of Sisyphus? If not,

This is a valuable lesson because it illus-

Im sure you can relate to his story.

trates a fundamental problem many

As the Greek myth goes, this ancient

King was extraordinarily clever, but he
was also greedy and misleading of others. As punishment for his wicked deeds,
the gods compelled Sisyphus to the end-

young athletes face in the gym - Despite

their best efforts they can never to gain
the size and strength theyre after. Like
Sisyphus, its all repetitions and little
gains.

less task of rolling a boulder up a steep

If youve struggled to make progress in

hill.

the gym, dont worry. Youre not guilty

While his ambition, will, and effort were

unlimited, the stone was always doomed
to slip and roll back away by the final
push.

of anything. Youve just been misled. The

truth is that we do lose grip on our goals
from time to time, but its hard to call it a
punishment. Its a choice.

iii

The most common mistake in the gym is

impatience. In a rush to the goal, we fail
to plan effectively. Other times, we get
impatient that the strength isnt coming
fast enough, so we hop from plan to plan
in search of quicker results. But this is
really more like starting over. Just when
you get your boulder moving, you let it
go so you can try something different.
Thats just no way to get strong. The
work just never gets done.
The truth is that strength isnt something
you stumble across. You actually discover it through daily habit, the support
of like-minded people and great coaches,
and of course, a great plan. Make that
commitment and you will get very
strong, much stronger than you ever
thought possible.
Theres no better example than our very
own Kurt Mullican. In just a couple of
years, Kurt has gone from skinny-fat exwrestler to competitive weightlifter
and coach at Barbell Shrugged. Thats extraordinary, but theres no reason you
cant be next.
Your journey starts right now.

iv

1
KURTS STORY
I was in bad shape before I decided to get
strong.
Now, Ive never been a fat dude. But I was
always soft and undersized, which is a
very bad combination. My diet was also
beyond terrible, with a lot of time spent

eating cheese fries and drinking beer, but

muscle-ups on a pull-up bar at the gym.

never water because it was gross.

I knew I wasnt an amazing athlete, but I

Eventually I decided that I was tired of

looking like I spent more time eating vanilla snack packs than lifting weights.
So, I picked up a copy of Mens Health.
As a former wrestler I was used to suffering, so I had no problem hitting my bull-

thought I was alright. Right up until I

saw exactly where my fitness ended.
The truth is that all the bench pressing
and curls in the world wouldnt help me
learn the muscle-up. For that, I needed
another change.

shit magazine workouts super hard. I

I started CrossFit in that very same

committed myself to living a healthier

globo-gym in late 2009. By mid-2010 I

lifestyle, as imperfect as it was.

had my Level-1 certificate and was ob-

That was a start.

sessing over all things metcon. I was

very happy with my results and felt like I

Shortly after making some gym friends I

was strong. And to be honest, I grew dis-

took to the typical bro routine - Loads of

missive of other styles of training.

bench press and curls, super-setted with

plenty of texting and staring at cute girls
via the dumbbell area mirrors. I adapted
quickly to the Ultra Mass Gain nutritional program of my own design, which
was admittedly 75-80% pizza and Chinese food. And for the record, I did stop
short of spraying myself down with Axe
body spray on arm days. I wanted to, but
I didnt.
The typical path seemed just fine at the

One memory is very clear. In February of

2009 I was reading a Crossfit Journal article entitled, CrossFit Strength Bias. It
was all about incorporating strength
work outside of the metcon. At the time I
didnt really care what I lifted, so I just
blew it off. I was more than happy scaling down WODs when needed. Moving
well was everything, and still, you didnt
really need to be that strong. This is 2009,
after all. A heavy metcon often meant 135

time, until I saw a friend of mine doing

pound hang cleans, which almost seems

By did the program, I really mean that I

like a joke by today's standards.

stuck to it for about two weeks, then I

Crossfit had been great for developing

my work capacity. By the end of 2010, I
could do most workouts as prescribed,
but the truth is that I still felt weak and
skinny when I trained with my friends.
Then I made the mistake of watching a

jumped right back into the metcon because I felt like I was getting out of
shape.
Does that sound familiar?
I read book after book on training, but
this obvious message still wasnt sinking

video of Jason Khalipa crushing a workin very well. In hindsight, its an obvious
out called King Kong. At that moment, I
thing, but I know thats part of the jourrealized that I was as weak as piss and
ney. In time I realized with 100% cerdead tired of it. I was ready for another
tainty that devoting myself fully to getchange.
ting strong really was the absolute best
I went out and purchased Starting
Strength by Mark Rippetoe, read it, the
tried the program.

thing I could do.

I opened a small affiliate gym of my own
in 2011. Of course, that meant that I was

teaching a lot of classes myself. I didnt

ure it out. I poured 100% of my free time

have a lot of time to train, so I just began

into

squatting during my coaching breaks in

weightlifting thing. I worked endless

the morning.

hours with a PVC and empty barbell, re-

I had read somewhere that squatting

twice your bodyweight was ideal for an
athlete, so that was the new goal I set for
myself. I weighted about 130 pounds, so
getting strong meant adding about 30
pounds to my back squat. I could only
lift about 230 at the time.
It took twelve very long weeks to add
those 30 pounds, but I did it, and I was
excited as hell! This was the very first
time I had ever achieved real progress
with the barbell, and it felt amazing!

trying

to

understand

this

fining my movement hour after hour. I

did everything I could do to understand
the sport and improve my own performance, but I didnt have much progress to
show for it. Because I was all on my own
I was still making some novice mistakes.
A great example was my squat. I always
thought I was pretty strong in this lift. I
had squatted double bodyweight, youll
remember. But my balls were totally
crushed when I realized that no one in
the sport of weightlifting does low-bar
back squats. It just doesnt carry-over
very well to the snatch, clean and jerk,

It was during that strength cycle that I

which is exactly why my numbers were

started noticing the exploding popularity

still so poor.

of the Olympic lifts in Crossfit. They

were being prescribed more often in
WODs and the Games. But more than
that, people were getting strong as and I
wasnt.
I remember watching hundreds of hours

I had to put in another 12 long weeks of

hard squatting just to get my high bar
squat up to par, but it was well worth it.
Once I could high-bar double bodyweight, thats actually when my strength
started taking off.

of weightlifting videos, just trying to fig-

Almost a year had passed. I was working

My training partner eventually had to go

on my snatch and clean all the time, but I

back to school, which sucked, but he left

was still totally obsessed with having my

me with a gift. He introduced me to Bar-

name at the top of the whiteboard. And I

bell Shrugged. I didnt know exactly

still felt like I was missing something in

what I wanted at the time, so I drove up

my training, something really important.

to the gym to find some peace.

I just didnt know what that could be.

I did some squats, mopped the mats, all

while watching Barbell Shrugged on the

Things began to click into place when a

friend of mine came to town during a
break from school. He was a real strong
dude, and we trained together when we
could. He pushed me like no one ever

screens in the gym. I watched all I could,

and honestly was blown away with the
amount of shared experience and information in every single show.
I was hooked.

had. He made fun of me for being weak

and yelled at me for missing lifts, which
brought a whole new level of intensity to
my training to say the least.
If you know me, then you know that I
need to be yelled at. It drives me to train
much harder, much closer to my real limits. I needed that more than anything. It
was cool to watch my friend moving big
weights, but what I wanted most of all
was to be the strong one. To get there, I
was going to have to conquer myself and
my perceived limitations.

2
BRAND NEW HABITS
The best habit that was taking root in my
life was consistency. I kept listening to the
show and learning. I kept training, even
thought my weightlifting felt permanently
stuck.
Again, I hadnt yet addressed some obvious limitations and mistakes.

The biggest thing I needed to address

to start an online training program de-

was bodyweight. I felt sexy and ripped

signed specifically for muscle gain. I

eating turbo-paleo and zone, but I was

perked up.

also lucky to weigh 128 pounds after

training on any given day. Thats about
70 pounds lighter than most of the men
competition at the highest levels of Crossfit, much less Weightlifting. That just
wasn't good enough.

I knew that I need to get much bigger

and stronger, and that it most likely
wasnt going to happen on my own. After all, I had been trying for years with
only modest success at best. What I
needed was help, and to be pushed

I was starting to see that I needed to get

harder than ever before. As an athlete, it

much bigger and stronger, I just didnt

was time to make the commitment and

know where to start.

get some coaching.

The second thing is that I always did my

The show had already given me so much

own programming. Thats a huge mis- valuable information and training wistake. As the great Dan John says, If you

dom, I knew their muscle gain challenge

are coaching yourself, your coach is an

was going to be awesome. So, I signed

idiot. Thats true, mostly because one of

up right away, even though I had my res-

the keys to extraordinary strength is not

ervations. They said I could possibly

fooling yourself in the gym, which is

gain 26 pounds in 26 weeks, which

tough because you are always the easiest

sounded like a lot. But I was confident ei-

person to fool.

ther way that I would end up getting big-

ger and stronger.

My next big opportunity came one Sunday afternoon while I was listening to From the very beginning you realize the
Barbell Shrugged in my gym. Its still challenge isnt just about programming
where I find peace and make time for

and diets. Its about changing your be-

mopping. During that show I heard Mike

havior and removing old barriers. One of

and Chris mention that they were going

the very first things you do is create the

11

habit of waking up and weighing your- ing 26 pounds of muscle sound more posself at the same time every day. Of course

sible. It was just like my old squat train-

weighing myself wasnt new, but for the

ing. I had my plan, now all I needed to

very first time in training I had a chart

do was stick with it.

and a projected goal laid out before me. I

didnt have to guess and wonder anymore. I now had a very clear plan in
place.

Next to planning, the community is the

most important thing. From the start of
the muscle gain challenge, you are encouraged to interact daily with coaches

That alone is priceless. All I had to do

and other athletes. You share in the expe-

was average about a pound of weight

rience fully, which instantly makes it eas-

gain per week, which really isnt that

ier to create and keep new habits. Meal

much. I thought to myself, I can do

prep is a great example. Eating well con-

that! If nothing else, it sure made gain- sistently is much hard than most people

12

think, but accountability and support go

To this day its my favorite post-workout

a long way.

dinner.

If you are serious about gaining muscle

I can say for certain that I now eat more

and strength, then youve got to eat a lot

protein than ever before, which is great

of great food. That was always the big- for boosting muscle and strength quickly.
gest struggle for me in the past. I con- Plus, its not nearly as expensive as you
stantly had to make up for low energy

might think. Try buying your meat in

levels in the gym by over-caffeinating,

bulk if budget is a concern. Ive split a

which only kills your appetite further

cow with a friend in the past, which

and recovery further. It undermines your

made the meat very cheap by the pound.

training and recovery efforts.

Stash it in your freezer and youll always

The habit of proper meal preparation

that changed my weightlifting game for-

have plenty of high-quality protein on

hand, and dont skip the organ meats!

ever. I started to shop and cook all of my

A little variety in your diet will help keep

food on Sundays, which only takes a

you from missing out on essential nutri-

few hours. I found the process pretty

ents.

peaceful, actually.

Theres just one more point to be made

Theres something about seeing all your

about meal prep - you can have all the

food ready to go in the fridge that sets

food in the packed away in little tupper-

your mind at ease. I bought tons of root

ware containers in your fridge. But it will

vegetables and large cuts of meat -

do you no good if you forget to eat it. Re-

whole chickens and roasts, mostly - to

member, consistency is key. If nothing

save time and money. And I might add,

else set an alarm on your phone to re-

the crock-pot and rice cooker became my

mind you to eat throughout the day. It

best friends. Theres nothing better after

might not sound very important, but

a hard training session than coming

trust me, the last thing you want to do is

home to a bowl of Irish style lamb stew.

break your rhythm.

13

In the challenge, I was eating more than

arent just about the programming. The

ever before, and it didnt take long to tell

plan itself is great, but that alone isnt

that I had been missing out. I quickly felt

worth much when life gets in the way.

However, when you build great habits

better, and much stronger. The quality of

my sleep improved, everything got bet- in-side and outside of the gym - when
ter. I really only had one problem left - you understand exactly what its going
My job.
I traveled all the time to make a living.

to take for you to reach your goals - at

that point success becomes inevitable.

Most trips were 2-3 days, longer if I got

Once you learn to eat, sleep, live and

stuck or missed a flight. I did my best to

train like an athlete, everything gets

train on the road when I could. I found

much easier.

that as long as I could get in at least 3

good training sessions a week, I was fine.
But eating was harder, especially when I

The Muscle Gain Challenge is set-up a

was flying.

lot like a college course. You have daily,

Again, a little preparation goes a long

way. I started to bring little baggies of
protein and carb powders with me in
shaker bottles on the plane. All I needed
was a little milk or water and I could
whip up a quick shake no matter where I
was. I also made sure to pack a lot of beef
jerky, nuts and seeds ahead of time, just
in case the flight attendants decided to be
stingy with the peanuts.
See, I think the beauty of all of the Barbell Shrugged programs is that they

weekly and monthly assignments that all

build and accumulate through the year.
Each lesson builds upon the next. In this
case, all you have to do to graduate with
more muscle and strength is complete
the course as its laid out. Its a big project of sorts, only instead of putting together a thesis or something youre building a new body, one rep at a time.
And just like in school, it helps if you interact with the professor as much as possible. In the gym, athletes who use their

14

coach to the fullest and integrate their ad- group, and getting constant feedback
vice fully can expect the best results,

from a coach who was much smarter

thats it. You have to be coachable and

than me was stellar.

you have to be willing to change your

lifestyle. Otherwise, your results are going to be limited.
The Facebook group is the lifeblood of
the program. It was a daily link to people
with the same exact problems I had, the
same goals. This is where I interacted
with our coaches. Ill admit, I was a little
nervous going into the group at first be-

That community is what drove me to accomplish goals.

As far as training goes, Barbell Shrugged
programming was like nothing I had
ever done before. It was very challenging. I was constantly doing things that I
never would have done or thought of on
my own.

cause I expected it to be full of six-pack

You will squat more than ever before.

studs, but that was silly. I loved my

The drop sets and variety in movements

15

will always make things challenging. The

work will make you incredibly hungry,
which is a great sign of growth. Just keep
eating and your numbers will climb
steadily.
Its worth repeating - Even if youre committed fully to getting strong, you still
might struggle when it comes to conditioning. Even though I was getting
stronger, I couldnt help but notice my
friends that were getting better at Fran
and Helen. It got to me a little at first and
made me doubt my path, Ill admit. But I
got over it, and in the end I was better
off.
As it turns out, getting stronger and putting on lean muscle makes you better at
everything. By the end of the challenge I
shaved nearly 2 minutes from my Fran
time, just because the barbell felt so light.
I still got crushed by the WOD of course,
but still, I couldnt believe the outcome.
Strength always matters.

16

3
AFTER THE CHALLENGE
After the challenge I was a bigger,
stronger and much smarter person.
I learned so much about life and training.
Having access to the seminars was a huge
plus, I still rewatch them to this day to
stay frosty. I also learned the ins and outs
of what a solid program looks like, and

what it really takes to succeed in weight- the last two years of my life studying the
lifting.

sport, but I had never participated.

Heres the thing. You cant just slap 52

I showed up with a singlet and shoes,

weeks-worth of numbers and percent- but no clue about how much to lift, when
ages into a spreadsheet and grow. It

and where. I also had no coach. I just

takes much more than that. You have to

stood there by the front door with a piece

make healthy habits part of your daily

of paper in my hand, ready to guess my

routine. Commit fully, never stop learn- attempts. Just then I recognized a familing, and set yourself up to succeed.
The biggest surprise after I completed

iar face - It was my Muscle Gain coach,

Alex Maclin.

that Muscle Gain Challenge was that, not

I had never met him in person, so I

only was I bigger and stronger, but I was

waltzed on up and introduced myself.

felt more confident and effective as a

He asked me what I planned to lift, and

coach. I was able to more fully under- where my coach was. In the end I got
stand and empathize with the struggles

lucky because Alex coached me through

of my athletes, simply because I had just

the day. I might have been nervous, but I

been there myself. That perspective is a

made 5 out of 6 attempts and took first

priceless thing when people are coming

place in my weight class. I was stoked!

to you for help.

Sure, it was just a start. But I was now of-

The boosted confidence and physical

ficially a Weightlifter. After all the years

strength carries over to everything. Ive

of struggle, trial and error, I had man-

never been a shy person, but Ive never

aged to find a path to my goal. And let

felt better in my own skin. Im even will- me tell you, its an addictive feeling.
ing now to put myself to the test on the
platform. Soon after the program was
over I decided to enter a local Weightlifting meet. It just made sense. I had spent

Theres nothing quite like the rush you

get from lifting on the platform in competition. I cant recommend it enough.

18

A lot has changed since that day. For one,

I d o n t have that awful travel job
any-more. As luck would have it, I
actually got a chance to join the awesome
Barbell Shrugged team as a Muscle Gain
coach, which has been amazing.
My former soft, vanilla pudding self
wouldnt believe it. I now have the opportunity to share these lessons and my experiences with hundreds of athletes.
Thats incredibly rewarding.
You never know. Amazing things happen
when you make yourself stronger.

19

4
STRENGTH FAQ
What if I dont want to get bigger? Can I
still get stronger without gaining
weight?
Putting on muscle is a sure-fire way to get
stronger, but its not the only way.

For example, many Olympic Weightlift- these movements are also very important
ers train for strength exclusively without if your goal is to build a strong, muscular
gaining large amounts of body mass,
which helps them stay in the weight
class and be more competitive. This isnt
easy and it can take a long time, but you
can also get stronger without getting big-

and functional physique.

No matter what your goal is, balance is
going to be critical. You odds of success
only improve if youre strong.

ger.
The secret is to focus on building abso- Will I get fat if Im trying to gain
lute strength. This will involve lifting muscle?
very heavy weights quite often (typically
above 90% of your 1-rep max), usually
for around 4-7 sets of 1-4 reps. Stick to
fundamental barbell movements like
squats, deadlifts, presses, and barbell
rows. Loaded, strict gymnastic move-

That depends on how much you eat, the

kind of foods you put into your body,
and when. Also, the specifics of your genetics and training history are incredibly
important.

ments like pull-ups, push-ups, dips and

Heres the truth - Anyone can eat a ton of

handstands are also fantastic for boosting

crap food, lift heavy weights for a few

strength and adding variety to your train- months, then get bigger and stronger.
But thats not much of a plan. Theres no
ing.
way around it - When the timing and

And remember, dont neglect the Olymquality of your diet are off, a lot of the
pic lifts! The snatch, clean and jerk are all
mass you gain will be body fat. Thats
excellent for building explosive strength
never a great look. Its cool to lift heavy
and coordination in the entire body,
barbells, but what you really want is to
which greatly improves overall strength
also look damn strong. You just need a
and athleticism. Theres nothing better
different mindset when it comes to food.
than snatching a heavy PR, sure, but

21

First, you have to eat the right amount of

If you just love that stuff, eat it sparingly,

food. If you dont eat enough, you wont

or as a treat after you set your next squat

gain any muscle. But if you eat too much

PR.

youll gain weight too quickly, and most

of it will be fat. Its far better to set a
weekly goal of gaining about 0.5 lb to 1
lb of bodyweight per week.

If you are worried about getting fat, your

next area of focus should macronutrient
timing - Keep most of your carb intake
very close to your training time. Eating

That rate will ensure that most of the

the right types of food before and after

mass you put on will be high-quality

you train will help to minimize fat stor-

muscle.

age. More importantly, it will also help

You should also aim to eat high-quality,

whole foods. You don't see a lot of strong

you recover faster and get a head start

building new muscle.

people eating fast, junk, and processed

Your training is another factor that

foods. Thats also basically what youre

should be considered. Remember, if you

getting with many muscle building sup- are lifting heavy barbells, eating highplements. The calories are high, but these

quality food, and timing the intake of

foods lack the nutrients that you need to

carbs, youre going to have fantastic re-

perform at your best.

sults. But if body fat is still a concern, just

Choose high-quality sources of meat,

include a few bouts of conditioning in

eggs, vegetables, fats, starches, dairy (if

your training week. Keep these sessions

you can tolerate it) and make those items

short, no longer than 20 minutes. Keep

a staple of your diet. Ditch the crap that

the intensity high and rest as little possi-

comes out of the freezer section with a

ble.

million ingredients that you cant even

pronounce.

We also still cant ignore genetics, but

theres very little we can do about that.
Some people can eat anything they want

22

and never put on body fat, others just

returns from your training. At that point,

look at a plate of pasta and they gain 5

you must focus your training specifically

pounds. Thats just the reality.

on the task of gaining muscle if you want

to make progress.

However, poor genetics is never an excuse. If you train hard, eat smart and Now, when gaining muscle, you will
stick to your goal of adding just about a probably add some small amounts of
pound per week, you will find incredible body fat, even if your diet is on point.
success. The pounds add up faster than

There is usually no way around this. You

you think.

have to increase the amount of calories

you eat to coax your body into a state of
growth. By definition, you are overeat-

What about gaining muscle and losing

fat at the same time? Is that possible?
It is possible, but not easy. Its also very

ing. But this is perfectly fine.

In fact, it actually works to improve your
performance and results in the long-

unlikely if you have already been train- term.

ing for more than a year or so.

The very best athletes train in cycles. Spe-

Gaining muscle mass and losing fat are

cifically, there should be planned periods

usually mutually exclusive. This really

of muscle gain and fat loss. The secret to

only occurs in new athletes, where the ini- maximizing your overall results is to
tial responses to training stimuli are very
high. If you go from couch potato to gym
rat you would put on muscle and lose a
bunch of at the same time, but not for
long.

make the absolute most of each phase.

Try this. Take the next 6 months to a year
to put on as much mass as possible, then
gradually change your food intake and
adjust your training focus so that you

After some time, your response will pla- can preferentially cut the fat. If your fat
teau and youll start to see diminishing

loss period of training is well executed,

23

youll be able to showcase a lot more of

yogurt, cottage cheese, or milk), and

that hard earned new muscle. Let other

whole eggs.

people obsess about fat. With a great

long-term strategy, youll always be getting a little bigger and a little leaner.

Its much harder for vegans, as most

plant-based sourced of protein are incomplete (they lack all 9 essential amino acids) and are little use to the body of a

I dont eat meat. Can I still put on

muscle?
The good news is that if you are a vegetarian or vegan, all of the same training

growing athlete. For proper health and

performance, you must seek out complete sources of protein.
Here are a few examples:

and nutrition rules apply. You can gain

Quinoa
plenty of muscle mass, you just need to Soy (tofu, tempeh)
eat enough calories, including a balanced Buckwheat
and well-timed intake of carbs, protein Chia Seeds
Hempseeds
and fats. If you follow a vegetarian or veRice and Beans
gan diet, youll probably have no trouble
getting enough carbs and fat.
Between sweet potatoes and coconut
alone you can find plenty. But your pro-

There are endless complimentary sources

of amino acids. Listing them all is not the
scope of this resource.

tein intake has to be managed more care- So, if you are a vegetarian/vegan athlete,
fully.
With meat off the menu, you will have to
work hard to get enough protein in your
diet. For vegetarians, good sources of pro-

our best advice is to do your homework.

Do your research, and never leave any
doubt over your protein intake. With
that, youll be big and strong in no time.

tein include clean whey protein powders,

high-quality dairy products (like Greek

24

Will my conditioning or gymnastic

any competitive gymnast. If you want to

skills suffer if I put on muscle?

be muscular and strong as hell, the very

No, this is a common misconception. You

never stop conditioning, you simple

last thing you want to do is cut your gymnastics work.

switch focus. While improving strength,

you can still metcon to maintain your fit-

As you get stronger and stronger, you

ness. The same is true for gymnastics

nastic movements will get easier. Youll

work. Theres no reason to stop

be able to perform more work fast, even

practic-ing your gymnastic skills

though youve gotten much bigger over-

during this phase in training.

all.

may find that many of the classical gym-

Keep in mind that the single greatest fac- Again, muscle matters. Dont worry at all
tor influencing your performance is

about your gas tank. In the long run,

strength. As you grow stronger, your met- strength is the best predictor of success.
con weights will feel lighter and lighter.
Youll be able to move the weight more
efficiently with less effort, which will al- Can I still do traditional cardio while
low you to do more reps faster and un- trying to gain muscle? I love running,
broken. If youre stuck at the bottom of
your gyms whiteboard, getting stronger
is probably the single best thing you can
do to be more competitive.
Continuing to work on your gymnastic
movements can be just as beneficial.
Movements like pull-ups, muscle-ups,
and handstand push-ups are amazing for
building muscle and body improving
body awareness. Just take one look at

swimming, and bicycling.

Yes can still run, swim, cycle, just be careful not to go overboard. If your main
goal is to gain muscle, you should be lifting heavy stuff most of the time.
You also need to be able to recover
quickly so you can hit the next session
hard. Thats whats going to entice your
body into full growth. You cant have

25

that and run twelve miles a day. Try to

work both ends of that spectrum as hard

think about what is most important to

as you can, youll be very pleased with

you. If you are training to run a mara- your results.

thon in a few weeks, maybe you should
hold off on trying to get swole until
youre ready to make the commitment.
You wont be great at either thing otherwise.

What supplements should I be taking?

The first thing to know is that supplements are exactly that, supplemental.

Perform a longer, low-intensity cardio

They offer little benefit on their own if

session once or twice a week. Thats all.

you fail to eat enough high-quality, nutri-

Treat it as an opportunity to get out the

ent dense food.

gym and have fun, or use it as a way to

get in some active recovery in on your
non-training days. As long as you keep
your focus on the barbell you will be
fine.

Once proper diet, training, and recovery

are in place, you should consider taking
the following supplements. As with anything you might consume, do you homework first. The more you can educate

What are the best rep ranges for build- yourself first, the better.
ing muscle and getting stronger?

Caffeine: Dont go overboard. A few

Anything less than 5 repetitions is best

cups of coffee or a scoop of pre-

for developing raw strength while 8-12

workout before training are more than

reps are common in hypertrophy

enough boost. If youre energy level

(body-building) training. So, to get the

just isnt there for the day and youre

best re-sults you want a mix of both.

feeling unmotivated, some caffeine can

The very best range for building

muscle and strength is between 5-10
reps. If you

quickly get you in the training mood.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: We take the good
high-potency stuff, its worth the

26

dough for sure. Aim for about 0.5 gram

eat enough every day to keep up, you

of Omega 3s (DHA/EPA) per 10

will quickly reach a plateau that you

pounds of body weight.

can-not bust.

Vitamin D: As a healthy and athletic

In addition to increasing your calories,

adult, you should for about 4,000 IU

you have to maintain the quality of your

per day.

food intake. That means doing what it

Creatine: 5 grams per day. Theres no

need to load or cycle off.
ZMA: Guys, take 3 capsules right
be-fore bedtime. Ladies, 2 is enough.
Beta Alanine: Split 4 grams into 4 equal
doses and spread it out through the

takes to get enough protein, carbs, and

healthy fats without making bad choices.
You cant make the mistake of thinking
that you can start eating candy bars and
drinking sodas in order to get the calories that you need to keep adding muscle.

day. Dont take it all at once! If you do,

We know that doesnt work. The best

prepare to get the Itis.

thing you can do is prepare ahead of

time. Stock up on protein. Wild fish is an
excellent source, as is lean pork, chicken,

Exactly what kinds of food should I be

eating?
That depends on your goals.
As you train to gain muscle mass, your
body will need more and more energy to
maintain progress. It takes more energy
to build muscle, sure, but you have to remember that your new muscle will also
start to burn more calories. If you dont

bacon, tuna, turkey, and beef.

Carbs are super important when training
hard. Not eating enough will quickly deplete your body of glycogen, which your
body burns to provide energy to your
muscles and central nervous system during intense training. Without the fuel,
you cannot be intense, and you cannot
grow strong. Rice and potatoes are your

27

friends, especially after a heavy squat ses- Your strength and health are far more imsion.

portant.

Fat is a dense calories source, but its also

very important for hormone regulation.
To make the muscle building hormone
testosterone, for example, you need a
diet rich in high-quality fats. Some good
sources include avocado, olive oil, nut
butters, coconut oil and animal fat, like
bacon drippings.

How much food do I really need to eat

to gain muscle?
A LOT! No, but seriously, if you struggle
with gaining weight youre going to have
to eat more food than you ever have before.
If eating starts feeling like work, thats because it is! If you want to get bigger,

What foods should I avoid?

If youre going to fail, it will probably be
because of what you drink.

youre going to have to put in the time. It

will be very uncomfortable at times, but
dont whine and complain. Just shovel
another spoonful of mashed potatoes in

Check your drinking habits. You just

your mouth and ask for seconds, maybe

dont be successful if you are swigging

even thirds. Once you get used to eating

back a 2-liter bottle of soda every day, it

more, you will start to see growth.

doesnt matter if its got sugar in it or

not. The more often you are exposed to
sweet and processed ingredients, the fatter you get. So, make great choices.
You also want to avoid processed meats

The exact amount of food required depends on the individual, but you will
want to adjust your food intake so that
you can keep pace with your weekly
goal of gaining 0.5-1 pound. Weigh your-

and microwavable meals. Heres a sim- self every day. If your weight is going up
ple rule - If dinner comes in a box with a

week after week, youre on the right

long list of ingredients, skip it.

path. If not, you need to eat more. If you

28

exceed 1 pound, likewise, just back your

another meal rich in protein and fat right

intake down slightly.

before bed.

You dont need to be perfect. The week to

What are the best exercises to build

week outcome doesnt matter nearly as

muscle mass?

much as the cumulative effects of the repeated effort.

How often should I eat?
You should be eating every 2.5-3 hours
from the minute that you wake up.

That would definitely be the fundamental movements.

One of the best exercises you can perform is a simple deep squat. Dont use a
smith machine. Get in a squat rack with
a barbell and some plates and start

Heres a quick guide. Dont skip break-

squatting! Add some variation by

fast. Try to eat a meal or snack rich in car-

front, box, or overhead squatting.

bohydrates and lean protein, but low in

fiber and fat, a couple of hours before
training.

Some other amazing exercises include all

varieties of deadlifts, bench presses,
over-head presses, barbell rows,

About 30 to 45 minutes before exercise,

pull-ups, push-ups, handstand push-

eat a snack high in carbohydrates and

protein, and low in fat and fiber. After

ups, dips, these are all great for

building lots of mass. Remember to mix-

train-ing, eat a meal high in starchy carbs

up the move-ments, just make are that

and protein to give your body the raw

youre going heavy and lifting often.

materials it needs to build muscle.

The rest of your meals throughout the
day should consist mostly of highquality proteins and vegetables. If you
need some extra calories for the day, eat

How can I incorporate snatches,

cleans and jerks into my muscle
building training?

29

The Olympic lifts require a lot of skill. It

It takes more than raw strength alone to

takes time to improve your technique, es- perform at your best.

pecially under load.
If you want to make significant progress,
you should practice the Olympic lifts at
least 2-3 times per week.
That doesnt mean max out. Your training focus should be improving technique, position, positional strength, and

How long will it take to put on muscle?

It takes 6 months to build a Rolls Royce,
and about 13 hours to slap together a Toyota Corolla. So the real question is, what
kind of body do you want to build?

bar speed at moderate loads (between

You have to make an investment in your-

70% to 85% of your best lifts).

self. If you are serious about getting big

Also, make sure to incorporate some

heavy clean and snatch pulls to supplement to your strength work. This will
help refine your technique and position
under high load.

and strong, you will make sure that your

training and nutrition are on point most
of the time. It doesnt matter what some
bodybuilding magazine says, you dont
get massive guns in 16 weeks!
Real results take time and effort, several
months worth at least. But its more than

Will my weightlifting improve if I

worth it.

put on size?
Getting bigger and stronger will definitely help improve your snatch, clean

How much muscle can I expect to gain?

and jerk numbers. But you must also con- Again, this will depend on a lot of factinue to work on technique, mobility and

tors, including your training intensity, ex-

position.

perience, age, diet, and genetics.

30

Someone fairly new to training can expect to add about 1-2 pounds of a muscle
per month for about a year. Muscle gets
more difficult to pack on the more experienced you are, so intermediate and advanced athletes should expect less.
Our best advice is to not worry so much
about the specific numbers. Just focus on
training hard and eating well consistently, put daily effort into recovery and
rejuvenation, and take care of yourself in
general. Youll make progress.
Set big goals, push yourself, but dont
beat yourself up if you fall short. Just
keep grinding and doing everything you
can do to succeed. Youll be surprised
how far that takes you.

31

5
HOW TO PROGRAM FOR
STRENGTH
Here are the first two weeks of the Muscle
Gain Challenge program. These workouts
are a great example of how you can structure your training for maximal performance and strength gains.

The first two weeks of this program

Next, reduce the load of your max set by

arent meant to wreck you right off the

10% and perform 4 more sets of 5 reps

bat. The demands will build over time,

with the reduced weight.

so its very important to build a solid

foundation first so that further growth
and progress can be made, without increasing the risk of injury or plateaus
later down the road.
The primary goal of the Muscle Gain program is to get strong as hell and build
lots of muscle over the course of a year.
That kind of shift in body composition
will forever improve your performance
in the gym.
Youll should be doing plenty of heavy
barbell squats, presses, rows, lunges and
deadlift variations of all kinds, with an
optimal range of 3-8 repetitions per set.
Also, you can further boost strength
gains by adding volume in the form of
prescribed additional sets, or drop sets,
at a reduced load.
Heres an example of how drop sets
work. On Saturday of Week 1, you will
find a 5-rep max in the back squat. You
want this set to be very hard, but make
sure your form doesnt break down.

These heavy weight, high-volume sessions will allow you to accumulate a lot
of time under tension, which is the primary training factor to consider.
This is not your ordinary strength program, as a primary focus of training is
also improving your Olympic Weightlifting technique. You will also be able to
maintain your conditioning and gymnastic skills, as theres plenty of opportunity
throughout the week to get that work in.
Youll perform the snatch, clean and jerk
movements frequently throughout this
program, usually 3-4 days per week. The
rep ranges on those movements will be
kept between 1-3, with the volume work
typically falling between 70-85%. This is
most conducive to building explosive
strength and reinforcing great technique.
The conditioning workouts are also a crucial part of this program. In order to
maintain your overall fitness you should
be conditioning 3-4 times per week.

33

These workouts should include some

plyometrics and jumps, gymnastic movements (such as pull-ups, push-ups, handstand push-ups, muscle ups, and ring
dips), core stability work (farmers carries are great!) and large range of motion
movements like wall-balls, thrusters, and
kettlebell swings or snatches.
Loads for these conditioning workouts
should be moderate. Remember, your primary training focus is on building
strength. Use a range of 5-12 reps for
these movements to stimulate hypertrophy. Also, minimize your rest time and
perform the movements unbroken to
keep the intensity high. This will also provide you with some favorable hormonal
adaptations that will also help with body
composition and performance.
If you follow these core programming
principles in your training, and if you eat
enough of the right foods, getting
stronger will be no problem at all.

34

Sample programming - Week 1

Monday

Tuesday

1. Warm-up

1. Warm-up

2. Weightlifting

2. Weightlifting

Hang power snatch (5 total sets):

- 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 65%
- 2 sets of 2 reps at 70% (down set)

Snatch deadlift:
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 80%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 85%

Barbell walking lunges:

- 5 sets of 5 reps

Standing press:
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM (down
sets)

Power jerk from behind the neck:

- 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 65%
- 2 sets of 2 reps at 70%
Here are the recommended rest intervals
according to load:
- Less than 70% = 1 minute
- 70-85% = 2 minutes
- 85-95% = 3 minutes
- Over 95% = 5 minutes
3. Conditioning

3. Conditioning
6 rounds:
- 10 Box jumps (24/20 inches)
- 10 Glute-ham situps
- 5 Muscle-ups or 10 ring dips
Rest 5 minutes, then perform dumbbell
rows:
- 5 sets of 8 reps per arm

10 total rounds (rest 2 minutes between

each round):
- 6 pull-ups
- 6 push-ups
- 6 pistols or 12 jumping lunges

35

Thursday

Friday

1. Warm-up

1. Warm-up

2. Weightlifting

2. Weightlifting

Clean (5 sets):
- 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 70%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 75%

Snatch (7 sets):
- 2 reps at 50%
- 3 reps at 60%, 70%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 75%
- 2 sets of 2 reps at 80%

Front squat:
- Work to a 3 rep max
- 4 sets of 3 at 90% of 3 RM
3. Conditioning
None.

Push press*
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM
Barbell row*
- 5 sets of 8 reps
*Feel free to alternate between the press
and row.
3. Conditioning
4 rounds:
- 15 Dumbbell or kettlebell thrusters
- 20 Walking lunges
- 15 burpess

36

Saturday
1. Warm-up
2. Weightlifting
Back squat:
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM
Clean deadlift:
- 4 sets of 4 reps at 80% of clean 1 RM
Overhead squat:
- 3 reps at 50%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 60%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 70%
3. Conditioning
10 rounds (rest 2 minutes between each
round):
- 6 Toes to bar
- 6 Wall-ball shots
- 6 KB swings (70/53 pounds)

37

Week 2
Monday

Tuesday
1. Warm-up

1. Warm-up
2. Weightlifting
2. Weightlifting
Hang power snatch:
- 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 65%
- 2 sets of 2 reps at 70%

Mid-thigh snatch off blocks or from hang

position:
- 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 65%, 70%
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 75%

Bench press:
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM

Snatch high pull:

- 3 reps at 70%,
- 3 sets of 3 reps at 80%

3. Conditioning

Barbell walking lunges:

- 5 sets of 5 reps (5 pounds heavier
than week 1)

6 rounds:
- Farmers carry for 100 feet with
right hand, heavy
- 30 Double-unders
- Farmers carry for 100 feet with left
hand, heavy
- 30 Double-unders

3. Conditioning
4 rounds (rest 1 minute between rounds):
- Max hand-stand push-ups
- 15 barbell rows, heavy and unbroken

38

Thursday

Friday

1. Warm-up

1. Warm-up

2. Weightlifting

2. Weightlifting

Power clean:
- 2 reps at 50%, 60%
- 2 sets of 2 reps at 70%

Snatch deadlift (pause the bar at your

knees and pockets):
- 2 sets of 3 reps at 75%
- 3 sets of 3 reps at 80%

Standing press:
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM
Dumbbell row:
- 5 sets of 10 reps per arm

Overhead squat:
- 4 reps at 50%
- 3 reps at 60%, 65%, 70%

3. Conditioning

Clean deadlift:
- 4 reps at 70%
- 4 sets of 4 reps at 80%

None.

3. Conditioning
10 rounds:
- 6 Thrusters (40% of front squat 1 rep
max)
- 8 KB snatches per arm, heavy but unbroken
- 6 GHD sit-ups

39

Saturday
1. Warm-up
2. Weightlifting
Snatch high pull (2 reps) + Power snatch
(1 rep):
- 1 set at 50%, 60%, 65%
- 2 sets at 70%
Front squat:
- Work to a 3 rep max
- 4 sets of 3 at 90% of 3 RM
Push press from behind the neck:
- Work to a 5 rep max
- 4 sets of 5 at 90% of 5 RM
3. Conditioning
6 rounds:
- 10 Pull-ups
- 10 Ring dips
- 10 Jumping lunges

40

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Really, you can become very strong.

All you need is a great plan, some band new habits,
and most importantly, consistent effort in the gym.
Commit fully, believe in what youre doing, and youll
find extraordinary results.

41

You can do this. We believe in you, and

what youll be able to achieve as soon as
you perform better.
Sure, crushing PRs on the regular and
adding muscle mass is about as cool as it
gets. But that said, its never really about
being stronger than the next guy or girl
at your gym. What you really want is to
live a healthy, confident, more fulfilled
life. So, make it happen.
Trust yourself and your plan. Stay the
course, even when you feel worn down
or ready to program hop. Strength is
nothing more than a skill, and with time
and consistent effort you will learn how
to handle heavy barbells. Even better,
youll LOOK strong!
Thats hard to beat.
You have everything you need to get
started. So, take action. Commit today to
getting stronger and becoming a better
lifter. Never give up on yourself. Do not
quit and youll have your reward.
Well be cheering you on. With love and
respect,
The Barbell Shrugged Team

42

43