ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT © BACH PERFORMANCE LLC 2014.

All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or

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Performance LLC.
Disclaimer
You must get your physicians approval before beginning this exercise
program.
These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational
purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting this
program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates
physical activity. This program is designed for healthy individuals 18 years
and older only. The information in this report is not meant to supplement,
nor replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some
inherent risks. The editors and publishers advise readers to take full
responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the
exercises in thisbook, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and
do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training and
fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a
substitute for any exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen that may
have been prescribed by your physician.
Don.t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued.
Always ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Don.t perform any
exercise without proper instruction. See your physician before starting any
exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications, you must
talk to your physician before starting any exercise program, including Front
Squat Specialization. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or
shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a
physician.
You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you
have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are
overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional
changes with your physician or a registered dietician. This publication is
intended for informational use only. Eric Bach and Bach
Performance, LLC will not assume any liability or be held responsible for
any form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this
information.

Introduction

Before we get started I need to ask you something—Please, please, please,

read the Full How To Front Squat: Big Quads, Biomechanics, & Improved

Athleticism article before beginning the workouts. You need to have a full

understanding of how the exercise works, how to progress, and how to self-

diagnose issues you’re having. In addition, you must be well versed in the

other lifts listed in the program and be an experienced lifter. This is not for

beginners.

I know you’re anxious to leap headfirst into the workouts and go to the

gym, but you must follow the recipe to make the right meal. By practicing

the lifts, and reading the articles referenced you will be guaranteeing your

success. Jumping into an exercise program ill prepared is bad news for your

body and the results you want.

The Workout Program

If you have trained properly for the past year and become well-versed in

weightlifting and made significant strides in your training then you are in

the perfect place. This program is NOT for beginners, but intermediate and
advanced lifters. This program will help you build significant strength,

muscle, and improve your athleticism unlike the crap you read in most

bodybuilder magazines and websites. Bodies that look like Tarzan and play

like Jane are no good—you deserve more, you deserve better.

The all-determining factor for your success in the gym is still training with

intensity as if your life depended on it.

You need to bring it to every workout.

Each workout you’ll be increasing load and training with a focus on either

maximum strength, volume for hypertrophy, or speed for athleticism and

additional gains in strength and muscle mass. You must improve upon

what you did the previous workout to push your body past its previous

level of performance. Gains don’t just happen, they must be forced by hard

work and determination.

If you’re not making gains you’re either not eating properly (or enough),

neglected sleep and recovery, and partying too much. Overtraining isn’t an

option—I’ve designed the workouts to prevent against it.

Building strength, muscle, and athleticism isn’t complicated. Don’t over-

analyze, just focus on the essentials, get stronger, and treat your body

right.

Follow the program as is. If you start adding 7 hours of Crossfit, a 3-mile

run, and a day for “biceps” you’ll be running up a steep hill and the

program won’t work. Stick with the program and follow the exercises, sets,

and reps as I have laid them out for you. The goal of this program is a big

front squat and total body muscle growth—changing the recipe changes

the meal, don’t do it.

High Frequency:

To become a stud with any movement you need to train it with a high

frequency to rapidly learn the skill, develop strength, and enough volume

to build muscle. It sounds easy, but it requires you to embrace the

challenge, work your ass off, and be consistent at the gym.

This program I’m about to show you will combine athletic movements so

you’re both show and go, varying training intensities to minimize gaps in

strength and muscular development, and a balanced training approach to

make your workouts maximally efficient without leaving you open to

imbalances and injury.

Progression and Core Lifts

This is where most people miss the boat—consistently training hard, yet

not tracking their workouts and varying training intensity.

This is a mistake that will limit your results, minimize performance, and

shorten your training career.

In this program you’ll be working in three-week cycles that fluctuate

between a heavy emphasis for strength, higher volume emphasis to build

muscle, and speed focused workouts to minimize gaps in strength

development and improve explosiveness. At the end of the six week dual-

cycle you will de-load and go no higher than 65% 1-RM in any lift. The rest

is up to you, but take it easy.

Each lift will be trained once per week (with exception being the additional

front squat work during cleans) and cycled through the varying intensities—

meaning each week speed, volume, and maximum strength will be trained.

This preserves the nervous system, allows ample recovery, and prevents

training imbalances.
The Lifts:

The lifts being trained are your big “money” exercises. The exercises are:

The Power Clean: The ultimate total body exercise, power cleans require

total body strength, explosiveness, and power. Each power clean must be

taken to a full-front squat for additional front-squat volume. If you’re

unsure about technique please be smart and hire a coach for a few weeks

to work with technique. Here are some regressed versions to catch you up

to speed: Hackey Pull, muscle clean, hang clean, hang clean to front squat.

Front Squat: This is a front squat specialization—you must learn to front

squat. If you’re working your way up to the front squat master this

progression:

Bodyweight squatà goblet squatà goblet squat with a pause à 2 KB front

squat à 2 kb front squat w/pause à bar w/pause.

Bench Press: The bench press has it pundits, but few exercises train pure

upper body strength and add slabs of muscle like the bench press. Most

athletes over-train the bench press and most trainees have shoulder issues.

For this reason upper body pushes are alternated: floor presses for heavy
days, incline barbell presses for volume, and close grip bench presses for

speed.

Deadlift: Deadlifts are among the best total body lifts and provide vital

training in the hinge pattern. Trap bars are the best option for those not

competing in powerlifting as they’re safer on the spine, but they are hard to

find. Find a deadlift pattern that fits your body and ability levels. If you’re

without a trap bar your options are: Conventional deadlifts, sumo deadlifts,

and snatch grip deadlifts.

Finding Your Maxes:

If you’re experienced and have spent quality time in the gym you should

have an idea of your absolute strength numbers.

If not, it’s time to find your maxes.

Maximal strength testing places significant stress on the muscles,

connective tissues, and joints. For this reason to a 3-rm will be tested to

bridge the gap between training levels and safety.

Here’s your testing protocol, as listed in the Essentials of Strength and

Conditioning. [Earle]
 1. Warm up with a light resistance that allows 5-10 easy repetitions.

Rest 1 minute.

2. Estimate a load that allows 3-5 reps to be completed, but not close to

failure. Rest 2 minutes.

3. Estimate a conservation 1-3 rep range for athletes. Add 10-20 lbs

from previous attempt on upper body lifts and 30-40 pounds on

lower body lifts. This lift should NOT be a miss. Rest 2-4 minutes.

4. Continue increasing load by 10-40 pounds for upper and lower body

lifts, respectively.

5. If successful, rest 2-4 minutes and repeat step four.

6. If the lift is failed rest 2-4 minutes and decrease load by 5-20 pounds.

Ideally, the 1-RM is found within three to five testing sets.

The Progression:

Week Clean, Bench Squat Deadlift

Press

1 Heavy: 85-90%5x2 Volume: 5x5 Speed: 6x3 @60-

70-75% 65%

2 Volume: 5x5 @70- Speed: 6x3 Heavy: 90-95%

75% @60-65% 5x1-2
 3 Speed: 6x3 @60- Heavy: 90- Volume: 5x5 @70-
65% 95% 5x1-2 75%

4 Heavy: 95-100%+ Volume: 5x4-6 Speed: 6x3 65-70%

5x1-2 75-80%

5 Volume: 5x4-6 75- Speed: 6x3 Heavy: 90-100%

80% 65-70% +5x1-2

6 Speed: 6x3 65- Heavy: 95- Volume: 5x4-6 75-

70% 100% +5x1-2 80%

The major movement patterns programmed in unison eliminate gaps in

training and mimic movements in life and sport. These six patterns are:
pushes, pulls, hinge, squats, carries and lunges. For maximal efficiency,
each exercise variation is performed weekly. Accordingly, achieve balanced
strength and volume between movements to stay healthier, stronger, and
more athletic.

Work sets are balls to the wall. This doesn’t mean jumping over prescribed
reps or intensities, it means having precise focus and applying maximal
force to the bar every on rep. If you have minimal time to train the effort
you put forth becomes more vital to your success.

The workout takes the following order:

1.Dynamic Warm-Up: A dynamic warm-up is a no-brainer—prepare your
mind and body for activity. Limber eleven or agile 8 by Joe Defranco are a
great starting point.

2.Movement skills: If you’re a competitive athlete, you need to move—

lifting is supplementary in itself. Sprint and change of direction work is
extremely neurologically intensive and is done before you lift right after the
warm-up.

Again, this depends on your goal—if you’re looking to get jacked out of
your gourd, but don’t care if you run like the wind, then this is optional.

3. Throws/Jumps: Throws and jumps are max-effort to increase

explosiveness and “rev” the nervous system for greater lifting performance.

4.Resistance Training: It’s go time. Put your money on your “focus”

exercise and push it.

5. Conditioning: Time permitting conditioning work is completed after

resistance training at the end of the workout. 10-15 minutes of high-
intensity exercise like sprint work and prowler pushes is plenty. If strapped
for time push the tempo on your non-focus exercises and get a conditioning
effect during the lift.

6.Recovery Methods: Neglecting recovery severely limits your efforts in the

gym. Use the post-workout period to go through your dynamic warm-up as
a cool down and hit some soft tissue work.

Week 1

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 3x5

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x45seconds

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 4x1-3 (Heavy)

2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

 3a.Floor Press 5x2 @85% (Heavy)

3b. Band pull-apart 3x25

4a.Supinated Bent over row 4x6

4b.Goblet Split Squat 4x10/leg

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 3x5

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x30s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 6x3 @60% (Speed)

2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x8

3b. DB Row 4x8

4a. DB Walking Lunge 3x8/leg

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 3x5

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

2a. Front Squat 5x5 @75% (Volume)

 2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 4x6

3b. DB Shoulder Press 4x8

4a. Farmer Walk 3x30 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 3x12

Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

Week 2

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 3x5

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x50 sec.

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 5x5 @ 70-75%

2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

3a.Incline Bench Press 5x5 at 70-75% -volume

3b. Band pull-apart 3x25

4a.Supinated Bent over row 4x8

4b.Goblet Split Squat 4x12/leg

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2
Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 3x5

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x35s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 5x1-2 @90-95% (Heavy)

2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x8

3b. DB Row 4x10

4a. DB Walking Lunge 3x10/leg

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 3x5

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

2a. Front Squat 6x3 @60-65% (speed)

2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 4x6

3b. DB Shoulder Press 4x10

4a. Farmer Walk 3x40 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 3x15

Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

 Week 3

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 4x4

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x60seconds

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 6x3 @60-65% (Speed)

2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

3a.Close Grip Bench Press 6x3 @60-65% (Speed)

3b. Band pull-apart 3x25

4a.Supinated Bent over row 4x10

4b.Goblet Split Squat 4x10/leg

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 4x4

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x40s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 5x5 at 70-75% -volume

2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x10

 3b. DB Row 4x12

4a. DB Walking Lunge 3x12/leg

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 4x4

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

2a. Front Squat 5x1-2 @90-95% (Heavy)

2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 4x8

3b. DB Shoulder Press 4x12

4a. Farmer Walk 3x45 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 3x15

Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

Week 4

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 5x3

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x60seconds

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 4x1-2 (Heavy) 95-100%+

 2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

3a.Floor Press 4x1-2 (Heavy) 95-100%+)

3b. Face Pull 3x25

4a. Pronated Bent over row 3x12

4b.Barbell Split Squat 3x12

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 5x3

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x45s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 6x3 @65-70% (Speed)

2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x8

3b. DB Row 4x12

4a. DB Back-lunge 3x8/leg

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 5x3

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

 2a. Front Squat 5x4-6 @75%-80% (Volume)

2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 3x10

3b. DB Shoulder Press 3x10

4a. Farmer Walk 4x45 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 4x8

Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

Week 5

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 3x5

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x60seconds

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 5x4-6 @75%-80% (Volume)

2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

3a.Floor Press 5x4-6 @75%-80% (Volume)

3b. Face Pull 3x25

4a.Pronated Bent over row 3x12

4b.Barbell Split Squat 3x12

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 3x5

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x45s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 6x3 @60% (Speed)

2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x8

3b. DB Row 4x8-12

4a. DB Back Lunge 3x10

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 3x5

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

2a. Front Squat 5x5 @75% (Volume)

2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 4x8

3b. DB Shoulder Press 4x8

4a. Farmer Walk 4x50 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 4x10

 Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

Week 6

Day 1

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Box Jump 4x4

1b. Push-Up Plank Hold 3x60seconds

2a. Power Clean w/front squat 6x3 @70% (Speed)

2b. Lateral Band walk 3x10/leg

3a.Floor Press 6x3 @70% (Speed)

3b. Face Pull 3x25

4a.Pronated Bent over row 4x10

4b.Barbell Split Squat 4x10

Conditioning: Hill Sprints 10 minutes

Day 2

Dynamic Warm-Up

1a. Broad Jump 3x5

1b. Birddog ISO Hold 3x45s/side

2a. Trap Bar Deadlift 5x4-6 @75-80% (volume)

 2b. Bodyweight Hip Thrust 3x12

3a. DB Bench Press 4x10

3b. DB Row 4x12

4a. DB Back Lunge 3x12

Conditioning: Row 2000 meters

Day 3
Dynamic Warm-up

1a. DB Jump Squat 3x5

1b. Palloff Press 3x15/side

2a. Front Squat 4x1-2 95-100+% (Heavy)

2b. Fire Hydrant 3x10/leg

3a. Chin Up 4x8

3b. DB Shoulder Press 4x8

4a. Farmer Walk 4x50 steps

4b. Hammer Curl 4x10

Recovery: agile 8, foam rolling

FAQ
How long between workouts? Two days is best. This program does well

on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Monday, Wednesday, Saturday

split.

Why the range in work percentages? The range in percentages during

each day provides flexibility if you come in without your A-Game. Aim

for the highest work set percentage, but you’ll still make gains if you

work at the lower work-rate.

How long do I rest between sets? Exercises like planks are implemented

between your sets and count as active recovery during sets. With those

included, keep rests 2-4 minutes on heavy exercises and 60-90 seconds

on all other exercises.

Do I need to include the movement skills? If you want to be athletic,

you need to move—simply lifting alone won’t cut it. If you’re performing

high velocity speed work perform it after a thorough warm-up in a non-

fatigued state. I recommend two sprint workouts on day one and three,

with change of direction work on day two. If you just want to get swole

and don’t care if you become a walking ball of fail on the field, then

ignore it completely.
Will I build Muscle on this program? That depends. If you complain of

hard gainer syndrome and eat 2,000 calories per day then you’re in the

wrong place. If you’re consuming ample calories and consistently getting

stronger, muscle gains will come.

How about additional workouts? If you fit in a fourth day, great. Keep it

at the end of the week so it doesn’t compete with strength gains. Use

this fourth day to focus on your weak-points: biceps, shoulders, your

pencil neck, or whatever floats your boat. Sneak in push-ups,

bodyweight squats, band-pull aparts, and pull-ups during the week—the

additional volume adds up.

Conditioning—what do I do? High rep kettlebell swings, prowler

pushes/pulls, hill sprints, and high intensity finishers.

What do you recommend for recovery: After your workout is a perfect

time to soft-tissue work and flexibility. Perform your dynamic warm-up

as a cool down, grab a foam roller, and take a few minutes to get better

at the things you’re neglecting.

 Enjoy this workout? Please, share your experiences on with three

friends, Bachperformance.com, Facebook, or social media of your

choice.

Now, I want to know…How did it

go?
I’d love to hear your progress, either in an
email or on social media.
When I’m not flippin’ pictures with my Epic Unicorn mask, you
can hang out on Instagram at Bachperformance, drop me a
tweet at Eric_Bach, or come hang out on Facebook.
I’m excited to hear from you!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, Please consult your physician

before beginning any exercise program. I am not a doctor or RD. Nothing I
say is meant to come across or be construed as medical advice, nor is it
meant to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.

Sources:

Earle,R.W. Weight training exercise prescription. In: Essentials of Personal

Training Symposium Workbook. Lincoln, NE: NSCA Certification
Commission. 2006.

ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT © BACH PERFORMANCE LLC.