Fazlifts

Fazlifts Jacked Intellectual Program GuideThis is specifically for advanced intermediates or advanced lifters, and would specifically suit an 18 week chunk of a growth phase or improvement/offseason. The program at it’s heart is a 5 day routine:<ul><li>The days are split into a Push, Pull, Legs, Upper and finally another Leg day</li><li>You will hit each body part twice a week</li><li>Volume would be considered moderate; it is the high end of my own personal recommendations</li><li>You will utilise a variety of loading ranges and reps for each muscle</li><li>The main concept in play here is the markers of progression concept, where you will primarily use 5 exercises to judge if overall progress is being made</li><li>We will use a phasic approach to training, where each phase potentiates the next</li></ul>Markers of progressionThis routine will utilise my 'markers of progression' concept. Which is that you will judge progress mostly via performance increases on those exercises. I see value in this because it simplifies the process, and it also allows you to focus more on execution and ‘mind muscle connection’ with other exercises. Getting obsessed with performance and 'plus ones' on everything to the exclusion of form and control is an easy trap to fall into. So let's just do away with that altogether. The five markers of progression which are periodised in a phasic approach are your performance markers. So push progression hard there, with everything else focus more on control and execution and go up in weight when you feel you're able to. Does that make sense? Progression is still super important! But you'll push progression more aggressively with the markers of progression, and allow the other work to come up when you are in full control and it all feels good.&nbsp;Exercise selectionFor the markers of progression, you want to pick 5 exercises which fit the following criteria, because you're going to be sticking with these for 18-19 weeks. So the first criteria is that the lifts emphasise muscles you're interested in growing. The most common example here is an Incline Bench over a standard flat variant. You might also pick a very quad focused knee flexion marker of progression such as the Hack Squat. The second criteria is that you need to be able to perform this lift safely. If you have a chronic lower back ache which you need to baby a little, maybe let's not go with a heavy hip hinge. Perhaps use a Glute Drive or a strictly performed hamstring bias RDL. You get the idea. Make sure the lift is safe, loadable and targets an area you want to build. Pretty simple stuff.Now when it comes to exercise selection for everything else, it's a little simpler. Just pick exercises you connect well with. Don't get overly focused on hitting things from different angles, or emphasising the stretch just pick a core group of exercises you connect with. You can switch these around every 6 weeks if you really want to but I wouldn't recommend it.Phase potentiationThis is one of the core principles of the routine. This a VERY old concept, it's nothing complicated so don't get intimidated or put off. All it means is that each phase makes the next phase more productive. In my experience if you move from a period of hard work on higher reps down to lower reps, you typically get a very nice boost and burst of progress. That doesn't always work the other way around, but it certainly works going down to lower reps. So we're going to take advantage of that across these three phases. For those of you who are familiar with my 8s, 5s, 3s routine you will recognise what I'm doing here. However we are going to stay in a hypertrophy rep range, and since the volume falls into the higher category we need to apply some precaution to intensity. RIR &amp; Enforced RIRAs usual if volume goes up, intensity typically needs to come down or at least be moderated. I would advise this to be done in one of two ways. The first way is to simply take everything between 1 to 2 RIR. Now if you can do that, then it's very likely a fine protocol. Me personally I find it difficult to stick to an RIR if I have to think about it during the set, it's not enjoyable for me and I find it hard to stop. So the second way I recommend implementing an RIR is to simply do sets across. So where you need to do three working sets you would do them all for the same weight and stop at 8. If you're working hard, then that means your first set of 8 will naturally be around 2 RIR, and you'll have to work a little harder on the second of 8 so it'll naturally fall into the 1 RIR range and the final set should be right around 0 RIR. This will work as long as you time your rest periods, don't take excessive rests or this will make the sets easier. Don't get too hung up on the exact RIR in this second example, I know it's not 100% accurate but remember the overall goal it is simply to introduce some RIR to accommodate the additional volume. That's all it's about. So no need to get all worked up over the exact RIR you might hit on those sets, in my experience if you use a moderate rest period between sets and stick to sets across it will work just fine. So those are your choices, use 1 to 2 RIR or my 'enforced RIR' approach.Rest periods &amp; varying loading typesOver the course of the week I want you to use a variety of loading types; the heavy work will be taken care of by the five markers of progression and for those sets you should rest 3 minutes for every heavy working set. So that leaves the other stuff to think about, and that is when I feel for hypertrophy you should implement lower rest period, more metabolic type loading. So for everything else you're going to use shorter rest periods and benefit from a different type of loading there. My recommendation is for anything other than the big 5, you will use 2 minute rests for compounds and 1 minute rest for isolation work.&nbsp;So just to summarise so there is no confusion here:&nbsp;<ul><li>The markers of progression will always use a 3 minute rest period</li><li>All other compounds will use 2 minutes rest periods</li><li>All single joint, isolation exercises use 1 minute rest periods.</li></ul>Transitioning from one block to the nextWhen it comes to moving reps down for the markers of progression to the next block, it's quite simple. Just add a bit of weight as normal and cap your reps on the first two sets. Simple. Don't add a bunch of weight, just add the smallest increment possible as you normally would. For the other exercises, well I would ideally just recommend continuing progression in the same way as normal. You can switch up the other exercises at this point if you really want, it won't make a huge amount of difference but if I were coaching you I'd probably lean on sticking to the same ones for the next 6 week block.DietLet’s just touch on diet, as I think it’s valuable to touch on a factor which will certainly have the capacity to influence the outcome of this program. In my opinion this program is best run in a growth phase or as part of an improvement/off season. Here are some rough guidelines for how best to set up your diet:Protein; I personally favour higher protein for bulking. 1g per lb of bodyweight is a minimum starting point, and I go up as high as 1.5g per lb in those who want an edge in performance and progression. This is assuming you are reasonably lean (up to 20% BF) if you are overweight then use cm of height instead of lb of bodyweight. So you might eat between 1 to 1.5g per cm of height. Some of you might be quite upset at this recommendation as it’s higher than you may have heard from your favourite evidence based influencer. However it is my view that while the research is fine, the interpretation of the data is off as it is based on MPS (muscle protein synthesis) and therefore doesn’t account for protein degradation or protein requirements of tissue in the body other than muscle. I also have gotten better results with higher protein, and higher protein recommendations are more inline with what has historically been touted as optimal by the traditional bodybuilding community.&nbsp;Carbs vs fats; in this area I am a lot more relaxed. Weight training is not a heavily glycotic activity. So as long as you’re eating enough carbs to avoid ketosis and eating enough fats to keep your bloodwork looking good I am happy for you to eat to your preference. I would recommend plenty of fruits, veggies and healthy fats though. A healthy body is a strong one. Overall caloric surplus and managing a push; I do favour a reasonable 1% or 2lb per month gaining standard. However I will always say that performance in the gym is the deciding factor. If your bodyweight is stagnant and progression is difficult then of course, add food! Stay consistent and you will eventually grow larger and stronger. Conversely though, if your bodyweight is stagnant but your strength is rising, that’s fine! Don’t think you always have to add bodyweight, this is usually a great way to ruin your condition and shorten an offseason. If you manage this correctly you can have a long and productive offseason and stay reasonably lean while doing so.Cardio; I have all my clients do some form of cardio or stay active. My personal experience as a Coach has shown me that clients who eat more and expend more calories end up with a far better bodyfat to muscle ratio than clients who eat less and expend less even with the same surplus. So do your cardio. Either daily 30 minutes or ensure your steps are in that 8k+ range at least.A final word from FazI hope you all get great gains following this routine. Thank you all for supporting my work. Here are some useful links: Coaching enquiries: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/edit">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/edit</a>Consultations: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/in-depth-one-off-diet-training-lifestyle-consultation">https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/in-depth-one-off-diet-training-lifestyle-consultation</a>eBooks: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/collections/e-books">https://fazlifts.co.uk/collections/e-books</a>All the best,&nbsp;Coach Faz&nbsp;

This is specifically for advanced intermediates or advanced lifters, and would specifically suit an 18 week chunk of a growth phase or improvement/offseason. The program at it’s heart is a 5 day routine:<ul><li>The days are split into a Push, Pull, Legs, Upper and finally another Leg day</li><li>You will hit each body part twice a week</li><li>Volume would be considered moderate; it is the high end of my own personal recommendations</li><li>You will utilise a variety of loading ranges and reps for each muscle</li><li>The main concept in play here is the markers of progression concept, where you will primarily use 5 exercises to judge if overall progress is being made</li><li>We will use a phasic approach to training, where each phase potentiates the next</li></ul>Markers of progressionThis routine will utilise my 'markers of progression' concept. Which is that you will judge progress mostly via performance increases on those exercises. I see value in this because it simplifies the process, and it also allows you to focus more on execution and ‘mind muscle connection’ with other exercises. Getting obsessed with performance and 'plus ones' on everything to the exclusion of form and control is an easy trap to fall into. So let's just do away with that altogether. The five markers of progression which are periodised in a phasic approach are your performance markers. So push progression hard there, with everything else focus more on control and execution and go up in weight when you feel you're able to. Does that make sense? Progression is still super important! But you'll push progression more aggressively with the markers of progression, and allow the other work to come up when you are in full control and it all feels good.&nbsp;Exercise selectionFor the markers of progression, you want to pick 5 exercises which fit the following criteria, because you're going to be sticking with these for 18-19 weeks. So the first criteria is that the lifts emphasise muscles you're interested in growing. The most common example here is an Incline Bench over a standard flat variant. You might also pick a very quad focused knee flexion marker of progression such as the Hack Squat. The second criteria is that you need to be able to perform this lift safely. If you have a chronic lower back ache which you need to baby a little, maybe let's not go with a heavy hip hinge. Perhaps use a Glute Drive or a strictly performed hamstring bias RDL. You get the idea. Make sure the lift is safe, loadable and targets an area you want to build. Pretty simple stuff.Now when it comes to exercise selection for everything else, it's a little simpler. Just pick exercises you connect well with. Don't get overly focused on hitting things from different angles, or emphasising the stretch just pick a core group of exercises you connect with. You can switch these around every 6 weeks if you really want to but I wouldn't recommend it.Phase potentiationThis is one of the core principles of the routine. This a VERY old concept, it's nothing complicated so don't get intimidated or put off. All it means is that each phase makes the next phase more productive. In my experience if you move from a period of hard work on higher reps down to lower reps, you typically get a very nice boost and burst of progress. That doesn't always work the other way around, but it certainly works going down to lower reps. So we're going to take advantage of that across these three phases.Read more details about the program in the guide below.Coaching enquiries: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/edit">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/edit</a>Consultations: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/in-depth-one-off-diet-training-lifestyle-consultation">https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/in-depth-one-off-diet-training-lifestyle-consultation</a>eBooks: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/collections/e-books">https://fazlifts.co.uk/collections/e-books</a>All the best,&nbsp;Coach Faz&nbsp;

Jacked Intellectual

This is the exact routine I was taught way back in the early 2000s from all the oldschool guys who both trained with and learned from Dorian. The Midlands in the UK was obsessed with all things Dorian throughout that period of time, and we all made good gains. I don't want this routine to be lost to time, so here it is for your benefit, just like I did back then.This routine is composed of 4 seperate sessions, and is mostly a bodypart split with minimal overlap. Due to the nature of the routine, it mandates both a willingness and an ability of the user to push themselves extremely hard. That is why this routine is meant for intermediates and beyond.Beginners can still prosper on this routine as the volume is low, but they would be better off with a higher frequency such as my Full Body or Upper Lower routines available on this platform.Volume &amp; IntensityThe volume is low, and for it to work your intensity needs to be super high. Take all sets to failure where safe to do so, and if it is not safe to fail (such as Squats and Deadlifts) then go until 0RiR.Sets/RepsGenerally one all out set with 2-3 additional forced reps, and 2-3 negatives was the standard prescription for every working set. I think this is a LOT and should only be done if you can stomach it, and have a partner you can trust. A safer and potentially more palatable option is to simply take the first set to failure (or 0RIR where appropriate), and follow that with a second set for higher repetitions. The now-classic 'top set/back off set' method which has been popularised in recent years. Deadlifts always include only one set done simply to 0RIR, and Leg Press/Hack Squats never included negatives and would only include 1-2 forced reps as the potential for something to go wrong was too high.Warm UpsPart of working up to higher intensities is the willingness and knowledge to thoroughly warm up. Yes this is different from what you hear from some HIT circles now, but I am telling you what we were taught back then and we all performed extensive warm ups before the main set. Aside from the usual progressive warm up on each exercise I would also recommend you all perform the specific warm up protocol I list in this video:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcWpGy8qMSo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcWpGy8qMSo</a>Upper warm ups to be done on every upper day, and lower warm up to be done on the lower day. I would also include some back extensions prior to the back day if you are going to include a heavy hinge. The overall volume is low, so take your time, warm up thoroughly and make each working set count.Weight should be added when you have reached the top of the rep range. However you can also simply maintain the weight for another week or two and allow the set to feel better. I was taught very early on, to improve you can either get stronger or you can 'get better' and that really resonated with me. So feel free to stick to a given weight for another session or two to really master it before you move on.For more informationTo get indepth more about the routine, watch my YouTube video <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5q1Yy9AuwY">here</a>.To inquire online personalized coaching from Fazlifts, apply <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/viewform?edit_requested=true">here</a>.

Oldschool Dorian Yates H.I.T Training

This routine is the correct way to program an Upper/Lower for beginners and early intermediates primarily interested in hypertrophy, with a secondary focus on strength. The core principle of hypertrophy is progressive poundages, in standardised form for medium to high reps. That is the basis by which all my routines are written, and that is the key to hypertrophy.Upper Days - These days will cover the chest, upper back, delts, biceps and triceps. I show you how best to program this to accomplish the core principles we follow for increased muscle mass. At this stage volume should remain low to moderate and effort should be encouraged. Direct volume for the biceps and triceps is lower, as they will receive indirect loading from the heavy chest and back work. Too much can be not only detrimental for growth at this stage, but can also lead to tendinitis in some. Additional work for neck/forearms is not included, as experience has shown me their inclusion is unneccessary in most people, however that can be added per preference.Lower Days - These days will cover the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. These days also follow the core principles, and I include a reasonable degree of variety within that framework for balance. Programmed correctly the volume on this day should perfectly mirror that of the upper days.ProgressionAt this stage, it is super simple and you should expect to make progress every single time you come to repeat a session, that is assuming two major things:1. You actually trained hard enough the previous session2. You ate and rested wellThat’s your first point of call, if you ever feel progression has stalled. It’s not a routine change or moving to stage 2, no if you didn’t progress at this stage it’s more than likely an effort or R&amp;R and nutrition issue. So sort that out first or no routine will ever work. Eventually of course you will outgrow this basic stage, but it’s unlikely that will be the first resort. Or even the second, or third. You are going to progress with either weight or reps using a very simple double progression scheme. This means adding reps until you hit the top of the rep range, and then adding weight. For example:Session 1: 60 x 5, 4(This means you performed a set of 5 and a set of 4 with 60kg)Session 2: 60 x 6, 5Session 3: 60 x 6, 6(You hit the top of the rep range for both sets and that only took 2 weeks, nice. Go up next time)Session 4: 65 x 5, 4(You added 5kg and your reps dropped, so now build this back up)Session 5: 65 x 6, 5And so on…Very simple. For more informationTo get indepth more about the routine, get Fazlifts' The Barbarian ebook <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/the-barbarian-upper-lower-for-hypertrophy">here</a>.To inquire online personalized coaching from Fazlifts, apply <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/viewform?edit_requested=true">here</a>.

Fazlifts Upper Lower (The Barbarian)

This routine is meant for beginners primarily in hypertrophy, with a secondary focus on strength. Choose this routine if you would like to experience an extensively tested HLM full body system. This routine will show you how to correctly perform a full body routine for hypertrophy. It is a lost art, and I want this to be passed on to all of you so it's never forgotten.The central tenant of this routine is the variety between the three key days; heavy, light and medium. Each day is categorised by different repetitions, rest periods and exercises. As a result the mentality and intent of each day is different and should be approached differently.Heavy Days - The goal of this day is to shift some big weights! This is a day you should perform ideally when you have the time to train extensively, and are able to rest after. Whenever I did this routine I would hit this day on Sunday, then afterwards I would spend as much of the day as possible eating and lazing around on the couch. You will take plenty of rest between sets, and choose heavily loadable exercises. I am more than happy for you to make exercise substitutions here, however stay true to the flavour of the heavy day. Use heavy compound basics, lower reps, take plenty of rest and get strong.Light Days - The goal of this day is muscle growth but also recovery. I personally found these days to be invaluable in recovering from the brutal heavy and medium days. You should pick joint friendly exercises which you can pump away at. The bloodflow and movement should ensure you leave each session feeling better and more recovered than before. Think of this one as a whole body pump, it'll drive recovery and I do believe this day aids muscle growth via indirect pathways. Use joint friendly isolation and single joint exercises, for higher reps and shorter rest periods.Medium Days - These are your bodybuilding days right in that stereotypical bodybuilding rep range of between 8 to 12 repetitions. Think of this day as a more 'body friendly' heavy day. You are still focused on compound, effective exercises but you want just enough variation to keep the tendons healthy. Typically this is the day where I choose machine and DB exercises over a more BB focused Heavy day, but that's not always the case and often variety is the key. A Medium Day is defined by moderate rest periods and moderate reps. As with every day, you are still pushing for progression every time you're in the gym. Use medium repetitions with moderate rest periods and body friendly larger compound exercises.ProgressionAt this stage, it is super simple and you should expect to make progress every single time you come to repeat a session, that is assuming two major things:1. You actually trained hard enough the previous session2. You ate and rested wellAt this stage, it is super simple and you should expect to make progress every single time you come to repeat a session, that is assuming two major things:1. You actually trained hard enough the previous session2. You ate and rested wellThat’s your first point of call, if you ever feel progression has stalled. It’s not a routine change or moving to stage 2, no if you didn’t progress at this stage it’s more than likely an effort or R&amp;R and nutrition issue. So sort that out first or no routine will ever work. Eventually of course you will outgrow this basic stage, but it’s unlikely that will be the first resort. Or even the second, or third. You are going to progress with either weight or reps using a very simple double progression scheme. This means adding reps until you hit the top of the rep range, and then adding weight. For example:Session 1: 60 x 5, 4, 4(This means you performed a set of 5 and two further sets of 4 with 60kg)Session 2: 60 x 6, 5, 5 Session 3: 60 x 6, 6, 6(You hit the top of the rep range for all three sets and that only took 2 weeks, nice. Go up next time)Session 4: 65 x 5, 4, 3(You added 5kg and your reps dropped, so now build this back up)Session 5: 65 x 6, 5, 5And so on…For more information To learn more about the program, watch the YouTube video <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlCTDqzOCs0">here</a>.To get indepth more about the routine, get Fazlifts' The Wizard ebook <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fazlifts.co.uk/products/the-wizard-full-body-heavy-light-medium-hypertrophy">here</a>.To inquire online personalized coaching from Fazlifts, apply <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_F8NS9vWIZUGlPXv-jGeFO9vVCyEKUFTmwuJo3RHlA/viewform?edit_requested=true">here</a>.

Fazlifts

Overview

Programs (4)

Jacked Intellectual

Oldschool Dorian Yates H.I.T Training

Fazlifts Upper Lower (The Barbarian)

Fazlifts HLM Full Body (The Wizard)