GLUTE GROWTH GUIDE
Welcome to the GLUTE GROWTH GUIDE! This program is designed with one thing in mind - GLUTE HYPERTROPHY! I have accumulated in this program all of the science based and best proven methods I have used during my own journey to make sure that you maximize your results.
Thank you for trusting me with your journey, let's get these gains!
-Darihana
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PYRAMID OF IMPORTANCE
NUTRITION BASICS
HOW TO TRACK FOOD INTAKE
ENERGY BALANCE
THREE TIERS FOR THIS PROGRAM & ADAPTATION
MAINTAINING RESULTS
METABOLISMS
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
HOW TO PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
PROPER EXERCISE SELECTION
PROPER EXERCISE EXECUTION
SLEEP
MECHANICAL FAILURE VS MUSCLE FAILURE
FAQs
PROGRAMING WEEKS 1-4
PROGRAMING WEEKS 5-8
PROGRAMING WEEKS 9-12
PYRAMID OF IMPORTANCE
To start off, it is important to understand that glute growth comes down to prioritizing a few factors and executing them properly.
When it comes down to achieving fitness goals, the order in which you prioritize things is what makes all of the difference.
Here is the pyramid of importance you will keep in mind during the duration of this program.
The largest factor in this program will be compliance. Adhering to a schedule, a calorie intake, progressive overload and getting appropriate rest is what will maximize the results you get. This is what will set your results apart from those who don’t comply.
It is doing the same things consistently, and not just simply waiting for motivation to assist your performance, that will allow you to build muscle mass and lose fat. You will have to challenge yourself and understand that results only come from discipline and consistency.
The second most important factor in this program will be nutrition and your understanding of energy balance. Once you adhere to the set macros and calories designed specifically for your goals, and consistently track them to make sure you’re meeting them, the results will reflect weekly on the scale or the changes to your body composition.
Thirdly, exercise and consistently following your set program. While practicing progressive overload throughout these next 12 weeks, will ensure you see results.
It is important to understand that you cannot out-train a diet that is not aligned with your goals. What this means is that is does not matter how hard you train, results won’t come if you don’t consistently comply to THE diet based on your current goal.
Lastly, knowing when to rest, whether its following the rest periods on your program or sticking to de-load and rest days, is what will allow all of your hard work to reflect in the mirror. Your muscles heal and grow during rest, so unlike what many believe, it is incredibly important to follow your set program and to get adequate sleep. Results come from working smarter, not harder.
NUTRITION BASICS:
For muscle growth, nutrition is what allows muscle mass to reach its full potential. Therefore, regardless of whether or not you’re doing everything “right,” if you are not following up with proper nutrition, you won’t be able to see the progress you want to see.
Nutrition has three main approaches, or what I like to call, “TIERS”. These approaches vary depending on where your starting point may be and what you want to achieve while following this program.
*On our nutrition section of the app you can find more information, such as a grocery lists, supplement lists and a FAQs section.
In your nutrition, you will focus on one main aspect and 4 subdivisions of it. The main aspect is calories. Calories refers to the amount of energy stored inside of food that is bioavailable and ready to be used for fuel by the body. The 4 subdivisions of calories would fall into the category of macro nutrients. These are 4 categories; CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN, FATS, ALCOHOL.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates, or carbs, are used as the body's main source of energy. Upon consuming carbs, your body transforms these macronutrients into glycogen, a readily available form of energy for your cells to use and absorb. A diet with carbohydrates is important as glycogen is the preferred fuel source for your muscles. By including carbohydrates into your diet you will have a constant flow of glycogen to fuel your lifts and allow you to practice progressive overload and build muscle.
1 GRAM OF CARBS = 4 CALORIES
Examples of carbohydrates are fruits, pastas, grains, table sugar among others.
PROTEIN
Protein is the building block of body tissues. As a macronutrient, protein is responsible for aiding in the repair of muscle cells torn during physical activity. In other words, protein is essential for building muscle mass! A diet with moderate to high protein intake is important for muscle synthesis and muscle cell repair.
1 GRAM OF PROTEIN = 4 CALORIES
Examples of protein would be fish, eggs, dairy, meat and some legumes.
FATS
As a macronutrient, fat allows you to store energy for future use, absorb fat soluble vitamins, aid in hormone production, cushion vital organs, and help maintain your cell membrane's integrity. 1 GRAM OF FAT = 9 CALORIES
Examples of fats would be butter, oils, most nuts, and other food items also contain some traces of fats.
ALCOHOL
As a macronutrient alcohol has no nutritional value. However, since alcohol is consumed recreational by adults, it is important to understand that it does have calories and a carbohydrate content per gram. 1 GRAM OF ALCOHOL = 7 CALORIES
HOW TO TRACK FOOD INTAKE:
To track your food intake you should be using a food scale and measuring cups to have an accurate account of your daily calorie consumption.
Almost all items you intake will have calories, so you should be keeping track of anything you drink or eat.
For solids, meats or proteins are usually measured in ounces. Other foods like carbs, grains and so forth are normally measured in grams.
Liquids like juice, milk and so forth will be measured in both ounces and milliliters.
To understand how to read nutrition labels check this video out by clicking the following link:
The app I recommend to download and use to track your food intake is MYFITNESSPAL. Here is a video where you can learn how to use the app by following this link:
For when preparing food in bulk to meal prep, see this video below on how to calculate calories per servings:
ENERGY BALANCE:
Energy balance is important to understand, regardless of what your goals may be. It is understanding what energy balance is, that will allow you to tailor your food intake depending on what your goals are. So what is “energy balance?”
In essence, it is the science of calories in, versus calories out. So what is “calories in?” It pertains to the amount of calories you ingest in liquids or solid food sources. The term “calories out” refers to the calories your body burns also known as “TDEE.” Your TDEE and the calories you consume are directly linked to whether you gain, lose or maintain your body weight.
The most crucial take away from these will be understanding that only three things can occur according to your calorie intake and expenditure:
EATING LESS (CALORIE DEFICIT) RESULTS IN WEIGHT LOSS
EATING TO MAINTAIN (CALORIE MAINTENANCE) RESULTS IN WEIGHT STAYING THE SAME
EATING MORE (CALORIE SURPLUS) RESULTS IN WEIGHT GAIN
TDEE
TDEE refers to your TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE. TDEE consists of 4 subcategories that add up to the amount of calories your body burns daily.
These categories are:
BMR - NEAT LEVELS - PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD
BMR or BASAL METABOLIC RATE:
BMR makes up roughly 70% of the calories you burn daily. These are the calories for the cost of living. It is what your body burns while carrying out basic functions like brain activity, breathing, your heart beating, digestion, sleeping and so on. Although most people think that working out is what burns the most calories, your BMR is responsible for almost all of the calories you burn daily.
NEAT
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy burned walking to work, typing, performing yard work, brushing your teeth, cleaning your room, doing laundry and even fidgeting.
Normally it is referred to as the “unplanned every day activities” that take place daily, that also burn calories.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
This is the actual energy burned during working out or any exercise activity and it makes up between 10-20% of what makes up your TDEE. Examples of physical activity would be this workout program, playing a sport, lifting weights, cardio, etc.)
THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD
Lastly, we have the TEF or Thermic Effect of Food. This is the energy required for digestion, absorption and disposal of ingested nutrients.
Now that you understand what your TDEE consists of, it paints a clear picture of the concept that you CANNOT out-train a poor diet. It won’t make a significant difference in your goals to exercise for hours if your body is only burning 20% of the calories in your TDEE through exercise. Misunderstanding TDEE is what hinders people from reaching their goals.
THREE TIERS TO PICK FROM FOR THIS PROGRAM
Now that you’ve dug into the nutrition basics and the concept of energy balance, I will help you understand how to set up your macros for your specific goals for the duration of this program. You will chose one out of 3 calorie approach categories or “tiers”.
It is important that you think thoroughly about which tier you want to follow because ti is what you will follow for the next 12 weeks and your results will be based on your adherence to these tiers. Please read the tier category and it's contents that apply to your current goal.
THREE TIERS:
TDEE TIER 1: CALORIE SURPLUS
GOAL: WEIGHT GAIN / MASS GAIN
TIER 2: CALORIE MAINTENANCE
GOAL: FAT LOSS / MUSCLE GAIN - RECOMPOSITION
(Read up on what recomposition consists of in our app highlights)
TIER 3: CALORIE DEFICIT
GOAL: FAT LOSS / MUSCLE DEFINITION
TDEE TIER 1: CALORIE SURPLUS
GOAL: WEIGHT / MASS GAIN
IF THIS IS NOT YOUR GOAL, SKIP DOWN TO YOUR TIER.
A calorie surplus is consuming more calories than your body burns daily thru TDEE to build new muscle and fat mass. This approach is best for people who are underweight or do not personally mind gaining more mass (yes mass, because fat is also included in this gain.)
So how do you decide if this is the approach for you?
-YOU DON’T MIND GAINING WEIGHT — even if it means gaining weight on your abdomen and gluteus.
-YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IS 25% OR LOWER.
LOOK AT THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE WHERE YOUR BODY FAT FALLS UNDER.
To determine a calorie surplus, you would use our macro calculator and input your weight, activity level and height and it will help you determine your food intake to meet your goals.
If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
YOU WOULD THEN INPUT YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT AND HEIGHT. THE RESULTS ARE YOUR STARTING MACROS AND CALORIES TO FOLLOW!
The set amount of calories and macros in your results will be your calorie intake. These calories should be updated every 3 weeks. Why? Because of metabolic adaptation. Metabolic adaptation is what happens naturally as our bodies adapt to a set of conditions such as level of physical activity, calorie intake or every day activities that determine our metabolic rates or entire TDEE.
Our bodies are designed to maintain homeostasis - homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. So it is only normal that our bodies adapt to a set amount of calories and activity level as a way to preserve itself.
This is why, with this program, if your goals are weight gain you will increase your calories and weight used during your workouts as time passes, to ensure your body is not adapting and you continue to see glute growth.
The following is an example of how you would structure your nutrition while on a calorie surplus as weeks progress while on this program.
EXAMPLE:
(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MERELY AN EXAMPLE, PLEASE USE THE MACRO CALCULATOR ON OUR APP TO DETERMINE WHAT MACROS SUIT YOUR BODY AND GOALS BEST BY INPUTTING YOUR WEIGHT AND HEIGHT CURRENTLY BEFORE THE START OF THE PROGRAM.)
EXAMPLE:
WEEK 0 - STARTING WEIGHT 110 LBS 20% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR, RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 1, 2 AND 3- CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1740 CALS - 48 G FAT / 216 G CARBS / 110 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 3 - WEIGHT 115 LBS 21.3% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 4, 5 AND 6 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1810 CALS - 50 G FAT / 224 G CARBS / 115 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 6 - WEIGHT 120 LBS 22% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 7, 8 AND 9 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1880 CALS - 52 G FAT / 233 G CARBS / 120 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 9 - WEIGHT 125 LBS 24% BODY FAT
WEEKS 10, 11 AND 12 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1950 CALS - 54 G FAT / 241 G CARBS / 125 G PROTEIN
BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM YOUR METABOLISM WILL NOW BE AT A NEW MAINTENANCE LEVEL DUE TO METABOLIC ADAPTATION. ONCE YOU REACH A GOAL WEIGHT OR SIZE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO STILL CONSISTENTLY EAT AT YOUR NEW MAINTENANCE CALORIES TO MAINTAIN YOUR NEWLY GAINED MUSCLE MASS.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T KEEP UP WITH YOUR CALORIE INTAKE?
You will lose the weight and likely muscle mass that you have gained over the course of the 12 weeks. This is why it is important to continuously maintain your current calorie intake.
TIER 2: CALORIE MAINTENANCE FOR RECOMPOSITION
GOAL: FAT LOSS / MUSCLE GAIN
IF THIS IS NOT YOUR GOAL, SKIP DOWN TO YOUR TIER.
A calorie maintenance diet is consuming the amount of calories needed to sustain your current body weight. It is also the best approach to achieve body recomposition — which is the process of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. This approach is best for people who aren’t “underweight” and feel comfortable with their current weight, are “newbies” at the gym or have never consistently or properly trained in the past.
So how do you decide if this is the approach for you?
-YOU DON’T MIND YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.
-You’re a “newbie” at the gym or never worked out properly / consistently or at all before this program.
-YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IS BETWEEN 25% TO 30%.
LOOK AT THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE WHERE YOUR BODY FAT FALLS UNDER.
To determine a calorie maintenance you would use our macro calculator and input your weight, activity level and height and it will help you determine your food intake to meet your goals.
If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “recomposition weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
Once you have used our calculator to determine your maintenance calorie intake using our calculator these set of calories will become your maintenance for the next 12 weeks. Unlike the other tiers, during this recomposition phase, your calories will not change. They will remain the same throughout the entire 12 week period. By doing this, you will see changes in your body composition or muscle to fat ratio. Your glutes will get rounder, have a better shape, more definition and less cellulite. Your abdomen will shrink while your arms become more defined. You won’t see a tremendous difference in inches gained, but you will be able to look very different by lowering your body fat and increasing your muscle mass simultaneously.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that in a calorie maintenance diet your weight should not increase or decrease more than 2-5 lbs. You will be able to change your fat to muscle ratio and look/feel different but the scale may not change at all.
EXAMPLE:
(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MERELY AN EXAMPLE, PLEASE USE THE MACRO CALCULATOR ON OUR APP TO DETERMINE WHAT MACROS SUIT YOUR BODY AND GOALS BEST BY INPUTTING YOUR WEIGHT AND HEIGHT CURRENTLY BEFORE THE START OF THE PROGRAM.)
EXAMPLE
WEEK 0 - STARTING WEIGHT 135 LBS 27% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “RECOMPOSITION weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1890 CALS - 53 G FAT / 241 G CARBS / 113 G PROTEIN
IN A MAINTENANCE PHASE, UNLIKE CUTTING AND BULKING, YOU WILL NOT ALTER YOUR CALORIE INTAKE. YOU WILL BE FOLLOWING A SET NUMBER OF CALORIES FOR A SPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH IN THIS CASE IS 3 MONTHS, WHILE FOLLOWING THIS PROGRAM. YOU WILL GRADUALLY START TO SEE YOUR BODY COMPOSITION CHANGE AS THE WEEKS PASS, ALTHOUGH THE SCALE MAY NOT CHANGE.
TDEE TIER 3: CALORIE DEFICIT
GOAL: FAT LOSS / MUSCLE DEFINITION
IF THIS IS NOT YOUR GOAL READ THE TIERS ABOVE TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR TIER.
A calorie deficit means a person is consuming less calories daily than what they are burning thru their TDEE. This approach is best for someone who wants to significantly lower their body fat percentage and mass. While following a calorie deficit, it is important to keep your protein intake as high as possible to ensure that you are not losing significant muscle mass in the process.
Throughout this process you will loose inches everywhere including your abdomen and glutes. This is normal in a deficit. What will happen is your glutes will reshape and have a shelf/bubble look to them and cellulite and sagging will decrease.
So how do you decide if this is the approach for you?
-YOU DON’T MIND LOSING WEIGHT, even if it means losing fat mass around your glutes.
-YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IS 25% OR HIGHER.
LOOK AT THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE WHERE YOUR BODAY FAT FALLS UNDER.
To determine a calorie surplus you would use our macro calculator and input your weight, activity level and height and it will help you determine your food intake to meet your goals.
If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “LOSE weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
YOU WOULD THEN INPUT YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT AND HEIGHT. THE RESULTS ARE YOUR STARTING MACROS AND CALORIES!
The set amount of calories and macros in your results will be your calorie intake. These calories should be updated every 2 weeks. Why? Because of metabolic adaptation. Metabolic adaptation is what happens naturally as our bodies adapt to a set of conditions such as level of physical activity, calorie intake or every day activities that determine our metabolic rates or entire TDEE.
Our bodies are designed to maintain homeostasis - homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. So it is only normal that our bodies adapt to a set amount of calories and activity level as a way to preserve itself.
This is why with this program, if your goals are to lose weight, you will decrease your calories and weight used during your workouts as time passes, to ensure your body is not adapting and you see continued fat loss.
The following is an example of how you would structure your nutrition while on a calorie surplus as weeks progress while on this program.
EXAMPLE:
(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MERELY AN EXAMPLE. PLEASE USE THE MACRO CALCULATOR ON OUR APP TO DETERMINE WHAT MACROS SUIT YOUR BODY AND GOALS BEST BY INPUTTING YOUR WEIGHT AND HEIGHT CURRENTLY BEFORE THE START OF THE PROGRAM.)
WEEK 0 - STARTING WEIGHT 160 LBS 31% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 1 & 2 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1940 CALS - 54 G FAT / 229 G CARBS / 134 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 2 - WEIGHT 155 LBS 29.5% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 3 & 4 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1870 CALS - 52 G FAT / 220 G CARBS / 130 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 4 - WEIGHT 150 LBS 28.5% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 5 & 6 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1800 CALS - 50 G FAT / 212 G CARBS / 126 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 6 - WEIGHT 147 LBS 28% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 7 & 8 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1758 CALS - 49 G FAT / 206 G CARBS / 123 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 8 - WEIGHT 143 LBS 28% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 9 & 10 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1702 CALS - 47 G FAT / 199 G CARBS / 120 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 10 - WEIGHT 140 LBS 27% BODY FAT
AFTER INPUTTING BODY STATS INTO CALCULATOR RESULTS READ:
*If you’re following this workout program YOU WILL BE USING the “gain weight” approach and click “5 or more times a week” FOR THE CALORIE CALCULATIONS.
WEEKS 11 & 12 - CALCULATOR SET CALORIES 1660 CALS - 46 G FAT / 194 G CARBS / 118 G PROTEIN
END OF WEEK 12 - WEIGHT 137 LBS 26% BODY FAT
(Please note this is a hypothetical estimate for the specific weight inputted for our imaginary person! Your numbers WILL VARY!)
BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM YOUR METABOLISM WILL NOW BE AT A NEW MAINTENANCE LEVEL DUE TO METABOLIC ADAPTATION. ONCE YOU REACH A GOAL WEIGHT OR SIZE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO STILL CONSISTENTLY EAT AT YOUR NEW MAINTENANCE CALORIES TO MAINTAIN YOUR NEWLY GAINED MUSCLE MASS.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T KEEP UP WITH YOUR CALORIE INTAKE?
If you stop eating at your current calorie intake and go over your calories, you will then technically enter into a surplus and this will result in gaining the weight you have lost. This is why it is important to stay at your new maintenance calories.
MAINTAINING RESULTS
It is important that IF YOU DON’T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT. What does this mean? In essence what these words imply is that if you stop a routine of eating in accordance to your new metabolism and stop working out you will lose the gains you have made.
Once you reach a specific goal it is important to understand that you need to maintain or continue your set routine to maintain the muscle mass / strength and metabolism you have obtained during the duration of this program.
METABOLISMS
You’ve likely heard the terms “slow metabolism,” “fast metabolism,” and “starvation mode” among others being used in the fitness industry before, and it probably has confused you a bit. So what do people mean when they use these terms and are they actually real things that occur within our metabolisms?
So to start off, metabolisms are described as either being “efficiently adaptive” or “poorly adaptive.”
In definition adaptive thermogenesis has been defined as the change in energy expenditure following acute and/or long-term overfeeding (eating too much) and underfeeding (eating too little).
A metabolism that is efficiently adaptive is considered a metabolism that can conserve energy and adapt to the conditions around it. As humans, our “ideal” metabolism is one that is meant to adapt to our current availability to food. Over time food has become more accessible due to modern agriculture and farming, but previously our ancestors relied on having efficiently adaptive metabolisms that helped their bodies adapt to famine, food shortages, or the many changes in weather that affected food availability among other factors.
The efficiency in adapting to the changing availability of food meant that our ancestors’ bodies were able to slow down the rate at which they burned calories over time as they were exposed to eating less calories. This makes for an “efficient metabolism” also known today as a “slow metabolism.” The ability to preserve energy, store fat for long periods of time and to “slow down” our internal clock to sustain long periods of under eating is what allowed our ancestors to survive periods of time where food was not readily available to them.
Now in the modern world, our access to food has changed but our metabolisms have not. We still in most have efficiently adaptive metabolisms that adapt to our activity levels and function to store excess calories consumed in the form of fat just in case a period of time where food isn’t available comes along. Unfortunately for us, this means that as a population without many food shortages, our bodies just continue to accumulate fat endlessly when we consume more calories than what we need to meet our TDEE.
On the opposite spectrum we have the “poorly adaptive” metabolisms also known as “fast metabolisms.” In previous ages someone with a poorly adaptive metabolism would be someone who during famine or any kind of food shortage, would lose weight rapidly and likely die as a result of this, due to the inability of their body to adapt to the new set of calorie intake available to them. This is not currently the case, since our food access has changed. Instead, people with poorly adaptive metabolisms have actually been able to benefit, as they can easily manipulate their diet and lose body fat quicker while maintaining muscle mass, unlike those with highly adaptive metabolisms.
So is a metabolism slow or fast? They’re neither. They just are more or less adaptive. Once you understand that metabolisms adapt, it will be easier to stay more concentrated on a set plan instead of instantly feeling defeated because of your “fast or slow” metabolism.
Depending on where on the spectrum you fall, you will then decide what goal you have in mind to reach and you will then adjust your activity and food intake to better suit how adaptive your metabolism is and the results will come.
SIGNS OF HIGHLY ADAPTIVE METABOLISMS:
-GAINS WEIGHT EASILY
-GAINS MUSCLE EASILY
-BODY WEIGHT FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON CHANGING FOOD INTAKES
-CAN LOSE WEIGHT STEADILY AS CALORIES GRADUALLY DECREASE (CALORIE DEFICIT)
-CAN GAIN WEIGHT STEADILY AS CALORIES GRADUALLY INCREASE
WHAT TO DO:
-FOCUS ON CONSISTENCY
Having a highly adaptive metabolism means that your body will adapt to new conditions as they change over time, so this means that you can reach any goal you desire and maintain it as long as you do the same things gradually and consistently.
-FOCUS ON ONE GOAL AT A TIME
Since your metabolism is highly adaptive it means that you have to focus on being consistent in order to get results. So if you’re frequently dieting and bulking you will see conflicting changes happen all of the time. Focus on one goal and keep on consistently following all of the steps to achieve it.
SIGNS OF POORLY ADAPTIVE METABOLISMS:
-DOES NOT GAIN WEIGHT EASILY
-DOES NOT GAIN MUSCLE EASILY
-BODY WEIGHT FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON CHANGING FOOD INTAKES VERY DRASTICALLY WHEN IN A DEFICIT
-CAN LOSE WEIGHT RAPIDLY AS CALORIES GRADUALLY DECREASE (CALORIE DEFICIT)
-HAS A HARD TIME WITH WEIGHT GAIN AS CALORIES GRADUALLY INCREASE
WHAT TO DO:
-FOCUS ON CONSISTENCY
Having a highly adaptive metabolism means that your body will adapt to new conditions as they change over time so this means that you can reach any goal you reach and maintain it as long as you do the same things gradually and consistently.
-FOCUS ON ONE GOAL AT A TIME
Since your metabolism is highly adaptive it means that you have to focus on being consistent in order to get results. So if you’re frequently dieting and bulking you will see conflicting changes happen all of the time. Focus on one goal and keep on consistently following all of the steps to achieve it.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Progressive overload is a method of strength training that advocates for the gradual increase of the stress placed upon the muscular and nervous system. This principle of progressive overload suggests that the gradual increase in the total workload during your work out sessions will stimulate muscle growth and strength gain.
At the starting point, in order to minimize injury and maximize results, the novice begins at a comfortable level of muscular intensity, to then gradually advance towards overloading the muscles over the course of the exercise program.
Progressive overload requires a gradual increase in volume, intensity, frequency and time in order to achieve a targeted goal. In this context, volume and intensity are defined as follows:
- Volume is the total number of repetitions multiplied by the resistance (weight) used to perform each repetition.
- Intensity is the percent value of maximal functional capacity, or expressed as percent repetition maximum.
- Frequency is how often a person engages in training activities. (How often you exercise) and is strongly related to training consistency.
- Interval duration is the rest time in between sets of same exercise or between different exercises.
This technique has been proven to have the best and most efficient results when applied properly. This is why in order to accomplish proper progressive overload you have to perform the same movements/routine over periods of time while only changing the volume, intensity, frequency and interval durations. This is why a set routine is important when setting goals instead of always seeking to “change things up.”
Over the course of this program the workouts will stay the same for periods of 4 weeks. This means your set routines will not change, but what will change are the weights used, rep ranges and rest times. This will allow for you to develop mind to muscle connection and to stimulate your nervous system to continuously grow muscle mass as you increase the load (weight) used during your workouts. You will notice a gain in strength and muscle mass by following this method.
4 WAYS TO PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
-Increase resistance
Resistance refers to the stress placed on a muscle by gravity (or weights). Resistance can be increased by adding more weight to your workouts as you progress every week. You should be able to perform 10-12 repetitions with proper form before you consider adding more weight to a workout.
For example:
Week 1 you perform a set of squats for 10-12 reps with good form using 100 lbs and then do the same for week 2. By the start of week 3 you should be progressing by adding 2-10 more lbs to your squat depending on how you’re feeling, until you are able to successfully perform 10-12 reps using that new weight.
-Increase endurance
For cardiovascular related workouts such as sprinting, running or any movement that involves a static hold such as a plank, wall sit or handstand, you can progressive overload by increasing the time under tension (length of the workout). This will allow your body to experience resistance from gravity for a lengthened period and lead to successful progressive overload.
For example:
If you’re starting a workout program and on week 1 the program asks you to perform 4 sets of planks for a duration of 30 seconds each, by the second or third week you should be able to progressively add more time under tension and perform that movement for a static hold of 45 seconds.
-Increase tempo
Tempo refers to the pace at which a movement is performed at different stages. Tempo consist of 4 numbers. These four numbers are used to help breakdown each of the different phases of a single repetition. This includes the eccentric (muscle lengthening under tension), contraction (muscle shortening under tension) and the pause between each of these contraction types.
The first number relates to how many seconds you take to lower the weight (eccentric phase). The second indicates how long you should hold the weight in a pause at the bottom of the movement, the third number represents the time taken to lift the weight to the original starting position (contraction phase), and the fourth number is how long you should pause with the weight at the top of the movement.
An example would be
4020 TEMPO SQUAT:
4 - Take 4 seconds to squat down (eccentric phase)
0 - No pause time at the bottom of the movement
2 - Take 2 seconds to rise up to starting position (concentric phase)
0 - No rest at the top of the movement
By changing your tempo in the eccentric or concentric phase you can manipulate the resistance being applied and thus progressive overload.
-Increase reps
Adding more reps also allows you to progressively overload. You can focus on performing a set amount of res on your first week then add more reps for the second or third week.
For example:
On week 1 you perform 2 sets of 10 reps for bicep curls. You then continue to add more reps and by week 2 you perform 2 sets of 12 reps instead. This is one of the safest ways to progressively overload without adding more weight to your workouts.
PROPER EXERCISE SELECTION
For the duration of this program you will have a set routine for 5 days out of the week. These routines have been established with a proper exercise selection in mind and a focus on different muscle groups per day.
It is important to focus on properly selecting movements to perform while working out as all movements highly impact different muscle groups differently.
For example, for a quad growth focus is it important to select movements that focus on knee hinge such as squats, lunges, leg press, and split squats, while for glutes it is important to focus on movements that focus on a hip hinge such as deadlifts, hip thrust or glute bridges.
Understanding what exercises target which muscle groups will allow you to apply proper routines that align with your goals.
This program has been designed with proper exercise selection in mind, so you should try your best to perform all of the workouts in the order specified.
So let’s break things down a bit….
This program is based on glute growth, but this doesn’t mean you will just be doing endless glute workouts. You have to balance out muscle groups and train them evenly in order to achieve a balanced physique.
So let’s understand inferior training.
As far as training for lower body goes, you will have 2 main focuses. Those focuses will be knee hinges or hip hinges.
A knee hinge refers to performing a movement where the knee hinges and flexes. Movements that highly involve a knee hinge consist of:
-back squats
-front squats
-sumo deadlifts
-leg presses
-leg extensions
-step ups
-lunges (walking, reverse, stationary etc).
-split squats
These movements will involve your glutes BUT depending on how deep the hinging is at the knee and how far forward (beyond the toes) your knee travels, your quads will have the highest form of involvement.
Understanding this is what will allow you to focus on performing movements properly to target muscles more effectively.
A hip hinge refers to performing a moving where the knees barely hinge and the hips do most of the hinging or flexing.
Movements that highly involve a hip hinge consist of:
-conventional deadlifts
-trapbar deadlifts
-romanian deadlifts
-some spit squat variations
-glute bridges
-hip thrusts
-some step up variations
-glute kickbacks
These movements primarily use glutes as the power source to perform them, so prioritizing them in your routines will allow you to consistently see glute growth over time.
PROPER EXERCISE EXECUTION
Compound exercises will allow you to put more neurological and physical stress on multiple muscle groups at a time, so it is important to prioritize them and perform them prior to accessory work in your routine.
The main compound movements for lower body consist of squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts and leg press. They are considered compound movements because they involve multiple muscle groups.
It is crucial to follow the order in which movements are set on your workout days. You should do compound movements at the start of your workouts due to this being the time when your body has the most glycogen stored inside of the muscles or the most energy. This will allow you to lift a heavy load for a higher set of reps and thus get better results over time. After compounds you will then move onto the accessory work as specified in the program.
Below I have added the most common mistakes that can be easily corrected in order to see better progress, while keeping your joints and spine safe during this program.
Not hinging at the hips for posterior chain movements like deadlifts, glute focused back extensions, glute focused split squats and glute focused squats is what may be the root of lack of glute growth. Learning how to properly hinge is essential to protecting your spine and to getting the most engagement from your glutes and hamstrings. This engagement is key to glute growth.
The difference between squats and deadlifts lies primarily in that a squat involves mostly a knee hinge and slight hip hinge, while deadlifts primarily focus on a hip hinge. It is important to properly engage your muscles and to focus on having a true hip hinge instead of squatting on the way up while deadlifting.
Learning how to properly lower the bar while deadlifting is also something that will allow you to have better muscle engagement and protect your back from misalignment.
SLEEP
Although many people believe training is what plays the largest role to see results, sleep is actually one of the most important factors. As you train, your muscle cells become damaged and they tear due to the stress placed on them by your training. These tears allow muscle cells to then repair and lead to increased muscle growth — but this only happens during rest and while you sleep.
So if you’re constantly overtraining and not resting, your muscle cells will be constantly tearing and in need of repair. Without getting adequate sleep, they will not be able to repair themselves.
It is recommended that most adults get anywhere between 7-10 hours of sleep daily. Taking time off in between training muscle groups will also allow for proper recovery. This is why it is important that you do not train the same muscle groups everyday, but that instead you focus on getting at least 36 hours in between training sections for the same muscle groups.
In this program you will be training lower body on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If these days do not work for your current schedule you can re-arrange them to fit your schedule as long as there is a rest day in between each day. For example, if your first lower body day will be on Saturday, you should be waiting until at least Monday to complete your second lower body training day.
Understanding that rest is just as important as working out will allow you to maximize your results during this program.
Lack of sleep can also affect your hormones — especially your cortisol levels. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone or your body’s alarm system.
So what does cortisol directly affect?
- Responsible for managing how your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
- Reduces inflammation
- Regulates blood pressure
- Increases blood sugar
- Controls your sleep/wake cycle
- Boosts energy so you can handle stress and restores balance afterward
Lack of sleep along with stress can increase your cortisol levels which can in turn lead to:
- Anxiety and depression
- Headaches
- Heart disease
- Memory and concentration problems
- Problems with digestion
- Trouble sleeping
- Weight gain
These negatives side effects are why it is important to have a low stress lifestyle that includes adequate sleep. Managing stress levels can help you have more energy and feel more motivated to stick to this program to get results.
MECHANICAL FAILURE VS MUSCLE FAILURE
When working out, training to failure has been researched and many benefits have been found to come from it. So what is training until failure?
There are two forms of failure when exercising; mechanical failure and muscle failure.
Mechanical failure is defined as experiencing muscle fatigue until the point when your muscles and nervous system make a weight feel like it is too heavy to complete a full repetition. This is due to your muscles and nervous system becoming too overwhelmed and fatigued that they cannot generate enough force to contract against the resistance being caused by the weight. Essentially you would only be able to finish a rep if you lowered the weight being used to a lighter weight or had someone assist you by spotting your lift.
On the other hand metabolic failure involves performing a movement until your neurological system and muscles feel a burning sensation due to a build up of acid in the muscle group you are training.
When training it has been shown that training until metabolic failure allows you to build muscle mass while continuously practicing progressive overload. During your workouts you should be aiming to train until failure as long as you’re safely doing so. This means metabolic failure should be the goal and not necessarily mechanical failure.
An example of metabolic failure would be squatting a weight that allows you to feel your muscles getting pumped and burning due to the acid build up, while mechanical failure would be not having enough force to squat the weight up and either getting stuck at the bottom or having to bail out of the squat. The first option would always be the safest one, that can also get you results.
FAQs
WHAT DOES HEAVY, MEDIUM, AND LIGHT WEIGHT MEAN?
Light, medium and heavy pertains to what you think a weight feels like at a mechanical and neurological level.
In fitness items, a LIGHT WEIGHT would be considered a weight that you can perform 10-15 reps WITH (or UNTIL failure) while still keeping proper mechanical form.
MEDIUM WEIGHT REFERS TO A WEIGHT THAT YOU CAN perform 6-10 reps WITH (or UNTIL failure) while still keeping proper mechanical form.
HEAVY WEIGHT REFERS TO A WEIGHT THAT YOU CAN perform 3-5 reps WITH (or UNTIL failure) while still keeping proper mechanical form.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED LIGHT, MEDIUM OR HEAVY WILL ALWAYS VARY BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS, AS WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT GENETIC AND PHYSICAL MAKEUPS. FOCUS ON HOW YOU FEEL WHILE USING A SPECIFIC WEIGHT AND REMEMBER THAT MUSCLE SORENESS IS NORMAL, BUT JOINT PAIN OR USING A WEIGHT THAT DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO HAVE PROPER FORM IS NOT NORMAL.
WHAT IS TEMPO AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
TEMPO IS THE RATE AND CONTROL USED WHILE PERFORMING A MOVEMENT. It refers to the amount of time a muscle spends under tension in the isometric, concentric, and eccentric portions of the exercise.
ISOMETRIC
This refers to the application of force to a muscle in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction. Example: The bottom and top of a squat, as well as a plank.
ECCENTRIC
This refers to the contraction where the muscle elongates while under tension due to opposing force being greater than the force generated by the muscle.
Example: The lowering portion of the squat.
CONCENTRIC
A type of muscle contraction in which the muscle shortens while generating force greater than the external load. Example: The standing portion of the squat.
It is normally written using 4 digits such as 4020
An example would be:
4020 TEMPO SQUAT:
4 - Take 4 seconds to squat down (eccentric phase)
0 - No pause time at the bottom of the movement
2 - Take 2 seconds to rise up to starting position (concentric phase)
0 - No rest at the top of the movement
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO ADD MORE WEIGHT TO MY WORKOUTS?
You should try to add more weight to your workouts every 2-3 weeks. Focus on your form and if the weight starts to feel lighter, or like you can still keep performing past the prescribed amount of sets/reps with proper form, then you should add more weight.
CAN I LOSE WEIGHT AND GAIN MUSCLE AT THE SAME TIME?
Yes, this is called body recomposition. You would follow a “maintenance” calorie approach as explained in the nutrition section.
CAN YOU REACH YOUR GOALS IF YOU DON’T TRACK CALORIES OR MACROS?
Yes. You can reach your goals, but it may be harder if you do not have a good understanding of what portions should look like or have a hard time meeting an eating schedule.
CAN YOU SEE GLUTE GROWTH WHILE ON A CALORIE DEFICIT?
Yes. Focusing on keeping your protein intake high and following progressive overload will allow you to see glute growth.
CAN I SPOT REDUCE?
No. Spot reducing is only possible through surgical intervention (liposuction, as an example). It is not possible to lose weight in a targeted area, but what is possible is to train and isolate a muscle group as much as possible to allow that muscle group to grow. Focus on a calorie deficit and overtime you will lose fat on all body parts.
DO I NEED SUPPLEMENTS?
You do not need supplements, but they may aid you in your recovery or consistently meeting certain mineral or protein amounts.
CAN I SPLIT UP MY WORKOUT INTO TWO SESSIONS PER DAY?
It would hinder your results to split up workout sessions as it would take stress away from the muscle group you are training. If you focus on taking the allocated rest periods you should be able to finish your workouts in a timely manner.
If you do not have the time frame to complete a workout, you can reduce the amount of sets on the workout or the rest time to finish quicker.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I MISS A WORKOUT?
Even if you miss a workout, you will be fine!
It is normal to not be able to stick to a routine 100% of the way. Just pick up where you left off and you will still be able to see progress.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TRACK PROGRESS?
The scale may not be able to reflect body recomposition changes. For this reason, taking photos and/or measurements may be a better way to track progress and record changes. On our app you will be able to take photos and leave any notes, such as weight and measurements, as the weeks pass by.
DOES IT MATTER WHAT TIME I EAT?
No. Your body does not care about the clock. What it does care about is calories. Fasting between meals or spacing out your meals in a particular way will not hinder or help your progress. What ultimately matters is caloric intake.
CAN I EAT MORE THAT 30 G OF PROTEIN IN ONE SITTING?
Yes. It’s been previously thought that only 30 grams or less were absorbed when you ate, but science has proven that it does not matter how much protein you eat in one sitting, your body will utilize all of it.
IS KETO, HIGH CARB OR ANY OTHER DIET SUPERIOR?
NO. The only superior or BEST diet is the one you can FOLLOW. If you feel great and can strictly stick to keto, do it. If you need carbs to feel good, eat them. What matters at the end of the day is CALORIES & protein.
HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD I DRINK PER DAY?
You should aim for at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces.
If you weigh 150 lbs that's 75 oz. You can drink more if you feel better drinking more water. This is just the "minimum" you should be drinking.
DO I NEED A PROTEIN SHAKE?
No, what you will need to do is meet your protein intake. It doesn't matter if it comes from a shake or from a meal.
DO I NEED TO DO CARDIO?
No. What matters is your daily steps being met and your workouts being completed. Cardio is not superior for fat loss, ADHERING TO YOUR CALORIES IS.
WHY DO MY WORKOUTS LOOK THE SAME?
BECAUSE THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD. You cannot build muscle mass efficiently if you're constantly jumping from routine to routine. The basics and adding more weight or progressive overloading over time is what builds muscle mass efficiently and properly. Imagine this, how can you improve your squat if you perform it one week and then skip it for 3? You don’t. Compound shifts will allow you to burn the most calories and build the most muscle.
HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD I SLEEP?
You should aim for at least 8 hours a day. Sleep is when your body recovers and your muscle cells repair and grow. Adequate sleep also allows for your hormones to regulate, for you to feel fuller longer and have less cravings.
IS THERE A FOOD I NEED TO ELIMINATE FROM MY DIET?
NO. This challenge is about consistency and adhering to a program. You should aim to eat less processed meals and more home cooked meals BUT don't restrict to the point where you binge or feel miserable.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
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