The Ascension Method. Introduction

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2 Introduction I have been training for over ten years. Countless hours at the gym, reading every bit of information on how to gain muscle, trying different routines, just hoping to finally crack the code to making serious gains. I tried everything from high-volume hypertrophy routines to power lifting and strength based programs. You name it, I ve tried it. After years of experience and trial and error, I have been able to come up with my style of training and it works like nothing else. I have been doing this for the last 6 years, and I must say, I haven t seen improvements this fast since my newbie gains. One of the first things I noticed when following a program or a routine was how hard it was to stay consistent. Reason being, just like the majority of gym goers who fail to follow these routines, life happens. I have never, for one, been the type to think of training as my soul purpose in life. So training was not a top priority, but, simply just something that had to be done. For example, if today is Monday (chest day) and I have a busy day with my family, I would not sacrifice my personal life for a workout and you shouldn t either. I d just make it up during the week, and there s no reason why you couldn t do the same.

3 The Method behind the Madness Here s how I break my workouts down. I no longer use routines or programs that schedule specific body parts or workouts on the same days. For example, Monday chest, Tuesday legs, Wednesdays shoulders, Thursdays back, etc. I found that these types of routines, for most people, are hard to follow. Monday is chest day, and you end up getting sick, or something keeps you from hitting the gym and now you ve missed your chest workout for the week nonsense. Instead, I d recommend breaking your training days down by numbers. For Example: Workout 1- Chest Workout 2- Legs Workout 3 - Back Workout 4 - Arms and Shoulders The way this method works is simple: workout 1 is the first workout of the week, but it does not mean it has to be done on Monday. Any day of the week can be workout 1. For example, you plan workout 1 for Monday, Monday comes, and you remember you had plans with friends and family or had to work late. That s fine, do it Tuesday instead. You are not restricted to specific weekdays. The goal is to finish the 4-5 workouts within the week, irrespective of what day they land on. Like I said earlier, working out does shouldn t take from your life, it should add to it.

4 The Principles Volume: 4 x 8, 8, 12, different exercises per body part. Rep Range Rest Time Minutes Seconds I choose to go with 3-4 different exercises per body part so that I can train in a variety of plains of motion for each muscle-group. As a result, I increased my strength overall due to better muscle development in a given area. For example, for my chest, I do four different exercises. A flat bench press, incline press, fly's, and decline type exercises. All of the exercises focus on the pectoral major and minor. The incline helps strengthen the upper-chest. So by doing 3-4 different exercises I ve been able to fully develop each muscle group.

5 Training with moderate reps as well as higher reps has allowed me to build not only mass and endurance, but also a great amount of strength. I am sure we ve all seen the super jacked bodybuilder that is weaker than he looks and the overweight guy who lifts like a silverback gorilla. I, for one, did not want to be either of those guys, but, instead, a combination of both. Rest intervals are more important than most people think. On the lower rep range, heavier lifts focus more strength, therefore you want to let your body recover. We are not chasing a pump here; we are training for strength. The higher rep range lifts, on the other hand, are focused more on muscle damage and endurance. These are the reps that lead to the crazy pumps. Remember that overextending yourself in the beginning of a workout can hinder your performance in the later exercises. Also, taking too long of a break can defeat the purpose of the endurance part of the routine. Managing your rest time correctly will allow you to set the tempo needed to complete the workout optimally. Knowing when to increase or decrease the weight on the 2sets of 8 reps is critical. When you can do more than 8 reps, it is time to go up in weight. Now, if on the first set you can perform over 8 reps but cannot on the second set, you are not ready to increase the load. Same principle applies to the 2 set higher rep sets. Keep in mind it may take a few workouts to find your sweet spot, so don t stress it. Make sure to warm up properly before beginning any of these workouts. I personally like to do 3-4 sets of pull-ups and dips on my upper body days, and 3-4 sets of hamstring curls or single legged leg press for lower body days. Other ways you can warm up are by performing 1-2 light sets of the exercise you re going to do. Not warming up properly increases the chances of injury. Warming up should be done before any workout routine, always.

6 The Ascension Method Workout 1 (Chest, Biceps and Mid Delts) Flat Bench Press 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Incline Dumbbell Press 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Chest Fly s 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Dumbbell Bicep Curls 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Reverse Easy Bar Curls 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Lateral Raises 4x15 Workout 2 (Legs) Squats 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Leg Press 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Hack Squat 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Hamstring Curls 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Leg Extensions 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Workout 3 (Back, Triceps, Posterior Delts) Pull Ups & Dips 4 x 15, 15, 12, 12/ 4 x 20, 20, 15, 15 (Super set) Barbell Rows 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Seated Rows (Close Grip) 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Triceps Dumbbell Extension 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Triceps Push Down (Rope) 2 x 12 Reverse Triceps Extension (Cables) 2 x 12 Bent Over Lateral Raises 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15

7 Workout 4 (Legs, Anterior Delts) Squats 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Dead Lifts 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Leg Press 4 x 12 Standing Barbell Press 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Seated Dumbbell Press 4 x 12 Workout 5 (Chest, Back, Arms, Shoulders) Pull Ups & Dips 3 x12/ 4 x 15 Flat Bench Press 2 x 8, 8, 12, 15 Barbell Curls 3 x 12 Barbell Triceps Extension 3 x 12 Lateral Raises 2 x 12 Bent Over Lateral Raises 2 x 12 Seated Dumbbell Press 2 x 12 Some things you might notice about a few of the exercises: They do not all follow the 4 x 8, 8, 12, 15 sets and rep scheme. When it comes to smaller muscle groups, I prefer to do higher volume for muscle-damage and endurance and focus on building my strength with the compound exercises. For example, I d rather focus on building strength on my bench press than trying to curl extremely heavy weights. Smaller muscle groups do not need the amount of workload that a bigger group needs for growth. Save your power for the bigger exercises.

8 Use the sample workout as a guide to get you started. Once you feel like you have it down, feel free to change up the exercises. Remember, the main benefit other than making all kinds of gains, is that you have no restrictions. Alby Gonzalez, CPT Follow Me!

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