THE LEGAL STUFF The information presented herein is in no way intended as medical advice or to serve as a substitute for medical counseling. The information should be used in conjunction with the guidance and care of your physician. Consult your physician before beginning this program as you would with any exercise and nutrition program. If you choose not to obtain the consent of your physician and/or work with your physician throughout the course of these workouts, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your actions. By beginning the following workouts, you recognize that despite all precautions on the part of The Forged Athlete LLC, and Travis Stoetzel, there are risks of injury or illness which can occur because of your use of the aforementioned information and you expressly assume such risks and waive, relinquish and release any claim which you may have against The Forged Athlete LLC, and Travis Stoetzel and their respective affiliates as a result of any future physical injury or illness incurred in connection with, or as a result of, the use or misuse of your program. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced (by any means) without the expressed written permission of Travis Stoetzel. This manual is being offered for education and information purposes only. There is inherent risk with any physical activity. Please consult your physician before starting this (or any) exercise program. The Forged Athlete, LLC or Travis Stoetzel cannot be held responsible for any injury that may occur while participating in this program. Copyright 2012 the Forged Athlete LLC
SINISTER STRENGTH Unleashing EVIL GAINs in STRENGTH and POWER! Within, you will be focusing in on phases that will last 4 total weeks each. 3 Weeks will be based upon progressive overload. The 4th week will consist of a DELOAD / ACTIVE RECOVERY Week This is to help the body recover and prepare for the next phase of intensive work Explanation of Workouts: Length of Sessions: Try your hardest to get your session done in under an hour. More time spent training in the gym means more time we take away from letting our bodies heal. The goal of your training sessions is to get in and get out! Set a timer and get moving! Always push the pace! Explanation of Workout Outlines: Each of your workouts are outlined below. You ll see a 1A), 2A) ect before each movement. When you see 2 or more of the same NUMBERS (1A), 1B), 1C)) this means that these movements are joined together in either a superset OR circuit meaning you would perform 1A first followed by 1B) second, 1C next, and so on and so forth. You are allowed to take a break when you have completed ALL of the movements under that letter. Supersets and circuits are meant to have NO rest between movements. When there is just 1 number and 1 letter for a movement that movement is done on its own, and you are allowed to rest between sets. Don t worry as you progress, you ll start to train with heavier weights while starting to feel even more explosive and in better condition! Rest periods: I m a firm believer that set rest periods are a waste of time. There s no need to keep checking a clock unless you are doing a timed workout or circuit interval. The main thing you should focus on is to ATTACK THE TIME! Push yourself through the workouts each and every time. Rest as need be, but the truth is, you ll be getting into such great shape, and it will be hard for you to slow down!
General rules of thumb when it comes to rest periods: When we train HEAVY rest just a little bit more 60-90 secs TOPS When we train LIGHT take little to NO rest less than 45 secs When we train POWER rest up as much needed to go near 100%... The only exception is when we train for total EXPLOSION and SPEED (POWER). This is where we want to train at 100%. These sets are usually at the beginning of your workout (sprints, starts, jumps, ect) Rest as much as you need to for these sets and try to perform each round at 100%. You DO NOT want to train slowly when training for POWER and SPEED. Submax When you see submax listed next to an exercise, this simply means to avoid going to failure. The best way to keep your progress going further while avoiding plateaus or step back is to keep your reps under you maximum limit or avoiding failure. If you re new to this concept, you probably do not understand but trust me, leave a few reps left in your bank when doing different movements such as pushups, pull ups, rows, ect, when you get close to failure, cut the set off. It s better to stay fresh and keep the movements fast and explosive. When you start to really grind reps out slow, just stop your set there. In time, you ll feel and see the difference in what submax training will do for you. The ONLY time you should really go to failure with different submax movements is when it s your last week on that particular workout. You main goal should be to break your own records each and every session! The best way we can make sure we do that is with the next ESSENTIAL note E.M.O.T.M: This stands for Every Minute on The Minute and it s an interval you will be using to build up some serious strength and endurance all at once! Basically, you ll hit your movements for the allotted amount of reps and whatever time you have left at the end of your sets will serve as your rest period. Recording Your Workouts: Make sure you are writing down each and every workout so you can see the weights you used, the reps you did, and the sets you completed. It would be wise for you to get a notebook and make it your new HARDCORE training workbook OR use the specialized printout work sheets you received with this program!
If you re not writing anything down, then you are wondering around blind! We must be able to measure your progress and the BEST way to do this is by writing and recording every training session we do down in a workbook. I would record the following: total time workout took to complete reps completed on each movement sets completed and exercises completed Simply copy down the workouts listed below and record as you go! You ll be amazed at the progress you make overtime! Writing the workouts down and keeping track will serve as a great source of motivation so make sure you do it! Make NO EXCUSES here! This needs to be done for you to be most successful! For Exercise Videos, Go To: http://www.28daymuscle.com/exercise- database/
Phase 1 - Introduction To Pain Focus - Full Body Strength and Power This phase will prepare the body by increasing overall conditioning and acclimation to new and more intense training stimulations. This is essential as the later phases will be BRUTAL to the body and you must be prepared. Dynamic Warm Up (Done before every workout) 1A) Jump Rope OR Jumping Jacks x 2 mins 1B) Single Leg Step and Reach x 10 / leg 1C) Overhead Lunge x 10 / leg 1D) Push Up + Rotation x 10 / side 1E) Band Pull Aparts x 50 OR Superman Reach and Rows x 20 1F) Burpee x 10 1G) Lateral Lunge x 10 / side 1H) Knee Tuck Jumps x 10 1I) Inch Worms x 10 1J) Spider Lunge x 10 / leg Optional - Foam Rolling - If extremely beat up and sore
Phase 1 - Day 1 1A) Single Arm DB Snatch 5 x 5 2A) Single Arm Goblet Squat 4 x 8 (alternate sides each set) 2B) Hollow Rocks 4 x 25 3A) Single Arm DB Push Press 3 x 10, week 2-4 x 8, week 3-5 x 6 3B) Pull Up 3 x submax, 4 x submax, 5 x submax ***If you can't perform more then 5 pull ups in a set, do as many pull ups as possible then finish out your set with either some band pull aparts OR recline rows 4A) DB RDL 3 x 12 4B) Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 12 ***If you can't go toes to bar, do knees to bows, if you can't do knees to bows, do v- seats 5A) Burpee 3 x 10 5B) Farmer Walks 3 x Max Distance ***rest 30-45 secs between sets ***Use the heaviest DB's you can handle on the farmer walks Day 2 1A) Broad Jump 5 x 5 2A) Single Arm Goblet Lunge 4 x 8 / leg 2B) Plank Knee Tucks 4 x 15 / side 3A) Push Ups 3 x submax, week 2-4 x submax, week 3-5 x submax 3B) Recline Row 3 x submax, week 2-4 x submax, week 3-5 x submax 4A) DB Squat Cleans 4 x 6 4B) Wheel or Barbell Roll Outs 4 x10 5A) Jump Rope Tabata
Day 3 1A) Box Jump 5 x 5 2A) DB OR Barbell Thruster 3 x 10, week 2-4 x 8, week 3-5 x 5 (heavy) 3A) 15 Min AMRAP a) Prisoner Squat x 10 b) Push Up + Rotation x 10 c) Jumping Lunge x 5 / side d) Pull Ups OR Recline Rows x 5 e) Burpee x 10 f) Hollow Rock x 20 4A) "Sinister Ab Show" x 3 rounds total a) Hanging Leg Raise x 10 b) Russian Twist x 10 / side c) Plank + Knee Tuck x 10 / side d) Plank Hold x max time ***rest 30-45 secs and repeat Phase 1 - Optional Sinister Cardio Days Feel free to get in some extra High Intensity Cardio days to help get and keep you lean as well as build up more wind for next upcoming phase. Day A - Sinister Sprints 20 mins Total NO MORE - sprint 30-40 yards @ 90-95% - rest for 45-60 secs and repeat Day B - Run and Gun 30 min Total NO MORE - go for a nice run, pick out spots where you'll sprint for about 15-20 secs tops then jog slow for 2-3 mins. - repeat for total time / distance
Phase 2 - Villainous Strength and Power Splits - Tactical Domination Phase Day 1 - Upper 1A) Plyo Push Ups 4 x 5, week 2-6 x 5, week 3-8 x 5 ***try to recover 100% between sets ***focus is on PURE explosiveness 2A) Weighted Pull Ups 4 x 6-10 2B) Walk Walk 4 x 3 3A) DB Speed Bench 3 x 20 secs, week 2-3 x 25 secs, week 3-3 x 30 secs ***Get as many reps as possible in the allotted amount of time 3B) Band Pull Aparts x 25 after each set ***rest 60-90 secs between sets 4A) Jungle Gym / TRX Curls 3 x 20 4B) Jungle Gym / TRX Skull Crushers 3 x 20 4C) Jungle Gym / TRX Y Raise 3 x 10 4D) Jungle Gym / TRX Chest Fly 3 x 10 Day 2 - Lower 1A) Barbell Deadlift 4 x 10, week 2-5 x 5, week 3-8 x 3 1B) Box Jump x 3 after every set 2A) SB Shoulder Loaded Bulgarian Squat 3 x 10 / leg 2B) Plank + Knee Tuck 3 x 15 / side 3A) Barbell RDL 3 x 10, week 2-3 x 12, week 3-3 x 15 3B) Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 10, week 2-3 x 12, week 3-3 x 15 4A) Bottom Half Turkish Get Ups 4 x 10 / side
Day 3 - Upper 1A) 1 Arm DB Snatch 2 x 5 / arm 2A) Single Arm DB Push Press 4 x 8/ arm, week 2-4 x 5 / arm, week 3-5 x 3 / arm 3A) Dips 4 x submax reps 3B) Single Arm DB / KB Bent Row 4 x 6-10 / side 4A) DB Cheat Curls 3 x 10 4B) Close Grip Push ups 3 x 10 4C) Heavy Odd Object Carry 3 x max distance ***Use KB, DB, Sandbag, or keg for front carry Day 4 - Lower 1A) E.M.O.T.M Sandbag Power Squat Cleans OR Barbell Power Squat Cleans 5 x 5 2A) Barbell Back Squats 3 x 10, week 2-4 x 8, week 3-5 x 5 2B) Broad Jump x 3 after every set 3A) Kettlebell Swings 3 x 15 3B) Hollow Rocks 3 x 20 4A) Sprints 10 x 10 yards ***if no access to sprints, do mountain climbers 5 sets of 20 secs a piece
Phase 2 - Optional Sinister Cardio Days Feel free to get in some extra High Intensity Cardio to help get and keep you lean and build even more wind for next phase. Day A - Sinister Sprints 20 mins Total NO MORE - sprint 30-40 yards @ 90-95% - rest for 45-60 secs and repeat Day B - Run and Gun 30 min Total NO MORE - go for a nice run, pick out spots where you'll sprint for about 15-20 secs tops then jog slow for 2-3 mins. - repeat for total time
Phase 3 - Pure Evil Mass and Strength Building Phase Day 1 - Upper - Push Focus 1A) Double DB Push Press 5 x 5 2A) Bench Press 4 x 6-10 2B) Band Pull Aparts 4 x 25 3A) Jungle Gym / TRX Chest Fly 3 x 15 3B) Jungle Gym / TRX Recline Row 3 x submax 4A) Close Grip Push Ups x 20, x 15, x 10, x 5 4B) DB High Pulls x 20, x 15, x 10, x 5 ***Alternate between the two movement and take the least amount of rest between sets 5A) Jungle Gym Pike / Double Knee Tuck 2 x 15 5B) Jungle Gym Arm Circles 2 x 30 / direction Day 2 - Lower 1A) Zercher Squat 4 x 10, week 2-5 x 7, week 3-8 x 3 1B) Box Jumps x 3 after every set 2A) Sandbag Zercher OR KB OR DB Front Rack Walking Lunges 3 x 10 / leg 2B) Side to Side Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10 / side 3A) Single Arm Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 3B) Wheel OR Barbell Roll Outs 4 x 10 4A) Jungle Gym Side to Side Knee Tucks 2 x 15 / side 4B) Jungle Gym Hip Extensions 2 x 15 5A) Prowler Sprints 5 x 20 yards ***Optional Conditoning ***If no prowler / sled do plate pushes OR sprints Day 3 - Upper - Pull Focus 1A) Med Ball Slams 3 x 10
2A) Weighted Pull Ups 4 x 6-10 2B) Jungle Gym Atomic Push Ups 4 x submax 3A) Barbell Bent Rows 4 x 10 3B) Dips 4 x 10 4A) DB Muscle Snatch 3 x 10 4B) Jungle Gym / TRX Y Raise 3 x 10 Day 4 - Full / Strongman 1A) E.M.O.T.M. Barbell Clean and Press x 4 x 8 mins, week 2-3 x 10 mins, week 3-2 x 15 mins (HEAVY) ***Every min on the min you'll do the allotted amount of reps listed - use the remaining amount of time as rest 2A) Sumo Deadlifts 4 x 8, week 2-5 x 5, week 3-8 x 3 3A) Carry Complex x 5 Rounds a) Overhead DB, KB, Sandbag Carry x max distance b) Front / Rack / Zercher Carry x max distance c) Farmer Walk x max distance 4A) HEAVY Sled Drag / Pull OR Car Push / Pull 5 x 100 ft ***If not sled - use your car / truck! NO EXCUSES!
Phase 4 - Evil World Domination Training Phase - This is SINISTER Strength Training Day 1 - Full Body - Villain Strength 1A) Burpee Broad Jump 5 x 5 2A) Heavy Squats 4 x 8, week 2-5 x 5, week 3-8 x 3 ***Optional Strength Tools: Barbell, HEAVY Sandbag, Double Kettlebells 3A) Weighted Pull Ups 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 3B) Jungle Gym / TRX Push Ups w/ feet elevated on bench x submax reps after each set of pull ups ***hands in straps 4A) Bulgarian Squat w/ Sandbag OR DB 3 x 8 / leg 4B) Toes To Bar OR Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 12 5A) Sprints 5 x 20 yards ***if not room to sprint - Jump Rope Tabata x 1 round Day 2 - Full Body Evil Conditioning Complex 1A) Ice Skater Jumps 4 x 10 / Side 2A) Barbell OR DB OR KB OR Sandbag Complex - Pick Your Poison x 5 Rounds a) Power Clean x 5 b) Front Squat x 5 c) Push Press x 5 d) Drop Lunge x 5 / leg e) Bent Row x 5 f) RDL x 5 3A) Jungle Gym / TRX Core Complex x 4 Rounds a) Suspended Mountain Climbers x 15 / Side b) Pike x 15 c) Suspended Arm Circles x 30
Day 3 - HIIT Cardio Day - NOT Optional Option 1 - Sprints 1A) 40 yard Sprints x 10-15 - sprint @ 90-95% - rest 60-120 secs Option 2 - Hill Sprints 1A) 20-30 yard Hill Sprint x 10 - sprint up hill @ 100% - walk down BACKWARDS - rest 60-120 secs Option 3 - Cardio Machine Intervals 1A) Do 15-20 total rounds of 100% ALL OUT Sprint intervals on one of the following pieces of cardio equipment: ***Sprint ALL Out for 15-20 secs and NO more ***rest for 30-60 secs and repeat a) Versa Climber b) C2 Rower c) recumbent Bike d) Stair Climber e) Treadmill w/ 30 degree incline Day 4 - Tactical Villain 1A) DB / KB Snatch + Push Press 5 x 5-8 / arm 2A) Barbell Deadlift 4 x 8, week 2-5 x 5, week 3-8 x 3 3A) Jungle Gym OR Bar Dips 3 x submax 3B) DB Renegade Rows 3 x 8 / side 4A) Kettlebell Swings 3 x 15 4B) Hollow Rocks 3 x 20 4A) HEAVY DB Farmer Carry Tabata x 1
Exercise Library - Quick List Farmer Walks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmjloyufr7s swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkwygq6mwki hollow rocks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cuhxr8ebo0 db renegade rows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_o05ywxke dips - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig_jdfg- Iy4 dead- lifts - http://youtu.be/dlw_guhrqaw db/kb snatch - http://youtu.be/kg9rlavggr4 suspended arm circles - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjcjq0obaro suspended mountain climbers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwzilnt5gc rdl - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oc2_zpa3yi bent row - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xziwffsr4ly drop lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rksgq5otqom push press - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw0dioe3rzm front squat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiakmbkwv98 power clean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8oxmvpawvw ice skater jumps - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2vfuuouqe4 hanging leg raises - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veasq84bkgc bulgarian split squats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df46ti_- 8pE elevated pushups - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3nv9tg6qza pullups - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjbcxy3stci squats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfhoolbybay
Exercise Library - Quick List (cont.) burpee broad jump - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahnkqlgujxg sumo dead- lifts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aajuao3pkis barbell hang clean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3xxyjd2uiw db muscle snatch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkaqz59jzs med ball slams - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc7couogj6w single arm kettlebell swings http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8fluqw8zy48&list=uursogdamwoxyg3uniqjzchg&index=12&feature=plcp wheel OR barbell roll outs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbvkfh8dt60 side to side hanging leg raises - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0q8wnp8isa zercher squat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvecuieqtoq box jumps - http://youtu.be/xwvuhyviym8 db push press - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihn1dk_y- yk band pull a- parts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s0wasihmie jungle gym/trx chest fly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ubsxdrurejungle gym recline row - http://youtu.be/efouktluaz4 close grip pushups - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zon_462jgjo db high pulls - http://youtu.be/tlycolewjjy double knee tuck - http://youtu.be/mwy7s- evasm bench press - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdcmcpe5fb4 back squats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giw5- yf0wha
Exercise Library - Quick List (cont.) db cheat curls - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlfgugtllce 1 arm db snatch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbvg9yar- 2s single arm db/kb bent row - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oismjyziaqi sb shoulder loaded bulgarian squat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df46ti_- 8pE plant+knee tuck - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qby9reew2i TRX Y Raise - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9yobpir3si TRK Skull Crushers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdh- CuZBZ94 TRX Curls - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrboa9qb7w8 db bench - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muyuco9cxky wall walk - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m4one6cc4o plyo pushups - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdafzrywtui russian twist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usxgxc8szca jumping lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q56bhojejk prisoner squat - http://youtu.be/rq9hq3vbw9i db or barbell thruster - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvo0xx_emyc db squat clean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mou7c40lj5o single arm globlet lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyy2hzarrqq spider lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odq3vwjr7f0 inch worms - http://youtu.be/i7nzrnpgr7k lateral lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9- ltnj3dpk burpee - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlo5k5okgh4
overhead lunge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgye- CNalCE single leg step and reach - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo2uaeztsuo