It’s finally here, part two of the 11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program for Hardcore Bodybuilders. As the name implies, this isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll find plenty of heavy weights, and lots of sets in this program. If you think you have what it takes, then keep reading for more.
Like many of my strength training, or bodybuilding programs, this program is split into two parts. I highly recommend starting with part one of the 11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program before moving onto this portion of the program.
You don’t want to jump into this level of volume, and intensity without several weeks of preparation. You’ll also find that 11-12 weeks is the ideal program length, as you can build appreciable lean muscle mass without getting bored with the plan.
I want to be clear, this is a bodybuilding program that uses some high-intensity interval training methods to aid in building muscle. If you’re looking for a more traditional functional fitness program, that can build muscle mass, then you should check this out.
This 11 week program will have you in the gym 5 days per week, and you’ll be lifting a lot of reps in the 60-80% of 1RM range. Each workout finishes with a mini-circuit that will really fry your muscles. Let’s take a quick look at this program.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program Part 2 Overview
- Athletes should have a minimum of one year of hard training in the gym before trying this
- Athletes should start with part one before attempting part two
- It’s designed to be done in most commercial facilities, no super specialized equipment needed
- Each session should take between 60-80 minutes
- Each session includes a high rep muscle building finisher
- This muscle building program is designed as a 5 day split routine with 2 rest days per week
- You are very likely to make strength gains in addition to increasing muscle mass
When it comes to weight training, there are different fitness levels. This program is better for those that have proper form on each lift. I recommend athletes have at least one year of experience in the gym before attempting it. It’s designed for experienced lifters.
When I initially wrote this program, I figured that most folks would do this in a normal commercial gym, but it is certainly possible to do this in a well appointed home gym. It’s ok to modify a few movements, if you don’t have all the equipment you need.
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Now let’s cover the details of this program. You’ll find that the majority of the programming follows the previous template, with changes in movements and rep ranges. I’ve also taken the liberty of changing the high intensity interval training (hiit) workouts at the end of each day.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program for Hardcore Bodybuilders (Part 2)
Just like the previous cycle, you can pick your own poison when it comes to scheduling. There is no best way to do this program, but there is a best way for you to do this program. A lot of folks like to have their weekends free, but some like to workout on the weekends, as they have more time in the gym.
It’s important that you find a schedule that allows for adequate recovery. I still want you to get five sessions in per week, but don’t be afraid to add in an extra rest day once in a while. This program is very challenging.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 6
This first week of this cycle is week 6. Each day focuses on opposing muscle groups, with a few additional exercises thrown in there. Let’s take a look at session 26 which is an upper body bench press day. It starts with incline DB Bench and then moves to T-Bar row.
This allows you to really challenging your pressing muscles, and then give them a nice rest period, while you work your upper body pulling muscles. You’ll notice the next set of exercises follows the same pattern. Things change when we get to the finisher.
The finisher, or final HIIT exercises, use the same muscle groups as the primary lifts, however, I’ve drastically changed the work periods and the rest periods. This type of training is very useful for a number of reasons.
First, it increases excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which means you’ll burn more calories after the workout than if you hadn’t done the circuit. This has the added benefit of increasing weight loss, and most importantly, fat loss. If you’re not going for this, then make sure to pay attention to the nutrition section further on.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 7
This week I’ve chosen to increase overall workout routine volume. In some cases I’ve added an additional set, and in others I’ve increase the set size. I recommend that you take 2-3 minutes of rest between most sets, but you can take up to 3-4 minutes if you’re sucking wind on these final sets. Similarly, you might be able to get away with as little as 60 seconds of rest on smaller muscle groups, that use comparatively light weight.
Make sure you’re adhering to the weight recommendations. You’ll notice that I often use the term RIR, which stands for reps in reserve. If you have a set of 10 at 2 RIR, that means you should actually be able to do 12 reps if you really had to. You’re ending your set with 2 reps left in reserve.
It’s important that you realize that every set shouldn’t be taken to failure. This isn’t strength training, as much as it’s bodybuilding. Most research shows that you need some reasonably hard sets to maximize muscle growth. You don’t receive extra benefit for going to failure every time.
If you like this program, and want to try my most challenging strength program, then this is for you!
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 8
This is where the rubber starts to meet the road. Notice I say starts. The worst is yet to come! It’s not easy to gain muscle mass afterall! You might be tempted to start some crazy recovery program, to reduce muscular soreness, but I’d recommend against that.
Make sure you read the recovery section further on, as I’ve several tips that will will reduce your soreness, and increase the amount of weight you can lift. The best thing is that they’re free, or very cheap.
I also want you to pay attention to some of the blocks where I ask you to beat last weeks weight, or last weeks reps. This doesn’t mean you have to lift more weight on every single set, or more reps. I simply want you to do a little more than you did last week.
If you’re feeling strong, then by all means, add more weight across all sets. If you’re a little out of it because your furries convention went late into the evening, then you can just try a smaller increase.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 9
This is the second most difficult week of the entire 11 week program. You’ll certainly need to put in maximum effort each day. You’ll also need to make sure you’re paying attention to the basics of your recovery, and eating well. Hot pockets, and Cheetos don’t count for your macros in my book!
You’ll notice that I’ve snuck in some aerobic exercise in during the final sessions. While this is far from an engine building program, you need some aerobic and anaerobic exercise to increase your overall work capacity. Most importantly, a bigger engine, allows you to recover from hard lifting sets much quicker.
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 10
You’re gonna hate me this week, and that’s ok, I’m used to it. You’ll like me better once you start having trouble fitting through doors! But first, you have to pay, to earn that muscle tissue! Make sure you’re warming up thoroughly, and not cutting corners to spend less time in the gym.
You should expect that some of these session might last 90 minutes or so. This really depends on your overall conditioning, and your strength levels. If you’re squatting 315, then you’re building up more metabolic waste products to clear than someone who can only back squat 225 for the same amount of reps. This can increase your recovery periods.
I’ve simplified many of the finishing movements, as you’re probably getting close to your overall volume limit. That’s why you see things like quarter jump squats rather than full squats. It allows you to develop more power, but most importantly, it will reduce the recovery demands on your quads. See I can be nice too!
11 Week High Intensity Muscle Building Program: Week 11
This is a deload week. You’ll actually find that you’re lifting heavier than you were last week. Your volume is drastically cut down. Please do not just pick a heavy weight and try to go for it. When you’re strength training you need to pay attention to your warm up sets.
Most of you know the importance of warming up to your working sets correctly, but I do need to mention that for my fellow Marines. I know how we can be.
The most important part of this week is to make sure you aren’t making any drastic changes, or adding in some “extra work.” This is recovery time, and anything that takes away from that goal needs to be avoided. This is the week where your muscle size is actually built!
Next, let’s cover some great recommendations for increasing your performance in the gym, and your recovery out of the gym. There’s nothing fancy, just research validated techniques.
Nutrition Recommendations for Gaining Muscle
Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated, but you do need to understand the basics of nutrition to achieve the best results. The best way to do this is to read my Ultimate Nutrition Guide, and then download my nutrition calculator.
This will cover the basics of nutrition, and also give you a great diet plan to shoot for in terms of calories and macros. The important thing is to make sure you’re eating enough carbs, protein and fats. If you want some great resources for cooking high protein meals, check out the meals section in my 12 Week Weight Loss Program. Next we’ll talk about some great recovery tips.
Recovery Methods for Muscle Mass
Recovery is definitely a misunderstood topic. Just mentioning the word brings up images of cryo baths, and weird spa treatments. The research is pretty clear, while there may be some mental benefit to those things, they aren’t directly helping your recovery.
Read this article were I review some scientific studies on the topic. Your best bets are fairly simple. Make sure you’re sleeping enough, and eating adequately. Very easy cardio, like cycling or walking, can help you recover, as it increases circulation without incurring more damage to repair.
There is also some indication that wearing compression tights helps you both when you’re working out, and afterwards. Check out this article where I review the research on compression tights for building muscle and strength.
Lastly, one of the most useful inter set recovery methods I recommend is hyperventilation breathing. Read this article where I talk about the benefits of HV breathing. It’s very simple. You just breath deeply for 20-25 breaths 30 seconds before your set, and you should be able to complete up to 35% more reps. It sounds like nonsense, but it works.
Finding Your Next Program
If you completed this program then I want to congratulate you. This is a very effective workout routine, and it takes guts to get through it. Your next question should be where to go from here. I’ve got you covered. Here are some recommendations for follow on programs. Take a gander at each to see what you like.
- The 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program
- The 7 Week Free Strength Training Program
- The 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program
Final Thoughts
I always like to leave my athletes with a few pieces of advice before signing off. First, make sure you’re recovering well. You’d be surprised how much work you can do when you are eating enough, and sleeping well. You needn’t go crazy, just make sure you’re hitting the basics.
Don’t fret if you miss a day, or have to modify a workout. I’ve done many different programs, and there hasn’t been a single program that I haven’t modified in some way shape or form. Life happens!
Getting jacked is about consistently making good choices in and out of the gym. It’s not about different exercises, or rep schemes. If you have any questions or comments put them below, and I’ll get you an answer. Now get out there and get training!
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