This is the final four weeks of the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program. If you’ve followed the previous pieces of this bodybuilding plan, then you’ll know it’s been difficult. This last cycle will prove to be the hardest yet. You’ll be lifting heavy weights, completing more reps, and working harder than you ever have before. Keep reading to see if you have what it takes to finish the free bodybuilding program.
Before we get too far into the details of part three, I highly recommend that you check out part one of the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program, and part two. If you’ve done any of my other popular program, like my 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program, then you’ll know I often break my programs into cycles, with each cycle building upon each other in difficulty. This program is no different. Let’s review the goals of the final portion of this program.
12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program Goals (Part 3)
- Increase metabolic stress for each workout to continue to build muscle
- Add overall program volume
- Increase muscular endurance
- Add lean muscle mass
- Increase strength in primary lifts
You can see that several of these goals are different than previous cycles of this plan. Sure, you’ll still be doing traditional bodybuilding movements like: bench press, back squats, and isolation movements, but they’ve been combined in ways that you probably haven’t seen before.
One of the primary goals of this cycle is to increase metabolic stress. This is one of the three drivers of hypertrophy, and it really helps build muscle mass. I’ve increased metabolic stress in several ways. Most commonly, you’ll see that I’ve limited your rest periods, or I’ve used other intensity methods like drop sets, and super sets.
I’ve also paid careful attention to exercise selection. You can’t build a well rounded physique with only heavy compound movements, and you can’t just do isolation exercises either. You must have a good mixture of both, with the right amount of sets and reps that will yield the best results. I dare say I put together a program that will build your best physique yet.
Before we get into the details of each week of the program, I want to cover a few things on how I’ve color coded the program. As you’ll see further on, there are specific colors that denote the purpose of each portion of the bodybuilding plan.
If you’ve been doing the WOD accessory programs to these workout sessions then you can find part three accessory WODs here. They’ve been specifically paired with each session in part three and will really kick your ass. Have fun!
How to Perform Each Workout for the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program
This program is a 5 day per week split, with each session written as a vertical column. Green blocks are the same body part or muscle group. The lighter gray blocks would be an opposing muscle group. Dark gray block are general accessory movements, not associated with the muscles you’ve hit that day.
The newest change to this program is the red blocks. They indicate that all red movements are a superset. There are several ways to perform a superset, so I will specify how I want you to perform them here. If you had a pull up block in red, and a push up block in red, I would expect you to complete a max rep set of pull ups, and then immediately move to a max rep set of push ups. You can then rest as much as you like afterwards. Generally I would expect you to rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.
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It’s important that you make yourself move directly to the next movement, with no break. This lack of break, forces your body to produce energy anaerobically, and consequently, it will increase metabolic stress. This will build muscle, but it doesn’t work as well if you take too much rest in between sets.
I’ll cover more specifics further on, when we review each week, but before we do so, I want to put the link below where you can download the PDF for part 3 of the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program. It’s a Dropbox PDF download that is exactly the same as the images below. I should also note that I’ve included part one, and part two in this download, so make sure you start with part three. Otherwise you’ll be feeling a strong sense of deja vu.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE 12 WEEK FREE BODYBUILDING PROGRAM PART 3 PDF
12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program: Workouts (41-45)
The first thing you should notice is that much of the program’s bones have been kept the same. Most are compound movements in the 8-15 rep range, although you will see more strength training style reps between 5-7RM weights. Just to be perverse, I’ve also included a few sets closer to 20 reps. I know, I shouldn’t have.
Recall what I said about the super sets. For session 41 there are two super sets with the first being max rep strict press, and wide grip pull ups. Notice I don’t specify the weight on either. You need to select a weight that will allow you to get between 8-15 reps. One round would look like a max rep set of presses, followed by a quick transition to max wide grip pull ups. You can then rest a minute or two and repeat. This super set is very hard upper body work.
I recommend that you take 3-5 minutes of rest after each superset is finished before you move onto the next block. You want to be fresh for the next exercise. Luckily for you, I’ve tried to pair less demanding isolation exercises after these supersets, which mainly focus on major muscle groups.
If you like this kind of program then check this out.
12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program Workouts (46-50)
For this week, I’ve kept the same rep scheme most of the time, and I’ve asked you to increase the load or simply to beat last week. This can mean a few things. You can aim to go heavier on all sets, or you can try to go heavier on only one set. Either way, this is still progressive overload, and it’s key to forcing your body to grow more muscle.
If we take a look at session 47 you’ll see it’s designed for both strength gains, and muscle mass. I purposefully put the hardest movement, the back squat first, when you’re the most fresh. You’ll work up to the heaviest set of 6 you can for the day, with good form, and then do your back off sets. Pay close attention to the rest requirements. Each set will have to be lighter than the last, due to fatigue. That’s ok, the back off sets aren’t about how much weight you can lift, they’re about creating muscular overload and fatigue.
The super set for session 47 is going to be hard, like really hard. Feel free to scale the weight lower on the stiff leg deadlifts. Remember I want at least 8 reps on this, and if you can’t get there for each set, then pick a lower weight more suited to your fitness level. Don’t feel like you have to go really heavy on the leg extensions. While this session is lower body focused, it’s still a full body workout when you include the heavy squats. I hope you aren’t scared of hard work!
12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program Workouts (51-55)
This week is going to be the hardest for part 3 of the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program, in terms of overall volume. The number of sets have also increased on a few movements, but the general theme is more lifting volume. You’ll also note that you’ll be doing several compound movements like deadlifts, at 5RM rep ranges. This will really help you build strength.
On session 54 you will be lifting very heavy. A 5RM load is roughly 88-90% of 1RM. You’ll then get a nice rest after that heavy set, and move into a giant set. Here you will aim to finish 30 reps as fast as possible. If you lifted 315 for your 5RM, you would then be working with 225 lbs for your 30 reps. The best way to finish this type of work is going with the largest, even sized sets you can. Don’t do 12, 5, and then be stuck with double and triples. It would be better to go with 5×6 with a small break between.
I also want to point out that the accessory work for the calf raises are a type of rep called one and halves. This is where you will do a half rep calf raise, go back down, and then complete the full rep. This is a great way to get extra volume, and it can really be a shock to your muscles.
You have to do different workouts, to keep your body from completely adapting to the same routine. The best workout routines in the world keep you with the same movements and reps until your body adapts, and then transitions to a new stimulus, forcing more adaption and muscle growth. You can pick heavier weights, or different exercises, but sufficient change has to occur.
12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program Workouts (56-60)
This is the heaviest week you will have for this cycle. After sessions 57/59 you might think you’re doing a powerlifting program, working with 4RM. Similarly, many of your other sets have lower rep ranges. It’s important that you don’t let your ego force you to lift heavier weights than you’re ready for. You must use proper form, and finish each rep with safe technique.
On session 60 you’ll notice that I have you doing chin ups and then some forced negatives at the end. Research has shown that micro damage to the muscle increases muscle growth. A large part of this muscle damage comes from the negative portion of the lift. This is why I have you doing one set of forced negatives where you will do your normal reps, and then complete 5 negatives where you will jump up to the bar, and slowly lower yourself down. Most people associate negative pull ups with true beginners to weight lifting, but this technique can be used, even for very advanced athletes.
Once you finish this week you should be proud of your hard work. The 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program is a lot of volume and very hard work. While it isn’t designed to increase your strength primarily, I bet you will have increased the amount of weight you can lift on almost all of your lifts. That’s important. If you can’t hit big lifts on social media, then why even do it. Just kidding!
Next, we’re going to cover a few key pieces about your nutrition, as you finish up this program. I will also cover a bit about supplements, and a few tricks that I’ve picked up over the years to help build even more lean muscle.
Nutrition, Supplements, and Recovery for Max Muscle
If you’ve read part one, or part two of the 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program then you’ll probably have downloaded my Ultimate Nutrition Calculator. Make sure you follow the recommendations on the muscle gain tab, otherwise you might be eating too little.
In general I recommend eating a modified paleo diet. Complete foods that haven’t been heavily processed will be better for you, but there’s nothing wrong with eating some pasta, or breads occasionally. You need to hit your macro nutrient goals, and make sure that you’re getting enough micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) to support your muscle growth.
How to Eat to Gain Muscle Mass
Following the recommendations from the calculator will be a great start to eating to gain muscle mass, but that is just a starting point. Some athletes have fast metabolisms, or are very active throughout the day, and will need more food, especially carbs.
Don’t be afraid of carbs when trying to gain muscle mass. They are vital to providing you with the energy you need to lift heavy, especially at high enough volumes to build serious muscle. Conversely, there is no benefit to eating thousands of calories over what your body can use. This will just be stored as fat. While this program isn’t a weight loss plan, you don’t want to add a bunch of fat you’ll have to lose later on. Luckily the calculator should take care of getting you on the right track.
Smart Recovery to Gain Muscle Mass
There are only two methods that I think really help with recovery. It’s best to keep in mind that things being done to you are generally less beneficial than things you do to yourself. A massage might feel nice, but research hasn’t shown any benefit to building muscle mass.
Research has shown that cooling down for 10 minutes after each workout can help build more muscle mass. Go for a walk, or cycle at around 60 watts for 10 minutes, after each session. Athletes who do this will find they feel better leaving the gym, and ultimately this will allow them to be ready for the next workout much sooner.
Finding Your Next Program
Now that you’ve finished this program, you’re probably wondering where you should go next. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. If you want to keep building muscle mass, and increase your overall conditioning, you should check out my 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program. It’s by far my most popular program, so I’ve created a premium version with coaches notes, percentages, and specific warm ups for each session. Check it out below.
If you think you might like to focus on building pure strength, then you should check out my 7 Week Free Strength Training Program. There are no WODs, or functional fitness style workouts here, just monstrously heavy weights. If your idea of fun is scaring people at Planet Fitness, then this is the program for you.
Final Thoughts
I’m not gonna lie, I’m proud of this program, and I expect that you should really increase your upper and lower body muscle gain. This is for good reason, this program is scientifically backed, and very hard. Just remember, it’s ok if you have to modify the program. Make sure you get your training days in, and don’t fret if you took an extra day or two off. Use these free workouts to push your fitness and muscle mass to the next level. If you have any questions or comments put them in the comments section below, and I’ll get you an answer. Now get out there and get training!
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Morning.
Want to give your program a try. I could only workout 4 times a week due to jobs.
Can 4 days do?
Cheers
Yep 4 days works. Just do the program sequentially and start with part one of the 12 week bodybuilding program. https://www.tierthreetactical.com/12-week-free-bodybuilding-program-building-pure-muscle-mass-pdf/
Jeeeze! Just start Part III with the squat day. That max rep stiff leg DL into leg extension superset was an absolute killer. Took every ounce of energy I had left to power through the third set.
Excited and terrified of these next 4 weeks!
Good job getting through that. I think I winced when I programmed it! lol
Looking forward to this program!
What preferred exercise substitutions do you recommend for a home gym without machines such as a Viking press, chest press, shoulder press, leg curl, leg extension and leg press?
Do have bars, squat rack, dbs, Ghd, smith machine, and single high/low cable.
Thanks!
I think you’ll like it. The best piece of advice for substitutions is to pick an exercise that uses the same muscles. Like you could do close grip smith machine press instead of viking press. Good luck.