Summary of The Ultimate Weekly Workout Plan for Muscle Growth and Strength

Key Wellness Strategies, Self-Care Techniques, and Productivity Tips from "The Ultimate Weekly Workout Plan for Muscle Growth and Strength"

• Sunday: Endurance and Movement
  • Focus on moving as much as possible, ideally outdoors.
  • Long slow jog (75-90 minutes) with hills, nasal breathing, carrying light weights if alone.
  • If with others, do 3-5 hours of hiking with a weighted backpack.
  • Purpose: build endurance, mental toughness, and ability to sustain long bouts of work or exercise.
• Monday: Leg Strength and Muscle Growth
  • Warm-up followed by 2-4 hard sets per exercise.
  • Exercises include:
    • Tibialis raises (calf front)
    • Standing/sled calf raises
    • Lying leg curls (hamstrings)
    • Glute ham raises (posterior chain, lower back)
    • Leg extensions (quad isolation)
    • Heavy hack squats
  • Rep range: 5-10 reps for strength and hypertrophy.
  • Rest: 2-4 minutes between sets.
  • Emphasis on training legs for systemic anabolic effects, longevity, cognitive benefits, and overall strength.
  • Keep workout under 1 hour.
• Tuesday: Recovery with Heat and Cold Exposure
  • Deliberate heat (sauna) and cold (cold plunge/showers) exposure protocol:
    • 20 minutes sauna (up to 260°F)
    • 3-5 minutes cold plunge
    • Repeat sauna and cold plunge cycles 3 times
  • Avoid cold immersion immediately after hypertrophy training (within 6 hours).
  • Benefits: hormone stimulation (growth hormone), mood enhancement, improved recovery, and heat/cold tolerance.
• Wednesday: Cardio or Torso Strength
  • Option 1: 25-30 minutes steady-state running at a fast but steady pace.
  • Option 2: Torso weight training focusing on chest, shoulders, and back.
    • Overhead shoulder presses (2-4 sets)
    • Ring dips or weighted dips (2-3 sets)
    • Chin-ups every other week (3-4 sets, slow eccentric)
    • Neck training for posture, spinal health, and psychological presence.
  • Flexibility to swap cardio and torso days depending on soreness or schedule.
  • Cardiovascular workouts preferably done in the morning.
• Thursday: Flexibility to swap with Wednesday
  • Can do torso workout or cardio depending on what was done Wednesday.
• Friday: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for V02 Max and Power
  • Short warm-up (3 minutes).
  • 12 minutes of Tabata-style intervals on Assault Bike:
    • 20 seconds sprint, 10 seconds rest, repeated 6-8 rounds.
  • Plyometric band-resisted jumps focusing on controlled eccentric landing.
  • Goal: improve V02 max, recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers, and maintain leg hypertrophy.
  • Indirectly targets legs, supporting hypertrophy maintenance.
• Saturday: Small Muscle Groups and Light Leg Work
  • Focus on smaller muscle groups: biceps, triceps, rear delts.
  • Light tibialis and calf work (lighter than Monday).
  • Prepares legs for Sunday’s long endurance session.

Additional Insights:

• Protein synthesis peaks about 48 hours after training and tapers off, but muscle recovery and growth continue beyond that window.
• Training legs is crucial not only for strength but also for cognitive benefits and systemic anabolic effects.
• Heat and cold exposure protocols boost recovery and hormone levels.
• Neck training improves posture, spinal health, and confidence.
• Flexibility in the schedule allows adaptation to travel and recovery needs.
• The routine balances endurance, strength, hypertrophy, recovery, and neural adaptations across the week.
• Emphasizes quality over quantity: workouts are kept efficient (usually under 1 hour, some as short as 12 minutes).

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Presenters/Sources

• Andy Galpin (expert referenced for hypertrophy and HIIT advice)
• Brad Schoenfeld (hypertrophy literature referenced)
• Peter Aia (jumping and longevity insights)
• Unnamed primary presenter sharing personal weekly workout plan and rationale

Category

Wellness and Self-Improvement

Video