Ready to take your fitness to the next level?
We won't lie to you, progress requires commitment, but the results are worth the effort. By stepping up your training, eating the right food and taking the best supplements, you’ll soon see results.
Whether you're new to working out and need to kickstart your fitness journey, or you already go to the gym but want a fresh workout plan to add to your repertoire, we've got you covered.
Before you dive into your 7-day lean muscle workout plan, there are a few things you should know about supplementation and nutrition to help you maximize your training.
Supplements to Maximize Your Results
Pre-Workout
On a practical level, pre-workouts are designed to help you increase training volume and intensity so that you can get more from each workout session.
In time, those extra reps, sets and minutes spent add up to major gains. When you see your hard work pay off, the more motivation you have to train. And the more you train, the more progress you continue to make.
So, when combined with the proper training regimen and nutrition program, taking a pre-workout can offer that extra push – not just to workout today, but to do it again tomorrow, then again the day after...
C4 Original
The ORIGINAL explosive pre-workout! It's great for beginners as well as those who want to take their training to the next level.
4 things you should know about C4 Original
- Compared to a standard energy drink that has around 80mg caffeine per serving, C4 Original has 150mg per scoop/serving.
- C4 original combines incredible ingredients & flavors, to provide explosive support for energy, pumps, and muscular endurance.
- Includes clinically studied and patented CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine to help your muscles endure a tough workout. Your muscles are made up of proteins, and amino acids are the foundations of those proteins. It’ll also give you tingles to tell you “hey, I’m working”.
- Contains Creatine Nitrate. Creatine monohydrate is one of the most recognized and well-studied supplements for building strength and muscle. NO3-T® Creatine Nitrate is a university studied, advanced, and more soluble form of creatine that also helps with "pumps".
Branched Chain Amino Acids
Protein is found in your body in the form of amino acids. Originally formulated to provide competitive bodybuilders with enough amino acids to supplement a 'cutting' phase, the general uses of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) became apparent from the outset.
The three branched chain amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, and valine – and of these, leucine plays the most pivotal role in muscle protein synthesis.
During a tough workout, your body is breaking down protein to convert muscle amino acids into fuel. That’s great for powering through a workout but can have a negative impact when it comes to growing or maintaining lean muscle.
Supplementing with BCAAs during and after your workout can help promote muscle endurance and recovery.
Whey Protein + Casein Protein
Protein stems from the Ancient Greek word ‘prota’, literally meaning ‘of primary importance’. Certainly, where building muscle and burning fat are concerned, a high-protein diet is essential. Although it’s possible to obtain your daily requirement through food alone, protein powders are an enormous convenience tool.
Whey protein isolate is a fast-digesting form of protein that is often used post-workout to help with muscle recovery and repair. Whey protein is one of the most studied and popular supplements out there. Whey is water-soluble and absorbed faster than other proteins, meaning that muscles get the nutrients they need more quickly, which is imperative after a tough workout.
Casein protein is a slow-digesting form of protein that is often used in conjunction with whey to support lean muscle growth. Many will take casein right before bedtime to reap the benefits of this protein overnight. However, you can take casein any time of day to support your fitness goals.
Nutrition: 5 Tips to Follow for a Healthy, Lean Body
When you’re working out consistently, what you eat (and when) will impact your results. You want to fuel your body with foods that give you natural energy to tackle training and assist your recovery efforts.
When you decide to strip fat and build lean muscle without losing energy, you need to make a few concrete rules:
- Maintain a slight calorie deficit.
- Consume a high protein source with each and every meal.
- Be flexible with your diet but look for healthy takes on your favorites (thin crust, whole-wheat pizza is a prime example).
- Aim to drink around 3-4 liters of water each day.
- Vegetables should take up two-thirds of your plate.
Incorporate these five superfoods into your lean muscle meal plan:
- Turkey – High in the branched chain amino acid, Leucine.
- Sweet potato – The white variety spikes your blood sugar far quicker than sweet potato, which makes the latter a stable source of pre-training energy. You’ll also obtain high levels of Vitamin C and beta-carotene.
- Dark berries – Raspberries and blackberries contain high levels of anthocyanins, shown to benefit cognitive function and memory.
- Beetroot – The performance-enhancing vegetable. Beetroot is rich in nitric oxide which supplies oxygen and nutrients into your bloodstream, supporting working muscles.
- Oatmeal – A high-fiber food providing your body with low-GI carbs, making this an excellent breakfast or pre-training meal. Fiber aids your body’s digestive tract in general, aiding weight loss efforts.
Training: The 7-Day Lean Muscle Workout Plan
Set foot in your nearest gym, and you’ll soon notice a wide variety of people – bodybuilders, powerlifters, athletes and casual exercisers.
Bodybuilders are focused on building mass and burning fat almost simultaneously.
Powerlifters? Well, strength and power is their meat and potatoes.
Older gym goers may work out to improve heart health, or to gain a foundation of strength.
Resistance training is the vehicle that sets the wheels in motion for all of these goals, despite their apparent conflicting nature.
Building muscle and strength is important irrespective of whether you see yourself on stage, at a meet, on the beach or in general good health. To that end, you will need to select the biggest bang-for-your-buck movements that stimulate muscle growth while also expending enough energy to keep you lean.
This intense 7-day workout can be done in the gym, at home, with or without weights.
The exercises listed are designed to be performed in superset fashion.
Perform the first two back-to-back, then rest 120-180 seconds.
Then move onto the next two-exercise circuit.
Day 1: Arms + Glutes
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| 1A Wall press-ups | 3-4 | 8-12 | 0 |
| 1B Glute bridges | 3-4 | 12-15 | 120-180s |
| 2A Tricep dips | 3-4 | 8-12 | 0 |
| 2B Squat to chair | 3-4 | 12-15 | 120-180s |
| 3A Eccentric press-ups | 3-4 | 6-8 | 0 |
| 3B Reverse lunges | 3-4 | 8-12 | 120-180s |
Day 2: High-Intensity Metcon
Warm up thoroughly, then perform crawling burpees.
Do 20 seconds of as many burpees as possible, rest for 40 seconds and repeat for 10-15 minutes.
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Legs + Abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| 1A Squats | 3-4 | 12-15 | 0 |
| 1B Dead bugs | 3-4 | 10-12 | 120-180s |
| 2A Step-ups | 3-4 | 8-12 | 0 |
| 2B Side planks | 3-4 | 20-30s/side | 120-180s |
| 3A Lateral lunges | 3-4 | 8-12 | 0 |
| 3B Planks | 3-4 | 30-60s | 120-180s |
Day 5: Medium-Intensity Metcon
Do each exercise as a circuit, using the 10 seconds of ‘rest’ during each to transition to the next movement. Rest for one minute after you’ve done the whole circuit and then repeat for a total of 3-5 ‘rounds.’
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| 1 Mountain climbers | 20 | AMRAP | 10s |
| 2 Squats | 20 | AMRAP | 10s |
| 3 Lunges | 20 | AMRAP | 10s |
| 4 Plank jacks | 20 | AMRAP | 10s |
| 5 V-Ups | 20 | AMRAP | 10s |
Day 6: Light Activity Day
Go for a gentle run or bike ride, long walk, sports etc.
Day 7: Rest
Share the workout with your friends and step up your fitness journey today!
