Sup.
It's Brian.
Last weekend I released my SS5 Lean Bulking Program to the VIP presale list - these people signed up way in advance to receive a 25% discount on the course.
If you missed it, don't worry. Just yesterday I made the course public on my site. This means you can get your hands on the blueprint too. The SS5 Lean Bulking Program is a 12-week strength training program designed to progressively add strength and size to your physique every week. If that's something you're interested in, I have something to share with you today.
Below are the 10 commitments to a successful SS5 Lean Bulking Program. I tell my students that if they sign their name to these 10 commitments, they are well on their way to massive amounts of muscle and mind-shattering strength.
If you're on the fence about embarking on a bulking program, read through these commitments. By the end, you'll know if you're ready or not.
1. Understand activation energy.
Activation energy is the amount of energy (both mentally and physically) it takes to do something. It’s important that you make going to the gym and eating well (and consistently) as easy as possible. In other words, you want the activation energy of these tasks very low. An example would be packing up all your supps, a gym towel, your gear and post-workout stack into a gym bag that you take to work. Then, right after work, rather than having to go home to pack a gym bag, you head straight to the gym. By bringing your prepped gym bag to work, it lowers the activation energy to go to the gym — this is a good thing.
2. Allocate 4–6 hours per week of gym time.
Packing on muscle and getting strong is not easy and I’m sorry to say, a few twenty minute workouts a week isn’t going to cut it either. A solid Lean Bulking Program requires 4–6 hours per week of gym time. Pencil this into your schedule — your gains depend on it.
3. You’re bulking — stop trying to be “show-ready.”
The SS5 Lean Bulking Program is designed for maximum muscle and strength gain all while keeping bodyfat levels at bay. You’re going to gain weight and some of it will be fat. That’s just how it goes. Stop obsessing about your abs or your bodyfat levels. It’s time to add size and strength.
- Note: You won’t blow up and get puffy or bloated on The SS5 Program either. Folloiwng the nutrition and supplement prootocl will protect you from gaining any unnecessary fat during your lean bulk.
4. On a bulking program you must eat.
To put on size and strength, you’ve got to eat. In my experience, this is the limiting factor for most people. Training is easy because it’s fun and cathartic. Eating can get mundane. But there is no way around this: On a bulking program you must eat. However, you don’t have to eat until it hurts. That’s how you get fat, round and puffy. On The SS5 Lean Bulking Program, we bump up your total caloric intake moderately to provide a surplus of energy for your body to grow while keeping fat gain to a minimum. At the end of the day, you’ve got to accept the fact that you’ll be eating more food consistently over a period of time.
5. Train smart. Recover hard.
To put on size and strength, you’ve got to train smart and recover hard. In the gym you’ll have a specific approach with the SS5 Lean Bulking Program. You’ll attack the weights with a targeted strategy that hits the correct rep ranges, sequences and rest periods to stimulate muscle growth. But once your done with the gym, it’s important to recover hard. Why? Because this is when your muscle grow and strength is accumulated. In the course, I teach you a handful of potent recovery methods that accelerate recovery, boost mental performance and skyrocket energy levels. When it comes to muscle building, recovering well is very important.
6. Fill in the gaps with supplements.
Over the years I’ve helped a lot of people with their nutrition and I’ve noticed a pattern: Most of them are busy. This means that getting in their daily phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes and superfoods is challenging.
On the performance side of things, people want to feel that extra edge when they are training. They want to feel focused, energized and strong. But when life is busy, you feel less like a superhero and more like a tired dog.
This is where we fill in the gaps with supplements. In The SS5 Lean Bulking Program I walk you through a supplement stack designed to help you look, feel and perform better.
By having a supplement stack tailored for your goal, you reduce the amount of confusion on what you should be taking and increase the amount of confidnece you have in the kitchen and gym. Lastly, this saves you time. You no longer have to decide on what to buy or take each and every day. It’s all laid out for you in The SS5 Lean Bulking Program.
7. Strength programs have few movements.
(Good) strength programs designed for muscle growth have few movements. You need to accept this and give up the fantasy of muscle confusion. If you’ve become a slave to variety, you’re going to get hit with some brutal truth. In order to put on real size and strength, you’ve got to focus on a handful of movements that give you the most return on your investment. The SS5 Lean Bulking Program is programmed around the squat, bench press and deadlift. You’ll also learn to love these movements along the way.
8. Failure: Use it wisely.
The SS5 Program is designed to wave your loads on the main lifts each week. You’ll have a speed focused week, a strength focused week and a hypertrophy focused week followed by a reset week. This is to protect you from burning yourself out. There’s no need to go to failure each and every workout. In fact, there’s something called RPE — the rate of perceived exertion. It’s a subjective measure on the intensity your lift. On a scale of 1–10, you should be operating in the 6–8 range consistently. A practical rule of thumb: Always leave one in the tank.
9. Adopt “no-limit” thinking.
I learned this phrase from strength coach Ian King. When you’re on a mission to add size and strength, you’ve got to throw out any limiting factors that hinder your visualization of making those gains. Here’s an example: “I don’t want to get too big.” This is simply a cover up for the real belief of thinking that it is impossible for you to gain size. Adopt “no-limit” thinking and it’ll give you a surge of confidence in the gym. Every lifter who has figured out the game has a “no-limit” mindset. You have to believe it’s possible before it even happens.
10. Show up.
Bret Contreras, also known as the Glute Guy, once said “For every three workouts, one will be awesome, one will be just okay and one will suck.” This is accurate. It’s your job to show and do the work. Don’t rely on emotional stimulation to determine whether or not you will perform your workout, eat your meals or do your recovery work. It all matters and it all needs to get done if you want to put on size and strength. You just have to show up. Consistently.
You ready? Below is your invitation to strength and size.