16 Weeks of Workouts for a Big New Year

Another new year is upon us, and along with it, a pile of new resolutions. But this isn’t about shallow, short-lived promises that end up on the heap of plans gone awry. This is for people looking for permanent changes. If you’re ready to go-all in on a plan you can truly sink your teeth into, then you’re in the right place.

Let’s get to the meat of the matter. You want to reshape your physique. You want to build muscle and strength while stripping away unwanted body fat. The best way to get there is to have a plan, something you can follow without second-guessing yourself and beating your head against the wall regarding sets, reps, exercises, and overall programming.

This plan is for those who want to reshape their physique into that of a Greek statue, with performance to match. It will help you optimally build muscle, burn fat, and turbocharge your metabolism without wasting any time. It’s designed to get the most out of every single training session without fancy bells and whistles. In other words, you’ll be performing more military presses than cable concentration curls.

It’s also not exclusive to men. Women can benefit just as much from a program like this, without the unreasonable fear of getting “too bulky.” Contrary to popular beliefs, women can do the same type of training as men and get great results. Testosterone dictates the amount of muscle mass one can carry, and women have around one-tenth of the stuff that men do, on average. All women will gain is a little more muscle and strength, lower body fat levels and increased performance.

The Ground Rules

In order for this plan to produce results, you’ll have to follow a few principles so you can put the wheels into motion and get everything you possibly can from it. But don’t worry, these aren’t all that difficult to follow. But be warned: you won’t have any time to check status updates on your phone—you’ll be too busy.

Prime the engine: Warming up should involve more than just a brisk walk. Here you will have a 3-phase warm up series, which will include separate general, dynamic, and specific parts. The general segment is to get increased blood flow and a rise in body temperature; the dynamic is to get the motor neurons firing and ready for action; and the specific is to focus on particular areas about to be trained.
Focus on technique: At the risk of beating a dead horse, form and technique are everything. I can’t stress that enough. The more you practice perfect technique, the faster you’ll progress toward your goals. Using your muscles the way they were designed to perform will guarantee that they are functioning purposefully without wasted energy.
Live by the clock: One of the most undervalued and critical components of any training program is the rest between sets. For the purposes of this program, you will take minimal breaks. In order to reshape your physique, fatiguing the muscle is the name of the game. No more sitting around between sets.
Get used to tracking: You will need to to keep detailed notes on your progress. Keep a notebook or journal of sets, reps, weights, and overall health such as sleep quality, stress levels, or other times life throws you a curveball and your workouts are affected.
Leave the past in the past: We all have those down days where every pound lifted feels like 10, and it takes more than the average amount of willpower to make it to the gym. This time is critical, and you shouldn’t spend it wallowing in self-pity or beating yourself up over a perceived lack of self-discipline. If you stumble for any reason, don’t throw it all away. Pick up where you left off and get back at it.
Commit yourself to completion: Arguably the most important rule for this program is your personal commitment. This isn’t something that you try out for a day or two. The mere act of following a structured program will ensure you will see results, but it will require dedication, consistency, and persistence on your part in order for it to have a chance.

Once you decide to take this program on make the conscious commitment to finish it until the end. Write down a mission statement or a promise to yourself and sign it. Treat it like a contract with yourself.

16 Weeks to a Big New Year

The following 16-week program is split up into four-week segments. In other words, you’ll be shifting gears every four weeks. This will help you stay interested and keep your body progressing.

After each training session, you will perform a short, high-intensity cardio conditioning session. Use your choice of exercises, such as elliptical, treadmill, bike, or running (sprints). Do 15 to 20 minutes of alternating between one minute of low intensity, and one minute of high intensity.

Click Here to Download the Training Plan

Weeks 1-4

Frequency: 3 days per week
Volume: Low to moderate
Load: Moderate

Perform each training day once per week on nonconsecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.

Weeks 5-8

Frequency: 3 days per week
Volume: Moderate to high
Load: moderate to high

Weeks 9-12

Frequency: 4 days per week
Volume: Moderate
Load: Moderate

Perform each training day once per week with distributed rest days, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On one or two of your non-training days, perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as a recreational sport, low-impact cardio, or another mode of enjoyable exercise.