Muscles are made up of bundles of fibres contained within protective sheaths called fascia, which are then themselves bundled together. The biggest bundle is the muscle itself. The next biggest bundles are the fascicles, which contain the long, singl

It might be the start of the programme, but there’s no time to ease in gently. Go hard from rep one to keep your muscles guessing, so they have no choice but to get bigger and stronger ■

The four-week training programme in this book, which begins on p26, is divided into two-week blocks, or cycles. You’ll perform three sessions every week, each one concentrating on different muscle groups. Here’s what each one entails. The first sessi

Before you start this training programme, it’s important to understand the key elements that make up every workout in this guide. Knowing what each one means not only gives you a better idea of what you’re trying to achieve, it also allows you to mak

The last two weeks of the programme will capitalise on the gains you’ve already made to put the finishing touches to your new physique ■

Take a photo after your final session. Your body should look radically different from how it did at the start The workouts in the final fortnight of this programme have been designed to push your muscles out of their comfort zone as far as possible s

1 The pectoralis major is a thick muscle that forms the bulk of the chest. It’s responsible for the movement of the shoulder joint, specifically when you’re pushing an object away from you. 2 The pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle that sit

The first two weeks of this fou-week programme have been designed to work your chest hard while also building a solid foundation of strength and stability across your entire torso so you can attack the subsequent weeks as effectively as possible. The

The aim of this four-week training plan is simple: to build size and strength in your chest muscles, while also adding lean muscle to the rest of your body and burning away unwanted body fat. The four weeks are divided into two-week cycles. You’ll pe

Welcome to your new fourweek training plan that will help you shift body fat fast and allow you to build the body you’ve always wanted. In many ways you’ve already done the hardest part of any fat loss journey: you’ve picked up this guide and proved

Target muscles Abs, obliques START Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight and fingers by your temples. Raise your torso off the ground by contracting your upper abs. FINISH As your torso comes up, bring in one leg by bending your knee, then ro

This bodyweight circuit will get your heart pumping hard and fast Complete 4 circuits in total TIME Week 1: 30 sec Week 2: 45 sec FORM p49 TIME Week 1: 30 sec Week 2: 45 sec FORM p58 TIME Week 1: 30 sec Week 2: 45 sec FORM p42 TIME Week 1: 30 sec Wee

As soon as you get up – even before you go to the loo – drink a pint of cold water. You awake in a dehydrated state and it’s crucial to replace the fluids you’ve lost overnight (through sweating and breathing) as quickly as you can. Dehydration is a

HOW DOES THE PLAN WORK? This four-week workout plan will add muscle while stripping away fat because it’s a progressive programme that pushes you a little further outside of your comfort zone every time you train. This approach gives your body no cho

Move your muscles through their full range for every rep Complete 4 circuits in total TIME Week 1: 45 sec Week 2: 60 sec FORM p44 TIME Week 1: 45 sec Week 2: 60 sec FORM p54 TIME Week 1: 45 sec Week 2: 60 sec FORM p43 TIME Week 1: 45 sec Week 2: 60 s

Barbell moves are among the most efficient for building muscle and strength for one simple reason: a barbell allows you to lift more weight than any other bit of kit. But they also offer fatburning benefits too – if you start using them smartly like

Of the many debates that continually circulate around the health and fitness industry, none is more hotly debated than the best and quickest way to lose body fat and achieve a leaner and healthier physique. Indeed, ask 100 people for the right way to

In this chapter we're taking a more fluid approach to fitness by giving you workout challenges that you can either throw into your routine when you fancy a change or use at regular intervals – every six weeks, say – to monitor your progress. They're

Every Sunday spend ten minutes booking the week's training sessions into your diary. If you have them in black and white – and give them the same importance as your professional commitments – you will never use an excuse to skip a session. The most i

Think you need a plethora of expensive and fancy weights, bars and other kit to get into better shape? It's time to think again. Just ask Olympic gymnasts, or your local park's calisthenics crew – they will all say you can train pretty much any muscl

Simple, effective, classic. Almost every man starts his fitness journey with a pair of dumbbells, and for good reason: they're cheap enough to buy and small enough to tuck under a bed or sofa plus they're easy to use and massively versatile. But whil

The exercises in each workout remain the same in each two-week cycle, because this is the right amount of time to stimulate your muscles without them becoming too comfortable. The number of sets you perform of each move. In the first week of each cyc