Getting stronger requires commitment, hard work, and consistency and it goes beyond just lifting heavy weights and drinking protein shakes. Strength training will make every aspect of your life easier. Whether it’s carrying groceries, picking up and your kids, or reducing chronic aches and pains, building your strength will undoubtedly improve your overall well-being. With our six-week strength training program, you'll be able to increase your strength and build more muscle mass in no time. With a traditional program that takes you back to basics with resistance training, compound movements, longer rest intervals and training consistency you’ll improve your strength and set new personal records in no time.

How To Get Stronger In 3 Simple Steps

Strength Training Program  

To build strength, picking a program that uses basic traditional compound movements, is one of the most tried and true methods for building more muscle mass. Defining the reason why you want to get stronger is also very important to keep your drive and motivation. Are you getting stronger to live a healthier life? Do you want to get stronger so you can compete? Or are you building your strength just to look better and be more fit? Finding your why is the start of building a great plan, defining how you can be successful and the first step to getting stronger, faster. 

Compound Movements

In this six-week strength program, we use common compound movements. What are compound movements? Compound movements involve multiple joints and stimulating more than one muscle group at a time. Traditional strength training movements such as (Deadlifts, Push Press, Bench Press, or Back Squat) provide for a better workout because they stimulate all your major muscle groups at once. This means that you’ll build the greatest amount of strength, in the shortest period of time. Even without heavyweight, compound movements at a high-volume will still help you get stronger, faster than simply using isolated movements such as bicep curls or exercise machines. Of course isolated movements are great as accessory movements, to help build overall muscle mass.

Focus On Form

Without impeccable form and taking the time to learn how to perform each exercise the right way, you’ll never gain the strength, or develop your muscles into what they could be. Never sacrifice form, so you can hit a PR, or lift heavier. Check your ego at the door, and lift to get stronger, not to look cool. You’ll never be more embarrassed than the time you load up the bench press with too much weight, just so you can get stuck on the way back up. Trust me.

Pause Reps

Pause reps are a tried and true method of building strength and should be included in any strength-training program.

When you pause at the bottom of a lift for a longer count, there is no momentum or stored energy you can use to extend your movement. When you pause, the only thing you have is the strength in your muscles to perform your rep. So, how long should you pause for? You only need a small pause to take advantage of the strength that pausing provides. Just long enough, so that your momentum stops and starts again.

Resistance Training

Resistance training also known as strength training is the best way to gain lean muscle mass and strength while burning body fat. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate, which means your body burns more calories at rest. Every pound of lean muscle mass will burn roughly six calories per day at rest. That’s around three times as many calories as a pound of fat, which burns around two calories per day. Let’s talk about what that really means. If you gain ten pounds of lean muscle mass and lose ten pounds of body fat, you’ll burn an extra 40 calories per day at rest. It doesn’t sound like much, but 40 calories per day can make a huge difference in the long run; especially if you’re looking to make a major weight loss transformation. 

Additionally, by adding more muscle mass you’ll also be able to increase the intensity of your workouts. By working out harder for a longer period of time you’ll burn more body fat and increase muscle mass.

Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption EPOC)

After strength training, your metabolism stays elevated through a process called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC also know as the afterburn effect, refers to the oxygen and energy (in calories) it takes for your body to repair your muscle tissue during recovery. EPOC can be a major contributor to your total daily caloric expenditure by increasing your body’s thermic effect [R]. Prolonged workouts with more intense resistance training at heavier weights have been associated with a more substantial EPOC [R].

The Scale Goes From 50-100% To Max Weight

It’s imperative to make each set and each rep truly count. If you’re breezing through, your weight isn’t heavy enough. To reap max results, ensure you’re using proper form, increasing the weight for one or all sets, and aim to have those last 2-3 reps for all hypertrophy movements (8+ reps exercises) to be visibly shaky and slow. For the best results and to progress through the program as it’s designed, you must be willing to challenge yourself and to honestly rate your exertion (proximity to failure). This is an intermediate training program, so if you’re a beginner to training or exercising in general, be sure to prioritize proper form before weight and pay attention to your intensity for each exercise. The higher the intensity, the more calories you’ll burn, since your heart rate will be elevated.

Weight Progression Through Programming

The programming does incorporate a bit of auto-regulation and traditional rep-range approach. Ideally, you want to choose the heaviest weights you can when the reps within a set are low, progressing with that weight through the entirety of the program. In other words, the weight you start with should be much lower than the weight you finish the program with.

Lastly, you must feel the muscles in your body, actually working. This means paying attention to form, body positioning, activating the muscles with your dynamic warmup before you workout, and keeping your muscles firing throughout the entirety of the reps, sets, and range of motion (ROM).

Dynamic Warmup

The purpose of a dynamic warmup is to get blood flowing to the areas of the body that you will be working during your session. It will also wake up the nervous system throughout the body and help the mind-body connection for efficient communication and activation.

It’s more than just a few burpees or 5 minutes on the treadmill. Waking up your muscles are going to be one of the biggest keys to your success for maximal strength gains.

You will be mimicking movements that you will use throughout your workout. It’s actually been proven that dynamic stretching and warmups before weightlifting can help with peak power and improve performance, as compared to static stretching or no stretching at all. [R]

We recommend finding an area inside or outside that gives you about 20 feet of working space. You may want to modify the dynamic warmup based on soreness levels or areas that feel tight on your specific body.

Nutrition For Gaining More Muscle And Strength

The most critical aspect of gaining strength is having an optimized nutrition plan. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, which means better results.

Everyone has different nutritional requirements and it’s important that you optimize your nutrition, with whole-foods, clean carbohydrates, quality lean proteins, and healthy fats. Crash dieting will only lower your testosterone levels and add more body fat. Just because your friends lost a few pounds going Keto, does not necessarily mean it will work well for you and your lifestyle. Creating a meal plan, with a personalized approach is the only way you’ll reach your goals and stay there. 

If you're looking to get stronger and gain more muscle mass, and have no idea where to start, we can help. Swolverine offers one-on-one customized nutrition programs to help you meet your health and fitness goals and build more muscle mass and strength.

Every program that our Certified Sports & Exercise Nutrition Specialist creates is designed with each individual's specific goals and aptitude in mind. Your coach will groom through your current lifestyle, preferred foods, and nutritional habits while advising on small, medium, and large general changes that will enhance your nutritional journey and health goals. Each program comes with a

• Customized Nutrition Plan
• Customized Weekly Grocery Lists
• Exclusive Access To Our Tracking App
• Weekly Check-Ins With Your Nutrition Coach

Apply today at THE SWOLE KITCHEN

Eat More Protein

Protein is the macronutrient that is responsible for building muscle mass. Because it stimulates the biological process of Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS), it's vital to increase the amount of protein in your diet. 

According to a study published in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, a randomized double-blind trial was conducted to find if a greater intake of protein, during a calorie deficit helps to build lean muscle mass and burn body fat, when combined with high-intensity training. Researchers divided 20 male subjects into two randomized groups and assigned one group to follow a higher-protein diet than the other (2.4 grams per kilogram body weight per day versus 1.2). 

During a period of 4 weeks, both groups performed a combination of resistance and high-intensity interval training six days per week. The results indicated, that the higher-protein group lost more body fat than those in the lower-protein group, and also managed to gain muscle, despite eating fewer calories than their bodies required [R].

Keep in mind, not all sources of protein are created equal. Just because you ate a granola bar that said, ‘8 grams of protein’ on the wrapper, does not mean it was a quality source of protein. Eating wholesome, hormone free, organic, and grass-fed sources of lean protein avoid inflammation and help keep your body running at optimal levels, to help you make real gains. But which protein sources are the best to build more strength and muscle mass? Check out the table and foods list below.

What Is Muscle Protein Synthesis? 

Muscle protein synthesis is the biological process of building new protein cells to rebuild and repair muscle tissue, via amino acids. This biological process is a result of intense physical stress, through micro-tears and mini trauma done to the muscle tissue during training.

Your body needs protein, and specifically the amino acids from protein, in order to build, rebuild, and repair muscle mass. Amino acids are small molecules, known as the ‘building blocks’ of protein. There are 20 total amino acids in the human body and nine which are classified as essential. Essential, meaning that you must obtain them from your food or through supplements.

The food sources that contain all nine essential amino acids are protein sources, typically derived from meat, poultry, or dairy sources. The remaining eleven amino acids are nonessential, meaning your body produces them in on its own in quantities that can be utilized at a rate without exhaustion.

Examples of High Amino Acid Protein Foods:

• Eggs
• Chicken Breast
• Ground Turkey
• Beef
• Bison
• Venison
• Elk
• Pork Tenderloin
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Tilapia [white fish]
• Scallops
• Shrimp
• Rice
• Chickpeas
• Greek Yogurt
• Quinoa
• Whey Protein Isolate
• Plant Protein
• Cottage Cheese
• Hemp Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Edamame

We highly recommend working 1:1 with a nutrition coach from The Swole Kitchen during the next 8-12 weeks of this program to eliminate the guesswork with your nutrition to obtain optimal body composition.

Now, just because you eat protein does not mean that you’re automatically going to build muscle. If that were the case, we’d all look like Arnold and be slamming protein shakes for every meal of the day. It’s a common misconception that the more protein you eat, the more muscle mass and strength you’ll ultimately gain. So how much protein do you need to eat, so you can build more strength and get a killer physique?

The amount of protein you need is different for everyone and your body can only utilize so much. Not to mention, we’re all different and have different goals and priorities. The real challenge is eating enough while also making the right nutritional choices, so your body properly utilizes the protein you eat to build, rebuild, and recover.

John Trommelen puts it perfectly, in his comparison of minimalists to optimists.

“Minimalists want to do as little as possible, while still getting a decent chunk of the results. Minimalists want fitness to enrich their lives, not be a slave to it. My recommendation is a daily protein intake of at least 120g. That should give pretty good results, without worrying about small incremental gains by further increasing protein intake and worrying about quality or distribution.

Optimists are willing to put in more effort if there is enough evidence that indicates their effort will produce reasonable additional results. My recommendation is four meals spaced throughout the day (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and pre-sleep) that contain 40g of protein, with most protein coming from animal-based sources. Compared to the minimalists, this is a higher daily total protein intake and includes attention to protein quality and distribution.”

How Much Protein Do You Need

During this program, protein requirements are generally around 1.4-2.2 g/kg (or around 0.64-1g/lb) of body mass, to build strength and muscle mass. If you’re looking for a way to increase your protein intake that will help you build muscle mass and burn body fat, I recommend Whey Protein Isolate. It’s the best source of protein to help you meet your goals. If you’re vegan, then go with PLANTPRO5. Its proprietary blend free, so you know what you’re putting into your body and it is made with 5 plant superfoods, Pea Isolate, Hemp protein, Sacha Inchi, Pumpkin Seed, and Quinoa.

The basic recommendation for protein intake from the FDA is 0.8 grams per kilogram (or around 0.36 g per pound) of body mass in untrained, generally healthy adults. For instance, a 150 lb (68 kg) person would consume around 54 grams a day. For the purpose of this program, we will need to focus on getting at least 1g/lb of body weight of protein per day.

Carbohydrates

Glycogen is the major fuel source produced from glucose found in Carbohydrates. Glycogen plays a major role in supporting energy demands during pro-longed high-intensity training and moderate exercise and strength training [R]. The depletion of glycogen stores is the main factor in the onset of fatigue during exercise [R]. For rapid recovery from prolonged exercise, it is important to replenish glycogen stores to initiate muscle repair and adaptation in addition to protein[R]. Carbohydrates can be utilized within your post-workout nutrition strategy to influence the restoration of endurance capacity during high-intensity training [R].

Numerous clinical studies have proven that prolonged exercise correlates with low glycogen muscle content [R]. Therefore, if you plan on enduring prolonged exercise bouts, or have multiple workouts per day, it’s crucial to supplement with a clean, natural complex carbohydrate product to help replenish glycogen stores, for long-lasting energy and endurance. We recommend our product Clean Carbs, which contains sweet potatoes, yams, oats, and blueberries.

Getting the proper and adequate amounts of essential amino acids from protein and glycogen from carbohydrates is crucial for post-workout nutrition, in order to replenish and initiate the repair process to optimize your training.

Clinical studies have shown that including carbohydrates and protein together into your post-workout nutrition has the greatest benefits on performance optimization [R].

Examples of quality complex carbohydrates

• Sweet potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Yams
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Chickpeas
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Quinoa
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Plumbs
• Peaches
• Green Beans
• Edamame
• Clean Carbs

Pair Protein With A Functional Carb

You may be thinking, what the hell is a functional carb? Good question! Instead of thinking of carbohydrates as Simple vs. Complex, I like to think of them as Energy vs. Functional. What does that mean? Energy carbs are the carbohydrates that contain starch such as white bread, potatoes, and pasta. Functional carbs are carbohydrates that will keep you satiated or fuller for a longer period of time, such as sweet potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, brown rice, apples, or foods made from whole wheat sources. Below is a table of proteins and functional carbs. Pair a protein with any functional carb for your meals - a seriously simple and fast way to lose weight and burn body fat.

Supplement Plan

Diet and exercise are unquestionably the foundation for building muscle mass, strength and body optimization. But, to truly maximize your athletic performance and potential optimizing your nutrient intake is essential. Supplements are meant to be supplemental after all, and with the right ones you can optimize your results.

Whey Protein Isolate

Whey protein isolate is a quick digesting milk protein that will help replenish your body to make bigger gains and lean out. Unlike traditional whey protein, whey isolate is filtered and removes excess lactose, fat, and carbohydrates leaving you with a purified and more concentrated form of protein. Whey protein isolate will help enhance your performance, optimize body composition as well as provide the essential amino acids to enhance exercise recovery. 

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate (Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Honey Cinnamon Peanut Butter)

Clean Carbs

One of the biggest challenges to building more muscle is eating and ingesting enough of the right food and calories throughout the day. Complex carbohydrates are critical in providing the muscle fuel you need to build and rebuild muscle mass. Swolverine’s Clean Carbs are made with sweet potatoes, yams, oats, and blueberries all of which will help you build more mass and burn body fat.

Complex carbohydrates are made of insoluble and soluble fiber, some of which pass through the gastrointestinal tract without raising blood sugar at all. It’s important to distinguish between carbohydrate supplements that are made from real whole foods such as Swolverine’s Clean Carbs and other carbohydrate supplements which are made from modified corn and simple sugars such as dextrose, maltodextrin, and highly branched cyclic dextrin.Carb supplements that use these types of sugars will spike your insulin levels, leaving you depleted and lethargic after a quick burst of energy and inevitably creating more body fat.

Studies show that there is no additional benefit between fast-acting carb supplements and complex carbohydrates that come from real food sources on workout performance. If you want to build more muscle mass, you need complex carbohydrates, not simple sugars. It’s as simple as that.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Clean Carbs (45 Servings, Sweet Potato Pie)

BCAA

Branched chain amino acids help you rebuild muscle mass and enhance the recovery process. Supplementing with BCAAs throughout your workout will provide you with more energy, hydration and the fuel you need to improve workout performance.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine BCAA (50 Servings, Lemon Lime)

Kre-Alkalyn

Kre-Alkalyn is a pH correct form of creatine monohydrate. Numerous studies have shown that creatine can enhance peak performance, strength and power output. However, traditional creatine monohydrate does have some negative side effects such as such as bloating, cramping, and water retention. Additionally, creatine monohydrate has incredibly poor absorption, which results in wasted product and sub-par performance results.

Kre-alkalyn was created to address these negative side effects and to provide better absorption. Head-to-head studies suggest that Kre-Alkalyn can improve strength, power output, and even endurance more than traditional creatine monohydrate. High-intensity training programs require the body to go under strenuous aerobic and anaerobic conditions. By supplementing the body with kre-alkalyn, you will induce a greater improvement in exercise endurance and athletic performance, resulting in stronger lifts and bigger gains.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Kre-Alkalyn Creatine, (100 Serving Unflavored)

Citrulline Malate

Citrulline Malate is one of the best supplements to help all aspects of your training, such as strength, endurance, and recovery. Citrulline Malate promotes the natural release of nitric oxide (NO). NO widens and dilates your blood vessels, pushing more oxygen and blood flow to the muscle tissue, resulting in better performance, muscle gain, and recovery. Additionally, Citrulline Malate stimulates the muscle building process, and increases ATP the body’s natural energy source.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Citrulline Malate, (100 Serving Unflavored)

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is one of the most researched sports performance products in the world. Studies show that 3.2-6.4g per day of Carnosyn Beta-Alanine supports increased time to failure, delayed muscle fatigue, and improved muscular endurance. Increased rep volume due to increased time to exhaustion will improve performance and gains.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Beta-Alanine Carnosyn, (100 Serving Unflavored)

L-Glutamine

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid and the best sports supplement to help reduce muscle soreness. During intense training periods, your body will actually use and deplete all of its glutamine stores, which inhibits its function and decreases strength, stamina, and lengthens the recovery period. By supplementing L-Glutamine, you’re ensuring your body has an adequate supply of to reduce exercise induced muscle soreness and protect yourself from muscle mass breakdown.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Glutamine (100 Servings, Unflavored)

Krill Oil 

98% of all Americans are not getting enough of healthy omega-3 fats in their diet. Krill oil is an amazing source of Omega-3 and essential fatty acids EPA and DHA. Studies have shown that omega-3 supplementation supports fat loss, better muscle development, promotes immune health, reduces inflammation, improves joint health, and supports heart health. Adding 500mg of krill oil to your supplement regimen is one of the best preventative measures you can take to improve your overall health and wellness.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Swolverine Krill Oil (60 Servings, Vanilla)

Supplement Timing and Dosage

MORNING

• Clean Carbs: 1 Scoop
• Whey Protein Isolate: 1 Scoop
• Krill Oil: 500mg

30 MIN PRE WORKOUT

• BCAA: 6.5g
• Beta-alanine: 5g
• Citrulline Malate: 5g
• Kre-Alkalyn: 3g

POST WORKOUT

• Whey Protein Isolate: 1 Scoop
• Clean Carbs: 1 Scoop 

BEFORE BED

• Whey Protein Isolate mixed with Milk/Milk Alternative (Oat, Almond, Cashew, Macadamia): 1 Scoop
• ZMT: 1 Scoop hot or cold 

6 Week Strength Training Program 

Week 1-2

Week 3-4 

Week 5-6

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Need Help With Optimizing Your Diet And Nutrition Plan To Finally Get The Results You've Been Waiting For?

The Swole Kitchen is an exclusive membership opportunity for those who are looking to pursue a performance-driven lifestyle. By combining wellness consulting, nutritional lifestyle improvement, and 1:1 customized nutrition plans to our members, our programs aim to optimize human potential. In each of our programs, you’ll receive guidance to reclaim your health, fuel your lifestyle, and pursue performance ambitions, all while learning how to make nutritional decisions from a place of self-trust and intuition. All of our coaches are committed to providing the highest level of results-driven wellness to our members.

 

SWOLVERINE IS AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE BRAND. MADE FOR THE ELITE ATHLETE, AND THE STRONG-WILLED OUR PRODUCTS WERE DESIGNED TO FUEL YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. WE PERFORM WHEN YOU PERFORM. 

We believe that everyone can optimize not only their athletic performance but their human potential. The way we believe we can optimize performance is through transparency, clinically effective doses, and clinically proven ingredients with evidence-based outcomes. We provide the nutrients you need to power your active lifestyle.