THE BATTLE PLAN
PART I — WHERE YOU START THE WAR
ENTERING STATS
170WEIGHT (LBS)
18%BODY FAT
~139LEAN MASS (LBS)
28DAYS — PART I
THE TARGET YOU'RE BUILDING TOWARD
~165GOAL WEIGHT (LBS)
13%GOAL BODY FAT
~143GOAL LEAN MASS (LBS)
+4–5LBS LEAN TO ADD
The mission brief
Part I is the build. You start at 170 lbs and 18% — the honest number, not the flattering one. Over these four weeks you push calories and push loads. The scale climbs toward 172–175 by design — that's glycogen, water, and the first new tissue, not fat you're afraid of. The real prize comes later: strip back to ~165 at 13% and you stand there with 4–5 lbs of lean muscle you didn't have. You can't build and reveal at the same time. Part I builds. Trust the climb.
Train around the body you have — not the one on paper
Four things get respected every session: the T3 / upper back (controlled pulling, chest-supported rows, no behind-the-neck), the right hip / sciatic (controlled squat depth, neutral pelvis), the left leg (start unilateral work on the left, every time), and the elbows (cable and neutral-grip alternatives, EZ bar over straight). Day 3 is built T3-friendly on purpose. None of this is an excuse — it's how you train hard for four weeks straight without breaking down.
PHASE MAP
1–2
FOUNDATION
AUG 1–14 · ESTABLISH LOADS, OWN THE PATTERNS
Stop 1–2 reps shy of failure on every set. Straight sets, full rest, no drop sets. The job is to find your true working weights and groove the movements clean before you turn up the volume.
3–4
ESCALATION
AUG 15–28 · ADD LOAD, ADD INTENSITY
Now you push. Add weight to every anchor lift over the Foundation number, take working sets to within 1 rep of failure, and add a drop set to the last set of every isolation. The body is adapted — stop being polite with it.
THE 6-DAY SIEGE
DAY 1
QUADS & GLUTES
Barbell squat anchor. Quad sweep + glute drive.
ANCHOR DAYDAY 2
CHEST & TRICEPS
Incline shelf + long-head triceps.
DAY 3
BACK & BICEPS
Width + thickness, built T3-friendly.
T3 SAFEDAY 4
HAMSTRINGS & GLUTES
RDL + hip thrust anchors. Posterior chain.
ANCHOR DAYDAY 5
SHOULDERS & ARMS
Lateral width + dedicated arm volume.
DAY 6
WILDCARD
Pick your weapon — 4 tracks. Attack a lagging part.
YOUR CALLDAY 7
REST & RECOVERY
Mobility, walk or rollerblade, sleep. This is where you grow.
WHY IT'S BUILT THIS WAY
Two leg days, glutes touched three times
Glutes are your priority and they tolerate frequency — Day 1, Day 4, and again on the Wildcard if you pick it. Quads and posterior chain get their own dedicated sessions so neither one gets the leftovers. Calves get hit on both leg days because they answer to reps and frequency.
The Wildcard is a real training decision
Day 6 isn't filler. Each week, look at the mirror and the log, pick the track that attacks your weakest link, and bring everything. Lagging quads? Track A. Need back density? Track B. Arms not popping? Track C. Glutes always win? Track D. Choosing is part of the work.
DAILY CHECK
FUEL · WATER · STACK
GAINZ
0DAY STREAK
FINISH THE DAY TO KEEP YOUR STREAK
0oz
GOAL · 128 OZ (1 GAL)
MEALS HIT — 0/6
STACK TAKEN — 0/5
THE SPLIT
LOG EVERY LIFT · BEAT LAST WEEK
DAY 1 · ANCHOR
QUADS & GLUTES
QUAD SWEEP · GLUTE DRIVE · CALVES
Barbell Back Squat
ANCHORYour foundation lift — log it every week. Control the depth for the right hip: go only as deep as you keep a neutral pelvis, drive through mid-foot, brace hard. This number is the one you chase all block.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: 5 clean sets, 2 in reserve. Find your true working weight.ESCALATION: beat your Foundation top set. Last set within 1 rep of failure.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Start your LEFT leg every set — it's the smaller side and it sets the rep target the right side has to match. Long stride, heel drive, knee tracks over the toes.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: bodyweight to light DBs, perfect balance.ESCALATION: add load, drop set the left leg on the last set.
Leg Press
Feet mid-platform for quad bias, control the eccentric, never slam the knees into lockout. High-rep burn for the sweep.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: 4 straight sets, full range.ESCALATION: add a drop set on set 4 — strip 25%, 10 more reps.
Walking Lunges
20 total steps, long stride for the glute stretch at the bottom. Tall torso, controlled descent — no crashing the back knee.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: bodyweight, own the balance.ESCALATION: hold DBs, same step count.
Glute Bridge / Hip Thrust
Two-second squeeze at the top, posterior pelvic tilt, chin tucked. Drive through the heels and own the lockout.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: pause every rep, build the load.ESCALATION: heavier, hold the last rep of the last set for 5 seconds.
Seated Calf Raise
Full stretch at the bottom, one-second pause, drive to a hard top contraction. Calves answer to reps and frequency — give them both.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: full range every rep.ESCALATION: add load, hold the bottom stretch 2 seconds.
DAY 2
CHEST & TRICEPS
UPPER SHELF · LONG HEAD · LOCKOUT
Incline Barbell Bench Press
ANCHORUpper-chest shelf is the whole point. Mind the elbow — 45° tuck, neutral wrist, controlled load, full lockout without flaring. Your pressing anchor for the block.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: build a clean working weight, 2 in reserve.ESCALATION: beat it, last set to 1 rep shy of failure.
Dips
Slight forward lean for chest bias, depth only as far as the shoulders stay happy. Add load when 15 gets easy.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: bodyweight, full control.ESCALATION: add a belt plate, drop to bodyweight on the last set.
DB Flys
Loaded stretch at the bottom — soft elbows, feel the pec lengthen, squeeze to touch at the top. Stretch is where the chest grows.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: controlled, no bouncing out of the stretch.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Close-Grip Bench Press
Shoulder-width grip — not narrow, the elbow won't thank you. Elbows pinned, drive the lockout. Triceps strength and mass.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: groove the groove, build load.ESCALATION: add weight over Foundation.
Rope Pushdowns
Split the rope at the bottom, elbows glued to your sides. Cable-friendly on the elbow joint.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, full lockout.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Overhead Cable Extension
Elbows by the ears, full stretch overhead — this hits the long head no pushdown can reach. The long head is most of the arm's mass.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: deep stretch, controlled.ESCALATION: drop set to finish.
DAY 3 · T3-FRIENDLY
BACK & BICEPS
WIDTH · THICKNESS · PEAK
🛡 Built around your T3
This day is chest-supported and controlled by design. Brace, no jerking, no behind-the-neck pulling. Face pulls and the chest-supported row keep the upper back strong without loading the spine.
T-Bar Row
ANCHORUse the chest-supported version if available to protect the T3. Brace, no jerking off the bottom, pull to the lower ribs and squeeze. Your back anchor — log it.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, build the working weight.ESCALATION: beat it, last set to near failure with clean form.
Lat Pulldown
Wide grip, lean back 10–15°, drive the elbows down and squeeze the lats. This builds the width that makes the waist look smaller.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: full stretch, full contraction.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Chest-Supported Machine Row
T3 SAFEThe chest pad takes your spine out of it — safe thickness work for the upper back. Full stretch forward, full squeeze back, no momentum.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: controlled, build load safely.ESCALATION: add weight, pause the squeeze.
Seated Cable Row
Neutral grip, tall chest, no torso swing — keep the load on the mid-back, off the lower back. Squeeze and hold.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, no body english.ESCALATION: add load, hold each contraction.
Face Pulls
Your first line of defense for the T3 — controlled rear delt and scapular work. High elbows, pull to the forehead, squeeze the rear delts.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: light, perfect, every week.ESCALATION: add reps, never sacrifice control.
Hyperextensions
Squeeze the glutes at the top, don't hyper-arch the lower back — stop at neutral. Spinal erectors and glutes, gently.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: bodyweight, controlled.ESCALATION: hold a light plate to the chest.
Incline DB Curl
Arms hang fully behind the body at the bottom — full stretch loads the long head, the peak-building portion. Supinate hard at the top.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: deep stretch, no swinging.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Hammer Curls
Brachialis builder — the muscle that pushes the bicep peak up and thickens the forearm. Neutral grip throughout, full range, no swing.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict tempo.ESCALATION: add load or run them as a finisher drop set.
DAY 4 · ANCHOR
HAMSTRINGS & GLUTES
POSTERIOR CHAIN · HINGE · CALVES
Romanian Deadlift
ANCHORSoft knees, hinge from the hips, bar close to the legs. Feel the hamstring stretch and stop where your lower back stays neutral — protect the T3 and lumbar. Your posterior anchor.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: master the hinge, build load, 2 in reserve.ESCALATION: add weight, last set to near failure with a flat back.
Lying Hamstring Curls
Three-second eccentric, dorsiflex the foot, full squeeze at the top. The slow lowering is where the hamstring grows.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, slow negatives.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Hip Thrusts
ANCHORYour #1 glute builder — load it and log it. Two-second pause at lockout, posterior pelvic tilt, chin tucked, drive through the heels.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: pause every rep, build the working weight.ESCALATION: beat it, hold the final rep 5 seconds.
Step-Ups
Start your LEFT leg — drive through the heel, control the descent, no pushing off the bottom foot. Unilateral balance for the left side.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: bodyweight, full control.ESCALATION: hold DBs, same reps.
Sled Pushes
Low and powerful, hip and glute drive across the full length. This is your earned conditioning — no treadmill required.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: steady pace, 3 rounds.ESCALATION: add plates or cut the rest.
Standing Calf Raise
Full stretch at the bottom, pause, explode to the top. Standing hits the gastroc — the calf that shows.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: full range, controlled.ESCALATION: add load, 2-second bottom stretch.
DAY 5
SHOULDERS & ARMS
LATERAL WIDTH · PEAK · PUMP
Seated Overhead Press
ANCHORNeutral or slight-angle grip to spare the elbow, brace the core, press in your pain-free range. Never behind the neck — protect the T3. Your shoulder anchor.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: build the working weight, 2 in reserve.ESCALATION: beat it, last set near failure.
Lateral Raises
Lead with the elbows, slight forward lean, control all the way down. Width is the goal — this is the muscle that builds the superhero silhouette.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, no swinging.ESCALATION: drop set the last set — two strips.
Rear Delt Flys
Controlled — rear delts also stabilize the T3, so this earns its keep twice. Soft elbows, squeeze the back of the shoulder, no heaving.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: light and perfect.ESCALATION: add reps, hold each squeeze.
EZ-Bar Curls
EZ bar over the straight bar — easier on the elbow. No swing, full range, squeeze at the top.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict, build load.ESCALATION: drop set the last set.
Skull Crushers
EZ bar, elbows pointed up and still, lower to the forehead. Control protects the elbow — no bouncing.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: controlled, build load.ESCALATION: drop into close-grip pushups to finish.
Rope Curls
Constant tension, supinate the wrists at the top, no rest at the bottom. Cable keeps the tension honest.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: strict tempo.ESCALATION: superset with rope pushdowns.
Rope Pushdowns — Burnout
Burnout finisher — split the rope, full lockout, chase the pump. End the session with the arms full.
PROGRESSION
FOUNDATION: clean reps to a pump.ESCALATION: double drop set to close.
DAY 6 · YOUR CALL
WILDCARD
PICK YOUR WEAPON
Choose the track that attacks your weakest link
Look at the mirror and the log. Pick one track, bring everything, and log it like any other day. Switch it up week to week — this is where you bring a lagging part up to the rest.
Hack Squat
QUADFeet low and close for max quad sweep, control the depth for the right hip. Deep but pain-free.
Leg Extension — FST style
Short rests, two-second top squeeze, stretch the quad between sets. Chase a skin-splitting pump.
Walking Lunges
Long stride, tall torso, controlled descent. 20 total steps.
Sissy Squat
Loaded stretch on the quad — hold a post for balance, lean back, control all the way down.
Seated Calf Raise
Full stretch, pause, drive up. Finish the legs.
Pull-Ups
WIDTHFull hang to full contraction, controlled — your calisthenics foundation. Add band or assist to keep the rep quality high.
Chest-Supported Row
T3 SAFESpine supported, full stretch and squeeze. Safe thickness work.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
Lat isolation — soft elbows fixed, drive the bar to the thighs, feel the lats only.
Single-Arm DB Row
Brace on the bench, full stretch at the bottom, pull to the hip. Even out both sides.
Face Pulls
Rear delts and T3 health — high elbows, pull to the forehead.
EZ-Bar Curl
PEAKEZ bar to spare the elbow, no swing, squeeze hard at the top.
Close-Grip Bench Press
Shoulder-width grip, elbows pinned, full lockout. Triceps mass.
Incline DB Curl
Arms behind the body for the long-head stretch. Supinate at the top.
Overhead Cable Extension
Elbows by the ears, deep overhead stretch for the long head.
Rope Curl + Rope Pushdown — Superset
Back to back, no rest between — curl then pushdown. End with the arms blown up.
Hip Thrust
GLUTETwo-second pause at lockout, posterior pelvic tilt, heel drive. The king of glute builders.
Cable Kickback
Squeeze at full extension, no lower-back arch — all glute. Each side.
Walking Lunges
Long stride for max glute stretch, heel drive. 24 total steps.
Booty-Band Abduction
Constant tension, slight forward lean, drive the knees out. Glute med pump.
Glute-Ham Raise / Hyperext
Squeeze the glutes at the top, neutral spine — protect the lower back and T3.
DAY 7
REST & RECOVERY
THIS IS WHERE YOU GROW
Recovery is training
The work breaks the muscle down. The growth happens now — while you sleep, eat, and stay still. Skipping recovery doesn't make you tougher, it just wastes the six days you put in. Treat this day like it counts, because it does.
Move, don't train
30–45 minutes of easy movement: a walk, a rollerblade, light mobility. Earned conditioning, not a session. Get the blood moving through the muscles you hammered all week and let the joints decompress.
Mobility — hit the trouble spots
Right hip openers, T-spine extensions over a foam roller, light shoulder dislocates with a band. Five minutes on each of the areas you train around all week keeps them training-ready.
Eat and sleep like it's the work
On a build, the scale moves on rest days too. Keep the meals coming, hit your water, and get 7+ hours. The food you eat today is the muscle you wear next week.
PHASE PROGRESSION
WHAT CHANGES — WEEK BY WEEK
One rule that never changes
Every session, every exercise, every weight logged. If the number goes up, the session was a win. If it stays flat, it had better be because the form got cleaner. Progressive overload is the only thing that forces muscle to grow — everything else is just the environment you build it in. The app keeps the receipts; you keep beating them.
WEEKS 1–2
FOUNDATION
AUG 1–14
Intensity rule: Stop 1–2 reps shy of failure on every set. You're learning the patterns and finding true working weights — the joints adapt before the CNS pushes limits.
Straight sets only. No drop sets, no supersets. Full rest windows. The goal is clean execution and an honest baseline on every anchor lift.
Log the anchors first: Squat, Incline Bench, T-Bar Row, RDL, Hip Thrust, Overhead Press. These five-plus numbers are what you'll chase in Escalation.
Scale expectation: 170 → ~172. Mostly glycogen and water from the calorie increase. That's exactly right — real tissue follows.
WK 2 TARGET
~172 lbs
Glycogen + water from the calorie bump
WEEKS 3–4
ESCALATION
AUG 15–28
Beat the Foundation number. Every anchor lift gets more weight than your Weeks 1–2 top set. The app shows you last week's mark — your job is to pass it.
Intensity rule: Train to within 1 rep of failure on all working sets. The body is adapted — stop being conservative.
Drop sets introduced: The last set of every isolation gets a single drop — strip 20–25%, 8–10 more reps, full range held.
Nutrition check: Weeks 3–4 are where the first real scale movement shows. If you're not up ~0.5–0.75 lb/week, calories go up — total calories, not macros.
WK 4 TARGET
172–175 lbs
First real lean mass on the frame
What Part I sets up
Four weeks is a build block, not a full arc — there's no deload here because you haven't dug a deep enough hole to need one yet. You finish Part I heavier, stronger on every anchor, and carrying new tissue. From there the path to ~165 at 13% is a controlled reveal: keep the muscle you built, strip the cover. Part I earns the muscle. What comes next shows it off.
BUILD-PHASE NUTRITION
FEED THE MUSCLE · CONTROL THE FAT
DAILY TARGETS — TRAINING DAYS
3,200–3,400CALORIES
200g+PROTEIN (FLOOR)
380–420gCARBOHYDRATES
75–90gFATS
A moderate surplus — push the calories, push the loads, accept a slight body-fat tick by design. This is a build, not a free-for-all. If the scale isn't moving by Week 3, eat more before you do anything else.
THE 6-MEAL STRUCTURE
Meal 1 — Breakfast · 10:00 AM
6 whole eggs · oatmeal with honey & berries · peanut butter · whole milk. A big, whole-food protein and carb start. The eggs and milk anchor the day's protein floor.
Meal 2 — Pre-Workout · 1:00 PM
7 oz chicken · quinoa or rice · broccoli · olive oil. Clean fuel ~90 min before you train so the tank is full under load.
Meal 3 — Post-Workout Shake · 3:30 PM (OPTIONAL)
Mass gainer (124g carbs / 48g protein) · banana · peanut butter. The most important carb window of the day — slam the glycogen back in while the muscle is primed. Skip only if you're already hitting calories from whole food.
Meal 4 — Mid-Day Fuel · 5:30 PM
8 oz ground beef (85/15) · sweet potato · green beans · butter. Red meat for the creatine, iron, and saturated fat that supports hormones on a build.
Meal 5 — Dinner · 8:00 PM
8 oz salmon or steak · quinoa or rice · steamed veg · olive oil. Omega-3s from the salmon do double duty for recovery and joints.
Meal 6 — Before Bed · 10:30 PM
Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt · almonds · honey. Slow-digesting casein feeds muscle protein synthesis through the night — the overnight build window.
NON-NEGOTIABLES
200g+ protein every day — the floor. Hit it from whole food first, fill the gap with shakes. Every gram you miss is muscle you don't build.
1 gallon of water daily — muscle is ~75% water. Dehydration by 2% drops your output 10–20%. The Daily tab tracks it.
7+ hours of sleep — on a build, the growth happens while you sleep. Same bedtime nightly. Cutting sleep cuts gains, full stop.
Don't skip meals on rest days — the scale moves on Day 7 too. The food is the muscle.
Log it every session — no log, no accountability, no progress. The app does the remembering; you do the beating.
THE STACK
SUPPLEMENTS · TIMING
MORNING — FASTED
WAKE / AM
Kaged Organic Greens
1 serving — empty stomach, first thing
Micronutrients and digestion support before anything else hits the system.
AROUND TRAINING
1:30 PM
Christopher's Secret Stuff
Pre-workout — 30 min before training
Train days only. Times with the 1:00 PM pre-workout meal so you hit the floor primed.
INTRA
Raw EAA
Sip throughout the session
Train days only. Keeps amino acids elevated through the work — supports the build and the pump.
NIGHT — RECOVERY
BEFORE BED
Zinc + Magnesium (ZMA)
As directed — empty stomach, no dairy within 2 hrs
Sleep depth, recovery, and natural testosterone support. Take it away from the bedtime meal's dairy.
BEFORE BED
Electrolytes
1 serving — with your ZMA
Tops off hydration and minerals overnight so you wake up full, not flat.
Daily anchors: Kaged Greens (AM) · ZMA (PM) · Electrolytes (PM). Train-day only: Christopher's Secret Stuff (pre) · Raw EAA (intra). The Daily tab counts the three daily anchors plus water and meals toward your GAINZ streak — the train-day items are bonuses, not requirements.
TRACK
BODYWEIGHT · CHECK-IN PHOTOS · EXPORT
Logging to Week 1
Change the active week with the W1–W4 bar at the top. Everything you log — sets, bodyweight, photos — is stamped to that week and stored privately on this device. Nothing leaves your phone.
BODYWEIGHT CHECK-IN
WEIGHT TREND
PROGRESS PHOTO CHECK-IN
PHOTOS — WEEK 1
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