The Jacked Variant-Compressed

T H E
J AY F E R R U G G I A
T H E
DISCLAIMER
You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this exercise program. These recommendations
are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult your physician prior
to starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical
activity. This program is designed for healthy individuals 18 years and older only.
The information in this report is not meant to supplement, nor replace, proper exercise training. All forms
of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publishers advise readers to take full responsibility
for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your
equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training
and fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any
exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your physician.
Don’t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Always ask for instruction
and assistance when lifting. Don’t perform any exercise without proper instruction. See your physician
before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications, you must talk to
your physician before starting any exercise program, including The Jacked Variant. If you experience any
lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a
physician.
You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high
blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all
nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician. This publication is intended for
informational use only. Jason Ferruggia and Renegade Fitness, LLC will not assume any liability or be
held responsible for any form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this
information.
©Jason Ferruggia 2022

1 All rights reserved worldwide
T H E
INTRODUCTION
This program follows my Pull/Push/Legs/Arms split which has been one of my most popular programs
and the one I seem to get the most questions about.
The way it’s set up allows you to focus on 2-3 muscle groups per day but also get twice per week
frequency for just about every muscle group.
On pull day you hit the upper back, lats and biceps but also get some extra work in for the glutes and
hamstrings.
On push day you you train the chest, shoulders and triceps. You also have the opportunity to get some
extra upper back work.
On leg day you train… legs.
On the arm/upper day you hit another move for the chest, back, biceps and triceps.
On the weekend you have the option of doing some sled pushing, which will help you get some more
leg volume in. I highly recommend you do this day and don’t skip it.

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7
7 ESSENTIAL FACTORS FOR
SUCCESS
You don’t want to waste time. You don’t want to get injured. You want to build muscle and get strong.
To ensure all of that we have to do the following six things:
Let’s examine each of those in a little more detail below.
1. Keep the Volume Low

2. Do Two Hard Sets
3. Train Intensely
4. Choose the Right Exercises
5. Sequence Exercises Properly
6. Use Picture Perfect Technique
7. Get Strong AF
1) KEEP THE VOLUME LOW

I’m a minimum effective dose guy. Get the most from the least, and only add more if absolutely neces-
sary.
The first time I ever started making real progress was in 1993 when I found the low volume methods of
Arthur Jones, Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates and Dante Trudel. Before that I had been doing the traditional
high volume routines that everyone was doing in the 90’s. After five years of training I had barely any
gains to show for it. Their low volume, high intensity, progressive overload training concepts helped me
finally start getting strong and growing.

T H E
I gained over 30 pounds during that first year of low volume training and got strong as hell. Since then I
have always kept my training programs on the lower end of the volume spectrum. And every time I’ve
tried venturing away from it and doing higher volume I paid the price. Usually in the form of muscle
loss and injuries.
Nearly every time I have a new client reduce their volume they make progress. I can’t think of a time
when someone increased their volume and that led to more progress.
This program may look like less volume than you are used to doing. But that’s where the magic is. Trust
the process.
2) DO TWO HARD SETS

Most programs prescribe anywhere from 3-7 sets per exercise. If you do Crossfit style training you may
do 8-10 “rounds” of certain exercises.
I generally don’t enjoy training like this. I like to warm up thoroughly and then get after it like my life is
on the line. I don’t want to pace myself and hold back. That means I usually do two hard sets per
exercise. That’s also what I prescribe to my advanced clients.
But don’t get it twisted… this doesn’t mean I jump right into my working weights. I always do an
adequate number of ramp up aka warm up sets on each exercise.
I suggest you do the same for two reasons. The first is to avoid injury. The second is to just get more
practice in. Grease the groove on the movement and really lock it in during your warm up sets. Then
take the picture perfect technique to your work sets.
Two hard sets is a concept I have used for decades. I originally got this from 7-time Mr. Olympia,
Dorian Yates back in 1993.
In his book, Blood and Guts, he wrote:
“In theory, the body should be able to grow from just one set. However, we don’t live in a perfect
world nor train in a perfect environment. That’s why I think that adding a second set will do the trick.”
Prior to learning this concept I had barely made any progress in my previous five years of training. After
employing it I blew up.

T H E
I generally prescribe one set in the 5-8 range followed by one set in the 9-12 range. You go as heavy as
you can on both of these sets and come within 1-2 reps of failure. After your heavy set you’d take the
prescribed rest period then lighten the weight a bit and do your backoff set.
If you are older and beat up you can choose to do the higher rep set first, then rest, then INCREASE the
weight and go heavier on your second set. That’s something that I generally do, being 47, having my
share of injuries, and being fairly strong. It’s your call.
If you have followed me for any amount of time you know that for decades I have preached the 5-8 rep
range as being ideal for building muscle in beginners and hardgainers.
Relying solely on higher reps can increase soreness, increase fatigue, increase inflammation, can have a
negative impact on insulin sensitivity, and increase your chance of injury.
Keeping reps lower minimizes fatigue and it reduces the chances of form breaking down. When you
only have to do six reps it’s easier to concentrate and maintain the type of maximal tension and perfect
technique that I teach, throughout the set than it is when you have to do 15+ reps.
When you lift heavy loads you recruit more motor units and activate more muscle fibers earlier in the
set (sometimes from the first rep if the load is great enough) than when you lift lighter loads.
Now, with all that being said, I still believe there is great value in doing sets of 9-12 reps on most body
parts. Especially if your goal is to maximize muscle growth.
I’ll usually cap it at twelve reps, so it’s still technically, low-ish. I’ll rarely prescribe stuff in a 15-20 range
unless you’re advanced and/or have demonstrated masterful technique, the testicular fortitude to fight
through sets like these with no break down in form, and can recover from that type of set.
That’s why we do our money set a bit heavier, then do the backoff set a bit lighter. So we get the best
of both worlds.
NOTE: On isolation exercises and “pump work” I will occasionally prescribe three sets.

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4) CHOOSE THE RIGHT EXERCISES

The best muscle and strength building movements are those that:
• Allow for proper joint stacking

• Align well with your anatomy
• Allow you to use a large amount of weight
• Take the muscle through a fairly large range of motion
• Have a resistance profile that matches your body’s strength profile
• Overload the midrange or lengthened (stretch position)
• Feel good and don’t beat up your body
Even though I mentioned the midrange or stretch position being most important, I think it’s a good
idea from time to time to utilize exercises that emphasize the fully shortened position. These would be
exercises like leg extensions, cable flys, high cable curls, etc. But those are the 20 in the 80/20 equation
of muscle building.
5) SEQUENCE EXERCISES PROPERLY

I don’t believe in the traditional way of doing things and starting workouts with a big barbell lift. I and
countless others have gotten hurt one too many times doing that.
One of the keys to staying healthy is to put riskier exercises a bit later in the workout when you have a
good pump and your joints are fully lubricated. You’ll find that by doing this you’ll feel better than you
ever have.
For example, instead of starting with a squat we will start with a leg curl, and maybe a single leg exer-
cise… then squat.
Instead of starting with a deadlift we will do some rows and chin ups and maybe even a glute ham raise
or glute bridge… then deadlift.
Instead of starting with a barbell press we will do a dumbbell or machine press or a pushup variation,
then use a barbell.

T H E
You probably won’t be able to lift quite as much weight on those barbell exercises, but who cares? The
key to making gains is to be able to train consistently over the long haul without getting hurt.
When you feel better and are building muscle faster you won’t worry too much about a slight reduction
in weight on the bar.
I have never introduced someone to this way of training and had them go back to doing it any other
way. It’s just so far superior that you can’t go back.
6) USE PICTURE PERFECT TECHNIQUE

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen excellent execution in a public gym. For most
people it’s an after thought. Which makes zero sense if you compare it to every other physical endeav-
or you’d undertake.
If you took up golf or basketball or martial arts you’d spend inordinate amounts of time improving your
mechanics and your technique.
You wouldn’t expect to shave strokes off your golf game if your swing is a pile of steaming horse shit.
So you’d work on improving it every single week. You have to take that same mentality with every
strength training exercise you do. Sets, reps, volume and frequency are meaningless until you can
master execution.
If technique is not perfect then every other factor is irrelevant. Execution is the first form of progressive
overload. Nothing can come before that.
So if you can press 100 pounds for six reps and your form is what I would give a five out of ten, then we
don’t even think about increasing the weight until we get that up to at least an eight.
Just hoisting weight with sloppy form will get you nowhere but injured.
Technique, technique, technique.
Always be thinking about how you can improve. How can you make it the best set you’ve ever done of
that exercise? Better yet, how can you make it the best set of that exercise ever done by anyone
anywhere? Imagine your sets are being filmed and this will be the one and only instructional video ever
recorded of this exercise for all the world to see forever. Put that much focus into it.

T H E
Do everything you can to stay tight, maximize tension, eliminate momentum, and make the target
muscle work as hard as possible through every inch of every rep.
And really work on mastering the transition from the eccentric to the concentric or lifting portion of the
set. That’s where I see so many injuries. When people get sloppy and bounce in the end ranges.
Always working on owning that.
Do a 3-4 second eccentric/negative on every rep and a two second concentric on every rep.
If you have a tendency to bounce or use the stretch reflex and momentum out of the bottom I’d recom-
mend pausing for 1-2 seconds in the stretch position of each rep, while maintaining maximal tension.
7) GET STRONG AF
In simple terms you should know this…
You’ll never build muscle if you don’t get stronger than you are right now.
You have to be adding weight or reps, slowly, over time.
If you can do dumbbell rows with 50 pounds for eight reps right now and are still rowing 50 pounds for
eight reps six months from now I’d bet my life savings that you won’t have built any muscle.
You have to get stronger to grow. The biggest guys will almost always be the strongest guys.
Just keep in mind that you can’t get stronger at every workout on every exercise, all the time. If that
were possible we’d all be doing 1,000 pounds on every exercise after a few years of training.
There will be days when you can’t go up. That’s fine. It happens. On those days work on improving your
technique.
Learn to listen to your body and take what it’s willing to give you on that particular day. Otherwise you
can end up getting injured if you constantly try to push through bad days.

T H E
HOW TO WARM UP PROPERLY

A proper warm up shouldn’t take you 20-30 minutes like some coaches recommend. If you need that
much time you’re doing something wrong and your training is a mess. Fix those things and you won’t
need more than a few minutes to get warmed up.
You can start with a few minutes rolling out tight areas and going through some basic mobility and
stability drills.
For the upper body, most people get tight pecs, lats and triceps. Pick one or two areas and loosen
them up on a roller or with a Yoga Tune Up ball.
The pre workout prep drills should all be done very slowly.
Upper Body Prep Drills:

1) Scapular Circles: 5 reps in each direction https://vimeo.com/658956261
2) Internal/ External Rotation: 5 reps in each direction https://vimeo.com/622826052
3) Turkish Get Up: 3 reps on each side https://vimeo.com/100761067
4) Multidirectional Band Pull Apart: 5 reps in each direction https://vimeo.com/654979246
Lower Body Prep Drills:

1) Hip Circles: 3 reps in each direction on each side https://vimeo.com/659125081
2) Thai Sit aka Shin Box: 10 reps on each side https://vimeo.com/342152501
3) Single Leg RDL- 6 reps on each side https://vimeo.com/380861561
4) Full Range Split Squat- 10 reps on each side https://vimeo.com/655103389
The entire prep phase shouldn’t take more than about ten minutes. You can make it longer if you want.
But don’t feel the need to.
How to do Your Warm Up aka Ramp Up Sets

Before your first exercise of the day you should always do at least 2-3 lighter warm up sets. If you’re
older, stronger or just need more practice mastering your execution you should do 4-5 ramp up sets on
your first exercise of the day.
To keep it simple do 6-10 reps on your ramp up sets and decrease the reps a bit on each successive set.

T H E
For example, if you were going to start with 60 pound dumbbell presses as your first exercise of the
day your warm up might look like this:
30lbs x 10 reps
40lbs x 8 reps
50lbs x 6 reps
Only take 30-60 seconds rest between ramp up sets. No need to rush. But don’t get out of breath and
fatigued.
Then rest three minutes before your start your work sets with 60 pounds.
If you feel like you need to do one extra set with the 55lbs dumbbells I’d just do 3-5 reps on that final
ramp up set.
When you move on to the next exercise in your program, such as an incline barbell press, you may only
need 1-2 ramp up sets and you might only want to do five reps.
For example, if you were going to start with 155 pounds on the bar you might do 95 pounds for 5 reps,
then 135 pounds for 3-5 reps. Then you’d rest two minutes and start your work sets with 155 pounds.
As you get later into the workout you will usually only need 1-2 warm up sets, or possibly none. Just
judge it by how you feel.
In general, the older you are, the stronger you are, and the more beat up your body is, the more warm
up sets you should do.
Explosive Power/ Speed Work

I cut my teeth in this business training athletes. And I believe everyone should stay athletic and explo-
sive as they age. So I always like starting a training session with some jumps or medicine ball throws.
Just 3-5 sets of 5 reps can be enough to fire up your central nervous system and improve your perfor-
mance for the day.
On push days I like to use medicine ball throws. Generally a chest pass works best here. But don’t
overthink it. You can mix it up if you want. Just get a 10-20 pound medicine ball and throw it in any of a
variety of ways. lateral jump, whatever, for a few sets of 5 reps.

T H E
On leg days I like to do a box jump or standing vertical jump.
When doing speed work make sure that you rest adequately in between efforts and that the quality of
each rep remains high.
The perfect time to do this is right after your warm up, before you start your ramp up sets on your first
main strength exercise of the day.
Sometime’s I’ll even finish a workout with some speed work, which breaks all the rules of strength
training. I got this idea from my friend, Joe Kenn who has been NCCA strength coach of the year
multiple times and is currently the strength coach for the Carolina Panthers.
I love Joe’s explanation for breaking this rule and throwing in some speed work at the end of a training
session in a fatigued state.
He said, “I’ve never seen an athlete who didn’t have to be explosive in the fourth quarter.”
Indeed.

T H E
WO R KO U T S
T H E
Monday-Pull Pull Day Notes

1) Pronated Incline DB Row Pronated Incline DB Row
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120 If you have a chest supported T-Bar you can use that
https://vimeo.com/658955692 instead. In fact, that would be the preferred option. Focus on
letting the shoulder blades spread all the way, then squeeze
or them together at the top.
https://vimeo.com/620397242
Neutral Grip Rack Chin Up
2) Neutral Grip Rack Chin Up Do your ramp up sets on a pulldown machine or just on the
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 180 rings/suspension straps with your feet on the floor. Set the
https://vimeo.com/660515985/a2b1a5299a box or bench for your feet to go on at about waist height. Set
the rings (or you can use Angles 90’s on a bar) at a height
that has your butt just a couple inches off the ground in the
3) 1 Arm Cable or Machine Row bottom position. You can increase load with either a weight-
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120 ed vest, chains, an EZ bar or medicine ball on your lap.
https://vimeo.com/660515354/ed3871a3bc
or 1 Arm Cable or Machine Row
https://vimeo.com/658752247 This is a lat focused row which means you don’t arch your
lower or upper back. Just keep your spine neutral, and only
pull your arm back to its normal anatomical resting position
4) Barbell Hip Thrust at the side of your torso. Don’t pull it back any further than
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120 that or worry about pulling your shoulder blade all the way
https://vimeo.com/660515239/019f5f2a06 back. Any good cable or machine row can work here. If you
don’t have cables just do a dumbbell row.
5) Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Barbell Hip Thrust
Sets: 2 Reps: 5-7, 8-10 Rest: 180 You can use a good machine like the Nautilus Glute Drive if
https://vimeo.com/660657693/043d96e466 you have access to it. Don’t arch your back at all throughout
the set. Keep your spine neutral. Try to maintain a vertical
6) 1 Arm Preacher Curl shin angle throughout. This will seem like a small range of
Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 90 motion. But that’s what we want here.
https://vimeo.com/403141693/f9cd4de62b
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Make sure to keep your spine neutral and not arched. Drive
your hips back to initiate the movement. Then come up when
you reach the end range of your hamstrings, when your hips
can’t go back any further.
1 Arm Preacher Curl

Drive your triceps down into the pad the entire set. Use an
incline bench or glute ham raise if you don’t have a dedicat-
ed preacher curl bench.

T H E
Tuesday-Push Push Day Notes

1) Ring Pushup Ring Pushup
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-10 Rest: 120 Do your ramp up sets by setting the rings higher and moving them
https://vimeo.com/660515601/eee5a5cf47 down each set to make it harder. To increase the difficulty of your
work sets you have a few options. Firstly, you can hang the rings
further apart. Then, if you need extra resistance you can use a
2) 30 Degree Incline Barbell or DB Press weighted vest or chains. Or even have a partner hold a plate on
Sets: 2 Reps: 5-7, 8-10 Rest: 180 your back.
https://vimeo.com/659085470
or Another option is to move the straps inside of your upper arms
instead of keeping them on the outside of your upper arms like
https://vimeo.com/659085372 they are normally done. This instantly makes it 30% more
challenging. Keep your elbows tucked at 45 degrees to your side.
3) Seated Cable Fly Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes and flex your quads through-
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120 out the set.
https://vimeo.com/645755068/c7573ba614
30 Degree Incline Barbell or Dumbbell
4) 75 Degree Incline DB Press Press
You can use dumbbells or a barbell. If you have a neutral grip bar
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120 use that instead of a straight bar. If you have access to a good
https://vimeo.com/659085264 pressing machine like a Nautilus Xplode, Prime, Atlantis, or Life
Fitness you can use that instead, if you want to. Keep your elbows
5) 45 Degree Incline DB Y-Raise tucked to your side at a 45 degree angle, with a neutral grip.
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 120
https://vimeo.com/655103119/ef1548e649 Seated Cable Fly
Keep your elbows bent on the way back and then straighten them
all the way at lockout while trying to smash your pecs together.
6) Cable X-Pushdown Use bands if you don’t have cables.
Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 120
https://vimeo.com/660515421/50e4a1a377 75 Degree Incline DB Press
Do 2-4 ramp up sets of 5 reps to get to your working weight. Keep
your elbows in front of you at a 45 degree angle to your torso.
Keep your rib cage down and no arch in your lower back. On the
way down think about engaging your lats and doing a pulldown.
45 Degree Incline DB Y-Raise

Go lighter than you think on these to completely eliminate
momentum. Try to really focus on your shoulders doing the work
and contracting fully at the top of each rep.
Cable X-Pushdown
Keep upper arms locked in place and only hinge at the elbows. If
you don’t have cables use two bands.

T H E
Thursday-Legs Leg Day Notes

1) Seated or Lying Leg Curl Seated Leg Curl
Sets: 2 Reps: 5-7, 8-10 Rest: 120 Drive yourself back into the pad the entire time. If you only have a
https://vimeo.com/407366528/87b6660374 lying leg curl you can use that. Or do a glute ham raise or leg curl
with straps, bands or sliders, if that is your only option.
2) Supported Skater Squat

Supported Skater Squat
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 120 Do a set or two of full range, knees over toes split squats first.
https://vimeo.com/654979132/b12c7ff728 Then do a ramp up set of supported skaters where you use more
assistance from your arms and don’t go quite as low.
3) Heels Elevated Safety Bar Squat
Sets: 2 Reps: 5-7, 8-10 Rest: 180 Heels Elevated Safety Bar Squat
https://vimeo.com/659078638 Ideally you’d use the Prime USA wedges or something similar to
elevate your heels and help you stay more upright and turn this
into a very quad-focused squat. Worst case scenario- use 5lb
4) Walking Lunge plates. Or wear squat shoes.
Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 120
https://vimeo.com/370774993/f5448e1cbf Drive your knees forward and stay as upright as possible. If you
don’t have a safety squat bar use a straight bar. Or you can use a
5a) 45 Degree Back Raise good squat machine like a pendulum. At the bottom of each rep
think about pressing the floor away from you while engaging
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10, 12-15 Rest: 60 every muscle in your lower body and generating as much tension
https://vimeo.com/660515776/164407ff14 as humanly possible. Do NOT arch your lower back. Keep it
neutral.
5b) Ab Mat Cross Bench Crunch
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8, 9-12 Rest: 60 Walking Lunge
https://vimeo.com/587557849/c5710dd4bd Hinge forward slightly at the hips on each rep so you have a bit of
a forward lean.
45 Degree Back Raise

Drive your hips into the pad and round your upper back. Only flex
at the hips and don’t round your lower back at all. Use your glutes
to initiate the movement and squeeze them hard at the top. You
can do this on a regular back extension/Roman chair if you don’t
have a 45 degree bench. Or a glute ham raise. If you don’t have
any of those you can do a kettlebell swing or a single leg RDL or a
single leg hip thrust. Any of those will be fine.
Ab Mat Cross Bench Crunch

Think about getting a full stretch on each rep then slowly, one
row of abs at a time, coming up to a full crunch and almost
cramping up your abs.

T H E
Friday-Arms/Upper Arms/Upper Day

1a) Rope Pushdown Notes
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 60
https://vimeo.com/380861381/648eb5ee8b Rope Pushdown
Ideally you’d use two ropes for this. If you only have one
that’s fine. Keep upper arms locked in place and only hinge
1b) Standing Hammer Curl at the elbows. If you don’t have cables use bands.
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 60
https://vimeo.com/403141568/79cf415b60 Standing Hammer Curl
Keep upper arms pinned to side and only hinge at the
2a) Overhead Rope Extension elbows.
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 60
https://vimeo.com/524607204/062b20e9e5 Overhead Rope Extension
Get a full stretch on each rep and hinge only at the elbows.
2b) 75 Degree Incline Curl 75 Degree Incline DB Curl

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10, 10-12 Rest: 60 Keep your upper arms perpendicular to the floor and pinned
https://vimeo.com/659124503 to your side throughout the set. Hinge only at the elbows.
3a) Supinated Inverted Row Supinated Inverted Row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90 You can rotate your grip a little more towards neutral at the
bottom but keep them supinated (palms up) when you row all
https://vimeo.com/659085575 the way up.
3b) Parallel Bar Dip Parallel Bar Dip

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90 Do 1-3 ramp up sets of 5, using bands or your feet for
https://vimeo.com/658753031 assistance, then start your work sets. Take a huge breath at
the top of each rep and fill your chest with air. Hold that until
you hit the bottom position, then slowly hiss the air out on the
way up. Repeat at the top of each rep. Don’t go any lower
than the position where your upper arms are parallel to the
floor.
If you can’t do dips you can do dumbbell floor presses or

close grip barbell floor presses.

T H E
Saturday- Conditioning Day

Conditioning Notes
(Optional) Sled Push
Nothing replaces the sled. It’s worth investing in one if you
1a) Sled Push or Hill Sprint don’t have one. The next best option would be pushing some
Sets: 5 Reps: 20 sec. Rest: 90 type of heavy object on wheels. Like maybe even your car. Or
you can use an electric treadmill and turn it off then grab the
https://vimeo.com/151835119/77ff2c8868 handles and push. This is often referred to as the “deadmill.”
1b) 1 Arm Slow Mo Farmers Walk If none of these are an option do hill sprints, which are one of
Sets: 4 Rest: 30 sec. Rest: 90 my all time favorite all around exercises. I started doing
https://vimeo.com/660515534/3915b40ad5 these in 1985 because of Walter Payton and never stopped.
They will get you lean and powerful.
*I listed this day as optional, but you really If neither of these are an option you can do sprints on some
should do it. type of bike.
1 Arm Slow Mo Farmers Walk

This is not meant to be done heavy. I’d suggest starting with
around 35-50lbs. It’s more of a correctional exercise to
improve ankle, knee and hip stability. It will also strengthen
your obliques and QL muscles (which leading spine
researcher, Dr. Stuart McGill says are essential muscles to
train if you want to reduce back pain and injury).
Try to fight for every inch of height on every step you take,
like there is a string on the top of your head pulling you up to
the ceiling.
Go very slowly and take about three seconds per step, trying
not to lean to the side at all.
Extra Work
If you want to do a few sets of calves or neck at the end of
this day that’s totally fine also. Just don’t turn it into a
marathon session that will have a negative impact on your
other workouts.

Q A
T H E
FAQ’S
What’s more important- effort or execution?
Yes. The answer is both. But I have seen people completely mess this up at both ends of the spectrum.
It’s very rare, because most people have atrocious form, but you can sacrifice gains if you go overboard
with “squeezing” your way through every set with light weight.
We want to have great execution, for sure. But then we need to add load. Like tons of load. You have to
go heavy as could be with pristine form. Meaning you unrack a weight that feels like a one rep max and
proceed to do SIX brutally hard reps with it. But your form never breaks down.
That’s true training mastery and that’s the sweet spot where all the gains lie. But it takes a very long
time and an extreme level of discipline and focus to get there.
Should I change anything about the workouts if my execution is only decent to

good, but far from great?
Yes. Do several ramp up sets of 5 reps on each exercise to get more practice. Then do both of your
work sets in the 6-8 range, instead of doing the back off set of 9-12. Keeping the reps lower allows you
to better work on technique.
How do I know how to select my starting weight?

On week 1 you will be guessing. But those guesses will be based on how your ramp up sets feel. You
should be able to judge it fairly well based on how those go. If you selected the wrong weight for your
first work set, adjust accordingly on the next. The following weeks you’ll know exactly what weight to
start with.
How do I progress each week?

The first form of progress is better technique. I’d worry about that more than anything. Strive to make
minor improvements in technique every time you do an exercise. If your technique isn’t great I actually
wouldn’t even add weight for the first few weeks. Once you have that locked in you can add a pound or
so here and there or do another rep.
Having small plates like www.microgainz.com can make this process of progressive overload exponen-
tially easier and more effective.
Get them at www.MicroGainz.com and use code: JAY to save.
Remember that you have to get stronger, over the long term to make any real noticeable progress.
If an exercise hurts that you programmed can I swap it out?

Yes. By all means. There is no exercise that’s worth battling through. Just sub in something that is very
similar.

Q A
T H E
FAQ’S
How long do I rest between ramp up/ warm up sets?
Just 30-60 seconds should be good. Don’t rush. But don’t cause unnecessary fatigue.
Two to three minutes seems like a really long time. Do I have to rest that long?
Yes. Hypertrophy comes down to maximizing force production and tension on the muscles. You can
only do that if you are rested, recovered and fresh. All studies done on this subject point to three
minutes being far superior to one minute.
What can I do during long rest periods?

I’d just rest and recover while thinking about my next set and how I can make it a masterpiece. If train-
ing with a partner I’d be coaching him and learning and observing. If you really need to do something
else I’d do some ankle or neck or hip mobility drills that are very easy and non taxing
What does it mean when there is a number with a letter after it, like 1A and 1B?
It means you do exercise 1A, then take the prescribed rest period, then do exercise 1B, then take the
prescribed rest period, and repeat. If you’re in a public gym that makes it impossible to do this on, then
just add thirty seconds to those rest periods and do straight sets.
Should I be doing additional cardio? If so, what?

The first thing I’d do is ensure that I’m getting 10,000 steps per day at a pretty good pace. Above and
beyond that I like to see people do 1-2 low intensity cardio sessions per week where they keep their
heart rate at 180 minus their age for thirty minutes. You can use any machine you want for this or just
go for a hike, paddleboard, etc. I’d do this on off days for active recovery.
Should I stretch or do extra mobility at night or on off days?

It’s always a good idea to do some extra mobility work. Some drills for your shoulders, hips and ankles
sprinkled in throughout the day will pay huge dividends. At night I recommend doing the couch stretch
for two minutes per side. Another one is the 90/90 stretch. And hanging from a chin up bar can really
help improve shoulder mobility. I like to follow up the stretches with a few minutes of foam rolling tight
areas. You’ll find that you sleep much better when doing these two things.
Can I add extra sled work during the week if my legs are a weakness?
Yes. You can do 2-3 sets of 40 second, heavy sled pushes or drags at the end of either your pull or
push day.

Q A
T H E
FAQ’S
Do you recommend lifting straps on pull day?
Yes. Your grip strength will give out long before your back strength will, so you’ll be shortchanging your
gains if you don’t use straps.
What shoes do you recommend training in?

Minimalist shoes like Vivo Barefoot or https://xeroshoes.com . You want them to be as flat and with as
little padding as possible.
What should I do to enhance recovery?

Sleep is always going to be the number one thing for improving recovery and thus, enhancing your
gains. I have numerous podcasts covering this topic but for a quick recap, be sure to:
Get out in natural sunlight first thing in the morning for 10-20 minutes, with no sunglasses, and
preferably not shirt, if possible.
• Stop drinking caffeine by noon.
• Train no later than 2 or 3pm.
• Keep the house lights low at night.
• Turn down the brightness on all screens.
• Ideally, eliminate all screens two hours before bed.
• Don’t drink too much water or take too many supplements before bed. I try to cut water
off at least two hours before bed.
• Keep your bedroom pitch black.
• Keep your room 66-68 degrees.
• Take a cold shower before bed to drop your core temperature.
• Don’t fast longer than 12 hours if you have trouble sleeping.
After sleep comes nutrition. I have this covered in the nutrition guide. The next most important thing is
managing stress. Just like stress leads to death, it also kills your gains. So do things like meditate, get
out in nature, read non stimulating stuff, laugh, spend times with people you love, get enough sun each
day, get a massage, and take a break from the news and social media.
To maximize recovery and longevity I highly recommend getting a sauna for 30 minutes 2-3 times per
week.
I’d also highly recommend ice. Getting in an ice bath, a cryo chamber, a cold body of water, or even just
an ice cold shower is fantastic for recovery and health. Do it and do it often.

Q A
T H E
FAQ’S
How long should I run this program for?
Anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending on your experience level and how you’re feeling.
What should I do after I finish this program?

Another one of my programs, of course.


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T H E

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

On leg day you train… legs.

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

To ensure all of that we have to do the following six things:

Let’s examine each of those in a little more detail below.

1. Keep the Volume Low

1) KEEP THE VOLUME LOW

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

2) DO TWO HARD SETS

In his book, Blood and Guts, he wrote:

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

4) CHOOSE THE RIGHT EXERCISES

• Allow for proper joint stacking

5) SEQUENCE EXERCISES PROPERLY

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

6) USE PICTURE PERFECT TECHNIQUE

Technique, technique, technique.

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Always working on owning that.

You have to be adding weight or reps, slowly, over time.

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

HOW TO WARM UP PROPERLY

Upper Body Prep Drills:

Lower Body Prep Drills:

How to do Your Warm Up aka Ramp Up Sets

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Explosive Power/ Speed Work

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

On leg days I like to do a box jump or standing vertical jump.

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Monday-Pull Pull Day Notes

1 Arm Preacher Curl

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Tuesday-Push Push Day Notes

45 Degree Incline DB Y-Raise

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Thursday-Legs Leg Day Notes

2) Supported Skater Squat

45 Degree Back Raise

Ab Mat Cross Bench Crunch

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Friday-Arms/Upper Arms/Upper Day

2b) 75 Degree Incline Curl 75 Degree Incline DB Curl

3a) Supinated Inverted Row Supinated Inverted Row

3b) Parallel Bar Dip Parallel Bar Dip

If you can’t do dips you can do dumbbell floor presses or

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Saturday- Conditioning Day

1 Arm Slow Mo Farmers Walk

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

Should I change anything about the workouts if my execution is only decent to

How do I know how to select my starting weight?

How do I progress each week?

If an exercise hurts that you programmed can I swap it out?

©Jason Ferruggia 2022

What can I do during long rest periods?

Should I be doing additional cardio? If so, what?