Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha (27 page)

PHASE I WORKOUTS

If your diet is the engine that drives hormonal optimization, then the workouts are the high-performance fuel that makes everything work much more efficiently. Your first phase of training consists of four different workouts. Each workout is a full-body routine that primarily focuses on compound exercises to work multiple muscles at the same time. These exercises will be the foundation of all the workouts you perform on this entire program, but the variations will become more difficult as you progress. The workouts have been set up in a way that keeps your body guessing which routine comes next. At the same time, each workout is similar and based on time, which allows you to see progression throughout the phase. After all, that's the primary goal of any workout: to show improvement every session. Try to increase your weight each week, and you'll be well on your way to a new body by the time Phase II begins.

Use the schedule below to determine when you'll perform each of the workouts. We've provided you with a simple template that starts on Monday. If you choose to start on a different day, just make sure you follow the same pattern of workout days and rest days. That is, if you start Workout 1 on Tuesday, just push the schedule back one day.

 

HOW TO SPOT AN ALPHA IN THE GYM: PART I

Through the four phases, you'll notice a few unique exercises. We consider these a special part of Engineering the Alpha. Not only will these movements help you build a better body, but they will allow you to distinguish other Alphas in the gym. In Prime, we introduce you to the first Alpha exercise: the Javelin Press.

  Hold a barbell at shoulder level with your hand in the middle of the barbell. Hold the other arm straight out to the side.

  Brace your abs and press your arm straight up, making sure to stabilize at the trunk and the shoulder.

  Your body should not tilt one way or the other, and the barbell should remain level.

  Softly lock your arm at the top of the movement.

  Slowly return to the starting position.

 

PHASE I, WORKOUT 1

 A1 
Goblet Squat
10–12 reps

  Hold a dumbbell vertically next to your chest, with both hands cupping the dumbbell head.

  Push your hips back and lower your body into a squat until your upper thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Your elbows should brush the insides of your knees in the bottom position.