Lean Mass: Edition 1 Ebook

Lean Mass Edition Ebook 1
Neil Hill’s
LEAN MASS
EDITIOn 1 Ebook
Lean Mass Edition Ebook
CONTENTS
Y3T MASS EDITION 1 3
Key Fundamentals Of Building Muscle 4
using y3t TRAINING for muscle mass 11
Y3T Training Program 14
Nutrition For Mass 29
Learning How To Manipulate Food For Muscle Mass 33
Your Nutrition Plan For Mass 39
Supplementation For Mass 42
Assessing Muscle Growth 49

Y3T Mass Edition 1
The Y3T Mass Edition 1 eBook is my first ever

book dedicated specifically to maximizing
muscle growth. Throughout this book you’re
going to learn exactly how I’ve helped some
of the best athletes in the world grow further
towards their genetic potential by packing on
significant amounts of lean muscle mass.
This book is also going to be very educational

for you as I explain the key fundamentals to
building muscle and what pitfalls to avoid.
All you have to do is absorb this information
and then apply it. One of the key frustrations
for me as an educator and coach is seeing
people fail to apply information that they learn.
Please let me emphasize the importance of
applying all of the information in this book.
Reading it alone isn’t good enough!
YOU WILL GET A:
FULL 12 week Y3T training programme specifically

for optimising muscle mass
MY FULL 12 week nutrition programme for optimal

muscle growth
FULL 12 week supplementation protocol to enhance

your rate of muscle growth
There is nothing which I haven’t covered in this book,

covering factors including hormonal performance,
nutrient manipulation and individualizing this
information to personal circumstances.
Key Fundamentals
Of Building Muscle...
My mantra has always been by educating blow up! Why? Simply because that muscle group might
somebody on the value of something they should predominately contain slow twitch fibers. The potential has
always been there, you’ve just never targeted it correctly. It’s
appreciate the importance of it more. This is why key to understand that there is cross-over between muscle
I’ve written this section for you to learn about fiber stimulation during training, partially because of the
how you build muscle and why this 12 week guide interaction taking place with energy systems and thresholds
has been set out in the way that it has. There are where fatigue sets in, along with recovery times. All muscle
fiber types are different and therefore have their own unique
always valuable reasons as to why I prescribe attributes. By using a global approach to training with
certain protocols to maximise muscle growth. the correct application, you’re able to hit all muscle fiber
Please take the time to absorb the information types and ultimately avoid missing out on opportunities
given so you can benefit it from it fully! Here are for growth. Yes, some rep ranges are going to be far
more responsive for you personally than others. However,
16 fundamental muscle building points I need you including rep ranges which hit all thresholds will still be
to understand. beneficial. Remember, some people might have a 50:50
split of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers within a muscle,
1) Stimulate ALL Fiber Types some may have 25:75 and others will be different again. My
Many physiques appear to have weak muscle groups whilst point is, by training in every threshold you’re now forcing
lacking fullness and thickness in certain areas, only to find hypertrophy to occur at every opportunity available to you.
they drastically improve once ALL muscle fiber types are
B) Take into account as well that there are two unique forms
stimulated correctly. The reality is muscle hypertrophy is
of hypertrophy: 1) Myofibrillar and 2) Sarcoplasmic. In order
nearly always optimized by using a wider spectrum of rep
to appear as full as possible, adding dense muscle you must
ranges. Generally, people limit their progress by sticking to
stimulate both forms. To achieve this properly you need
the more usual 6-12 rep ranges. There are multiple reasons
to train with varied rep ranges. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is
why using low, moderate and high rep ranges as part of
“functional” because as this process occurs there’s also an
a periodized training program can help maximise muscle
increase in contractile force within the muscle. Ultimately
growth.
this means that focusing on this form of hypertrophy helps
A) Within any given muscle group you will have a mixture build strength as well as muscle, helping you sustain
of type 1 slow twitch muscle fibers along with type 2a “progressive overload.” Myofibrillar hypertrophy is achieved
and type 2b fast twitch muscle fibers. The ratio will be within lower rep ranges. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs
determined by the specific muscle group as well as your much more in moderate and even higher rep ranges and it’s
own personal DNA. Genetics do play a key role in the variety “non-functional” because it doesn’t equate to an increase
of fiber types you have and what sort of quantities. Each in contractile force within the muscle. The reality is both
fiber type becomes “hyper responsive” within different forms of hypertrophy have cross-over during workouts,
training environments. For instance, slow twitch fibers will when you’re training within different thresholds. Myofibrillar
be more easily stimulated when doing moderate and high hypertrophy usually appears more dense which is why
rep training. Fast twitch muscle fibers on the other hand power lifters don’t necessarily look as big but their muscle
will become more excited in lower and even moderate rep texture is very hard. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is more
ranges. This is why by using a broad spectrum of rep ranges common among bodybuilders. Combining both forms
you’re able to maximise muscle growth, because you’re together is definitely better for maximized muscle growth.
stimulating a bigger percentage of your overall muscle
C) By default, training all fiber types means that your weight
mass! For instance, if you find your deltoids have always
selection will vary a lot over your 3 week Y3T training cycle.
been weak and you’ve never really trained above 15 reps, by
As the rep ranges increase in Week 2 and then peak in
going into 20, 30 or even 40 rep ranges they could suddenly
Week 3 your weight will obviously decrease because of the
fatigue your muscles will experience. This means that whilst overload. Progressive overload can and should be achieved
the target muscles are being broken down to stimulate in multiple different rep ranges, not just in the lower,
hypertrophy in completely new thresholds you’ve potentially heavier sets you find in Week 1. For instance if you achieve
never faced before, the actual force required is less than 30 reps with X weight on the leg press in Week 3, you need
usual. As a result your joints and connective tissues are to achieve more in the next three week cycle to achieve
faced with far less stress. When people aim to build mass overload.
they tend to go very heavy all of the time, which puts a lot
of stress on the joints. Usually this is when they tend to It’s very important that you keep the environment relative as
become strained if not injured. Rotating rep ranges doesn’t well. This means rep tempo and rest periods are sustained
just have a preferential effect on the way hypertrophy respectively, so that when you do achieve more weight or
occurs, it also allows the joints to recover ready for Week 1 reps it’s done under the same conditions. This is crucial to
where your muscles are exposed to the heaviest poundages forcing the muscle into a position where it’s been exposed to
throughout the program. Instead, you’re only having to lift true overload.
weight closest to your maximal strength levels once every Some exercises are more important than others in relation
three weeks, rather than weekly. Yes, you’re going as heavy to progressive overload. For instance, on triceps it’s far
as you possibly can during Week 2 and Week 3 for the stated more important to build your numbers on compound
rep ranges - however, that will naturally still be lighter than exercises like pushdowns and dips rather than something
if you were in single digit rep ranges all of the time! more isolated such as tricep kickbacks. Some exercises
D) One key fundamental I’ve always focused on during my don’t lend themselves to continuously becoming more
own competitive bodybuilding career as well as with clients loaded, they serve a very different purpose. One of the most
is staying conditioned, even during the off season where important things when forcing or creating a positive muscle
the focus is on gaining size. I’ll explain exactly why later building program is making sure you perform the exercises
on in this book, but for now I want to explain specifically correctly. This is KEY, far too many people lift with ego and
why using a broader spectrum of rep ranges helps achieve engage other muscle groups or joints into play. Ultimately
this. Once you experience Y3T exactly as its meant to be this limits your ability to achieve progressive overload, let
done you’ll find that not only do your muscles appear fuller alone at a maximal level.
and grow quicker, you also appear more conditioned and 3) Avoid Plateaus
become aerobically fitter. This is largely down to the Week You’re on this program because you want to build muscle
2 and Week 3 workouts which cause your cardiovascular and you’ve probably hit a plateau, if not now at some point
system to work very hard. The byproduct of this is improved during your training life. The reality is progress isn’t going
fat mobilization! to be linear, however most people do hit plateaus far too
E) Blood volumization is a key part of building fullness within easily because of bad programming. Provided your diet,
a muscle. With the specific rep tempo prescription there rest and supplementation are all in place programming
is increased muscle recruitment which instantly drives should be done in a way which allows you to achieve “super
more blood into the target area. During Week 2 and Week 3 compensation” on a frequent basis, by manipulating training
the increase in rep ranges forces a lot more blood into the volume and intensity.
muscle compared to conventional hypertrophy training. This The central nervous system (CNS) is a very key part in
can help bring more nutrients into the muscle and stretch all of this. This is the network in which muscle fibers are
the fascia, which in some instances can be a limiting factor recruited, as you illicit stress onto a muscle the brain sends
where muscle growth is concerned. signals through the CNS to recruit X amount of muscle
2) Focus On Overload fibers to move the weight. Dependent on that stress, the
Progressive overload is often overlooked and CNS deploys a proportionate amount of force from the
misunderstood. Many people totally forget about this muscle. The issue is this process is taxing for the body and
fundamental muscle building mechanism which facilitates CNS, if it has to keep repeating this in large volumes without
continued growth. Those who do claim to focus on enough recovery time performance will suffer. As such
progressive overload usually misinterpret what it means and there is no scope for progressive overload which makes the
more importantly, how they’re supposed to apply it to grow! chances of building more muscle slim.
For the sake of using Y3T correctly and getting the most So how does programming fix all of this?
from the principle of progressive overload, here is my With Y3T, as your rep ranges increase over the three week
definition: training cycle your number of working sets decreases. Two
Progressive overload describes the process which continues things are happening because of that:
to make a muscle work harder by exerting more force on to 1) Overall training volume reduces
it, over a period of time. The progress isn’t always linear and
2) Training intensity increases
can be throughout multiple different pathways. Sometimes
you will lift more weight for the same amount of reps, Due to these two variables operating alongside one another
other times you will lift the same weight for more reps. The this allows for acute muscle trauma to occur, where the
important thing is that over a relatively short period of 16 muscle is heavily stimulated and forced into a positive state
weeks when aiming to build muscle you achieve progressive of growth without you experiencing excess CNS fatigue.
What you will find is as you come back to Week 1, starting because you’ll encourage imbalances to develop by working
the next three week training cycle you “super compensate” the same muscles in the same capacity. As weaker muscles
and are able to perform better, achieving more impressive become further distanced from developing muscles this is
numbers. Ultimately, this ties in perfectly with the other where a lot of injuries occur, due to pressure around joints
growth factors I’ve already discussed up until now. in particular.
4) Manipulate Different Angles For Maximal Growth It’s really important that your training considers everything,
Along with correct programming and using various which includes focusing on building a strong body which
hypertrophy tools you must apply training correctly. One of is robust enough to train with intensity. Building muscle
the things involved in doing this is leveraging various angles requires intense training and at some point the body will
to break each muscle group down, strategically. To truly find this very hard to cope with, building a strong foundation
maximise muscular hypertrophy you need to understand will see you through.
that most muscles are able to operate through a multitude
of planes of motion, some more preferable than others How many people do you know complain of excessive
where hypertrophy is concerned. joint pain or injuries all of the time, when training to build
muscle? Most people I’d say! The point is, if you can focus
For instance, if you look at training chest there are endless on eliminating these weaknesses with smarter training you
options when it comes to pressing. Even if you take will progress faster.
incline dumbbell press, there are many variants within
that to choose from. It’s very important that you realize In regard to the differences in the Y3T training cycle it’s also
overloading the muscle through different planes of motion worth mentioning how this effects your training psychology.
can help maximise growth because you’re creating more Being stimulated by change and a new short term goal
opportunities to recruit a wider range of muscle fibers is usually a productive thing where building muscle is
within the target muscle. This isn’t about “shocking” a concerned. You are more focused and therefore become
muscle with lots of angles, it’s about hitting as many fibers more fixated on making each workout count. If you imagine
within an area as possible. you have 4-5 workouts in that specific week with a totally
new criteria to maximise it creates urgency because you
Some angles are going to be naturally better for you than don’t have many opportunities! However, if you just think of
others because of individual biomechanics. You’ll be able to a 16 week period you suddenly feel more relaxed which can
achieve a fuller muscle contraction with a particular muscle lead to training complacency. Each workout really, really
using a specific angle over the other, usually leading to needs to count!
better growth as a result. Don’t be afraid to analyze which
angles connect with your muscles better. Just because an 6) Learn To Squeeze The Muscle
angle doesn’t feel right doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t If you were to come to one of my hypertrophy workshops
work for you though. This might be down to: one of the first things I’d teach you is that in order to make
the muscle grow to its absolute capacity, you must learn
A) Form to make the muscle work as hard as possible through the
B) Over compensation entire range of motion. To do this, you must connect with
C) Using too much weight the muscle as hard as you can without letting up. As the set
D) Not mentally connecting with the muscle/area you’re training. progresses this creates an awful lot of discomfort and pain
E.g. Poor mind muscle connection because of the intense connection, leading to more lactic
E) Muscular impingement, skeletal misalignment acid taking place within the muscle. However, this is just a
byproduct of training correctly for optimized hypertrophy.
Usually by reducing the weight, slowing down your rep In time your muscles will become conditioned to training
tempo and really focusing on your form you can quickly at this maximal capacity. This will also improve mental
improve the connection you have with an exercise. Once conditioning which is key to pushing beyond your limits,
you learn how to recruit the muscle properly, then you can achieving maximal levels of performance.
increase the weight through that specific range of motion.
To make sure you’re aware of what I mean I want to give
5) Avoid One Dimensional Training you a really simple example of squeezing the muscle. Once
This point nicely summarizes some of the previous points you’re able to:
because by failing to implement enough variation in regard
A) Understand how this works
to:
B) Have the mental capacity to implement it for every rep of every
A) Rep ranges set you will grow a lot quicker!
B) Training volume
Before the set even begins you must engage the muscle by
C) Intensity levels tensing it. This initiates more of the muscle fibers within the
D) Angles area, leading to improved fiber recruitment. This ultimately
E) Range of motion is the goal to build more muscle, faster. You will find that
by doing this you fatigue faster and you may even have to
It’s likely you’ll stagnate quickly where building muscle use less weight, but this will quickly change as you learn to
is concerned. It’s also more likely that by having a one train the muscle properly! Remember, gaining size is about
dimensional approach to training you could face injuries stimulating the muscle between point A and B (as well as at
those points) rather than simply moving a weight. process, then if there is enough, are you able to gain
muscle. When I say fuel I’m not just referring to carbs and
During the concentric part of the rep you must continue to fats, in a general term, the emphasis is always on high
squeeze the muscle, forcing it to contract as hard as you quality nutrients. This goes for protein, fats, carbohydrates,
can. As you reach the first isometric phase make sure you minerals and hydration agents including adequate amounts
continue to squeeze, static contractions are an extremely of fluids.
effective way of building muscle through improved
stimulation and fiber recruitment. Moving into the eccentric 8) Avoid Gaining Too Much Fat
phase which is where your muscle is strongest, you must Sometimes people under eat when trying to build muscle,
keep squeezing the muscle so it resists the weight because other times I see people over eating which can be just as
this encourages muscle fiber breakdown. Depending on the bad for very different reasons! By gaining too much body
exercise, the second isometric point might be suitable to fat you are actually making it more difficult to build muscle
implement a pause/squeeze. because of two very specific reasons:
You can see just by imagining this approach the difference A) Insulin resistance becomes more problematic as you get too fat,
effecting the way in which your body is able to utilize nutrients
in training intensity and therefore muscle recruitment. Over
for recovery and growth.
time, this equates to significant increases in muscle gain. If
B) Aromatization can occur more freely because the aromatase
you find you cannot “feel” a muscle working enough to truly
enzyme is housed in fat cells, as you become fatter your body is
squeeze it, use a light weight and practice. Another way is more likely to convert testosterone into estrogen. Ultimately you
to use no weight, simply going through the motion slowly lose some of your “anabolic potential!”
without any resistance.
Gaining excess body fat is most likely going to affect your
For example, somebody who is well rehearsed in initiating gut health, which can effect nutrient uptake. It might also
muscle engagement, squeezing the muscle hard through effect aerobic fitness which can detract from intensity in
the whole rep would be able to experience a significant the gym, again becoming a limiting factor where building
contraction without any weight whilst doing bicep curls. This muscle is concerned. Ultimately it doesn’t make sense to let
is because they’re already able to squeeze that muscle, they your body fat become too high during a mass gaining phase
don’t require the weight to make the muscle “fire.” This is because it isn’t quality weight and it will have to come off at
where you need to get to in order to optimize hypertrophy. some point further down the line!
7) Never Under Eat Staying relatively lean is always better for building muscle
The last six points have really emphasized the importance because you’re able to build more quality tissue, train
of building muscle through intelligent training. However, to harder and it’s also healthier. Do not fall into the trap of
facilitate the effects of your training you must provide your trying to gain weight at all costs by eating junk! Sometimes
body with: people will read about 300lb pro bodybuilders who eat
junk food to get their calories up and copy them. The thing
A) Enough fuel (calories)
is, at that weight if you’re lean then calorie turnover is
B) The correct fuel (right source of calories in correct ratios) exponentially higher than the average trained individual!
C) At the right time (timing of specific nutrients) These athletes require so many calories a day just to
D) Making sure your adequately hydrated with key minerals maintain weight, let alone gain it and they’re usually lean
which helps them absorb the energy better. You need to
If you do not do this, your muscle gains will be severely keep things in context and focus on what your body needs.
limited if not completely stumped because in order to build
metabolically active tissue the body requires a surplus There is no case study that clearly shows or display’s that
of energy to do so. It also needs to be from the right it’s easier to gain lean muscle tissue at 14% body fat over
nutrients, at the right time. In my coaching career I’ve someone that’s 8% body fat. The reality is there’s simply no
come across countless examples of people who are trying reason to be excessively over weight, or thinking it’s better
to build muscle, training every single day and using a lot of to be carrying more excess body fat than what’s needed on
supplements only to find out their actual diet is very limited a lean muscle mass building phase. I’m not saying you need
in terms of quality and amounts of food. to be a certain body fat percentage; I’m simply saying not
to get into the false mindset that by having a bigger
Usually, starting at around a 10-15% calorie surplus is a number on the scales automatically correlates with
good starting point for most people when looking to build having more muscle.
muscle. As time goes on and you build more muscle tissue
and your metabolism adapts to the calorie intake, your 9) Fight Catabolism And Support Anabolism 24/7
nutrients will usually need to increase. In terms of the right You are either “catabolic” or “anabolic” at any given
nutrient sources and getting the timings correct, I’ll discuss moment. There’s no in-between. As obvious as it might
that specifically in the nutrition section of this book. sound you need to try and fight against catabolism and
facilitate anabolism as frequently as possible to gain new
For now I just need you to remember that no matter what muscle mass.
your training looks like, without the right amount of fuel
you are not going to build as much muscle as you could.
Remember, training actually causes the breakdown
of muscle tissue. Only when food initiates the recovery
This boils down to numerous factors. Some are influenced As somebody who is training with so much intensity on a
from lifestyle, others are driven from being in the gym and regular basis I feel you need a minimum of 3 liters per day,
there is of course some genetic dependency as well. The in some instances much more. Factors including climate
main factors to consider are: and how much you naturally sweat should also be taken
into account. For instance, since living in Florida where it
A) Nutrition accuracy & consistency
is much warmer and humid compared to the UK I have
B) Training progression to drink more water. Make sure you’re always thinking of
C) Supplementation external factors like this.
D) Sleep
As you’re sweating you will lose essential electrolytes
E) Avoid excess stress
which need replacing. Along with supplementation you can
F) Hormonal optimization
also replace some of these by lightly salting your meals.
G) Over training This acts as a natural electrolyte, drawing water into the
The focus is firmly on doing everything possible to muscle cell which in turn can increase fullness as well as
encourage anabolism at all times, and where that’s not performance.
possible (such as during training) provide the body with the
necessary ingredients to remain anti-catabolic. 12) Condition Your Mind For Muscle
Y3T is going to mentally challenge you like you’ve never felt
In the nutrition and supplementation sections I’ll cover before in the gym. This is especially true on Week 3, where
specific protocols in more detail, in order to help you your muscles will be burning so intensely you cannot get
achieve this. comfortable and you’re left shaking momentarily because
of the intensity. It’s designed to be like this for a reason, it
10) Don’t Under Estimate Sleep forces change!
Sleep is one of the key drivers behind building muscle,
something which many people just don’t appreciate enough. Before you get to the gym you will have butterflies in your
During “deep sleep” this is where your anabolic hormones stomach thinking about what’s ahead, and you need to
including testosterone, growth hormone and IGF-1 all be able to cope with this. Otherwise you will find that you
peak. Ensuring that these hormones are able to reach become over whelmed and start training with less intensity
optimal levels on a regular basis is key in building more to pace yourself. This is not how you should go about it,
muscle tissue. Sleep is also the time where the central instead you need to accept that training with great intensity
nervous system (CNS) is able to recover. Remember earlier is a part of your journey.
in this book when explaining muscle recruitment and the
importance of keeping the CNS fresh, so you don’t find In time your body will become more conditioned to the
there’s a negative trend in muscle performance. Sleep has a intensity of Y3T, and then you keep building on that even
very big impact on this front. more. You need to mentally prepare yourself enough though
to push through the initial threshold where you will want to
Not only is net sleep quantity important, it’s also critical that stop. Remember this, dig deep and make sure you get to the
quality sleep is a key focus too. For instance, going to bed end of each workout. Everybody feels the same way; some
with stimulants active in your system will have a negative are just willing to find a way to get through it.
effect on CNS recovery and your energy levels in the future.
Being distracted when trying to go to sleep can also ruin 13) Be Patient
sleep, again effecting overall recovery. Make sleep a priority Building real quality muscle (not just “weight”) takes time,
of yours and ensure you give it the attention it deserves. however this is not a negative thing. Adding 2-3lbs of real
muscle to a physique can make a significant difference to
Later in the book I delve deeper into the intricacies of sleep the way your body looks from multiple angles. Just look at
optimization and how this directly effects anabolism, CNS the meat you eat and the volume of tissue there is from one
performance and general progress in relation to building meal. Now apply that to 2-3lbs worth of muscle, that’s a lot
muscle. of extra mass to go on to a physique!
11) Prioritize Hydration When we discuss fat loss on average you require an energy
Nutrient transportation is almost as important as nutrition deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound of body fat.
itself. Ensuring the body is readily equipped with enough Although the goal is the exact opposite of building muscle,
water to transport nutrients around the body throughout it gives some sort of perspective on how much additional
the entire day is critical to building muscle mass. Staying energy might be required to gain muscle. Bear in mind,
hydrated helps carry nutrients to the muscle cell where muscle is metabolically active so by adding more your
the body can then make use of them, in whatever capacity energy requirements keep on rising as well!
required. It also helps the gut function much better along
with key organs such as the kidneys and liver which are part
of the renal system.
What I will say from experience is that in a 16 week period 15) Stay Injury Free!
gains in muscle mass differ quite dramatically from one This is such an important thing to focus on, staying healthy
person to the next. Factors such as: and free of injuries! Earlier in the book I already explained
how Y3T training is designed to help minimize the risk of
A) Genetics
injury whilst maximizing your opportunity to build muscle.
B) Training age However, it is also down to you to make smart decisions.
C) Intensity applied
D) Stress levels Do not be tempted to get drawn into ego lifting whereby
you’re going heavier than you can handle. This usually
E) Sleep quality
means that to compensate your form becomes less strict
F) Hormonal health
and the exercise becomes more specific to connective
G) Gender tissue stress rather than muscle. This is how a lot of
I) Natural or Enhanced strength athletes train and whilst it has its place for building
Can affect the amount of muscle gained. Obviously muscle it’s an unnecessary risk which could lead to a nasty
adherence to the program is a massive factor, but I’m injury.
going to presume you will follow it as prescribed! People
The other key consideration is warming up your target
who’ve trained for less time and have never really done a
muscle and surrounding joints properly first. Do not go
plan like this can expect to gain more because of all the
straight into your working sets, give yourself 4-5 sets to get
hypertrophic stimulating factors their body is about to
the joints lubricated with synovial fluid and blood into the
experience. If you’re somebody who’s trained properly for
muscle. If there is an undetected injury gradually building
years then whilst the gains might be less, they will still be
the weight gives you the opportunity to notice before you’ve
significant because applying the principles in this program
pushed the muscle too hard. Warming up properly isn’t just
will definitely illicit a positive response.
about injury prevention either. It allows the CNS to become
You need to be patient so you don’t make irrational properly stimulated before your first working set which
decisions or fail to stick to the plan. The muscle will come! means you’re going to recruit more muscle fibers, in turn
generating more of a hypertrophic response!
14) Focus On Quality Over Quantity
This goes for everything! 16) Don’t Choose The Easy Route
It’s very easy to pick exercises which you prefer when feeling
Do not be tempted to do extra in terms of training because fatigued. This enables you to stay within your comfort zone
this program has been designed to allow for progression, and ultimately avoid making a substantial effort to overcome
using the principles of overload and periodization to fatigue. However, as a result progress becomes very slow
encourage continued growth. Adding additional workouts if nonexistent. One of the key fundamentals of achieving
could affect CNS recovery, muscle performance and general maximal hypertrophy is creating an environment whereby
progress. your CNS, endocrine system, muscle fibers and energy
pathways are constantly challenged.
In terms of nutrition and supplementation the same rules
apply. Eating extra calories or taking on additional dosages Do not fall into the very common habit of taking the easy
doesn’t always equate to a more anabolic environment. route in the gym, doing things you know aren’t going to be
Sometimes it can be counter intuitive. You only need what too hard. This will become a very big limiting factor as far as
your body requires, no more than that. building muscle is concerned. You’ve seen plenty of people
in your gym doing the same things each week and failing to
progress, this is one of the key reasons why!
SUMMARY
These 16 key points all contribute towards building
muscle and ultimately helping you gain an
understanding of why certain things are so pivotal to you
building muscle. Not just over the next 12 weeks, but for
the longer term as well!
Fundamentally a lot of people do not follow a set
program, they tend to pick up isolated workouts from
different sources and amalgamate them together.
The issue with this is that there’s no continuity or
measurability. Ultimately, the key fundamentals which
underpin the development of lean muscle mass are not
present - at least to the extent they need to be in order
to attain the best results possible. Referring back to the
introductory 16 key fundamentals for building muscle, a
fixed schedule which factors in overload, global muscle
fiber stimulation and progression is critical.
Now we’ve covered these points we’re going to get
more specific with educational content. Some of the
information you read in this book will require time to
absorb because it does explore muscle growth at a
more advanced level than perhaps you’ve read before.
Having said that, do not let that concern you. Take the
time to let this information settle in and keep reading
it if necessary. By gaining a better understanding how
the mechanisms at play effect muscle growth you’re
definitely going to make better progress!
With the introductory chapters out of the way, let’s get
into the finer detail of muscle growth.
using y3t TRAINING

for muscle mass
Overview Of effect these factors have on muscle fiber stimulation. They
also have a critical impact on the way each energy system
interacts during the workout. Ultimately these things
Y3T Training effect your end result, so please be very stringent in your
application of this training program!
Here’s your overview of the four week Y3T training rotation.

Y3T training has a very unique approach to weight
training which gives the potential to help you build Week 1A & Week 1B…
Low rep ranges, usually between 6-12 reps. The number
muscle at optimal capacity. In order for you to get
of working sets will vary however usually it will be between
the most from it you need to understand exactly 12-16 sets per muscle group. Exercise choices during Week
how Y3T works and the guidance I give to all of 1 will predominately be multi-joint, compound lifts which
my clients when using it to build muscle. These are best suited to heavier poundages. Rest periods are
around 90 seconds to allow the anaerobic energy systems
are the very same protocols I use with the likes of
to recover and ATP regeneration to take place, preparing the
6 times 212 Mr. Olympia Flex Lewis and top 3 Mr. fast twitch muscle fibers for the next set. Rep tempo is a key
Olympia finisher, William Bonac. part of training for muscle mass and there’s very specific
prescriptions within Y3T!
Now is your chance to learn how these things work at an
advanced level and more importantly, how to apply this to In the week 1A workouts your eccentrics are 2 seconds
your own body to achieve full genetic potential! whereas in week 1B this number doubles, equating to
4 second negatives on each rep. The key difference this
Many people believe that Y3T training works exclusively creates is the explosiveness of each rep. With the faster
on a three week cycle, however this is not the case! There eccentrics you’re going to move the weight quicker and will
are different applications of Y3T depending on the goal and therefore lift more weight!
emphasis at that time. In this ebook, you’re actually going
to be following a four week, Y3T training cycle which will This is going to play a key part in developing:
be broken down in greater detail for you. In this instance,
1) Myofibrillar hypertrophy
you’ve got:
2) Progressive overload
Week 1A
During week 1B where the eccentrics are slower you’re
Week 1B
still predominately focusing on myofibrillar hypertrophy,
Week 2
however there is more emphasis taking place on time under
Week 3
tension. Ultimately, you’ve got two forms of low rep training
across this four week training cycle to help breakdown both
Equating to a four week rotation which is then repeated
types of fast twitch muscle fibers. With the extra freedom in
three times, leaving you with a twelve week training
the week 1A workouts to lift heavier weight you will also find
schedule. To help you understand what differentiates each
that there’s a positive hormonal response, with the heaviest
week of this training rotation I’ve given an overview beneath.
loads during the four week training rotation eliciting a
This will help you appreciate the differences and why each
“hyper” anabolic response across the endocrine system.
part is important to helping you maximise muscle growth.
Although I’ll continue to reiterate this throughout the ebook, Week 2…
I want to emphasize just how important sticking to the Moderate rep ranges, usually between 12-18 reps. The
prescriptions given in this program are. This is particularly number of working sets will vary however usually it will
the case for rep tempo and rest periods because of the be between 9-12 sets per muscle group. Exercise choices
during week 2 will usually be a combination of compound - Reduce the risk of injury to the muscle and connective
and isolation exercises to maximise muscle breakdown tissues within the area
and recruitment. With more reps there’s slightly more rest - Increase blood flow into the muscle
given, at around 110 seconds between sets in order to let - Enhance elasticity of the muscle along with connective
the muscles recover. Rep tempo is prescribed at around 3 tissues
seconds per rep. - Excite the CNS activity which is exactly how muscle fiber
recruitment is achieved
During this week of training there’s a cross-over in muscle
fiber stimulation between type 2a and type 2b fast twitch Ultimately, by doing a correct warm up routine before your
muscle fibers, along with your type 1 slow twitch muscle first working set you’re in a better position to build muscle!
fibers. The increase in reps means that there’s a significant This is how I’d recommend warming the target muscle up in
uplift in muscle tension which you’ll notice after the first two preparation for your first working set:
to three working sets into each workout. Blood volumization
is also instantly increased! Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is 1) Use your first exercise as the one you warm up with
definitely the emphasis on the rep ranges in this particular 2) Perform 4 warm up sets, incrementally getting heavier
week. each time.
Week 3… - Set 1 is there to increase blood flow, do 15-20 reps NOT to

High rep ranges, usually 20+ reps although this can go up failure
to 60-80. The number of working sets will vary however - Set 2 is there to increase blood flow and muscle activation,
usually it will be between 3-8 sets per muscle group. Exercise do 15-20 reps NOT to failure
choices during week 3 are again a combination of compound - Set 3 is there to increase load on the muscle, do 10-12
and isolation. During week 3 intensity is significantly reps with heavier weight NOT to failure
increased with the use of drop sets, super sets and giant - Set 4 is to prepare you for your first working set -
sets so that the muscle is broken down quicker, with less do 8-10 reps with around 80% of your working weight
overall working sets performed in each workout. Rest periods NOT to failure
grow to 120 seconds between working sets because of the
demands placed upon the aerobic system are so severe. As This ensures that the target muscle is sufficiently prepared
the rep ranges are much higher rep tempo is reduced to 2 for your first working set, with the CNS suitably initiated for
seconds. maximal muscle fiber recruitment. However, it’s not going
to cause unnecessary fatigue which could impact your
Even though during this week of the training rotation rep working sets. Getting this balance right is key!
ranges increase significantly, there is still cross-over between
the muscle fiber populations which become stimulated. Optimal Muscle Growth…
As I’ve already alluded to above structuring your training in
You will notice that there is a very specific set of guidelines the format discussed helps maximize both forms of muscle
in place as far as rest periods and rep tempo are concerned. hypertrophy, sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar!
These two factors are absolutely critical to making Y3T have
maximal impact, it’s essential you understand this! What you need to realize is that within every human body
there will be a unique ratio of type 2a, type 2b fast twitch
Rep tempo muscle fibers and type 1 slow twitch muscle fibers. The
By manipulating rep tempo speed you’re able to isolate ratios will differ depending on genetics and there will also
specific muscle groups and fibers within that area much be differences from one muscle group to the next. With that
more effectively. Ultimately it reduces any external help being said, following a comprehensive training schedule
as well, forcing the target muscle to work much harder. which rotates rep ranges, volume and exercise selection
Whilst this usually means it is harder, more fatiguing and with the sole intention of targeting all fiber types means
sometimes leads to a reduction in weight used it illicits you’re going to fulfill more of your potential.
a greater hypertrophic response. That is what we want,
specifically! It doesn’t matter if you lift 10kg more, if the rep For instance, if you have 50% slow twitch muscle fibers
tempo and form isn’t correct then you probably won’t get within a muscle group that potential for growth won’t be
the same results! The muscles only understand stress and realized until you implement training specifically for this
workload, not numbers. fiber type! This training program will ensure that is taken
care of. Yes, some muscle fibers are more hypertrophic
Rest periods than others however for maximal results you still need to
By being very specific with rest periods we’re able to increase stimulate every form.
the intensity of a workout. This also directly effects muscle
fiber recruitment because of the fact certain fibers have At this point you should have a clear understanding of how
different recovery times. The muscle needs to become Y3T training is going to help build lean muscle mass and
conditioned to training under intensity, rest periods are one of lead to overall improvements in body composition and
the factors which governs this. performance. Now we’re going to go through your Y3T
training program for the next 12 weeks.
Warming Up For Optimal Results
Warming up properly to facilitate optimal performance is
often overlooked in the gym! Implementing the correct warm
up is there to:
SUMMARY
At this point you should have a clear understanding of
how Y3T training is going to help build lean muscle mass
and lead to overall improvements in body composition
and performance. Now we’re going to go through your
Y3T training programme for the next 12 weeks.
y3t Training
Programme
Each working set is outlined on factors including your preferred have or it’s in use during your workout.
in detail below, along with all days to train and rate of recovery. Due If this is the case do not panic, use
to the sheer intensity of this program your initiative to make a “like for like”
relevant information to get I’d highly recommend you don’t train substitution. For instance, if you cannot
the most from this plan! It’s for 5 consecutive days because it’s do lying leg curls do standing single leg
imperative that you follow each very likely the CNS will become over curls using the leg extension machine.
prescription given and track trained. As CNS fatigue sets in, muscle This is a prime example of making
recruitment can become hindered thus a “like for like” swap to isolate the
the weights/reps you achieve reducing performance and hypertrophy same target muscle. If you’re suffering
in each four week rotation in potential. With that said, I’d personally with an injury and you find a specific
order to facilitate progression. recommend a split which allows you exercise on this program causes
I’ll discuss this in more detail a day off every 2-3 days. This could be aggravation to the area please feel free
done with a 3 on, 1 off, 2 on split for to make a “like for like” swap. There’s
further along in the book. Below instance. The main point is that you’re no sense in irritating an area further!
are some key points which you assessing how well you’re recovering Pick an exercise which allows you to
need to read before embarking and performing, then adjusting the stimulate the muscle you’re training
upon the plan. training split appropriately. without causing aggravation.
For example, you might have lower
This program follows a 5 day training It’s very likely that there might be back pain therefore machine rows
split. The way in which you divide your some exercises in this program which might be more appropriate versus
training weeks and days will depend require a piece of equipment you don’t bent over rows.
Here is a brief reminder of key training protocols you must

adhere to whilst following this Y3T program:
1 Remember to use rest/pause on every set! This is a key intensity amplification strategy which exposes the muscle to
greater levels of stress, equating to improved stimulation.
2 Remember to adhere to the prescribed rep tempo for each rep on every working set - this will make an enormous
difference to muscle activation and your results!
3 Remember to stick to the rest periods because this sets the tempo of the workout, increasing intensity.
4 Remember to use a full range of motion whilst sustaining maximal levels of muscle tension. Do not let your ego
take over and go too heavy!
5 Remember to track every set in terms of weight/reps achieved. This provides analytical information to achieve
progressive overload throughout the program.
Remember to squeeze the muscle as hard as you can during every rep, maximizing the tension within the
target area.
7 Remember your training partner is there for safety only, you should achieve all reps on your own. That’s all that counts!
Remember all sets are to complete failure, partial and assisted reps are not required beyond this. In order to track
progressive overload accurately we only want to track full reps which you’ve achieved yourself.
9 Remember to use lifting straps when training back because ultimately the forearm muscles are never going to be as
strong as the back muscles. With that said the grip strength will become a limiting factor when looking to overload the
back muscles. During the higher rep ranges in week 2 and week 3 this will become even more of an issue!
Remember this is my personal training program, you can change the days around to suit your needs. Including
training two different body parts on the same day as long as you adjust the training plan acordingly. Don’t train
more than 3 days in a row, before taking a rest day.
11 Remember that the rep ranges in weeks 1 - 3 are target rep ranges which I would like you to try and reach at failure.
If you reach failure before hitting the target rep range remember to adjust the weight accordingly. As you fatigue
through the workout it’s normal for you to expereince a decline in strength levels. This means you will potentialy need
to adjust the weight you are using as you fatigue, in order to meet the target rep ranges. In the same sense that if your
able to perform more reps you need to increase the weight on your next working set.
WEEK 1A
daY 1 MONDAY Thighs and Hamstring
Warm up with 4 sets of Barbell Squats, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way
up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.
Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Barbell Squat 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Leg Press 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Hack Squats 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Leg Extensions 2 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Lying Leg Curls, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way

Lying Leg Curl 6 X 8 - 12 2 seconds 90 seconds
Single Leg Curl 3 X 8 - 12 2 seconds 90 seconds
Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 X 8 - 12 2 seconds 90 seconds
daY 2 TUESDAY chest AND Calves

Warm up with 4 sets of Incline Dumbbell press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
your way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

Incline Dumbbell Press 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Incline Machine Press 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Weighted Dips 2 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Standing Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Standing Calf Raise 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Seated Calf Raise 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
daY 3 WEDNESDAY REST DAY

It is important to make sure you let your body recover. I advise with the intensity that you will be training to not exceed 2
training days before having your rest day.
daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Warm up with 4 sets of T-Bar Rows, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way up
to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

T-Bar Row 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Medium Grip Pulldown 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Narrow Grip Low Pulley Cable Row 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Seated Hammer Row 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Barbell Rack Pulls 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Warm up with 4 sets of Straight Bar Cable Pushdowns, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set
working your way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

Straight Bar Cable Pushdowns 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Bent Over Straight Bar Cable Extensions 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Weight Dips 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Alternating Dumbbell Curls, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Standing Barbell Curl 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Straight Bar Low Pulley Cable Curl 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
daY 6 SATURDAY shoulders AND CALVES

Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Dumbbell Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Seated Dumbbell Press 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Dumbbell Upright Rows 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Dumbbell Front Raise 3 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Bent Over Dumbbell Raise 4 X 6 - 10 2 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Standing Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

daY 7 SUNDAY REST DAY

WEEK 1B
daY 1 MONDAY Thighs and Hamstring
Warm up with 4 sets of Leg Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way up

Leg Press 6 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Hack Squat 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
B-Bell Squat 2 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Lying Leg Curls, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way

Single Leg Curl 3 X 8 - 12 2 seconds 90 seconds
Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 X 8 - 12 2 seconds 90 seconds

Warm up with 4 sets of Flat Barbell Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your
way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

Flat Barbell Press 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Flat Dumbbell Flyes 3 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Incline Barbell Press 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Hack Squat Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Hack Squat Calf Raise 3 X 14 - 18 4 seconds 90 seconds

daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Warm up with 4 sets of Medium Grip Pulldowns, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Medium Grip Pulldowns 3 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Medium Grip Low Pulley Cable Row 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Bent Over Dumbbell Row 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Barbell Deadlift 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Warm up with 4 sets of Lying EZ-Bar Skull Crushers, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Lying EZ-Bar Skull Crushers 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Close Grip Smith Machine Press 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Straight Bar Cable Push Down 2 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Standing Close Grip EZ Bar Curls, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Standing Close Grip EZ-Bar Curls 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Seated Dumbbell Alternating Curls 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Standing Wide Grip Barbell Curls 2 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds

Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Smith Machine Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Seated Smith Machine Press 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Standing Barbell Front Raise 3 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Seated Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise 4 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Lying Incline Dumbbell Side Raise 5 X 8 - 12 4 seconds 90 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Hack Squat Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Hack Squat Calf Raise 3 X 14 - 18 4 seconds 90 seconds

WEEK 2
daY 1 MONDAY Thighs and Hamstrings
Warm up with 4 sets of Barbell Squats, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way

Barbell Squats 4 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Hack Squats 4 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Leg Extensions 4 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift 4 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Dumbbell Walking Lunges 2 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds

Warm up with 4 sets of Flat Dumbbell Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working

Flat Dumbbell Press 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Incline Dumbbell Press 4 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Pec-Dec 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your


daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Warm up with 4 sets of Narrow Grip Lat Pulldowns, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Narrow Grip Lat Pulldowns 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Medium Grip Low Pulley Cable Rows 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Bent Over Barbell Row 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Lying Incline Dumbbell Hyper Row 2 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Warm up with 4 sets of Seated EZ Bar Overhead Extensions, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up
set working your way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

Seated EZ Bar Over Head Extension 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Weighted Dips 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Single Arm Dumbbell Kick Back 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Standing Wide Grip Barbell Curl, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set

Standing Wide Grip Barbell Curl 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Standing Single Arm Low Pulley Cable Curl 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds

Warm up with 4 sets of Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm
up set working your way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.

Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Seated Dumbbell Arnold Press 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Standing Dumbbell Front Raise 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Standing Barbell Power Press 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Standing Over Head Reverse Cable Cross Overs 3 X 12 - 16 3 seconds 110 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Calf Raises, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your


During week 3 of Y3T there are a lot of additional Drop Sets

After reaching failure at the prescribed rep range you
training protocols including drop sets, super sets
reduce the weight and perform the same exercise for a set
and giant sets. Please make sure you carefully number of reps (indicated in the plan). Usually the reduction
read each workout so you don’t miss any of these of weight will be between 25-50% based upon the first set.
key additions out because they are essential to You can also have triple drop sets which follow exactly the
same format, with an additional drop set added equating to
optimizing your results!
3 total sets. Therefore if you’re asked to do 2 triple drop sets,
you complete the process described above twice. Obviously,
Here is a quick overview explaining what each you will have the prescribed rest periods between each
training protocol means: triple drop set.
Super Sets
Super sets describe the process of using two exercises back
to back without any rest between.
Giant Sets
Giant sets are like super sets except you use 3 or more
exercises without any rest in between.
WEEK 3
daY 1 MONDAY Thighs and Hamstrings
Warm up with 4 sets of Leg Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way up
Drop Sets: 2 Rotations On Each Drop Set
Exercise SETS Reps Exercise SETS Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods
Leg Press 2 30 - 40 Leg Pres 2 30 - 40 2 seconds 120 seconds
Leg Extensions 2 15 - 20 Leg Extensions 2 15 - 20 2 seconds 120 seconds
Smith Machine Squats 2 15 - 20 Smith Machine Squats 2 15 - 20 2 seconds 120 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Super Sets: 2 Rotations On Each Super Set
Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift 2 15 - 20 Lying Barbell 2 15 - 20 2 seconds 120 seconds
Hip Rise
Lying Leg Curl 2 15 - 20 Seated Leg Curl 2 15 - 20 2 seconds 120 seconds
High Stance Leg Press 2 15 - 20 Walking Lunges 2 15 - 20 2 seconds 120 seconds

Warm up with 4 sets of Incline Machine Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods
Incline Machine Press 3 12 - 15 Flat Dumbbell Flyes 3 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 12 - 15 Incline Dumbbell Flyes 3 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Weighted Dips 3 12 - 15 Cable Cross Overs 3 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Warm up with 4 sets of Leg Press Calf Raise, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Leg Press Calf Raise 5 20 - 25 Seated Calf Raise 5 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Toes Facing Out

daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Warm up with 4 sets of T-Bar Row, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working your way up
Exercise Sets Reps Exercise Sets Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods
T-Bar Rows 2 12 - 15 Wide Grip Pulldowns 2 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows 2 12 - 15 Standing Straight 2 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Arm Pulldown
Lying Incline Dumbbell 2 12 - 15 Lying Back Close 2 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Hyper Row Grip Pulldow
Barbell Deadlift 2 12 - 15 Lying Dumbbell 2 12 - 15 2 seconds 120 seconds
Pull Over
daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Over Head Barbell Extension, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up
set working your way up to around 80% of your “working weight” before the first working set.
Seated Barbell Over 2 20 - 25 Seated Barbell Over 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Head Extension Head Extension
Straight Bar Cable 2 20 - 25 Straight Bar Cable 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Push Down Push Down
Straight Bar Bent Forward 2 20 - 25 Straight Bar Bent 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Cable Push Down Forward Cable
Push Down
Warm up with 4 sets of Standing EZ Bar Curl, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Standing EZ Bar Curls 2 20 - 25 Standing EZ Bar 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Curls
Straight Bar Low 2 20 - 25 Straight Bar Low 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Pulley Curl Pulley Curl
Standing Incline Bench 2 20 - 25 Standing Incline Bench 2 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Single Arm Curl Single Arm Curl

Warm up with 4 sets of Seated Dumbbell Press, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Seated Dumbbell Press 3 20 - 25 Seated Dumbbell 3 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Front Raise
Seated Dumbbell Side 3 20 - 25 Seated Dumbbell 3 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Lateral Raise Partial Raise
Lying Incline 3 20 - 25 Standing Cable Rope 3 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Dumbbell Raise Face Pulls
Warm up with 4 sets of Leg Press Calf Raise, remember to progressively go heavier with each warm up set working
Leg Press Calf Raise 5 20 - 25 Seated Calf Raise 5 20 - 25 2 seconds 120 seconds
Toes Facing Out

Maximizing Your One key part of implementing progressive overload within

this Y3T plan is to track your:
Y3T Program For 1) Weight for each set

2) Reps achieved with the weight for each set
Muscle Mass! Every four week cycle you’re aiming to improve upon these
numbers whilst sustaining the rep tempo and rest period
figures prescribed. Using a key principle called “rest/pause”
This four week Y3T training cycle gives you a very is crucial to making this Y3T plan as effective as possible.
comprehensive approach to hitting every muscle
This training strategy allows you to go beyond your natural
fiber type over the course of the plan, optimizing
point of failure. For instance, if you’re using a 10-12 rep
your ability to build muscle. However, I want to range the aim would be to be nearing fatigue by rep 6-7.
quickly remind you of the key principles I started Rather than keep going until you fail, you’d stop for 2-3
this book with and how some of them tie in to the seconds holding the weight before doing another 1-2 reps.
You would repeat this until you get to complete failure!
plan I’ve just given you. Some of the key points
Usually this allows you to achieve more weight and reps,
I’ve discussed with you will naturally be applied with each set. As rep ranges increase the point at which
by following this program, such as global muscle you need to implement rest/pause will come quicker. For
fiber stimulation. However, there are some which instance, on a Week 3 leg press set where you’re doing 70-
80 reps you might start rest-pausing at around 30-35 reps
you need to apply yourself through analyzing
into the set. In this instance you’d also expect each rest/
progress and being mindful that it’s down to you pause to achieve more than 1-2 reps before needing to rest
to force progression. again.
As well as the programming in this Y3T plan, the diet and

The main principle I’m referring to here is progressive
supplementation elements will have a huge impact upon
overload.
progressing your performance. Provided you’re doing
To make this program progressive, you must adhere to the everything I’ve stated you will experience progression.
rep tempos and rest periods as I’ve stated. This means
Now its time to move on to your diet.
that in each four week cycle you will be training on a “like
for like” basis so all progress in terms of strength and
performance becomes relative.
Nutrition
For Mass…
Overview Of • Androgenic tendencies
• Liver function
• Muscle mass
Nutrition For • Age
• Gender
Mass… • Training volume / frequency
Often the term “positive nitrogen balance” is used when

Building lean muscle mass requires a very referring to protein intake. This is intrinsic to building
muscle and cannot be argued against. However, some of the
specific approach to nutrition, in my near 30 years older studies pertaining to what I regard as lower protein
worth of experience I’ve definitely noticed certain intake are out dated in my opinion. Whilst these studies
protocols work better than others across many have shown a retention in a positive nitrogen balance I have
individuals. With that said I’m going to give you a to question the environment in which that person (s) has
been exposed to and perhaps more importantly, the actual
complete overview of each nutritional principle testing mechanism itself. I know from experience that if my
and how these tie into your muscle building goals. athletes were consuming the lower levels of protein sited by
various bodies, they would not experience:
Understanding The Importance Of Each Nutrient…
Each macronutrient, protein, carbohydrates and fat all play 1. Satisfactory recovery between workouts
a pivotal role in building muscle mass. I’m a big proponent 2. Meaningful muscle growth
of using all 3 macro nutrients in abundance, rather than One other key denominator for protein is of course the
eliminating fat or carbohydrates in favor of the other. source and more specifically the leucine content. Leucine
Nutrition is about creating a synergistic plan which helps helps trigger muscle protein synthesis levels which in turn
the body recover, perform and rebuild muscle tissue as increases anabolism, boosting muscle regeneration and
effectively as possible. There are many different metabolic eventually growth. Whilst there are always fluctuations in
pathways in which the human body utilizes fuel, which the feedback from research it’s suggested that for optimal
is influenced by training stimulus, body composition and muscle protein synthesis consuming in the region of
of course diet because they all directly impact hormonal 0.05 grams per lean kilo of body mass. Please note how I
output. emphasize “lean body mass” because this can dramatically
In turn we’re going to explore the intricacies of multiple effect the total number. By achieving this level of leucine
factors surrounding nutrition and their effects on muscle across the day in intervals of 2-4 hours I believe you are best
hypertrophy. positioned to saturate the mTor pathway. mTOR (mammalian
target of rapamycin) is the term used to describe a chain of
Protein… metabolic processes that stimulate protein synthesis. mTOR
Clearly protein plays an essential role in rebuilding and is officially known as a serine protein kinase enzymatic
developing muscle tissue. Of the 100,000 different proteins complex that regulates cell growth; cell proliferation; cell
in the body it provides a diverse range of amino acids (of motility; cell survival; protein synthesis; and transcription.
which there are over 20) which are building blocks of muscle There are two ‘complexes’ known as C1 and C2, however
tissue. In my experience I’ve found in the region of 1.5-2g it is C1 which we’re interested in regarding muscle protein
of protein per pound of lean body weight to be about the synthesis. mTORC1 is stimulated by insulin, IGF-1, resistance
right ratio, although there are of course fluctuations within training, leucine (although all amino acids can contribute)
individuals based on factors including: and aerobic exercise. It’s worth noting in the absence of
amino acids muscle protein synthesis cannot occur. Refer to
my points below on amino acids and the importance of the
correct quality/sources.
In reality, by sticking to high quality leucine rich protein However you require a full spectrum of amino acids to build
sources in the quantities I’ll share later across a high meal muscle, don’t just focus on leucine!
frequency plan, leucine requirements should be adequately
met. It’s always advisable to stick to high biological value As a passing note there is very little need for protein
(HBV) protein sources for optimal muscle protein synthesis storage, most protein is either used for protein synthesis
up-regulation. or converted to energy and excreted. This is why over
consuming protein can become counter productive and
For anybody who’s followed my content for any length of time pointless because beyond a certain threshold you’re
you’ll be familiar with my references to limiting catabolism simply “only” getting energy from the protein you’re eating.
and maximizing anabolism. Ultimately, this denotes the When you consider the cost of protein rich foods this is an
limitation of proteolysis and taking every effort possible to inefficient way to fund your progress.
not only enhance muscle protein synthesis but sustain that
higher output as well. Each gram of protein has 4 calories, the same as
carbohydrates.
Amino acid balance is a key part of building muscle and
reducing catabolism. The continuous degradation and Carbohydrates…
synthesis of amino acids either from dietary sources or Carbohydrates are officially a non-essential macronutrient
metabolized from other amino acids will lead to either a net group but that is only because the body can produce glucose
increase in protein synthesis, a decrease in protein synthesis from fat or protein via a process called gluconeogenesis.
or a balanced protein turnover. In total there are 20 amino During my whole career as a bodybuilder and being a coach,
acids. There are 9 Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) that are I’ve always been a big proponent of using carbohydrates to
required from diet and cannot be synthesized. build lean muscle mass. Carbohydrates are muscle sparing
which means they can help fuel muscle growth, protecting
These include: your tissue against catabolism. They also bring extra
volume to the muscle by drawing water into the muscle
• Phenylalanine cell, as well as muscle glycogen. This in turn can enhance
• Valine performance and over time, the results you experience. It’s
• Threonine important to remember that weight training is glycolytic
• Tryptophan especially within the rep ranges prescribed in your Y3T
• Methionine plan. As a result carbs are definitely going to help boost
• Leucine performance!
• Isoleucine
• Lysine Referring back to my point earlier in the book about avoiding
• Histidine becoming too fat, this is relevant to carbohydrate intake.
Carbohydrates are best used for fueling performance,
There are also 11 non-essential amino acids. These can be recovery and muscle growth when you’re able to sustain
broken down into two independent segments. insulin sensitivity. Its key that you use quality sources along
with enough fiber, in the correct ratios to prevent allowing
Conditionally non-essential:
insulin resistance to set in.
• Arginine
There are four independent carbohydrate sources:
• Cysteine
• Glycine • Disaccharides
• Glutamine • Oligosaccharides
• Proline • Polysaccharides
• Tyrosine • Monosaccharides
This means that they are usually synthesized in the body. As an addition you could also include Nucleotides!
However there are conditions where they required from
the diet, in the case of muscle growth, usually when you’re To give you some indication on what these groups are here’s
stressed or training with great intensity. a step by step breakdown of their structure:
Non-essential: Disaccharides are have a two-sugar molecule structure and

can be broken down into the following 3 categories:
• Alanine
• Aspartic acid 1. Lactose which is formed from glucose and galactose
• Asparagine 2. Sucrose which is formed from glucose and fructose
• Glutamic acid 3. Maltose which is formed by two glucose molecules
• Serine
Oligosaccharides usually have a structure of between
The aim is to get a broad range of all amino acids 3 and 10 units with combination of fructose, galactose
throughout your diet from the foods and supplements you and glucose. There are two important categories of this
consume. Clearly having already discussed leucine, it’s of carbohydrate type which are:
particular interest to anybody looking to build muscle.
1. Raffinose key to performance and the transportation of nutrients.

2. Stachyose Carbohydrates draw more water into the muscle therefore
you require a higher fluid intake.
Polysaccharides can have thousands of glucose units which
is where the term “complex carbohydrate” is derived from. 3. Recovery Facilitation
This carbohydrate type is what is most commonly found in Recovery always comes before muscle growth; the
staple bodybuilding foods such as potatoes and rice. latter cannot ever occur with the former happening first.
Carbohydrates play a pivotal role in muscle recovery. In
Monosaccharides are often referred to as “simple sugars” the post-workout environment where glute-4 glucose
and can be broken down into 3 separate categories: transporting proteins are up-regulated the body is better
positioned to leverage carbohydrates as energy. As
1. Glucose
such, carbohydrates are more readily used to facilitate
2. Fructose
muscle recovery and growth. Muscle and liver glycogen
3. Galactose
replenishment also occurs as part of the recovery process.
From this quick breakdown you can clearly see that
Most carbohydrates are naturally insulinogenic therefore
polysaccharides are of the most importance to anybody
they also have a positive effect on nutrient transportation,
looking to build muscle and enhance performance. Whilst
indirectly facilitating faster recovery. By elevating insulin
the calorie contribution of 4 per gram is the same as
during a period where recovery is of primary concern
other carbohydrate types, the multi-unit glucose structure
through the ingestion of carbohydrates nutrients are
offers the most favorable form of fuel for performance and
shuttled faster to the muscle, thus speeding up recovery.
recovery in most instances.
Later in the book I’ll explain how insulin sensitivity is
Function Of Carbohydrates For Muscle Mass extremely crucial to this process, along with general
Whilst there are many unique functions which carbohydrate metabolism.
carbohydrates support in the human body, we can be
more concise by focusing on muscle building exclusively.
As I briefly alluded to in the introduction the main function
of carbohydrates for muscle growth are:
1. Sparing proteins as fuel and therefore effectively serving

as an anti-catabolic agent
2. Providing highly usable fuel before and during the
workout for optimal performance
3. Supporting the recovery process by providing readily
available fuel
Although these points do contain expansions within their

own right, these are fundamentally the key functions of
carbohydrates as far as muscle growth is concerned.
Here is an expansion on all three key points:
1. Protein Sparing Effect

Carbohydrates help slow down gluconeogenesis which
describes the breakdown of proteins as fuel. For somebody
looking to build muscle the obvious issue with this is that it
instantly increases net protein requirements to create that
needed surplus of amino acids to build new muscle tissue.
2.Performance Enhancement
It is imperative that when consuming carbohydrates for fuel
the body is able to process them correctly. That’s everything
from digestion, assimilation and of course distribution
throughout the body to the relevant places where the energy
will be expended, in this instance within the mitochondria of
the muscle cell.
Carbohydrates are the most natural source of energy for

the human body, particularly in the context of intense
resistance training because of the glycolytic nature of
this endeavor. By keeping muscle glycogen and liver
glycogen stores replenished performance should always
remain optimized provided all other dietary needs are also
facilitated, including hydration. Remember, hydration is
Fat… Alongside this you then have three further description types
Fats are an essential macronutrient along with protein. which are:
There are several functions fats play a key role in where
building muscle is concerned as well as health. Providing 1. Mono-unsaturated fats
the necessary cholesterol to boost natural testosterone 2. Poly-unsaturated fats
production is a key benefit, as is the extra energy it provides 3. Saturated fats
for cell regeneration and even performance via the glucagon All of these unique fatty acids play different roles in energy
pathway. production and muscle growth. For instance, saturated fats
In relation to injury prevention certain fats can also help with are particularly valuable in providing the cholesterol needed
inflammation, omega 3s specifically. It’s also worth noting to produce testosterone. Those who follow a fat restricted
that fats help provide cushioning for the joints, something diet for too long will notice a reduction in androgenic
which is even more important during a lean mass building hormone profiles, not conducive to muscle growth!
phase because as your strength levels improve so will the Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats are generally
impact on your joints. regarded as “healthier” in larger quantities, responsible
for supporting a multitude of metabolic pathways within
Many people are either in favor of fat dominant diets or the body.
carbohydrate biased diets, however I prefer to leverage the
impact of both macronutrient types. Not only do both have
the capability to enhance muscle growth and recovery, they SUMMARY
also work synergistically. There are times when one source This in-depth overview of each macronutrient gives
of energy is preferable over the other in specific ratios. you the necessary information to absorb the next part
of this book, assimilating the thought process behind
Remember, fats are the most calorie abundant nutrient with the guidance I’m about to share with you. Remember, I
9 calories per gram! Whilst this needs to be considered to don’t just want to show you how to build muscle I want
avoid eating excessive calories it’s also very beneficial when you to understand why. This will improve accountability
trying to sustain a calorie surplus in order to gradually add as well as facilitate longer term, sustainable progress.
quality lean muscle mass.
Although there are many ways of categorizing fats, here is

the simplest way:
1.Short chain fatty acids

2. Medium chain fatty acids
3. Long chain fatty acids
Learning How To
Manipulate Food
For Muscle Mass...
There are many things which be more efficient, leading to easier to favor carbohydrates because they
must be considered when nutrient assimilation. During your day improve muscle fullness and provide a
off where the body is in a state of fatigue more readily available source of energy,
developing a diet specifically for it’s the perfect time for it to benefit from making them perfect for boosting
building muscle. It’s also very heightened nutrient intake. In terms of growth. For this particular program
important to understand that knowing when this is needed obvious the starting metrics are 0.4-0.6 grams
each key point is as valuable indicators include suppressed libido, of fat per pound of lean body weight
CNS fatigue (shaky hands) and feeling every day. Carbohydrate quantities will
as the next, with many working particularly physically drained for no vary between approximately 1.5 grams
synergistically together. Do not other reason. In this instance having and 2.5 grams per pound of lean body
listen to some points and forget a “high” day could be a great way to weight, with scope to increasing this on
about others, they all need to speed up recovery. “high” refeed days where necessary.
Please always bear in mind the
be applied together. Below I’ve B) Protein intake will always differ parameters indicated for each macro
highlighted the key points for slightly from one individual to the next, nutrient can be both subjective and
however I have undoubtedly seen the
building muscle mass. changeable depending on many factors
best results when clients of mine have which are discussed in this book. The
A) In order to develop new muscle mass consumed around 1.5-2g or above per key is having appropriate levels in place
you must be in a nutrient surplus. I’ve pound of lean body weight. This amount and then knowing how to analyze the
already explained how this particular is directed towards males, females will effects they’re having on your recovery
rule works earlier in the book. However, of course be lower. The key to this is and muscle growth, making changes
what you must realize is that to sustain subtracting your overall fat percentage based upon this.
insulin sensitivity and avoid gaining from your body weight, leaving you with
excess fat there are times when it your lean body weight, you then multiply E) Gut health is crucial to building
makes sense to taper calories down. this by 1.5-2g for men. muscle because ultimately this is where
It’s also worth noting that this works all of these nutrients are broken down
C) High meal frequency is definitely and processed. Consuming enough
the other way too, for instance, on
something I wholeheartedly believe in fiber each day is crucial, with a daily
leg day it’s likely you will need more
when it comes to building muscle as guideline of 18-30g per day being my
calories than on arm day. Having said
quickly as possible. The latest research advice for this program mainly coming
that, there are going to be times when
is now also starting to back this theory from green vegetables. This is one of
you need to increase calories on a rest
up! Ideally I want my clients eating the reasons why you won’t see me
day! Usually calorie intake is related
every 2-4 hours throughout the day. encouraging you to eat a lot of junk food
to energy output on that specific day.
This enables muscle protein synthesis because we must ensure the gut is able
On rest days it is normal to consume
to be sustained for the entire day at to operate at its highest capacity. Many
the least and on big training days it’s
an optimal level. It also helps keep clients of mine have come to me with
usual to eat at the highest end of the
energy levels balanced so that when it constant bloating and badly performing
calorie spectrum within your target
comes to train you are better fueled to guts. By optimizing this growth and
parameters. The reason why I wanted to
perform, which ultimately is where the recovery improves, as well as energy
raise this point is because if your body
stimulus for growth comes from. levels because the body is able to utilize
is in an environment whereby it feels
overly fatigued and drained it could be nutrients far better!
D) With protein intake sorted the
a smart move to eat more on a rest remainder of your net calories will F) Hydration is another essential part
day. On rest days it is likely that there come from fat and carbohydrates. of building muscle mass because the
is going to less cortisol in the system Once your daily essential needs have muscle is around 80% water! If you’re
which means digestion will probably been met from fat it’s my preference in any way dehydrated you will lose
muscle fullness. Remember that water and therefore effectively utilize this as somebody reaches stage 3 beta-cell
is also the transportation system for energy. As a result recovery, growth and dysfunction or worse, stage 4 and 5,
nutrients around the body. You need to body composition can be effected along they’re no longer able to funnel glucose
ensure that there’s enough water to aid with energy output! effectively to the required destination.
this function. Finally, your performance As a result the blood remains saturated
heavily relies on being hydrated Key Functions with glucose yet there’s nowhere for
otherwise you won’t be able to achieve As I’ve already mentioned the key role it to go, further increasing insulin
the intensity levels required to force of insulin is to regulate blood glucose resistance.
change. Refer back to my earlier points levels. In regard to building muscle,
about hydration to remind yourself insulin is highly anabolic by acting as a There are so many factors which
about external factors such as climate, “storage hormone.” It effects nutrient influence the glucose-stimulated
when deciding exactly how much you transportation by shuttling glucose, insulin secretion (GSIS) during the
need. As a guideline, a minimum of 4 amino acids and fats into the muscle post-prandial phase. Following the
liters per day is my advice. cell where they can be processed via the ingestion of food the first phase of GSIS
mitochondria. lasts for approximately 10 minutes. To
quickly remind you of these common
Affecting Carbohydrates are generally the most
insulinogenic food group therefore they
influencing factors will include:
Hormonal are often more relevant to discussions

surrounding insulin output. However,
• Fiber intake
• Fat content of meal
Performance please remember that external dietary

factors like fiber content, presence
of fat, timing of meals and even
• Timing of meal in relation to circadian
rhythm
• Timing of meal in relation to training
For Muscle carbohydrate type can all effect the
insulinogenic impact of any given meal.
as well as training volume/intensity/
duration
Mass Don’t look at things one dimensionally
and believe that carbohydrates are the
• Body composition
• Meal frequency
All the way through this nutrition only dietary consideration as far as
insulin is concerned, this is simply It is widely reported the average person
section I’ve made references to various
not true! secrets between 30-50 units of insulin
key hormones and an overall state
per day, clearly this can fluctuate
of anabolism, which is of course
Ultimately insulin helps prevent dramatically depending of diet style
supported through the optimism of
the breakdown of muscle tissue by amongst other factors we’ve already
the endocrine system. In this section
acting as a storage hormone which is discussed. It’s also worth noting
I’m going to explore the role of key
fundamentally important along the way that the impact this has on general
hormones within the body, specifically
to gaining lean mass. insulin health is entirely relative to that
in relation to building muscle mass.
person’s muscle mass, energy output
Some of the time I’ll refer back to points Optimization and genetics. It’s impossible to say one
already covered across the topics of Before discussing the optimization number is preferable and the other
nutrition and training. of insulin output or more broadly is not!
speaking, improving insulin sensitivity
Insulin Overview
you need to understand how this works One very interesting point to consider
Insulin acts as the main regulatory
and exactly what that means. For a with daily insulin secretion is that on
system of blood glucose in the human
perfectly healthy individual with a fully top of GSIS which is largely governed
body. It is produced by the beta cells
functioning pancreas who doesn’t suffer by carbohydrate intake, the body will
within the pancreas. As food is ingested
from excessive beta-cell dysfunction produce over 5 extra units of insulin
insulin is released into the bloodstream
(most people will have some to an per meal consumed. Referring back to
in order to regulate blood glucose. In
extent) it’s fair to estimate their body my point earlier in the book about the
order to maximise:
is going to produce approximately 1 impact of high meal frequency diets
1.Muscle recovery unit of insulin for every 10 grams of for muscle growth, this is yet another
2.Muscle growth carbs. Those who are extremely insulin valid reason why this diet formation is
sensitive might have a slightly different preferable for building muscle mass.
It’s imperative that insulin production reading, but this figure works as an We already know insulin helps prevent
within your body is optimized. To do this approximation. the breakdown of muscle tissue!
you need to focus on improving and
sustaining “insulin sensitivity.” In short, In the context of building muscle you
this means that your body produces the need to have good beta-cell function
right amount of insulin in relation to the in place to justify moving into a calorie
food you’re eating. surplus. If you have impaired insulin
health through lifestyle then you need to
If insulin resistance has set in then address this first otherwise you’re going
it’s likely you’re not producing enough to be prone to gaining excessive fat and
insulin to regulate blood glucose levels making minimal gains. In short, once
In terms of optimizing insulin sensitivity reduce the risk of this, especially whilst 1. Perform
for muscle mass, here are the key in a calorie surplus (which you’ll be in 2. Recover
considerations I make when addressing on this plan in order to build muscle) is 3. Grow
a client’s diet especially for building to increase fiber intake.
muscle. To reiterate, by this point I’ve There’s less chance of being in an
already pre-qualified them as being Why? excessive surplus, often the main
suitably equipped to cope with a high Fiber helps mediate blood sugar causation of insulin resistance due
calorie diet. This means they will and the impact food has upon it. For to an over whelming demand on
have reasonable insulin sensitivity in instance, a meal which is richer in fiber the pancreas and more specifically
place and have the ability to dispose of will generally have a lower glycemic beta-cells. For instance, on the day of
glucose readily. load thus reducing the immediate your week 3 Y3T leg workout the need
demand for the secretion of insulin. for carbohydrates will be extremely
Training Stimulus There are times when this effect is high. During a week 1 arm workout
Before discussing diet I want to explain more desirable and times where you the demand will still be there, but not
how training stimulus can have such actually don’t want so much fiber to the same level. Provided you’ve
a dramatic effect on insulin sensitivity. in place to blunt the insulinogenic recovered correctly after training your
Logically the more intense the body effect of your meal. During the day demand for an immediate disposable
works the more fuel it needs, therefore you’d rather your blood sugar levels source of glucose will be even less on
the metabolic pathways which control remain as steady as possible after rest days. As such your diet needs to
the usage of glucose (key fuel source) each meal to sustain energy levels reflect this to avoid excess weight gain
become more responsive. Glute-4 and avoid excess insulin secretion, and the onset of insulin resistance.
proteins become up-regulated after fiber can help achieve this. However,
the most intense training sessions to after training where the demand for Summarizing Insulin
help with the transportation of glucose nutrients is more immediate reducing By understanding how nutrients
to the muscle because there’s now a the fiber content in the post-workout interact within one another and the
real “need” for this energy. Whilst this meal can help you benefit from a more body you’re able to quickly take steps
effect is enhanced in the post-workout aggressive rise in insulin along with to improve insulin sensitivity, reducing
window provided the training stimulus the benefits associated with that. the risk of insulin resistance as well!
is sufficiently aggressive, the impact As I’ve already alluded to, this is of
lasts for much longer. In the context of Fat Intake extreme importance whilst on this
this Y3T training program, your ability Fats are twice as calorie dense as program because you’re in a calorie
to dispose of glucose will increase! both proteins and carbohydrates, surplus! An excess of energy is needed
Using the analogy of a sponge and as such they take longer to digest. If to build muscle and support constant
water, with the muscle being the they’re consumed with other meals in improvements in performance to attain
sponge and glucose being water, the significant enough quantities they’ll sufficient overload across all training
training stimulus constantly “rings” slow down the rate at which that meal thresholds. However, if that surplus
the water (glycogen) out which means is digested. This can be leveraged is too great you’ll quickly find that as
there’s more demand for the glucose to your advantage! By slowing down insulin resistance sets in you will lose
circulating in your system. digestion you’re making the energy the ability to benefit from your higher
release from each meal more calorie diet which ultimately becomes
Fiber Intake sustainable across a longer period of a limiting factor!
The effect fiber can have on insulin time, thus reducing the aggressive
sensitivity is significant and often incline in insulin along with blood
overlooked. People tend to become sugar levels. This indirectly helps
fixated on macro nutrient intake sustain better insulin health.
but pay little attention to fiber, the
very thing which allows the body to For this reason I wouldn’t recommend
benefit from the protein, fats and having fat immediately after training
carbohydrates which are being where you’ll be consuming an ultra-
ingested! fast digesting protein powder and
potentially a carbohydrate powder too.
By consuming a combination of
soluble and insoluble fiber, collectively Calorie Rotation
achieving between 18-30 grams per Rotating calorie intake according with
day insulin sensitivity can be improved. energy demands in the immediate
Referring back to my earlier points future is a very sensible strategy for
on insulin and the interactions it has improving and protecting insulin
with carbohydrates in particular, if the sensitivity. The logic is simple, by
pancreas becomes over worked and putting in the amount of energy your
the demand becomes too much you body requires to:
can begin to become insulin resistant.
One of the most simple ways to help
Stage 1 Satellite Cells

In summary you now know that Once the need for additional Testosterone is thought to help
testosterone is detected the increase the number of satellite cells.
Insulin is highly anabolic by hypothalamus releases a hormone These are precursory to muscle fibers,
acting as a storage hormone, known as gonadotropin-releasing helping enhance the size of them or
preventing the breakdown of hormone. This travels to the pituitary even create new ones via hyperplasia.
muscle tissue at the back of the brain.
Strength Increase
Insulin helps with the
Stage 2 There’s no denying testosterone
transportation of all nutrients
Via the bloodstream, follicle- helps increase strength, which in turn
Insulin is produced by beta-cells stimulating hormone and luteinizing provides the opportunity to experience
in the pancreas and this function hormone travels to the testicles. The more muscle overload. Overload is
can be effected both positively as release of gonadotropin-releasing undoubtedly a key stimulus from
well as negatively by nutrition / hormone stimulates this process. training which contributes towards
training programming hypertrophy. Testosterone is thought
Stage 3 to support strength through increasing
Fiber and fats are very effective It’s the luteinizing hormone which muscle size and calcium release
nutrient sources as far as signals the production of testosterone within a muscle cell. This is known
controlling the impact of a meal within the testicles by stimulating the to increase/enhance the strength
on insulin secretion, depending Leydig cells. available with each muscle contraction.
on the desired outcome at any
point during the day Stage 4 Optimization
Leydig cells convert cholesterol into Optimizing testosterone production
testosterone. The testicles produce and perhaps more specifically the
some cholesterol but for optimal balance within your body is crucial for
Testosterone Overview testosterone production it’s critical
Testosterone is an androgenic muscle mass. There are many factors
enough healthy fats are in your diet. which we can now discuss with the
hormone and quite clearly plays an This is why I always warn people away
essential role in building lean muscle background knowledge in place.
from heavily fat restricted diets!
mass. The average male who has a Reduce Stress
fully functioning HPTA will produce Stage 5 Acute stress levels over prolonged
in the region of 6 milligrams of Once the testosterone is produced periods of time can and will effect
testosterone per day, however this it is released into the bloodstream testosterone production. Cortisol,
can indeed vary depending on other where the majority attaches to sex the “stress hormone” leads to
factors including diet, stress, training hormone-binding globulin. In essence catabolism via gluconeogenesis. Whilst
stimulus, sleep, age and genetics. this nullifies the effects of that testosterone is trying to enhance
For any females who are aiming to testosterone, however anything “left anabolism, cortisol will do the opposite
build muscle but are concerned about over” remains as “free testosterone.” It if the levels are too high. Although it
becoming too masculine, consider this, is this form of testosterone which is by is easier said than done, having better
the average female naturally produces far the most powerful when it comes to sleep, avoiding excessively stressful
around 10% of the testosterone a building muscle! Later on we’ll discuss situations and people who bring
man does. As a result women do not the optimization of this hormonal negativity into your life can help control
withhold the hormonal capabilities to environment. cortisol.
build muscle at nearly the same rate.
Whilst women can and will make great Key Functions Consume Fats
levels of progression, there’s no need Obviously testosterone has many When breaking down the stages of
to worry that nutrition and training functions within the human body. testosterone production there was a
alone will force excessive changes However, specifically to building very specific reference to utilization of
towards masculinity. muscle, the main role of testosterone cholesterol in that process, where the
is to increase muscle protein Leydig cells facilitated the conversion.
In males testosterone is largely synthesis, increase satellite cells In order to continuously produce
produced in the testicles. In brief, and increase strength. All of these adequate amounts of testosterone
the process is as follows: functions lead to an increase in lean its key there is enough healthy fat
muscle mass over the course of a across the diet. This is why I always
strategically planned program. emphasize the importance of this!
Protein Synthesis Elevation Manage Estrogen
As testosterone supports an increase Estrogen can lead to a reduction in
in protein synthesis muscle is able to testosterone because of the aromatase
recover and grow quicker, basically. enzyme. The aromatase enzyme
This is the fundamental driver behind facilities aromatization, the conversion
the growth of muscle. of testosterone into estrogen. Clearly,
this is not desirable for building muscle!
Managing this involves avoiding gaining

excess body fat because the aromatase
enzyme lives within fat cells. This is
Growth Optimization
In theory, in order to optimize IGF-1
release the focus needs to be growth
one of the key reasons why I always
insist even during a lean mass phase
Hormone hormone because of its pre-cursory
effects we’ve already discussed. Some
it’s critical not to get too fat! It’s also
the reason why I pre-qualified people
& IGF-1 of the best ways to naturally enhance
growth hormone production are:
earlier in this book for a plan like this Overview
by stating you should be relatively Stay Lean
Growth hormone definitely plays a key
lean first! Studies have shown individuals
role in muscle growth, recovery and
who are leaner enjoy better growth
overall body composition changes. It is
Consuming lots of greens which are hormone output. This is yet another
categorized as a stress hormone and a
rich in phytonutrients and metabolites reason why I keep bringing you back to
polypeptide. It is created (synthesized),
can also help manage estrogen better. the point that even during a lean mass
stored and secreted by “somatotropic
phase, you should not get too fat! As
Reduce sex hormone-binding globulin cells” within the anterior pituitary
well as insulin resistance and potential
As testosterone is circulated into the gland. It also enhances the secretion
estrogenic issues, growth hormone
bloodstream most of it binds to sex of IGF-1 which is known to support
can also become inhibited which then
hormone binding globulin, you now muscle growth and repair. IGF-1 is
effects IGF-1.
know how this inhibits its “androgenic” created and secreted from the liver.
effects on the body. By trying to reduce Insulin Management
Key Functions
(not stop) this process, in theory you’re Based on the fact you’ve already read
The main role growth hormone plays
left with more “free” testosterone about insulin and how to improve
within the context of muscle growth
which is where muscle growth really insulin sensitivity, this should become
is enhancing cell regeneration and
comes from. a byproduct of those actions. However,
increasing the output of IGF-1. In fact,
I want to reiterate another reason
Supplementing with zinc and vitamin D growth hormone is actually a pre-
why that’s critical for your progress.
can be a very effective way of reducing cursor to IGF-1. As growth hormone
When insulin levels are not properly
sex hormone-binding globulin. is secreted into the bloodstream it
managed growth hormone and IGF-1
Magnesium can also enhance signals the liver to release IGF-1.
product can suffer. This is why taking
“free testosterone.” the steps I outlined before are crucial.
It is in fact IGF-1 which drives
Training Stimulus anabolism forward. The very
Supplementation
Resistance training is known interesting thing about IGF-1 is
Both beta-alanine and arginine, two
to enhance the production of that it also has a positive effect on
natural amino acids have been shown
testosterone, we know this. However hyperplasia, the formation of new
to help increase growth hormone
that’s like saying “healthy eating” can muscle cells. Many anabolic enhancing
output in certain circumstances. Some
do the same, there’s a broad spectrum agents focus on supporting the
people will be more responsive to this
to be considered here. hypertrophy of pre-existing tissue and
than others.
facilitating its expansion. IGF-1 can
With the Y3T training program in this actually help create new muscle cells Sleep
book acute stress factors in the gym via the process of hyperplasia. Studies have shown that growth
will be more apparent than in more hormone levels peak during sleep.
traditional workouts. As such the body Another extremely relevant benefit
Specifically, deep sleep (stage REM
will be forced to produce additional of heightened growth hormone and
sleep). Enhancing sleep can be
testosterone, to its highest capacity IGF-1 output is the positive effect
helped by limiting caffeine during
in order to cope. Facilitating recovery on connective tissues. Ligaments,
the second half of the day, avoiding
as well as survival will be the trigger tendons and cartilage are notoriously
stressful situations before bed and
point! Don’t under estimate the power difficult to repair properly because of
supplementing with magnesium.
of training intensity and its relationship the poor blood flow into the area and
Taking melatonin and gaba before
with testosterone. as a result nutrient uptake is limited in
bed, can possibly increase your body’s
comparison to muscle tissue.
ability to rise natural GH production.
It has been reported that both growth
Training Stimulus
hormone and IGF-1 can have a positive
Yet again, the importance of high
impact on collagen protein synthesis
intensity training is highlighted for
within connective tissues. It is collagen
optimal hormonal output. The Y3T
proteins which provide the strength
training program you’ll be following
to these connective tissues therefore
in this book will certainly provide
enhancing the rate at which recovery
the stimulus to experience a
occurs reduces the risk of injury, joint
positive outcome!
pain and even improves performance.
Summary
There is no denying that optimising
hormonal output plays a pivotal
role in building muscle and overall
body composition for a myriad of
reasons.
Improved performance leads to
increased muscle overload
Heightened nutrient uptake
supports recovery and growth
Enhanced anabolism and
decreased catabolism facilitates
progression
There’s a lot more, but by now
you should have developed an
appreciation for how this can all
benefit you. The takeaway point
really is that focusing on quality
compositional changes versus
“weight on scales” is the key to
sustaining healthy hormone output.
As I keep saying, whilst in a calorie
surplus there’s more factors which
can effect this in a negative way so
you must remain in control!
Your Nutrition
Plan For Mass
Nutrition isn’t always complex, or at least it doesn’t have to Even though I have listed my re-feed day is on day 6 which is
be. However, it does require precision initially in making the my shoulder and calves training day, I will swap and change
right plan and then it heavily relies on consistency. Without this if I feel I need to refeed before, or I may even remove my
these two factors building muscle will be very hard to achieve. re-feed day and replace it if I feel I’m not needing the extra
This plan below will give you the precision you require; calories/macros. Remember you need to be instinctive at
however you will need to provide the consistent effort. times. You need to listen to your body and the requirements
Something else which good nutrition heavily relies on is being and act upon them.
analytic, knowing when change is needed. In the final chapter
of this book I’ll cover this particular point in more detial. Below is my personal current lean mass meal plan. Be aware
my current lean mass weight is roughly 185lbs, but my actual
This program will have low, medium, high and re-feed days. body weight is 205lbs. You can simply follow my current diet
The key reason for this as explained already, is to ensure you and adjust the amounts in relationships to your lean mass, or
don’t gain excess body fat when you don’t require so much you can change food types based on the preferred food type,
energy/calories yet you’ve got an abundance of fuel when but making sure you calculate the correct amount of macros
it’s needed! that go hand in hand with your body weight and needs.
daY 1 High Day Thighs and Hamstrings

MEAL FOOD
Meal 1 125g Dry Weight Oats, 3 Whole Organic Eggs, 2 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop of Whey, 100g Banana, 1 Teaspoon
Almond Butter.
Meal 2 200g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, Small Handful of Spinach, 1 Tablespoon Extra
Virgin Olive Oil.
Meal 3 200g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, 100g Broccoli, 75g Avocado.
Meal 4 300g Cooked Sweet Potato, 150g Cooked Cod, 8 pieces of Asparagus , 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Meal 5 300g Cooked White Potato, 150g Cooked Fillet Steak, 1 Whole Organic Egg, 40g Green Beans.
Meal 6 3 Slices of Whole Wheat Toast, 2 Whole Organic Eggs, 8 Egg Whites.
daY 2 Medium Day Chest and Calves

MEAL FOOD
Meal 1 100g Dry Weight Oats, 3 Whole Organic Eggs, 2 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop of Whey, 75g Banana.
Meal 2 200g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, Handful of Spinach, 50g Avocado.
Meal 4 250g Cooked Sweet Potato, 150g Cooked Cod, 8 pieces of Asparagus, 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Meal 5 300g Cooked White Potato, 130-140g Cooked Fillet Steak, 1 Whole Organic Egg, 40g Green Beans.
daY 3 Medium Day Rest

MEAL FOOD
Meal 4 250g Cooked Sweet Potato, 150g Cooked Cod, 8 pieces of Asparagus, 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
daY 4 High Day Back

MEAL FOOD
Meal 1 125g Dry Weight Oats, 3 Whole Organic Eggs, 2 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop of Whey, 100g Banana, 1 Teaspoon
Almond Butter.
Meal 2 200g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, Small Handful of Spinach, 1 Table-Spoon Extra
Virgin Olive Oil.
Meal 4 300g Cooked Sweet Potato, 150g Cooked Cod, 8 pieces of Asparagus, 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
daY 5 Medium Day Triceps and Biceps

MEAL FOOD
daY 6 Refeed Day Shoulders and Calves

MEAL FOOD
Meal 1 75g Dry Weight Oats, 3 Whole Organic Eggs, 2 Egg Whites, 75-100g Smoked Salmon, 3 Slices of Whole
Wheat Toast, 50-75g Fresh Pineapple, 30-40g Blueberries, 50-75g Organic Natural Low Fat Yogurt.
Meal 2 200g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, Small Handful of Spinach, 1 Table-Spoon Extra
Virgin Olive Oil.
Meal 3 2 Large Beef Burgers with Bun and Salad, Large Fries.
Meal 4 300g Cooked Sweet Potato, 150g Cooked Cod, 8 pieces of Asparagus, 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Meal 6 Sushi (I don’t measure or weigh anything, I just eat what I like off the menu) Plus I may have a dessert of
some kind if I want, again I don’t measure or weigh.
Meal 7 50g Dry Weight Oats, 75g Banana, 1 Scoop Whey.
daY 7 LOW REST day

MEAL FOOD
Meal 2 150g Cooked Basmati Rice, 150g Cooked Chicken Breast, Handful of Spinach.
Meal 6 2 Whole Organic Eggs, 8 Egg Whites, Plus a Handful of Mixed Peppers.
Meal 7 50g Dry Weight Oats, 75g Banana, 1 Scoop Whey.
Remember, this is a template example to show you how your diet should look. You need to work out your lean mass by
doing the following calculation:
Full body weight - body fat mass = lean body weight
Once you have this number you can then apply it to your daily macronutrient targets which are set below for you.
Protein: Roughly 1.5 - 2g per pound of lean body weight
Carbohydrates: Roughly 1.5 grams per pound of lean body weight on low days, 2 grams on medium days, 2.5 grams on
high days and 3-4 grams on refeed days
Fat: 0.4 - 0.6g per pound of lean body weight
This plan is not just about hitting daily macronutrient numbers though, you’re aware that I’m extremely particular about
nutrient quality as well. With that said, please use the list below to build your diet based on the foods you like. What I will
say is that I like my clients to use a lot of variation so use at least 3 different protein sources per day, along with a wide
range of carbohydrate and fat sources. This ultimately gives you more micro nutrition in your diet and it also helps reduce
the chances of your gut developing sensitivities to specific foods.
Protein List Carbohydrate List Once you have taken the nutritional
Lean cuts of steak Wild rice information I’ve given you and
Buffalo Basmati rice created your diet, make sure you
Elk Wholegrain rice get into the habit of food prep.
Ideally you want 2-3 days worth
Bison Wholewheat pasta
of food prepared at once, in your
Game meat Wholegrain bread
fridge so that you’re able to never
Chicken breast Ezekiel bread miss a meal. Missing meals is
Turkey breast Rice noodles going to be the downfall of your
Ostrich breast Quinoa muscle building journey!
Egg whites Couscous
Something else I’d also
Organic whole eggs White potato
recommend is having meals which
Cod Sweet potato you keep the same throughout the
Tilapia Oats week, so that you’re not left unsure
Tuna Fruit what to have and therefore end up
Salmon procrastinating. This can cause
Mackerel Fat List more stress when it comes to food
Bass Nuts prep, making the process harder
Sardines Natural nut butter and ultimately increasing the
Prawns Avocado chance of failure.
Cottage cheese Guacamole
Natural yogurt Organic coconut oil
Quark cheese Extra virgin olive oil
Whey isolate Seeds
Casein protein (before bed) Organic eggs
Red meat
Oily fish
Supplementation
For Mass...
Supplementing
For Mass…
Training is there to illicit the hypertrophic They are there to improve the effects of your diet
response required to grow, whilst your diet is and training.
there to boost performance during training, The key goals with supplementation for muscle mass are to:
support recovery then ultimately growth. So what
A) Reduce catabolism
exactly is supplementation meant to do for you? B) Increase anabolism
Supplementation is specifically there to support C) Optimize performance
your diet and ultimately fill in the gaps which your D) Improve recovery
diet cannot. As somebody who is going through an E) Support gut health
intensive training plan your body is under a lot of By using high quality supplements which can aid you
stress, sometimes your diet cannot cater for this. in all five areas you will find building muscle becomes
easier. Below I’ve listed each supplement you will be
This is where using the right supplements at the using along with an explanation as to why I’ve made each
right time can make a big difference. What I want recommendation.
to emphasize as I do when I deliver seminars is
that supplements are not there to replace food or
deliver unrealistic results.
Your Supplement
Plan For Mass…
There are a wide variety of supplements which can aid in muscle recovery, performance along with
muscle growth. Below is an extensive list of supplements which can help you achieve your goals.
I’m not telling you to every single one listed, I’m simply giving you information on a wide spectrum of
supplements. There could be times when some are more important to you than others, by having a
broad understanding you can make a more informed decision.
Glutamine prolong them for several hours. In the from intense exercise as well as a
Glutamine is the most abundant amino event that you cannot eat a solid meal, stressful lifestyle. Supplementing
acid in the human body and it’s a widely this would be a good meal replacement with magnesium can have a dramatic
used supplement in the world of sports as your protein source. impact on CNS recovery, the pathway
nutrition. One of the key factors people in which muscle fibers are recruited in
focus on with glutamine is its anti- Omega 3s the gym. Taking between 300-400mg
catabolic potential. This can certainly be There are endless benefits to having with your last meal would be my
an influential agent in terms of recovery. a diet richer in Omega 3s. In regard recommendation.
However, the real benefit of glutamine to muscle mass they can help with
is in the way it helps the GI tract operate testosterone production, cardiac Beta-Alanine
more efficiently. My recommendation is performance and joint health. They This amino acid has been proven to
to take 12-20 grams of glutamine upon are also linked with improved insulin enhance muscle performance whilst
waking in the mornings. sensitivity, a key part in maximizing your training. The specific impact Beta-
diet for muscle growth. Dosages will Alanine has on performance is reducing
BCAAs differ but I’d recommend between 4-8 fatigue because of its ability to increase
BCAAs are one of the best anti- grams per day, divided into 3 servings muscle carnosine levels. By doing this
catabolic agents available when it with food. the muscle is able to moderate the
comes to supplementation. Leucine is inducement of fatigue more affectively.
one of the three branched chain amino Pro-Biotic & Digestive Enzymes The end result for you is being able
acids present, capable of boosting Gut health is crucial to get the most to achieve more reps with the same
muscle protein synthesis which can from your diet and in turn build more weight before reaching complete failure.
have a direct effect on recovery and muscle. Supplementing with a high Beta-Alanine has been shown to also
muscle growth. My advice is to take quality pro-biotic and digestive enzyme improve cardiovascular performance
them just before your workout as well can help increase the efficiency of the in endurance athletes, making it a
as during. Dosages will vary from 6-12 gut as they provide additional agents, great all round performance enhancing
grams depending in the person. associated with sustaining healthy supplement.
gut flora and food processing. My
Hydrolyzed Whey Isolate recommendation is to take one of each Creatine
The fastest digesting protein with a meal, 3 times per day. Creatine is one of the most scientifically
supplement is hydrolyzed whey isolate, proven supplements for improved
this is a key supplement for building Zinc muscle performance and growth. By
muscle because it can clear the gut Zinc is a great mineral which can supplementing with creatine you’re
quickly and get into the bloodstream actually become depleted in the human able to increase ATP regeneration
when it is most needed. In this instance body due to intense activity, one of during training, thus providing the
this supplement is for immediately after the reasons why I recommend you ability to lift more weight and achieve
training. This will go towards part of supplement with it. However, it also more reps! Creatine does also act as
your daily protein intake, with around has the ability to help boost natural a natural cell volumizer, drawing fluid
30-40 grams coming from your post- testosterone levels making it perfect for into the muscle. There are many types
workout shake. a lean mass program like this. Dosages of creatine on the market which all
can differ, but around 30-40mg with have different capabilities. One key area
Multi-Blend Timed Release Protein your evening meal is around where I’d to focus on with creatine is the rate of
During the day or even before bed recommend your dosage is. absorption. For instance, many generic
having a multi-blend timed release creatine supplements get stuck in the
protein powder is the perfect source Magnesium
gut wall and fail to reach the muscle
of amino acids to help spike muscle Magnesium is a fantastic recovery
cell. As such this causes gastric issues
protein synthesis levels as well as mineral which can also be depleted
and gives limited results.
L-Citrulline Choline levels are naturally higher it means gut

This amino acid plays a key role in Within the body there is a function will usually be suppressed,
muscle performance whilst training. neurotransmitter called acetylcholine leading to bloating in the event of
Once consumed L-Citrulline is which is required for muscle signaling/ consuming too much solid food. Vitargo
converted into L-Arginine by the body, activation. Choline is required to activate is the perfect way to get carbohydrates
making it a precursor to L-Arginine. this neurotransmitter, supporting the in after training for fast nutrient
The key benefit of this is an increase in overall movement of muscles. Logically, replenishment. Y3T is a particularly
blood flow due to increased vasodilation by supplementing with choline you’re demanding training regime which puts
of the capillary network. This allows able to help reduce mechanical fatigue. the body under great stress, therefore
for more oxygen rich blood to flow If there’s a choline deficiency then I feel it’s important to consume fast
into the working muscle, increasing fatigue in the gym will become more acting carbohydrates after training to
performance, reducing fatigue and apparent. The more intense your help the recovery process.
also carrying more nutrients into the training program the more you need to
area. Interestingly it’s far better to focus on looking after the health of your Potassium
supplement with L-Citrulline rather CNS. Choline is a great way to do this! Potassium is a key mineral as far as
than L-Arginine because it is able muscle performance and growth is
to bypass liver and gut before being Chromium concerned because it helps the muscle
converted in the kidneys to L-Arginine. This is a very affective trace mineral fibers “fire” properly. If you’re deficient
In contrast, L-Arginine supplementation when it comes to improving the usage in potassium you will find that your
can be stifled by the liver and gut before of glucose within the body. Chromium ability to “feel” the muscle work is
reaching the bloodstream. helps improve your ability to dispose quickly reduced. Muscle cramps also
of glucose because of its impact on become far more common whilst being
Vitamin C insulin. This means that during a deficient in potassium.
Vitamin C is very well known for its muscle building phase you’re going to
immune boosting capabilities which utilize the carbohydrates you take on Phosphorous
is key during a muscle building board much more affectively, leading This mineral can help with muscle
phase. This is because whilst under to improved performance and muscle growth as its pivotal in the process of
huge amounts of physical stress the growth. recovery, growth and maintenance.
body needs help to recover. If the If you are low on vitamin D3 and
immune system isn’t strong enough Calcium calcium along with phosphorous your
you’ll become more susceptible Calcium helps improve the quality of bones also become more vulnerable
to illness, leading to a reduction in muscle contraction you experience in to becoming softer. It’s a very good
performance. Interestingly vitamin the gym due to its affect on myosin and mineral to supplement with for overall
C has also been linked to keeping a actin, a key part of stimulating as much health and recovery, including the
healthier testosterone to cortisol ratio breakdown in the gym as possible. reduction of muscle soreness.
in men, making it perfect for a muscle Calcium is also the most abundant
mineral within the body with 99% of Sodium
building program. Vitamin C is also Sodium is an extremely important
known to support the production of it stored within bones/teeth. It clearly
plays a pivotal role in bone health, a very mineral and natural electrolyte as far
collagen protein as well as the recovery as muscle performance is concerned.
of connective tissues, another key key point for anybody who lifts heavy
weights regularly. By sweating you naturally lose sodium
attribute for anybody doing following which can increase your chances
extensive weight training. Iron of muscle fatigue, poor muscular
Vitamin D3 Iron helps regulate cell growth and contractions and even cramps. Sodium
Is a very important micronutrient for oxygen distribution within the body. As also helps draw water into the muscle
general health with a huge proportion of you develop more muscle mass there’s cell, another very important role for
the Western world being deficient due an increased need for additional Iron performance enhancement. Using
to a lacking exposure to sunlight during because of the role it plays in binding a natural electrolyte and mineral
certain months of the year. However, in oxygen. Ultimately, without enough Iron supplement inclusive of sodium can
relation to building muscle vitamin D3 is in your body as an active individual it’s therefore have many benefits.
known to impact protein synthesis. It’s likely you’ll suffer premature fatigue.
also known for its contribution towards There are also two forms of iron, heme
healthy neuromuscular function, a very iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron
important part of muscle recruitment is more absorbent and comes from
in the gym. Finally, it plays a key role animal proteins. Non-heme iron is less
in supporting healthy bones which is absorbent and comes from plants.
something anybody who’s lifting heavy Vitargo
weight regularly needs to consider given Having access to a carbohydrate source
the stress you’re being exposed to. with very fast digestion and high gastric
clearing properties is desirable for
faster recovery and muscle growth. In
the post workout window where cortisol
Enhancing Muscle order to benefit from optimal hormonal output. Many people
who have poor sleep patterns suffer with a suppression
in testosterone, growth hormone and IGF-1 whilst having
Growth Outside Of chronic cortisol levels. Hormonally, this is a nightmare for
muscle growth!
The Gym… In case you'd ever under estimated the power of sleep, this
should have made you much more aware!
There are many factors away from the gym and kitchen which
can effect muscle growth. When I work with a client I will There are many steps you can take to improve sleep quality,
always take the necessary steps to ensure they’re doing as some of which will be more relevant than others.
much as possible to create an environment where they're
able to grow optimally. This doesn’t just mean building Magnesium
muscle, it also means taking better care of their health and Magnesium is a natural mineral which has the capacity to
enhancing overall quality of life. Below are three key areas significantly improve sleep. It is able to do this by reducing
I’d recommend you focus on as part of your muscle building CNS (central nervous system) activity, which means muscle
endeavors. activation is “shut off.” As such, the muscles are able to
recover better and the brain is also able to enjoy higher
Enhancing Sleep quality sleep. Of course, the potency of this supplement will
There are 5 separate stages of sleep which can be also rely upon lifestyle choices which are conducive to a good
categorized as follows: night’s sleep.
Stage 1 Caffeine Moderation
This typically lasts for the first 1-10 minutes after trying to Caffeine consumption has never been higher across the
sleep, depending how fatigued you are and how stimulated globe because of the coffee boom. In trained demographics
your mind is. During this time brain activity slows down and pre-workouts and energy drinks are also contributing to this
blood pressure decreases. Sometimes you will experience rapidly rising phenomenon too!
sudden involuntary muscle spasms/jerks. At this stage you're
still partially awake and can be easily woken. Caffeine is a highly effective natural ergogenic aid which
can enhance performance. However, when consumed in
Stage 2 excessive amounts it over stimulates the CNS. As a result,
This is the final stage of “light sleep” and can last between this makes it very difficult to “switch off” and get a proper
20-25 minutes. During this stage the heart rate slows night’s sleep. Timing is also relevant because of the half-life
down further, the brain begins to “shut off” more and blood of caffeine is usually around 6 hours, therefore consuming
pressure decreases further. Core body temperature also anything rich in caffeine within 6 hours of bed can upset sleep
decreases. This is the final stage before falling into a deeper quality. It’s worth noting taking vitamin C after a workout can
sleep. It is thought nearly half of our sleep is spent in this help drain your system of stimulants, acting as a natural
stage. diuretic.
Stages 3 & 4 Stress Management
Often referred to as “delta sleep” and “slow wave sleep” brain The first points were more factual, this point is far more
activity has slowed down dramatically by this point. Studies subjective. Everybody will deal with stress but you really need
actually show this, which is why if something was to wake to avoid it later in the day leading up to bed time. By becoming
you up during this stage you'd feel a sense of disorientation. It stressed before bed cortisol levels immediately increase, your
also explains why sometimes when you wake up you're totally heart rate goes up as well as blood pressure. These are all
aware and other times you're not, dependent on the stage you things which oppose the body’s natural sleeping environment
were in at that precise moment! if you refer back to the stages of sleep previously discussed.
Do not check emails, your phone or complete work related
Stage 5
tasks within 2 hours of bed where possible!
The final stage of the sleep cycle is generally referred to as
“REM sleep”, indicating rapid eye movement. This is the Brain Stimulation
“deep sleep” stage however brain activity appears to speed up It is good to have a stimulated brain but there comes a time
rather than slow down, whilst the muscles are in a temporary where you need to shut off. Regard this as a period where
state of paralysis. The first REM stage during the night lasts you're helping your body prepare to sleep, in the same way
about 10 minutes, the final can be up to 60 minutes. you actively try and think more aggressively before the gym
to perform better. Read a book, do something quiet and avoid
It is during this particular stage that growth hormone and
electronic devices leading up to bed time. These have been
IGF-1 release peaks, along with testosterone. It’s also worth
shown to upset REM sleep.
noting that cortisol levels should be at their lowest during
sleep in healthy individuals.
From this you can see that at different points during the night
the body is being exposed to different physiological outcomes.
It also displays the importance of a healthy sleep cycle in
Summary
In summary I’d suggest that you start analyzing
your sleeping habits in more depth and act upon the
information given above. Ideally your body prefers to
have a set bed time, as well as getting up in the morning.
Habits like this support the internal system of the body,
known as the circadian rhythm.
Muscle Tissue first session of therapy. All of a sudden the muscle responds
better, there’s less resistance and everything seems to
“fire” better. This is no coincidence which is why I’d highly
Therapy recommend you have regular treatment - ideally on a
weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Soft tissue massage is something which I definitely grew
to appreciate more as my training age increased. It’s very There are several forms of soft tissue massage and some
easy to get caught up in the idea that training intensity is will be more suitable than others for your needs. However,
the only concern, it is not! There’s only so much training and for somebody with relatively high muscle density and almost
nutrition can do for the body. At some point external help certain highly restricted mobility due to muscle mass it’s
will be required. Soft tissue massage is a key part of this essential the treatment is intrusive enough. It should be
process. very uncomfortable during treatment because breaking scar
tissue down requires a lot of downward pressure within the
When muscles are trained there is a breakdown of tissue affected area!
and during the regeneration process which leads to growth,
there is often scar tissue as well. Over time this can Skeletal Alignment Therapy
accumulate and become problematic, effecting the way a Undergoing skeletal realignment therapy is also a crucial
muscle is able to function in different ways. There is often part of optimizing performance, building muscle and staying
a reduction in neurological connectivity within the muscle if healthy. Remember, a big part of continuously improving in
excess scar tissue is present, thus reducing blood flow and the gym is being fit enough to do so - this requires a pain
fiber recruitment. Ultimately impinging upon your ability free body!
to build size in the area! It also physically effects the way a Soft tissue massage focuses on the muscles and scar tissue
muscle moves, again reducing performance and restricting within them. Skeletal correctional work focuses on bringing
progress. the skeleton back in-line, including bones and connective
Using the analogy of kneading dough, the goal is to make tissues. The back and neck are very commonly affected
it as elastic and subtle as possible by constantly breaking it areas from resistance training due to the suppression
down by hand and reworking it. This is very much how soft caused by bearing heavy weight.
tissue works on the muscle. By having a build-up of scar tissue within the muscle it
The aim is to trigger certain points of the affected area, will almost certainly have affected the alignment of your
gradually breaking down scar tissue. As this happens the skeleton too. Imbalances within muscles are generally the
muscle is able to move with less resistance and blood can reason people suffer with injuries, putting excess pressure
once again flow more freely into the area. All of a sudden on joints especially through certain planes of motion.
there is more neurological activity taking place within the This is why it’s imperative to have correctional work done
muscle giving you more “feel” in the gym, leading to a better on the skeleton and soft tissue at the same time. They are
pump and improved muscle recruitment. Nutrient uptake highly complementary of one another. One without the
can also improve which facilitates faster recovery and other will have limited impact on long term results because
progression. unless all issues are addressed, pre-existing problems will
As an example, the inside region of the scapula is a very undermine any work which is done going forward.
commonly effected area with scar tissue. As this scar tissue One key area skeletal manipulation can help with is nerve
builds up the movement pattern of the scapula becomes impingements. Having a chiropractor manipulate your
effected. Usually, this leads to: back and neck can very quickly alleviate pain within the
• Shoulder pain shoulders as well as areas of the back. One of the most
• Loss of strength on pressing and pulling exercises common causations of pain in these areas is the pressing
• Reduction in shoulder joint stability of vertebrae on nerves which can quite literally radiate pain
• Unequal muscle development across areas of the posterior in specific pockets across the body. Again, this goes hand
chain in hand with soft tissue massage because often vertebras
•Compensation patterns developing which can cause longer press on nerves because of imbalances.
term imbalances
• Neck pain
In this particular instance there would come a time

where training would become almost unbearable, if left
unattended. From this, more serious injuries could also
then occur. Amazingly, having a handful of soft tissue
massages done by the right expert could alleviate most of
this pain relatively quickly!
People who haven't had a soft tissue massage before will

often comment on how “free” their muscle feels after their
Summary
Now you can begin to see how both forms of treatment
complement one another and perhaps more importantly,
are both essential to long term progress. In my
experience many injuries and niggles are treatable
and totally unnecessary - if only people would invest
in regular treatment like this! The crazy thing is long
term serious injuries often happen because of less
serious issues which weren’t addressed at the time they
occurred.
Even if you’re not in pain prevention is far better than

having to react. By regularly having a specialist work on
imbalances, correcting them and breaking down scar
tissue you will be far less vulnerable to injuries. Strength
and performance levels will also increase dramatically,
leading to better muscle growth!
Assessing
Muscle Growth...
Now you have the information required Make Incremental Changes… to go much higher, however you can
to achieve amazing results over the There are multiple factors which make small increases if the need
next 12 weeks I want to leave you with could lead to you needing to make arises. In terms of quantities, look at a
one final piece of guidance. Monitoring adjustments to the starting diet I’ve 10-15% increase in calories when you
your results and knowing when to prescribed in this plan. Examples are: make changes. Then give it at least
make the right changes is key to five to seven days before deciding if
maximizing your experience with my A) Daily work commitments. If you’ve you need to make more changes again
Y3T Mass Edition 1 eBook. With that got an active job then you will be because things to take time to work!
said I’ve given you the information you burning more calories than somebody Like I said, patience is key.
need to do this, using my experience. who sits at an office desk all day. As
such you might find depending on your
Analyze Your Stats…
The first thing you need to do is
genetics than you need to increase
calories to compensate for this.
It’s Time To
consistently take your weight first
thing in the morning, fasted. This will B) Metabolic adaptations. As your body Build Muscle!
give you the feedback you need to becomes accustomed to the training
That concludes my Y3T Mass Edition
know if the right changes are taking intensity and calorie intake it will try
1 eBook.
place. As well as this take your waist and become more efficient with fuel
measurement so you can see if usage, as it always does. Over the Now you need to absorb all of this
your body fat levels are going up too course of the program you will need to information and then go about applying
quickly. This is the place which will gradually increase calories to combat the diet plan to your personal stats.
usually increase first if you’re gaining this natural adaptation. Get all of the food and supplements
too much fat before most other site you need bought and start doing food
In terms of making the changes you
measurements. This is therefore a prep. Make sure your gym is able to
must remember that your current
good marker of body compositional accommodate your training needs so
calorie intake (once you’ve started the
changes where fat is concerned. there’s no excuses for lacking results
plan that is) and training program set
over the next 12 weeks!
Take progress photos as well every the baseline, along with any other daily
week, this will give you a clear picture activity you do. Your calorie increases Smash it up Y3T style!
of how your condition is changing are based on all of these variables
along with muscle fullness in certain remaining equal. My recommendation
areas. Make sure they’re taken in the is to make small incremental changes
same light, under the same conditions. to your diet because ultimately there Neil Hill
Assessing these things on a regular is always a point of saturation and if
basis will keep you in touch with your you make too many changes too soon
rate of progress and therefore make to then realize they were wrong in
you aware of any changes needed. hindsight it’s harder to go backwards
from this new baseline you’ve created.
When increasing calories always do so

from carbohydrates first on this plan.
Protein will never need to go higher
and fats aren’t necessarily required
I want to Thank
EVERYONE WHO HAS
purchasED the OFFIcial
Y3T LEAN MASS EDITION
1 E-book.
I hope that it gives
you a great insight
into furthering
your performance
in the gym.
Designed by Shaun Hampsey

Lean Mass: Edition 1 Ebook

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Lean Mass: Edition 1 Ebook

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Lean Mass Edition Ebook 1

Y3T MASS EDITION 1 3

Key Fundamentals Of Building Muscle 4

using y3t TRAINING for muscle mass 11

Y3T Training Program 14

Nutrition For Mass 29

Learning How To Manipulate Food For Muscle Mass 33

Your Nutrition Plan For Mass 39

Supplementation For Mass 42

Assessing Muscle Growth 49

Y3T Mass Edition 1

The Y3T Mass Edition 1 eBook is my first ever

This book is also going to be very educational

YOU WILL GET A:

FULL 12 week Y3T training programme specifically

MY FULL 12 week nutrition programme for optimal

FULL 12 week supplementation protocol to enhance

There is nothing which I haven’t covered in this book,

using y3t TRAINING

Here’s your overview of the four week Y3T training rotation.

Week 3… - Set 1 is there to increase blood flow, do 15-20 reps NOT to

Here is a brief reminder of key training protocols you must

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 2 TUESDAY chest AND Calves

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 3 WEDNESDAY REST DAY

daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 6 SATURDAY shoulders AND CALVES

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 7 SUNDAY REST DAY

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 2 TUESDAY chest AND Calves

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 3 WEDNESDAY REST DAY

daY 4 THURSDAY BACK

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 5 FRIDAY Arms

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 6 SATURDAY shoulders AND CALVES

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 7 SUNDAY REST DAY

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 2 TUESDAY chest AND Calves

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

Exercise Sets/Reps Rep Tempo Rest periods

daY 3 WEDNESDAY REST DAY