The REV series consists of 30 workouts which will be released on a 5-per-week basis. However, you can work through this series at your own pace! 

Each workout is approximately 40-45 minutes. There will be two upper-body workouts, two lower-body workouts, and one full-body workout each week. The first workout will start on a Sunday 12th January, and it will be an upper-body session. Monday will be a lower-body session. Both of these sessions will average rep ranges between 8-12 reps per compound movement. Tuesday and Wednesday (upper and lower) will average slightly higher reps overall. This is just an approximation; if we have lateral raises on Sunday, I rarely perform 8-12 reps for lateral raises unless paused reps are in the shortened position; therefore, reps will typically be higher with certain exercises. 

Th REV series has traditional hypertrophic training at its heart, and every workout will be a circuit. One big circuit, three rounds! Within each circuit, there will be compound movements, isolations, bodyweight, complexes, and plenty of the fun intensity methods we all love to help increase tension and challenge the muscles, along with varying durations of cardio and higher intensity sets, all of which will help improve our ability to produce power and speed, whilst also improving our strength, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, balance, coordination, agility, stability, mobility and of course our mental resilience! 

REV series printable calendar 

There are two versions of the REV series calendar: one in full colour, ideal for digital use, and another in black and white, which is excellent for printing and saves on ink. Both versions are in the downloadable PDF file below:

• Download the REV series calendar

The REV series programming

Every lower body session will have an ‘abs specific’ giant set within it. This means we will be training our ab muscles directly twice per week! You may ask, "why not core?" We apply tension and demand a lot from our core during nearly all of the movements we perform. However, the more you become accustomed to certain abdominal-specific exercises, the more you realise how much core work there is within them, such as during any leg lower.

The weekly full body will involve several different movements than we normally might perform in an upper or lower body workout, such as burpees, sprawls, Makers, squats to press, etc. As a result, we can expect our heart rate to increase to a greater degree. However, some traditional compound movements will still be present to complement other compounds we have done previously in the week, targeting the same muscles but with different movement patterns. Alternatives will be provided for any jumping movement if you prefer to forgo jumping!

Necessary & optional equipment

The equipment essential for the REV series is:

• Weights (ideally dumbbells)
• A comfortable mat
• A fabric glute band that is high tension once applied around the knees

Additional equipment I will be using but are not necessary include:

• Fabric bench
• Wedges (to elevate heels or toes)
• Yoga block
• Box for step-ups
• High-back fabric chair for seated shoulder overhead pressing
• Wrist straps
• Barbell

The bench is used in many movements such as hip thrusts, Bulgarian lunges, sitting on during rear flies, and leaning onto during single-arm rows. The height of my bench is 41cm but, generally, any height between the 38cm and 42cm range suits me based on my height (5 ft 2 inches / 157cm).

The wedges are to elevate either the heels or toes during squats and lunges! The yoga block will elevate the entirety of the front foot during lunges… but wedges and/or yoga blocks can be used if you only have one! 

For your reference, the box that I use for step-ups is 20 inches (50cm) in height, although you can certainly use a lower or higher height box/step. I will only use this for step-ups, which are always bodyweight only. 

I will use a high-back chair (my dining chair) with a cushion placed for added support for my lower back and to reflect an adjustable bench where the angle is set slightly lower than perpendicular to the floor. An adjustable bench is an excellent addition to your home gym kit, if possible! Please note that you can also perform overhead pressing movements standing.

I will only use a barbell when doing hip thrusts and bridges. This makes it easier to get into position, but a dumbbell works the same once in position! 

The weights I will be using range from 4-30kg dumbbells. My barbell is 4 feet long and weighs 8kg, so it could be a consideration to add to your home kit, especially if you don’t want to use up a lot of space like me. The weight of my barbell, including plates, will be either 48kg / 106lb or 58kg / 128lb.  

Typically, the lighter dumbbells, such as 4kg or 5kg, will be for my lateral raises and rear delt flyes.  Heavier weights include 1 x 30kg for squats and 2 x 20kg for lunges or RDLs.

I will detail the weights I use during the introduction, where I talk and give an overview of the structure and tips for the workout. If I am using two dumbbells, it will typically indicate the weight PER dumbbell. Also, in the description box below the workout, you will see the weights I use in written format in kg and lbs.

Remember, this is simply for a guide and context. So, if you usually go slightly heavier or lighter than me, it may help you select the weights you might want at hand!

The list of additional equipment is endless! I encourage you to check out the description of each workout, and you can add additional equipment or substitute some exercises to suit you! 

I highly recommend reviewing each day’s workout description so you can incorporate any alternatives or additional equipment you might like to incorporate! 

• Have access to a cable machine? Great for lateral raises, bicep curling or even single-arm / double-arm sweeps!
• A hamstring curl machine instead of hamstring ball rollouts!
• Leg extension machine instead of Sissy squats!
• A squat rack for squats, or a barbell for front squats!
• Pull-up bars instead of pullovers!
• Do you prefer bridges over hip thrusts? 

What if I can lift heavier for movements but I don’t have access to heavier weights?

Contrary to what you might think… perform more reps and, therefore, move at a faster pace? Whilst this is something you could do, if the weight you have allows you to perform a large number of reps each time at a slightly faster pace, it may be better to go in the opposite direction:

• Slow it down! Can you slow down the lowering even more?
• Pause in the lengthened position, i.e. the bottom of the squat
• Ensure you are moving the joint through its full Range Of Motion (ROM)
• Look for ways to increase your ROM, i.e. yoga blocks for lunges, bench for chest press as opposed to lying on the mat, elevate the heels to hit the quads more or place the end of feet on a wedge during RDLs!
• Think about your alignment… can you stand taller during the lunges? Can you keep the upper arms more steady during Skullcrushers?

There are many ways to apply more tension to the target muscle aside from the number on the weight! 

Cardio is included in the REV series. Does this mean it is better for fat loss than other series or programs?

I am intentionally not wearing my sports watch during this series. My hope is that we all approach this series not for the calorie expenditure but rather the improvements to our cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength & endurance, muscle size and power! We will still be training mainly in a hypertrophy modality with the intent to apply tension to the target muscles using a myriad of different training techniques and intensifiers. Although this series has cardio elements, I cannot think of a single demographic I would recommend completing cardio solely for energy expenditure and certainly not at the expense of building/maintaining muscle mass training. Of course, cardio utilises energy, but the fact it can use more than, say, a shoulder workout could lead us to think we should forgo the shoulder workout and do the cardio instead… but having the mindset of weight loss and not fat loss can often be the reason why we don’t see the results we want in the long run. This is often in line with the rhetoric that weight loss and the number we are on the scale is the most important outcome. Cardio is important, and there will be varying amounts and intensities of cardio depending on the actual workout, but it is still predominantly hypertrophy training with some plyos and burpees in there, too…alternatives will be shown, of course, if you prefer not to jump! 

I am compelled to write this, particularly at this time of year, as many people intend to increase their cardio often with the sole goal of increasing energy expenditure to reduce body weight. This can lead to an almost annual pattern, with each January comprising large amounts of cardio. However, this mindset of weight loss as opposed to fat loss can lead to a reoccurring cycle of hitting cardio hard but rebounding soon after. I would HIGHLY recommend reading the following articles if you tend to increase your cardio with the sole outcome of seeking a lighter number on the scales or higher energy expenditure. You'll find these in the Knowledge section of CGX:

Which program is better for fat loss?

Weight loss vs. fat loss: Does it really matter?

These articles have been incredibly useful for many people regarding their approach to cardio and mindset towards bodyweight. I would explain it and try to reiterate it to many people when they first started working with me. Once it all ‘clicked’, often the outcomes surpassed what they initially came to me with… which initially was the goal of being a lighter number on the scales. Often, once the mindset changed from just focusing on the scales, the number on the scale did reduce, but it no longer was the focus but rather a byproduct of the habits, consistency over time and the focus being more towards how they felt, their performance in lifting and their body composition in clothes. 

Scheduling the REV series in CGX

The REV series will be available just after midnight (UK time) on January 12th. A few days before the series begins, we'll make it possible for you to schedule it in your CGX calendar, ensuring everything is prepared for the launch. When the series appears in CGX, you can add the suggested calendar schedule by following the steps in this guide: How can I schedule a workout, series or program?

This will add the suggested schedule for the REV series (5 workouts per week) to your calendar. Should you wish to move individual days of training, for example, from Wednesday to Thursday, you can do this by following the steps in this guide: How can I remove or reschedule workouts in my calendar?

Why can’t I access all 30 workouts in the REV series?

During the initial launch of the REV series, each workout will be released on the day relating to the calendar. Once made available, it will always be there to complete any time that suits you!

It means that, upon initial launch, many of us can complete the series together and work through the workouts on the same days! But there is no wrong or right way to work through this series! 3 workouts per week, 4 or 5… we all have different schedules, priorities and even extra activities outside of lifting! 

So, we have 30 workouts within REV, each in a circuit format. The primary goal is to apply tension to the intended muscles alongside an array of fun sets to get us moving in different ways, from explosive to steady-state sets! 

Weekly REV HQs

There will be a weekly HQ every Sunday evening where I will provide an overview of the week ahead, along with some tips, information relating to upcoming articles and sometimes just some things I feel you might find useful or thought-provoking!

I hope we all have an action-packed, endorphin-releasing, muscle-building 6 weeks ahead, with bursts of cardio in between! 

The REV series’ final workout, day 30, will be on Friday 21st February.

I’ll hopefully see you for Day 1 on Sunday, January 12th. It’s an upper-body session to kick things off! 

Cx