MAX program guide – CGX

Welcome to the MAX program guide!

We have 50 workouts ahead, with the programming built upon a ‘full-body’ split! These workouts are based on a 10-week duration, 5 workouts per week, but of course, you can complete them at a pace that suits you whether you train twice or up to five times per week!

This is a program I have wanted to create for quite some time. While we all might have a preconceived idea of what a full-body split might look like, and it might even appear that it is not for you, let’s consider what a full-body split is!

1. What is a full-body split?

Let’s begin with what is a split: it is simply a way to ‘organise’ your training! There are many ways to do this, and many factors help dictate our split, such as how often we ‘can’ train, how often we ‘like’ to train, the volume we do per week (whether in longer or shorter workouts), whether are we training more for muscle growth, specifically strength or a combination, our ability to be consistent, to recover from a previous workout or other training commitments such as running and what do we enjoy! If we consider any ‘split’, there will be pros and cons, and that’s why they all can be great! In fact, you technically don’t ‘need’ to follow a ‘specific split’, but having some form of routine to your schedule can be useful.

It is also important to highlight here that even if a split has a ‘name’, it can look different for each individual. The popular ‘bro split’ could involve only one lower body session per week…or three (a quad session, a hamstring session, and a glute session as an example), depending on how it is set up based on goals and preference.

A full-body workout could be, and is, defined as many things…if some form of the deadlift is in the workout, is this a full-body movement? Or does a full-body workout include isolation exercises for every muscle, including calves, forearms, traps, and abs, in addition to compounds? A full-body workout could contain only three compound movements or six compounds with isolations on top of this! It could involve lots of movements that will increase your heart rate or isolated muscular tension. Each session could be 20 minutes or 60 minutes! Some people even consider glutes and shoulders a full-body workout. … as you can see, it is actually difficult to define.

And what if we are using free weights? Even on a lower-body day, we use our upper body more, such as our lats, grip, core, lower back, and shoulders, to perform an RDL…compared to if we are using a lying curl machine, for example. When we perform RDLs, we recruit the back. We use leg drive in a bench press. There is nearly always some form of crossover to different degrees, and other muscles are used aside from even the large intended muscle groups due to this indirect effect. Training with free weights as opposed to some machines can be a benefit or even lead to preferring certain machines depending on the context!

Mechanical tension appears to be the main driver of muscle growth when lifting, and there are an infinite number of ways to structure our training.

As mentioned above, every way we can organise our training has pros and cons. Here are some potential pros and cons relating to a full-body split!

Potential cons of a full body approach

DOMS (initially, but typically reduces as you become accustomed to it)
Potential cumulative fatigue
Likely less pump on one muscle group as spread across the body

Potential pros of a full body approach

DOMS initially but reduce as you become accustomed to it due to RPE (Repeated Bout Effect), potentially higher quality sets & improvement benefits
Changes in stimulus…mentally also!
Potentially less mentally overwhelming, as no session is all towards one muscle group, i.e. legs
Potentially improved mind-to-muscle due to fewer sets, increasing focus and intention
Highly flexible and adaptable
Auto-regulation is required as always, but it is easy to course-correct with each session
If you miss one day, no problem! This works great for a busy lifestyle or inconsistent training days. It also works great if you train once, twice, or three times per week or are not able to have a schedule set in stone due to other commitments, new parents, etc.
If you train, for example, two times per week and experience high DOMS, spreading out the volume across 3-5 days could be worth trying if your schedule permits it!
Potential benefits for strength as more opportunities to practice lifts
MPS lasts approximately 36 hours in those newer to training… but as we become more advanced, the length of time decreases to as little as 10 hours (3)
Potentially more ‘effective’ volume
Higher volume means potentially more muscle growth, but there is a diminishing return and limit to what we can recover from… very individual!
Stress on muscle(s) is divided across the week
Potential better SFR (Stimulus to Fatigue Ratio) due to the stimulus produced but less fatigue
There is also the potential that dividing your training volume across more days may reduce your perceptual response with a lower Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) compared to more volume on a given day towards one muscle group (11)

Our total volume appears to be an important driver of muscle growth, and training frequency (how often we can/will train) can impact our total volume.

If I decided to go horse riding, I am fairly certain I would feel pretty sore, having used my muscles differently. If I kept up with my lessons once per week and even missed some weeks, the stiffness I might feel would still persist, albeit to a lesser degree. But if I were to increase my lessons to x3 times per week, I would build up a tolerance and resilience to be able to do this and that stiffness would diminish quicker, to the point where I might rarely feel stiffness.

The Repeated Bout Effect is real and is referred to within the literature as the adaptation whereby a single bout of eccentric exercise protects against muscle damage from subsequent eccentric bouts (12). This may mean we experience slightly greater DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) at the beginning, but as we adapt, we gain the ability to recover more easily.

The more experienced you become (and combined with the Repeated Bout Effect), the higher your recovery capacity will generally be.

We actually have an ‘artistic licence’ to build a full-body split in many different ways!

But what is the ‘best’ split?

The bro split?
Push, pull legs?
Upper, Lower, Push, Pull Legs?
Upper, Lower?
Full body?

Firstly, science can not give us an exact prescription. When we consider the evidence overall, we cannot decipher a perfect split, as each split and even variations have benefits, but there are also many considerations. There is perhaps the perfect routine that fits in with our own personal life, and what works great for one person won’t for the next person! What we have learned from the research is that it is a good idea to train each muscle group at least once per week, but there are benefits to training more than once per week (4). This systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that training muscle groups twice per week promoted superior hypertrophic outcomes compared to once per week; however, once a week was still shown to be a viable strategy for gaining muscle. Due to the review including only 10 studies due to the inclusion criteria, it was not clear if training muscle groups more than twice would further enhance hypertrophy.

The frequency of how often we train each muscle group depends on the ability to recover and the context in which the volume is spaced out. If we create our total weekly volume on the shoulders over 2 days per week and switch this to 4 to 5 days per week, the actual volume per session will be lower. There is a theoretical case for more frequency based on several studies, but it isn’t clear-cut. It is also important to highlight that there may also be diminished returns, as with many things, to be honest, and an inverted ‘U’ relationship could be an outcome of more and more volume when it comes to strength and muscle gain. (9)

The more you lift, and with time and practice, the more you grow in knowing your own body. The more you learn about the research, the more you learn how it is there to help guide us but not tell us what to do. There are potential pros and cons to every way we can organise our training…this pertains not just to resistance training but even marathon training, etc… We realise that constraints are arbitrary, and the constraints we sometimes can place upon ourselves can be almost limiting. We are bombarded with dos and don’ts, yet rarely is it really that definitive. Acknowledging the fundamentals and our own current way of life, however, gives us so much flexibility to build our own routine… similar to our dietary pattern!

Aren’t full-body workouts recommended more for beginners?

Yes, this is true; they are often recommended as a great place to start. Full-body splits are often synonymous with beginners to lifting (hence, the Ultimate Beginners program is mostly full-body splits, to begin with), especially due to the structure they can provide and often the fact that beginners typically begin training once to twice per week and so full body makes sense.

It certainly is something that could be beneficial for those newer to lifting as frequency appears to be of less importance the newer we are to training (note this also isn’t definitive nor black and white), and the research has strongly demonstrated how those new to training can grow on different frequencies, but it is popular even with those more experienced who train twice per week as this means they are still able to stimulate all the major muscle groups twice per week!

Full-body splits can be a great option, even if your week has less structure. If you can train only when your schedule allows, it can be a ‘fail-safe’ option to fall back on. For example, if you have your only lower body session of the week scheduled for a Friday, but you can’t train that day, it means you might have two weeks in total of not training the lower body unless you can make it up somewhere else in the week.

I want to highlight that a full-body split is actually very popular with those who are more experienced, too, and many people who have been lifting for years continue to train ‘full body’ (this is in quotation marks as what is technically ‘full body’ as the definition?)

What about the full-body split for more experienced lifters?

I think the main reasons why higher frequency can benefit those of us more experienced is due not only to the increase in motor learning with the movements but also to our muscles being stimulated more often, allowing us to take advantage of MPS (Muscle Protein Synthesis) has been shown to return to ‘baseline’ in as little as 10 hours compared to those newer to lifting (3), as per the graph below. It should be highlighted here that MPS isn’t necessarily an indicator of our actual ‘readiness’ to train again nor actual muscle growth, but it suggests that experienced lifters ‘may’ recover quicker than those newer to lifting. As you can see below from the graph created from this review, they pooled data from different studies (13-19) to help provide a better understanding of the activity and changes involved in muscle adaptation with resistance training between those trained and untrained individuals. Note that this does not mean that all people with experience lifting would have similar outcomes, particularly because we aren’t participating in studies! But it is thought-provoking to see this visual representative of the research in this area! In a nutshell, the more experienced we become in lifting, the more we have the ‘potential’ ability to recover and, therefore, train that muscle that bit sooner. But more isn’t always better! There will naturally be a limit where there are not only diminishing returns on our efforts and time but could actually be detrimental!

(3) Damas F, et al. A review of resistance training-induced changes in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and their contribution to hypertrophy. Sports Med. 2015.

Frequency is often related closely to volume and can be an important variable for us to consider.

A 2022 Umbrella Review of resistance training variables (10) concluded that:

Frequency: Although modifying this variable does not directly influence hypertrophy gains, a significant effect favoring higher frequencies was observed when volume was not equated. Therefore, training frequency can be used as a tool to modify the overall weekly training volume.

It also highlighted how there were inter-individual responses to training frequency, so personalisation is important.

In 2017, a (5) ‘As individuals become accustomed to training the same muscle group at higher frequencies, it may be beneficial to perform full-body routines daily, or every other day, depending on how individuals recover from exercise’.

Note that within the MAX program, we will not technically target every muscle during every session, and we will not perform a squat pattern one day and squats the next day. We will change the compound movements, isolations, movement pattern, rep range, and tempo.

Several studies have suggested that higher frequencies may elicit the potential for greater strength and muscle gains in experienced lifters (6-8).

We could potentially look at this in 2 different ways:

Those more experienced could train a muscle group more frequently across a week, for example, or
Those more experienced may have the potential to complete more volume within a session

I wanted to share this to help open your mind. Remember that a full-body split can be interpreted and carried out in many ways!

Another element of this frequency research, and perhaps contrary to the above as it pertains to the real world, is that maybe the more experienced a lifter is, the more intensity is within each session, which in turn brings more adaptations for the body to create, therefore ‘more’ time is required between hitting that muscle group again…and so with most things relating to training, it isn’t black or white! Then we have the often debated and not settled discussion regarding frequency differences between natural’ and ‘enhanced’, but we won’t open that book here!

There are many considerations I give upon first reading a research paper on hypertrophy and strength. In relation to volume research, additional key considerations would definitely be how the participants lived outside of the study, i.e. overall energy intake, protein, sleep, and other activities and whether they were already climatised to the amount of volume. Or is it a huge jump from what they normally do each week, or is it, in fact, significantly less? The research in this area is mixed, and there are so many considerations involved when we look at volume and frequency studies. Is the study measuring myofibrillar Muscle protein Synthesis or the whole body? Also, in real life, for example, if we did six sets of squats in one session, they might be of less intensity compared to if we did three sets of squats across 2 days or two sets of squats across 3 days…we might naturally lift more knowing it’s fewer sets. This is important if we consider studies that involve the same volume in the two groups as in real life; we might produce more volume if we spread more across the week. We also would likely experience less acute fatigue.

If we have 12 sets per week on a muscle, we can do these in 1 session, 2 or 3, for example. Six sets across two sessions per week, four sets across three sessions per week, three sets across four sessions per week…or even two sets across six sessions per week. If you imagine this, you might appreciate how the quality of those two sets within each session might actually be of ‘higher quality’ potentially due to the focus applied, knowing that it is only the two sets. Therefore, it is feasible that total volume might be higher with higher frequency naturally as you might lift more weight overall… something to consider if a study involves the same volume for comparisons. When you delve into the different named training splits, you quickly learn that there is no ‘best’ absolute training split or frequency.

There is also research that, although intended to direct future research, may not reflect ‘real life,’ such as training in the exact same movements every day across the week. Also, when experienced lifters are involved, it is important to remember that growth will be very slow, and so even if a study is 8-12 weeks in duration, the accuracy of measurement is even more important!

I highly recommend reading the article ‘The Basics of Scientific Research’, as it highlights just some of the considerations (there are many more depending on the context of the study and the answer it is trying to answer) I think about when reading research papers relating to training and nutrition.

2. The MAX program overview

The MAX program is 10 weeks in duration, based upon five workouts being released each week.

Each workout will be approximately 30-35 minutes in duration. This excludes the introduction and cool-down.

Each workout will be released each week on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, you can, of course, complete each workout as it suits your schedule.

The exercises within the MAX program will primarily be more traditional compound movements with isolation movements more towards the end of the session. We will experience several different variations of movements, which will affect not only the load used but also potentially ROM, reps completed, exercise order, rest period and tempo.

The MAX program will consist of undulating rep ranges, similar to the Intent program. I would like to preface this information below by highlighting that the reps are only a guide, and I won’t begin each session with a specific number in mind; rather, the tempo, type of exercise, muscle(s) being targeted, load, range of movement and where that movement is positioned within the session will dictate an approximate rep range. Below is an overview of the general programming:

Day 1

Lower rep ranges average between 8 and 12, mainly compound movements alternating between lower and upper body movements with each set.

Day 2

Higher rep ranges, averaging between 18 and 25, combining compound and isolation movements. These will contain more bodyweight movements than other days, too, so a rest from the dumbbells. This will be an opportunity to be more specific to muscles such as the sides of the shoulders, rear delts, quads, and/or glutes.

Day 3

This will generally involve moderate rep ranges averaging between 12-18 reps per set, mainly compound movements, alternating between lower and upper body movements with each set.

Day 4

ACTIVE REST DAY

Day 5

Similar to day 1, however, the compound exercises will differ but still target the key muscle groups and alternate between the upper and lower body.

Day 6

This will be our fun accessory/isolation day, involving a circuit with abs/core-specific, some light delt, biceps and triceps and some isolation towards the lower body such as quad isolation or glute pump/abduction work!

Day 7

ACTIVE REST

So, as you can see, we have days 1 and 5 within the week of those lower rep ranges, day 2 higher reps, day 3 moderate and day 6 our fun day!

Most days, we will have 2-3 movements for the lower body and 2-3 for the upper body. Each movement will be completed for 2-4 sets, usually 3. We will alternate between more ‘taxing’ exercises such as squats and RDLs one day, with the next day being lunges, then the next day bridges and stability ball rollouts, as an example.

‘Fatigue-sparing’ lifting methods to target muscles, such as a single arm row as opposed to double arm rows, will be considered primarily to help reduce fatigue in the lower back, which is involved with squatting, RDLs, etc.

There will be 2 ‘lighter days’ to help promote joint recovery! One of these days will involve higher reps of compound movements, and the other will focus more on isolating the arms, abs, and abduction, for example.

In one session, we might perform one compound each for the chest, back, and shoulders, such as chest press, pullover, and shoulder press, whereas the following day, this might involve chest flyes, sweep, and an upright row.

For the lower body, one day might involve 2 to 3 compound exercises with a different movement pattern. For example, one day might involve an RDL, a lunge, and a hip thrust, while the next day might involve stability ball rollouts, heel-elevated squats, and banded squat walks.

As mentioned above, I will include undulating rep ranges for many reasons, including the fact that training in different rep ranges can benefit everyone.

The undulating rep ranges will result from the exercise variation and vice versa, where the rep range intended will dictate the exercise selection. Some exercises, in my experience, work better at certain rep ranges (examples include triceps isolation, sides and rear delts, and the rectus abdominus at moderate to higher rep ranges), whereas lunges, hip thrusts, and rows work great within a wide range of reps!

If we consider the shoulders, most sessions will involve one movement geared toward them, with one session being a shoulder press, the next session being lateral raises, and the next being an upright row. The same will generally apply to the chest and back.

The lower body will generally involve a hamstring-specific exercise 2-3 times per week, the glutes specifically 3-4 times per week, and we will isolate the quads 1-2 times per week (on average). However, there will also be squat patterns involving all these muscle groups 1-2 times per week. We will typically perform either one or both a hinge and squat pattern within a session.

Throughout the MAX program, we will use alternate peripheral pairings of muscle groups, e.g., a hip thrust followed by a rest before moving to an Arnold Press. This is similar to antagonist pairings for the upper body, where we would alternate between the back and chest, for example.

We will be utilising different training methods that cross both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Myofibrillar training refers to increases in the number of myofibrils that are found within the muscle fibres. It does this as a response to the ‘injury’ inflicted on the muscle fibres. This increase promotes both strength and density!

Sarcoplasmic training is the increase in sarcoplasmic fluid within the muscle, which promotes increased size of the muscle. Think ‘bodyweight heel elevated squats’ or ‘tricep cobra push ups’ during finishers… essentially the pump! This is typically short-lived, but it has benefits and is associated with metabolic stress.

The pump (’transient hypertrophy’ is the official term) we experience is from extra blood pumping to that muscle. And with this extra blood, the number of blood vessels increases, which helps support further growth. As a result of the muscle being pumped past its ‘normal’ size, it stretches the fascial layer just outside the muscle, allowing room for more growth over time!

Interestingly, although temporary, many bodybuilders use the pump as a visual indicator of how their physique may look as they progress in hypertrophy! Both types are within the MAX program. However, most workouts will involve myofibrillar training, with sarcoplasmic training toward the end of each session. Who doesn’t appreciate the feeling of a good pump at the end of a workout?!

3. Equipment and optional extras

Minimum required

A pair of dumbbells (weight will vary by individual)
A glute band (fabric band)
A mat for floor work

Optional extras

Barbell (I use a 4-ft barbell, ~8.4 kg)
A stable chair or bench is used for hip thrusts, Bulgarian lunges, or overhead pressing
Yoga blocks to modify angles or create deficit push-ups
Push-up bars, dip bars, wedges—fantastic for advanced variations
Stability ball for hamstring isolation
Wrist straps, barbell pad, heavier dumbbells if you’re ready to progress

Tip: If you don’t have a bench for hip thrusts, a simple floor-based glute bridge is great. If stability ball rollouts feel too wobbly at first, try hamstring lifts (bridges with feet further out) to target the same area.

I’ll personally use anywhere from 4 kg (for lateral raises) up to around 68 kg (for hip thrusts with a short barbell). Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact same equipment—go heavier or lighter depending on your own capacity. I’ll share what I use in each workout’s intro so you can gauge your selections.

4. Warm-up and cool-down

I suggest a quick warm-up – sometimes, I’ll use lighter dumbbells (e.g., 2 × 4 kg) to get the blood flowing, loosen up the joints, and mentally prepare.

Each workout includes a short cool-down period, but feel free to lengthen it. If you prefer your own stretching routine, go for it!

5. Who is the MAX program for?

Anyone wanting to build muscle, increase strength, or improve body composition in a flexible, engaging way. Whether you are male, female, 30 years old or 60 years old!

Perfect if you love exploring new movement patterns or if your weekly schedule changes often.

Beginners: If you’re totally new to training, you might like to check out the Ultimate Beginner program. It’s a calm, inviting 6-week path to learning the fundamentals. Then you could jump into MAX, IRON, Intent, Beastmode or P.E!

Just a note reflecting recent discussion on podcasts relating to the do’s and don’ts of training for women in perimenopause or postmenopause. If you missed it, I would highly recommend reading the following article, as it provides important information relating to the wider research in this area, which is sometimes overlooked or not indicated as existing… just in case you are asking if this program is suitable for you!

6. Frequently asked questions

What if I miss a session?

No worries—life happens! The program doesn’t expire. Just pick up where you left off next time you can train.

I don’t have heavier dumbbells, but I want more intensity

Here are a few ways to up the challenge:

Slow the eccentric (lowering phase)
Pause in the stretched position (e.g., bottom of a squat)
Partial reps (not fully locking out)
Elevate your heels or use a bench to increase your range of motion in squats or chest presses
Try seated variations (like seated lateral raises) to make a given weight feel heavier

Will the program include finishers?

Oh, yes—absolutely! I’m a big fan of short-duration finishers with partials, isometrics, or bodyweight. They’re a fun way to wrap up each session with a good burn!

What about cardio or abs?

Every session has a cardio element based on training intensity. Your heart rate will rise.
Once per week (Day 6), we hit an accessory/isolation “fun” day, which includes ab/core moves, plus arms and maybe a glute pump or quad isolation.

If you’re a fan of daily walks or runs, feel free to keep them. The program doesn’t lock you out of additional cardio!

Can I train on consecutive days?

Yes, because each day’s volume for any single muscle is lower, you can train multiple days in a row if you feel good. Always listen to your body—if you need rest, take it. Everyone’s recovery is personal. But what’s the research on training the same muscle group on consecutive days? The research is, as often is, not definitive. However, it has been suggested that training on consecutive days, as opposed to alternating training and rest days, has little difference in muscle growth, strength and body composition. (1-2) But what is important regarding our ability to recover is us as individuals. A stressful week? Sleep interruptions? Is nutrition not supportive of recovery? Activities outside of training impacting recovery?

Upon first glance, a full-body split might sound more fatiguing, but we don’t perform a typical leg session daily. We won’t be squatting or shoulder pressing every session. We don’t even have a specific session all on the legs!

7. Tips for progress and recovery

Apply tension to target muscles

Aim for local muscular fatigue rather than simply spiking your heart rate.
Compound lifts like squats or chest presses might not isolate a single muscle the way lateral raises do, but they still target those primary muscles effectively.

Effort and mind-to-muscle connection

Training near failure (especially on isolations) recruits more fibers.
Visualise your muscle lengthening (eccentric) and shortening (concentric).
This mind-to-muscle focus often allows you to get more from each rep without continually needing heavier weights.

Range of motion (ROM)

Use YOUR best ROM, factoring in mobility and comfort. Squatting “ass to grass” isn’t mandatory if it causes discomfort. Consistency in depth/ROM from rep to rep is more important than forcing an extreme position.

Recovery matters

Prioritising sleep is the number one in my book. Lack of sleep can have a huge impact not only on your training but also on your nutrition and overall mood!

DOMS is normal—especially if you’re new or returning. It typically subsides as you adapt (hello again, Repeated Bout Effect).

Nutrition – enough protein, quality macros, and overall energy – supports muscle gain or fat loss, depending on your goal.

Keep an eye on your recovery. Depending on how well you recover, you may need to change the days on which you train, such as having more rest days or even different loads for the same exercises from one week to the next.

And we actually build that muscle when we are away from those dumbbells!

8. Body composition and nutrition

Resistance training (like MAX) helps you keep or build lean muscle while adjusting body composition.

If your goal is to reduce body fat, nutrition should be a main focus. Small changes – like prioritising protein, high-fibre foods, or limiting ultra-processed foods – can make a big impact. And doing everything in your power to build muscle mass will increase the percentage of fat reduction compared to muscle loss.

If you want to build muscle without drastically changing weight, you’ll still benefit from higher protein intake and consistent training.

It’s normal if your scale weight stays the same while your shape and muscle definition change. Muscles weigh the same as fat but take up less space.

I often mention “engineering your environment” so you have healthier options readily available, loosely planning meals the day before (so you’re not left wandering, hungry, and improvising), and choosing whole, higher-fibre foods that keep you fuller. These small steps can profoundly help with body composition goals!

9. The MAX program calendar

Finding the calendar

You can find the calendars for all of the programs and series on CGX here: Where can I find the calendars for the programs and series?

Scheduling the program

To schedule the MAX program to your CGX calendar, follow the step-by-step guide here: How can I schedule a workout, series or program?

Workout releases

Initially, new workouts are released on specific days (if you’re doing it at launch). They will always stay available once released.

Why can’t I access all 50 workouts at once?

To keep things fun and communal, we release them on set days on first launch. But once they’re live, they’re yours to complete on any timeline.

10. Final thoughts and references

Remember, 10 weeks is only a snapshot of your overall fitness journey. If you’re brand-new, you might see very noticeable changes in strength and body composition; if you’re an advanced lifter, progress will be slower, but every improvement counts!

I hope you’ll enjoy the freedom of this full-body approach—one day, it might seem like a “lower-body day,” but you’re still working on your upper body, too, and so on! Whether you call it a “full-body session every day” or “never really a full-body session,” the creativity and variety can be so much fun.

I also encourage you to keep your expectations realistic. Muscle growth takes time—especially for experienced lifters. If you see someone with impressive muscle, they’ve likely put in consistent work for many years. Don’t worry about getting “too big” in just 10 weeks! Trust me, building large amounts of muscle quickly is actually extremely difficult, especially if you’re training naturally. So, let’s embrace the slow-and-steady approach and celebrate each bit of progress.

Thank you so much for reading this guide and sharing my excitement for the MAX program. Here’s to an incredible 10 weeks of exploring the many ways we can train the full body—without ever feeling boxed into just one split or approach!

I can’t wait to get started with you!

References

You’ll find these mentioned throughout the text.

Yang Y, et al. Effects of Consecutive Versus Non-consecutive Days of Resistance Training on Strength, Body Composition, and Red Blood Cells. Front Physiol. 2018
da Silva Carvalho AD, Rodrigues Santos JA. Nonconsecutive versus consecutive-day resistance training in recreationally trained subjects. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2018
Damas F, et al. A review of resistance training-induced changes in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and their contribution to hypertrophy. Sports Med. 2015
Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016
Dankel SJ, et al. Frequency: The Overlooked Resistance Training Variable for Inducing Muscle Hypertrophy? Sports Med. 2017
Häkkinen K, Kallinen M. Distribution of strength training volume into one or two daily sessions and neuromuscular adaptations in female athletes. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1994
McLester J, Bishop E, Guilliams M. Comparison of 1 Day and 3 Days Per Week of Equal-Volume Resistance Training in Experienced Subjects. J Strength Cond Res. 2000
Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015
Heaselgrave SR, et al. Dose-Response Relationship of Weekly Resistance-Training Volume and Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Men. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019
Bernárdez-Vázquez R, et al. Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Front Sports Act Living. 2022
Ochi E, et al. Higher Training Frequency Is Important for Gaining Muscular Strength Under Volume-Matched Training. Front Physiol. 2018
McHugh MP. Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2003
Tang JE, Perco JG, Moore DR, et al. Resistance training alters the response of fed state mixed muscle protein synthesis in young men. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008;294(1): R172–8
Kim PL, Staron RS, Phillips SM. Fasted-state skeletal muscle protein synthesis after resistance exercise is altered with training. J Physiol. 2005;568(Pt 1):283–90
Yarasheski KE, Zachwieja JJ, Bier DM. Acute effects of resistance exercise on muscle protein synthesis rate in young and elderly men and women. Am J Physiol. 1993;265(2 Pt 1):E210–4
Yarasheski KE, Campbell JA, Smith K, et al. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth in young men. Am J Physiol. 1992;262(3 Pt 1):E261–7
Roy BD, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDougall JD, et al. Effect of glucose supplement timing on protein metabolism after resistance training. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1997;82(6):1882–8.
Phillips SM, Tipton KD, Aarsland A, et al. Mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown after resistance exercise in humans. Am J Physiol. 1997;273(1 Pt 1):E99–107
MacDougall JD, Gibala MJ, Tarnopolsky MA, et al. The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise. Can J Appl Physiol. 1995;20(4):480–6

Search

Support