Transform Yourself From Scrawny Cyclist Into Ripped Stud: Here’s How

Posted March 8, 2008

The time has finally arrived… after some careful preparation I’m starting my workout experiment to gain 34 lb of muscle in 4 weeks! (Check that post for all the background info…)

All these weight lifting guides are “experiments” so I’m calling this The Susquehanna Experiment. The experiment is to take a skinny cyclist with big legs but no upper body and turn him into a muscular bodybuilder. The test subject is myself. Based on the guidelines I posted about before, here’s the outline of my plan:

“Before”

In order to do before and after comparisons, I got some “before” pictures and took various measurements to gauge progress.

It also didn’t hurt that I had done quite a bit of Cyclo-Core and other bodweight workouts beforehand, to get my body ready.

Workout Basics

Here are the basic principles for this weight training program:

One set to failure.
Aiming for 8-10 reps per set, leading to muscular failure.
Slow cadence. 5 seconds up and then 5 seconds down.
Low frequency. (Max 2x per week, perhaps once every 4 days.)
3 minutes rest between exercises.
Each workout will consist of 4-7 multi-joint exercises.
Each workout will work the entire body (arms and then legs.)

The Exercises

Here are a few example exercises:

Leg press
Trap bar deadlift
Overhead press
Dips
Incline bench press
Yates Bent Row
Close-grip shoulder press
Close grip supinated pulldowns
Hamstring curl
Leg extension

Plus some jogging or stationary biking for a warm-up and cool-down.

The Diet

It’s simple: Lots of protein.

Building muscle means eating a lot of food, specifically protein. And of course the basics like avoiding anything white, so I only get high-quality carbs.

Finally, one day each week, cut calories by 50%. (Something about protein synthesis and/or metabolism; in other words, because Tim Ferriss says so.)