Four Up Four Down

Get big and ripped with Hany Rambod's plateau-busting program— in just eight
weeks.

For Month's, you've been

training like a beast, leaving
it all on the gym floor day in
and day out.  And you've
been rewarded with
improvements like never
before. But then, one day,
the gains stop coming, and
no matter what you do, you
can't seem to make it to the
next level. So, how do you
shatter through the plateau
and continue progressing?

Trainer and nutritionist

Hany Rambod has the
answer — a quick-fix
program designed to tear
down the wall and get you
back to where you need to be. By the time you’re done with Rambod’s intense
eight-week- long assault, you’ll be big, shredded and ready to put the swagger
back in your step.

 ✘ OBJECTIVE

FOUR WEEKS TO BUILD SIZE

“Typical programs are 12-16 weeks long. This program is only four weeks, which
doesn’t give the body enough time to adapt.”

✘ STRATEGY

SIZE AND STRENGTH

“I firmly believe that a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle, so the training is a

hybrid that combines elements of both powerlifting and bodybuilding.”

✘ TOOLS

PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE
“Every workout, your goal is to increase either the amount of weight or the number
of reps. For example, if you exceed eight reps, increase the weight so that you’re
back down to five.”

 Training Overview

4 EXERCISES PER BODYPART

“Free-weight, compound movements will form the core of

your workouts. They incorporate several stabilizing muscles
for balance, so you work multiple muscle groups with one
movement to build a solid base.”

3 SETS EACH

“Start with one or two high-rep warm-up sets for your first
exercise, and then pyramid up in weight over three sets so
that you can safely work up to your last and heaviest set.”

5 TO 8 REPS

“This is the ideal range for building both strength and size.
You can use heavy weight to stimulate enough muscle
fibers for overall growth.”

 Intensity Techniques

■FORCED REPS After reaching failure, have a partner help you just enough so
that you can get an additional two or three reps during the last set of an exercise.

■ NEGATIVES After reaching positive failure, have a partner help you return the
weight to the starting position of the movement. Lower the weight slowly, resisting
the eccentric portion of the movement. Do an additional three or four reps in this
fashion for the last set of an exercise.

■ PEAK-CONTRACTION REPS Hold the contracted

position of an exercise for three to five seconds
each. Do this for the last three or four reps of the last
set of an exercise.

FST-7

 WHAT: The last seven sets of an exercise (isolation

or very strict com- pound movements) performed with 30-45 seconds of rest in
between, using the same or greater weight to increase the pump and stretch the
fascia surrounding the muscle for greater growth.

WHEN: Rambod recommends the use of fascia stretch training for only one or two
lagging bodypart.

Day One

Squats- “This is the big daddy of

all compound movements. Keep
your head level and your back as
straight as possible. Your feet
should be pointed straight ahead,
slightly wider than shoulder width.
The goal is to use maximum
weight, so don’t go lower than
parallel.”

Hack squats- “Keep feet shoulder

width apart and toes pointed
straight ahead to hit entire quad
area.”

Stiff-leg deadlifts- “Arch your

back to reduce strain on the lower
back and contract the hams at the
top of the movement.”
 

Standing calf raises- “There are two big mistakes with this exercise that I seeall
the time: doing it too fast and not using a full range of motion. Quick, jerky half reps
won’t produce results. Do slow, controlled movements and hold the contracted
position for two or three seconds.”

Day 2

 Flat-bench dumbbell presses- “I prefer

using dumbbells on the flat bench, because
you can get a greater range of motion than
you can with a barbell. Bringing your hands
in closer for a tight contraction, depending on
the size of the dumbbells being used, is a
bonus.”

 Close-grip bench presses- “Place hands

just inside shoulder width and keep elbows
close to the body. Contract tri’s hard at the
top of the movement.
”
Bench dips- “This version, as opposed to
the parallel bars, lets you maintain an upright
body position, which puts more stress on the
triceps. Make sure the distance between benches allows for full range of motion.”
Day 4

Pullups- “Start from a dead

hang and go all the way up
until your upper chest touches
the bar; use a spotter if you
can’t do full reps.”

Deadlifts- “Along with squats,

no single movement hits as
many muscles as the deadlift.
Plant your feet shoulder width
apart. Don’t try to ‘lift’ the
barbell. Keep a slight arch in
your back and ‘stand up’ with
the weight. Keep the bar as
close to the body as possible
throughout the entire
movement.”

Straight barbell curls- “Take

a shoulder-width grip on the
bar. Roll your shoulders back
to keep the stress on the biceps. Even though we’re going heavy, that’s no excuse
to use sloppy form, so avoid using excessive body momentum to swing the weight
up.”

 
Day 5

Military presses- “This works the entire

shoulder girdle — it doesn’t get more
basic than pushing a heavy weight
overhead. Use a grip slightly beyond
shoulder width and press the bar up just
short of lockout. Wear a belt and use a
flat-backed bench for lower- back
support.”

Alternating dumbbell front raises-

“Raise the dumbbells no higher than eye
level to avoid transitioning stress from the
delts to the traps.”

Reverse pec decks-  “Keep elbows in

line with delts, wrists.”

Barbell shrugs- “Use straps to handle

maximum weight.”

Hammer Strength machine shrugs-

“Use a full range of motion and contract
traps at top.”

Weeks 1-4 Meal Plan

“We’re going for nutrient- and calorie-dense meals to fuel heavy, intense training
and pack on size.”
 

Goals

PROTEIN: 1.5-2
grams per pound of
bodyweight

CARBS: 2.5-3 g per

pound of bodyweight
on training days, 2-
2.5 g on rest days

FATS: 20%-25% of
calories from fat

 Whole Eggs- Extracalories,and if youuse Omegaeggs [eggswith omega-3 fatty

acids], you get healthy fats.”

Blueberries- “Contain vitamins, antioxidants, fiber —

all crucial for health. And the fructose increases
glycogen in the liver, which helps with thyroid
function to promote optimum hormone levels,
enhancing growth.”

Pasta- “You get more carbs per serving than you

would in the same amount of rice or potatoes, so you
can eat less and still get enough nutrients and
calories without feeling too full to eat your next meal.”

Glutamine-  “Decreases muscular fatigue by

buffering lactic acid buildup in muscles. Helps to
repair and build muscle,as linked to proteinsynthesis,
and improvesprotein metabolism.”

Low-fat or fat-free Fig Newtons- “Additional insulin

spike to get amino acids into muscles.”

Salmon- “Fatty fish, such as salmon, providehealthy

fats for extra calories,heart health and, especially,
theenhancement of joint repair, whichis important
when you train heavy.”
White Rice- “White rice digests quickly, further spiking insulin to get nutrients into
the muscles.”

Sirloin Steak- “Saturated fats keep testosterone levels high.”

 Ground beef patty, 91-93% lean- “Red meat is a slow- digesting protein,
releasing a steady stream of amino acids into the muscles, making it ideal for right
before bed, since you won’t be eating for up to eight hours.”

 All-natural peanut butter- “Adding peanut butter will slow down absorption of
whey protein to providea time-release effect throughout the night.”

Weeks 5-8

✘ OBJECTIVE

FOUR WEEKS TO GET RIPPED “Flipping from one extreme to the other in such a
short time span forces the body to react to a whole new set of stimuli for greater
progress.”

✘ STRATEGY

VOLUME

“The muscles will be saturated with as much nutrient- rich blood as possible,
stretching the fascia for further growth. The pace will be faster with less rest
between sets. However, due to the greater volume, workouts will be longer in
duration. This combination will help burn more calories.”

✘ TOOLS

HEAVY WEIGHTS

“You’re doing higher reps, but the weight

should still be heavy enough so that you
fail at the prescribed rep range.”

 Training Overview

4 EXERCISES PER BODYPART

“Although free-weight, compound

movements are still part of the program,
the emphasis will shift to machine and
cable movements, making drop sets
easier. Isolation movements will be used to focus on specific areas of the muscle
to enhance shape.”

4 SETS EACH

“Start with one or two warm-up sets for your first exercise. You’ll still pyramid up in
weight, but you’ll do one extra working set to
increase the volume.”

8 TO 12REPS

“Higher reps will hit additional fibers and force

more blood into the muscles for greater blood
volumization, helping to stretch the fascia from
the inside out.”

Intensity Techniques

■ DROP SETS After reaching failure, reduce the

weight by 20%-30% and crank out as many reps
as possible. Do two or three drops on the last set
of an exercise.

■ SUPERSETS A method of training that pairs

exercises for the same or antagonist muscle
groups, such as biceps and triceps, and
performs a set for each muscle group back-to-
back with no scheduled rest between exercises.

■ GIANT SETS An intensity technique that uses four exercises for the same
muscle group done back-to-back with no rest between sets.

■ PRE-EXHAUST Perform an isolation exercise to failure, and then follow that

immediately with a compound movement.

■ PRELOADED FST-7 In a switch-up, 7s, which are normally reserved for the end
of the workout, are hit in the beginning. “Some don’t feel the pump at the start of
the workout and this solves that problem by establishing a powerful mind-muscle
connection, so you get more out of the rest of the workout,” Rambod says. “Again,
it’s very intensive, so reserve it for just one or two bodyparts per week.”
Day One

Incline Hammer Strength presses- “Keep

your chest up and shoulders rolled back. The
handles should be at upper-chest level in the
start position.”

Flat Hammer Strength presses- “Make sure

the handles are at the same level as the bar
would be in the bottom position forbarbell bench
presses.”

Machine flyes- “Adjust the height of the seat to

work the desired area of the chest; set the seat
high to work the lower chest, in the middle for
middle chest and low for upper chest.”

 
Day Two

Walking lunges- “These are great for detail.

Make sure to keep your back straight and don’t
let your knees drift in front of your toes, because
this puts a lot of stress on the knees.”

Front squats- “Keep elbows up when balancing

the weightand keep toes pointed straight ahead.”

Standing single-leg curls- “Think of this as a

concentration curl, only for the other biceps
muscles. Keep your quadson the pads and hold
the contraction at the top for two or three
seconds. Lower all the way down to full
extensions.”

Seated calf raises- “Make sure that the pads are

positioned over your knees and not up high on
your quads.”
Day Three

Rope pushdowns- “Take advantage

of the increased range of motion by
spreading the handles apart at the
bottom and turning your pinkies
away from your body for a superior
contraction.”

One-arm overhead dumbbell

extensions- “Do these seated on a
bench with support to protect the
lower back.”

High-cable curls- “Take advantage

of the increased range of motion by spreading

the handles apart at the bottom and turning
your pinkies away from your body for a
superior contraction.”

 
Day 5

 Behind-the-neck
pulldowns- “At the bottom of
the movement, squeeze the
back muscles, emulating a
rear double-biceps pose.”

Seated pulley rows- “To hit

the lats, pull into your lower
midsection — not your chest,
which will work the traps.”

One-arm dumbbell rows-

“Keep your back arched and pull into your lower obliques to stress the lower lats.”

Dumbbell pullovers- “Keep your feet together and

hips low. Emphasize the bottom portion of the
movement by dipping your hips as you lower the
dumbbell to stretch the lats fully.”
Day 6

Cable lateral raises- “Allign your upper

body with the cables and raise no
higher than shoulder level to keep the
stress on the deltoids. The constant
tension helps etch in greater details.”

Lying Hammer Strength rear delt

machine- “Arms should be parallel to
the floorin the contracted position to
fully stress the rear delts.”

Dumbbell shrugs- “Lean forward

slightly to work more of the lower traps.”

Smith machine behind-the-back

barbell shrugs- “The machine takes
away the need to balance the weight,
so that you can isolate your traps more
effectively.”
Week 5-8 Meal Plan

“Now we start reducing carbs and overall caloriesto get harder while
simultaneously increasing healthy fats to keep strength and energy levels high.”

GOALS

PROTEIN: 1.75-2.5 g per pound

of bodyweight

CARBS: 1-1.5 g per pound of

bodyweight on training days, 0.5-
1 g on rest days

FATS: 20%-30% of caloriesfrom

fat

 
 Oatmeal- “A slow-digesting carb for a
more stable release of energy
throughout the day.”

Sirloin steak- “A good source of

creatine, which pulls more water into
the musclesto increase muscular
strength and endurance.”

Tilapia- “Low-fat, quick-absorbing

source of protein.”

Wild Rice- “Due to its higher fiber

content, wild rice doesn’t digest as
quickly as white rice, keeping you
feeling fuller between meals.”

Arginine-based nitric oxide-

“Increases blood flow for better fascia
stretching pumps.”

Glutamine- “Helps speed up recovery

by fighting the postworkout catabolic
response.”

Carbs- “Spikes insulin for rapid

transport of vital amino acids into the
muscles for maximum recovery and
growth.”

Avocado- “Healthy fat from the

avocado will help keep energy levels
up during lower-carb periods.”

 Asparagus- “As activity winds down

later in the day, the energy from starchy carbs ismore likely to be stored as
bodyfat, so we’ll replace them with fibrous vegetables.”