4 Day Power and Muscle Building Routine

So you want to build some muscle and start building some powerful strength and stumbled across this routine. Prepare for gains.

Goal Of This Workout

This routine is based on a powerbuilding model and is intended for intermediate lifters. If you are a beginner and would like to do this routine, change the 3 sets of 3 rep exercises to a 5×5; there is no need for a beginner to do anything under 5 reps.

Diet and Nutrition Tips

I would recommend going on a slow bulk for this routine to get the most out of it. It is easier to cut some fat afterwards than trying to make strength gains on a calorie deficit.

If you keep your weight consistent and need some tips to add calories into your diet, here are some of the best and healthiest ways to do so:

  • Butter
  • Cream cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Whole milk
  • Heavy cream
  • Cheese on everything
  • Protein shakes
  • Peanut butter
  • Olive oil
  • Extra dressing

These all add flavor and healthy fats to your diet. Personally, I prefer adding calories through this means instead of going to McDonalds and smashing a couple McDoubles.

You will feel better, have more energy, and your stomach will thank you.

Note: A little bit goes a long way, so be sure to know how many calories you are adding.

Recommended Supplements

Without a good diet, supplementation is mostly a waste of money. I will be the first to tell you to spend money on some good meats than a jug of protein.

For those who have their diets in check, here are the supplements I would use with this routine.

Pre-Workout

MTS Nutrition Clash

I personally like apple mango, but all flavors are good.

This is a great blend without too many stimulants.

Protein

MTS Machine Whey Protein: 5lbs

This is in my opinion the best tasting protein on the market. Period.

Great blend with no secrets, no amino spiking, and it is some of the best in the industry.

So far I’ve had Red Velvet, Cookies and Cream, and Key Lime. All are A+.

MTS Nutrition Protein

BCAA

MTS Nutrition Machine Fuel

Marc Lobliner has his sweetening on point with these supplements.

I’ve used mixed berry and grape and I love them both.

Creatine

Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine

I have a review of Optimum Nutrition’s Creatine and it’s a tried and true supplement. It will help with performance and recovery. I highly recommend this.

Cardio and Conditioning Schedule

Conditioning is one of the most important things you can work on to improve your lifts, endurance, and stamina. Improving conditioning also improves life out of the gym.

This particular routine focuses a bit on conditioning, core strength, and mobility.

Once you start lifting relatively heavier weights, you’re going to start breaking form because of muscle weaknesses, lack of conditioning/muscle endurance and mobility issues; so lets address them here.

Warming Up

For your pre-workout warm up, start by walking for 3 minutes and follow-up with a 30 second balls-to-the-walls high intensity sprint. Finish off with 90 seconds of walking.

This “shock” is going to prime your body to train hard and helps get your core body temperature up.

Post Workout Conditioning

For your post workout conditioning, I would recommend doing any low intensity cardio. This is going to act as some active recovery and begin the building process.

Use this time to listen to audio books, read, or otherwise enrich your mind. A strong mind = a strong body.

Workout Schedule

  • Monday – Chest and Bi
  • Tuesday – Quad and Ham
  • Wednesday – OFF
  • Thursday – Shoulder and Tri
  • Friday – Back, Calves, Abs
  • Saturday – OFF
  • Sunday – OFF

 4 Day Power and Muscle Building Routine

Chest and Biceps
ExerciseSetsReps
Barbell Bench Press33
Incline Barbell Bench Press38
Dumbbell Bench38
Incline Dumbbell Flys2AMAP
Barbell Curls412
Hammer Curls412
Preacher Curls2AMAP

 

Quads and Hamstrings
ExerciseSetsReps
Squats33
Goblet Squats38
Hack Squats38
Leg Press2AMAP
Stiff Leg Deadlift38
Walking Lunges320
Leg Curls2AMAP

 

Shoulders and Triceps
ExerciseSetsReps
Military Press33
Seated Arnold Press38
Shrugs38
Face Pulls2AMAP
Close Grip Bench312
Skull Crushers38
Tricep Extension2AMAP

 

Back, Calves, Abs
ExerciseSetsReps
Deadlifts33
Bent Over Barbell Rows38
Wide Grip Lat Pull Down38
Seated Close Grip Rows2AMAP
Standing Calf Raise312
Seated Calf Raise2AMAP
Planks4ALAP

Workout Tips

For the main lifts that have 3 sets of 3 reps, take your known 1 rep max and start this routine at 70% of your maxes. Take plenty of time to rest in between these big exercises so you can use as much power as your nervous system can produce.

For the rest of the exercises keep the rest periods shorter and keep the intensity high. On the burnout sets, use a weight that will challenge you to get 15 or more reps. Don’t pick a weight that you can do 100 reps easily.

 

Sharing is caring, and as always leave any comments or questions below!

28 thoughts on “4 Day Power and Muscle Building Routine”

  1. Looks like a good routine Cutty I will give it a
    go.What would you increase the main lifts by,
    and would that be each week.
    much obliged

    1. The goal is to increase the weight 5 pounds each week. There will be a time where you will start to plateau and that’s when you take a deload and come back with 10 pounds less on each lift and start working your way back up. I’ve had great success with this routine so I wanted to share it with you guys.

      Good luck and let me know how it goes!

      Cutty

    1. Whatever works best for you. I like the refreshing 2 days between so it’s more structured but whatever works best for you and your schedule.

      Cutty

  2. Cutty,
    I’ve been hitting this program pretty hard, got my 3 rep bench to 355x3x3. Squat 365×3. Been doin it since may and love the strength endurance, and speed aspect of it. Should I start a new program for a bit and come back to this? Kinda hit a plateau and I’m all about strength, muscle endurance, and speed! Thx bro!!!

    1. If you would like to continue with this routine, take a week and do 50% work to keep blood flow moving and take a week off of the gym completely and reset.

      Come back at 85% of what your triple maxes are and build up again, I think it’ll help you get past the road block.

      If you would like to try something a little different, check out this powerlifting routine.

      Cutty

  3. I just looked at the 3 day power workout. Looks interesting and definately nothing I’ve ever done. I also looked at the deloading workout. You have some great workout plans! When I started following you I was 217lbs and struggling with 315 on bench. Like I said yesterday, down to 198lbs and getting 355x3x3. Can’t thank you enough. Training for strength endurance and speed everything has worked well up till now. Do you think I should do some power lifting for 8 weeks the switch to something to get my speed up and lean out? Concerned about losing the muscle endurance and speed. Mind u I’m 5’8″ and 198. Lol thx dude

    1. Strong as hell man.

      You could do either of those, whichever you would like.

      I’m going to write a block periodization program here soon that should be a good change of pace for a lot of people who are running the powerlifting programs.

      I’m starting to lean towards catering to strength and powerlifting athletes and really focus in on building strength and lifting some heavy ass weights.

      Keep me updated man, I would suggest at least deloading at week (if you do not want to run the deload workout) and then come back and hit it hard again.

      You won’t lose any endurance or speed. I would recommend increasing your conditioning with power moves like sprints and box jumps; it helps with muscle endurance and will help your explosiveness as well.

      Cutty

  4. Cutty! I need help. I like the look of this work out, but i’m a bit worried about my time constraints. I have from 5 until 6:30 am, not sure that I could fit the work out and cardio in, in that window. How would you recommend I alter this to make it a 5 day routine?

    Matt

    1. Matt,

      Looking over it, I think you can turn one day into an accessory only day and remove some of the accessories from each day. That’ll give you the 5th day to train, it’ll shorten the time in the gym and the accessories day will be a day of rest for your nervous system. Take the accessories you want, you know what works well and what doesn’t in regards to training something together.

      Try it out and let me know how it works.

      Cutty

    1. Losing weight is all in the kitchen and getting strong as hell is eating right and following a routine. So pick one that’s appealing to you and run with it.

  5. Hey cutty. I would like to try this program cause it looks great! Can you recommend me how much time should I rest between sets?

    Thanks in advance!

    1. I generally try to rest 30 seconds between accessory exercises and like 60 seconds between compound lifts. Your conditioning will determine how fast you can recover.

  6. Hi man, I don’t have a hack squat in my gym could I replace it with front squat ? If not, with what ? Sorry for my bad english, greetings from France ! :)

    1. Front squats are actually better but many people are unable to properly front squat. You could switch between front squats and goblet squats if you’d like. Your English is better than most people from the US so no need to apologize.

  7. Hi Cutty,

    I like the look of this workout and am definitely going to start it. On the big 3 lifts I will be moving up 5 pounds each time; hie often should the accessory lifts be increased and by how much weight?
    Thanks, Matthew

    1. The accessory lifts should be treated as accessory lifts. You can’t really always go up in weight so as long as you’re progressively adding weight or reps to your workout, that’s all you should worry about. Just keep a log and if you can go up in weight, do it.. otherwise, try to squeeze out a few more reps.

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