Think Big (eBook)

Think Big (eBook)

by Ben Pollack

50 pages

Everybody Wanna Be a Bodybuilder — and Lift Heavy Weight

If you’re at all serious about your training, you’ve probably struggled at least a little bit finding a program that really suits you. None of them really cover all the bases — some look good for getting really strong, or gaining lean muscle, or getting ripped, but who wants just one of those? Compromises suck. Everyone wants to be big and strong and lean, and with so many goals, it often seems impossible to even know where to start.

Here’s the good news: you can work towards getting stronger, gaining muscle, and losing fat, all at the same time. It’s not easy! Most programs only focus on one thing at a time because it’s very difficult to do otherwise. But it’s not impossible, either. The secret is all in how you use the right training strategies and eat the right things at the right times. Obviously, it takes careful planning and sometimes, it requires sacrifices, like pushing yourself through a hard training session when you’re exhausted, and saving the pizza for a cheat meal. And it requires that you learn a lot about your body and how it works.

I can’t give you self-discipline or motivation — that comes with practice. I can help you to learn how to train to reach your goals. That takes practice, too, but this book will make the process a lot faster and a lot easier. At its heart, Think Big combines a carefully-designed powerlifting program with the volume work necessary to build muscle. That doesn’t mean throwing in a few sets of triceps extensions after your heavy work — it means using highly-specialized bodybuilding principles that complement, not contradict, your strength work.

As complicated as programming can be, planning a diet can be even more challenging. It often seems like you have to shovel down thousands of calories a day just to gain weight, and then, when you do, you add just as much fat as muscle. That shit gets old, fast. And dieting on a strength program? That’s a recipe for disaster. Think Big will help you to structure a diet that supports your training, and that synergy makes both work better.

One last note: if your goal is to be a competitive powerlifter, I recommend that you check out my first book, Think Strong. Everything in it is about strength -- and many of the underlying philosophies are applied in Think Big, this book doesn’t explain how to peak for a meet, cut water weight, or perfect your squat, bench press, and deadlift technique.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Building Strength & Muscle

• The Pareto Principle: Focus on What Works
• Building Muscle

• Macronutrient Breakdown
• Macronutrient Ratios
• Building Strength

• The Phases of Periodization
• Undulating Periodization
• Training Frequency
• Putting It All Together

Chapter 2: Growing Muscle & Staying Lean

• Food Choices
• What, How Much, and When to Eat
• Circa-Workout Nutrition
• Time Between Meals
• Carb Frontloading
• Cheat Meals
• Supplements
• Putting It All Together

Chapter 3: Training for Size & Strength

• Think Big: Program Basics
• The Training Split
• Movement Selection

• Main Movements
• Assistance Movements
• Supplemental Movements
• Sets & Reps

• Strength Sets
• Hypertrophy Sets
• Speed Sets
• Putting It All Together

Chapter 4: Plateau-Busting Secrets

• Weak Points
• Volumizing Protocols

• Accommodating Resistance
• Posing
• Challenge Sets
• Feeder Workouts
• Man the F&*! Up
• Putting It All Together

Conclusion