PDF 100 Hypertrophy
PDF 100 Hypertrophy
PDF 100 Hypertrophy
THE FINISHERS
UPPER BODY PRESSES
FINISHER #1: TABATA DB FLOOR PRESS
FINISHER #2: DB BENCH PRESS: 50% FOR DOUBLE
FINISHER #3: BANDED DB FLOOR PRESS AND PUSH UPS
FINISHER #4: DB BENCH PRESS AND BANDED PULL APARTS
FINISHER #5: BARBELL BENCH PRESS AND DB SINGLE ARM ROWS
FINISHER #6: BANDED DB BENCH PRESS AND TRICEP EXTENSIONS
FINISHER #7: BANDED PUSH UPS TO FAILURE
FINISHER #8: BANDED KB PRESS TO A 10RM
FINISHER #9: DB BENCH PRESS TO FAILURE
FINISHER #10: BARBELL BENCH PRESS AND BANDED PULL APARTS
FINISHER #11: BARBELL PRESS TO FAILURE
FINISHER #12: STRICT HSPU AND BANDED SHOULDER EXTERNAL ROTATION
FINISHER #13: ALTERNATING DB PRESS
FINISHER #14: BARBELL BENCH PRESS HOLD AND REPS
FINISHER #15: WEIGHTED AND BODYWEIGHT DIPS
FINISHER #16: SINGLE ARM DB PRESS, ROLLING TRICEP EXTENSION, SKULLCRUSHERS AND CHEST
PRESS
FINISHER #17: 10RM WEIGHTED BANDED PUSH UPS
FINISHER #18: DB PRESS DEATH SETS TO FAILURE
FINISHER #19: DIPS AND DB REVERSE FLYES
FINISHER #20: BARBELL PRESS ON THE MINUTE
FINISHER #21: BAMBOO BAR PRESS
FINISHER #22: KB PUSH PRESS AND SKULLCRUSHERS
FINISHER #23: PULLOVERS AND BANDED PUSH UPS
FINISHER #24: TABATA DB PRESS
FINISHER #25: BANDED DECLINE PUSH UPS AND FACE PULLS
FINISHER #26: FRONT DELT RAISE 3-WAYS
FINISHER #27: PLYO PUSH UPS AND DIP SUPPORT HOLD
FINISHER #28: BANDED STRAIGHT ARM PULL DOWNS, BANDED KB PRESS, UPRIGHT DB ROW AND
BARBELL PRESS
FINISHER #29: BARBELL FLOOR PRESS INTO BANDED PUSH UPS
FINISHER #30: TABATA BANDED PUSH UPS
FINISHER #31: 1RM BARBELL PIN PRESS AND 50% FOR 20
FINISHER #32: DB Z PRESS FOR MAX REPS
FINISHER #33: TABATA ALTERNATING DB BENCH PRESS
Welcome brosephs and brosephinas! You just made the best decision of your life and have procured the
Holy Testament of fast, fun GAINZ! This book is a guide, a manual, and an ethos for how to smash yourself
into an anabolic state and build muscle with short finisher workouts that flip the biological switch to make
you grow. Over the next 100 pages or so, you will uncover secrets of magical training complexes, rep
schemes, loading, tempos and combinations to turn yourself into an unkillable, bulletproof adonis that
humiliates every other body at the beach.
THE FINISHERS
This book contains 100 “finisher” workouts that take 10 minutes or less. They are designed to be completed
in conjunction with any general fitness program (and at the end of a training session) or as a short workout
on its own. The workouts are great to add in after any CrossFit class or group strength-training session.
Having a bro or group to suffer with through the workouts builds comradery, fun, and intensity. The finishers
are separated into four main functions: upper body presses, upper body pulls, legs, and abs. We will expose
you to new movements and different types of resistance and to get your body to “freak out” (i.e., adapt) and
grow in only 10 minutes.
There are three major mechanisms associated with muscle hypertrophy (an increase in muscle size): muscle
tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. In many cases, these mechanisms occur in conjunction with
others making it is hard to determine which one has the greatest effect. One thing is for sure: the adaptation
associated with these stressors drive muscle growth.
Here is a summary table of the three driving factors to the hypertrophy gainz-train:
1) MUSCLE TENSION
Muscle tension refers to the mechanical loading and motor unit recruitment within skeletal muscle. Skeletal
muscles are highly responsive to changes in mechanical loading due to mechanosensors. These sensors send
signals that promote hypertrophy in muscles. Mechanosensors are sensitive to both the magnitude and
duration of loading.
Pushing yourself beyond your “norm” with regards to weight, movements, or duration of effort is what
drives hypertrophy. We get creative with a variety of atypical movements. This might include different
ranges of motion such as a floor press or rack pull versus a bench or deadlift. It may include different grips,
bars, or stances such as wide grip chin ups or split stance movements like a bulgarian squat. This movement
variety also includes different resistances with the use of bands or chains such as a banded weighted push
ups to a 10 rep max. We also challenge you via time under tension with movements that include holds or
extended durations of effort.
So, you need to be intense and try to push the loading or time under load to create a new stressor. This may
look like going for a new 1, 3, 5, or 50 rep max or possibly challenging the movement you are performing
with an increased or decreased range of motion or mechanical advantage. Beyond the normal weighted and
traditional movements, it’s the creativity of these finishers that create the new stressors.
2) METABOLIC STRESS
Metabolic stress occurs with the accumulation of metabolites or by-products of energy production in the
muscle such as lactate and hydrogen during training bouts. Longer duration contractions (e.g., 15-120
seconds) reduce circulatory flow causing acute hypoxia and exacerbate metabolite build-up. This has been
Hold on to the weight or perform reps for as long as possible; i.e., go to failure. Keep rest periods short to
avoid full recovery compounding the metabolic stress. This may mean performing the largest set possible
right off-the-bat when performing 300 banded hammer curls and tricep extensions for time. Perhaps it could
be going unbroken while performing 5 minutes of dumbbell pressing or reducing the rest periods to 10
seconds. When the reps drop below 5 or the effort drops under 15 seconds, there is a reduced effect from
metabolic stress. In these cases, keep moving and make it burn. If you are crying, it is working!
3) MUSCLE DAMAGE
Muscle damage can result in large tears in the sarcolemma (tissue that surrounds skeletal fibers), connective
tissue and contractile components such as the actin and myosin filaments as a result of training. This
damage to the muscle signals remodeling creating a stronger and larger tissue. There are also neurological
adaptations to muscle damage such as increased motor unit recruitment and synchronization promoting
additional muscle contribution and efficiency of work. Longer eccentric (negative) contraction such as 3-5
seconds have been associated with increased muscle damage. Note, however, excessive volume and
damage has been shown to have negative effects on muscle growth and strength. It’s about finding a sweet
spot.
We incorporate tempo training. This often works best in 3-25 rep ranges with 3-5 second negative efforts.
Fast concentric contractions increase motor unit recruitment and muscle tension, but slower negative
eccentrics within a reasonable volume increases the positive effects associated with muscle damage. This
could be 3 sets of 10 reps of squats with a 3-second negative or slow strict pull ups or push ups using the
same formula.
The finishers are exactly that: short, effective exercises that demolish muscle groups to be completed at the
end your workouts. The can also be done as “extra” workouts, but they do not replace a comprehensive
fitness program. Rather, they are meant to fill in the gaps to address common areas of weakness or
breakdown common to more traditional functional movements. The finishers are a garnish; a tasty and fun
garnish at that! Don’t be surprised if you or your athletes fall in love with them. The finishers are addictive
and entertaining.
© 2018 ThundrBro LLC
To start, an effective way to pick a finisher is based on the muscle group or movement function that you
used in your main workout. For instance, if your workout involved primarily shoulder-driven movements, an
upper-body pushing or pulling finisher would fit well. However, if your workout overly-taxed a particular
muscle group such as the pecs, picking a finisher of an antagonist muscle group such as lats/biceps or
upper-body pull would be a good choice. There can be value in most-any combination of a workout and a
finisher: you are only limited by your creativity to match finishers that compliment the theme of the day
within your training. Every day you should walk away smashed and jazzed!
If you don’t have the specified equipment, use what you DO have! Switch out straight bars for EZ curl bars,
dumbbells for kettlebells, weight stacks for a bench, simulate the position without a bench, etc. You can get
huge with limited equipment. Or maybe you add or decrease reps due to dumbbell or band tensions
available. Get the movements done as best possible with whatever you do have. Don’t make excuses, do get
huge.
SCORING
We expect you to repeat the finishers over weeks and months. “Score” yourself on each finisher. Record the
load use and max load lifted, time to completion, or total reps accomplished. The goal is to increase weights
used over time, decrease the time to completion, and/or increase the total reps accomplished. Keeping data
on the finishers will help you see the strength gainz.
ABBREVIATIONS
Here are some common abbreviations used throughout the finishers.
DB dumbbell(s)
HSPU handstand push ups
KB kettlebell(s)
RM rep max
SDHP sumo deadlift high pull
THE THUNDRBROS
Dave Freaking Lipson
A. Charlesworth
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The information provided within this eBook is for general informational purposes only. The authors are not medical
professionals and nothing in this publication constitutes medical advice. Any exercise program, including the
exercise routines outlined in this publication, may result in injury. To reduce the risk of injury, consult your doctor
before beginning any exercise program. The materials presented in this publication in no way substitute medical
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avoidance of doubt, there is an increased risk of injury with high-intensity workouts. By purchasing this product, you
accept the risks to your health and safety by starting a high-intensity exercise program and participating in exercise
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authors advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the skills
described in this eBook, ensure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of
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The methods described in this eBook represent the authors’ personal experiences. The methods are not intended to
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