We’re halfway through this 8-Week Muscle-Building Trainer. You can see it goes very quickly, and that’s why I continue to emphasize a sense of urgency.

This week we’re going to include a technique I call the Dramatic Transformation Principle (DTP). So, what does that mean? It relies on high reps with decreasing weights followed by low reps with increasing weight. And it includes short rests between sets. This week’s workouts will be relatively short, but they’ll be very intense.

I came across this principle many years ago, and it’s a good one to use when you want to train with intensity but need to do so while training around injuries.

I’ve noticed that using high reps with increasingly heavy weights is a great way to dramatically transform your physique. Too many bodybuilders follow the same rep and weight schemes each week. DTP forces you to work both your fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers. When you work all of the different types of muscle fibers, it requires a lot of calories to recover. You’re going to be eating a lot of clean calories without fearing that those calories will turn to fat.

With this DTP technique, it’s easy to overtrain. That’s why I don’t use it week after week. It truly stresses your CNS. You have to make sure your nutrition and recovery are on point to get the best benefits from my program. To balance this, we’re going to bring down total sets a bit for this week.

We’re going to begin with 25 reps from a high rows on a Hammer strength machine. Go to failure worrying less about weights and reps than reaching that point of failure. Then you’ll increase the weight, resting only about 45 seconds before you perform your next set for fewer reps. Keep up this pace throughout this full exercise.

Next for back, you’ll follow this same technique with the other back exercises: reverse-grip bent-over rows using an EZ bar (a favorite of Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates), bent-over barbell rows with an overhand grip, and then Smith machine shrugs. Today you’ll drop weight for subsequent sets, keeping in mind that you’ll be working both your fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers.

Note that for Smith machine shrugs, I begin with low reps and drop weight as I increase reps, resting only about 45 seconds per set.

For seated calf raises, which target the soleus, you’ll perform a different weight/rep scheme. You’ll start lighter and add weight; then, after three sets you’ll reduce weights and increase reps to really stimulate muscle growth in your calves, using the pyramid scheme with short rest periods between sets.

Hammer-strength machine high row Sets: 5 Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 Strategy: DTP
Reverse grip bent-over row Sets: 5 Reps: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Strategy: DTP
Bent-over barbell Row Sets: 5 Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 Strategy: DTP
Smith machine shrug Sets: 5 Reps: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Strategy: DTP
Seated calf raise Sets: 6 Reps: 25, 20, 15, 15, 20, 25 Strategy: DTP
HIIT Sets: 1 Reps: 3 Strategy: 4 minutes easy/1 minute full intensity for a total of 15 minutes

POST WORKOUT

At this point, you’ll start emphasizing L-Carnitine in the form of Carnipure™. I put it into my intra-workout during my training session and start getting it into my system. Then I add it to my post-workout protein after I’m done training. Over the next four weeks, L-Carnitine will help shuttle excess fat into the mitochondria, the energy cells in muscle. Carnitine also supports better recovery. It’s great during and after workouts when you’re cutting fat and building muscle.