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Equipment needed
Barbell & plates, pull up bar and something to do weighted pullups with (bookbag, weight belt)
The 31 day strength program is going to use only 5 exercises, the deadlift, squat, push press, bench press, and weighted pull up. And dare I say, you really don’t need any other movements to build full body strength. That being said, I want you to pick either the deadlift or the squat and focus on that lift – use that lift as your gauge as to how much your strength has improved in 31 days.
If you can not do 5 pullups, then do as many as you can (assuming you can do 1) when I recommend pullups. If you can not do any, use the assisted pullup machine, or have someone hold your feet and help you up on pullups.
I have written this plan with a deadlift focus. On your deadlift training days I want you to give it your all – totally drained at the end of the session. If you would rather use the squat as your exercise of focus, simply switch the two around.
Recovery and Assistant Exercises/Cardio
Recovery is equally important. Lots of days off. You should NOT do any additional workouts or exercises. No cardio or assistance exercises.
The Workout
To make this simple, perform each movement for 5 sets and hit as close to the prescibed repetitons (1, 3, or 5) as possible. Use a weight that makes getting the designated reps difficult. If weight is heavy and you only get 4 reps on a set that was supposed to be 5, that’s fine. If you could knock out 6 reps with the weight, it’s too light. Also to keep things simple, rest exactly 2 minutes between each set.
Warm Up
Warm up before each workout by either jumping rope, jumping jacks or rowing on a rower machine for 3-5 minutes. You should also do 2 sets of 5 rep practice lifts for each exercises that day.
Make sure it is very light, and that you are not wearing yourself out for the strength work.
Sample Workout from start to finish (day 3 workout)
4 minutes of jumping rope
Take a break, drink some water
2 warmup sets of 5 reps at a light weight
take a short break
Squat 5 reps at 175 lbs (2 min break)
Squat 5 reps at 175 lbs (2 min break)
Squat 5 reps at 175 lbs (2 minbreak)
Squat 5 reps at 175 lbs (2 min break)
Squat 5 reps at 175 lbs (2 min break)
short break get barbell ready
Bench Press 3 reps at 135 lbs (2 min break)
Bench Press 3 reps at 135 lbs (2 min break)
Bench Press 3 reps at 135 lbs (2 min break)
Bench Press 3 reps at 135 lbs (2 min break)
Bench press 3 reps at 135 lbs (2 min break)
Your 31 Day Challenge Workouts
May 1st. Deadlift: 1 rep sets. Find your true one rep max. Keep slapping weight on the bar until you can’t pick it up to a full stand.
May 2nd. OFF
May 3rd. Squat: 5 rep sets. Bench Press: 3 rep sets.
May 4th. Weighted Pull Ups: 3 rep sets.
May 5th. OFF
May 6th. Deadlift: 5 rep sets.
May 7. OFF
May 8. Squat: 3 rep sets. Push Press: 5 rep sets.
May 9. Weighted Pull Ups: 5 rep sets.
May 10. OFF
May 11. Deadlift: 3 rep sets.
May 12. OFF
May 13. Squat: 3 rep sets. Bench Press: 5 rep sets.
May 14. Weighted Pull Ups: 3 rep sets.
May 15. OFF
May 16. Deadlift: 5 rep sets.
May 17. OFF
May 18. Squat: 5 rep sets. Push Press: 3 rep sets.
May 19. Weighted Pull Ups: 5 rep sets.
May 20. OFF
May 21. Deadlift: 3 rep sets.
May 22. OFF
May 23. Squat: 5 rep sets. Bench Press: 3 rep sets.
May 24. Weighted Pull Ups: 3 rep sets.
May 25. OFF
May 26. Deadlift: 5 rep sets.
May 27. OFF
May 28. Squat 3 rep sets. Push Press 5 rep sets.
May 29. Weighted Pull Ups: 5 rep sets.
May 30. OFF
May 31. Deadlift: 1 rep sets. Find your new one rep max. How much stronger are you?
Your Diet:
I’m not going to prescribe a specific meal plan for the strength program. Instead I recommend following basic guidelines for a healthy diet (use this one if you dont know what healthy eating is): eat well balanced frequent meals of small to moderate portions.
If you are training for something like Football or Rugby, you might want to up your calories if you’d like a bit more size.
Well balanced: Some carbs, some protein, some fat. Don’t hold back on the veggies, especially the green ones. Do your best to get your fats from healthy sources like nuts, olive oil, and avocado. An example of a “well balanced” meal. . . Grilled chicken breast with a small portion of brown rice and lots of broccoli. Throw some slivered almonds over the whole thing and don’t be afraid to add a little real butter to your rice if you want.
Frequent: Eat every 3 hours in an ideal world. Breakfast at 7:00am, Snack at 10:00am, Lunch at 1:00am, Snack at 4:00pm, Dinner at 7:00pm, and maybe another snack before bed would be great.
Small to moderate portions: I refuse to count calories or grams or anything else for that matter that goes higher than my fingers and toes. I like the hand as a general portion guide. . . For the strength program your protein sources should be the size of your palm or slightly larger. Carbohydrate sources no larger than the size of your clenched fist. Raw, stir fried, or lightly steamed vegetables as much as you like. Other items like healthy fats and dairy, use in moderation. And by moderation I mean don’t starve yourself and don’t be a pig, be “moderate”.
One exception to the above is post workout: I’ve become a fan of using chocolate milk as a post workout meal and recommend you try it for your own 31day quest for strength. 1 pint should do your body good as close to the last rep as you can make it. Perhaps cut that back to half a pint for any ladies on the strength plan.
Remember your focus for the next 31 days is strength and not washboard abs or “bulking up”. A moderate approach to diet will serve you well for your strength gain quest.
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Vic Magary is a personal trainer, a US ARMY veteran and karate/taekwondo black belt. You can get a proven fat loss plan by picking up my 31 Day Workout Manual or by signing up for my Free Newsletter |
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How many sets do I do for each different workout?
5 sets of each movement is recommended. Do your best to take at least 2 minutes rest between sets.
Vic, you said no other workouts/cardio to ensure proper recovery. Is rugby practice ok or will I not be getting enough rest if i go to practice? The season is over so it’s not absolutely necessary for me to go.
If you can skip it, it will be better for your recovery. Can you reach a happy medium and only go once or twice a week? Or maybe only on off days? I hate to recommend anyone skip something they are passionate about.
Well here’s how my strenght program’s going so far:
Day 1.May 1st
1 rm Deadlift = 245 lbs.
Meal 1. Oatmeal, banana, piece of cheese, coffee
meal 2. handful of almonds
meal 3. Chicken breast with rice, spinach,
meal 4. protein shake
meal 5. homemade pizza
meal 6. 2 beers and popcorn ( I know I fucked on that one )
Day 2. May 2nd
Rest
Meal 1. Oatmeal, orange, coffee
meal 2. tuna salad wrap
meal 3. 1 banana, 1 piece of toast with peanut butter
meal 4. 2 hamburgers made with ground pork meat, no buns, green salad.
meal 5. cottage cheese.
Day 3. May 3rd
( Worked today so I had to train using my gf equipement. Therefore I had to do front squats, also her bench is to narrow for couldn’t use my true max with the bench but it was close to it.)
Bench press 3×5x135lbs
Front Squats 5×5x90 lbs
Meal 1. Oatmeal, banana, piece of cheese, coffee
meal 2. 1 multigrain blueberry bar.
meal 3. 2 hamburgers made with ground pork meat, no buns, raw brocoli, tomato juice
meal 4. baked potato, steak, steamed green beans,
Looking good! Do your best to increase the weight you use for each exercise each session. Weight is your friend!
Vic
I will be taking the 31 day challenge using the strength program. I am looking forward to the new challenge.
Bob Curran
Welcome aboard, Robert! Let me know if you have any questions by posting them in the comment section of this post. Good luck!
I’m excited for this week! I work 12 hour shifts Fri, Sat, Sun and coming home after 12+ hours of psychoses to heavy lift is a little…Just say I’m not feeling physically my strongest. So I’m excited to see how I do this week.
Last night I did my deadlift/bench press workout. My three rep benchpress weight was 80lbs. I don’t regularly do bench press and I’m not sure if 80lbs will be my weight on a day when I haven’t worked. How much should I expect for this weight to increase during the challenge?
We’re going camping in NC May16th-19th and I obviously won’t be weightlifting in the mountains. Are there any exercises you would recommend for us to do during those days to keep on track? Or should I alter my workout schedule to accomodate the trip?
Thanks,
Amanda
Amanda, I’d alter your training schedule to accommodate trip. With the strength building workout, nothing is going to be able to replicate the core barbell movements while you’re gone.
I’m guessing you can expect to increase all of your lifts by quite a bit. And for those of you reading, I say this because I know Amanda and she trains at my gym in a circuit style class.
The strength plan was the best choice for you, as it is what is lacking in the circuit class you attend and you are already pretty lean. Don’t hesitate to talk to me in person about your training when you see me.
I just did my pull up sets. I have to go to the gym for these and therefore don’t have anyone to help me if I need a spot. I can do 4-5 pull ups with 10 pounds of assist. Without assist I can do 2 but on the last set only 1. If I understand correctly, this is ok and I should do them without assist rather than complete 3 each set with assist?
You are correct. As long as your are getting at least one pull up on your own, keep it unassisted. Like I said above, talk to me about this when you see me.
I thought I wasn’t supposed to do any other training than this for the 31 days. Do you think I should do monster at the same time?
Ideally, no. You should take the rest days as rest if you want to build maximum strength. Don’t hesitate to email me directly or give me a call to discuss if you won’t be in until after the challenge. (Sorry to everyone else, but Amanda is a long time paying client and has access to me by phone and email anyway.)
Day 4. May 4rd
pullups 3×5x bodyweight+10 lbs(I think I could have used more weight but I did them at home as I worked tonight so it’s the only extra weight I had.)
Meal 1. Srambled eggs,banana,coffee.
Meal 2. Almonds
Meal 3. Salad with smoked turkey, tomato sandwich,orange,tomato juice.
Meal 4. raw brocoli,coffee
Meal 5. Carrot and beef stew.
Looking good Pierre. If you’re feeling hungry, don’t be afraid to eat a little more for strength gaining purposes. Keep up the good work!
Vic, I’m back! (had some health problems) If i’m doing this, (and I do have dr permission) should I limit kickboxing, rollerblading or other cardiovascular activities? What if I do not eat breakfast? I know …I know – it’s the most important meal of the day – but as hard as I try and as much as I plan ahead, I have absolutely no desire/hunger until about noon every day.
Hi Hallie!
I got your email and will reply as soon as I can (comments taking priority during the challenge). Yes, I would limit other activities if strength gain is your goal. You should be spent after the strength training sessions – you should be moving BIG weight. As big as you possibly can. And you should try to increase the weight as often as possible.
As far as breakfast goes, yes you should eat. Try an apple while you drive to work as a start. Look at it as establishing a new habit and not so much “eating breakfast”. Once the apple is a habit, consider adding a bit more to the meal. Maybe some nuts or something else that is portable and can be eaten on the way to work.
Welcome to the Challenge and welcome back!
Day 5. May 5fth
OFF.
Meal 1.
Breakfest shake made with whey, oatmel,a banana, 3.25% milk, canned peaches
Meal 2. Coffee, raw brocoli
Meal 3. Vegetable soup, scrambled eggs.
Meal 4. Ramen noodle with tuna,onions,celery. Coffee.
I was wondering, would it really hurt my progression if I did some core workout and some HIIT once or twice a week ? Also, I was thinking of doing some grip work to improve my deadlift. Can I do it on a training day other than on my deadlift days ?
Grip and core work are fine (although you should be getting plenty of both from the heavy deadlifts). The HIIT, I’d really try to stay away from. It’s only 31 days. If at the end and you don’t feel it made a difference, bring it on back!
I was thinking of adding some HIIT or maybe some burpees for time to keep my conditionning on par for Muay Thai but I see what you mean. Anyways, with the way school work is pilling up at the moment, I don’t think I could reasonably do it.
I was also wondering, should I take some pictures to track my progress ? I know it’s day 6 already but I think i’ll be able to see a difference from now on to the 31.
Day 6. May 6th
Deadlift 5×5x205lbs
meal 1. Breakfest shake made with whey, oatmel,a banana, 3.25% milk, canned peaches
meal 2. homemade won-ton soup, orange, tomato juice
meal 3. green tea, cheese and tomato sandwich
meal 4. linguini with meatball and homemade tomato sauce.
meal 5. 1 cup cottage cheese with berries.
Pierre, don’t be afraid to be a little aggressive in your weight used. If you are hitting 5 reps every set at 205lbs, try bumping up to 210lbs. Maybe instead of 5 x 5 it turns into sets that look like 5, 5, 4, 4, 3. You could also reduce the weight a bit for that last set so you hit closer to 5 reps. Hitting that final rep, regardless of the rep scheme, should be an assault of all out effort. It should be EXTREMELY challenging.
When training for strength, you have to go heavy. Especially on a 31 day sprint.
I have a few questions/comments. I’m really hungry today. Yesterday I did the 5 rep squat workout(I switched squats for deadlifts). I am very mildly sore. I lifted 138#. For each set the first 3 reps were not bad. On all sets, especially the last two, the 4th and 5th reps were pretty damn difficult with some leg buckling etc. Shouldn’t I be more sore?
Back to being hungry. This is what I ate today as of 1645.
0730 2 cups coffee
0900 2egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 orange, bunch of grapes
1130 20 almonds, 16oz green tea
1400 10 dried apricot pieces, some pepitas
1500 pork chop, salad w/spinach, bell peppers, bean sprouts, olive oil vinaigrette
1630 orange
I’m finding that I’m hungry before every 3 hours. Should I just eat when I’m hungry? Am I eating too much? Tonight I’ll eat grilled chicken breast w/ asparagus and a salad and probably more fruit.
Amanda, there is no need to go hungry when training for strength. If you are hungry, eat. Do not be afraid to eat carbohydrate sources in controlled portions. The diet you have outlined above is fine for fat loss, but you will want to eat more for strength training purposes. Take another look at the diet instructions on this post and you’ll see that eating carbs for each meal on the strength plan is fine. Just keep the portions moderate and all will be fine.
I do not typically get very sore from strength training. If you are using all out effort and your legs are buckling a bit, then you are right on track. Let the weight you are using tell the tale and not how sore you get. Try to use more weight each workout – be very aggressive in increasing weight. Like I mentioned to Pierre above, if you are short a rep in exchange for heavier weight that is not necessarily a bad thing. To get strong you must move BIG weight.
Train hard! And eat more.
I had originally read the strength training diet guide and then at some point I read the ‘guidelines for a healthy diet’ and confused the carb thing. This is awesome news because not only do I LOVE to eat carbs, but I’ve dropped almost 5 lbs and was thinking I would waste away by the end of the 31 days! (hehehe not really. I would be well within recommended weight guidelines). Ok. So small portions of rice or potatoes with meals. Wonderful!
I think I’m doing well with the lifting. Trying to lift as heavy as possible with almost failure on the last reps!
Thanks so much!
Day 7. May 7th
Today – Off
I went to the restaurant today as it was my mother birthday so I slacked off on my diet, but it didn’t turn out so bad.
Meal 1. Egg and Smoked Turkey sandwich, orange, coffee
Meal 2. Beef Fried rice
Meal 3. Chinese Food (egg rolls, general tao chicken, sweet and sour soup, rice, mixed vegetables.)
Birthdays and other events will pop up from time to time. Just do your best and don’t beat yourself up about enjoying a good meal with Mom. And keep in mind, the strength training diet is a moderate diet and a little straying should not effect your gains much.
Vic, do you have any recommendations on how I should alter my workout schedule since I will be camping the 16th to the 19th? I was going to try to cram all the workouts into the off days. Should I do that or should I just add 4 days to the challenge?
I’d place the workouts into the off days, but skip the pull up workout before your next squat day. I hope you got the email I sent!
No, I didn’t get the email.
Day 8. May 8th
Worked a double shift, couldn’t go to the gym.
Day 9. May 9th
pull-ups 5×5x25lbs
Day 10. May 10
OFF
Day 11. May 11
Good day at the gym I set two PR !
Deadlifts 3×5x235lbs
1 rm: 255lbs
Push-press ( Did some today since I missed them on Friday.)
1 rm:125lbs
5×5x90lbs
Meal 1. Peanut butter sandwich with fresh grapes, glass of milk.
Meal 2. Tomato juice, multigrain bluberry bar
Meal 3. Orange, Spaghetti with pork meatballs.
Meal 4. Stir Fry with vegetables, Shrimps, rice.
Meal 5. Protein shake.
I took some pictures today, gonna use them to track my progress for the end of the challenge since I can’t seem to find the one I took on day.5
Way to go on hitting two PR’s! That’s amazing considering how much time is still left in the challenge.
Remember pics are not necessary to win if doing the strength workout, but might be beneficial for your own purposes.
Keep up the great work!
Day 12 May 12
off
Meal 1. Peanut butter on toast, protein shake.
Meal 2. Can of tuna with balsamic vinegar, brocolis, tomato juice.
Meal 3. Plantain chips, orange.
Meal 4. Homemade chili made with ground beef.
Day 13 May 13
Bench press 5×5x165lbs ( PR !!! the bench was always my weakest lift, seems like i’m bringing the barriers down)
ATG back squats 3×5x205lbs
Weighed myself today at 152 lbs. If all goes well i’ll be at my fighting weight of 155 lbs with lower body fat at the end of the challenge.
You are killing it Pierre. You are blowing past PR’s like crazy. Keep it up! About 2 more weeks to go!
May 14 Day 14
Pull-ups 5×5x25lbs
May 15 Day 14
OFF
May 16 Day 14
OFF ( I had to work today, couldn’t get to the gym. Dealifts are gonna be tommorow.)
meal 1. scrambled eggs, bacon
meal 2. multigrain blueberry bar
meal 3. sheppard pie, 1 fresh tomato
meal 4. 1 mushed avocado with some almonds
meal 5. homemade fish soup with shrimp,white fish and clams.
meal 6. protein shake.
May 17 Day 14
Deadlift 5×5x235 lbs 1×2x255lbs
( Tried to move up to 255 lbs but my grip failed me. Wasn’t my best day in the gym but meh happens once in a while, just gotta have to train harder next time.)
meal 1. Breakfest shake (same recipe as usual.) kiwi fruit.
meal 2. rest of shake as post-wokout shake
meal 3. tuna with balsamic vinegar.
meal 4. tomato sandiwch on whole weat bread.
meal 5. Grilled steak and cesar salad.
Weight as of today 151 lbs, bodyfat % is still unknown as I can’t find my callipers but my abs are way more defined, i’m getting nearer to my fighting weight.
I was wondering, since I think I could use more weight but my grip isn’t completely up to par could I use some liftings straps while doing my deadlifts ?
You might have seen me give Arvin some grief about using straps in one of the recent videos. Keep in mind he was doing a very light deadlift (135lbs.) at high reps and there was NO need for straps.
That being said, I’m still not a fan of straps in most cases. You’re situation is one of the few where I would say to go ahead and use them – and that situation is an all out sprint for 31 days to get as strong as possible. Ideally, I’d prefer to see someone’s grip strength catch up with their overall strength. But with the 31 day blitz, I say use them if you want.
Just be sure to compare your lifts accordingly. If the deadlift is your “test movement” for the challenge and you tested on day one without straps, be sure to test on day 31 without straps.
And after the challenge, I suggest ditching the straps and building up that grip.
That’s exactly what I will do, i’m just restraining from using my grippers at the moment since I don’t want to overtrain.
May 18 Day 18
ATG squats 5×5x225lbs
Push press 3×5x105lbs
Meal 1. Turkey sandwich on wheat bread
Meal 2. spinach and grilled piece of steak
Meal 3. post-wrokout shake
meal 4. cottage cheese
meal 5. Trout, brown rice, brocolis and asparagus.
Looking good, Pierre. We’re in the final half of the Challenge. Keep going strong!
Just got back from some intensely grueling, physically and mentally challenging hikes in South Mountains State Park, North Carolina. I had that same “I’m gonna vomit and die” feeling as I get in some of the Monster classes except that this time the feeling lasted 5+ hours and included carrying 40+ lbs of gear on my back while getting lost and soaked in the rain on the never ending trails…”aren’t we to the top yet??!!” “How many more miles to the campsite?” At some points I actually didn’t know if I would make it.
BUT…today is a new day and back to the strength training program!
By the way, I blew the diet
Sounds like you got a good taste of some “real world” fitness with the hikes. No worries about the diet. Get back on track this week and hit the gym hard!
May 21 Day 21
I was suposed to do deadlifts but I was way to tired, I took a break instead of injuring myself.
May 22 Day 22
off
May 23 Day 23
Squats 5×5x245lbs
Bench press 5×5x175lbs
Dips 1×25xbodyweight 1×20xbodyweight 1×15xbodyweight
pushups 3×60xbodyweight
I’m slowly adding some bodyweight exercise back into my training. I also found a big tractor tire so i’ll be able to do some tire flips and some sledgehammer work.
You have to trust your body when it gives you the signal to back off. We’re in the final week of the challenge and I’m looking forward to hearing about how much your numbers go up on your day 31 one rep max test. Let us know!
And have fun with your tire. I love mine!
May 24 Day 24
weighted Pull Ups 3×5x30lbs
May 25 Day 25
OFF
May 26 Day 26
Deadlift 5×5x255lbs
Dips 3×20xbodyweight
Sit-ups 3×25
Leg raise 3×15
Seems like my grip is getting stronger, I busted my plateau without using straps but I still think i’d be able to do some more with some straps, i’m getting some tommorow.
Just be sure to do your 1 rep test on day 31 without straps if that’s the way you did it on day 1. Finish strong!
I just weighed myself. I weigh 131.8 lbs. When I started this I weighed about 137-138lbs and I’m not even in the weight loss group!! I even ate poorly a few times during the challenge…a piece of key lime pie and some unhealthy mexican food. I know it all has to do with my carb portions…or maybe that I’m no longer drinking diet coke or putting large amounts of Splenda in my coffee..hmmmm. I’ve always eaten fairly heathily ie; no fast foods, lots of fruits and veggies but I have definitely cut down my carb portions and unhealthy snacks like tortilla chips(I love them with salsa verde). I’ve had very little bread during this time as well. I plan on this being my regular eating habit now…I used to think that diet coke was the nectar of the gods but I honestly haven’t missed it that much. Go figure.
I haven’t been able to increase my pull ups at all. I realize this hasn’t been the focus of my challenge but I thought that it would improve more too. On my 5 rep sets I still require 10 lobs of assist and complete 5,5,4,4,4. Without assist I can do 2 pull ups. Any suggestions?
When I started doing pull-ups I used a method called Grease the groove. Whenever I passed near my pull-ups bar i’d crank out 5-10 pullups. At the moment you could just do 1 (as many as you can whilst still feeling able to do more comfortably then stop.) everytime you do something repetitive like everytime you drink a glass of water, you enter your kitchen, you go to the bathroom…
You’ll end up doing a good number of pull-ups each day and you’ll noitce that you’re able to do more each time you try to max out.
Good idea…I’ll have to get a bar for the house
I agree that the grease the groove method is worth a try. When I was in Army Basic training, they made us do pull ups every time we left the chow hall. That was one set of pull ups three times a day every day. And that is where I saw my biggest jump in pull up numbers to date. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
And congrats on the weight loss without even trying.
Now I’m really curious to see how your 1 rep max lift goes on day 31. Definitely let us know.
Day 31. May 31.
1 rep Max Deadlift: 300lbs !!!! (YEAH !)
1 rep Max Deadlift with straps : 325lbs
I never been so pumped to accoplish at lift before. All day long I was feeling like shit but this pr really made my day !
Also now that the challenge is over what kind of lifting sould I do considering that i’ll be doing Muay Thai and BJJ 3 times a week. I also usually do some conditionning on the days i’m training martial arts.
I’d recommend sticking with strength training (compound movements, heavy weight, low reps). You might want to try a new movement or two, but I’d make strength training with the core movements the foundation of your weight training. If you want a serious challenge, you may want to experiment with some of the Olympic Lifts and their derivatives. They are great for explosiveness and would have great transfer to your martial arts training.
I was thinking of maybe doing the advanced fat-loss or the muscle buidling workout wich one would you suggest ? ( the fat-loss workout would be done completely for cosmetic reason to be honest as I measured my bodyfat % yesterday and it’s around 13% at the moment for 152lbs. I wouldn’t mind going down to around 8% while uping my weight to 155lbs.)
Or do you think that staying with my strenght training while adding some hiit to the days where I train martial arts.
Hell, yes! Breaking that 300 lb. mark is always an exciting day. Awesome!