Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

approach but will have an upper- or lower-body focus. For instance, you might start a workout with a multi-muscle lower-body movement like deadlifts. But we’ll have you perform 20 reps of this movement and then follow with an entire upper-body workout of lactic acid–style training.
    Lactic acid training is a difficult progression that increases the amount of time your muscles remain under tension. Time under tension is one of the most overlooked components of muscle growth, and it’s important because this type of training has been shown to drastically increase output of GH. When combined, the concurrent surge in testosterone and GH makes every rep you perform, every set you complete, and all the food you eat prime for new growth. Research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that supplementation of testosterone and GH led to nearly three times the fat loss than achieved by taking either testosterone or GH individually. While these surges were due to supplementation, researchers speculated that elevating both levels naturally would have the same synergistic impact.
    The day after lactic acid training, the order would be switched—starting with a compound upper-body lift (like a bench press or a push press) followed by lower-body lactic acid training. Don’t worry about the exact details right now. Your easy-to-follow plan will be nicely laid out in chapter 11.

    PHASE IV: COMPLETE
    Living Like a Boss
    Phase IV is the final stage. Here, you’re able to combine all the elements of the first three phases into one meta approach. You can’t typically do this in training because you have to build strategically in order for your body to reap the benefits of multiple techniques being utilized at the same time. This phase uses a mixed-methods approach to both training and diet that will change what is possible with your body.
    Complete is a four-week phase. Here’s what you can expect:
    The Training
    Weeks one and two are pure muscle building—you’ll enjoy higher calories and carbs as well as a few meathead workouts mixed in with your density training. Because of the increases in strength and work capacity that were created in Phase II, you’ll be able to make significant improvements much faster than normal. And that speaks to the overall design of this program. Every workout you perform is building toward a next step and something bigger. That’s the science that we figured out so you wouldn’t have to, and it’s why our clients and the people who tested this program saw unprecedented and uncharacteristic results.
    In week three, you’ll throw your body a curveball by dropping calories and transitioning to a program based on pure strength. The goal here is to put the brakes on mass building in a way that prevents any fat gain while still cementing and fine-tuning your muscle gain with heavy lifting. Surprisingly, what you’ll find is that even though your calories will be lower, your strength will not decrease. Much of this will be due to the peripheral benefits of intermittent fasting, but it’s also because of the hormonal environment of improved insulin, GH, and testosterone. These hormones will sustain and bolster performance even in the absence of calories. And as your strength increases and your calories are lower, you’ll be dropping fat at an accelerated rate.
    In week four and beyond, we transition into a rotational program—one workout of various types each week. You’ll still be eating just a tad below your maintenance level so you’re able to stay lean, but you counterbalance that and keep leptin in check with a healthy dose of weekly epic cheat days.
    Transformation
    At the end of Phase III, your body will look radically different. You’ll be leaner and bigger, but you’ll also be harder and denser. These changes will be impossible not to notice. Just as beneficial, you’ll feel different. You’ll be mentally and emotionally centered, your increased confidence will have taken firm root, and you’ll begin to explore new things with greater ease. You’ll be more self-assured and self-reliant, so things won’t distract you as much. And you’ll have a sex drive that will reduce or completely eliminate one of the biggest stressors that all men experience—a lack of libido.
    This is the reality of the more than three thousand men who have gone through this program. And now it’s your turn.

CHAPTER 9
    Phase I: Prime
    ENGINEERING ENGAGED
    “People do it every day.