by Adam Sherratt

Being a natural born "hard-gainer", here's a programme I found useful recently for increasing both strength and mass. It was suggested to me by a fellow member of my local gym who has in the past competed in the

South East England regional powerlifting championships, and it really is incredibly simple!

It all boils down to the 5 'core' exercises, i.e. Bench press, Shoulder (military) press, Pulldowns, Squats & that all-too-often-neglected Deadlift! By doing these 5 exercises, you are in fact working every major muscle group in the body, as well as most if not all of the ancillary ones.

Assuming you attend the gym 3 times a week, here's what you should do:

Day 1:
Bench press (5 sets)
Shoulder press (5 sets)
Lat pulldowns (5 sets)

Day 2: Rest

Day 3:
Squats (5 sets)
Deadlifts (5 sets)

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Rest

Day 6:
Bench press (5 sets)
Shoulder press (5 sets)
Lat pulldowns (5 sets)

Day 7: Rest

Day 8:
Squats (5 sets)
Deadlifts (5 sets)

Day 9: Rest

Day 10: Rest

...& so on & so forth.

For all exercises mentioned, follow this routine:

1st set warmup (15 reps, bar alone)

2nd set 50% 1 Rep Max (12 reps)

3rd set 75% 1RM (10 reps)

4th set 85-90% 1RM (6 - 8 reps)

5th set 100% 1RM (up to 4 reps with aid of a spotter)

Form is all-important, be sure to concentrate on the eccentric phase of the movement as much as the concentric if not slightly more so. No cheating either, especially on those squats - quads & thighs at least

parallel with the floor! I often find it beneficial to do a drop set in the 5th, i.e. force out as many at 100% 1RM as I can with the aid of a spotter, then quickly drop the weight back down to 50% 1RM and rep out as many as I am physically able - this gives a bloody good pump.