Athlean-X workout bulking program for hard-gainers (ectomorphs)

Quick Overview on Athlean-X

Athlean X is a fitness program that offers online videos with workouts to build lean muscle and burn fat. The program is based on the workouts that Jeff Cavaliere does with his clients and has been tweaked for the average person. The program includes clear recommendations and pictures to help perform exercises correctly for maximum gain. There is also a 12-week comprehensive pattern for workouts and a structured nutrition plan. The program is known for its effectiveness to burn fat and build lean muscle in less time than other popular fitness programs. The Athlean-X Max Size program of Athlean-X is an intensive, high-volume workout program designed to help lifters build muscle and lose body fat.

Pros:

• Effective for burning fat and building lean muscle in less time
• Clear recommendations and pictures to help perform exercises correctly
• 12-week comprehensive pattern for workouts and structured nutrition plan
• Personalized online portal
• Variety of workouts
• Solid progressive loading techniques
• High intense workouts for more advanced bodybuilders

Cons:

• Some complaints about customer service
• Very intense program- for some people, it may be pushing the envelope too much too soon, which could do more harm than good.
• Requires Experience Training to Failure, for best results
• Minimal Emphasis on Maximal Strength Development
• Some users have reported not seeing significant results

Who is Athlean-X’s Max Size Program For?

The Athlean-X Max Size Program is a highly recommended fitness program for anyone who wants to gain lean body mass, increase their strength, muscular endurance, and transform their body composition by losing fat. Whether you are an experienced lifter or a beginner, this 12-week program is designed to challenge you and maximize your progress.

The program is centered around large compound exercises such as the squat, the deadlift, and the press, which are highly effective for building strength and mass. Additionally, it includes various modalities such as bodyweight training, dumbbells, barbells, and cables, which are designed to progressively challenge your muscles and help you achieve your fitness goals.

One of the key benefits of the Athlean-X Max Size Program is that it is specifically designed to promote lean muscle mass gain while minimizing fat gain. This means that you can achieve the desired muscle growth without sacrificing your overall body composition.

Introduction

The Athlean-X Max Size program is an intensive, high-volume workout program designed to help lifters build muscle and lose body fat. It is a comprehensive training regimen that includes a 90-day nutrition plan and exercise demonstration videos to support the program’s efficacy.

The program is divided into three, 4-week phases that focus on challenging muscle-building workouts. It incorporates a variety of exercises, including large compound movements, free weights, machines, and bodyweight exercises. These movement variations have been proven to be highly effective in building muscle.

One of the standout features of the Athlean-X Max Size program is its scalability. It is suitable for lifters of all levels, and the intensity can be adjusted depending on individual needs and fitness levels. However, it is worth noting that the program is intense and requires discipline and dedication to maintain proper form and technique during tough workouts.

One potential downside of the program is that it only trains each muscle group once a week for the first two months, excluding the total body workout on the last day of the week. Some individuals may find this frequency insufficient for their muscle-building goals. Additionally, the program heavily relies on the lifter’s ability to push to near or complete muscle failure, which can be challenging for some.

Overall, the Athlean-X Max Size program is an excellent choice for lifters who are willing to commit to an intensive training cycle, maintain proper form and technique, and follow a disciplined nutrition plan for 90 days. The program’s scalability makes it accessible to lifters of all levels, and the variety of exercises ensures that you will never get bored.

Features

1. 1. Comprehensive Training– The Athlean-X Max Size program is a comprehensive training program that offers five workouts per week, with each workout lasting approximately 45-60 minutes, except for the last workout, which is a quick 10-20 minutes long “Torcher” workout. This program is designed to help build muscle, increase work capacity, and improve overall fitness.
   2. 3-phase Structure – The program is structured into three phases, with each phase lasting four weeks. The first phase focuses on building a foundation for increased volume and work capacity through 10×10 protocols that involve compound movements with lighter weights. The second and third phases are more intense, with higher volume and the use of techniques such as supersets to further increase the intensity of the workouts.
   3. Personalized approach – This program comes with a robust package that includes a personalized online portal where you can access your program, diet plan, exercise videos, and an FAQ section. Additionally, you will receive a 32-page workout program and planner that is downloadable in PDF format, as well as a 90-day meal plan calendar to help you achieve your fitness goals.
   4. Variety– The Athlean-X Max Size program is a comprehensive training program that focuses on building muscle mass by using a combination of compound strength movements, bodyweight exercises, and isolation style movements. The program is designed to target specific muscles, and each movement is carefully chosen to effectively work the intended muscle group.
   5. High in training volume– This program is high in training volume, which is expected when training four to five days a week. The training volume increases progressively from the first phase to the second and third phases, with the second phase having a more significant increase in training volume.
   6. Progressive overload techniques– The Athlean-X Max Size program utilizes progressive overload techniques throughout most of the program. This includes increasing the training volume, increasing the weight used, and pushing to failure with more reps. The program also uses extended sets, such as rest pauses, controlled eccentrics, and supersets, to overload the muscles.
   7. Recovery and Fatigue management– While the program is well balanced in terms of recovery, it may be challenging for beginners who have not consistently worked out or for those who are not used to training a muscle to complete exhaustion in a single workout. This is particularly true for individuals who prefer to train a muscle group 2-3 times per week instead of once a week.

Overall, the Athlean-X Max Size program is an effective and comprehensive training program for building muscle mass and achieving your fitness goals. It emphasizes progressive overload and is well-suited for individuals who are committed to consistent training. With its well-structured program, personalized online portal, and comprehensive package, you can rest assured that you are getting everything you need to succeed in your fitness journey.

Training Split

Athlean-X Max Size program follows a four-day training split, with the fifth day being a short, total-body “torcher” workout.

Day 1 – Chest and Back
Day 2 – Legs
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4 – Arms
Day 5 – Shoulders and Traps
Day 6 – 10 Minute “Torcher” Workout
Day 7 – Rest

Athlean-X Max Size alternatives

The CEP – Cell Expansion Protocol in MI40X by Ben Pakulski is a potential alternative to AthLean-X. This protocol aims to increase the size and strength of muscles while burning fat by increasing the size of muscle cells through expanding their nuclei. However, under normal stimulation, muscle cell expansion is limited by a preset amount of nuclei. The CEP program focuses on specific techniques to enhance cell volumization and nuclei expansion, particularly by applying an appropriate and specific stimulus to muscles to produce myo-satellite cells that repair muscle damage and lead to rapid and constant muscle mass gains.

The CEP program involves high-intensity training techniques that extend regular sets into a 4-minute struggle against fatigue and pain. The technique includes static stretching postures, intra-set stretching, and isometric static holds, making it a sort of drop set that is very challenging. The impressive growth rate of muscles causes a metabolic boost that helps burn fat while building muscle simultaneously, leading to extraordinary results without the need for cardio.

Athlean-X Max Size program – Comparison with other bulking workout programs

Lacks Training Frequency

The Athlean-X Max Size program may not be the best fit for everyone due to its lack of training frequency. The program has participants train each muscle group once a week, completing all of the week’s volume on a single day. While this approach can be effective for some individuals, others may find that it limits their muscle growth and recovery potential.

Alternate muscle-building programs prioritize training frequency, opting to train each muscle group two or three times a week. This approach distributes the total weekly training volume, enabling participants to focus on the quality of each set and rep. It also helps to prevent injury and form breakdown, as participants are not pushing their bodies to their limits in a single training session.

For example, instead of completing 18 sets on a single day, which can lead to low-quality reps, form breakdown, and injury, some programs recommend training each muscle group twice a week. This enables participants to achieve high-quality reps and sets, break down the muscle effectively, and recover properly.

If you’re considering the Athlean-X Max Size program, it’s essential to understand that it may not be the best fit for everyone. While it can be an effective muscle-building program for some individuals, others may benefit more from a higher training frequency approach that distributes the weekly volume across multiple days. Ultimately, it’s important to choose a program that aligns with your goals, preferences, and individual needs.

High Fatiguing Sets May Result in Form Breakdowns and Injury

Pushing your muscles to near or complete failure is a crucial element of muscle building, as it creates an environment that signals protein synthesis and repair. The Athlean X program takes this concept to the next level by incorporating high-volume work sets (10 sets of 10 reps) with compound movements like squats, bench press, and bent-over rows. The program then challenges participants to push themselves to absolute failure and perform additional reps within a short time frame to completely exhaust the muscle.

These methods can be incredibly effective for building muscle and gaining size, but they also come with some risks. Less experienced lifters or those prone to form breakdowns when fatigued may be vulnerable to injury when pushing themselves to their limits.

Fortunately, the Athlean-X program does provide exercise tutorials that demonstrate proper technique, helping to mitigate some of these concerns. However, it’s still essential for lifters to recognize that they will quickly reach a point of muscle failure and need to understand the difference between pushing to failure with good form versus pushing to failure at the expense of proper technique.

In summary, the Athlean X program’s emphasis on pushing muscles to failure can yield impressive results, but participants must exercise caution and prioritize proper form and technique to avoid injury. By taking the time to understand the program’s principles and following the exercise tutorials closely, lifters can maximize their muscle-building potential while minimizing their risk of injury.

Very intense

Athlean-X Max Size program is designed to be very intense, which can be a double-edged sword depending on your level of fitness and experience. If you’re a complete beginner, returning to the gym after a long hiatus, or not experienced with performing heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses while fatigued, you should be cautious before jumping into this program.

It’s important to note that this program may not be suitable for those recovering from injuries or dealing with chronic joint/muscle issues. The high level of intensity could exacerbate existing problems, which is why it’s crucial to consult a physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.

However, if you’re already in decent shape and looking to take your fitness to the next level, Athlean-X Max Size could be the perfect program for you. The intense workouts will challenge you both physically and mentally, leading to noticeable gains in muscle mass and strength.

How to gain real results with Athlean X?

Even if you work out regularly and are fairly healthy, I counsel one to do the work outs in order because these aren’t like typical health club work outs.

This guide can help you learn more about the precise work outs that top sportsmen and stars of now are using to allow them to get torn bodies quickly.

The first rule you should know to mass up quickly is that you simply need a suitable meal plan.

Actually, the exercise came after another 3 or 4 others that only killed me (shoulders and biceps) and made me week (squats).. ha, the Sunday tennis was making some sound!

Bottom Line

The ATHLEANX training system offers you great effects in less time with less work outs per week in relation to the leading competition, by putting the most recent in sports science in strength…and your muscles into anabolic overdrive!

As already mentioned, Cavaliere’s strategy appears to work for those people new to the healthful lifestyle and are simply buying a means to begin. I already have the shuffle work outs as I’m on the AX1 program now but this way I don’t should log in only to do the 6 pack guarantee shuffle work outs.

Furthermore, your meals will fuel your workouts so that you simply get better results without depriving your muscles of essential nutrients.

This can be accurate athleticism and function developed into every exercise in every among the 60 exceptional work outs. Most pre work outs are around giving you energy on your workouts and giving you the mechanism for creating more nitric oxide for better muscle pumps and better results.

It’s my view you will be wasting your money by purchasing the Athlean X system or their TNT videos in comparison to the X-representative publications and the MI40 or Burn the fat, feed the muscle diet publication.

That’s because whole 12 rounds in greater than 30 minutes (you have to overcome this time to pass” the Final X-AM) is a better strategy to build big muscles fast.

When selecting a work out plan or nutritional supplement, understanding who to trust is among the most difficult things to determine. Its much simpler committing to the day-to-day exercises since they’re time consuming,you don’t want gear, it is possible to learn the technique from your videos and you get outstanding results without being drilled since regular workout plan has distinct work outs.

Our Take

Editor’s Note:- In our opinion, overall, Athlean X program is good for aesthetics, getting more fit, and enhancing athletic performance, however, if you’re looking for most optimal program for strength gains or muscle mass, it’s not the best program out there.

Jeff Cavaliere in his AthLEAN-X program taps into the science of muscle confusion, which states that frequent changes within your exercise program stimulate muscle growth by avoiding a plateauing effort. However, in our opinion, MI40x’s CEP technique by top bodybuilding IFBB pro Ben Pakulski is way more powerful than muscle confusion when it comes to adding muscle mass and gaining size.

User reviews

Review 1

I really enjoy the variety of Athlean X and am currently in round two. I started at 159 lbs and ended the first round at 164 lb and the weight gained was all lean muscle. The biggest problem I have is that the program is so varied it is hard to keep track of how well you do with individual exercises. I feel like I have reached a plateau during my second round, so I decided to do the program and incorporate some squats and bench press. In Athlean’s defense I also had my first kid during the second round. I like how the program only takes 45 minutes a day and you feel as though this gets the job done. I also was able to get a six pack out of the deal which I appreciate. I also liked how the workouts were not videos allowing me to do them at my own pace and not skip any.

Best part- Varied, great upper back program, great leg program.

Worst part – I felt like my chest reached a plateau

Overall I would give Athlean X a 8.5/10

Review 2 – Doesn’t work for me
I got AX as well but it doesn’t work for me at all. I’m staying at the same shape after 9 weeks.

Review 3 – Decent programs but severely lacking in leg work

I have done his AX-1 program and AX-2 as well. Both are decent programs but severely lacking in leg work. Most of the leg work is done with dumbbells or body weight. That right there should tell you something. I had to substitute a lot of leg exercises for more traditional barbell work, because I preferred it. Notice how his YouTube channel is also severely lacking in leg exercises. Most of his content is upper-body! I must say though, I had good results with AX-1 when a friend and I went through it. We certainly got to single digit body fat percentages and achieved a well-defined six-pack! So he certainly is knowledgeable and a lot of his alternative exercises are quite useful and effective even (I still use some of them myself), I just find it sad that he seems to focus so much more on upper-body than anything else.

Review 4 – Loved it!

I finished Athlean X and loved it. Sent in my before/after pictures and Jeff put them on the website, and gave me lots of praise. I’m 2 months into Athlean NXT and have been seeing great results. If you’re looking for strength gains, it’s not the best. If you’re looking for aesthetics, I’d recommend it.