THE GET JACKED PROGRAM

THE GET JACKED PROGRAM

By Shane Robert

There is a saying among bodybuilder types that I have heard many times. It usually goes something like, “I want to look like I can bench press 500 pounds. I don’t care if I actually can” This is to say, in the sport of jackedness, all that matters is what you look like, not what you perform like. At the highest levels, this distinction really matters, as the gap between performance and appearance widens considerably. Using the bench press as an example, the highest benchers in the world at the moment do not look like bodybuilders. Big, jacked guys who clearly lift heavy weights, yes. But no one would mistake them for bodybuilders. 

As an aside, I almost hate to use the bench as the lift to compare aesthetics and performance, as, generally, bodybuilders are actually pretty good benchers. They do a lot of chest work and benching that carries over to great bench strength. Even the best benchers in the lighter weight powerlifting categories and generally the people with the best looking upper bodies. 

Despite the gulf that starts to appear as one advances toward eliteness, strength and muscle size are pretty linked together. I suppose, at the most theoretical level, given the research that shows similar hypertrophy outcomes from 30% or 80% of 1RM as long as it is taken to failure, one could build muscle that is weak. However, the concept of overload still exists and, over time, weight will need to be added so, even that will likely lead to a strong person. At this point we have all seen the social media lifters who barely look like they can lift a pencil, yet somehow are repping 600 pounds or something stupid on the (usually sumo) deadlift. While I will acknowledge that they exist, for every one of those people that I have seen, I can’t think of a single person in real life who can deadlift 500+ pounds for multiple sets and reps that aren't jacked. 

Now that we have established the importance of getting strong on getting jacked, let’s talk about what exercises we need to do. Once again, in theory, this shouldn’t really matter. Getting stupid strong for sets and reps is going to build muscle. Guaranteed. My bias, however, is that there is a huge difference between someone who gets really strong on, say, leg extensions versus the person who gets really strong on squats. Call me crazy, but I want the strong squatter if I need help with, well, just about anything. It is with this in mind that the exercises should be the kind that not only build a ton of muscle, they bias certain muscles and lend themselves to a little of what Josh Bryant calls “Gas Station Ready.” In other words, you look strong, you are strong, and you are more than a little capable. 

I have thought a lot about this and whittled the list down to just a few select exercises that I think are essential to become a juggernaut and walk through brick walls. They are:

1. Snatch Grip Deadlift form a platform

2. Close Grip Thick Bar Chin Ups

3. Close Grip Incline Bench

4. Heaving Upright Row

5. Arms

These exercises will build a thick and broad back, powerful grip, and wide, round shoulders. Throw some juicy pipes on top of it and you are the definition of jacked. Thanks to the exercise selection, you’ll also be as intimidating as you look. 

SNATCH GRIP DEADLIFT

There are few better exercises for building overall strength and muscle than the deadlift. There is one, in my experience, that surpasses it and that is the Snatch Grip Deadlift standing on a platform. The late great Master Blaster, Charles Poliquin, said this was his go-to when he needed to add slabs of functional beef on an athlete. I agree with him entirely. Your forearms, quads, entire posterior chain from your Achilles tendon to the top of your head, and your core have to work double overtime doing this movement. 

CLOSE GRIP THICK BAR CHIN UPS

This movement is going to hit your lats like nothing else while giving your forearms a real challenge. Make sure to touch your chest all the way to the bar. This isn’t a chin-stretching exercise. As an additional bonus, your biceps will take a beating as well. Get some FatGrip attachments if you don’t have access to a thick chin-up bar.

CLOSE GRIP INCLINE BENCH

I can’t think of a better pressing movement to slap a ton of muscle on your chest, front delts, and triceps. It also carries over incredibly well to regular benching, should you ever decide that’s something that matters. 

HEAVING UPRIGHT ROWS

Picture the love child between an upright row and clean high pull and you have the heaving upright row. This movement gets your whole body involved and really lets you pile on the weight. You start with a moderate-close grip with the bar at the hip, bend forward, and let the bar drop to about mid-thigh before thrusting forward, leaning back and pulling that sucker up to your eyebrows. Or at least above the collarbones. Your shoulders, traps, and neck won’t know what hit them.

ARMS

Arms aren’t an exercise. They are body parts. I hear you. However, after all that hard and heavy work, I don’t really care what movements you do, I just want you to go in and smash the ever-loving snot out of your arms. I still prefer big movements like skull crushers and barbell curls, but if you want to do pushdowns and Hercules curls then by all means do so. Hell, do both. 

THE PLAN — 4 days per week

1. Train 4 days per week. For the first 3 of those days, you will do the first 4 exercises and arms. The 4th day is arms only.

2. For the first 4 exercises pick a weight that you can do 10 reps with. Do 3-6 sets of 6-8 reps with that weight. Add a rep whenever you can. Once you can do 6x8 with a given load, add weight and start over at 6 reps, repeating the process. Do this until you feel a little stale, take a week off, and start again. Literally years of training can occur off this kind of setup.

3. For arms, you are going to do 3 sets to failure every day for both biceps and triceps on week 1. Each week, you are going to add 1 set for both muscles on day 4 only. This will last 8 weeks, which means you will finish the cycle with a day 4 that has 20 sets for both biceps and triceps. At that point, start over again with a different rep range and/or exercises. What rep range? Pick one. Make the next one different enough to be different. 

I find these kinds of plans to be very freeing. By limiting the exercises you can do, it frees you to really hunker down and focus, put in some quality work, and get better. Whether you’re a girl, guy, they, ze, kin, or something else, we can be a little more jacked and I think this will get you there.