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Want to shock your muscles? Train on this protocol for 5-6 weeks and enjoy muscle growth while burning fat!
Author: Jamie Alderton
Your body can adapt to anything. Try to harass him with extreme workouts for several weeks in a row. Do you know what’s going to happen? Very soon, training will stop feeling hard. To keep progressing, you need to surprise your body. One of the fundamental laws of bodybuilding is that if you want stable growth, you must use shocking incentives at the first sign of stagnant performance.
Legendary bodybuilder and trainer Vince “Iron Guru” Gironde believed that periodic shaking was the best tool for muscle growth. His 8×8 technique – 8 sets of 8 reps – became a real lifeline for bodybuilders whose muscles needed shock therapy. If you start to notice that your workouts are not as hard as they once were, you definitely need to resort to this protocol.
If you need stable growth, you must use shocking incentives at the first sign of stagnant results.
The Vince Gironde-style workout routine is super effective and it’s the best full body workout I’ve tried. But I must warn you: the protocol is not for the faint of heart! Each workout involves a tremendous amount of load in the rep range, so there will be no time to get bored.
I have no doubt that when you finish one of the suggested workouts, you will crawl out of the gym on all fours. But your torment will be justified. The body will have no choice but to adapt to the load through muscle growth and increased calorie burning. This is what we are trying to achieve!
Shock and Horror Program
Training at a high pace and with such intensity would be proud of the Iron Guru himself.
Start right off the bat – train two days in a row, and then devote two days to complete rest. We swing, rest, repeat. The exercise will be overwhelming, so be sure to give your body plenty of time to recover before your next gym.
Each day you will do one exercise for each body part – 8 sets of 8 reps. That’s right: this is a full-body split with a high training frequency. This approach may seem strange to many of you, but it is a cool alternative, especially if you have been working on a standard split based on the principle of dividing training into body parts for a long time. The frequency and total volume of the load will shock the muscles and give a start to serious adaptation processes!
Rest pauses should not exceed 30 seconds. This is shock therapy, so don’t sit around between sets. Your task is to squeeze the maximum out of your muscles, to go beyond your own expectations and training abilities.
Engage in this program for a maximum of 5-6 weeks. Try increasing your working weights every two weeks. And remember, this is a temporary measure, so you can be patient and really give your best.
Monday
1 approach on 10 minutes.
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
Tuesday
1 approach on 10 minutes.
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
Wednesday, Thursday: rest
Friday
1 approach on 10 minutes.
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
Saturday
1 approach on 10 minutes.
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
8 approaches to 8 repetitions
Sunday: rest
Tips
Choose a working weight with which you can confidently complete all 8 sets of 8 reps. You only have 30 seconds to rest between sets, so don’t overdo it.
Try not to turn approaches into training. However, you should not rush to the other extreme either – do not put the “pen weight” with which you will finish each of the eight approaches in one breath. Choose a normal load that will push you to failure on the seventh or eighth rep.
The breaks in this protocol are short and for good reason. Don’t lose efficiency by fiddling with your phone, choosing music, or chatting with your buddies. You have 30 seconds to rest. Point.
Choose a normal load that will push you to failure on the seventh or eighth rep.
It is imperative that you measure your rest time accurately. If you have an iPhone, I recommend downloading and installing the Seconds Pro app.
If you’re hitting a wall with your standard routine, this Vince Gironde-style full-body protocol is a good shake-up for your muscles. It may take a while to get used to the frequency and style of training, but that’s the thing! An effective program must be a serious test. After all, exercising light will not put you on weight. You only grow when you push yourself out of your comfort zone into unknown territory.
Stick to this program for 5-6 weeks and I guarantee you will be shocked by the results!