This document is a comprehensive 12-week training program titled ‘Shortcut to Size’ by Jim Stoppani, designed to enhance strength and muscle growth through periodization techniques. It includes detailed workout plans, nutritional guidelines, and strategies for maximizing results, making it an essential guide for fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike.
WWW.BODYBUILDING.COM/SHORTCUT
JIM STOPPANI’S 12-WEEK
SHORTCUT
SIZE
JIM STOPPANI’S 12-WEEK
SHORTCUT
SIZE
WWW.BODYBUILDING.COM/SHORTCUT
SHORTCUT TO SIZE
The 12-week program I am about to take you through
is based on one of the oldest, tried and true methods
for gaining strength and muscle. This type of training
has successfully prepared almost every type of athlete
imaginable, from Olympic weightlifters to soccer players.
It works so well that it has been used continually for
decades.
I know that I am best known for my unique exercises
and novel training programs, but sometimes you have
to rely on the basics. That’s especially true when a basic
program works as well a this one. Of course, I have taken
the basic, but very effective program and tweaked it to
perfect its effectiveness and to maximize the results
you get. These results include greater strength, bigger
muscles, and less body fat.
PERIODIZATION WORKS... PERIOD!
This program is based on the training concept called
periodization. Periodization is the method of changing
up your training at specified time points. The very
first periodized scheme to be used with weights is
called Linear Periodization (also known as Classc
Periodization). That simply means that you start with light
weight and high reps and as the program progresses
the weights used get heavier and heavier and the reps
completed per set get fewer and fewer. Most periodized
programs take many months to complete. Many last
anywhere from 4 to 12 months to complete the cycle.
But this periodized program utilizes a concept known as
microcycles. Where a typical linear periodized scheme
might stick with the same weight and rep range for a
month or longer, the micro cycles change up the weight
and rep ranges every week.
In week one your rep range will be 12-15 reps. In week
two you bump up all the weights and drop reps down
to 9-11. Week three adds weight again to each exercise
to drop the rep range down to 6-8. And in week four
you bump the weight up again to drop reps down to
3-5 per set. Those are the four microcycles that you will
repeat. On the fourth week you have completed the first
4-week phase. On the fifth week you drop the weight
back down and start all over at 12-15 reps per set. This is
the start of Phase 2. But now you will be able to do each
rep range with at least 5 and up to 20 pounds more than
you could in Phase 1. In the sixth week, or week 2 of
Phase 2, you will be back at 9-11 reps per set. In week
7, or week 3 of phase 2, weight will go up again to drop
your repa down to 6-8 per set. And in week 8, or week 4
of phase 2, weight will go up to limit reps to 3-5 per set.
That completes Phase 2. And in week 9 you start The
final phase, phase 3 by dropping back down to 12-15
reps per set and run through the four microcycles again
until you are back down at 3-5 reps per set. Of course,
in each phase you will be using 5-20 pounds more than
you did in phase 2 and 10-40 pounds more than you
used in Phase 1. This is how you get stronger... Much
stronger, over this 12-week program.
The constant increase in weight each week and the
recycling of these four phases leads to impressive
strength gains. The microcyles also lead to muscle
hypertrophy due to the constant changing up of the rep
ranges each and every week. Another reason for the
strength and mass gains has to do with the fact that you
keep the weight steady on each exercise for all sets and
you are forced to complete the minimum number of reps
in that rep range.
Greater gains in strength and muscle mass are
guaranteed with this program. I have seen some
impressive results with this program. In men, I have seen
gains of strength over 90 pounds on the squat and over
50 pounds on the bench press. And for muscle, some
guys have gained over 15 pounds of muscle. Yes, pure
muscle, while actually dropping body fat. Speaking of
body fat, when maximizing body fat with my training
and diet tweaks some men have lost over 20 pounds of
body fat. And women have also seen impressive gains
in strength and muscle while losing body fat. Women
following my program have increased their squat
strength by over 60 pounds, and bench press strength
by 30 pounds. And gains in muscle of over 10 pounds
and fat loss over 10 pounds.
But I’m not the only one to report insane gains in muscle
size and strength with concomittant losses in body
fat. Researchers from Federal University of Sao Carlos
(Sao Paulo, Brazil) reported impressive results using a
similar microcycle linear periodization program for 12
weeks. They had one group of female athletes follow
a linear periodization program with weekly microcycles
repeating three times for a total of 12 weeks and a
second group following a reverse linear periodized
program with microcycles for 12 weeks. While the linear
periodized group started with 12-14 reps per set and
ended each phase with 4-6 reps per set, the reverse
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linear group started each phase with 4-6 reps and
ended with 12-14. They measured their muscle mass,
body fat and strength on bench presses, lat pulldowns,
barbell curls, and leg extensions before and after the
12 weeks. They reported that the linear group gained
7 pounds of lean muscle mass while the reverse group
only gained 3 pounds of muscle. The linear group also
lost over 5 pounds of body fat while the reverse group
lost a little over 3 pounds of body fat. Although both
groups increased strength on all exercises, the linear
group made greater gains than the reverse group.
The first exercise you do for each muscle group (except
for abs and calves) will remain constant throughout all
12 weeks. This is the exercise that you are focusing
on increasing your strength on. Most of the assistance
exercises that follow the first exercise will change every
phase. For abs, the exercises will change each week
based on the rep ranges. This is due to the fact that
some ab exercises are easier to do for higher reps, while
some are difficult to do for lower reps. So I organized the
best ab exercises for the prescribed rep ranges.
GET FOCUSED
As I already mentioned, this program works well
to increase the three main goals that we all have –
increasing muscle strength, boosting muscle size, and
enhancing fat loss. To boost muscle mass as much as
possible, we’ll be using two intensity techniques: rest-
pause and dropsets.
Focus: Maximizing Muscle Growth – During weeks
one and two of each phase of the program, you will do
one rest-pause on the last set of each exercise. To do
this, reach muscle failure on the last set, then rack the
weight and rest 15 seconds. Then continue the set until
you reach muscle failure again. During weeks three and
four of all phases, you will do a drop set on the last set
of each exercise. To do this, take the last set to muscle
failure then immediately reduce the weight to the
amount you used for that exercise during week 1, and
continue the set until failure again.
PHASE 1: WEEK 1
Rest-pause set as last set of each exercise
WORKOUT 1: CHEST, TRICEPS, CALVES
EXERCISE SETS x REPS
Bench Press 4 x 12-15
Incline Bench Press 3 x 12-15
Incline Dumbbell Flye 3 x 12-15
Cable Crossover 3 x 12-15
Triceps Pressdown 3 x 12-15
Lying Triceps Extension 3 x 12-15
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension 3 x 12-15
Standing Calf Raise 4 x 25-30
Seated Calf Raise 4 x 25-30
WORKOUT 2: BACK, BICEPS, ABS
EXERCISE SETS x REPS
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row 4 x 12-15
Wide-Grip Pulldown 3 x 12-15
Standing Pulldown 3 x 12-15
Straight Arm Pulldown 3 x 12-15
Barbell curl 4 x 12-15
Dumbbell Incline Curl 3 x 12-15
One-Arm High Cable Curl 3 x 12-15
Hip Thrust 3 x 20-30*
Crunch 3 x 20-30*
Oblique Crunch 3 x 20-30*
* Shoot for at least 20-30 reps, but if you can do more, continue
until reaching failure. If you cannot complete 20 reps, do as
many as you can tring to get as close to 20 reps as possible.
SHORTCUT TO SIZE
WORKOUT PROGRAM
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