The Hard Body Workout Plan
Notice: Before beginning any of the exercises provided on this website, consult with your physician to ensure that you are in proper health. This workout nor any information provided with it are not meant to provide medical advice. No liability is assumed for any information contained herein.
Anybody and everybody who works out wants the “hard body” look. We often give it different names like “firm” “tone” and even “ripped,” but in essence we’re all talking about the same thing: a powerful looking physique. Women want to appear sleek and strong while guys want to look like they could run through a wall. That’s why I’ve compiled a very simple hard body workout that you can knock out in six weeks. Keep in mind that by simple I mean basic in its approach but definitely not easy to do. You’ll see why here in a second.
[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”The hard body workout plan!”]https://iamupperechelon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Chin-Up.jpg[/image_frame]Before we get to the workout, we need to make sure that everyone understands what an actual “toned” body is. The most common misconception of getting a hard body is to do a zillion reps. I once did a seminar and a girl asked me about her workout routine, which entitled 200 squats….a day. We don’t want to do that approach because it’s actually not very effective.
What actually gives the body that chiseled appearance is lifting heavy weights for a few reps, i.e. 3-5. The issue lies in your muscle fibers (when you hear the words muscle fiber, think muscle “cell”); the muscle fibers that give the body a hard and dense appearance respond more to intense exercise like powerlifting and sprinting. This is why a 100 meter sprinter will have that rock solid look while a marathon runner won’t. The nature of the activity results in a carryover to those specific muscle fibers.
In this case though you need to do more sets than the traditional strength program. Usually, strength protocols call for 2-4 sets of a given exercise, but in this case we can up the sets to 6-8 so we can build some muscle. You can’t lift as heavy, but that’s not the goal of this program. Like I said, very simple but not easy.
All you need for the hard body workout routine is a barbell, some dumbbells, and a kettlebell. You’ll also need three days a week. Here we go:
Day 1
| Movement | Load | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Notes |
| Hang Power Snatch | 6 RM | 6 | 3-5 | 1-0-X-1 | |
| Back Squat | 8 RM | 6 | 3-5 | 2-2-1-1 | 2 second pause in the bottom |
| Accessory | |||||
| Snatch Pull | 8 RM | 4 | 6 | 1-0-X-1 | |
| BB Reverse Lunge | 10 RM | 5 | 5 | 2-0-1-1 | |
| Remedial | |||||
| Cuban Press | 3 | 10 | 1-0-X-1 | ||
| Conditioning | |||||
| KB Swings | 20 | 1-0-X-1 | Do 10 minutes of sets of 20. Rest however long you want |
Day 2
Off
Day 3
| Movement | Load | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Notes |
| Power Clean | 6 RM | 6 | 3-5 | 1-0-X-1 | |
| Deficit Deadlift | 8 RM | 4 | 3-5 | 3-1-1-1 | |
| Accessory | |||||
| Clean Pull | 8 RM | 4 | 6 | 1-0-X-1 | |
| Good Morning | 10 RM | 4 | 8 | 3-0-1-1 | |
| Remedial | |||||
| Face Pull | 3 | 10 | 2-0-1-1 |
Day 4
Off
Day 5
| Movement | Load | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Notes |
| Power Jerk | 6 RM | 6 | 3-5 | 1-0-X-1 | |
| Front Squat | 8 RM | 6 | 3-5 | 2-2-1-1 | 2 second pause in the bottom |
| Accessory | |||||
| Overhead Press | 8 RM | 4 | 6 | 3-0-1-1 | |
| DB Incline Press | 10 RM | 5 | 5 | 2-2-1-1 | 2 second pause in the bootom |
| Remedial | |||||
| DB Triceps Ext | 12 RM | 3 | 10 | 3-0-1-1 | |
| Conditioning | |||||
| KB Swings | 20 | 1-0-X-1 | Do 10 minutes of sets of 20. Rest however long you want |
Progressions: Pretty straight forward here: try to get all sets of 5 reps on the main movements. When you can, up the weight. For the conditioning, you can add 2-3 minutes to the swings per week, but make sure to cut the time in half during Week 4.
