High Tension Muscle, Part 2

Fatherhood and work have been kicking my butt this past year, so I've been following an abbreviated program of high tension exercises.  It's a simple no fuss program consisting primarily of body weight exercises with some bench pressing and deadlifts thrown in.


The great thing about this program is its simplicity.  No periodization or complex programming to follow.  Few exercises, few sets, maximum tension to incur muscle growth.


Workout A:

1. Shoulder width grip pull-ups (3 sets of as many reps as possible)
2. Shoulder width grip chin-ups (3 sets of as many reps as possible, hold your body at the top of each rep for 2 seconds)
3. Pistols, aka one-legged squats (3 sets of as many reps as possible)
4. Dips (3 sets of as many reps as possible)
5. Hanging leg raises (3 sets of as many reps as possible)

Workout B:

1. 20 degree barbell bench press (8 sets of 8 reps, 15-30 seconds rest)
2. Deadlifts (8 sets of 4-6 reps, 2-3 minutes rest)