12 Week Workout Plan: THE MASS GAINER

Written By Scar Soldier

A 12-week muscle gain workout plan focuses on progressive overload, ensuring that you challenge your muscles consistently while allowing for proper recovery. The goal is to stimulate muscle growth through compound exercises, isolation movements, and a balanced approach to training frequency, volume, and intensity.

Here’s a detailed 12-week workout plan that you can follow, designed to help you build muscle effectively. The plan includes a 4-day split to allow for optimal recovery, and it progresses in intensity and volume as you move through the weeks.

General Guidelines:

  • Training Split: 4 days a week (Upper/Lower split)

  • Reps and Sets: Focus on compound lifts for strength and muscle development (4-6 sets for compound lifts and 3-4 sets for isolation). Rep ranges are typically 6-12 reps for hypertrophy, with heavier sets for the compound movements (4-6 reps).

  • Rest: 60-90 seconds rest between sets for hypertrophy-focused exercises, 2-3 minutes for heavy compound movements.

  • Progressive Overload: Gradually increase weight, reps, or sets every week.

  • Warm-up and Cool-down: Always begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up to increase blood flow (e.g., light cardio or dynamic stretches) and finish with 5-10 minutes of stretching to improve flexibility and reduce soreness.

  • Nutrition: Ensure you're in a caloric surplus with adequate protein intake (1.2–1.6 grams per pound of body weight), complex carbs, and healthy fats.

Weekly Workout Plan:

  • Day 1: Upper Body – Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

  • Day 2: Lower Body – Legs & Abs

  • Day 3: Upper Body – Pull (Back, Biceps)

  • Day 4: Lower Body – Hamstrings & Glutes, Abs

Weeks 1-4: Building a Foundation

Goal: Focus on perfecting form, increasing strength, and building a base level of muscle endurance.

Day 1: Upper Body Push

  1. Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  2. Overhead Dumbbell Press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  3. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  5. Dips (Weighted if possible) – 3 sets of 6-8 reps

  6. Tricep Rope Pushdowns – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  7. Cable Chest Flys – 3 sets of 12 reps

Day 2: Lower Body (Legs & Abs)

  1. Back Squats – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  2. Leg Press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  3. Romanian Deadlift – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Walking Lunges – 3 sets of 12 steps per leg

  5. Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  6. Lying Leg Curls – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  7. Cable Crunches – 3 sets of 15-20 reps

  8. Plank – 3 sets, holding for 30-60 seconds

Day 3: Upper Body Pull

  1. Deadlifts – 4 sets of 5-6 reps

  2. Pull-Ups (Weighted if possible) – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. Bent-Over Barbell Rows – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  5. Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  6. Barbell or Dumbbell Bicep Curls – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  7. Hammer Curls – 3 sets of 12 reps

Day 4: Lower Body (Hamstrings & Glutes, Abs)

  1. Deadlifts (Romanian or Conventional) – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  2. Hip Thrusts – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  3. Leg Curls (Seated or Lying) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  4. Bulgarian Split Squats – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  5. Glute Bridges – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  6. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  7. Russian Twists – 3 sets of 20 reps (10 each side)

Weeks 5-8: Increase Intensity and Volume

Goal: Add volume and intensity through increased sets and reps, and focus on progressive overload.

Day 1: Upper Body Push

  1. Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 5-7 reps

  2. Overhead Barbell Press – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. Incline Barbell Press – 4 sets of 8 reps

  4. Cable Lateral Raises – 4 sets of 12 reps

  5. Triceps Dips (Weighted) – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  6. Overhead Tricep Extension – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  7. Chest Flys (Machine or Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12 reps

Day 2: Lower Body (Legs & Abs)

  1. Back Squats – 5 sets of 5-7 reps

  2. Bulgarian Split Squats – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  3. Leg Press – 4 sets of 10 reps

  4. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8-10 reps

  5. Lunges (Walking or Stationary) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  6. Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  7. Hanging Leg Raises – 4 sets of 12-15 reps

  8. Plank – 3 sets of 1-minute hold

Day 3: Upper Body Pull

  1. Deadlifts – 4 sets of 5 reps

  2. Pull-Ups – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. T-Bar Rows – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

  5. Barbell Bicep Curls – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  6. Cable Face Pulls – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

  7. Preacher Curls – 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Day 4: Lower Body (Hamstrings & Glutes, Abs)

  1. Conventional Deadlifts – 4 sets of 5-6 reps

  2. Hip Thrusts – 5 sets of 8 reps

  3. Leg Curls – 4 sets of 10-12 reps

  4. Walking Lunges – 4 sets of 12 steps per leg

  5. Glute Bridges – 4 sets of 12-15 reps

  6. Russian Twists – 4 sets of 20 reps

  7. Cable Woodchoppers – 3 sets of 12 reps per side

Weeks 9-12: Final Push

Goal: Push intensity to its maximum, incorporate heavier weights, and further increase volume. Focus on compound lifts and muscle fatigue to maximize hypertrophy.

Day 1: Upper Body Push

  1. Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 4-6 reps

  2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. Incline Dumbbell Press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Lateral Raises (Dumbbell or Cable) – 4 sets of 12-15 reps

  5. Tricep Dips (Weighted) – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  6. Close-Grip Bench Press – 3 sets of 8 reps

  7. Chest Flys – 3 sets of 12 reps

Day 2: Lower Body (Legs & Abs)

  1. Back Squats – 5 sets of 4-6 reps

  2. Bulgarian Split Squats – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  3. Leg Press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8 reps

  5. Lunges – 3 sets of 12 steps per leg

  6. Leg Extensions – 4 sets of 12-15 reps

  7. Cable Crunches – 4 sets of 15-20 reps

  8. Plank – 3 sets, 1-minute hold

Day 3: Upper Body Pull

  1. Deadlifts – 4 sets of 4-6 reps

  2. Pull-Ups – 4 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. T-Bar Rows – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  4. Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows – 4 sets of 10 reps

  5. Barbell Curls – 4 sets of 8-10 reps

  6. Hammer Curls – 4 sets of 10-12 reps

  7. Face Pulls – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Day 4: Lower Body (Hamstrings & Glutes, Abs)

  1. Conventional Deadlifts – 4 sets of 4-6 reps

  2. Hip Thrusts – 5 sets of 6-8 reps

  3. Leg Curls – 4 sets of 10-12 reps

  4. Walking Lunges – 3 sets of 12-15 steps per leg

  5. Glute Bridges – 4 sets of 12 reps

  6. Cable Woodchoppers – 4 sets of 12 reps

  7. Russian Twists – 3 sets of 20 reps

Additional Tips:

  • Tracking Progress: Keep a log of the weights and reps you're lifting to ensure progressive overload.

  • Recovery: Prioritize recovery by getting sufficient sleep (7-9 hours) and managing stress.

  • Diet: Ensure you're in a caloric surplus with plenty of protein (1.2-1.6g per pound of body weight), complex carbs, and healthy fats.

  • Supplements: Creatine, protein powder, and a pre-workout (if necessary) can help support your muscle-building efforts.

This 12-week plan is designed to progressively challenge your body, helping you build muscle through a combination of strength training and hypertrophy-based workouts.

Scar Soldier
Next

8 Week Strength Training: THE JUGGERNAUT