GST SIZE - 25 Weeks of Growth Trial
Get Warmed Up With This One-Week Program Trial
In this article:
Step-by-step guidance through a one-week trial of my new training program, GST SIZE - 25 Weeks of Growth.
Access to this trial’s editable eJournal.
A downloadable PDF of this trial.
What do you get when you mix 25 years of personal gym experience, 20 years of studying and research, 15 years of client experience, and a personal desire to spread knowledge to as many people as possible? You get me.
Hello, my name is Ryan Miller and I’m here to make you bigger and stronger, to help you build a professional-grade training program for yourself, to make you a better weightlifter, and last, but not least, to make you look great naked.
You’re here to start a one-week trial of my GST SIZE program. This trial will give you an introduction to some of the program’s concepts and a sample of the program itself.
This trial is an introduction to my GST methods and I hope you'll experience everything I have to offer by completing this trial and continuing with my new program, GST SIZE, for another 25 weeks.
Instead of immediately diving into the plan, I think it’s respectful of me to let you know what you’re getting with this trial, but to also let you know what you’re missing out on compared to the full plan.
OK, let's get into what is and isn't included with this trial. Here's what is included:
You’ll learn portions of my overall training philosophy, as well as my style and approach to gym programming and explaining training concepts.
You’ll receive a sample training cycle made up of effective, yet ‘one size fits all’ exercises. When you hop on the real deal GST SIZE program, that’s when customization kicks in.
You’ll experience AMRAP sets, which are a foundational piece of the GST SIZE program. AMRAP stands for As Many Reps As Possible.
You’ll determine baseline strength levels for many exercises, giving you the starting points to build on for weeks and months to come. This process is crucial to starting this program correctly and this trial teaches you how to do it.
Upon finishing this trial, you’ll have new knowledge and the ability to make an educated decision on whether or not you want to stick with me and GST SIZE.
Here's what is not included:
You will not experience the full effect of GST SIZE in just one week. This program has several foundational concepts and effects on your body that simply cannot be explored or felt in just one week.
Building your own program is such a rewarding experience. Before starting the full program, we take time to hand-pick your exercise choices and place them accordingly to build each of your training days around your wants and needs.
You will not perform every core exercise set/rep scheme found in the full program. Core exercise set/rep scheme rotation is hugely important and GST SIZE rotates those schemes weekly. You’ll need more than one week to experience every core exercise set/rep scheme and feel their individual benefits.
As with the core exercises, supplement exercises also rotate through their own unique set/rep schemes on a weekly basis. Being this is a one-week trial, you won’t see all of the supplement set/rep schemes and their respective benefits.
I wanted to make sure to keep all 25 weeks of GST SIZE interesting. I make it a point to provide training tips and knowledge throughout the entire program. While this trial provides tips and knowledge, it’s a small fraction compared to the full program.
There is an undoubtedly strong satisfaction that comes with completing a long-term task, especially one that is rooted in physical work. This trial will give you the satisfaction of taking the first step towards something bigger, but it will not give you the bigger rewards, which come from completing GST SIZE in full.
Just as that last point mentions, you need to start Week 1 to reach Week 25. I know you’re 100% ready to get to work in the gym, so let’s get into it!
I know a secret to results and that secret is mentally engaging programming. If you like your training, you’ll stick to it, have fun with it, and train harder. If it’s boring and generic, you won't. Trust me on this one.
Let's assume you continue past this trial week, which I really hope you do. When you start your full GST SIZE program, the first thing you’ll be guided through is exercise selection.
You and I will work as a team to design a program around your goals, abilities, and exercise preferences. Why do I want you making these choices? With you behind the wheel, you’ll like your training the most, which equates to a greater rate of success. Pretty awesome, right?
Since this is a trial, I’m going to keep my hands on the wheel and select the exercises for you. You will be following a selection of well-balanced exercises spread out across four training days; Squat Day, Press Day, Lift Day, and Pull/Overhead Press(OHP) Day. Each training day contains one or two primary core lifts and multiple supplement lifts, commonly known as 'the supps.'
Remember, my selection of balanced exercises applies to this trial only. When you want control of your exercise selections, start the full program.
The best schedule is the one you can stick with. Period.
Your exercises are listed above, and while this is just a one-week trial, I still want to talk about split scheduling.
To maximize your performance during this trial, it’s important for you to position your training days in a schedule that allows for proper recovery between lifting days.
I want to provide you with the most popular split schedule among GST users. If you can’t follow it as is, feel free to modify it to fit your life. Again, the best schedule is the one you can stick to.
Just remember this one rule when making your trial schedule: you are not allowed to lift weights more than two days in a row.
The schedule above is a 7-day rotation, which keeps each training day of the week the same from one week to the next. It’s consistent and manageable, which are both extreme contributors to success and results.
Note: Cardio can be placed into any training split, but during this program, it should not be so frequent or intense that it negatively impacts weight room performance.
Remember, the priority of this program is to build size. Performance in the weight room is most important!
It’s about that time! Now that you know the exercises you’ll be doing during each training day and how to position your training days during the week, it’s time to kick things off.
If you were starting the full program, we’d spend the first week determining challenging weights for each supplement lift and using a clever way to estimate each core lift’s one rep max (1RM).
While I could have you do the traditional core exercise 1RM determinations this week, I really want you to experience one of GST’s foundational training methods; the AMRAP set.
AMRAP stands for As Many Reps As Possible and an AMRAP set is simply one where you hit just that, as many reps as possible with a specific weight, only stopping due to muscle failure or form breakdown. AMRAP sets are not done during the full program’s first week, which is why we’re skipping over to the second week's protocol (for core lifts only). Clearly, I really want you getting some AMRAP sets in during your trial.
On that same note, we will be determining challenging weights for each supplement exercise, as it’s a great way for you to experience that process and for me to give you intense work at the same time.
The moment has arrived and you're ready to get going! We’ll begin with core work and finish with your supps.
The first thing you’ll need to do is estimate your one rep max (1RM) for each core lift. Whether you know it exactly, or have a rough idea, you’ll need to have a number in mind, as your working set weight is figured as a percentage of your 1RM.
This trial will specifically use 60% 1RM for each core lift working set.
Next, claim your territory and set up shop. Adjust the equipment, turn up your music, and do whatever else you need to do to get yourself into the training zone.
Warm-up: Perform multiple sets pyramiding up in weight, while decreasing in reps, as you approach your working set weight. Typically, 3-4 sets will get the job done.
Special Note: Chapter 6 of this trial focuses on warming up. Refer to my previous warm-up article for more information on this topic.
Once your warm-ups are complete, it’s time to square up with your working sets.
Working Set 1: 8-12 reps with 60% of your Core 1RM
Working Set 2: 8-12 reps with 60% of your Core 1RM
Working Set 3: As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) with 60% of your Core 1RM
Quick Tip: To calculate your 60% 1RM working weight, multiply your 1RM by 0.6. Here is an example; if your 1RM is 200lbs, calculating 200 x 0.6 gives a working set weight of 120lbs.
To be honest, there aren’t many situations in this program where I provide you with a variable rep range. I like to keep things concrete and simple, which works best for you. The less you need to worry about on your end, the more you can focus on working hard and never second-guessing yourself.
However, did you notice I’m allowing you to shoot for 8-12 reps for those first two working sets, aka not a specific number? This is one of those times you need to make the call on your own.
Here is the most important rule to follow in determining when to stop those first two working sets: always stop 1-2 reps shy of failure during non-AMRAP core exercise working sets.
This rule is made to benefit your recovery from one training day to the next and to boost your AMRAP set performance in the moment.
From a longer term perspective, frequent training to failure is hard on the body and mind and increases the need for recovery from day to day. And in the short term, approaching an AMRAP set immediately following multiple sets to failure is a bad idea. You’ll not only be more fatigued and increase your chance of injury, but you’ll certainly see a drop in performance.
Because it’ll be tempting to reach failure during those first two core exercise working sets, don’t forget the rule above!
During this week’s core exercise AMRAP sets, I’d personally aim to double the goal reps of working sets 1 and 2, meaning I’d aim for 16 to 24 reps. It is very common for your core exercise weights to feel 'lighter' during this trial. GST users often report big AMRAP sets and an instinctual urge to add more weight during their first 60% 1RM microcycle (this trial).
Don't add weight to the bar just because you feel like it. Stick to the calculated numbers and let the program do its job. trust me on this one.
Now that your core exercise work is complete, finish journaling your numbers, rest as needed, and move on to your first supplement exercise. Resting 3-5 minutes should get the job done.
The cores make up only a portion of your GST SIZE training days. The remainder of each session is filled with supplement exercises focused on the main targeted muscle groups that day, direct ab work, and possible weak point muscle groups.
Since this is a general trial, there will be no weak point training exercises. This is an aspect that only comes into play as part of an individualized full program.
GST SIZE utilizes multiple supplement exercise set/rep schemes and this trial leads you through one of them known as Scheme 2. Scheme 2 calls for 3 sets of 10 reps and stimulates muscle growth.
By determining your challenging weights for this scheme, you will be physically challenged throughout the trial week, and as a bonus, ahead of the game when you continue to the full plan. Finding these challenging weights is simple and it’s your next task. Read below for your directions.
As you did with your core lift, claim your equipment and get comfortable. Adjust the equipment you’ll be using and get back into your training zone.
Knock out one set of your first supplement exercise with a light load and hit around 10 reps. This set serves to further warm-up your joints and familiarize your nervous system with the proper movement pattern for the exercise. You need to get your body and mind in tune with the exercise you’re about to perform if you want to get the most out of each working set.
Once you’ve finished your initial light warm-up set, it’s now time to begin adding weight for a second warm-up set. Since you’re determining a challenging weight for 10-rep sets, load up roughly 75% of an estimate of how much weight you think you can handle for 10 reps. Perform a set of 3-5 reps.
You're now ready for your first working set. Load up the estimate of how much weight you think you can handle for 10 reps. Perform a set with a goal of 10 reps in mind.
If that last set was challenging near the end, but you hit 10 reps, don’t change anything and perform two more sets before moving on to the next supplement exercise.
If you feel there is room to increase the weight and still reach 10 reps, then increase the weight.
And finally, if the weight was clearly too heavy and you couldn’t hit 10 reps, reduce it for the next set.
In summary, the main goal with each supplement lift is to complete 3 challenging sets of 10 reps. Challenging, in this case, means you’re able to finish all your reps, but they’re strenuous near the end of each set.
If we imagine a rating scale with 1 representing the least strenuous and 10 the most strenuous, your final few reps of each set should fall in that 8-10 range.
I'll note that if you aren't able to hit 10 reps during all three sets, that's OK. It just means you have a fresh set of numbers to beat next time.
Special Note: Chapters 8 and 9 of this trial focus on rest periods and journaling. Refer to my previous rest periods article for more information on this topic. As for more information on journaling, I will be releasing an article on this next week.
While I will release my thoughts on journaling in a near-future article (hint, I view it as mandatory), I will provide you with an editable eJournal for this trial so you can record your numbers. Follow the directions below to access your journal:
Click the eJournal button.
Click on the File tab, select the Download option, and choose your preferred file type.
Download and open the file. You should now be able to edit, modify, and print the training journal file for your own personal use.
So far you’ve learned about training day exercise selections, split scheduling, exercise directions, rest periods, and journaling. We’re well on our way to you having a fantastic training week. Now that the training concepts have been covered, I have a message and some thoughts for you.
A training program will only be effective if it is built on proven and time-tested foundations. I’m not talking about concepts that look pretty on paper and contain fancy wording in their descriptions to make them seem important and revolutionary. I’m talking about concepts that flat out work. I’m talking about concepts that have passed the test of time in gyms around the world.
Many programs today try to be different and new, which is precisely where they go wrong. Those programs lose sight of what it really takes to build tons of size and gain loads of strength. When it comes to those programs, smart training takes a back seat to flashy titles, sales-geared terminology, and fake results claims.
Look, if a program claims to add a bunch of muscle or burn a boatload of fat in just a few weeks, its bullshit, and that program’s creator has made false claims for the sake of stealing your money. That’s right…stealing your money. They’ve sold out and are telling lies. I despise those people and view them as con artists trying to grab quick cash at your loss.
I’m simply not a man that believes in that type of behavior and I write off anyone who practices it. I refuse to operate in that manner, and you can be confident that I do everything I can to provide you with my best programming and services.
I am comfortable with my claims and am confident in telling you, that by using my GST programming, you will be anxious and excited to train, will gain strength in a realistic and steady manner, will steadily provide your body with the stimulus needed to create new muscle mass, and will learn what it takes to construct a well-rounded training program based around your needs, preferences, and goals.
Why am I confident in my claims? My personal survival, along with the survival of my family, is based on whether my clients and customers get results. A lack of results equates to a lack of clients and customers. I’m booked year-round with clients using GST and customers that are fully satisfied with their product purchases, such as GST SIZE.
On a personal note, I’ve experienced and continue to experience, the short and long-term effects of GST programming. It’s now time for you to decide if you’d like to experience these effects along with me. If you give me the opportunity to guide you through the next 25 weeks, I will provide you with the best experience I can and will be here to help you along the way.
This is a passion of mine and when you’re passionate about something, you only want to share it and help others experience it too.
I’ve racked my brain trying to make sure I’ve covered everything you’ll need to know to make this first week a success.
We’ve gone through what you will get/won’t get out of this trial, your daily exercise selections, popular split scheduling, core exercise directions, supplement exercise directions, warming up, rest periods, and some information on how I look at training and why I want to spread knowledge to you. I feel you now have the tools needed to get this trial week done.
Add in your ability to reach me directly at ryan@trainingwithryan.net and you should be confident when you hit the gym and kick off Day 1.
After your trial, begin your complete GST SIZE program by visiting:
Thank you so much for reading and participating and I'll talk to you soon,
Ryan
Been on Ryan's program two years. Everything the man says is true. Get on this.
Such an awesome freebie! Thank you!