28 Day Challenge - #4x4x4x4

This is me, 4 weeks ago... 16 sessions in the gym ago...

So why post now?

Well, have you had those ‘Fat blast in 28 Days!’ and ‘Get ripped in 4 weeks’ programs pop up in Facebook? I also had an interesting conversation about body types - mesomorphs and ectomorphs. I had been challenged as an ectomporph.

Over the summer I did see those advertised posts, and I thought why not? So I looked into the science and research behind it and it seemed like it could work. It seemed to be about heavy lifting, protein and High Intensity cardio. It was about shocking the body at a metabolic level with something new and extreme. Having lifted weights many years ago I thought I could set up my own ‘Get ripped in 28 days’ program.

I’d been given a 12kg kettle bell for my birthday and had really enjoyed using it and watching my strength slowly return over the last 3 months, so I would not be hitting this cold turkey.

So, what madness would I devise? What would a program entail?  Could I do it on my ‘regular’ diet? No protein shakes or concoctions for me.

I created the 4x4x4x4 challenge:

4 reps of near max weights – The first two sessions were a little hit and miss as I found my mark with the weights.

4 sets of these reps. Set 4 should be an almost fatigue struggle.

4 sessions a week – Two different routines to allow some muscle recovery and to target slightly different groups.

4 weeks of the 4 sessions a week. 4 Calendar weeks : 28 days baby, 16 extreme sessions in the gym…

Each rep of 4 exercises would be completed to a 4 minute schedule: A Tabata timed 20 sec timeframe for the 4 reps, with 10 seconds recovery. It might make more sense below:

Day 1 & 4 – The Bar	Day 2 & 5 - Dumbbells
Shoulder Shrugs x4 , Bicep Curls x4 , Military Press x4 , Triceps press x4 (Within 4 minutes)	Bicep Curl x 4, Shoulder rolls x4, Triceps extension x4 Single arm military press x4. (Within 4 minutes)
30 sec plank, 20 (10 each side) superman lifts	30 sec plank, 10 x whole body superman’s
Bench Press x4, Lat pull up x4, upright row x4, Bent over row (single arm) x4 (Within 4 minutes)	Single arm chest press x 4, Lat pull up x 4, Incline chest press x 4, Bent over row x 4 (Within 4 minutes)
2 x 25 sits or variations of.	45 sec plank x 2
Shoulder Shrugs x4 , Bicep Curls x4 , Military Press x4 , Triceps press x4	Bicep Curl x 4, Shoulder rolls x4, Triceps extension x4 Single arm military press x4. (Within 4 minutes)
30 sec plank, 20 (10 each side) superman lifts	30 sec plank, 10 x whole body superman’s
Bench Press x4, Lat pull up x4, upright row x4, Bent over row (single arm) x4	Single arm chest press x 4, Lat pull up x 4, Incline chest press x 4, Bent over row x 4
4 Minute Tabita	45 sec plank x 2

To top it off, each session would be finished with a 4 minute Tabata, High Intensity (HIIT) anaerobic session. In the first week this was pure high-speed work on the treadmill – 20 sec on @2:45 pace 10 sec instant ‘off’ recovery then the instant 20 sec ‘on’ session. I also upped the %incline on the treadmill each 2 sets to keep the intensity high. Repeat 8xs and you have your 4 minutes nailed!

Week 1 Day 1 Treadmill,  Day 2 Treadmill	Week 1 Day 3 Treadmill,  Day 4 Treadmill
Week 2 Day 1 Treadmill,  Day 2 Skipping	Week 1 Day 3 Treadmill,  Day 4 Stadium Box Jumps
Week 3 Day 1 Treadmill, Day 2 Burpees (Insane!)	Week 3 Day 3 Treadmill,  Day 4 Running Skip
Week 4 Day 1 Treadmill,  Day 2 Burpees	Week 4 Day 3 Cactus – hamstring issue,  Day 4 Treadmill

As you can see, it was very upper body heavy, but I wanted to hit the legs in with the anaerobic work.

Six (6) lifting sessions in...

To keep the workload high, I wanted to add 2.5kg to the bar at the start of each week, and 2.5kg to the dumbbells at on each ‘day 4’.

10 lifting sessions in...

I also wanted to maintain some EZ cardio, so I kept my long EZ run on the weekend – 55-65 minutes one of the weekend days.

The bar went from 27.5kg to 37.5kg in the 16 sessions, and the dumbbells went from 10kg to 17.5kg for the last week.

14 sessions down...

So, did it work? I think so. I am definitely much stronger, and my pants a little looser. Physically, I can see a little difference, my photos may or may not back up my words…

And 16 sessions complete!

#Happyaz! #28dayscanbedone!

Do you think I’ve made any change? Have you tried something similar? Did it work? I’d love to get the discussion started, so hit me up below.

Big thanks to Leigh and the #refinetribe at Refine Training, Kew for the support and advice and listening to my post lifting and HIIT babble..

Cheers, The Fish