Shock Your Body
TV host Jason Cameron proves that switching up your routine is the key to new growth
by Brandon Guarneri
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Jason Cameron is undoubtedly one of the fi ttest guys in the nation. But the personal trainer and star of three shows on the DIY Network—Man Caves, Desperate Landscapes, and Project Extreme—wasn't eligible for our annual MF 25 because, well, he works for us! (Hey, we actually read the lawyers' fi ne print.) In May, he hosted our inaugural Men's Fitness Ultimate Athlete competition in New York City. "Getting results is all about forcing the body to adapt to stimuli you're not used to," he says. To maximize his workout results, Cameron switches his routine every four to six weeks.
By switching his scheme every so often, Cameron ensures that he's hitting his body in a different way, which leads to new growth. "Phase training is a very effective method for the intermediate or advanced athlete to ensure continuous progress," says Cameron. "The more your muscles mature, the quicker they tend to adapt to exercise." This is his compound, tri, and giant set phase, and Cameron cautions that it's not for beginners. It's fairly high-volume, and (supposedly) fairly low intensity, but you can be the judge of that. Make sure to take a few minutes of rest in between each set. You'll need it.
THE BASICS
Cameron trains twice a day, six days a week, with moderate volume, but he'll alter that if he reaches a plateau. "If the weight I'm lifting goes up, the volume goes down," he says, "and vice versa." Although Cameron sometimes trains each body part separately, he recommends sticking to total-body routines focused around supersets (two moves, back to back, training different body
parts) and compound sets (two moves, back to back, training the same body part) to intensify the workout. "Shorter rest periods make it way more intense," he says.
Note: A compound set is accomplished by doing two different exercises back to back, with no rest in-between, for the same muscle group. A compound set should not be confused with a Superset, which in contrast, is doing two different exercises back to back for opposing muscle groups.
Note: Monitor your Heart Rate during your cardio. You should aim for and maintain a Target Heart Rate of 80 - 90% of your Maximum Heart Rate during exercise and drop to 60 -70% during recovery
Monday - AM Cardio /Abs
5 min. cardio warm-up on treadmill
Hanging Knee Ups - 3 Sets/ 15 reps
Swiss Ball Jackknifes - 3/15
Swiss Ball Oblique Crunch - 3/15
Bridge (Elbows on Swiss Ball) - 3 @ 60 Sec.
Swiss Ball Crunch - 3/15
20 min. Stepmill - moderate intensity
20 min. Treadmill - 4min. fast walk/1min. sprint intervals
10 min. Row Machine - moderate intensity
Monday - PM Back
10 min. cardio warm-up on treadmill
5-10 min. mild stretching
First Compound Set
Wide Grip Pull-Ups (weighted) - 3/10-12
Seated Row (wide/elbows out grip)
Straight Set
Standard Deadlift - 4/10-12 (no belt)
Second Compound Set
Close Grip Pulldowns - 3/10-12
Close Grip Seated Rows
Tuesday - PM Chest
10 min. cardio warm-up on treadmill
5-10 min. mild stretching
First Compound Set
30° Incline Dumbbell Fly (pronated grip) - 4/10-12
30° Incline Barbell Press
Second Compound Set
-20° Decline Dumbbell Fly - 4/10-12
-20° Decline Barbell Press
Third Compound Set
Standing High Cable Crossover - 3/10-12
Standing Low Cable Crossover
Wednesday - PM Sprints/Plyos
10 min. warm-up jog
10 min. Static Stretching (focus on hips, hams & quads)
40, 60 & 80 yard sprints (followed by 1 min. recovery periods) - 3-4 sets each.
Cone Drills (lateral & front hops) - 15-20 min.
Box Drills (jumps & pushoffs) - 15-20 min. recovery periods.
Thursday PM - Shoulders
Standing DB Lateral Raise superset with Seated Dumbbell Press - 4 sets
Barbell Upright Row superset with Barbell Front Shrug - 4 sets
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise superset with Bent Over DB Lateral Raise - 3 sets
Friday AM - Cardio/Abs
Incline reverse crunch - 3 sets
Lying hio thrust - 3 sets
High cable woodchop supserset with low cable woodchop - 3 sets
Lying crunch with feet elevated - 3 sets
20 min. stairclimber or elliptical
20 min. treadmill
Friday PM - Legs
Leg extensions superset with barbell squats - 4 sets
Smith machine split squats super set with lying leg curl - 4 sets
Romanian deadlifts superset with seated calf raise - 4 sets
Saturday AM - Bi's/Tri's
Close Grip Bench Press superset with Barbell Curls - 3 sets
EZ Bar Lying Skull Crushers superset with EZ Bar close grip Preacher Curls - 3 sets
Alternating Dumbbell Kickbacks superset with Alternating Dumbbell Concentration Curls - 3 sets
Sunday - Rest
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