The New Body 28 (TNB-28) Workout
Muscle building training for everyone!
Most people are not interested in building the mass of a heavyweight bodybuilder and they aren’t going to tan up, pump up and flex in posing trunks or a teeny bikini onstage under a spotlight. But I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t interested in staying lean and developing a more sculpted physique. I developed the TNB-28 plan with that in mind.
This program borrows some of the most effective techniques from bodybuilding and physique sports, used by the leanest, most muscular people in the world, and combines them in a program that fits the goals and lifestyles of regular people. Only 4 workouts per week are required.
This workout can be done a gym or at home. If you train at home, the minimum equipment you'll need is free weights, a bench and a rack, and you may need to substitute some machine exercises for free weight exercises. You can also change exercises if you need to based on whether you have any injuries or joint pain you need to train around or based on personal preferences.
You can also modify these workouts to fit busy schedules by including more supersets (pairs of exercises done back to back with no rest in between).
This program works equally well for men and women. Men will achieve the natural muscular look (think Men’s Fitness cover model or all-natural bodybuilder if you want to take it further). Women will sculpt a curvaceous “hard body” with feminine muscle in all the right places in just the right amount. Follow this plan and you’ll get stronger as well as more muscular, because there's a strength and hypertrophy component to the workouts.
Wherever your body is now, this plan will take your physique to the next level. The TNB-28 program will challenge you even if you’re already in good shape, because you can increase the difficulty level and repeat the 28-day cycles more than once, each time hitting new personal records and new peaks in your condition.
In all my years as a fitness pro, this style of training split has always been the most popular, most talked-about, most effective type of resistance training program for the average man or woman who is not a professional physique competitor, while also being used by athletes as well. This is a training plan for everyone.
This program has also been tested for years in our Burn the Fat Inner Circle community, and what you’re getting here is the newest evolution of the plan.
TNB-28 Training Split
TNB-28 uses a 2-day split:
Day 1: Upper Body
Day 2: Lower Body and Abs
TNB-28 Training Schedule
TNB-28 requires 4 workouts per week. The standard schedule has you training Monday, Tuesday, Thursday And Friday, leaving the weekends off. You can customize the weekly schedule and train on different days if you prefer, (For example, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday), but ideally not 4 days in a row.
The first two workouts of the week combine hypertrophy ("muscle") and strength, including some exercises with heavier weights and lower reps. The second two workouts in the week are pure hypertrophy workouts.
Monday: Upper Body Strength And Muscle
Tuesday: Lower Body and Abs Strength And Muscle
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Upper Body Muscle
Friday: Lower Body and Abs Muscle
Saturday: Off
Friday: Off
TNB-28 Training Intensity and Loading Cycle
Instead of trying to go all-out at every workout, every week, TNB-28 uses a 4 week (28-day) cycle of gradually increasing intensity and loads. After 4 weeks, you drop back the intensity again and then repeat the cycle of increasing intensity and load attempting to beat the last cycle.
Most people go through 3 28-day cycles 12-weeks, then change most or all of the exercises and repeat.
Week 1: Introductory loading: Intensity is low. No sets taken near failure. No attempt to increase weights over previous workouts.
Week 2: Base loading: Intensity is moderate. No sets taken to complete failure, but the final reps of each set should be hard (about 1 or 2 reps in reserve). Attempt to increase weight or reps over previous week whenever possible.
Week 3: Overloading: Intensity is moderately high. All sets should be moderately hard. Some sets may be taken to failure where it's safe and appropriate*. Attempt to increase weight or reps over previous week whenever possible.
Week 4: Shock (PR) Loading: Intensity is high. All sets should be hard. Most sets pushed to within a rep of failure and many sets taken to failure as long as it's safe and appropriate*. Attempt to increase weight or reps over previous week whenever possible. Drop sets or rest pause sets may be used to ensure overload.
*For safety and to avoid over-training, exercises that are technique intensive like squats, Romanian deadlifts and so on, and exercises where it's possible to get stuck under a bar like bench press should not be taken to failure.
TNB-28 Workout Exercises
Workout 1: Monday upper body strength/muscle
A. Barbell rows, 4 sets X 4-7 reps
B. Chin ups* 3 sets X 8-12 reps (*alternate: lat pulldowns)
C. Barbell bench press 4 sets X 4-7 reps
D. Incline dumbbell press 3 X 8-12 reps
E. Barbell shoulder press 3 sets X 6-10 reps
F. Dumbbell lateral raise 3 sets X 8-12 reps
G1. Lying tricep extension 3 sets X 8-12 reps (superset)
G2. Barbell curls 3 sets X 8-12 reps (superset)
Barbell Rows (upper back)
Chin Ups (upper back)
Bench Press (Chest)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (Chest)
Barbell Overhead (aka "military") Press (shoulders)
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (shoulders)
Lying Tricep Extension (Triceps)
Barbell Curls (Biceps)
Workout 2: Tuesday, lower body and abs, strength/muscle
A. Barbell squat 4 sets X 4-7 reps
B. Dumbbell split squat (static lunge) 3 sets X 8-12 reps
C. Barbell Romanian deadlift 4 sets X 4-7 reps
D. Lying leg curl machine 3 sets X 6-10 reps
E. Seated calf raise 3 X 15-20 reps
F1. Hanging knee raise 2-3 X 10-15 reps
F2. Reverse crunch 3 sets X 15-20 reps
G. Plank 3 sets X 30-60 seconds+
Barbell Squat
Dumbbell Split Squat (Thighs)
Barbell Romanian Deadlift (hamstrings / posterior chain)
Lying Leg Curl (Hamstrings)
Seated Calf Raise
Hanging knee Raise (abs)
Reverse Crunch (Abs)
Plank (Abs/Core)
Workout 3: Thursday, upper body, muscle
A. Barbell row 3 sets X 8-12 reps, 1 set X 15-20 reps
B. Lat pulldowns 3 sets X 8-12 reps
C. Barbell Bench press 3 sets X 8-12 reps
D. Incline dumbbell flyes 3 sets X 8-12 reps
E1. Dumbbell shoulder press 3 sets X 8-12 reps
E2. Bent over dumbbell lateral raises 3 sets X 8-12 reps
F1. Tricep Pushdown (cable) 3 sets X 8-12 reps (superset)
F2. Incline dumbbell curls 3 sets X 8-12 reps (superset)
Barbell Rows (upper back)
Wide Grip Pulldown (Lats/upper back)
Bench Press (Chest)
Incline Dumbbell Flyes (Upper Chest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Bent Over Lateral Raises (Rear Deltoid)
Cable Pushdowns (triceps)
Incline Dumbbell Curls (Biceps)
Workout 4: Friday lower body, abs, hypertrophy
A. Barbell squat 3 sets X 8-12 reps, 1 set X 15-20 reps
B. Leg press 3 sets X 8-12 reps, 1 set X 15-20 reps
C. Leg Curl 3 sets X 8-12 reps
D. Low back extension 3 sets X 8-12 reps
E. Standing calf raise 3 sets X 15-20 reps, 60-90 sec rest
F1. Kneeling cable crunch 3 sets X 15-20 reps
F2. Lying leg raise/toes to sky 3 sets X 15-20 reps
G. Side plank 3 sets X 30-60 seconds
Barbell Squat
Leg Press (Thighs)
Lying Leg Curl (Hamstrings)
Low Back Extension
Standing Calf Machine
Kneeling Cable Crunch (abs)
Leg Raise / Toes to Sky aka "hip lift" (abs)
Side Plank (obliques / core)
The New Body 28 (TNB-28) Workout Logsheets (EXCEL spreadsheet and PDF versions)
To increase your accountability and make tracking your workout progress easy, I've created a set of logsheets designed specifically for the TNB-28 workout program (as seen in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle). The TNB-28 workout uses a 2-day upper - lower body split routine. There are 2 different upper body workouts and 2 different lower body + abs workouts, for a total of 4 workouts, and there is a logsheet for each separate workout.
TO DOWNLOAD THE EXCEL WORKOUT LOGSHEETS CLICK HERE
TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF WORKOUT LOGSHEETS CLICK HERE
If you have any questions email me or post questions in the Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle Facebook Group
Recommended reading: To learn more, refer to chapter 16 and chapter 17 in the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book. In Chapter 16 you'll learn the 10 resistance training myths that hold you back from achieving your best body, and you learn the 9 Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle weight training principles...
In chapter 17, you get the entire Muscle Primer workout program including the weekly schedule, plus details on equipment, warm up, adjusting the weight and reps and when to advance to the next level of workout.
You also get the complete New Body 28 (TNB-28) workout program, including details on equipment, alternate exercises, the exercise rotation system, weekly workout schedule options, customization tips and the four week periodization schedule.
If you're a new visitor and you don't have the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book yet, be sure to get your copy today at your favorite bookstore or just go to Amazon.com
Tom Venuto, author
Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle
PS. Don't forget to join us at the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Facebook group! Social support is the "missing element" of fitness and fat loss success, and our Facebook support group is free! CLICK HERE: www.facebook.com/groups/8863719906