Are you ready to take your body to the next level? You’ve come to the right place.

I’m Jeremy Scott, certified personal trainer, nutrition specialist, cover model, and author, and I’m here to kick your butt—into the best shape of your life. For the next eight weeks, you’re going to train smart and hard to build muscle and get ripped.

You’ll be doing a variety of compound lifts, classic bodybuilding exercises, functional movements, mobility work, and metabolic training to transform your body. This program is just the balance of real science and bro-science you need to get bigger, stronger, and even leaner.

Outside of the gym, you’ll be focusing on eating for the body you want. That means whole, nutrient-dense foods and taking in enough calories—and the right macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat)—to fuel your body to perform and grow. You won’t be following a strict meal plan, though. Instead, I’ll teach you how to calculate the nutrients you need so you have the information and flexibility to nail your nutrition beyond these eight weeks.

Today, I’m smacking you with everything you need to get started: your full training program, your nutrition guidelines, and a grocery list that’s bursting with options.

Training

Ready to pack on the muscle? You’ll follow this workout plan throughout the entire eight-week Bulk Up program. Before we break down your training sessions, check out my biggest lifting tips:

Rest Time: Don’t speed through your sets! Take your time and really focus on your time under tension in each exercise. It’s not just about pushing load; it’s about feeling the muscle working and getting fatigued. Give yourself between one and two minutes of rest between sets and really zone in on the muscles you’re working in each set.

Proper Loads: This is not a contest, and nobody cares how heavy you think you can lift. Find a load that challenges you, but that you can always lift with proper form. When you can reach or surpass the number of reps for a given exercise consistently, then—and only then —should you add more weight.

Rep Ranges: I’ve found that muscle-growth magic tends to occur somewhere around the 10-rep mark for most movements. But everyone is different, so track your reps and weight week-to-week and adjust your rep scheme as needed. You can always start out lifting a little lighter for more reps.

Exercise Changes: Movements can be modified for various reasons, whether you don’t have access to a certain piece of equipment or have a mobility issue (like in your knees, hips, or ankles). If you feel a much better contraction and ‘pump’ doing front squats instead of back squats, do your thing. Finding what works best for you and your body is key in every program.

Here’s your weekly programming breakdown:

• Day 1: Legs
• Day 2: Chest & Triceps
• Day 3: Metabolic Conditioning
• Day 4: Back & Abs
• Day 5: Mobility & Foam Rolling Work
• Day 6: Shoulders & Biceps & Calves
• Day 7: Mobility & Foam Rolling Work

On all lifting days, you’ll preface your workout with some mobility prep work. Move through either the upper-body or lower-body mobility moves depending on the muscle groups you’ll be training afterward.

(Download the Mobility Prep moves in PDF form HERE.)

Here’s the full breakdown of the workouts you’ll be crushing for the next two months:

(Download your full training plan in PDF form HERE.)

Nutrition

As you know, your nutrition plays a huge role in your ability to pack on the muscle. You’ll get more specific information about how to properly fuel your body for major gains a little later, but for now keep these general guidelines in mind throughout the day. Then, check out my go-to grocery list to make sure you’re stocked on quality proteins, carbs, fats, and pantry staples so you’ll know what to put on your plate—keep an eye out for information on how much of these foods you’ll want to eat throughout these eight weeks! I’ll flesh it all out in a separate article.

The ‘Bulk Up’ Daily Nutrition Commandments

1. Consume lemon water upon waking and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Proper hydration is key for performance, and lemon provides vitamin C, which is good for your immune system and cells!
2. Consume protein and vegetables (the greener the better!) at every meal. Veggies are packed with micronutrients for optimal overall health, while protein is the building block of all muscle. If you want to build lean mass, it’s vital that you consume enough protein throughout the day.
3. Take a high-quality daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics (healthy bacteria) are important for overall gut health while supporting digestive function and bolstering your immune system.
4. Plan for all of your day’s meals. If you know you will be eating out or traveling, plan accordingly so that your day’s overall nutrition is still on-target. Preparation is key in building the body you want. Pack snacks and meals, if necessary!
5. Don’t keep junk food in the house—if you can’t resist temptation, eliminate it completely. This way, when a craving hits you’ll have to make a choice to leave the house to make an unhealthy food choice.
6. Pre- and post-workout nutrition matters! If you prefer to train fasted in the morning, go for it—as long as you feel like you have the energy to really train hard. Otherwise, go for a mix of carbs and protein before you hit the gym. (Just make sure you count this snack toward your daily macronutrient goals, which we’ll get to next week!) And remember, it’s crucial to eat quality carbs and protein post-workout so your body can send these nutrients into your muscles to jumpstart recovery. I like a one-to-one ratio of carbs to protein after a workout. If you find you’re not gaining muscle at that ratio, up your snack to a two-to-one ratio of carbs to protein.
7. Focus on eating whole, real foods whenever possible. You can fill in gaps (especially with protein) with a supplement. It’s called supplementation for a reason! Don’t rely too heavily on powders when you have whole foods accessible, though.

To help you prep your kitchen for clean gains, use this grocery list the next time you hit the supermarket. You’ll stock up on all the good stuff, with none of the junk:

(Download your Bulk Up Grocery List PDF HERE.)