James Grage Rewired 9 Week Fitness Trainer

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Rewired will help you build muscle and lose fat, but it goes beyond that. This training program is also efficient, sustainable, and can easily be integrated it into the average work week. From the fitness personality test to the training and nutrition plans, Rewired is designed to help you create quality habits so you can make lasting change.

The training program is divided into three, 3-week phases. Each phase is specially designed to help you build lean muscle while slowly whittling away your body fat. The workouts are built on time-efficient, advanced training techniques, progressive overload, and cardiovascular work. You’ll generally be in and out of the gym in 45 minutes so you can get back to work, your kids, or enjoying other activities.

Each workout is laid out in detail across the Rewired daily training pages, but this quick overview will explain the main tenets of the program and give you a look under the hood. Take a peek before you hit the gym!

“Rewired is designed to help you create quality habits so you can make lasting change.”

Phase One

The first three weeks of the Rewired program utilize supersets. Using sets in the 10-15 rep range, many exercises are paired with a movement which works the opposite side of the joint. For instance, a biceps movement will be paired with a triceps movement. These exercises will be trained back to back with no rest. You’ll actively stretch one muscle group while the other fills with oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood.

On each successive set of a given exercise, you will increase the weight and do fewer repetitions. This technique is referred to as a “half-pyramid” or “ramping.” You’ll take a short rest after you’ve done both exercises.

During this phase, you will begin each workout with cardio training. Utilize moderate-intensity, steady-state cardio as part of an extended warm-up to build a cardio foundation for the next phase.

Phase Two

Phase two of the Rewired 9-Week Trainer takes what you worked on in the first three weeks and builds upon it. You will still pair exercises in superset fashion, but now you’ll use two or three movements for the same muscle group. Using different movements for the same muscle groups will stress and build them in a more complete fashion. This technique, often referred to as a “compound set,” will recruit muscle fibers which did not engage during the first exercise.

Like you did in Phase One, you’ll increase the weight and decrease the reps for each set throughout Phase Two. You’ll also take a short rest between sets.

You’ll notice that, during this phase, your training has been split into two distinct sessions. The first session is a 30-minute steady-state cardio workout, and the second is your resistance workout. You don’t necessarily have to split the cardio into a separate session. If your training time is extremely limited, just knock out as much cardio as time allows before you lift. It never has to be “all or nothing.”

“Using different movements for the same muscle groups will stress and build them in a more complete fashion.”

Phase Three

During the final phase, you’ll reach the peak of training intensity. At a glance, the workouts in this phase have the same principle as the previous phase: multiple exercises for the same body part are trained back to back, though a bit heavier. During these last three weeks, though, you utilize special techniques called “pre-exhaustion” and “dropsets.” These methods will increase your training intensity and help you make big changes.

“During this phase, you’ll take a new approach and use high-intensity interval training (HIIT).”

The first movement in the phase three exercise groups will be a single-joint isolation exercise that specifically targets a particular muscle. After fatiguing that specific body part, you’ll immediately move to a compound movement. Pre-exhausting specific muscles will ensure that they get stressed during compound movements, forcing them to grow.

After you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions to failure on your compound movement, reduce the workload by 30 percent and knock out another 4-6 repetitions. This technique, referred to as a dropset, will guarantee a higher level of growth because you recruit more muscle fibers during each set.

In prior phases, you’ve been training with steady-state cardio. During this phase, you’ll take a new approach and use high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Instead of spending all of your time on a treadmill, your cardio will start with a prescribed number of bodyweight exercises which will develop your athleticism and conditioning. Perform these movements back to back at a high intensity, followed by five minutes of moderate-intensity work on the elliptical. This short active recovery time will allow you rebuild your energy before repeating the bodyweight cycle.

The Rewired Split

Although the workouts will include different exercises and modalities, you’ll work the same muscle groups on the same days throughout the next nine weeks.

Day One: Arms
Day Two: Legs
Day Three: Chest
Day Four: Back
Day Five: Shoulders, Calves, Abs
Day Six: Active rest
Day Seven: Active rest

Active Rest

You’ll be working hard five days per week, so you can use two days per week as rest days. I recommend Saturday and Sunday. Depending on your fitness level and rest needs, you can use one or both days to do something lightly active. Go on a hike with your family or play tug-of-war with your dog. If you feel really sore, do some foam rolling and mobility work.

Some people will feel that they need at least one full rest day to recover completely. If this is you, take a day to recharge and get excited for the upcoming week. Your muscles need to rest in order to grow.

You don’t have to take both rest days in succession. With two rest days per week, you can always move your workouts around if your schedule gets incredibly hectic. If you’re busy, have to travel, or an emergency comes up, you have the freedom to move a workout to later in the week.