The Troy Workout Program
Alright gents, a while back I did a poll on Twitter to see what kind of physique most guys would like to have. I listed some key actors and the films they starred in. The results were interesting.
The top two actors were:
1. Brad Pitt (Troy)
2. Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
And I have to agree with you guys. I remember watching Troy back in 2004 and thinking:
“Holy crap he looks good. Great physique. I want that.”
And that was before I even started lifting(!) Once I started lifting in 2010, I watched the film again and was even more motivated.
In the film Troy, Brad Pitt’s aesthetics are pretty much what you would call universally appealing. Women crave that kind of physique. Most men will agree that it looks good too. You’ll get the occasional bodybuilder ‘bro’ who will knock it, but their opinions usually get a little distorted somewhere along their bodybuilding journey.
Does the vast majority of the population think that Ronnie Coleman looks better than Brad Pitt?
Absolutely not.
And that’s all you need to know.
Why does the Troy physique (regardless of Brad Pitt’s facial aesthetics) hold so much appeal?
Muscle
Whilst low body fat is the most important factor in determining how defined and chiselled your physique will look, people often overlook the first step – the foundation building.
Without muscle, you’ll look like a skinny kid. Muscle comes first, getting shredded comes second. You need the infrastructure in place first. Without that, your physique has no hope of ever looking as good as it could do.
How much muscle?
Not actually that much. But enough. I would guess at his height (6’0), probably about 20 pounds (which funnily enough, is a number I’ve quoted a lot). There is also a focus on the chest, shoulders and arms, which most people will universally agree look good on a man.
You can gain 20 pounds of muscle in a year if you train very hard and eat a small, consistent calorie surplus. And you’re a beginner.
If you’re not a beginner? Great, you’re even closer then.
If you’re a brand new beginner with some fat to lose, the calorie surplus is actually not a requirement. You can eat at a calorie deficit of 10% and gain solid muscle. Experiment with calorie tracking to see how many you need to maintain your bodyweight, then reduce this figure by 10%.
Now, if you’re leaner, or you’re not new to weight training, then you want to increase this number by 10%.
It’s a numbers game, folks.
But you also want to emphasise protein, healthy fats, keep it clean (no sugar and no alcohol). Brad Pitt DID NOT get his Achilles physique eating junk food or drinking alcohol.
No, there was too much money on the line (to look a certain way), and he damn well knew it.
Keep it clean.
Low Body Fat
Although muscle-building comes first chronologically-speaking, the biggest factor is going to be leanness. You can be the biggest, strongest guy in the world, but you’ll look like shit if you’re over 15% body fat. Shit relative to the Achilles physique, anyway.
People always ask me:
How do I get a narrow waist?
A v-taper?
A six-pack?
Abs? Striations? Cuts? Veins?
It’s all the same – good ol’ fat loss.
Knowing how to burn body fat is an absolutely critical skill for the vast majority of the Western population. Obesity levels are higher than ever before:
- In the UK, there has been a 15% increase in “obese” adults since 1993.
- It’s a very similar trend in the US, with most states experiencing a 15-20% increase in obesity rates since 1990.
And that’s just obesity. I dread to think how many people are mildly overweight….
So if you’re not currently overweight or obese, there’s a good chance you could be headed that way in the future. Learning how to lean out is critical for both your health AND your aesthetics. So, how do we lose fat and get the Achilles physique?
Here we go:
- Intermittent Fasting
- Morning coffees
- Cardio every day
- Drop your calories by 10% (once you’ve built your muscle)
- Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
- Get most of your protein in at meal #1 (1pm for IF)
- Save most of your carbs for the evening.
- Eliminate sugar & alcohol. Both are simply bad habits that make life hard for yourself.
This is a critical part of the program. All of the above are designed to make fat loss as easy as possible for you. It’s never a walk in the park, but the above will get you blasting towards the Achilles physique as easily as is possible for you.
For your carb sources, focus on sweet potatoes, boiled potatoes, rice, fruit and veggies. Pasta and bread MAY be acceptable, depending on your stomach and how active you are. They are a grey area.
Getting rid of junk food and alcohol will be complete game-changers – get them done.
How long does this take?
Depends how much fat you have to lose. A good rule of thumb is 2% body fat per month, with minimal screw-ups on your part.
The Achilles physique is approximately 10% body fat.
So if you’re currently 25%, then this will take you about 7.5 months. If you’re currently 15% body fat, it will only take 2.5 months.
The more things you do on the above list bulleted, the less screw-ups you will commit. Very important.
The V-Taper
Brad Pitt has an excellent v-taper in Troy. This means a narrow waist and broad shoulders. It looks great to just about everyone, and is a primal indicator of physical fitness. The reptilian, ‘lizard’ part of the human brain instantly sees someone with this look and thinks:
Good hunter, good fighter.
They don’t think this in a logical, thought-out sense, but their subconscious assumes it.
If we want to put numbers on this kind of look, the Adonis ratio is a good general figure to shoot for:
Your shoulders should be 1.61* wider than your waist.
Obviously there’s two components to this – you can build your shoulders up or lose fat, or both. Most people think that it’s all about doing side raises and hammering your medial delts – it’s not. A solid v-taper starts at the lats.
If you want a great v-taper, focus on:
- Pull-ups
- Overhead presses
- Side raises
But notice that pull-ups come first, as they will provide the wide base for your v-taper to be built on.
If you’re a beginner, you can use assisted pull-up machines. These will do the exact same thing as pull-ups, but the level of resistance will be perfect for you. If you’re already a stronger guy, get the belt on, and attach some weight around your waist.
Beginners – You NEED to get to the point whereby you can do pull-ups without assistance.
But here’s an important hack that makes this goal infinitely easier for you – the more fat you lose, the easier each pull-up becomes for you, which leads me to the other component of achieving the Adonis ratio:
A narrower waistline.
Drop your calories, drop your carbs, and keep this up for several months. BOOM.
The Troy Training Program
Alright then, here’s what you’ve been waiting for – the training program itself. First thing first, a couple of general pointers.
The Achilles physique is quite a difficult one to achieve, and nothing great comes easy. It sure as hell took me long enough. Therefore it will take a decent amount of time in the gym per week.
As naturals, we can’t get away with only training each muscle group once per week. Ain’t gonna work. It needs to be twice per week. We’re also going to mix and match with the rep schemes whilst focusing on maximum muscle growth.
WEEK 1
Monday (Upper):
Incline Bench Press – 4 sets of 10 @ 65% of your 1RM
Cable Rows – 4 sets of 10-15
Side Raises – 3 sets of 20
Curls – 3 sets of 20
Tricep Extensions – 3 sets of 20
Tuesday (Legs + Core):
Squat – 3 sets of 10 @ 65% of your 1RM
Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 10-15
Hamstring Curls – 3 sets of 20
Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20
Planks – 3 sets for maximum time
Cardio – 20 minutes HIIT (sprints, cycling, skipping, swimming) (30 seconds max intensity, 2 minutes rest)
Thursday (Upper):
Standing Overhead Press – 4 sets of 6 @ 75% of your 1RM
Pull-Ups – 4 sets of 10 (assisted, bodyweight, or weighted)
Side Raises – 1 set to failure
Curls – 3 sets of 20
Tricep Extensions – 3 sets of 20
Friday (Legs + Core):
Stiff Legged Deadlift – 3 sets of 6 @ 75% of your 1RM
Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 10-15
Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20
Planks – 3 sets for maximum time
Cardio – 20 minutes HIIT (sprints, cycling, skipping, swimming) (30 seconds max intensity, 2 minutes rest)
WEEK 2
Monday (Upper):
Incline Bench Press – 4 sets of 6 @ 75% of your 1RM
Cable Rows – 4 sets of 10-15
Side Raises – 3 sets of 20
Curls – 3 sets of 20
Tricep Extensions – 3 sets of 20
Tuesday (Legs + Core):
Squat – 3 sets of 6 @ 75% of your 1RM
Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 10-15
Hamstring Curls – 3 sets of 20
Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20
Planks – 3 sets for maximum time
Cardio – 20 minutes HIIT (sprints, cycling, skipping, swimming) (30 seconds max intensity, 2 minutes rest)
Thursday (Upper):
Standing Overhead Press – 4 sets of 10 @ 65% of your 1RM
Pull-Ups – 4 sets of 10 (assisted, bodyweight, or weighted)
Side Raises – 1 set to failure
Curls – 3 sets of 20
Tricep Extensions – 3 sets of 20
Friday (Legs + Core):
Stiff Legged Deadlift – 3 sets of 10 @ 65% of your 1RM
Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 10-15
Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20
Planks – 3 sets for maximum time
Cardio – 20 minutes HIIT (sprints, cycling, skipping, swimming) (30 seconds max intensity, 2 minutes rest)
After you have performed both weeks, cycle back to week 1 and increase the weights you used for the:
- Incline Bench
- Squat
- Overhead Press
- Stiff-legged deadlift
By 2.5%. So you’re no longer doing 65%, you’re doing 67.5%. And the 75% figure goes up to 77.5% also.
Keep doing this until you stall (stop making progress).
When you stall on any given movement, reduce the weights by 10% for that movement only, and then start again. This way you keep the gains going for each body part that is capable of it, rather than missing out on potential gains just because one body part isn’t doing quite as well.
It’s time to get the Achilles Physique. Good luck!