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Jason Cameron Workout

by Brandon Guarneri

Jason Cameron is undoubtedly one of the fittest 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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Comments

RealityCheck said…
Jason is da bomb! Seeing him on Desperate Landscapes is a big motivator for me because he's such a friendly, good natured guy but his body is my ideal.
Not sure I'll ever be as built as he is, but it's worth the try!
29 December 2009 at 17:47
tazman said…
^.^ keep on goin' dude.. some day you gonna achieve that..
25 April 2010 at 00:52
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