30 10 30 Metabolic Challenges

Purchased by Karthik Kalaimani (karthikkalaimani@gmail.
com)
Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 1

Purchased by Karthik Kalaimani ([email protected])
EXTREME HIT
- -
30 10 30
Metabolic Challenges for
Building Muscle
The 4-Week Plan For
The Ultimate High-Performance Body
Ellington Darden, Ph.D.
World Renowned Strength-Training Expert
The material in this plan is for informational purposes only and is

not intended as a substitute for the advice and care of your phy-
sician. As with all new exercise regimens, the program described
in this plan should be followed only after first consulting with your
physician to make sure it is appropriate to your individual circum-
stances. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibil-
ity for any adverse effects that may result from the use or applica-
tion of the information contained in this plan.
© 2021 by Ellington Darden, PhD
Published by T Nation LLC
ISBN-13: 978-0-9773063-2-9
Photos on pages 5 and 26 by Rafael Tongol.
About Ellington Darden, PhD
Ellington Darden was director of research for Nautilus Sports/

Medical Industries for 20 years (1973-1993). He has trained thou-
sands of bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts as part of
his ongoing research.
Here is a list of Ellington's accomplishments:
• Authoring 75 books, with a combined total of 7-million copies

sold, including The Nautilus Bodybuilding Book, ranked #1 Sports
Paperback of the year by the American Booksellers Association,
and The Nautilus Diet, rated the most highly acclaimed
diet of the year by USA Today.
• Writing more than 400 fitness articles published in 88 techni-

cal journals and magazines, including Strength & Health, Muscular
Development, Iron Man, Muscle & Fitness, Shape,
Athletic Journal, and Runner's World.
• Receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Physical

Education from Florida State University (2020).
• Serving as one of the Healthy American Fitness Leaders elected

by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1989).
• Competing in AAU bodybuilding contests and winning 17 titles,

including Jr. Mr. Oklahoma (1964), Mr. Texas (1969), Mr. Florida
State (1969), Mr. South (1970), and Collegiate Mr. America (1972).
CONTENTS
ONE ��We Built an Athlete Over

Christmas Break
TWO ��Two 30-Second Negatives
Make a HUGE Difference
THREE ��Working More Muscle Fibers:
Inroading
FOUR ��The 30-10-30 Program Explained
FIVE ��Week 1: The System Shocker
SIX ��Week 2: Pushing Legs for
Overall Growth
SEVEN ��Week 3: Emphasizing
Shoulders and Chest
EIGHT ��Week 4: Hitting Calves
NINE ��Finisher "Gains" Week
TEN ��Improving Results: Fueling Gains
With Elite Workout Nutrition
ELEVEN ��Exercise Tips and Cues
CHAPTER
ONE
We Built an Athlete
Over Christmas Break
"If we can pull it off, we'll have a huge story," I heard

over the phone. Tim Patterson of Biotest was call-
ing me about a special project he had in mind to pro-
mote 30-10-30.
My 18-year old son Tyler was coming home for

Christmas break. Tim noticed we had just enough
time to put him through the entire four-week 30-10-
30 program before heading back to college at Florida

State University. "If we can get Tyler to agree to do
it, I bet we can build elite-level fitness while adding
15 pounds of muscle to his body," was the next thing
out of Tim's mouth.
I thought, "That's a big challenge, especially during

the holidays," but it's the kind I like. So we quick-
ly grabbed a calendar and carved out the days. Tim
was right; we could squeeze in 14 workouts, plus a
finishing week, and some time at the start and end
for tests and measurements.
We pulled it off. Tyler performed all the workouts as

planned, and he got in top-level condition cutting his
workout times in half — but he didn't gain 15 pounds
of muscle . . .
He gained 17 pounds of muscle in 14 workouts while

unintentionally losing 2.4 pounds of fat.
Here's the rest of Tyler's story.
Tyler's Results
At 6-feet 2-inches tall, Tyler entered my garage gym
for his first workout weighing 197 pounds at 9.8
percent fat.
Thirty-five days later, after 14 workouts, Tyler fin-

ished the program weighing 211.5 pounds. The
scale showed a net gain of 14.5 pounds, but body
composition analysis revealed he also lost 2.4
pounds of fat.

Again, that's 17 pounds of muscle mass from

14 workouts.
It's important to back up and look closely at the fifth

week — the finisher week — at how those gains ac-
cumulated on his body. Notice the weight fluctua-
tions Monday through Thursday, and the 6.5-pound
gain over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember
this when you're in your gains week.
Day Activity Weight Progress

Sun 30-10-30 Workout 204.5
Mon Rest, Posing 206.5 +2 lbs
Tue 10-30 205.5 -1 lb
Wed Rest, Posing 208.5 +3 lbs
Thu 10 Workout 205 -3.5 lbs
Fri Rest, Posing
Sat Rest, Posing 209.5 +4.5 lbs
Sun Gains day 211.5 +2 lbs
Rest Days Are Gains Days

Obviously, the rest days are gains days, and the rea-
son we used the fifth week as a gains week. We
wanted an entire week devoted to realizing those
hard-earned pounds of muscle. We backed off the
intensity and included finisher methods to facili-
tate recovery.
Even though Tyler's finisher week was planned,

watching the muscle weight accumulate was not
only interesting, it made me realize the mistakes of
my past and what it cost me . . . I've left some of my
best results on the table by not allowing for a few ex-
tras days of growth.
Just remember, everything you're doing in weeks

one through four is setting you up for a winning
fifth week. Use that to motivate you to work hard. It
will pay off.
Metabolic Challenge Workouts

The exercises that made up his 14 workouts are list-
ed consecutively in Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8. Each
workout required Tyler to move quickly between ex-
ercises — usually in 20 seconds or less.
We pushed the workout pace hard enough for true

metabolic conditioning, while building muscle. The
average time per workout was 12:32 minutes.
Although no performance tests were administered,

I've trained enough athletes who were tested to
know that Tyler's muscular and cardiorespiratory
systems are in top condition.
Arm, Chest, and Thigh Inches

Tyler packed an average of 1 inch on each arm, al-
most 5 inches on his chest, 2 inches on each thigh,
and .75 inch on each calf. That's a huge transforma-
tion that fellow students noticed immediately after
seeing Tyler return from Christmas break.
Measurements Before After Increase

Upper arms 14" 15" 1"
Chest 41" 45.75" 4.75"
Thighs 24" 26" 2"
Calves 16" 16.75" 0.75"

As a proud father, I say . . . Good job, Tyler!
Moving On to You
The major contributing factor in Tyler's success is the
exercise methods and techniques of 30-10-30. Re-
member, make getting well-conditioned and getting
big your equal goals, as one drives the other.
The next few chapters are going to open the doors

of your mind and body. You're going to learn new in-
formation that will produce a development level that
you couldn't otherwise attain.
You're going to have training days, gains days, and

even a gains week.
You're going to use posing to teach muscle how to

contract efficiently, harden the body, and pump nutri-
ents into muscle.
You're going to experience Metabolic Chal-

lenge training and understand the power of its
12.5-minute pace.

CHAPTER
TWO
Two 30-Second Negatives
Make a HUGE Difference
Every trainee knows lifting a weight and lowering a
weight is called a repetition, or rep. The lifting part is
called the "positive" and the lowering part the "nega-
tive." And most trainees know negatives are the king
of muscle growth.
What you don't know is, I have been experiment-

ing with new discoveries that enhance the effects of
negatives to produce a much faster rate of muscu-
lar growth.
One of my most-effective methods is called 30-10-

30, which involves performing two 30-second nega-
tives, in a certain way, with 10 optimized reps be-
tween them. Done correctly, 30-10-30 triggers HUGE
improvements on your training gains.
HIT: Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle

HIT stands for High-Intensity Training. I created this
acronym in 1975 while giving a seminar at Duke Uni-
versity, which I used to describe training the muscu-
lar system and cardiovascular system at the same
time. A more descriptive term for HIT is metabolic
challenges for building muscle.
Studies show that metabolic challenges produce

high levels of muscular strength and high levels of

cardiovascular endurance (VO2 max) — both from

the same workout. Furthermore, I've found the car-
diovascular challenge component is key in enhanc-
ing muscular growth and recovery.
Metabolic conditioning is achieved by NOT taking

extra time between exercises. You must move be-
tween cycles in no more than 30 seconds. Each new
week requires faster in-between times so that you're
able to receive the maximum benefit by the end of
the program.
Just imagine what happens to your metabolic pro-

cesses if you push your muscular and cardiovascular
systems to the limits by moving 15 seconds or faster
between the 30-10-30 cycles. Visualize a heart rate
of 190 beats per minute and muscles pumped and
deeply fatigued throughout a body that's gasping for
air and drenched in sweat.
Can you handle this challenge — repeatedly?
Athletes conditioned with metabolic challenge train-

ing have the ability to exert brute force for long peri-
ods of time. They are very strong and very enduring.
The 30-10-30 method will develop championship

levels of conditioning and performance that are oth-
erwise unattainable. This 4-week plan contains the
exact blueprint for achieving this ultimate level of
development.

CHAPTER
THREE
Working More Muscle Fibers:
Inroading
Failure Versus Inroad

One important rule of HIT was to do as many rep-
etitions as possible, to lift until momentary mus-
cular failure. Failure became the primary focus of
HIT. Trainers and trainees became obsessed with
it, claiming: "If you're not getting the maximum re-
sults from HIT, it's because you're not really going
to failure."
I've observed many personal coaches get into the

faces of individuals and challenge their manhood, if
they couldn't complete those last one or two reps.
And I've been guilty of the same thing.
While developing 30-10-30, I realized that failure

training is not only unnecessary, it prematurely limits
the number of muscle fibers stimulated. I found you
can stimulate a lot more muscle fibers, going deeper
inroad into the working muscles, by using special-
ized negative methods.
For example, 30-second negatives before and after

10 optimal reps, do not end with failure — they stop
when you finish 30 seconds — but they stimulate a
lot more muscle fibers.

When I say 10 "optimal" reps, I'm referring to a

weight that permits 10 reps, using absolute perfect
form, that's at least TWO reps short of failure. And
when in doubt about weight selection, opt for light-
er. Trust me; deeper inroad will always deliver the
best results.
Ten optimal, positive/negative repetitions pump

blood and fluid into the working muscles and ac-
tivate strong crossbridge bonds in the fibers. Per-
forming a slow, 30-second negative on this type of
pumped muscle will feel less demanding than failure,
but it will produce more growth stimulation.
Just as important, the inroad method — inroading —

is also less taxing on the nervous system than failure.
Training to failure places devastating demands on
the nervous system that hinder performance, impede
recovery, and ultimately lead to overtraining.
Now I know better. Instead, I focus on completing

the numbers. I will even reduce the resistance during
the cycle to avoid failure while achieving the desired
number of reps.
Properly performed, 30-10-30 creates a deeper in-

road of muscle-fiber stimulation. That deeper inroad
produces more of the muscular growth process,
which is your goal.
Inroading, Chaos, and Extreme HIT

I believe the combination of inroading and metabolic
conditioning is the best way to build muscular size,
strength, and the ultimate fit body. I now know how

to direct your results from 4 weeks to 8 weeks, from

9 weeks to 16 weeks . . . right up to 12 months and
longer . . . with what I call Extreme HIT.
Some of what I've learned deals with chaos. Your

workouts must supply variety and uncertainty.
Planned chaos is beneficial to the muscles and sys-
tems because it leads to rapid adaptation and mean-
ingful growth.
Properly performed, Extreme HIT will take your meta-

bolic and muscular conditioning to a supercharged
level of performance. If sports are your passion, it
will turn you into a competition beast.
Have you ever wanted to be Big, Strong, and

Relentless?
Now you have the plan.

CHAPTER
FOUR
The 30-10-30 Program
Explained
The Two Most Important Factors

You can only lock your attention on ONE thing at a
time. During a workout, I want to have one primary
objective when performing an exercise, and anoth-
er primary objective when moving between exercis-
es. Each plays a critical role in building muscle size,
strength, and work performance.
1) Work Muscle Fibers NOT Weights: During an exer-

cise, don't think about lifting the weight. Instead,
focus your sole attention on the quality of each
muscular contraction — the contracting and the
un-contracting of the muscle. Don't get ahead
of yourself by thinking, "I've got three more reps
to go." Stay in the moment and savor the feel of
contracting muscle. Be an elite-level muscle con-
tractor. The weight is an external force that you
adjust to achieve the desired level of fiber fatigue.
During exercise, the immediate goal is stimulating
as many muscle fibers as possible — not lifting
heavier weights.
2) Strive to Reduce Time Between Exercises: After an

exercise cycle, switch your attention to workout
pace — as if your life depends upon it. Strive to
reduce time between cycles and not letting your

foot off the gas until the workout is finished. At

first, you may have to take a full 30-seconds rest
between exercises. Reducing between-cycle time
is progressive, from week to week. The important
thing to remember is, each workout pace must be
its own challenge. Over four weeks, you will be-
come a workout beast, requiring only a few sec-
onds to move from cycle to cycle. Conditioning
VO2 max like this — during full-body workouts —
stimulates more muscle growth and melts fat like
nothing else.
The First 30-Second Negative

For most exercises, you'll need to lift the weight into
the contracted position in preparation for the first
negative rep. Once fully secured in the contracted
position, squeeze the contracted muscles and begin
the 30-second negative. Keep the movement smooth
and deliberate, thinking about nothing but slowly un-
contracting muscle. Glance at a wall clock or some-
thing in easy view to manage time. Don't permit the
timekeeping from distracting you from your primary
goal of feeling and visualizing the muscle work.
The Last Half of the Negative Is

More Important
Not all parts of the range of motion have equal value
in creating the negative effect for maximum growth.
I've found the last half becomes increasingly more
important all the way into the stretched position. I
recommend taking 10 seconds for the first half and
20 seconds to complete the last half of the negative
rep. At the stretched position, perform an exquisite

— smooth — turnaround to begin your first optimal
positive rep.
10 Optimal Positive Reps

Coming out of the bottom position of your first
30-second negative, the goal is to smoothly increase
speed of movement of the first rep so that you are
performing at a speed of one second up (positive),
two seconds down (negative). Again, focus on put-
ting your mind in the middle of exquisitely smooth,
rhythmic muscle contractions and un-contractions.
The goal is to fill the working muscle with blood and
nutrients while fatiguing its fibers. You want to nail
the 10th rep with plenty of capacity left to squeeze
the contracting muscle in preparation for the most
important rep — the finishing 30-second negative.
The Second 30-Second Negative

Performing a 30-second negative on an optimally fa-
tigued and nutrient-loaded muscle is the whole point
of the preceding 10 repetitions. Keep that purpose in
mind to motivate you to perform the last perfect, in-
tensely painful negative rep. Be mindful of the work-
ing muscle and savor the feeling. Again, slow down
the last half of the rep, taking 20 seconds to move
into the stretched position, where you end the move-
ment by gently landing at the endpoint and relaxing
the working muscles.

The 10-30 Middle Workout

Doing 30-10-30 every workout is too much for the
body to handle, and would soon stagnate progress.
So omit the first 30-second negative from the middle
workout of each week. Start with 10 reps and on fin-
ish the last positive rep with a 30-second negative.
Dial in the Weights and Don't Change Them

The 30-10-30 plan has a unique and highly effective
progression model. Instead of adding more resis-
tance each week, you're going to keep the weights
mostly the same and increase the intensity in these
two specific ways:
1) Reduce time between exercises each week.

2) Add one more exercise to the workouts each week.
I've found the combined effect of reducing train-

ing time and increasing exercises produces the
greatest gains in athletic performance and muscle
mass. Furthermore, if you dial in the correct weights
at the beginning of the program, most often, you
won't be able to increase resistance during the four-
week program.
I did not increase the resistance during Tyler's

4-week program, and he gained 17 pounds of mus-
cle and lost 2.4 pounds of fat. In fact, I overestimat-
ed some of his starting weights, which I had to re-
duce as he progressed through the plan. Looking
back, I believe Tyler would've gotten even better re-
sults had he started lighter.

Obviously, add resistance if an exercise is too easy,

but only then.
Weight Selection: Underestimate the Load

Using a weight that's too heavy will derail the exer-
cise effects of 30-10-30. On the other hand, within
reason, it's difficult to select a weight that's too light.
The best starting weight for an exercise is about
30-percent less than your 10-rep maximum. For ex-
ample, if you're able to perform a maximum of 10
reps with 100 pounds, use 30 percent less, or 70
pounds for the 30-10-30 protocol.
I can't emphasize this enough: Your job is to contract

and un-contract muscle, not lift progressively heavi-
er weights. Do your job — don't increase the weight
unless it's absolutely required — and trust the 30-10-
30 protocol to deliver the results.
Do Not Go to Failure!
Hitting failure on an exercise is a warning sign to
LOWER THE WEIGHT next time. Failure will re-
duce the number of muscle fibers stimulated, un-
duly stress the nervous system, and impair recovery
and gains.
Keep Accurate Records

Hitting the prescribed numbers within the allocated
rest periods using the correct resistance is the exact
goal. The idea is to do your best on each exercise
without going to failure while keeping up with the

workout pace. So if the weight is too heavy, make

a note to lower it next time. If it's too light, add just
enough resistance next time to hit the numbers.
You won't have enough time to take detailed notes

during training if you don't have a training partner.
Here are three time-saving notation examples you
can jot down after each muscle event:
Notations Meaning
√ Selection is perfect.
30-8-20 -10 Lower 10 pounds next time.
+10 Add 10 pounds next time.
Only ONE Set — No More

The 30-10-30 method is so efficient at fatiguing
muscle fibers and stimulating growth, only one set
of each exercise is required for maximum effects
— no more. Furthermore, it's all the body can toler-
ate. If you feel like doing another set — if you can
do another set — you haven't performed the first set
correctly.
I've found that only one set works best with the
loading methods I use, and there's no way to make
up for poor performance or lower intensity with
extra sets.
Three Times Per Week Is Best

I've trained thousands of people with three full-
body workouts per week (on nonconsecutive days).
I found this three-day per-week schedule works best
for gaining muscle size, strength, and performance

capacity. Most individuals train Monday-Wednesday-

Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.
The Posing Effect

I want you posing six days a week. Why? Posing
teaches you how to contract muscle efficiently and
bring up lagging body parts; it pumps nutrients into
the muscle and enhances recovery. Posing can make
a decisive change in your appearance, your ability to
contract muscle, and your athletic performance. Be-
sides, it's addictively fun.
Here are the five poses I want you to practice:
1. Double biceps
2. Side chest (left and right)
3. Lat spread
4. Abs and quadriceps
5. Most muscular
Stand in front of a mirror and strike each pose 3-4

times. Hold each pose for about five seconds. Flex
the muscles about 80 percent as hard as possible.
You want to feel a good, sold contraction, but not to
the point of shaking.
This is a whole workout you could do every day.
Take Before-and-After Photos and

Measurements
You won't be able to quantify your results if you don't
take accurate before-and-after photos and mea-
surements. If we didn't take before-and-after photos

and measurements of Tyler, there wouldn't be a suc-

cess story to tell. There wouldn't be a headline that
read, "Tyler Darden Gained 17 Pounds of Muscle in
14 Workouts." Furthermore, we wouldn't have known
which program adjustments to make and when to
make them.
So if you ever ask for my help on the Ellington

Darden Coaching forum, and I hope you do, I'm go-
ing to ask you for measurements and workout num-
bers. If you can't provide them, I won't be much
help. I'd just be guessing.
So get motivated, learn to like it, and get it done.
Before-and-After Photos
1. Front relaxed hands-on-top-of-head pose

2. Front flexed double-biceps pose
Before-and-After Measurements
1. Body weight
2. Upper Arm (left, right)
3. Chest
4. Thigh (left, right)
5. Calf (left, right)
Daily Body Weight Measurements
Weight will fluctuate throughout the day, so you

should weigh yourself a couple of times per day
to develop a pattern. Here are three weigh-in op-
tions; choose two and stick with them throughout
the program:
• First thing in the morning.

• Prior to training.
• Before evening meal.
The most important consideration with taking mea-

surements and photos is consistency. Take the mea-
surements and photos the same way each time, un-
der the same circumstances, with the same clothing
for photographs. The only thing that changes is your
body. Everything else should remain the same.
A Brief Note on Food, Hydration, and Sleep

Food is secondary to training, but it's still important.
Tyler consumed at least 3,000 calories each day;
520-840 came from advanced workout nutrition.
He also hydrated his body daily with 2,000 mL of the

Plazma™ formula and the Mag-10® formula. A large
volume of water is important in delivering these key
nutrients to the involved muscles. Don't cut back on
your water consumption. You must be well-hydrated
for your muscles to respond properly.
Extra rest and sleep is a must. Growing muscles

need from 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Also, a
20-minute nap in the afternoon is beneficial.
Stronger than "Exercises" and "Workouts"

The nouns "workout" and "exercise" are not accu-
rate for metabolic challenges for building muscle.
Needed are new terms that are more defining and
much stronger to emphasize the differences and im-
portance of these two components.

You're not simply doing exercises, you're performing

independent Muscle Events.
Furthermore, you are not going through workouts.

Similar to decathletes, you're competing in a series
of muscle events, called Metabolic Challenges.
You must do what it takes to "win" each muscle

event — deeply fatiguing the muscle fibers — while
managing energy and nervous-system levels to suc-
cessfully complete the metabolic challenge — put-
ting as much quality into the last muscle event as
the first.
Successful performance of muscle events and com-

pleting the metabolic challenge demand your equal
and undivided attention and commitment.
Perfect Practice Produces Perfect Results

I've done the best I know to provide the ultimate plan
for gaining muscle size, strength, and performance
capacity. I'll be on the Ellington Darden Coaching fo-
rum on T Nation to answer questions and provide
coaching advice. But now I'm turning it over to you.
You're in charge of putting into practice the princi-
ples, methods, and techniques of 30-10-30.
Be a perfectionist in executing the plan details, just

like a pilot strives to be a perfectionist with the de-
tails of flying an airplane. It's up to you and you alone
to perform the work as outlined perfectly.
With the 30-10-30 program, you'll train three times

per week. As you progress each day and week, I've
adjusted the exercise selection, exercise order, the
middle-day loading method — dropping the first

30-second negative — to keep the body sensitized
to adaptation.
My Final Directive: Your Mission

If you select the correct starting weights, perform
each rep exactly as described, and continue to re-
duce the time between exercises — reread the two
primary two objectives — you will make the best
gains of your life.
I believe 30-10-30 — performing negative-based

methods on optimized fatigued muscle — is the
missing element that completes HIT and deliv-
ers the promised extreme results everyone's been
looking for.
When it comes to coaching, I'm old school and

keep it simple and direct. So here's my final chal-
lenge to you:
If you want the gains . . . do the program.


30-10-30 Guidelines
1. Train Three Days per Week.
2. Condition the Whole Body with

Metabolic Challenges.
3. Perform 30-Second Negatives

with 10 Optimal Positive Reps.
4. Move Quickly Between

Muscle Events.
5. Focus on Inroading Muscle

Fibers, Not Lifting Weights.
6. Do NOT Train to Failure.
7. Underestimate Weight
Selections.
8. Pose Six Days per Week.
9. Keep Accurate Records.
10. Take Before-and-After Photos

and Measurements.

CHAPTER
FIVE
Week 1:
Metabolic Challenges 1-3
The System Shocker
"Why can't I do more than six exercises for the first
Muscle Challenge?" I usually get that question from
trainees. The answer I always give is, "If you select
the correct weights and keep up with the workout
pace, you'll barely make it through all six exercises.
Each week you'll be adding one more exercise to
each metabolic challenge. For now, let's see if you
can get through the first six."
Most trainees have trouble with the last two exercis-

es, everyone gains respect for the power of 30-10-
30, and no one ever asks for more exercises a sec-
ond time.
Things to remember:
• Focus on the working muscles during each rep of

every muscle event.
• Move quickly between muscle events, with no
more than 30-seconds rest.
• Start the first rep of each muscle event on or be-
fore the 30-second mark.
• Dial in the weights for the rest of the plan.
• Don't overestimate the weight — when in doubt,
go lighter.

MONDAY
METABOLIC CHALLENGE 1
The System Shocker
Muscle Events
1. Leg Extension Machine
Method: 1 x 30-10-30 Rest: 30 Seconds
2. Leg Press Machine

3. Bench Press with Barbell

4. Bent-Over Row with Barbell

5. Overhead Press with Barbell

6. Biceps Curl with Barbell

Method: 1 x 30-10-30 Rest: Finished

WEDNESDAY
The System Shocker
Muscle Events
Method: 1 x 10-30 Rest: 30 Seconds



5. Reverse Curl with Barbell

6. Triceps Extension with Dumbbell

Method: 1 x 10-30 Rest: Finished

FRIDAY
The System Shocker
Muscle Events
1. Leg Curl Machine






CHAPTER
SIX
Week 2:
Pushing Legs for Overall Growth
Emphasizing legs can produce the greatest over-
all growth on the body from something called the in-
direct effect. When one muscle grows in response
to exercise, the entire muscular system grows to a
lesser degree, even the muscles that aren't direct-
ly worked. The larger the muscle that's growing, the
greater this indirect effect will be.
Things to remember:
• Push the pace with no more than 25-seconds rest.

• Use the squat with dumbbells and the squat with
barbell, if the leg extension, leg curl, and leg press
machines aren't available.
• Done back-to-back, these free-weight exercises
will get your attention quickly.
• Challenge yourself, especially on all the leg
exercises.

MONDAY
Muscle Events
2. Leg Curl Machine







WEDNESDAY
Muscle Events
1. Leg Curl Machine





7. Sit-up on Decline Board


FRIDAY
Muscle Events
2. Leg Curl Machine







CHAPTER
SEVEN
Week 3:
Emphasizing Shoulders and Chest
I've never seen a person who had shoulders that
were too broad. And one of the best ways to in-
crease shoulder width is to apply a technique called
pre-exhaustion. Pre-exhaustion is moving quickly, in
less than 3 seconds, from a single-joint exercise to a
related multiple-joint exercise.
For example, this week, you'll be doing dumbbell lat-

eral raise immediately before overhead press with
barbell. The lateral raise effectively pre-exhausts
your deltoids, and the overhead press forces your
deltoids to a deeper level of fatigue by bringing in
your triceps.
You'll definitely feel your shoulders working overtime

during this cycle. You'll also get a thickening effect
throughout your chest when you do the bench press
in the same workout — especially when you perform
bench press immediately after overhead press in
Metabolic Challenge 9.
Things to remember:
• Push the pace with no more than 20-seconds rest.

• Pay attention to the 3-seconds-rest on pre-ex-
haustion sets.

• Keep your attention on smoothly contracting and

un-contracting muscle.
• Practice good form in the lateral raise with
dumbbells.
• Initiate the lateral raise with the deltoids,
not the arms.
• Keep your neck and face relaxed during
the movement.

MONDAY
Muscle Events
1. Lateral Raise with Dumbbells*
2. Overhead Press with Barbell*


4. Leg Curl Machine

5. Squat with Dumbbells




*The muscle events in Bold Italics are done in a pre-exhaustion style.
Take no more than three seconds to get from one muscle event to the next.

WEDNESDAY
Muscle Events








FRIDAY
Muscle Events


4. Bench Press with Barbell*

5. Leg Curl Machine





CHAPTER
EIGHT
Week 4:
Hitting Calves
Calves are one of the focal points to the entire body,
yet they are often neglected and poorly understood.
Because the calf raise is such a short-range move-
ment, it's essential that you emphasize full-range lift-
ing and lowering on each repetition.
Breaking the standing calf raise down into four parts

will help you get every possible fraction of an inch
out of the movement. Wear flexible running shoes
with secure grips on the soles.
Things to remember:
Stand with the balls of your feet on a sturdy four-inch

block and do the following:
• Raise your heels as high as possible.

• Attempt to go higher by standing on your toes.
• Lower your heels slowly to the stretched position.
• Try to go lower by extending and spreading
your toes.

MONDAY
Hitting Calves
Muscle Events
1. Calf Raise on Machine
Method: 1 x 30-10-30 Rest: < 20 Seconds


4. Lateral Raise with Dumbbell


6. Pulldown on Lat Machine


8. Leg Curl Machine



WEDNESDAY
Hitting Calves
Muscle Events
Method: 1 x 10-30 Rest: < 20 Seconds

3. Lateral Raise with Dumbbell



6. Calf Raise Machine



FRIDAY
Hitting Calves
Muscle Events



5. Lateral Raise with Dumbbells




9. Calf Raise Machine


CHAPTER
NINE
Finisher "Gains" Week
Pack on as Much Muscle as Possible
You should've experienced some pretty good gains
at this point of the program. But if you're like my son
Tyler, I expect you will see your best results during
this finishing week. To prepare for the days ahead,
I want you to go back and reread We Built an Ath-
lete Over Christmas Break. Pay careful attention to
Tyler's weight fluctuations and where he gained 6.5
pounds the last two days of the program.
Things to remember:
• Motivate yourself with only two metabolic chal-

lenges this week.
• Don't skimp on advanced workout nutrition; it will
fuel extra muscle mass.
• Be mindful that your best gains might come on the
last day of this week.
• Use body-weight increases to evaluate progress.

MONDAY
Muscle Events
1. Leg Curl Machine








WEDNESDAY
Muscle Events
Method: 1 x 10 Rest: < 20 Seconds




6. Triceps Extension with Barbell



Method: 1 x 10 Rest: Finished

CHAPTER
TEN
Improving Your Results:
Fueling Gains with
Elite Workout Nutrition
I pride myself on being factually accurate. If I believe
it's true, based on convincing evidence, I say it. Peo-
ple who've read some of my previous books know
that I've been critical of dietary supplements. I've
written that most workout supplements were a waste
of money and that you can get the same effects from
eating regular whole foods.
I'm now going to say that I was partially wrong. I

say "partially" because I still believe most work-
out supplements sold today aren't worth buying.
However, I do know of at least two formulas, made
by Biotest, that are effective and make a big dif-
ference in the 30-10-30 outcome. I estimate Tyler
gained 6 to 7 pounds of extra muscle due to taking
these products.
The only problem is they're expensive, and I don't

want you thinking it's a required part of the 30-
10-30 plan.
What if You Can't Afford the Supplements?

If you're not going to use the recommended supple-
ments, you need to be very detailed with your diet.

Don't worry, in this case, being detailed isn't difficult.

Just follow three important guidelines:
1) Eat Big to Get Big. Don't just eat big on train-

ing days – also eat more on non-training days,
because that's when you do the majority of
your growing. By eating big, I mean consum-
ing as much as you want. In some cases, eat
more than you want. Just make sure you're get-
ting most foods from fresh and minimally pro-
cessed sources.
You also need to set aside your fears about

carbs. Carbohydrates are a requirement for build-
ing muscle fast. If you fail to set aside your carb
phobia, you'll cut your progress by about half.
Don't worry. You won't notice any fat gain from
eating more carbs during this program. In fact,
Tyler actually lost 2.4 pounds of fat.
2) Get Enough Protein. By now, you probably can see

that I don't care much about counting calories.
The one thing I do care about counting is grams
of protein. It's essential your muscles get enough
protein to grow at the rate we're asking them to
grow in the 30-10-30 program. The best science
we have on the subject says weightlifters interest-
ed in maximizing muscle protein synthesis should
take about 0.735 grams of protein per pound of
body weight. Here's what that looks like for vari-
ous body weights:
110 grams a day for a 150-pound lifter


Obviously, you don't want to eat all of that pro-

tein at once. Divide it as equally as you can be-
tween meals.
3) Drink Plenty of Water. The lack of proper hydration

will negate the results of the entire plan. Muscle's
greatest component is water, so make sure you're
drinking at least 2,000 to 4,000 mL of water each
day, especially around the workout period.
A final word on diet, think about it this way: Con-

sume enough food, protein, and water to grow. All
the rest will fall into place.
The 30-10-30 Peri-Workout Nutrition Protocol

You might view what I'm about to tell you as a sup-
plement promotion — and in a way it is — but it's
also factual. As part of my 30-10-30 program, I use a
peri-workout nutrition protocol that I believe signifi-
cantly enhances muscle gains.
Tyler followed the protocol, and I believe it enabled

him to recover much faster and played a signifi-
cant role in him gaining 17 pounds of lean mass in
14 workouts.
That 17-pound gain also came with a 2.4-pound fat

loss. The combined effect went well beyond my ex-
pectation. It's one of the best I've ever seen, and I
can't see him getting a better outcome.
The peri-workout nutrition we used involves two spe-

cialized supplements from Biotest:

1. Plazma™ Workout Formula

2. Mag-10® Anabolic Pulse
Both supplements are well designed and sci-

ence backed. Here are product descriptions for
both formulas:
Plazma™ powder and Mag-10 powder contain high- ®
ly structuralized dipeptides and tripeptides from ca-

sein hydrolysate (HSDT-peptides) that transport
directly into the bloodstream without further break-
down. Once in the body, HSDT-peptides produce an
anabolic pulse of amplified protein synthesis. The net
effect is rapid-rate muscle gains and increased fat
loss. Here are some of the powerful effects of HS-
DT-peptides:
• Increases muscle gain by 70% over whey hydroly-

sate (Demling RH, 2000).
• Enhances nutrient uptake in muscle, directly af-
fecting AMP-activated protein kinase signaling in
the cell (Iwasa M, 2020).
• Improves VO2 max performance significantly and
reduces exercise-induced muscle soreness (Saun-
ders MJ, 2009).
• Doubles fat loss over whey hydrolysate (Demling
RH, 2000).
• Increases levels of powerful metabolic regulator
FGF-21, which improves insulin sensitivity in mus-
cle (Fangmann D, 2020).

Dosing Instructions
Here are the dosing instructions for training days and
off days. We worked out this schedule for Tyler and
found it works the best.
Workout Days
Plazma™ Formula Dose Protein Carbs Cal.
20 Min. Pre Workout 500 mL 15 g 38 g 210
Workout 500 mL 15 g 38 g 210
Post-Workout 500 mL 15 g 38 g 210
1 Hr. Before Bedtime 500 mL 15 g 38 g 210
Total 2000 mL 60 g 152 g 840
Off Days
Mag-10® Formula Dose Protein Carbs Cal.
First Thing AM 500 mL 20 g 11 g 130
Mid-Morning 500 mL 20 g 11 g 130
Mid-Afternoon 500 mL 20 g 11 g 130
1 Hr. Before Bedtime 500 mL 20 g 11 g 130
Total 2000 mL 80 g 44 g 520
Nutrient Timing, Volume, Uptake

On workout days, you must preload an entire 500-
mL dose 20 minutes before training. The reason
being, you want to fully load the body and use its
circulating insulin to help drive the nutrients into rest-
ing muscle in preparation for the upcoming work-
out. Preloading also makes a noticeable difference
in achieving a much higher and sustainable level of
performance.

Receiving the maximum benefits from Plazma™ dos-

ing necessitates you to do what's tantamount to an
IV push. This means you need to drink the entire
dose as fast as possible (obviously without chok-
ing). The body will quickly absorb the nutrient-rich
fluid and virtually dump the entire dose into the
bloodstream.
The whole dose, consumed at once, is designed to

produce the desired effects. In contrast, taking thirty
minutes to nurse down the fluid isn't going to work
nearly as well.
The Elite Muscle Kit

Biotest has created an Elite Muscle Kit that provides
all the Plazma™ and Mag-10® powders and materials
you need for the 4-week 30-10-30 plan. Here's what
the kit includes:
Product Units
Plazma™ powder 3
Mag-10® powder 3
Nalgene 2000 mL mixing bottle
® 1
Nalgene® 1000 mL serving bottle 1
Fisherbrand™ funnel 1
Biotest also is offering a 20-percent discount:
Elite Muscle Kit Amount

Regular price $450.00
Discount -$90.00
Special price $360.00

I know that even after the discount, the kit is pricy.

It's also worth it from my perspective. I certain-
ly want all the gains I can get from my efforts in the
gym. Based on my experience, Plazma™ and Mag-
10® supplements provide effects that are a value for
the price.

DOSING SCHEDULE
NO. DAY TRAINING PLAZMA* MAG-10*
1 Mon 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
2 Tue 4 x 500 mL
3 Wed 10-30 4 x 500 mL
4 Thu 4 x 500 mL
5 Fri 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
6 Sat 4 x 500 mL
7 Sun 4 x 500 mL
8 Mon 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
9 Tue 4 x 500 mL
10 Wed 10-30 4 x 500 mL
11 Thu 4 x 500 mL
12 Fri 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
13 Sat 4 x 500 mL
14 Sun 4 x 500 mL
15 Mon 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
16 Tue 4 x 500 mL
17 Wed 10-30 4 x 500 mL
18 Thu 4 x 500 mL
19 Fri 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
20 Sat 4 x 500 mL
21 Sun 4 x 500 mL
22 Mon 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
23 Tue 4 x 500 mL
24 Wed 10-30 4 x 500 mL
25 Thu 4 x 500 mL
26 Fri 30-10-30 4 x 500 mL
27 Sat 4 x 500 mL
28 Sun 4 x 500 mL
29 Mon Finisher 4 x 500 mL
30 Tue 4 x 500 mL
31 Wed Finisher 4 x 500 mL
32 Thu 4 x 500 mL
33 Fri 4 x 500 mL
34 Sat 4 x 500 mL
35 Sun 2 x 500 mL
*Plazma™ supplement and Mag-10® supplement.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Exercise Tips and Cues
There are numerous ways to perform an exercise —
some are better, some are worse, and some range
from virtually worthless to outright dangerous. So it
matters how you perform the movement. I've been
practicing, analyzing, and perfecting these exercises
for more than 50 years, and I've developed tips and
cues that'll provide the best effects for your efforts.
I always put cues in my mind before doing any ex-

ercise. You want to perform with a mindful effort.
Of course, the opposite would be a mindless ef-
fort, which is what I frequently witness in commercial
gyms. So study up and practice excellent form to get
the most effect from training.
Here's a list of tips and cues that will make each ex-
ercise more efficient and produce the most direct
muscular stimulation. I recommend practicing these
cues and tips with medium resistance to get a good
feel for the movement pattern before working out.
As a reminder, always be safe when performing

any exercise.
Leg Extension Machine:
Perform these three steps as you move into the

TOP position:
• Grip the sides of the seat and pull hips

into the pads.
• Point toes slightly inward.

• Contract/squeeze quadriceps at the very top of
the range of motion.
Leg Curl Machine:
Perform these three steps as you move into the

TOP position:
• Dorsiflex the feet toward the knees and keep them

in that position throughout the movement.
• Allow your hips to rise slightly off the pad.
• Pause and squeeze the hamstrings at the very top
of the range of motion.
Leg Press Machine:
• Stay tight and stable in the bottom position, where

knees are close to the chest, and a lot of pressure
is on the pelvis and lower back.
• Find a foot position that permits the greatest, most
comfortable, and safest range of motion. For most
people, feet are rotated slightly outward, heels 12-
18 inches apart, and toes 18-24 inches apart.
• Perform bottom turnarounds smoothly with zero
bouncing out of the pocket.
• Keep your head in a neutral, comfortable position
without pushing into the pad or moving forward.
• Don't hold your breath or create Valsalva pressure
(attempt to blow out with a closed airway) as you
push the weight.

Squat with Barbell (may be substituted for the Leg Press

Machine):
• Keep upper-body muscles rigid and the torso as

upright as possible, without excessive forward tilt,
during the exercise.
• Use the same foot-placement instructions as
leg press.
• Don't allow heals to raise or the lower back to
round in the bottom position.
• Avoid holding your breath or create Valsalva pres-
sure (attempt to blow out with a closed airway) as
you push the weight.
Calf Raise on Machine:
• Attempt to push up on your tiptoes and contract/

squeeze the calf muscles, as if you're trying to
cramp them.
• Lower your heels slowly to the stretched position.
• Try to go lower by extending and spreading
your toes.
Squat with Dumbbells:
• Apply the same ridged torso position and foot po-

sition as the barbell squat.
• Don't use heavier than 25-pound dumbbells.
(None of my strong trainees ever uses more.)
• Allow the dumbbells to hang down by the outside
of the thighs in the top position and comfortably
outside the calves in the bottom position.
• Push with the heels and keep the heels on the
floor at all times.

• Keep the dumbbells from touching the floor.
Pulldown on Lat Machine:
• Use an underhand (palms facing you) grip with

hands no more than 12 inches apart.
• Attempt to keep elbows facing forward without
flaring out.
• Allow shoulders to AB-duct (raise) in the bottom
position and fully stretch the lats.
• AD-duct (pull down) the shoulders, THEN bend the
arms as you pull out of the bottom position.
• Prevent shoulders from AB-ducting other than
during the full stretch.
Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell Held in Both Hands

(Overhead):
• Pull your elbows in tight by the ears and keep

them there throughout the exercise.
• Restrict elbows from moving forward or backward;
only forearms and hands should move.
• Stretch momentarily in the bottom position.
• Roll the dumbbell around your shoulder to the
chest, from the bottom position, when finished,
and place dumbbell on floor.
Sit-up on Declined Board:
• Perform this exercise by contracting the ab-

dominals and hip flexors with knees bent about
30 degrees.
• Breathe freely throughout the exercise.
• Pause briefly in at the bottom, without touch-
ing the pad.
• Perform a smooth turnaround in the top position

without pausing.
Bench Press with Barbell:
• Roll your chest up and shoulders back and down

toward your feet to set the torso in position on
the bench.
• Use your feet to push yourself into that position
and keep you there without raising the hips off
the bench.
• Keep the shoulder blades together without flaring
throughout the exercise.
• Find an ideal hand placement that best isolates
the chest (pectoralis) and triceps muscles. For
most lifters, this will be between 4-6 inches out-
side of either side of the chest in the bottom posi-
tion, with the forearms perpendicular to the floor.
• Grip the bar tightly with slight inward pressure to-
ward each hand.
• Push from the heel of the hand (outside palm).
Bent-Over Row with Barbell:
• Take an underhand grip with hands about 14-18

inches apart.
• Perform with the torso bent over 45 degrees.
• Pull bar to the waist and squeeze/contract the lats
before lowering the bar.
• Allow shoulder blades and lats to flare and stretch
in the bottom position.
• Keep elbows in line with the hands and tracking
straight without flaring.

Lateral Raise with Dumbbells:
• Lean forward slightly and stay in that position

throughout the exercise.
• Keep elbows and wrists almost locked.
• Grip the dumbbells hard with each hand's last
three fingers, which better activates the medial
deltoid muscles (in the top position).
• Point elbows back and keep them in that position
• Pause at the top and squeeze/contract the del-
toid muscles.
Overhead Press with Barbell:
• Use the same overhand grip as the bench press.

• Bend your knees slightly and push press the bar-
bell overhead to start the exercise.
• Keep elbows directly under the hands without flar-
ing outward and the forearms perpendicular to the
floor during the movement.
• Perform smooth turnarounds without pausing in
the top and bottom positions.
Biceps Curl with Barbell:
• Use the same underhand grip as bent-over row.

• Keep elbows in front of the hips during the en-
tire exercise.
• Don't allow elbows to rotate backward or flare out.
• Pause in the top position and squeeze/contract
the biceps.

Reverse Curl with Barbell:
• Select approximately half the resistance of the

barbell curl.
• Take an overhand grip with the same hand place-
ment as the barbell curl.
• Keep elbows in front of the hips during the en-
tire exercise.
• Don't allow elbows to flare outward.
• Pause in the top position and squeeze/con-
tract the biceps and brachioradialis (top of fore-
arm) muscles.

References
• Iwasa M et al. The milk casein hydrolysate-derived pep-
tide enhances glucose uptake through AMP-activat-
ed protein kinase signaling pathway in skeletal mus-
cle cells. Exp Physiol. 2020 Dec 28. PMID: 33369793 DOI:
10.1113/EP088770.
• Saunders MJ et al. Carbohydrate and protein hydrolysate
coingestions improvement of late-exercise time-trial per-
formance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009 Apr;19(2):136-
49. PMID: 19478339 DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.19.2.136.
• Demling RH et al. Effect of a hypocaloric diet, increased pro-
tein intake and resistance training on lean mass gains and
fat mass loss in overweight police officers. Ann Nutr Metab.
2000;44(1):21-9. PMID: 10838463 DOI: 10.1159/000012817.
• Fangmann D et al. Differential effects of protein in-
take versus intake of a defined oligopeptide on FGF-
21 in obese human subjects in vivo. Clin Nutr. 2020 Jun
17;S0261-5614(20)30296-X. PMID: 32600859 DOI: 10.1016/j.
clnu.2020.06.006.


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Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 1

The material in this plan is for informational purposes only and is

© 2021 by Ellington Darden, PhD

Published by T Nation LLC

Photos on pages 5 and 26 by Rafael Tongol.

About Ellington Darden, PhD

Ellington Darden was director of research for Nautilus Sports/

Here is a list of Ellington's accomplishments:

• Authoring 75 books, with a combined total of 7-million copies

• Writing more than 400 fitness articles published in 88 techni-

• Receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Physical

• Serving as one of the Healthy American Fitness Leaders elected

• Competing in AAU bodybuilding contests and winning 17 titles,

ONE �������������We Built an Athlete Over

"If we can pull it off, we'll have a huge story," I heard

My 18-year old son Tyler was coming home for

30 program before heading back to college at Florida

I thought, "That's a big challenge, especially during

We pulled it off. Tyler performed all the workouts as

He gained 17 pounds of muscle in 14 workouts while

Here's the rest of Tyler's story.

Thirty-five days later, after 14 workouts, Tyler fin-

Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 6

Again, that's 17 pounds of muscle mass from

It's important to back up and look closely at the fifth

Day Activity Weight Progress

Rest Days Are Gains Days

Even though Tyler's finisher week was planned,

Just remember, everything you're doing in weeks

Metabolic Challenge Workouts

We pushed the workout pace hard enough for true

Although no performance tests were administered,

Arm, Chest, and Thigh Inches

Measurements Before After Increase

Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 8

As a proud father, I say . . . Good job, Tyler!

The next few chapters are going to open the doors

You're going to have training days, gains days, and

You're going to use posing to teach muscle how to

You're going to experience Metabolic Chal-

Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 9

What you don't know is, I have been experiment-

One of my most-effective methods is called 30-10-

HIT: Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle

Studies show that metabolic challenges produce

Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 10

cardiovascular endurance (VO2 max) — both from

Metabolic conditioning is achieved by NOT taking

Just imagine what happens to your metabolic pro-

Can you handle this challenge — repeatedly?

Athletes conditioned with metabolic challenge train-

The 30-10-30 method will develop championship

Metabolic Challenges for Building Muscle 11

Failure Versus Inroad

I've observed many personal coaches get into the

And I've been guilty of the same thing.

While developing 30-10-30, I realized that failure

For example, 30-second negatives before and after

ONE ��We Built an Athlete Over