Uh-oh, we discovered a program that isn’t precisely a powerlifting program.
The Buff Dudes 12-Week Program is a well-liked program that’s used to realize mass and enhance your physique amongst most newbie and intermediate lifters.
Buff Dudes have a large YouTube viewers (2.5 million subscribers), so with that form of affect within the health house, we thought it needed to offer an unbiased evaluate of their flagship program.
We purchased this system, accomplished the exercises, and this text will share all the particulars with you.
I at all times like to begin off all my program critiques by sharing precisely who this program IS NOT for and why. Let’s get began!
Why Buff Dudes 12-Week Program Might Not Be For You
There are two kinds of those that received’t like this program in any respect. They’re:
- Lifters attempting to get stronger
- Lifters who hate bodybuilding
Lifters Attempting to Get Stronger
I don’t need to alarm you, however this program is not going to get you stronger. At the very least not a lot.
If you’re scouring the web for the right program to get you stronger both since you’re a aggressive powerlifter otherwise you simply merely need to enhance your 1 rep maxes, you’re going to be upset. That is purely a hypertrophy program centered on fundamental bodybuilding rules.
It’s fairly apparent with the advertising of this program that the objective is NOT to make you stronger.
Lifters Who Hate Bodybuilding
For those who’re a man who hates the ‘bro break up’ and would not fall into the everyday bodybuilding mentality with regards to coaching, you received’t like this program.
Everyone knows that man – he walks into the health club and goes straight to the squat rack, he loves lifting heavy weight, and doesn’t actually care that he has a “energy stomach”.
Nicely, this man received’t like this program as a result of he’s sacrificing his powerlifting complete for self-importance, which received’t earn him the subsequent state report.
Past that, a few of us simply love powerlifting as a result of it’s low reps and heavy weight. We get the enjoyable of lightheadedness and seeing stars beneath heavy load, however keep away from the “pump” that comes with greater than 5 reps.
So, if you happen to strongly dislike the train model of bodybuilding, maintain purchasing.
One other Program Choice To Think about
Earlier than diving into the complete evaluate of the Buff Dudes program, I need to share that…
We’ve created a coaching app with dozens of powerlifting applications that fits completely different targets.
You will discover applications primarily based on:
- Capacity degree (newbie to superior)
- Weak level coaching (applications centered on lockout of the deadlift, the underside of the squat, and so forth.)
- Age-based coaching (junior to grasp aged applications)
- Distinctive coaching splits (all the things from 3-6 day coaching splits)
- Competitors readiness (peaking applications for a powerlifting)
You may take a look at our applications HERE.
When you be a part of our membership and obtain the app, you acquire full entry to all applications.
Not solely that, you get entry to a non-public group of lifters, all coaching with the identical applications, the place you possibly can ask questions, submit coaching movies, and get suggestions & help.
Let’s now dive into the complete evaluate of BuffDudes 12-Week Program.
Need to get recommendation on programming, method, or competing? Communicate with one among our coaches.
Overview of Buff Dudes 12-Week Program
About The Creator
B.U.F.F. Dudes was began by brothers Hudson and Brandon White as a YouTube channel to create entertaining, informative movies about lifting and diet (thus the acronym that means Higher Understanding of Meals and Health).
They first launched their 12-week program in 2014, which is accessible without cost. However since then have modified and improved this system and constructed a complete e-book to help it on this third version, which might be downloaded for $20.
Study extra concerning the bro break up in my article Bro Cut up vs PPL: Execs, Cons, & Which Is Greatest?
Who The Program Was Meant For?
This program is meant for lifters who need to add new muscle. It’s actually a bodybuilding program centered on hypertrophy for rookies.
There’s additionally 16-bit online game model photographs of buff dudes lifting within the eBook, so it’s most likely additionally a superb bridge for nostalgic Nintendo avid gamers to cross over to lifting, which is form of enjoyable.
With all of the explanatory sources included within the e-book, it seems to be focused at model new or novice lifters eager to get severe about their focus within the health club.
For the powerlifter taking a look at this program, it might be a pleasant possibility in your off season to get a change of surroundings in your exercise break up and simply deal with hypertrophy earlier than getting again right into a extra particular powerlifting program.
Objectives of The Program
Frankly, this program shouldn’t be meant to get you a lot stronger, however quite to construct muscle.
It’s actually a bodybuilding program that occurs to make use of the squat and deadlift as instruments to activate decrease physique and again muscle mass broadly earlier than focusing on them with remoted actions all through this system.
On condition that focus, the objective is to construct muscle over 12 weeks so that you’ve extra of it than whenever you began.
Exercise Particulars
On this program, you’ll begin by coaching simply three days per week for 3 weeks in a Prep Section, and ultimately finish this system coaching six days per week within the Excessive Depth Section.
There’s a supplemental Abs program that may be completed concurrently, however would add an extra 20-Half-hour to every exercise, so it’s included as an optionally available piece, as not everybody will have the ability to dedicate that a lot time to the exercise.
On that notice, these exercises (with out the abs portion) will take about 60 minutes to finish.
The break up modifications all through this system, beginning with a full physique break up in the course of the Prep Section, transferring to a extra particular break up (again and rear delts, chest and lateral delts, legs and calves, arms and traps, for instance), after which adjusting these splits with the subsequent two phases to permit for extra specificity as this system advances.
Word that there’s a absolutely free model on their website, in addition to the up to date, paid model which incorporates an educational e-book.
The 2 applications are comparable, however they’re completely different each when it comes to break up, train choice, and phases (however solely barely). For those who’re fairly self-sufficient within the health club, I feel the free program is ample.
Do You Want Any Conditions Earlier than Beginning This Program?
By no means. With this system being centered on new and early lifters, the educational information within the PDF, and the dearth of powerlifting specificity, really anybody can obtain this program and get began to get a really feel for intentional bodybuilding and hypertrophy.
Whereas extra technical lifts just like the squat and deadlift are included in this system, they’re used for prime reps, lowering the chance of harm as they don’t name for a heavy load to achieve success.
Buff Dudes Program Variables: What To Anticipate
This program is completely different from any we’ve reviewed earlier than, as its acknowledged targets are to not get you measurably stronger, however quite greater. So that will help you perceive this program, we’ve damaged down the variables we really feel are an important to grasp earlier than diving in.
Periodization
The Buff Dudes program is damaged down into 4 phases, plus an extra Prep Section of three weeks (why they didn’t simply name it a 15-week program and make you are feeling such as you’re getting extra bang in your buck stays as elusive to me as getting large calves).
The Prep Section is solely there to acclimate a lifter to coaching commonly. It calls for 3 days per week of a full physique break up.
That is merely a interval to assist model new lifters (or lifters not accustomed to bodybuilding) to ramp up with out eager to kill themselves over the DOMS they might expertise in the event that they merely dove into the complete break up chilly.
The second three weeks (or “Weeks 1-3,” since we’re counting just like the Star Wars films) is made up of the Pairing Section I, a time period we don’t see in powerlifting. Whereas it conjures up photographs of a fantastic wine to go along with your costly steak to the untrained ear, it’s truly referring to pairing major and secondary muscle teams collectively by means of compound and remoted lifts.
For instance, the exercises start with a compound carry, just like the deadlift, after which transfer to extra particular, remoted lifts to hit the smaller muscle mass extra immediately, like face pulls. It’s the same strategy to many powerlifting/powerbuilding applications that begin with the extra technical, extra intense aggressive carry or carry variation, and ends with rep work of remoted actions or lifts focusing on a really particular space.
The subsequent part is the Pairing II part, overlaying weeks 4-6. The largest change right here is that legs are educated twice per week, however the mannequin of every exercise holds to the identical technique because the Pairing Section I.
The Isolation Section follows in weeks 7-9, as every exercise is devoted to its personal predominant muscle group to, effectively, isolate your coaching additional. The 5 exercises now break right down to Again and Traps, Chest, Legs and Calves, Deltoids, and Arms (biceps, triceps, and forearms).
The intent of this break up is to push the lifter deeper into every muscle throughout every exercise, virtually doubling the amount in a single exercise, quite than hitting it in separate exercises, or solely hitting that muscle for 3-4 workouts, then transferring on to a unique muscle.
Now, you’re hitting Again and Traps for eight completely different workouts for 30 complete units as an alternative of 4 workouts for 15-16 units after which the identical with a unique muscle group for a complete of eight workouts/30ish complete units.
Lastly, the Excessive Depth Section of weeks 10-12 introduces a sixth exercise every week, and incorporates supersets for greater than half of your units. The objective of this part is to maintain your muscle mass from acclimating to the earlier ranges of depth, giving it the stimulus it must continue to grow and altering.
Specificity
This program is NOT particular to powerlifting in any respect. Whereas it has functions for powerlifters within the off season to construct new muscle and take a look at one thing completely different, this isn’t the form of program you’d use to check your squat, bench press, or deadlift maxes on the finish.
Somewhat, this program makes use of any train needed to focus on and construct muscle everywhere in the physique.
Quantity
It’s arduous to calculate quantity (a perform of Load x Reps) when there is no such thing as a particular course on what weight to make use of for the workouts. With out “load” to enter into the equation, you don’t have a product to point out. And within the Buff Dudes program, there’s actually nowhere so as to add your working weights – simply units and reps.
Nevertheless, units and reps will increase with every part, besides within the ultimate Excessive Depth part, which depends on supersets and quick relaxation to realize the marketed “excessive depth” quite than rising the amount drastically.
Depth
As with every hypertrophy program, the depth does steadily improve all through this system as a perform of added quantity and specificity.
With a purpose to create a stimulus for the muscle to develop, the lifter might want to regularly improve the problem of the train by both rising the load or the amount (or time beneath stress, however we received’t get into that).
The Buff Dudes program follows that in a textbook method, encouraging the lifter so as to add extra weight every week, and by including extra quantity with every part of the block (or incorporating supersets, as mentioned above).
Overload
We touched on this briefly above, however overload is achieved on this program by asking the lifter to extend their working weight (although there is no such thing as a particular course on how a lot or how typically), and by including to the overall quantity on every part.
Whereas the notes inform you the following phases are meant to turn into extra intense and troublesome, it’s in the end as much as the lifter to pick out weights that problem them, and/or push themselves to hit rep ranges that problem them.
Fatigue Administration
Relaxation days are baked into this system to permit for fatigue administration. Particularly early on, the place you might have extra relaxation days than coaching days, this system holds the lifter’s hand to get tailored to the workload.
As this system advances, these coaching wheels are steadily eliminated because the lifter ends on the six-day break up, which additionally accomplishes the objective of protecting the depth excessive to keep away from muscular acclimation and maintain issues rising the best way we would like them to.
Particular person Variations
I’ll degree with you, there’s a couple of different train recommendations for these doing exercises at dwelling or with restricted tools, however in any other case this can be a “one dimension suits all” program. It’s not designed to be personalized or tailor-made, however quite to be an introductory program to constructing muscle for dudes that don’t actually know the best way to begin.
Simply consider it because the jerseys you get in metropolis league soccer for 5-year olds – they get the identical dimension for the tall children as for the quick children. Certain, they don’t match effectively, however the children don’t play the sport that effectively both, and it’s kinda cute to look at them wrestle from the sidelines.
3 Advantages of Buff Dudes Powerlifting Program
You may inform I don’t love this program by now. If not, go learn any 200-word section of my work above or beneath and also you’ll discover my negativity embedded in there someplace. That being mentioned, I managed to pan a couple of flecks of gold so that you can take from this program:
- You may construct muscle with it
- It may be a change of tempo
- It’s free and straightforward to comply with
You Can Construct Muscle with It
Hey, at the same time as powerlifters, all of us need to construct extra muscle proper? And everyone knows that we are able to’t simply maintain repeating a 12-week block for competitors prep 4 instances a 12 months earlier than we spin our wheels.
The Buff Dudes program does depend on sound rules of hypertrophy. And whereas it doesn’t rating excessive (or rating in any respect) on a metric of powerlifting effectiveness, you possibly can completely use this program to construct new muscle.
Perhaps you realized your squat sucks out of the opening and also you want extra quad improvement. Perhaps you bought injured slightly bit and might’t do the compound lifts that effectively, however can do remoted work and need to maintain transferring and including muscle. No matter your motive, this could be a nice possibility to only bounce in and maintain making progress by constructing new muscle.
It Can Be a Change of Tempo
No one is gonna blame you for losing interest along with your present routine and needing a psychological break. However that psychological break doesn’t must maintain you from making progress.
With the decrease depth, the deal with bodybuilding, and the number of workouts on this program, it might be simply what you should add some further muscle, use some completely different tools, and provides the barbell a break for a couple of weeks.
Personally, I’m an enormous fan of incorporating bodybuilding days/weeks into my program, and this isn’t a nasty possibility.
It’s Free and Straightforward to Observe
Regardless of the motive you may need for taking a look at this program, you possibly can’t beat free! However we’ve reviewed a number of free applications, and albeit, a few of them suck as a result of they’re ugly and arduous to comply with or arduous to get began.
So the bonus right here is that it’s free, AND you possibly can obtain it whenever you get to the health club and be rolling in a couple of minutes.
Consider this because the McDonald’s $1 menu of applications.
3 Cons of Buff Dudes Powerlifting Program
Of us, I might record much more than three cons to this program, however bear in mind, these cons are as a result of I’m taking a look at this program by means of a powerlifting lens (which I suppose makes that lens very thick and doesn’t deal with stairs effectively). There’s numerous nice issues about this program, however listed here are the three largest setbacks I see:
- It’s very fundamental
- It’s a bodybuilding program
- It doesn’t incorporate a lot squat, bench, or deadlift
It’s Very Primary
There’s nothing groundbreaking right here. Obtain this system, present up, do the work, eat in a caloric surplus, and also you’ll add new muscle.
There’s nothing right here to permit you customise it, to emphasise one muscle group or deficiency greater than one other, and so forth.
Moreover, whereas there are some fundamental notes on the best way to carry out numerous workouts, there’s no tips about good type or execution of lifts, so when you get previous the rookies positive aspects, there’s little that will help you enhance your method to unlock the subsequent stage of positive aspects that require it.
It’s a Bodybuilding Program
How will you inform if a powerlifting program shouldn’t be a superb powerlifting program? First by figuring out that it’s not a powerlifting program.
Certain, they each use dumbbells and barbells, however there’s extra variations than speedos versus singlets and physique fats proportion. They’re two completely different sports activities with two completely different targets, and you may’t use a hammer to connect issues collectively simply because it labored effectively to drive nails.
So concentrate on the acknowledged targets of this system and match it up along with your targets. We’ve shared methods this program can nonetheless profit powerlifters within the medium-long time period, however you’re not going to instantly improve your aggressive lifts right here.
It Doesn’t Incorporate A lot Squat, Bench, or Deadlift
Once more, we’re taking a look at this in comparison with different powerlifting applications we’ve reviewed, and this one actually doesn’t incorporate a lot of the large three.
There’s not an entire lot extra I can say about that, aside from that I’d undoubtedly take a look at a few of our different program critiques if you’d like a program extra centered on these three lifts.
Who Is the Buff Dudes Powerlifting Coaching Program For?
Backside line is that this program is finest for individuals who need to study the basics of constructing muscle and want a free (or low cost, if you happen to purchase the $20 e-book model) information to get them there.
For those who’re model new to lifting, give this a shot. Even if you wish to get into powerlifting, it’ll solely profit you to spend 3-4 months within the health club doing a mix of compound and remoted lifts with rising depth.
Ultimate Ideas
There’s a selected objective for this program, and it’s to not make your squat, bench, or deadlift stronger. However extra muscle means extra fiber to coach to be sturdy, so you possibly can completely use this program to construct new muscle previous to your subsequent energy block.
So far as free or low cost applications go, this one is fairly good, however don’t attempt to use it for what it’s not meant to do.
Since I usually fee powerlifting applications, I gotta use the identical standards on this one, so I give it a 1.9/5. If I have been scoring novice bodybuilding applications, I’d doubtless give it 4 or 5 begins. However I’m not score it that manner, so I suppose you’ll by no means know for positive.
For those who’re on the lookout for a program different, undoubtedly take a look at our coaching app HERE.
Try our different program critiques:
About The Writer
Adam Gardner is a proud resident of Utah, the place he lives together with his spouse and two children. He has been competing in powerlifting since 2016 in each the USPA and the APF. For the previous three years, he and his spouse, Merrili, have coached starting lifters to study the basics of powerlifting and compete of their first powerlifting competitions.