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Gimmicky article titles aside even though it was one of the first things I wrote for GetLifting, the Destroy & Flood program has been consistently popular and a steady source of questions from visitors to the site. With that In mind, I’ve wanted to update the program for a while now to take it “to the next level”. Well, here is the result – D&F:R!
Make sure your body is prepared to take on this madness, because like the first version of this program it’s not for the faint of heart. I also suggest giving that first Destroy + Flood article (in the Get Huge section) a read beforehand if you haven’t already.
The basic premise of the program is the same – combine muscle stimulating heavy compound lifts with pump-inducing volume isolation in a way that creates a mass-gain response greater than both on their own. Strap yourself in!
.
Destroy
Like before we’ll be doing a superset style workout pairing up heavy compound exercises with high rep isolation exercises. Pick any big compound movement. Some that you can lift more than your bodyweight on for reps is a good baseline (if you can’t do this, you shouldn’t be doing this program).
For your compound exercise, do a few light warmup sets to dial in your technique and – obviously – warmup the muscles and connective tissue that’ll be stressed in the work sets to come. Three to five warmup sets is fine, and ramp up the weight to somewhere around your 5RM.
Now, for your main work I want you to do the following:
8 x 3-5 (Max Weight)
Thats eight sets of three to five reps, using the most weight possible for that particular set. The way this works is that you start (after warming up) with your 5RM, hit as many reps as possible up to five, and use this same weight until you can only hit three reps. At this point, lower the weight a tad so you can get the full five reps again and repeat this process. You’ll need to know your body pretty well to get the most out of this, but after a few sessions you should be able to gauge it pretty well. Once you do eight total sets, you’re done.
The aim of the Destroy portion is to stimulate as much muscle fiber contraction as possible so you need to utilize heavy weights which require all your muscle to be able to lift. Gauge your weight drops by your performance – if you hit three reps, you might only need to drop the weight by 5kg / 10lbs to get four or five on the next set. If you only get one or two reps, a bigger drop will make sure you stay within the rep range while keeping it as heavy as possible.
In terms of hypertrophy, I’ve spoke about the different things needed to stimulate maximum growth in another article, and lifting heavy for low reps is the best way to bring about myofibrillar hypertrophy!
.
Flood
I didn’t forget about the flood portion, d0n’t worry! As if the above wasn’t bad enough, you’re going to be supersetting those heavy sets with two different isolation or bodyweight exercises on a rotation:
4 x 20+
So four sets of twenty or more reps for each of the two exercises. I don’t care if you end up using just your hands for weight you do not drop below twenty reps. Now what I mean by “on a rotation” is that you’ll superset your first Destroy set with one isolation, then the second Destroy set with the other isolation, repeat for the whole eight Destroy sets.
The aim of the Flood portion is to pre- and post-fatigue your muscles, as well as literally flooding them with blood, fuel, and nutrients. This satisfies the need for volume in the hypertrophy equation and stimulates a lot of sarcoplasmic growth.
.
Destroy & Flood!
So bringing everything together, a single destroy & flood superset (as performed in a workout) would look something like this:
.
Set 1:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 100kg / 220lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 30 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 2:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 100kg / 220lbs
Barbell Curls: 30 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 3:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 100kg / 220lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 25 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 4:
Bent Over Rows: 3 x 100kg / 220lbs
Barbell Curls: 25 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 5:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 95kg / 209lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 20 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 6:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 95kg / 209lbs
Barbell Curls: 20 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 7:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 95kg / 209lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 20 x 15kg / 33lbs
Set 8:
Bent Over Rows: 3 x 95kg / 209lbs
Barbell Curls: 20 x 30kg / 66lbs
.
The Program
Because of the nature of these supersets (I.E. they’re absolutely massive) I would pick only TWO compound exercises per workout. It’s just too much stress to recover from otherwise. I would still train three times a week, but be sure to do a phenomenal amount of warmups, stretching, and foam rolling to aid recovery and most importantly – GET THOSE CALORIES IN!!!! My bulking article shows you an easy way to get an extra 1000+ in your diet and thats an absolute minimum starting point I’d say.
.
Monday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Superset 1 – Bench Press / Dumbell Flys / Tricep Extensions
Superset 2 – Military Press / Lateral Raises / Pushdowns
Wednesday – Back, Traps, Biceps
Superset 1 – Deadlifts / Shrugs / Dumbell Hammer Curls
Superset 2 – Bent Over Rows / Straight Arm Pulldowns / Barbell Curls
Friday – Legs, Calves
Superset 1 – Squats / Leg Extensions / Seated Calve Raises
Superset 2 – Leg Press / Bodyweight Walking Lunges / Standing Calve Raises
.
This is a pretty comprehensive sample program, but like any program on this site don’t be afraid to adapt it for yourself so long as you follow the general guidelines as close as possible.
.
Variations For Ninjas, Mental Patients, and Geared Trainee’s
If you fit into one or more of the above categories (however much a crazy ninja full of d-bol terrifies me) there are a few things you can do to make the program even harder and soul destroying than it already is. Here’s a quick run-down, but I’m gonna say it clear – don’t do these unless you’re 100% sure of your ability to handle it. This isn’t hype, it’s just common sense.
Tempo – For the heavy compounds use an exagerrated tempo such as 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. The rest of the sets are the same as above.
Power – Instead of the first isolation exercise in each superset substitute in an explosive power/olympic exercise. This can be cleans, snatches, jerks, band/chain lifts, box jumps, whatever. Do at least 10 reps per set, and try to be as explosive as you can even though it’s not strictly possible.
Strength – This is ridiculous. Don’t even try it. Use 90% of your 1RM and perform 8 singles instead of the 3-5 sets of your compound exercise in each superset. I recommend morphine and a troubled childhood to survive this torture.
Make sure your body is prepared to take on this madness, because like the first version of this program it’s not for the faint of heart. I also suggest giving that first Destroy + Flood article (in the Get Huge section) a read beforehand if you haven’t already.
The basic premise of the program is the same – combine muscle stimulating heavy compound lifts with pump-inducing volume isolation in a way that creates a mass-gain response greater than both on their own. Strap yourself in!
.
Destroy
Like before we’ll be doing a superset style workout pairing up heavy compound exercises with high rep isolation exercises. Pick any big compound movement. Some that you can lift more than your bodyweight on for reps is a good baseline (if you can’t do this, you shouldn’t be doing this program).
For your compound exercise, do a few light warmup sets to dial in your technique and – obviously – warmup the muscles and connective tissue that’ll be stressed in the work sets to come. Three to five warmup sets is fine, and ramp up the weight to somewhere around your 5RM.
Now, for your main work I want you to do the following:
8 x 3-5 (Max Weight)
Thats eight sets of three to five reps, using the most weight possible for that particular set. The way this works is that you start (after warming up) with your 5RM, hit as many reps as possible up to five, and use this same weight until you can only hit three reps. At this point, lower the weight a tad so you can get the full five reps again and repeat this process. You’ll need to know your body pretty well to get the most out of this, but after a few sessions you should be able to gauge it pretty well. Once you do eight total sets, you’re done.
The aim of the Destroy portion is to stimulate as much muscle fiber contraction as possible so you need to utilize heavy weights which require all your muscle to be able to lift. Gauge your weight drops by your performance – if you hit three reps, you might only need to drop the weight by 5kg / 10lbs to get four or five on the next set. If you only get one or two reps, a bigger drop will make sure you stay within the rep range while keeping it as heavy as possible.
In terms of hypertrophy, I’ve spoke about the different things needed to stimulate maximum growth in another article, and lifting heavy for low reps is the best way to bring about myofibrillar hypertrophy!
.
Flood
I didn’t forget about the flood portion, d0n’t worry! As if the above wasn’t bad enough, you’re going to be supersetting those heavy sets with two different isolation or bodyweight exercises on a rotation:
4 x 20+
So four sets of twenty or more reps for each of the two exercises. I don’t care if you end up using just your hands for weight you do not drop below twenty reps. Now what I mean by “on a rotation” is that you’ll superset your first Destroy set with one isolation, then the second Destroy set with the other isolation, repeat for the whole eight Destroy sets.
The aim of the Flood portion is to pre- and post-fatigue your muscles, as well as literally flooding them with blood, fuel, and nutrients. This satisfies the need for volume in the hypertrophy equation and stimulates a lot of sarcoplasmic growth.
.
Destroy & Flood!
So bringing everything together, a single destroy & flood superset (as performed in a workout) would look something like this:
.
Set 1:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 100kg / 220lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 30 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 2:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 100kg / 220lbs
Barbell Curls: 30 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 3:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 100kg / 220lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 25 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 4:
Bent Over Rows: 3 x 100kg / 220lbs
Barbell Curls: 25 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 5:
Bent Over Rows: 5 x 95kg / 209lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 20 x 20kg / 44lbs
Set 6:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 95kg / 209lbs
Barbell Curls: 20 x 40kg / 88lbs
Set 7:
Bent Over Rows: 4 x 95kg / 209lbs
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 20 x 15kg / 33lbs
Set 8:
Bent Over Rows: 3 x 95kg / 209lbs
Barbell Curls: 20 x 30kg / 66lbs
.
The Program
Because of the nature of these supersets (I.E. they’re absolutely massive) I would pick only TWO compound exercises per workout. It’s just too much stress to recover from otherwise. I would still train three times a week, but be sure to do a phenomenal amount of warmups, stretching, and foam rolling to aid recovery and most importantly – GET THOSE CALORIES IN!!!! My bulking article shows you an easy way to get an extra 1000+ in your diet and thats an absolute minimum starting point I’d say.
.
Monday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Superset 1 – Bench Press / Dumbell Flys / Tricep Extensions
Superset 2 – Military Press / Lateral Raises / Pushdowns
Wednesday – Back, Traps, Biceps
Superset 1 – Deadlifts / Shrugs / Dumbell Hammer Curls
Superset 2 – Bent Over Rows / Straight Arm Pulldowns / Barbell Curls
Friday – Legs, Calves
Superset 1 – Squats / Leg Extensions / Seated Calve Raises
Superset 2 – Leg Press / Bodyweight Walking Lunges / Standing Calve Raises
.
This is a pretty comprehensive sample program, but like any program on this site don’t be afraid to adapt it for yourself so long as you follow the general guidelines as close as possible.
.
Variations For Ninjas, Mental Patients, and Geared Trainee’s
If you fit into one or more of the above categories (however much a crazy ninja full of d-bol terrifies me) there are a few things you can do to make the program even harder and soul destroying than it already is. Here’s a quick run-down, but I’m gonna say it clear – don’t do these unless you’re 100% sure of your ability to handle it. This isn’t hype, it’s just common sense.
Tempo – For the heavy compounds use an exagerrated tempo such as 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. The rest of the sets are the same as above.
Power – Instead of the first isolation exercise in each superset substitute in an explosive power/olympic exercise. This can be cleans, snatches, jerks, band/chain lifts, box jumps, whatever. Do at least 10 reps per set, and try to be as explosive as you can even though it’s not strictly possible.
Strength – This is ridiculous. Don’t even try it. Use 90% of your 1RM and perform 8 singles instead of the 3-5 sets of your compound exercise in each superset. I recommend morphine and a troubled childhood to survive this torture.
