Blast 5 Training is a comprehensive muscle-building program that targets all aspects of muscle development, from hypertrophy to strength.
The author claims to provide you with a blueprint for maximal strength along with muscle size, a hybrid workout strategy that encompasses powerlifting and bodybuilding principles.
The idea behind this concept is simple and stems from the notion that powerlifters, while kings of pure strength, lack the esthetics and sheer size of bodybuilders, while the latter is physically impressive, but not as strong as they could be.
Of course, the different outcomes are the result of their different and deliberate training approach: bodybuilders target all muscle groups with a lot of isolation exercises and moderate intensity, shorter rest times, and higher volumes, while powerlifters concentrate on the 3 big compound lifts with high loads, low reps, longer rest periods and not much else.
The greater strength of the powerlifter is the result of a high specificity training geared toward neurological efficiency and strength without care for low body fat and better symmetry or anything else.
On the contrary, the greater muscle size of bodybuilders is the result of a very focused training geared towards lactic acid build-up and the resulting muscular response of the body to be able to cope with this high volume fatigue.
Blast 5 Training allegedly put all these elements together in order to create a complete muscle building and strength program with the goal to create a physique that not only looks big and vascular like that of a bodybuilder but also strong and powerful like that of a powerlifter.
This critique will delve into the program to find out how this ambitious plan works and whether it stands up to scrutiny.
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Who Is The Right Person For This Program?
This plan is very demanding because it targets two different audiences that normally do have some degree of overlapping, but that are separated by specificity in competitions.
Since competitive powerlifting and bodybuilding are so extreme today, there is no way that that you can train both ways and be a champion in both disciplines.
Specific outcomes call for specific training, which means you cannot be a long-distance runner and a sprinter at the same time.
Now, bodybuilding and powerlifting are not even remotely as distant as sprinting and marathon running, but they are still specific enough that if you are or want to become a top contender in either field, you need to be training for the specific end result only, as all compromises won’t cut it.
At the end of the day, you only have 24 hours a day, and limited training and recovery abilities available, and spreading yourself too wide may hinder top-level results.
But that’s only if you want to compete in either discipline at top levels.
What About Regular Gym Warriors?
A different story is for the regular gym warrior who wants to be as strong as he looks, or as big as he is strong. That’s a completely different ball game and a legitimate one.
In real life and away from extreme competitions, a nice blend of different qualities often goes a longer way than specific skills. You may not be an Olympic sprinter AND a marathon record holder at the same time, but nothing forbids you from privately training for both endeavors and achieve reasonable results in both games, just do not expect to excel in either.
To a lesser extent, nothing prevents you from training both for strength and hypertrophy at the same time.
In fact, training in a variety of repetition ranges and rest times are beneficial for both bodybuilders and powerlifters, since they are known to regularly periodize their training schedule in order to provide a different stimulus and break through plateaus, eliciting progression in strength and size.
For most people without a care for world records and extreme specialization, hybrid training is a smart strategy because it offers the best of both world and real-life advantages, like looking strong and being as strong as you look.
For most trainees, a workout regimen offering high loads and low loads, high reps and low reps, a foundation of basic compound movements in addition to lighter isolation exercises will do the job nicely.
To sum up, Blast 5 Training is an interesting solution for regular guys who want the best of powerlifting and bodybuilding principles in order to achieve a good, all-round physique that is as strong as it looks.
However, if you are an advanced powerlifter or bodybuilder involved in competitions, then this program may not be the right choice for you, as there are more specific training regimens for your desired end result.
How Does Blast 5 Training Work?
Blast 5 Training works by using a combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding techniques throughout the week, hitting muscle coordination and neuromuscular efficiency on one hand and hypertrophy on the other.
In order to achieve this, the program includes the 3 big lifts, deadlift, squat, and bench press performed in a low reps range, the powerlifting way.
These 3 moves alone add the overall body strength often neglected in pure bodybuilding programs because of their impact on short-term spikes in testosterone and growth hormone and fast-twitch fiber activation.
In addition to these power exercises, the schedule includes other compound movements like military presses, rowers and their variations AND plenty of ancillary, isolation exercises for biceps, calves, triceps, shoulders, pecs, and lats performed the bodybuilding way, with moderate loads and short rest times.
CNS Stimulation For Muscle Gains
Aside from the muscles, the central nervous system is also challenged in two different ways, on one hand, the low reps, powerlifter big lifts are designed to improve neuromuscular efficiency so as to be able to lift the greatest amount of possible weight in the shortest time.
On the other hand, you are also challenged in the hypertrophy range of the program, as the moderate weights must be lifted with good form, forcing you to extend the time under load while developing a good mind-muscle connection.
To sum up, the program combines all the known techniques of powerlifting and bodybuilding to give you both strength and muscle size.
The schedule itself is arranged on a 17-week time frame divided into 5 phases, including de-loading. You can then repeat the process again until you reach your full potential. Each phase lasts 4 weeks except for the last de-load phase, which lasts one week.
Without going into the fine details, each phase works as a foundation for the next one in a pyramid fashion. As you get stronger and more conditioned, the intensity increases up to the de-load phase, when your muscles and CNS take a rest.
The author makes projections of expected gains in strength and size, but these may vary a lot depending on your starting point, body type, age, and other factors.
Blast 5 Training is meticulously designed with a ton of materials and smart graphics, however, the plan is really demanding and requires time at hand and dedication to be implemented.
It is basically two programs rolled into one, powerlifting and bodybuilding at the same time, and some people may have trouble following through or may simply not have the time to adhere to the demanding schedule.
What About Testimonials?
Despite not having been around for long, Blast 5 Training has already accrued a pretty catalog of satisfied customers, including women.
In fact, while the plan mainly caters to males, nothing forbids females to successfully apply the same techniques in order to improve their strength and appearance, if so they wish.
The testimonials or the program are authentic and unique, not stock photos taken from somewhere else as it sometimes happens when a program is new and has not had the time to build a clientele yet. So, kudos on Blast 5 Training.
Do You Need Equipment?
In short, yes. And a fully operational one, as you can expect to find in a commercial gym with sturdy gear like power racks, plenty on plates, benches, and lots of barbells and dumbbells. A well-equipped home gym will do the job too.
Blast 5 Training also includes a bodyweight-only blueprint, but that is not meant to be a substitute to the main program, just an alternative schedule for those times when a gym is not available or you are traveling, as the author points out.
In other words, this is a pure iron-based program and so you should be prepared to incur gym membership expenses or to invest in quality home gear.
About The Author
Ahmad Hakimi is the creator of Blast 5 Training. As often is the case with successful bodybuilders or strength men, it all started 90 lbs ago as a skinny 14 years old unhappy with his physique.
Working hard through college, he built himself up from 140 lbs to 230 lbs at 23 through a diet of bodybuilding and powerlifting workouts.
This is truly a gigantic program with tons of materials, including PDF manuals, workouts charts, nutrition and workout logs, and 11 bonuses. Everything is digital, delivered instantly with a download, no home shipping required.
Main Components
Blast 5 Training System with the four 4-week phases plus a de-load week.
Training Logs to keep track of your progression.
Nutrition logs including a Food Table and a Body Type Calorie Chart.
Bonuses
The Blast 5 Success Planner – An excursus on how to succeed in life, not just in fitness but also in career, relationships, education, and income. Not strictly necessary for muscle building, but it’s free anyway.
The $25.000 lesson on How To Get Things Done. Copyright secret.
Blast 5 Recipe Guide – 50 recipes with the macronutrients in balance for optimal muscle growth.
Blast 5 Exercise Handbook – It contains descriptions of how to perform the exercises correctly.
Bodyweight Conditioning Guide – This is a supplemental training regimen for those times when you do not have access to a gym, such as when traveling or while on vacation.
The Software Calculator – A simple software to calculate your daily calorie requirements.
50 Diet Tips To Get Shredded – Tips designed in a visual way for easy retention and application in real life.
150 Ways To Build Muscle – A variety of useful tips to better optimize the workouts.
7 Keys To Stay Ripped Year-Round – A useful booklet on how to stay lean without bulking and cutting.
Blast Your Bench Press – Another bonus dedicated just to improve the bench press, by many considered the benchmark exercise to measure one’s strength.
Know Your Body Type To Build Muscle – Very useful insight into the different ways different body types respond to different training regimens and how to optimize your workouts according to your own body type.
Closing Thoughts
Blast 5 Training is a unique program that bridges the gap between powerlifting and bodybuilding for a complete muscle hypertrophy and strength outcome. The program is cycled in 5 phases for a total of 17 weeks, which can then be repeated.
It is also a well-structured plan with good nutritional guidelines and additional materials and bonuses focusing on specific aspects of training, diet, and general success in life.
However, while working well for the purpose it was designed for, it is not a walk in the park. In fact, rather than a compromise between powerlifting and a bodybuilding regimen, it is more the sum of the two.
As a result, the training schedule is demanding and implies motivation and dedication on your part. If you are not prepared for this, then a simpler plan for either bodybuilding or powerlifting may be a better option, as you can switch to the other discipline later on when you have achieved your goals in one.
On the contrary, if you want to have it all and develop as much strength and size as possible at the same time, then Blast 5 Training may be the right option for you.
My name is Jay Fielding. I gained an interest in fitness since I was a child, and eventually developed my passion into a career path. I am now a Certified Personal Trainer with a natural ability to program customized body recomposition and motivate people in achieving their goals, be it gaining muscle or losing fat.
