Jay Cutler — Twelve-Week Workout

Twelve weeks of five body-part workouts alternate heavy and moderate weeks, with rep targets falling over time.

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Week by week

Every workout, as Catalyst would give it to you.

Week 1, day 1

Monday
  • Machine leg extension
    4 × 12
  • Lying leg curl
    4 × 12
  • Back squat
    3 × 12
  • Leg press
    3 × 12
  • Seated machine calf raise
    4 × 20

Week 1, day 2

Tuesday
  • Barbell bench press
    3 × 12
  • Incline dumbbell bench press
    3 × 12
  • Incline dumbbell fly
    3 × 10
  • Machine chest press
    3 × 10
  • Cable crunch
    3 × 15
  • Bodyweight sit-up
    3 × 15

Week 1, day 3

Thursday
  • Pull-up
    3 × 12
  • Barbell row
    3 × 12
  • Conventional deadlift
    3 × 12
  • One-arm dumbbell row
    3 × 12
  • Seated machine calf raise
    3 × 15

Week 1, day 4

Friday
  • Seated barbell overhead press
    3 × 10
  • Dumbbell lateral raise
    3 × 10
  • Dumbbell front raise
    3 × 10
  • Barbell upright row
    3 × 10
  • Dumbbell shrug
    3 × 10

Week 1, day 5

Saturday
  • EZ bar skullcrusher
    3 × 12
  • Cable triceps pressdown
    3 × 12
  • Dumbbell triceps kickback
    3 × 12
  • Barbell biceps curl
    3 × 12
  • Incline dumbbell biceps curl
    3 × 12
  • Hanging straight-leg raise
    3 × 12
  • Horizontal cable wood chop
    3 × 12

Where it takes you

Each activity’s target, workout by workout.

There is no changing weight or timed target to chart from these workouts.

What it trains

Working sets in the first week for each muscle, counted once for each muscle an exercise trains.

  • Triceps12 + 9
  • Abdominals12
  • Quadriceps10
  • Deltoids9
  • Gluteals9
  • Latissimus dorsi9
  • Pectorals9
  • Calf muscles7 + 4
  • Hamstrings7
  • Biceps6 + 9
  • Scapular retractors6 + 3
  • Brachialis6
  • Upper trapezius3 + 3
  • Anterior deltoids18
  • Spinal erectors18
  • Hip flexors13
  • Forearms12
  • Serratus anterior12
  • Obliques9
  • Foot muscles7
  • Adductors6
  • Brachioradialis6
  • Posterior deltoids6
  • Rotator cuff6
  • Trapezius6
  • Erector spinae3
  • Levator scapulae3

The schedule

5 workouts a week, on Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat.

WeekMonTueThuFriSat
1day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
2day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
3day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
4day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
5day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
6day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
7day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
8day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
9day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
10day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
11day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5
12day 1day 2day 3day 4day 5

How it works

The program’s own rules, as Catalyst runs them.

Train for twelve weeks, alternating a heavy week and a moderate week in each two-week cycle. Train legs Monday, chest Tuesday, back Thursday, shoulders Friday and arms Saturday. Choose challenging weights and increase them according to your performance; there is no fixed increment. Rest three to four minutes during heavy work and two to three minutes during moderate work. Do paired movements back to back, then rest before the next pair. There is no fixed limit on workout duration.

What you need

Everything its exercises call for. Missing something? The app suggests swaps that train the same thing.

  • Adjustable bench
  • Barbell
  • Cable stack
  • Chest press machine
  • Dumbbells
  • EZ curl bar
  • Flat bench
  • Lat pulldown machine
  • Leg extension machine
  • Leg press machine
  • Lying leg curl machine
  • Preacher support bench
  • Pull-up bar
  • Reverse-fly machine
  • Seated calf machine
  • Squat rack
  • Standing calf machine

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