MI40 Review Ben Pakulski

MI40 is a new muscle building program put together by top professional bodybuilder Ben Pakulski. My general rule has been that most of the information regarding the workouts of pro bodybuilders doesn’t apply to the ordinary trainee.

Most. Not all. Ben Pakulski and his MI40 program is one of the exceptions to the rule.

I have to admit, the fact that MI40 was coming from a pro bodybuilding was a big negative for me. I may not have even looked at it but it was recommended by a friend of mine.

So what IS MI40 anyway? Besides being a strange name for a muscle building program.

The name, “Mass Intentions”, is significant to this program because it is representative of the conscious INTENT, to create TENSION in the muscle.

40 stands for the number of days in the program (40 days), the amount of time in a set (40 seconds), the rest between sets (40 seconds), and the number of exercises used in constructing this muscle building protocol.

Two important things in that sentence stood out for me that made me think this program had a lot of potential.

The first is that Ben Pakulski focuses on the amount of time the muscle is under tension. I’ve written about this plenty of times before and it’s crucial for building muscle mass. Most trainees don’t get nearly enough time under tension in the sets they do.

For optimal muscle building most of your sets should get at least 30 seconds, and up to 50 seconds, of tension time for the muscle you’re working. Ben has nailed that in his program.

The second thing I really like is the short rest periods between sets of 40 seconds.

While longer rest periods of 3 minutes or more are very important when building strength, much shorter rest periods are extremely effective when it comes to building muscle mass. Such programs like Vince Gironda’s 8 x 8 system, where you perform 8 sets of 8 reps (using the same weight load for all sets), with very short rest periods of 15 seconds to 30 seconds between sets, have stood the test of time because of their amazing muscle building success.

Short rest periods plus optimal time under tension – serious muscle mass potential.

The 40 also represents 40 days, the length of the program, making it a shade under 6 weeks long. If you’re training with a lot of intensity, you should take a week off (or at least really cut back on volume and intensity) every 6 weeks or so, so that’s another point in its favor.

As a former skinny guy myself (141 pounds at 6 feet tall!), I never really was able to add muscle to my skinny frame until I shortened my rest periods and used longer time under tension for my sets (for example, using 20 rep squat and deadlift routines). So I can really appreciate what Ben Pakulski is talking about here. It’s something I’ve been recommending for years.

In fact, I wrote an article all about time under tension for Bodybuilding.com (it will open in a new tab if you want to read it and come back) way back in 2004!

Time under tension is crucial to your muscle growth! It’s tough to get just using straight sets, which is why I am always writing about and focusing my workouts on time under tension extending techniques like supersets, tri-sets, drop sets, post set mini reps and multi-rep rest/pause sets.

Ben Pakulski discovered similar things and created what he calls NOS or Neurological Overload Sets. One thing that keeps many people from great muscle gains is nervous system failure which prevents them from achieving muscle overload and eventually muscle growth.

The NOS system has been specifically designed to ensure a maximal MUSCLE OVERLOAD! The greatest number of muscle fibers are broken down or exhausted. Taking your muscles to such an exhausted state also causes the highest possible release amount of growth hormones and growth factors within a working muscle!

Without these, you can train all day and eat a perfect diet and expect ZERO growth. This is one of the main reasons why so many people train often, train “hard” and see minimal results. They never reach that “overload-anabolic state.”

GREATER OVERALL STIMULUS = GREATER MUSCLE GROWTH!

NOS is completed by performing an “extended set”.

The goal here is to extend the set for as long as possible while maintaining tension on the working muscle, and perfect form!

Start the set with a weight that you can use for a strict 8 repetitions. After completing your first 8 repetitions, decrease the weight by 20%(if you’re using 100lbs, you would decrease by 20lbs, etc.) Immediately continue to perform as many repetitions as you can with the second weight (usually 5-8 reps). Repeat this process 4 times total. (You will complete 3 drops, therefore 4 “sets”-100,80,60,40lbs).

DO NOT allow your form to stray in an attempt to complete more reps. If anything, decrease the size of the Range of Motion (ROM) (“partials”), just make sure to be initiating the movement with the working muscle from a fully stretched position.

Another component of MI40 is 40 minute workouts! Now this is awesome! Keep your workouts short but intense (while packing a LOT of work into that short time period) is crucial to keeping your muscle building hormones (testosterone, growth hormone, cortisol) at optimal levels, while also helping to prevent overtraining.

Unless you’re a powerlifter or Olympic lifter doing tons of low rep sets with very long rest periods for your sport, you’re workouts should always be able to be completed in less than a hour.

On a side note, I have to say, I LOVED a line from his free report, 5 Tricks to Double Your Gains, “It’s not a matter of, “You need to figure out what works for you…”

Those are BS (he didn’t use bs but you get the point!) statements!”

Yes, there are different tolerance levels to exercise (and response potential as well), and body variations that make some people better at certain exercises, etc. but the core principles of resistance training and muscle building apply to everyone! No one is going to discover that running marathons is “what works for them” when it comes to adding slabs of muscle mass to their frame!

Ben realizes many people may not know who he is. So while MI40 is not yet for sale, Ben has put together some awesome FREE information for you, starting with his killer FREE report, 5 Tricks to Double Your Gains.

Some of the things you’ll learn include:

• Discover why being obsessed with lifting heavy is the #1 way to kiss your gains away. (Page 10 proves I’m not crazy)
• GROWTH SPURT TIPS: Learn how Intentions is the ultimate shortcut to your dream physique. (Read every word on page 12)
• FACT: There is NO SUCH THING as a “genetically weak” body part! Learn the scientific reasoning starting on page 17
• INTRODUCING NOS – the intensifier to guarantee max muscle size and so you never say, “Did I do enough?” or “Should I do more?” (page 32)
• Tired of gaining fat faster than you gain muscle? Learn my 3-Phase-Nutrition System. Find out exactly how many carb & proteins you should have around your workouts on page 37
• And so many more uncommon but must-know tips…

Grab your own copy of Ben Pakulski’s killer FREE report, 5 Tricks to Double Your Gains.

Stay Strong!
Gregg Gillies
Author, The Skinny Guy’s Guide to Building Mass Fast
Advanced Arm Training