The Baki Maxing Plan
The Baki Maxing Plan is a 27-week, 3-phase, science-based bodybuilding program
Overview
The goal of the Baki Maxing Plan is to take you from being thin, weak, and unconditioned and, over the course of 6-8 months, transform your body into one that is muscular, strong, and capable!
The 3 nine-week programs that make up this plan put extra focus on the muscle groups that give Baki Hanma his signature look, such as his shoulders, quads, arms, chest, calves, and, of course, that DEMON BACK! The program doesn't neglect any muscle groups, as a balanced physique is important, but some muscle groups get more attention to make sure they stand out.
The Baki Maxing Plan consists of three nine-week phases of training that increase both in intensity and overall training volume as you progress from phase 1 to phase 3. This ensures that as you follow the plan, you never plateau and are always making steady gains.
If you’re fairly new to lifting (0-1 years in the gym), just coming back to the gym after a break, injury, or after being inconsistent for a while, or if you just want to follow a 3-day-a-week program, I’d recommend you start with phase 1 of this program before moving on to phase 2 and then phase 3.
As mentioned before, these programs get harder and have higher volume as you go on. If you complete a phase and feel you’re not ready to progress to a phase of higher volume training (higher volume means more workouts and sets per week), you can repeat the phase you just did and still expect to see great results! Then, after that, you can move on to the next phase.
At the end of each phase, there is a planned deload week to help your body fully recover and refresh before you move on to your next phase of hard training. During these deload weeks, you will only train twice, and the workouts will be short and easy. Besides these workouts, make sure to get plenty of sleep, relaxation time, and good food!
DIET - (VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ)
As this is a muscle-building program, you NEED to have your diet at least somewhat dialed in if you want to see results from this program.
To put on a significant amount of muscle while using the Baki Maxing Plan, follow these guidelines:
1. Caloric Surplus: Eat 250-500 calories over your maintenance calories each day.
2. Monitor Weight: Weigh yourself in the mornings 3-4 days a week. Aim to gain 0.25-0.5% of your total body weight per week. If you're gaining slower than this, increase your daily calorie intake by 200. Wait a week to see if you start gaining at the desired rate, and repeat this process until you achieve the correct rate of gain. If you’re gaining weight faster than the desired rate, do the opposite: decrease your daily calorie intake by 200, wait a week, check, and repeat until you're gaining at the right rate.
3. Balanced Diet: Follow the 80-20 rule:
- 80% whole, unprocessed foods (e.g., beef, rice, veggies, fruit)
- 20% processed foods (e.g., candy, fries, chips, pizza)
4. Protein Intake: Consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, spread across 4-5 evenly sized meals.
How to perform Myo Rep Sets-
Step one: Go to failure on your regular set
Step two: Rest and wait until the burning in the working muscles goes away (usually only 5-10 seconds)
Step three: Perform another set at the same weight right away and go until failure
Step four: Continue with this process of resting for 5-10 seconds and going to failure until you're not able to complete 5 reps a set.
(In terms of how you should track your reps in the app for these, just write down how many reps you got on the first normal set you did. So if you did 15 reps on your first set, then did 10 reps, then 8 reps, then 5 reps for your Myo Reps sets, you would just write 15.)
How to perform Drop Sets-
1. Take your first regular set to failure (Preferablly failing around the rep goal set)
2. Immediately reduce the weight by 25-40%.
3. Without resting, continue the exercise until you reach failure again (perform as many reps as it takes to get to failure again).
4. Repeat the process by dropping the weight another 25-40% and perform the exercise to failure one more time.
Do your regular set first, then two total drop sets, each time taking the exercise to failure.
Complete the following warm-up before every workout-
5 Minutes moderate intensity cardio
Hamstring Sweeps x30
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSUfsT3D2rQ&ab_channel=ItIsWellPTLLC)
World’s Greatest Stretch x10/side
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CiWQ2IvY34&ab_channel=SquatUniversity)
Downward Dog To Plank x10
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8eUdDxyAMg&ab_channel=ReactPhysicalTherapy)
Who it's for
Reviews
I think it's a great program for conduct a body recomp. Personally had to adjust some exercises do to an old injury.
I'm on the first phase and I really like the full body split. The exercises are the basic ones who actually works. No bs, straight to the point. Good stimulus through the week. I just change the unilateral exercises sometimes.
Having only done the first 4 weeks of this program before it triggered for a review, take this into account. You look at this and it’s just three sets, so you have to really push those sets and make great effort to continue progressing with weight. I would guess that if you can’t make the next weight jump, you would just add another set or two, but no mention of that in any of the notes. There are good recommendations or instructions for what to do for most exercises - tweaks to achieve a certain result - and alternatives for most exercises. I did make very slight changes depending on equipment availability and swapped out one of the quad lifts from a squat pattern to leg extensions (less hip pain). No big changes.
I think 15 to 20 hacksquats or any kind of squat is a bit much. I switched that to leg extension
Muscle engagement
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3 | 10–12 reps | @7 |
| 2 | Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 8–12 reps | @7 |
| 3 | Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8–12 reps | @7 |
| 4 | Seated Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 12–15 reps | @8 |
| 5 | Tricep Pushdown (Cable) | 3 | 12–15 reps | @8 |
| 6 | One Arm Lateral Raise (Cable) | 3 | 15–20 reps | @8 |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bench Press (Barbell) | 2 | 6–10 reps | @6–7 |
| 2 | Lat Pulldown | 2 | 8–10 reps | @6–7 |
| 3 | JM Press | 2 | 12–15 reps | @6–7 |
| 4 | Preacher Curl (Barbell) | 2 | 12–15 reps | @6–7 |
| 5 | Lateral Raise (Cable) | 2 | 12–15 reps | @6–7 |
| 6 | Dip (Bodyweight) | 2 | 10–12 reps | @6–7 |
| 7 | Seated Row (Cable) | 2 | 12–15 reps | @9–10 |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hack Squat | 3 | 10–12 reps | @7 |
| 2 | Pull-Up (Bodyweight) | 3 | 6–10 reps | @7 |
| 3 | Chest Press (Machine) | 3 | 8–10 reps | @7 |
| 4 | Bicep Curl (Cable) | 3 | 8–12 reps | @8 |
| 5 | Lateral Raise (Cable) | 3 | 12–15 reps | @8 |
| 6 | Overhead Tricep Extension (Cable) | 3 | 12–15 reps | @8 |
Weeks 2–27 are in the app
Download Boostcamp to follow the full program with auto-progression and built-in coaching notes.
The coach
Being a personal trainer in Vancouver, BC allows me to use my passion for health and fitness to guide you towards your healthiest life! With thousands of sessions under my belt, I have worked with many diverse clients over the years. I know that you are unique and have your own strengths and limitations.
I will build you a custom plan based on your health, schedule, and (most importantly) your fitness goals. Together, we transform your body and give you the tools to take control of your health! If you want to learn more about me before reaching out, look at the "My story page" or check out my workout/advice videos!
How Fitness Changed My Life
I wasn’t always obsessed with health and fitness like I am now. When I was younger I was addicted to online games and I would regularly stay up till 5 am playing them. I was (more or less) living off of Subway and Burger King.
My big wake up call happened when I was at a friend's birthday party. I couldn’t climb up out of the pool like the other kids. I had to swim all the way back to the stairs while the others laughed and joked at my expense. After that, I bought two 15 pound dumbbells and got to work!
Over the next 8 years, I went from lifting those 15 pound dumbbells and doing crunches in my room to deadlifting 500 pounds and working full time as a personal trainer! Fitness has changed my life, without it I wouldn’t be as confident and successful as I am now!
Common questions
Yes, The Baki Maxing Plan is completely free to follow on Boostcamp. There's no subscription or payment required. Download the app on iOS or Android, search for the program, and you can start your first workout immediately. All 27 weeks are fully unlocked.
This program is built around a full gym. Make sure you have consistent access before starting, since the progression model assumes you can perform the same movements week over week. If you're missing something, the Boostcamp app includes substitution suggestions inside each workout.
Each session typically takes around 60 minutes to complete. That estimate covers your working sets but doesn't account for warm-up or rest between sets, so budget a little extra time when you're first learning the movements. As you get familiar with the program, sessions tend to move faster.
The Baki Maxing Plan is structured around 5 training days per week, with rest days built in to allow for recovery. Consistent rest is as important as the training itself. Skipping rest days can stall your progress. The app lets you reschedule sessions if your week doesn't go to plan.
The program runs for 27 weeks. The structure is designed so that each week builds on the last, with weights, volume, or intensity progressively increasing as you go. Many athletes choose to repeat the program after finishing, either at a higher starting weight or with a different variation.
The Baki Maxing Plan is available inside the Boostcamp app, free on iOS and Android. Once you download the app, you can search for the program by name or find it on the coach's profile. The app tracks all your sets and weights automatically, so you always know exactly what to do next session.
Get started
