Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review]

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8-12 reps per set, 1+ gram of protein per pound of body weight, targeting each muscle group twice a week, sleeping 7-9 hours a night.

All of these strategies are scientifically proven to trigger greater muscle growth to some extent.

But they mean next to nothing if you’re what they call a “hardgainer.”

You just can’t seem to bulk up or put on weight, no matter how extreme the changes you make in the gym or the kitchen are.

Don’t give up just yet!

The Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout may be what you need to shock your muscles into serious growth, even if you usually struggle to add mass.

Let’s review whether this mass program truly lives up to expectations.

Let Me Clarify Something First…

Hey, it’s Kyle (the founder of Noob Gains).

I want to let you know that our opinion on Athlean-X’s Max Size program has changed since we originally wrote this review.

Don’t get me wrong. This program is still really good.

But… it’s not our top recommendation for noobs that want to gain more muscle size.

See, if you want to build strength and size that resembles a powerful athlete…

Without completely draining your energy and making you dread each workout…

Without forcing you to throw cake and ice cream out the window because it doesn’t “fit with the diet plan”…

And without emptying your wallet (I’ll explain)…

Then I think Superhero X12 is a great alternative.

Build a Superhero Body Without Training Like One

Getting in shape isn't easy. But this program gives you a real-life approach to building a leaner, more muscular body without obsessing over fitness 24/7.

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (2)

Learn More

Read Our Review

Here’s why.

First of all, Max Size by Athlean-X is a “one trick pony”. The only thing it’s going to teach you is how to build more size.

And right now, that makes sense because that’s you’re current goal.

But what are you gonna do 3 or 6 months from now when the program is over?

Are you gonna go back to the Athlean-X website, stick in your credit card again, and let them yank another hundred bucks from your bank account so you can do the next program?

Wouldn’t you rather save money and have all the fitness tools you need from the very beginning?

Superhero X12 is different because it covers ALL fitness goals.It’s not just a size program. This program teaches you everything you need to…

Gain muscle
Build strength
Improve muscle density
Build definition
Get completely shredded
Take a more AGGRESSIVE shredding approach
Or maintain the abs you already have

Feature	Superhero X12	Max Size
Beginner
Intermediate
Lose Body Fat
Lean Bulk
Flexible Dieting
Cardio Optional
	Learn More	Learn More

You don’t have to waste money buying multiple programs because SX12 has specific workouts, diets, and strategies to help you do it all.

Second of all, Max Size is completely brutal for the average guy like you and me.

And before I go further… I get it. Athlean-X’s programs are meant to make you look an a athlete by creating programs that train you like an athlete.

That’s why phase 3 of Max Size has a LOT of volume.

(Like a Chipotle double-wrapped chicken and steak burrito with extra rice. THAT kind of volume.)

Let’s get real: It’s a lot for a hardgainer who’s day-to-day life doesn’t revolve around training.

I don’t mean to discount anyone’s work ethic, but wouldn’t you rather maximize your results with as little work as possible?

Well,Superhero X12 shows you how to get a great body with the least amount of effort.

This program uses the 80/20 principle to hone in on the most effective methods with the least psychological resistance to build a bigger, more muscular body that meshes easily with your current daily routine.

You don’t have to turn your life completely upside down to get in great shape. SX12 shows you how to do it so training revolves around you (not the other way around).

Finally, there are diet rules in Max Size that I don’t agree with.

Like, you can’t eat sugar.

That’s right. If you like cake, ice cream or donuts, you can’t have it on Max Size.

Also, you need to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

I really hope you like meal-prepping and cleaning tupperware containers because you’re going to do a lot of it.

Alternatively, Superhero X12 lets you eat your favorite foods on a daily basis.

There are real people getting real results on the program because it’s easy and enjoyable to follow for a long time.

You don’t have to force down bland, tasteless meals if you don’t want to. Have some cake.

And you don’t have to pack a lunch box full of 300-calorie meals because with Superhero X12 you can have 1, 2, 3, or any number of meals per day that you want.

If you want to get my full opinion on Superhero X12, check out my detailed review.

About the Creator – Athlean-X & Jeff Cavaliere

Athlean X is a phenomenon in nearly every corner of the fitness community, whether you’re looking to get jacked, shredded, fit, or some combination of the three.

Here’s what you need to know about Athlean-X and its founder, Jeff Cavaliere.

Jeff Cavaliere is a true force in the modern fitness industry. As a YouTube sensation, he posts good health and exercise videos to guide those looking to get fit and healthy.

But it’s the knowledge he relies on that makes him stand out.

Cavaliere has spent significant time as both a physical therapist and a strength coach (NSCA), working one-on-one with professional athletes looking to reach the top of their game.

That includes the 06’-08’ Mets and stars like David Wright and Jose Reyes.

Cavaliere now uses his in-depth scientific base to craft comprehensive fitness programs and supplements through his fitness company, Athlean-X.

He’s personally built over a dozen programs to benefit the regular person—not just the professional athletes—looking to turn their “dream” physique into their new reality.

All with the concepts of biomechanics and injury prevention in mind.

What is Athlean-X Max Size?

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (13)

Athlean-X’s Max Size mass program is a high volume, 12-week, muscle-gaining system designed to increase both sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (size) and myofibrillar hypertrophy (strength).

This program is based on German Volume Training using compound lifts over 5 weekly training sessions to increase muscular endurance and size.

Each workout lasts between 10 and 60 minutes—typically containing a combination of a four (or five) day split and a conditioning workout.

Similar to All American Muscle, the schedule is broken into four-week phases and conclude with a “challenge” to test your new limits.

This program is both high volume and high intensity, both effective ways to build muscle and strength for most guys (even hardgainers).

Combining this challenging workout program with the included comprehensive meal plan, you should end this program weighing more, having more muscle mass, and keeping body fat low.

Workout Details & Features

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (14)

By now, you’ve already given every “secret” mass building program the ol college try and ended up disappointed with the results.

You’re starting to think maybe you weren’t meant to be jacked.

Well, let’s review the basics to see if it’s a game-changer for hard gainers like yourself.

Required Equipment

Like Old School Iron, Inferno Max Shred, and many other Athlean-X programs, you’ll need equipment found in most commercial gyms.

But if you can’t make it to the gym, you’ll need to set up your home gym with a barbell, pull-up bar, bench, dumbbells, resistance bands, and a jump rope.

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Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (15)

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Phase 1 – Ignition Phase

Phase one of this program introduces you to the hellish mass building routine that is Athlean-X’s Inferno Max Size.

Your four-day resistance training split will include:

Chest/Back
Quads/Hamstrings
Biceps/Triceps
Shoulders/Triceps

Fortunately, most exercises in phase one are the basic exercises you likely already do. We’re talking about simple barbell rows, incline bench presses, squats, and deadlifts.

Intensity-wise, however, you’ve probably never imagined workouts quite this tough.

Each workout will start with a major lift using 10 sets of 10 reps at 60% of your 1RM, followed by 5 sets of 10 reps of the other muscle focus for the day.

Note: You’ll alternate the muscle you hit first every other week, so no group is left behind.

All strength workouts in this phase end with pro-pain finishers.

Pro-pain finishers require you to complete an exercise (like ham curls to failure) and then follow up with 4 ½ minutes to crank out double that rep count on the same or a similar exercise.

Your fifth and final workout of the week—something Athlean-X calls a “10-Minute Torcher”—is a conditioning style workout that emphasizes high reps, circuits, and short rest periods.

Phase 2 – Growth Phase

Phase two is when you enter the “growth” phase of this Max Size program. You’re keeping the four-day split, but switching up the muscle pairings to make a bit more sense to most:

Chest/Triceps
Quads/Hamstrings
Shoulders/Upper Back
Back/Biceps

Beware: This phase is far more extreme than phase one.

You’re going to be cranking through supersets for the major muscle group first (such as straight arm pushdowns and lat pulldowns on back/biceps day) followed by standard sets.

You’ll finish off the workout with a “finisher,” where you’ll hop from one exercise to the next after training with no rest in between (for example, dumbbell flies to floor presses to chest pullovers).

It’s a guarantee that you’ll have no fuel or reps left in the tank by the end of each workout.

Close out the first three weeks with “Metabolic Arson” workouts.

These conditioning workouts include burpees, jog/sprint intervals, and bodyweight circuits to improve your conditioning in 30 minutes or less each workout.

Phase 3 – Max Development

The third and final phase of this Max Size program is about bringing your muscle to their true potential to target all muscle fibers with insane volume.

The strength training days now adopt a new focus: Eccentric/concentric and push/pull.

Here’s what you need to know about this phase:

Eccentric training sessions are about focusing on the “negative” of exercises, so emphasizing squeezing your traps as you slowly lower a shoulder shrug.
Concentric training sessions prioritize slow reps and quick returns—such as spending 5 seconds on the beginning movement of dumbbell curls—followed by a bicep stretch.

For most exercises, you’ll do a total of 50 reps.

The final step of these workouts is closing out with an “athletic pillar finisher,” which is usually a form of agility work, cardio, or balance activities.

You’ll cycle through these four training days with a day of rest before beginning the next cycle.

Challenges

Like the majority of Athlean-X programs, this Max Size variation also has a challenge at the end of each phase, so you’ll have three with this program.

Challenges usually require you to time how long it takes you to complete a predetermined number of reps or circuit rounds in a certain amount of time.

You’ll then add your score to your module and see how your scores compare to other users.

Beware: These challenges are absolutely tiring.

The Meal Plan

It wouldn’t be an Athlean-X workout program without a meal plan that comes with it.

Every single meal for the next 12 weeks is planned out for you, down to the ingredients that make them useful to you.

The meal plan also distinguishes why you’re adding certain ingredients, whether for fats, carbs, or protein, while also giving you “size swaps” to adjust meals for optimal muscle growth.

Thankfully, this meal plan means you don’t have to count macros or calories. It’s not quite as flexible as Superhero X12, but it still works to a degree.

4 Benefits of Athlean-X Max Size

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (21)

Uses Every Mass Building Strategy Out There

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill mass routine. You’ll experiment with different reps (to failure, 10×10), portions of exercises (eccentric & concentric), and frequency (once to twice per week).

This is good news for hardgainers since this combination practically ensures growth at some point in the routine.

If one training style doesn’t trigger growth for you, one or more of the others will.

Infuses Conditioning Training Too

Mass building is essential, but you wouldn’t be an athlete without a little weekly conditioning.

The fact that you’re doing 10-30 minutes of cardio in the form of circuits, jogging, intervals, and bodyweight exercises enable you to boost your overall health and even trigger some fat loss.

Will 30 minutes a week get you shredded?

No, but it’s a start.

Plus, you don’t want to overdo it on the cardio because you need most of those calories to build new muscle mass.

Eases You Into Training

We know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to mass building.

But if you’re coming hot off the heels of a mass-building program that proved to be a dud or absolutely no training, hitting each muscle group twice a week at an insane volume will only overwhelm you.

Even though it’s a good idea to start your muscle-building journey with something like AX1 (see our Athlean-X review), this program does well to gradually increase the volume and intensity at a comfortable pace.

A Meal Plan to Maximize Growth

You’ll never see your true potential until you combine a workout program like this one with a nutritious and high-protein diet.

The included diet plan is precisely what you need to ensure gains.

Not only is every meal planned out for you (down to the ingredient), but you can also opt for “size swaps” if you’re a true hard-gainer and want to fuel those gains best.

3 Negatives of the Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (22)

No Refund Policy

No Athlean-X program comes with a refund, mostly because all downloads are digital.

So, unfortunately, you won’t get a refund if you happen to try this program, only to discover that it’s not of interest to you.

We think it’s worth it, but be sure it’s worth the investment.

Takes Until Day 57 to Get to Twice Weekly Training

The concept of easing into a workout routine makes a ton of sense, particularly if you’re detrained and looking to get back into the gym.

But the idea that you won’t directly target each muscle group twice a week until day 57 of the program is a bit insane.

You may very well feel you’re not training enough to see results (even if you are).

Phase Three May Be Too Brutal

You’re here for intensity and serious gains, but phase three of this program is crazy.

The glaring issue is that you’ll be exercising each muscle group on two consecutive days without even 24 hours of rest between workouts.

Though Cavaliere insists the concentric/eccentric focus of these workouts prevents overtraining, you still may not feel 100% by the next day to give it all in the gym.

Your gains may suffer.

Wrapping Up This Review of Athlean-X Max Size

Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review] - NOOB GAINS (23)

The Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout is intense and, truthfully, includes every training style in the books to guarantee you see at least some growth after 90 days.

The program also comes with weekly conditioning workouts (or finishes workouts with athletic pillars), starts slow as to not overwhelm you, and has a well-thought-out mass diet plan.

However, don’t assume this program doesn’t have its faults.

The downsides include a lack of refund policy, one day a week frequency until phase three, and an overly-intense phase three that is not for the faint of heart.

Overall, this program is the real deal.

It’s a reliable alternative if the everyday mass building routine isn’t working for you. Just prepare to push yourself to your limits and leave each workout absolutely drained.

Rating: 8.9/10

Athlean-X Max Size FAQs

Is Athlean-X Max Size worth it?

Athlean-X’s Max Size is worth a try if you’re ready to commit four days a week to intense high-volume training and proper dieting for 90 days. We gave this program8.9 out of 10.

Is Athlean-X Max Size good for building muscle?

Athlean-X’s Max Size is a good program for building muscle. The program uses various muscle-building strategies to ensure muscle growth is triggered, and it features intense resistance training.

How long are Max Size Workouts?

The workouts in Athlean-X’s Max Size program range from 10 to 60 minutes. The workouts are generally shorter at the beginning, but increase as more volume is required to induce hypertrophy.

How much does Athlean-X Max Size cost?

With $97.00, you can get lifetime access to Athlean-X’s Max Size muscle-building program. This price is pretty standard across most Athlean-X programs.

However, There’s an Alternative Way to Get Ripped…

Like I said at the beginning (Kyle here again), there are other options for the average guy that just wants to get bigger… like Superhero X12.

First,Max Shred only moves you towardsonegoal… getting bigger.

Superhero X12 teaches how to lose body fat, gain lean muscle, and even maintain ab definition year-round.SX12 is like having 3 programs in one so you don’t have to pay for additional programs.

Feature	Superhero X12	Max Size
Beginner
Intermediate
Lose Body Fat
Lean Bulk
Flexible Dieting
Cardio Optional
	Learn More	Learn More

Second, Max Size is a brutal, high-volume training program that’s a real challenge for beginners.

Superhero X12 shows you how to gain size with the least amount of effort.Just see my reviewto learn more.

Finally, the Max Size diet has some rigid rules on WHEN you should eat and what you’re NOT ALLOWED to eat.

Superhero X12 is flexible and let’s you eat your favorite foods. This way you’re more motivated to stick to the program for a long time.

So if you want to gain muscle and build an impressive physique using a program designed for beginners (without disrupting your life), then check out Superhero X12.