Training plateaus are like a**holes; everyone has one. Hell, some of us have two (or more)! Wait, no, that’s not right. Scratch that.
Plateaus are a normal part of training at any experience level.
But when you crash into that wall where the PRs won’t budge, and you’re psyching yourself out with the “is this another plateau … or have I hit my genetic potential?” thoughts, what comes next?
If you’re an Athlean-X die-hard, you naturally fall into the Athlean-X Breakout muscle-growth plateau-busting 12-week routine (because Jeff Cavaliere is your fitness god).
Keep scrolling to read our completely Athlean-X Breakout review.
Before We Get Started, Let Me Say This…
Hey, it’s Kyle. I’m the founder of Noob Gains.
Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
I just wanted to jump in here to let you know that the program you’re about to learn about might be a total banger… or a complete flop.
(I’m not going to spoil it just yet.)
And while it might do a decent job of getting you the fitness results you want…
There’s one program that I continue to recommend to intermediates (and noobs) over and over again because of how effective it is at helping people build muscle and lose body fat with minimal effort.
Listen, if you want to build a lean and muscular physique that draws attention…
Without working out more than 4 days per week…
Without forcing down 5-6 bland, bodybuilder-style meals per day…
And without gouging your wallet…
You should consider Superhero X12 by Fit Mole.
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.
“Kyle, I’ve never heard of whatever Superhero X12 is. Why should I trust you?”
First of all, you shouldn’t trust me. You shouldn’t trust anyone.
We’re all just strangers on the internet.
That being said, I’m going to do my best to show you why SX12 is a pretty good program for beginners that want to look muscular.
First of all, most workout programs are designed to leech your money and only help you accomplish one very specific goal.
“You want to lose body fat? Sounds good… here’s the program.”
“Oh, you want to build muscle too? Well, you need to buy another program.”
“Wait, you’re not a beginner anymore? OK, you’re gonna need to buy the intermediate program now.”
And on and on and on…
Wouldn’t you rather have everything you need to tackle multiple fitness goals in one place?
Superhero X12 is different because it covers ALL fitness goals.
It’s not just for losing body fat or building muscle. 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
And it has workouts for both beginners and intermediates so you won’t outgrow the program!
| Feature | Superhero X12 | Other Programs |
| Fitness Levels | Multiple | 1 per program |
| Fitness Goals | Multiple | 1 per program |
| Workouts | 3-4x /week | 5x or more /week |
| Flexible Dieting |  | |
| Calorie Calculator |  | |
| Mindset Guide |  | |
| 2-Day Workout Option |  | |
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, a lot of programs completely kill your free time and force you to workout 5-7 days per week.
Often, brands use this as a big “selling point” for their program.
“Are you EXTREME enough to train EVERY SINGLE DAY?!”
Uh, maybe. But a better question is “why do this?”
Nowadays, we’re all busy as hell and we try our best to not let the few precious minutes of free time that we have slip through our fingers like grains of sand.
Personally, I’d rather train fewer days per week, and get back to watching Netflix.
On the other, Superhero X12 shows you how to transform your body in as few as 3-4 efficient workouts per week.
There are no unnecessary exercises and no time wasted.
If you can commit to 3 hours of training each week, you can create a great-looking physique…
And maintain it year round!
Finally, the diet portions of many programs are restrictive (and make you hate your life).
Bodybuilders have said for decades that you need to “eat multiple small meals throughout the day to build muscle”.
But guess what? Science doesn’t back this up.
For instance, evidence suggests it doesn’t really matter if you have protein coming in every 2-3 hours, and muscle maintenance is also unaffected by meal frequency.
Do you want to spend your free time portioning brown rice and packing tupperware containers? I didn’t think so!
Superhero X12 let’s you eat your favorite foods every day, have as many meals as you want, and still build muscle.
Do you know why young guys just like you are getting noticeable results on SX12?
It’s because the nutrition plan is easy to follow over the long term and doesn’t turn your meals into a chore.
You don’t have to force down bland, tasteless meals 6 times a day.
You can eat your favorite foods when YOU want to eat them.
But these are the reasons I keep recommending Superhero X12 to everyone:
- You can save money with a program that’s designed for multiple goals and experience levels
- You can spend less time in the gym by working out only 3-4 times per week
- And you can enjoy the process by eating foods you love at your own pace
But like I said, you shouldn’t take my word for it.
I’m just a random internet person.
Check out Superhero X12 for yourself and see what’s up.
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.
About the Creator – Jeff Cavaliere
Jeff Cavaliere is a former physical therapist and strength coach for the New York Mets, founder of the fitness dynasty Athlean-X, and trainer to a few unnamed elite-level athletes.
His science-backed approach to training inspired an online fandom with over two billion YouTube views (as of March 2022) and an Instagram following of over two million.
Besides this one, Athlean-X also has more than a dozen training programs to choose from.
What is Athlean-X Breakout?
Athlean-X Breakout is a 12-week program for those with at least a year of consistent training experience caught in a seemingly inescapable size and strength rut (or plateau).
Through Breakout’s Breakdown (weeks 1–4), Burnout (5–8), and Break Loose (9–12) phases, you’ll zero in on the three “methods of hypertrophy” to shatter PRs, reignite growth, and finish as a beast:
- Eccentric training to damaged muscle fibers and spur regrowth
- Metabolic training to encourage a chemical stimulus for growth
- Progressive overload to visibly monitor your strength progress
Breakout also includes two purchase options (120 days vs. lifetime access for $20 more) and a revamped XFactor Meal Plan 2.0 to maximize lean growth and fat loss.
You should break free from those stubborn plateau chains and return to those strength and size gains by the end of the program.
Athlean-X Breakout Features & Details
Here’s everything you need to know before buying Athlean-X Breakout:
Accountability, Shmaccountability
Confucious says, “The biggest deterrent to progress is looking ahead, so I’ve included an accountability factor in Athlean-X breakout.” (Oh, wait, maybe that was Jeff Cavaliere.)
The logic is there. But charging somebody $77+ for a program, only allowing them access to one-third of it, and then putting in countermeasures to prevent them from marking workouts as “complete” to access months two and three sends those red flags a-flyin’.
Keep in mind: Athlean-X also has a firm no-refund policy. So it’s not like Cavaliere’s paranoid you’ll buy the Breakout program, download the workouts, and request your money back.
What Equipment Do You Need?
To follow along with the Athlean-X Breakout program, you’ll need the basic Athlean-X equipment, which includes:
- Adjustable dumbbells (regular dumbbells of various weights can also work)
- Adjustable bench
- Barbell
- Squat rack
- Cable machine
- Pull-up bar
- Jump rope
- Resistance bands
This list may change come week five and beyond. But if you have all of this equipment on day one, you’re set for at least the next four weeks.
Types of Workouts
Athlean-X programs are notoriously random (if you compare them to a traditional program that repeats workouts from week to week).
So don’t forget to tune into the weekly Game Plan video every Sunday to learn about the week’s upcoming changes and their logic.
Here’s a look at the types of workouts you’ll encounter in phase one — Breakdown:
Break-In Days
Break-In is your first official Breakout workout and a way to record your baseline on the four major compound lifts: front squat, dumbbell bench press, deadlift, and underhand barbell row.
The Break-In workout begins with a three-set warm-up protocol — light warm-up set, ½ weight x 15, ¾ weight x 6 — before rolling into your 4–8 reps test set.
You’ll also log your performance in the “Touch-Up Calculator,” which will auto-calculate the weights you’ll use for these exercises later on in the program.
Break-Up Combos
The Break-Up Combos in Breakout’s phase one come in two forms:
- A once-a-week Eccentric workout to encourage muscle damage through a break-up and reinforcement sets. The Eccentric sessions target weak spots in your range of motion that are pushing you into plateaus. Exercises include 3 x 10 plate raise squats and 2 x 10–12RM to failure dumbbell jump squats.
- Twice-a-week Metabolic workouts to shake up the focus and technique while breaking the major lifts into thirds or quarters. Cavaliere designed the Metabolic sessions to dodge the subconscious habit of cheating through higher rep ranges, constant tension, and limiting pause. Exercises include 4 x 15–25RM stiff-legged deadlifts and 3 x failure band pull-aparts.
Being Jeff Cavaliere, the fitness legend also works in some accessory training to focus on the often-forgotten muscles (like the rhomboids) while maximizing muscle activation.
Breakthrough Days
Phase one has two Breakthrough workouts: one on day 12 and another on day 19. If this workout looks familiar to your day one Break-In workout, that’s no coincidence!
This time around, you’ll repeat the same four exercises with fewer reps per set — 50% BI* weight x 3, 75% x 3, 100% x 3 fewer reps, touch-up sets, and a performance set to failure.
Bump up the weight next time if you can power through eight reps on your performance set.
* = Break-In Weight
Breakout Days
Day 26’s Breakout workout is a repeat of the Break-In workout to track your strength gains in the four core exercises.
Rest & Recovery
Rest & Recovery days ask you to do straight-up nothing.
The Breakout Meal Plan
The Breakout Meal Plan is (or at least almost exactly) the same as nearly every other Athlean-X program — a clearly defined meal plan describing what to eat every day for 12 weeks.
Size & Shred Swaps
Along with each standard meal, Cavaliere gives two alternative options for the three core meals — Size Swaps to maximize muscle mass and Shred Swaps to zero in on fat loss.
A regular meal may include apple spice oatmeal, 1–2% milk, and high-grade omega-3s.
The Shred Swap would remove the oats and walnuts while shifting to skim milk, while the Size Swap would add protein powder, a banana, and granola and swap in whole milk.
Although if your goal is to maximize size and strength, there’s little sense in even trying the Shred Swaps. Stick to the standard meals and Size Swaps whenever possible.
Color Code Legend
Cavaliere also uses the XFactor meal plan as a teachable movement (love those). Red means protein, purple is starchy carbs, fats are gold, and fibrous carbs are green.
But — as is the norm with Jeff Cavaliere — the XFactor meal plan essentially ignores calories, macros, and serving sizes.
Breakout Pros
- Those who’ve followed the Breakout program through month three saw considerable gains in the four major lifts.
- Cavaliere doesn’t include cardio, speed, agility, or any of that nonsense. Your only focus for the next three or so months is beefing up your PRs and breaking out of plateaus.
- The XFactor Meal Plan lays out literally every meal for the next 90 days.
- It breaks free from the classic “just change your program & exercises” approach to breaking through plateaus.
- Breakout targets the weakest areas of your lifts that are holding you back.
- The volume is reasonably low and just enough to boost progress.
- Many Athlean-X users rate it the best program in the entire franchise.
- When adding weight to the bar isn’t the answer, breaking down the lift is.
Breakout Cons
- The 120-day expiration countdown clock begins as soon as you buy the program — unless you dump another $20 into it for lifetime access. The loophole (that Cavaliere reveals himself) is the option to download and print all Breakout workouts.
- Accountability is good. Restricting access to months two and three — at least until you legitimately finish month one — on a program that essentially expires in 120 days is not.
- The new-and-improved XFactor Meal Plan 2.0 is the spitting image of the meal plan paired with every other Athlean-X program. It completely ignores macros, calories, serving sizes, and all that.
- Athlean-X Breakout is a general plateau-breaker without the option to target specific plateaus (like quad growth or the bench press).
Wrapping Up This Athlean-X Breakout Review
All in all, Athlean-X Breakout is one of the best programs in the franchise, especially if you have a single training goal — breaking through plateaus.
The focus on the four major lifts brings back memories of StrongLifts 5×5, while the exercise variation along the way focuses on building upon the weaker areas of each compound lift.
If you follow Athlean-X Breakout all the way through, you should end the program bigger, stronger, and less defeated than you began.
Rating: 9.1/10
