Athlean-X Jacked Dumbbell Training Program [Full Review]

There were two types of people during the early COVID-19 apocalypse: those who hoarded toilet paper like they planned to live strictly on Taco Bell Chalupas for the next six months … and those who stockpiled home gym equipment.

If you’re in that first group, do your intestines a solid and visit a doctor. If you’re in that second group and among the 59% of us who ghosted our gyms post-COVID, Athlean-X’s Jacked program is calling your name.

Read on to learn more about Jeff Cavaliere’s 12-week program designed for the home-gymmers with a bench, a set of dumbbells, and eyes on getting jacked.

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 noobs over and over again because of how effective it is at helping beginners 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 3 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.

Learn More

Read Our Review

“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	3x /week	5x or more /week
Flexible Dieting
Calorie Calculator
Mindset Guide
2-Day Workout Option
	Learn More	See Reviews

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 3 very 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 beginners:

• 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 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.

Learn More

Read Our Review

About the Creator – Jeff Cavaliere

Jeff Cavaliere (of Athlean-X stardom) is an online fitness icon with over 2.2 million Instagram followers and YouTube views in the billions. The Athlean-X founder is the former physical therapist and strength coach for the Mets, with a slew of A-list celebrity clients and a passion for injury prevention and biomechanics.

The Athlean-X Jacked Dumbbell Training Program Overview

“Jacked” goes where no Athlean-X program before it has gone — a dumbbell-only program that’s 100% customizable to your training experience and equipment stash.

The concept of Jacked is simple.

Select a weight that allows you to crank out 8–12 reps (ideally) of the exercise before hitting form failure. This is your “Ignitor” set.

What follows depends on how many reps you actually perform. Cavaliere tweaks the exercise, manipulates the rest times, and switches up the rep totals based on that initial Ignitor set.

Either way, Jacked leans on the principles of hypertrophy to help you build muscle in 12 weeks, whether you perform 3, 10, or 30 reps in that initial set or have adjustable dumbbells or a single pair of dumbbells.

Here’s a quick breakdown of Jacked, Athlean-X’s first-ever dumbbell-only program for lean mass.

• Fitness level: Any
• Duration: Three months (but that “accountability feature” is a devil)
• Workouts per week: 5–6 days per week
• Average workout duration: 45–60 minutes
• Equipment needed: Dumbbells & a weight bench
• Goal: Build muscle mass

We recommend an adjustable dumbbell set for this one. While you can adapt the program to heavier or lighter dumbbells, you’re better off following the Jacked path as often as possible for lean mass!

Learn more about Athlean-X’s Jacked program in the next section!

Athlean-X Jacked Dumbbell Training Program Details

For the doubters out there, yes, you can get jacked with nothing other than dumbbells. (In fact, here’s a full guide explaining how to do it at the internet’s favorite meme-inspiration, Planet Fitness.)

Before you bet a Benjamin (essentially) on Jacked, here’s a more detailed overview of the program:

Dashboard

The dashboard picks up wherever you left off on your current Athlean-X program (Jacked, in this case). From this page, you can access your:

1. Workout calendar
2. Today’s workout
3. Other purchased Athlean-X programs
4. “More” stuff — like the Six-Pack Shuffle (a really watered-down version of Core4)
5. A Challenge Leaderboard ranking the top-performing AX’ers for Jacked’s Pull, Push, Legs, and 10 by 400 challenges (plus, you can throw a “Prove It” flag if petty is in your blood)
6. A newsfeed where the community can post questions, ask for advice, access videos, etc.

Honestly, the dashboard itself is somewhat idiot-proof as long as you mark your Jacked workouts as complete and master the art of trial-and-error.

The Workouts [What to Expect]

Do yourself a favor … before you attempt your first Jacked workout (Chest A), click on the Phase Explanation tab in the workout module. Then, watch the 15:43 video.

Warning: it’s about as exciting as that one professor that would stand in front of a PowerPoint and read directly from it for 80 minutes, and lower the volume on your computer (Cavaliere has one volume: loud).

Each workout targets 4–5 dumbbell exercises, typically four standard exercises and one “corrective.” Also, because it’s a dumbbell-only routine, it lessens the odds of some of Cavaliere’s wackadoodle exercises.

Cavaliere dubs this bad-boy an “educated bro split.”

By that, he really means the ordering of workouts maximizes recovery instead of focusing on just obliterating each muscle group once a week before six days of next-to-nothing (i.e., following chest day with back day allows the pecs to return to full-force sooner).

Take the example of Chest A’s first exercise — the dumbbell bench press. Here’s how your path forward would change based on how many reps you perform in the original Ignitor set:

Note: Your “path” will vary for each exercise. For example, you could follow the Jacked path for the bench press, Jacked Up for floor flies, and Pink Dumbbell Protector for push-ups.

(The module also has a spot to record the weight used, sets, and reps to better track your progress when you cycle back to the same workout in two weeks!)

Us staring at the Jacked workout module trying to figure out what a Box Score, Jacked Up/Down, and an Ignitor Set are before watching the video:

Calendar

One of our biggest gripes with Athlean-X programs (including Jacked) is that damn “accountability feature.” Cavaliere essentially locks you out of months two and three until enough time has passed and he’s sure you completed month one, which is a bit startling given the price tag of this program.

Regardless, Jacked’s schedule is full of satisfying consistency and will captivate the bro-split-lovers:

If you don’t want to lug your computer around or access the module daily, you can also download PDF versions of the monthly meal plans and workouts. Just make sure you watch the Phase Explanation video first, as the charts galore in the workout PDFs are a mindf**k.

Nutrition

Last (but most important) is the Jacked Meal Plan, which will look and taste extremely familiar if you’re an Athlean-X addict — it’s the same-old X-Factor Meal Plan (2.0 at least).

1. While the food choices are undoubtedly healthy, the lack of calories, macros, and serving sizes is a huge oversight — at least for newbies.
2. Every meal includes a breakdown of the ingredients as well as why you’re eating it (color-coding proteins, starchy carbs, fibrous carbs, and fats).
3. The X-Factor 2.0 Meal Plan lists three main meals and three snacks per day.
4. You’ll cycle through every meal eventually. Cavaliere also leaves you the option of picking and choosing your favorite meals if you’re a picky eater.
5. Each major meal has a Standard Meal, a Shred Swap (to lose fat), and a Size Swap (to maximize lean mass) with slight ingredient variations for each. (Jacked is a mass-building program, so the inclusion of a Shred Swap is unusual and potentially confusing.)
6. Cavaliere does include nods to his Athlean-RX supplement line each day.

The Jacked nutrition plan is slightly repetitive (eventually) and glosses over a few key bits of information. But we can’t deny it — the dishes sound pretty darn good, and there’s no doubt they’re healthy.

7 Athlean-X Jacked Pros

1. Jacked is an excuse-free zone. If you have literally any dumbbells and an adjustable weight bench, you’re set.
2. Every bit of it is modifiable. The Size Swaps (for mass) and Shred Swaps (for fat loss) in the X-Factor Meal Plan are only the beginning. Each exercise has five unique “paths” customized to your original Ignitor Set and dumbbell access — Jacked Up, Jacked, Jacked Down, Pink Dumbbell Protector, and Hi-Load Lifeline.
3. Jacked leans heavily on the principles of hypertrophy. The American College of Sports Medicine lists 8–12 reps per set for maximum muscle mass. However, a new theory published in 2021 by one of the leading voices in exercise science (Brad Schoenfeld) suggests that both high and low-load sets can build mass efficiently at the right volume.
4. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Every week follows the same format, at least for the first 28 days. Month one of the Jacked alternates between “A” and “B” workouts following the same “bro split,” with the second half of the month following a “Beat Your Totals” theme.
5. Month one is a so-called “educated” bro split. Cavaliere really shines a spotlight on his biomechanics background on this one. Alternating between antagonistic muscle groups encourages more recovery on rest days while also not settling for a once-a-week frequency. Research from 2021 also suggests that bro splits aren’t deserving of their bad rap, with a 10-week study proving that splits are better for mass while full-body routines are preferable for strength.
6. Each month of Jacked has its unique twist. We’ve only seen month one because of that damn accountability feature. But based on feedback from other users, month two is a different split and introduces those classic Athlean-X challenges and super sets. Month three cuts the weekly workouts in half (to three) for more of a de-load, full-body vibe.
7. The program depends on the dumbbells you have and your current strength levels. Many Athlean-X programs require full-gym access or are strictly beginner or advanced programs. If benching with a set of 20-pound dumbbells is “too easy,” the Jacked Down path will increase the volume through higher reps and decrease the rest between sets.

6 Jacked Dumbbell Training Program Cons

1. Athlean-X has a strict no-refund policy. But in the rare case, that they do offer an exchange, or you accidentally buy Jacked when you meant to buy another, make sure you don’t download the PDFs.
2. That “accountability feature” is a blessing and a curse. Unless you read online reviews from those who’ve completed Jacked in its entirety, months two and three will be complete surprises.
3. The X-Factor Meal Plan (2.0) is missing a few key parts. The X-Factor Meal Plan pretends macronutrients, calories, and serving sizes don’t exist. Not that it matters that much, since more than half of us completely ignore calorie counts on restaurant menus anyway.
4. At first glance, it’s complicated. The Jacked terminology is ridiculously confusing unless you watch the 15-minute video where Cavaliere explains it in detail. Even then, it might take a few days to really master the concept of Box Scores, Ignitor Sets, and which path to follow for each exercise.
5. The workouts tend to be long. Many disappointed users complain that many Jacked workouts inch close to the two-hour mark.
6. Many agree it loses its spark by months two and three. Jacked has its fair share of critics, as all programs do. The lack of cardio and Burst training makes this one a definite fan favorite for many home-lifters. But the challenges in month two are frustratingly intense, and the training intensity takes a nosedive in the final month.

Athlean-X Jacked Dumbbell Training Workout – Final Thoughts

Honestly, the Jacked program is one of the better Athlean-X programs we’ve reviewed (and there’s been a lot of ‘em).

It’s modifiable to any experience level, and it’s doable with nothing more than a set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench — though we’d recommend an adjustable dumbbell set. Plus, it doesn’t overcomplicate training (for the most part) and is compatible with home gyms.

Of course, if you have a tight schedule, fragile ego, or no nutrition experience whatsoever, Jacked may require a longer adjustment period.

All in all, this is one of our faves from the Athlean-X line-up.

Rating: 4.4 out of 5