Think about the biggest person you know. They’re likely also quite strong, and the strongest person you know is probably also quite big. Workouts are often focused on one or the other, but Mike Hildebrandt has developed a workout routine that incorporates both?!
Is that even possible?? Here’s a look at his Swole and Strong plan.
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 – Mike Hildebrandt
Mike is one of those fitness coaches that doesn’t fit the norm. He didn’t study the physiology of a squat, and he didn’t look for the most bioavailable protein. He’s just a guy who found solitude in lifting.
Mike battled with anxiety, OCD, and feelings of not being good enough. This traumatized him throughout his life, and when he graduated high school, it was only worsened by the fact that he was over 6 feet tall but only weighed around 170ish pounds.
This was not a good moment for Mike. But luckily, in college, he happened to watch a bodybuilding show that spiked his interest. This developed into a full-on training program with him actually competing in bodybuilding.
Fitness has helped Mike overcome most of his anxiety and OCD. He’s now a content creator for Bodybuilding.com, one of the creators behind programs like Dymatize Transformed, and is committed to healthier living.
Swole and Strong Overview
Most people who know a thing or two about growing muscle tissue will know that the stronger you get (combined with food, sleep, etc.), the bigger you’ll get as well.
This is the whole philosophy of the Swole and Strong program.
- Fitness level: Intermediate
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Workouts per week: 6 workouts per week
- Average workout duration: 46 – 60 minutes
- Equipment needed: Full gym
- Goal: Build muscle
The training will focus on hitting each muscle twice per week, which could break the monotony of bro split training and help you break through plateaus to get swole.
Swole and Strong Details
A large portion of the complete training will be focused on heavy compound lifts to help you develop the strength needed to endure heavier isolation exercises. This could potentially be the perfect combination for gaining quality lean muscle mass.
Push Pull Legs
Push pull legs – or PPL – is a very common training style, especially amongst younger and more inexperienced lifters. Usually, these are split into 3 days on and 1 day off. However, in this plan, you’ll be training 6 days on and 1 day off.
Of course, this does mean you’ll be doing quite a lot of volume per week. That said, one of the sessions for each part will be a lighter-focused session. Great, right? Not so fast.
Most of these sets are actually RPE 10 sets, meaning that you’ll have to do an exercise to complete failure… This is beginning to shape up to be a program that just wrecks recovery.
The amount of volume per session is not too bad, however. There’s a decent amount of load and volume play for you to enjoy the workouts but still grow.
Other Activities
You and many others may be wondering what to do on rest days while following Swole and Strong and – more importantly – if cardio will play any role. You might be under the impression that doing a lean bulk is the ultimate way to get big but still remain lean.
Cardio isn’t really a factor in this plan. See, Mike is adamant that you should be aiming to get stronger, which itself requires a ton of calories. This is why the calories begin at maintenance and only increase from there.
The idea is that by eating healthy foods, you’ll be able to gain weight efficiently, and you’ll only increase calories when needed. There are also loads of other nutrition and supplement guidance for you to make the most out of the plan.
While I might not agree with the idea of “growing at maintenance,” it certainly is possible for beginners to do so.
2 Swole and Strong Pros
- It’s just an honest plan: The plan might be hard to follow due to its being quite a high volume, but it certainly isn’t impossible. You simply need to prioritize your sleep, and you’ll have great success with this plan.
- Excellent nutrition guidance: It has to be said that the nutrition guide is very sustainable. Bulking can be hard, and the plan Mike has created is so sustainable that most people will be able to follow it to the T. Certain ideas like “you can grow at maintenance” don’t make much sense, in my opinion. But, again, to each their own.
The Biggest Con of the Swole and Strong Program
It’s quite intense – sometimes.
This isn’t really that big of a con, but the high intensity can be a bit much for some people – especially stronger individuals. Doing multiple RPE 10 sets (for someone stronger) is going to take a big toll on your body.
Swole & Strong – Final Thoughts
For a Bodybuilding.com workout plan (by a coach that isn’t as decorated as others), Mike Hildebrandt’s Swole and Strong is remarkably good! It’s refreshing to find a plan that’s focused on one goal but targets it in all the ways necessary.
The plan can be improved, of course. The volume is quite high, and the cumulative volume over a week will certainly catch up to you. So, a little section about rest days or managing your volume would be welcomed.
That said, almost everything else is spot on. There’s a combination of rep ranges that most people will find engaging and interesting. This will also allow for strength progression on your bulk – which is always nice.
Good plan. Nothing life-changing here, but it’s one for the books.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
