What Is The Mamba Mentality?

I designed a full-body program that does just that. “The Mamba Mentality” was launched some 2 years back and it has been one of my most popular training programs because of its efficiency in helping you lose fat.

But I also realized that some people don’t have the time or luxury to go to the gym or use their own equipment at home. This is why I designed “The Mamba Mentality at Home Program,” the same five-week plan that my clients have used for many years, only this time, you only need to use resistance bands to work out.

The pandemic has disrupted a lot of our daily routines, especially when it comes to fitness. With gyms closed and outdoor activities being discouraged, there has been a strong demand for workouts that allow people to stay fit without leaving home.

No barbells, dumbbells or any other gym equipment needed.

Why “The Mamba Mentality” is the O.G. of all full-body programs

It’s not hard to find a full-body training program online, but I can guarantee that you’ll never find anything like The Mamba Mentality. This workout program started a long series of full-body programs that I’ve created through the years.

In fact, I now have over 40 full-body programs that range from 5 days to 6 weeks, most of which were inspired by the Mamba Mentality concept.

My full-body training programs are unique because they are created from these basic tenets:

• Every muscle group is trained in every workout.

If you’ve been working out, you’ll know that traditional bodybuilding programs are usually focused on a body part or two for every workout. But my programs are different because I make sure that every muscle group is trained on every single workout.

In fact, all my full-body and full-split programs are designed to train 10 specific body parts: chest, back, shoulders, legs, triceps, biceps, traps, forearms, abs and calves.

• All muscle groups are trained with high frequency.

The full-body training programs that I designed don’t just require you to work out three days a week, which is ideal for beginners who are just getting the ropes of these types of programs.

These programs are designed to have all your muscle groups worked out five days a week. Although I have some that’s only four days a week and others up to seven days a week, five days is a common time-frame for most of these programs.

• There’s a vast and diverse exercise selection.

If you’re going to train every muscle group almost daily, you’ll need to vary your exercise to keep the program from being boring and repetitive. I did just that by working on all muscle groups from different angles.

I also use a combination of isolation (single-joint) and compound (multi-joint) exercises, especially for bigger body parts like the chest, back, shoulders and legs. The variety of movements helps you train for more days a week without beating up your body.

• Periodization and intensity techniques are incorporated.

A lot of people think that periodization is only for Olympic athletes, bodybuilders and those with year-long fitness plans. But I created my full-body training programs to include periodization methods such as undulating, linear, oscillating, reverse linear and pendulum to ensure the most efficiency when you work out.

I also incorporated different intensity techniques like drop sets, supersets and rest-pauses into these programs. This is because the smart use of intensity and periodization methods are the secret ingredients for effective training programs.

• Rules are meant to be broken.

The traditional fitness buffs and bodybuilders would probably think that I’m being unorthodox about my concepts, and that’s true, but for good reason. The truth is, most of the “rules” that we know when working out are not actually based on science.

Although they are effective, it wouldn’t hurt to veer away from them periodically if you want your results to remain consistent.

If you read my article Mamba Mentality Program Overview, you’ll see how I debunked some of these dogmas and explained the science behind my own high-frequency full-body training program.

The Mamba Mentality at Home: What you need to know

Summary:

• Duration: 5 weeks
• Number of workouts per week: 5
• Equipment: Resistance bands
• Training split: Full-body split
• Rep ranges: Five different rep ranges are used within five weeks following an undulating periodization scheme. Reps can vary from heavy to light resistance: 3-6 reps, 8-10, 12-15, 18-20, 25-30.
• Techniques: Aside from full-body training in every workout, my programs also use three intensity techniques: supersets, drop sets and rest-pauses. Drop sets and rest-pauses are done on Week 2-5 while supersets are done in all five weeks.
• Rest periods: 30-60 seconds of rest between exercises, except for supersets where no there are no rest periods.

Full-body training with resistance bands

It doesn’t hurt to have a fully equipped gym at your disposal. In fact, I love doing my workouts in a gym where I can perform different types of workouts using a variety of equipment. But I also recognize that not everyone is able—or willing—to train at the gym.

Aside from the fact that membership dues can be expensive and visiting the gym is time-consuming, there’s also the need to stay home because of the pandemic and others just don’t have the luxury of going to the gym because they have kids.

This has inspired me to create at-home versions of my popular fitness programs. I started doing it with the SS8 At-Home Program inspired by my original SS8 fitness program and now, I’m doing with The Mamba Mentality. The secret to making gym-based workouts possible at home? Good resistance bands.

The Mamba Mentality  is created heavily around using gym equipment, so it’s not possible to follow this program using only your body weight or just with a couple of dumbbells. This is because of the number of techniques, rep rangers and variations that’s involved in this workout.

But with the use of resistance bands, you can do a full Mamba Mentality workout without the need to go to the gym. These bands give you the resistance you need without requiring you to lift against gravity.

It means that you can hit all angles of your body without having to use a power rack or bench. And the best part is, resistance bands are accessible, durable, space-saving and of course, very cheap. These bands are a no-brainier investment for anyone who wants to be fit but doesn’t always want to go to the gym.

The right resistance band for The Mamba Mentality at Home

Since The Mamba Mentality at Home is built around the use of resistance bands, it’s very important to choose the right bands to invest on. Of course, I’d recommend my BRN Strength Bands where a complete set gets you 14 different kinds of bands of varying resistance, ankle straps, three sets of handles, door anchors and other accessories.

You also get more than 400 pounds of overall resistance, which makes these bands perfect for The Mamba Mentality at Home program. And the BRN Strength Bands cost a lot cheaper than an equivalent set of free weights.

Unfortunately, the BRN Strength Bands are sold out right now, so you can find another set of resistance bands that offer the same efficiency within the same price point.

Just remember that you’ll need multiple resistance bands with varying resistances to properly execute different superset pairings and rep ranges effectively.

I recommend that you check out the products sold by Bodylastics, which is the same company that creates the BRN Strength Bands. Of course, if you already have a complete set of bands at home, you can always use that.

Choosing the right band for each workout means having to pick the exact band equivalent to The Mamba Mentality training program or choose a band that targets the same area or uses the same angle of motion.

The right bands setup

The Mamba Mentality at Home program utilizes high, mid- and low anchor points. To avoid any delays in between workouts or difficulties switching from one band to the other, I designed each pair exercise to use the same anchor point. It will take some time to figure out the right resistances to use for different parts of the work out, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few days.

An overview of The Mamba Mentality at Home program

As mentioned earlier, The Mamba Mentality at Home program follows the same concepts as the original version, which include:

Full-body training

I base my full-body training programs around the scientifically proven fact that full-body training is still more efficient for fat loss than split-body training where you only train one or two body parts in every workout.

These full-body training programs also allow for better muscle and strength building, especially when proper periodization and intensity-boosting techniques are used.

Intensity techniques: Supersets, drop sets and rest-pause

The Mamba Mentality at Home program is composed of superset workouts, which are two exercises performed back-to-back without rest. I designed these workouts to pair different muscle groups, with each pairing varying for every workout.

On Weeks 2-5, you’ll either do drop sets or rest-pauses in each workout. These techniques will help you spark muscle growth and add efficiency to the workout.

Undulating periodization

Periodization or the systematic manipulation of reps and loads is a trademark of all my training programs. This is no different with The Mamba Mentality at Home where I use undulating periodization to build muscle, lost fat and gain strength.

This technique essentially means that the reps and loads don’t move in just one direction. With is program, you’ll do five different rep ranges—3-6, 8-10, 12-15, 18-20 and 25-30. Resistance will depend on the reps.

Rest periods

Since the goal of this training program is to lose fat, I recommend that you keep your rest periods to at least 30-60 seconds between sets. But you need to follow the rest schemes when doing supersets, drop sets and rest-pauses. For instance, doing supersets means that you don’t get to rest in between the two exercises paired together. Drop sets, on the other hand, means that you’ll only get to rest after the routine.

Doing cardio with The Mamba Mentality at Home

I highly recommend that you squeeze in 30-60 seconds of cardio when doing The Mamba Mentality at Home workout. You can either run in place or do some mountain climbers, jumping jacks, jumping ropes, burpees or tuck jumps.

These cardio acceleration exercise will fit perfectly with this program. But you can also do HIIT cardio or Tabatas at the end of each workout if you prefer that.

The right diet for The Mamba Mentality at Home

Since The Mamba Mentality is primarily a fat-loss program, I highly recommend that you do my Dieting 101 program since it works well with this type of workout.

But if you’re a fan of intermittent fasting, you can follow my Intermittent Fasting Carb Cycle Diet instead.