Seth Feroce, also known as “Ferocious Feroce,” is an American professional bodybuilder who has a podcast titled “Hard Working Mother F*ckers,” where he shares his secrets for sporting a year-round muscular physique. In this article, we will share some of those secrets.
Seth was born in Pennsylvania on November 21, 1984, and he stands 5’5″ (165 cm) tall. He maintains an off-season weight of 242 lbs. (110 kg) but cuts 40 pounds for contests when he weighs 202 lbs. (92 kg).
Feroce emphasizes that it is not all about training like a freak.
Nutrition, hydration, and enough sleep are also vital role players in the quest to become lean, ripped or shredded.
He feeds his body well and explains that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to bodybuilding. Each person must learn to recognize what their body needs in terms of both nutrition and exercise.
Feroce’s inspiration came from his father who gave him a set of weights. He started with weightlifting and soon became a serious bodybuilder. He started working out in a gym at a young age and went on to win a gold medal at the 202 Division Europa Show organized by IFBB in 2010. He went on to build his physique into a masterpiece and won countless awards.
When sharing his knowledge, Feroce often refers to what it takes to be shredded. In a book called Sliced, co-authored by Negrita Jayde, Canadian female bodybuilding champ, and Bill Reynolds, former FLEX magazine exec, unpacked these terms.
They explained that there are seven levels of leanness, of which the top three, Ripped, Sliced, and Shredded are the ones that matter when it comes to bodybuilding. Shredded, the zenith of aesthetics and the ultimate goal of many, is when it looks as if the muscles have no covering.
However, only a few reach such heights. Seth Feroce explains that it takes a decade or more to gain maximum muscle mass for your particular body.
Furthermore, you need self-discipline, work ethic, determination, and persistence of Herculean proportions to be recognized as a shredded bodybuilder.
However, it is not a state that lasts because it means your body is entirely free of fat, which is unhealthy and not sustainable. The lesson here is not to shoot too high, be realistic instead. Feroce emphasizes that the workout and diet information he provides aims to encourage healthy bodybuilding.
It is worth noting that Seth Feroce likes to adjust his workout routines and nutrition frequently, saying they are not set in stone. So, the information in this article is based on his basic routines. He says his body changes every day, and so do the details of his workout routine.
The Seth Feroce workout plan is characterized by intense high-volume training sessions. He favors the Bro split training program, which involves training individual muscle groups instead of doing full-body workouts each day.
While following a bro split routine, you will likely be training your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs on separate days. This is a popular training program, followed by professional and amateur bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and others with a wide range of physique goals.
Seth also favors Hany Rambod’s FST-7 training program, which allows him to bring up his lagging muscle groups.
Another training program he finds useful is Neil Hill’s Y3T because it enables him to train his muscles to the limit. Both of these training programs promote more growth because it provides the necessary muscle shock.
Other intensity techniques Seth likes to incorporate into his workout plan include drop sets, supersets, tri-sets, and giant sets. He believes that these intensity techniques are dual purpose, they provide his muscles with a great pump, while also training them to their full capacity.
Occasionally, Feroce prefers to train specific muscle groups like legs, back, and chest, with the pre-exhaust training principle. To accomplish that, he starts his training by performing several sets of isolation movements using light-moderate weights for a specific muscle group. He then follows that by performing the heavy compound movements for that same muscle group.
Seth Feroce’s workout schedule starts with a pre-workout supplement, water or an energy drink for proper hydration, and a warm-up routine to prepare his muscles. Similarly, he does cool-down stretches after his workout sessions.
Below are the details of the different muscle-group strength-building exercises.
|
Seated chest press (warm-up) |
3 sets of 20 reps |
|---|---|
|
Incline dumbbell chest press |
4 sets of 8-12 reps |
|
Flat bench dumbbell fly |
4 sets of 12-15 reps |
|
Bodyweight dip superset with push-ups |
4 sets of 10-12 reps |
|
Standing cable fly |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Flat Smith machine bench press |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Incline Smith machine bench press |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Front and side dumbbell raise |
Warm-up exercise |
|---|---|
|
Side dumbbell raise |
5 sets of 12-15 reps |
|
Front dumbbell alternating raise |
5 sets of 12-15 reps |
|
Seated machine overhead press superset with side machine raise |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Rear delt rope pull superset with front plate raise |
4 sets of 12-15 reps |
|
Machine preacher curl |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Triceps rope pull down |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
One arm machine preacher curl |
5 sets of 10-12 reps |
|
Standing dumbbell curl |
5 sets of 10-12 reps |
|
Standing dumbbell triceps extension |
5 sets of 10-12 reps |
|
Cable triceps extension |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Spider dumbbell curl |
5 sets of 10-12 reps |
|
Assisted and bodyweight pull-ups |
Warm-up exercise |
|
T bar row |
5 sets of 8-12 reps |
|
Bent over dumbbell row |
5 sets of 8-15 reps |
|
Wide grip seated cable row |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Seated lat pulldown |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Wide grip seated lat pulldown |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Close grip seated cable row |
5 sets of 8-12 reps |
|
Hack squat machine |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Leg press |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Bodyweight lunge |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Stiff leg barbell deadlift |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Walking bodyweight lunge |
4 sets of 15 steps |
|
Single leg press |
5 sets of 10-15 reps |
|
Seated leg extension superset with seated hamstring curl |
4 sets of 10-15 reps |
This IFBB Pro bodybuilder does not rely exclusively on classic exercises like squats and bench presses. When Seth Feroce decides it’s time to get into his best shape, he chooses to get the job done with an 8-week functional training camp. That is when he uses an exercise routine that pushes his body in a way that not only gets him jacked and shredded but builds awesome strength at the same time.
|
15-yard Sprints |
5 back-and-forth rounds |
|---|---|
|
Spiderman (Sidekick) push-ups / Push-ups with Mountain Climbers |
10 each leg, 20 total push-ups |
|
Pull-ups |
10 reps |
|
Handstand push-ups |
10 reps |
|
Sit-ups |
10 reps |
|
Squat Presses/Back Squats |
10 reps |
|
Sled push with 3 plates |
15 yards |
|
Sled Pull with 3 plates |
15 yards |
|
Burpees over the bag |
15 reps |
|
Squat Presses / Back Squats |
10 reps |
Like Feroce’s training routine, his nutrition plan is also not set in stone.
He has basic rules, but he’s a believer in Country Organic produce and adjusts his diet plan according to available fresh produce.
Feroce explains his outlook on nutrition like this: “Nothing in this is an exact science, it's all based on your individual body—the look, the feel, and the ultimate goal. We're all in different stages of our bodybuilding careers, so we have different looks we must achieve to move forward.”
After a health scare back in 2012, introspection took Feroce off the bodybuilding stage, to do an in-depth re-evaluation of his life in general, including his future in bodybuilding and his health.
He recognized the fact that your body is what you make of it and subsequently changed the way he treated his body.
Seth supports organic farmers in western Pennsylvania where there is an abundance of apple orchards, organic vegetable farms, and turkey farms with organic meats. He avoids sugar substitutes because they cause gut problems. Instead, he eats unpasteurized, organic honey or organic sugar with his breakfast of cream of rice.
Seth Feroce follows a healthy, clean diet plan. He typically eats 6 meals a day, containing egg whites, whole eggs, strawberries, oatmeal, chicken breast, whey protein, grain rice, bananas, sweet potatoes, lean steak, mixed veggies, etc.
Seth eats a lot, and his daily caloric intake is high, with chicken and rice as the primary sources. His simple goal, or motto, is to look good and feel good, and although he eats heavy meals, he maintains muscle and physique as well.
Below is the 6-meal plan Seth Feroce recommends
1st Meal: 3 Whole eggs, 2 cups Egg whites, 1 cup Oatmeal, Strawberries
2nd Meal: 6 ounces Grilled Chicken breast, 1/2 cup Grain rice
3rd Meal: 2 scoops of Whey protein, 2 Bananas
4th Meal: 6 ounces of Lean Steak, 1 cup of Sweet Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables
5th Meal: 6 ounces of Grilled chicken, a Half cup of Jasmine rice, Salad
6th Meal: 2 scoops of Casein protein with water, Ice, Peanut Butter, Frozen fruit
Bodybuilders need to supplement their diets because their bodies take abnormal levels of stress to reach their ideal physical conditions. Without supplements, they won’t be able to maintain the necessary strength.
Some strength builders can manage their training without the need for supplements, and others go overboard, supplementing with extravagance. According to Seth Feroce, bodybuilders’ focus should be on food — whole organics if possible.
Feroce says it’s all about timing. He takes almost all his supplements before, during, and after his workouts, and also as a late-night protein supplement. However, he often substitutes that with leftover whole foods.
But Seth notes that supplements benefit everyone who works out, whether it is bodybuilding, CrossFit or just staying in shape.
Those people take their bodies to the limit when food alone is typically not enough. However, he maintains that each person’s supplement needs are unique, and recommends people try different supps to determine what works best.
Feroce starts with basic supplements like creatine, amino acids, protein, pre-workout, vitamins, and fat burners. He also reminds people that drinking lots of water is crucial, regardless of which supplements they take. He says the high salt contents in creatines and pre-workout supps require hydrated bodies for optimized efficiency.
Most importantly—there is no supplement protocol that will work without the proper training protocols and nutrition.
