05 Aug Jett Jackson Part 2: How Jett Jackson Added 300 Pounds to His Total in Less Than a Year
Article Rundown
- Daily habits built the foundation for progress.
- Technique and consistency came before heavier weights.
- We attacked his biggest weaknesses with targeted training.
- The offseason set him up for major competition success.
How Jett Jackson Added 300 Pounds to His Total in Less Than a Year
In part one of this series, I covered my initial assessment of Jett Jackson and explained why I immediately recognized that he was an outlier. He had tremendous genetic potential, but he also needed structure, accountability, and very specific instructions.
Jett was not the type of athlete who needed more exercises or a complicated program. He needed to be told exactly what to do, when to do it, and how seriously to take it. If I was going to put effort into helping him, he had to match that effort himself. That became the foundation of everything we did during his offseason.
Establishing the Non-Negotiables
Before worrying about heavy singles, personal records, or competition numbers, we established a list of daily non-negotiables. Jett needed to complete his core work, warm up properly, walk after meals, eat enough protein, take his creatine, recover, and follow the program exactly as written.
His core work included the McGill Big Three, front planks, side planks, bird dogs, dead bugs, suitcase carries, and stir the pot. Stir the pot was especially important because it exposed both his lack of trunk endurance and his tendency to collapse through his upper back.
I told his dad that Jett needed to build a core of iron, not a core made out of marshmallows. There were no excuses for skipping the warm-up or core work. He was 17 years old, capable of recovering, and needed to establish habits that would support him for the rest of his lifting career.
Building Strength Without Missing Reps
The initial program followed a simple, customized 10/20/Life approach. Week one used sets of five at approximately 70 percent. Week two used sets of four around 75 percent. Week three used sets of three around 80 percent. Week four was a mandatory deload at no more than 50 percent. Then we recycled the process.
The goal was controlled, progressive intensity. I did not want missed lifts, technical breakdowns, or ugly repetitions. Every rep needed to be clean, controlled, and owned. Training was not the place to show off. Training was where Jett needed to perform the work that would eventually allow him to show off on the platform.
Attacking His Weaknesses
Jett’s weekly training was built around improving his squat, bench press, and deadlift while addressing the weaknesses we found during his assessment. His primary bench day included wide-grip and close-grip benching because he had never spent much time training different grips. We also added one-arm dumbbell rows to attack his weak upper back.
His squat assistance included pause squats, walking lunges, leg curls, and more stir the pot work. His speed bench day used nine sets of three with wide, medium, and close grips at approximately 60 percent. However, form always came before speed. An athlete must first understand and own a movement pattern before attempting to perform it explosively.
The objective was to build a repeatable motor pattern. Every repetition should look the same instead of completing a bunch of fast reps where half look good and half look terrible. His deadlift day included barbell rows, dumbbell shrugs, leg curls, suitcase carries, and additional core work. He also had an optional Saturday session with pull-ups, push-ups, curls, hammer curls, and grip work.
Creating Better Habits Outside the Gym
The training plan was only one part of the process. Jett needed to walk after meals, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, monitor his bodyweight, and eat enough food to support his training. If his weight started dropping, he needed to increase his food intake. I also wanted him moving like an athlete, not like a slob.
Post-training nutrition was emphasized heavily. He needed carbohydrates, protein, fluids, and creatine after training. We used five grams of creatine before training and five grams afterward, along with a large protein shake and fast-digesting carbohydrates. The exact food choices did not need to be perfect. They needed to be consistent and sufficient.
The Follow-Up Assessment
When Jett returned for his second session, the improvements were obvious. His squat was already up approximately 30 to 40 pounds. His bench press confidence had returned, and he was benching around 330 pounds. His deadlift started developing a legitimate groove because he was finally learning how to position himself properly.
His upper back was stronger, his technique looked better, and he was starting to resemble a powerlifter instead of a genetically gifted kid who had never been properly coached. He was still inconsistent with some of his core work, and he was not eating quite as much as I wanted, but the progress was dramatic. Most importantly, he was beginning to buy into the process.
Progressing the Offseason Plan
For the next phase, we increased the training volume while keeping the majority of the work submaximal. The objective was to build work capacity, technical consistency, and strength without abandoning the standards we established. We continued prioritizing his bench press while building volume on the squat and deadlift. His thoracic mobility, upper-back strength, rear delts, and trunk endurance remained major priorities. The warm-up also became more specific. He needed to break a sweat, complete his thoracic extension work, perform the McGill Big Three, and then use dynamic preparation specific to the lift.
Squat days included goblet squats and movements to open the hips. Bench days included push-ups and additional shoulder preparation. Deadlift days included upper-back activation and position work. He also started every lift with an empty bar or the lightest practical load. There was no reason to skip steps simply because he was strong.
The Rules Going Forward
Before sending Jett into the next phase, I gave him several clear rules. Do not add outside programming. Build volume before intensity. Deloads are mandatory. Paused work and core work are non-negotiable. Singles are only performed on the platform or when specifically prescribed. The program did not require perfection. It required progression, discipline, and consistency.
Jett had tremendous potential, but potential does not mean anything without execution. His father was bought in, Jett was starting to buy in, and I was fully committed to helping him as long as he continued doing the work. I told him that I would see him again in a few months, and I would know whether he followed the plan because the body does not lie.
In part three, I will cover Jett’s entire pre-contest and competition phase, from January through June, including his weightlifting season, peaking process, meet-day strategy, and second-place finish at USA Teen Nationals.
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