Gigachad Workout Routine: Sigma Training Plan
Gigachad's workout routine featuring a 5-day gym split, meal plan, and training tips. Learn the exact exercises, sets, and reps to train like a sigma.
Ernest Khalimov stands 6'2" and carries approximately 215 pounds at sub-10% body fat. As the face of the SLEEK'N'TEARS photography project by Krista Sudmalis, he became the internet's dominant symbol of male physical achievement. The chiseled jawline, the proportions that look computer-generated, the gaze that could cut glass. Gigachad transcended meme status to become a genuine fitness archetype.
The physique itself speaks to years of dedicated training: massive shoulders creating a dramatic V-taper, dense chest development, visible ab separation, legs that prove he doesn't skip leg day, and arms that fill sleeves without looking swollen. Whether or not the photos involve digital enhancement (a debate that will never die), building the foundation requires real work.
The man behind the meme
The SLEEK'N'TEARS project launched Khalimov into internet fame around 2017. Sudmalis, a Berlin-based photographer, created a series of heavily stylized portraits that emphasized masculine features to surreal extremes. The images spread across 4chan, Reddit, and Instagram, becoming shorthand for physical perfection.
What makes Khalimov compelling as a fitness figure is the ambiguity. He rarely appears in candid photos or videos. The mystique feeds the legend. People project their ideals onto him because the curated images leave room for projection. He represents the endpoint of optimization, the platonic ideal of what lifting can produce.
Why Gigachad became a fitness icon
The timing of Gigachad's rise explains as much as the images themselves. He emerged during a cultural moment when "sigma male" entered the mainstream vocabulary, when grindset culture dominated fitness content, when young men searched for masculine archetypes outside traditional celebrity.
Gigachad filled a specific void. He wasn't selling anything (at least not directly). He didn't post daily vlogs or hawk supplements. He existed purely as an image, a visual goal stripped of personality or product. For a generation exhausted by influencer culture, that purity had appeal. You couldn't follow his program or buy his merch because neither existed. You could only look at the result and reverse-engineer what might produce it.
The meme ecosystem amplified this. "Yes" Gigachad, where he responds with masculine approval to various scenarios, positioned him as the arbiter of correct behavior. The image became aspirational in a way that transcended fitness, suggesting that the right physique unlocks the right way of being in the world.
His physique also represents a specific aesthetic that differs from the mass monster bodybuilders dominating the Olympia stage. Khalimov's proportions suggest classical sculpture more than modern bodybuilding. The shoulders are huge, but the waist stays tight. The arms are developed, but not grotesquely veiny. It's a physique that looks good in clothes and out of them, functional and aesthetic simultaneously. For lifters who want to look impressive without committing to the lifestyle of a competitive bodybuilder, Gigachad offers a more attainable (if still extreme) target.
Training philosophy
Building this physique requires high-volume training, compound movements for raw strength, and isolation work for detail. The split below balances all three while keeping you in the gym five days a week.
The program uses progressive overload as its foundation. Track your weights. Add load or reps each week. The consistency compounds over months and years into visible results.
Workout split
Day 1: chest and shoulders
- Incline bench press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Flat dumbbell press: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Military press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Lateral raises: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Cable flyes: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Front plate raises: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Finisher: 100 push-ups (break them up however you need)
Day 2: back and traps
- Deadlifts: 5 sets of 5-8 reps
- Weighted pull-ups: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Barbell rows: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Face pulls: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Shrugs: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Lat pulldowns: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Finisher: Farmer's walks, 3 sets of 40 yards
Day 3: legs
- Squats: 5 sets of 5-8 reps
- Romanian deadlifts: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Leg press: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Walking lunges: 3 sets of 20 steps each leg
- Calf raises: 5 sets of 15-20 reps
- Leg extensions: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Finisher: 5-minute wall sit
Day 4: arms and abs
- Close-grip bench press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Preacher curls: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Skull crushers: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Hammer curls: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Weighted planks: 3 sets of 60 seconds
- Hanging leg raises: 4 sets of 15-20 reps
- Finisher: 21s for biceps and triceps
Day 5: full body power
- Clean and press: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Weighted dips: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Barbell curls: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Box jumps: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Medicine ball slams: 3 sets of 15 reps
- Finisher: Prowler push, 5 sets of 40 yards
Nutrition
At 215 pounds with visible abs, the caloric demands run high. The diet below supports muscle growth while keeping body fat low enough for definition.
Daily targets:
- Protein: 1.5g per pound of body weight (around 320g for a 215-pound lifter)
- Carbohydrates from rice, potatoes, oats
- Fats from avocados, nuts, olive oil
- At least one gallon of water
- Six to eight meals spread across the day
A sample day:
- Breakfast: 8 whole eggs, 2 cups oatmeal
- Mid-morning: 50g whey protein, 1 banana
- Lunch: 12oz chicken breast, 2 cups rice, 2 cups vegetables
- Pre-workout: 50g whey protein, 2 cups rice
- Post-workout: 50g whey protein, 2 bananas
- Dinner: 12oz salmon, sweet potato, avocado
- Before bed: casein protein shake
Cut processed foods and added sugar entirely. This level of leanness requires strict adherence for months at a time.
Making the program work
The volume here is aggressive. If you're starting out, scale back to three sets instead of four and reduce the finishers. Build your work capacity over weeks before attempting the full program.
Key principles:
- Master form at moderate weights before chasing heavy loads
- Track every session so you can verify progressive overload
- Sleep seven to nine hours per night (this is where muscle actually grows)
- Stay consistent for months, not weeks
The physique Gigachad represents took years to build. Start with weights you can control, add load gradually, and eat enough to support growth. The results accumulate over months and years of consistent work.
