A simple program for complex results.

One of the great things about the internet is the access it provides to thousands of training programs including photos, videos and of course workout routines.

While this is great for information junkies obsessed with the "how" and "why" of training with weights, the often conflicting information has led to serious information overload that all too often leads to serious paralysis by analysis.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Building muscle, losing body fat or increasing strength are all relatively simple endeavors - especially if you've seen it happen a few thousand times. The fact is, most successful trainers, if you injected them with a truth serum, could probably tell you everything you really need to transform your body in less time than it takes to scan your favorite fitness websites.

My feeling is this: Information is great - as long as it helps you reach your goals faster. In this article, I'm going to help you see through all the confusion and conflicting information by providing you with what you need to build muscle mass.

All killer information and no unnecessary filler. Does that sound good? Then let's get started!

Hypertrophy training - These are the reasons we do it!

I'm going to provide you with the exact strategies for developing a training program that we use ourselves to help our athletes and bodybuilders build muscle mass (hypertrophy).

This includes sets, reps, rest intervals, training splits and a truckload of program design strategies - all of which we've found to be the absolute best for achieving rapid gains.

Goals of a hypertrophy training phase

• To become more muscular (build lean body mass)
• Increase metabolic rate: Muscle tissue requires energy. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn during the day. In addition, muscle is metabolically active tissue - it is the physical place where fat is burned.
• Aligning the development of weaker/less developed areas of the body with the development of the rest of the body: This helps physical athletes achieve the muscle symmetry they need to perform well in competition.
• Helping full contact athletes such as American football/rugby players to build up some body armor to better cope with constant impact.
• Build tendon strength and muscle tissue density in preparation for a more intense heavy strength building phase. "Some strength gains unrelated to hypertrophy are possible due to anatomical changes in connective tissue and muscle fiber attachments to tendons."(Jones & Rutherford; Narici et. al., 1989)
• Helping male fitness enthusiasts look better naked and hopefully pick up more women - hot girls like guys with big muscles!
• The average length of this phase is 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the individual.
• With the above in mind, if you are working with a bodybuilder or someone who wants to get more muscular, this phase can be extended to as long as necessary until the athlete has built the desired amount of lean muscle mass.
• The typical template is hard training for three weeks followed by a de-loading week.
• Training programs are repeated for 4 to 6 training sessions before they are exchanged for others.
• Occasionally - after three training sessions - the order of the exercises is changed (the actual exercises remain unchanged). This creates mental variety and slightly alters the physical stimulus and is an effective way to add some spice to your program without drastically changing your program - especially if what you are currently doing is working well.
• Somewhere in the range of 3 to 5 times per week, depending on the time available to the client/athlete.
• Each muscle group is trained once or twice a week.
• The average repetition range we use is 8 to 15 repetitions.
• Some sets with higher repetitions in the range of 20 to 25 repetitions and even up to 50 repetitions are occasionally added to increase the weekly volume.
• In hypertrophy programs for advanced exercisers, we use intensity techniques such as descending sets, rest-pause sets and forced repetitions to increase the volume of work.
• The general set range we use is 3 to 4 sets.
• Usually the volume is increased every week. During the hypertrophy phase, we prefer to increase volume rather than increase weight or decrease rest periods.
• In a typical four-week program, the progression might look like this:

Average duration of a typical hypertrophy cycle

Training frequency

Repetition ranges

Sets per exercise

o Week 1: 3 sets of 8 repetitions

o Week 2: 3 sets of 10 repetitions

o Week 3: 3 sets of 12 repetitions

o Week 4: 3 sets of 14 to 15 repetitions

• Another four week style to increase volume could include an increase in sets and reps:

o Week 1: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps

o Week 2: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions

o Week 3: 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions

o Week 4: 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions

• In this phase we also use repetition pyramids like the following:

o Week 1: 8, 10, 12, 14 repetitions

o Week 2: 14, 12, 10, 8 repetitions

o Week 3: As week 1, but with heavier weights

o Week 4: As week 2, but with heavier weights

• Wave loading is another method we use during this phase. Here is an example:

o Week 1: 10, 15, 10, 15 reps

o Week 2: 12, 8, 12, 8 repetitions

o Week 3: Same as week 1, but with heavier weights

o Week 4: As week 2, but with heavier weights

Total number of sets per muscle group per week:

• 12 to 20 total sets per week per muscle group
• All sets for a muscle group can be performed in one training session or divided into several training sessions (2 to 3) throughout the week.
• Muscle groups that need the most work to bring them up to the level of development of the rest of the body are trained several times a week.

Pace of repetitions

We don't do much training at a specific tempo of repetitions, although we do use some slower tempo variations during the hypertrophy phase. Aim for 3 to 4 seconds for the eccentric phase and a 2 to 3 second isometric phase. Never slow down the concentric phase - here the pace always remains the same.

Pause intervals

• The pauses between sets are kept short to increase the growth hormone response.
• The rest intervals between sets are kept at an average of 30 to 60 seconds.
• If higher repetition numbers (15 repetitions or more) are used, we increase the duration of the rest intervals to no more than 90 seconds.
• The intensity of each set is kept in the medium to high range.
• Beginners or those who are in the first few weeks of a program should keep the intensity in the medium range. Basically, this means leaving 1 to 2 reps in the tank at the end of each set.
• Advanced exercisers or someone who is in a later phase of a training program should perform the sets to muscle failure and beyond. Occasionally we use the old-school method of "do as many reps as you can and then two more" to maximize growth hormone release.

Intensity/Volume

o "Growth hormone release is related to the degree of exhaustion." (Pyka, 1992)

• Training volume is kept high during this phase to generate cellular/physiological change (aka hypertrophy). Volume is increased significantly after the first 2 to 3 weeks, after the initial neurological changes that occur whenever your body performs new movement patterns.

o When a new exercise or movement pattern is introduced, progress during the first few weeks is largely based on neuromotor adaptations." (Komi, 1986)

o "After this initial "learning or relearning phase, subsequent strength gains are predominantly based on morphological increases in muscle fiber size." (Sale, 1988)

The training approach

• During the hypertrophy phase, we mainly use traditional/old-school exercises that mainly involve barbells, dumbbells and machines.
• Isolation exercises can also be performed during this phase.
• Although exercises with free weights (barbells and dumbbells) are preferred, machines can also be used. Machines allow for constant tension on the muscles due to their design. A curl movement performed with a dumbbell, for example, offers little or no resistance at the lowest and highest points of the movement. The resistance is only present in the middle section of the movement. Bicep curls performed on a machine, on the other hand, allow tension to be maintained throughout the entire range of motion. This constant tension can be a great advantage for increasing hypertrophy.
• In this phase, we mainly use one-set methods. For example, perform set #1, pause, perform set #2, pause, perform set #3, etc.
• Supersets can also be used during this phase. If each set involves different muscle groups, make sure the tempo and rest intervals do not exceed the 60 to 90 second recovery window I mentioned earlier. In other words, this means that if we are performing a push/pull superset using bench presses and bent-over rowing, we need to make sure that the time between sets of bench presses does not exceed 60 to 90 seconds. The same rule naturally applies to bent-over rowing.
• If you are performing unilateral exercises (only on one side), use the one-set method and make sure that each side does not get more than 60 to 90 seconds of recovery while the other side is being trained.

Some example hypertrophy programs

Here are sample hypertrophy programs with three, four and five training days per week. Keep in mind that these programs are not designed for the purpose of increasing strength or power. These programs are designed exclusively for building serious muscle mass.

Three day hypertrophy program

Day 1 - Pull

A) Pull-ups 4x8-12
B1) Lat pull-downs with wide grip 3x8-15
B2) Shoulder lifts (shrugs) 3x8-15
C) Single-arm bent-over rows 3x8-12
D) Hammer Strength high-low rowing 3x8-12
E1) Flying movements for the rear shoulder muscles 3x10-15
E2) Bicep curls 3x10-15

Day 2 - Legs/Hips

A) Classic squats 4x10-15
B) Front squats 3x8-12
C) Reverse lunges (same side) 3x10-12
D1) Leg curls 3x8-12
D2) Leg extensions 3x8-12
E1) Hip thrust (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8nFGuY77CE) 3x12-15
E2) Calf raises 3x12-15

Day 3 - Push

A) Dumbbell Bench Press 4x8-12
B) Hammer Strength Incline Bench Press 3x8-12
C) Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4x8-12
D) Push-ups with close grip (hands on a medicine ball) 3x12-15
E1) Side Lifts 3x12-15
E2) Tricep Press 3x12-15

Four-day hypertrophy program

Day 1 - Pull/Push

A) Lat pulldown with wide grip 4x8-12
B) Rowing bent over with a barbell 4x8-12
C) Rowing seated (close grip) 3x8-12
D) Dumbbell bench press 3x8-12
E) Shoulder press (one arm) 3x10-15
F1) Bicep curls 3x8-12
F2) Flying movements for the rear shoulder muscles 3x10-15

Day 2 - Legs/Hips

A) Classic squats 4x10-15
B) Front squats 3x8-12
C) Reverse lunges (same side) 3x10-12
D1) Leg curls 3x8-12
D2) Leg extensions 3x8-12
E) Calf raises 3x12-15

Day 3 - Push/Pull

A) Dumbbell Bench Press 3x8-12
B) Hammer Strength Incline Bench Press 3x8-12
C) Barbell Shoulder Press 3x10-15
D) Seated Row (wide grip) 3x8-12
E) Lat pulldown (close grip) 4x8-12
F1) Tricep press 3x8-12
F2) Flying movements for the rear shoulder muscles 3x10-15

Day 4 - Hips/Legs

A) Deadlift 4x8-10
B) Bulgarian split squats 3 x 8-12
C) Glute/Ham Raise 3x10-12
D1) Hip thrust 3x12-15
D2) Calf raises 3x12-15
E) Squat complex* 1-2 sets (the exercises are performed one after the other without a break):

• 20 second squats (as fast as possible). Try to achieve 20 repetitions
• 20 seconds jump squats, try to achieve 10 to 12 repetitions
• 20 seconds isometric hold on squats (pause at the lowest point)

Five day hypertrophy program

The five day split program is the same as the three day split program, but with more training days per week. This would look like this:

Week 1

Monday - Pull (A)
Tuesday - Legs/Hips (B)
Wednesday - Push (C)
Thursday - No training
Friday - Pull (A)
Saturday - Legs/Hips (B)
Sunday - Rest day

Week 2

Monday - Push (C)
Tuesday - Pull (A)
Wednesday - Legs/Hips (B)
Thursday - Rest day
Friday - Push (C)
Saturday - Pull (A)
Sunday - Rest day

Additional training tips for hypertrophy training:

• Due to the less functional, more visual body development focused training during this phase, perform a few sessions per week of total body and/or low intensity rotational exercises to maintain some level of functional (athletic) ability.
• Perform some specific abdominal/core training at the end of the session.
• During this phase, it is crucial that you consume sufficient calories, protein and other nutrients to not only allow your body to build muscle, but also to help you recover from the high-intensity nature of the workouts.
• Make sure you use the following supplements on a regular basis: Whey protein, BCAAs, creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine. When these supplements are used consistently in conjunction with this program, the changes in body development are dramatic.

Final thoughts

I've just given you the who, the what, the why, the where and the how of building muscle mass. Now you have all the tools you need to get muscular - and most importantly, I haven't given you anything you don't need.

It's now your job to go to the gym and put these methods and techniques into practice.

By Nick Tumminello | 12/10/10

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/simple-program-for-complex-results

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