May 24, 2017

Customized hypertrophy progression

Maßgeschneiderte Hypertrophie Progression

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/custom-hypertrophy-progression

The key to getting the best training results at the fastest rate relies heavily on an effective progression plan. As I mentioned in my book Muscle Revolution, there are five progression methods that I frequently use with my clients. However, the question often arises: Which progression is best for me? For this reason, I want to show you which method you should use based on your training experience.

In my world, your training experience is defined by how long you've been training consistently and what weights you can use on bench presses, squats and deadlifts. Here is the categorization I use:

Beginner: A person who has been training consistently for less than a year and cannot move at least 125% of their body weight on bench presses, squats, and deadlifts.
Somewhat Advanced: A person who has been training consistently for less than two years and can move at least 125% of their body weight on bench presses, squats and deadlifts.
Advanced: A person who has been training consistently for more than three years and can move 125% of their body weight on bench presses and at least 150% of their body weight on squats and deadlifts.

Now that we've got those definitions out of the way, let me show you how to organize your progression for maximal hypertrophy. In other words, these progressions are not ideal for maximum fat loss or maximum strength, but will likely promote both.

Hypertrophy progressions for beginners, intermediate and advanced users

Progression for beginners (load):

A beginner can't go wrong with a full-body plan consisting of four multi-joint exercises per training session. The training frequency should start with three training sessions per week.

If you are a beginner, then you should focus on a progression of load. By this I mean the following: You should increase the weight by 2 to 3% or the weight level closest to that value for each subsequent training session. So if you're doing overhead presses at 50 kilos and your gym only allows a 2.5 kilo (5%) increase in weight, that's perfectly fine.

The reason beginners should focus on progression of load is because their nervous system is not yet efficient enough to recruit a large percentage of high threshold motor units.

Furthermore, different weights should be used for each of the three weekly training sessions. I like to have beginners start with a plan like the following:

Monday: 4 x 6 with your 8RM weight (max weight for 8 reps) on front squats, wide grip pull-ups, dips and power reps (power clean).
Wednesday: 3 x 9 with your 11RM weight on deadlifts, one-arm rows, bench presses and overhead presses.
Friday: 3 x 12 with your 14RM on Bulgarian split squats, pull-ups, bench press on reverse incline bench and one-arm snatch.

If you repeat any of the above workouts, you should increase the weight by 2 to 3%.

Progression for slightly advanced (repetitions):

A somewhat advanced trainee would be well advised to perform four multi-joint exercises in conjunction with two isolation exercises during each training session. The training frequency should start with three training sessions per week.

If you are a slightly more advanced exerciser, then you should focus on a progression of repetitions. The reason for this is that it forces your muscles to maintain tension over a longer period of time. And since a somewhat advanced athlete has trained long enough to recruit their highest threshold motor units, longer sets often increase hypertrophy.

Again, a different load should be used for each training session. An example plan could look like this:

Monday: 4 x 6 with an 8RM weight
Wednesday: 3 x 9 with an 11RM weight.
Friday: 3 x 12 with a 14RM weight.

For a progression of repetitions, I like to add a repetition every other set. The reason for this is that adding one repetition to each set on each subsequent training session can prove too difficult for many.

So your Monday workout would look like this for the second week: 6 reps with the 8RM weight, 7 reps with the 8RM weight, 6 reps with the 8RM weight and 7 reps with the 8RM weight. In the third week, your Monday training session would include 7 reps on all four sets.

Progression for advanced (sets):

For advanced exercisers, I have had good success with three multi-joint exercises in conjunction with three isolation exercises per training session. The training frequency should be 3 to 4 training sessions per week.

The reason I like set progression is that advanced exercisers can recruit most of their high threshold motor units. So by adding more sets, you are able to recruit these motor units even as fatigue accumulates. In addition, advanced exercisers should perform fewer repetitions per set. It would look like this:

Monday: 6 x 4 with a 6RM weight.
Wednesday: 4 x 6 with an 8RM weight.
Friday: 3 x 9 with an 11RM weight.

Each new week, perform an additional set of each exercise.

It's that simple!