Program Design For Hypertrophy

[ckcrown84]

Program Design For Hypertrophy

15 Week Block

Hypertrophy Block 1
Weeks 1-4: 20-15 rep range for high volume work
Week 5 deload; which will allow recovery of tissue and systemic fatigue from hard training

Hypertrophy Block 2
Weeks 6-9: 15-10 rep range.
Week 10 would be deload

Note the difference in rep ranges from Weeks 1-4 and 6-9. Hypertrophy block 1 is lighter weight and higher reps. As we do not want to provide the same stimulus to the body our next hypertrophy block would be slightly heavier loads and slightly less reps which would be a new stimuli and provide an overloading stimulus to what came before it.

Strength Block
Weeks 11-14: 6-3 rep range
Week 15 deload
Few things to think about during your strength block.
1) mentally this is a great change of pace from training in the high rep ranges
2) a radical change of pace from the stimulus provided in the previous 10 weeks
3) the heavy training while not as hypertrophic as high rep ranges does provide some hypertrophy, but more importantly it provides strength gains that can be used to potentiate more hypertrophy later.
4) The strength block also provides a resenitization to the type of metabolite training utilized in the higher rep range blocks.

After this strength block and its deload you are ready to go back into hypertrophy 3 which will be very similar to Hypertrophy 1 except you are now bigger and stronger and thus able to utilize heavier loads for repetitions.
I once told a bodybuilder who was struggling to put on mess that if he want from being able to bench 225 for 2x10 to 315 for 3x10 then you will by default be bigger. Period. Above is a way to systematically work toward those goals instead of spinning your wheels going in circles with your training and loads being utilized.
Remember muscle grows in response to an overloading stimulus, a stimuli that is more than previously. However, you need to be able to recover from that stimulus. Recovery is Key… So let’s talk about recovery and supplementation…

[Pushtoday]

I love the way you laid out this program. Of course I have so many questions.
In regards to recovery, what does a deload week look like. Take for instance week 5?

[MONSTRO]

Deload in my opinion is like a cheat meal , is not when you whant but when you need or deserve. Like you train for 3 weeks like a beast and you fell some pain on joints , them you need the deload and do next week very light to recover .

[samgraves82]

4 week blocks look good on paper but thats just when im getting in my groove. I like 8-12 weeks better

[MONSTRO]

Like i said when we need like the cheat meal

[ckcrown84]

4 week blocks look good on paper but thats just when im getting in my groove. I like 8-12 weeks better

I can't imagine a 12 week block and not being beat to a pile of shit.
I would either say you are an outlier in your ability to recover or:
1) You aren't really mapping workouts in much detail
2) related to 1) as a result of that you aren't really providing progressive overload
3) your progressive overload steps are too small.

Most people who execute a properly designed 3-5 week block will be ready for an easy week and I dare say not only will most be ready for one, they will need one to avoid pronounced injury risk.

But again, this supposed you are applying principle of overload and progressing your volume in 75-85%+ ranges

[samgraves82]

I AGREE!! Usually about 8 week mark ill take an easy week. And I probably to recover better than some. But as fat as my training, progressive overload etc goes, i gotta log here along with bop, asf, and outlaw. I always chase the log book and a lot of training footage on my pos low quality YouTube. I am training hard and the video will attwst to that. I work 50 hrs a week on average and always played sports so kinda used to the volume not saying i dont get beat up sometimes but an easy week/deload,extra day off, etc usually does.the trick. SG82 journey is the channel if ya doubt my intensity in the gym