Rules to Live by When Muscle Hypertrophy is Your Goal

guardianactual

MuscleChemistry Registered Member
by J. Andrew Doyle, PhD
</br>
</br> TRAINING PARAMETERS/WORK
</br>
</br> Duration of Phase 3-6 weeks Load 70-80% Number of Exercises 6-9 (Prime Movers) Number of Reps per Set 6-12 Number of Sets 4-6 (8) Rest Intervals 3-5 minutes Speed of Execution; Medium Frequency/Week 2-4 The athlete takes 70-80% load, or a load which allows him/her to perform 6 repetitions. As the athlete adapts to the load he/she will progressively be able to perform more repetitions. When one can perform 6 repetitions, the load is increased again to enable one to perform 6 repetitions.
</br>
</br> The key element in hypertrophy training is not just exhaustion per set but rather cumulative effect of exhaustion in total number of sets. This cumulative exhaustion stimulates the chemical reactions and protein metabolism in the body so that optimal muscle hypertrophy will be achieved.
</br>
</br> VARIATIONS IN HYPERTROPHY TRAINING
</br>
</br> SPLIT ROUTINE: Since in body building (Hypertrophy) the athlete performs 2-3 exercises per muscle groups and since they address every muscle in the body, one may have to be in the gym for at least half of the day if he/she expects to finish the entire program. Even if the athlete may have the energy to do it, time constraints represents as important limitation. Hence, the solution is to divide the total volume of work into parts, addressing each day to one part of the body, therefore, the "split routine". Under these conditions even if an athlete trains 5-5 times per week, an actual muscle group is worked-out 1-2 times per week.
</br>
</br> ASSISTED REPETITIONS: As an athlete performs a set to temporary exhaustion of the neuromuscular system, a partner assists the performer with sufficient support to be able to perform 2-3 repetitions. RESISTIVE REPETITIONS: The athlete performs a set to temporary exhaustion. The partner assists the athlete to perform another 2-3 repetitions concentricaly but provides some resistance for the eccentric segment of contraction for each of the additional repetitions. As the muscles are in longer tension the muscles metabolism is stronger activated, stimulating muscle growth beyond the standard norms.
</br>
</br> SUPER SET: Represents a method in which the athlete performs a set for the agonistic muscle of a given joint, followed without a rest period by a set for the antagonistic muscles. Variations may performed, for example perform a set to exhaustion, followed after 20-30 seconds by another set for the same muscle group. Another variation may be pre-exhaustion, before a large muscle groups are contracted the small muscles have to be pre-exhausted so that during the actual work the whole load will be taken only by the large muscle groups.
</br>
</br> EXTRA TID BITS: Even if the split routine method is used for hypertrophy workouts, they are very exhausting, and often a training session may have 75-160 or more repetitions performed. Such a high muscle loading requires a long recovery following a training session. Therefore, one may assume that heavy workouts are done to complete exhaustion, and one should not perform this type of workout no more than 3 times per week.
</br>
</br> SAMPLE HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT Do one exercise then move on to the next exercise. Take one minute between sets. Take two minutes between exercises. Monday:
</br>
</br> Stretching and Flexibility Warm-up; Versa Climber or Bike Bench Press (Heavy); warm-up, 4x10 Squats, warm-up w/ Snatch Squats; 4x10 Military Press (Moderate-Heavy); 3x10 Clean Pulls (From the Floor); 3x10 Leg Extensions; 3x12 Glute-Hams (Weighted); 3x12 Back Work #1; 3x12 Back Work #2; 3x12 Abdominal; Crunch Machine 3x25, Rotary Work 3x12, Plate Crunch 3x25 Wednesday:
</br>
</br> Clean Pulls (From the Thigh); 3x10 Incline Bench; Warm up; 4x10 Side Lunges (10 @ each Leg); 3x10 Leg Curls (2Up/1 Down); 4x10 Shoulder Combo (Upright Rows, with out rest Squat Press, with out rest Bent Over Rows, then rest ); 3x10 Dips; Max effort to fatigue Abdominal; Ball Routine 3x40(With a medicine ball and with a partner, one partner sits on the floor with the other partner standing on the feet of the person on the floor, the person on the floor should look like they are at the top of a sit up, leg at a 90 degree angle and leaning back at a 90 degree angle, then the partner tosses the medicine ball 10x above the partners head on the floor, then 10 @ each side, like a rotary throw, then to finish 10x above the head again). Hanging Knee Raises; 5x10; Bicycle Crunch; 3x20.
</br>
</br> Friday:
</br>
</br> Snatch Squat (Light); warm-up; 3x10 Squats (Heavy); warm-up; 4x10 Romanian Dead Lifts; 3x10 (Just like the regular dead lift except knees are slightly bent, and you rotate at the hips just like good mornings) Bench Press (Light); warm-up; 4x10 Glute-Hams; 3x10 DB Incline; 4x10 Back Exercise; 3x12 Biceps Exercise; 3x15 Abdominal; Weighted Leg Lifts 3x15; Rotary Machine 3x12 @ side; Scissors Kicks 3x20
 
Back
Top