Hypertrophy Training: What Every Lifter Should Know

Building muscle takes more than just time and effort. It also requires a specific approach to nutrition, training, and recovery. You can’t train like a football player or a marathon runner and expect to look like a bodybuilder. 

While most sports can build muscle, there are major differences in training for size, power, or strength. 

Bodybuilders, for example, use moderate weight and fairly short rest intervals to gain mass. Their workouts revolve around hypertrophy training and include a variety of exercises with concentric and eccentric movement patterns.

Powerlifters, on the other hand, work with heavy loads at high intensity and take long periods of rest between sets. 

They don’t emphasize single-joint movements in their workouts to the same extent as bodybuilders do. This allows them to build explosive power and strength but leads to a different outcome in terms of aesthetics. 

All in all, your workout routine should align with your goals. To get bigger, you must train specifically for muscle growth. Note that exercise is only a small part of the equation. 

A well-thought-out hypertrophy program also requires adequate nutrition and rest. Your muscles need fuel to grow and keep up with the demands of exercise. You can’t achieve a lean, muscular physique if your diet is out of whack. 

But what is hypertrophy in the first place? And what does it take to stimulate muscle growth while minimizing fat gain? Let’s find out! 

Muscle Hypertrophy 101

The University of New Mexico (UNM) defines muscular hypertrophy as an increase in the cross-sectional area of individual muscle fibers. This process occurs in response to the stress placed on the muscle during training. 

We went over these aspects in a previous post, so we’ll try to keep it short. 

Resistance training and other forms of exercise cause micro-trauma to your muscles, initiating an inflammatory response. 

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) points out that lifting weights with multiple sets of six to 12 reps and one minute of rest between sets for the same muscle group creates muscle damage. 

When that happens, the satellite cells on the surface of muscle fibers become active and start to multiply, which helps repair damaged tissues. Their proliferation not only aids in recovery but also stimulates muscle protein synthesis.

Simply put, your muscles grow after—not during—training. 

The activation and proliferation of satellite cells last up to 48 hours following the trauma caused by exercise, according to UNM. Other factors, such as your hormones and muscle fiber composition, play a role too. 

Note that your body adapts to the demands of exercise. The same workout volume or intensity that allowed you to build mass over the past weeks won’t yield the same results in the future. That’s where progressive overload comes in. 

Progressive Overload and Muscular Hypertrophy

The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) states that any muscle, bone, or tissue must be progressively overloaded in order to adapt to the demands placed on it. 

As your body adapts to a new exercise or workout program, it repairs itself so that the same stimuli won’t cause the same amount of damage. 

What this means is that if you keep lifting the same weight or doing the same exercises, your progress will stall. Sure, you may still look good and maintain your conditioning, but you’ll stop making gains. 

The only way to prevent plateaus is to manipulate exercise variables, such as workout volume, intensity, frequency, and so on. That’s what progressive overload is all about. 

To sum up, muscular hypertrophy isn’t a direct result of strength training or exercise in general. 

The key to building muscle is to constantly challenge your body through progressive overload, whether that means trying new exercises, completing more reps, or lifting heavier. Your muscles won’t get bigger or stronger unless they are forced to. 

Progressive overload is the foundation of hypertrophy training. However, this principle doesn’t apply just to bodybuilding and powerlifting. It can also be applied to running, swimming, rowing, and other endurance sports. 

As a bodybuilder, you can incorporate progressive overload into your training plan to build muscle. A powerlifter will use progressive overload to get stronger. Runners, on the other hand, will gradually increase their speed, mileage, or training frequency to become faster and more efficient.

Progressive Overload in Action 

Depending on your preferences and fitness level, there are several ways to use progressive overload for hypertrophy. 

Novice lifters, for instance, can first increase the number of reps or sets and then the weight. Later, they can change workout frequency, rest time, exercise order, and other variables. 

Military.com notes that hypertrophy training can actually start with high-rep bodyweight exercises. If you’re new to bodyweight workouts, this approach can help you build muscle and strength (assuming that your diet is in check). As you progress, add weights to the mix and increase the load gradually. 

Intermediate and elite athletes need to work harder to get results. That’s why pro bodybuilders use drop sets, supersets, eccentric training, partial reps, and other more advanced lifting techniques. 

A simple way to incorporate progressive overload into your workouts is to change exercise order. This training variable influences repetition performance over multiple sets, suggests a study published in Sports Medicine. 

If, say, you want to get bigger quads, begin your workout with front squats, lunges, or another move targeting this muscle group. Don’t start with calf raises or hamstring curls (unless you prioritize these muscles in your training routine). 

A few weeks later, replace the front squat or whatever exercise you’d normally do first with hack squats, split squats, or walking lunges. 

The whole point is to keep your muscles guessing. If you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll hit a plateau. Beginners, in particular, can get dramatic results just by making small changes. 

How to Design a Hypertrophy Program

Not sure where to start? Look for a hypertrophy program online and then customize it based on your needs. Consider your fitness level, daily schedule, and training goals. 

Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to hypertrophy training. 

A workout plan may look good on paper, but this doesn’t mean it’s right for you. That’s why you need to keep adjusting your routine and track the results. 

The NSCA states that performing multiple sets of six to 12 reps at 65 to 85% of your one-rep max elicits the greatest hormonal responses. Rest periods between sets should be around one minute. 

A hypertrophy plan that follows these rules will cause a higher increase in testosterone and growth hormone than one employing fewer reps with heavier weights and longer rest periods. It’s also more effective than doing lots of reps with light loads and taking short breasts between sets. 

The NASM makes similar recommendations, saying that lifters should stick to low to moderate rep ranges. Generally, this means three to five sets of six to 12 reps. See our post on low reps versus high-reps to find out more! 

These numbers are not set in stone, though. 

Pro bodybuilders, for example, follow a different training plan in the off-season than in the pre-season, reports a 2020 review featured in the journal Sports. Moreover, they tend to structure their workouts differently than usual in the weeks before and after competitions. 

The takeaway here is that you must constantly tweak your workouts based on your progress and training goals. Make a list of exercises for each muscle group, decide on the number of reps and sets, and modify these variables every few weeks.

Hypertrophy Workout: Getting Started

The first step to creating a hypertrophy program is to assess your fitness level and decide what exercises you’ll perform. 

Compound movements, such as deadlifts, bench presses, and squats, are the most effective at building mass. Prioritize them in your workouts to get faster results. 

Later, you can add single-joint exercises to the mix to increase muscle definition and bring up lagging muscle groups. 

Use barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and other free weights. We’re not saying that you should forget about gym machines, but you’ll get better results with free weights as long as your lifting form is correct. 

There are no set rules on the number of exercises to perform for each muscle group. This depends on your experience and what equipment you have available, among other aspects. 

The Sports review notes that most bodybuilders perform 15 to 20 sets for chest and back and 12 to 15 reps for arms and shoulders in the off-season (when the goal is to maximize hypertrophy). 

As a rule of thumb, you’ll complete a higher number of sets for your back, legs, and other large muscle groups and fewer sets for smaller muscles, such as the biceps, triceps, and calves. 

Let’s say you’re training legs. If you perform a total of 20 sets per session, that’s five or six exercises. 

Next, consider the weight used, training frequency, exercise order and variation, tempo, rest periods, and contraction type. All of these factors affect hypertrophy, reports the Strength and Conditioning Journal.

As the researchers note, there is no ideal load prescription to stimulate muscle growth. How much weight you should lift depends on training volume, intensity, frequency, and so on. The general recommendation is to 65 to 85% of your one-rep max.

Eat to Grow

What you do before and after hitting the gym is just as important as the training itself. Not even the best hypertrophy workout can compensate for bad eating and poor recovery. 

Muscle growth requires an energy surplus. Novice lifters and overweight individuals are often able to build lean mass without increasing their calorie intake. However, most people need to eat more calories than they burn to gain muscle. 

To stimulate hypertrophy, increase your energy intake by 200 to 300 calories above maintenance. 

Aim for 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, recommends the NSCA. If you’re not sure how much protein you need to build muscle, our guide will help you out. 

Fill up on carbs and protein or amino acids before and after training. Carbohydrates replenish your glycogen stores, leading to greater energy and faster recovery. 

Eat complex carbs and protein before hitting the gym. Chicken and brown rice, salmon and quinoa, vegetable frittata, oatmeal, or steak with sweet potatoes are ideal for a pre-workout meal. 

Ideally, try to consume simple carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio within 30 to 45 minutes post-workout. For example, you could mix Vintage Brawn™, our premium protein blend, with a teaspoon of honey or dextrose and drink it when you’re done training. 

Another option is to use Vintage Build™, our three-in-one muscle builder. It contains glutamine, BCAAs, creatine, and other key nutrients that promote hypertrophy and preserve lean mass.

Get the rest of your calories from healthy fats. Almonds, cashews, pistachios, avocado, pumpkin seeds, tuna, salmon, and olive oil are all a great choice. You can even snack on dark chocolate or peanut butter between meals to satisfy your sweet tooth the healthy way. 

Change Doesn’t Happen Overnight

As you see, there’s a lot more that goes into building muscle than just lifting weights. 

Hypertrophy training should be systematically organized to avoid injuries, prevent plateaus, and increase progressive overload. From exercise variation and rest periods to workout volume, every detail matters. 

Pro bodybuilders work hard for years to achieve a perfect figure. Hypertrophy occurs in response to the demands placed on skeletal muscle, but for further gains, you need to keep challenging yourself. 

Our advice is to browse the rest of our blog and apply what you read. This step-by-step guide, for example, will show you how to build muscle and optimize your workouts. 

Make sure you also watch our videos for insights into the training routine of Tom Platz, Arnold, Phil Health, and other bodybuilding legends. 

What’s your go-to hypertrophy workout? Are there any exercises or training plans you’d recommend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!