Hypertrophy Routine

[mentalflex]

Here is one workout I have on Serge Nubret:

Monday: Chest, Quads and Abs
Tuesday: Back, Hamstrings and Abs
Wednesday: Shoulders, Arms, Calves and Abs
Thursday: Chest, Quads and Abs
Friday: Back, Hamstrings and Abs
Saturday: Shoulders, Arms, Calves and Abs
Sunday: Rest (abs only)

He kept rest periods to a minimum, 1 minute max during his training.

Monday:

Quads

Squats – 8 sets of 12 reps
Leg Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Leg Extension – 6 sets of 12 reps

Chest

Bench Press – 8 sets of 12 reps
Flat Bench Flye’s – 6 sets of 12 reps
Incline Bench Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Incline Flye’s – 6 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers – 6 sets of 12 reps

Tuesday:

Back

Chin-ups – 6 sets of 12 reps
Behind the Neck Lat Pulldowns – 8 sets of 12 reps
Lat Pulldowns to the Front – 6 sets of 12 reps
Barbell Bent-over Rows – 6 sets of 12 reps

Hamstrings

Lying Leg Curl – 8 sets of 15 reps
Standing Leg Curl – 8 sets of 15 reps

Wednesday:

Shoulders

Behind the Neck Barbell Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Alternate Dumbbell Front Raise – 6 sets of 12 reps
Barbell Upright Row – 6 sets of 12 reps
Cable Lateral Raise – 6 sets of 12 reps

Arms

Barbell Curl superset with Triceps Pushdowns – 8 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Curl superset with Triceps Dips – 8 sets of 12 reps

Calves

Standing Calf Raises – 8 sets of 12 reps
Seated Calf Raises – 8 sets of 12 reps

Thursday:

(Same as Monday)

Quads

Squats – 8 sets of 12 reps
Leg Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Leg Extension – 6 sets of 12 reps

Chest

Bench Press – 8 sets of 12 reps
Flat Bench Flye’s – 6 sets of 12 reps
Incline Bench Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Incline Flye’s – 6 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers – 6 sets of 12 reps

Friday:

(Same as Tuesday)

Back

Chin-ups – 6 sets of 12 reps
Behind the Neck Lat Pulldowns – 8 sets of 12 reps
Lat Pulldowns to the Front – 6 sets of 12 reps
Barbell Bent-over Rows – 6 sets of 12 reps

Hamstrings

Lying Leg Curl – 8 sets of 15 reps
Standing Leg Curl – 8 sets of 15 reps

Saturday:

(Same as Wednesday)

Shoulders

Behind the Neck Barbell Press – 6 sets of 12 reps
Alternate Dumbbell Front Raise – 6 sets of 12 reps
Barbell Upright Row – 6 sets of 12 reps
Cable Lateral Raise – 6 sets of 12 reps

Arms

Barbell Curl superset with Triceps Pushdowns – 16 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Curl superset with Triceps Dips – 16 sets of 12 reps

Calves

Standing Calf Raises – 8 sets of 12 reps
Seated Calf Raises – 8 sets of 12 reps

Sunday - OFF

[mentalflex]

Here is Vince Gironda's 8x8 Routine:

He used a 60-90 second rest interval and said it was normal to reach failure at rep 6 or 7 in the last set or two.

DAY 1
Chest
Decline low cable crossover (touch hands at waistline) 8 X 8
Bench press to neck 8 X 8
Incline Dumbbell Press (palms facing each other) 8 X 8
Wide Grip V-Bar Dips 8 X 8

Biceps
Drag Curl 8 X 8
Preacher curl (top of bench at low pec line) 8 X 8
Incline Dumbbell Curl 8 X 8

Forearms
Zottman Curl 8 X 8
Barbell Wrist Curl 8 X 8

DAY 2
Shoulders
Dumbbell Side Lateral raise seated 8 X 8
Wide Grip upright row 8 X 8
Front to back barbell shoulder press 8 X 8
Dumbbell bent over rear deltoid lateral 8 X 8

Triceps
Kneeling rope extension 8 X 8
Lying Tricep Extension 8 X 8
2 Dumbbell Tricep Kickback 8 X 8

DAY 3
Back
Sternum Chin up 8 X 8
High bench two dumbbell rowing 8 X 8
Low cable row with 18" high pulley 8 X 8
Medium Grip Lat Pulldown to Chest 8 X 8

Abs
Double Crunch (pull in knees and elbows together at same time) 8 X 8
Weighted Crunch 8 X 8
Lying Bent Knee Leg Raises 8 X 8

DAY 4
Quads
Front Squat 8 X 8
Hack machine squat 8 X 8
Sissy Squat 8 X 8
Leg Extension 8 X 8

Hamstrings
Supine Leg Curl 8 X 8
Seated leg Curl machine 8 X 8

Calves Standing Calf raise 8 X 20
Seated Calf raise 8 X 20

[Swaminator]

I was (still am) a big DC fan. But, I switched it up because honestly I became too much of a wuss to push through my plateus on exercises like WM squats and the big taxing exercises. So I went to a higher rep, higher volume routine...something I have never done in my life. I have responded very well to that Y3T workout. Like I said, I have never done the high rep stuff so thats probably the reason, my body wasn't used to it and had to adapt. Anyway you can read about it HERE

PS once I grow my balls back I am going to DC it again.

[Muscle@Duke]

Good work there mental

[musicguy50]

Here is Vince Gironda's 8x8 Routine:

He used a 60-90 second rest interval and said it was normal to reach failure at rep 6 or 7 in the last set or two.

DAY 1
Chest
Decline low cable crossover (touch hands at waistline) 8 X 8
Bench press to neck 8 X 8
Incline Dumbbell Press (palms facing each other) 8 X 8
Wide Grip V-Bar Dips 8 X 8

Biceps
Drag Curl 8 X 8
Preacher curl (top of bench at low pec line) 8 X 8
Incline Dumbbell Curl 8 X 8

Forearms
Zottman Curl 8 X 8
Barbell Wrist Curl 8 X 8

DAY 2
Shoulders
Dumbbell Side Lateral raise seated 8 X 8
Wide Grip upright row 8 X 8
Front to back barbell shoulder press 8 X 8
Dumbbell bent over rear deltoid lateral 8 X 8

Triceps
Kneeling rope extension 8 X 8
Lying Tricep Extension 8 X 8
2 Dumbbell Tricep Kickback 8 X 8

DAY 3
Back
Sternum Chin up 8 X 8
High bench two dumbbell rowing 8 X 8
Low cable row with 18" high pulley 8 X 8
Medium Grip Lat Pulldown to Chest 8 X 8

Abs
Double Crunch (pull in knees and elbows together at same time) 8 X 8
Weighted Crunch 8 X 8
Lying Bent Knee Leg Raises 8 X 8

DAY 4
Quads
Front Squat 8 X 8
Hack machine squat 8 X 8
Sissy Squat 8 X 8
Leg Extension 8 X 8

Hamstrings
Supine Leg Curl 8 X 8
Seated leg Curl machine 8 X 8

Calves Standing Calf raise 8 X 20
Seated Calf raise 8 X 20

Thanks to you and all of you. But damn that routine is a dammmmmmmmmmmmn ton of volume.. there is no way i'd be able to get through that.. people, natty lifters do that??

[leon79]

Thanks to you and all of you. But damn that routine is a dammmmmmmmmmmmn ton of volume.. there is no way i'd be able to get through that.. people, natty lifters do that??

I might add that that particular routine is, I believe, Tom Venuto's take on Gironda's principles. And yes, that is, in my opinion, too much volume and too little frequency for a natural. The actual routines that Gironda himself recommended had much lower daily and per-muscle volume, and instead had you working each muscle 2-3 times a week, with only one exercise per body part (if doing one of his 3x8, 6x6, 8x8, etc., schemes). Also, Gironda would have you go as little as 15 seconds, and likely no more than 45-60 seconds, between sets, but it's up to the individual to find their sweet spot. Just know that Gironda advocated increased density, or little rest between sets, over any sheer amount of weight.

If you choose one of Gironda's schemes, keep in mind that he often started people at 3x8, then progressed to 5x5, on to 6x6, and so on, all the while keeping the density high. He considered 8x8 to be too stressful to be used on all exercises at all times, and usually reserved it for specialization or pre-contest training. Most who trained with him say that 6x6 was his preferred scheme for most people, most of the time. Really, the exact scheme doesn't matter, so long as you can handle it and you chase the high density, but also keep in mind that, with this kind of training, you might only attempt to raise the weight on each exercise every few sessions, rather than every time around.

[LG1]

Check out Charles Poliquin GVT

[exmgq]

pick something and start and make changes as you go along. simple enough? =0)

[RedSkull]

pick something and start and make changes as you go along. simple enough? =0)

x2

If you watch Longevity DVD Skip's routine sounds like something you'd respond well to. 3-4 exercises for 2-3 work sets per area.

[JohnnyBravo]

pick something and start and make changes as you go along. simple enough? =0)

x2

If you watch Longevity DVD Skip's routine sounds like something you'd respond well to. 3-4 exercises for 2-3 work sets per area.

As a fellow young guy, listen to this advice. It matters very little what routine you pick to get hypertrophy, as long as it is reasonable. Any of the routines posted so far will work, as well as what redskull said, 5x5, etc, etc.

What matters is that you stick to one, but what really matters (or what really made the difference for me) was diet and progression. It doesn't always have to be the same routine, but eat above maintenance (as in, gain weight) and make sure your strength numbers go up on a regular basis (you should be stronger by at least a little each month).

They don't have to fly up, you aren't a powerlifter, but let's say you bench 225 now. You should be aiming to do that for reps. Then set your sights on 275 for reps, etc, etc. Progression (in poundage, by better form, by less rest or by more sets) is really the only thing you can change while training, so that is what you need to be looking for.

Good luck! Keep in mind, if you are a natty, the size will come slowly, but it will come eventually, so be realistic with yourself.

[MachMood]

I'm a HUGE fan of any push/pull/legs. It just seems to work well with very little overlap. There's tons of ways you can do it depending on your preference for volume/frequency.

1. 3 on 1 off
2. DC 3 way split m/t/th/f doesn't have to be DC just that schedule. This is what I do. 1 big exercise and 1 auxiliary for each muscle group
3.PHAT type routine
Mon- upper power
Tue- lower power
Thurs- push hypertrophy
Fri- pull. Hypertrophy
Sat legs hypertrophy

[ch3v3ll3]

I'm a HUGE fan of any push/pull/legs. It just seems to work well with very little overlap. There's tons of ways you can do it depending on your preference for volume/frequency.

1. 3 on 1 off
2. DC 3 way split m/t/th/f doesn't have to be DC just that schedule. This is what I do. 1 big exercise and 1 auxiliary for each muscle group
3.PHAT type routine
Mon- upper power
Tue- lower power
Thurs- push hypertrophy
Fri- pull. Hypertrophy
Sat legs hypertrophy

x2. I'm on a PPL now. Like it much better than Upper/Lower as there's not as much to do each session (more focus) and there really is very little overlap. Shoulder girdle on push/pull and perhaps some back overlap depending on your back thickness and leg movements is pretty much it.

[musicguy50]

x2. I'm on a PPL now. Like it much better than Upper/Lower as there's not as much to do each session (more focus) and there really is very little overlap. Shoulder girdle on push/pull and perhaps some back overlap depending on your back thickness and leg movements is pretty much it.

Thank you all. Sorry haven't responded to my own thread, i've been on vacation. I just got back!

All great ideas, thank you all very much! I've looked at all my choices so far and have some comments and questions.

Push/Pull/Legs x2, = 6 training days a week. Isn't that ALOT? Plus i'd assume i'd do cardio on the 7th day, thats ALOT of time in the gym isn,t?

How many days do you guys feel is optimal for hypertrophy for a natural lifter? 4, 5, 6?

Problem with Layne Nortons is, its 5 days, but one day off, I mentioned earlier that if I was going to train 5 days, I would rather do it in a row, not 3 on, 1 off, 2 on, or wherever the break is.

Is there anything else you guys can suggest besides these? I was thinking of doing a
Chest/Shoulder/Tri
Legs/Back/Bi split 4x a week, with a little more emphasis on my upperbody, with 2 days cardio.. But then again should I really be training 5 days if I have the recovery to do so?

Or another idea is doing an upperbody emphasis routine as my legs are genetically big and just need to be hit once a week.
i.e.
chesst/shoulders/tri
back/bi's
legs
chest/shoulders/tris
back/bi's

but then again thats 5 days, which is alot.. what do you guys think, and how many days is more widely accepted?

[ch3v3ll3]

Season this shit with salt as I'm not as experienced as most of these guys here.

Chest/Shoulder/Tri
Back/Bi
Legs

4x a week rotation always looked pretty good to me. Little higher frequency than a standard BBing split, while still focusing on only a handful of bodyparts a session.

:shrug: That's just me though.

5-6 day routines are a pretty big commitment IMO.

[MachMood]

Push pull legs doesn't have to be mon-sat working out 6 days a week. Here are some options.

3 on then 1 day off and repeat
Mon-tue-thurs-fri rotating P/PL
Once a week. Mon-push wed-legs Fri-Pull
Look at my above post for other versions

Don't forget to change volume when adjusting how many days a week you workout. Honestly it's all a personal thing, your body reacts diff the mine but the above 3 options basiclly covers all types of recovering abilities So one should work for you