In my experience and education i have found that there are 3 mechanisms by which hypertrophy is induced through exercise; 1) mechanical tension 2) muscle damage 3)metabolic stress. The intensity, the volume, rep speed, exercise selection, and the rest Intervals that you choose will influence the 3 mechanisms mentioned above. The key to a successful program is in strategically planning a continuous challenge that the body has not become accustomed to! If my body responds best to high intensity low volume work and I continuously stay with that same training protocol then the results I get will come to a stop at one point. This is why periodization, in my opinion and my experience, is the best way to structure a training program. We could spend a lot of time going over the response In the body to the three mechanisms but I will leave that for you to explore. The basic idea I try to keep in mind is, I always want to give the body a reason to change!!! In order to give my body a reason to change it needs different forms of a challenge. Here is my version of a periodization.
I take concepts from both linear and undulating periodization and created what has worked for me over the years.
Periodization uses systematic variations in training to accomplish a specific goal, in this case hypertrophy. There are several variables that are used to attain the goal of increasing lean muscle mass. Periodization allows me to break training up into specific phases and utilize different training protocols to continuously achieve my goal because my body always has a different stimulus to adapt to. Over the years of training I have found several training protocols that work for me and I believe the most important part of any training program is finding what your body responds to the best. Even after you have found what work best for you there still needs to be changes made so your body always has a different form of stress to adapt to. There are different phases in a periodization plan but I only use 4. The phase that I am in will determine the load, rest time, momentary muscular failure and rep speed. Here are the phases I use.
A. Anatomical adaptation
B. Maximum strength
C. Hypertrophy
D. Recuperation
Anatomical Adaptation phase- preparing the body for the more challenging phases to come. During this phase I will address any weakness that could potentially lead to injury. Also during this phase I will address any strength imbalances so that I can meet the challenges set up in the future. This phase is the first phase and a lot of the exercise will continue throughout the entire plan. Ex. external and internal rotation, bird dog, face pulls. Reps for exercises during this phase are usually 15-20 and for isometric contractions the hold are 30-40 secs. I usually spend 1-2 weeks in this phase pending how my body feels and injuries that need attention.
Maximum Strength phase-I modify this phase and make it more bodybuilding specific in that I never go below 4 reps. The purpose of this phase is to improve my strength in a 4-8 reps range and ultimately improving my 10 reps max strength which has a critical role in inducing hypertrophy. This is an important phase but one that I have to be careful in cause of previous injuries. This phase has had made the biggest difference for me in gaining size. I have noticed over the years that the stronger I can get a muscle group the bigger it will become after transitioning to the next phase. Another great thing about this phase is I always have a weight logged in that I am trying to increase for every exercise per muscle group! It guides my mental drive to push and keep making progress!!! The reps are usually 4-8 during this phase and rest time is 1-1.5 mins between sets. The amount of time spent in this phase will vary pending my goal for the plan but on average I spend 3-6 weeks in this phase.
Hypertrophy phase- this is the phase that I spend the most amount of time in for the length of the plan. The rep range that works best for me during this is 8-12 and rest is usually around 30-45 secs pending what protocol I am employing. During this phase I use several training protocols that have worked for me here is my list; drop sets, super sets, pre exhaust, yoyo sets and straight sets for 8 with 2 forced reps. As my goal is to increase lean mass I will usually spend 6-9 weeks in this phase.
Recuperation phase- this phase is to allow my mind and body to recuperate in an active way. I will use this phase at the conclusion of my periodized plan or at any point that I feel my mind and body need it. Often referred to as deload, this phase is a crucial one as your body will send you signals that it needs a break and when we refuse to listen and keep pushing is when the body forces you to take a break. Listening to your body is also crucial for you to keep making progress! This is one of the hardest phases for me especially with a specific goal in mind. During the recuperation phase at the end of my plan is when I review the results from the previous plan and create my next periodized plan to get to the next level. If I use the recuperation phase during the plan it is usually 1 week. After the plan this phase will be 1-2 weeks.
There are several variables that are responsible for initiating the hypertrophic response to resistance training.
Intensity- In my experience has been the most significant variable to increase lean muscle mass. Intensity simply stated is the load being used. I don't use percentage of 1rm to gauge the load. I select a weight that I could do within the range of 4-8 reps and constantly make a challenge when I come back to the maximum strength phase to use a little more weight. One of the great benefits to periodization is that I can plan when and how long it will take to improve my strength based off of previous plans. Another great aspect of periodization is that if I stay In max strength phase for 3 weeks I can progressively get heavier within those weeks and peak during the final week and see a difference In the load I can use for 8-12 reps after transitioning to hypertrophy phase. All while not spending too much time within a certain rep range but enough time to see the improvements!!!
Volume- the total reps, sets, and load used In a training session. The higher the intensity the lower the volume. The higher the volume the lower the intensity. For me multiple set protocols has always given me better results with increasing lean muscle mass. That's why I never go below 4 reps and rarely use 4 reps for selecting a load. I usually transition from max strength to hypertrophy so the intensity goes down and the volume goes up as I progress through plan. Like I have stated before my goal is always to improve my 10 rep strength!!
Exercise selection- I have learned that exercise selection is crucial in improving a balanced symmetrical physique. Exercise selection also has a major impact on fully developing each muscle group. Angle of push or pull, position of extremities in relation to your core causes different activation patterns within muscle compartments and make synergist more active or less active. Selecting the right exercise to pre- exhaust a certain compartment of a muscle group can make a huge difference in sculpting a complete physique. Exercise selection is crucial and a big piece to designing a complete program.
Rest intervals- I use the basic concept of the heavier the load the more rest required . I normally stay around 30-45 secs during hypertrophy, 1-1.5 mins during max strength, little to no rest during anatomical adaptation cause exercise are usually done In a circuit unless it's an isometric. Not only is the time taken between sets important but the time taken between workouts for a particular muscle group is crucial. As we all know the damage is done in the gym and the real growth is when the muscle adapts to the stress and becomes stronger to handle that stress again. If you cut into that adaptation time you are fighting against yourself to make gains!
Muscular failure- the amount of exhaustion when the muscle can no longer perform a concentric contraction as well as eccentric contraction. This is the most amount of stress caused when a muscle is brought to complete failure and should be used sparingly during your workout plan. I use muscular failure when I implement the 8+2 method during hypertrophy phase. I will select a weight that I will hit concentric failure around the 8th rep and my partner with assist with the next 2 reps and I will hit eccentric failure. This muscular failure is used for 1 week and progressively worked up to 2 weeks prior.
Here is a sample 24 week plan.
1 week Anatomical Adaptation phase-getting body prepared for future stress.
3 weeks Maximum Strength phase- progressively work up to a load that is within 4-8 reps.
9 weeks Hypertrophy Phase- use different training protocols to induce hypertrophy. Each training protocol will last 3 weeks before I switch to another protocol. Using the strength acquired during previous phase.
3 weeks Maximum Strength Phase- second time through and want to progressively challenge my previous loads.
1 weeks recuperation- active rest for mind and body.
6 weeks Hypertrophy Phase- use same training protocol as last hypertrophy phase and try to use a heavier load.
1 week Anatomical Adaptation-assess previous plan. Address weaknesses or injuries. Create new plan!
I hope this makes sense and can help someone to attain their goal!
Thank you for reading and sorry about the length.
