Free Programs and Spreadsheets
These workout programs have hypertrophy as one of their primary training goals.
The full list of hypertrophy programs is available below.
What is hypertrophy?
Hypertrophy is the enlargement of tissue (like muscle) from the growth of its component cells. In the context of lifting weights, hypertrophy is a fancy way of saying getting bigger, jacked, yoked, or whatever your favorite slang term for muscular is.
Are hypertrophy programs just for bodybuilders?
Hypertrophy is not just for bodybuilders, though they certainly care about it too. Hypertrophy is an important part of training for any athlete that cares about getting stronger, including powerlifters and other strength training sports.
What causes hypertrophy?
In a very basic sense, muscular hypertrophy is caused by microtrauma to the muscle fibers, or tiny tears. Higher volume workouts tends to cause more microtrauma, leading to more growth in muscle size as the body overcompensates while repairing the torn muscles via protein synthesis.
The PRIME powerbuilding program is a 4 week training routine designed to increase the one rep max of the squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press and build muscle mass. It is similar to 5/3/1 in that it follows a 4 week cycle and focuses on one compound lift per training session.
[Read more…]Tiger Shark is a 6 week bench press program for intermediate and advanced level lifters. It was created by Nik D (@niklas.damb). As it only programs for the bench press, it is recommended that this is combined with a squat program and a deadlift program. [Read more…]
German Volume Training (GVT) is a hypertrophy program designed by Charles Poliquin to shock the muscles with a significant increase in volume through 10×10 sets. It is designed to be run for a relatively short period of time, about 4 weeks, and is comprised of three different workouts run five days per week. This is all explained in more detail below. [Read more…]
Lyle McDonald’s generic bulking routine (GBR) is a 4 day upper/lower split that focuses on building mass. It is a bulking routine for building mass that is designed to be run while on a caloric surplus with a weight gain goal of about 0.5 to 1 pound per week. It can be run for 6 weeks to 8 weeks before a 2 week deload.
[Read more…]This mass building workout focuses on stimulating muscular hypertrophy and developing raw strength. It is a 12 week powerlifting program built on 4 high volume training sessions per week and was developed by Ryan Mathias at Mathias Method. It is a peaking program that is designed to build your one rep max in the squat, bench press, and deadlift for meet day. [Read more…]
Shortcut to Size is a 4 day body part split program by Jim Stoppani (who also created Shortcut to Shred). It is best suited for athletes with aesthetic or hypertrophy goals. It is a 12 week bodybuilding program broken down into three 4 week phases. [Read more…]
Here are reviews of Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Shred strength building and weight loss program from people that have run the program. Overall, Shortcut to Shred reviews are positive and show that the program can be effective for building muscle and leaning out. [Read more…]
Jeff Seid’s workout routine is a 5 day or 6 day split program focused on hypertrophy and bodybuilding aesthetics. The routine hits most muscle groups once per week, but has an optional sixth day where you can work on any muscle groups you think need extra attention. [Read more…]
Here are some of the best workout plans for building strong, lean muscle. These routines focus on high volume, which stimulates muscular hypertrophy in the athlete. Coupled with proper nutrition and recovery, these programs will help the athlete develop larger, stronger muscles.
[Read more…]Lee Hayward’s 12 week bodybuilding program is broken up into four 3 week cycles, each cycle focusing on adding volume to the same set of lifts before switching to new movement variations and rep ranges for the next 3 week cycle. Each week has four training days, with the recommended set up being Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday. [Read more…]
With COVID-19 turning the entire world on its head, forcing the closure of schools, businesses, and, yes, gyms, lots of folks are finding their workout options limited. For individuals not used to working out at home, the prospect of working out during the quarantine can seem daunting. Luckily there are tons of options for how to workout at home.
[Read more…]Boring But Big (BBB) is a variation of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 template that focuses on high volume accessory work to induce hypertrophy after the main “5/3/1” work is finished. The BBB supplemental work follows a scheme of 5 sets of 10 reps (5×10). It is both brutally simple and effective, making it one of the most popular 5/3/1 variations.
[Read more…]5/3/1 BBB for bodybuilding is an interpretation of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 BBB strength program that is focused on bodybuilding aesthetics and hypertrophy instead of raw strength.
It is run for 7 weeks per cycle with 4 training days per week. [Read more…]
Joe Delaney’s Ibiza Shreds program is a 6 day upper/lower split workout routine focused on bodybuilding and hypertrophy. It runs for 3 blocks spread across 10 weeks, each week comprised of two upper body training days, two lower body training days, and two isolation exercise + abs training days. [Read more…]
Joe Delaney’s 5 day full body workout split is a bodybuilding workout routine focused on aesthetic goals and having fun in the gym. This workout was birthed from Joey D’s personal training experience with different workout splits and represents how he has been training as of January 2020.
[Read more…]This is a 5 day body part split focused on hypertrophy, not strength or powerlifting. It uses the principle of maximum adaptive volume (MAV) to help guide the number of sets each muscle group performs in a training week. This makes it somewhat similar to the hypertrophy workout program based on Mike Israetel’s training volume landmarks article. [Read more…]
Dexter Jackson’s workout routine is a four day body part split focused on developing maximum muscular hypertrophy. It uses 3 to 4 sets per exercise, often increasing the weight for each set. The routine programs anywhere from 5 to 8 different exercise movements per training session. [Read more…]
Dorian Yates workout routine from 1987 to 1992 is an advanced bodybuilder routine that he followed during the middle of his competitive bodybuilding career. [Read more…]
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workout routine known as “Golden Six” is a 3 day beginner bodybuilding routine that can be run indefinitely. It was used in the early days of Schwarzenegger’s training before he started higher volume training programs.
[Read more…]Vince Gironda’s 8×8 workout routine is an advanced bodybuilding routines designed to shock your muscles into growth. It is a high volume, old school bodybuilding program that has become the stuff of legend. The related 6×6 workout routine is an intermediate version of the same program.
I will be sharing spreadsheets for a few different variations of Vince Gironda’s workout routines, along with links where you can do some additional reading.
[Read more…]