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The 7 Best Hypertrophy Programs

  1. 12 Week Maximum Hypertrophy Routine (Kizen)
  2. PHUL Workout Routine
  3. PHAT Workout Routine
  4. Mike Israetel Hypertrophy Workout Routine
  5. Hypertrophy Specific Training (HST) Routine
  6. Brogains 10 Week Powerbuilding Program
  7. Metallicadpa 6 Day PPL (aka Reddit PPL)

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.

Fierce 5 Workout Program

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The Fierce 5 workout is a great beginner bodybuilding program. It is a 2x weekly program that incorporates compound lifts and accessory movements to stimulate strength improvements and muscle growth.

[Read more…]

Kizen Back Hypertrophy Program Spreadsheet

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This is a Google spreadsheet for Kizen’s free back hypertrophy program.  If you want a huge, thick back, you’re in the right place. For the full scoop, sign up for free over at Kizen, but here’s the jist. [Read more…]

Brendan Tietz 7 Week Intermediate Powerlifting Program

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This is a spreadsheet derived from Brendan Tietz’s YouTube video on intermediate powerlifting and bodybuilding programming. If you’re a beginner lifter, please see Brendan Tietz Beginner Powerlifting Program. As this blends a significant amount of hypertrophy work with strength development, this could also be considered a powerbuilding program. This program utilizes a blend of percentage programming and RPE. If you’re unfamiliar with RPE, you can learn more about it here: RPE Calculator. [Read more…]

All Pro Simple Beginner Routine Program Spreadsheet

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The All Pro Simple Beginner Routine (ASBR) is a classic strength and hypertrophy workout routine for novices. It supposedly originated on BodyBuilding.com and this particular version was modified a bit by tr3pid.

There is an extensive FAQ section that is copied from the spreadsheet below. [Read more…]

Brian Alsruhe Mass Building Powerlifting Program

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Another free strength program from Brian Alsruhe, this time focusing on mass building. A video overview is below.

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Strength Power and Fortitude 4 Week Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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The Strength Power and Fortitude (SPF) 4 week powerbuilding program by Brogan Pratt is an off season program for powerlifters designed to help build base strength and work capacity. It can be run as a 3 day or 4 day program and resets every 4 weeks, using an AMRAP set on week 4 to gauge progress.

[Read more…]

Brogains 10 Week Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet (4 Day)

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The Brogains powerbuilding program is a strength and hypertrophy program written by Brogan Pratt. It has the option to be run as a peaking program for a meet. [Read more…]

Hepburn Method Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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Doug Hepburn has become synonymous with brute force and sheer simplicity. This is reflected in his programs, which focus entirely on compound strength movements and do not explicitly recommend any direct accessory work.

Below there are essentially 2 programs, each with a power phase and a pump phase. In the old days, [Read more…]

Brian Alsruhe 9 Week Powerbuilding Program (5/3/1 Variant)

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Check out the spreadsheet for Brian Alsruhe’s 5/3/1 variant program, which is excellent for those looking for a powerbuilding training style.

Please watch Brian’s video to understand how the program works. [Read more…]

GZCL Jacked and Tactical (Bench + Squat Only)

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This is a variation of Tactical Barbell programming combined with the GZCL program framework. It only programs the bench press and squat movements. Deadlifts are not included. This is ideal for athletes that are either unable to deadlift or looking to focus primarily on improving their bench press and squat. [Read more…]

PHATburn Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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Established by Doug Hepburn as a powerbuilding routine that blends the heavy weight work of powerlifting training with the hypertrophy-inducing volume of bodybuilding training, PHATburn is a challenging program for advanced athletes. If you’re looking to introduce more volume into your off-season training, this may be what you’re looking for. [Read more…]

8 Week Hypertrophy Specific Training Program Spreadsheet (HST)

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Popularized by Bryan Haycock, hypertrophy specific training (HST) is a training routine based upon the principles of mechanical load, chronic stimuli, progressive load, and strategic deconditioning.

This training style is best utilized by bodybuilders, though it can be used by powerlifters and other athletes to spark muscle growth and work capacity in the off-season. [Read more…]

Kizen 16 Week Powerbuilding Program (4 Week Preview + PDF)

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Hot on the heels of the immensely popular Kizen 6 Week Bench Peaking Program spreadsheet, Silent Mikke, Bart Kwan, and Omar Isuf have teamed up yet again to release the first 4 weeks of their 16 week Powerbuilding Program for free, including a PDF that explains the theory behind the program!

[Read more…]

Metallicadpa 6 Day PPL v3.04 (Reddit PPL) Program Spreadsheet

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Update: A new spreadsheet for this program is now available. It tracks 12 weeks at a time, progresses weight per workout automatically, and is easier to customize. It is linked below.

Push, Pull, Legs (PPL) routines offer a great template for achieving strength and physique goals while remaining flexible enough for the lifter’s preferences.

This flexibility can be a hindrance to less experienced lifters, who like the sound of a templated PPL routine but don’t know how to make one for themselves.

This issue has been resolved. Enter: /u/metallicadpa’s 6 day PPL program aka the Reddit PPL.

[Read more…]

PHAT Workout Routine + Program Spreadsheet

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The PHAT (Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training) workout routine is a 5 day powerbuilding program for athletes seeking strength and hypertrophy development.

Developed by Dr. Layne Norton, the PHAT workout routine blends power and hypertrophy work, making it ideal for bodybuilders looking to gain size and lifters that want to look aesthetic without being weak.

[Read more…]

PHUL Workout Routine Tips + Program Spreadsheet (Updated 2023)

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Short for Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower, PHUL blends power and size building principles for the athlete looking to get stronger and bigger. The PHUL program follows many of the principles of powerbuilding programming, but could also be considered a bodybuilding program.

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Strong Curves Spreadsheets + PDF: Beginner and Advanced Workouts

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Written by Bret Contreras, Strong Curves workout is a great program for novice and intermediate lifters looking to get stronger and, yes, have a better butt. The program’s greatest strength lies in its simplicity, making it a simple workout to follow and make progress quickly.

It has quickly become a staple within the strength training community and is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.

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New Rules of Lifting for Women Workout Program Spreadsheet

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While men and women’s bodies respond in very similar ways to weight training (provided in the spreadsheet), the New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe, and Alwyn Cosgrove also provides nutrition advice and descriptions of the exercises, which may be useful for novice lifters or those looking to refamiliarize themselves with the movements. [Read more…]

Madcow 5×5 Program Spreadsheet (Intermediate + Advanced)

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Another spinoff of Bill Starr’s 5×5, Madcow 5×5 incorporates bodybuilder-friendly assistance work (along with lots of rows) with the fundamental Big 3 compound movements to create a simple but effective strength program. Though originally designed with bodybuilding in mind, this can be effectively utilized for off-season (read: not peaking) powerlifting training, as the linear progression and rep range complement strength gains nicely.

The advanced periodization version is also included, which is referred to as “StrongLifts Advanced” even though it’s really Madcow advanced. It is similar to Madcow intermediate, but increases the average tonnage (sets*reps*weight) of each week and includes a deload in the middle of the program.

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GreySkull LP Program Spreadsheet

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Created by John Sheaffer (aka Johnny Pain), the GreySkull LP Program (GSLP) is a fantastic 3 day per week full body workout routine for novice lifters. By correcting some of the shortcoming of other popular novice programs (e.g. Starting Strength, Strong Lifts) by incorporating basic linear progression, GreySkull LP is a solid choice for beginner programs.

For more of Johnny’s thoughts on beginner vs. intermediate lifters, see his “Intermediate Syndrome” post.

[Read more…]