Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine (GBR) is a 4-day upper/lower split built for intermediate lifters who want to gain size. You train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each 6-8 week cycle ends with a 2-week deload, and Lyle targeted a weight gain of about 0.5 to 1 pound per week while running it. There are four spreadsheet variants below, from pure hypertrophy to strength focus.
The GBR originated on Lyle’s bodyrecomposition.com forum around 2008-2009. The core idea is moderate-volume compound and isolation work with built-in flexibility on set counts. You decide during each set whether to do the lower or upper end of the prescribed range based on how you feel. Lyle described this as intentional, not a gap in the program. The jcdfitness.com FAQ PDF is the best single reference for the full program details.
This program is for intermediate lifters who have moved past their beginner gains and want a structured split to build mass. You need to eat in a caloric surplus and be comfortable self-regulating volume. If you’re still new to lifting, a more prescriptive program like Starting Strength or the Ripped Body Intermediate Bodybuilding Program will serve you better before you tackle the GBR.
Table of Contents
Video Interviews with Lyle McDonald about the Generic Bulking Routine
Here are two lengthy conversations from the Revive Stronger YouTube channel with Lyle McDonald about the GBR and training in general.
Shout out to Steve @ Revive Stronger for providing these timestamps!
Interview #1
Timestamps:
- 01:16 Lyle starts with talking about how he got into creating The Generic Bulking Routine
- 05:46 Lyle talks about labelling lifting status
- 07:49 Lyle describes how he defines beginner, intermediate & advanced
- 11:12 Lyle explains what he means with “Productive Training”
- 26:18 Lyle’s opinion on adding weight to the bar as a necessity for progressive overload
- 30:01 Lyle shares his thoughts on functional overreaching
- 42:46 Lyle’s take on junk volume
Interview #2
Timestamps:
- 00:36 Lyle continues where he left off and further talks about continuing progressing with exercise selection/variation and the impact of the crossover effect
- 22:47 Lyle goes back in talking about the setup of the Generic Bulking Routine
- 36:40 Lyle talks about progressing as an intermediate
- 57:30 Lyle elaborates how to programme specialisation cycles
- 01:06:42 Lyle shares his thoughts on advanced trainees and their personal observations
Spreadsheet: Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine
The hypertrophy version is the original routine Lyle posted. The three alternate variants below shift the rep ranges toward strength work. All four spreadsheets were created by Lift Vault based on an interpretation of his posts. None are endorsed by Lyle.
Hypertrophy
Hypertrophy (With Deadlifts)
Strength + Hypertrophy
Strength Focus
Program Overview: Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine
The GBR is deliberately open-ended. You’ll make judgment calls on set count and exercise selection within each session. Lyle’s original FAQ describes this as intentional, not a gap in the program. If you’re not comfortable with that, this program may not be the right fit.
All of this information is interpreted from posts on Lyle’s forum, which were preserved by the good folks at jcdfitness.com. Massive thanks to them. They compiled a massive PDF of FAQs from which I derived the information summarized below.
Set and Rep Ranges
Most exercises have sets and reps prescribed in ranges. For example, you’ll perform 3 to 4 sets of squats, each with 6 to 8 reps on lower body training days.
There are three different recommended set and rep ranges used in this routine:
- 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps (3 minute rest between sets)
- 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)
- 1-2 sets of 12-15 reps (90 seconds rest between sets)
How do you decide whether to go for the higher option within a set range (e.g. for 3-4 sets, choosing to go for a 4th set)?
Here is what Lyle said:
“3-4 sets means 3 to 4 sets. So after your third set, you need to make a judgement call. If I were
there coaching you, I”d make it for you. Judging by how fatigued you looked on the third set,
what your reps looked like, how fried you looked. If you still looked strong, I’d have you do a 4th
set. If you looked fried, you’d stop at 3.”
Adjusting Volume
If the above recommended set and rep schemes are too difficult to complete, you can remove one set from the first two ranges. The lower volume set/rep schemes would be:
- 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps
- 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps
The rest times do not change. There is no lower volume version of 1-2 sets of 12-15 reps.
How to Add Weight/Progress in a Cycle
During your 6 to 8 week cycle, you can use the following guidelines as suggestions for how to progress.
- Phase 1 – Week 1: Start around 80% to 85% to your rep max.
- So for a 6 to 8 rep set, you can start with 80% of your 8 rep max.
- Phase 2 – Week 2-4: add 5% each week
- Phase 3 – 5-8: add 2.5 to 5 lbs on larger movements, 1 to 2.5 lbs on smaller movements when you get your target reps with one or two reps in the tank
- e.g. If you are shooting for 8 reps, get 8 reps, but feel you could have done 10, then you can add weight. If getting 8 reps was a grind, do not add weight.
Phase 3 may last anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks (putting the total cycle length at 6 weeks to 8 weeks, respectively). The goal of this phase is to push the weights and set new maxes while still maintaining good form.
Exercise Movement Optional Adjustments (e.g. Deadlifts)
The spreadsheet provides a “vanilla” interpretation of Lyle McDonald’s generic bulking workout routine. It’s fine to run it in that form, but here are some changes you can make if you like.
Note: Any changes you make on the “Week 1” tab will automatically copy over to the other weeks. Lyle does not recommend making changes to the program within a cycle.
Options for adjustments:
- Do deadlifts and leg press as the main lift (first two lifts using 3-4 x 6-8 rep scheme) on the second lower body workout of the week (Thursday).
- An example of how to do this can be found on the “Hypertrophy Version w/ Deadlifts” version on the Thursday: Lower day.
- Do incline bench press and pulldowns as the main lifts on the second upper body workout of the week (Friday).
Adjusting for More Strength Focus
These were alternate rep ranges suggested by Lyle for less hypertrophy focus and more strength focus. These rep ranges apply to the main lifts and secondary lifts, as noted. You can run the different cycles in sequence (hypertrophy to strength/hypertrophy to strength) or stick to only one and run it repeatedly.
Spreadsheets for these versions are available above.
- Pure Hypertrophy: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps for main lifts, 10 to 12 reps per set for secondary lifts
- This is what the vanilla version of the routine already uses.
- Strength/Hypertrophy: 3 to 5 sets of 5 reps for main lifts, 8 to 10 reps per set for secondary lifts
- Strength Focus: 3 sets of 3 reps for main lifts, 6 to 8 reps per set for secondary lifts
Set count is not adjusted for second tier (e.g. shoulder press on upper days) or third tier (e.g. calf raises on lower days) lifts.
Direct isolation work (e.g. the tricep and bicep work on the upper body days) is not described in these alternate recommendations and presumably stays the same as laid out in the original generic routine: 1 to 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine FAQs
What is Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine?
Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine (GBR) is a 4-day upper/lower split designed for intermediate lifters who want to gain muscle mass. You train upper body on Monday and Friday, lower body on Tuesday and Thursday. The program uses moderate rep ranges (6-8 for main lifts, 10-12 for secondary, 12-15 for isolation work) and runs in 6-8 week cycles followed by a 2-week deload.
Lyle originally posted it on his bodyrecomposition.com forum. The jcdfitness.com FAQ PDF is the most complete reference for the program details.
How many days per week is the GBR?
The GBR is 4 days per week: Monday (upper), Tuesday (lower), Thursday (upper), Friday (lower). Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are rest days. The back-to-back training days early in the week (Mon/Tue) are intentional.
Which GBR variant should I pick?
Start with the Pure Hypertrophy version unless you have a specific reason to prioritize strength. It’s what Lyle originally posted and what most people run. The Hypertrophy (With Deadlifts) version is the same thing but swaps in deadlifts on the Thursday lower day if you want to pull heavy every week.
The Strength + Hypertrophy and Strength Focus variants use lower rep ranges on the main lifts (5s and 3s, respectively). Lyle suggested running them in sequence: one 6-8 week block of hypertrophy, then one block of strength/hypertrophy, then one strength block. That’s one valid approach. You can also just pick one and repeat it.
How do I progress on the GBR?
The GBR uses a three-phase progression across the 6-8 week cycle. Week 1, you start at about 80-85% of your rep max to let your body ease in. Weeks 2-4, you add 5% per week. From week 5 onward, you add weight only when you hit the top of the rep range with at least 1-2 reps still in the tank.
So if you’re shooting for 6-8 reps and you get 8 with room to spare, add weight next session. If hitting 8 reps was a grind, hold the weight where it is. On larger movements like squats and bench, add 2.5 to 5 lbs. On smaller movements like curls, add 1 to 2.5 lbs.
How long do I run the GBR?
Each cycle is 6-8 weeks, then you take a 2-week deload. The exact cycle length depends on how long Phase 3 (the push phase) lasts for you. If you start hitting a wall at week 6, take the deload. If you’re still progressing at week 7 or 8, keep going and deload after that.
After the deload, you can start another cycle with slightly higher starting weights than you used in Phase 1 of the previous cycle. The program is designed to repeat.
