Basic Anabolic Hypertrophy Training

After focusing on losing body fat for over a year, and successfully achieving a single digit body fat % as well as the coveted “six pack”, I’ve decided that I now look a little too “skinny” for my liking. So I’ve taken on a new goal, which is to gain a few pounds of muscle while minimizing fat gain. In preparation for this goal I’ve added to my knowledge of hypertrophy by doing a serious amount of reading, as well as speaking with other fitness experts who are well versed in the science of growing muscle.

From what I’ve learned, I’ve put together what I believe to be a solid hypertrophy program. I’m about to list all the principles for WHY I set it up this way, so this may be a long post (bear with me!):

I’m calling it BAHT (Basic Anabolic Hypertrophy Training). It follows some similar principles to a program called HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training) which you may have heard of, but is still unique in several ways as you’ll see.

First of all, here’s a link to an expert guest blog post on How to Induce Hypertrophy: https://top-form-fitness.com/fitness-…y-gain-muscle/

And another link to one of my other blog posts where I review a Hypertrophy Seminar I attended lead by Big Ben Pakulski:

https://top-form-fitness.com/fitness-blog/top-5-muscle-building-tips/

It’s helpful to consider that hypertrophy is multi-factorial… rather than outline every single factor let’s look at the main aspects:

Mechanical Tension – this addresses progressive overload, resistance used, exercise selection, etc. Emphasized in mid rep ranges.

Muscular Damage – inroad / fatigue, eccentric emphasis, intensity threshold. Emphasized in low rep ranges.

Metabolic Distress – reduced rest intervals, supersets, dropsets, occlusion training, hormonal affect, etc. Emphasized in higher rep ranges.

So the goal is to accommodate as many of the primary factors for hypertrophy as possible, without compromising what I consider to be the MAIN factor: progressive tension overload!

BAHT Program Fundamentals:

-Mental Aspect: Visualize muscle growth and use affirmations daily. Maintain intense focus on creating maximum tension, contracting and growing the target muscle every rep. Work hard!

-Full Range of Motion: Perform each repetition with a full range of motion (as long as you can control that range). Ie: when fully extended with bicep curl, try to contract triceps at end range!

-Exercise Selection: choose primarily compound (multi-joint) movements. As you will notice, this program leaves plenty of room for you to choose exercise variations, as long as these primary factors are considered.

-High Frequency: hit each muscle group twice weekly. Research has shown that the more frequently you smash each muscle, the faster your gains are (to a point). *Don’t believe me? I can share more info on this if you want.

-High Intensity: take each set to performance failure, then on final set do as many reps as possible followed by a drop set (reduce load 30-40% and continue to fatigue).

-Tempo: fast controlled concentric; slower controlled eccentric (approx 2 seconds). Maintain constant continuous Time Under Tension during every set. Do not rest or pause between reps.

-Antagonist Super-Sets: pair up opposite exercises into push-pull “antagonist” supersets, with minimal rest in the superset. Ie: chest press superset with row.

-Rest: 1 to 2 minutes between supersets. Aim for around 90 seconds, even while increasing load.

-Duration: Aim to keep your workout under 1 hour. This will be challenging by the last couple of weeks of the program.

-Set/Rep Range: 5 to 15 reps per exercise. Aiming for around 25 total reps per exercise each workout, with an inverse set / rep relationship.

-Periodization: 6-7 week loading ramp (MUST increase load every single workout).

Week One – 2 sets of 15 reps
Week Two – 2 sets of 12 reps
Week Three – 3 sets of 10 reps
Week Four – 3 sets of 8 reps
Week Five – 4 sets of 6 reps
Week Six – 5 sets of 5 reps
Week Seven *optional supramaximal eccentric-only week… ouch!*

Then go back to the beginning of the set/rep ramp and start with a slightly heavier weight than you did the previous time. I also recommend switching up your main exercises every few cycles; ie: switch between dumbbells and barbells; change the angle of the exercise; alternate between free weights and machines; etc. Don’t go crazy with trying to “shock” your muscles by varying everything all the time, but sometimes a little variation can stimulate new adaptation.

“If this is you it might be time for a new training plan!”

OK, so here’s the actual program:

BASIC ANABOLIC HYPERTROPHY TRAINING (BAHT)

Day One – Lower:

Squat variation
SuperSet with:
Hamstring curls (OR GHR)
—
Deadlift variation (ya, you’re doing deadlifts and squats in the SAME workout… get over it!)
Superset with:
Leg extension (OR Single Leg Push movements ie: lunges, if you don’t have access to a leg extension machine)
—
Core and / or Calves (I focus on core work, because as a member of Team No Calves I’m not permitted to train calves, LOL)

_____________________________________________

Day Two- Upper:

Vertical Pull (ie: pulldowns / pullups)
SuperSet with:
Vertical Push (ie: overhead press)
—
Horizontal Pull (ie: row variation)
SuperSet with:
Horizontal Push (ie: chest press)
—
Isolation Work:

Biceps
SuperSet with:
Triceps

*(full flexed range for both bis/tris)

_____________________________________________

Day Three- Lower:

Deadlift variation
Superset with:
Leg extension / Lunge variation
—
Squat variation
SuperSet with:
Hamstrings
—
Core/Calves

_____________________________________________

Day Four – Upper:

Horizontal Pull (ie: row variation)
SuperSet with:
Horizontal Push (ie: chest press)
—
Vertical Pull (ie: pulldowns / pullups)
SuperSet with:
Vertical Push (ie: overhead press)
—
Isolation Work: (NOTE– Because I’m currently on my Arm Specialization phase, I’m hitting bis/tris here instead of shoulder isolation for awhile)

Rear Flyes
SuperSet with:
Lateral Raises

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As you can see, you are performing the same exercises twice per week, but you switch the order of supersets so that each pair of exercises gets a chance to be trained first in the workout when you are strongest. Here is a video of a sample Lower Body and Upper Body workout:

Nutritional Guidelines:

-Body-composition: Try to get as lean as possible before starting this program. If you are over 15% body fat I suggest you first follow a slight caloric deficit to try to get close to 10%. I also recommend reducing carbohydrates or carb cycling. This will PRIME you for growth by creating a favorable anabolic state which encourages glycogen storage and nutrient-partitioning, once you start ramping your calories and carbs back up. Basically deplete first, then reload.

-Caloric Surplus: Once you commit to growing, follow a modest caloric surplus and monitor your gains so you can adjust your calories as needed.

-Aim for 1 to 1.5 grams of protein / lb of body weight daily. The remainder of your daily calorie allowance will come from carbs (higher on training days) and fats (higher on rest days). Consume plenty of fibrous green vegetables. Stay well hydrated, drinking about 1 liter of water for every 50 lbs of your bodyweight daily.

-Supplements: Creatine, Whey Protein, Fish Oil, Vitamin D. Those are my basics… you can include BCAA’s or whatever else you want.

-Track Your Training and Nutrition: To calculate your daily caloric needs, you can use any number of free online calculators. I like to use www.MyFitnessPal.com to track my daily food intake on a program like this.

FREE Hypertrophy Ebook:

Because I’m very pleased with this program, and I’ve had success with it for my clients already, I’ve created an e-book with the entire BAHT program, complete with training templates, tracking cards, and pictures of exercise options. I decided to offer this program to all of my clients and followers FREE! No email required. No catch. Just a free copy of my e-book “Basic Anabolic Hypertrophy Training”. Download it HERE:

=> Get Your Free Copy of Basic Anabolic Hypertrophy Training

One of my other goals for this program was to focus on growing bigger arms. So I also put together an Arm Specialization Program to accompany BAHT… check it out on my other blog post HERE:

=> Get Your Tickets to the Gunshow!