Hypertrophy Phase of Training

Hypertrophy is debatably one of the more popular phases of training.

Most people enjoy hypertrophy because it is intended to increase muscle size.

In order to effectively see that increase in muscle size, you must add calories.

And no.. I’m not talking about chips and salsa or ice cream.

Though I wish I were.

Remember, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

Hypertrophy Nutrition

To get the most out of this phase, add more protein into your meals.

Add somewhere between .8 to1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.

Adults over the age of 30 need to consume greater than 30g of protein per meal in order to trigger Muscle Protein Synthesis.

If you’re not able to do this at every meal, make this a priority for your first meal of the day.

Strictly training hypertrophy without backing it up with proper nutrition will not magically give you what you want.

Nutrition and training always go hand and hand.

To see the best results, you must make both a priority.

Hypertrophy Benefits

A benefit from hypertrophy is seeing an increase of muscle mass due to the volume and intensity.

As you gain more muscle mass and strength, your resting metabolic rate increases.

That means you are actually burning calories at rest.

Yes, you read that right.. you will burn calories while you’re resting!

Aside from strength gains, another benefit of hypertrophy training is that it increases your bone density.

The higher your bone density is, the more you life you have left and the less likelier you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.

Hypertrophy Programming

At No Limits Fitness, our hypertrophy phase of training consists of four sets on your main lifts (bench, deadlift, squat).

The first set is 10 reps at 55% of your one rep max.

The second set is 8 reps at 65% of your one rep max.

The third set is 6 reps at 75% of your one rep max.

The fourth set is 4 sets at 85% of your one rep max.

If you need help calculating these percentages, check out our One Rep Max Calculator.

With the above prescription, we recommend a minimum of four weeks in this phase.

Begin hypertrophy after coming out of the muscular endurance phase.

You’ll notice a minimal drop in volume (reps) with an increase of intensity (weight).

After performing your main lifts, try keeping your accessory work rep range between 8-12 reps.

Once you complete the hypertrophy phase, you will move into maximal strength!

You will have the proper preparation to be successful going into maximal strength training and primed to achieve personal records.

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