I'm new to this hypertrophy training thing. Til now I've been doing 5x5 as a bulking routine and it worked wonders. But now I wanna focus on gaining size. And mainly arm size atleast an inch and more definition and size all around. Can anyone recommend a good hypertrophy routine for an increase in size that won't affect my strength? I'm new to this and didn't really understand what I've read about it.
help me please
- Thread starter bi0hazurd
- Start date
jvroig
Active Member
For starters, you can follow the sample HST routine. If you've already read around, you'd have seen it already. If you don't like some of the exercises in it, you can substitute with your favorite ones.
Before you start the cycle, try to find your 15, 10 and 5 rep max.
Afterwards, if you've been training for so long and haven't had a break yet, you should try to SD for a month.
After the SD, you being the cycle: 2 weeks of 15's, then 2 weeks of 10's, then 2 weeks of 5's. Continue with the 5 rep max for the next 2 weeks after the third, and you can add negatives or drop sets. When you've stopped gaining or your joints are starting to hurt, that's when you stop the cycle, and go back to SD.
Basically, wash, rinse and repeat after that.
As for your request to add to your arms, it's the triceps that need more work than biceps, since triceps are what fill sleeves, unless you go around bending your arms everywhere you go. And if you want to work your triceps, you have to make it work hard by using big compound movements that involve it, like benches. For stretch after the compounds, skullcrushers probably.
As always, good diet (enough calories and protein) are a must, the HST methods are no substitute for poor nutrition. Since you say you've been bulking with 5x5, I'm sure you've got your diet dialled in already, so that should be no problem.
To monitor your progress, keep a training log/journal = what you ate and exercises you did, and also your weight. Try to see if you are gaining 1-2 pounds/week. If you are gaining too fast, adjust the diet (less calories) until it stabilizes to 1-2 pounds a week. If you are not gaining at all, adjust the diet to add in more calories until you hit 1-2 pounds.week.
Before you start the cycle, try to find your 15, 10 and 5 rep max.
Afterwards, if you've been training for so long and haven't had a break yet, you should try to SD for a month.
After the SD, you being the cycle: 2 weeks of 15's, then 2 weeks of 10's, then 2 weeks of 5's. Continue with the 5 rep max for the next 2 weeks after the third, and you can add negatives or drop sets. When you've stopped gaining or your joints are starting to hurt, that's when you stop the cycle, and go back to SD.
Basically, wash, rinse and repeat after that.
As for your request to add to your arms, it's the triceps that need more work than biceps, since triceps are what fill sleeves, unless you go around bending your arms everywhere you go. And if you want to work your triceps, you have to make it work hard by using big compound movements that involve it, like benches. For stretch after the compounds, skullcrushers probably.
As always, good diet (enough calories and protein) are a must, the HST methods are no substitute for poor nutrition. Since you say you've been bulking with 5x5, I'm sure you've got your diet dialled in already, so that should be no problem.
To monitor your progress, keep a training log/journal = what you ate and exercises you did, and also your weight. Try to see if you are gaining 1-2 pounds/week. If you are gaining too fast, adjust the diet (less calories) until it stabilizes to 1-2 pounds a week. If you are not gaining at all, adjust the diet to add in more calories until you hit 1-2 pounds.week.
jvroig
Active Member
15, 10 and 5 RM refer to the rep maxes for each particular exercise:
15RM = 15 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 15 reps before failure.
10RM = 10 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 10 reps before failure.
5RM = 5 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 5 reps before failure.
For example, given an exercise such as Bench Press, you may have the following 15, 10, and 5 rep maxes:
15RM = 115 lbs.
10RM = 135 lbs.
5RM = 160 lbs.
Each exercise will naturally have different RMs, so you have to find out what your RMs are by trying them out.
15's, 10's, and 5's refer to the two-week blocks of training:.
15's = the two weeks where you lift your 15RM weight
10's = thw two weeks where you lift your 10RM weight
5's = the two weeks where you lift your 5RM weight
But you don't actually lift your real 15RM during all of the 15's. Instead, you start lower than it, then you progressively add load. For example, we made 115lbs our 15RM for bench, so during the 15's, we would be lifting (as an example only):
Week1 Mon = Bench 90 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week1 Wed = Bench 95 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week1 Fri = Bench 100 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Mon = Bench 105 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Wed = Bench 110 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Fri = Bench 115 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
After Week2 Friday, Week3 and Week 4 is for your 10RM. You do the same. The 6th session is for your real 10RM (135lbs in our example), 5th session is 130, 4th session is 125, 3rd session is 120, 2nd session is 115, and the first session is 110 pounds for 10 reps, 2 sets.
After that comes the 5's, and you do the same thing.
When you reach your real 5 rep max, you continue it for another 2 weeks, and here you can add negs or drop sets.
After 8 weeks of training, you stop for 2 weeks (a mini vacation called strategic deconditioning) so that your muscles will be responsive again to lighter loads, and then you start the cycle all over again.
15RM = 15 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 15 reps before failure.
10RM = 10 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 10 reps before failure.
5RM = 5 rep max, the weight in a specific exercise which is heavy enough so that you can do only 5 reps before failure.
For example, given an exercise such as Bench Press, you may have the following 15, 10, and 5 rep maxes:
15RM = 115 lbs.
10RM = 135 lbs.
5RM = 160 lbs.
Each exercise will naturally have different RMs, so you have to find out what your RMs are by trying them out.
15's, 10's, and 5's refer to the two-week blocks of training:.
15's = the two weeks where you lift your 15RM weight
10's = thw two weeks where you lift your 10RM weight
5's = the two weeks where you lift your 5RM weight
But you don't actually lift your real 15RM during all of the 15's. Instead, you start lower than it, then you progressively add load. For example, we made 115lbs our 15RM for bench, so during the 15's, we would be lifting (as an example only):
Week1 Mon = Bench 90 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week1 Wed = Bench 95 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week1 Fri = Bench 100 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Mon = Bench 105 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Wed = Bench 110 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
Week2 Fri = Bench 115 lbs for 15 reps, 2sets
After Week2 Friday, Week3 and Week 4 is for your 10RM. You do the same. The 6th session is for your real 10RM (135lbs in our example), 5th session is 130, 4th session is 125, 3rd session is 120, 2nd session is 115, and the first session is 110 pounds for 10 reps, 2 sets.
After that comes the 5's, and you do the same thing.
When you reach your real 5 rep max, you continue it for another 2 weeks, and here you can add negs or drop sets.
After 8 weeks of training, you stop for 2 weeks (a mini vacation called strategic deconditioning) so that your muscles will be responsive again to lighter loads, and then you start the cycle all over again.
jvroig
Active Member
Greenlantern11B
New Member
explain this 5x5 please... Im guessing 5 reps of your 5 rm? but that'd tire you out and you wouldnt be able to do 5 sets of it... atleast i dont think i'd be able to. What are the excercises you use. How often do you work out and how often do you increase weight and by how much? Post your diet too please. Im new to this strict diet stuff. I basically ate hot pockets n stuff Lmao
Workout A: Squat, Bench, Rows, Dips.... Workout B: Leg press, Deadlift, Military press, Weighted Chins... Alternate workouts A and B on a mon wed fri basis one week do A,B,A next week do B,A,B. Do 5 setss of 5 reps of each workout except dead which u do 1x5 and Chins which u do 3x5. On 5x5 there is no RM u do a weight ur comfortable with and every workout u add 5lbs. Example let's say ur doing workout A and well use bench for example monday u do 5x5 100lbs Fri when u repeat u do 105lbs then next time 110lbs. and that's basically it. As far as diet is concerned 4000 calories a day STRICTLY I will not sleep without having consumed them and also 300 g protein
Greenlantern11B
New Member
what happens eventually when you cant add 5 lbs anymore? And im guessing like 5-10lbs on my 10Rm would be good for this?
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