I’m finishing a long run of Building the Monolith and want to move to a hypertrophy-based program. What are your favorites? Please, specific, named programs that I can read about/research and run if it appeals to my psyche. Just not looking for a homemade routine…something time tested. Thank you
Super Squats
Mass Made Simple
DoggCrapp
Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol Grey Man
Deep Water Beginner and Intermediate
Haha…I could have guessed your list.
Actually, Super Squats is on my list.
Thank you. The hahaha was humorous, not sarcastic.
And, I’ve done all TB previously but don’t view them as hypertrophy based as they’re compound lifts. I don’t like missing specific work for calves, triceps, biceps, medial delts, etc.
Maybe I’m an anomaly but the long head of my tricep turns to mush with only pressing. I need something underhand or from a pre-stretch.
You ran the Mass Protocol Grey Man specifically?
In order:
TBJP
DoggCrapp
Fortitude
Right now i’m pretty much doing TBJP but instead of Top Set, Backdown Set, I’m doing Top Set, Backdown Rest-Pause Set (20-30). It just combines TBJP methods with Rest Pause.
IDC if I don’t progress with the backdown set, it’s only intended to ensure the muscle is pushed to failure - but at higher reps (less taxing on the joints).
I believe so. I’d have to look back a couple years. I know I was all about TB a couple years before covid.
TBJP? Not familiar. Could you break down the acronym?
Trained by Jordan Peters
Hes got a book out called “Training Principles by Corinne Ingram and Jordan Peters” that covers it very well. If you actually pay for the book, I believe you get full access to his forum as well.
*I would only caution that if you run this program for a LONG time and your weights start getting VERY heavy, you may want to open up that rep range a good bit. This program got me very strong, but my joints were not appreciative of the weights I was moving.
higher rep range = lower weights / slower progression = happier joints.
I would love for you to do that
My all-time favorite Bodybuilding program is Fortitude Training. I’m running it currently and it’s just fantastic. Very mentally engaging with a variety of stimuli in terms of set types and forces you to listen to your body to help you auto regulate things such as your exercise selection, volume and frequency. I also love to run John Meadows programs. Gamma Bomb and High Evolutionary are my two favorites that I’ve run.
If you’ve seen a decent amount of my posts, my list is probably about as surprising as @T3hPwnisher to you lol
I don’t know your current strength levels, training history and what you look like, but I read a quote along the lines of “if you can press 220lbs for reps, you’re going to have big shoulders”
I’m also a firm believer on a program working for you if you really buy in to it. A John Meadows program (I couldn’t walk for a week after a “leg day” his program prescribed) will look a lot different to Super Squats (where my WHOLE body is sore for 24 hours), but six weeks on either will get you a step closer to your goals.
Why do you not consider BtM to be a hypertrophy program?
Greyskull LP, Advanced GVT, Westside for skinny bastards.
From this site, my favorites were:
- Reactive Pump Hypertrophy by John Meadows
- The Indigo Hypertrophy plan by Christian Thibaudeau
- Look Like a Bodybuilder also by CT
- Doggcrapp written up by Nate Green
I enjoyed CT’s “I, Bodybuilder,” but don’t know that I’d say it was the best hypertrophy program for me, personally; very fun, though.
John Meadows “Build Your Own Mountaindog” program on YouTube is fantastic.
I knew you were a FT and Meadows fan. I’ve ran FT previously after reading CT give it positive reviews. It was okay by me but I look at it now and it doesn’t get me jazzed as it once did. My psyche has changed, I guess.
To me, Building the Monolith is an excellent training program that aids in hypertrophy but is low(ish) repetition, especially considering what I feel like I want to do next. Same could be said for Krypteia. I went back and forth between the two for the better part of a year.
Grey skull is on my list also as it generally keeps to 5s and, as I mentioned earlier, I no longer want to foray into triples or singles.
GVT is a thought. Man, it’s been decades since I’ve done that one. I wonder how the stimulus addict in me would feel about training a lift only once per week.
EDIT: just looked at advanced GVT. More frequency. Interesting.
200 dips?
I intend that to refer to the main lifts.
100 pull-ups and that many dips are challenging and I liked that volume. Not saying I didn’t enjoy the program, looking for something with an intelligent split and sufficient volume; at least according to my psychological makeup.
I like that you included most from this site. All the CT plans were run by my son and I pretty much when they were released. Did the Meadows program on its release also (as long as none of these coincided). CT was the man in those days.
Ah, in the context of BtM, those aren’t the size builders. Those are there just to keep strength. The assistance builds the size, like in all 5/3/1 programs