For CT or anyone doing his “Hypertrophy Bomb: One Set for Muscle Growth.” How often are you doing each of the workouts per week. The frequency isn’t included in the article.
This is a special method more than a workout. I would say that the “hypertrophy bomb” is at the top of list of intensifiers when it comes to effectiveness but also impact on recovery. I did give examples of exercises to use for each muscle, but that wasn’t meant as a workout.
Intensifiers like that are best used with a lower volume/higher effort training approach and as part of an “effort cycling” approach; meaning that the stress of the work set(s) increases from week to week.
It can look like this:
Week 1: Normal set to failure (top set of the exercises)
Week 2: Go to failure, then rest 15-20 seconds and perform as many extra reps as you can with the same weight (rest/pause)
Week 3: Drop set: go to failure, then lower the weight by around 20% and immediately go to failure again
Week 4: Hypertrophy bomb set
Week 5: Deload: keep your sets 1-2 reps short of failure
Then start over.
With this approach I typically recommend a push/pull/legs split training 3-5 times a week. If training 4-5 times a week I recommend a modified push/pull/leg split, something like this:
Workout 1 = Push (chest and delts)
Workout 2 = Pull (upper back and lats)
Workout 3 = Legs (hamstrings, quads)
Workout 4 = Arms (biceps and triceps)
Workout 5 (optional) = “others” (glutes, calves, traps)
I recommend limiting your exercises to 6 per workout.
If you use the split above (4 or 5 days with 2 muscles per workout) you can do up to 3 exercises per muscle (2 for workout 5).
If you use a traditional push/pull/legs split:
Workout 1 = push (pectorals, delts, triceps)
Workout 2 = pull (upper back, lats, biceps)
Workout 3 = legs (hams, quads, glutes)
You would use 2 exercises per muscle to have no more than 6 per session.
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With this approach do you recommend adding in one extra workset (not to failure, RPE 9ish) prior to doing the failure (and beyond in the following weeks) set to allow for enough effective reps per muscle group?
Or do you get the extra reps in simply by doing 1-2 heavy warmup sets to feel out the weight that you’re doing on your failure set? I’m thinking RPE 7-8 for that first or second warmup set depending on whether it is the first, second or third exercise for that muscle group.
Here is how I set it up:
Set 1 = Warm-up set. Using around 50% of the load I’ll be using for the top set for 8-10 reps.
Set 2 = Preparation/feeler set. Using around 80-90% of the top set load for 6 reps not to failure.
Set 3 = Top set. Going to failure and doing the intensifier if planned.
Set 4 = Back off set. This is not always done. With the more intense intensifiers I typically don’t do the back off set. This uses around 20% less than the top set and typically is done with 1RIR
Note: On heavier, more challenging exercises I will do one more warm-up set so it now looks like this:
Set 1 = Warm-up. 50% of top set for 8-10
Set 2 = Preparation #1 70% of top set for 6
Set 3 = Preparation #2 90% of top set for 6
Set 4 = Top set
Set 5 = Back off set
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I use this method with EOD approach. I don’t know if this is fine, but as 45 yo, hardgainer, I don’t risk to train more than that.
CT, do you think it is OK to split a certain muscle group on EOD split, like 3 times in the week each muscle (or the ones that I concentrate at the moment), or is it better to group them like you propose push/pull/legs? Again, I’m a hardgainer, maybe frequency is better?
Perfect, thanks!
Look at the edit
Frequency is not necessarily better.
You CAN do the 1-2 muscles EOD/3 days a week if you want, but that is a specialization program, so the rest of the body is done at maintenance level only.
2 Likes
CT and friends, you are so helpful. Here is what I came up with. Any feedback is welcome. for my week 1. FYI I’m and experienced lifter, 55 years old, 6’1" 200, on TRT. I plan on 4 workouts per week.
Week 1:
Workout 1 (Chest/delts/tris)
FLYS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
INCLINE PRESS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
SIDE LATERALS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
DUMBBELL PRESS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
FRENCH PRESS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
DIPS. AMRAP
Workout 2: (Upper back, lats, biceps)
PULLOVER
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
SEAL ROW
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
ROPE PULL DOWN
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
SHRUGS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
BARBELL CURL
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
SPIDER CURLS
Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Workout 3: (Quads, hams, glutes)
Leg Extension Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Squat Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Hammy Curl Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Lunges Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
RDL Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Seated calfs Set 1: 8-10 reps at 50%
Set 2: 6 reps at 90%
Set 3: To failure
Workout 4: More conventional and not to failure (2-3 sets)
Sled
Deadlift
Farmer's walk
Viking press