Explained: Hypertrophy Training
Resistance training is a form of exercise where you are working against an opposing force. This can be done with dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, cables, machines, or even done with just your bodyweight.
As long as the resistance is challenging enough to where each set is taken close to perceived failure, your body will adapt by developing bigger and stronger muscles.
Which in a nutshell, is what hypertrophy training is.
Hypertrophy training is a type of resistance training modality where the goal is to develop bigger and more sizable muscles.
In this article, we’ll be going in depth on both what hypertrophy training is, the in’s and out’s, what’s going on inside the body, ideal rep ranges, and how to get as stupidly yolked as possible!
What exactly is Hypertrophy Training?
As mentioned in the intro, hypertrophy refers to the development of new muscle tissue via resistance training and is usually optimized through higher volume training. We’ll get to reps and set numbers later on :)
There’s two ends of hypertrophy training, you got general fitness, and then you got the professional level.
General fitness refers to going to the gym a few times per week, let’s say 2-4 times, and lifting with the goal of getting stronger.
Professional lifting would be the exact same thing, just with much higher volume via more weekly per muscle group .
A common fear amongst beginner lifters is the fear they’ll get “too bulky” by lifting weights. If you feel that you can relate to that concern, I got good new for you!
No one has ever accidentally put on too much muscle.
Even with good genetics
For a bodybuilder to become the size they are, it takes years of 100% consistency with both their training and nutrition, followed along with high volume training and possibly, the assistance of physical enhancement drugs to get where they are.
If you go to the gym natural, meaning you’re not taking enhancement drugs, and lift with the goal of getting as strong as possible, you will have a lean, athletic physique. The vast, vast majority of lifters will be happy with the physique they acquire.
But going back to explaining hypertrophy training, we can split it up into two different types if we want to get technical.
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to the pure growth of a muscle, but not necessarily its strength. This style of training increases the amount of sarcoplasmic fluid that surrounds the muscle fibers which then increases the muscle’s mass, making it appear bigger. This is usually done with higher rep sets.
Think of it like filling a balloon with water, as the volume of liquid increases, the balloon gets bigger.
Sarcoplasmic fluid is a liquid that contains water, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), creatine phosphate, and glycogen. All of which support and provide energy to the muscle itself.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy happens as a result of higher volume training. Because of the demand for the muscles to work longer under tension, the demand for fuel becomes greater, so glycogen (stored carbs) is stored within the muscle to help prepare for future workouts. Every gram of glycogen that’s stored will also bring along 3 grams of water, increasing sarcoplasmic fluid volume.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is a great way to develop “showy muscles”, but not really strong muscles. Though muscle size and muscle strength are connected, meaning you cannot build bigger muscles without gaining a little bit of strength just as building strength will result in some muscle gain.
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy is the opposite of sarcoplasmic training, where the adaptation is stronger muscles rather than just showy muscles.
Myofibrils are tiny units within a muscle fiber responsible for muscle contraction and force production. When lifting heavy loads for lower reps, there’s a lot of mechanical stress and micro damage placed on the muscle itself. Primarily fast twitch (Type II) muscle fibers, responsible for quick & explosive movements, are recruited. Via muscle protein synthesis, damaged muscle fibers are fused back together and in the process, new protein strands are added. This results in not only more myofibrils present within the muscle fiber, but stronger myofibrils as well.
The increased amount of myofibrils present within each muscle fiber is what leads to greater strength overtime.
How to Get the Best of Both Worlds
The answer here is rather simple, yet complex.
Avoid training solely in one methodology. Don’t just always train high reps with light weight and don’t just always train low reps with heavy weight. If you want a showy physique, that’s okay. And if you don’t care too much for a movie like physique and just want to build total strength, also cool!
That’s the nice thing about strength training, there’s no best way to go about it. We can modify our training to fit our needs and goals.
But if you want both big muscles and functional muscles, than you can either phase out your training, where you spend a few weeks training light w/ high reps, then go a few weeks training heavy w/ low reps; or you can just include some movements that feature higher rep counts w/ lighter loads and some that have less reps w/ heavier loads.
No matter how you structure your workout plan, the most important factor that’ll dictate whether you progress is progressive overload.
Progressive overload is the increase in challenge as the body adapts and becomes stronger overtime. Strength happens via adaptation, so if you’re sticking with a weight that isn’t challenging, you’re not giving your muscle any reason to adapt.
Let me give you an example:
Week 1 - You do 8 reps with 50lbs and rate it an (8/10) in terms of difficulty
Week 2 - You do 9 reps with 50lbs
Week 3 - You manage 10 reps with 50lbs
Week 4 - 8 reps with 50lbs now feels like a (6/10) in terms of difficulty
By increasing the challenge via adding reps every week, your muscle adapted by becoming a little stronger, hence why that 50lbs went from an 8/10 to a 6/10 on the difficulty scale.
But adding reps or increasing the total weight may not always be feasible because as you advance, the rate at which you can progress will slow down.
So adding in other metrics of progress such as increasing total time under tension, pause reps, and improving control are other good ways to incorporate progressive overload without adding weight or reps.
Isn’t Hypertrophy Just For Bodybuilders?
Not at all!
Like I stated earlier, bodybuilding is just resistance training taken to a much higher level.
Think of driving your car to work versus being a formula 1 driver.
Both drivers are operating a vehicle, but one is going so at a much higher intensity.
To get to the level of a professional bodybuilder, you need to train with high volume. As the body adapts overtime, further volume may be needed to elicit further growth. This is why you see some bodybuilders spending 2+ hours in the gym, both because they love training, and because they need higher set counts to get to where they are.
And I am speaking about advanced level lifters. Unless you’ve been lifting consistently for 4-6 years, more than likely, training 2 hours is just going to be overkill for 90+% of lifters.
If you’re goal is to build strength and muscle, by going to the gym 2-4 times per week, you’re not going to magically balloon up to Mr. Olympia size. Strength training a few times a week will grant you a nice, lean looking physique. Just remember that building muscle takes a long time.
Compared to losing fat, increasing endurance, or improving mobility, building muscle takes the longest to occur.
A beginner lifter can expect to build anywhere between 1-3 pounds of muscle PER MONTH.
And that’s being generous.
As you advance, the rate of muscle gain will diminish which is why using other metrics of progress or even changing up your training style altogether is never a bad option.
Whether you’re 11 years old or 70 years old, you will benefit from getting stronger!
A strong body is a capable body. Strong muscles work to support the joints, leading to less back pain, less knee pain, and a reduced risk of injury as you age.
And a strong body is an independent body.
Whether your current goal is to look good naked or be as strong as possible, I believe everyone’s long term goal should be to maintain independence at a late age.
What are the Rep Ranges for Hypertrophy?
So now we’ll go over the ideal rep ranges used to elicit the different types of hypertrophy.
The following is what has been considered to be staple rep ranges for both sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar adaptations.
But remember, you can build strength and muscle in all rep ranges. I recommend changing up the reps every few weeks to allow further progression and to prevent training monotony.
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy - Maximal Size
8-12 reps at 60-75% of your 1RM
Rest periods (60-90 seconds)
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy - Maximal Strength
4-6 reps at 75-90% of your 1RM
Rest periods (2-3 minutes)
Some of the advanced training techniques you might see online such as pyramid sets and drop sets can make a difference, but are relatively marginal compared to just traditional progressive overload.
But they are fun though, so I would throw them in every once in a while just to add some spice to my routine.
How do I get Yoked?
The term “yoked” just means having a low body fat percentage while also having a large amount of lean mass.
Getting “yoked” or “shredded” comes from years of consistent dedication to the sport of lifting. And for the vast majority of liters, just coming in, aiming to get stronger week over week in varying rep ranges is what’s going to do the trick.
Along with being spot on with the diet! Being lean is ultimately going to come down to what you’re doing in the kitchen.
A “shredded” physique is just a lean physique, so in order to have visible abs, you need to have a low bodyfat %. You can train and grow your abs like any other muscle, but them showing is ultimately going to come from your nutrition.
Lift heavy, train hard with intent, and eat within a small caloric deficit.
That’s the “secret” to losing fat and building muscle. Stay in a small deficit to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. Once you’re at a favorable bodyweight, feel free to go back to your new maintenance or go into a very minor surplus to maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat regain.
Conclusion/Summary
It’s always important to remember that even though the avenue to becoming a bodybuilder is similar to traditional strength training, bodybuilding requires much more time and volume to achieve a stage-ready physique.
Hypertrophy training is a form of exercise where the goal is to maximize muscle size and mass. This is done via various adaptations that stem from overcoming increased challenging loads over time.
Hypertrophy training isn’t just for bodybuilders! Everyone from an 11 year old to a 90 year old can benefit from strengthening the body. Of course, lift appropriately within realistic means!
Lighter loads w/ higher rep counts can result in more showy, sizeable muscles, whereas heavier loads w/ lower rep counts can result in stronger muscles.
You don’t have to always work in one rep range. Changing training variables like rep counts, set counts, tempos, and testing different exercise variations can all help prevent/break through plateaus as well as ward off training boredom.
Building muscle takes time, a lot of time. Don’t fall into the mindset that more exactly means better. You can achieve quite a lot with fewer sets as long as the intensity is there.
Trust the process
Don’t give up
Keep Chasing Great!
Talk soon,
-R
Sources
Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Oct;29(10):2954-63. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958. PMID: 25853914.
Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.
Helms ER, Byrnes RK, Cooke DM, Haischer MH, Carzoli JP, Johnson TK, Cross MR, Cronin JB, Storey AG, Zourdos MC. RPE vs. Percentage 1RM Loading in Periodized Programs Matched for Sets and Repetitions. Front Physiol. 2018 Mar 21;9:247. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00247. PMID: 29628895; PMCID: PMC5877330.
