Hypertrophy Block — 12 Weeks

Build work capacity and tissue tolerance with rising set volume at moderate load. Nothing heavy, a great deal of it.

1. MondayUpper Body A — Horizontal Press and Pull3 sets week 1, building to 6 by week 4.Strength · 60 min
2. TuesdayLower Body A — Squat FocusStrength · 65 min
3. WednesdayEasy 30 min walk
4. ThursdayUpper Body B — Vertical Press and PullStrength · 60 min
5. FridayLower Body B — Hinge FocusRomanian deadlift, not conventional. Stop each set when the back rounds.Strength · 60 min
6. SaturdayEasy 45 min walk or bike
7. SundayRest

PROGRESSIONStart at 3 working sets per exercise, 10 to 12 reps, at roughly 65 percent of 1RM, 3 reps in reserve. Add one set to each main compound every week — 3, 4, 5, 6 by week 4. Hold load constant across the four weeks; the added volume is the progression. Rest 90 seconds.

Trade volume for load. Fewer, heavier sets in a lower rep range so the tissue built in phase one gets a strength stimulus it can hold.

1. MondayPush Day — Chest, Shoulders and TricepsHeavy barbell bench, then dumbbell and cable accessories.Strength · 60 min
2. TuesdayLeg Day — Quad EmphasisBack squat is the top lift. Everything else supports it.Strength · 65 min
3. WednesdaySoft Tissue and RollNot a session — 20 minutes between the two heaviest days.Recovery · 20 min
4. ThursdayPull Day — Back and BicepsStrength · 60 min
5. FridayLeg Day — Posterior Chain EmphasisStrength · 60 min
6. SaturdayEasy 45 min walk
7. SundayRest

PROGRESSIONDrop to 4 working sets of 6 to 8 reps at roughly 78 to 82 percent, 1 to 2 reps in reserve. Add 2.5 kg to lower-body compounds and 1.25 kg to upper-body compounds each week. Rest 3 minutes on compounds. Accessories rotate: dumbbell and cable variations replace the machine work from phase one.

Clear the fatigue built over eight weeks so the final phase can be trained hard rather than survived.

1. MondayDeload Week SessionMobility · 40 min
2. TuesdayEasy 30 min walk
3. WednesdayFull Body MobilityMobility · 30 min
4. ThursdayDeload Week SessionMobility · 40 min
5. FridayRest
6. SaturdayEasy 45 min walk
7. SundayRest

PROGRESSIONHalf the sets of week 8 at 60 percent of week 8 load, reps of 8, all sets stopped well short of effort. No intensity techniques, no accessories to failure, no new exercises.

Higher reps, shorter rest and intensity techniques on isolation work. Load comes down, effort goes up, sessions get shorter and considerably less pleasant.

1. MondayUpper Body Hypertrophy60-second rest throughout. Drop sets on the last set of each isolation movement.Strength · 65 min
2. TuesdayLeg Day — Quad EmphasisLeg press and hack squat lead here, not the back squat.Strength · 65 min
3. WednesdayEasy 30 min walk
4. ThursdayArms and ShouldersThe most work of the week per unit of load. Keep rest to 45 to 60 seconds.Strength · 50 min
5. FridayLeg Day — Posterior Chain EmphasisHamstring curls and hip thrusts. Keep the spinal loading low this phase.Strength · 60 min
6. SaturdayEasy 45 min walk
7. SundayRest

PROGRESSION3 sets of 12 to 15 at 60 to 65 percent on compounds, rest 60 seconds. Isolation work finishes with a drop set on the last set each week — one drop in week 10, two in week 11, two plus a 15-second rest-pause in week 12. Loads stay fixed across the three weeks; density is the progression.