Higher Standard in Hypertrophy
By Ty Ferrell

There are two schools of thought for hypertrophy in this world. You have your bodybuilders who want hypertrophy, but can care less about the function or strength. Then you have athletes and serious fitness enthusiasts who want hypertrophy, but need it to be functional and come with a great bonus of strength. In other words, not only look strong, but are strong. Now, as far as which method would get results faster, the school of “walk the walk and talk the talk” is still more optimal than classic bodybuilder style.

Many eastern block country bodybuilders and Olympic lifters have used this method to promote unchallenged muscle mass and strength increases. Some of the biggest, strongest guys in the U.S. are part of a group called The Westside Barbell Club. The West Side guys have used a functional approach to not only get big, but to be impressively strong.

What I’m going to do is lay out the basic rules of functional hypertrophy. If you are looking to get big and strong and keep your performance levels high, sit back and soak this up.

Gaining and sustaining muscle mass will require using weights that allow for maximal effort and mass gains. I am a big proponent of lifting maximal weight (weight at 85%RM or more), but there are limits to maximal weight training benefits. Also, max lifting is best periodized with higher levels of recovery for the neural aspect. So, the frequency would need to be dropped too much for a goal of fast and sustainable hypertrophy. Also, there is evidence pointing to the use of less weight and more reps will enhance growth hormone output (2). We need to tap into as much of that as possible to optimize our training effect. Therefore, training at a lower RM will be optimal. Looking at what research points to, we should deal with weight at 70-80% RM (1). This would extend from about six to twelve reps. Without getting too far into specific dominant fiber types in each muscle, it should be noted that muscles dominated by type II muscle fibers work better with lower rep schemes, while muscles dominated by type I muscle fibers certainly can beef up with higher reps.

Putting on functional mass will need variance in tempos. One thing is clear, train super slow and your workout will be super useless. The concentric (lifting) portion of any lift should be controlled and as fast as possible (2). Moderate to very slow and controlled eccentrics definitely have their place in hypertrophy training. However, the weight should still be in the 70-80% RM bracket. To go lower in weight, most likely will result in low strength gains, during isometric and concentric phase of the exercise. Because we want as much strength as possible, while we gain muscle mass, we will need maximal voluntary contraction (2). Simply put, attempting to recruit and initiate as many motor units as possible (by keeping the weight 70%RM or more) will cause a person’s body to not only build needed muscle fibers, but also gain increased motor unit activation (strength). Also, the isometric tempo portion of the lift can be increased to add extra tension. Using isometric hold periods in a lift will increase motor unit recruitment as well (2). All in all, play with the tempo ranges between the eccentric and isometric portion and explode through the concentric portion of a lift to gain more functional hypertrophy.

Multiple sets are the way to go for functional hypertrophy. One set to failure is not to be totally debunked. However, that type of training does not allow for frequency to gain optimal functional hypertrophy. On the other hand, multiple sets are subject to The Law of Diminishing Returns (2). So, for each set added in a given program the benefits will lower. This is why an average Joe or Jane working an average eight to five job and only getting six hours of sleep will not benefit as well from a program such as 10 sets of 3-10 reps, than would an athlete in preseason (I say preseason because during competition a wise coach will need to tone down the sets to reap training benefits). Along with this comes individualizing the sets, reps and tempos. A lot of the individual factors (i.e. genetics, lifestyle, gender etc.) should be addressed to make a more optimal hypertrophy regiment. I will be discussing the rest intervals next, but even with optimal resting protocols, the sets and reps may eventually need to be cut back. It really comes down to the individual differences in each person. This point of is considered the critical drop off point (2). This is where the phrase “quality over quantity” comes into play. The additional sets and reps will simply impede recovery, strain the nervous system and cause havoc in the endocrine system. Professional athletes, for whom training and competition are his and her occupation, will have a higher level of tolerance for additional reps and sets. An average person who needs to hold down a sedentary 8-5 job and worry about children will not have this tolerance.

pro athlete versus 9-5ers

Rest intervals must be wisely used to optimize functional hypertrophy. Resting interval is overlooked by many trainers and trainees. First of all, neural recovery is not the same as muscular recovery. A muscle recovers five to six times faster than the nervous system (2). This is also why I discussed maximal training as not being efficient for hypertrophy training. This is because it is harsh on the nervous system and will need more recovery.
Rest intervals of shorter duration will help create an environment for greater GH release. However, shortening rest intervals during lifts using multiarticular muscles (muscles that cross more than one joint… like gluteus maximus), muscles of greater size and muscles of higher ROM will cause less quality in movement and intensity. In this case, a longer rest break will be needed. Super-setting antagonistic muscle groups will allow for shorter rest breaks, because the antagonist will “actively” rest while the agonist (primary lifting) muscle group is working. All other rest breaks should remain between 90 seconds to 180 seconds (3minutes).

Now keep in mind, there will always be exceptions to every rule. This is not for beginners who have not successfully completed an anatomical adaptation phase. Following this guideline will give you optimal strength and hypertrophy that you can write home to mom about. Below I have set out an example of a regiment using these rules. This is purely an example that can be used to create an individual regiment. This is in no way custom made for anyone.

Example:
EXERCISE SETx REP TEMPO
1. BB SQUATS 75-78%RM --(60 SEC REST)-- 4x15/10/10/12 (3-0-1)
2. 1ARM MILITARY PRESS 70%RM-- (90 SEC REST)-- 4x8 (2-2-1)
3. WIDE GRIP PULLUPS (60 SEC REST) --4x6/6/5/4 (3-1-1)
4. STANDING 1 LEG CALF RAISE (90 SEC REST)-- 4x20 (2-2-1)
5. ELEVATED FEET PUSHUPS (30 SEC REST) --2x17 ( 2-3-1)
6. BB CURLS 70%RM --(60 SEC REST)-- 2x6/4 (4-2-1)

*Tempos (3-0-1) 3sec eccentric, 0 sec isometric, 1 sec concentric

References:
1. Bompa, O. Tudor, and Carrera, C. Michael (2005) Periodization Training for Sports second edition. 163-170.
2. Poliquin, Charles (2006) Poliquin Performance Theory 1 Manual. 2:1-5:29