As part of my weekly training plan, I allocate two days for lower-body and upper-body hypertrophy training, with the remaining two days dedicated to full-body strength and power training.
As I was writing up my session, I began to realise that training for hypertrophy is just a matter of utilizing the following ATE
words over time to optimize results.
In NO particular order of importance, these are as follows:
1: IsolATE
Arnold is quoted as saying that you must “feel da muscle” when training for hypertrophy, so hypertrophy training is more
about muscles than movements. Exercise selection is based on being able to concentrate on the “mind–muscle connection”.
I have found it very useful to analyze each target muscle through kinesiology, including its origin, insertion, and action.
Thompson’s Manual of Structural Kinesiology has always been my go-to source for such information, and I consider it a must for anyone interested in optimising their training.
2: ActivATE
To begin a session, using different types of movement preparation ensures that you don't need to do any “garbage sets” and that you can hit the ground running. Mobility work to ensure you have a good range of movement, banded movements I have found to be an excellent start for a session, pull-aparts, monster walks, fire hydrants & clams, face pulls, all have activation/excitation effect of target muscles in preparation for the main event for training on that particular day. It is not intended to be a workout before a workout, but 5–10 minutes of concentrated work will also help focus the mind on the task at hand, as well as prepare the muscles for work.
3: StimulATE
I often hear that trainees want to annihilate, obliterate, or terminate a muscle in a training session, but to optimize progress over time, you need to find out what works best for you to stimulate the target muscle. Consider the Goldilocks sets & repetition ranges, not too many and not too few, but just right to ensure you can recover in time for the subsequent application of the training stimulus. No two trainees are the same, so it is a matter of experimentation to find out what works best for you.
4: ConjugATE
The basic tenet of conjugate training is to avoid accommodation by varying training over time, with more experienced trainees needing to adjust aspects of their training every week. For less experienced trainees, this time frame expands to 3 or 4 weeks. If you go longer before adjusting aspects of your training, you bring into play the "Law of Diminishing Returns and your progress was destined to stagnate.
Joe Weider once mentioned "Muscle Confusion" as one of his laws of training, in that
variation in sets, reps, loading, exercises, and training modes needed to be programmed into a training plan to ensure continued progress over time.
5: EducATE
I have tried many different programs over my nearly 50 years of gym training, from Arthur Jones’ Nautilus one-set-to-failure (HIT) to Joe DeFranco’s Westside For Skinny Bastards and everything in between. From these training experiences, I have come to believe that, as Louie once said, “everything works, but nothing works forever.” Training is an experiential learning process that never stops. Just when you feel like you have answered all the questions, your body is going to throw you another problem to solve. This is my “ikigai”, a Japanese philosophy that literally translates to English as “a reason for being”, learning is never a superhighway from point to point, but often a winding path taking you to dead ends, and also often
exciting places.
6: ResuscitATE
The ability to train is governed by the ability to recover, so with hypertrophy training, it is essential to ensure that you have ample time to resuscitate the muscles trained through recovery techniques, starting with the big three of macronutrients, hydration, and sleep.
These are the only 100% guaranteed methods: supplementation, stretching, sauna, compression, foam rolling, and many others become mute if the big three are not attended to and prioritized.
7: ManipulATE
The training process, as I have mentioned, is a journey in learning what works. To achieve results, you must know how to manipulate and navigate the maze of theories about training that bombard us across various platforms. How many sets do I need for each body part? Can I train specific body parts daily or more frequently than others? What role does fiber type have in determining progress? What reps should I use? Should I use velocity-based training for hypertrophy?
Wave Loading versus Straight Sets, Cluster Sets versus Drop Sets, Straight Sets versus Super Sets, Linear Loading versus Undulating Loading.
Go back and re-read EducATE. They all work, but the trick, if there ever was a trick, is to manipulate all of these into your weekly training and determine what works best for you. Enjoy the journey.
8: LactATE
I remember Charles Poliquin once saying that training for hypertrophy was best achieved when the time duration for each set was in the 45 – 75 second range. Following a pattern of controlled 4-second eccentric and 2-second concentric contractions, with a 1-second pause in the fully contracted position, would allow for 8–12 reps within the previously mentioned time frame. Which
Strangely enough, it is about the same time it would take to run 400 metres, which is right in the lactate zone of bioenergetics.
We can all remember I am sure how we felt at the end of a full out 400 metres, many would feel a need to regurgitATE as well, so there’s a bonus ATE word to finish this article with.
In the introduction for this article, I outlined my week plan. It would be remiss of me if I did not finish this article with some specific snapshots from my training diary as examples of how I train for hypertrophy presently:
Ashley Jones has worked in three professional sports for over 30 years, spanning seven countries. He was awarded the NSCA's Professional Coach of the Year in 2016. Ashley has held his CSCS since 1988 and his RSCC*E since 2016. In 2023, he received the NSCA Boyd Epley Lifetime Achievement Award.
