Muscle Hypertrophy Program

What it is. A muscle-building block that turns the evidence on volume, effort and progression into a weekly plan. It is the modern, volume-based counterpart to the classic high-volume bodybuilding template (FSU Hypertrophy / Bodybuilding Program).

Why these settings. The levers with the most reliable effect on growth are weekly volume and sufficient effort (see Muscle Hypertrophy). The 2026 ACSM Position Stand found growth enhanced by ≥10 sets per muscle per week. It found load (30–100% 1RM), training to failure, and frequency (when weekly volume is equal) did not consistently change hypertrophy. The program variables follow from that:

• Reps: mostly 6–15, with some heavier (4–6) and lighter (15–20+) work. Muscle grows across a wide load spectrum when sets are hard (Schoenfeld et al. 2021), so the rep range is chosen for practicality. Moderate reps let you do enough hard sets without very heavy loads or very long, painful sets.
• Effort: stop most sets at ~1–3 reps in reserve (see RPE / RIR Autoregulation). Failure is optional, best kept to the last set of safe exercises (machines, isolation).
• Rest: ~1.5–3 min, longer for big compound lifts. A 2024 meta-analysis found a small growth benefit from resting more than 60 s, and no clear difference once rest exceeded ~90 s (Singer et al. 2024).
• Volume: ~10–20 hard sets per muscle per week (see Weekly Sets per Muscle). Start near 10 and add sets only for muscles that stall, within what you recover from (see Volume Landmarks (MV / MEV / MAV / MRV)).
• Frequency: each muscle about 2× per week, usually via an upper/lower or push/pull/legs split. This is mainly to keep sessions manageable and sets fresh. Growth didn't differ by frequency when total weekly volume was the same (ACSM 2026; Pelland et al. 2025 found frequency matters more for strength).
• Exercise order: compounds first when their strength matters. Order made no consistent difference to growth.

Progression and support. Use double progression within each rep range, and consider adding a set to lagging muscles every few weeks. Plan a deload when fatigue builds. For nutrition, a narrative review for natural bodybuilders suggests a ~10–20% calorie surplus aiming for ~0.25–0.5% of body weight gained per week (smaller for advanced lifters), with 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day protein (Iraki et al. 2019; see Nutrition for Muscle Gain, Protein — Functions, Quality, and Requirements).

• Healthy adults with a few months or more of consistent lifting who can train about 4 days a week.
• Complete beginners should start with a full-body program at lower volume (Beginner Full-Body Program) and move here after technique and consistency are in place.
• If you can only train 2–3 days, the same weekly set totals can be delivered with full-body sessions.

• The set and rep numbers are starting points from group-average research. Your recoverable volume differs by person and by muscle, and changes with sleep, stress and diet.
• Most underlying trials are short (weeks to months) and in younger adults.
• A calorie surplus suits a dedicated growth phase. If fat loss is the priority, see Nutrition for Fat Loss (growth is slower in a deficit, but still possible, especially for beginners).
• Pain (as opposed to normal effort or soreness) is a signal to change the exercise and get it assessed, not to push through.

A 4-day upper/lower week (demo clips exist in the Fysiqal library for every exercise named).

Weekly hard sets (indirect sets counted as ½): chest 10; back 12; biceps 5 direct + 6 from rows/pulldowns ≈ 11; triceps 5 direct + 5 from pressing ≈ 10; quads 13; hamstrings 10; glutes 3 direct + about 6.5 from squats, presses and hinges ≈ 9.5; calves 6. Calves and side delts sit below 10 here on purpose. Add sets to them only if they're a priority.

Progression across 6 weeks: double progression on every exercise (e.g., 3 × 8–12: when all sets reach 12, add the smallest load increment). In weeks 3–4, add one set to any muscle that hasn't progressed. Week 7 is a deload (half the sets, same loads).

Next lesson: Volume Landmarks (MV / MEV / MAV / MRV). You're running a full week at ~10–20 sets per muscle; volume landmarks (MEV, MAV, MRV) help you decide which muscles get more sets and when you've hit the ceiling. When fatigue builds past that point, Deload Weeks covers how to pull back.

• ~10–20 hard sets/muscle/week; ≥10 is the evidence-backed floor for growth (ACSM 2026).
• Reps mostly 6–15 at ~1–3 RIR; growth occurs across loads when sets are hard.
• Rest >60 s helps a little; little difference beyond ~90 s (Singer 2024). Use ~1.5–3 min.
• ~2×/week per muscle is a practical way to spread volume; growth is similar across frequencies when volume is equated.
• Progress with double progression; deload when fatigue accumulates; surplus ~10–20% and protein 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day for a dedicated growth phase.