Block Periodization — 6 Days/Week — Strength & Hypertrophy Cycles
At 18+ months, linear gains slow down. Your body needs structured variation — cycling between strength, hypertrophy, and recovery phases to keep progressing.
Focus: Heavy compounds for max strength. RPE 8-9.
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Technique | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbell Bench PressChest | 5 | 5 · 5 · 3 · 3 · 3 | MuscleWiki | Work up to heavy triples. 3-4 min rest. |
| 2 | Overhead Press (Barbell)Shoulders | 4 | 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 | MuscleWiki | Standing. Brace your core hard. |
| 3 | Close Grip Bench PressTriceps · Chest | 3 | 6 · 6 · 6 | MuscleWiki | Builds bench press lockout strength. |
| 4 | Weighted DipsTriceps · Chest | 3 | 6 · 6 · 8 | MuscleWiki | Add serious weight. Great for pressing power. |
| 5 | Lateral RaisesSide Delts | 3 | 12 · 12 · 15 | MuscleWiki | High reps even in strength block. Delts need volume. |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Technique | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional DeadliftFull Posterior Chain | 5 | 5 · 3 · 3 · 1 · 1 | MuscleWiki | Work up to heavy singles. Full rest between sets. |
| 2 | Weighted Pull-upsLats · Biceps | 4 | 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 | MuscleWiki | Add weight with a belt. No kipping. |
| 3 | Pendlay RowBack (Mid) | 4 | 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 | MuscleWiki | From the floor each rep. Explosive pull. |
| 4 | Barbell CurlBiceps | 3 | 6 · 6 · 8 | MuscleWiki | Heavy cheat curls are acceptable here. |
| 5 | Face PullRear Delts | 3 | 15 · 15 · 15 | MuscleWiki | Always included. Shoulder health is non-negotiable. |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Technique | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbell Back SquatQuads · Glutes | 5 | 5 · 5 · 3 · 3 · 3 | MuscleWiki | ATG (ass to grass). Belt up for heavy sets. |
| 2 | Front SquatQuads | 3 | 5 · 5 · 5 | MuscleWiki | Clean grip or cross grip. Builds quad strength. |
| 3 | Romanian DeadliftHamstrings | 4 | 6 · 6 · 6 · 6 | MuscleWiki | Heavy. Straps allowed. Feel the stretch. |
| 4 | Standing Calf RaisesCalves | 4 | 10 · 10 · 10 · 10 | MuscleWiki | Pause at full stretch. Heavy. |
Higher volume, moderate weights, advanced techniques. This is where muscle size is built. Use drop sets and rest-pause on the last set of each exercise.
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Technique | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incline Dumbbell PressUpper Chest | 4 | 8 · 8 · 10 · 12DS | MuscleWiki | DS = Drop set on last set. Drop weight 30%, go to failure. |
| 2 | Flat Barbell BenchChest | 4 | 8 · 8 · 10 · 10 | MuscleWiki | Controlled tempo: 3 seconds down, 1 second up. |
| 3 | Cable Flies (3 angles)Chest | 3 | 12 · 12 · 15RP | MuscleWiki | RP = Rest-pause last set. Do 15, rest 10s, max reps, rest 10s, max reps. |
| 4 | Seated Dumbbell OHPShoulders | 4 | 8 · 10 · 10 · 12 | MuscleWiki | Full range of motion. Dumbbells for better stretch. |
| 5 | Cable Lateral RaisesSide Delts | 4 | 12 · 15 · 15 · 20MR | MuscleWiki | MR = Myo-reps. Do 20, rest 5s, do 5, rest 5s, do 5, until 3 mini-sets. |
| 6 | Tricep Pushdown + OH ExtTriceps | 3+3 | SUPERSET | MuscleWiki | Superset: 12 pushdowns → immediately 12 overhead extensions. No rest between. |
Pull and Leg hypertrophy days follow the same structure — higher reps (8-15), 4 sets, advanced techniques on last sets. Apply the same principles from the strength block exercises but with lighter weight and more volume. The goal shifts from moving max weight to maximizing time under tension and metabolic stress.
These techniques are for the hypertrophy block only. They push your muscles past normal failure for maximum growth stimulus.
Hit failure, immediately reduce weight by 25-30%, and continue to failure again. Can do 1-2 drops. Best for isolation exercises and last set of compounds. Example: Bench 80kg × 8 → fail → 60kg × max → fail → 40kg × max.
Hit failure, rack the weight, rest 10-15 seconds, then do as many reps as possible (usually 2-4 more). Repeat 1-2 times. This extends the set beyond normal failure. Example: Lat Pulldown 12 reps → rest 10s → 3 reps → rest 10s → 2 reps.
Do an activation set of 12-20 reps close to failure. Rest 5 seconds, do 3-5 mini-sets of 3-5 reps with the same weight, resting 5 sec between. Accumulates high effective reps fast. Great for lateral raises, curls, and leg extensions.
Perform two exercises back-to-back with no rest. Best for antagonist pairs (biceps/triceps, chest/back) or for pairing a compound with an isolation. Saves time and increases metabolic stress. Example: Barbell Curl → Tricep Pushdown, no rest.
Recovery is where growth happens. Every 10-12 weeks, take a deload.