Power/Hypertrophy Adaptive Training Routine

Hi guys,

I am starting my first ever (bulking) cycle next week and would like to know whether it will be necessary to change my routine or stick with the one I've been using for the past few months? I've been using Layne Norton's Strength/Hypertrophy program which is pretty intense:

Monday: Upper Power
-5x5 or 3x5 for all lifts(5x5 on bulk cause recovery is better, 3x5 on cut)
-Barbell Bench Press
-Barbell Rows
-Military Press
-Barbell Shrugs

Tues: Lower Power
-5x5 or 3x5 for all lifts(5x5 on bulk cause recovery is better, 3x5 on cut)
-Back Squat
-Stiff Leg Deadlift, Or Romanian DL
-6-8 sets of Standing Calf, little higher reps, i like to do 6-8 on heavy days

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Hypertrophy Chest/Arms
-DB Incline Bench 3x8-12
-Barbell Close Grip Bench 3x8-12
-DB Flat Bench 2x8-12
-Barbell Curls 3x8-12 super setted with
-Standing French Press 3x8-12
-Skull Crushers 3x8-12 super setted with
-DB Hammer Curls
-DB Flyes 3x8-12
-Preacher Curl 3x8-12 supersetted with
-Weighted Bench Dips 3x8-12

Friday: Hypertrophy Shoulders/Back/Traps
-DB Shoulder Press 3x8-12 super setted with
-DB Front Raise 3x8-12
-DB One Arm Row 3x8-12 super setted with
-DB Arnold Press 3x8-12
-Lat Pull Down (Wide Grip) 2x8-12 super setted with
-DB Shrugs 2x10-15
-Lat Pull Down (Close grip, palms facing in) 2x8-12 super setted with
-DB Upright Row 2x10-15
-T-bar row 2x8-12 (Usually too tired/dead to do this last exercise, but some times i do it)

Saturday: Hypertrophy Legs/Calves
-Hack Squat 5x8-12 super setted with
-Sitting Calf Raise 5x10-15
-Leg Extensions 5x10-15 super setted with
-Sitting Leg Curls 5x10-15 super setted with
-Standing Calf Raise 4x8-12

Sunday: Off


Any ideas??

DD how long you been on this program for?

Personally I think you should change/adapt programs every 6 to 8 weeks. The body is very clever at adapting to what you are doing, and so over time you start experiencing the law of diminishing returns. The body does less work for the same amount of effort (if that makes sense) because it gets used to doing the same routine over and over again. This slows down growth.

Even doing the same program but mixing the order of the exercises up, or changing the rep/set ratio helps a lot. You want to confuse the body basically.

You need to give a program enough time to work, but not too long that the body adapts to it.

When on cycle you do the same things but you recover a lot faster and lift a lot heavier and hence the growth (obviously things like diet and rest etc are also important here).

So in a nutshell, if you have been doing this program for 2 months or longer, change it around or start a new one, is my advice anyway.

I've been using this one for about 5 months now I think, but I always make sure to add more weight or reps each workout to keep the intensity high. I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to training, I'm the only one at the gym who walks around with a log book so that I can keep track of exactly what I did on what day (how many reps, sets, weight, how I was feeling on the day) to ensure that I keep improving on my lifts.

I have been thinking of going back to my old routine for a while, which was a 4 day split (Mon - Arms, Tue - Legs, Wed - rest, Thur - Chest + Shoulders, Fri - Back, Sat & Sun - Rest), but I've really come to like the idea of training everything twice a week instead of just once every 7 days.

My big worry at this point is switching to a less effective routine and wasting my cycle; it's my first one and I really wanna do everything I can to make the most of it, even if it means training for 2 hours every single day (or even pulling an Arnold and going twice a day!). Not sure what to expect with regard to recovery potential, etc while I'm on the juice versus how it's been training naturally for the past 3 years.

This routine's been getting rave reviews at bb.com, I think Layne may have stumbled upon a piece of gold. Just not sure when I'll actually try it out, but definitely will in the future

DD 5 months is too long imo. It looks like a hellva workout though.

The problem is, even adding weight etc, the body gets used to doing the same exercises every week. The intensity may be high but the muscles get used to the same actions week in and week out.

Deadgoat wrote: This routine's been getting rave reviews at bb.com, I think Layne may have stumbled upon a piece of gold. Just not sure when I'll actually try it out, but definitely will in the future

It's a solid routine, bud, the Saturday leg days are especially hectic; I spend about 30 mins in the parking lot afterwards trying not to puke up my post-workout shake! lol

I can see that bud, just looking at it, makes me eina.

But, you are missing the point. 5 months is too long to be on any program. Even changing it for 6 weeks then going back to it will work.

I agree with shaun, I actually think 6 weeks is already to long you should switch it up even more often.

Maybe if you really like the routine that much, do it for two or three weeks, then do your old routine for one week and go back again. I think even that is adaptable, i would say change some stuff rather, put in some supersets, drop sets negative and positive piramids in there.

Now....I am gonna see how I can copy that routine... hehe....but how can you train that hard, near to puking, and then train those muscles again 3 days later. Its been 5 years since I trained my body twice a week, concept is alien to me now

shaunrsa wrote: I can see that bud, just looking at it, makes me eina.

But, you are missing the point. 5 months is too long to be on any program. Even changing it for 6 weeks then going back to it will work.

I get what you're saying 100%, bro..sorry, I typed a long message in reply to your previous post with some ideas for a new routine but when I tried to post it the site told me that my session had expired and I had to login again, and when I did it had turfed my whole message...AAARGH!

m0lt3n wrote: I agree with shaun, I actually think 6 weeks is already to long you should switch it up even more often.

Maybe if you really like the routine that much, do it for two or three weeks, then do your old routine for one week and go back again. I think even that is adaptable, i would say change some stuff rather, put in some supersets, drop sets negative and positive piramids in there.

Now....I am gonna see how I can copy that routine... hehe....but how can you train that hard, near to puking, and then train those muscles again 3 days later. Its been 5 years since I trained my body twice a week, concept is alien to me now

I do change it around a bit in that I usually add in some drop sets at the end just to get that extra pump, or I'll add an extra set here and there, maybe go for 15 reps insead of 12, use a different machine (ie cable crossovers one week instead of flyes), stuff like that, but I think I do need to find new ways to change things up. I do think that the core movements are important in any routine though (squat, deadlift, bench press, barbell row, military press) and I'm most reluctant to drop those in favour of other exercises just for the sake of having a different routine.

This routine killed me the first few months, my legs were so sore ofter the first "power" workout that I couldn't straighten them at all for almost 2 weeks. But now I don't have any pain or stiffness at all the next day or the following day, it kind of freaks me out actually. I feel as though I haven't trained at all but I honestly push myself to the point of throwing up especially on back and leg days. This is my worry now, if I am recovering like this without using gear, what's going to happen next week when I start pinning and I go down to training each bodypart once a week?

No probs boet. There are many programs that work. Max OT is pretty good for hypertrophy

shaunrsa wrote: No probs boet. There are many programs that work. Max OT is pretty good for hypertrophy

I saw Max-OT mentioned while I was researching earlier on the net, I didn't check it out though, I'll take a look...shot man!

I agree with u on keeping the basic compound exercises.

On the max OT, I cant find it in the download section anymore, cant it be placed there again?

Just Goodle "Max OT", bud, the second option that pops up has a download link for the whole 165-page pdf document. Printed it out now, gonna give it a read. Looks quite well thought-out, I'm just a bit worried about the fact that it looks more exclusively like a powerlifting program (4-6 rep range) even though they're selling it as a hypertrophy program as well.

i lost my copy,will download it tomo again thanx.
first week on max ot felt like a waste when i tried it,felt like under training. got better after a while, but i jumped ship after 6weeks. now just mixing some of his principles in with other programs.
going max on weight all the time will only lead to injury in my opinion.and i am lazy...

Sorry bud, third link, my bad. I like the whole warmup idea in Max OT, i find that I get a second wind on the 3rd or 4th set so that could work nicely. What do you guys think of HSP?

Okay, after much thought and research, I'm starting my first Test Cyp/Dbol cycle on Monday, and thinking of just switching to a different version of the routine I've been using (as opposed to HST or Max OT), because:
1) I really like the idea of the hybrid training mixing days for strength and days for growth,
and
2) Programs like Max OT and HST seem to start at a beginner level and that's not something I want to kick my first test cycle off with, even though it is a different routine and I will probably get good gains off of it, I feel that a different version of what I'm doing at the moment should be adequate change to "confuse" my muscles and still allow me to train each bodypart 2x a week.

Here's what I'm looking at, please let me know what you guys think (going to tweak it a bit to include more free weight movements as I'm not a huge fan of using machines:

Day 1: Upper Power

- Pulling Power Movement: Bent Over Rows
5 x 3-5
- Assistance Pulling Movement: Weighted Pull-ups
2 x 6-10
- Auxiliary Pulling Movement: Rack Chins
2 x 6-10
- Pressing Power Movement: Flat Dumbbell Press
5 x 3-5
- Assistance Pressing Movement: Weighted Dips
2 x 6-10
- Assistance Pressing Movement: Seated DB Shoulder Press
3 x 6-10
- Auxiliary Curling Movement: Barbell Curls
3 x 6-10
- Auxiliary Extension Movement: Skull Crushers
3 x 6-10

DAY 2: Lower Power
- Pressing Power Movement: Squats
5 x 3-5
- Assistance Pressing Movement: Hack Squats
2 x 6-10
- Assistance Extension Movement: Leg Extensions
2 x 6-10
- Assistance Pulling Movement: Romanian Deadlifts
5 x 5-8
- Assistance Pulling/Curling Movement: Lying Leg Curls
2 x 6-10
- Auxiliary Calf Movement: Standing Calf Raise
5 x 6-10
- Auxiliary Calf Movement: Seated Calf Raise
2 x 6-10

DAY 3: REST

DAY 4: Back & Shoulders Hypertrophy
- Pulling Power Exercise Speed Work: Bent over Rows
6 x 3 with 65-70% of 3-5 rep max
- Hypertrophy Pulling Movement: Rack Chins
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Pulling Movement: Long Pull
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Pulling Movement: DB Rows
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Pulling Movement: Close Grip Pulldowns
2 x 15-20
- Hypertrophy Shoulder Movement: Seated DB Presses
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Shoulder Movement: Upright Rows
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Shoulder Movement: DB Side Laterals
3 x 12-20

DAY 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
- Lower Body Speed Exercise Work: Squats
6 x 3 with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max
- Hypertrophy Pressing Movement: Hack Squats
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Pressing Movement: Leg Presses
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Extension Movement: Leg Extensions
3 x 15-20
- Hypertrophy Pulling Movement: Romanian Deadlifts
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Curling Movement: Lying Leg Curls
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Curling Movement: Standing Leg Curls
2 x 15-20
- Hypertrophy Calf Movement: Standing Calf Raises
5 x 10-15
- Hypertrophy Calf Movement: Seated Calf Raises
3 x 15-20

DAY 6: Chest + Arms Hypertrophy
- Pressing Power Exercise Speed Work: Flat DB Press
6 x 3 with 65-70% of 3-5 rep max
- Hypertrophy Pressing Movement: Incline DB press
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Pressing Movement: Hammer Strength Chest Press
3 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Fly Movement: Incline DB Flyes
2 x 15-20
- Hypertrophy Curling Exercise: Preacher Curls
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Curling Exercise: DB Concentration Curls
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Curling Exercise: Spider Curls
2 x 15-20
- Hypertophy Extension Exercise: Seated Tricep Extension (ez bar)
3 x 8-12
- Hypertrophy Extension Exercise: Cable Pressdowns with rope
2 x 12-15
- Hypertrophy Extension Exercise: Cable Kickbacks
2 x 15-20

DAY 7: REST



I'm thinking I can just substitute different pressing, pulling and curling movements every 6 weeks or so to keep things fresh, I wanna try and keep it sort of consistent though so that I can monitor how my strength increases throughout my cycle.