WHAT DO I WANT
All I have ever known about lifting is strength training. For the past 38 years, I have trained for sports. My weight training began with Bigger, Faster, Stronger which I would say was a precursor to programs like Starting Strength and 5/3/1.
If you follow my log you will see I have had many ill-fated attempts at focusing on hypertrophy. Yeah, I want to look good, but I can't pump and pose. First of all, I find that type of training miserable. Secondly, for whatever reason, it does not agree with my body.
WHAT TO DO
Looking back I had very few issues with the movements I was doing during powerlifting. I moved weights. I didn't focus on squeezing muscles or getting a pump. If a pump happened great, but it was never the purpose of a movement. The goal was to make bigger stronger muscles to compliment my bench press.
I realized the only difference between my powerlifting training and what could be a powerbuilding routine would be my sets and reps. Instead of focusing on a one rep max or one set of amrap, I needed to get close to failure on closer to three sets per exercise. And instead of the traditional lower reps on big lifts, I keep closer to 10 on most.
THE PLAN
I have found I respond best to hitting each bodypart twice a week. I like training four days a week so I broke it up as follows:
MONDAY - Push (chest, shoulders, triceps) and Legs
WEDNESDAY - Pull (back, biceps) and Abs
FRIDAY - Push (chest, shoulders, triceps) and Legs
SATURDAY - Pull (back, biceps) and Abs
The reason I did not go with a more traditional push (chest, shoulders, triceps)/pull (back, biceps) days and separate leg days is that I have found I cannot recover well from four really hard days of training a week. Most of my biggest compound lifts fall on Monday and Friday which allows me for greater recovery. It's not that I mail in my pull and abs days, the movements are just not as big and intense.
I worked this program through for about two months and have just dialed it in. Right now I am not going to give you my movements because I think what is most important is more or less sticking with your powerlifting routine. You just take those movements and establish the proper split along with the set and rep schemes mentioned above.
WRAPPING UP
This is by no means revolutionary. It's just that I know many of us when thinking about hypertrophy suddenly feel we need a new program. I have found that's not the case for me.
With increasing volume on your big lifts and getting close to failure on multiple sets it can be hard to recover. I learned that the hard way. I became very overtrained. I recommend possibly only going close to failure on the last set of each exercise for the first week. Then try to push that to two sets the following week. If you feel you are still recovering go for three sets on that third week. I couldn't recover when I tried to push it past that.
If you are used to lower volume, really focus on recovery outside of the gym. Training close to failure on multiple sets for multiple exercises when you are not used to it is brutal.
Good luck and good lifting.
