Hypertrophy Training for Athletes

While the given rep range for muscular hypertrophy is in the six to twelve range (predominantly), I believe that the lactate accumulation and delayed onset muscle soreness make this problematic in the training of the lower body of team sport athletes. For me, training for size and strength comes down to volume and intensity—nothing new or earth-shaking revelations there, I know. But, the devil is in the details, and why I have come to believe that the use of clusters has a huge part to play in the training of athletes, especially the lower body. 

After 30 seconds of passive recovery, the ATP-PC stores are approximately 70 percent fully restored, and this increases to over 90 percent between 90 seconds and three minutes. I believe that clusters are a perfect method for increasing volume using a higher percentage of one rep max (RM) in the training set.

Also, when you combine clusters with a wave loading protocol, you add a whole new dimension to stimulation using a higher percentage of training load and utilizing post-activation potentiation in the process.

A straight 12-rep lift is usually trained at approximately 70 percent of 1RM. But by using a cluster, we can lift that to approximately 78 percent via two sets of six reps with a 30-second rest in between and 90 seconds to three minutes between sets.

3-Week Cluster Wave Loading

Here are a few more sets and reps schemes that I have used with my players that have proven quite effective. Once again, I am hearing the words of Louie Simmons as I plan these sessions, “stimulate, not annihilate.” So you can see there are not a lot of work sets, depending on the plan of attack for days of training and also what you are trying to achieve in each workout session. The sets and reps below could expand out to three or four sets from the listed two work sets.

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Depending on your time availability and training experience, there are several different plans you can put into place to optimize the training stimulus and produce results. Below are a few options that I have tried over the years with various groups of players, from amateurs to professionals.

Three Days Per Week

An example of the full three-day program with exercises inserted into the categories is as follows. This is a bare-bones approach, just using two major movements in each session, but then using a full CARE program for each session to fill in the missing components in the program.

Three Days Per Week

A similar approach is used in the four day a week plan below, once again, concentrating on the major “bang for your buck” movements and then supplemented with the CARE programming.

Four Days Per Week

Here is the four-day plan with exercises attached to the movement categories for you to see how they all fit together.

Another method I have used is a double day training plan, where you focus on strength in the morning workout and hypertrophy in the afternoon. These workouts are separated by, ideally, four to six hours to allow for recovery. Here is a list of a range of sets and rep protocols that you can use for both the morning and afternoon workouts to optimize your training, 23 Loading Methods for Effective Set and Rep Schemes.

Double Day Programming

Here is a plan using the categories above with exercises selected into the program, to give you an idea of how it all fits together.

For some options and ideas around the Armour Plating options, please see the chart later in this article.

Armour Plating Style Programs

Next up, is a plan where you incorporate a major movement for strength and then augment this with an array of armour plating style programs to hit the muscle groups from a variety of angles and using different sets and rep protocols.

The first line of movements are stand-alone strength focus, so reps are in the two to six range. My preference is either a wave load, two by (six, five, four), or two heavy sets of six, five, four, four. This would progress over a here-week loading cycle. The 6/12/25 blocks would be two sets, and the remaining super set movements would be in the six to twelve rep range for two to four sets. You can combine this with speed work before the lower body workouts and off feet conditioning on the upper body days if required.

Often, we have players who need to focus specifically on upper body hypertrophy and emphasize strength and power in the lower body. I have programmed this type of player with both a French Contrast Method (a collection of options is included at the end of this article) for the power or neural components and also a more traditional explosive movement plus contrast with either plyometric or med ball throw.

Upper Body Hypertrophy/Strength and Lower Body Power/Strength

Sets and Reps over a Three-Week Loading Cycle

A: Wk1(6, 5, 4, 4), Wk2(5, 4, 3, 3), Wk3(4, 3, 2, 2)

B: Wk1-3 x 5, Wk2-3 x 4, Wk3-3 x 3

C: Wk1(12, 10, 8, 8), Wk2(10, 8, 6, 6), Wk3(8, 6, 4, 4)

Upper Body Hypertrophy/Strength & Traditional Lower Body Power/Strength

For those advanced athletes who have a good training age of experience, I would recommend the use of a conjugate style of training, where you train all elements concurrently. This is the exact program I have been utilizing presently with my International Academy program athletes. Once again, the words of Louie Simmons echo into eternity, “Whatever you don’t train, you lose.”

Off Season Conjugate Plan for Physical Preparation

Full Body And Iso Lateral CARE Program 2023

2 x 8 – 20 reps

French Contrast

French Contrast Method (1)

French Contrast Method (2)

French Contrast Method (3)

French Contrast Method (4)

These programming options have taken over 30 years to develop into what is in this article. I sincerely hope you find some ideas of interest to assist you in improving your power, strength, and size.

Ashley Jones has worked in three professional sports across 30 years and four continents. He was awarded the NSCA's Professional Coach of the Year in 2016. Ashley holds his CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) since 1988 and is an honorary lecturer in the School of Therapeutic Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA.