Hypertrophy workout routine
A four-day hypertrophy workout routine with a five-week mesocycle: how many sets per muscle, at what RIR, how to add volume and when to deload.
By My PR ·
- Level
- Intermediate
- Days a week
- 4
- Block
- 5 weeks (4 + deload)
- Sets per muscle
- 10-14 → 14-18 a week
Building muscle does not need a secret routine: it needs enough volume, close to failure, repeated week after week. This routine splits the body over four days with a priority muscle in each, and the progression lives not in the exercises but in the five-week block below.
Technique before weight
If your position breaks down, the set is over even if reps are left. If you are new or coming back from an injury, start light and learn the movements before you work at the RIR in the table (technique and safety). For joint pain that does not settle or any medical condition, see a professional.
The hypertrophy routine, day by day
| Day 1 · Upper (chest and back) | Sets × reps | RIR (RPE) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8-12 | 2-3 (RPE 7-8) | 2 min |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 8-12 | 2-3 (RPE 7-8) | 2 min |
| Machine chest press | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.5 min |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.5 min |
| Cable fly | 2 × 12-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.3 min |
| Cable pullover | 2 × 12-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.3 min |
| Lateral raise | 2 × 12-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Day 2 · Lower (quads) | Sets × reps | RIR (RPE) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hack squat or back squat | 3 × 6-10 | 2-3 (RPE 7-8) | 2.5 min |
| Leg press | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 2 min |
| Leg extension | 3 × 12-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.3 min |
| Seated leg curl | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.3 min |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Day 3 · Upper (shoulders and arms) | Sets × reps | RIR (RPE) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 8-12 | 2-3 (RPE 7-8) | 2 min |
| Chest-supported row | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.5 min |
| Dips or close-grip bench | 2 × 8-12 | 2 (RPE 8) | 1.5 min |
| Neutral-grip pulldown | 2 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.5 min |
| Cable lateral raise | 3 × 12-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Reverse pec deck | 2 × 15-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Dumbbell curl | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Overhead cable triceps extension | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Day 4 · Lower (glutes and hamstrings) | Sets × reps | RIR (RPE) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6-10 | 2-3 (RPE 7-8) | 2.5 min |
| Hip thrust · 1 s pause at the top | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 2 min |
| Bulgarian split squat · per leg | 2 × 8-12 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.5 min |
| Lying leg curl | 3 × 10-15 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1.3 min |
| Hip abduction machine | 2 × 15-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
| Seated calf raise | 3 × 12-20 | 1-2 (RPE 8-9) | 1 min |
The five-week mesocycle
| Week | Sets | RIR | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Intro | As in the table | 2-3 | Calibrate loads: pick weights that leave 2-3 reps in reserve |
| 2 · Accumulation | +1 set on the first exercise for each muscle | 2 | Same weight, one more rep where you can |
| 3 · Accumulation | +1 set on the second exercise | 1-2 | Add weight where you hit the top of the range |
| 4 · Accumulation | Same as week 3 | 1 | The hardest week; the last isolation set can get close to failure |
| 5 · Deload | Half | 4 or more | Light loads, far from failure; then start the block again with what you learned |
Why it is built this way
Weekly volume is the engine, with diminishing returns
More weekly sets per muscle bring more hypertrophy, but each added set gives less than the one before. Most of the effect sits between 10 and 20 direct sets per muscle per week; with volume equated, training each muscle once or twice a week gives similar results.
Stopping close to failure gives almost the same as reaching it, with less fatigue
Meta-analyses find no clear advantage to training to failure over stopping 1-3 reps short, while the fatigue cost is higher. That is why the tables work at RIR 1-3: close, but not there.
From 6 to 20 reps the stimulus is similar
With sets taken close to failure, light and heavy loads produce similar hypertrophy. The routine uses 6-10 reps on the main lifts, where technique favors fewer reps, and 10-20 on machines and isolation work, where you can push further safely.
A deload does not cost you gains
In a supervised trial, a deload week did not reduce size or strength compared with training straight through, and in strength sports it is common practice every five or six weeks. The evidence is still thin, but the cost is low.
Takeaways
- Four days, each muscle twice a week.
- Start at 10-14 sets per muscle and add slowly.
- From RIR 3 to RIR 1 across the block; week five is a deload.
- Eat enough protein and sleep: without that, no routine works.
Sources
- [1]Pelland JC, Robinson ZP, Remmert JF, et al. (2025). The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains. Sports Medicine. meta-analysis
- [2]Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences. meta-analysis
- [3]Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ (2023). Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. meta-analysis
- [4]Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, et al. (2024). Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions. Sports Medicine. meta-analysis
- [5]Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. meta-analysis
- [6]Coleman M, Burke R, Augustin F, et al. (2024). Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. trial
- [7]Bell L, Nolan D, Immonen V, et al. (2024). Deloading Practices in Strength and Physique Sports: A Cross-sectional Survey. Sports Medicine - Open. review
Other routines
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