Intermediate 4-Day Hypertrophy Program

Lie flat on a bench, grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Lower the bar to your mid-chest over 3 seconds, pause briefly, then press back up. In a hypertrophy program, the controlled lowering phase is as important as the press itself.

Hinge to roughly 45 degrees, bar at arm's length. Pull to your lower chest leading with your elbows, hold the contraction for one second, then lower over 2 to 3 seconds. Match the bench press in sets and effort.

Bench at 30 degrees. Lower the dumbbells slowly to get a full chest stretch at the bottom, then press back up. The incline angle and dumbbell range of motion together make this one of the most effective upper chest exercises.

Set cables at chest height. Bring both handles together in front of your chest in a wide arc, squeezing hard at the peak of the contraction. Lower slowly back to the stretched position.

Sit upright at the cable station. Pull the handle to your lower chest leading with your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades together for a full second, then lower slowly.

Stand tall and curl one dumbbell to your shoulder, supinating fully at the top. Lower over 3 seconds and alternate. The controlled lowering phase here is where most of the bicep growth stimulus comes from.

Bar on upper traps, feet shoulder-width. Lower over 3 seconds to parallel or below, pause briefly at the bottom, then drive back up. The higher rep range here compared with a strength program creates more metabolic stress and muscle damage in the quads.

Hold dumbbells at your sides and step forward into a lunge. Lower your back knee toward the floor, pause briefly, then push back to standing. The unilateral demand catches imbalances that bilateral squatting misses.

Upper back against a bench, barbell across your hips. Drive your hips up to full extension and squeeze your glutes hard for two seconds at the top. This is one of the most effective glute-isolation exercises available.

Balls of your feet on an elevated surface. Lower your heels all the way down for a full stretch, pause for one second at the bottom, then drive up onto your toes as high as possible. Pause at the top.

Kneel at a high cable with the rope attachment. Flex your spine and crunch your rib cage toward your pelvis. The movement comes from your abs contracting, not your hips moving.

Press the bar from shoulder height straight overhead. Lower slowly over 3 seconds. In a hypertrophy program, the overhead press builds shoulder thickness more effectively than isolation exercises alone.

Grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Pull the bar to your upper chest, driving your elbows down and back. Squeeze at the bottom, then let the weight travel back to a full arm extension, feeling the stretch in your lats.

Light dumbbells, slight elbow bend. Raise both arms to shoulder height, pause briefly, lower over 3 seconds. Side delts respond particularly well to higher rep ranges and controlled tempos.

Hinge forward with light dumbbells hanging below your chest. Raise both arms out to the sides until parallel to the floor. Rear delts are undertrained in most programs and essential for balanced shoulder development.

High cable with rope attachment. Elbows pinned to your sides, push to full extension and spread the rope ends apart at the bottom. Lower slowly over 2 seconds.

On an incline bench, arms hanging straight down with a neutral grip. Curl both dumbbells keeping the neutral (hammer) grip throughout. Combines the stretched-position advantage of incline curls with the brachialis and brachioradialis emphasis of a hammer curl.

Hold the bar at hip height. Push your hips back with a soft knee bend and lower the bar along your shins until you feel a strong hamstring stretch. Drive your hips forward to return. The stretch at the bottom is where most of the hamstring growth stimulus occurs.

Rear foot on a bench, dumbbells at your sides. Lower your back knee toward the floor over 2 seconds, pause briefly at the bottom, then drive back up through your front heel.

Upper back against a bench, barbell across your hips. Drive your hips up to full extension and hold for two seconds at the top. Your second weekly hip thrust session alongside Lower A.

Your second weekly calf session. Same full range of motion: complete stretch at the bottom, full contraction at the top, controlled throughout.

Set the cable at shoulder height. Pull the handle diagonally across your body from high to low, rotating through your torso. Rotational core work that complements the anti-flexion cable crunches on Lower A and provides a more complete weekly core stimulus.

One extra set with more weight. By Phase 2 you should be pressing meaningfully more than Week 1. Keep the controlled 3-second lowering phase on every rep.

One extra set matching the bench press. The one-second hold at the top becomes more important, not less, as the weight increases.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Upper chest volume accumulates significantly across Phase 2 with the combination of incline press and cable fly.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Cable flys provide a constant load through the full range of motion. The stretch-position loading at the bottom is particularly effective for chest hypertrophy.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. The cable row is one of the most effective mid-back exercises available. Load it seriously and pause at full contraction on every rep.

Same sets, slightly heavier dumbbells. Fully supinate at the top of each rep and lower slowly. Your biceps are already getting indirect work from all the rowing on Upper A.

One extra set with more weight. The squat at 8 to 10 reps with a 3-second lowering phase creates significant quad hypertrophy stimulus. By Phase 2 you should be squatting meaningfully more than Week 1.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Walking lunges are a good progression if you have the space. The pause at the bottom of each rep should remain on every set.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Hold the top for two full seconds on every rep. The hip thrust should be loaded seriously by Phase 2.

Same sets, slightly heavier loading or longer pause at the bottom. Calves respond best to consistent full-range training across both weekly sessions.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Direct ab work at the end of each lower session builds the core strength that supports every heavy compound lift.

One extra set with more weight. The overhead press builds shoulder thickness through a full range of motion. Keep the 3-second lowering phase on every rep.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. If you are consistently hitting 12 reps across all sets, consider substituting weighted pull-ups here in Phase 2.

Same sets, slightly heavier dumbbells. Side delts are getting substantial indirect work from the overhead press and pressing on both upper days. Direct lateral raise work here adds the isolation volume that compounds alone cannot fully provide.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Rear delt work is cumulative. Consistent volume over 8 weeks produces meaningful improvements in shoulder roundness and posture.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Your triceps handle a significant amount of work across the two upper days. Direct triceps isolation at this volume and rep range adds meaningful size over Phase 2.

On an incline bench, arms hanging straight down with a neutral grip. Curl both dumbbells keeping the neutral (hammer) grip throughout. Combines the stretched-position advantage of incline curls with the brachialis and brachioradialis emphasis of a hammer curl.

One extra set with heavier loading. By Phase 2 the RDL should be loaded seriously. The slow lowering phase is the most important technical element. Do not sacrifice it for more weight.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Add a pause at the bottom of each rep in Phase 2. This eliminates bounce and dramatically increases the training effect.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. Your second weekly hip thrust session. Use a weight you can control with a two-second squeeze at the top on every rep.

Same sets, heavier weight than Phase 1. By Phase 2 you should be feeling the cumulative effect of twice-weekly calf training. Full range of motion on every rep.

Set the cable at shoulder height. Pull the handle diagonally across your body from high to low, rotating through your torso. Rotational core work that complements the anti-flexion cable crunches on Lower A and provides a more complete weekly core stimulus.