
16-week intermediate lean bulk
v1by FitnessGrid
A two-block progressive hypertrophy program focusing on volume scaling and mechanical tension for lean muscle gain.
hypertrophylean bulkintermediateprogressive overload
Get an AI coach that uses this skill
FitnessGrid is an AI coach that plans your week and adapts as you go. Install 16-week intermediate lean bulk and your coach will follow this protocol every week, learn from what you actually do, and adjust on the fly.
- Your coach builds the week from this skill
- Adapts to your actual progress, not a static template
- Free to start — no credit card, ~60 seconds to set up
Procedure
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Nutritional Foundation Setup
- Calculate the user's maintenance calories using
compute_tdee. - Set a daily caloric target at a 5–15% surplus above maintenance.
- Configure macros using
set_user_macro_targets:- Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg of body weight.
- Fats/Carbs: Remainder of calories, favoring carbohydrates to fuel training.
- Use
rememberto store these targets as the user's lean bulk baseline.
- Calculate the user's maintenance calories using
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Phase 1: Adaptation (Weeks 1–7)
- Initialize a 4-day Upper/Lower split using
create_weekandcreate_workout. - Schedule: Monday (Upper Push/Pull), Tuesday (Lower Quad/Glute), Thursday (Upper Pull/Push), Friday (Lower Hamstring/Glute).
- Volume Scaling: Start at 12 sets per muscle group per week in Week 1. Gradually increase to 18 sets by Week 7.
- Programming: Use
add_exerciseto set a rep range of 6–12 at 75–85% of 1RM. - Intensity: Instruct the user to maintain 3 RIR (Reps in Reserve) in Week 1, tapering to 1 RIR by Week 7.
- Initialize a 4-day Upper/Lower split using
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Progression Protocol Implementation
- Apply Double Progression for all working sets.
- Step 1: User picks a weight for the low end of the rep range (e.g., 8).
- Step 2: Maintain weight until the top end (e.g., 12) is reached for all sets.
- Step 3: Use
update_exerciseto increase load by 2.5–5% and reset reps to the low end.
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First Deload (Week 8)
- Use
apply_deload_templateorupdate_workoutto modify existing sessions. - Reduce weekly sets by 50%.
- Reduce load (weight) by 10–20% or ensure 4+ RIR.
- Use
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Phase 2: Intensification (Weeks 9–15)
- Reset volume using
create_week. Start Week 9 at 15 sets per muscle group. - Scale volume progressively each week to reach 20+ sets by Week 15.
- Intensity: Instruct the user to maintain 2 RIR in Week 9, tapering to 0 RIR (technical failure) by Week 15.
- Reset volume using
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Final Deload and Assessment (Week 16)
- Repeat the Volume-Reduction Deload protocol (50% set reduction, 10-20% load reduction).
- Use
rememberto log the final strength levels and body weight to assess the 16-week progress.