
hypertrophy cycle design
v1by FitnessGrid
Designs long-term progressive resistance training programs focused on systematic increases in volume, intensity, and structured deloads for muscle growth.
hypertrophyperiodizationstrength-trainingvolume-management
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FitnessGrid is an AI coach that plans your week and adapts as you go. Install hypertrophy cycle design 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
- Baseline Assessment: Use
get_user_historyandget_user_preferencesto determine current training status. Usecompute_one_rep_maxto establish intensity baselines if recent data is available. - Establish Accumulation Phase:
- Set a baseline frequency of at least 2 sessions per muscle group per week.
- Program 10–12 "hard sets" (RPE 8–10 or 0–2 RIR) per muscle group per week using
create_workout. - Select loads ranging from 60–85% of 1RM to balance mechanical tension and metabolic stress.
- Implement Volume Progression:
- Plan a 4–8 week block using
create_week. - Apply a systematic increase of +1–2 sets per muscle group per block to maintain progressive overload.
- Schedule these increases by updating subsequent weeks in the cycle to ensure a total volume increase.
- Plan a 4–8 week block using
- Manage Intensity and Load:
- Incorporate diverse load ranges (30% to 80% 1RM), ensuring high proximity to failure (RPE 8+) particularly for lighter loads.
- For strength-focused hypertrophy, prioritize loads >70% 1RM to facilitate higher total volume loads in later cycles.
- Structure Periodization:
- Apply a chosen model (Linear or Daily Undulating Periodization) based on user preference.
- For DUP, vary repetitions within the week (e.g., one day at 12 reps, another at 5–8 reps) using
update_workout.
- Schedule Deload:
- Every 4–8 weeks, program a mandatory deload week using
update_week. - Reduce volume (sets) and intensity (load/RPE) significantly to dissipate accumulated fatigue.
- Every 4–8 weeks, program a mandatory deload week using
- Memory and Tracking:
- Use
rememberto log the current starting volume and the planned progression rate for the cycle. - Instruct the user to log every set to ensure "hard sets" are counted accurately.
- Use