Hypertrophy Without High Reps

When it’s time to get jacked, and feel “da pump,” there are a handful of exercises that Matt and Niki continually go back to for their simplicity and effectiveness. Throughout their years of coaching, they have also started to break with the traditional bodybuilding approach of high reps = hypertrophy, preferring instead to accumulate volume and time under tension via increased frequency (performing accessory lifts more often throughout the training week) and lower rep sets.

Key Takeaways

Volume still drives muscle growth, but it doesn’t have to come from high reps. In Matt’s coaching experience, volume from frequency works as well as or better than high-rep sets for most lifters. Sets like 6×3 or 8×3 keep the weight heavy and still add up to real volume.

Heavy, frequent, and only three days a week. Niki trains Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, deadlifts often, and mostly uses sets of 2–4. Her muscle gain has kept coming without the 5–6 day bodybuilding split. Matt finds traditional 3×10 or 4×10 work less effective for most lifters unless they’re already strong.

Accessories have a place. Higher-rep accessory work (curls, chin-ups, landmine rows, dumbbell and barbell rows) trains muscles through longer ranges of motion than the main lifts, and it’s a mental break from heavy sets. Upper-back rows also help you keep your shoulder blades pinned back on the bench.

Putting it to use. If you want more muscle, don’t jump to sets of ten. Keep the main lifts heavy (sets of 2–5) and add volume with an extra set or an extra session. Finish with a few higher-rep accessories for the arms and upper back. Eat and sleep enough to recover from the extra work. Give it a few months before judging the results: muscle comes slowly, but heavy, frequent training keeps you getting stronger while it does.

Related: hypertrophy: life after fives, protein for lifters, the 4-day strength training split.

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