Strength and Hypertrophy
Danny Wilson, BSc (Hons), ASCC
Welcome … to the "30 Minute Upper Body Workouts" mini-booklet. The
aim of this e-book is really simple, to offer you some quick and effective upper
body workouts to incorporate into your current strength and size programs. I
was inspired to create this product following my own training schedule. As
some of you have already read my "18 Leg Workout" post, I have been on
upper- and lower-body split hypertrophy program. The lower-body days were
great as they consisted of big lifts and brutal supersets leading to high volumes
and wobbly legs. These sessions would last around an hour and a half, which is
fairly standard for serious lifters. However, due to my busy schedule I could not
commit to these time slots every session. So I programmed in some quick 30
minute blasts for the upper body and trust me… that was all I needed. My aim
was to maintain strength as much as possible but I needed to get in as much
volume as possible, I used different training methods and supersets to ensure
the 30 minutes was as efficient and as effective as possible. There is a range of
literature on optimising hypertrophic effects through particular sets and reps,
including the pripelin’s chart. In my opinion, this is important for elite athletes
who have little room for training adaptation, and on the other hand,
beginners/intermediate lifters just need to build a tolerance to volume load
and work hard as we have less time to train and more room for adaptation.
Following my own approval for this approach, I then gave the same training
methods to the athletes I work with. It came at the right time for them as they
were out of competition and looking to stay fit for the off season (or just
wanting to look good for when they hit the beach on their upcoming holidays).
I know that the literature suggests training for general preparation /
hypertrophy in the off season, so I was correct in my methods. However the
main justifications of incorporating these training methods were to build up
work ethic and tolerance to load, this was going to be quite fatiguing and
induce muscle soreness. This will prove beneficial when returning to their on-
season program where they will be able to perform more volume within their
S&C sessions than usual without being fatigued or sore for their technical
sessions.
The 30 minute upper-body workouts don’t really come together as a program,
does not tick all the boxes for true athletic development and certainly not
promoting avoiding lower body training (HELL NO!). The aim of the booklet is
to provide you with some entertaining, muscle pumping, character building,
smash and grab workouts that will easily fit into your busy schedules.
Training Strategically These are the three major roles in muscle growth; frequency, volume and
intensity. To gain optimal results, it's important to get this right.
Frequency I have been guilty of body part training for a lot of my training experience, and
I still see the majority of casual trainers continuing to do this today. Body part
training is very popular because it works for the average bodybuilder, who is
probably geared up so anything type of training will have a huge effect. It has
been shown that this method is effective, however there has been research
finding significant increases in muscle size following three training sessions a
week in oppose to one training session a week for the quadriceps (Wirth et al.
2002, Vikne et al.2003, McLester et al. 2000).
If you think about it away from science and in context to life, how much better
will you get at a skill if you practice it three times a week in oppose to once …
the same applies to your training. I know some Power/Olympic weightlifters
that will complete the same session 3-4 times a week, and they get pretty
strong. With the workouts in this e-book taking a more "universal" approach
to your upper body sessions, you will not get as much DOMs as usual, allowing
yourself to train each body part more frequently leading to muscular growth
and symmetry.
Volume Volume is basically how much you work out, how many reps and sets at what
intensity. Volume for hypertrophy is such a complex area, so I am going to
keep it simple. Traditional methods go for around 4-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions,
however I believe when training for hypertrophy athletically and aesthetically
it's all about building up the volume through sets and weight load. If you have
more than 30 minutes available for the workouts, add some extra sets after a
few weeks.
Intensity Intensity is the amount of weight that you are lifting, often valued as
percentages of your one repetition maximum (1RM) of an exercise. There has
been a range of literature looking into this, with the majority recommending
70-85% 1RM is the optimal intensity when training for muscular hypertrophy
(Wembom, Augustsson and Thomee 2007). However there are studies that
show that muscular hypertrophy is also possible at higher and lower loads. In
the e-book, workout intensity will be around 70-85% 1RM; however there is
variation through heavy strength and fatigued sets that will require working at
higher and lower intensities.
Cluster Sets Cluster training is a great way to develop size and strength simultaneously as
they offer 2 sets for the price of 1 (e.g. perform 4 reps, rest for 10-20 seconds,
perform 4 reps, end of set). The short maximal loading can induce post
activation potentiation (PAP). PAP is a massive contradicting research area and
outcomes are much individualised (Tillin and Bishop 2009), but to keep it
simple the PAP effect from the first cluster may lead to an increase in force
production going into the second set (Haff 2008). Moreover, a short rest can
replenish ATP-PC energy systems, enabling you to recover and maintain force
production. This will enable you to put a heavier load on the bar than you
would for a normal set of 8 (I normally go for a minimum of 6RM), therefore
resulting in a higher volume load … here is an example:
Resistance x Reps = Volume Load
Bench Press 8RM = 90kg. 90kg x 8 reps = 720 x 4 sets = 2880kg
Bench Press 6RM = 100kg x 8 reps = 800 x 4 sets = 3200kg
You can see the massive difference between the volume loads right there,
obviously you cannot perform cluster sets every program due to training
adaptation and the less time under tension per set… we’ll get to that in a short
while. However, cluster training can be a great addition to your training that it
will create massive adaptations when first introduced. There are many
different kinds of clusters for strength, size and power, some are quite complex
but I suggest you keep the progressions pretty straight forward:
Weeks 1-2 = 6RM. 4 reps. Pause 20 secs. 4 reps
Weeks 3-4 = 6RM. 4 reps. Pause 10 secs. 4 reps
Weeks 4-6 = 5RM+. 3 reps. Pause 20 secs. 3 reps
Weeks 6-8 = 5RM+. 3 reps. Pause 10 secs. 3 reps
Super Sets If you have any type of training experience, you should be quite familiar with
super sets. There are a few different versions incorporated into the program
appropriately.
Agonist-Antagonist
This is where you will pair exercises working in the opposite movement e.g.
Bench Press and Bent over Row.
Pre-fatigue and Post-fatigue
This is where an isolation exercise of the same muscle group is performed
either before or after a compound exercise e.g., D.B. flies with D.B. chest press.
Giant Sets Giant sets consist of pair two compound/heavy loaded exercises that require
the same biomechanical action e.g. Bench press paired with Incline D.B. press.
The aims of these sets are to increase the time under tension and volume load,
this leads to increased mTOR signalling response. When mTOR is stimulated
more, there is an increase protein synthesis therefore leading to greater
hypertrophic effects (Burd et al. 2012). Giant sets are a great way to improve
this. However, there is an optimal point of time under tension where the
mTOR can shut off and your muscle building workout will have changed to
becoming metabolically demanding. The plan is with giant sets is to work with
one heavy loaded strength set (3-5 reps) strength curve to 1) maintain the
emphasis on developing strength 2) keep the time under tension under 60
seconds 3) alter in tempo and loading for your body to adapt to.
Drop Sets Drop sets are a common sight in gyms around the world, and you the reader
have probably done so yourself. However, have you been doing them right.
The principles of drop sets are pretty similar to giant sets; we want to increase
the time under tension following a maximal lift of the same exercise. A lot of
people do this, with no real structure of loading and rep parameters, and you'll
find a lot of people smashing out single figure dumbbells after their 7th drop
set. Again, this will be metabolically demanding therefore decreasing
hypertrophic effects. Keep the drop sets heavy, intense and under 60 seconds.
Bodyweight Finishers Like many others, press-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups were the fundamentals to my
training regime when I was a teenager, then I discovered weights. Bodyweight
exercises were then neglected!
You only have to look at the gymnasts in the last Olympics to see how
bodyweight training is effective. It leads to great functional upper body and
core strength gains. The amount of control on the eccentric portion will lead to
hypertrophic effects and improvement in flexibility. The idea about the
bodyweight finishers is that you will feel heavy at the end of your session due
to the fatigue; this will lead to a great training effect. If you struggle to get the
reps out, use an assisted pull up machine, theraband or partner push up, if you
are only 2 reps off the pace, don't worry, this is something to build on.
TRX Factor TRX resistance trainers are a great tool that is becoming more and more
common in strength and conditioning facilities and commercial gyms
worldwide. The resistance trainer challenges an individual to handle their
bodyweight through a range of exercises. These exercises will hit muscles you
find difficult to see in the mirror, but these are the ones that are vital to
performance through supporting the major muscle groups. Many strength
coaches utilise the TRX for injury prevention as there are great exercises that
utilise the posterior chain, especially the upper body leading to better shoulder
health. Along with the obvious strength and size gains you can get from the
TRX, this neat piece of kit is also beneficial to core stabilisation, co-ordination
and balance. TRX is incorporated into the workouts, if you don’t have access to
one, I have provided appropriate alternatives.
A picture taken from my TRX classes ….. maybe
Rest Periods Usually for strength training, I would advise over 2 minutes rest for optimal
neuromuscular recovery. However to put on size maintain growth hormone
levels, this has shown to be between 30-45 seconds rest period. As we are
training for strength and hypertrophy, using supersets and wanting to finish
the workout in 30 minutes, we have to compromise and adapt. I suggest
approx. 60 seconds rest on a normal exercise or superset and approx. 90
seconds on a heavy loaded exercise (e.g. cluster sets or drop sets).
Understanding the Workouts I have used a few abbreviations for the exercises in the program, here is a list
to grasp an understanding of the exercises.
Workout 1
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Bench Press 4. 4. 4
1b Incline D.B. Press
10 4
D. B. - Dumbbell
S. B. - Swiss Ball
S. A. - Single Arm
D. S. -Drop Set
C. S. - Cluster Set
B. O. R. - Bent-over Row
S. A. B. O. R. - Single Arm Bent-over Row
This is the exercise order.
When an exercise number
is followed by an "a" "b"
or "c", this means that it
is part of an exercise pair.
There should be minimal
rest between the
exercises e.g. in this
workout, Incline D.B.
press immediately follows
Bench Press.
You will see these in the rep boxes for cluster
sets and drop sets. In the example workout,
you will perform 4 reps on the first set, 4
reps on the second.
Here will be a quirky name for each workout.
Apologies for any howlers, my banter isn't
what it used to be.
BlockCluster Workout
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Bench Press (C. S.) 4. 4. 3
1b Incline D.B. Press 10 3
2a Weighted Wide Grip
Pull Ups (C. S.) 4. 4. 3
2b Hanging Row 8 3
3a Close Grip Pull Ups 8
3 3b Weighted Dips 10
3c M.B. Press Up (Rocky
Style) 10
Boulder Shoulders
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Military Press 5 3
1b Seated Arnold Press 10 3
2a B.O.R. 5 3
2b Seated Cable Row 8 3
3a TRX Y-Raises (or D.B.) 10
3 3b D.B. Floor Press (Palms
Facing In) 10
3c Face Pulls 10
Beach Muscle Hustle
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a D.B. Chest Press 8 3
1b Weighted Dips (5-10kg) Max 3
2a Weighted Close Grip Pull
Ups 6 3
2b TRX Row 10 3
3a D.B. Floor Press (Palms
Facing In) 6
3 3b Barbell Heavy Bicep Curls (Last two cheat curls) 8
3c Cable Tricep Extension 10
Deadly Traps
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a D.B. / Trap Bar Farmer
Walks 20m 3
1b D.B. Shoulder Press 6 3
2a S.A. Overhead Loaded Carries w/ K.B. or D.B.
20m e.s. 3
2b Barbell Shrugs 8 3
3a Prone Y-Raises 6 3
3b Prone Incline Row 8 3
Rambo Workout
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Incline / Band Press Ups 10 3
1b Wide Grip Pull Ups 10 3
2a Yoga Press Ups 10 3
2b L-Pull Ups (TRX if
possible) 10 3
3a Close Grip Pull Ups 10 3
3b Spiderman Press Ups 10 3
3c TRX T-Raises / Cable
Reverse Fly 10 3
Universal Workout
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1 Military Press (C.S.) 4. 4. 5
2 B.O.R. 8 3
3 Bench Press (C.S.) 4. 4. 3
4 Close Grip Pull Ups
(Weighted) 6 5
Superset like Superman
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Incline Fly 8 3
1b Incline D.B. Press 8 3
2a Barbell Heavy Bicep
Curls 8 3
2b Weighted Close Grip Pull
Ups (5-15kg) Max 3
3a E-Z bar Skullcrushers 8 3
3b Weighted Dips (5-10kg) Max 3
Drop it Like its Hot
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a D.B. Chest Press D.S. 4. 4. 3
1b Press Ups Max 3
2a D.B. Prone Row 4. 4. 3
2b TRX Row / Hanging Row Max 3
3a S.A.B.O.R. 8 e.s. 3
3b Face Pulls 8 3
I'll Be Back
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a D.B. Seated Shoulder
Press D.S. 4. 6. 4
1b Lat Pulldown D.S. 6. 6. 4
2a Military Press 8 3
2b Close Grip Cable
Pulldown D.S. 6. 6. 3
3a Close Grip Pull Ups 10
3 3b Dips 10
3c TRX Row / Hanging Row 10
Beat Fatigue
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a Weighted Dips D.S. 4. 6.
3
1b Tricep Cable Extension Max
2a TRX T-Raises / Cable
Reverse Fly 6
3
2b TRX Row / Hanging Row 10
3a L-Pull Ups 6
3
3b Barbell Bicep Curls (Last two cheat curls) 8
TRX Factor
Order Exercise Reps Sets
1a TRX Row 4. 6.
3
1b TRX Press Up to Pike 10
2a TRX High Rows 10
3
2b TRX Y-Raises 10
3 TRX Row and Rotate 8 e.s. 3
4a TRX Flies 10
3
4b TRX Skullcrushers 10
References and Further Reading
Journal Articles
BURD, Nicholas A. et al. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates
differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men, Journal of physiology, 590 (2),
351-362.
HAFF, Gregory G. (2008). Cluster training: a novel method for introducing training program variation.
Strength and conditioning journal, 20 (1), 67-76.
MCLESTER J. R., BISHOP P. and GUILLIAMS M. E. (2000). Comparison of 1 day relationships and 3
days per week of equal-volume resistance training in experienced subjects. Journal of strength and
conditioning research, 14, 273-281.
TILLIN, Neale Anthony and BISHOP, David (2009). Factors modulating post-activation potentiation
and its effect on performance of subsequent explosive activities. Sports medicine, 39 (2), 147.
WEMBOM, Mathias, AUGUSTSSON, Jesper and THOMEE, Roland (2007). The Influence of frequency,
intensity, volume and mode of strength training on whole muscle cross sectional area in humans.
Sports Medicine, 37 (3), 225-264.
WIRTH K,, ATZOR K. R. and SCHMIDTBLEICHER, D. (2002). Changes in muscle fibre characteristics.
mass detected by MRI, after an eight week hypertrophy training program. In: KOSKOLOU M, editor.
Proceedings of 7th annual Congress of the European College of Sports Sciences, 103, 24-27.
VIKNE H., REFSNES P. E. and MEDBØ J. I. (2003). Effect of training frequency of maximum eccentric
strength training on muscle force and cross-sectional area in strength-trained athletes [abstract no.
RR-PL-0517]. In: book of abstracts, 14th international wcpt congress; 7-12.
Internet Blog Articles
Dan John: The more you lift the worse you look?
http://www.t-
nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_more_you_lift_the_worse_you_look
Ben Bruno: 8 Blast Strap Exercises for Serious Upper Body Muscle
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=5532723
Jim Kielbaso: Getting big through TUT
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/getting_big_through_tut
Todd Bumgardner; The magic of cluster sets
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_magic_of_cluster_sets
The Author - Danny Wilson BSc (Hons), ASCC
I am a young accredited strength and conditioning
coach with experience coaching and programming an
array training modalities over a range of sports;
including Boxing, Football, Rugby Union and many
more through various roles. I have huge passion for
strength and conditioning as I feel that it is a unique
area of opportunity to work with individuals/teams to
reach their athletic potentials. I love sharing my
knowledge, ideas and opinions through my blog and
products like this. Hopefully you have enjoyed this e-
book and you are looking forward to the work I do in
the near future.
Contact -
Email - [email protected]
Disclaimer
The information and exercises in this program are offered for educational and
training purposes only; people reading this e-book should be cautioned that there is
a natural risk when partaking in any form of physical activity. Therefore people
wishing to partake in a strength and conditioning plan should consult a doctor before
performing such activity. Readers should consider the exercises and the techniques
given, these may not be suitable for some individuals and if performed incorrectly
they could become dangerous to your health. Therefore the author takes no liability
for injury, Next level - level one is simply an educational tool to be used as a guide
for those able to undertake the demands of the program.