Hypertrophy Quest

Arms are the Sign of a Bodybuilder The difference between bodybuilders and other fitness endeavors is a mindset. That mindset is shown primarily in their results. A strength athlete will have a big and strong torso, but smaller arms. A calisthenics athlete will have a large back and well developed shoulders and abs, but will have smaller legs, and a bicycler will have large and developed quads.  But a bodybuilder will have all of the above, and more. Of these muscle groups, one stands out among the rest. The arms. A lifter with large and muscular arms will stand out in a crowd. A large chest, back, and legs will be hidden under clothes in the crowd. But arms are displayed to the world. They fill the sleeves and make a figure look more imposing. When someone looks at a bodybuilder with large arms, they can tell that they lift. If you are on a hypertrophy quest, you better be working your arms. Minimal compound movements will not optimally grow your arms. You must treat them as a pri...

 In this article, I'll try to keep it short as there is nothing complicated about this topic at all. As a natural lifter, you only need to apply the way you progressively overload your other muscles to your abs. Abs are muscles, and muscles grow when stretched. Therefore, it must be logical to conclude that abs will grow if we progressively overload the stretching component of the muscle using a mixture of reps and weight. It's as simple as that. For this article, I won't even touch on machine work for abs because I don't use them. I have never tried a machine (mostly because I don't have access to one) because ab work is hard enough when done properly. I'm going to list 3 movements you can do that I guarantee will be enough to get all of the hypertrophic abdominal development you could ever want. Sit-ups with Decline Bench or with Weight or Both When done properly, sit-ups are probably the best movement you can do. All you need to do them is either something he...

To start off this blog, I would like to share my current hypertrophy program. It is run 5 days per week (in a row Mon - Fri). It is a sort of butchered version of a PPL split, or maybe sort of an upper/lower program. The only requirement of this program is that the workouts must be able to be completed within an hour. I do my workout during my lunch break at work, so I only have an hour to spare. It does not hit everything "optimally," but I try to hit as much as I can given my schedule and my work capacity. A quick overview:  Legs 1 (Q) -> Upper Body (H) -> Arms / Weak points -> Legs 2 (H) -> Upper Body 2 (V) This program is not great at specializing in anything, but rather aims to build the entire body, and as such. Though as I am new to programming, there are probably many optimizations that could be made to it. Feel free to do whatever you would like with this program, consider it free.  Monday: Leg Day #1  (Quad Focus) Superset #1 Barbell Squat (3 sets 5-...

  Hello, world!  Welcome to Hypertrophy Quest , a resource for things related to natural bodybuilding. My mission is simple: to achieve bodybuilding goals in a natural and healthy way. Natural bodybuilding is about living a long and healthy life in a body that suits you. I started lifting weights because I wanted to look big and aesthetic, it's as simple as that. I assume that readers of this blog want the same result. I hope to be able to share my hypertrophy techniques with you all in order to help you on your hypertrophy quest.  One quick disclaimer though... Most of the advice I give in this blog is based on my own knowledge and experience with the topic. I am not a major or doctorate in any medical or health-based practices. I'm just someone who happens to do this because it's a fun hobby. I work in technology, so lifting weights is like an escape from the desk that I'm at most of the day. Most of the information I provide is based on my interpretation of what seem...