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20 Weeks

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

Three six-week waves. Two deloads. The primary engine for muscle growth in the whole P365 system.

Twenty weeks structured as three six-week waves, each progressing from MEV to MRV, separated by two deload weeks. Wave 1 opens the block. Wave 2 and Wave 3 change the exercise variations within each movement pattern to keep the stimulus fresh without abandoning what you just got good at.

Wave 1 Week 1 is on the house. The remaining nineteen weeks, all three waves, both deloads, and the exercise variation logic live in the book.

Free Sample

Wave 1, Week 1

Four sessions. MEV set count. Primary compounds at 8 to 12 reps, isolation at 10 to 15. Effort target: 3 to 4 RIR. If Week 1 feels too easy, that is correct.

Monday

Lower 1 — Squat Emphasis
  • Back Squat 3 sets of 8 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Romanian Deadlift 3 sets of 10 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Leg Press 3 sets of 12 at RIR 3
  • Standing Calf Raise 3 sets of 12 at RIR 2 to 3

Tuesday

Upper 1 — Horizontal Press + Row
  • Barbell Bench Press 3 sets of 8 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Barbell Row 3 sets of 8 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 10 at RIR 3
  • Cable Face Pull 3 sets of 15 at RIR 2 to 3
  • Barbell Curl 2 sets of 10 at RIR 2 to 3
  • Triceps Extension 2 sets of 10 at RIR 2 to 3

Thursday

Lower 2 — Hinge + Quad Emphasis
  • Conventional Deadlift 3 sets of 6 to 8 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Front Squat or Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets of 8 to 10 at RIR 3
  • Leg Curl 3 sets of 12 at RIR 2 to 3
  • Standing Calf Raise 3 sets of 12 at RIR 2 to 3

Friday

Upper 2 — Vertical Press + Vertical Pull
  • Overhead Press 3 sets of 8 at RIR 3 to 4
  • Weighted Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown 3 sets of 8 to 10 at RIR 3
  • Dumbbell Incline Press 3 sets of 10 at RIR 3
  • Chest-Supported Row 3 sets of 10 at RIR 3
  • Lateral Raise 3 sets of 12 at RIR 2 to 3
  • Hammer Curl 2 sets of 10 at RIR 2 to 3
The Wall

Weeks 2 through 20 Live in the Book

Everything else, the full Wave 1 progression from MEV to MRV, the Week 7 deload with familiarization work for Wave 2, both remaining waves with their exercise variations, and the second deload.

  • All twenty weeks, session by session
  • Wave 1 volume progression, MEV to MRV
  • Deload week protocol and familiarization work
  • Wave 2 and Wave 3 exercise variations, mapped
  • Rest-pause and extended set introduction timing
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Common Questions

Before You Start

Week 1 feels too easy. Am I doing something wrong?

No. That's the intent. Week 1 opens at MEV so you bank clean technique at loads that won't need to be managed later. Volume climbs to a real peak in Week 4. If Week 1 already feels like Week 4, the loads are too heavy and you'll be buried by the end of the wave.

Can I run just one wave instead of all three?

You can, but you'll leave most of the adaptation on the table. Meaningful hypertrophy in a trained lifter doesn't happen in six weeks. Three waves is what the block is built for. One wave is a phase, not a block.

Should I run this in a cut?

No. This block runs on maintenance or a slight surplus. Running it in a deficit blunts the stimulus and starts eating into strength. Cut with the Fat Loss Block instead. That's what it's built for.

Does a Strength Block have to come before this?

Not required, but it helps. A Strength Block raises the force ceiling so you can hit the same rep ranges here at heavier absolute loads. More mechanical tension per set. The book covers the sequencing in the Annual Macrocycle Blueprint chapter.

Go Deeper

POWERBUILDING 365 Podcast

Hypertrophy programming, volume management, and the block-by-block decisions covered in real coaching conversations, on the show.

Listen to the Podcast