Hybrid Strength and Hypertrophy Program
The hybrid routine is called that because it incorporates strength and hypertrophy into one program. Because it also includes a load and a de-load phase, the schedule is rather complex, split into two phases of 8 weeks each.
Phase 1:
Training each body-part twice every seven days, the first 8-week phase is split into two sections of 4 weeks each. Phase one includes low volume using moderate intensity all the way up to high volume with high intensity. The first phase is hard and heavy using a rep range of 3 to 6 looking to reach failure in the third and fourth week.
The objective is not just progressive overload but after completing the 4 weeks of preparation work your body should already be in the sought after 'deconditioned' state. The objective of phase one is to rapidly accelerate to a fine line closest to overtraining, to then push slightly past this point for two weeks using drops sets, failure and/or sub-failure training, weight-load progression, rest-pausing, wave progression, high frequency/moderate volume etc.
Phase 2:
In the last 8-week phase of the hybrid workout routine, the focus is low-frequency only doing one body-part a week, doing one body-part in each training session. The wave progression is done with the Big Four compound lifts, slowly lowering the volume as you increase the weights, 3-5 movements for each body-part.
In phase two you will not reach the point of failure but you are nevertheless using heavy weights. The phase ends with heavy weights being lifted for high volume using low reps. It starts with a gradual build-up getting the body used to the stress as the volume is slowly increased over 4 weeks.
Phase ones 4-week cycle is repeated twice and starts with active recovery in the first week 1 doing low volume with a moderate intensity using weights 80% of what you would normally use. Week 2 is a baseline week doing moderate volume with a high intensity without reaching the point of failure.
Week 3 is a load week where you will be increasing volume and using high intensity reaching the point of failure once on each movement. Week 4 is an overload week doing very high volume using a very high intensity reaching the point of failure on each set completed.
Week 4 is an overload week going heavy and hard reaching failure on every set done for the week. This is why the following week is always the de-load week, so that you can slowly increase the stress that you put on your body, starting again from scratch but using slightly heavier weights than a month ago.
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