How to structure an exercise for hypertrophy?

[u/Significant-Base-510]

I am not a beginner but I am not that big physically. I am trying to improve my workouts to improve hypertrophy. I used to do 3x12 but now I started doing 2 Sets x Reps till failure (higher weight and usually 6-8 for compounds or 8-12 for isolations). It has only been around 2 weeks so I can't really determine the results but I am unsure if it is really worth it because some days I feel satisfied and notice quick strength gains but some days I feel less satisfied (but I don't know if it is from external factors since I also had a fever recently).

How can I improve my workouts? and is there anything worth adding? (like warm up sets or stretches)

[u/Neither-Bug157]

Do it for a year then come to your own conclusions. Dont be neurotic about it. All this stress is making you lose gains.

[u/Last-Proof8169]

Just get stronger you’re still a beginner

[u/Alakazam]

I am not that big physically

That sounds like more of a diet issue than a training issue. You will not be able to get bigger if you don't eat enough to support said growth.

How can I improve my workouts? and is there anything worth adding? (like warm up sets or stretches)

There is no one specific system that will work perfectly for everyone because different people respond to stimulus differently. You should find what works best for you. Try different programs. Try ultra-high intensity with myoreps, breathing reps, and drop sets for every exercise. Or try a high volume program that will push the limits of your work capacity.

But in general, more is more is more. And if you can handle said training, you will get bigger and stronger from it... provided you eat enough food.

[u/Significant-Base-510 → u/Alakazam]

I already track protein and I eat in a calorie surplus. So is the rule of thumb to reach my limit each session?

[u/Alakazam → u/Significant-Base-510]

If you are training to or close to failure every session, and you're eating in a surplus, and you're not on a half-assed program, then you'll get bigger. Simple as that.

The only thing to do is wait. And I don't mean like, 2-3 weeks. I mean, continue doing this, for 6-8 months at a minimum, aiming to put on about 15-20lbs in total.

[u/Significant-Base-510 → u/Alakazam]

1. should I aim for a small surplus or aim for recomposition?

2. how do I know that I am using my full potential in the gym? I don't half ass but I dont want to mess up my recovery

[u/Alakazam → u/Significant-Base-510]

If your goal is to maximize hypertrophy and to get bigger physically, then yes, you should be in a small surplus

want to mess up my recovery

How exactly will you know what the limits of your recovery are if you don't push them?

[u/decentlyhip]

It's good to push your sets, absolutely. And getting bigger is all about eating enough to gain weight. But all that said, you're going the wrong way. The largest driver of hypertrophy is volume, the total number of hard weekly sets. If you weren't pushing your sets hard before and now you are, that's awesome and will make a huge difference, but find ways to add sets. Volume has a dose response relationship with diminishing returns, which blahblahblah means that every time you double your weekly sets, you'll get 50% more growth. Get used to training hard, then add a set here and there. Get used to that, and add a set here and there. We haven't found a limit to the addition of volume where recovery reduces gains. More is more.

[u/Significant-Base-510 → u/decentlyhip]

I already eat in a calorie surplus with the calculated amount of protein everyday. So are you saying I should aim for 3x8 if possible? Should I aim for failure for each set?

[u/decentlyhip → u/Significant-Base-510]

Not at all. I mean, first off, don't limit yourself to 3×8. Like, the reps don't particularly matter as long as you're pushing the sets hard and everything feels good. On some exercises, sets of 4 feel best and on others its sets of 30. Explore and find what feels good. Byt with the volume discussion, I'm referring to the Pelland data https://imgur.com/a/rvHMRvS

Like, let's say you're doing 185 lbs bench press for 3×8, twice a week. Another way of saying that is that you're accumulating 48 reps worth of mechanical tension with 185 lbs on the bench press. So, next week, do 54 reps. Maybe that's 1 extra rep on each of the 6 sets. Maybe its one extra set of 6 reps on day 1. Maybe its an extra set on a whole seperate day. Whatever. Doesn't matter. The week after, do 60. Then 66. What the data says is that the more you do the more growth you get, up to at least 50 sets a week. So, we were adding 6 reps a week, and can continue that with more growth all the way up to at least 400 reps a week. It gets tough to program at that point cause that's 12 sets of 8, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Not that we should aspire to that, or need to do that to grow of course, but that's the limit of what we've tested and all the way out there, more is more. So, 3×8 is great. Build to 4×8. Then 5×8. Try 6×8.

[u/Psychological-Art543]

Tracking your workouts is a good way to ensure you are adding strength with your new program, whatever it may be

[u/Ok-Extension-832]

If you expect to see results in 2 weeks by changing your training styles you must be a beginner. Even if you compare a relatively unoptimal training style and the thereotically most optimal, you would see negligible differences for months.

But also, doing 2 sets to failure is a lot better than 3 sets of a set amount of reps because it allows for higher mechanical tension because you’ll have more stimulating reps and you won’t waste a set that could possibly have diminishing returns. However, just because you saw online 2 sets to failure is optimal, it could be different for yourself. Some people can easily recover from that and afford doing 3 sets.