While adding volume and endurance seem to help bodybuilders hypertrophy, as well as doing advanced technique's to work both fibers such as Myo reps, etc.. strength doesn't seem to have much of an impact on hypertrophy other than being able to lift heavier during the hypertrophy routine later, which in turn makes it very useful but more long term. I've heard Training for strength is kind of counterproductive for muscular endurance and vice versa in terms of using a workout program that includes both low reps and high reps (20-25). I guess as a bodybuilder it seems beneficial to train all 3, but it seems that if you train endurance you lose a bit of strength and vice versa unless you just pepper in the endurance exercises. I'm just curious because I hardly know any bodybuilders that train a lot in the endurance zone, but some of the bodybuildeing great worked a lot in the endurance zone while also remaining strong. I've noticed over the years after finishing a periodized plan I am always weaker in one area and stronger on the next. That could be because it's a while since I've trained them but I'd like to have an even mix of all 3. Is there a way to balance these or eneven include them all in the same workout regime?
1 Answer
A few options for balancing maximal strength and strength-endurance (as opposed to cardiovascular endurance) training are:
- Daily Undulating Periodisation (DUP) - Workouts are repeated multiple times per week (often 3), and in each one training is performed at a different intensity, with the reps performed decreasing as higher weights are used. E.g. a 3 day/week DUP bench press program for someone with a 100kg 1RM might have them benching 90kg for sets of 3 on Monday, 60kg for sets of 15-20 on Wednesday, and 77.5kg for sets of 8 on Friday.
- Weekly Undulating Periodisation - As for DUP, but the intensities and rep ranges change weekly instead of every workout.
- Reverse Pyramid Training - Intensity and rep ranges change within the workout, with the first set being the heaviest, and the weight is then decreased and the rep count increased for every subsequent set.
