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Scientific principles of hypertrophy
The Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training is a fundamental analysis of what your training should look like if muscle growth is your main goal, or even just one of your goals. The book takes you on a grand tour of all of the main 7 training principles and how to apply them to one's training - no matter your experience level, diet phase, or sport.
377 pages, ebook
Published December 23, 2020
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707 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 29, 2020
This the best book about lifting for muscle gain I have ever read. It answered dozens of things I have always wondered about and the mainstream lifting community has never given clear answers for. I actually bought the book expecting not to learn much, since I have read a lot of the other things written by Mike Israetel and have been using the Renaissance Periodization lifting templates he has built for years. Boy, was I wrong. This book is packed with nuances on small things that have blown my mind: how to manipulate your sets for size gain, what rep ranges actually matter, how rest periods vary across muscle groups, how to assess which exercises work for you, why full range of motion lifting is so important (other than just acting holier-than-thou for perfect form), why cheating on reps actually hurts your progress, how training should change over a lifecycle, how often you should train muscle groups, and more. To be clear, these are not just "guru" opinions. This is a comprehensive scientific literature review.
Despite intimidating me by starting off with 3 "pre-reading" recommendations, one of which that is a college textbook, the book is relatively readable, especially given the intellectual horsepower of the authors (3 PhDs, 1 MS who is also an IFBB pro bodybuilder and on the cover of the book). Even being so easy to read, there are a hilarious amount of references in each chapter - the second chapter cites 100 separate academic papers. This truly is the bible of hypertrophy training.
Please stop reading everything else you plan to read about lifting and pick this up first. Save yourself some time.
Despite intimidating me by starting off with 3 "pre-reading" recommendations, one of which that is a college textbook, the book is relatively readable, especially given the intellectual horsepower of the authors (3 PhDs, 1 MS who is also an IFBB pro bodybuilder and on the cover of the book). Even being so easy to read, there are a hilarious amount of references in each chapter - the second chapter cites 100 separate academic papers. This truly is the bible of hypertrophy training.
Please stop reading everything else you plan to read about lifting and pick this up first. Save yourself some time.
February 28, 2022
Für jeden der sich für Krafttraining mit Ziel Muskelaufbau interessiert die Bibel.
Danke Mike Ösötöl.
Danke Mike Ösötöl.
April 12, 2022
Specificity, Progressive overload, Fatigue Management
Specificity:
Unambiguous repeated growth-stimulus to a target muscle produces adaptation
Goal directed training (what are you trying to achieve?)
Do the “needs analysis” (strength, endurance or hypertrophy? - focus on one!)
Be specific while building your training plan!
Do the analysis of your strengths and weaknesses (e.g. being prone to injuries, longer/shorter time for muscle recovery).
Prioritize your training - the important things come first in the session.
Note for beginners:
Almost everything works for beginners, there is no need for exercise variation, be aware of injuries when lifting heavier loads
For beginners, there is no point of focusing on isolation exercises - compound exercises are better.
The more fatigue from the other training - the more interference with hypertrophy training (e.g. don’t overdo cardio before your hypertrophy training session!)
Progressive overload:
“More load than the last session” - tracking your progress is insanely important.
The training should be challenging enough (see later) + comply with specificity principle.
Factors inducing hypertrophy on a cellular level:
- Tension (there are tension receptors in the muscles which trigger the signaling cascade leading to muscle adaptation)
- Metabolite accumulation
- Cell swelling
Proxies to estimate the effectiveness of the training stimulus:
- Tension
- Volume of the training
- Relative perceived exertion (RPE)
- Range of motion
- Mind Muscle connection
- Movement velocity
- Muscle damage (soreness)
Note:
From all the above proxies it is better to maximize volume of the training - it correlates with time-applied-tension metric and is easily trackable.
Volume = Full-range motions of reps x sets with proper technique and mind muscle connection (squeezing your muscles).
Muscle damage shouldn’t be debilitating, otherwise it takes too much time to recover. Thus, training up to a local muscle failure is suboptimal.
Effective stimulus ranges
Tension: train within 30-85% of your One Rep Max!
Relative perceived exertion (RPE) can be measured with Reps in Reserve metric - RIR. How many reps can one do before a complete muscle failure.
Lower RIRs cause more growth, however, training till 0 RIR accumulates too much fatigue!
Thus, RPE should be within 5-2 RIR (0 RIR only occasionally).
Two sets of 2-3 RIRs induce twice as much hypertrophy as one set taken to failure!
While staying in the range of Tension and RPE stated above, maximize the volume.
Volume ~ number of sets (as long as it is in effective stimulus range!)
Number of reps within one set: 5-30 is ok as long as you stay within the proper range of tension and RPE (see above).
Note:
There are three types of muscle fibers: fast-twitch, slow-twitch and intermediate-twitch muscle fibers. Different rep-ranges preferentially use different muscle fibers. Thus, if hypertrophy is the goal, it is important to diversify the rep range (e.g. cycling through high-rep - low-rep training on a quarter-year basis).
Number of sets per week: do as many training sessions, conditioned on a complete recovery of the target muscle. Typically, 6 sets per session, 2 times a week for a target muscle. However, the frequency of exercises depends on the size of the muscle: small muscles recover faster.
Be aware of junk volume - repetitions where the fatigue of the target muscle is not a bottleneck (e.g. if the limiting factor is a cardiorespiratory system instead of a local fatigue in the target muscle)
Raw Stimulus Magnitude> = function(volume, pump, muscle disruption)
Fatigue = function(joint aching, RPE)
Fatigue grows exponentially with increased volume, while RSM grows linearly. So it is important to work in the regime where (RSM > Fatigue), maximizing stimulus to fatigue ratio (SFR), to have a longer accumulation phase.
Fatigue Management
Take recovery sessions if needed, don’t alpha your way through pain, take occasional deload weeks (for a target muscle) with the number of sets and reps cut in half.
2 consecutive days of rest is very beneficial within your microcycle.
Take active rest periods for 1-2 weeks once a year.
Don’t rush the accumulation phase (don’t go for complete muscle failure too soon, only at the end of the accumulation phase, which is 4-6 weeks). After each accumulation phase do a deload for a target muscle.
Specificity:
Unambiguous repeated growth-stimulus to a target muscle produces adaptation
Goal directed training (what are you trying to achieve?)
Do the “needs analysis” (strength, endurance or hypertrophy? - focus on one!)
Be specific while building your training plan!
Do the analysis of your strengths and weaknesses (e.g. being prone to injuries, longer/shorter time for muscle recovery).
Prioritize your training - the important things come first in the session.
Note for beginners:
Almost everything works for beginners, there is no need for exercise variation, be aware of injuries when lifting heavier loads
For beginners, there is no point of focusing on isolation exercises - compound exercises are better.
The more fatigue from the other training - the more interference with hypertrophy training (e.g. don’t overdo cardio before your hypertrophy training session!)
Progressive overload:
“More load than the last session” - tracking your progress is insanely important.
The training should be challenging enough (see later) + comply with specificity principle.
Factors inducing hypertrophy on a cellular level:
- Tension (there are tension receptors in the muscles which trigger the signaling cascade leading to muscle adaptation)
- Metabolite accumulation
- Cell swelling
Proxies to estimate the effectiveness of the training stimulus:
- Tension
- Volume of the training
- Relative perceived exertion (RPE)
- Range of motion
- Mind Muscle connection
- Movement velocity
- Muscle damage (soreness)
Note:
From all the above proxies it is better to maximize volume of the training - it correlates with time-applied-tension metric and is easily trackable.
Volume = Full-range motions of reps x sets with proper technique and mind muscle connection (squeezing your muscles).
Muscle damage shouldn’t be debilitating, otherwise it takes too much time to recover. Thus, training up to a local muscle failure is suboptimal.
Effective stimulus ranges
Tension: train within 30-85% of your One Rep Max!
Relative perceived exertion (RPE) can be measured with Reps in Reserve metric - RIR. How many reps can one do before a complete muscle failure.
Lower RIRs cause more growth, however, training till 0 RIR accumulates too much fatigue!
Thus, RPE should be within 5-2 RIR (0 RIR only occasionally).
Two sets of 2-3 RIRs induce twice as much hypertrophy as one set taken to failure!
While staying in the range of Tension and RPE stated above, maximize the volume.
Volume ~ number of sets (as long as it is in effective stimulus range!)
Number of reps within one set: 5-30 is ok as long as you stay within the proper range of tension and RPE (see above).
Note:
There are three types of muscle fibers: fast-twitch, slow-twitch and intermediate-twitch muscle fibers. Different rep-ranges preferentially use different muscle fibers. Thus, if hypertrophy is the goal, it is important to diversify the rep range (e.g. cycling through high-rep - low-rep training on a quarter-year basis).
Number of sets per week: do as many training sessions, conditioned on a complete recovery of the target muscle. Typically, 6 sets per session, 2 times a week for a target muscle. However, the frequency of exercises depends on the size of the muscle: small muscles recover faster.
Be aware of junk volume - repetitions where the fatigue of the target muscle is not a bottleneck (e.g. if the limiting factor is a cardiorespiratory system instead of a local fatigue in the target muscle)
Raw Stimulus Magnitude> = function(volume, pump, muscle disruption)
Fatigue = function(joint aching, RPE)
Fatigue grows exponentially with increased volume, while RSM grows linearly. So it is important to work in the regime where (RSM > Fatigue), maximizing stimulus to fatigue ratio (SFR), to have a longer accumulation phase.
Fatigue Management
Take recovery sessions if needed, don’t alpha your way through pain, take occasional deload weeks (for a target muscle) with the number of sets and reps cut in half.
2 consecutive days of rest is very beneficial within your microcycle.
Take active rest periods for 1-2 weeks once a year.
Don’t rush the accumulation phase (don’t go for complete muscle failure too soon, only at the end of the accumulation phase, which is 4-6 weeks). After each accumulation phase do a deload for a target muscle.
February 18, 2024
It was really good information, the only problem is that this book is geared toward people who workout for a living, most of this information won’t be practical for someone who has a full time job and a family
February 14, 2021
Good, solid sports science book. Same layout as Scientific Principles of Strength Training and Bompa, and nothing you won't have seen in other places, but thorough and well cited with specific examples for hypertrophy training. Great reference book.
June 3, 2024
Great book for anyone wanting to put on muscle. In addition to being applicable to body builders that want "optimal" and have unlimited time to train, it also does a good job of providing suggestions on how the principles of hypertrophy can be applied to athletes/the general population who have time/work constraints.
April 23, 2023
My head hurts from all the knowledge that I now possess. All jokes aside this is a must have book for trainers who are mostly working with general population clientele. Superb!
November 19, 2022
Alexander Bromley said it best: 'As a recreational lifter, it's fine to try out different styles of training; but as someone with COMPETITIVE goals, it's important to stick to a school of thought'. I'm glad to say that I've safely found my school of thought - Mike Israetel, where I can have faith in the evidence and research into the drivers of hypertrophy and strength.
The more I study hypertrophy (and strength for that regard), the more I realize that hypertrophy is actually a Mutually Exclusive, Collective Exhaustive (MECE, courtesy of business consultants) body of sport science that I can elegantly apply not just to other sports, but also life. In fact, the brain is a muscle, just like the rest. Applying the scientific principles of hypertrophy for brain training is as methodological a practice as the rest. Be specific in your studying, apply progressive overload (study progressively harder material), study every day (high frequency) because the brain has a short SRA curve and can be trained very frequently (in fact, you can think deeply 24/7 no problem).
Something that prompted my curiosity was that, although we know science-based training is essentially optimality (Mike confirms that the principles lead to perfect training), how come this practice is not observed in real life? Top bodybuilders in the Olympia train very un-methodologically compared to Israetel. We almost never hear top Olympia bodybuilders counting their MEVs and MRVs. Chris Bumstead runs a bro split and changes splits every now and then lol, no clear progression there. Mike doesn't explain why Dorian and Mike Mentzer's high intensity training worked out in real life, even tho their high intensity shit is far from the principles science preaches. Arnold was infamous for splitting out misleading bro-science, and dont get me started on Ronnie Coleman who did the most ridiculous shit ever in the gym and broke his back.
How do top Olympia bodybuilders even hope to progress, when they've maxed out both their natty AND enhanced potential? I'm curious - why do fans and bodybuilders look to present a new package at each year's Olympia when they've obviously maxed out their potential? The book also presents the principles way too candidly in my opinion - the principle of Minimum Effective Volume suggests that a minimum threshold volume exists to make gains, and directed adaptation can be achieved through progression through a mesocycle. We know this is obviously hard to observe in practice - imagine Chris Bumstead making gains by training at MEV? The strength ceiling is also way higher than the hypertrophy ceiling, which is what i'd call a market anomaly (an anomaly observed in practice) which is hard to address using the principles (which suggest robust gains can be made through overload over a mesocycle). The concept of phase potentiation throughout AN ENTIRE CAREER is also interesting although less robust. Drives home my point of the principles being MECE which can be easily applied to all areas of training, across all sports.
Another interesting observation is that powerlifters seem to be the most scientific out of all the barbell athletes (including bodybuilders). The average bodybuilder (including people like Bumstead) probs doesn't know about their personal volume landmarks, but the average novice powerlifter counts their volume religiously, plots SRA of each individual lift and counts fatigue lol. Idk any weightlifters personally but they seem to be a pretty methodological bunch too (Bulgarian method, Chinese weightlifters etc)
All in all, a good compass for any coach or athlete to guide their training and life philosophy. Written by meatheads with PhDs lol
The more I study hypertrophy (and strength for that regard), the more I realize that hypertrophy is actually a Mutually Exclusive, Collective Exhaustive (MECE, courtesy of business consultants) body of sport science that I can elegantly apply not just to other sports, but also life. In fact, the brain is a muscle, just like the rest. Applying the scientific principles of hypertrophy for brain training is as methodological a practice as the rest. Be specific in your studying, apply progressive overload (study progressively harder material), study every day (high frequency) because the brain has a short SRA curve and can be trained very frequently (in fact, you can think deeply 24/7 no problem).
Something that prompted my curiosity was that, although we know science-based training is essentially optimality (Mike confirms that the principles lead to perfect training), how come this practice is not observed in real life? Top bodybuilders in the Olympia train very un-methodologically compared to Israetel. We almost never hear top Olympia bodybuilders counting their MEVs and MRVs. Chris Bumstead runs a bro split and changes splits every now and then lol, no clear progression there. Mike doesn't explain why Dorian and Mike Mentzer's high intensity training worked out in real life, even tho their high intensity shit is far from the principles science preaches. Arnold was infamous for splitting out misleading bro-science, and dont get me started on Ronnie Coleman who did the most ridiculous shit ever in the gym and broke his back.
How do top Olympia bodybuilders even hope to progress, when they've maxed out both their natty AND enhanced potential? I'm curious - why do fans and bodybuilders look to present a new package at each year's Olympia when they've obviously maxed out their potential? The book also presents the principles way too candidly in my opinion - the principle of Minimum Effective Volume suggests that a minimum threshold volume exists to make gains, and directed adaptation can be achieved through progression through a mesocycle. We know this is obviously hard to observe in practice - imagine Chris Bumstead making gains by training at MEV? The strength ceiling is also way higher than the hypertrophy ceiling, which is what i'd call a market anomaly (an anomaly observed in practice) which is hard to address using the principles (which suggest robust gains can be made through overload over a mesocycle). The concept of phase potentiation throughout AN ENTIRE CAREER is also interesting although less robust. Drives home my point of the principles being MECE which can be easily applied to all areas of training, across all sports.
Another interesting observation is that powerlifters seem to be the most scientific out of all the barbell athletes (including bodybuilders). The average bodybuilder (including people like Bumstead) probs doesn't know about their personal volume landmarks, but the average novice powerlifter counts their volume religiously, plots SRA of each individual lift and counts fatigue lol. Idk any weightlifters personally but they seem to be a pretty methodological bunch too (Bulgarian method, Chinese weightlifters etc)
All in all, a good compass for any coach or athlete to guide their training and life philosophy. Written by meatheads with PhDs lol
April 1, 2021
For anyone that is serious about training, this is a must read, I will be reading this again soon!
December 10, 2023
I have a degree in the health sciences and was heavily involved in medical research, and I found this book to be information overload (in audiobook form). It isn't an easy read, but it is well-researched and cited by the academic leaders in this field. I should have gotten a paperback/hardcover version vs. an audiobook, but I'm lazy, and this came to the gym with me.
Also, I love Dr. Mike's 2 YouTube channels; they are great food for thought and muscle...I've made much hypertrophic progress by increasing my volume; I had not thought to do that long ago, as I used to be more of a low-volume person (out of laziness and lousy CV capacity). Though, I did get my bench to 360 lbs using a 5x5 system back in the day. I look better nowadays, lifting far less (225 lbs) because of the MEV, MAV, and MRV ranges. It changed the way I approached working out. His YouTube channel is invaluable (and funny!). And I like his philosophy channel. He might be more of a hardcore objectivist than me, with his deltoid tattoos.
Also, I love Dr. Mike's 2 YouTube channels; they are great food for thought and muscle...I've made much hypertrophic progress by increasing my volume; I had not thought to do that long ago, as I used to be more of a low-volume person (out of laziness and lousy CV capacity). Though, I did get my bench to 360 lbs using a 5x5 system back in the day. I look better nowadays, lifting far less (225 lbs) because of the MEV, MAV, and MRV ranges. It changed the way I approached working out. His YouTube channel is invaluable (and funny!). And I like his philosophy channel. He might be more of a hardcore objectivist than me, with his deltoid tattoos.
October 23, 2024
More of a academic-style reference book but still a great read. Mike Israetel divulges almost every aspect of training for muscle growth - I've followed his stuff with Renaissance Periodization for awhile now so it was a many bits I've already learned. There is a deep emphasis on strategies to implement into your own training and how to best use the data to meet your training goals.
I would recommend it more for people fascinated with the science of training stimuli (specifically for hypertrophy) or people looking to develop/refine a science-based training program. For beginners, it's probably overkill.
I would recommend it more for people fascinated with the science of training stimuli (specifically for hypertrophy) or people looking to develop/refine a science-based training program. For beginners, it's probably overkill.
July 29, 2024
Dr. Mike Israetel is one of, if not the, most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to building muscle and lifting weights. I’m both a huge gym buff and a nerd for human biology, and even then this book was tedious at times. Read it only if you absolutely love learning about how to build muscle from a scientific curiosity perspective, or if you’re a trainer looking to pick up a couple of extra techniques for periodization. For anyone else this book is going to be overkill. Lifting for size and strength is really quite simple and this book is anything but.
August 15, 2024
The Standard for Muscle Hypertrophy Training.
Amazing detail on how to optimise your strength training for hypertrophy. Very detailed and scientifically based. Great for any advanced athlete, coach or anyone wanting to optimise their training from head to toe. RIR is a game changer for me, %1RM and RPE based progression is something I have been so happy to transition from!
Amazing detail on how to optimise your strength training for hypertrophy. Very detailed and scientifically based. Great for any advanced athlete, coach or anyone wanting to optimise their training from head to toe. RIR is a game changer for me, %1RM and RPE based progression is something I have been so happy to transition from!
November 30, 2021
I've been using the Juggernaut AI app for my workouts and now after having read the book the terminology and the variations make a lot more sense. There is nothing to dislike about the book - it presents scientific results accurately and convincingly.
September 27, 2022
"Exercise" or "training" books tend to post templates of workouts and touch the underlying mechanics and physiology briefly. This is not one of those books. If you want to know more about the "bro science", it's a good, complete, deep book about hypertrophy related training.
October 26, 2023
For anyone wanting to build muscle
This covers everything including everything
Very detailed, well explained and backed with the science on everything
If you look for one book to read about muscle hypertrophy this is the one
This covers everything including everything
Very detailed, well explained and backed with the science on everything
If you look for one book to read about muscle hypertrophy this is the one
December 6, 2024
Very informative. More text book than casual read. Tons of acronyms and terminology which basically meant tired, sore or failure. Wish it had more examples and real world situations but need to take principles and apply to test out.
May 31, 2025
incredibly detailed and informative
This book is well researched well written and well thought out. I enjoyed every page and have learned a lot from this book and appreciated all the examples used to help explain and solidify what I just read.
This book is well researched well written and well thought out. I enjoyed every page and have learned a lot from this book and appreciated all the examples used to help explain and solidify what I just read.
December 22, 2022
Excellent. If you can follow along with RP's YouTube and want a little (a lot?) more, then this book is up your alley.
March 10, 2023
YEAH BUDDY!
July 15, 2023
So many questions I'd been asking for years that no one seemed to know the answer to, were right here in this book!
September 11, 2023
Great guide to hypertrophic training!
December 8, 2023
I love Mikes approach to exercise!
February 8, 2024
Interesting and insightful about hypertrophy training though I have no aspirations to be a bodybuilder.
May 5, 2024
Everyone who ever had, does or will have a passion for weight lifting should read this. Bodybuilders, powerlifters, athletes and yes, even crossfitters.
June 11, 2024
Bastante completo y con un lenguaje relativamente sencillo
July 24, 2024
Great content. Well researched, full of useful information, and Dr. Mike is a great narrator.
December 10, 2024
Great, but dense. Requires a lot of background
April 15, 2025
the complete guide to training for muscle building. this book will grant you some great tools and the right vocabulary for pushing harder and smarter at the gym.
September 11, 2025
No nonsense. Well researched. Easy to read. The best workout book out there. Ignore the bro-science tropes, the published blogs, etc. this is THE book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews