# What is the optimal program progression for strength and hypertrophy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Programming Discussion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2019, 10:26am UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269 "2019-06-25T10:26:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ben\_Cohen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@Ben\_Cohen](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Ben_Cohen)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 10:26am UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/1 "2019-06-25T10:26:54Z")
I am about to start SSLP next week after doing bodybuilding style training for the past two years, and I am planning on doing The Bridge after that. I currently weigh 156 lbs at 12.3% bf and at 5’'10, and I was wondering what program progression is optimal for both size and strength as someone who is equally interested in both. Example: Novice progression (only run these once total): 1. LP (with 1 very low intensity 30 minute LISS session added in (ie bike, incline treadmill walking, or elliptical) 2. Swap to Press plugin if needed. 3. The Bridge 1.0 Post novice cycle (run this cycle in repetition) 1. GPP Endurance 2. Bridge 2.0 (with conditioning on both GPP days the full way through since you’re adapted to it already) 3. 3 day Hypertrophy 4. HLM (also with conditioning in both GPP days since you’re adapted to it) 5. 4 day Hypertrophy 6. 12 week strength 7. Time Crunch or DIY pivot block I have seen this on a BBM forum and I wanted to know whether something like this is optimal to do after the bridge, or whether I should go for about a 2-3 month hypertrophy block, 2 month strength block, and about a 2 week peaking block. Another option I was thinking of doing is doing a bodybuilding style program where the compound exercises are periodized like in a strength program, and with the isolation exercises in the 8-12 rep scheme (i.e - a ‘powerbuilding’ program). ---
**Author:** ![ropable](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/ropable/32/5961_2.png) [@ropable](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/ropable)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/2 "2019-06-25T12:54:15Z")
No need to throw literally everything at the wall; you could probably simplify it to: 1. Beginner Template / Bridge 1.0 2. Strength I 3. Powerbuilding I 4. Powerlifting II 5. Powerbuilding II 6. Repeat 4 & 5, or Strength II ---
**Author:** ![JJLek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JJLek](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/JJLek)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/3 "2019-06-25T15:07:14Z")
If you have been training for a couple years (even bodybuilding style) you could probably just hop on one of the barbell medicine templates now and not spend the time on SS NLP ---
**Author:** ![philibusters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@philibusters](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/philibusters)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/4 "2019-06-25T15:21:44Z")
> [@JJLek](#): > > If you have been training for a couple years (even bodybuilding style) you could probably just hop on one of the barbell medicine templates now and not spend the time on SS NLP I agree. Especially if you did bench press, squats, and deadlifts as part of your bodybuilding routine (a lot of people don’t squat and deadlift as part of their bro lifting though. The thing is lets say you have been bro lifting for 3 years and your 5 rep max for the bench press is 245 pounds. You are probably not going to progress more than a couple weeks on SSLP. Now if you haven’t trained some of the movements like squat or deadlift you may be able to get a decent stretch of progression out of SSLP–but if you have been training those movements, your SSLP will last about 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Cohen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@Ben\_Cohen](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Ben_Cohen)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/5 "2019-06-25T20:30:26Z")
> [@JJLek](#): > > If you have been training for a couple years (even bodybuilding style) you could probably just hop on one of the barbell medicine templates now and not spend the time on SS NLP I am just coming off of a hip injury and a cut so my lifts aren’t at their best, but about 2 months ago my lifts were: 225 lbs × 6 squat, 245 lbs × 6 deadlift, 185 lbs × 6 bench, and 100 lbs × 6 press. I was planning on doing SSLP just to regain my strength and hopefully get stronger, before doing the bridge, and I am still trying to figure out what to do after that. About doing SSLP, would it be recommended in my case to be on a very big calorie surplus like Rip suggests, or a smaller surplus, because I was intially planning on going on a year or so of lean bulking (I ended my last bulk on a surplus of about +400, and I am 18 if it matters). ---
**Author:** ![philibusters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@philibusters](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/philibusters)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/6 "2019-06-25T21:50:06Z")
> [@Ben\_Cohen](#): > > I am just coming off of a hip injury and a cut so my lifts aren’t at their best, but about 2 months ago my lifts were: 225 lbs × 6 squat, 245 lbs × 6 deadlift, 185 lbs × 6 bench, and 100 lbs × 6 press. I was planning on doing SSLP just to regain my strength and hopefully get stronger, before doing the bridge, and I am still trying to figure out what to do after that. > > About doing SSLP, would it be recommended in my case to be on a very big calorie surplus like Rip suggests, or a smaller surplus, because I was intially planning on going on a year or so of lean bulking (I ended my last bulk on a surplus of about +400, and I am 18 if it matters). If you just worked hard to lean out, do you really want to add on a lot of weight for what would likely be a minimal strength gain. I would go on a slow bulk because its sustainable for a lot longer. ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Cohen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@Ben\_Cohen](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Ben_Cohen)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 8:03am UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/7 "2019-06-26T08:03:20Z")
> [@philibusters](#): > > If you just worked hard to lean out, do you really want to add on a lot of weight for what would likely be a minimal strength gain. I would go on a slow bulk because its sustainable for a lot longer. Thanks for the help, I think that’s what i’ll do. ---
**Author:** ![Willyhon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/willyhon/32/1137_2.png) [@Willyhon](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Willyhon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/8 "2020-10-14T18:20:56Z")
As far as I know, to gain strength and to be able to do exercises easier you could use protein powder (from my own experience) it helps. Also, you could try steroids or SARMs which will also increase the level of productivity and help you gain the expected result faster. Back in the time when I was a professional bodybuilder I needed to get more mass as fast as possible, so my coach told me to use steroids and at the testing(it was a simple one) I used a fake urine from [https://www.ceasar-boston.org/monkey-whizz-reviews/](https://www.ceasar-boston.org/monkey-whizz-reviews/) which really helped me out then. ---
**Author:** ![DorianStarbuck](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/dorianstarbuck/32/1118_2.png) [@DorianStarbuck](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/DorianStarbuck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/9 "2020-10-15T17:27:27Z")
> [@Ben\_Cohen](#): > > I was planning on doing SSLP just to regain my strength and hopefully get stronger, before doing the bridge, and I am still trying to figure out what to do after that. You will definitely get stronger if you run The Bridge even remotely correctly. IMO, there’s no benefit to doing SS where you are in your training, and _plenty_ of reasons _not_ to do it. ---
**Author:** ![SeanPayne](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/seanpayne/32/53_2.png) [@SeanPayne](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/SeanPayne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/10 "2020-10-21T13:26:17Z")
You should only need a small caloric surplus. Enough to gain about .5 lbs per week. You can’t really gain any more lean body mass than that anyways, so if you go bezerk, you’ll just be packing on bodyfat. ---
**Author:** ![HansAndFranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f8ce5/32.png) [@HansAndFranz](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/HansAndFranz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/11 "2020-10-26T14:56:56Z")
I agree about not doing SS in your situation. And I’m not saying that to be anti-SS, it’s just that it’s not a good fit to your prior or for your subsequent training. Especially as someone who is planning to bulk you should choose a program with a lot of volume and a wide variety of hypertrophic stimuli. It also sounds like SS has less volume than what you were doing, and certainly has less volume than you will be doing. I would try to maintain or improve work capacity and get some RPE practice. I think the BBM beginner template is good for bulking because of the way it has phases of ascending volume and programs GPP. I would also consider Greg Nuckols’ hypertrophy templates. ---
**Author:** ![eunateyour](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/eunateyour/32/669_2.png) [@eunateyour](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/eunateyour)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/12 "2022-10-21T17:14:06Z")
Soy, black beans, peas, and beans allow a man to feel more active; ---
**Author:** ![brycechard](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/brycechard/32/1042_2.png) [@brycechard](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/brycechard)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/13 "2022-10-21T17:26:22Z")
Is it possible to build muscles without training?​ ---
**Author:** ![eunateyour](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/eunateyour/32/669_2.png) [@eunateyour](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/eunateyour)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/14 "2022-10-21T17:28:00Z")
It is very difficult to grow muscle mass — everyone knows this. Yes, you go to the gym and pull iron, but if you want to gain weight and muscles, you need a more thorough plan than a random set of dumbbells and several approaches on all simulators. “Training without a plan just won’t get you to your goals,” says Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, “you need a strategy.” This strategy should not be so rigid that there is no room for pleasure, [arimistane for sale](https://behemothlabz.com/product/arimistane-liquid) can speed up the process, but you still have to work hard in the gym. ---
**Author:** ![thespian66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@thespian66](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/thespian66)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/15 "2022-10-21T20:11:33Z")
the devil’s in the details as Jordan B. Peterson would say. ---
**Author:** ![jjw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@jjw](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/jjw)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/what-is-the-optimal-program-progression-for-strength-and-hypertrophy/6269/16 "2022-11-22T03:40:03Z")
Alan Thrall did a video on the pyramid a long while back. The idea is simple in the base of the pyramid you do a lot of exercises and try to put meat on your bones. In the middle you are still adding a little size but getting more specific with your lifts. At the top you are super specialized to the lifts you want to test. So this is my plan. 1. Hypertrophy or bodybuilding to put meat on my bones 6 or 7 weeks. 2. Powerbuilding to mix mass gain with getting specific and practicing lifts 10 weeks if you don’t do the test part in the PB IV template. 3. Strength which pares down to a 1 rep max test in each lift. 13 weeks. So it is 28 or 29 weeks total. If you repeat you test your 1 Rep Max about 2 twice a year which is the advice most of the experienced powerlifters would give you. You can test about 3 times a year if you cut the strength and run PB IV out through the testing phase for 14 weeks. Since it will be about 20 weeks so your tests are at 20, 40, and 60 which is a little over a year. This can get a little messed up if I overeat in my surplus and have to cut some since you can’t really cut and do hypertrophy easily but it is the overall idea.