Hypertrophy training: building muscle and increasing

Practical Playbook

1. 1

   Choose rep ranges that maximize tension

   For hypertrophy, I've found the 6-12 rep range hits the sweet spot for most lifters. But reps alone won't drive growth. You have to push each set within 0-3 reps of failure. Stop at RPE 6 and you're just pumping blood, not building muscle. I always go heavy enough that my last few reps slow down and my form stays strict. That mechanical tension is the signal your muscles actually need.

2. 2

   How do you apply progressive overload effectively?

   I've been doing this long enough to know one thing: you've got to push the weight or the reps every single time you step in the gym. Don't overthink it. A measly 2.5-pound jump on a barbell row might feel like nothing, but trust me—over 12 weeks, that adds up to 30 pounds. If you can't add weight, just sneak in an extra rep or another set. I track my numbers like a hawk. Two weeks of stalling? Time to deload. More weight plus consistent reps? That's how I build muscle.

3. 3

   Manage volume without junk sets

   Ten sets per muscle per week? That's my go-to baseline. I've seen guys doing 20 sets of chest and still making gains, but honestly, they're just burning energy. For me, it's all about quality. I make sure each set is hard enough that I couldn't squeeze out more than two or three extra reps. If I'm breezing through, I add weight. Dorsi helps me log that fatigue accurately, so I know exactly when to push harder.

4. 4

   Fuel recovery with protein timing

   I've been guilty of this myself: grinding away in the gym, thinking every rep is what builds muscle. But here's the truth I had to learn the hard way. Your muscles don't grow while you're lifting. They grow at rest, fueled by amino acids. So my advice? Aim for 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, spread across four meals. A post-workout shake within two hours helps, but I've found total daily intake matters way more. Don't overthink the anabolic window. Just get enough protein and sleep seven to nine hours. That's where the real magic happens for me.

Common Mistakes

• Mistake

  You treat every set to failure the same way, whether it's a 5-rep deadlift or a 20-rep set of curls.

  Why

  I’ve tried both approaches, and here’s what I’ve found: grinding through failure on a heavy set just crushes your nervous system. You barely squeeze out any hypertrophic return. But on a lighter set, failure actually targets the muscle fibers directly, which is where growth happens. So when I see people using failure indiscriminately, I cringe. It piles up fatigue without pinpointing the growth you’re after.

  Fix

  I save failure for sets in the 8-12 rep range, where I can hit that wall without wrecking myself. Under 6 reps? I stop 1-2 reps short and dial in on bar speed and tension instead.

• Mistake

  You're obsessed with the pump and chase it at the expense of mechanical tension.

  Why

  I’ve watched too many lifters chase a pump like it’s the holy grail of muscle growth. It feels productive, sure, but it’s not the main driver of hypertrophy. If you swap a heavy, controlled squat for high-rep leg extensions just to get that burn, you’re leaving the real growth signal on the floor. That’s a trade I wouldn’t make.

  Fix

  I’ve been burned by chasing that pump. Now, I prioritize exercises where I can load the muscle through a full range of motion. On the way down, I control the weight, pausing in that stretched position for a beat, then driving up hard. For me, the pump is just a bonus, not the goal.

• Mistake

  You switch exercises every few weeks because you think the muscle needs constant 'shock.'

  Why

  I learned this the hard way: muscle growth needs consistent, progressive overload, not novelty. When I kept swapping exercises every few weeks, I never built enough tension to force real adaptation. I was just practicing new movement patterns.

  Fix

  I stick with 2-3 exercises per muscle group for 8-12 weeks, and honestly, that's enough. Each session, I add a little weight or one more rep. I only swap exercises when I can't push harder without pain or just get bored.

• Mistake

  You don't log your weights and reps, so you have no idea if you're actually progressing.

  Why

  Hypertrophy demands incremental overload. I learned that the hard way. Without a record, you'll default to the same weights session after session. Most lifters stall because they think they're trying hard, but the numbers stay flat. My own logbook proved it: I'd been stuck on 185-pound squats for three months because I never wrote down what I actually did.

  Fix

  I track every working set, either by scribbling in a notebook or using an app like Dorsi. My goal each session is simple: beat last time by one rep or 2.5 kilos. If I don't know my starting point, how can I expect to move forward?

Frequently asked questions

From the Dorsi blog

Sources we drew from

1. 1

   Akt/mTOR pathway is a crucial regulator of skeletal muscle hypertrophy and can prevent muscle atrophy in vivoPeer-reviewed

   Sue C. Bodine et al. · 2001 · Nature Cell Biology

   Akt/mTOR pathway is a crucial regulator of skeletal muscle hypertrophy and can prevent muscle atrophy in vivo

2. 2

   Mechanisms of physiological and pathological cardiac hypertrophyPeer-reviewed

   Michinari Nakamura & Junichi Sadoshima · 2018 · Nature Reviews Cardiology

   Mechanisms of physiological and pathological cardiac hypertrophy

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