Low-volume, high-intensity home hypertrophy programme

2 WORKING SETS • 6–10 REPS • CONTROLLED TECHNICAL FAILURE

Equipment: adjustable dumbbells, adjustable bench, SELEWARE freestanding pull-up / dip station with adjustable dip / push-up handles and multiple grip options

Training rules at a glance

• Heavy compound exercises: 2 working sets of 6–10 reps, stopping at 1 RIR (about one clean repetition left).
• Isolation exercises: 2 working sets of 6–10 reps at 0 RIR (technical failure).
• Lateral raises: 3 working sets of 12–20 reps at 0 RIR. Use controlled form; partials are optional only after the final set.
• Warm-up sets do not count. Never take warm-ups to failure.
• Progress only when range of motion and technique remain repeatable.

Technical failure: The set ends when another full, controlled repetition cannot be completed. Do not continue by twisting, bouncing or losing the intended movement pattern.

Primary emphasis

• Upper-body hypertrophy, particularly chest, back, shoulders and arms.
• One complete leg session per week, with enough work to maintain and potentially grow the lower body.
• Direct abdominal and oblique training spread across the week.

Day 1 — Push

Chest, shoulders and triceps. Heavy pressing comes first; side delts remain a priority.

Execution priorities

• On presses, keep the shoulder blades stable and stop with one genuinely clean repetition available.
• Use a modest incline for the incline press so the upper chest remains involved.
• On lateral raises, lead with the elbows, raise slightly forward of the body and stop around shoulder height.
• For flies and triceps work, reach technical failure without forcing painful joint positions.

Day 2 — Pull

Back, rear delts, side delts and biceps, plus direct oblique work.

Execution priorities

• Brace against the bench on one-arm rows; do not rotate the torso to move more weight.
• Use a moderately tucked elbow path on chest-supported rows for lat and mid-back involvement.
• ● Pull-ups are currently skill practice only. Do not replace pullovers yet; build hanging and pulling strength gradually.
• ● Keep dumbbell pullovers as the programmed hypertrophy movement while unassisted pull-ups are not yet possible.
• Reverse flies must come from the shoulders rather than lower-back extension.

Core work

Side plank — 2 sets per side, 30–60 seconds: Hold until technical failure within the range while keeping the hips high and body straight. Add a light dumbbell at the hip once 60 seconds is repeatable.

Day 3 — Legs + Abs

One focused lower-body session with direct loaded abdominal work.

Execution priorities

• Use a stable stance and controlled depth on split squats; drive through the working leg.
• On Romanian deadlifts, push the hips back and stop at a strong hamstring stretch without rounding the spine.
• Keep goblet squats controlled and use the deepest repeatable range available.
• Only use dumbbell hamstring curls when the dumbbell can be held securely. Sliding leg curls are a suitable substitute.
• On weighted crunches, curl the ribs towards the pelvis instead of turning the movement into a sit-up.

Day 4 — Upper Power + Abs

Second weekly exposure for pressing and rowing, with shoulders and arms prioritised.

Execution priorities

• Use the same controlled technique as Day 1; "power" means heavier emphasis, not explosive or loose repetitions.
• Keep the incline press and row challenging, but stop compounds at one clean repetition in reserve.
• For curls and skull crushers, reach technical failure while keeping the upper arm position stable.
• On reverse crunches, curl the pelvis upward. Do not simply swing the legs.

Progression, Failure and Recovery

Double progression

• Choose a load that allows both working sets to land within the prescribed repetition range at the correct RIR.
• Keep the same weight until both sets reach the top of the range with repeatable technique.
• Increase to the next available dumbbell weight, then rebuild from the lower end of the range.
• For unilateral movements, progress only when both sides meet the target.

Example — 2 × 6–10: Session 1: 9 and 7 reps. Keep the weight. Later: 10 and 10 reps at the target effort. Increase the weight next session and rebuild from roughly 6–8 reps.

Effort rules

Warm-up and rest

• Perform 3–5 minutes of general movement before training.
• Before the first major exercise, perform 2–4 progressively heavier warm-up sets. Use one lighter practice set before later exercises when needed.
• Rest about 3 minutes after heavy compounds, about 2 minutes after most isolations, and 90–120 seconds after lateral raises and reverse crunches.
• Take extra rest when breathing or grip would limit the next set before the target muscle does.

Recovery and adjustments

• Run the plan for 8–10 weeks before making major changes, unless pain or recovery problems appear.
• If performance falls across several sessions, sleep worsens, or joints remain irritated, use a deload: perform one working set per exercise and stop 3–4 reps short of failure for one week.
• If 6–10 reps causes joint discomfort on flies, reverse flies, skull crushers or calf raises, use 10–15 reps while keeping the same 0 RIR rule.
• Sharp pain, dizziness or unusual symptoms are reasons to stop the exercise and seek appropriate medical advice.

Weekly Volume and Training Log

Approximate direct weekly sets

Volume note: This is intentionally a low-volume plan. The sets must be hard, controlled and logged. Do not add sets merely because a session feels short; add volume only after several weeks of stalled progress with good sleep, nutrition and technique.

Reusable session log

Progress is more clean repetitions, more load, or better control over time.

Pull-up, Dip and Inverted-Row Skill Progression

The station work is skill practice for now. It does not replace the main hypertrophy exercises and should not be taken to failure while the movements are being learned.

Pull day — before the main workout

● Supported dead hang — 2 sets of 10–30 seconds. Keep the feet lightly supported and gradually reduce assistance.

● Scapular pull-up — 2 sets of 5–10. Keep the elbows straight and pull the shoulders down away from the ears, then relax under control.

● Inverted row — 1–2 practice sets of 6–10 at about 2–3 RIR. Start fairly upright; make the body more horizontal as strength improves.

● Optional negative pull-up — 1–2 controlled repetitions only when the top position can be supported safely. Step to the top and lower slowly.

Main back work: Continue dumbbell pullovers for 2 × 6–10 at 1 RIR. Pull-ups are bonus skill practice until clean unassisted repetitions become realistic.

Push day — dip practice

● Assisted dip — 2 practice sets of 5–10 at about 2–3 RIR. Use the feet to remove as much body weight as needed.

● Keep the torso controlled and shoulders comfortable. Do not chase depth if the shoulder position feels unstable.

● Keep dumbbell skull crushers in the main programme for now. When clean bodyweight dips become repeatable, dips can replace skull crushers rather than being added as extra hard volume.

Progression rule: Reduce assistance before adding volume. Full pull-ups and dips become normal working exercises only after technique is controlled and several clean repetitions are available.

Station Setup, Grip Options and Skill Progression

Your SELEWARE freestanding power tower adds adjustable dip / push-up handles plus several pulling grips. These features give useful progression options, but station work remains skill practice for now rather than extra all-out hypertrophy volume.

How to use the station now

● Pull-ups and dips are skills to develop gradually. Full unassisted repetitions are not required yet.

● Keep dumbbell pullovers as the programmed hypertrophy movement while pull-ups are still being learned.

● Use inverted rows as scalable pulling practice. Adjust handle height and body angle instead of adding extra hard sets.

● Do not rotate through every grip just because the station offers them. Use the most comfortable grip and progress the movement first.

Pull-up progression

● Supported dead hang — 2 × 10–30 seconds. Keep the feet lightly supported; gradually reduce assistance.

● Scapular pull-up — 2 × 5–10. Keep elbows straight and pull the shoulders down away from the ears.

● Negative pull-up — when safe, step into the top position and perform 1–2 slow controlled lowers.

● Assisted pull-up — when available, use foot or band assistance for controlled repetitions.

● First unassisted pull-up → multiple clean pull-ups → 2 × 6–10 at about 1 RIR → only then consider replacing pullovers or adding external load.

Inverted-row progression

Use the adjustable dip / push-up handles as the rowing bars. A neutral / parallel grip is a good default if comfortable; a standard straight grip is also fine.

● Start fairly upright with feet planted and 1–2 practice sets of 6–10 at about 2–3 RIR.

● Move the feet farther forward and make the torso more horizontal as the current angle becomes easy.

● Lower the handles when appropriate to increase the percentage of body weight being lifted.

● Progress to a near-horizontal row, then feet-elevated rows, and only much later consider external load.

● Keep the body rigid and pull the chest toward the handles; do not turn the movement into a hip thrust.

Dip progression

● Assisted dip — 2 practice sets of 5–10 at about 2–3 RIR. Use the feet to remove as much body weight as needed.

● Gradually reduce foot assistance while keeping the shoulders comfortable and the movement controlled.

● First unassisted dip → multiple clean dips → 2 × 6–10 at about 1 RIR.

● Once clean bodyweight dips are repeatable, dips can replace dumbbell skull crushers rather than simply adding more hard volume.

● Do not chase excessive depth. Use the deepest pain-free, controlled range you can repeat.

Push-up progression using the handles

The movable handles can also be used for push-ups. This is optional skill / accessory practice for now because the main programme already contains substantial pressing volume.

● High-handle incline push-up → lower-handle incline push-up → floor / handle push-up.

● When standard push-ups are easy, progress to feet-elevated push-ups, slower lowering, pauses, or eventually added load.

● Use the handles if the neutral wrist position feels more comfortable. They may also allow a greater range of motion than floor push-ups.

● Do not add hard push-up sets to Push day while the existing presses are progressing well. Use them as occasional practice or as a future substitute if needed.

Grip guidance

● Neutral / parallel grip: a strong default for inverted rows and, where available, pulling practice because it is often comfortable on the wrists and shoulders.

● Straight / linear grip: also completely suitable. Choose the width that feels natural.

● Wide or angled grips: optional later. They are not automatically better for lat growth and are unnecessary while basic pulling strength is still developing.

● For now, prioritise a comfortable shoulder-width or moderately wider grip, clean movement and gradual strength progression over grip variety.

When station work becomes part of the main programme

The dumbbell routine remains the hypertrophy foundation. Reduce assistance before adding sets. When you can perform several clean unassisted repetitions and the movement is stable, integrate it by replacing a redundant exercise rather than piling extra failure sets on top of the programme.

Beginner Loading Guide

Available weight per dumbbell: 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.58, 9, 10, 11.5, 13.5, 16, 18, 20.5, 22.5 and 24 kg.

First 1–2 exposures: Treat the first sessions as technique and calibration sessions. For isolation exercises, stop around 2 RIR while learning the movement instead of immediately forcing technical failure.

Conservative first weights to try

How to choose the correct load

● Fewer than 6 clean reps: reduce the weight.

● Compound: 6–10 reps with about one clean rep still available = correct working load.

● Isolation: after the learning period, 6–10 clean reps before technical failure = correct working load.

● More than 10 clean reps at the target effort: move to the next available dumbbell setting.

● Lateral raises stay in the 12–20 rep range. Do not swing just to use a heavier dumbbell.

Important: The suggested loads are starting estimates, not targets. Technique determines the correct weight. Record every working set and let the first few sessions establish your real starting loads.

Daily Schedule and Time Log

This schedule fits the six-day training rotation around office work, work-from-home days, commuting, sleep, daily walking and hydration. The rotation stays Push → Pull → Legs → Rest → Upper Power → Rest, then repeats.

Current test start: Tuesday. First cycle: Tue Push → Wed Pull → Thu Legs → Fri Rest → Sat Upper Power → Sun Rest → Mon Push. Because the rotation is six days, training days will continue shifting across weekdays.

Daily anchors

Office + training day

Use this template whenever a Push, Pull or Legs session lands on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.

Evening caffeine: if the pre-workout contains a substantial caffeine dose, taking it around 5:45 pm may reduce sleep quality. Protecting sleep takes priority over the stimulant effect.

Work-from-Home Day Templates

WFH + training day

Use this whenever a training day lands on Wednesday or Friday. The lack of a commute lets you train earlier and keeps the evening less compressed.

WFH + rest day

Office Rest-Day Template

Office + rest day

Weekend Template

Saturday training day

When Upper Power lands on Saturday, use the lack of work and commuting to train earlier.

Weekend Rest and Daily Targets

Weekend rest day

Hydration guide

Step strategy

Aim to have roughly 7–10k steps completed by the time dinner is finished. Your one-hour evening walk can then take you comfortably into the 15k+ range instead of having to rescue a very low step count late at night.

Priority order: sleep and recovery first; resistance training second; then use walking throughout the day to reach the step target. Do not sacrifice sleep simply to force the top end of the 20k-step range.