Prilepin's Table for Hypertrophy

Scott Dixon wrote an article for T Nation titled “Prilepin’s Table for Hypertrophy”

In it he takes Prilepin’s original chart and modifies it by including variables like rest periods and time under tension (TUT) to account for optimal muscle gains.

This is what Prilepin’s original table looks like.

Percent	Reps per Set	Optimal # of Reps	Total Range of Reps
55–65	3-6	24	18-30
70-80	3-6	18	12-24
80-90	2-4	15	10-20
90+	1-2	7	4-10

However, it is important to keep in mind it was developed using Olympic lifts and with junior weightlifters. They didn’t run, played football etc..They just lifted. So it is not set in stone, but still a great starting point for a strength routine design.

Here is the Scott Dixon’s modified Prilepin Table For Hypertrophy

Percent	Reps per Set	Optimal # of Reps	Total Range of Reps	Rest	Tempo
55-65	6-10	32	20-40	45-75	4/1/1/1-3/1/0/1
70-80	5-8	30	20-30	60-90	4/1/0/1-3/1/0/1
80-90	5-7	21	15-25	75-120	4/1/0/1
90+	1-2	7	4-10	90-180	–

In his article he lays out how you would integrate this into a complete bodybuilding split schedule.

Day 1 – Chest, shoulders, back
Day 2 – Off
Day 3 – Legs and arms
Day 4 – Off
Day 5 – Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 6 – Back, legs, biceps
Day 7 – Off
Day 8 – Cycle repeats

So if you are looking for a muscle building program, you might want to consider this option.

Also check out the Sets & Reps Table for Strength, Hypertrophy, Power and Endurance from Mell Siff’s Supertraining.

Additional reading: How to Design Strength Training Programs using Prilepin’s Table by Hristo Hristov (PDF Warning)

About Gregor Winter