Bulking Training Guide: 8-Month Workout Plan

David Diaz Gil 4 min. of reading Training Routines Leave a comment

Bulking up, although it may sound like a cliché, is challenging for many people. Simply eating more and training hard from time to time isn’t enough: you need daily consistency and a plan that tells you exactly what to do at each stage.

Why planning your training is important during a bulking phase

During a bulking phase, nutrition sets the pace: you need a sufficient calorie intake to recover and sustain your training.

But while training provides the stimulus, improvising from one session to the next often leads to plateaus or weeks without a clear direction.

With a structured plan, you know what to do each day, how long to rest and when to increase the intensity. It’s a gradual progression: the first few months help you establish a routine, while the final months push you to work harder.

What does the guide include?

8-month training programme, organised month by month, with progressively increasing intensity.
Weekly training structure for each month: full-body, upper/lower split, split routine and a strength training cycle.
Exercises, sets, repetitions, rest periods and tempo for each session.
Cardio guidelines: moderate-intensity cardio and HIIT sessions tailored to each month.
Exercise execution guidelines: warm-ups, stretching, muscular and technical failure, lowering the rack supports, lower back training and special set techniques (pyramid sets, supersets, trisets and giant sets).

What does each month look like?

Month 1: getting into a routine

3 days of full-body training and 2 days of cardio. The intensity is moderate to help you ease into the programme gradually.

Month 2: building a solid foundation

We continue with 3 days of full-body training and 2 days of cardio, maintaining a similar intensity. We’re not aiming for particularly demanding training days just yet.

Month 3: taking it a step further

We move on to 4 training days with a hybrid routine combining full-body and upper/lower split workouts, plus 3 days of cardio. The intensity increases slightly. One of the 4 weeks is dedicated to rest, preferably complete rest rather than active recovery.

Month 4: upper/lower split

A classic upper/lower split routine with 4 days of cardio: moderate-intensity cardio on leg days and HIIT on upper-body days.

Month 5: split training routine

A complete switch to a 4-day split routine (sometimes called a Weider split), which groups different muscle groups into separate training sessions. Cardio is reduced to 2 HIIT sessions, on the first and last days of the routine, never on leg days.

Month 6: increasing the intensity

The 3-day full-body routine returns, with greater intensity in the main exercise of each session. This phase lasts 3 weeks to leave the following month dedicated to strength training. Cardio is performed twice a week: one HIIT session on Monday and one moderate-intensity session.

Month 7: strength training cycle

Four weeks specifically focused on strength, training 3 days per week, with 5×5 and 3×3 sets and a loading phase that increases week by week. Warming up is particularly important, and rest periods can be extended if you haven’t fully recovered. This month is designed for experienced lifters.

Month 8: final phase

A 4-day hybrid routine, combining two full-body sessions and two upper/lower split sessions, plus 3 days of cardio.

Who is this guide for?

For people who already train and are in a phase focused on building muscle mass and want to stop improvising their workouts. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to have someone experienced (a trainer or training partner) supervise your technique, particularly during months 5 and 7. And if you’re unsure how to perform an exercise, feel free to ask us in the comments.

Plan your nutrition too

A successful bulking phase relies on both training and nutrition.

If you’re planning your nutrition, take a look at the Muscle Building Pack: a selection organised into categories (calorie intake, protein sources, creatine and other complementary options), allowing you to choose only what fits your diet and training routine.

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