: Most muscle groups are hit directly 2–3 times a week, with the arms and delts often seeing frequency as high as 4–5 times a week depending on the specific variation selected. Core Components
The is a specialized 5-day hypertrophy program from Renaissance Periodization (RP) designed for lifters who want to prioritize upper-body aesthetics while maintaining other muscle groups. Program Philosophy & Mechanics [RP MPT Novice-Intermediate] 5x - Arms&Delts.xlsx
: Instead of fixed rep counts, the template uses an RIR-based progression . You typically start at 3 RIR (stopping 3 reps before failure) in Week 1 and progress to 0 RIR (absolute failure) by the end of the mesocycle. : Most muscle groups are hit directly 2–3
: While the program hits the entire body, it intentionally scales back the volume for chest, back, and legs to "maintenance" levels. This allows your recovery resources to be diverted heavily toward high-frequency and high-volume work for the biceps, triceps, and deltoids . You typically start at 3 RIR (stopping 3
: You will typically have dedicated days where isolation work for the arms and lateral/rear delts comes first in the session, rather than as an afterthought to compound movements.