Y3T Training: The Complete Neil Hill Guide
Master the 3-week undulating periodization system that prevents plateaus and maximizes muscle growth through systematic variation.
What if you never plateaued? Y3T (Yoda 3 Training) makes that possible by rotating training stress weekly—your body never fully adapts because the stimulus constantly changes. It's the system that helped Flex Lewis win 7 consecutive 212 Olympia titles.
Created by UK coach Neil Hill, Y3T is elegantly simple: three weeks, three distinct training styles, continuous progress. Week 1 builds strength. Week 2 builds muscle. Week 3 tests your limits. Then repeat.
Champions Who Used Y3T
7x
Flex Lewis
212 Olympia
4x
Flex Wheeler
Mr. Olympia (comeback)
20+
IFBB Pros
Coached by Neil Hill
What is Y3T?
Y3T stands for Yoda 3 Training—a 3-week undulating periodization system designed to prevent adaptation plateaus and optimize progressive overload.
The core principle: variation within structure. Each week has a distinct character:
Week 1: Heavy
6-8 reps
Mechanical tension, strength focus, compound movements, 3-4 min rest
Week 2: Hybrid
8-12 reps
Balanced hypertrophy, mixed exercises, 90-120s rest
Week 3: Hell
15-30+ reps
Metabolic stress, drop sets, rest-pause, 30-60s rest
After Week 3, you return to Week 1—but now you're stronger. The cycle continues indefinitely, with exercise rotation every 9 weeks (3 complete cycles).
The 3-Week Cycle: Why It Works
Why three weeks? Because that's when adaptation starts to plateau:
"The body starts adapting to a stimulus around week 2-3. Rotating weekly keeps it off-balance. You never fully adapt because the stimulus constantly changes."
— Neil Hill
The genius of Y3T is that it systematically hits all three hypertrophy mechanisms:
- Mechanical tension (Week 1 Heavy) — Heavy loads create maximum muscle fiber recruitment
- Metabolic stress (Week 3 Hell) — Lactate, cell swelling, growth hormone spike
- Muscle damage (Week 3 Hell) — Eccentric stress and intensity techniques
Traditional programs emphasize one or two mechanisms. Y3T cycles through all three, ensuring no weak points and continuous adaptation.
Week 1: Heavy Week
Parameters
- Reps: 6-8
- RIR: 1 (not to failure)
- Rest: 3-4 minutes
- Tempo: 2-0-1-0 (explosive)
- Exercises: 100% compounds
Purpose
- • Build foundational strength
- • Provide neural recovery from Week 3
- • Maintain testosterone and CNS drive
- • Enable trackable progressive overload
Week 1 is about power and strength. You're lifting heavy, resting long, and focusing on big compound movements. It feels strong and brief.
Why stop at 1 RIR? Heavy loads at absolute failure dramatically increase injury risk. The goal is strength and tension, not metabolic fatigue—you'll get plenty of that in Week 3.
Week 1 Exercise Examples
Chest
Barbell bench press, Incline DB press, Weighted dips
Back
Deadlifts, Barbell rows, Weighted pull-ups
Legs
Barbell squats, Front squats, Heavy leg press
Shoulders
Barbell overhead press, DB shoulder press
Week 2: Hybrid Week
Parameters
- Reps: 8-12
- RIR: 1 (compounds), 0 (isolations)
- Rest: 90-120 seconds
- Tempo: 2-1-1-1 (controlled)
- Exercises: 60% compounds, 40% isolation
Purpose
- • Classic bodybuilding hypertrophy
- • Transition between Week 1 and 3
- • Balanced mechanical + metabolic stress
- • Active recovery while still training hard
Week 2 is classic bodybuilding training—the 8-12 rep range that's been building muscle for decades. It bridges the neural focus of Week 1 and the metabolic chaos of Week 3.
This week feels sustainable and effective. Good pumps, challenging weights, steady progress. It's the "business as usual" week.
Week 3: Hell Week
Parameters
- Reps: 15-30+ (up to 50 on some exercises)
- RIR: 0 then BEYOND via intensity techniques
- Rest: 30-60 seconds
- Tempo: 2-2-1-2 (constant tension)
- Exercises: 80% isolation, 20% compounds
Purpose
- • Maximum metabolic stress
- • Extreme pump and fascia stretching
- • Growth hormone spike
- • Mental and physical testing
Hell Week Warning
This is the most challenging week. Expect severe DOMS, extreme fatigue, and mental battles. Do NOT add extra work—the intensity techniques already create massive overload.
Hell Week is where the magic happens. The extreme pump stretches fascia. The lactate accumulation triggers growth hormone. The mental suffering forces adaptation. Phil Heath famously said: "The weeks you want to quit are the weeks you grow."
Why Low Volume in Week 3?
Week 3 uses fewer straight sets (1-2 per exercise) because intensity techniques extend each set:
- Triple drop set = effectively 3 mini-sets with 10-15s rest
- Rest-pause = 3 sets' worth of fatigue in one extended set
- Superset = 2 exercises back-to-back with no rest
The volume isn't low—it's condensed. Doing 3-4 straight sets PLUS drops would be massive overtraining.
Intensity Techniques (Week 3 Only)
These techniques are mandatory in Hell Week. Without them, Week 3 is just high-rep training.
Triple Drop Sets
Work set to failure → drop 25-30% → failure → drop 25-30% → failure. That's ONE extended set.
Example: Leg extensions: 100kg × 15 → 70kg × 12 → 50kg × 15+
Rest-Pause
Work to failure → rest 15-20 seconds → failure again → rest → failure again.
Example: Cable curls: 12 reps → 15s rest → 6 reps → 15s rest → 4 reps
Supersets
Two exercises back-to-back with no rest. Often same muscle or antagonist pairing.
Example: Pec deck × 15 → immediately → Push-ups to failure
21s Protocol
7 reps bottom half → 7 reps top half → 7 reps full ROM. Classic Hell Week bicep finisher.
Example: EZ-bar curls: 7 partial (bottom) + 7 partial (top) + 7 full = 21 total
AI-Managed Hell Week
Arvo automatically tracks which week you're on and adjusts parameters accordingly. During Hell Week, the AI suggests appropriate drop set weights, counts your rest-pause rounds, and ensures you're using the right intensity techniques for each exercise.
- ✓Automatic 3-week cycle tracking
- ✓Week-appropriate exercise selection
- ✓Drop set weight suggestions
- ✓Rest-pause round counting
- ✓Intensity technique prompts
Exercise Selection by Week
Exercise selection changes dramatically across the three weeks:
Exercise Distribution by Week
| Week 1 Heavy | Week 2 Hybrid | Week 3 Hell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compounds | 100% | 60% | 20% |
| Isolation | 0% | 40% | 80% |
| Equipment | Barbells | Mixed | Machines/Cables |
| Safety concern | Use spotter/rack | Standard | Must be safe at failure |
Week 3 Exercise Safety
CRITICAL: Week 3 exercises must be safe at extreme fatigue. Use machines, cables, and controlled isolation movements. Never do heavy barbell squats, deadlifts, or bench press in Hell Week—the combination of high reps + fatigue + intensity techniques = injury risk.
Ideal Week 3 exercises: leg extensions, leg curls, pec deck, cable flyes, lat pulldowns, cable lateral raises, machine rows, cable curls, rope pushdowns.
Progression System
Key insight: Track each week separately. Compare Week 1 Cycle 1 to Week 1 Cycle 2 (3 weeks later). Don't compare across weeks.
Week 1 Progression
When you hit 8 reps on all sets with good form, add 2.5-5kg next Week 1 (in 3 weeks).
Week 2 Progression
When you hit 12 reps on all sets, add weight OR add 1 additional set next Week 2.
Week 3 Progression
Progress by density: more total reps, more drops, higher starting weight than previous Hell Week.
Exercise Rotation
Every 9 weeks (3 complete cycles), rotate exercises for novelty:
- Barbell bench press → Dumbbell bench press
- Barbell rows → T-bar rows
- Leg press → Hack squats
- Cable lateral raises → Dumbbell lateral raises
How Arvo Implements Y3T
Arvo has comprehensive Y3T configuration covering every aspect of the system:
Automatic Cycle Tracking
Arvo knows which week you're on and generates appropriate workouts. Week 1 gets heavy compounds, Week 3 gets isolation with drop sets.
Week-Specific Parameters
Rep ranges, rest periods, tempo, and RIR targets automatically adjust based on the current week in your cycle.
Intensity Technique Guidance
During Hell Week, the AI prompts appropriate intensity techniques—drop sets for leg extensions, rest-pause for cable work, 21s for biceps.
Cycle-Based Progression
Tracks your Week 1 performance separately from Week 3. Suggests weight increases when you're ready, comparing cycle-to-cycle.
Experience Y3T with AI Precision
Select 'Y3T' during onboarding and Arvo manages your entire 3-week rotation automatically. The AI knows Week 1 needs heavy barbell work, Week 3 needs machine drop sets, and tracks progression cycle-to-cycle.
- ✓Automatic 3-week cycle management
- ✓Week-specific exercise selection
- ✓Hell Week intensity technique prompts
- ✓Cycle-to-cycle progression tracking
- ✓9-week exercise rotation suggestions
Sample Chest Workouts (All 3 Weeks)
Week 1: Heavy Chest
1. Barbell Bench Press — 4×6-8 @ 1 RIR, 3-4 min rest
2. Incline Dumbbell Press — 3×6-8 @ 1 RIR, 3 min rest
3. Weighted Dips — 3×6-8 @ 1 RIR, 3 min rest
Total: 10 sets | Time: ~45 min
Week 2: Hybrid Chest
1. Barbell Bench Press — 3×8-12 @ 1 RIR, 2 min rest
2. Incline DB Press — 3×8-12 @ 1 RIR, 90s rest
3. Cable Flyes — 3×10-12 @ 0 RIR, 90s rest
4. Dumbbell Pullovers — 2×10-12 @ 0 RIR, 90s rest
Total: 11 sets | Time: ~40 min
Week 3: Hell Chest
1. Pec Deck — 2×15-20 + triple drop set, 45s rest
2. Cable Crossovers — 2×20-25 + rest-pause, 45s rest
3. Incline DB Flyes — 2×15-20, 45s rest
4. Push-ups — AMRAP burnout
Total: 7 straight sets (~15 effective) | Time: ~35 min
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Y3T training?
Y3T (Yoda 3 Training) is a 3-week undulating periodization system created by Neil Hill. Week 1: Heavy (6-8 reps), Week 2: Hybrid (8-12 reps), Week 3: Hell (15-30+ reps with intensity techniques).
What is Hell Week in Y3T?
Hell Week is the third week featuring 15-30+ reps with 30-60s rest, drop sets, rest-pause, and supersets. It creates extreme metabolic stress and is the most challenging week.
Who uses Y3T training?
Developed by Neil Hill, used by Flex Wheeler (4x Mr. Olympia), Flex Lewis (7x 212 Olympia champion), and numerous IFBB professionals.
Why 3-week cycles?
The body starts adapting around week 2-3. Weekly rotation prevents plateaus by providing distinct stimuli (mechanical tension, hypertrophy, metabolic stress) without allowing adaptation.
When should I deload with Y3T?
Every 9-12 weeks (3-4 complete cycles). Y3T has built-in auto-regulation (Week 1 recovers from Week 3), but cumulative fatigue still builds. Use Week 2 parameters at 70% intensity.
Conclusion
Y3T is elegant in its simplicity: three weeks, three distinct stimuli, continuous progress. The built-in variation prevents plateaus while the structured rotation ensures you're always progressing.
Key takeaways:
- Week 1 Heavy: 6-8 reps, compounds only, 1 RIR, build strength
- Week 2 Hybrid: 8-12 reps, balanced, classic hypertrophy
- Week 3 Hell: 15-30+ reps, isolation, drop sets, rest-pause—survive and grow
- Track each week separately—compare Week 1 to Week 1, not Week 1 to Week 3
- Exercise rotation every 9 weeks (3 complete cycles)
- Deload every 9-12 weeks using Week 2 parameters at 70% intensity
Ready to Never Plateau Again?
Arvo implements every Y3T principle automatically. Select it during onboarding and get AI-managed 3-week cycles with week-specific programming and intensity technique guidance.
Start Y3T Training