We’ve been barking about the awesome grow power of X Reps for a while now, and for good reason: The technique works big time. The science behind it is undeniable, but one thing we haven’t mentioned is that the perfect compliment to that fast-twitch size switch is drop sets—that is, doing a set to failure, immediately reducing the weight and cranking out another set to failure. Why is that such a good size-building addition? Because it attacks the target muscle with unique fiber stress—and serious fatigue—with some occlusion, or blood-flow stoppage, thrown in for good measure (and bigger measurements! Drop sets can help get you huge; we’ll tell you how in a moment).

Sure, you can get much bigger doing only the single best exercise for each bodypart with X-Rep end-of-set partials tacked on for extra fast-twitch fiber activation. Those are the key growth stimulators in the Basic Ultimate workouts in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book; however, as we explain in that e-book, once you’re ready to kick your size into high gear, you’ll want to start working on the other layers of the mass-building pyramid, such as capillary bed enlargement and adding more size to other muscle fiber types. That’s where drop sets on isolation exercises come in—after ultimate-exercise work.

We emphasize “after” because you don’t want to start your bodypart workouts with drop sets. One thing we’ve learned the hard way is that fatigue is the enemy early on in a bodypart routine. Think about it: You should start by blasting a bodypart with a big, or ultimate, exercise. That’s how you overload the most fast-twitch fibers—with multijoint movements like decline bench presses or wide-grip dips for pecs. Keep your reps between six and 10 because if you move into higher reps, fatigue will stop your set before you get maximum high-threshold motor-unit activation (the high-growth fast-twitch fibers that fire at the end of a set to failure).

There are exceptions, like calves and forearms due to more endurance fibers types in those muscles, but for most bodyparts stick to the lower-rep rule for the big exercises. And add X Reps, as they will get you the most fast-twitch activation possible in any one set. Remember, with lower reps nervous system failure stops you short; X Reps help you overcome that mass-building roadblock and get more fast-twitch fibers to fire (it’s why we say X Reps make any set two to five times more effective than a standard set to failure).

Once you train the big, heavy, multijoint exercise with, say, two sets, the second of which includes X Reps, you’ve done a number of good things for packing on more fiber size, including max-force overload (thanks to X Reps). Now you should move to drop sets on a continuous-tension isolation exercise, like cable crossovers for pecs, which will stress a few more pure fast-twitch fibers, but also hit more intermediary fiber for more potential growth (you’ll feel it happening; trust us).

That’s one of the big reasons it’s good a good mass strategy to finish off a muscle with drop sets. After you blow out your big exercise, you then want to go for occlusion, fatigue and a bit more fiber activation. Occlusion and fatigue create a secondary layer of growth, with capillary bed enlargement (and engorgement) and unique muscle-fiber stress, including plenty of medium-threshold activation.

That means after your decline bench presses—don’t forget the X Reps—you go to cable crossovers and rep out, hitting failure at around 10 reps. You reduce the weight as quickly as possible and immediately rep out again, getting about six reps. You’ll feel the incredible burn (if not, you didn’t work hard enough). It signifies that you’ve occluded the muscle and attacked that next layer of growth. Yes, you get a bit more fast-twitch fiber activation at the end of that first set to failure, but the real size stimulation comes during the second reduced-poundage set, when your quads are screaming for mercy. That hits the endurance-oriented fibers, expands the need for more capillaries to fuel the muscle and can increase the supercompensation effect (you’ll end up with bigger, fuller muscles, as you’ll load more glycogen to suck up fluid during recovery and expand your bodyparts).

All of that explains why we made such incredible gains with limited training time during our one-month X-Rep experiment. We harnessed the power of X Reps and combined that with a secondary layer of growth stimulation: drop sets (the exact program we used to make our one-month transformations is outlined and analyzed in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book). The next question is, Can X Reps make drop sets even more effective and X-ponentially increase growth? Stay tuned. More on that in an upcoming e-newsletter.

The X-Files are not intended as training advice for everyone. You must consult your physician before beginning any diet or training program.

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