Q: On the quest for a mass burst, I’ve been spinning my wheels for a while with crazy workouts and almost no gains. I figure it’s time to go back to basics with a simple workout that I know works, the Phase 1 Size Surge program. Last time I used it, I gained almost 10 pounds of muscle. One change I would like to make is to incorporate the slow-twitch exhaustion method. The Brazilian study that proved its merit convinced me that it can get me some good new growth, maybe another 10 pounds or more! How do you suggest I use it with P1 Size Surge?
The Phase 1 three-days-per-week Size Surge program is one of the best basic mass blasts out there–and you’re smart to want to incorporate those new slow-twitch-exhaustion findings to get a real mass burst. For the uninitiated, here is the split for P1 SS:
Monday: quads, hams, chest, back, delts, calves
Wednesday: deadlifts, calves, biceps, triceps, forearms, abs
Friday: quads, hams, calves, chest, back, delts
That may look like a lot on each day, but keep in mind that you do only one or two exercise for each muscle group, and only one or two sets. The anabolic activation of full-body work on Monday and Friday was key in Jonathan’s 20-pound muscle size surge gain in only 10 weeks, with this as the first five weeks (Phase 2 was full-range Positions of Flexion for each muscle group–his entire original program is in the Size Surge 2.0 e-book).
So to answer your questions, on either Monday or Friday you do the first set of one exercise for each muscle as a high-repper, hitting failure around 20 to 30 reps. Rest 35 seconds as you add weight, then do a second set with a heavy weight for fast-twitch activation and growth.
Mass Burst Examples
For example, if you choose Friday, you start your chest routine with bench presses for two sets. Simply do the first set of bench presses for 20 to 30 reps, rest 35 seconds as you add weight, then hit a set that has you reach failure at around eight reps. Do your other chest exercise as listed–no high-rep set.
If you’re young and recover fairly easily, you can do two heavy sets after the high-repper. Rest about 1 1/2 minutes between those. Note that most trainees probably won’t be able to use as much weight on this day as they do on the other “power” day without the high-rep set. That’s okay–you’re getting unique fast-twitch fiber activation and growth on both days.
One other thing: On the slow-twitch-exhaustion day (high-rep set first), you may want to do leg presses instead of squats. Doing 20 to 30 reps on squats with only a 35-second rest will have most trainees puking all over the squat rack, not an attractive “mass burst” (LOL).
As for Wednesday, keep it as listed–no high-rep sets. That’s because you’re getting the slow-twitch exhaustion effect on arms from the compound exercises on either Monday or Friday. For example, on the bench press sequence outlined above, your triceps are getting it along with your pecs.
As a refresher, the Brazilian study was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. Researchers had one group do a preliminary set of leg extensions to failure with 20 percent of their one-rep-max before moving to heavier sets. The other group did only standard sets with 75 percent of their 1RM. Rests between sets for both groups were 30 seconds to one minute. More muscle size and strength occurred in the group that included a preliminary high-rep set because…
muscle failure (principally of [slow-twitch] type-1 fibers) and metabolic accumulation induced by prior exhaustive exercise [promoted] a greater global recruitment of type-2 [high-growth] fibers during traditional training sets and, thus, further stimulate muscle performance and adaptations.
[Ergo-log.com]
We believe that the high-rep set first not only helps activate more fast-twitch growth fibers on the heavier sets but also triggers new growth in the slow-twitch fibers. Slow-twitchers have been found to have more size potential than previously believed, and this is a good way to get that residual growth. Heck, we want as much size from as many layers as possible, including slow-twitch fibers.
In other words, a high-rep set first can give you a sizable mass burst.
Till next time, train hard–and smart–for BIG results.
–Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com