I was looking forward to New Routine Monday, and it didn’t let me down. I spent some time going through previous e-books and notes to decide which way to go, and it was my notes that gave me a good reminder of how much I love the skin-swelling pump from 4X, so the decision was made…
Chest: DB bench presses (4×10); Flyes (3×12); DB incline presses (4×10)
Delts: Upright rows (4×10); DB presses (3×10); Lateral raises (3×12)
Triceps: Lying extensions (4×10); Parallel-grip pushdowns (3×12)
Note: My split is based on the Big, Basic 4X Mass Workout routine in The 4X Mass Workout e-book.
New Routine Monday Summary
It’s been a few months since I did anything that involved more than a couple of sets per exercise, let alone the reduced rest periods of the 4X routine, but I remembered just how hellacious the muscle pump is when I introduce this type of training after a long time away — I was looking forward to feeling the effects!
If you’re unfamiliar with the 4X method, you can read about it in The 4X Mass Workout e-book, but the basics are that you pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but you do just 10 (or 12 on some 3X sets), rest 30 seconds, do another 10, and so on. It sounds easy, but it’s much different when put into motion, and there’s no denying the ridiculous muscle pump. It’s intense and lasts a long time (I’m still feeling it a couple of hours after training while writing this).
The tough part is getting the weights right. You don’t want to use weight that’s too light, but if/when you find yourself able to get the full 10-12 reps on the last set, that’s when you know it’s time to increase the weight next time. If you find you have chosen a weight that’s too light, simply blast out as many reps as you can on the last set and learn to judge your weights better next time. LOL
The feel was unreal so I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks on 4X. This specific routine is a 3-day split where we normally recommend training two days in a row, taking a day off, then another two days in a row with weekends off. I’ll likely be training three in a row with one day off, or I may train six days in a row, but I’ll be keeping close tabs on my recovery before making that decision.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing
For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.