Q: In X-treme Lean you have the “High-Definition Workout” (pages 76-78), and you say to use it five days a week. I don’t think I’ve seen you recommend that many workouts in a row. What’s the reason [for five consecutive days of training]?
A: After training for photo shoots for 10 years off and on, we realized that one of the keys to getting lean is hormone-zone training, which is where you keep testosterone, GH and other anabolic, fat-burning hormones up as high as possible.
How do you do that? With FREQUENT weight training and/or high-intensity interval training, which simulates weight workouts (short all-out effort alternated with brief rests).
Arnold knew that too. When he was ripping up for a contest, he trained with weights six days a week, sometimes twice a day. And he did zero cardio other than walking on the beach.
Yes, he was using steroids; however, that’s why we pull it back to training with weights five days a week, once a day. Doing that for six weeks or so during a ripping phase keeps all the key muscle-building and fat-burning hormones surging.
The High-Definition Workout is a 3-way split that you stay on for five days, then pick up with the next workout in the sequence the following Monday and continue for five more days. Simple.
You can do that with your current workout or any of our 3-way or 4-way split programs. Keep workouts to about an hour at most.
Or if you’re into training each body part once a week, divide the High-Def workout—or your current program—over five days.
And as with the High-Def Workout, also combine heavier compound exercises with some higher-rep “isolation” sets. Why?
That combo will boost testosterone and growth hormone, respectively—and simultaneously. We also include some strategically placed drop sets for a fat-to-muscle effect…
It works fast, but you also have to follow proper diet protocols, like gradually reducing carb intake and/or increasing activity. Our diets are listed in X-treme Lean as examples, but you’ll need to tailor to your specific metabolism, activity levels, etc. Ours worked for us, but they differed from each other.
Oh, and a bit of pre-workout caffeine can also help you get X-treme lean.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
X-Rep.com