Q: Do you believe that a person can max out muscle growth with 4X-style training considering you only use medium poundages?
A: We know for a fact that 4X-only workouts build a lot of muscle—and without straining joints because the poundages aren’t super heavy. Remember, with 4X you take a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but you only do 10; rest 30 seconds, then do 10 more; and so on until you do 4×10—and only the last set or two are to failure…
That said, the question becomes: Is 4X, with its moderate-poundage load, sufficient to reach your genetic potential for muscle growth—without using extremely heavy weights? We are still trying to answer that question, but the evidence is pointing to YES…
Studies show that lighter poundages, with enough volume, trigger muscle growth; other studies show that heavier weights that cause more microtrauma cause hypertrophy due to “over repair,” a protective mechanism that makes muscles bigger to withstand further assaults.
We often refer to Power and Density. Heavy weights for power and lighter-higher rep sets, drop sets or short rests for density. When you use both styles, you attack the two constituents of the key 2A muscle fibers, the ones that are most prevalent in the biggest bodybuilders. The 2A fibers have both power and endurance components, so it appears that to get maximum development, you need BOTH styles of training, power and endurance, or density…
However, in The 4X Mass Workout e-book we analyze many styles of training and conclude that 4X, even though it has short rests and moderate poundages, is a BALANCE of power and density. That should be the perfect recipe for maximum mass. On the other hand, 10×10 is almost PURE density, which is why we recommend that style for short burst of only three to four weeks for a density-overload shock effect. Here is a graphic representation of power-density from the 4X Mass Workout…
There are 4X hybrid techniques that skew it more toward either power or density…
4X PYRAMID: If you want to skew 4X more toward POWER, you can use a 4X pyramid. Still adhere to short rests of 30 to 45 seconds between sets, but increase the poundage on each set. So on squats, you might use 225, 245, 255, 265, rather than 225 on all sets of a standard 4X sequence. Increasing the weight will have your reps decrease, something like 10, 9, 7, 6; however, even the last set won’t be overly heavy due to the short rest intervals.
4X NA: To skew 4X more toward DENSITY, use negative-accentuated sets. We call that SHOCK-CENTRIC training. Use a weight with which you can get about 15 reps, but only do 7—with a ONE-second positive and SIX-second negative; rest 30 to 45 seconds and repeat. Do four of those NA sets, and the last one should be extremely demanding; if not, the weight was too light. Each set will give you about 50 seconds of tension time, something your muscles aren’t used to—plus you’ll get a lot of microtrauma just like you get with heavy-weight sets—and that’s believed to trigger major mass. [For more on NA training, see The X-centric Mass Workout.]
So each NA set on squats has you lower in six seconds, then blast up to the standing position in one. Same with bench presses—lower in six seconds, drive up in one. With curls you pull the bar up in one second, lower in six—and so on…
We often experiment with all of those styles—standard 4X, 4X pyramid, and Shock-centric training—and none of them requires super heavy poundages. Our joints feel great, our muscles are big and full, and those workouts are still short enough to work with a busy schedule. We believe 4X change is another BIG key to massive gains—without joint pains!
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
GET IT UP!
(Your testosterone production, that is…)
One of the most interesting read-me pages on Testosterone and other muscle-building hormones we’ve seen is The Truth About Testosterone.
It even talks about a fruit, a specific part, that can up your T naturally. Cranking up your testosterone will not only get you jacked in the gym, but in the bedroom too—not to mention help rip up your midsection as it ignites fat burning. If that interests you, there’s more from our colleague and registered dietician, HERE.