Q: I just got the Size Surge e-book and am anxious to start Phase 1’s 3-days-per-week program. I have many of your other e-books and follow your newsletters, and you talk about getting both power and density to max out size. But the Size Surge has all exercises in the 7-9 rep range only. Don’t I need higher reps too?
A: The true power rep range is 4-6. With the 7-9 range, you are getting a power-density mix; however, you’re right: Below 10 reps does emphasize the power component. And that can work amazingly well for a four-to-six-week phase, as Jonathan proved on the original Size Surge program, gaining 20 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks…
If you want to try it with a more balanced power-density approach, see the Mass F/X Program on pages 81-84 of the 3D Muscle Building e-book. At one workout for each bodypart, you do straight sets for more power emphasis. You also include end-of-set X-Rep partials to push growth-fiber activation higher. The delt routine looks like this…
DB presses (X Reps), 2 x 7-9
DB upright rows (X Reps), 2 x 7-9
Then at the next workout for that bodypart during the week, you do drop sets and multi-rep rest/pause for a density effect…
DB presses (R/P), 1 x 9(6)(4)
DB upright rows (drop), 1 x 9(6)
To perform a drop set, you do a set to exhaustion at around rep 9, then you reduce the weight and immediately perform another set to exhaustion—reaching it around rep 6.
For multi-rep rest/pause, a.k.a. DoggCrapp training, you do a set to exhaustion, failing at rep 9; rest 20 seconds, then do it again to exhaustion, failing at rep 6; rest 20 seconds, then do one last set to exhaustion, getting 3 to 5 reps. Notice that all 3 sets are to exhaustion with only 20 seconds of rest between each…
That power-density mix training three days a week is a great way to get a blast of new mass. Prepare to grow.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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