Q: Being drug-free, I was very interested in The 4X Mass Workout. Considering the colleague you mention in that e-book who has trained with a lot of pros while he was using drugs and that he also trained drug-free, his advice is priceless. For drug-free guys, he says he likes 3 weeks of high-intensity-style power training alternated with 3 weeks of lower-intensity, slightly higher-volume workouts. What do you think about this for a big mass blast: 3 weeks of total-10×10 training, followed by 3 weeks of total-4X workouts, followed by 3 weeks of the 3D Power Pyramid [a straight-set lower-rep Positions-of-Flexion workout listed in The Freak Physique e-book]?
A: That looks like a great mass-building, progress-yielding progression. You shift gears every 3 weeks for plenty of muscle-stimulation tweaks…
10×10 for the first 3 weeks gives you PURE DENSITY training so you totally blitz that side of the key 2A mass fibers. Your muscle pumps will be outrageous, but three weeks is about right to get the best mass blast from that style of training. Plus, that’s when you’ll start getting bored doing 10 sets of one exercise for each muscle (even though with 30 seconds between sets it only takes about 10 minutes to completely thrash a bodypart).
The next 3 weeks is total-4X workouts, which gives you a mix of POWER AND DENSITY. Only the last set of each 4-set sequence is to all-out exhaustion—much like 10×10. But you use heavier weights than on 10×10. That’s because you only do 4 sets. You also do more than one exercise per bodypart, so you get new mass stimulation. Fewer sets on more exercises gives you a power edge, a multi-angled mass-building attack, and a unique deep muscle burn.
For the last 3 weeks you use multi-angular Positions of Flexion—the 3D Power Pyramid. That shifts your muscles into PURE-POWER mode with only minor density edges. That will satisfy your craving for heavier poundages and build new neuromuscular efficiency—which will give your muscles more punch if you cycle back to 10×10 again for another 3-week pure-density blast.
We haven’t tried it, but on paper, your 9-week workout stack should be an incredibly effective mass blast. Prepare to grow, and let us know how it goes!
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
ATTENTION OVER-40 BODYBUILDERS
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.