Q: I totally get the idea of Power-Density for more muscle size, and I notice that some of the top bodybuilders use that type of mix. I’m not sure how X Reps fit in, though. Is a set with X Reps more power or density? And why are they so great? Aren’t they just a few short-range movements at the end of a set?
A: Considering the studies that show the biggest bodybuilders’ muscles are jam-packed with type 2A fibers, the ones with both power and endurance (density) capabilities, all bodybuilders should be using both types of sets (and X Reps can help, as you’ll see).
Even when Arnold was in his prime, he’d do a power pyramid on an exercise, adding weight to get fewer reps, and then end with one or two higher-rep sets for density. He knew instinctively that the Power-Density combo is what it took to get massive (photo by Caruso—for more on Arnold’s power-density methods, see The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout)…
What about X Reps? For the uninitiated, they are short end-of-set eight-inch pulses at the semi-stretch position—such as near the bottom of an incline press. So you do a full-range set to exhaustion, then you lower to where the target muscle is somewhat stretched and do short, eight-inch pulses. They are very intense, so we usually do them only on the last set of any big exercise…
Those “few short-range movements” do a number of excellent things for packing on mass—and also for fat loss…
1) X-cess fiber activation. When a muscle fails with a heavy weight, at say 8 reps, it’s the nervous system that craps out. In fact, most researchers estimate that on any given set to exhaustion, you’ve only used 30 percent of a muscle’s fast-twitch fibers—and hardgainers with low neuromuscular efficiency hit even fewer than that. X Reps can help jack up that percentage…
If you move the bar to the semi-stretch point, such as near the bottom of a press or chinup, that’s the strongest point on the stroke for the target muscle to fire—and therefore you activate more fibers. So pulsing in that low X Spot helps you surpass that 30 percent mark, making a set three to five times more effective at stimulating mass.
2) X-tra tension time. By adding three to five X-Rep partials at the end of a set, you provide more density by keeping the muscle under tension for a longer period. That can better stimulate the key 2A growth fibers that are already engaged, providing some density emphasis to enhance growth in the endurance constituents of those fibers.
3) X-tended muscle burn. By continuing a set with partials, you automatically up the fatigue factor and amplify muscle burn. That firestorm is linked to growth hormone output, which is a potent fat burner. The more you get your body to produce, the faster your fat-to-muscle effect will be. (Can J Appl Physio. 22:244-255; 1997)
Bottom line: By simply adding three to five X-Rep partials at the end of the last set at the key X spot on the stroke, you get more muscle stimulation as well as fat-burning activation. As you can see, X-Reps are both power and density, not to mention an uptick in major muscle-building intensity.
So, yes, X Reps are pretty great—and if that’s the case, how about doing X-Rep-only sets for even more mass effects? Good question, and one we’ll discuss again soon.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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