We featured Danny Padilla back in Zen #19, but after recently running across the gym photo below, we had to include him again. That’s because every time we see it, all we can say is, “Damn!”
“The Giant Killer” was only 5’2”, but his perfect mass-symmetry combo allowed him to beat bodybuilders who were much taller and larger than he was back in the 1980s. Yes, his genetics helped him accomplish that, but his training method was also a key factor…
For each exercise, he used a moderate weight for 12 reps per set with short rests between—never more than a minute. When he was able to do 12 on all five sets, he would up the weight a bit. The first sets were fairly easy; the last few were brutally hard…
It worked so well because the first few sets were exhausting primarily slow-twitch fibers—and getting them to grow. The last two sets were very difficult and had him activating loads of fast-twitch growth fibers, even though he was using only moderate poundages.
By the way, that’s a great way to train at home because of the need for only moderate poundages. You could even do 4×15, 8×8 (a Vince Gironda favorite), or even the famous 10×10.
The key is that you use the same weight all the way through. Obviously, if you go with 10×10, the poundage will be even lighter than a 5×12 or our 4X sequence. And with the classic 10×10 method, you use only ONE exercise per muscle—and a 30-second rest between sets…
That means with 10×10 you can get an incredible workout for each body part in about 10 minutes with a fairly light poundage (again, perfect for home training—sissy squats for quads will give you insane quad-growth pain).
Bottom line: Our 4X method, based on Padilla’s and Gironda’s workouts, or 10×10, based on German Volume Training, are very efficient ways to build more muscle, hypertrophying all fiber types—even at home.
As our friend, late muscle-and-strength building researcher and Olympic coach Charles Poliquin said…
10×10 works because it targets a group of motor units, exposing them to an extensive volume of repeated efforts, specifically, 10 sets of a single exercise. The body adapts to the extraordinary stress by hypertrophying the targeted fibers. To say this program adds muscle fast is an understatement. Gains of 10 pounds or more in six weeks are not uncommon, even in experienced lifter.
Try Density Training for total-muscle-fiber size gaining—even at home.…
> The Ultimate 10×10 Mass Workout is available HERE
> The 4X Mass Workout 2.0 is available HERE
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
“[Arnold’s] just a fat f#@k” — say what?
Iron Man Publisher John Balik worked at Vince’s Gym in Studio City back in the ’60s. He has great memories—and funny stories—like when Arnold walked in for the first time…
“I am Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe,” the Oak proclaimed proudly…
Vince looked up over his glasses, paused and said, “You look like just a fat f#@k to me.” And looked back down.
It brought Arnold down to earth and made him realize he needed to be more polished, more ripped, to be the greatest of all time…
And that’s what he did, winning the Mr.Olympia seven times…
We can say from experience that Vince was unique in his approach to both people and training…
We’ve got the over-300-page e-book anthology on Vince and all of his methods, and it’s a treasure trove of mass-building, physique-etching info. You’ll definitely want this in your mass-building library for sure…
–> Check out Vince Gironda: Legend & Myth HERE
It will blow your mind and blow up our muscles—everything from Train 21 Rest 7 to 10-8-6-15 to Vince’s Stone Age Nutrition to Failure vs. 60-80 and much, much more (remember, it’s over 300 pages!).