Q: I’m having a really hard time putting on any muscle weight. I’m 6’1” and weigh 165. I just can’t seem to get much progress. I’m using your POF X-Rep program but have only gotten okay results in the first month, and I’m working it pretty hard. It’s frustrating when I see other guys who can get big fast while I’m a 26-year-old guy who can’t seem to make much progress. Do you have any suggestions to help?
A: Everyone’s genetics are different (plus, you may not know who’s getting pharmaceutical help). The bottom line is that you may not be perfectly suited for putting on muscle fast; however, with consistent hard training you should be able to transform your physique. Keep in mind that most bodybuilders only add about 10 to 15 pounds of muscle per year, which is about one pound a month…
Steve, who’s also an ectomorph like you, added 15 pounds with sporadic training his FIRST year and, by training correctly and consistently, eventually went from 120 to 200 pounds in ripped condition…
Full-range Positions-of-Flexion mass training helped him get that 80-pound gain. But realize that he also rotated in basic workouts now and then, which produced excellent change for more gains (and we still do that today, but not as often)…
So a good mass-packing plan for you NOW is to move to a basic big-exercise routine for a month or so, then go back to full POF full-range training, alternating between the two every four or five weeks…
That’s how Jonathan packed on 20 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks. While he was regaining some muscle he had previously, he also added at least 10 pounds of new muscle in about 2 1/2 months. That’s amazing and proof that the routine-rotation strategy is a good one. His before and after pics and story are on our Size Surge Workout page. (Note that his 10-week program uses this rotation approach, with a basic program followed by full-on POF.]
For example, you’re currently using the POF X-Rep program. We assume you mean the one in The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout e-book on pages 37-40. If you’ve been on it for at least four weeks, now is a good time to switch to The Basic X-traordinary X-Rep Workout on pages 28-30 of that same e-book…
Notice in that basic workout you use only the big Ultimate Exercise for each muscle—pyramid the poundage over a few sets for power and then finish with a single drop set for density. Very quick, very efficient…
The basic routine will allow more recovery as well as anabolic hormone release. Then after four or five weeks, switch back to the full-range POF program, and you’ll get a size-building shock effect with the stretch overload and the tension/occlusion from stretch- and contracted-position exercises.
Also, be sure you’re getting enough calories—at least 30 grams of protein at each of six feedings a day along with a protein shake before bed to fend off overnight muscle loss (catabolism). We like BioTrust Low-Carb protein, as it has a great protein array to help you stay in positive nitrogen balance most of the night.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
X-Rep.com
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The “New” Perfect Physique
You’ve probably believed that women go crazy over huge muscles. You’ve probably even aspired to look like Arnold at some point.
The picture of the perfect physique seems to have changed over the years…
There were several years when it seemed women preferred a leaner and smaller physique like Brad Pitt’s in Fight Club.
Luckily, that seems to have just been a fad, and a more muscular look has become more desired again. Not pro bodybuilder big, but something in between with good muscularity and chiseled detail…
Alain Gonzales refers to it as the “Athletic-Aesthetic” physique, and women go wild over it.
Check out Alain’s 12-week program here: