Q: Thank you for clearing up the muscle-growth mystery for me. I always believed in going heavier and heavier to get bigger. Now I know that’s only a small part of the puzzle. Working in the 4X method, X Reps, drop sets, and even some of your high-rep TORQ sets has already gotten me bigger in just a few weeks. My question is, Do you think some people get a better size response from power training and others get more size from density [endurance] work?
A: Absolutely. As we mentioned in a previous newsletter, the BIGGEST powerlifters don’t train for sarcoplasmic (endurance fluid) expansion yet have good muscle size. That’s because they were big dudes in the first place, which may signify more myofibril-building capacity. That would explain their extraordinary strength. The myofibrils are the actin-myosin strands inside the muscle fiber that generate force, but for most trainees that’s not the key to ULTIMATE SIZE…
For example, MOST ectomorphs, a.k.a. hardgainers, don’t have a large capacity for myofibrillar growth. That explains why training with heavy-weight, low-rep sets doesn’t do a lot for them size wise. They respond BEST to longer tension times (higher-rep sets) and/or short rests between sets to trigger sarcoplasmic fluid expansion. That’s the FASTEST way for them to get BIGGER and achieve a bodybuilder look…
To clarify…
- Standard heavy sets and longer rests—four to eight reps with 2-plus minutes between sets—builds primarily MYOFIBRILLAR size for more force/strength.
- Longer-tension-time sets (30 to 60 seconds) and/or short rests between a number of sets (like 10×10 sequences) builds primarily SARCOPLASMIC size, a muscular-endurance characteristic.
Incidentally, the sarcoplasmic fluid is where the mitochondria are located. The mitochondria are known as energy generators—and that’s where FAT BURNING occurs. The more sarcoplasm you build, the better your fat-burning abilities. We believe that’s a big reason we’re able to stay fairly lean with plenty of muscle fullness over the winter without dieting—we both train with tension time in mind these days, not with extreme strength as a goal…
Also keep in mind that the sarcoplasmic fluid is where glycogen is stored. Glycogen is the energy substrate provided by carbohydrates, so you need carbs to replenish and expand the sarcoplasm so your muscles get big and full. The sarcoplasm sucks up glycogen from carbs, producing muscle fullness. That means extreme low-carb diets “starve” the sarcoplasm, which is why muscles get flat looking after long periods of very low-carb eating.
So if you want to get ULTIMATE muscle size as quickly as possible, do some power work to build your myofibrils, but concentrate on expanding the sarcoplasm. There are a number of ways to do both, including X-centric training (NA sets), 4X sequences (best balance of power and density training), X Reps (to extend the tension time of a power set), X-hybrid techniques, and tension-overload training (TORQ). Those all help you grow to your muscular best…
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
Get Your FREE Fix for Gas Attacks That Stop Your Mass
Here’s a new probiotic product to help your good gut bacteria dominate for optimum anabolic uptake so you get massive muscle gains. See for yourself with a FREE trial. This is great get-huge news…
To celebrate selling nearly 2 million bottles of their premium probiotic formula Pro-X10®, the founders of BioTrust Nutrition want to reward anyone who visits the link below today with a FREE 30-count bottle of this revolutionary gut-health yielding, muscle-building probiotic supplement… with ZERO strings attached!
It’s truly FREE (no autoship, no future charges – nothing; you pay only a small shipping fee). The premium and patented ingredients in Pro-X10 have been shown through research to:
- Significantly decrease the “bad” pathogenic, health-derailing, muscle-stifling bacteria in your gut
- Dramatically improve overall digestive health, gut-lining strength, AND immune health (your immunity needs to be optimal if you want to add muscle fast because your body’s first priority is health, not muscle size)
- Begin working ULTRA fast, with positive results seen in lab tests in as little as 5 short hours (while other traditional probiotics take weeks or months to improve your gut flora ratio, if ever)
Talk about research-backed results, not to mention off-the-chart muscle gains with renewed nutrient assimilation! Stop wasting workouts due to a “bad” gut. You’ve got nothing to lose, and plenty of new muscle to gain. Go to…