Q: I’ve had phenomenal muscle-size gains and strength increases since switching over to X Reps. I gained five pounds my first month with them! My question is, Do those build more of the myofibril strands or sarcoplasm fluid [in the muscle fibers] that you guys have been talking about? And can I use X Reps on 4X sequences?
A: For the uninitiated, X Reps are eight-inch partials you do in the semi-stretch position at the end of a set to failure. For example, when no more full-range reps are possible on incline presses, you lower the bar to about two inches off your chest and fire up to just below the halfway point for about three to four controled X-Rep explosions…
The semi-stretch point down near the bottom of the stroke is where the target muscle, in this case the upper pecs, can fire with the most fiber activation. In other words, those X-Rep partials can help bring in dormant fibers—high-threshold motor units—as well as forcing those that have already been working during the full-range reps to continue to fire…
So the fibers that worked through the full-range reps get more expansion of the sarcoplasm, the energy fluid in the fibers, from extending the set. Also, the dormant fibers you bring in during X Reps get growth in the myofibrils—the actin and myosin pairings that generate force…
So end-of-set X-Rep partials do good things for BOTH sides of the key 2A growth fibers. They also trigger more muscle burn, which can help produce a growth hormone surge. GH increases anabolism as well as fat burning. Do X Reps work? Check out this e-mail from Mike Semanoff we received a while back…
I gained 20 pounds of muscle in two months! I have been training for a long time, so I knew that I had to provide my muscles with a totally unique stimulus to really kick-start growth. I found my answer when I started reading about X Reps. I was very intrigued. The whole concept of attacking the semi-stretched point of the muscle really opened up a whole new world of training potential. Once I got the hang of X Reps, I started adding poundage fast and incorporating the technique on almost every set. Like clockwork the gains just keep coming. In fact, I just won the heavyweight division at the Mr. Utah, and I took the overall at the Northwest Regional Natural Bodybuilding Championships. Thank you!
As you can see, Mike built an impressive, full physique, and some if it was due to his X-Rep tweak. He was mostly training heavy, so adding X Reps to many of his sets no doubt extended tension time and stacked lots of sarcoplasmic size onto his myofibrillar mass—a double dose of muscle growth…
And, yes, you can use them with the 4X mass method—add X Reps to the last, or fourth set only. For example, on pulldowns, pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but only do 10. Rest 30 seconds, then do 10 more—and so on for four sets. On set four go to failure—till you can’t do any more full-range reps. When that occurs, do eight-to-10-inch partials at the top of the range—from just out of the arm’s-extended position down to just before halfway. You can also do it on chins, near the bottom; here’s the X range…
Three to five X Reps on the end of a set can make it much more effective—giving you two to four times more mass stimulation. According to John Balik, former IRON MAN Publisher and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former training partner:
X Reps are the single most important muscle-building concept to come along in years.
Give end-of-set X-Rep partials a try and get ready for a muscle-size-and-strength X-plosion.
NOTE: The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout e-book is on sale for only $7.99! It contains our proven findings and programs…
Also, our very first e-book, that includes initial X research and many programs with X Reps, including our original 5-week transformation workout, is The Ultimate Mass Workout, our #1 best-seller. Both are jam-packed with info you can use to get huge.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
What Would You Do to Protect Your Family?
Mike Westerdal is a renowned personal trainer and national best-selling physical preparedness author, but he’s also a father and a husband… who would do anything to protect his family.
He used to get pushed around when younger and spent years building up his body and becoming stronger, getting mentally and physically tough the hard way. As he got bigger, he learned to handle himself, and working in security, he learned first-hand how violence really plays out.
Some of the other guys online who show off their self-defense videos and books need to get a grip. The level of skill needed to pull off their basic moves is CRAZY for most ordinary people.
- If a defense system requires more than a few hours to master, it’s not a program.
- The only techniques you will ever use are the simple ones.
- They need to work for an ordinary person without prior training, technique, or ability.
- So even if you think you don’t have time to learn how to defend yourself…
- You don’t need to spend years training to be a martial artist.