Q: Your Pre-Ex 3X Mass Workout is just what I needed. It boosted my mass considerably (about five pounds so far), and my joints feel great. One question, though: Is there a way to intensify it without adding more rounds? Going from three to four might wipe me out too much and cause overtraining.
A: We often suggest altering the LAST set in a Pre-Ex cycle. For example, if you’re doing cable crossovers (isolation) supersetted with bench presses (compound), you could add a rest/pause set to one or both exercises on the last round…
So on that third cycle, you’d do crossovers to failure, rest 10 seconds, then do another set of crossovers to failure. Now immediately go to bench presses, rep out to failure, rest 10 seconds, then do another set to failure…
Even that can be rather grueling because you have so much fatigue accumulation from two previous pre-ex supersets. Here’s another alternative we use often…
Do the entire Pre-Ex 3X routine, which is contracted-position exercise supersetted with the big midrange move for three rounds, 45 seconds of rest between supersets. Then do a standard 4X sequence on the stretch-position exercise. You’ve completed the full-range Positions-of-Flexion chain, so…
You can now add a mass booster: To end your bodypart routine, pick a DIFFERENT midrange exercise and do one set with a unique intensity technique. Here are 3 favorites for your additional mass-boosting set…
1) Pure-negative reps. Say you choose leg presses as your add-on exercise for quads. Load a weight that’s about 70 percent of your normal 10-rep poundage. Now lift with both legs in one second, but lower with your right leg only for six seconds. Up with both, lower with your right. Keep lowering slowly with your right leg until you can no longer manage 6 seconds—6-8 pure-negative reps. Rest for 20 seconds, then repeat with your left leg…
For pressing movements, like bench presses or overhead presses, use a Smith machine. Remember hit one side first, rest, then train the other side.
For some exercise, like chins or dips, you can use your legs to get into the top position and lower slowly. That allows you to train both sides at once.
2) X-centric reps. This is similar to negatives, but a bit less traumatic. You can use more than 70 percent of your 1-rep max weight because you train both sides at the same time. Lift in one second, lower in six to eight seconds. Really feel the target muscle working. Shoot for seven or eight X-centric reps.
Like pure negatives, this will trigger microtears in the muscle fibers’ myofibrils. That’s a key to new muscle size as well as heightened fat burning (you burn more fat outside the gym as your muscles rebuild—how great is that?).
3) Speed reps. Use the 70 percent poundage here, but instead of slow, you move fast—on both the positive and negative. Not so fast that you could get injured, but fast enough to engage new muscle fibers and provide unique mass stimulation. Each rep should take about 1.5 seconds, so 10 reps will take only about 15 to 20 seconds…
Research has shown that speed reps can innervate dormant type-2 growth fibers. And the more fibers you can stimulate, the more mass you will accumulate. Just keep it safe and controlled—do NOT throw or jerk the weight…
That’s all it takes. One unique set added to a bodypart routine’s backend can get you GROWING again, big time. Try adding some of these to the Pre-Ex 3X routine.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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