Q: I read that after a back workout, your lats should feel heavier because they’re so filled with blood. I’d never felt that before until I tried the back program in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout. Do you think I got that mega-pump and fullness because the routine alternates power sets with density sets? By the end, my lats were the most pumped they’ve ever been. My delts got insanely big too after the shoulder workout. I even saw veins! I’m psyched that I may finally get in the shape that girls will notice. Thanks.
A: You’ve hit the nail on the head. The bodypart routines in that Power-Density Mass Workout are designed so you stress the myofibrils, the force-generating actin and myosin strands in muscle fibers, with POWER sets, then you follow with DENSITY for sarcoplasmic expansion. The sarcoplasm is the energy fluid in muscle fibers…
You use that alternating approach over a few exercises for each muscle, following the full-range Positions-of-Flexion mass-building protocol. Here’s the delt routine, for those who would like to try the Power-Density approach (it’s on page 28 of the Power-Density Mass Workout)…
Midrange: Presses (heavy pyramid), 2 x 9, 7
Midrange: Dumbbell upright rows (4X), 4 x 10
Stretch: Incline one-arm laterals (heavy), 2 x 7-9
Contracted: Lateral raises (double drop), 1 x 10(7)(5)
If your shoulders don’t feel like boulders after the heavy stretch move, incline one-arm laterals, they will after a double-drop on standing laterals. That’s the BIG finish—you pick dumbbells that allow you to eke out 10 reps. Then you grab lighter dumbbells and rep out somewhere around 7. Then you grab an even lighter pair and go to failure, hitting the wall around 5. Talk about a full-blown pump to generate sarcoplasmic size…
Also, if presses aggravate your shoulders, you can flip-flop them with dumbbell upright rows. In other words, do the rows as your first exercise and the presses after with a 4X sequence—pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 30 seconds then do it again—and so on until you complete 4 sets. If you get 10 on your last set, add weight to that exercise at your next workout.
NOTE: Power-Density is a highly efficient mass-building strategy that doesn’t take a lot of time for each muscle—plus, it completes the full Positions-of-Flexion chain for total muscle development. It almost guarantees the full-muscle look that will draw a lot of attention. Get more info HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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The Great “Magnesium Conspiracy”
If you’re on social media, which we all are, you’ve been hearing a lot about magnesium lately. The fact is, magnesium deficiency could be one of the greatest health conspiracies in history…
First, let’s be clear: Magnesium is THE single most studied mineral in existence. It powers over 300 critical, life-saving reactions in your body (including dozens of shockers mentioned here).
To date, thousands of studies have proven it to be beneficial for the heart, energy, metabolism, immunity, sleep, pain relief, and more.
The only two-time Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling, recommended daily supplementation of magnesium (at least 350mg per day). So do over 100,000 courageous doctors—including top MDs from Harvard.
BUT THERE’S A PROBLEM…
- Most fortified foods/products use SYNTHETIC (chemical-made), low-grade magnesium the body can’t absorb, AND…
- Most ONLY CONTAIN 1-3 forms of magnesium (at best); when the reality is your body needs ALL 7 FORMS OF MAGNESIUM
Given how much magnesium helps with stress, sleep, heart health, energy and more, it’s easily one of the most dangerous health hoaxes ever.
THE GOOD NEWS: there’s a miracle that occurs when your body gets ALL the magnesium that it needs, in all the forms that it needs, at the optimal dosage.
Just remember — if you’re *only* taking one form of magnesium — YOU ARE STILL DEFICIENT!
===>> Why Getting ALL 7 FORMS Of Magnesium Lowers Stress, Fixes Sleep, and Boosts Healthy Metabolism