Q: In Old Man Young Muscle you have a Base Workout for upper body and one for lower body. Then you have a separate chapter on full-range Positions-of-Flexion [stretch-first] workouts. How often do you switch to that from the Base Workout?
A: First, in all of my workouts I emphasize the ideal exercise for each muscle…
In the Base Workouts, the ideal move is first for the majority of sets. I follow with a couple of sets of another exercise that addresses a missing hypertrophy-boosting factor, like stretch or continuous tension.
For example, I’ll start triceps with three sets of dumbbell decline extensions, the ideal, followed by two sets of pushdowns for continuous-tension contracted-position work.
Now with the Stretch-First POF Workouts, which are loosely based on Mike Mentzer’s pre-exhaustion strategy, I start with a stretch exercise for each muscle—but only for one set if it’s not ideal…
For triceps, I’ll do high-incline dumbbell triceps extensions for stretch, one 20-rep set. I follow with two sets of cable triceps extensions, an ideal exercise, and one set of kickbacks for contraction.
So while the ideal exercise still gets more sets, I don’t do it first. As for your question…
When do I do that stretch-only full-POF version? I don’t have a set schedule. I know it’s time when I’m NOT looking forward to my Base Workout. I feel some dread or apathy creeping in…
Once I decide it’s time to do the alternate POF workout, I feel a wave of motivation. As you know, Big Mo is critical for staying on the gain train…
It’s also important for complete muscle growth due to subjecting the target muscle to some different exercises…
As I discuss in the new ebook, researchers Steven J. Fleck and William J. Kraemer, both Ph.D.s, say this…
Muscle-fiber recruitment order in the quadriceps for the performance of a leg extension is different from that of a squat. Variation in the recruitment order may be one of the factors responsible for the specificity of strength gains to a particular exercise. The variation in recruitment order provides evidence that to completely develop a particular muscle, it must be [trained] with several different movements or exercises.
So while I’m onboard with emphasizing the ideal exercise for each muscle, I also like to add in others for unique hypertrophy benefits, as you can see from my two different triceps workouts above.
Those ancillary exercises are like the Secret Sauce on a Big Mac—not mandatory, but it sure makes the burger more satisfying.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief
www.X-Rep.com
FREE Protein!
One of our favorite proteins has a try-it-free, no-strings offer, and we don’t want you to miss out. No, this is not a trick or scam—it’s simply a way for BioTrust to get you to try their great Low-Carb protein, no strings whatsoever (just pay a small shipping cost). We’re not kidding…This is an incredible offer, but there’s a limited supply, so grab yours today before the offer runs out** —and it’s delicious, by the way!
–> Get Your FREE Container NOW! (limited inventory)
**One free container per household