I’ve been reporting on Doug “Mr. America & Mr. Universe” Brignole’s latest training in which he does four sets per muscle on only one ideal exercise. His reps are: 30, 20, 15, 10.
He said that his muscle growth has been spectacular by training each muscle twice a week, four sets per workout. In fact, his gains have been so stellar, he’s thinking about coming out of retirement and competing again at age 63…
Here’s how he looked when he last competed, winning the Drug-Free Mr. Universe at age 59…
One key point is that he now keeps his rep count in the double digits for ALL sets. Interesting…
I’ve mentioned the study in the European Journal of Sports Science in which respected hypertrophy researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., was one of the scientists…
The results showed that higher-rep sets built muscle as well as or better than heavy lower-rep sets.
The group using 40 percent of a one-rep-max weight actually got slightly better hypertrophy results compared with the group using 80 percent 1RM weight.
Another study looked at lighter, high-rep vs. standard lower-rep training in experienced lifters…
And the results again shatter the myth that you need heavy weights to get optimal hypertrophy. Lighter weights for 30-ish reps produced even more mass than sets with 80 percent of 1RM…
The bonus with the high-rep sets is that they produced almost DOUBLE the growth in the slow-twitch fibers [J Appl Physiology 2016]…
In the new ebook, I have a quote from researcher Jerry Brainum…
It’s now known that type-1 fibers are capable of showing a significant level of muscular hypertrophy.
So using some higher-rep sets will stimulate more growth in your slow-twitch fibers. It’s one reason I almost always use high reps on the first set and taper from there…
If you look at my workouts in Old Man Young Muscle, you’ll see that most of my sets were in the double digits, and many were 20-plus reps.
That may explain how I got such great results with my 35-minute workouts three days a week in a pathetic home gym. Here are my progress pics, the second two taken just 10 weeks apart…
Now I’m wondering if I could’ve doubled my muscle growth with all sets in the 10-to-25 range. Probably not, but I’m going to follow Doug’s lead and experiment with more higher-rep sets in my Old Man Young Muscle workouts.
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, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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Testosterone prescriptions do more HARM than good for older men
Millions of men are struggling with the problems associated with low-T in today’s world, such as extra belly and chest fat, low energy and stamina, lack of sexual desire, ED problems, and loss of muscle.
Sadly, millions of men also turn to Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) to try to overcome these problems and try to feel like a new man again…BUT there are some VERY concerning problems with TRT that every man NEEDS to know.
After reading the article below, you might want to consider alternate routes of boosting your T levels naturally instead of through something that’s potentially as harmful as TRT…
–> Why Testosterone Replacement Therapy can do more HARM than good (for any ladies reading this, please pass this on to your husband or boyfriend if they are using or have considered using TRT)