I’m a slow-twitch-dominant “scarecrow,” a.k.a, ectomorph. For some reason, though, I’ve never quite understood why I gain more mass with higher reps. Maybe a wizard can help with my brain thing…
Hypertrophy researcher Chris Beardsley said something that jumped out at me like a flying monkey…
For highly oxidative [slow-twitch] muscle fibers to increase in diameter, they need to increase mitochondrial density. It has been estimated that large increases in mitochondrial density of highly oxidative muscle fibers require very large increases in capillarization (measured as the number of capillaries per fiber), while only modest increases in capillarization seem to be necessary for less-oxidative muscle fibers [fast-twitch] to increase in diameter.
Perhaps that’s the answer…
By doing high-rep sets, you engage more slow-twitch fibers throughout that set—as opposed to a low-rep set. In theory, that should help increase mitochondrial density and capillarization due to the extended occlusion, or blood-flow blocking, on those slow-twitchers…
For example, on a 20-rep set, the first 15 or so reps are slow-twitch dominant. Those endurance fibers are grinding in a low-oxygen environment, eventually taking their last gasp. They then hand off to mostly fast-twitch for the last five or so reps…
So a few sets in double-digits should have the slow- and fast-twitch fibers comparably primed for growth.
That’s one of the big reasons the Old Man, Young Muscle workouts work so well and build size quickly. Most sets are in the double digits, and the first set is 20-plus.
Also, contracted-position exercises that keep tension on the muscle throughout the stroke of every rep can enhance slow-twitch capillarization—continuous tension for blood-flow blockage. You can find a list of those add-on exercises for each muscle, as well as the ideal exercises, on pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
There’s another possible reason this faster growth happened for me, which I’ll talk about tomorrow—unless a witch sets me on fire. Stay tuned.
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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