Jonathan and I first began experimenting with Double-X Overload, or DXO, way back in 2005, the year after we introduced end-of-set X-Rep partials into our training…
X-Reps are piston-like 10-inch partials down low near the stretch point after full-range reps are complete. Always good to have a partner on the more precarious exercises, like bench presses…
And some exercises do not lend themselves to the X-Rep mass tactic, either due to leverage problems or fatigue. If you try them at the end of a set of, say, barbell squats, have a gurney standing by. (Don’t try it.)
So the next year, we devised a simple way to emphasize the important stretch area of the stroke on any exercise.…
For DXO, you do an X-Rep partial between each full rep. So on dumbbell curls, you would do a full rep, lower to full stretch, then pull only to here…
Lower back down to stretch, then pull all the way to your shoulders. Lower, X-Rep partial, full rep, and so on. You’re doubling up on the stretch portion of the stroke, the most important part for muscle growth…
You might call it One and one-thirds…
Jonathan and I were so inspired by our gains with this and a few other variations the year after we stumbled onto X Reps, that we put together an ebook, Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building.
Here are my progress pics from back then. The first photo is where I started in 2004, the X-Rep year. The middle is the results I achieved after five weeks reducing workout volume and adding X-Rep partials. Then the last photo is 2005, after introducing Double-X Overload and a few other X tactics…
I was definitely bigger and thicker in ’05—no steroids, no Photoshop, no bodypart transplants.
DXO was by far the most effective, and after we started using it, we noticed Mr. Olympia winners like Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman had been using it on multiple exercises. (We analyze Coleman’s workouts day by day in the last chapter of Beyond X, as they appeared on one of his training DVDs from that time.)
You may want to try DXO on one set of your ideal exercises to see how it goes—and then prepare to grow.
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
Recommended
Shoulder Pain?
Here’s Your Fix!
Shoulder pain can affect your workouts forever. That’s not good!
That’s why we’re recommending advice from injury specialist Rick Kaselj, MS. His tips can help make your shoulders nearly bullet-proof.
Here are a few general tips from Rick (he goes into more detail in his program)…
Top 5 Tips To Bullet-Proof Your Shoulders
- Build Tension in Your Lats. When doing shoulder exercises, activate your lats and keep your shoulders happy.
- Prime Up Your Muscles. Most people do a warm-up that just lubricates the joint, but you need to activate and turn on all the muscles in your upper body.
- Technique, Technique, Technique. This is the number one reason why people injure their shoulders. You can’t go to the gym every day and work on your max lift.
- Watch Out for Fatigue. Cooking your smaller muscles in your shoulder complex, and that increases the risk of shoulder injury and pain.
- Work on Your Shoulder Blade Muscles. Many strength coaches will say you’re wasting your time on this, but if you want to have bullet-proof shoulders, you need to work on them.
Get all of Rick’s tips and tricks for pain-free workouts below: