To recap last week’s newsletters, with Speed Sets—1.5-second reps, you’re involving more fast-twitch fibers along with slow-twitch on the early reps…
More than you do with a normal, slower rep speed…
On a standard, slower-tempo set, you get more of a cascade from slow-twitch early on to fast-twitch domination toward the end.
With a mix of standard sets and Speed Sets, as outlined in Old Man, Young Muscle, the faster you’ll grow due to unique fiber firing and variation in recruitment…
I realized that after I stopped doing Speed Sets as an experiment. That meant I not only increased the garbage-negative damage at each workout, I also lost the variation described above…
Result: I began to lose muscle. My bodyweight actually dropped into the low 180s without any apparent loss of body fat.
Once I resumed the Old Man, Young Muscle workout recipe of half standard sets and half Speed Sets, my bodyweight moved up over 190 again. I felt my clothes getting tighter, but the button on my pants wasn’t threatening to pop off, so I knew it wasn’t fat.
Here’s a quick shot I took in my bedroom unpumped. It was right after a nap, which is why the room is dark.…
My muscles have gotten rounder, and vascularity is more pronounced—at least for me at this time of year. It’s a sure sign of new hypertrophy, not more fat. I’m still sporting a winter layer, however, but it’s melting faster thanks to more muscle…
Bottom line: Give Speed Sets a try to pack on new muscle size.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For more mass-building tips like the above plus complete workouts that include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of 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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