We’ve been dissecting the reasons why a 15-to-20-rep set to failure to begin each muscle group can do great things for hypertrophy…
And extending it with a quick Speed Set makes it even better by engaging more fast-twitch growth fibers as well as type 2x…
That STX method provides a way to train your entire muscle-fiber array…
As explained in Old Man Young Muscle and OMYM2, it’s a double-barreled hypertrophy sequence that reduces the amount of weight you can use—which means you get a lower risk of injury and preserve your joints without sacrificing muscle growth.
All of that is especially important for the older bodybuilder…
But there’s more good news for us geezers. Higher-rep sets with short rests can build and replenish your mitochondria to slow and perhaps reverse aging…
Studies suggest that “aging in model organisms is accompanied by a decline in mitochondrial function.” Therefore…
“The replacement of aged mitochondria with healthy, mutation-free ones, presents an alternative avenue to investigate as a potential anti-aging treatment.”
In case you haven’t discovered it yet, proper weight training is the closest thing we have to a Fountain of Youth—and the STX method above supercharges it.
So what is this mitochondria? It’s the energy powerhouse of the cell, found mostly in higher-endurance muscle fibers, namely type 1 and 2a.
Remember, the 15-to-20-rep-set fiber cascade is: 1 (endurance) —> 2a (endurance/power) —> 2b (power)
Low-rep sets with heavier weights don’t tax those type 1 and 2a fibers as much…
Even if you’re training conventionally—8-rep sets, 3-minute rests—you may want to intersperse STX workouts into your program…
Not only will you get more hypertrophy, you’ll also look and feel younger. Old Man Young Muscle indeed.
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