Q: I’ve been using your Quick-Start Muscle-Building Guide for a few months in hopes of some change to gain, and I have never looked better. I did not know I could change my body this fast. I now have my teenage son starting with the Quick-Start Fast-Mass Program. He loves it and is growing quickly, but my question is about me. Considering my age, 47, can I and should I transition to using the 4X mass method on that workout? I’m getting strong and worried about joint damage.
A: Absolutely. The Quick-Start Fast-Mass Program is a great two-way split on which you train four days a week. It’s a good mix of big, compound exercises and more isolated moves for key muscle groups, and 4X will work well on all of them; however…
As you probably know, we’re big proponents of the change-to-gain concept–because you need to alter the stress on your muscle for them to grow. So we suggest you use Downward-Progression 4X on the big exercises (squats, bench presses, etc.) most of the time…
We introduced DP 4X in The Super-Size Crash Course, and it helped 18-year-old Jordon Williamson add slabs of muscle in only three months time. (You may want to get that e-book for you and your son–great workouts and mass methods for both of you. Go HERE.)
For DP 4X you take your 15-rep-max poundage, but you only do 12. Rest 40 seconds, add weight, then do 10; rest 40 seconds, add weight, then try for 8; rest 40 seconds one last time, add weight and try to eke out 4-6…
Even though the poundage gets heavier, the short rests between sets prevent joint-jarring loads–so you still get excellent growth-fiber activation safely…
Now on the isolation moves, like leg extensions, lateral raises and so on, you can use standard sets to failure or 4X–no weight increases (use the same weight all the way through four sets with short rests).
Incidentally, 4X and PS 4X will work well on any workout. Just plug in the method instead of standard sets on routines like Power POF in X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts.
On others in that e-book like Heavy-Light, you could do PS 4X on the heavy days and standard 4X on the light ones.
And on the 20-Rep Squat program, you could do 4X on everything other than squats, which get the high-rep torture treatment as described in Chapter 2.
Keep the change and big-gain train rolling for you and your son.