Q: The research on doing lactic acid-producing leg work before biceps training to get a growth spurt in the arms is very interesting. Do you think doing a high-rep set of biceps work can produce the same size-increasing acid result? After all, the anabolic acid production would be more localized in the target muscle [the biceps].
What you’re describing–a preliminary high-rep set for a target muscle–has proven to trigger more growth. In case you missed it, the research was performed in Brazil and reported on in the European Journal of Applied Physiology…
Researchers had one group do a preliminary set of leg extensions with 20 percent of their one-rep-max before moving to heavier sets. The other group did only standard sets with 75 percent of their 1RM. Rests between sets for both groups were 30 seconds to one minute (similar to our MMX method). Here are the results from the researchers…
“The men who started their workout with the light set built more strength than the men who trained their legs in the traditional way. The scans also showed that doing a set to failure with light weights resulted in a bigger increase in MUSCLE MASS.”
Why was that so effective? The scientists said that the high-rep set produced more size by “pre-fatiguing” slow-twitch fibers, forcing more fast-twitch type-2 fiber activation on the heavier sets. Interesting. But…
The extra mass may also be due to growth in the slow-twitch fibers. Jerry Brainum, a trusted bodybuilding authority for more than 40 years, said this recently:
“Some emerging evidence shows that the muscle fibers most affected when training with lighter loads and higher reps are the type-1 muscle fibers. These fibers are often referred to as ‘endurance fibers.’ In the past, it was thought that most muscular growth resulted from a hypertrophy of type-2 muscle fibers, and while this is still true, it’s now known that type-1 fibers are also capable of showing a significant level of muscular hypertrophy.”
That’s one more reason to use higher reps on some sets, like the first in a mass-building sequence. Another is lactic acid.
The study you mentioned on training arms after legs that showed a boost in biceps size is believed to be proof that systemic lactic acid production is anabolic and may improve testosterone receptors. Here’s what researchers Gabriel Wilson, Ph.D., and Jacob Wilson, Ph.D., had to say about it…
“[This study suggests] that training large bodyparts before smaller ones increases the smaller bodyparts’ growth. In addition, coupling lower- and upper-body exercises increases muscle growth and testosterone receptors within skeletal muscles.”
So this study as well as past research indicates the greater rise in testosterone and its receptors may be the result of greater metabolic stress, such as increases in lactic acid. (Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36(9):1499-1506. 2004.; J Appl Physiol. 74(2):882-887. 1993.)
Anabolic Acid Summary
To summarize, here are compelling reasons to use a preliminary high-rep set for each muscle before you do heavier low-rep work (the MMX method):
- Pre-fatigues slow-twitch fibers, which helps activate more fast-twitch growth fibers on heavier sets that follow.
- Increases the size of slow-twitch fibers, which appear to have more size potential than previously believed.
- Boosts local and systemic lactic acid production, which is anabolic and triggers testosterone receptor proliferation.
You can also boost your anabolic environment on your cardio day in a similar manner. We’re not talking slow-pace work here–you need to feel some burn without expelling too much energy, so a specific, quick interval protocol will work best.
We’ve used a 30-second sprint followed by a 30-second slow jog repeated a few times, but there’s a proven sequence you may want to try. Some research says it can increase anabolic hormone productions by over 500 percent in only 16 minutes…
If you’d like to read more about that proven hypertrophy-boosting protocol, see Anabolic Running.
Note: For more on using high-rep-set-first training to get heightened mass results, see The Max-Muscle X-pansion System–maximum size gains in mini time frames. MMX Fast Mega-Mass Workouts is filled with hypertrophic-priming info and programs based on the latest studies. This e-book contains 4 anabolic MMX workouts, multiple MMX target-muscle routines (about 10 minutes each), and much more. It’s jam-packed with size-building info, already a best-seller, with a reduced price right now…
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Till next time, train hard–and smart–for BIG results.
X-Rep.com