Q: I liked the suggestion of moving from The Anabolic Reload Mass Workout, with a high-rep set first to fatigue slow-twitch fibers (STX), to a workout with a heavy pyramid first followed by STX on a contracted move. After five weeks on that, I’d like to add in stretch-position exercises for more trauma/muscle stress and, I hope, more growth. Is there a workout you can suggest?
That’s how you get more growth, guaranteed. The addition of stretch-position exercises will inflict new muscle stress and a significant spike in muscle mass…
To review, hypertrophy researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., identified the 3 key hypertophic triggers for freaky mass development — and coincidentally they correspond to the Positions-of-Flexion mass-building protocol…
1) Mechanical tension (with heavier training) = POF midrange moves: squats, bench presses, etc.
2) Metabolic stress (by blocking blood flow during sufficient tension time for cell swelling) = POF contracted moves: leg extensions, machine flyes, etc.
3) Muscle damage (via microtears in the fibers) = POF stretch moves: sissy squats, DB flyes, etc.
Even with only midrange + contracted you will be getting all of the above. That’s because a controlled negative on the eccentric stroke of any exercise will cause muscle stress and (good) damage…
BUT you jack up that traumatic mass-building muscle stress by adding a stretch-position exercise. For example, your current midrange + contracted for triceps may be…
Close-grip bench presses (midrange), 3 x 9, 7, 5, adding weight on each set
Pushdowns (contracted), 2 x 20, 8 (high-rep-set-first STX)
To add a stretch move, put it smack in the middle to build on the heavy trauma triggered by the midrange pyramid like this…
Midrange: Close-grip bench presses, 3 x 9, 7, 5
Stretch: Overhead extensions, 1 x 7-9
Contracted: Pushdowns, 2 x 20, 8
To see that in action for all muscles in a 3-way split, check out the Size Surge Workout 3-Way Split, Phase 2, pages 55, 56 and 57 in The X-traordinary Size Surge Workout 2.0.
You can also use the 4X mass method on the contracted position exercise instead of the STX method for the same slow-twitch fiber fatigue but a bit more volume.
That method is explained in Chapter 6 of Size Surge 2.0, The Mass-4X Workout: Phase 2 Density for New Muscle Immensity. That chapter includes a complete workout outlined on pages 65, 66 and 67.
Bottom line: Adding a stretch exercise for one or two sets, will really fire up your freak-physique mass jets.
> The X-traordinary Size Surge Workout 2.0 is available for only $9 HERE.
Newest release: For more on mass-burst progression, a look at the latest hypertrophy studies along with a complete “ultimate-mass” program that incorporates ALL of that research, check out the new Anabolic Reload Mass Workout e-book HERE.
It’s jam-packed with information that can help you get the best muscle gains of your life — new mass-building info you can use to get huge.
Till next time, train hard — and smart — for BIG results.
— Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com