Q: My workouts have been crazy good since I started using 4X. Now I’m anxious to try Downward-Progression 4X and Progressive-Speed 4X. I think I understand DP, but can you explain PS a bit more? If it’s better than regular 4X, I might grow 20 pounds of new muscle by my birthday. I’m in!
A: We’ve been discussed DP, or downward-progression, 4X, in the past and trainees always love it because of the pyramid. Here’s the drill…
Set 1: Take your 15RM, but only do 12 reps. Rest 45 seconds.
Set 2: Add weight, and do 10 reps. Rest 45 seconds.
Set 3: Add weight, and do 8 reps. Rest 45 seconds.
Set 4: Add weight one last time and try to grind out 6 reps.
A friend of ours is taking a kinesiology course at college from a renowned professor. He confirmed that speed sets, about 1.5 seconds per rep, can activate more growth fibers; however, he said it can be even more effective when used IMMEDIATELY after a heavier set…
Interesting. So here’s a unique addition to DP 4X…
After Set 4 above, immediately decrease the weight to about half and fire out a speed, or X-celeration, set. You may even want to use a different but similar exercise. For example, if you’re doing bench presses for DP 4X, after the last 6-rep set, immediately move to a speed set of pushups.
Okay, so what’s PS 4X? The PS stands for progressive speed. The late great Olympic coach and muscle-building expert Charles Poliquin said that the most neglected hypertrophic stimulator most bodybuilders never use is rep-tempo variation. That’s what lead us to PS 4X. Here’s the drill…
Set 1: Take your 15RM and do an X-centric, or negative-accentuated set. Lift in one second, lower in six on every rep. Rest 45 seconds.
Set 2: Use the same weight and do a standard set, lifting in one second and lowering in three. You should get around 10. Rest 45 seconds.
Set 3: Use the same weight and do a speed, or X-celeration, set—each rep lasting about 1.5 seconds. You should get around 12.
Now that’s the 3X sequence we like for most exercises. You can do two standard sets in the middle to make it a 4X sequence if you need more volume. We find that three is just right, especially if you’re following Positions-of-Flexion protocol and doing 3 different exercises per muscle group.
You can use either of the above 4X variations on the 4X exercises in the programs in The 4X Mass Workout 2.0, The Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0 or The X-centric Mass Workout.
There you go—two new 4X ways to grow.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
Doctors Prescribe This Sleep Mineral for Stubborn Fat
You’ve been told that sugar is the worst thing for your waistline, right?
Well, that’s WRONG!
A new study shows how POOR SLEEP can produce more insulin-related obesity than sugar consumption.
Insulin is the hormone that responds to blood sugar—and determines your weight gain (or fat loss).
This is why savvy doctors are now prescribing this ONE MINERAL for stubborn fat:
===> The “sleep mineral” that burns belly fat <===
And don’t forget, if you aren’t sleeping well, not only are you not burning as much fat as you could, you’re not building as much muscle MASS as you could. You need good SLEEP to GROW!
That means, in just 30 seconds per day, you can fix your sleep, fix the hormones that cause stubborn fat, and set the stage for serious muscle-size development.
You just need to make sure you get all seven forms of this potent mineral (most over-the-counter sources only have one or two forms).
===> Take this “sleep mineral” to burn belly fat and build new muscle mass