Q: I know that you like all sets in your workouts to failure or close. I’m wondering if you ever tried the 10-sets-of-10 method. Most of the sets are easy, with only the last two sets to failure. Is it worth trying?
A: Yes, Jonathan and I used 10×10 at the Iron Man Training & Research Center for about two months and got good gains; however…
I’m not sure how efficient it is. It’s taking you a lot of slow-twitch-exhaustion sets to finally activate the fast-twitch high-threshold motor units…
You are getting loads of capillary-expansion work and blood to the muscle, so it has its merits…
For the uninitiated, for 10×10 you take a weight with which you can get 20 reps, but you only do 10. Rest, then do another 10, and so on for 10 sets…
When we used it, we rested only as long as it took for the other trainee to finish his set. So Jonathan would go, then I would immediately go until we had completed all 10 sets.
Vince Gironda’s 8×8 system was similar, only you rested 20 seconds between sets.
With 10×10 the first seven sets get progressively harder—but the early ones feel easy, almost too easy. But by set eight, the struggle is real…
By sets nine and 10, you’ll have trouble completing your 10 reps. If you get 10 on both, you need to use more weight at your next workout…
Do only one exercise for each muscle group. In The Ultimate 10×10 Mass-Building Workout ebook, we have almost all compound exercises. That’s a good way to go, but now I would highly recommend the “ideal” exercises as shown in Old Man, Young Muscle.
Remember, with the short rests, you’ll complete each exercise in less than 15 minutes—and the target muscle will be hammered…
For me, 10 sets is too many. I’d whittle it down to fewer sets—maybe 5×10 or 4×12. If you’re younger, 10×10 or Vince’s 8×8 may be the ticket to some quick new growth…
But you’ll probably burn out after six weeks or less. We did—we needed something new. We did get results during that phase, however….
If you need some motivation, here’s a quote we used in the 10×10 ebook from Olympic coach and hypertrophy expert the late Charles Poliquin…
The program works because it targets a group of motor units, exposing them to an extensive volume of repeated efforts, specifically 10 sets of a single exercise. The body adapts to the extraordinary stress by hypertrophying the target fibers. To say this program adds muscle fast is an understatement. Gains of 10 pound or more in six weeks are not uncommon, even in experienced lifters.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For complete mass workouts that include Speed Sets, the ideal exercise for each muscle, and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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