X Files Archives - X-REP.COM

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 158: Muscleman Beach Run

Here’s a rare shot of Joe Weider, Frank Zane, and Arnold running on the beach. Apparently Joe didn’t get the animal-print nut-hugger memo. [Read more…]

Mass Acceleration and Damage Reduction, Part 2

This is the continuation of a story Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus machines, relayed on the subject of muscle gain, overtraining, and recovery in the February/March 1972 issue of Muscle Training Illustrated. [Read more…]

Mass Acceleration and Damage Reduction, Part 1

In yesterday’s newsletter I discussed muscle damage and how it can impair growth. And that damage is not just a result of too many sets; it can also be the result of excessive intensity—and many times both. [Read more…]

Slightly Overtrain, Smother Mass Gains?

While Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus machines, wasn’t always right, and he’d call you a fool if you said he was wrong, his ideas on limited recovery ability are on the money. Here’s a quote from his 1971 Nautilus Bulletin #2: [Read more…]

Recovery and Your Mass-Building Genetics

I mention genetics a lot. It’s not an excuse, but a bodybuilding reality—and an arbiter in other athletic endeavors as well.

I’ve been training for over four decades and tried just about everything. At 5’10 1/2” I never weighed over 200 in fairly ripped condition—190 was my best. [Read more…]

Energy, Synergy, and Mass Intensity

One of the thickest bodybuilders of yesteryear, before drug use went totally off the rails, was Mike Mentzer.

His last contest was the 1980 Mr. Olympia, the controversial comeback win for Arnold in Australia. Mentzer placed fifth, which triggered his retirement and a swim through the pool of madness for a few years. The photo on the left is from that contest. [Read more…]