Dedicated to Your Physical Transformation
In our Zen 3 newsletter, we talked about Arnold’s biceps peak and his full-range workout (POF: standing curls, incline curls, concentration curls).
But Arnold’s secret to eye-popping bi’s: He trained his brachialis muscles directly. Those lengthy muscles snake under the biceps and connect down on the forearm. When the brachialis are beefed up underneath, they push the biceps higher when flexed—sky-high peaks. [Read more…]
Q: In the Size Surge 2.0 e-book, Phase 1 is all heavy sets. I don’t have any joint problems, but I love moderate-weight 4X training. I’ve gained over 5 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks with it. I don’t want to give it up completely now, but I do want to go on the 10-week Size Surge program. Can I use the same combination approach in Phase 1 that you outline in the new Phase 2 chapters; that is, heavy work on the big exercises and 4X on the more isolated ones?
A: We understand your concern about all-heavy training all the time. Lots of trainees (including us) have suddenly packed on more mass with a dose of moderate-weight, growth-threshold 4X—or even 10×10. That’s because training all-heavy for too long NEGLECTS sarcoplasmic expansion… [Read more…]
Q: I’ve been using the Pre-Ex 3X Workout program for a month, and my results have been crazy good. Fuller muscles, more vascular. One problem I’ve had is upright rows for shoulders. They’ve been hurting. Is there a good substitute?
A: First, are you using dumbbells? Using a barbell pins your hands and restricts freedom of movement. That can impinge the shoulder joint, especially if you pull your elbows higher than your shoulders. [Read more…]
Q: I can never decide whether to use dumbbells or a barbell for my bench presses. My training partner even argues about bent-over rows. He likes dumbbells and I like a barbell. How do we know which are the best mass-building exercises?
A: Well, when it comes to any type of bench press, dumbbells allow a fuller range of motion, less shoulder stress and a more natural movement…
HOWEVER, [Read more…]
Q: Your Positions-of-Flexion mass training has added 7 pounds of muscle to my body in two months! I’ve been using my favorite variations, like modified Pre-Ex and Pre-Ex 3X when possible. Change to gain, as you guys say. Great stuff. What about adding a ultimate mass finisher set? Is that something I should do to increase my size gains?
A: Yes, and we’ll give you one of the best ultimate mass finisher techniques we’ve discovered. But first a quick review—to build the suspense… [Read more…]
Our friend and colleague Doug Brignole just won the 2019 Drug-Free Mr. Universe Open division at age 59. Very impressive [photo courtesy of Doug Brignole ]… [Read more…]
Q: I’m new to your Positions-of-Flexion mass training, but it makes a lot of sense. I just got the POF e-book 3D Muscle Building, and I’ve tried most of the bodypart routines. Massive pump! Should I always use that exercise order—midrange, stretch, then contracted—for best muscle-size gains?
A: We used to never stray from that order because of the proven size-building synergy—but as you may have noticed in our newsletters, we’ve found order change can trigger new MASS gains. Let’s look at the standard order first… [Read more…]
Q: Your 4X training is fantastic. It has me growing again, and it’s perfect with 3-way POF. My question is about muscle feel. How important is it to feel your muscles working for size increases? I ask because I have trouble feeling some body parts, like shoulders and chest.
A: We believe it’s EXTREMELY important to feel your muscles working; if you don’t, you may be using other muscle groups to move the weight or simply not innervating enough muscle fibers for a big anabolic response. [Read more…]
Q: I gained 5 pounds of solid muscle when I moved to mostly 4X mass training for every bodypart. Then I shifted to Pre-Ex 3X whenever I could, or modified pre-ex when the gym was crowded, and I put on another three pounds with more vascularity. I’m loving your density methods. What can I do now for another change? I don’t want to go back to heavy training but I will if you think it’s a good idea. I’m just looking to explode with more crazy muscle mass.
A: We’ve got something you can experiment with that we’ve had some excellent success with in the past. It’s a unique DOUBLE modified pre-ex mass builder—you superset the contracted-position exercise with the stretch-position move FIRST, using a 3X sequence. Take 45 seconds between supersets… [Read more…]
Arnold was arguably the greatest bodybuilder ever, but when he came out of retirement in 1980 to enter the Mr. Olympia in Australia, many thought he tarnished his legend status… [Read more…]
