Dedicated to Your Physical Transformation
Q: Your last e-zine that outlined the Phase 1 Size Surge routine for freaky muscle building with Friday as a slow-twitch-exhaustion workout (one high-rep set first) was great. Doing bench presses starting with 20 reps, then adding weight for a heavier set had my pecs aching–but my triceps seem to die out first. Should I follow that with the isolation exercise using a high-rep set first also, just to make sure the target muscle is stimulated enough?
You could do that. [Read more…]
Q: On the quest for a mass burst, I’ve been spinning my wheels for a while with crazy workouts and almost no gains. I figure it’s time to go back to basics with a simple workout that I know works, the Phase 1 Size Surge program. Last time I used it, I gained almost 10 pounds of muscle. One change I would like to make is to incorporate the [Read more…]
Some bodybuilders seeking extreme muscle mass – for one reason or another – don’t like doing high reps first. Even after understanding the Brazilian study that shows more growth from high-rep slow-twitch fiber pre-exhaustion first (more info and workouts using that method on MMX Fast Mega-Mass Workouts). [Read more…]
We discuss a lot of mass-building studies, and we often get questions about altering the procedure of those studies to make the mass effect even more effective. What the heck are we talking about? For example… [Read more…]
We’ve been discussing extreme muscle growth and the anabolic impact of the recent realization that type-1 “endurance” fibers are also capable of showing a significant level of muscular hypertrophy. That may be why a longer time under tension for a muscle has shown more muscle-size increases than shorter sets–more slow-twitch activation and swelling… [Read more…]
We’ve been discussing interesting new hypertrophy discoveries that can have a significant impact on your muscle growth–perhaps even double your muscle. How? Well, first there’s this from researcher Jerry Brainum, a trusted bodybuilding authority for more than 40 years:
“Some emerging evidence shows that the muscle fibers most affected when training with lighter loads and higher reps are the type-1 muscle fibers. These fibers are [Read more…]
Q: You talk about including higher-rep sets in workouts so you build the fast-twitch fibers as well as the mitochondria and sarcoplasmic fluid. But in light of the new findings that slow-twitch fibers have much more growth potential than previously thought, couldn’t slow-twitch growth be the real reason bodybuilders who use both lighter weights and heavy weights develop extreme muscle size?
Yes, it is all of the above: fast-twitch AND slow-twitch swelling as well as sarcoplasmic fluid expansion and mitochondria proliferation… [Read more…]
Q: Using a high-rep set to failure to fatigue the slow-twitch fibers prior to heavy sets for extreme mass makes sense. My heavy sets have the feeling of deeper activation, and I also like the fact the the slow twitch ones get growth stimulation too, along with more fast-twitch. My problem is that I HATE high reps. Even doing just one set of 20 to 30, I’m sure I’m stopping way early because it’s boring, not to mention it hurts. Is there another way?
A: Yes, there is absolutely another way–and to understand why it works, you need to [Read more…]
Q: Doing one high-rep set first before heavy sets is your MMX method for more fast-twitch fiber activation and growth. Isn’t that first high-rep set just a glorified warmup set?
A more accurate word is “focused” or “targeted.” Why? Because you get the benefits of multiple lighter warmup sets with that one slow-twitch-exhaustion (STX) set, using 20-plus reps to failure… [Read more…]
We recently mentioned a new study that looked at lighter, high-rep vs. standard lower-rep training in experienced lifters (not beginners). It shattered the myth that you need heavy weights to get optimal growth in the fast-twitch fibers… [Read more…]
