Dedicated to Your Physical Transformation
Q: You’ve sent emails about specializing for lagging muscle groups. What is your favorite way to bring up the slacking bodyparts?
A: One of our favorite methods is one we borrowed from Arnold—with our own density twist…
We call it Staggered Density because we fuse Arnold’s staggered-sets method with 4X density. What does that mean? [Read more…]
Q: I tried DP 4X (downward-progression 4X) on my big midrange exercise with a speed drop set after the last one. Wow, what an amazing feel and pump. I do behind-the-neck presses for delts. Can I use speed sets on those too if I’m careful?
A: You could—but you may end up needing rotator cuff surgery… [Read more…]
Q: I’ve been using TORQ in my workouts, usually on my last isolation [or contracted-position] exercise. What a big difference. I usually do 30, 20 and 15 reps, then on the last I do a drop set or a double drop. Crazy pump. My question is, should I use the drop or double drop on the last set of my DP 4X sequence as well? I do that on the big midrange exercise, like pulldowns [12, 10, 8, 6–adding weight on each set, 40-second rests between sets].
A: You can use a drop or double drop on the last set of a TORQ, DP 4X or standard 4X sequence. It’s just one more way to get extra volume and overload for extreme mass creation… [Read more…]
Q: I have used 4X with 10 reps per set, but I see you’ve also used 15 to 20. Does that work? Will it get me bigger and more vascular? Is it better than standard TORQ [30-20-15]?
A: It’s really just another variation—semi-TORQ, if you will, but without a poundage increase on each set. It’s high-end hypertrophy with a density edge. [Read more…]
Q: I love the feel and pump I’m getting from TORQ [30-20-15] and Super TORQ [50-40-30-20-10]. My problem is on the drop sets on the last set. I am so fatigued, I don’t get many reps on the drops. I revert to the poundages I used on the previous sets, but no go. Should I just lighten the poundages even more for my drops?
A: That’s one solution. Another is to drop the get-big bomb by changing the parameters of the drops… [Read more…]
Q: I notice that you have been adding one X-centric set to the end of each bodypart workout. Is that enough to get the trauma necessary for myofibrillar thickening for muscle size?
A: Well, that’s part of the experiment. The idea is to train each muscle directly once a week–and hammer it with enough trauma so it requires seven days of recovery. Here is what Steve is trying, and it might help you swell your muscle cells… [Read more…]
Q: You guys have said that training each muscle only once a week never worked well for you. But now I see Steve doing that. Has he changed his mind? I’m 40 and wondering if that’s the best way for me to grow.
A: You may have heard the adage, “There’s no such thing as overtraining, only under-eating.” There is some truth to that–if you’re very young and a mesomorph [naturally muscular with good recovery ability]. In all cases, however, recovery is a must to pack on mass. [Read more…]
Q: I totally love the Power TORQ tactic. Going 30, 20 and then heavy for six to eight reps on the last set instead of 15 gives me a great feel, like new fibers are firing and growing. My problem: I have a bum shoulder, so I’m thinking of doing the last set of TORQ bench presses as a speed set instead of heavy. Do you approve? I really want to develop a freaky physique.
A: That fits right in with a new method we’ve been experimenting with, along with Power TORQ. We call it Speed-Shift TORQ (until we think of something better–LOL)… [Read more…]
Q: Incredible interview with [Mr. America] Doug Brignole in the Power-Density e-book. So cool that he has studied kinesiology and physiology and determined the number-one best exercise for each muscle. He said decline dumbbell presses are the best chest exercise for overall mass. Does he ever use barbell declines or Hammer-machine decline presses, which bring your hands from a wide stretch to close at the top for a better pec contraction? Or what about dips? [Read more…]
Q: I read that you guys got super ripped without doing any cardio. I also saw that Arnold had incredible fat loss with no cardio, relying on weight training only. Is that true?
A: According to John Balik, former Publisher of IRON MAN magazine and Arnold’s friend and one-time training partner, the only thing close to real cardio that Arnold did was occasional walking or running on the beach… [Read more…]
