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Muscle: Effectiveness vs. Sustainability

Q: Great newsletters on abbreviated workouts when things are tough. Nervous system overlap got my attention. I’ve been on your OMYM2 workout for a few months and have seen good growth. My question is, Does cardio on Monday affect the upper-body workout on Tuesday? You said that research shows nervous system stress on one day affects the next day’s activity, so should I switch and do the weight workout on Monday after the Sunday rest and cardio on Tuesday for better hypertrophy?

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3 Keys to Grow Muscle Faster

Do you want to build muscle as quickly as possible without having to resort to drugs or reincarnation? Of course you do—although coming back as Arnold’s massive great grandchild would be cool (Benno Dahmen photo)…

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Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 286: Don Howorth’s Legendary Delts

When you meet your cellmate your first day of prison and he says, “We’re going to have so much fun,” do not believe him.

Don Howorth posing at Vince's Gym

That’s actually Don Howorth, a Vince Gironda disciple and 1967 Mr. America. The photo was taken under the skylight at Vince’s Gym and had the bodybuilding world buzzing about his incredible shoulders. (Steve Downs photo)

One of Gironda’s and Howorth’s favorite cannonball delt moves was wide-grip upright rows. Vince often had trainees use a Smith machine, but dumbbells can be less restrictive…

Always stop the upward movement when your elbows are on the same plane as your shoulders to avoid joint injury.

Vince was a legendary Hollywood trainer who berated, er um, convinced us to move to Density Training—short rests between sets with moderate poundages.

He emphasized sculpting the physique rather than hammering it into submission. Here’s how Vince looked in his late 50s…

Vince Gironda at almost 60 years old

Now that we’re past middle age, we’re glad we latched onto his advice before the hammer—and possibly scalpel—came down on our joints.

Remember, you don’t have to use joint-crushing poundages to build massive muscles. And you should be able to train hard as you age without debilitating aches, pains, and/or surgery.

Use Density Training, like moderate-poundage STX, and emphasize the ideal exercises, the safest, most effective mass moves. For more, see the ebooks below.

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
X-Rep.com
 

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Isolation Best for Mass—But What About…

Q: The abbreviated workout you showed in your last newsletter is excellent. I’ve already tried it, and it’s perfect for me when I’m not up to the full OMYM workouts. One question: You mentioned that science has shown isolation exercises to be best, but in your ebooks you have dumbbell decline presses or cable chest presses as ideal for pecs. Both are compound exercises. Have you switched to cable flyes for more isolation?

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Ultimate Abbreviated Workout (inside)

Yesterday I addressed a question on training before or after a day of intense activity, like mountain biking or rock climbing…

I promised to outline a complete abbreviated workout with using only one STX rest/pause set for each muscle. That works because…

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How to Customize for Muscle Size

Q: I’ve incorporated a lot of ideas from your STX training and have gotten both stronger and more muscular. I also do a lot of outdoor activities like biking, climbing, and skiing. I sometimes feel that I’m not fully recovered for my next workout, possibly due to those activities. Should I cut back from your full STX workout when I’m doing more outside the gym? If so, should I reduce frequency, intensity or number of sets?

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