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Solving the Big-Muscle Puzzle

Dumbell shrugs

Q: Thank you for clearing up the muscle-growth mystery for me. I always believed in going heavier and heavier to get bigger. Now I know that’s only a small part of the puzzle. Working in the 4X method, X Reps, drop sets, and even some of your high-rep TORQ sets has already gotten me bigger in just a few weeks. My question is, Do you think some people get a better size response from power training and others get more size from density [endurance] work?

A: Absolutely. As we mentioned in a previous newsletter, the BIGGEST powerlifters don’t train for sarcoplasmic (endurance fluid) expansion yet have good muscle size. That’s because they were big dudes in the first place, which may signify more myofibril-building capacity. That would explain their extraordinary strength. The myofibrils are the actin-myosin strands inside the muscle fiber that generate force, but for most trainees that’s not the key to ULTIMATE SIZE… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x10, 4x method, actin, bad gas, biotrust probiotic, drop sets, ectomorphs, fat burning, force generation, free probiotics, free supplements, glycogen, hardgainers, heavy sets, mass building, mitochondria, muscle building, muscle fullness, muscle growth, myofibrillar growth, myosin, powerlifters, pro-x10, sarcoplasmic expansion, tension overload, tension time, TORQ, X Reps, x-centric, x-hybrid techniques

The Forgotten Size Concept for Ultimate Mass

Mentzer side triceps - Arnold vs. Mentzer—No-Cardio Fat-to-Muscle Training

Q: I’ve read a lot of Mike Mentzer’s high-intensity info, and he said that the pump didn’t matter as far as muscle growth is concerned. He said a lot of the biggest powerlifters never get a pump yet carry a lot of mass. So shouldn’t heavy sets be the core of a mass-building routine?

A: Mentzer was partially right—but leaning more toward being mostly wrong. You don’t need a pump IF you’re only after primarily myofibrillar growth (strength). The myofibrils are the strands of actin and myosin inside the muscle fiber. Those grab onto each other to generate force. Training heavy increases their size and your strength—but science is finding that they are more about producing strength with less-than-stellar effects on muscle size… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: actin, biotrust protein, force generation, forgotten size concept, free protein, free supplements, heavy duty, hypertrophy, Joe Luther, mass building, mass-building routine, mike mentzer, mr. olympia, mr. universe, muscle building, muscle pump, muscle size, myofibrillar growth, myosin, powerlifters, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, strength, ultimate mass

“Wow! You’re looking seriously bigger, bro.”

Q: I just want to thank you for another killer variation of 4X, “downward-progression.” I’ve only been using it for a couple of weeks on the big exercises, but a guy at the gym came up to me today and said, “You’re looking seriously bigger, bro.” It’s working great and is perfect with regular 4X and TORQ (tension-overload repetition quantity). I’m using DP 4X on the heavy power exercises in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0, with 4X and TORQ on the others. I’m very impressed, and apparently growing more impressive. Lol. Thank you.

A: Interesting you say that because both of us received similar compliments in the gym when we started rotating in downward-progression 4X. One guy told Jonathan his arms were looking huge, and Steve got, “If you’re trying to get bigger, it’s working.” They both left off the “bro.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, actin, alain gonzales, athletic-aesthetic physique, bigger, brad pitt, density training, downward-progression, downward-progression 4x, dp 4x, home-gym training, myosin, perfect physique, power-density, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, TORQ, Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout

One-Day Blast for More Mass

Ripped back on pulldowns - Shift Your Anabolic Mass Machine Into Overdrive With Progressive Speed

Q: I’m not gonna lie… I sometimes get bored with my training or just have random days when my motivation is a bit low. That makes it tough to get to the gym, but I really don’t want to skip a day because of that. What if I took random days here and there to do only one exercise for each muscle. Would that be good for growth, and how often could I do that?

A: Any deviation from the norm will shock new muscle size, especially if it’s something that challenges your growth threshold like 10×10 of only one exercise. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x10, actin, bodyweight training, build mass, force-generation, more mass, motivation, muscle-protein synthesis, myofibrillar, myosin, negative-accentuated, negatives, sarcoplasm, slow negatives, variation, vascularity, x-centric

Power-Pump: Combo to Grow More Muscle

Q: I recently went from training heavy on everything to [moderate-weight] 4X. I’m convinced that it’s genius. I gained four pounds in two weeks. My question is, What do you think of doing the first set heavy with low reps, then do a 3X after? That should get both size factors, right?

A: That’s a great variation. Of course, it’ll take a bit longer because you have to do some warmup sets. Then you do your heavy set, followed by a 3X sequence. We have a similar power-pump style of strategy in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout…

In the Basic Workout, you do one exercise per bodypart. For example, for midback you do this: [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3x, 4X, actin, basic workout, combo to grow, deadlift, full-range pof, growth fibers, heavy pyramids, myofibrils, myosin, power-density, power-pump, sarcoplasm, sequential flow method, stretch overload, tight hips, unlock your hips

Low Reps Plus Short Rests for Mass-Building Success?

Q: I’ve always gotten pretty good size and strength gains from heavy weights and using the six-to-eight-rep range. Could I be more myofibrillar dominant? And, if so, do you think I would benefit more by doing 4X mass training with lower reps, say 4×6, but still with short rests so that my sarcoplasm gets growth benefits as well?

A: Great question! For new readers, the myofibrils are the force-generating actin and myosin strands in the muscle fibers. If you have more of those than usual, you would be considered myofibrillar dominant. A good example of that is Mike Mentzer, who was squatting over 500 pounds at age 16…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x mass training, 4x mass workout, actin, bodybuilders, Charles Poliquin, gains, hardgainers, home protection, hypertrophy, low reps, mass building, mike mentzer, mike westerdal, myofibrillar expansion, myofibrils, myosin, powerlifters, pre-exhaustion, pre-fatigue, protect your family, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, self-defense, short rests, size gains, strength gains

Contract + elongate to pack on muscle weight

Contracted leg extensions

In most of our mass-training e-books we say that the semi-elongated, or stretch, position on an exercise’s stroke is most important to pack on muscle weight. Why?

Here’s a quote we used in The Ultimate Mass Workout from strength and hypertrophy researchers Steven J. Fleck, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer, Ph.D. (Don’t fall asleep as you read it; we will translate—lol)… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: actin, beyond x-rep, dxo, fiber activation, mass training, muscle fibers, muscle weight, myosin, partial reps, PhD., size stimulation, stage sets, Steven J. Fleck Ph.D, UMW, William J. Kraemer

Muscle-Building Mistake You Can’t Afford to Make

Dumbbell flyes, stretch position - Muscle-Building Mistake You Can't Afford to Make

Q: A lot of bodybuilders go all power in the off-season. They push for more strength so size will follow. I’m thinking about using the Phase 1 program in Size Surge for that purpose—mostly big exercises with heavy weights training three days a week so I get plenty of recover-and-grow time. Would that program be okay to use for the entire 10 weeks instead of moving to Phase 2?

A: You’re right, even Arnold used to do a two-to-three-month power phase in the winter—but it wasn’t heavy low reps on every exercise, as we’ll explain. That’s the problem with the way most trainees do it: They go heavy on ALL exercises all the time for too long and neglect critical sarcoplasmic size, which can be a big muscle-building mistake… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x mass method, actin, arnold, arnold schwarzenegger, atp, bulking, cardio, creatine, Doug Brignole, force-generation, glycogen, hiit, mitochondria, Mr. America, muscle fibers, muscle size, muscle-building, muscle-building mistake, myofibrillar expansion, myofibrillar growth, myofibrillar size, myofibrils, myosin, off-season, phase 1, phase 2, Power, sarcoplasm, size, Size Surge, sterngth, testosterone, winter workout

Last-Set Shuffle to Pack On More Muscle

Forced reps on hammer curls - Last-Set Shuffle to Pack On More Muscle

Q: I like the idea of doing something different on the last set of a 4X sequence. You mentioned a drop set, and that works great. What about a heavier pure-negative set? Like on curls my partner would lift it for me, and I would lower [a heavy weight] slowly for six negative reps.

A: That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Pure negatives—your partner lifts the weight, and you lower in six seconds—are designed to attack the force-generating myofibrils in the muscle fibers, which means they are primarily for strength building with only minor size effects, so not really building a lot more muscle… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, actin, build more muscle, burn fat, drop sets, fat burning, more muscle, muscle damage, muscle fibers, muscle fullness, muscle soreness, muscle trauma, muscle-building, myofibrillar expansion, myofibrils, myosin, negative-accentuated, pack on more muscle, Power, pure-negative sets, rest/pause, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, size, size building, strength, strength building, tension time, testosterone, x-centric

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