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Major Muscle Mass with Lighter Weights

Jonathan Lawson, incline curls

Q: I tried your 4×10 method on every exercise, and I’m amazed. The pump was incredible and my nervous system didn’t feel so hammered at the end of my workout as it has in the past. My question is, shouldn’t I do at least one warmup set on the more dangerous exercises, like squats?

A: In theory the first set or two in a 4×10 sequence should be a sufficient warmup. That’s because you use a weight you could get 15 reps with, but you only do 10. And you use that same poundage all the way through… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x mass workout, 4x muscle building, 4x10, aesthetic, alain gonzales, athletic-aesthetic physique, light weights, muscle mass, nervous system, perfect physique, physique athlete, pump, warmups

Muscle Size for Skinny Guys

Jonathan Lawson doing incline dumbbell flyes

Q: I’m having a really hard time putting on any muscle weight. I’m 6’1” and weigh 165. I just can’t seem to get much progress. I’m using your POF X-Rep program but have only gotten okay results in the first month, and I’m working it pretty hard. It’s frustrating when I see other guys who can get big fast while I’m a 26-year-old guy who can’t seem to make much progress. Do you have any suggestions to help?

A: Everyone’s genetics are different (plus, you may not know who’s getting pharmaceutical help). The bottom line is that you may not be perfectly suited for putting on muscle fast; however, with consistent hard training you should be able to transform your physique. Keep in mind that most bodybuilders only add about 10 to 15 pounds of muscle per year, which is about one pound a month… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, athletic-aesthetic physique, biotrust protein, ectomorph, full-range positions of flexion, genetics, jonathan lawson, low-carb protein, muscle size, muscle weight, occlusion, perfect physique, physique, size building, size surge workout, Steve Holman, tension, x-rep program, x-rep workout

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 51: Rare Arnold Pic

Here’s a rare shot of Arnold, one we can’t recall ever seeing. We’re not sure who took it, but our friend the late Gene Mozee could be the photographer, as he shot Arnold at his biggest mostly outdoors. 

In this shot, Arnold’s mass looks unreal, and his few flaws are well disguised… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, arnold, arnold schwarzenegger, athletic-aesthetic physique, bodybuilding zen, brad pitt, Gene Mozee, home gym training, hypertrophic, mind-muscle connection, perfect physique, pumping iron, quick-start muscle building, the oak

Our At-Home Mass Workouts (what we’re doing)

Steve doing incline curls

Back in the 1990s, Steve’s very first book was titled Iron Man’s Home Gym Handbook. Looks like we’ve come full-circle. At the moment, there’s no place like home—or nowhere else to train but home…

Like most iron men and women, we’re at home with limited equipment. Luckily, our decades of bodybuilding experience have resulted in multiple mass-training tactics and moves to keep gains coming. Here’s Steve’s report on what he’s doing in his bare-bones pump-atorium.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, at-home workout, athletic-aesthetic physique, brad pitt, Brad Schoenfeld, fast-twitch fibers, growth fibers, heavy training, home gym, Home Gym Handbook, home gym workout, hypertrophy, iron man magazine, jose antonio, light training, mass tactics, muscle hypertrophy, perfect physique, powerblock, pre-exhausting, quick-start muscle building, quick-start muscle building 2.0, slow-twitch fibers, training at home, type-1 fibers, type-2 fibers

“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

More Mass: Trick To Get You Wide and Thick

V-handle cable row

Q: In one of the chapters in 4X Mass Workout 2.0, you say that V-handle cable rows is both a mid-back stretch exercise and a lat contracted exercise. Since it’s a lat-contracted move, can I use that as the first exercise in a modified Pre-Ex routine for lats? So it’s V-handle cable rows for 4X to pre-exhaust the lats followed by pulldowns to continue hitting the pre-fatigued lats.

A: The short answer: No, not a good choice for your first lat move. The point of the pre-ex workouts in the Pre-Ex 3X e-book is to train the target muscle first in ISOLATION—with no smaller ancillary muscles involved… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, alain gonzales, athletic-aesthetic physique, brad pitt, fight club, heavy duty, mike mentzer, modified pre-ex, more mass, Nautilus, perfect physique, pre-ex 3x, pre-fatigue

“Radical” Diet for Mass and Cuts

Steve Holman before and after - Eat Less, more Testosterone

Q: Steve’s “roller-coaster size-shreds” diet [in the Super Size Crash Course] has me rethinking my plan. The results he got with it are spectacular, but I have a few questions. He lists his two ultra-strict diet days a week, but how did he eat on the other five days? Also, how was he training, and what was his cardio schedule?

A: Yes, his results were fairly “spectacular,” as the pics below show (there are more in the e-book; apologies for the crummy old iPhone images—old man needs a new phone. Lol). These results were after about 8 weeks on the new diet. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, cardio, diet, mass and cuts, metabolism, physique, ripping diet, super-size crash course

More Mass, No Squats

Q: I recently read your Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout. Very insightful info. I learned so much and am applying it in the gym with unreal results. My workouts are 10 times better and also a lot shorter. Thank you! One question: In the Basic Power-Density Workout you have squats as one choice for the ultimate quad exercise. I’ve always heard that you have to squat to grow, so that’s what I’m using. But I seem to remember reading at some point that you guys don’t do free-bar squats. How come?

A: The number-one reason we don’t do them at the moment is past injuries—and, no, you don’t have to do heavy, spine-compressing free-bar squats to grow. Let us explain… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: aesthetic, alain gonzales, arnold, athletic-aesthetic physique, basic power-density workout, fiber activation, injuries, Jonathan, more mass, muscle-building, no squats, perfect physique, spine compression, squats, symmetry, thighs, Ultimate Mass Workout, Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout, x-rep mass-detail workout

Less Time, More Muscle: Cut Back to Grow Big?

Q: Most of the programs in your e-books don’t have a lot of work sets. Pro bodybuilders use a lot more volume than you recommend, and they’re obviously pretty huge and ripped. Are there any studies that prove less time in the gym is good or that show the best number of sets for a workout?

A: Too much stress, whether in relationships, in the gym, or on a bungee-jumping platform, causes cortisol to surge. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can force your body to eat muscle tissue for energy. Not good! And it lowers testosterone, which also can cause muscle loss (not to mention a lower sex drive). A study that looked at how training volume affects testosterone in men was done several years ago (Alemany, J.A., et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36:S238)… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, arnold, athletic-aesthetic physique, brad pitt, cortisol, cut back to grow, drug-free, elevated testosterone, freak physique, freak-physique stretch-overload workout, less time, more muscle, muscle loss, perfect physique, pro bodybuilders, ripped, stress, stress hormone, stretch overload, study, testosterone, training volume

Simple “blood flow hack” to attack fat

According to our colleagues Alby and Alain Gonzalez, a forgotten study published in The Proceedings of The Nutrition Societyreveals you only need a simple “blood flow hack” to make belly fat disappear almost like magic. 

It’s potentially a non-surgical fantasy cure for flabby bellies, and anyone can do it—no matter what your age, weight, or fitness level.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, alby gonzalez, belly fat, blood flow hack, blood-flow, burn fat, fat burning, fat loss, isometric abs, isometrics abs, weight loss

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