Sergio Oliva’s monster mass, wasp waist, and incredible proportions are legendary—and his physique is still shocking, even by today’s over-drugged standards…
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Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 31: Casey Viator’s Colorado Experiment
Back in 1973, Arthur Jones, the creator of Nautilus machines and considered the “father of high-intensity training,” decided to prove to the world that his short, intense muscle-building methods worked… [Read more…]
Bigger Arms in 1 Week—No B.S.
Q: You said in a previous newsletter that an X-centric Mass Workout user reported building bigger arms in 1 week, gaining a full half-inch gain in arm mass. Muscles can’t grow that fast. Sounds like full-on B.S. to me.
A: Not B.S. at all. It’s completely possible to have bigger arms in 1 week and did happen, as our X-Rep trainee reported. As we mentioned in a previous e-zine, X-centric-style training that emphasizes the negative stroke triggers much more muscle trauma than standard sets. That excess trauma can result in inflammation… [Read more…]
Slow Down, Grow Muscle
In a recent article, we discussed how inflicting more muscle trauma requires more recovery time. If you do enough damage, you may only need once-a-week training for each muscle. And if you slow down and use the right techniques, your workouts will still be relatively short… [Read more…]
Mass Tip: Change each set to fire your size-building jets
Do you do every set the same way? You know, same rep tempo, same hand spacing same rest between sets?
Our motto is “change to gain” because it takes something unique to add more mass to your physique. Here’s a good example of making a change on each set. On seated biceps concentration curls…
[Read more…]Get as Big as Possible as Fast as Possible
Q: If I just do the basic [compound] exercises and continue to get stronger, won’t I get as big as possible as fast as possible?
A: That would seem to be true on the surface, but consider this: Strength equals force, so the stronger you get, the more you will develop size along that specific pathway—fiber size generated by force overload. But, as we’ve pointed out, there are two other key size-development pathways: stretch overload and tension/occlusion…
[Read more…]Should I Do More?
Q: I’ve noticed in a lot of your e-book routines that you often recommend just two work sets for an exercise Why? Should I do more? I’ve read that most bodybuilders do four or five sets per exercise.
A: As Arthur Jones, the creator of Nautilus machines said: “You can train hard or you can train long, but you can’t do both.” Short and hard or long and not so hard both work. Despite what some die-hard high-intensity trainers say, gradually increasing volume is a form of overload that can result in more muscle—if you don’t overdo intensity. It’s a balancing act. Us? Regardless of whether it’s one of our low-set workouts or high tension time workouts, we’re about
The #1 Muscle-Building Mistake
It was summer 1975, and Arnold was Mr. Olympia, bodybuilding’s top dog. The muscle world was captivated by the awesome Austrian, and for good reason…
[Read more…]Power, Density, Intensity: Combo to Grow
Q: I got your X-centric Mass Workout. Motivating info, and I messed around with some X-centric variations in my last workouts. Enjoying the new muscle soreness. I want to start using the Direct/Indirect X-centric Mass Workout [outlined in that e-book]. It has a standard heavy pyramid on the big exercises, last set X-centric. What do you think of using downward progression 4X instead with the last set X-centric?
A: For those who don’t have the X-centric Mass Workout e-book, the workout being referred to is Positions of Flexion, with a pyramid + X-centric set on the midrange exercise, a straight set or two on the stretch move, and a 4X sequence on the contracted-position exercise.
For example, for middle-lower chest it’s…
[Read more…]High Reps, Supersets, and Super-Size Success (un-TORQ-ing-believable)
Q: I just started the first workouts from The Ultimate Super-Size Crash Course after reading yesterday’s newsletter. First
A: Don’t be a wuss; grit your teeth and tough it out, Gertrude. LOL! Seriously, higher-rep supersets could work, but there are two glitches that might prevent full-on success…
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