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The Squeeze Technique for a Massive Physique

Contracted leg extensions

Q: A friend of mine used to compete in bodybuilding contests, and he swears that practicing his posing improved his muscle size and shape. I think it was all in his mind. There’s no resistance when you flex, so it couldn’t build more muscle. I think he believes it did because he just happened to be getting more and more ripped from dieting and training, which made him look better every time he practiced posing. What do you think?

A: Yes, as you get more and more ripped, you’ll definitely look bigger, even as your bodyweight drops. A fat-free physique creates the illusion of mass, as you can see from the photos below of Jonathan from our X-treme Lean e-book. Nevertheless, you’re friend is also right… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x training, blood flow blockage, bodybuilding, fatigue, flexing, look bigger, massive physique, mike westerdal, occlusion, physique, positions of flexion, protect your family, ripped, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, self defense, squeeze technique, x-centric training, x-treme lean

Your Fuse to the Get-Big Muscle Bomb

Jonathan Lawson doing decline presses

Q: I’m using the Power-Density Mass Workout, the first program with only the Ultimate Exercise for each bodypart. I like the simplicity of it and quick workouts, but I’m having trouble feeling the first power sets when I pyramid the weight. I really don’t feel the muscle working till the ending density sets [the faster 4×10 series]. Any suggestions?

A: Too often, trainees jump right into their heavy work sets with only a haphazard warmup—usually talking to their partner during that lighter preliminary work. In other words, maybe you aren’t doing FOCUSED warmup sets… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, biotrust, blood flow blockage, focused warmup, free protein, free supplements, get big, muscle building, muscle fiber recruitment, muscle gains, muscle growth, occlusion, power-density, ultimate exercise, warmups

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 12: Zane on the Beach

We’ve both lived in a beach town—Steve still does—and nothing fuels workouts more than summertime near the ocean. You know you’re going to be hitting the sand (or lake or pool) more than a few times, so you better be hitting the gym hard. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, 4X, after-40, anabolic after 40, arnold, arnold schwarzenegger, beach, blood flow blockage, bodybuilding zen, bodybuilding zen 12, contracted, frank zane, freak physique, free pro-x10, free probiotics, free supplements, gas, genetics, lake, mechanical tension, metabolic stress, microtears, midrange, muscle damage, muscle gains, muscle-building, occlusion, ocean, physique, POF, pool, positions of flexion, pro-x10, probiotics, protein farts, stretch, xrx, zane on the beach

Double-X Overload Warmups?

Vascular forearm - 2 Easy Ways for BIG Muscle Gains

Q: I’m making some incredible progress using your Double-X Overload technique, but I wanted to let you know that I don’t just use it on my work sets. DXO works for warmup sets, too. I usually use it on at least one of my two warmup sets for the big [midrange] exercises, and I feel much stronger on my work sets. Great technique!

A: That’s a good tip. We love feedback from fellow weight trainers who think instead of just following the pack. One reason Double-X Overload (DXO) works so well on warmup sets is because of the enhanced occlusion and nervous system activation.

For those unfamiliar with DXO, it’s an X-Rep partial in the semi-stretch position between each full rep. That provides a slightly more explosive action, which has been shown to heighten nerve force (many top-level powerlifters do light, explosive sets for that very reason—it helps them lift more weight). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3d muscle building, alpha muscle, alpha-3 specialization, beyond x-rep, blood flow blockage, bodybuilders, Double-X Overload, dxo, explosive reps, growth hormone, iso x, journal of strength conditioning research, nervous system, occlusion, powerlifters, progress, stage sets, warmup sets, warmups, x-hybrid tactics, x-rep partials

Pose to Grow?

Steve (ectomorph) and Jonathan (mesomorph) - Sets, Reps, and Muscle-Size Success

Q: I’ve read that you can tense your muscles enough so that you can essentially pose to grow. But there’s no resistance involved at all, so I really don’t see how that’s possible. What do you guys think?

A: We used to be skeptical too, but we always notice that as we begin getting in shape and start flexing more as we check our progress (whether it’s in front of a camera or our bathroom mirrors), our muscularity increases quickly.

We thought it was just a coincidence, and that our training and diet were primarily responsible for our accelerated gains—and we were probably right for the most part. But a study we’ve discussed before suggests that flexing a muscle for extended periods does indeed help make your muscles larger and more detailed… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d hit, 3d muscle building, anabolic fasting, arnold, blood flow blockage, bodybuilders, brad pilon, eat stop eat, flexing, gains, get ripped, grow, gymnasts, intermittent fasting, occlusion, pose to grow, posing, positions of flexion, progress, progressive resistance, pumping iron, static flex, static hold, study, team universe, time under tension, x-traordinary arms

Exciting Muscle-Size Insights

Lawson incline press Holman spot

Q: After reading one of your articles that discussed the study where light, longer sets built muscle, I was thinking that maybe that’s why X Reps build so much size. Because they’re partial reps where the muscle is stretched, you block blood flow and get more tension time by making the set last longer. Do you think that’s the case—that X Reps work because they make a set last longer?

A: No doubt that ex-tending the set with X-Reps is one reason those power partials are so effective at building more muscle. As you said, you not only pulse at the target-muscle’s strongest point, where it’s elongated, but you also force the muscle to continue firing for five or more extra seconds—which means a longer tension time on any set with X Reps tacked on. That was the ground-breaking finding of that study—that extending tension time was another way to trigger hypertrophic stimulation…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d positions of flexion, blood flow blockage, blood-flow, fast-twitch fibers, fiber recruitment, heavy weights, hypertrophic, light weights, muscle size, muscle-building, muscle-size insights, occlusion, partial reps, POF, Power, target muscle, target-muscle elongation, tension time, tesosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, trt, x-rep manual

Shirt-Splitting Muscle Size

Rope rows finish

Q: I am in need of some back width, or more specifically, lat development. I’m following your 3D HIT program listed in the X-traordinary Arms e-book, but I’m not getting a pump, and I have a hard time feeling my back working. Do you guys have any suggestions?

A: The 3D Positions-of-Flexion lat routine in that program is…

Chins (midrange), 1 x 9-12
Dumbbell pullovers (stretch), 1 x 9-12
Rope rows (contracted), 1 x 12-15

One reason you may not be getting a big pump is the last (contracted) exercise, rope rows…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3d pof, 3d positions of flexion, anabolic after 40, back width, back workout, blood flow blockage, continuous tension, free e-book, growth hormone, hypertrophy, igf-1, lats, muscle size, nerve force, neuromuscular efficiency, occlusion, POF, protein synthesis, pump, shirt-splitting muscle size, university of texas, x-traordinary arms

Best Mass Moves for High-End-Hypertrophy Hits

Q: I just started using the 30-20-15 [TORQ] method on one exercise for each muscle. I do the other exercises as regular sets or 4X. The higher reps really feel incredible. What a great pump and deep fiber hit. My question is, Which exercise is best for 30-20-15—midrange, stretch or contracted?

A: As we’ve mentioned before, the angle of pull is different on each of midrange, stretch, and contracted exercises, so fiber activation can be unique as well.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x mass workout, anabolic fasting, blood flow blockage, brad pilon, burn fat, eat stop eat, fat burning, fiber activation, fiber recruitment, get ripped, high-end hypertrophy, hypertrophy, intermittent fasting, lose fat, mass moves, muscle synergy, muscle-building, occlusion, physique, pump, steven j. fleck, strength building, stretch overlaod, tension overload, TORQ, William J. Kraemer

Stretch to Etch Slashing Muscle Detail

Jonathan Lawson doing incline dumbbell flyes

Q: I’m trying to get that crisp division between my pecs. I want to be able to see the inner part of my chest muscles from the lower part all the way up to the collarbone. I do lots of cable crossovers, but I’m only seeing a bit of detail in my lower chest. Any suggestions?

A: One problem may be fat in the area. A bit of adipose covering the pecs will blur or negate any detail. You need to be fairly lean to see the chest-muscle division (cleavage) from top to bottom.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: Beyond X, beyond x-rep, beyond x-rep muscle building, biotrust, blood flow blockage, cable crossovers, chest, chest detail, chest exercises, chest workout, dumbbell flyes, dxo, free protein, Jacob Wilson, low-carb protein, muscle detail, occlusion, pecs, static contraction, static hold, stats, stretch, stretch overload, stretch to etch, X Reps, x-hybrid techniques, x-rep partials, x-rep update

DXO Works on Warmup Sets Too

Q: I’m making some incredible progress using your Double-X Overload technique, but I wanted to let you know that I don’t just use it on my work sets. DXO works for warmup sets, too. I usually use it on at least one of my two warmup sets for the big [midrange] exercises. I feel much stronger on my work sets. Great technique!

A: That’s a good tip. We love feedback from fellow weight trainers who think instead of just following the pack. One reason DXO works so well on warmup sets is because of the enhanced occlusion and nervous system activation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, anabolic fasting, beyond x-rep, blood flow blockage, Double-X Overload, dxo, eat stop eat, explosive reps, fast-twitch, growth threshold, intermittent fasting, journal of strength conditioning research, nervous system, occlusion, ripped, strength, warmup sets, warmups, X Reps, x-hybrid tactics, x-rep partials

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