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Is This Bodybuilding? WTF?

Synthoil horror show

I’ve been harping on symmetry, proportion, and aesthetics lately. And I’ve seen some impressive representations of that on social media, such as Instagram…

One that comes to mind is [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: Benny Podda, bodybuilding, drug-free, drug-free bodybuilding, GymFailNation, joesthetics, muscle beach, muscle oil, physique, proportion, synthoil

Muscle Isolation vs. Synergy Energy

Steve demonstrating dumbbell squats

I’ve mentioned the friend I began training with back when we were 14 and continued through high school. Bill was thinner than I was, so he eventually figured out that bodybuilding wasn’t for him. instead, he transitioned to mountain biking and rock climbing… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: bodybuilding, functional training, isolation, synergy

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 71: Rachel McLish Flex Appeal

Rachel McLish was the very first Ms. Olympia winner way back in 1980. Her symmetrical physique, not to mention her head-turning beauty, catapulted her into the public eye and established women’s bodybuilding as a brand-new sport. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1980, beauty, biotrust, bodybuilding, bodybuilding zen, e-book deal, ebook bundle, flex appeal, free protein, free supplements, iron man magazine, low-carb protein, Ms. Olympia, physique, protein, quick-start muscle building 2.0, Rachel McLish, slow-twitch exhaustion, South Texas, Steve Holman, STX, symmetry, Texas

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

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 59: Mike Mentzer Relaxed Mass

This impressive shot of Mike Mentzer was a poster that Steve had on his wall in his late teens for motivation… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1980 Mr. Olympia, anabolic reload, bodybuilder, bodybuilding, bodybuilding zen, frank zane, genetics, hypertrophy, IFBB, iron guru, master trainer, mike mentzer, motivation, mr. olympia, muscular potential, nautilus machines, physique, pre-ex 3x, pre-exhaustion, roger schwab, slow-twitch exhaustion, stx method, vince gironda

Lazy Man’s Way to More Muscle

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

Q: I’ve got a tip for you guys: Get off your butts and work out more often, and you’ll get bigger. It looks like you’re only working out three to four days a week. I train six days a week, two hours per workout, and I compete in bodybuilding shows.

A: Hey, are you calling us lazy? Hmm, maybe we are. Everyone is to a degree, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you channel it to produce progress. Laziness has been the catalyst for innovation throughout history—like cars and jets. Those things get you to your destination faster and more efficiently… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic fasting, bodybuilding, brad pilon, eat stop eat, efficiency of effort, efficient gaining, intermittent fasting, lazy, muscle building

Look Like a Bodybuilder

Jonathan Lawson's back, before and after

Q: I’m a powerlifter, but I want a better physique. I’m not sure how. I’ve got some muscle, but I sure don’t look like a bodybuilder. What should I do? I’m thinking I just need more isolated exercises for each muscle, like pushdowns for triceps. If I keep pushing heavy weights on all those exercises, I’ll look more like a bodybuilder, right? Do any of your e-books address my problem?

A: You gave a clue to one of the big reasons so many trainees make slow-to-no muscle gains: They’re brainwashed into believing that heavy training exclusively is what builds mass. That’s simply not true… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 2a fibers, arnold, athletic-aesthetic physique, bodybuilder, bodybuilding, brad pitt, carbs, dual-capacity fibers, fast-twitch fibers, lean, look like a bodybuilder, muscle density, muscle gains, perfect physique, physique, power-density, powerlifter, powerlifting, tension time

Pyramid Power: Secret to Mega Mass and Strength

Muscle fiber illustration on Jonathan's arm while curling

Q: I just got The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout and The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout. Tremendous. I’ve already read them both twice. Undoubtedly the best bodybuilding info I’ve ever seen. I noticed that in the programs in both e-books, you rely a lot on pyramiding the weight on the compound exercises. Is that better than just using the same poundage on all work sets and going to exhaustion?

A: With the type of training we list in those e-books, we believe adding weight to each work set so that the rep count decreases—9, 7, 5, for instance—is ideal to build BOTH mega mass and strength for three reasons… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 2a fibers, bodybuilding, fiber activation, fiber recruitment, fiber type, freak physique, intensity, mass and strength, mega mass, nervous system, neural drive, power-density, power-pyramid, pyramid power, stamina, strength, stretch overload, testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, trt, Truth About Testosterone, x-rep workout

More Outer Quad Sweep

Jonathan Lawson squatting

Q: I need more outer quad sweep. A guy at the gym told me to use a narrow stance on squats, but that feels a bit unnatural to me. Will that actually help build the outer quads?

A: We asked our colleague and research maven Jerry Brainum about developing outer quad sweep before. Here’s what he had to say… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: bodybuilding, Dr. Dimitrios Stamou, fat loss, Harvard research, jerry brainum, leg exercises, leg workout, legs, Lou Ferrigno, mass boosting, mri studies, outer quad sweep, pumping iron, quad sweep, quads, ripped, ripped muscle, shed fat, squat stance, squats, thighs, ultimate exercises, Ultimate Mass Workout

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 14: Tom Platz’s Quads

1980 Mr. Universe Tom Platz had a pair of the freakiest legs bodybuilding had ever seen—and even today they look Photoshopped. Trust us—they aren’t (Steve interviewed Tom face-to-face back in the late ’80s for Iron Man magazine)… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: bad gas, biotrust, bodybuilding, freak-physique stretch-overload workout, free pro-x10, free probiotics, free supplements, gas, genetics, gut bacteria, hypertrophy, iron man magazine, jose antonio, muscle elongation, muscle mass, muscle-building, photoshopped, platz, pro-x10, probiotics, progressive overload, quads, stretch overload, stretch-overload workout, tension overload, tom platz

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