Dedicated to Your Physical Transformation
Q: I like the look of veins on my arms. Do you think doing high-rep TORQ training will help me get more vascularity?
A: How vascular you are is primarily genetic—and freaky veinage is usually only visible when you have low body fat, so diet plays a pretty big role as well.
BUT, doing higher reps, especially on continuous-tension-type moves, like concentration curls for biceps and pushdowns for triceps, can increase capillary proliferation—and perhaps create more gnarly vascularity… [Read more…]
Q: What can I do during my workouts to get leaner right now? I have some pounds to lose, especially around my middle. My goal this year is to see abs all summer, so I want to get rid of the fat fast.
A: You may be doing some of these things already, but here are our top-3 tips to ramp up fat burning in your weight-training workouts (of course, you also have to adjust your eating to make these tricks super-effective):
[Read more…]Q: I’ve noticed that you guys don’t recommend hanging leg raises for abs, but you do include incline leg raises in your routines. Why? Aren’t they pretty much the same exercise?
A: We discuss the difference in the X-traordinary Abs e-book, calling them “kneeups.” The inferiority of hanging has to do with optimal fiber activation…
[Read more…]Q: I got your 4X Mass Workout 2.0. I love the [higher-rep] TORQ method and 4X combo workouts. I feel it working
A: Bodybuilders of yesteryear often used higher reps before contests for fat burning, but experts later said that was foolish. Why? Because high reps cannot “etch in” cuts. Or can they?…
[Read more…]Q: From all I’ve read and experienced, losing bodyfat is all about reducing calories. If you take in fewer calories than you burn every day, you lose weight; if you take in more calories than you burn each day, you gain weight. To me, that means The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout has to require reduced calories or it can’t work. But then there’s nothing left to build muscle. I’d really like to know the truth about losing fat and gaining muscle. Comments?
A: Your energy equation is exactly why the Fat-to-Muscle program works. It can create a fat-burning calorie deficit, but not by forcing you to run extra miles every day; it stokes your metabolism so you use more energy, or fat, even at rest…
[Read more…]Q: I heard that you guys prescribe high-rep sets to etch in muscle cuts. That’s wrong. I’m a certified personal trainer, and I learned that high reps do not make a muscle more defined. You can only do that with diet to thin your skin.
A: You’re correct that higher-rep sets don’t “etch in muscle cuts” per se; however, as we discuss in our Fat-to-Muscle e-book, high-rep sets, 15 to 20, do heighten muscle burn, and that lactic acid surge can increase growth hormone output. [Can J App Phys. 22:244-255. 1997.] GH has been shown in research studies to be an extremely potent fat burner. In other words, it thins the skin by reducing subcutaneous fat—and that eventually gives you more muscle detail.
[Read more…]Q: I’ve got a lot of fat to lose, but I’m super motivated to get ripped by summer. My problem is that I’m not sure how to go about it so I get the fastest results possible. Should I go on a low-carb diet and do cardio every day? I want to build muscle too, but a lot of people tell me that a low-carb diet isn’t good for adding muscle mass. Help!
A: There have been lots of heated debate about low-carbs vs. higher-carb diets. The answer is very simple, which we discuss in our nutrition guide, X-treme Lean. You should treat carbs as fuel…
[Read more…]Q: I’ve been killing my workouts for about three months, using mostly heavy sets, finishing with 4X and TORQ. Making excellent gains, but I think it’s time to back off and get back to basics. What program would you suggest? I’m thinking three days a week for a while with basic mass-building exercises.
A: We have several. If you’ve never used 10×10, now may be the time. There is an excellent 3-way split routine in The 10×10 Mass Workout e-book. You could just use it 3 days a week, training each muscle once or train four days a week, so the Monday workout repeats on Friday… [Read more…]
One of the toughest parts of building your physique is staying stoked to hit the gym—and not just hit it, but power drive it over the wall every time you work out. That can be especially tough in the winter when you’re all covered up and not necessarily thinking of your lean-machine spring and summer body… [Read more…]
