bodyweight training Archives

Muscle Mechanics for More Calf Mass

Q: I picked up your 10×10 e-book over the weekend and started using that style of training on calves immediately, but I’m doing 8×20 as you’ve suggested in the e-book. My question is, should I angle my feet differently on each set to develop the most calf mass? I was thinking toes in on the first three, toes out on the second three, and toes straight ahead on my last two sets.

A: It’s not foot angle that stresses the inner or outer heads of the gastroc, but rather which side of the foot you’re exerting the most pressure with. In other words, if you’re pushing with the inner part of the ball of your foot, the big-toe side, you will stress the inner head of the calf muscle. If you roll out onto the little-toe side of your feet as you rise, you will stress the outer head of the calf muscle.

Notice in this photo how the trainee is using a narrower stance and rolling out; that’s not what you want. Go wider than this for more calf mass…

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Training One Side at a Time

Q: How do you feel about one-arm and one-leg work? I’ve read that training one side at a time can help you contract more muscle fibers. Is that true?

A: We’ve seen studies that show unilateral work to be better at neuromuscular stimulation and therefore heightened muscle-fiber activation. Our main problem with one-limb exercises is time and energy expenditure.

Working one arm or one leg at a time takes longer, unless you move back and forth from one limb to the other without resting. Not resting, however, causes more systemic energy drain…

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Dumbbell Upright Rows to Grow

Q: I like the idea of doing dumbbell upright rows first as the midrange movement for shoulders [as recommended in the 3D Muscle Building e-book]. I just have trouble feeling the X Reps at the end after I reach exhaustion. Should I just do a drop set instead?

A: As we explained in the last e-zine, drop sets are better for continuous tension/occlusion exercises—contracted-position moves like laterals for delts, leg extensions for quads, etc. You’re looking to maximize force production with the big midrange exercise, so X Reps is the best choice…

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Plus-One Ab-Etching Method

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…

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Make this single change to sky-rocket your gains

Q: I remember reading in some of your previous e-mails that you talked about how some of the bodybuilders of the past added a lot of muscle fast, like 10 to 20 pounds in a month. Is high-rep leg work really that powerful? I’m wondering if I should try it.

A: You’re referring to the 20-rep squat results that some of the early bodybuilders got. For example…

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Best 5-Week Attack for More Mass (get BIG before summer!)

Q: I’ve got about five weeks before I start my cutting regimen (early April). I was thinking about using one of the phases in The Super-Size Crash Course e-book. Which one of the routines do you suggest if I want to get big before summer? I want to grow as much mass as possible before I start reducing calories, etc.

A: You didn’t provide your age. That’s important because if you’re still young and like to train heavy, the Phase 1 program in the Super-Size Crash Course is a great one…

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Tips for Faster Fat Loss and Eye-Popping Muscle

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…

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Pure Negatives?

Q: I’m getting great results with sets using six-second negatives [on every rep of a negative-accentuated set]. I’m bigger and leaner after one month. My question is, Should I do pure negatives to get even better results since I could increase the weight? My partner can lift the weight for me, and I’ll lower slowly [six seconds] for as many reps as I can get till failure. The heavier weight should cause more trauma and better muscle gains and fat loss, right?

A: That depends on your level of training and your recovery ability (genetics). Pure negatives are extremely traumatic and should be used infrequently…

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X-Rep Lies: Before and After Photos

Q: The before and after photos at your X-Rep site are pretty unbelievable. I mean, come on, four weeks to get those changes? You must’ve either lied about the time it took or manipulated the photos. You should be ashamed of yourselves. There’s too much of that deceptive crap on the Internet.

A: Ashamed? Actually, we’re very proud. Those photos are 100 percent authentic and accurate—no photo alterations, no steroids, and they were taken about four weeks apart. (The key technique that made it happen and a step-by-step how-to is coming up.)

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Indirect Muscle Mass Effect: Boost Your T for Hypertrophy

Q: I’ve been reading that testosterone is the key muscle-building hormone, so what is the best way to get it up?

A: “Get it up?” Perfect way to end your question about testosterone. LOL! Arthur Jones, the creator of Nautilus machines and the overseer of the Colorado Experiment that saw Casey Viator gain 60 pounds of muscle in only 4 weeks, always said that training legs hard can have a big “indirect muscle-building effect.”

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