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Double-X Overload Everything

Q: I have almost all of your e-books. They’re all great, and I reread them often for motivation and ideas. Right now I’m on The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout. Can I Double-X Overload everything stretch-related in that program? It seems like that would produce even more muscle microtrauma similar to the negative-accentuated sets on the big exercises. That should speed up my fat loss and muscle gains, right?

A: If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime. What does that have to do with your question? We’re just glad to see you taking techniques from our other e-books and applying them to your current workout. You’re learning how to “fish”—grasping the mass-building concepts and applying them when and where appropriate… [Read more…]

Your Ultimate Lean-Machine Workout

Q: I just got your Triple-Shred 3 e-books [X-treme Lean, Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout and X-traordinary Abs]. Looking over the workouts, I’m wondering which is best for me, The X-treme Lean High-Definition Workout or The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout? I need to lose fat and also build muscle, so what’s the difference? Is one better than the other?

A: You may have heard the saying that the best program for you is the one you’re NOT currently using. In other words, change ignites gains. So neither the X-treme Lean program nor the Fat-to-Muscle Workout is the best lean-machine workout—only different—and both ignite all of the key fat-off, muscle-on components… [Read more…]

More Muscle Size: One-Set Wonders

Q: I just got your X-traordinary Arms e-book. Killer information, and I’m ready to use it to build mine into 19-inchers like Jonathan’s. My question is about the 3D HIT program in which you incorporate the arm-specialization routines. One work set for each exercise? You list a few more sets for arms, but I just can’t comprehend how one set could be enough for the other bodyparts. Can I add sets?

A: You can do anything you want, but be careful and monitor your progress. Building muscular size is all about experimentation. In fact, the 3D HIT program is our experiment into one-set-per-exercise intensity training. We’ve seen lots of research validating one-set training for building strength; however, as we explain in our e-books, packing on extreme muscle size is a different animal than merely building strength and a few fast-twitch fibers. There are different layers to attack when size is the goal. [Read more…]

One-Day Blast for More Mass

Q: I’m not gonna lie… I sometimes get bored with my training or just have random days when my motivation is a bit low. That makes it tough to get to the gym, but I really don’t want to skip a day because of that. What if I took random days here and there to do only one exercise for each muscle. Would that be good for growth, and how often could I do that?

A: Any deviation from the norm will shock new muscle size, especially if it’s something that challenges your growth threshold like 10×10 of only one exercise. [Read more…]

High-Low to Grow

Q: I got the Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0 [with Super TORQ] after reading about all the great results people have had. Fantastic e-book! Might be your most interesting so far, and I’m already using your variation of Super TORQ. Wow! I’m sore to the core. Lol! My question is about stiff-legged deadlifts. You have it as a 30-20-15-10 sequence in your Modified Super-TORQ Program (page 49). Why not 40 or 50 reps on the first set, as with your other exercises?

A: From our vantage point, and experience, semi-stiff-legged deadlifts are one of the more dangerous exercises. One false move and your lower back can get whacked… [Read more…]

TORQ Up Your Muscle Size

Q: I’m torn between heavy training and higher reps [TORQ]. I like ending bodyparts with lighter-weight, high-rep sets for longer tension times and more pump, and now I’m hearing that ALL-high-rep workouts are best. I’m almost 30, but I want to grow as fast as possible. Should I try all-high-rep training for a while, or is that more for when I’m older like you guys and can’t train heavy anymore?

A: Hey, we resemble that remark! LOL. The beauty of bodybuilding is that you can try whatever you want. Change is good. Plus, keep in mind that everyone responds to unique training styles differently—you may grow like never before (you’ll see an example below). And, no, you don’t have to be older to start experimenting… [Read more…]

Holy Crap Back—Arnold-esque Muscle Mass

Q: Holy crap! I just bought your Pre-Ex 3X e-book, and Jonathan’s back on the cover looks like Arnold’s. How did he build all that muscle? Did he use pre-ex? I want a back like that. What do I need to do?

A: Jonathan used pre-ex, X Reps, drop sets, and more. We’ve experimented a lot over the years—and of course we subscribe to the change-to-gain mantra: Do something different to trigger new adaptations and extra growth. [Read more…]

Do This 1 Thing to Get Lean (and Build Muscle!)

Q: I’ve been bulking the past few months, and now I need to start cutting since the new year is upon us. I want to get an early start so I have sharp abs by spring. Should I change my workout? I’ve been training mostly heavy but with some 4X added in.

A: Well, the first thing we suggest is cleaning up your diet. No more junk food—if you’ve been scarfing up too much of that, you’ve got too much body fat.

Also, if you haven’t been [Read more…]