change to gain Archives

Burst Training for Muscle-Mass Gaining

Q: You recently referenced Mike Mentzer, and I’m wondering if you guys have ever trained with his HIT style. One-set-to-failure training seems to work for some people, and I know Mentzer’s training evolved into that after he stopped competing. Have you tried it or something similar?

A: One of Steve’s early influences was Mike Mentzer. He trained with Mike’s Heavy Duty style in his 20s, and even won his first bodybuilding contest using a Positions-of-Flexion version of Heavy Duty that he devised (more on that below)… [Read more…]

3 Simple Changes to Get You Growing

You know our mantra: You can trigger bigger gains with one small change. But let’s multiply that for even more mass. We’ve got 3 simple things to get you growing immediately… [Read more…]

Rev your Mass Machine with the S-Overload Workout

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about muscle stretch and how it is uniquely anabolic. What is the best way to build mass with this information—a freehand stretching routine?

A: While freehand stretching routines can do okay things for muscle growth, a much more effective mass-building route is doing a workout of all stretch-position exercises with weights.

That way every bodypart will get the anabolic acceleration of [Read more…]

New Density for Muscle Immensity Workout

I just saw Jonathan’s new read-me page about XRX and the workout he is now using. I turned 48 and am making the best size gains of my life with the [high-rep-set-first] Reload program. Is Jonathan’s similar? Is it better? Should I switch?

The reason Jonathan put together his new after-40 workout is that he Hates—with a capital H—high reps…

While he made amazing size gains when he first went on the high-rep-set-first program outlined in [Read more…]

Speed Change for new gains + #1 Muscle that eliminates back pain & looking fat

Q: Your Progressive-Speed 4X method (from The Super-Size Crash Course) sounds like a killer mass method. As Coach Charles Poliquin used to say, changing tempo is a legit way to get new gains in muscle growth. But I’m into heavy training now, so I don’t want to start my work sets with a light [1/6 tempo] X-centric set. Can I do X-centric last?

A: You don’t have to use Progressive-Speed 4X for new gains as we outline—with an X-centric set first (lifting in one second, lowering in six)… [Read more…]

The 10-Minute Muscle Maker

Q: If 4×10 [as in the 4X technique] is so effective at achieving both power and density for maximum muscle mass, why would one bother with 10×10? You wrote that a trainee should only stay on 10×10 for three to four weeks since staying on it longer may compromise the power component. If you believe 4×10 is clearly superior, why waste time on 10×10?

A: 10×10 is a PURE DENSITY shock tactic that can produce big gains in muscle size quickly—and you only do it on one key exercise for each bodypart. That means it takes only 10 minutes to thoroughly and completely blast a muscle into the growth zone—but we only recommend this pure density approach for a four-week shock phase… [Read more…]

Finisher Sets: Which way is better?

Q: I have most of your e-books, and every one of them is great. I’ve learned so much from them, and I’m gaining faster than ever. My question is that in The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout you use power sets, negative-accentuated sets, and then end with high-rep sets to finish off a muscle. But in the X-centric Mass Workout, you have a similar program, but you end each bodypart with 4X instead of high reps. When it comes to the finisher sets, which way is better?

A: Neither is better—just different. Arnold used to use high-rep burnout finisher sets. Those were a good complement to his many heavy power sets. He’d either use them on the last exercise for a muscle or do a high-rep set as the last finisher for almost every exercise. Either way, you end up with a skin-stretching pump… [Read more…]

Do This, Not That, to Grow Muscle Fast

Q: I have almost all of your e-books, and I’ve learned more from them than I have from anywhere else in the 10 years I’ve been training. Thank you. I just got The 4X Mass Workout and had a question: You always say “change to gain,” but you tend to use the same few exercises in a lot of your programs. Shouldn’t I switch moves often to gain mass, like use dumbbells instead of a barbell?

A: While variation is important, you need to focus on the exercises that you feel the most. That’s especially true for weak bodyparts, which tend to lag due to inadequate neuromuscular efficiency, or nerve-to-muscle connections. A good example for us, and most bodybuilders, is upper chest exercises. [Read more…]