Q: With all the focus on stretch-position add-on exercises, I’m wondering if simply doing freehand stretching [of the target muscle] after the ideal exercise would have similar mass-building effects. [Read more…]
New Double-Your-Muscle-Mass Method
My confidence in muscle stretch for more mass is growing. More studies continue to verify the importance of emphasizing the target muscle when it’s elongated to get the most gain bang from each set… [Read more…]
Can a Wimp Build Muscle? + Testo Murder!
Q: I feel like a wimp. There is no way I can hold the weight in the stretch position for 30 seconds after a set as you’ve recommended before. On some exercises, I can get maybe 15 seconds, but on many, I can’t even get 10 seconds. Should I just forget bodybuilding and take up speed walking (kidding)?
A: Everyone’s pain tolerance is different. And, if you notice, most trainees will opt for methods that hurt least. It’s why most prefer heavy, low-rep training. Higher reps hurt like hell—and adding a stretch-hold at the end of even a 10-rep set can be excruciating. But, as you said, the stretch-hold is easier on some exercises, like incline curls where your arms just hang, as opposed to overhead extensions where you have to keep upward pressure on the weight to prevent elbow trauma…
[Read more…]Muscle-Building Myths—Or Are They? (controversial muscle-building info)
Q: I heard that close-grip bench presses can build the inner pecs. But then a pro bodybuilder said that’s false. He said no exercise can build the “inner” pecs—or “lower” biceps for that matter, and that those are muscle-building myths. Which is correct?
A: While close-grip bench presses won’t direct development to the inner-chest area, some researchers suggest that putting a muscle into elongation, or stretch, against resistance can thicken the fibers at the insertion point. For example, doing flyes for more chest beef near the sternum… [Read more…]
Study: This quick hit can double your muscle growth
Dr. Jacob Wilson, who used to write for Iron Man when we worked there, recently performed a study with a technique we have recommended over the years—stretch holds, or Stat-X.
Dr. Wilson calls it “intraset stretching.” In his study, the subjects who included intraset stretching DOUBLED muscle thickness compared to those who did not use it. Amazing. [Read more…]
Study: This can double your muscle growth
Dr. Jacob Wilson, who used to write for Iron Man when we worked there, just did a study with a technique we have recommended over the years that can double your muscle growth–stretch holds, or Stat-X. (In one of our first e-books, X-Rep Update #1: New Tactics to Unleash Ultimate Muscle Mass, Chapter 4 outlined “Stretch Position Stretch Pulses.”) [Read more…]
Chisel in Freaky Muscle Size and Detail
Q: I’ve been using X Reps for about a month now, and I’m noticing new muscle in places like my inner chest and lower lats. Even my lower biceps are higher and fuller. Is that normal? I love X Reps!
A: While X Reps—end-of-set partials at the semi-stretch point of an exercise—are excellent at keeping tension on the muscle and activating dormant muscle fibers, they can bring out size and detail with new muscle density at the insertion point, such as the inner pecs… [Read more…]