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Energy, Synergy, and Mass Intensity

Mike Mentzer on stage at the Olmpia (left) and doing a double biceps pose outdoors (right)

One of the thickest bodybuilders of yesteryear, before drug use went totally off the rails, was Mike Mentzer.

His last contest was the 1980 Mr. Olympia, the controversial comeback win for Arnold in Australia. Mentzer placed fifth, which triggered his retirement and a swim through the pool of madness for a few years. The photo on the left is from that contest. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: energy, energy drain, heavy duty, intensity, John Little, mike mentzer, muscle synergy, steroids, synergy

Training One Side at a Time

Jonathan doing concentration curls

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…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, 3d pof, bodyweight training, bodyweight workout, concentration curls, energy drain, fiber recruitment, full-range pof, full-range training, growth fibers, muscle fibers, muscle-protein synthesis, neuromuscular stimulation, one-arm dumbbell rows, one-arm overhead extensions, one-arm rows, one-leg calf raises, one-leg leg extensions, one-limb exercises, positions of flexion, single-limb work, training one side at a time, unilateral work

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