fat loss Archives - Page 8 of 9

One-Exercise 2-Way Blast for New Muscle Mass

Q: In a previous e-zine you mentioned combining two workouts with different bodyparts, such as chest and back with delts and arms. And you suggested using an X-centric set for each exercise in a Positions-of-Flexion routine. I was thinking about your first e-book, The Ultimate Mass Workout, which I.D.s the best exercise for each muscle. How about doing only those exercises, one regular set followed by an X-centric set? That way you focus on the ultimate exercise and get some power and density work as well as standard speed and slow-mo reps.

A: Sounds like a great plan. And you’re right: focusing on only ONE “best” exercise for each muscle would help you zero in and provide the most mass bang for your effort buck… [Read more…]

Drop the Get-Big Bomb (Muscle Mayhem Method)

Q: I like to train heavy, but I fully understand that tension time, or density, can build size as well. My question is, won’t drop sets accomplish both?

A: The drop-set method is one of the best for getting size in the myofibrils as well as a hypertrophic sarcoplasmic burst. And even new veinage too… [Read more…]

Last Set, Best Set for More Mass

Q: I’ve been using the 4X mass method on just about every exercise for just over a month and have gained five pounds of muscle. I’m still lean with abs, so I know it’s not fat. I often do 3X sequences, the way you sometimes recommend, but if I don’t do all 4 sets, I feel guilty. It’s just that I don’t want to overtrain, which is how I feel when I do 4X on all exercises. Should I just bite the bullet and do 4X on everything?

A: If you’ve gained five pounds of muscle in a little more than a month, you’re doing damn good! Most bodybuilders don’t gain five pounds in a year… [Read more…]

Ultimate Combo to Grow Wide—and Catch Eyes

Q: My girlfriend likes to critique my body when I ask. She’s got a good eye for proportion—and if I look good for her, I get the benefits, if you know what I mean—LOL. Lately, she’s been saying my shoulders are too flat. I need more roundness and broadness. What do you suggest?

A: When you think about it, most barbell and dumbbell shoulder exercises are lacking—inefficient to say the least, so you need a real delt-stretching combo to grow… [Read more…]

Guaranteed Rise in Your Muscle Size: New Phase 3 for Shocking Hypertrophy

Q: The program you outline in the Super-Size Crash Course that put 18 pounds of muscle size on Jordon [Williamson] had him use some heavy pyramid training in Phase 1, but only moderately heavy Downward-Progression 4X in Phase 2. To keep gaining, would you have someone cycle back to Phase 1 for more heavy pyramid training?

A: First we’d probably ask what you’re motivated to do. That’s because nothing breeds more muscle size like the fire to train… [Read more…]

Back to Basics for More Mass

Q: I’ve been killing my workouts for about three months, using mostly heavy sets, finishing with 4X and TORQ. Making excellent gains, but I think it’s time to back off and get back to basics. What program would you suggest? I’m thinking three days a week for a while with basic mass-building exercises.

A: We have several. If you’ve never used 10×10, now may be the time. There is an excellent 3-way split routine in The 10×10 Mass Workout e-book. You could just use it 3 days a week, training each muscle once or train four days a week, so the Monday workout repeats on Friday… [Read more…]

TORQ Torch: Cut Back for More Mass?

Q: I think I have all your e-books, but I absolutely love Super TORQ. The pumps are outrageous! I’ve been using it randomly, but now I’m thinking about making it more regimented by following the POF-Power/Super-TORQ workout [pages 42-47 in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0]. When I do the Super TORQ workout, using only one exercise for a bodypart, is it okay to use only four sets—like 40,30,20,10—instead of five? I don’t like 50 reps on set 1, especially on decline presses. I feel like I might pass out. LOL!

A: The rules for TORQ (Tension Overload Repetition Quantity) and Super TORQ are pretty loose. In fact, we’ve mentioned before that when we use it, we often use only two sets to TORQ up our last exercise for a bodypart—30 and 20 reps… [Read more…]

Huge Pump, Big Gains, New Veins—Grand-Finale Mass Blast

Q: I have the new Size Surge Workout 2.0, and I like the idea of adding a unique finisher to top off the pump and stimulate new growth. You suggest using a different exercise than was used in each 3-exercise Positions-of-Flexion bodypart routine, such as ending quads with leg presses, and to do it in negative or speed style. What about using Pre-Exhaustion as you’ve been discussing recently instead—like finishing off quads with a leg extension-leg press superset, one round?

A: We like that idea a lot. The idea of isolating the target muscle and then immediately blasting it further past the growth threshold with the help of other muscles is an almost magical mass-building method. And the huge pump you get with Pre-Ex is unreal… [Read more…]

Do One Set Slow For New Muscle Growth

Q: I’m having a lot of trouble with delts. I don’t feel any of the exercises, and my delts never get sore. Right now I’m using a [Positions-of-Flexion] routine. Should I add exercises for some new muscle growth in my shoulders?

A: One of the big problems with delts is that they don’t get enough eccentric, or negative stress. And science says that lowering is the most important for muscle growth (the negative is what causes muscle soreness)…

Think about it. On lateral raises, the leverage shift is extreme, with high resistance through the top third of the stroke and almost zero through the bottom third. [Read more…]

Too Much Muscle Too Fast

Q: I’m a competitive powerlifter, so I haven’t tried your 4X method. It requires moderate weights, and that’s not me. I need to train heavy. But I have been using your X-centric sets, usually only one or two at the end of each heavy compound exercise, like bench presses and squats. My problem is that I’ve been using X-centric sets for a month, but I’m five pounds heavier. I’m worried because I don’t want to jump a weight class at my next lifting meet. I’m pretty sure it’s all muscle because I’m seeing more striations in my chest, legs, and even shoulders, and many of my bodyparts look rounder. Should I stop using X-centrics? Is this happening because of the extra fiber trauma I’m getting from those sets?

A: The extra fiber trauma from emphasizing the negative stroke on your negative-accentuated (NA) sets is no doubt part of the reason you’ve added new muscle quickly—that causes fiber remodeling, or growth; X-centric sets also cause more fiber inflammation, which can make you look bigger and rounder. But there’s more to it than that (exciting stuff for those of us who want to pack on maximum muscle size)… [Read more…]