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More Mass with the Front-to-Back Attack

Overhead close-up of front squat

Q: I always hurt my back when I squat heavy. And now I even hurt it doing moderate-weight 4X, probably because of the damage I’ve incurred over the years. You may call it brainwashing, but I really feel that I need to squat to build more mass. Any suggestions? I don’t want to give up squatting.

A: We’re right there with you on that. After years of heavy squatting—and numerous back injuries–we’re now very cautious when doing that exercise. But the good news is that we’ve figured out how to do it while significantly minimizing the injury potential and still gaining more mass… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3x, 4X, bodyweight training, Charles Poliquin, heavy training, moderate weight workouts, moderate-weight 4x, more mass, olympic coach, pre-ex 3x mass workout, squats, tri-sets

Our At-Home Mass Workouts (what we’re doing)

Back in the 1990s, Steve’s very first book was titled Iron Man’s Home Gym Handbook. Looks like we’ve come full-circle. At the moment, there’s no place like home—or nowhere else to train but home…

Like most iron men and women, we’re at home with limited equipment. Luckily, our decades of bodybuilding experience have resulted in multiple mass-training tactics and moves to keep gains coming. Here’s Steve’s report on what he’s doing in his bare-bones pump-atorium.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: alain gonzales, at-home workout, athletic-aesthetic physique, brad pitt, Brad Schoenfeld, fast-twitch fibers, growth fibers, heavy training, home gym, Home Gym Handbook, home gym workout, hypertrophy, iron man magazine, jose antonio, light training, mass tactics, muscle hypertrophy, perfect physique, powerblock, pre-exhausting, quick-start muscle building, quick-start muscle building 2.0, slow-twitch fibers, training at home, type-1 fibers, type-2 fibers

5 Critical Keys to More Muscle Mass

Jonathan Lawson muscular - Step Back to Move Your Muscle Mass Forward

Q: I understand that heavy weight isn’t important for maximum muscle growth. Can you tell me what I should include in my workouts to build the most mass possible in the shortest time. I want to get bigger.

A: Well, “heavy” weights are important, but “heavy” is relative to YOU—and dependent on muscle fatigue. You may struggle with 20 pounds in a certain exercise at the END of a bodypart workout. So that 20 pounds is “heavy” for you on that exercise at that moment… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: change to gain, continuous tension, fatigue, heavy training, hypertrophic, hypertrophic tension time, keys to more muscle mass, muscle fatigue, muscular fatigue, myofibrils, sarcoplasm, stretch, synergy, tension time

Pack On Mass—Prime-Time Style

Q: Okay, I’m moving into my late 40s, and I’m tired of all the joint pain from training heavy—shoulders, knees, hips. You name it! I’m from the lift-heavier-to-build-mass philosophy. But from all the research I’ve been seeing, it appears I don’t have to train very heavy at all to add plenty of muscle. I’m excited to try it, and I know you guys have been preaching about how these methods pack on mass for a while, but how should I start my transition?

A: No transition necessary. If you’re hurting that much, you should go right to the easy-to-follow 4X-style workouts. The relief—and new muscle gains—will amaze you (even younger guys should try a four-week all-4X phase for new growth)…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x mass workout, 4x workouts, belly fat burn, downward-progression 4x, fat burning, gains, heavy training, hormone trick, joint pain, pack on mass, positions of flexion, recovery ability, standard 4x, super-size crash course

The #1 Key to Ultimate Muscle Size

Most muscular

Q: So from what I can surmise, it sounds like I need both heavy, lower-rep sets and higher-rep, longer tension-time sets to build the ultimat muscle size. Is that right?

A: That’s a simple way to put it, but yes, most trainees need both types of training to attain extreme development as quickly as possible. Let’s review the late, great Olympic coach and strength/muscle-building expert Charles Poliquin’s input…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, belly fat burn, Charles Poliquin, Doug Brignole, fat burning, heavy training, high-end hypertrophy, high-reps, lose 17 pounds, Mr. America, muscle size, muscle-building, power-density, sarcoplasmic expansion, sarcoplasmic growth, strength coach, Super TORQ, tension time, tension-overload repetition quantity, ultimate muscle size

Weekly Change for Big Muscle Gains

Q: I want to thank you for the great programs and excellent tips, like X-Reps. My background is in Olympic lifting, but I’ve been into bodybuilding lately. I made some okay gains training heavy, but I’ve made much better and faster progress training heavy one week and using an all-4X program the next.

A: You didn’t really ask a question, but we just wanted to commend you on being brave enough to give all-4X training—every other week—a try.

So many trainees are stuck in the must-always-train-heavy-to-grow mentality that they miss out on significant muscle-size stimulation. It’s probably the key reason most complain about such slow gains. Plus, they get injured much more often.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, 4X, 4x training, beyond x-rep, biotrust, bodybuilding, Double-X Overload, dxo, free protein, gains, growth threshold, heavy training, low-carb protein, muscle gains, olympic lifting, Power, power/rep range/shock, rest/pause, stage sets, weekly change, X Reps, X-Fade, x/pause

High-Rep Overload for Muscle Growth—How Much Is Too Much

Q: I’m intrigued by the Super TORQ ultra-high-rep approach. But I’m also making great gains with your standard 3-exercise Positions of Flexion training. Can I use his method on one of the three exercises for each bodypart in the POF routine, or would that be too much?

A: If you’ve read the interview with Doug Brignole in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0 and checked out his program there, you can see that he only does ONE key exercise for each target muscle with that extreme high-rep approach…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: belly fat burn, cardio, Doug Brignole, fat loss, fatigue, gains, growth hormone, heavy training, high-rep, high-rep overload, hormone trick, hypertrophic, metabolism, muscle growth, muscle pump, POF, positions of flexion, pump, pyramids, semi-heavy, Super TORQ, tension overload, tension time, tension-overload repetition quantity, testosterone, Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout

Step Back to Move Your Muscle Mass Forward

Jonathan Lawson muscular - Step Back to Move Your Muscle Mass Forward

Q: I’m super impressed! I’ve been on the Size Surge workout for four weeks, and I’ve gained 7 pounds. My shirts are tighter with no increase in my waist, so it seems to be all muscle. The program calls for a back-off, or low-intensity, week between the two training phases. Is that really necessary, or can I go right into Phase 2? I don’t want to lose any mass. Any time I’ve taken a week off or even reduced my training, I’ve gotten smaller.

A: No, do not go right into Phase 2. The back-off week (#6) between the two phases has a definite purpose. It will allow your nervous system to recharge and your muscles to completely recover so you can push into the next phase with more intensity. And during that downshift week, you should get bigger, not smaller, despite what you thought you experienced in the past. Here is what hypertrophy researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., says about the process… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: arnold, arnold schwarzenegger, arthur jones, bodybuilders, Brad Schoenfeld, clint eastwood, downshift, heavy training, hypertrophy, intensity, larry scott, master trainer, muscle mass, muscle size, phase 1, phase 2, positions of flexion, recharge, recovery, Size Surge, size surge workout, step back, vince gironda

Triple-Threat Mass-Building Sets (use with caution)

Jordon Williamson before and after - Triple-Threat Mass-Building Sets (use with caution)

Q: I’ve been training for about 20 years now (I’m 44), and I am getting my 14-year-old son into it. He’s been working out about four months, breaking in, but I still do NOT want him to go “heavy.” I have him using your 4X method, which is great at his stage. I was thinking about the Progressive-Speed 4X version as well, specifically the speed set in order to help build the power fibers. Is that a good idea at his age, or should he use with caution?

A: First, what you have him doing now is perfect. Moderate-weight growth-threshold 4X is fantastic for young teens getting into lifting. Heavy weights may damage young joints early on, so it’s a good idea to get neophytes gradually acclimated… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x method, breaking in, downward-progression 4x, dp 4x, growth threshold, heavy pyramids, heavy training, jordon williamson, mass building, power fibers, progressive-speed 4x, ps 4x, super-size crash course, teenage trainees, TORQ, training for teenagers, use with caution, x-celeration, x-centric

Drop the Get-Big Bomb (Muscle Mayhem Method)

Vascular delt and arm - 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…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x mass workout, anabolic, anabolic hormones, build muscle, burn fat, density, double drop, Doug Brignole, drop sets, drop-set method, failure, fat loss, growth hormone, growth reps, growth threshold, heavy training, hormones, hypertrophic, hypertrophy, lose fat, metabolic adaptions, moderate-weight 3x, Mr. America, muscle mayhem, myofibrils, POF, positions of flexion, power-density, power-density mass workout, rest/pause, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, size, Super TORQ, tension overload, tension time, testosterone, TORQ, train heavy, weight loss

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