intensity Archives - Page 4 of 4

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…]

Are You Working Out Too Hard?

Q: I train my butt off in the gym. I hit it harder than every other guy in there, but I haven’t gained much muscle in a long time. Is it my genetics? My nutrition is perfect, so I should be growing like crazy, but I’m not. It’s very frustrating… Help?!

A: Yes, your genetics could have something to do with it; HOWEVER, you may have just been working out too hard for too long. It’s time to step back with a new plan… [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…]

Quick Intensity-Plus-Density Mass Tip

Q: I need a way to intensify a negative-accentuated set. I recently bought your X-centric Mass Workout e-book, and it, you say that a partner can help at the end of a set by assisting on the positive so I can continue with negatives. But I don’t have a partner… Any other mass tip suggestions?

A: Use the rest/pause technique. Do your normal negative-accentuated set (NA), using one second on the positive and six seconds on the negative. When you reach exhaustion and can’t get another, rest for six seconds or six deep breaths, then continue with as many as you can do… [Read more…]

Tips for Solo Training and BIG Gaining

Q: I agree with your progressive-overload theory, gradually making workouts more intense. You suggest adding a few forced reps every couple weeks in the first phase of the Size Surge program. But I train alone and can’t do forced reps. How can I make the workouts progressively more intense for solo training?

A: For those who missed it, we suggested this progression for the 3-days-a-week workouts in phase 1 of the Size Surge program: [Read more…]