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3 Simple Changes to Get You Growing

Jonathan Lawson curling - 3 Simple Changes to Get You Growing

You know our mantra: You can trigger bigger gains with one small change. But let’s multiply that for even more mass. We’ve got 3 simple things to get you growing immediately… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10-week Size Surge, 20 pounds in 10 weeks, 3 simple changes, after-40, anabolic, anabolic after 40, anabolic primer, animal study, blood-flow, change to gain, frequency, full-range, growth hormone, innervation, international journal of sports medicine, journal of strength conditioning research, mass gains, muscle activation, muscle growth, power-density mass workout, rep cadence, rep speed, rep tempo, semi-stretch, Size Surge, slow negatives, stretch overload, synergy, testosterone, training frequency, Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout, warmups, x-traordinary arms

Are X Reps better than forced reps, and if so, why?

 

A: Yes, X Reps are better because you extend the set at only the precise point in the exercise’s stroke that is key for force production and/or fiber activation. With forced reps, on the other hand, you writhe around as you strain through full range reps with help from your training partner. So while X Reps help you circumvent nervous system failure for an extra hypertrophic surge, forced reps waste a lot of nervous energy as you push through weak areas of the stroke with imprecise unloading (pushing or pulling from your partner). That’s why trainees who use a lot of forced reps tend to get tremors after training—they overstress the nervous system.

A recent study appears to confirm that (International Journal of Sports Medicine, 24:410-418. [2003]). It featured 15 male athletes engaged in either a maximum-reps routine or a forced-reps routine. Both types of training led to considerable increases in serum testosterone, free testosterone, cortisol and growth hormone; however, cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can cannibalize muscle tissue, was higher in the forced-reps group. Forced reps also produced a greater decrease in maximum muscular force, according to the researchers.

The greater loss of muscle power indicates that forced reps overstress the nervous system and the excess cortisol produces catabolism in muscle. In fact, many studies indicate that the biggest cause of overtraining is nervous system stress, and therefore forced reps do a lot to increase that probability—much more than X Reps. In other words, cue to X Reps short stroke, as opposed to full-stroke forced reps, we believe X-Rep training is a superior way to extend a set for a maximum growth response with less recovery and nervous system stress (Journal of Applied Physiology, 85:2352-2359. [1998]).

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cns, forced reps, international journal of sports medicine, journal of applied physiology, nervous system, X Reps

Best Rep Speed for Muscle Growth

Jonathan Lawson dumbbell pullovers - Best Rep Speed for Muscle Growth

Q: What is the best rep speed for muscle growth? I want to look like a bodybuilder/physique athlete, so I’m not that concerned with strength. I just want more muscle mass.

A: In The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout e-book we cite a study that attempted to determine the optimal rep speed for building muscle. It compared doing sets with a two-to-three-second positive and a two-to-three-second negative—about three up, three down—with sets using a power cadence, which is one second up and three seconds down. The power cadence produced the most mass in this study. [Int J Sports Med. 30(3):200-204; 2009.] [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic, best rep speed for muscle growth, bodybuilder, building muscle, eccentric, fast-twitch, fat-to-muscle, fat-to-muscle workout, international journal of sports medicine, muscle biopsies, muscle fibers, muscle growth, muscle mass, myotatic reflex, optimal rep speed, physique athlete, protein remodeling, rep speed, semi-stretch, semistretch, ultimate fat-to-muscle, x-centric, x-centric mass workout, x-traordinary x-rep workout

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