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More Sets for Young Muscle?

Steve after adding a bit more muscle...and a beard.

Q: I’m 45 years old, 20 years your junior. I was blown away by the Old Man, Young Muscle ebook and workout. It all makes so much sense. But I’m wondering if my younger age means that I should add sets to the workouts you recommend?

A: First, I’m 63, so you’re only 18 years younger. It’s the gray beard, isn’t it? Seriously, your question is tough to answer because recovery ability is so specific to the individual. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: before and after, iron guru, neuromuscular efficiency, recovery, short workouts, supercompensation, vince gironda

Blood Bath for Extreme Mass

Hammer curl vascular arm

Way back in the 1970s, an Iron Man author named Dennis DuBreuil explained his Blood Theory…

Basically, he said that there is a direct relationship between how well a muscle pumps and how well it grows… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic blood bath, blood theory, Brad Schoenfeld, Dennis DuBreuil, density training, hypertrophic trigger, iron guru, lactic acid, master trainer, muscle pump, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 139: Vince Gironda’s Old Man Muscle

Vince Gironda at almost 60 years old

This shot of Vince Gironda, the legendary Iron Guru, was taken in front of his gym back when he was almost 60 years old. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: aesthetic, bodybuilding zen, iron guru, iron man magazine, physique, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 133: Vince Gironda’s Aesthetic Physique

colorized photo of Vince Gironda, cropped

This classic shot of Vince Gironda, the legendary Iron Guru, was taken way back in the 1950s. His aesthetic physique, with its symmetry, lines, and rippedness, holds up today.

Yep, even now most guys would kill to hang out by the pool looking like Vince… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1950s, 4x mass method, aesthetic, bodybuilding zen, clint eastwood, density training, iron guru, larry scott, mr. olympia, muscle detail, symmetry, vince gironda, vince's gym

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 111: Freddy Ortiz Freak Physique

This shot of Freddy Ortiz from the early ‘60s shows his incredible genetics. Freddy often trained at the iconic Vince’s Gym in Studio City, California. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x density training, bodybuilding zen, California, density training, freak physique, Freddy Ortiz, genetics, Hollywood trainer, iron guru, master trainer, over 40, over 50, over 60, over 70, physique, studio city, vince gironda, vince's gym

Trouble with 10X on Chins

Jonathan Lawson doing chin-ups
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Q: I’ve been hitting it heavy for a few months, so I’m planning to switch to your 10×10 Mass Workout for a few weeks. I’ve done two workouts so far with 10X, and it feels great so far, and the pump is awesome. One problem I have is chins—there’s just no way I can do 10 sets of 10 reps with only 30 seconds of rest between. I know I can do pulldowns instead, but I believe chins are the superior back builder. Any suggestions?

A: You have a few choices. Famous Hollywood trainer, Vince “Iron Guru” Gironda, favored 8×8. You could try that instead of 10×10. Vince called that his “honest” muscle-building workout, and his trainees’ muscles got bigger, fuller shapes with 8×8.

Jonathan Lawson doing chin-ups

One of the most famous proponents of the 10×10 method was our colleague, Olympic coach, and muscle-size-and-strength expert the late Charles Poliquin. Here was his advice to those who couldn’t manage 10×10 on chins…

The law of repeated efforts will enable you to develop the work capacity to perform all 10 sets… Start at 10 sets of 5 reps as your first goal so that you can accumulate volume. Then progress to 10 sets of 6, and so on.

So once you get all 10 sets—or almost all—for 5 reps, add a rep at our next workout so you attempt 10×6. Keep striving to bump up your rep count…

Also, there’s no hard-and-fast rule that 30 seconds is the ideal between-sets rest. You can use 45 seconds or even one minute. For sarcoplasmic-expansion stress—building the energy fluid in the fibers—which is what 10×10 is all about, one minute should be the limit…

As for your comment that chins are better than pulldowns, maybe not better—just different. Pulldowns allow you to angle your torso for a unique lat-fiber hit. There’s really no way to angle your torso on chins to vary the stress on your back…

Lat pulldowns

To get a best-of-both worlds double hit, you could start a 10×10 sequence on chins, and when you can no longer get 10, move to pulldowns. You’ll have to experiment with the poundage so that your first set of pulldowns isn’t too easy but also not close to failure…

Say your chins go something like 10, 10, 10, 9. That’s four sets. Rest 30 seconds, then move to pulldowns. Your reps should go something like 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 8. And your lats will be thoroughly pumped from hitting two slightly different angles of pull. It’s a great double attack to get your back jacked…

Jonathan Lawson flexing his back and arms outside

Feel the Pump and See Results from 10×10

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com


Recommended

Mass-Building Lessons From the Master Trainer

Vince Gironda - Master Trainer

Vince Gironda was the Iron Guru, a bodybuilding legend ahead of his time. His most famous pupil in the bodybuilding world was the very first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott, and he also trained many Hollywood stars back in the day, like Clint Eastwood, and even Arnold consulted with him and was a fan (even though Vince told Arnold that he was a “fat f**k” when he first arrived in the U.S.).

Many of Vince’s mass-building tricks and methods have been forgotten, buried by information and misinformation overload on the Internet, but now you can find them all, his true methods, in this must-have, 330-page Vince Gironda e-book anthology…

You get everything from “Train 21 Rest 7” to 10-8-6-15 to Vince’s Stone Age Nutrition, the 8×8 method and program and much, much more (remember, it’s 330 pages). And it’s on sale at a discount for a limited time: Simply use the code GIRONDA20 at checkout for an extra 20 percent off.

Vince Gironda: Legend & Myth (300-page anthology + many bonus gifts and programs) HERE

Learn From the Iron Guru

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x, 10x10, 8x8, back exercises, back workout, Charles Poliquin, Hollywood trainer, honest workout, iron guru, muscle pump, olympic coach, pump, sarcoplasmic expansion, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 94: Danny Padilla Mass Twist

Danny Padilla in a twisting back pose on stage, cropped photo

We’ve featured Danny Padilla in our Zen installments many times, but he had such a great, well-balanced, and inspiring physique that he’s worth flashing back on again. This is a great twisting-back stage shot that highlights his mass and symmetry, things his training style magnified… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x method, bodybuilding zen, danny padilla, density training, fiber types, giant killer, iron guru, master trainer, muscle pump, physique, progressive muscle-fiber exhaustion, symmetry, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 68: Danny Padilla Onstage

Danny Padilla was “the Giant Killer” of pro bodybuilding back in the ‘80s. At only 5’2”, his symmetrical sculpted mass allowed him to beat bodybuilders who were much taller and larger than he was.

From the pic here, you can see why—no flaws anywhere. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1980s, 4X, 4x muscle building, aesthetics, after-40 muscle building, bodybuilding zen, danny padilla, density training, fast-twitch fibers, giant killer, hypertrophy, iron guru, master trainer, muscle pump, slow-twitch fibers, symmetry, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 66: Dorian Yates Mass Machine

Dorian Yates on stage

Dorian Yates won his first of six Mr. Olympia titles in 1992. His huge, grainy physique was the next step up from the more aesthetic previous Mr. O, Lee Haney… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1992 Mr. Olympia, aesthetic, bodybuilding zen, Dorian Yates, heavy duty, iron guru, Lee Haney, legend & myth, mass machine, master trainer, mr. olympia, pre-exhaustion, quick-start muscle building, slow-twitch exhaustion, stx method, vince gironda

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 64: Arnold Double Muscle

Arnold, double biceps in front of chalkboard

One reason Arnold is considered by many to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time is that he could look shockingly massive or aesthetically sculpted, as in this photo. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: aesthetic, anabolic accelerator, arnold, arnold schwarzenegger, art zeller, bodybuilding zen, Gene Mozee, hypertrophic, iron guru, legend & myth, massive physique, master trainer, mind-muscle connection, multi-angular training, quick-start muscle building, venice, vince gironda

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