iron man Archives - X-REP.COM

Triple-Threat Exercise for More Muscle Size

Q: I’m using a Positions-of-Flexion program from 3D Muscle Building. I’ve read a lot about the pro bodybuilders’ training, and I’m just not sure three exercises per muscle, as you recommend in POF, is enough. Can you help me understand why that’s sufficient for building the most mass?

A: First, realize the all pro bodybuilders use anabolic steroids. Those drugs heighten recovery and growth significantly. That means they can tolerate a lot more volume at each workout. On top of that, the pros have genetics for building muscle and recovering from work far superior to us normal mortals… [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 16: Lee Labrada

Lee Labrada never won the Mr. Olympia, but he got close due to his incredible symmetry, proportions, and muscle size and density. An Iron Man editor (Steve) gave him the monicker “Mass With Class” back in the ‘80s for good reason–his physique was a work of art (photo by Michael Neveux)… [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 13: Vince Gironda

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 walk down the beach looking like Vince… [Read more…]

Indirect Muscle Mass Effect: Boost Your T for Hypertrophy

Q: I’ve been reading that testosterone is the key muscle-building hormone, so what is the best way to get it up?

A: “Get it up?” Perfect way to end your question about testosterone. LOL! Arthur Jones, the creator of Nautilus machines and the overseer of the Colorado Experiment that saw Casey Viator gain 60 pounds of muscle in only 4 weeks, always said that training legs hard can have a big “indirect muscle-building effect.”

[Read more…]

The Muscles Women Notice

Q: I’m not a competitive bodybuilder or physique athlete, but I want to look muscular for more sex appeal. I train all my major muscles, but I want to specialize on the muscles women notice. Any ideas on which ones those are and the best way to make those attention-grabber muscles pop?

A: Several years ago IRON MAN did a survey, an anonymous poll of a number of women about their likes and dislikes concerning the male physique. The results were very interesting… [Read more…]

Carb Cycling: The key to shredding your physique (and staying leaner through winter)

Carb Cycling is a simple method we first learned about from the legendary Iron Guru Vince Gironda when he used to visit the Iron Man offices…

Vince always said that to train the body to drop fat, you do 3 to 4 days of low carbs followed by higher-carb “load” days—and Vince was ripped before it was in style. Check out the shred master in his heyday… [Read more…]

Arnold’s Winter Training Routine

Q: I want to get strong over the winter. I heard that that’s what Arnold used to do. I know that if I get strong, I will eventually get bigger, which was how the Oak did it. What’s the best workout for that?

A: First let’s get some insight into Arnold’s winter training routine. Former IRON MAN Publisher John Balik was there, often training with Arnold, and this is what he had to say about it: [Read more…]

Study: This quick hit can double your muscle growth

Dr. Jacob Wilson, who used to write for Iron Man when we worked there, recently performed a study with a technique we have recommended over the years—stretch holds, or Stat-X.

Dr. Wilson calls it “intraset stretching.” In his study, the subjects who included intraset stretching DOUBLED muscle thickness compared to those who did not use it. Amazing. [Read more…]

I read in IRON MAN magazine that you tried to do X Reps on the first and second sets of an exercise, but you said that two X sets was too much. Why not do X Reps on the first work set after a warmup, and then on the second set do only X Reps at the bottom—no full-range reps?

A: Our reasoning for not doing two X sets is that X Reps take so much out of the muscle that doing a second X set of the same exercise is almost pointless (you can tell the muscle has been taxed beyond its capacity by how much you have to reduce the weight for the next set after your X-Rep set).

That’s why we went back to using the strategy that worked so well for us during our transformation X-periment: a straight work set prior to the X-Rep set. That works so well because the straight set acts as an extended warmup. It insures that your nervous system is primed and the muscle is ready to fire with maximum force. Most bodybuilders rarely warm up enough, and they usually don’t go heavy enough to prepare the nervous system for their first work set. That’s why on many exercises it takes a few sets to “get into the groove.” We want to be in that groove for our X Reps set, and the heavy straight work set that precedes it gets the job done without overtaxing the target muscle.

Your suggestion of a straight set with X Reps at the end followed by a set with only X Reps would be worth experimenting with. Just be sure the target muscle is warmed up thoroughly before that first set that includes X Reps.

Fat Loss With NO Cardio?!

Q: I read that you guys got super ripped without doing any cardio. I also saw that Arnold had incredible fat loss with no cardio, relying on weight training only. Is that true?

A: According to John Balik, former Publisher of IRON MAN magazine and Arnold’s friend and one-time training partner, the only thing close to real cardio that Arnold did was occasional walking or running on the beach… [Read more…]