This most-muscular variation by Ray Mentzer on the beach may be his best condition ever. The photo is by Wayne Gallasch of GMV Productions out of Australia. [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 49: Mike Mentzer, Beach Freak
This John Balik photo of Mike Mentzer is insane—serious freak on the beach and one of the best pics of Mike we’ve ever seen… [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 47: Danny Padilla’s Mass
We featured Danny Padilla back in Zen #19, but after recently running across the gym photo below, we had to include him again. That’s because every time we see it, all we can say is, “Damn!” [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 43: Arnold’s Mass
We’ve mentioned in previous newsletters how Arnold had an instinct for training every muscle from the three critical angles—midrange, stretch, and contracted, what we call POF.
And it’s why he built one of the most massive physiques of his era.
Loaded stretch exercises may have been the biggest key to his mass. Check out this quote from respected researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. on a recent stretch study [“Stretch training induces unequal adaptation in muscle fascicles and thickness in medial and lateral gatrocnemii,” Scand J Med Sci Sports, Jan 30, 2017]…
Studies in animals have shown that loaded stretch is a potent stimulus for muscle growth, most notably shown by the early work of Jose Antonio…. [But] this is the first study I’m aware to show that a relatively modest loaded stretching protocol produces significant hypertrophy in humans.
Notice the words “modest loaded stretching” and “significant hypertrophy.” Exciting stuff!
Arnold made it a point to do pain-inducing stretch-position moves for almost every muscle—like biceps…
Stretch-position exercises are the most neglected in the gym because they can hurt—but they work…
It’s clear that muscle stretch is one of the 3 hypertrophy keys that you should attack for freaky muscle growth. And many researchers think stretch is the ultimate get-bigger trigger. For you, that means in the gym…
Do loaded muscle elongation for super-size stimulation! Here’s how to do it…
The Freak-Physique Stretch-Overload Workout contains mass-building research, stretch exercises for EVERY muscle plus multiple workouts supercharged with anabolic stretch, including 3D Power Pyramid (Positions of Flexion) and Pure-Positions STX (slow-twitch exhaustion). This may be the most important mass-building information you’ve ever read, and for a limited time you can add it to your mass-building library, a $19 value, for ONLY $9 HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
“[Arnold’s] just a fat f#@k” — say what?
Iron Man Publisher John Balik worked at Vince’s Gym in Studio City back in the ’60s. He has great memories—and funny stories—like when Arnold walked in for the first time…
“I am Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe,” the Oak proclaimed proudly…
Vince looked up over his glasses, paused and said, “You look like just a fat f#@k to me.” And looked back down.
It brought Arnold down to earth and made him realize he needed to be more polished, more ripped, to be the greatest of all time…
And that’s what he did, winning the Mr.Olympia seven times…
We can say from experience that Vince was unique in his approach to both people and training…
We’ve got the over-300-page e-book anthology on Vince and all of his methods, and it’s a treasure trove of mass-building, physique-etching info. You’ll definitely want this in your mass-building library for sure…
–> Check out Vince Gironda: Legend & Myth HERE
It will blow your mind and blow up our muscles—everything from Train 21 Rest 7 to 10-8-6-15 to Vince’s Stone Age Nutrition to Failure vs. 60-80 and much, much more (remember, it’s over 300 pages!).
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 36: The Arnold Stroll
It’s winter, so many of our Zen newsletters these days are motivation oriented. One of the photos that inspired us way back was this one of Arnold walking through the streets of Venice, California… [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 35: Mohammed Makkawy
Mohammed Makkawy is one of the greatest short bodybuilders of all time. At only 5’3”, the Egyptian-born athlete defeated men much taller with his proportioned, no-weak-points physique… [Read more…]
Rest Between Sets Confusion
Q: I remember reading in your newsletter not too long ago when you mentioned that the rest time between sets during a [10×10 sequence] should be 20 seconds. In the 10×10 e-book you say to use 30 seconds between sets. Is that a deliberate reduction, and if so, should I reduce my starting weight a little to accommodate the reduced rest?
A: Rest between sets during a 10×10 sequence should be anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Vince Gironda, famous Hollywood trainer known as the Iron Guru who trained Larry Scott for his first Mr. Olympia victory, liked to continue to gradually reduce it over many workouts till the trainee was down to only about 10 seconds of rest or less between sets. That doesn’t work for many trainees because of having a training partner… [Read more…]
Mass Workout That Works
Q: I have the Size Surge e-book and just picked up the 3D Muscle Building e-book. In 3D there’s a different version of the phase 1 Size Surge workouts [SS Mass F/X Program, pages 81-84 in 3D]. It has rest/pause and drop sets. Should I use that as phase 1 or Jonathan’s straight-set version in the Size Surge e-book?
A: The Mass F/X Program in the 3D e-book is the same 3-days-per-week phase 1 that Jonathan used, but with a few twists: You do a max-Force-generating mass workout for a bodypart, then at the second workout for that bodypart, you do an eXtended-tension-style workout. That gives you the power-density mass-building combination we’re always harping on… [Read more…]
Gains: 3 Pounds in 3 Weeks
Q: This is it! I started using The 10×10 Mass Workout a little while ago, and I’ve gained 3 pounds in 3 weeks, all muscle. If I keep this up, I can easily gain 20 pounds of muscle in the next few months. Thank you for showing me the best mass-building program ever.
A: While that’s not a question, we feel obligated to respond. First, we’re glad you’re making such spectacular progress with 10×10. Gaining 3 pounds in 3 weeks is very impressive, so keep using it till your gains slow down or stop… [Read more…]
Heat: The Magic Muscle Maker
Q: This is kind of an odd question, but does hot weather help make muscles grow? I’ve noticed this summer, when it’s been blazing hot outside, I make my best gains. In the winter, my gains are much slower, sometimes nonexistent. Could it be the heat?
A: It could simply be more summer-time motivation—you train harder because you want to look good at the pool, lake, or beach. It could also be leanness and darkness—being more ripped and tan makes you look bigger and better. There’s a good chance that heat and/or sunshine may have something to do with it, along with sweating. Perspiring more sheds water from under the skin, and that means more vascularity more often, which adds to your bigger, more-shredded look. But heat may be the key… [Read more…]