Dedicated to Your Physical Transformation
Q: I’m growing again with STX. But I was thinking that instead of 15 to 20 reps on set #1, how about getting to the fast-twitch fibers faster with a heavier 8-rep set instead? Then lighten the weight and do a Speed Set for even more fast-twitch stimulation.
A: The higher-rep initial set is more efficient, safer and better for hypertrophy—especially for older trainees—for a few reasons… [Read more…]
I’m often asked how I could possibly build muscle with only a 50-pound PowerBlock dumbbell set and a bench, as chronicled in Old Man Young Muscle.
It’s a common misconception that you need heavy weights to trigger hypertrophy—and besides, I had no choice… [Read more…]
In yesterday’s newsletter, we looked at a new interpretation of hypertrophy research that suggests going to all-out muscular failure may do more harm than good with heavier loads.
Researcher Chris Beardsley says that heavier sets to failure do most of the damage on the last two reps; therefore you should stop two reps short to achieve most of the hypertrophy stimulation while avoiding that severe damage. [Read more…]
For the past two years, I’ve been training with lighter weights, usually starting each exercise for a muscle with a set of 20-plus reps.
That fatigues the slow-twitch fibers. After a short 20-second rest, I use the same weight and crank out another 10 to 12, which quickly shifts the muscle to fast-twitch-fiber activation… [Read more…]
Q: I tried your 4×10 method on every exercise, and I’m amazed. The pump was incredible and my nervous system didn’t feel so hammered at the end of my workout as it has in the past. My question is, shouldn’t I do at least one warmup set on the more dangerous exercises, like squats?
A: In theory the first set or two in a 4×10 sequence should be a sufficient warmup. That’s because you use a weight you could get 15 reps with, but you only do 10. And you use that same poundage all the way through… [Read more…]
Q: After reading one of your articles that discussed the study where light, longer sets built muscle, I was thinking that maybe that’s why X Reps build so much size. Because they’re partial reps where the muscle is stretched, you block blood flow and get more tension time by making the set last longer. Do you think that’s the case—that X Reps work because they make a set last longer?
A: No doubt that ex-tending the set with X-Reps is one reason those power partials are so effective at building more muscle. As you said, you not only pulse at the
Q: I just can’t get myself to use 10×10 on my strength exercises like bench presses, squats, and rows. Using only 60 percent of my max ain’t gonna happen. I bench 300, so I would only use 180 for 10×10. I don’t want to feel like a weakling. Do you think I would benefit by using 10×10 only on my isolation exercises? I don’t really care about the amount of weight on those shaping moves.
A: As we’ve mentioned, we had trouble coping with the idea of using light weights on the big exercises. Nobody wants to feel like a weakling. That’s why we started out using 10×10 only for arms. We figured [Read more…]
Q: I’ve read some of your articles on the 10×10 method, and I just can’t wrap my mind around using lighter weights to gain mass. Can that really work? I’m scared I’ll lose muscle if I try it.
A: First, you don’t have to dive in head-first and use 10×10 all the time for every bodypart. For example, when we first tried it, we had some of the same doubts you’re expressing, so we decided to try it only on arms originally… [Read more…]
