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Q: I’ve always gotten pretty good size and strength gains from
A: Great question! For new readers, the myofibrils are the force-generating actin and myosin strands in the muscle fibers. If you have more of those than usual, you would be considered myofibrillar dominant. A good example of that is Mike Mentzer, who was squatting over 500 pounds at age 16…
[Read more…]Q: My calves suck. No size or veins whatsoever. Should I be hitting them with lower reps or high reps? Some people tell me up to 30 reps, others say I should go 10 to 12 reps with heavier weight. It’s so confusing… Please help!
A: Yes, the right calf-building recipe is tough for many people—but we have a good high-low method that could be just the trick to give you more calf mass, but let’s start with the science…
[Read more…]We get the stronger = bigger question a lot—and there’s no question that getting stronger will build some size—note that we said “some.” To clarify, here’s an excerpt from our best-selling e-book The Super-Size Crash Course…
“One of the biggest reasons muscle growth is so slow in most cases is the simplistic myth that strength equals superior size. There’s more to it than that. Trying to move big weights for a few reps does very little for ultimate muscle size. Are you shaking your head? Check this out…
[Read more…]We’re not going to beat around the bush. The dumbest thing you can do if you want extreme mass is to believe there’s only one way to build muscle. You know, a stubborn narrow mind that is set on “this way is the only way.” For example…
Do you train each muscle group with a number of sets once a week? It’s a popular trend in bodybuilding—chest on Monday, legs on Tuesday, arms on Wednesday and so on. That can work—for a while. Then you adapt… [Read more…]
A: Heavier weights and lower reps will produce more growth—in a couple of fast-twitch fiber types. Scientists believe there are at least five (some even say nine) different fast-twitch fiber types, some being slightly more endurance oriented than others. So a set with four to six reps plus X Reps may do great things for one or two of those; but to get at the others you’d want to include slightly higher-rep sets (or include drop sets and supersets in combination with X Reps, as outlined in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book). That will help you hit as many fast-twitch types as possible.
Technically speaking, fiber makeup dictates which rep range should dominate for an individual. For example, if you have more pure fast-twitch fibers, lower reps should dominate in your routine, but you shouldn’t neglect other rep ranges because you want to hit as many fiber types as possible to max out growth. In other words, the more fibers you get to grow, the bigger your muscles will be.
In our cases, Jonathan, being more mesomorphic (muscular/athletic), responds to lower reps, but he also includes drop sets and supersets to hit a variety of fiber types as well (those techniques bring in an endurance component). Steve, on the other hand, responds better to higher reps, as he’s an ectomorph (hardgainer/skinny) with more endurance-oriented fast-twitch fibers as well as lots of slow-twitch fibers. Heavy straight sets don’t do much for him, so he relies more on drop sets and supersets, while still keeping the reps in the six-to-12 range. That means if he does a drop set of 8(6) reps—eight reps, reduce the weight and immediately do six reps—he’s doing 14 reps. That’s two lower-rep sets back to back, giving him the best of both worlds. Add X Reps to one of those sets and he gets even more time under tension, overloading a number of fiber types. It’s a very efficient way to train for more muscle mass.
Remember, it’s not about just hitting fast-twitch fibers with low reps. There are a number of different fast-twitch fibers that vary in work capacity. We attack that problem by doing heavy work but also getting more endurance-oriented anaerobic work by using supersets and drop sets along with X Reps.
Q: What’s your opinion of low-rep sets, like singles, doubles, and triples? Will they help me build more muscle?
A: Low reps are more for developing strength, but indirectly they can help you add size. We say indirectly because low-rep sets help you develop neuromuscular efficiency, or better nerve force. Eventually, that can help you activate more muscle fibers on your higher-rep muscle-building sets…
However, there are safer ways to build neuromuscular efficiency—like end-of-set X Reps and/or end-of-set static holds (StatX)…
For example, on decline bench presses say you hit full-range exhaustion at around rep nine. Lower to the semi-stretch point near the bottom of the stroke and pulse with eight-inch partial reps. If you can’t do any on your own, have your partner help you with three to five normal-speed X Reps…
If you don’t have a partner, slowly lower your last rep, using a six-second negative, and stop at the semistretch point, just above the turnaround, and hold for as long as possible. Obviously, you need a Smith machine for declines so you can rack the bar in the low position after your StatX. For squats, be sure you’re in a power rack with safety pins set properly.
We’re not big fans of low-rep sets because we’re not powerlifters; we try to leave our egos at the gym door. Several years ago, our egos got the best of us, and we just had to squat 500 pounds. We both finally did it for a few reps—but our legs didn’t look bigger or better. That’s not the worst of it. We accrued so much spine-compression damage that to this day both of us have back problems. We feel like dumb-asses for that lack of common sense…
Remember, you need to be injury-free to train consistently and intensely to make the best muscle gains possible. That’s why we suggest you use X Reps and/or StatX instead of dangerous low-rep sets. Five reps on a set is as low as we ever recommend—and that’s rare. You don’t need low reps to build maximum muscle, as Jonathan’s results show…
Note: For more on X Reps and StatX training, see The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout e-book.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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–> Use this cutting-edge cardio trick to boost testosterone and muscle growth
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