mass building Archives

Solving the Big-Muscle Puzzle

Q: Thank you for clearing up the muscle-growth mystery for me. I always believed in going heavier and heavier to get bigger. Now I know that’s only a small part of the puzzle. Working in the 4X method, X Reps, drop sets, and even some of your high-rep TORQ sets has already gotten me bigger in just a few weeks. My question is, Do you think some people get a better size response from power training and others get more size from density [endurance] work?

A: Absolutely. As we mentioned in a previous newsletter, the BIGGEST powerlifters don’t train for sarcoplasmic (endurance fluid) expansion yet have good muscle size. That’s because they were big dudes in the first place, which may signify more myofibril-building capacity. That would explain their extraordinary strength. The myofibrils are the actin-myosin strands inside the muscle fiber that generate force, but for most trainees that’s not the key to ULTIMATE SIZE… [Read more…]

The Forgotten Size Concept for Ultimate Mass

Q: I’ve read a lot of Mike Mentzer’s high-intensity info, and he said that the pump didn’t matter as far as muscle growth is concerned. He said a lot of the biggest powerlifters never get a pump yet carry a lot of mass. So shouldn’t heavy sets be the core of a mass-building routine?

A: Mentzer was partially right—but leaning more toward being mostly wrong. You don’t need a pump IF you’re only after primarily myofibrillar growth (strength). The myofibrils are the strands of actin and myosin inside the muscle fiber. Those grab onto each other to generate force. Training heavy increases their size and your strength—but science is finding that they are more about producing strength with less-than-stellar effects on muscle size… [Read more…]

Ultimate At-Home Massive-Arm Move

Q: I have the Stretch-Overload Workout ebook, so I know how important stretch-position exercises are for mass.I’m training in a home gym with only free weights, and overhead triceps extensions are irritating my elbows. Should I just skip triceps stretch altogether to avoid injury?

A: We’ve been there, so we feel your pain. In a commercial gym, we recommend cable pushouts instead, which is facing away from an overhead cable, lunging forward and performing behind-the-head extensions. [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 53: Ray Mentzer on the Beach

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 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…]

End Each Bodypart With a Mass Blast

Q: I’m getting ready to hit the Size Surge 2.0 program, and I really like the Phase 2 with the Mass Finisher [3-exercise Positions of Flexion followed by one set of a different exercise]. My question is, Can I use 3-set TORQ on that Mass Finisher, or should I stick to just one set using negatives or some of the other tactics you list in that chapter?

A: TORQ is tension-overload repetition quantity for those not familiar with it. You do three sets—30, 20, 15 reps—all sets to failure, same weight on each. Rest ONLY 45 seconds between sets. You get the high-end hypertrophic tension time of more than 60 seconds that most bodybuilders never get… [Read more…]

Metabolic Mass Move: Get High for Muscle Size

Q: I’ve been reading a lot about high-rep leg work, specifically squats. How it can add 20 pounds of muscle in six weeks. Do you think high-rep squats are worth the effort? I know they are tough, but if I get bigger faster, I’m in. Plus, I train at home and have limited weight anyway, so that would save me from buying more plates.

A: We were in touch with a bodybuilder who packed on an amazing 50 pounds of muscle in just over a year’s time. And he attributes a lot of that to adding a high-rep set of squats to his leg day (his full story was in an old issue of IRON MAN)… [Read more…]

High-End Combo to Grow: A Mass-Building Twist

Q: I’m getting some wicked pumps with Pre-Ex 3X. But I’ve been reading about your high-tension-time training methods. Do you think using higher reps on the pre-ex exercises is a good idea so I get 60 to 90 seconds of tension time?

A: Interesting idea. Optimal hypertrophic tension time is said to be 40 to 60 seconds, and many researchers extend that to 90 seconds. Most bodybuilders do sets that last only around 20 seconds… [Read more…]

Moderate-Weight Mass Building

Q: I love the Super-TORQ mass method you outline in the Power-Density 2.0 e-book. I’m 55 years old, so moderate weights are great for me, but I can’t quite wrap my head around doing such high reps at every workout. I alternate with heavy workouts as you suggest in the e-book because I’ve brutalized my joints over the years (screw you, heavy benches—Lol). Is there a MODERATE-power/Super TORQ workout I could use instead?

A: That’s an easy one—and we mention the solution in the Power-Density 2.0 e-book. You were probably just so into the new Super TORQ part of that e-book that you overlooked it… [Read more…]

Mass Building with a Lean-Machine Edge

Q: I just got your X-treme Lean e-book. I will start ripping it up soon for spring. Lots of great nutrition stuff and diets, but I didn’t even realize it all has a workout program. Is this workout better than the Fat-to-Muscle Workout? I’m trying to decide which one to use in a few weeks to kick in the cuts for spring.

A: The X-treme Lean High-Definition Workout is a 3-way split. It includes lower reps, 8-12, on a big exercise alternated with a high-rep set on an isolation move to give you that lean-machine edge. For example, for upper chest it’s… [Read more…]