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Why Your Growth is Slow—and How to Make it Explode

Muscle fiber growth illustration

Q: I pound away at my workouts, but I’ve only gained about three pounds of muscle in nine months. I’ve gotten stronger, but where’s the size?! I don’t know what to do. I add weight to my exercises whenever I can, but that doesn’t seem to help. I want big, full muscles that will fill out my T-shirts.

A: Are you doing your work sets in the eight-to-10 rep range? Are you resting about 2 minutes between sets? Are your sets lasting about 25 seconds? Are you doing that on all of your exercises? If so, THAT’S WHY YOU’RE NOT GROWING. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 2a fibers, actin-myosin strands, atp, belly fat burn, bodybuilders, dual-capacity fibers, European Journal of Applied Physiology, explode, glycogen, high reps, jerry brainum, miracle fix, mitochondria, muscle growth, muscle pump, muscle size, myofibrillar, myofibrils, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, size, slow to grow, slow-mo, speed reps, strength

Solving the Big-Muscle Puzzle

Dumbell shrugs

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…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x10, 4x method, actin, bad gas, biotrust probiotic, drop sets, ectomorphs, fat burning, force generation, free probiotics, free supplements, glycogen, hardgainers, heavy sets, mass building, mitochondria, muscle building, muscle fullness, muscle growth, myofibrillar growth, myosin, powerlifters, pro-x10, sarcoplasmic expansion, tension overload, tension time, TORQ, X Reps, x-centric, x-hybrid techniques

Overtrained? Try This for Instant Muscle Gains—No Layoff Necessary

Q: I’m starting to drag at the gym, and I don’t look forward to my workouts anymore. I’m starting to think I’m overtrained. I haven’t grown in a while, but I DON’T want to take a layoff. Even backing off to low-effort workouts sounds like a bad idea because I don’t want to lose my gains. What should I do?

A: Boy, does that sound familiar. We always tell trainees that they need a break to regenerate and keep the growth process rolling, but they never take one (and neither do we—bad). That’s an easy way to end up overtrained. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x10, belly fat burn, burn fat, fat burning, fat loss, GH release, john hansen, lose fat, mitochondria, Mr. Natural Olympia, muscle gains, myofibrillar growth, overtrained, overtraining, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic growth

Stick to Only Big, Basic Exercises?

Q: I’ve been lifting for about 1 1/2 years, trying to build a mass base, but it’s just not happening very fast. I like the idea of 3D Positions of Flexion [training each muscle in its midrange, stretch, and contracted positions], but almost everyone I talk to says to stick to only the big, basic exercises and forget about isolation moves. Should I just continue using the big basics and hope I build size and strength, or is now the time for me to try 3D POF?

A: Using only the big, basic exercises, what we call midrange-position moves like squats for quads, is fine for, say, a six-week phase every so often (like winter); however, we firmly believe that those who make big gains using only big exercises have an abundance of pure fast-twitch fibers and exceptional nerve-to-muscle connections (neuromuscular efficiency). They are genetically gifted, unlike the majority…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, 3d pof, 3d positions of flexion, anabolic, anabolic hormones, basic exercises, big basic exercises, capillary beds, contracted, endurance fibers, fast-twitch fibers, fat burning, fiber splitting, fiber types, genetics, hyperplasia, mass builder, mass building, mass gains, max-force generation, midrange, mitochondria, muscle elongation, muscle gains, nerve-to-muscle connections, neuromuscular efficiency, occlusoin, POF, positions of flexion, size, strength, stretch, testosterone, Truth About Testosterone, x update, x-rep update

Rest/Pause or Drop Sets: Which is Better?

Q: What’s better, rest/pause or drop sets, and what’s the difference? I mean, I know what they are; you rest about 10 seconds between rest/pause sets using the same weight, but with drop sets you move immediately to a lighter set with no rest. But is one better than the other?

A: We’ve found that rest/pause is best for exercises that use max force as their key growth component (midrange and stretch movements). It’s a great way to add a little more volume and force overload without too much extra time in the gym. The short rest of 10-15 seconds allows ATP and nerve pathways to regenerate somewhat so you can continue the force-overload assault.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: drop sets, mitochondria, muscle burn, rest/pause, rest/pause and drop sets, rest/pause or drop sets, tension overload, X Reps, x update, x-rep update, x/pause

Top 3 In-the-Gym Fat-Burning Tricks

Q: What can I do during my workouts to get leaner right now? I have some pounds to lose, especially around my middle. My goal this year is to see abs all summer, so I want to get rid of the fat fast.

A: You may be doing some of these things already, but here are our top-3 tips to ramp up fat burning in your weight-training workouts (of course, you also have to adjust your eating to make these tricks super-effective):

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x mass building, abs, afterburn, anabolic, anabolic fasting, bodyfat, brad pilon, cardio, eat stop eat, fat burning, fat loss, fat-burning tricks, fiber activation, fiber stress, get lean, growth hormone, intermittent fasting, lactic acid, metabolism, micro tears, microtears, microtrauma, mitochondria, muscle burn, muscle pump, occlusion, positions of flexion, testosterone, triple-shredded combo, ultimate fat-to-muscle workout, weight loss, x-centric, x-treme lean

Go Slow to Grow and Burn Fat

Q: I got your Quick-Start Muscle-Building Guide because I haven’t lifted in a few years. Fantastic info and it’s already working for me. On some exercises, you suggest lifting in 3 seconds and lower in 3 to help improve nerve force for strength. I’ve seen in many of your emails that you sometimes lift in 1 second and lower in 6. Should I try that? I think you said it helps burn fat, and I would love to see my abs sooner rather than later.

A: Lifting in 1 second and lowering in 6 is what we call X-centric, or Negative-Accentuated, training. It is a great FAT BURNER as well as MUSCLE BUILDER, but you shouldn’t use it just yet (more on why in a moment).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: atp, beginners guide, build muscle, burn fat, carbs, creatine, eccentric, energy fluid, fat burner, fat burning, fat-to-muscle, GH, glycogen, growth hormone release, metabolism, microtears, mike westerdal, mitochondria, muscle builder, muscle fibers, muscle-building, myofibrillar growth, myofibrils, negative-accentuated, negatives, protect your family, quick-start muscle building, sarcoplasm, slow negatives, slow to grow, tension time, time under tension, ultimate fat-to-muscle workout, x-centric

8 Tips to Drop Fat and Build Mass—Summer’s Coming Fast

Steve Holman ripped at 50 - Before and Afters: Steroid-Using Bastards?

Q: The first day of [meteorological] spring slapped me in the face. My abs are gone and I feel “loose,” as in soft. I need to drop fat, especially around my middle, and add some hard muscle—like right now. How do I get it going and see abs?

A: Don’t panic. You still have about 12 weeks until summer. But because fat-loss is a slow process—if you want to hold and even gain muscle—you need to start NOW.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: ab training, abs, alcohol, anabolic fasting, brad pilon, build mass, calorie reduction, calories, cardio, diet, drop fat, eat stop eat, fat burner, fat burning, fat loss, fat-to-muscle workout, gain muscle, GH, growth hormone, high-rep sets, intermittent fasting, low-glycemic, metabolic slow-down, metabolism, mitochondria, negative-accentuated, patience, pump, spring, spring body, starvation, summer, summer body, summer's coming, tension time, testosterone, triple-shredded, x-centric, x-terme lean, x-traordinary abs

Eye-Popping Muscle Detail with High Reps?

Q: I heard that you guys prescribe high-rep sets to etch in muscle cuts. That’s wrong. I’m a certified personal trainer, and I learned that high reps do not make a muscle more defined. You can only do that with diet to thin your skin.

A: You’re correct that higher-rep sets don’t “etch in muscle cuts” per se; however, as we discuss in our Fat-to-Muscle e-book, high-rep sets, 15 to 20, do heighten muscle burn, and that lactic acid surge can increase growth hormone output. [Can J App Phys. 22:244-255. 1997.] GH has been shown in research studies to be an extremely potent fat burner. In other words, it thins the skin by reducing subcutaneous fat—and that eventually gives you more muscle detail.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic, anabolic hormones, belly fat burn, blood-flow, bodybuilders, bodyfat, burn fat, Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, capillary bed expansoin, continuous tension, fast-twitch, fat burning, fat loss, fat-to-muscle, fat-to-muscle workout, fiber splitting, full range of motion, growth hormone, high-rep sets, high-reps, igf-1, insulin, insulin-like growth factor, jerry brainum, lactic acid, lean, lose fat, max force, mechano-growth factor, metabolism, mitochondria, muscle burn, muscle detail, muscle growth, muscular growth, occlusion, POF, positions of flexion, rep range, ripped, spot reduction, stretch overload

Max-Muscle-Size Study: Rest Between Sets—is short or long best?

Q: Your 4X mass method has 35 to 45 seconds rest between sets. I’ve seen research that longer rests between sets can be better for strength and muscle growth. What’s your take on that?

A: Legendary trainer Vince Gironda, the Iron Guru who trained Mr. Olympias as well as Hollywood stars to build muscle fast, first got us into reducing rest between sets for muscle growth—he called it Density Training…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, 4x mass method, 4x mass workout, arnold schwarzenegger, bodybuilders, Brad Schoenfeld, clint eastwood, density training, hypertrophic response, hypertrophy, hypoxic effect, iron guru, just a fat f#@k, lactic acid, larry scott, long rest, master trainer, mitochondria, mr. olympia, muscle fatigue, muscle growth, powerlifters, rep range, rep tempo, research study, rest between sets, size and strength, strength, study, vince gironda

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