muscle burn Archives

Are X Reps More Power or Density?

Q: I totally get the idea of Power-Density for more muscle size, and I notice that some of the top bodybuilders use that type of mix. I’m not sure how X Reps fit in, though. Is a set with X Reps more power or density? And why are they so great? Aren’t they just a few short-range movements at the end of a set?

A: Considering the studies that show the biggest bodybuilders’ muscles are jam-packed with type 2A fibers, the ones with both power and endurance (density) capabilities, all bodybuilders should be using both types of sets (and X Reps can help, as you’ll see). [Read more…]

Your 3-Week Mass Blast—Big Bursts of Muscle Mass Fast

Q: Being drug-free, I was very interested in The 4X Mass Workout. Considering the colleague you mention in that e-book who has trained with a lot of pros while he was using drugs and that he also trained drug-free, his advice is priceless. For drug-free guys, he says he likes 3 weeks of high-intensity-style power training alternated with 3 weeks of lower-intensity, slightly higher-volume workouts. What do you think about this for a big mass blast: 3 weeks of total-10×10 training, followed by 3 weeks of total-4X workouts, followed by 3 weeks of the 3D Power Pyramid [a straight-set lower-rep Positions-of-Flexion workout listed in The Freak Physique e-book]?

A: That looks like a great mass-building, progress-yielding progression. You shift gears every 3 weeks for plenty of muscle-stimulation tweaks… [Read more…]

Top 5 Fat-Loss Blast-Off Tips

It’s not easy getting lean—at least for most people—which is why fast fat loss is always a hot topic. Most of you reading this probably want to uncover your abs sooner rather than later…

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The I-Hate-Squats Workout

Q: I’m so frustrated. I constantly hear and read bodybuilders saying that you have to do free-bar squats to get big. You even put squats as the Ultimate Exercise for quads in your Ultimate Mass Workout e-book. It’s supposedly the best quad exercise and also stimulates overall mass gains. But I always get hurt when I squat heavy. My lower back craters, and I’m tired of it. Can’t I just use leg presses instead?

A: Some trainees simply aren’t built for free-bar squats. Because of leverage factors—usually long legs, the upper body pitches forward, which can put the lower back at risk. Heavy weights also compress the vertebrae. (Is it really beneficial to have 500 pounds sitting on your shoulders pushing down on your spine? Hmm.)

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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.

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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):

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Ripped Abs: Your First 3 Steps

Q: I’m sick of being soft and blubbery. I really want to see my abs, but I’m not sure where to start. Do I just start working out harder and wait for them to appear? Please help.

A: When we get “soft and blubbery,” usually over the winter (Steve’s pic at left below), our first step to getting ripped abs for the warmer weather is to stop eating crap…

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Quick Fat-to-Muscle High-Rep Hit

Q: I got your 4X e-book recently and have been experimenting with the TORQ [tension-overload repetition quantity] method you outline. It‘s amazing! I feel like I grew from one workout. I’m ready to get serious about dropping some fat for spring, and The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout looks excellent. Instead of the two ending sets of 15-20 reps, can I do two TORQ sets, say 30, 15, adding weight for the second set?

A: For the uninitiated, The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout incorporates pyramids, X-centric (negative-accentuated) sets, and then two high-rep sets on a contracted-position exercise to finish for growth hormone release…

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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.

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X Reps and the Fat-to-Muscle Hustle

Q: I read your last e-zine on fat-to-muscle tips with great interest. I added your recommendations to my training immediately. My question is, What about X Reps? Do they help? Should I add those in as well?

A: Yes, X Reps are excellent for a faster fat-to-muscle hustle. For the uninitiated, X Reps are eight-inch partials that you add onto a set after you hit exhaustion. You do those end-of-set partials at the point on the stroke at which the target muscle is somewhat stretched—for example, near the bottom of an incline press, bench press, or chinup…

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