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Dumbbell Upright Rows to Grow

Q: I like the idea of doing dumbbell upright rows first as the midrange movement for shoulders [as recommended in the 3D Muscle Building e-book]. I just have trouble feeling the X Reps at the end after I reach exhaustion. Should I just do a drop set instead?

A: As we explained in the last e-zine, drop sets are better for continuous tension/occlusion exercises—contracted-position moves like laterals for delts, leg extensions for quads, etc. You’re looking to maximize force production with the big midrange exercise, so X Reps is the best choice…

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Elo-Overload: Mass Machine Gasoline

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about muscle stretch and how it’s uniquely anabolic. What’s the best way to build mass with this information—a freehand stretching routine?

A: Freehand stretching routines can do okay things for muscle growth. In fact, a recent study showed muscle hypertrophy from ONLY freehand stretching, but it wasn’t extreme…

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Triple-Threat Approach to Massive Muscle Growth

Q: I’m a big believer in your Positions-of-Flexion workouts. I have gotten more growth with that [3-exercise approach] than with anything I’ve tried. One exercise I often have a problem with is incline curls [the stretch move for biceps]. Is there a substitute?

A: Thanks for the POF props. A lot of trainees find the simplified 3-way full-range approach a logical way to more size and muscle fullness. It’s an efficient method for picking exercises to train a muscle completely with just a few exercises. You get muscle synergy, stretch overload, continuous tension/occlusion, and anabolic hormone release as well as full-range fiber activation…

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Pros, Drugs, and Juicing Your Own Muscle Gains

Q: You’ve said a lot of pro bodybuilders have used versions of the 4X mass method and made great gains. But weren’t they on drugs? Don’t steroids make a huge difference? Will this type of training really work for me if I don’t use drugs?

A: Several years ago, Steve interviewed a colleague who trained with many of the legendary pros, including the Mentzer brothers, Danny Padilla, and Rory Leidelmeyer to name a few…

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High-Rep Overload for Muscle Growth—How Much Is Too Much

Q: I’m intrigued by the Super TORQ ultra-high-rep approach. But I’m also making great gains with your standard 3-exercise Positions of Flexion training. Can I use his method on one of the three exercises for each bodypart in the POF routine, or would that be too much?

A: If you’ve read the interview with Doug Brignole in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0 and checked out his program there, you can see that he only does ONE key exercise for each target muscle with that extreme high-rep approach…

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TORQ Your Abs to Whittle Your Middle

Q: Do you guys ever use Super TORQ (50-40-30-20-10) on abs? I’m using your Positions of Flexion, so I do incline knee-ups and full-range crunches. But I can’t get anywhere near 50 reps on incline kneeups. Should I just skip them?

A: Yes, Super TORQ is great for abs! No, you should not skip knee-ups…

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Use Tension Overload to Shock New Muscle Growth

Q: I got your 4X Mass Workout and am already growing with TORQ [Tension-Overload Repetition Quantity]. You discuss Mr. America Doug Brignole, his version, and how he uses drop sets on the last set. You don’t mention that with your version [30-20-15 reps]. Should I do drops on the last round of TORQ?

A: Doug has been at this bodybuilding thing for decades—and even he is still learning and experimenting…

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1 Set of 1 Exercise for More Cuts, Veins, and Size

Q: I’ve been using an X-centric set [lift in one second, lower in six] for every muscle and have noticed more cuts, veins, and I’m pretty sure more muscle size. I usually use it on the last set of a 4X sequence, but I’ve heard it’s better on the first set to get more of a warmup. Which is better, the X-centric set on the first or last set of 4X?

A: In a previous newsletter, we outlined how to use an X-centric set on the last set of a 4X sequence with The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout. We showed a lat routine with 4X on the first exercise.

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Muscle-On, Fat-Off Eating—”Diet” Only 2 Days a Week

Q: I started cleaning up my diet shortly after New Year’s with your X-treme Lean Diet. I lost about 8 pounds of fat, but my losses have stalled. Should I reduce my portions again (I’ve done this twice already)? Or should I do more cardio? Any help would be appreciated. Abs and veins are the goals.

A: Fat loss is a long-term proposition if you want to retain as much muscle as possible. Losing two pounds a week is the most you should shoot for…

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Three-Pound Muscle Gain After Only One Workout?!

Q: In your X-Rep Update #1 e-book you discuss a study that produced a three-pound muscle gain after only one workout with static-contraction sets. Do you think that’s true, that much muscle after only one workout? And if so, should I do most of my sets just holding the weight statically?

A: The researchers used the most sophisticated body-composition-measuring device available at the time, known as a BodPod, so we have no reason to doubt their results. Subjects did a full-body workout that consisted mostly of one static-contraction set for each muscle and then rested for 14 days. Most gained muscle, and one subject packed on an amazing three pounds of muscle from that one workout, but…

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