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Step Back to Move Your Muscle Mass Forward

Q: I’m super impressed! I’ve been on the Size Surge workout for four weeks, and I’ve gained 7 pounds. My shirts are tighter with no increase in my waist, so it seems to be all muscle. The program calls for a back-off, or low-intensity, week between the two training phases. Is that really necessary, or can I go right into Phase 2? I don’t want to lose any mass. Any time I’ve taken a week off or even reduced my training, I’ve gotten smaller.

A: No, do not go right into Phase 2. The back-off week (#6) between the two phases has a definite purpose. It will allow your nervous system to recharge and your muscles to completely recover so you can push into the next phase with more intensity. And during that downshift week, you should get bigger, not smaller, despite what you thought you experienced in the past. Here is what hypertrophy researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., says about the process… [Read more…]

Muscle Size by Priming the Pump: Do You Really Need a Warmup?

Q: I don’t seem to see you guys talking about warm-up sets very often. Do I need to do any? I’m interested in building the most mass possible.

A: If you’re using something like our 4X mass method, you don’t need warm-up sets. The first easier sets prime the pump… [Read more…]

2 Quick Ways to Jack Up Muscle Gains

Q: I’m reading the Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building e-book, and I noticed that you have a section on X-centric training. But it’s not the same as what you describe in my X-centric Mass Workout e-book. Is one better than the other?

A: X-centric is our X-Rep vernacular for eccentric, which is the negative stroke of an exercise; that is, the lowering of a weight, like the downward portion of a bench press. [Read more…]

Sets, Reps, and Muscle-Size Success

Q: I have a 4X question. Let’s use incline dumbbell presses as an example. I do the first 3 sets of 10 reps with 60 pounds. On the 3rd set, I hit the 10th rep, but it isn’t easy. After 30 seconds rest I do my 4th set, but I can only get 5 or 6 reps. Is it better to keep pushing with the 60s until I hit 10 reps on all 4 sets, or should I drop the weight to 55 pounds for all 4 sets, increase the reps to 12 and try that for a few weeks? Any thoughts?

A: We prefer 10,10,10,6, striving to get more reps on that last set at each workout. For most muscle groups, 10 reps seems to be ideal for getting BOTH power and density size effects in the key 2A growth fibers. But there is a place for 4×12 sequences, as you’ll see… [Read more…]

All-10×10 Program: Good or Bad?

Q: You have an all-10×10 program in your e-book [The Ultimate 10×10 Mass Workout], but I’ve heard that you don’t think total 10×10 routines are that great. I wanted to try it, but now I’m not so sure. Do you still believe that the all-10×10 program is not good?

A: For those unfamiliar with it, 10×10 is taking a weight you can get about 20 reps with, but only doing 10. You rest for 30 seconds, then do 10 more and so on until you complete 10 sets of 10 reps. The first sets are a breeze; the last ones are brutal and create an insane pump and burn.

The beauty of 10×10 is that you do it on one exercise per bodypart, so a muscle is cooked to the bone in about 10 minutes. The problem with the all-10x1o program is that it’s pure DENSITY…

As we’ve said, the dominant fiber type in the biggest bodybuilders is the DUAL-component type-2As. They have both a power and density, or endurance, component. That means you need BOTH power and endurance to build the most muscle size. With 10×10 you’re getting almost pure density. But that can be a good thing…

Total 10×10 training is great if you’ve been doing a program dominated by power-oriented sets—as most bodybuilders do. The majority neglect density almost completely because they are brainwashed into believing that heavy weights build the most muscle. Even we’ve fallen into that trap before. That’s why when we first tried an all-10×10 program, we each packed on more than 5 pounds of muscle. We thought we’d found the Holy Grail of muscle building…

However, gains quickly subsided and began to regress—because now we had been neglecting the POWER component. The moral is that if you use a total-10×10 program like the first program outlined in The Ultimate 10×10 Mass Workout with only the ultimate exercise for each muscle, use it for only 3 to 4 weeks (our gains began to regress after week 4). Then go back to a balanced attack or even a power-oriented workout.

A good, balanced attack is the Heavy/Light 10×10 Mass Workout later in the 10×10 e-book. On that one, you do a heavy, straight-set POF workout for a muscle—power—then the next time you train it, you do only the big exercise for 10×10—a total 10-minute density mass blitz. Balanced power/density for major muscle immensity!

Jonathan Lawson outside - All 10x10 Program: Good or Bad?

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com

Boost Testosterone…
With Cardio?!

If you want to build muscle (of course you do!) and ramp up your testosterone levels while burning a ton of fat at the same time, you need to try this workout if you haven’t already…

–> Use this cutting-edge cardio trick to boost testosterone and muscle growth
Note: This is NOT traditional HIIT or boring steady-state cardio

New Density for Muscle Immensity Workout

I just saw Jonathan’s new read-me page about XRX and the workout he is now using. I turned 48 and am making the best size gains of my life with the [high-rep-set-first] Reload program. Is Jonathan’s similar? Is it better? Should I switch?

The reason Jonathan put together his new after-40 workout is that he Hates—with a capital H—high reps…

While he made amazing size gains when he first went on the high-rep-set-first program outlined in [Read more…]

Full Inch of New Arm Muscle in 3 Weeks

Q: You guys are awesome! Anabolic Reload put a half-inch on my arms in less than a month. My arms have always lagged, so I’m blown away. I hit each muscle twice a week with about 12 sets. I didn’t want to reduce my sets on all, so I just did [STX] for arms. I started with the high-rep set followed by a heavy set, then I added a rest/pause every arm workout like the program says. My sleeves got tight almost immediately. Just want to thank you for getting my puny arms up bigger than they’ve ever been. I plan on trying this for each muscle through the winter. [Read more…]

Freaky new muscle size after only 1 workout?

Q: I’ve been training hard 5 days a week for almost a year. I decided to try the Anabolic Reload Mass Workout, and after the weekend off and then only 1 workout, I swear I look bigger with new muscle size. Is it my imagination? With this workout I’m doing less volume, but I am using the high-to-low STX method with a slower negative, 1/3 tempo, on ever rep. I’m more sore than I’ve been in a while, but is it really possible that I’m bigger already?

A: It’s not only possible, it’s very probably — reality and NOT your imagination because of a few things that are happening to induce new, immediate hypertrophy… [Read more…]

Your Guide to Freaky Muscle Size

Q: It’s very cool that your 3 Positions of Flexion for each muscle align with Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D.’s 3 hypertrophy triggers. Do you think it’s best to use all three for each muscle at every workout or to split up the positions over multiple workouts, as in the Anabolic Reload programs‘ guide to freaky muscle size?

A: For the uninitiated, the 3 key hypertrophy triggers you must attack for optimal mass stimulation, according to Schoenfeld, are: [Read more…]

Volumize for Muscle Size

Q: I’ve been on the Anabolic Reload workout for two weeks and feel considerably bigger. I was wondering if it’s okay to gradually increase volume with drop sets instead of rest/pause? I get a better pump with drop sets and I saw a study that found drop sets very effective for building mass, so you can volumize for muscle size.

A: We saw that 2017 study as well. It was by one of our favorite researchers, Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., and the conclusion was… [Read more…]