Q: You mentioned that almost all of the big bodybuilders use fast reps on most of their sets, like Arnold. But in Old Man Young Muscle 2 you say to do at least the first set with slower negative strokes [3 seconds to lower each]. Wouldn’t it be better to do ALL sets, even that first one, as Speed [1.5 seconds per rep] to limit damage and bring in more fast-twitch fibers? [Read more…]
Lower Reps Slow to Grow?
Should you do your reps with 3-second negatives to get the most growth from a set? [Read more…]
Grow Muscle Faster With Extended Sets?
Q: You’ve said forced and negatives reps at the end of a set can kill muscle growth. But didn’t that work for [Mike] Mentzer to make his short workouts better, and isn’t your [end-of-set] X-Reps similar? [Read more…]
Total Speed-Set Workout for Mass?
Q: You’re critique of regular sets, and how three-second negatives on every rep is too damaging, is genius. You’ve made me realize that the negative stroke is too light, even at the end of the set, to do much for muscle growth. My question is, Why not do all sets Speed style [1.5 seconds per rep]? Total Speed Set workouts would reduce the damage from “garbage negatives” even more, leaving more protein synthesis for growth instead of repair.
A: You make a great point. I am a genius. Seriously, I simply extrapolated my garbage-negative conclusion from the research and Chris Beardsley’s analysis of muscle damage. [Read more…]
The Stretch-Partial Mass Workout
With the latest studies showing stretch-position loading for heightened hypertrophy, as well as a new one finding that stretch-partial reps produced more overall growth than full-range reps, it’s time to tweak our workouts… [Read more…]
Limiting Stretch ROM for More Mass
Yesterday I went over the negatives of too many “garbage negatives.” The negative stroke on every rep of a standard set is lighter/easier than the positive; however, it’s the negative that causes the majority of the damage—and without a lot of hypertrophy return…
Doing half of your sets for each muscle with a faster rep speed, like 1.5 seconds per rep, as in the Old Man ,Young Muscle workout, can reduce damage and speed muscle growth… [Read more…]
New Thoughts on Range of Motion for Mass
I’ve been discussing the negatives of too many “garbage negatives.” What does that mean?
When you do a set close to failure, the eccentric, or negative, stroke is still not demanding. But that’s not the problem… [Read more…]
Mass-Building Acceleration
After the installments on damage control to enhance the hypertrophy process, the subject of Speed Sets stood out…
I mentioned that the Old Man, Young Muscle workout has two regular sets followed by one or two Speed Sets for each muscle. [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 74: Mike Mentzer Beach Mass
This impressive shot of Mike Mentzer was taken by Wayne Gallasch on a beach in Australia. It really captures Mike’s herculean mass that captivated the bodybuilding world back in the 1970s… [Read more…]
Negative Overload
Q: I’m using the Fat-to-Muscle Workout, and the negative-accentuated technique [one second up/six seconds down] has given me a lot of new muscle, and I’ve noticed that the excess muscle trauma you guys talk about has helped me lose a good amount of fat, too. I’m amazed! Now, however, I feel like my mass gains are slowing down. I think it’s because I’ve adapted to the negative-accentuated sets. How can I intensify them? Or should I switch to a different technique for a while?
A: Don’t drop the NA technique unless your goals have changed for your physique. If you’re still trying to lose fat as you build muscle, a set with one second up and six seconds down on every rep for every large bodypart will help you get there faster… [Read more…]