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Mass Mantra #2

Charles Poliquin, from the side

This week’s quote comes from an Olympic coach and hypertrophy expert, the late Charles Poliquin—who had a damn good physique for an older guy, by the way… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: Charles Poliquin, mass mantra, nervous system, olympic coach

Trouble with 10X on Chins

Jonathan Lawson doing chin-ups
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Q: I’ve been hitting it heavy for a few months, so I’m planning to switch to your 10×10 Mass Workout for a few weeks. I’ve done two workouts so far with 10X, and it feels great so far, and the pump is awesome. One problem I have is chins—there’s just no way I can do 10 sets of 10 reps with only 30 seconds of rest between. I know I can do pulldowns instead, but I believe chins are the superior back builder. Any suggestions?

A: You have a few choices. Famous Hollywood trainer, Vince “Iron Guru” Gironda, favored 8×8. You could try that instead of 10×10. Vince called that his “honest” muscle-building workout, and his trainees’ muscles got bigger, fuller shapes with 8×8.

Jonathan Lawson doing chin-ups

One of the most famous proponents of the 10×10 method was our colleague, Olympic coach, and muscle-size-and-strength expert the late Charles Poliquin. Here was his advice to those who couldn’t manage 10×10 on chins…

The law of repeated efforts will enable you to develop the work capacity to perform all 10 sets… Start at 10 sets of 5 reps as your first goal so that you can accumulate volume. Then progress to 10 sets of 6, and so on.

So once you get all 10 sets—or almost all—for 5 reps, add a rep at our next workout so you attempt 10×6. Keep striving to bump up your rep count…

Also, there’s no hard-and-fast rule that 30 seconds is the ideal between-sets rest. You can use 45 seconds or even one minute. For sarcoplasmic-expansion stress—building the energy fluid in the fibers—which is what 10×10 is all about, one minute should be the limit…

As for your comment that chins are better than pulldowns, maybe not better—just different. Pulldowns allow you to angle your torso for a unique lat-fiber hit. There’s really no way to angle your torso on chins to vary the stress on your back…

Lat pulldowns

To get a best-of-both worlds double hit, you could start a 10×10 sequence on chins, and when you can no longer get 10, move to pulldowns. You’ll have to experiment with the poundage so that your first set of pulldowns isn’t too easy but also not close to failure…

Say your chins go something like 10, 10, 10, 9. That’s four sets. Rest 30 seconds, then move to pulldowns. Your reps should go something like 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 8. And your lats will be thoroughly pumped from hitting two slightly different angles of pull. It’s a great double attack to get your back jacked…

Jonathan Lawson flexing his back and arms outside

Feel the Pump and See Results from 10×10

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

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


Recommended

Mass-Building Lessons From the Master Trainer

Vince Gironda - Master Trainer

Vince Gironda was the Iron Guru, a bodybuilding legend ahead of his time. His most famous pupil in the bodybuilding world was the very first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott, and he also trained many Hollywood stars back in the day, like Clint Eastwood, and even Arnold consulted with him and was a fan (even though Vince told Arnold that he was a “fat f**k” when he first arrived in the U.S.).

Many of Vince’s mass-building tricks and methods have been forgotten, buried by information and misinformation overload on the Internet, but now you can find them all, his true methods, in this must-have, 330-page Vince Gironda e-book anthology…

You get everything from “Train 21 Rest 7” to 10-8-6-15 to Vince’s Stone Age Nutrition, the 8×8 method and program and much, much more (remember, it’s 330 pages). And it’s on sale at a discount for a limited time: Simply use the code GIRONDA20 at checkout for an extra 20 percent off.

Vince Gironda: Legend & Myth (300-page anthology + many bonus gifts and programs) HERE

Learn From the Iron Guru

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x, 10x10, 8x8, back exercises, back workout, Charles Poliquin, Hollywood trainer, honest workout, iron guru, muscle pump, olympic coach, pump, sarcoplasmic expansion, vince gironda

More Mass with the Front-to-Back Attack

Overhead close-up of front squat

Q: I always hurt my back when I squat heavy. And now I even hurt it doing moderate-weight 4X, probably because of the damage I’ve incurred over the years. You may call it brainwashing, but I really feel that I need to squat to build more mass. Any suggestions? I don’t want to give up squatting.

A: We’re right there with you on that. After years of heavy squatting—and numerous back injuries–we’re now very cautious when doing that exercise. But the good news is that we’ve figured out how to do it while significantly minimizing the injury potential and still gaining more mass… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3x, 4X, bodyweight training, Charles Poliquin, heavy training, moderate weight workouts, moderate-weight 4x, more mass, olympic coach, pre-ex 3x mass workout, squats, tri-sets

The Next BIG Thing for More Muscle Mass

Jonathan doing Smith machine squats - Pack on More Muscle: Are You Making This Mistake?

Q: I just finished a six-week phase using the HIT workout with arm specialization [listed in the X-traordinary Arms e-book]. I made some good mass gains training each exercise with only one all-out set. I used my extra energy to blast my arms with more sets [with full Positions of Flexion] and got amazing gains using the different exercises at each arm workout. They’re looking big and full, and now I’m ready for a new program. Which one do you suggest after that 3D HIT Workout?

A: To clarify, on that 3D HIT Program listed in the X-Arms e-book you do full POF for each bodypart, but only one all-out set in each position. For example, for quads, you do squats (midrange), sissy squats (stretch), and leg extensions (contracted), each getting a warmup set or two and then only ONE mass-kicking set to exhaustion… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10x10, 4X, arm specialization, big, burn fat, Charles Poliquin, eat the fat off, fat loss, get big, Harvard research, hit workout, mass gains, muscle mass, new workout, olympic coach, POF, power and density, pure density, weight loss, X Reps, x-traordinary arms

Tips for More Muscle Now

Size Surge before and after 10 weeks

Q: I want to thank you both. I’m from Italy, 178 cm tall, and my weight now is 68 Kg (150 pounds). At the beginning of April, my weight was only 62 Kg (136 pounds). My increase in muscular mass, almost 15 pounds, is due to you. Before your training methods, I tried so many others, but with no results. The program that worked is the 10-week Size Surge [that Jonathan used to gain 20 pounds of muscle, listed in 3D Muscle Building]. I’d like to improve my muscle mass to 75 Kg (165 pounds), with a particular emphasis on delts, back, and forearms. I believe forearms are very important. Can you suggest anything to increase my mass? I have most of your e-books, so I can look up any method you suggest.

A: Thank you for the complimentary e-mail. We’re glad you’re making such striking progress with one of our most popular and effective workouts, the 10-week Size Surge program that Jonathan used for his transformation. His progress photos during that mass-building experiment are very motivational. Just seeing his 10-week results can program your mind to help you pack on more muscle now… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: before and after, Charles Poliquin, full-range pof, italy, more muscle, muscle now, muscular, olympic coach, positions of flexion, progress, testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, tips, trt

High Reps or Low Reps for Calf Mass and Vascularity?

Q: My calves suck. No size or veins whatsoever. Should I be hitting them with lower reps or high reps? Some people tell me up to 30 reps, others say I should go 10 to 12 reps with heavier weight. It’s so confusing… Please help!

A: Yes, the right calf-building recipe is tough for many people—but we have a good high-low method that could be just the trick to give you more calf mass, but let’s start with the science…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: calf mass, calf routine, calf training, Charles Poliquin, gastrocnemius, gastrocs, high-reps, low reps, olympic coach, veins

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