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Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 63: Vince Taylor Backstage

Vince Taylor, at 5’9” and a competition weight of 225, had classic mass with few flaws—in fact, in this relaxed backstage photo, we can’t find any. His physique looks near perfection… [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 59: Mike Mentzer Relaxed Mass

This impressive shot of Mike Mentzer was a poster that Steve had on his wall in his late teens for motivation… [Read more…]

Muscle Size for Skinny Guys

Q: I’m having a really hard time putting on any muscle weight. I’m 6’1” and weigh 165. I just can’t seem to get much progress. I’m using your POF X-Rep program but have only gotten okay results in the first month, and I’m working it pretty hard. It’s frustrating when I see other guys who can get big fast while I’m a 26-year-old guy who can’t seem to make much progress. Do you have any suggestions to help?

A: Everyone’s genetics are different (plus, you may not know who’s getting pharmaceutical help). The bottom line is that you may not be perfectly suited for putting on muscle fast; however, with consistent hard training you should be able to transform your physique. Keep in mind that most bodybuilders only add about 10 to 15 pounds of muscle per year, which is about one pound a month… [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 54: Dorian Yates Gym Pose

Dorian Yates won his first of six Mr. Olympia titles in 1992 and officially ushered in the mass-monster era. His huge, grainy physique was the next step up from the more aesthetic previous Mr. O Lee Haney… [Read more…]

The Great Gains Experiment

Q: I’ve read that training all out [to failure] is not the best way to grow muscle. The argument I read said that it causes nervous system and adrenal burnout as well as higher levels of muscle-eating cortisol [stress hormone]. Don’t you think bodybuilders will grow better if they use more sets, stopping short of failure to avoid those problems?

A: No doubt about it, training all out is traumatic. It’s brutal on the body, but that’s what makes it so effective—if you use it correctly… [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 48: Bob Paris Before and After

The last time we talked about Bob Paris was Zen 29, but we revisit because his physique always inspires us.  [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 43: Arnold’s Mass

We’ve mentioned in previous newsletters how Arnold had an instinct for training every muscle from the three critical angles—midrange, stretch, and contracted, what we call POF.

And it’s why he built one of the most massive physiques of his era.

 Arnold, most muscular pose on stage

Loaded stretch exercises may have been the biggest key to his mass. Check out this quote from respected researcher Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. on a recent stretch study [“Stretch training induces unequal adaptation in muscle fascicles and thickness in medial and lateral gatrocnemii,” Scand J Med Sci Sports, Jan 30, 2017]…

Studies in animals have shown that loaded stretch is a potent stimulus for muscle growth, most notably shown by the early work of Jose Antonio…. [But] this is the first study I’m aware to show that a relatively modest loaded stretching protocol produces significant hypertrophy in humans.

Notice the words “modest loaded stretching” and “significant hypertrophy.” Exciting stuff!

Arnold made it a point to do pain-inducing stretch-position moves for almost every muscle—like biceps…

Arnold doing incline curls

Stretch-position exercises are the most neglected in the gym because they can hurt—but they work…

It’s clear that muscle stretch is one of the 3 hypertrophy keys that you should attack for freaky muscle growth. And many researchers think stretch is the ultimate get-bigger trigger. For you, that means in the gym…

Do loaded muscle elongation for super-size stimulation! Here’s how to do it…

The Freak-Physique Stretch-Overload Workout contains mass-building research, stretch exercises for EVERY muscle plus multiple workouts supercharged with anabolic stretch, including 3D Power Pyramid (Positions of Flexion) and Pure-Positions STX (slow-twitch exhaustion). This may be the most important mass-building information you’ve ever read, and for a limited time you can add it to your mass-building library, a $19 value, for ONLY $9 HERE.

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

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

“[Arnold’s] just a fat f#@k” — say what?

Iron Man Publisher John Balik worked at Vince’s Gym in Studio City back in the ’60s. He has great memories—and funny stories—like when Arnold walked in for the first time…

“I am Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe,” the Oak proclaimed proudly…

Vince looked up over his glasses, paused and said, “You look like just a fat f#@k to me.” And looked back down.

It brought Arnold down to earth and made him realize he needed to be more polished, more ripped, to be the greatest of all time…

And that’s what he did, winning the Mr.Olympia seven times…

We can say from experience that Vince was unique in his approach to both people and training…

We’ve got the over-300-page e-book anthology on Vince and all of his methods, and it’s a treasure trove of mass-building, physique-etching info. You’ll definitely want this in your mass-building library for sure…

–> Check out Vince Gironda: Legend & Myth HERE

It will blow your mind and blow up our muscles—everything from Train 21 Rest 7 to 10-8-6-15 to Vince’s Stone Age Nutrition to Failure vs. 60-80 and much, much more (remember, it’s over 300 pages!).