positions of flexion Archives - Page 18 of 19

Single Day of Rest: Enough for Recovery?

Q: As a practitioner of 3D Positions-of-Flexion methodology who has seen tremendous results, I want to personally thank you for everything you both contribute to the bodybuilding community. Additionally, I had a question regarding the original 10-Week Size Surge routine that worked so well for Jonathan [who gained 20 pounds of muscle on it]. I’ve seen great results with that program, but no matter how short my rest periods are, the first POF workout (legs, chest, and triceps in Phase 2) always lasts well over an hour. Would the effects of the workout be diminished if I were to split it as follows: Day 1, Legs; Day 2, Chest, Triceps; Day 3, Back, Delts, Biceps, Abs; Day 4, Rest; Day 5, Repeat? Would the single day of rest be enough to allow my body to recover?

A: If you’re young and an above-average gainer (high recovery ability), you may be able to get good gains from that three-on/one-off split—but you must ratchet down your intensity every four to six weeks (as explained in the Phase Training section in the 3D Muscle Building e-book). It’s a lot to bite off and stick with having only a single day of rest, however. Here’s a better solution: [Read more…]

Eye-Popping Shoulders: Full-Range Workout

Q: I’m using the full Positions-of-Flexion delt routine [from the 3D Muscle Building e-book], but my shoulders still suck. I do dumbbell upright rows (midrange), incline one-arm laterals (stretch), and standing laterals (contracted). I also do dumbbell presses after that and bent-over laterals [for rear delts]. I do two working sets for each exercise. I’m wondering if I should add more exercises and more sets. Or should I just train harder?

A: It sounds like you’re pretty frustrated, so you’re probably blasting your delts damned hard already. Training harder probably isn’t the solution.

How about increasing volume? A few more sets may produce more mass; however, before you go that route, which can sap recovery ability, we suggest you try some exercise manipulation… [Read more…]

Lean-Machine Workouts: Turn Fat to Muscle 24/7

One of the toughest parts of building your physique is staying stoked to hit the gym—and not just hit it, but power drive it over the wall every time you work out. That can be especially tough in the winter when you’re all covered up and not necessarily thinking of your lean-machine spring and summer body… [Read more…]

What routine should I do next?

Q: I have a few questions: 1) After the beginner’s guide [Quick-Start Muscle Building] what routine should I do next? 2) Is it unusual to “feel” bigger as you go [through the Quick-Start programs]? It’s like an awareness of my muscles that I’ve never had—strange but nice. 3) I’m unclear on what to do if I’m sore and it’s time to work that muscle again—like my chest is still really sore, it’s chest day again tomorrow, so do I work it or skip?

A: Great questions. We suggest you follow up with the 3D Muscle Building e-book after the beginner’s guide (Quick-Start). There is a 10-week program in it that Jonathan used to add a lot of muscle quickly (see his before and after photos below). You can try it as it’s listed, the exact way he used it, or the retooled version with X Reps. If you just started lifting, however, we recommend his first non-X-Rep version in Chapter 1 until you have about six months of training under your belt… [Read more…]

Back Work for Arm Size — Say what?

Q: Help! I need triceps sweep. Mine look flat from the side, and I’ve tried every exercise there is. Any suggestions?

A: We discuss a number of triceps “sweep” techniques and exercises in the X-traordinary Arms e-book, such as lying extensions, which mainly target the triceps’ long head, and dumbbell overhead extensions, which hit the long head with important stretch overload. If you’ve tried all of those long-head-specific exercises and programs, you may want to specialize on building some lat size. (Say what?) [Read more…]

Fast 3D Muscle Mass: Efficiency-of-Effort Back Attack

Q: I don’t have a lot of time to train, which is why I look to you for info. All of your techniques and workouts revolve around efficiency, which is great. I can’t afford to waste time. My question is about back training. When I do a 3D POF lat routine, doesn’t my midback get plenty of work too? And isn’t the opposite true as well: When I train midback, don’t my lats get enough stimulation? I just don’t want to do extra work that’s not necessary. Every minute I’m in the gym must count.

A: We hear you. We squeeze our training into a limited schedule, so our primary concern is efficiency-of-effort muscle building. That’s why we try a lot of things and discard what doesn’t work, constantly refining our workouts. [Read more…]

Bench Press Stress

Q: A guy at my gym told me that dumbbell bench presses are better than barbell benches for chest development. He said it’s because of the increased range of motion you can get with the dumbbells and the pec squeeze you can do at the top. What do you think? Should I switch?

A: Well, as we explain in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book, neither of those is best for chest development; decline presses are a much better choice because that angle puts you in a more ergonomically correct position for hitting pecs and minimizing front-delt involvement (it’s why people lift their butts off the bench when doing them flat—to get into the more advantageous decline position). [Read more…]

Detail Your Delts

Q: I’m having trouble with the incline one-arm lateral raise [stretch-position delt exercise]. I tend to lose my balance when I’m on my side on the incline bench, and I can’t feel my center-delt head working. Any suggestions?

A: It does take some jostling and positioning to get set on the incline bench for incline one-arm lateral raises—but it’s worth the time to get it right since these can really help detail your delts. It was an Arnold favorite, and for good reason: It stretches the medial head as well as the posterior head, both of which add considerable roundness to your delts. [Read more…]

Fat-to-Muscle Facts and Photos

Q: I saw before and after photos of Steve’s wife, Becky, on your site. Amazing transformation! My girlfriend would like to know what type of program she used. Did she use X Reps, or should women not use that type of intense training?

A: Becky’s transformation took a few months (she kept having to restart due to motivation issues—so much fat to lose was overwhelming to her—and she didn’t use X Reps because we hadn’t developed that technique yet; however, she did use static holds, which we call a Static X. At the end of a set to exhaustion, she would drive the weight up as far as she could and hold for a five count or so to extend the tension time. That had a similar muscle fiber-activation boost as well as occlusion effects. She added muscle and lost fat quickly, as you can see from her before and after photos… [Read more…]

The First-Set Secret to Muscle Size

Q: I have a hard time feeling warmed up for my first heavy set. I’ve tried three progressively heavier warmup sets before my work set, but I still don’t feel ready to blast on my first work set on most exercises. That’s a problem because it is my only work set, as I’m using your 3D HIT program [listed in X-traordinary Arms]. It’s like I’m wasting my big midrange exercise. Should I do two work sets for insurance?

A: We believe that not being warmed up properly is one of the biggest reasons high-intensity programs fail to build much muscle. Being completely “warm” for your first work set is important on any program, but it’s especially critical on one-work-set-per-exercise routines like our 3D HIT. We’ve got a couple of solutions for this first-set secret to muscle size… [Read more…]