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Major Muscle Expansion

Q: Your e-zines on fascia stretching are very interesting. I’ve been using your suggestion of supersetting a contracted exercise with a stretch exercise. It feels awesome, and I’m already seeing more muscle expansion, like on my inner chest. My question is, Why should I do actual full reps on the stretch move? Why not just hold in the stretch position so it’s a constant stretch on the pumped muscle?

A: We get excited and proud when bodybuilders take an idea and run with it. Congratulations. That’s an excellent variation that could make the fascia-expansion supersets even more effective—a Static X on the stretch exercise.

For the uninitiated, our fascia-expansion technique is engorging the target muscle with a contracted-position exercise, like leg extensions—blood pours into the muscle immediately after due to occlusion—then you quickly move to a stretch exercise, like sissy squats, to elongate the pumped muscles. That helps push out and stretch the fascia, the fibrous tissue that encases the muscle. It’s believed that a tight fascia restricts muscle growth, so loosening it can allow faster unbridled size gains.

We like your idea of a stretch hold, or Static X, but if you’re doing two supersets as we recommend, you may want to do the stretch holds on only the second round. That’s because you still want to get some of the force-generating benefits—fast-twitch activation—on the first set of the stretch move, which you best achieve with movement.

With that slight tweak, here’s how your 3D Positions-of-Flexion triceps routine might look:

Midrange: Lying extensions, 2 x 9-12

Fascia-Expansion Superset 1
Contracted: Pushdowns, 1 x 9-12
Stretch: Overhead extensions, 1 x 9-12

Fascia-Expansion Superset 2
Contracted: Pushdowns, 1 x 9-12
Stretch: Overhead extensions (Static X set), 1 x 30 seconds to 1 minute

Jonathan Lawson, triceps pushdowns and overhead DB extensions - Major Muscle Expansion

There are a number of ways to vary that. For example, as we’ve mentioned, you can do a drop set on the contracted-position exercise, pushdowns in this case. That can give you an even bigger pump before you move to the stretch-position exercise. The bigger the pump, the more the fascia is stretched when you elongate the muscle during the second exercise. Either way, by the second round your triceps will be full and look like two overfilled water balloons on the backs of your arms. As you mentioned, it does feel awesome.

Once again, good thinking—and keep experimenting to keep growing. [Note: For the 3D POF exercises for every bodypart, see the e-book 3D Muscle Building, and for more on the latest stretch-overload research, see the Freak-Physique Stretch-Overload Workout.]

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

Pumped to the Max: Look Big All Day Long

Q: The 4X Mass Workout is awesome! I feel and look big and totally pumped all the time, and I love it. I know I’m getting bigger from every workout, but will I get stronger too [using the 4X method]?

A: The 4X Mass Workout is designed to get your muscles as big as possible as quickly as possible. It’s why a number of pro bodybuilders use it or something similar the last weeks before a contest (there’s more on that in the e-book). You will gain some strength, but that’s not the PRIMARY objective of 4X training…

Jonathan Lawson in gym/shadows - Pumped to the Max: Look Big All Day Long

The 4X mass method is a supersaturation size-building program. Use it for four to six weeks as we suggest in the workout and we guarantee you will look big and GROW.

For those not familiar with 4X, you pick a weight with which you can crank out 15 reps, but you only do 10. Rest 30 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete four sets of 10 reps in less than FIVE MINUTES…

As we mention in the 4X Mass Workout e-book, you get a BALANCE of power and density on the first exercise, but the fatigue is fierce as you move through a bodypart workout. It rapidly turns to a major density hit for the key 2A growth fibers [the 4X e-book explains that, but you may have skipped right to the programs, which is what a lot of trainees do—they can’t wait to hit the gym with the workout.]

If you’re worried about using medium poundages instead of heavy weights, there are a few ways to incorporate power-building sets into the 4X Mass Workout. See the Q&A chapter in that e-book. One way is to do the first BIG exercise as a power pyramid instead of in 4X style.

With or without those pure power sets, 4X will give you a blast of new mass fast!

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

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

Over 40? Read This Now!

One of the most interesting read-me pages on Testosterone and other muscle-building hormones we’ve seen is The Truth About Testosterone.

It even talks about a fruit, a specific part, that can up your T naturally. Cranking up your testosterone will not only get you jacked in the gym, but in the bedroom too—not to mention help rip up your midsection as it ignites fat burning. If that interests you, there’s more from our colleague and registered dietician, HERE.