Arnold was arguably the greatest bodybuilder ever, but when he came out of retirement in 1980 to enter the Mr. Olympia in Australia, many thought he tarnished his legend status… [Read more…]
Elo-Overload: Mass Machine Gasoline
Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about muscle stretch and how it’s uniquely anabolic. What’s the best way to build mass with this information—a freehand stretching routine?
A: Freehand stretching routines can do okay things for muscle growth. In fact, a recent study showed muscle hypertrophy from ONLY freehand stretching, but it wasn’t extreme…
[Read more…]Should You Skip Triceps Work?
Q: I was reading that because most bodybuilders do a lot of pressing, they shouldn’t do much direct triceps work. I do bench presses and incline presses for chest and overhead presses for shoulders, so isn’t that enough work for my triceps? I’m drug-free, so I don’t want to overtrain them.
A: Two things to consider:
1) MRI studies show that bench presses and overhead presses do hit the triceps, but mostly the medial and lateral heads; in other words, the bulkiest section of the triceps, the big long head, is almost totally neglected. [Read more…]
Old Men, New Muscle (with 2X-per-week training)
Q: I’m 62 and have been using the Stretch-Overload Pure Positions Workout [Monday contracted, Wednesday midrange, Friday stretch]. It felt great at first, training one exercise per muscle at each workout, but after three weeks I started feeling like I was losing ground muscle-wise. And I was more tired than usual. Should I take a week off, and then start again? Maybe I just need a downshift sooner than most because of my age.
A: Taking a layoff every three weeks might work, but it also might have you staying in one place as far as the size of your physique. You want to be able to extend your hard-training phase to at least five weeks before you need a downshift.
You can do that by [Read more…]
New Size for Flat Muscles
Q: I’ve been using the Pure-Positions STX workout from the Stretch-Overload ebook. [Full-body workouts training one of the three positions for each muscle at each workout.] I’ve been growing better than ever, but I’m wondering if I should add an exercise for stubborn bodyparts. For example, while my arms have grown a quarter of an inch already (working great!), my shoulders still make it look like I have flat muscles. Doing just one delt exercise at each workout doesn’t seem to be cutting it. Suggestions?
A: Yes, you can add an exercise, but don’t get carried away or you’ll overtrain. Remember, you’re doing full-body workouts three times a week… [Read more…]
Two Mass Workouts a Week is All it Takes?
Q: I have both Anabolic Reload and Stretch Overload, and I love the high-reps-set-first STX method. However, I’m 61 years old and am wondering if I should try only two mass workouts a week instead of three. Right now I’m using the Pure-Positions STX program from Stretch Overload, and so far I feel somewhat drained. I’m also sore all the time, especially after the Friday stretch workout. Any suggestions for this old guy seeking new muscle?
A: Interesting that you ask about two full-body workouts a week. Recently Steve, who is now 58, was forced to train on only Tuesdays and Fridays—and his gains took a leap forward during that time. Exciting stuff… [Read more…]
Old School, New Arm Muscle Size
Q: I’m 55, so I appreciate that you have sections in Anabolic Reload and Stretch Overload for us old guys. My plan is to use the Pure-Positions Workout in Stretch Overload first for a few months, as it is slightly less traumatic. I like an all-isolation “contracted-position” day, all-midrange day, and an all-stretch day. My question is about no direct arm work on Wednesday, the all-midrange workout. I understand that the big exercises for chest and back train arms on that day, but my arms are a weak point. Can I add an exercise for bi’s and tri’s for more arm size?
A: Questions like this confirm our suspicions that many trainees get our ebooks and go right to the workouts—most don’t read the chapter text that goes with it… [Read more…]
New Triple-Hit Anabolic-Shift Workout
Q: In Anabolic Reload, you show that your 3 Positions of Flexion for each muscle align with Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D.’s 3 hypertrophy triggers. Very cool, and I really like the quick full-body workouts in that ebook too. Wondering if I could just split the 3 POF exercises for each muscle over the three workouts, like Monday, all midrange work; Wednesday, all contracted; and Friday, all stretch?
A: Great idea and, coincidentally, exactly how we’ve been training for a few months to give it a test run. Spoiler alert: Quick workouts, unreal gains! [Read more…]