Q: At 52, Old Man Young Muscle workout has been a godsend for me. I’m bigger and stronger, and all of my aches and pains from the ego lifting I did in my youth are almost completely gone. My question is, I’m to the point where I get 25 reps on free-hand sissy squats. Do you use a weight vest to increase resistance? What do you suggest? [Read more…]
New 6-minute Quad Workout
Q: I tried your updated version of Mike Mentzer’s quad workout. Took less than six minutes. Great, but I don’t have a machine to end with cable squats. I did barbell squats after my two sets of sissies instead. Is that my best home-gym option? I have a squat rack. [Read more…]
Ultimate Quad-Mass Workout
Q: I tried the Stretch-First triceps workout that you outlined [in a previous newsletter]. The partials on the overhead stretch exercise were killer. My tri’s blew up, and I got sore. I want to try it on quads, but the ideal exercise is also a stretch [sissy squats]. Instead of stretch first and ideal second, I have to do ideal first, which is also a stretch. How should I handle that?
A: I’m not telling you. Buy the OMYM ebook for the full Stretch-First workout…Kidding…
You’re right: A few of the ideal exercises are also stretch moves—like sissy squats for quads.… [Read more…]
Freak-Physique Quad Mass: Oak vs. The Quad Father
Q: You mentioned that Arnold never used sissy squats [a quad stretch-position exercise]. I know that Tom Platz did them a lot. Do you think that may be one reason Platz had such freaky quads? Did Arnold miss the boat? [Read more…]
Quick Quad-Mass Question
Q: Your newsletter on sprinter thigh development was thought-provoking. I have to wonder how those athletes, along with oval-track cyclists, get such good development without full-range work. Cycling is especially puzzling because pedaling a bicycle is very short range.
A: Not to mention the quad development of speed skaters, who also use limited range of motion… [Read more…]
Are Deadlifts Worthless?
There’s no question that heavy deadlifts can be dangerous…
I remember seeing a guy try to pull a heavy weight off the floor, and his arms tore off at his shoulders and blood started shooting out of the sockets… [Read more…]
More Outer Quad Sweep
Q: I need more outer quad sweep. A guy at the gym told me to use a narrow stance on squats, but that feels a bit unnatural to me. Will that actually help build the outer quads?
A: We asked our colleague and research maven Jerry Brainum about developing outer quad sweep before. Here’s what he had to say… [Read more…]
Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 14: Tom Platz’s Quads
1980 Mr. Universe Tom Platz had a pair of the freakiest legs bodybuilding had ever seen—and even today they look Photoshopped. Trust us—they aren’t (Steve interviewed Tom face-to-face back in the late ’80s for Iron Man magazine)… [Read more…]
Try These 3 Wicked Mass Tactics for New Size Now
Q: I like the idea of training quads by doing front squats supersetted with back squats. My quads get almost a pre-ex effect from the strict fronts, then my glutes get better leverage on the backs to drive my quads for more growth. But I’m not very strong on fronts and can get a lot of reps when I immediately go to back squats after. Should I just do high reps on the back squats—say 6 on the fronts and 12-15 on the backs?
A: Definitely an option—if you don’t get too breathless. When training quads with higher reps, the lungs often fail before the target muscles. That’s a problem, to a degree…
You do want the breathlessness, as that’s hypoxia that can boost metabolic/anabolic drive for new size. Here are a few other options…
[Read more…]The I-Hate-Squats Workout
Q: I’m so frustrated. I constantly hear and read bodybuilders saying that you have to do free-bar squats to get big. You even put squats as the Ultimate Exercise for quads in your Ultimate Mass Workout e-book. It’s supposedly the best quad exercise and also stimulates overall mass gains. But I always get hurt when I squat heavy. My lower back
A: Some trainees simply aren’t built for free-bar squats. Because of leverage factors—usually long legs, the upper body pitches forward, which can put the lower back at risk.
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