recovery Archives - Page 6 of 6

Swole Patrol: Look Bigger After One Workout

Q: I know this is a weird question, but can a muscle get bigger after only one workout? I’ve been using the X-centric Mass Workout for only a week, and I swear I look bigger in almost all of my muscles. Is it my imagination? I am motivated so maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.

A: Well, when you use negative-accentuated techniques, it produces more microtears in muscle tissue, which leads to soreness. A sore muscle definitely FEELS bigger. But is the muscle really fuller and larger?… [Read more…]

How to Keep the Size Surging

Q: I’m insanely stoked using the Size Surge program. Phase 1 is insanely good for me, and I’m gaining like crazy. My gains have been so good that I don’t want to go to phase 2 yet. Can I stick on phase 1 for another month or so, till I feel like my gains have stalled out?

A: Everyone has different genetics, so nothing is written in stone. The Size Surge program listed is what worked for Jonathan—he gained 20 pounds in 10 weeks using it as written: phase 1 for five high-intensity weeks, stuck with it for a sixth downshift week, then did the phase 2 Positions-of-Flexion program for the last four weeks. [Read more…]

Cut Back to Grow Muscle

Q: Before the start of my spring/summer job a month ago, my muscle development was progressing nicely. I was using your Positions of Flexion and X-Rep techniques on my three-days-a-week split: chest/bi’s, legs, and back/tri’s. My strength-and-size gains were steadily increasing. Then I started my summer job, and I was a lot sorer after my workouts, I take longer to recover, and I’m losing the size I had in my arms. The job is 40 hours a week of outdoor physical labor. I thought that by eating frequently with adequate protein and eight hours of sleep each night, I’d be fine, but that’s not working. Do you have any suggestions to help get me back on the muscle-building track, especially in the arm department?

A: A demanding physical-labor job can make it more difficult to grow, but not impossible. Even a high-pressure office job presents a similar problem: too much stress. It’s similar to being a hardgainer with low recovery ability and high cortisol output: You have to find the right balance and workload so you don’t overtrain, which means you sometimes have to cut back to grow. [Read more…]

Triple-Size Your Muscles With Tri-Angle Workouts

Q: I’ve been reading up on your POF mass-training system, and I think I understand it. I’m just not sure how training a muscle with only two sets on two or three exercises can produce serious muscle growth. Most pros do four or five exercises for four or five sets for each bodypart or more.

A: Positions of Flexion is one of the most efficient mass-building workout styles out there. We’ll explain why in a moment. First, we feel the need for a reality check: All the pros are taking significant amounts of drugs that jack up their recovery and muscle-building abilities. That’s on top of their already superior genetics. [Read more…]

Muscle-Building Dangers

Q: Is there a danger to ligaments and tendons with Negative-Accentuated sets [from The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout]? I’ve gotten fantastic results with NA sets [normal positives followed by slow, six-second negatives], but I recently shared that with a friend who tore a muscle in his shoulder doing heavy bench presses. He said that his orthopedist discourages the use of eccentric loading because of the stress on tendons and ligaments. I’m wondering if NA sets are safe, and can my friend who had prior shoulder injury ever incorporate NA sets to experience the great results I’ve gotten with it?

A: What the orthopedist is talking about is heavy pure-negative sets—where you overload the muscle with about 20 percent more than your normal weight. Someone helps you raise the extremely heavy poundage, and you lower slowly, fighting the overload through the negative stroke. [Read more…]

Instant Muscle Size and Soreness Sensations

Q: I’m using The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout four days per week, and I’m sore after every workout. Is that good? Does it mean I’m growing? My muscles feel and even look bigger, but can it really work that fast?

A: The reason a sore muscle feels bigger is because you’re more aware of it—when you move and you get that sensation of pain—and also because it probably is actually bigger…

When a muscle is damaged, as with the negative-accentuated sets in The Fat-to-Muscle Workout, inflammation occurs in the muscle. That draws fluid to the tissue to accelerate repair. When that inflammation happens, the muscle can look larger than usual—like you’re pumped up for a few days. [Read more…]

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…]

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…]

Sore Muscles for More Mass?

Q: I get sore muscles after almost every workout, and then I’m still sore the next time I go to the gym. Is it bad to train a muscle when it’s still sore?

A: Scientists believe that sore muscles are caused by micro-tears in the fibers. In other words, it’s damage. Training a muscle hard while it’s still sore is like scratching the scab off of a wound before it’s completely healed. It impairs the healing process and can cause damage that retards proper recovery.

[Read more…]