rep range Archives

The Best Workout Program for Building Muscle

Q: I just want the best workout program for building muscle. Please simplify all the rhetoric and just tell me which one is the absolute best.

A: That’s easy. There is no best routine. It’s the nature of how the human body adapts. We always say it takes change to trigger bigger gains, and some experts suggest that the body is fully adapted after only four workouts.

That’s the reason our own programs are constantly evolving—a new exercise, a new X-hybrid tactic, a drop set, etc. And after 10 weeks or so, we often move to a new program from one of our e-books (Jonathan recently went all the way back to our first X-Rep transformation program, with a few new alterations).

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Rep-Range Rise for New Muscle Size

Q: In 4X Mass Workout 2.0 you describe the high-rep [TORQ] method, going 30-20-15 in reps with short rests between. Sometimes I can’t get 30. Either I pick a weight that’s a little too heavy or I just fatigue too quickly. What should I do?

A: What you’re trying to do with TORQ—tension overload repetition quantity—is reach the upper area of the optimal hypertrophic tension time—60 to 90 seconds.

Most bodybuilder’s muscles aren’t used to that much fatigue, so they crap out early. (Don’t feel bad; you’ll get better at it as you GROW new muscle.)

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Eye-Popping Muscle Detail with High Reps?

Q: I heard that you guys prescribe high-rep sets to etch in muscle cuts. That’s wrong. I’m a certified personal trainer, and I learned that high reps do not make a muscle more defined. You can only do that with diet to thin your skin.

A: You’re correct that higher-rep sets don’t “etch in muscle cuts” per se; however, as we discuss in our Fat-to-Muscle e-book, high-rep sets, 15 to 20, do heighten muscle burn, and that lactic acid surge can increase growth hormone output. [Can J App Phys. 22:244-255. 1997.] GH has been shown in research studies to be an extremely potent fat burner. In other words, it thins the skin by reducing subcutaneous fat—and that eventually gives you more muscle detail.

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Intensity for Muscle Immensity?

Q: I’ve been reading your e-zine for years, and I have almost all of your e-books. Great info, and thanks to you I have a lot of new muscle. 3D POF is great! My question is about rep ranges. You’ve talked about using lower reps, medium reps, and higher reps. I’ve read that the key to muscle growth is intensity, and that rep ranges don’t really matter. Can’t I just keep doing about eight to 10 reps, the best range for muscle growth, on all my exercises and train intensely, to failure, to make the best gains? Do I really need different rep ranges?

A: While intensity is the big key to forcing muscle growth, there is no doubt that the predominant fiber type in a particular muscle dictates its best rep range for fastest size gains.

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20 to 80 Pounds of Muscle

Q: I did the first [5-week phase] of Jonathan’s 20-pounds-of-muscle-in-10-weeks program [from the 3D Muscle Building e-book] and didn’t get much size from it. I gained about 3 pounds and still feel skinny. Should I go ahead and do the second five weeks of different 3D Positions-of-Flexion workouts? Do you think that by hitting all of the positions [in the Phase 2 workouts] that I will make better gains than with the first part?

A: Full speed ahead—continue with Phase 2 (your gains from Phase 1 are actually darned good; more on that in a moment). By shifting to training each muscle in the midrange, stretch and contracted positions, you should get another more sizeable muscular adaptation (growth jolt).

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Muscle Mass Multiplier: Training on a Tricycle

Q: I love the Power/Rep Range/Shock POF program [on pages 103-114 in the 3D Muscle Building e-book]. I’m making excellent gains with it, mostly in strength. I’m more of a small-framed guy at 5’10, 175 pounds. I read your discussion on the study that showed low reps don’t do much for hardgainer types like me, so I’m wondering if I would get more size by deleting the Power week. Should I just do RR/S, alternating between the Rep Range and Shock workouts?

A: If all you’re after is a muscle mass multiplier for more size, with smaller increases in strength, that may be an option; however, you sound pretty stoked about all the new strength gains you’re getting (we got incredible strength gains on that program too!). We’d suggest you keep the Power week—just don’t do it as often. More specifics on that in a moment from the creator, Eric Broser. First, let’s review the P/RR/S protocol for those who aren’t familiar with it…

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Max-Muscle-Size Study: Rest Between Sets—is short or long best?

Q: Your 4X mass method has 35 to 45 seconds rest between sets. I’ve seen research that longer rests between sets can be better for strength and muscle growth. What’s your take on that?

A: Legendary trainer Vince Gironda, the Iron Guru who trained Mr. Olympias as well as Hollywood stars to build muscle fast, first got us into reducing rest between sets for muscle growth—he called it Density Training…

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Arnold’s Winter Training Routine

Q: I want to get strong over the winter. I heard that that’s what Arnold used to do. I know that if I get strong, I will eventually get bigger, which was how the Oak did it. What’s the best workout for that?

A: First let’s get some insight into Arnold’s winter training routine. Former IRON MAN Publisher John Balik was there, often training with Arnold, and this is what he had to say about it: [Read more…]