size Archives - Page 2 of 3

Volumizing Muscle Tissue (significant size increases)

Q: So glad you clarified many of the hypertrophic requirements for muscle size in Anabolic Reload [progression, exercise rotation, metabolic stress, etc.]. One that really got me thinking was volumization. I believe it was Vince Gironda who said that more work done in the same or less time creates mass quickly. My question is, What do you think about drop sets instead of rest/pause as the volume addition to each exercise? Seems like you get more work in the same time frame.

A: The drop-set method is one of the best hypertrophic tactics around because it does condense workload into a short time frame. Studies verify the [Read more…]

Extreme Muscle Size: Forgotten Hypertrophy Method

Q: At your suggestion, I’ve been including higher-rep sets in many of my workouts. I’m seeing much more size and vascularity. My question is, do sets of around 20 reps work because I’m getting growth in more slow-twitch fibers or are the fast-twitch ones getting larger as well?

A: Yes, both—and as bodybuilders, we want to maximize ALL hypertrophic pathways, even size in the slow-twitch fibers. Higher-rep sets also give you anabolic hormone surges…

According to Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., who conducts studies on muscle hypertrophy,

[Read more…]

The Truth About Getting Stronger to Grow Bigger?

We get the stronger = bigger question a lot—and there’s no question that getting stronger will build some size—note that we said “some.” To clarify, here’s an excerpt from our best-selling e-book The Super-Size Crash Course…

“One of the biggest reasons muscle growth is so slow in most cases is the simplistic myth that strength equals superior size. There’s more to it than that. Trying to move big weights for a few reps does very little for ultimate muscle size. Are you shaking your head? Check this out…

[Read more…]

Bench press? Try this for new eye-popping SIZE (chest, arms, and more)

Q: Bench press seems to be the “measure of a man” even today. I’ve always sucked at it, but never really hurt for chest development. I prefer the decline alternative, just like you guys, but I also observe that many military guys have good chest development, many with pushups alone. How do you build a good chest if you suck at bench pressing?

A: Funny you should mention pushups. Steve has found that to be a great exercise to end his chest routine with—and he sucks at bench presses, too. Injuring his shoulder bench pressing powerlifting style in his 20s didn’t help matters. And it still hurts him… [Read more…]

Drop the Get-Big Bomb (Muscle Mayhem Method)

Q: I like to train heavy, but I fully understand that tension time, or density, can build size as well. My question is, won’t drop sets accomplish both?

A: The drop-set method is one of the best for getting size in the myofibrils as well as a hypertrophic sarcoplasmic burst. And even new veinage too… [Read more…]

Muscle-Building Mistake You Can’t Afford to Make

Q: A lot of bodybuilders go all power in the off-season. They push for more strength so size will follow. I’m thinking about using the Phase 1 program in Size Surge for that purpose—mostly big exercises with heavy weights training three days a week so I get plenty of recover-and-grow time. Would that program be okay to use for the entire 10 weeks instead of moving to Phase 2?

A: You’re right, even Arnold used to do a two-to-three-month power phase in the winter—but it wasn’t heavy low reps on every exercise, as we’ll explain. That’s the problem with the way most trainees do it: They go heavy on ALL exercises all the time for too long and neglect critical sarcoplasmic size, which can be a big muscle-building mistake… [Read more…]

Last-Set Shuffle to Pack On More Muscle

Q: I like the idea of doing something different on the last set of a 4X sequence. You mentioned a drop set, and that works great. What about a heavier pure-negative set? Like on curls my partner would lift it for me, and I would lower [a heavy weight] slowly for six negative reps.

A: That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Pure negatives—your partner lifts the weight, and you lower in six seconds—are designed to attack the force-generating myofibrils in the muscle fibers, which means they are primarily for strength building with only minor size effects, so not really building a lot more muscle… [Read more…]

The Not-Gassed-More-Mass Workout

Q: Your 4X Mass Workout e-book is one of my favorites, but I’m not sure using 4X at every workout will produce maximum mass for me. As you say in The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout, a muscle needs both density and power to grow to its biggest at the fastest rate possible. To me, 4X feels like more density because I fatigue very quickly. Then the muscle feels worthless on the next exercise. I’m thinking about using the Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout that includes both 4X [short rests] and power sets [with longer rests]. Are there any adjustments you would suggest?

A: The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout is great for building size and strength (4X is primarily for muscle size). As you said, the Power-Density Mass Workout is a mix of straight power sets, 4X sequences and drop sets. For example, here’s the biceps routine from the full-range Positions-of-Flexion workout in that e-book: [Read more…]

Once-a-Week Mass Workouts: The X-centric Shock Method

Q: You’ve said that training each bodypart only once a week never worked for you. But I saw mention in a previous article that you did make gains doing that with X-centric training. I like training each bodypart only once a week because that’s the way the pros do it. Should I use X-centric training to make it work better for me?

A: First, following the pros workouts is a bad idea for 99 percent of us. Steroids and other anabolic drugs make most of what they do NOT applicable to drug-free trainees. It’s like trying to make your Toyota Camry perform the same way as a Formula-One racing car. It can’t be done without some MAJOR “enhancements.”… [Read more…]

Low-Rep Muscle-Mass Lowdown

Q: What’s your opinion of low-rep sets, like singles, doubles, and triples? Will they help me build more muscle?

A: Low reps are more for developing strength, but indirectly they can help you add size. We say indirectly because low-rep sets help you develop neuromuscular [Read more…]