Q: You mention Mr. Heavy Duty Mike Mentzer a lot. I know he recommended slow negatives on every rep—like three to four seconds to lower the weight. Wasn’t he doing too much damage, and do you have any idea if he ever used Speed Sets? [Read more…]
Total Speed-Set Workout for Mass?
Q: You’re critique of regular sets, and how three-second negatives on every rep is too damaging, is genius. You’ve made me realize that the negative stroke is too light, even at the end of the set, to do much for muscle growth. My question is, Why not do all sets Speed style [1.5 seconds per rep]? Total Speed Set workouts would reduce the damage from “garbage negatives” even more, leaving more protein synthesis for growth instead of repair.
A: You make a great point. I am a genius. Seriously, I simply extrapolated my garbage-negative conclusion from the research and Chris Beardsley’s analysis of muscle damage. [Read more…]
Explosive Mass Moves = Explosive Mass Gains?
Q: I remember a program years ago, I think it was called Cybergenics, that included explosive moves like jump squats. Do very fast reps increase muscle size like your Speed method?
A: You’re talking more plyometrics—ballistic reps. The Speed sets in Old Man, Young Muscle are just slightly faster regular sets using about a one-second lift and a one-second lowering—not explosive. [Read more…]
Speed Set Mass Jack?
Q: Your last few newsletters on muscle damage have been interesting and have me rethinking some of my workouts. My question is, do you think the Speed Sets you have in the Old Man Young Muscle workouts are more damaging than regular sets? Should I keep doing them?
A: First, let’s establish that speed reps are not plyometric—they are not ballistic moves. In OMYM I describe them as slightly faster than the standard 1/3 tempo… [Read more…]
Prime the Pump and Go Anabolic
Q: I’ve seen you guys talk about Mass Finishers in the past. Is that a Positions-of-Flexion term, a special exercise, or something to do with
A: Lol. It relates to mass—as in muscle size—and you could say that it’s a “special” exercise…
We first outlined this technique in the Size Surge 2.0 e-book—in the chapter on Mass-4X training. You do it after a full-range Position-of-Flexion bodypart routine (there’s a complete sample program there for every muscle group)…
[Read more…]The Dumbest Thing You can do if you want Extreme Muscle Mass
We’re not going to beat around the bush. The dumbest thing you can do if you want extreme mass is to believe there’s only one way to build muscle. You know, a stubborn narrow mind that is set on “this way is the only way.” For example…
Do you train each muscle group with a number of sets once a week? It’s a popular trend in bodybuilding—chest on Monday, legs on Tuesday, arms on Wednesday and so on. That can work—for a while. Then you adapt… [Read more…]
Speed sets and muscle growth—key exercise exceptions
Q: I tried DP 4X (downward-progression 4X) on my big midrange exercise with a speed drop set after the last one. Wow, what an amazing feel and pump. I do behind-the-neck presses for delts. Can I use speed sets on those too if I’m careful?
A: You could—but you may end up needing rotator cuff surgery… [Read more…]
Shift Your Anabolic Mass Machine Into Overdrive With Progressive Speed
Q: I love the 4X mass method and am already seeing new size from it after only two weeks. I notice you’ve been recommending different methods on each set sometimes. Does that work better for mass? Should I be doing that?
A: One method we often recommend is the progressive speed tactic. We know one thing about it for certain: The feel is unreal—deep ache with a muscle-expanding pump after only three sets… [Read more…]