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Before and After Photos—10 Pounds of New Muscle

Jonathan Lawson incline Smith machine presses with Steve Holman Spotting - What Are Stage Sets? (Hint: They Work!)

Q: Your before and after photos at the X-Rep site are impressive and, to be frank, almost unbelievable. You say that the next year after those were taken, you gained another 10 pounds of muscle. What exactly do you attribute those new gains to? They’re almost unbelievable considering you were both advanced and supposedly drug-free?

A: “Supposedely” drug-free? Thank you! We always take an anabolic-steroid accusation as a compliment. We totally understand the doubt, considering how tough it is to build muscle, especially 10 pounds of it. We often think of the late Mike Mentzer, former pro bodybuilder and high-intensity advocate, who often suggested imagining 10 pounds of ground hamburger piled on a table. That’s a lot of meat… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 10 pounds of muscle, anabolic, anabolic fasting, anabolic steroids, before and after photos, drug-free, eat stop eat, get ripped, high-intensity training, intensity tactics, intensity techniques, mike mentzer, new gains, pro bodybuilder, stage sets, steroids, too big, transformation, x fade, x/pause

Get a 3-Way Rise in Size from Staged Muscle Growth

Lateral raises

Q: You’ve mentioned Stage Sets. What are those, and should I use them to get more size? Also, are Smith-machine squats a midrange exercise for quads or hamstrings in the Positions-of-Flexion mass-training system? I’ve seen it classified as both.

A: We discuss Stage Sets as one of our favorite X-hybrid techniques in Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building, along with Double-X Overload and X-Fade. We first tried Stage Sets after reading about them in one of Ellington Darden’s High-Intensity Training books back in the ’80s. So what the heck is a Stage Set? [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: beyond x-rep muscle building, biotrust protein, double-x over, dxo, ellington darden, free protein, free supplements, high-intensity training, low-carb protein, stage sets, X-Fade, x-hybrid techniques

One Simple Change for New Mass Gains

Muscular torso, reverse-grip triceps push downs

Q: I love 4X training. It’s gotten me bigger than I’ve ever been, but my gains have leveled off. I’m thinking about doing the last set in stage style for more intensity. Do you think that will work? Any tips if I try it?

A: We love experimentation. It can make good gains great, so we say try it on for SIZE…

Let’s start by explaining the 4X method for our new readers who aren’t familiar: You pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but you only do 10; rest 30 to 45 seconds, then do 10 more—and so on until you complete four sets. If you get 10 reps on your last set, you add weight to that exercise at your next workout…. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4x method, 4x training, beyond x-rep, biotrust protein, change to gain, drop sets, free protein, free supplements, intensity techniques, mass gains, negative-accentuated, stage sets, supersets, x fade, x-centric, x-hybrid, x-hybrid techniques, x/pause

Stage Sets for More Muscle Mass

Jonathan Lawson incline Smith machine presses with Steve Holman Spotting - What Are Stage Sets? (Hint: They Work!)

We often look back through our ebooks for motivation and to find mass-boosting techniques we haven’t used in a while. We recently reminded ourselves about Stage Sets from our second e-book, Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building, which also discusses the X-Fade technique, Double-X Overload and X/Pause. When we first used Stage Sets and other X-hybrid techniques within the program outlined in that e-book, we each gained 10 pounds on top of our previous year’s great gains. Definitely something to add back into the mix once in a while when you have a training partner… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 2a fibers, anabolic fasting, beyond x-rep muscle building, brad pilon, eat stop eat, fast-twitch fibers, get ripped, mass tactics, mass-boosting, more muscle mass, motivation, muscle mass, stage sets, X Reps, X-Fade, x-hybrid techniques

3-Days-a-Week POF Program

Steve spotting Jonathan for forced reps

Q: I’ve followed your beginner program [in the Quick-Start Muscle-Building Guide], and then went on to the 3D Muscle Building [Positions-of-Flexion] program. Great results! Better than I imagined, but I’m having trouble sticking to it. The POF program is 4 days a week, which is too many days for me. I was wondering if you could show me how to change this into a 3-days-a-week POF program—a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. With my job, it’s nearly impossible to do the 4-days-a-week routine.

A: We understand the problem; it’s probably the number-one reason people stop training—time constraints. Life can get in the way, but we’re here to help. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3-days-a-week pof program, 3d muscle building, drop sets, intensity techniques, iso abs, isoabs, miracle fix, negative-accentuated, POF, pof workout, positions of flexion, quick-start muscle building, recovery, rotation for recuperation, stage sets, supercompensation

Double-X Overload Warmups?

Vascular forearm - 2 Easy Ways for BIG Muscle Gains

Q: I’m making some incredible progress using your Double-X Overload technique, but I wanted to let you know that I don’t just use it on my work sets. DXO works for warmup sets, too. I usually use it on at least one of my two warmup sets for the big [midrange] exercises, and I feel much stronger on my work sets. Great technique!

A: That’s a good tip. We love feedback from fellow weight trainers who think instead of just following the pack. One reason Double-X Overload (DXO) works so well on warmup sets is because of the enhanced occlusion and nervous system activation.

For those unfamiliar with DXO, it’s an X-Rep partial in the semi-stretch position between each full rep. That provides a slightly more explosive action, which has been shown to heighten nerve force (many top-level powerlifters do light, explosive sets for that very reason—it helps them lift more weight). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3d muscle building, alpha muscle, alpha-3 specialization, beyond x-rep, blood flow blockage, bodybuilders, Double-X Overload, dxo, explosive reps, growth hormone, iso x, journal of strength conditioning research, nervous system, occlusion, powerlifters, progress, stage sets, warmup sets, warmups, x-hybrid tactics, x-rep partials

Try These 3 Wicked Mass Tactics for New Size Now

Overhead close-up of front squat

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…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic drive, back squats, belly fat burn, Beyond X, beyond x-rep muscle building, dxo, fat loss, front squats, glutes, hormone trick, hypoxia, leg workout, legs workout, mass tactics, metabolic drive, new size, physique, quads, slow negatives, stage sets, x-centric

Weekly Change for Big Muscle Gains

Q: I want to thank you for the great programs and excellent tips, like X-Reps. My background is in Olympic lifting, but I’ve been into bodybuilding lately. I made some okay gains training heavy, but I’ve made much better and faster progress training heavy one week and using an all-4X program the next.

A: You didn’t really ask a question, but we just wanted to commend you on being brave enough to give all-4X training—every other week—a try.

So many trainees are stuck in the must-always-train-heavy-to-grow mentality that they miss out on significant muscle-size stimulation. It’s probably the key reason most complain about such slow gains. Plus, they get injured much more often.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3d muscle building, 4X, 4x training, beyond x-rep, biotrust, bodybuilding, Double-X Overload, dxo, free protein, gains, growth threshold, heavy training, low-carb protein, muscle gains, olympic lifting, Power, power/rep range/shock, rest/pause, stage sets, weekly change, X Reps, X-Fade, x/pause

Pack On More Muscle: Are You Making This Mistake?

Jonathan doing Smith machine squats - Pack on More Muscle: Are You Making This Mistake?

Q: I’ve made the best gains of my life the past year with X Reps, going from 185 to just under 200 pounds. But my gains have stalled. You talk a lot about muscle adaptation, so I’m wondering if I’ve adapted to X Reps. Should I stop doing them for a while so I can pack on more muscle?

A: Adaptation to training techniques and even bodypart routines can happen in as few as six workouts. If you train a muscle twice a week, that means you can adapt in three to four weeks. We’ve talked about phase training, which is downshifting intensity for one week with sub-failure workouts after four to six weeks of all-out workouts. But sometimes even that’s not enough to kick-start new gains once you resume a high-intensity phase. Usually, you have to mix things up somehow…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: adaption, best exercises, Beyond X, beyond x-rep, Double-X Overload, dxo, fast-twitch, jonathan lawson, mr. olympia, pack on more muscle, ronnie coleman, slow-twitch, stage sets, Steve Holman, X Reps, x spot, x-hybrid

3 wicked mass tactics for new size (pain to gain)

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? [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic drive, back squats, beyond x-rep, breathing squats, dxo, eccentric, front squats, hypoxia, legs, lunges, metabolic drive, pain to gain, pre-ex, quads, squats, stage sets, x-centric

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