stats Archives - X-REP.COM

Loosen Up to Unleash Extreme Muscle Growth

Q: Have you heard of FST-7 training, and if so, what do you think of it? It has to do with stretching the muscle fascia from the inside with 7 sets of a big-pump exercise at the end of a bodypart workout.

A: The idea of stretching the muscle fascia, which is the fibrous encasements that surround muscle fibers, has been around a while in many incarnations. The original method had trainees use a rigorous, painful stretching regimen after they trained a bodypart.

For example, after working hamstrings, the trainee would sit on the floor, legs straight and together, and his or her trainer would force the trainee’s torso forward to fully elongate the hamstrings—and it brought tears to the eyes.

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Stretch to Etch Slashing Muscle Detail

Q: I’m trying to get that crisp division between my pecs. I want to be able to see the inner part of my chest muscles from the lower part all the way up to the collarbone. I do lots of cable crossovers, but I’m only seeing a bit of detail in my lower chest. Any suggestions?

A: One problem may be fat in the area. A bit of adipose covering the pecs will blur or negate any detail. You need to be fairly lean to see the chest-muscle division (cleavage) from top to bottom.

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Gymnasts’ Muscles—Olympic Size-Sculpting Method

If you’ve watched the male gymnasts during the Olympics before, you no doubt noticed their eye-popping upper-body mass. Some have delts, arms, and torsos that resemble competitive bodybuilders’. Very impressive, especially considering that muscle mass isn’t one of their goals; it’s just a side effect of their sport…

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Three-Pound Muscle Gain After Only One Workout?!

Q: In your X-Rep Update #1 e-book you discuss a study that produced a three-pound muscle gain after only one workout with static-contraction sets. Do you think that’s true, that much muscle after only one workout? And if so, should I do most of my sets just holding the weight statically?

A: The researchers used the most sophisticated body-composition-measuring device available at the time, known as a BodPod, so we have no reason to doubt their results. Subjects did a full-body workout that consisted mostly of one static-contraction set for each muscle and then rested for 14 days. Most gained muscle, and one subject packed on an amazing three pounds of muscle from that one workout, but…

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Embarrassing Gym Moments

Q: I’m using an X-Rep-based routine in the X-Rep Update #1 ebook I picked up a couple weeks ago, but do I have to use Static Contraction (StatC) sets to get the best results from it? I feel like an idiot holding a weight in the flexed position [on contracted-position exercises]. People at my gym look at me weird. LOL!

A: You don’t have to use any of the tactics if you aren’t comfortable with them or if they cause any embarrassing gym moments. BUT… Are you going to let what other people think slow down your gains?

As we explain in the X Update ebook, that hold technique on contracted-position exercises, like triceps pushdowns (below), added [Read more…]