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Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 2: Teenage Mike Mentzer

Many bodybuilders antagonize over their slow muscle growth, but working out smart, not just hard, will gradually transform your physique…

Still, the determining factor in how your physique will look is genetics, plain and simple—case in point teenage Mike Mentzer. Check out his physique in his late teens (below left) and how he looked at the peak of his bodybuilding career at age 30.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic reload, anabolic reload stx, biotrust, bodybuilders, bodybuilding, bodybuilding zen, endurance fibers, fast-twitch, free protein, genetics, growth fibers, low-carb protein, mike mentzer, modified pre-ex, mr. olympia, Nautilus, physique, pre-ex, pre-ex 3x mass workout, roger schwab, slow-twitch, STX, stx method, teenage

Elo-Overload: Mass Machine Gasoline

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about muscle stretch and how it’s uniquely anabolic. What’s the best way to build mass with this information—a freehand stretching routine?

A: Freehand stretching routines can do okay things for muscle growth. In fact, a recent study showed muscle hypertrophy from ONLY freehand stretching, but it wasn’t extreme…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 20-rep squats, 3d power pyramid, all-stretch workout, anabolic, anabolic acceleration, anabolic receptors, anabolic stretch, build mass, change to gain, elo-overload, ergo-log, European Journal of Applied Physiology, fiber recruitment, freak physique, freak-physique stretch-overload workout, freehand stretching, hypertrophic, mass machine, metabolic, muscle elongation, muscle growth, muscle stretch, platz legs, platz quads, pure-positions stx, quads, slow-twitch, stretch overload, stretching routine, STX, stx method, testosterone, tom platz, Truth About Testosterone

Massive-Muscle Gains Without Joint Pains

Q: I’m loving the 4X Mass program, so when I’m done with it, should I, at my young age of 50, just keep doing that and increase weight when possible, or try your newer STX or XRX methods? I’m actually super intrigued by your Super-Size Crash Course, but I’m thinking there’s some serious weight involved with that, and my old-man joints probably won’t stand for that. Lol

A: The Super-Size Crash Course is NOT about lifting ultra-heavy weight. Bodybuilding protégé Jordon Williamson did use some heavy pyramid training in his 12-week plan that netted him 18 pounds of muscle when he was 18 years old, but Steve outlines variations for older trainees worried about joint pains. Like us! Lol…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 2-day intermittent fasting, 4x mass method, capillarization, downward-progression 4x, dp 4x, heavy pyramids, intermittent fasting, joint damage, joint pain, joint pains, joints, jordon williamson, modified pre-ex, muscle gains, older trainees, pre-ex, progressive-speed 4x, ps 4x, standard 4x, STX, super-size crash course, TORQ, variation, vascularity, xrx

Rev your Mass Machine with the S-Overload Workout

Jonathan doing sissy squats - Rev your Mass Machine with the S-Overload Workout

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about muscle stretch and how it is uniquely anabolic. What is the best way to build mass with this information—a freehand stretching routine?

A: While freehand stretching routines can do okay things for muscle growth, a much more effective mass-building route is doing a workout of all stretch-position exercises with weights. 

That way every bodypart will get the anabolic acceleration of [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic, change to gain, European Journal of Applied Physiology, fast-twitch, freak-physique workout, hypertrophic, mass machine, s-overload, s-overload workout, slow-twitch, stretch overload, STX, testosterone, traumatic overload, Truth About Testosterone, type-1 fibers, type-2 fibers

New Density for Muscle Immensity Workout

Jonathan most muscular - New Density for Muscle Immensity Workout

I just saw Jonathan’s new read-me page about XRX and the workout he is now using. I turned 48 and am making the best size gains of my life with the [high-rep-set-first] Reload program. Is Jonathan’s similar? Is it better? Should I switch?

The reason Jonathan put together his new after-40 workout is that he Hates—with a capital H—high reps…

While he made amazing size gains when he first went on the high-rep-set-first program outlined in [Read more…]

Filed Under: Jonathan Lawson, X Files Tagged With: 20 pounds in 10 weeks, ace-2, ace-dd, anabolic after 40, anabolic reload, anaerobic, bodyweight edition, change to gain, colakoglu, endurance gene, extended tension time, fast-twitch, heavier training, Iron Man Training and Research Center, jonathan lawson, muscle immensity, muscle size, partials, POF, positions of flexion, size gains, Steve Holman, STX, x-rep partials, x-traordinary arms, xrx

Progression Loading to Up Your Mass

JL Barbell Curl - Progression Loading to Up Your Mass

Q: I am making solid gains with the Pure Positions routine in the Stretch Overload ebook. Training the midrange exercise at one workout, contracted at the second, and stretch at the third is some killer change to gain each week. My question is, you have STX [high-rep set followed by a lower-rep set and rest/pause set] for every exercise. Your most impressive ebook, IMO, is Super-Size Crash Course, with TORQ, Progressive-Speed 4X, and, my favorite, Downward-Progression 4X. Can I use those instead of STX every so often for even more variation?

A: Absolutely—in fact, we encourage it because all of those are amazing unique mass methods. Remember, something in your workout must change if you want to continue to gain…

Switching to different mass attacks is the best way. Why? Because it’s [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 4X, downward-progression, hypertrophy, intermittent fasting, jerry brainum, muscle hypertrophy, progression loading, pure-positions, SS Crash Course, SSCC, stretch overload, STX, super-size crash course, testosterone, TORQ, Truth About Testosterone, up your mass

Size Principle Reload

Danny Padilla - Size Principle Reload

Q: I’ve made the best mass gains of my life with your 4X method. I know you guys got new size with it too, so my question is, why Anabolic Reload STX (slow-twitch exhaustion)? I realize that it also does not require heavy weights, but is it better than 4X?

A: First, both methods accomplish the same thing: full-blown fiber hypertrophy with slow-twitch-fiber pre-exhaustion, triggering more high-growth fast-twitch fibers to fire on the last sets.

It’s the Size Principle of Muscle Fiber Recruitment… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 3x, 4X, 4x mass method, anabolic reload, danny padilla, fast-twitch, freak physique, freaky growth, giant killer, physique, size principle, size principle of muscle fiber recruitment, slow-twitch, stretch overload, STX, testosterone

Quick-Rep Modification for New Mass Acceleration

Q: I have your new ebooks, Anabolic Reload and Stretch Overload. Both are great, and the simple rest/pause add-on for progression has already helped me add new mass. But I overtrain easily, so I can’t keep adding those. Is there anything else I can do to keep my muscle growth moving forward without more volume?

A: First, bodybuilding is called “progressive-resistance” training because adding weight and/or reps to your exercises can increase muscle size… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic reload, Charles Poliquin, freak physique, hypertrophic, hypertrophy, mass tactic, muscle growth, new mass acceleration, progressive resistance, quick-rep modification, rep speed, rep tempo, rest/pause, stretch overload, STX, testosterone, Truth About Testosterone, x-celeratoin

Boost Your T Naturally = Muscle Size Surge

Home Gym Squats - Boost Your T Naturally

Q: You’ve said high-rep leg work can boost your T naturally. Will the first high-rep set on each exercise in the STX workouts boost testosterone even more? 

A: It appears that that reason high-rep leg work boosts testosterone is due to heavy breathing, big-muscle stimulation, growth-fiber activation and muscle burn…

That was the reason that many bodybuilders of yesteryear often relied on [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic reload, boost your T naturally, Brad Schoenfeld, growth factors, growth hormone, Hormone Replacement Therapy, hormones, HRT, hypoxia, Joe C. Hise, metabolic stress, metabolism, Randall Strossen, stretch overload, STX, super squats, testosterone, Truth About Testosterone

Two Mass Workouts a Week is All it Takes?

Jonathan doing decline presses in a Smith machine

Q: I have both Anabolic Reload and Stretch Overload, and I love the high-reps-set-first STX method. However, I’m 61 years old and am wondering if I should try only two mass workouts a week instead of three. Right now I’m using the Pure-Positions STX program from Stretch Overload, and so far I feel somewhat drained. I’m also sore all the time, especially after the Friday stretch workout. Any suggestions for this old guy seeking new muscle?

A: Interesting that you ask about two full-body workouts a week. Recently Steve, who is now 58, was forced to train on only Tuesdays and Fridays—and his gains took a leap forward during that time. Exciting stuff… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic reload, freak physique, freak-physique workout, mass workout, pure-positions stx, stretch overload, STX

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