testosterone Archives

Triple-Threat Exercise for More Muscle Size

Q: I’m using a Positions-of-Flexion program from 3D Muscle Building. I’ve read a lot about the pro bodybuilders’ training, and I’m just not sure three exercises per muscle, as you recommend in POF, is enough. Can you help me understand why that’s sufficient for building the most mass?

A: First, realize the all pro bodybuilders use anabolic steroids. Those drugs heighten recovery and growth significantly. That means they can tolerate a lot more volume at each workout. On top of that, the pros have genetics for building muscle and recovering from work far superior to us normal mortals… [Read more…]

How to Cheat on Cheat Day

Q: First I want to thank you for creating your X-treme Lean e-book. What a bargain for so much great information! I’m already starting to see lines in my abs after applying many of your suggestions for only a few weeks. One question: You call for at least one so-called cheat day a week. Do I have to eat junk food on those days?

A: Despite the term ” cheat day “, no, you don’t have to eat junk food. In fact, for those who have trouble controlling the amount of junk they eat once they get a taste, it’s best to steer clear. Those addictive-personality types will binge and undo a lot of the fat-loss progress they may have already achieved. [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 65: Frank Zane Age 35 vs. 65

Here’s a very cool comparison of three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane in his prime to how he looked peaked at age 65… [Read more…]

3 Shocking Fat-Burning Facts

It’s the time of year when body-conscious folks are working to look their best for summer. A flat belly is great, and etched abs can really grab attention—but there’s nothing like phenomenal abdominals WITH overall muscularity and rugged rippedness.

The problem is, most people fail to even get to the first level—a flat, no-fat midsection. Why? It usually has something to do with the following 3 fat-burning facts you should be aware of. Knowing these will help you succeed in exiting the Chub Club and joining the Buff Brigade… [Read more…]

New Angle for More Mass and a Beastly Back

Q: I’m on the Size Surge 2.0. I’m loving it! Feeling bigger already, but I have a question about shrugs. I started with dumbbell shrugs, 4X style. Then I went to barbell shrugs and got a whole new soreness in my upper back. The exercises don’t feel that different. Why did I get so sore?

A: Amazing how one little tweak to an exercise can trigger new soreness. It’s all about angle of pull and restriction vs. non-restriction. [Read more…]

Grow Gargantuan Guns!

Q: Your Power-Density Mass Workout 2.0 [with Super TORQ] is the most riveting bodybuilding e-book I’ve read lately. I tried Super TORQ, and my pump was off the charts, with a lot of new soreness. I’m hoping it will add mass to my lagging arms, which brings me to my question: The workout split in that e-book, and 4X as well, has arm training only once a week (Wednesday). Can I add an arm day on Saturday? I don’t mind training five days a week if my arms grow.

A: You could try that. It would mean your arms get hit directly on Wednesday and Saturday, with indirect work from chest and back on Monday and Friday (like Week 1 below but with an added arm day on Saturday). [Read more…]

Jump Start Your Lean Machine

Q: I’m planning to start the Fat-to-Muscle Workout right after the holidays. I understand the ideas—heavy midrange and stretch for micro trauma in muscle fibers to ramp up metabolism and high reps on contracted exercise for blood flow and growth hormone release. My question is, Can I use the 4X mass method on the contracted-position exercise at the end of each bodypart workout instead of high reps? Won’t 4X do the same thing as the two high-rep sets, but get even more blood flow with more sets?

A: Absolutely. In fact, a great plan to jump start your lean machine is to mix it up—do 4X at some workouts on the ending contracted-position exercises and the two high-rep sets at others. Why? Slightly different stimuli… [Read more…]

Density Overload: The Trick for More Muscle Growth

Q: In the Size Surge 2.0 e-book, Phase 1 is all heavy sets. I don’t have any joint problems, but I love moderate-weight 4X training. I’ve gained over 5 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks with it. I don’t want to give it up completely now, but I do want to go on the 10-week Size Surge program. Can I use the same combination approach in Phase 1 that you outline in the new Phase 2 chapters; that is, heavy work on the big exercises and 4X on the more isolated ones?

A: We understand your concern about all-heavy training all the time. Lots of trainees (including us) have suddenly packed on more mass with a dose of moderate-weight, growth-threshold 4X—or even 10×10. That’s because training all-heavy for too long NEGLECTS sarcoplasmic expansion… [Read more…]

Big-and-Ripped Tips: Size Surge, Fat Purge

Q: I’m really stoked about using the Size Surge program. A friend at my gym said he used it last winter and put on 12 pounds of muscle after only 8 weeks. My question is about burning fat while on the program. I don’t want to get fat, but I know I have to eat big to get big. You’ve said that X-centric [or negative-accentuated] sets can help burn more fat. Can I work those in somehow to Size Surge?

A: Absolutely! We try to use X-centric sets throughout the winter to help keep the lean machine revved so abs don’t completely disappear.

In fact, if you’re going to use the original heavy-training version of Size Surge—as opposed to the moderate-weight 4X version we’ve talked about—the X-centric sets will help you burn more fat AND expand the muscle sarcoplasm for extra mass. That’s important because heavy training tends to neglect that important anabolic “layer.” [Read more…]

Anabolic Blood Bath: Get Your Size on the Rise

Q: I’m getting excellent results with 4X mass training. Sometimes my workouts go over an hour, which concerns me. I’ve heard that the hour mark is when testosterone becomes depleted. Many trainers say not to be in the gym over an hour or your T is shot. Should I cut back? What are your thoughts/solutions?

A: The one-hour testosterone-depletion scenario completely depends on your level of T (older trainees generally have less) and the workout you’re doing—the bodyparts you’re working, how much intensity you’re using and how many heavy all-out sets you’re including… [Read more…]