x-hybrid Archives - X-REP.COM

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…

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Photos and Freakiness

Q: I saw your before and after photos from your first X-Rep year contrasted with the following year when you gained 10 more pounds of muscle [with X-hybrid techniques]. Personally, I don’t think you look better. You both look bigger, but I think your physiques are more impressive the X-Rep year.

A: Well, that’s not a question, but it’s a relevant opinion—bigger is not necessarily better. In Jonathan’s case, you are seeing his most-muscular pose, and when you gain more muscle, your physique can look more “crowded” in that pose. You could argue that his muscles are starting to look too big for his frame. Steve, on the other hand, is in a semi-relaxed pose in the X-Rep photo, and a twisting ab shot in his Beyond-X photo. He looks considerably bigger in the “after” photo, but it’s a different pose, which makes it difficult to judge.

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My Fat-Burning Story: The Big Mistake

If you’ve ever been in peak condition with big, full, vascular muscles and paper-thin skin, you know it’s an incredible feeling. People notice your in-shape ripped physique everywhere you go. It’s a rush you never forget, and you seek that peak like Tiger Woods craves, um, golf. The problem comes when you can’t get that conditioning, no matter how hard you try. It’s so frustrating and your workouts go into the toilet. That’s exactly what happened to me… This is my fat-burning story… [Read more…]

The Most Important Muscle-Building Exercises

Q: I know the big midrange exercises, like squats and presses, are most important for mass, but after that, do you think the stretch-position exercise or the contracted-position exercise is the best followup for extra muscle growth? The reason I ask is that I don’t have a lot of time to train, so I’m going to do the Ultimate Exercise for each bodypart [identified in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book] and one more, either stretch or contracted, whichever you say will give me the most growth.

A: Interesting dilemma, but both the stretch- and contracted-position exercises are important for different reasons. Each triggers growth along different pathways (but there is an easy solution to your problem, as you’ll see)…

We often reference the animal study that produced a 300 percent muscle-mass increase—that’s a triple-size gain—in one month of progressive-stretch “workouts.” The researchers believe the stretch overload caused hyperplasia, or fiber replication, as well as hypertrophy. (Antonio, J., and Gonyea, W.J. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 25:1333-45; 1993.)

In another study that produced significant growth via stretch overload, the researchers said, “excess muscle stretch promotes the orderly lining of sarcomeres within muscle, leading to a stronger muscle contraction and setting the stage for architectural changes in the muscle that precede growth.” (Seynnes, O.R., et al. J Applied Physiol. 102:368-373; 2007.)

So stretch-position exercises like incline curls for biceps, flyes for pecs, sissy squats for quads, pullovers for lats, etc., are excellent for extra anabolic effects after the big midrange move; however…

Contracted-position exercises, like leg extension, leg curls, concentration curls, pushdowns, etc., produce continuous tension and occlusion. Japanese researchers got an 800 percent muscle-mass increase with occlusion compared to standard training that allowed blood into the muscles [occlusion produced 800 percent better results, not an 8-fold size increase]. Also, other studies show that tension/occlusion triggers more lactic acid and muscle burn, which is key to growth hormone production, setting up an optimal anabolic environment. (Can J of App Phys; 22:244-255; 1997)

So which do you choose? The easy solution is to alternate them at successive workouts. At one workout do midrange and stretch; at the next workout for that bodypart do midrange and contracted. That’s Split-Positions training, and it’s very effective due to automatic variation…

The X-Rep-Hybrid Mega-Mass Program on pages 67-71 of the Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building e-book is set up as a Split-Positions-workout regimen. Here’s a quote from that e-book with a specific example…

The midrange exercise stays constant, but the second exercise alternates between a contracted-position movement and a stretch-position movement…. Here’s an example from the 3A and 3B workouts for upper chest: The A workout has Smith-machine incline presses, the constant midrange exercise, followed by incline cable flyes, a contracted-position upper-chest move; the B workout is Smith-machine incline presses again, but that’s followed by incline dumbbell flyes, a stretch-position exercise.

Try it as is, or construct your own program with the Positions-of-Flexion exercises listed. Remember, change can bring big gains. [Note: There’s also a home-gym Split-Positions program with basic equipment on pages 72-75 in the Beyond X e-book.]

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com

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Stage Sets: Two Sets in One

Q: I recall from some of your previous newsletters that you’ve done something called stage sets. What are those?

A: The stage technique is a great one for jolting new muscle growth because it does two critical things: emphasizes the semi-stretch point of the exercise’s stroke and extends tension time on the target muscle. Let’s look at Smith machine squats as an example…

To apply the stage technique, squat down deep, then come up to just above the halfway point—like an exaggerated X Rep. In other words, do the bottom two-thirds of the stroke for as many of those semi-stretch-emphasizing reps as possible. When you can’t do any more, drive to full lockout. Now squat down about one-third of the way and rep out at the top. You can even flex your quads at lockout on each of those top-end reps to fuel the burn.

Now, it doesn’t work well for all exercises. For example, on upright rows you’d have to do the top range first, which is the contracted position, not the semi-stretch point. And on curls you’d probably have to use cable curls because a barbell has too much of a leverage shift. (If you try it on cable curls, do the bottom two-thirds of the stroke first, then have your partner help you to the top for top-end reps.)

It does work well on most exercises with a lockout, like overhead presses, incline presses, dips, and pushups. On some of those, you may need help to get to the lockout for your top-end partials, but the growth burn you get is well worth it.

Note: For more on stage sets, as well as other X-hybrid techniques, see the Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building e-book.

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
X-Rep.com