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Rest/Pause Mass Burst

Incline X Reps

Q: What’s your opinion of rest/pause training, the way Mike Mentzer used to do it? I’ve read that he did heavy singles with six to 10 seconds between sets, and he did only four of those rest/pause singles for each exercise.

A: We discuss Mike Mentzer and his rest/pause training in Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building (starting on page 38). His technique was as follows… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: actin-myosin strands, beyond x-rep, heavy singles, mass building, mike mentzer, myofibrillar size, rest/pause, sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic expansion, shoulder pain, split-positions training, strength building, x/pause

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

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

Rest/Pause or Drop Sets: Which is Better?

Q: What’s better, rest/pause or drop sets, and what’s the difference? I mean, I know what they are; you rest about 10 seconds between rest/pause sets using the same weight, but with drop sets you move immediately to a lighter set with no rest. But is one better than the other?

A: We’ve found that rest/pause is best for exercises that use max force as their key growth component (midrange and stretch movements). It’s a great way to add a little more volume and force overload without too much extra time in the gym. The short rest of 10-15 seconds allows ATP and nerve pathways to regenerate somewhat so you can continue the force-overload assault.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: drop sets, mitochondria, muscle burn, rest/pause, rest/pause and drop sets, rest/pause or drop sets, tension overload, X Reps, x update, x-rep update, x/pause

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

2 Quick Ways to Jack Up Muscle Gains

Steve Holman forced rep on preacher curls, Jonathan Lawson spotting - 2 Quick Ways to Jack Up Muscle Gains

Q: I’m reading the Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building e-book, and I noticed that you have a section on X-centric training. But it’s not the same as what you describe in my X-centric Mass Workout e-book. Is one better than the other?

A: X-centric is our X-Rep vernacular for eccentric, which is the negative stroke of an exercise; that is, the lowering of a weight, like the downward portion of a bench press. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: belly fat burn, Beyond X, beyond x-rep muscle building, eccentric, fat burning, mass building, max-force point, microtrauma, muscle size, myofibrillar expansion, myofibrils, pure negatives, sarcoplasm, tension time, X Reps, x-centric, x-centric mass workout, x-rep partials, x/pause

X-Reps for X-tra Muscle—Pounds of it

Jonathan Lawson doing chin-ups

Q: I’m thin and consider myself a hardgainer. I’ve been training with weights for two years and have managed to add only about 10 pounds of muscle. Not very impressive. I recently got your X-traordinary X-Rep Workout [e-book] and started using the X Reps in my workouts. They feel great, and I wanted to report that after using them for only a few weeks, I’ve added five pounds and look much bigger. I’m so thankful I found this technique! Are there any others I should be using? I feel like I’m finally getting the size gains I’ve been looking for.

A: Great progress! As we often say, hardgainers tend to have more of an endurance component to their muscles. You know how calves and forearms tend to respond better to longer tension times? That’s how most of the muscles on a hardgainer’s body are constructed, so they need longer tension times to grow… [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: anabolic, beyond x-rep, big gains, Double-X Overload, dxo, European Journal of Applied Physiology, fat burner, GH, growth fiber activation, growth hormone, growth spurt, growth stimulation, hardgainer, high-threshold motor units, low-threshold motor units, mr. olympia, pounds, rest/pause, size principle of muscle fiber recruitment, stage sets, stretch overload, tension time, X Reps, x-centric, X-Fade, x-hybrid techniques, x-only sets, x-rep partials, x-traordinary x-rep workout, x-treme lean, x/pause

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