x-treme lean Archives

Transformation Photos: Girls vs. Guys

Q: I’m a man in my late 30s, but I’m very motivated by Becky Holman’s before and after photos and her story. Is the training program she used okay for men to use?

A: Absolutely. Men and women should both strive to build muscle, and that’s what her program does. Women won’t get bulky muscles no matter how hard they train because they don’t have the hormonal profile for that to happen. It’s a testosterone thing—and as you can see in the transformation photos below, Becky (Steve’s wife, who was in her early 40s below) doesn’t have a lot of testosterone…

The program she used is very sound, but keep in mind that it won’t do much if you don’t tighten your diet the way she did (a few eating tips are coming up). Getting the right nutrients to fuel muscle recovery and supercompensation while minimizing foods that pack on fat is mandatory (although, as we mention in X-treme Lean, a cheat day is mandatory too).

So how did she train? Here’s her description from Chapter 6 of that e-book...

Steve created a split routine for me, using his Positions-of-Flexion training method [midrange-, stretch- and contracted-position moves]. I started going to the gym three days a week and training more intensely. The first two days I did a split routine [Monday was quads, chest, back and abs; Wednesday was hamstrings, delts, arms and abs], and then on Friday I did a full-body workout with slightly higher reps [10 to 12] on each exercise [or drop sets].
Steve designed the program so there was direct and indirect work for every bodypart on Monday and Wednesday. In other words, I really trained every bodypart on both of those days. For example, I did chest on Monday and triceps on Wednesday—pressing for chest also trained my triceps and flat-bench dumbbell presses with my arms angled into my torso [like a close-grip bench press] for triceps also trained my chest.
Then on Friday I did one or two sets of higher reps, around 12, for key exercises, and I did only one exercise per bodypart—although there was direct and indirect work for almost every bodypart within that day’s routine. For example, I did feet-forward Smith-machine squats for my hamstrings, but they also work quads, which I trained directly with the next exercise, leg presses, which also hit hamstrings. With direct and indirect work on Monday and Wednesday and a full-body workout on Friday, I was essentially training every bodypart three days a week.

Now at that point, we hadn’t discovered X-Rep partials; however, she was doing a static hold at the end of many exercises, like leg curls for example. She would do as many full reps as she could, and at exhaustion pull the weight up to the sticking point, and hold the weight for about five seconds to extend the tension time as the target muscle continued to fire. These days we recommend X-Rep partials on one set per exercise instead because some movement better stimulates the nervous system to activate muscle fibers—but the static hold is good second choice.

A few of her key eating tips include having at least 15 grams of protein with each meal, eating six small meals a day, minimizing carbs, with most of her allotment early in the day, and not eating anything after 8 p.m. Those apply to men also, although their protein intake should be higher.

One other tip: Never make a gigantic calorie cut at once (intermittent fasting is the obvious exception). That shifts the body into starvation mode, which means you hold onto fat and burn muscle tissue (that’s Mother Nature’s way of helping you survive famine). Decrease your calories gradually—100 to 200 every few weeks—for a more efficient fat-to-muscle transformation. [Steve’s diet in X-treme Lean is a good example, or if you prefer a non-standard but highly effective approach, you can use his intermittent fasting diet found in the Super-Size Crash Course.]

Note: Becky Holman’s complete training program and diet appear in the X-treme Lean e-book (pages 45-56). That e-book also includes Steve and Jonathan’s ripping diets, eating tips, and the High-Definition Workout, featuring growth hormone-boosting tactics. (See note below about how to get X-treme Lean for FREE.)

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

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

Get X-treme Lean FREE with Anabolic Reload

Anabolic Reload is loaded with info on slow-twitch exhaustion training, the key hypertrophic triggers, anabolic interference, the 5 Freak Physique Factors PLUS, you can get Size Surge, X-treme Lean, and The Anabolic Reload Bodyweight Workout FREE when you order the Anabolic Reload ebook for ONLY $15 HERE

Do this Now to Get Ripped by Spring—While Growing Muscle

Q: It’s the new year, and I feel bloated, guilty, and smooth. Abs are gone from all the holiday eating and so is most of my vascularity. Should I start dieting now to get ripped by spring? I’d guess I’m about 15 pounds overweight.

A: It’s still winter, so you want to continue building as much muscle as possible; however, it’s never too early to start leaning toward lean. And if you say you have 15 pounds to lose, it’s probably more like 20. So that’s 10 to 12 weeks to lose it—late-March, which is right when you want to be fairly lean if you want to be ripped by spring…

[Read more…]

Odd Way to Pack On Muscle Mass as You Torch Fat

Q: I’ve read X-treme Lean, and it makes sense to gradually lose fat so that no muscle is lost. Great e-book, excellent diets. But I also have the Super-Size Crash Course that contains The 2-day intermittent fasting diet [12-hour fasts two nonconsecutive days a week]. How can I combine those? Should I use the fasting method first?

A: That’s one way (there’s another way coming up). You can start with one 12-hour fast day a week…

[Read more…]

Build muscle, burn fat, get jacked: the #1 key

Q: I need to get leaner, and I think I’d better start now if I want abs by springtime. I know I need to diet, but I don’t want to lose muscle. What’s the best way to build muscle and burn fat?

A: Many will say that you will lose muscle if you reduce your calories enough to burn fat, but we disagree…

[Read more…]

Ignite a Fat-to-Muscle Reshuffle

Q: I got your three fat-loss e-books [Triple-Shred Offer], and I’ve read them all. Great information, and I’m soooo ready to start. I like the X-treme Lean High-Definition Workout, but I’d want to incorporate a negative-accentuated set for each muscle [as you discuss and include in The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout]. Where should I put the NA set in the X-treme Lean Workout? I want to be ripped this summer while I still have time!

A: Excellent question, and we’re glad you’re tailoring the workouts to your needs—to rip up faster. You’re right. Using a negative-accentuated set for each bodypart should make the X-treme Lean High-Def Workout even better, just don’t get carried away (of course, you’ll also need to stick to the diets and eating info in that e-book as well)… [Read more…]

Drop Fat Like a Bad Habit

Q: I’m looking to drop fat like a bad habit. My question is, what’s the difference between your X-treme Lean e-book and The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout? Is one better than the other for my goals?

A: The simple answer is that X-treme Lean contains more diet and nutrition info while The Ultimate Fat to Muscle Workout is more about the right type of training to max out fat loss as you gain muscle mass… [Read more…]

Anabolic Phasing: Muscle Hypertrophy Tsunami

Q: I’ve been following the current bodybuilding training trend of hitting each muscle once a week with lots of sets. Growth has been slow, but you’d think that with so much volume and intensity at one workout, it should take a full week for that muscle to completely recover, right?

Well, training each muscle with lots of volume once a week will produce some growth—if intensity is high enough to produce significant damage. The question is how much is enough?

Less volume for each muscle but with more frequent body part hits has proven a better, more sure-fire method for optimal hypertrophy in most cases and works as a sort of anabolic phasing… [Read more…]

Freak-Factor Training (new muscle mass guaranteed)

Q: I used the 10-Week Size Surge program years ago and gained almost 10 pounds of muscle on it. I’m now getting close to 40, so I wanted to report how I’ve been using it to add a lot of middle-age muscle. I’ve merged Anabolic Reload and the Phase 1 Size Surge routine like this: On Mondays I use high-to-low-rep Reload [STX] on lower body and standard heavy Size Surge work on upper body. Then Friday I reverse that. Wednesday is arms and abs only, so I just alternate, doing Reload one week and heavy Size Surge sets the next. It’s been two months, and I look better than I did in my 20s.

Devising new mass routines that work for you as an individual is part of the fun of bodybuilding. Of course, packing on loads of new mass and looking awesome from your new freak-factor training is even better. [Read more…]

Your Anabolic Size Surge Winter Workout

Q: I’m thinking about the 10-Week Size Surge for part of my winter workout mass training while I’m piling in the calories (can’t wait for Thanksgiving). I know Phase 1 is big, basic work three days a week. But I also like the total-fiber swole of Anabolic Reload. Can I merge them somehow to really jack my gains?

You didn’t mention your level of training or your age, but we’ll address that in a moment. Let’s talk general mass-building terms… [Read more…]

In many of the diets in your X-treme Lean e-book you have meal replacements, protein powder and postworkout shakes listed. I’m on a budget, so I’m worried about the extra expense. Do I have to use supplements to see fast results?

A: Absolutely not. You can make amazing progress simply spreading out your meals over five or six smaller feedings a day—without taking a single supplement. If you’re using one of the diets in X-treme Lean, choose appropriate substitution meals to replace the protein shakes in that diet. For example, when a meal replacement is listed, you can use one of the X-treme Lean Meal Options on page 42 of our e-book instead. You could eat the soup with a few slices of cheese as a midafternoon snack or turkey jerky and raisins (only a few; they are high in carbs) or an apple. Even a couple of fast-food chicken tacos can work in a pinch, as listed in the e-book, or a chicken or tuna salad. Always be sure there are at least 20 grams of protein, no more than 20 grams of carbs (10 grams is better) and the total calorie count for the meal is around 300. Those should be your guidelines for every meal (except the one right after your workout; more on that in a moment).

Powders are mainly for convenience. Most people don’t have time to heat up food, for instance, or even scrounge up some turkey jerky and fruit. It’s easier to rip open a packet of powder with the right protein, carb and fat percentages and blend up a shake (Steve takes his to work premixed in a thermos, so all he has to do is shake and drink—quick and easy).

Do keep in mind that whatever you eat costs money, too. Does it add up to the cost of a meal replacement packet? Well, each packet is often about $2, but you can get 40 grams of protein with various vitamins, minerals and immune system boosters. Does the time, effort and ingredients of a solid-food meal you have to whip together cost less? You’ll have to determine that. We think protein supplements should be included in your grocery bill because they are food and you use them to supplement your other meals. That means the quantity of solid food you eat should go down if you use powders, which will significantly reduce your grocery bill and make room for at least a few protein supplements.

As for post-workout shakes, they can get pricey. Serious bodybuilders have no problem shelling out a few bucks for a quality post-workout powder because they know it’s their most important muscle-building meal. After a workout is when the anabolic window is wide open, so you need to get enough of the right nutrients.

Postworkout powders have fast carbs and fast protien, which is best for optimizing that prime grow time.