One Quick Switch to Boost Your Muscle Mass

Subject:
IRON MAN E-Zine: Issue #666:
One Quick Switch to Boost Your Muscle Mass

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TRY THIS AT YOUR NEXT WORKOUT
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One Quick Switch to Boost Your Muscle Mass

Q: In a previous e-zine you talked about using low-rep drop sets and rest/pause on stretch-position exercises in the 4X Mass Workout. I like that idea for some heavier training on those key stretch exercises, and I’ve been using it every other workout on those. Could I also use low-rep drops and rest/pause on the big midrange moves like bench presses and contracted-position exercises too, like concentration curls?

A: For those who missed that e-zine, we recommended integrating five-rep drop sets or rest/pause sets into 3X or 4X sequences on STRETCH-position exercises, like flyes for chest and overhead extensions for triceps…

The reasoning is that HEAVIER STRETCH OVERLOAD can have a unique growth effect on muscle–increasing anabolic receptors and satellite cells. That was shown in an animal study that produced a whopping 300 percent mass gain after only one month of stretch-overload "workouts" (See X-Rep Update #1).

So instead of taking your 15-rep max and doing 10 reps, resting 40 seconds, doing 10 more and so on, you a bit heavier. You take your 8-rep-max weight and do 5-rep drop sets. You do 5, decrease the weight and immediately do 5 more. Rest 40 seconds, then repeat the 5-rep drop sets. Those back-to-back drops are separated by 40 seconds for three or four rounds…

So you do 5(5), rest 40 seconds; 5(5), rest 40 seconds; 5(5), rest 40 seconds; 4(4)—to failure.

If reducing the weight requires removing collars and plates, REST/PAUSE is a better way to go. Instead of weight reductions. For R/P you take a brief rest of 10 seconds, them do five more with the SAME WEIGHT. Rest 40 seconds, then repeat the rest/pause sequence–remember to use your 8-rep max….

Set 1: 5 reps, rest 10 seconds, 5 more–Rest 40 seconds
Set 2: 5 reps, rest 10 seconds, 5 more–Rest 40 seconds
Set 3: 5 reps, rest 10 seconds, 5 more–Rest 40 seconds
Set 4: 4 reps, rest 10 seconds, 3-4 more (both sets to failure)

Can you use either of those tactics on midrange- and contracted-position exercises? Absolutely. Change to gain, remember? The heavier poundages will give your muscles a new stress to cope with, but luckily the poundages aren’t so heavy that you overstress your joints due to the short rests.

HOWEVER, keep in mind that heavier, lower-rep sets emphasize the force-generating myofibril strands in the fibers more than the sarcoplasm, perhaps the biggest contributor to muscle size. Nevertheless, the heavier poundages can activate NEW FIBERS via heightened nerve force, which can add to your mass…

The sarcoplasm is the energy fluid in the muscle fibers that expands via longer tension times and/or shorter rests between sets. You get both with standard 4X. That’s because you lift in one second and lower in three, which gives you 40 seconds of tension time over the 4 sets. And of course the short 40-second rests between those sets adds to the mass-expansion effect…

Standard 4X is a great way to trigger overall muscle growth, but rotating in five-rep drop sets or rest/pause 4X can trigger new serious size effects.

NOTE: For more on this Rest/Pause method, along with complete programs, see the NEW Pre-Ex 3X Mass Workout, only $17.99 for a limited time. In a few more days the price will go to $27, so get your copy today at a money-saving price.

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

SUPER Supplement Trial Offer: Muscle-Link is offering 2 big 3.5-pound canisters of RecoverX postworkout muscle-reloading mix (60 grams of fast carbs, 40 grams of fast protein, glutamine peptides and arginine) for only $59.95, a great deal. PLUS, you get a 40-serving bottle of CreaSol titrated creatine at NO CHARGE. This is the ideal POSTWORKOUT RELOAD after your 4X workout so you get more muscle size and fullness. To get yours, go to Special RecoverX-CreaSol Offer.

–Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson

www.X-Rep.com

LIMITED-TIME $19.99 BEST-SELLERS: We’re offering each of these at their lowest price ever to get you big and ripped by spring. Click on the title you’re interested in for more info…

1) The 4X Mass Workout–fast, simplified supersaturation training for X-treme size

2) The X-traordinary X-Rep Workout–the latest update to our original X e-book

3) The X-centric Mass Workout–the negative-accentuated training manual

4) The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout–total body transformation training

5) X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts–10 complete mass programs

6) X-traordinary Arms–includes the 3D HIT workout system with big-arms routines

7) 3D Muscle Building–the original Positions-of-Flexion mass-training manual

8) X-treme Lean—Fat-Burning and Nutrition Guide (with training too)

9) The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout

10) The X-traordinary Size Surge Workout

11) The Ultimate 10×10 Mass Workout

12) Eric Broser’s FD/FS Mass-Shock Workout

Latest release: The 4X Mass Workout—Fast Simplified Supersaturation Training for X-treme Muscle Size. It’s how many pro bodybuilders get big AND ripped as fast as possible for contests and photo shoots. You can use it for a blast of new mass in only a few weeks–and the workouts are quick. Guaranteed or your money back. Limited-time discount offer HERE.

MASS-BUILDING E-BOOKS…

X-SHOP: Find our original X-Rep e-book, as well as X Updates and Positions-of-Flexion mass-training guides…

X-WORKOUTS: Find specialized e-workout programs, including Power-Density, 10×10 and Eric Broser’s Power/Rep Range/Shock….

NEW: The X-traordinary SIZE SURGE Workout, Jonathan Lawson’s legendary two-phase mass program that packed 20 pounds of muscle on his frame in only 10 weeks. See all the changes he made to the original workouts, transcribed from his training journal. In printable templates so you can duplicate his incredible gains. You also get his eat-to-grow diet and streamlined no-frills supplement schedule, anabolic acceleration methods and loads of tips and tricks. Plus, an interview with a top-level bodybuilder who trains Size Surge style for incredible growth.

Newbies: If you’re a beginning bodybuilder, coming back from a layoff or a trainer who trains beginners, our new e-book, Quick-Start Muscle-Building Guide, is for you.

To follow the ITRC training program in “Train, Eat, Grow,” get a copy of the latest issue of IRON MAN.

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This Special Report was submitted by Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman.
The IRON MAN Training & Research Team
www.ironmanmagazine.com

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