The 4x10 method is similar to how many of the champs in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s trained, including Sergio Oliva, Mr. Olympia.
and sets four and five were a fight to get the 12 reps if at all. Once he could get 12 reps on all five sets, he would increase the weight at the next workout.
“This was a method written about in the magazines back in the ’50s. Danny thrived on it and told me he got it from Arnold and Sergio. He often equated the sets to knocking off the soldiers [fast-twitch fibers] one by one with each rep of each set.”
Q: Do you think a 4x10 routine is a good place to start for a beginner?
A: We recommend pulling back to 3x10 on every
exercise for beginners. You could start with the Basic 4X Mass Workout on pages 19-21, which is a split routine. If you prefer full-body workouts, use one exercise for each major muscle and train them in this order: Quads, hamstrings, calves, chest, lats, midback, delts (no direct arm moves because bi's and tri's will get plenty of work from presses, rows, etc.). Here's an example, the Break-In Program from our Quick-Start Muscle-Building Guide:
Squats Leg curls
Machine standing calf raises Bench presses
Pulldowns
Undergrip pulldowns Machine rows
Overhead presses Dumbbell upright rows
8 The 4X Mass Workout
Pick a weight you can get about 15 reps with, then do three sets of 10, with 30 to 40 seconds between sets— time it; don't just guess. Use a weight that allows 10 on all three sets for the first two weeks. The third week add weight so you don't get 10 on your third set. If you get 10 on the third set of any exercise, add weight at your next workout. Move to four sets per exercise after six weeks.
Q: You mentioned in your e-zine that you sometimes superset two opposing muscles for 4x10. Like for forearms it's wrist curls supersetted with reverse wrist curls, no rest. Could you do that with other opposing bodyparts?
A: Absolutely, as long as the
exercises don't force you to stop your sets from cardiovascular failure as opposed to
muscular failure. For example, supersetting squats and leg curls would wind most people, as you don't rest at all after any of the sets—it's just back and forth from squats to leg curls for 10 reps each. That's eight consecutive sets—and more of a cardio workout.
Opposing supersets would work on biceps and triceps, however. Those are two smaller opposing muscles
that don't require a lot of oxygen to train. Barbell curls supersetted with lying extensions, both midrange moves, would be a good pairing. Chest and back may work too, depending on the exercises.
Q: What about intensity methods like forced reps and end-of-set X-Rep partials? Should I use them on the last few sets of a 4X sequence?
A: Taking sets beyond failure often can send you into an
overtraining tailspin—especially if you're using a 4X Mass Workout as a followup to a high-intensity training phase. The 4X method is designed to help you fully recover by minimizing nervous system and adrenal stress and cortisol output with subfailure volume rather than beyond-failure sets—only the last set of a 4X sequence is to exhaustion.
But pushing your fourth set into the pain zone with X Reps isn't totally taboo, especially the last few weeks of a 4X training phase. That will boost intensity for new growth. We prefer partials to full-range forced reps because X Reps are less destructive to the nervous system.
For X Reps you push a set to positive exhaustion, then you lower the weight to the semi-stretch point and do 10-inch partials. For example, on chins, when another full rep is impossible, you lower to near the arm's-extended position (left photo above), then drive up to just below halfway (right photo), doing as many of those pulsing low-
X-Rep chinup, bottom third of the stroke.
40 The 4X Mass Workout
Q: You say a lot of pros have used the 4X or similar methods, but weren't they on drugs? Will this type of training work for me if I'm drug free? A: Back to our colleague who trained with many of the
top pros back in the day; here's what he had to say: “I’ve followed the same routines off drugs and with a few adjustments I still made good gains. Not like when I was on drugs of course, but still measurable. And I am not genetically gifted. Let’s face it, you can make good progress drug-free and build a very good physique, but someone using drugs is going to progress faster, further better. Drugs work, and they are part of the game, BUT I also believe that the routines followed by the pros are the same routines that drug-free bodybuilders need to follow
with some adjustments.”
Those adjustments have been made in the programs in this e-book, including fewer training days a week and fewer sets per bodypart.
The question then becomes volume vs. intensity. How long should you use a total- 4X routine and how long should you use
Jay Cutler.
programs with more all- out sets, such as our original X-Rep program (outlined in our first e-book, The Ultimate
Mass Workout)? Back to
our esteemed colleague: “Now the argument becomes volume or intensity. Many will argue either way. I say use both. I go three weeks on volume [like the total-4X programs in this e-book—POF or Direct/Indirect] and
then three weeks on HIT-style workouts [like the original X-Rep program]. They each provide a benefit. The guys I’ve seen make progress on HIT had been on volume then switched and made progress, gained for a while, and then stopped making progress. I’ve been using that three-week alternating approach for quite some time and found that it works really well.”
Q: I train in a home gym, so I don't have cable machines and the like. Is there a 4X mass
workout you can give me for a basic-gym setup? A: Absolutely—and don't fret about not having a lot
of fancy equipment. You can make great gains with the basics; you just have to be creative.
4 The 4X Mass Workout