Q: I have a hard time feeling some of my muscles working, especially short-range ones like abs. Should I go heavier, lighter, slower, or what? I know feeling the target muscle working is very important for the fastest results.
A: You can say that again. Getting in touch with the target muscle on every rep is a big key to muscle hypertrophy…
Most trainees have a muscle or two or three that they can't feel working. For many, that's lats, and you mentioned abs. One method we've found amazingly effective is doing your first work set in X-centric style with a moderately heavy weight.
That's lifting in one second and lowering in six on every rep. We like to get seven or eight reps in X-centric style (50 to 60 seconds of tension time)...
So on a 4X sequence, you would do set 1 in X-centric style and go to failure. After a 30-to-40-second rest, continue with a standard 3X sequence—short rests between sets, last set to failure…
That works especially well on shorter-range muscles like calves and abs. Those are so easy to cheat on—use momentum and lose tension on the target muscle.
With an X-centric set upfront, the slow six-second negatives force you to feel the muscle. And you'll be more in touch on the sets that follow as well because of heightened blood flow and nervous system activation...
As we discuss in 3D Muscle Building (page 60), increasing blood flow to a muscle has been shown in research studies to boost strength due to muscle activation by 20 percent. That can trigger a sick muscle-hypertrophy uptick…
If you want more information on X-centric training, as well as complete workouts and unique applications, see our e-book The X-centric Mass Workout
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
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