When searching the internet for information on fitness and bodybuilding training, you will inevitably come across the term: X-Reps! X-Reps apparently aim to accelerate muscle growth, but the information on the internet is quite vague. What are X Reps, are they really as good as claimed, and why should you incorporate them into your training?
What are X-Reps?
X-Reps were invented and popularized by Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman in the book ‘The Ultimate Mass Workout’.
In this book, the principle of X Reps is explained, and the authors show how to incorporate this technique into your workouts.
The principle of X Reps is very simple and not really new. Anyone who trains has done partial reps or short repetitions during an exercise.
Partial Reps allow you to continue your set when you can no longer perform full repetitions. You can even do partials instead of the full movement, just to get stronger in a specific part of the movement.
An example of using partial reps is 21s with the barbell curl. In 21s, you first do seven repetitions from full extension to halfway through the movement until your forearms are parallel to the floor, then seven repetitions from halfway to all the way up, and finally, you do seven full movements. It’s a great way to significantly increase the intensity of the exercise.
However, X Reps are different. The principle of an X Rep is a short movement (about ten to fifteen centimeters) in the strongest part of an exercise. The way it works is that you do a full set, then bring the weight to that strongest part and do about six X Reps. Once you get used to it, you do this with almost every set of almost every exercise!
Doing a set with only X Reps is not the goal and goes against the whole philosophy. X Reps stands for extended repetitions, meaning the set is extended, not the repetition, but it sounds better!
Intensity-Boosting Technique?
No, X Reps are more than a technique to fatigue your muscles even more. It’s actually a way to bypass the limits of your nervous system. There’s a logical scientific explanation for the effectiveness of X Reps woven into Lawson’s and Holman’s book, based on various laboratory tests.
When you train conventionally like most people do, your nervous system stops your muscles from being completely fatigued for self-preservation. Because your muscles stop contracting, not all muscle fibers are trained during the exercises.
There are two types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch fibers and fast-twitch fibers. A normal set trains the slow-twitch fibers first and the fast-twitch fibers last. Because your nervous system tells your muscles to stop contracting before they want to give up, the fast-twitch fibers will never be adequately trained. Partly for that reason, you need many sets to fully train your muscles.
X Reps extend the time tension is applied to your muscles, allowing the fast-twitch fibers to be properly trained. The more muscle fibers are optimally developed, the bigger your muscles!
X Reps do this in the most optimal position of the exercise, where you are strongest!
Where is that strongest part of the movement?
Laboratory tests with an MRI scanner have indicated at which point the most force is exerted on the muscles. Alright, I don’t want to make it too complicated, but the point at which you perform X Reps varies for each exercise… There is, however, a fairly generic guideline:
The strongest part of a repetition of a particular exercise is the point just after the transition from the negative part to the positive part of the repetition, where your muscles are still largely stretched out.
Clear? Not? Okay, an example:
Let’s say you’re doing squats to 90 degrees (deeper if you can, but most athletes don’t even reach that 90 degrees…). The strongest part of the entire repetition is the part where you’ve just come out of that 90 degrees, so about halfway through the upward movement. That’s where you try to do those short X Rep movements… Make sure to have a spotter in case you can’t get back up!
Another example is the preacher curl. Here, the same applies: you can exert the most force when your arms are almost halfway up on the way back. The biceps are still fairly stretched out, and the X Reps have the maximum effect here.
Normally, you do X Reps when your muscles are stretched out. However, there are exceptions to the rule…
There are exercises where you do X Reps at the point where the muscle is almost completely contracted and therefore at its shortest. Examples are concentration curls, leg extensions, and standing calf raises. With these isolation exercises, the most force is exerted at the highest point rather than halfway.
Are there exercises where you should not do X Reps?
There are few exercises where you can’t use X Reps, but they do exist. This is mainly due to safety… An exercise like the deadlift is too technical and too prone to injury to do X Reps with.
Furthermore, it’s a matter of common sense: for example, you wouldn’t do X Reps with bench pressing if you’re training alone. X Reps are very intensive, and you will most likely have a big problem racking the bar at the end of a set. If you do it alone, you risk not being able to do it and getting the bar on your chest or throat… not recommended!
Why should you use X Reps?
Do you have to include X Reps in your training? No, it’s not a requirement! There are several intensity-boosting methods around.
Is it advisable to start doing X Reps? My answer is YES! My reasons are as follows:
- You train muscle fibers that you hardly reach with normal techniques. More developed muscle fibers = more mass!
- You can drastically shorten your training time by adding X Reps to your training. This is because your muscles are fully trained much faster. Whereas you used to do five sets, you can now achieve the same with just two sets more!
A warning: start slowly with X Reps… It seems easy to do, but try bringing the bar back to your strongest point at the end of an intensive set and doing some short repetitions there! It’s more than tough!
I definitely recommend giving X Reps a chance. You’ll have more muscle soreness than ever before, but your development will progress in leaps and bounds!
