I remember you saying that you had Flex Lewis train his chest every four to five days rather than seven to bring it up. What exactly did you do?
Yes I did, mate. It was his worst body part, and we wanted to make it a strong point to win the Olympia 212 Showdown title, which he did! The first workout was either a Week 1, 2, or 3 session based around the Y3T principles. The second workout for his chest focused more on isolation with lots of isometrics, maximal tension with slow rep tempo, and higher reps to force as much blood into the area as possible. It worked!
What are your thoughts on low-volume, high-intensity training, which Dorian Yates and Mike Mentzer made famous?
I understand how and why it works. However, my concern is that not everyone is able to train with that intensity, and I also believe that people will fail to continually improve their strength levels that frequently. Is it good to get stronger for muscle growth? Absolutely! However, you also have to be realistic. I don’t think it’s an intelligent way to train all of the time. By rotating your weeks as Y3T does, I believe you will achieve more sustainable growth over the long term.
Is it wise to have blood tests done every once in a while to keep an eye on health?
Yes, because you can ascertain how certain things you are doing with your nutrition, training, and supplementation are affecting your body and potentially your health. If you are knowledgeable enough, you can also use the results to help speed progress.
I am an ectomorph with very little body fat or muscle. Would Y3T be good for me to gain much needed size?
Absolutely! I believe you will respond better to Weeks 2 and 3 due to the nature of the workouts (focusing on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). With that said, I would do Week 1, Week 2, Week 2, Week 3, Week 3, and repeat. Hope this helps, mate.
I cannot get my biceps to grow. I am very clued up on nutrition, and my supplement plan is also very comprehensive. Any tips would be much appreciated!
Genetics will make it harder to achieve growth in some areas of your physique, that’s often the case. However I don’t believe we can’t make them grow!
I would suggest introducing three-second eccentric contractions (negative phase) with one-second isometric pauses on each rep. Focus on flushing blood into the biceps with dropsets and giant sets. Over time they will grow.
Why do you recommend free weights over machines?
I always say it “depends,” so while I champion free weights over machines, I still think the latter have their place. The main reason behind choosing free weights is they are more “anabolic.” What I mean by that is that they force more stress upon the body, which in theory will stimulate a greater response, i.e., growth hormone and testosterone production. For compound lifts I always prefer free weights and after that I think some machines are fantastic for isolation work.
I find that I go through patches where my stomach always feels upset. I get pain in my abdomen and as a result, feel quite lethargic. Any advice?
It’s a tough one because blood tests don’t always show intolerances and you don’t always have to be “intolerant” to a food to have these issues you mention. I would suggest keeping a food diary. Log everything you eat, which days, and when. I believe you will soon notice a pattern occurring, highlighting for you which foods are the culprits. Make sure you have a good digestive enzyme; probiotics may also be of assistance. Hope this helps.
