Dear friend,

Imagine for a moment your arthritis vanishing right now.
If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.
Like a magic wand was waived, you’d be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.
And imagine that you’d never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.
I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.

And…
This is exactly what happened to me in a location I least expected!
It was a gift from a Chinese woman on the other side of the world.
From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.
This kind act was probably no big deal for the mysterious woman because arthritis is almost nonexistent where she comes from.
And even if people were to develop the disease, everyone would know exactly what to do.

She helped hundreds of people in addition to me:
Extremely quickly – it immediately worked.
Easily – it required only minimal effort.
For good – I never suffered again.

You are taken by the hand and we are leading you step-by-step through the three-step strategy of:
Relieving your pain and stiffness today.
Ridding you of the underlying cause of your arthritis – for good.
Rebuilding the damage already done to your joints.
All completely naturally, without the use of prescription medications that only make your condition worse in the long haul.

Now, you may have heard there is no solution for arthritis.
And this is absolutely true when it comes to the traditional medical system.

You may already know that arthritis is the most common chronic disease in the Western world. More common than heart disease and diabetes. Over a third of Westerners develops arthritis at some point.

But in other parts of the world, where Western medicine is not practiced, arthritis is almost nonexistent. Arthritis is actually caused by lifestyle rather than genetic predisposition.

Now you alone hold the responsibility for your arthritis.
If you decide to suffer the pain longer or take the simple steps to completely reverse your arthritis within 21 days.Starting today!
The ball is in your hands and nobody else’s.

Because, now you know there is a strategy you can follow to eliminates your joint pain in less than 21 days.

How easy it is to eliminate arthritis pain!
You don’t need to make huge diet and lifestyle changes to make this work. You can keep eating 90% of all your favorite foods. And you can cook all your favorite recipes, only with small adjustments.

The best part is, it works for ALL types of arthritis:
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Gout
…and every other type of arthritis I’ve ever come across.

It’s all backed up with ancient knowledge as well as 47 scientific studies from some of the most respected universities in the world.
So you have 100% proof it will work.

And even if you’re skeptical, at least you could try.
Because you have nothing to lose. Click the order button below and if it doesn’t work (although you know it will), you get your money back.

Could you really live with yourself for another day or another minute suffering from arthritis now that you know it can be treated and you did nothing?

Thousands of arthritis patients have already benefited from this amazing strategy.
I want you to be as happy as them.

You’re not alone. Everything is so simple and easy that it’s like I’m sitting right beside you, for 21 days, guiding you through the mini-steps.

That’s why everybody succeeds with this strategy. And you’re next!

You are going to be arthritis free within 21 days.
And your first step is to click the order button below right now.

Click Here to Order Now…

These somewhat unfamiliar tropical fruits like mangoes, guavas, pomegranates and papayas are offering a range of health benefits like the familiar ones plus some extra.

Besides their high fiber content, they also contain a variety of powerful compounds
to fight heart disease and even cancer.
There are dozens more tropical fruits grown world wide, but these are the ones you
most likely find in your supermarket or grocery store.

Mango Magic
This juicy fruit which tastes like a peach and pineapple mixed together, but sweeter,
contain large amounts of vitamin C and also beta-carotene, which are antioxidants.
As you may remember from my earlier articles, antioxidants protect you against the harmful effect of free radicals. These fellows can damage our bodies LDL cholesterol,
causing it to stick to the lining of our artery walls and increase the risk of heart disease.

One mango contains nearly 5 mgr of beta-carotene, which is 50-83% of the recommended
6-10 mgr , and 57mgr vitamin C or 95% of the Daily Value. It’s a very healthful mix.

In an Australian study, people were given juice containing beta-carotene and vitamin C
everyday for 3 weeks. Researchers found that the LDL cholesterol of the people who
took the juice experienced less damage than before they started drinking the juice.

Besides antioxidants, mangoes also have a high content of fiber. One mango contains
almost 6 gram of fiber and it’s the soluble kind of fiber, which can help to reduce the risk
of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

The insoluble fiber in mangoes is also important because it causes stool – and any harmful
substances they contain – to move more quickly through the body.
This means that when you eat more mangoes, you reduce the risk of colon cancer.

The healing power of papayas
Looking at the outside, papayas look like yellow or orange avocados. On the inside
you’ll find beautiful yellow-orange flesh that hints at the healing power within.
Papayas are loaded with carotenoids, which are natural plant pigments that give many
fruits and vegetables their beautiful hues. But carotenoids do much more than color up
your plate. They can literally save your life.The carotenoids in papayas are strong antioxidants. Studies have proved that people who eat the most carotenoids rich foods,
like papayas, greatly lower their risk of dying from heart disease or cancer.
Many fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids, but papayas are way ahead of them all.
In a German study, researchers rated 39 foods according to their carotenoid content.
Papayas came out on top, with half a fruit providing almost 3.8 milligrams of carotenoids
By contrast, grapefruits, which came in second, have 3.6 milligram,and apricots have
2.6 milligram of carotenoids.

Papayas also contain a number of protease enzymes, such as papain, which are very similar to enzymes produced naturally in the stomach. Eating papaya during or after
a meal makes it easier for the body to digest proteins, which can help ease an upset
stomach. Papaya may play a roll in preventing ulcers as well.

In another study, Russian researchers have found that papaya extracts speed up
wound healing. They speculate that papaya’s antioxidant action may protect tissue
from ongoing damage during the healing process.

Guavas for cancer protection
Guavas are not always easy to find in supermarkets, but these pink or yellow colored
fruits, often available in gourmet, Hispanie, or Indian markets, are definitely worth the search.
Guavas specialty is the content of a carotenoid called lycopene. Lycopene has been
on the backseat for a long time, but studies now suggest that lycopene may be even
more powerful than its more famous kin beta-carotene. In fact, lycopene is one of the
strongest antioxidants, says Paul Lachance. PhD, professor of nutrition and executive
director of the Nutraceuticals Instute at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey

Israeli scientists found in laboratory studies , that lycopene was able to quickly block
the growth of lung- and breast cancer cells. And in a large study of almost 48,000 men,
Harvard researchers found that men who had the most lycopene in their diets had a 45%
lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those getting the least.
Tomatoes have long be considered as having one of the highest lycopene content,
and studies on this subject often give conflicting results, but guavas are a far better source,
which at least 50% more lycopene in a single fruit.

Pomegranates
Pomegranates originally came from tropical Asia and have been grown for thousands of years throughout the Mediterranean countries and in the Middle East.
They are popular at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fresh pomegranates have a leather like
exterior. Inside are hundreds of magenta “arils” – sacks full of distinctive sweet earthy juice from this fruit. Bottles of juice are available all year round.

Pomegranates are rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants which may help to protect against
artherosclerosis. Israeli researchers in Ramban Medical Center in Haifa tested compounds
from pomegranates in lab studies, and found that theses flavonoids protected particles
of bad LDL cholesterol against oxidation, which is the first step in the development of
plague that builds up in the artery walls.

What’s more, a daily glass of pomegranate juice slowed down the rise of PSA level
(prostate-specific antigens) an indication of prostate cancer risk, to one-quarter their usual
rate . This was the result of a 3 year study at the University of California of 50 men who had
surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. When prostate cancer is present, PSA levels normally double every 15 months; for men who drank the juice it took 54 months.
Researchers had also seen a slowdown in PSA doubling rate for men with early stage
prostate cancer who decided to “wait and see” , rather than having surgery, radiation or
hormone therapy treatment.
Antioxidants in the juice may protect healthy cells while isoflavones may trigger the death
of healthy cells, according to experts.

Some advice to get the most out of tropical fruits

Add a little fat
When guavas are eaten with a little fat, the lycopene in guavas is absorbed more efficiently.
Adding some yogurt with slices of guava will help you to get the most lycopene.

Don’t use heat
Tropical fruits are often used as ingredients in recipes such as sauces for meat dishes.
Unfortunately the heat used in cooking destroys some of the vitamin C in guavas, says
Donald Schlimme, PhD, professor emeritus of nutrition and food science at the University
of Mayland. He recommend to eat tropical fruits raw to get the most vitamins from them.

Store them carefully
When tropical fruits are exposed to air and sunlight, they will quickly give up their
vitamin C content. By keeping the fruits in a cool and dark place, they will keep fresh and
preserve their vital nutrients.

Points to watch when shopping for tropical fruits
Notice the smell
Tropical fruits should smell sweet and fragrant, even before they are cut.
If the smell is weak, the taste will be disappointing too.

Keep them cool, not cold
When tropical fruits need some time to ripen, it’s best to store them in a cool, dry place.
Don’t put them in the refrigerator, as the cold will kill the flavor.

Find the right combination
Fruit salad is okay, but don’t combine papaya or pineapple with gelatin. The enzymes
in the raw fruit will break down the protein in the gelatin and keep it from setting.

Avoid pomegranate stains
Slice off the crown of the fruit and cut the fruit into sections. Put the sections into a bowl
of water. Roll the juice-filled arils out of the submerged sections with your fingers.
Discard the fibers and skin, drain off the water, and enjoy this ancient treat!

Would you like to stay in attention-grabbing muscular shape for as long as you’re alive and be able to exercise?
And become mentally and physically tough to withstand the stress, pressure and problems that come your way during your time on this planet? If you say “yes” to both of these questions, then read on.

Proper weight training can give you this – and contrary to the general opinion, it doesn’t have to take joint-busting, spine-crushing poundages. Your muscular look can last a lifetime, without soft-tissue damage or a lot of work, if you train smart.

Whether you’re 18 years and just starting your muscle building journey or a 50 year old trainee who has been lifting for years, training smart means training in the most efficient, safest and fastest ways to build muscle and burn fat.

Over the past decade, Steve and Becky Holman have developed a workout system for men and women, that they call the F4X Training System. It is a revolutionary way of combining four specific exercises done in literally a matter of minutes. That’s all you need!
And you can’t find this youth-enhancing system anywhere else!

You don’t have to do endless cardio sessions, as the F4X Training System is a great cardiovascular workout, and you don’t have to spend an hour a day in the gym.
The F4X Training System will be your personal breakthrough, to achieve your ideal body, to stay in tip-top shape with minimal time, and to have a life outside the gym.

However, you have to be prepared for some hard work – anything that gives you this kind of radical age-defying results that have stood the test of decades, will never be like a walk in the park.But it’s fast, efficient and safe.
This is a routine you’ve never seen before, and you will get in and out of the gym in record time.

Our bodies all age, one day at a time, but you can slow the aging process down and totally reshape your body, to the point to where you look ten years younger in less than 90 days.

The F4X Protocol has three phases. Each phase is designed to give you exactly what you want for your body.
These few simple variations in the F4X Protocol plus the F4X Lean Meal Plan, will get you exactly where you want to go.
If you want to lose 50, or even 100 pounds or more, you will be doing Phase 1, with slight variations in movement, style and nutrition.

After you start to lose all the weight you desire, only then you should proceed to Phase 2, the F4X Shape. Once you lost all your fat you wanted, you can get some more muscle on your frame. Here you will slightly change your lifting style and nutrition plan. An added benefit of the F4X Shape phase is that you burn even more body fat because you’ve added
lean muscle. Muscle burns 95% of your calories at rest. So the more muscle you have, the more food you can eat!

If you like the look of a fitness pro, or what is called “a mini bodybuilder, you proceed to Phase 3, called the F4X Build.
You can build 15-20 extra pounds of muscle on your frame. It’s the same foundational plan with some slight variations to the lifts and diet.

You remain in total control.
Here is the really good part, and especially for the ladies, you are in total control.
You can simply stop when you have gained the muscle you want. And then you maintain it while using an even easier protocol.

Steve and Becky’s motto is: Make it simple, yet make it challenging!

If you like to wake up energized before the alarm goes off, rarely if ever be limited by typical age-related aches and pains, radically alter the shape, tone, and body fat you currently have and drop all the weight you desire in just 90 minutes per week,
and so much more, than make a wise decision and start with the F4X Training System.

For more information about the F4X Training System, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

The F4X training system as featured in “Old School – New Body”, is a revolutionary training system, using moderate weight, high fatigue training with short rests between sets. It burns more fat and pumps up your muscles like crazy.

Built to last a lifetime
With the F4X training system you will remain “built” your entire life, never embarrassed to peel off your shirt at the beach.
You will be mentally and physically tough, prepared for whatever the circumstances in life. You are “built” to withstand the stress, pressures and problems that come your way – almost like you’ve created a bulletproof mental and physical harness, able to deflect any negatives every day.

Whether you’re 18 and just starting the muscle-building journey or a 50-something trainee who’s been lifting for decades, lifting smart means training in the most efficient, safest and fastest ways to build muscle and burn fat.

You don’t have to do endless cardio sessions (the F4X Training System is a great cardiovascular workout) and you don’t have to spend an hour a day in the gym. The F4X Training System will be your personal breakthrough, achieving your ideal body, staying in tip-top shape with minimal time, and having a life outside a gym.

It’s FAST it’s EFFICIENT and it’s SAFE. If you want results that have stood the test of DECADES, then read on.
You MUST be okay with brief bouts of old-school-style hard work. If you are, here’s a routine you’ve never seen before, AND you will get in and out of the gym in RECORD time.

Now You Can Slow the Aging Process to A Crawl, Quickly Sculpt The Body You’ve Always Wanted, Plus Make It Look As If You’re Aging ‘Backwards’…
And Do It All In Just 90 Minutes A Week

Our bodies all age, one day at a time. HOWEVER: You can SLOW the aging process down and totally reshape your body…
to the point to where you look a decade younger than you are right now in less than 90 days. This does not involve special creams, or some kind of ‘miracle’…

You remain in total control!
Now, here’s the really good part (and ladies, listen up!) You are in TOTAL CONTROL — you simply STOP when you’ve gained the muscle you want!
You never, EVER have to worry about waking up looking like a freaky bodybuilder… that just doesn’t happen on F4X.
You stop when you have the body YOU want, and then you maintain it using an even easier Protocol.

I know, this sounds so incredibly simple… and it is. You see, you might be confused when it comes to what to do these days in order to lose weight and shape up.

There are so many super-complicated diets and fitness plans out there; it’s enough to confuse anyone! And it’s not your fault.
So many magazines, especially the “chick mags”, print the most confusing, and downright STUPID diet plans and exercise routines we’ve ever seen!
It’s no wonder the nation is growing fatter by the year, and people are dropping dead of heart attacks at shockingly young ages.

Our motto is: Make It Simple, Yet Make It Challenging.

Break through research has proven it!
Now you can slow the aging process to a crawl. Quickly sculpt the body you’ve always wanted, plus:
Make it look as if you’re aging backwards. And do it all in just 90 minutes work!
The F4X training system is a revolutionary way of combining four specific exercises, done in a matter of minutes.
Fast, efficient and safe!

When you make this wise decision, you will…
Wake up energized before the alarm ever goes off
Rarely if ever be limited by typical “age-related” aches and pains
Radically alter the shape, tone, and body fat you currently have
Drop ALL the weight you desire in only 90 minutes per week
Stop the “insanity” programs that AGE YOU FASTER and start eating and moving in a way that’s proven to defy the aging process.
And So Much More!

For more information about the F4X training system, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

The F4X Training System – The Hottest workout System on the Planet

Over the past decade, Steve and Becky Holman have developed a men and women’s workout system that they call F4X Training System.
This is a revolutionary way of combining four specific exercises done in literally a matter of minutes. That’s ALL YOU NEED…
And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

You don’t have to do endless cardio sessions (the F4X Training System is a great cardiovascular workout) and you don’t have to spend an hour a day in the gym.
The F4X Training System will be your personal breakthrough, achieving your ideal body, staying in tip-top shape with minimal time, and having a life outside a gym.

The F4X System is definitely not for everyone. For example:

If you enjoy spending an hour a day working out, this is NOT for you (and good luck with those free radicals!)
If you think you can “spin” or run your way to a younger, time-changing body, have at it… this is not for you.
And, if you are not prepared to work very, very hard for a very short period of time, this is not for you.

We’re not going to lie: F4X is hard work — anything that produces this kind of radical age-defying result will never be a walk in the park.

However, it’s FAST it’s EFFICIENT and it’s SAFE. Fair enough? Hey, if you’re looking for an EASY way out, then Google “Pipedream Workout” and maybe you’ll get lucky. If you want results that have stood the test of DECADES, then read on.

You MUST be okay with brief bouts of old-school-style hard work. If you are, here’s a routine you’ve never seen before, AND you will get in and out of the gym in RECORD time.

Now You Can Slow the Aging Process to A Crawl, Quickly Sculpt The Body You’ve Always Wanted, Plus Make It Look As If You’re Aging ‘Backwards’… And Do It All In Just 90 Minutes A Week

Our bodies all age, one day at a time. HOWEVER: You can SLOW the aging process down and totally reshape your body… to the point to where you look a decade younger than you are right now in less than 90 days. This does not involve special creams, or some kind of ‘miracle’…

Most people understand that both men and women MUST exercise in order to turn back the clock. But did you know that both men & women should essentially work out the same? Sure, men will use more weight, but the fear of women “getting bulky” is a MYTH… and read on. We’ll prove it to you with pictures!

You have been lied to if you think you have to lift massive weights hours a day to look like a total stud, or that women need to lift differently than men. We BOTH need LESS TIME in the gym, and we BOTH need the same basic protocol. Only the resistance will change.

FACT
You cannot find this youth-enhancing system anywhere else. Steve and Becky have sole ownership of it, and it’s only found right here, on this VERY PAGE… so keep reading…

The F4X Protocol has THREE (3) PHASES. Each phase is designed to give you exactly what YOU desire for your body—nothing more, nothing less.

PHASE 1: F4X LEAN

Do you want to lose 10, 25, 50, even 100 pounds or more? Then you will be doing the F4X Protocol with slight variations in movement style and nutrition. You will NOT be spending 4 hours a day doing cardio, or going out and trying to run a few miles. That will get you absolutely nowhere. The few simple variations in the F4X Protocol that we give you, plus the F4X LEAN Meal Plan, will get you exactly where you want to go.

NOTE: Some Old School, New Body readers only go through Phase 1. They find that they get “just enough” toned muscle and ALL the weight loss they desire, and they simply stop right there. Of course, they use F4X MAINTAIN to stay fit, trim, and healthy, but they do not progress to Phase 2 or Phase 3. It’s completely up to you.

PHASE 2: F4X SHAPE

Once you start losing all the weight you desire, then and ONLY then should you proceed, if you want, to Phase 2: F4X SHAPE. This is what Becky did. First, she got her fat-loss into gear on the LEAN program, and then she decided she wanted “just a bit” more muscle on her frame. She wanted to look like a competitive swimmer, or a figure competitor—a tad more muscle than she had from the LEAN Phase. So, enter the SHAPE Phase!

Here, you will (again) slightly change your lifting style and nutrition plan. That’s it! Nothing drastic, nothing major. Just simple changes to the foundational F4X Protocol is ALL you need, man or woman, to add more lean muscle.

Oh, the added benefit of the F4X SHAPE Phase is that you burn even more body fat because you’ve added lean muscle. Muscle burns 95% of your calories at rest, so the more you have, the more food you can eat. And, since Becky LOVES her treat meals, her extra pounds of SEXY muscle helps burn off those calories… even while she sleeps. You can do the same!

PHASE 3: F4X BUILD

Here’s where guys like me come into the picture. I love the look of fitness pro, or what I call “a mini bodybuilder.” That huge, grotesque muscle mass you see on the covers of bodybuilding magazines? Not for me. Folks, that’s not built by training hard. That’s built by training hard, taking illegal drugs, and eating like a horse.

I love muscles, but I don’t want to look like I can’t fit through the front door of my house! Plus, our kids would really freak out if they saw daddy come home looking like the Hulk.

Still, I wanted those 15-20 extra pounds of muscle on my frame, so I use the F4X BUILD Protocol. Again, same foundational plan, just with simple tweaks to the lifts and diet.

You remain in total control!

Now, here’s the really good part (and ladies, listen up!) You are in TOTAL CONTROL — you simply STOP when you’ve gained the muscle you want! You never, EVER have to worry about waking up looking like a freaky bodybuilder… that just doesn’t happen on F4X. You stop when you have the body YOU want, and then you maintain it using an even easier Protocol.

I know, this sounds so incredibly simple… and it is. You see, you might be confused when it comes to what to do these days in order to lose weight and shape up.

There are so many super-complicated diets and fitness plans out there; it’s enough to confuse anyone! And it’s not your fault. So many magazines, especially the “chick mags”, print the most confusing, and downright STUPID diet plans and exercise routines we’ve ever seen! It’s no wonder the nation is growing fatter by the year, and people are dropping dead of heart attacks at shockingly young ages.

Our motto is: Make It Simple, Yet Make It Challenging.

When you make this wise decision, you will…
Wake up energized before the alarm ever goes off
Rarely if ever be limited by typical “age-related” aches and pains
Radically alter the shape, tone, and body fat you currently have
Drop ALL the weight you desire in only 90 minutes per week
Stop the “insanity” programs that AGE YOU FASTER and start eating and moving in a way that’s proven to defy the aging process.
And So Much More!

For more information about the F4X training system, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

Built for Life.” Kind of an interesting title, if you think about it, because it has two meanings. The first is staying in attention-grabbing muscular shape for as long as you’re alive and able to exercise—you will remain “built” your entire life, never embarrassed to peel off your shirt at the beach, lake or pool. And as my colleague 60-plus-year-old bodybuilder Tony DiCosta so aptly put it, “You’ll usually be the best built guy in the room.” (Talk about a conversation piece!)

The second meaning is that you’re mentally and physically tough, prepared for whatever life throws at you. You’re “built” to withstand the stress, pressures and problems that come your way throughout your time on this planet—almost like you’ve created a bulletproof mental and physical fortress, able to deflect any negatives, that attitude-altering artillery shot at all of us every day.

Proper weight training can give you both of those—and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take joint-busting, spine-crushing poundages to make it happen.

In fact, training with max weights can be a negative, especially as you get older. Sure, if you’re a young ego-driven dude looking for a monster bench press, training heavy is where it’s at. Low reps and lots of sets will build your strength to the extreme—but not necessarily lots of muscle, as I’ll explain in future blogs—just be careful. There’s a cumulative cost. I’m still dealing with injuries I sustained during my power lifting years.

I’m not saying powerlifting or power bodybuilding are bad training models—just that throwing around mega weights is NOT necessary for you to build an impressive bodybuilder-type physique, a body so muscular that people comment on the size of your arms or the width of your back or the vascularity streaking down your forearms. You can have a muscular look for a lifetime, and it doesn’t take soft-tissue damage or as much work as you think—if you train smart.

Whether you’re 18 (that’s Jonathan Lawson, my former training partner, in his 20s in the photo above with us) and just starting the muscle-building journey or a 50-something trainee who’s been lifting for decades (like me), lifting smart means training in the most efficient, safest and fastest ways to build muscle and burn fat.

I promise you that Old School New Body is a no-B.S. program—that’s because my sole goal is for you to have all the ammunition you need to own a physique that turns heads and raises eyebrows and one that supports your health and well being. I want you to be able to keep that attention-grabbing, muscular look—and feel healthy doing it—for the rest of your days.

Stay tuned, train smart and be Built For Life.

Steve Holman

To enroll In Steve Holman’s Program, visit : https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

When you first started working out, you probably hated it. Soreness hurts! But as you progressed, you no doubt embraced it—most of us consider it a signal that we’ve done our diligence and stimulated plenty of muscle growth. But is that true?

The fact is, there are no studies connecting muscle soreness to hypertrophy. Okay, don’t stop reading yet; you will get some good stuff from being a bit sore–and you’ll probably even want to strive for it. But first you need to know what causes muscle soreness.

It’s believed that the pain is caused by microtrauma in muscle fibers—and it’s primarily triggered by the negative, or eccentric, stroke of an exercise—like when you lower a bench press, squat or curl rep. Once your body repairs those microtears, it follows that the muscle should grow larger; however, that trauma is in the myofibrils, the force-generating actin and myosin strands in the fiber. Those strands grab onto and pull across one another to cause muscular contraction. When you control the negative stroke of a rep, there is friction as those strands drag across each other in an attempt to slow movement speed to prevent injury—and that dragging, it’s believed, is what inflicts the microtrauma.

That’s a simplification, but you get the idea. So it appears that some growth can occur after muscle soreness is repaired, but it’s in the myofibrils. More and more research is beginning to show that those force-generating strands do not contribute the majority of muscle size; serious mass comes via sarcoplasmic expansion. That’s the “energy fluid” in the fibers that’s filled with glycogen (from carbs), ATP, calcium, noncontractile proteins, etc.

So if soreness is an indication of only small amounts of muscle growth, why strive for it? Well, even small amounts of growth contribute to overall mass. Most of us want every fraction we can scrape up. But the real reason to seek some soreness is to burn more fat.

When the myofibrils are damaged by emphasizing the eccentric, the body attempts to repair them as quickly as possible. That repair process takes energy, a lot of which comes from body fat. The process usually takes many days, so your metabolism is stoked to a higher level for 48 hours or more, helping you get leaner faster. (Note: High-intensity interval training, like sprints alternated with slow jogs, damages muscle fibers during the intense intervals, the sprints, which is why HIIT burns more fat in the long run than steady-state cardio where no muscle damage occurs.)

Do you need heavy negative-only sets to get that extra bit of size and metabolic momentum? That’s one way, but negative-accentuated, or X-centric, sets may be a better, safer way. For an X-centric set you take a somewhat lighter poundage than your 10RM and raise the weight in one second and lower it in six. That one-second-positive/six-second-negative cadence does some great things, starting with myofibrillar trauma for some soreness. While you’re coping with that extra post workout muscle pain, remember that it can build the myofibrils and that it’s stoking your metabolism during the repair process for more fat burning.

The second BIG advantage is sarcoplasmic expansion. At seven seconds per rep and eight reps per set, you get almost an entire minute of tension time (seven times eight is 56 seconds). A TUT of 50 to 60 seconds is something most bodybuilders never get—which is a shame because that’s optimal stress for an anabolic cascade and this is the perfect way to train as you age. I call it Old School New Body!

You can do an X-centric set after your heavy pyramid—if you’re into heavy training. In other words, use it as a backoff set. If you’re more into moderate-poundage, high-fatigue mass building, as I am with the F4X method featured in the Old School New Body method, you can use X-centric as the last set of the sequence. Reduce the weight and do a one-up-six-down cadence. You’ll get sore, build some extra size and—bonus—burn for fat. How great is that? Till next time, stay tuned, train smart and be Built for Life. Steve Holman.

To enroll in the “Old School – New Body” Program, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

Fat burning can take on three different formats as discussed in this article.

To be able to understand this article fully, you have to be enrolled in Steve Holman’s
“Old School – New Body” program. You can get it here: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

No more cardio? Well, not quite—but if you train with weights correctly, you won’t need to visit that boring treadmill quite as often to keep your abs sharp.

And I’m not talking about interval cardio, although the weight-training method I’ve been preaching has an HIIT feel to it. That’s the F4X method, (featured in Old School New Body) which is moderate-weight, high-fatigue training with short rests between sets. It burns more fat and pumps up your muscles like crazy too. Here’s the drill:

You take a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but you only do 10; rest 30 seconds, then do it again—and so on for four sets. On the fourth set, you go to failure, and if you get 10 reps, you increase the weight on the exercise at your next workout. Notice how those sets are like intervals with short breaks between—you can even pace between sets to burn extra calories, but there’s more.

Fat-burning pathway 1: While that training style does great things for muscle growth, via myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic expansion, you also get loads of muscle burn. That lactic acid pooling has a spiking effect on your growth hormone output—and GH is a potent fat burner. Fire up muscle burning to get your GH churning. (GH also amplifies other anabolic hormones, so it effects both muscle and rippedness.)

Fat-burning pathway 2: If you do the reps correctly on every set, you’ll also get myofibrillar trauma. The myofibrils are the force-generating strands in muscle fibers. By “damaging” them with slower, controlled negative strokes, you force the need for extra energy during recovery. In other words, your body runs hotter while you’re out of the gym as it revs to repair the microtears.

To attain that extra fat-burning trauma, use one-second positives and three-second negatives on all 10 reps of all four sets. On a bench press that’s one second up and three seconds down. It’s the slow lowering that will produce the metabolic momentum after your workout. (That rep speed will also give you 40 seconds of tension time on every set, an ideal hypertrophic TUT.)

Fat-burning pathway 3: Now if you really want to get some blubber-busting microtrauma, try your last set of a F4X sequence in X-centric style. That’s one-second positives and six-second negatives. You may have to reduce the weight, but it will be worth it. Try for eight of those, 56 seconds of tension time, and you should feel the results the next day. Your muscles will be aching, but it’s a good indication that fat is baking.

F4X for a GH surge, slower negatives for fat-burning micro trauma and X-centric for even more time under tension and fat extinction. It all adds up to faster leanness with less meanness—because you’ll need less cardio. Prepare for acid-etched abs! Yes!! Even as you age this system works, in fact it is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth.

Stay tuned, train smart and be Built for Life.

Steve Holman

Editor in Chief Iron Man Magazine and co-creator of the Old School New Body program
To enroll in this program, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ty4b87z

Athletes need a special diet to enable to perform at top condition.
I have written a report: “Nutrition for athletes”.
You can get it here: https://tinyurl.com/vuzwbxs

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