10×10 for Midrange Exercises

Q: I’ve read about your 10×10 mass-building method. I notice that in some of the examples the only exercises that were done 10×10 were midrange. So if I do chest, triceps and lats twice in one week, I should do 10 x10 on incline presses, decline extensions and lat pulldowns, and that’s it. Is that the only way, or can I do 10×10 on stretch-position exercises like flyes as well?

A: The way my training partner Jonathan Lawson and I have used 10×10 is strictly on the big, midrange exercises—and we did only one exercise for each bodypart, as you outlined in your question. That takes about 10 minutes per bodypart.

We often did a different exercise at each workout, however. For example, we did bench presses 10×10 style at one chest workout and switched to incline presses for 10×10 at the next chest workout. For back it was wide-grip pulldowns at one lat workout and undergrip pulldowns at the next.

Also keep in mind that 10×10 is pure density training for primarily sarcoplasmic expansion. The sarcoplasm is the endurance fluid inside the muscle fibers. We recommend pure density training for only three to four weeks. Then you should start including heavy standard-set training. Or you can do a heavy/light program, with standard training on heavy day and 10×10 on one exercise per body-part on light day. [See the workout outlined on pages 28 to 33 in the e-book The 10x10 Mass Workout—heavy days are three-way Positions-of-Flexion routines, and light days are 10x10 on one big exercise per bodypart.]

Now, if you were going to use 10×10 on a stretch move, you might want to do it last, after a few standard sets on a big, midrange exercise. That way you get myofibrillar growth from the power pyramid first and sarcoplasmic expansion from the 10×10 exercise second. For example:

Bench presses 3 x 9, 7, 6

Flyes 10 x 10

Or on a contracted-position move:

Incline presses 3 x 9, 7, 6

Pec deck flyes 10 x 10

That type of power-density routine trains both sides of your key 2A muscle fibers’ two sides so your growth shifts into overdrive.

Editor’s note: Steve Holman is the author of many bodybuilding best-sellers and the creator of Positions-of-Flexion muscle training. For information on the POF DVD and Size Surge programs, visit www.Home-Gym.com. Also visit www.X-Rep.com  and X-Workouts.com for info on X-Rep, 4X and 3D POF methods and e-books.  IM