A: For the uninitiated, 10x10 is taking a weight you can get 20 reps with,

but you only do 10. You rest for 30 seconds, then you do 10 more and so on
until you complete 10 sets of 10 reps. The first sets are easy—almost too
easy—but the last few sets are severe, and the pump is unreal.

Why does it work? The reason is the dominant muscle-fiber type in the
biggest bodybuilders, which was discovered in research. Comprehensive
analysis showed that the experienced bodybuilders in the study had almost
zero type 2B pure power fibers; their large muscles consisted of only type 1,
or slow-twitch, and an abundance of 2As, the fast-twitch fibers with dual
capacity—both a power and endurance component. [Eur J Appl Physiol.
103(5):579-83. 2008.]

The problem is that most bodybuilders train for power all the time without
even realizing it. They’ve been brainwashed into believing that heavy is the
only way to grow, so they miss half of the 2As growth potential. No wonder
size gains are so sluggish.

But 10x10 shifts the emphasis to the endurance side of the coin. That’s why
most trainees get a sudden growth spurt when they switch to a 10x10
program. In fact, we both got an eight-pound muscle gain when we first
trained with 10x10 because of that very reason.

The Ultimate 10x10 Mass Workout you’re thinking about trying is a pure

10x10 program consisting of three different workouts rotated over four days
per week. We assume you will simply go through the three workouts each
week so you train each muscle once a week. That’s fine. Each workout will
take you about 40 minutes, so you get shorter workouts, and you’ll get four
full days of recovery every week (as discussed in a recent newsletter).

That type of 10x10 endurance shift is a change most bodybuilders can benefit
from immensely due to having over-emphasized heavy weights for so long.
Power has dominated, and they need an endurance-style jolt to add another
layer of type-2A mass and density.
Three to four weeks with that program should produce significant mass gains
as your muscles supercompensate from your previous heavy training and you
build up the endurance components with 10x.

Since you’re using the Ultimate Exercise for each bodypart, stick with the
program as is, but instead of doing 10x10 on each exercise, shift to heavy
training for four weeks. Use a power pyramid on each exercise. That means
adding weight over, say, five sets. Your reps would go something like 12, 10,
8, 6, 4-5, with the first two sets acting as warmups.

Even with 2 1/2 minutes between sets, your workout should still take less
than one hour each.

Using the pyramid method is classic power training that shifts your emphasis
back to that component of the 2A muscle fibers. Use it for four or five weeks,
then shift back to the original 10x10 version for another endurance-
component size burst.