That’s right! I come back to the high-intensity “honest workout” more often than any other for maximizing muscle-fibre growth in the quickest possible time for the advanced bodybuilder.

Working within the 8x8 guidelines is not sufficient to guarantee gains. You must exhaust each muscle with the right tempo and weight resistance. I recommend that you reduce the rest time between sets to 15-20 seconds, ultimately not even letting go of the bar between sets. But be careful not to overpump or overtrain. The secret is to train hard for no more than 45 minutes.

I would far rather train an advanced bodybuilder two or even three times a day, allowing a 72-hour rest period for the muscles afterwards, than to train only once a day with insufficient recuperation time.

The 8x8 workout can be extremely tough, not only on the muscles but also on the cardiovascular system, especially when minimum rest is taken between sets. The secret of short-term recuperation is oxygen loading. Try breathing twice per repetition. This will force oxygen into the bloodstream, and certainly help the pump. After a set, concentrate on hyperventilating (5-10 slow breaths through pursed lips) to pay back the oxygen debt you will incur from the intense sets of 8 reps.