Size Surge 2: Review by Jonathan Lawson, IRONMAN Feb '99

IRONMAN Bulletin #1: 10-Week Size Surge is one of the most effective mass-building programs ever created. The magazine has received hundreds of letters from bodybuilders all over the world who’ve put on loads of muscle and added immense strength in only 10 weeks. So if Size Surge is so effective, why is a sequel necessary? Because, as you get bigger and stronger, you need more recovery time to get even bigger and stronger.

According to SS2, as muscles grow, they not only require more nutrients to repair and get even larger but they also take more of a toll on the body as they contract. Mike Menzter often cites an experience that drove that message home for him. He talks about doing concentration curls at the same time as a 16-year-old bodybuilder was doing the exercise. After one set to failure the kid was fresh as a daisy, ready for more almost immediately. Mentzer, on the other hand, was huffing and puffing, his biceps throbbing and swollen, and he was barely able to bend his elbows. It was immediately obvious that his 20-inch arm took a lot more out of him during each contraction than the youngster’s 13-inch arm. Size Surge 2 acknowledges that requirement and makes the necessary changes in the Size Surge routines to accommodate extra recovery. If you have more than one year of training under your belt, you’ll see and feel the results of the built-in recovery time instantly.

Other training-related subjects SS2 covers include machine training and how friction can decrease your results on certain exercises; muscle contraction and how static holds can increase neuromuscular efficiency, build incredible strength and pump a muscle to extraordinary levels; and Hypercontraction training and how it can trigger maximum fiber activation. Of course, the book includes two solid routines, a big, basic program for phase 1 and a more intricate multiangular routine for phase 2. There’s also a section with descriptions and illustrations of all the exercises so you get the full mass-building benefit of each movement.

Another big difference between Size Surge and Size Surge 2—other than the fact that SS2 has about twice as many pages—is the detailed nutrition and supplementation section. Preworkout feedings, postworkout nutrient optimization and the latest supplements get full analysis. There’s even four complete supplement schedules—the Economy Supplement Stack, the Basic Bodybuilding Supplement Stack, the Serious-Mass Supplement Stack and the Elite Anabolic/Anticatabolic Supplement Stack—which show you exactly what to take and when to increase the muscle-building effects of the Size Surge 2 routines. There’s also the meal-by-meal Size Surge 2 Diet, with the precise macronutrient percentages of every feeding and grand totals for calories, protein, carbs and fat so you can easily tailor it to your own metabolism.

The last section is questions and answers on everything from supplementation and diet to training. Subjects include the original Size Surge program, specialization, fat and testosterone production, forced reps, incorporating regular deadlifts, injuries, the amazing stretch reflex and glutamine supplementation.
If you’re looking for a complete muscle-building manual, Size Surge 2 is it. It’s packed with information that will have you shocking people when you peel off your shirt on that first warm day of spring.

Pros: A complete guide to building muscle in 10 weeks—from training to diet to supplements.

Cons: After you read it, you’ll be so motivated, you won’t want to leave the gym. (Your muscles will be so pumped, you may not be able to leave the gym anyway because you won’t fit through the door.)