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Did you do any negative only exercises like Jones did in the study?
Have you been able to maintain the gains since you first did this?
What was your rep-range for each of your exercises?
How many calories per day were you eating?
Were you also doing any cardio exercise?
I'm halfway through your book and loving it. Thanks for posting this.
Along with the fat-loss diet look like two things I need to start today!
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Your book is great, I ordered it via Amazon first but the ship date went from 2 days to the first or second week of May so I dropped by my local Borders and found one copy that I snagged. I will be seeking a worthy recipient for the copy from Amazon when I finally receive it.
In other words, if this is meant for beginners - and all geek-to-fantastic-body programs are - you should explain the workout routines in more detail.
And, while we're at it, there's no way a beginner will be able to apply your principles; I bet you have had a lot of experience before starting the program.
These aren't really criticisms, just observations (;.
Thanks!
Just started the slow-carb diet (and also picked up my copy of the Four Hour Workweek)on Saturday. My boyfriend leafed through the book and is already bugging me to finish so he can steal it.
Thanks for sharing it.
Clearly, you keep pushing your set until failure, but with what weight? 40, 50, 60, 70%?
Also, A. Jones' message is somewhat fuddled by pitching the Nautilus equipment; with a spotter I can replicate negative-only. Any recommendations on this?
What kind of weight in Lbs were you lifting?
Makes me question the authenticity of the entire posting.
Also, im not entirely sure I know what you mean by this: "5. Exercise less frequently as you increase strength and size, as your recovery abilities can only increase 20-30%, while you can often increase fat-free muscle tissue up to 100% before reaching a genetic set-point."
Check out my site at www.nolimitzentertainment.wordpress.com
Have since read through almost all of your posts, pages, interviews, etc. Incredible, & truly inspiring!
Amazon'd your book for 2-day delivery; can't wait to read the whole thing!
Why waste time in the gym?!?!
You should also check out 'The New Bodybuilding for Old School results' by Dr. Darden, it's an updated verison on all the HIT training!
kick ass till the next time bruddah!
--z--
Impressive results!
Do you have the workout you followed for the 4 week duration? How many grams of protein and carbs per pound of body weight did you consume?
Thanks,
--Matt
I think one of the keys here will be to actually train in a manner where you have very high intensity over a short workout.
For this experiment, did you train with a personal trainer? If not, did you do it with a training partner? If so, what were his or her gains?
I'm assuming you need a partner to effectively train in this manner.
Ravi
great presentation at web2.0 expo. i wish people would stop working so hard on meaningless details and focus on real work. i think everyone will benefit.
thanks again,
mahmoud
Any chance of you posting the workout plan you used for those results?
Would you mind elaborating on the amount of kcals you ate during the month, also, did you take any supplements, and third, how did or do you maintain that size?
Cheers,
Alex
I actually train alone and have since age 15. I prefer training between 8-10pm and use a "power rack" (a stand-alone cage that acts as a spotter) for safety. Generally, I favor machines over free-weights for ease-of-use, with the exception of deadlifts for experienced trainees. Resistance is resistance, and machines require less clean up.
I've put friends -- even vegetarians -- on this program, who have gained 10-20 lbs. in four weeks despite consuming insufficient calories. For ambitious eaters, and eating is the hardest part, that number will be much higher.
Weight training for me is "me time" and almost meditative, so I never train with a partner. It's therapeutic to count the cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down) and forget the world for 20-30 minutes at a time.
Last but not least, you are right: short and intense are the defining features of this workout. That said, there is one additional element more neglected than any other: massive recovery time.
Cheers!
Tim
Thanks for sharing your story with us, it's certainly motivating me to get off my butt and get my fitness back to a good level and build more muscle.
Short and intense workouts. You said you workout 8-10pm. Most people advise 1 hour workouts. Whats your take on the length of workout and times per week?
For someone who hasn't exercised properly and/or regularly for nearly 3-4 years, do you think acheiving similar results are possible?
Kavit
What defines "intense"? I am really interested in this as I am a classic ectomorph that has made no noticeable progress the traditional route.
I have been enjoying this site for a couple weeks and got the pre-ordered amazon book last week. Thoroughly enjoying it.
thx
chris
I really like the stuff in this post, but I have a question.
#4 on this page states that you "drop calories by 50% one day per week".
But rule #4 in the post you link to (your current fat-loss diet) stats that you have a “Dieters Gone Wild�-day.
That means you have 5 regular days, one ultra-slim day and one eat-all-you-can day per week right? Or am I misunderstanding you?
Yeay for scandinavian genes!
/Calle from Sweden
I'm 5'10" and at my best I'd made it to 179 lbs. I fell off the wagon so to speak and slowly lost weight/size till around 165, then this past March I caught some bug which kept me from doing anything for 3-4 weeks. As a result, my weight fell to a multi-year low of 159. That sucked.
So I've just recently gotten back on the horse. I haven't switched back to doing the max weight possible for a single set, although I do shoot for failure by at least the 3rd set, if not sooner. I'm not so hung up on the "must do 3 sets of 12" mantra, so long as I focus on good form, putting in a strong contraction (and avoiding using inertia or 'swing'), as well as a slow release/relaxation of the muscles being worked. Already the scales are moving favourably, and in a relatively short time.
But your programme has given me inspiration to revisit the one-set-to-failure approach. At the moment some of my muscles (legs mainly) are still going through that shaky phase where the neural pathways are getting (re)established.
One question though that I haven't seen adequately answered anywhere: If you want to incorporate cardio training and you're doing the weight training twice a week, when and how often should the cardio training be done? I'm guessing that even cardio training could cause a delay in recovery/growth from the weight training, but.... If you have any decent references on this, that would be great. My cardio has always sucked, but I've managed to make progress in this area as well (again, before my recent illness).
Oh, and my wife confirms that your 'before' pic is quite a bit how I am now. Especially the "chicken legs". :) (No offense intended... this is a bit of a running gag for her and I.)
Cheers.
Noah
Would a bowflex work?
I guess my main questions are:
1: You mention "4-7 multi-joint exercises" is that all the exercises you did? 1 set of each?
2: What kind of calorie intake were you maintaining?
3: Do you know anywhere that details the exercises that you mention (in terms of getting the form correct) or are there any others you'd recommend?
I guess one useful thing if you have time would be more specific detail on what YOU did rather than just the guidelines.
Great article though, thanks!
Can you be more specific and outline this routine? I get the 5 seconds up/5 down, but what exercises each time? Just one rotation? How many days per week?
A checklist PDF file would be great! ;-)
Also, what about nutrition before & after the routine?
Thanks,
Leo
P.S. I just received the book last night, and I ended up staying up too late reading it I almost slept in for a final.
A couple of questions:
Did you continue with your martial arts training during the 4 weeks or just the weight lifting?
Also, how many calories/grams of protein per day did you eat?
Thanks
We are going to Vegas in approx 22 days and naturally we want to drop excess pounds ASAP. What type of workout regimen would you recommend for her, and, what kind of supplements to assist the process? I figure if the diet is half assed, at least the gym can somewhat compensate for it, still with results. Input in more than appreciated!
One thing I'd like to point out is it took me about 2 years of moderate weight training and general physical fitness activity (biking) before I could do these workouts with the intensity that is required. You were already in great shape and very fit before you started.
If you are totally out of shape, start slow, 5-10 minute workouts, get some cardio, and work your way up to 30 minutes.
My statements here are informed by Ross Enamait's excellent "Infinite Intensity" training book, which in turn meticulously cites peer reviewed literature.
The "colorado study" link here reads like a Nautilus ad, doesn't reference a controlled study, and makes pretty limited claims about performance gain. Is there a better link? But yeah, the basic point that intensity and peak effort, not volume of training, drive performance gains is valid. Read about Tabata Intervals.
I tried your diet plan for one week and lost 10 pounds (Monday morning to Saturday morning), but gained back a lot on Saturday, and it seems to be coming off kinda slow. I wonder if I am doing something wrong there.
-micah
I read the Colorado Experiment article and I'm still not sure what one set to failure means. Does it mean do one type of exercise as long as you can, no matter what the weight? Or do the maximum weight that you know you can do for however many reps you can?
In that article, it talks about doing an exercise to strengthen triceps to failure, then doing another exercise that also uses triceps so your tris can go past failure.
What exercises did you do to get to failure and what did you do to go beyond the failure point? If you could tell me the exercises you did, it would help me get a better idea of what exercises are best for flexibility and to push someone past failure.
I'm very interested in trying the program you suggested but I'm not sure exactly what to do. If you could just list what a typical workout for you includes (what exercises), that would help me and other readers out a lot.
can you give us more details? Like what equipment you used, what excerises etc.
And the "variable resistance" they talk about in the Colorado experiment, can we achieve that or do you need some super-special machine? Or is it not really required?
If you could give us the schedule for one of your workouts that would be nice.
Cheers,
Vlad
Can you clarify?
"two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 8 HOURS of gym time" equals 1 hour of gym time per week, equals 8 weeks, not 4.
Not that all these changes in 8 weeks wouldn't be remarkable. But I'm impatient, and I go on a big vacation in 4 weeks. If I'm going to try this, I want to make sure I do it right.
btw, tearing through the book and about to purchase a couple of copies as gifts. thanks!
I'll be keeping track of it all.
i have been trying to gain weight for the past like 5 months. eating at least 3 high protein meals a day and working out to the point of exhaustion 1-2x a week and right now im at the heaviest i have ever been (~150lbs, 5'11"). i am using only 25lb dumbells and nothing else at all. i gained about 10 lbs since i started but seem to have hit a wall, so im about to go buy heavier weights and eat more.
how much weight were you pushing?
Looks fantastic - this along with a couple of your older blog posts have definitely inspired me to get my butt down 24 floors to my building's gym (embarrassing, yes!)
That said, I've got to admit to being a little blonde (not my natural hair colour mind you): when you say one-set-to-failure, do you mean 'do as many reps as it takes to fail' or 'do a set number of reps, making sure that the resistance is such that you are failing at the last rep'?
Thanks for the spark (and hopefully help)!
Years ago I read about the Colorado Experiment in Dr. Ellington Darden's book about Nautilus equipment and I was amazed at the results. The book covered a lot of Arthur Jones' training principles and theories. He had some very revolutionary ideas for the time, but I've rarely seen anyone use or talk about his training methods in modern literature. Perhaps 30 minutes a day seems like far too little training after hearing almost every other bodybuilder boast about working out 2 hours a day for 6 days a week.
I'm glad to see someone effectively using those priciples to prove how extraordinary the results can be. And you went one step better by including dieting instructions as well. I appreciate the info.
One question: why did you decide to workout only a couple days a week, instead of every other day as Jones and Viator did? Just curious. Keep up the great work with the posts!
Can I ask about performance improvements, i.e. amount of weight added to some of the core exercises, i.e. bench and deadlift, after 4 weeks?
Cheers,
Andrew
The Colorado report says some interesting things about working certain muscles to temp failure, and then driving them past that by mixing in other exercises that make use of the "failed" muscle in conjunction with others... such as doing dips after working triceps to failure, and then dips again after working the chest to failure...
Seems like order and combination is important? Did you carry the same routine each day you went?
Awesome results man, truly inspiring as stated above.
Also keep in mind that the Colorado experiment results were also the result of *rebuilding* muscle that had atrophied on Casey from illness. But they are quick to point that out in the study also.
Great post Tim... I'm enjoying your book now (just received from pre-order) and your blog posts.
Quick question: How many reps do you find you are doing in each set? I know this will vary from person to person, but generally what is the range. I did some dumbelling and used a weight that was high enough to fail my muscles after about 8-10 repetitions. Is that about right?
-d
For example, did you two squats twice per week or just once a week?
Very interesting, but I'm confused...you did this during the month of October? You seem to have gotten much tanner in those 28 days in a month when it's near-impossible to tan, even in San Jose (where I live). Also, at what point in those 28 days did you decide to wax your body?
Great blog! Me and a friend are going to start training like this for the next two months. I`ve already bought a bucket of green paint and am practicing my war cries; YOU'RE MAKING ME ANGRY... YOU WOULDN`T LIKE ME WHEN I`M ANGRY. Hulk style.
I do have some questions. I`m guessing you need a hell of a warming up to get the max out of this? In the Colorado Experiment article they were aiming for 10 reps. Is this the way you did it? Aim for 10, if you go over 10 reps up the weight?
Most people I`ve talked to about conventional HIT-Traing told me that HIT does work for hypertrophy but doesn`t train the nervous system. I do care a lot about strength gains since I`ve been active in martial arts for a long time. What are your thoughts on this? Did your strength increase a lot during this month?
I`m going to order your book sometime this week. Looking forward to reading it. You realy hit me with the 20/80 concept. Thanks a lot for sharing your insights and keep it up. Fedor is waiting!
Paul from Amsterdam
Cheers
I'd also be interested to know how many calories you were consuming most days, and the protein/carbs/fat ratios. Did you use any supplements?
I like how you manage to get so much done in so little time. :)
Peter
The results from this experiment look fantastic. Quick question, what caused all your body hair to fall out & your skin to become all over evenly tanned, 'cause it adds a lot to the look ;)
BTW: Love your blog & am looking forward to reading the book :)
Thanks, Aaron.
- Aaron
Like Nathan, I'm curious as to the sequence of the exercises. I understand the example of doing a tricep workout, and then moving on to dips to engage chest AND triceps (or vice versa), but would be very interested to see an entire workout routine listed to fully grasp the idea.
Thanks!
I've been trying for quite some time to really lean down and bulk up. With the monitoring of my diet, I've really cut a lot of weight, but haven't gained as much muscle as I would like.
After trying it last night, I have to say - I need some guidance; doing 1 to 2 reps to failure feels like a cop out.
After I was done after 25 minutes, I was actually really antsy, and was still able to rock climb quite vigorously for 2 hours after that.
Today, I only feel slightly sore. I would imagine 1 rep to failure would wreak havoc on my body.
Is this how it should feel?
With all that said, I'm glad to see that what I'm reading is adding up. Everyone seems to be all about the "intensity" of the workout as opposed to length.
Keep up the awsome work!
Jonathan
Do you have an exercise plan with sets/reps/exercise and weights?
As Arthur Jones once said: "Unless you have just about thrown up from a single set of curls taken to absolute failure, you haven't yet truly worked in high-intensity fashion."
Wow! Talk about a bruhaha!
My apologies for the delay, but I'm traveling in NY and just now checked out the comments awaiting moderation, which totalled more than 300. I did delete quite a few comments: first, those that were the same questions over and over (just to reduce the burden or update emails to everyone, and to prevent me from answering the tanning question 1,000 times ;) ); and second, those that were just rude or profane. I created this blog to show people what's possible and offer options, and here's my rule for the site: be cool. Don't be mean or rude -- it's a waste of energy.
OK, so here are a few responses to the most common questions:
1. Yes, it is 4 hours and not 8 hours! I had 8 workouts per month in my head (which is accurate), and screwed up the arithmetic. Guess I won't be writing "The 4-Hour Mathematician" anytime soon ;)
2. I did not maintain the gains. Why? Too much eating. I estimate (I don't both counting) that I was consuming between 5,000-8,000 calories per day in 5 or 6 divided meals, which is a full-time job. I spent more time eating than working out! I much prefer to be around 165 lbs. for athletics.
3. For each set, I target to reach failure after 80-120 seconds, thus 8-12 repetitions at 5/5 cadence. This is sometimes referred to as "time under tension" (TUT). I will usually do one marathon workout of 2-3 hours before beginning the program to determine an appropriate starting weight for each exercise.
4. Doing bicep curls WILL cause your skin to darken and your body hair to fall out. Since I didn't do bicep curls, I had to use Nair and go to a tanning salon ;)
Holy crap -- I just got some HUGE NEWS via cell phone from my publisher. No joke... you'll hear about it in the next few days. In the meantime, please check out the writings of a few of my favorites (sorry about Jones' stuff coming off like a Nautilus ad, as good as his machines are):
Ellington Darden
Ken Leistner
Matt Brzycki (he edited one compendium with excellent research references)
More to come!
Cheerio,
Tim
Per the recovery time, Ellington Darden asked Arthur Jones what he would have done differently in his training when he was younger. Jones' response? He would have worked out less. He was only working out twice a week!
Also, remember that Jones was responsible for training several winning bodybuilders. He didn't just sell Nautilus. He also invented the machines himself. He also made nature films in Africa in the 60's. He's quite a guy. Not many men made like him anymore. Not by a long shot...
That said, I am going to give the program Time used a try (as per The Colorado Experiment) for the next 30 days. I did my first workout using the one-set-to-failure technique and it was one of the hardest (and shortest) workouts I've done in a long time. It really felt good. I'll be blogging about my progress.
I really don't need to gain 34lbs in 4 weeks...but I would surely love to gain about 20lbs ;)
we'll see how it goes.....now time to go drink a protein shake!
I AM a lot fitter, and more toned, but the big problem I have, and it sounds like you found difficult too, is 'how on earth do you eat that much'.
I really struggle to manage 1500 cals per day. The 5000 odd you were managing I can't even begin to get my head around. Would be really interested in more detail not on the exercise program but the eating aspect of it!
Thanks - your results are really impressive.
Have you tried this diet on someone that is overweight?? not obese but overweight? Becasue 5000-8000 cals per day might end up making people fat. You seemed to be a slim guy are you prone to gaining fat?
Thanks for this great post,
Saga
Exercise selection can be equally simple. That is, essentially, your upper body can either push or pull. So it’s as easy as selecting two compound movements, one where you push, and one where you pull. The afore mentioned bench press is a good example of a pushing movement. Chins or Yate’s rows are a good example of a pulling movement. That leave’s the lower body. Good compound movements for the lower body include squats, dead lifts, and as Tim mentioned, leg presses. Throw in a little core workout and you’re golden!w
I was a Super Slow trainer for a few years and I've seen first hand want a truly motivated and genetically gifted individual can accomplish. I no longer involved with Super Slow, but I incorporate some of their methods in my work out. I combine fuctional movement exercises e.g. Squats, Dead Lifts, Shoulder Press, Dips, CORE training, and cardio.
It's 80% diet 20% exercise so his diet had a lot to do with it as well.
Mr. Olympia, here Tim comes!
Your book is getting incredible press, and I'm frankly afraid to read it. My 2nd daughter will be arriving in mid-June -- I don't think my life can stand any more upheaval at this time!
This may sound like an advert, but some time back I bought 2 pairs (1 for me, 1 for my wife) of "1-ton lifting hooks" (easy to find on Google). The main reason is my hands tend more towards the surgeon's hand (or piano player's hand) of the spectrum, and I've certainly experienced the premature forearm/hand grip failure you're talking about. The hooks make a HUGE difference, and I've got nothing bad to say about them. Prepare to put them on *really* tight for those heavier weights, though. (In the past I've seen... how do I describe it... the blood pooling in my hands combined with the downward motion of the wrist constriction combined with the intense lift of heavy weights, I ended up with tiny spots on my hands, presumably the result of capillaries bursting under the strain. A curious look, but not painful. Although I'm sure it would alarm a physician. They look like tiny freckles until they fade.)
To Ravi: Yes I'm the one who mentioned using Pete Sisco's Static Contraction Training method, but I sort of 'hybridized' it with his Power Factor Training method, the latter of which sounds a LOT like what Tim was doing. But Sisco better explains the increasing need to take more and more time off, rather than sticking with a fixed period between workouts.
My 'hybrid' approach worked something like this: One set to failure (two if I felt like I needed to, which perhaps in retrospect was the wrong approach), but I would hold the last contraction as long as possible (eg, shrugs) if I suspected I wasn't going to be able to get the bar back up again.
This approach may not have managed to bulk me up beyond 179 lbs, but my strength increases were huge. I don't recall exact numbers, but memory is telling me that my shrugs were on the order of 320 (or 360) lbs, dead lifts were 360 lbs, dumbbell preacher curls were 70 lbs (per arm), one-legged leg press (because the machine simply couldn't hold enough weight of 450 lbs, etc. And I've yet to break 180 lbs of body weight.
One reason for the progress then the sudden stop was that we had a decent gym in the last apartment complex we lived in, but the Smith machine where we live now has a couple of design issues which make it exceptionally difficult to get the weight safely into position (and put it back). We've since joined a decent gym, but distance and trying to co-ordinate the family makes for greater challenges. I'd picked up a book by Charles Staley and had tried his "as many reps as possible for a 5 (10) min period" approach, but have had limited gains that way.
Time for me to switch back to the one set/rep to failure approach.
Another thing to look into is HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training). It works pretty well.
To Bjorn:
I don't think I really timed the rest between my exercises. One issue I have (and it hit me again last night, details below) is that it doesn't take much for me to overdo it. And when I overdo it, I get warning signals, such as a sense that if I continue doing this, I'll hurl my biscuits, or I get lightheaded, or my hearing gets a bit quieter (or gets a sort of slow-ish 'buffeting' effect, like the effect helicopter blades make, only much much slower). So while I push myself like mad during the set, I make sure my body is damn ready for the next exercise, otherwise I could end up faceplanting.
Right or wrong, last night I warmed up with a 5 min run on the treadmill, followed by a 5 min walk on the treadmill. Then, off to the Smith machine to do the hack squat. I'd recently read about drop sets, so I did 140x16 followed by 90x12. The one difference in how I'm doing these now compared to a while back, is that I'm not doing "strongest range" training (big focus of PFT/SCT). And it might be worth noting that I'm just getting "back on the horse" so to speak. At any rate, after I'd finished these up, I had to take a LONG rest, and during that rest I pondered whether I was going to do any more exercises at all. I ended up getting off a set of Yates rows, then 2 sets of dips before calling it a night (the gym was closing, so I had to get my butt out of there). Feeling decent today though, no soreness in my legs/butt (already went through that a couple weeks back). From what I recall from many similar past experiences, this could just be my body getting used to intense exercises again. Over time, I expect I'll be able to do more during a workout; I'll just need to play it smart and not try to do too many exercises during a workout. Last night I had plans to do hack squats, shrugs, Yates rows, pullovers, dead lifts and dips. That seems to cover everything, or...?
So while I'm sure others can do their next set after 3 mins, and yet others can do it after 1 min, I personally let common sense be my guide. If I thought I could knock off another set after 1 min without making myself feel like crap, I'd do it.
And to those who recognize that the rest period between workout days is crucial, this is exactly what I've got from reading Sisco's stuff. If anything, it seems the stronger one gets, the longer one needs to rest between workouts. If you haven't read his stuff, then you might not be familiar with how he could work out once a month and *still* make gains. Seems counterintuitive, but he makes a strong case for taking that rest.
"here's what I recommend:
"Check out the most recent books by Ellington Darden, and also check out any writing by Ken Hutchins of "Super Slow".
"For exercise sequence, I recommend doing one or two exercises upper body to prep the nervous system, then go legs. If you are really serious, and you haven't trained much before, I recommend splitting the week into three workouts: pushing movements, pulling movements, and legs. Take one day between workouts for the first two weeks, then two days between them. It works like gangbusters. My favorite movements for pure mass, in the order I recommend, are below. Don't forget about 3-5 minutes between exercises (just one set for each exercise):
"Push: Incline bench, weighted dips, close-grip shoulder press (never behind neck)
Pull: Machine pull-over, Yates bent row (google it), close grip supinated (palms facing you) pulldowns, SLOW shrugs with dumbbells (pause for 2 seconds at the top)
Legs: Leg press with feet shoulder width (do higher reps on this; at least 120 seconds before failure), adduction maching (bringing legs together like Suzanne Sommers - sp?), hamstring curl, leg extension, seated calf raises
"Those are your three workouts. Simple and very effective.
"To minimize leg soreness, so about 5 minutes of light stationary biking after finishing the "legs" workout.
"Most people fail because they work out too often and eat too little, usually due to skipping breakfast. Never skip breakfast, as you've already been fasting for 6-12 hours. Take 2 scoops of NOXplode upon getting to work or 30 minutes after breakfast, and again before workouts. Drink one of those disgusting post-workout drinks they sell at the gyms within 20 minutes of working out (I actually mix one with water and sip about 50% of the bottle between sets, polishing off the rest after the workout).
"Check out Ken Hutchins' and Darden's stuff -- they give other sample routines. I like my routine above. You'll gain at least 10 pounds in 4 weeks if you eat and sleep enough. For gaining, I'll eat at: 9am (breakfast), 12pm, 4pm, 8 or 9pm, then again before bed.
Take some before and after pics or you'll be kicking yourself later!
Train HARD & eat often"
Cheers
I was wondering though if I should alternate between Incline and Flat Bench. Which one would be better for overall chest development? Or Should I focus on Flat bnehc for a while then switch to Incline for a while and repeat.
Thanks for all the help. I hope Tim can come back and give us some more detailed info. but I know he's super busy.
Working out 5-6 days a week? Ouch. And you haven't plateaued yet?
As for which bench to do, I seem to recall reading somewhere that to recruit all the fibres in the pectoralis, the ideal lift will be a slight incline. I'd say the choice is really yours to make, and I'm not convinced that making a 'bad' decision will qualify as a setback. So long as you haven't injured yourself and you're not bored, work with whatever brings you the gains.
Which brings me to a personal observation. There's quite a bit of diversity in available exercises. For example, let's take the basic bench press. Well, it may be basic, but you could do it wide- or narrow-grip. Or incline. Or decline. Or switch to a machine. Or do dumbbell flyes. Or dumbbell presses. I'm sure if any one of us gave it some thought, we could invent new ways to exercise the same muscle(s), maybe invent new machines to help realize those goals. But why? Why do this? Well, it makes something which could turn out to be fundamentally boring into a more creative/diverse activity. It also creates access to a wider audience. For example, I'm not too keen on the vertical row, because my right wrist does a nasty click towards the top of the row. So I'll do something else. Accessibility.
As a bit of a tangent, do some Googling on the CoreControl RTX Glove. There are various articles (including on Wired) which describe how to increase your workout performance. Thing is, I'm not quite prepared to drop the kind of money required to buy the device. Not yet, anyway. So I figure I'll work out some alternative, some combo of crushed ice with water, I guess. Dunk my hands in that between sets (thus quickly cooling my core temp), and get going to the next set.
Cheers.
http://www.sethigherstandards.com/seattle-exper...
Overall, I am impressed with how I feel after the workouts, and definitely getting stronger. So far, I have had 3 training sessions.
However, my bodyfat and overall weight are not moving much.
I'll keep it up and let you know how it goes.
Thanks.
Did my fourth workout (in two weeks) using this training protocol and it has been going really well. Posted some details of the exercises I am using in case anyone is interested.
If anyone else is followin this program, please let me know...I'm interested to hear how it is going for you!
Thanks.
Ravi in Seattle, WA - USA
Before I started lifting I was five eight and 165-170. All I had done was run and some pushups before. Now at 225 I had the same kind of gains.
In fact this guy's arms are rather long so he isn't getting the development on top he could. Most people with muscle lust don't realise much of it comes down to limb length, bone size, and stature. The one place guys who are average or short height can flourish is in the gym. Its that simple.
Eat a clean diet, rest, and simply be consistent over a long scale than a few months and even four hours will yield significant results if you have the right bone structure and symmetry.
If you are tall, long limbed and or small boned well...there is always crew, steroids, or cycling. Look at it this way in almost every other way sportswise height , limblength and being lighter are a positive. Only in the gym do guys like this guy and I excell.
What he has done is simply maximising genetic potential.
The iron snail
Thanks!!
I'm following the workout. Except I don't do the 5/5 cadence, I only do around 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. A litter faster, but still to failure and writing down my weight/reps, etc. I do 7 exercises all compound mulit-joint exercises except barbell curls. I'm done in around 20 minutes give or take. I don't really rest much inbetween exercises either. Only about a min and a half, just enough time to get the barbell ready with the weight and a little breather.
Is working out only 2 times a week better then 3? I know recovery is the best thing for your muscles, just wandering. All my friends follow the pro bodybuilding trend (5-6 workouts a week, one body-part per day, 14-16 sets per bodypart).
So everyone is mentioning how important the diet is, but I would love some more specific advice. I started on this workout plan a few days ago and its going well.
I'm a fishitarian (I eat fish, eggs, dairy products, but no other meats). Here's my diet:
Morning
1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, 1 can of tuna or sardines. Some refried beans. Water
Lunch
Brown rice, heaps of beans, mixed veggies, 1 egg. Water.
Snack
Nothing yet.
Dinner
Grilled fish, rice and beans
or pasta and tuna with mayo and an egg
or tuna pizza
Also drink 4 whey protein shakes throughout the day. 1 extra on training days.
I am on the right track? I have no idea how many calories I am getting, but I surely hope there are enough proteins in my diet.
Any other food suggestions are very welcome!
Let me just first congratulate you on successfully completing this incredible gain in muscle mass. I'm surprised you didn't sustain any injury from such intense workouts.
Now, like everyone else, I'd love to try this out and I happen to have a couple questions for you. Hope you don't mind.
1. I'd like to know more about the types of exercises you performed each workout period that would include negative work, full range, rotary form, auto variable, direct resistance. Figured I could adapt to your workout regime.
2. I suppose through full range motion exercises, the need to stretch prior or afterwards is negligible?
3. I was wondering about "protein uptake downregulation." I'm not in favour of dropping my calories for a day.
Anyway, your post was wonderful and I hope to reap the benefits of this little program. Thanks for the great insight Tim!
Andrew
Sounds pretty good to me! I wouldn't worry *too* much about it being a 3/3 cadence, but if you are, and you're finding the 5/5 cadence to be too much, clearly you've got too much weight on there. Try knocking off 5-10% of the weight and seeing if that makes a difference. And above all else, don't compromise your form just to add more weight and stroke the ego; really focus the mind on crisp form even at the expense of lesser weight. If you find you can do 15 reps, you should have done more weight, and if you can't even do 5, you've got too much on there. While you *could* do another set, theoretically you've already exhausted your muscles. Save it for another day, there will be plenty more of them to come!
That said, I had an absolutely brilliant workout this past Tuesday, which was 6 days after my previous workout. To recap, I'd had a workout on May 6th where I felt like I was going to hurl, most likely because I had the braniac idea of doing a short run first. I'll get into the details of this past Tuesday May 15 in a bit.
Bjorn said: "Is working out only 2 times a week better then 3? I know recovery is the best thing for your muscles, just wandering. All my friends follow the pro bodybuilding trend (5-6 workouts a week, one body-part per day, 14-16 sets per bodypart).
I'll re-reference the PFT/SCT approach, and harp on recovery being your limiting factor. Simply put, if your muscles haven't had time to recover, you won't be able to add more weight to the bar. So your friends are working out like their lives depended on it. So how's that working out for them thus far? 14-16 sets per bodypart just seems excessive to me. So what does this mean? Did they not succeed in exhausting the bodypart within the first 2-3 sets? If not, are they just spending all that time with lighter weights just because they love living in the gym? Personally, I've got better things to do. Yeah, I love seeing the eye candy there too, and have in the past been approached and chatted up by a couple of cute thangs who were either genuinely interested in the exercise I was doing (ie, dips) or were just looking for an excuse to chat me up. (My cluefulness when it comes to chatting up women is close to zero, so it may have been the latter case.) So if you're there just for the eye candy opportunities, feel free to stretch out your workout as long as you like.
Andrew said: "I suppose through full range motion exercises, the need to stretch prior or afterwards is negligible?"
Form should always be your priority. If you have to sacrifice form just to get that extra bit of weight aloft, you risk injury.
That said, let common sense be your guide. In my case, I like to do a quick stretch (if you can call it that) of my knees and ankles before doing squats, get them to crack first so they don't do an amplified crack in the middle of the lift.
If you feel the need to stretch first, by all means do it. But then there's the question of warming up the muscles first. Ultimately it turns into a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: warm up first or stretch first? If you warm up first, should you just do the set, or do you do the same exercise but at a greatly reduced weight?
Yeah, I'm probably getting off on a wild tangent here. :-)
So, my workout this past week:
- hack squats - 180 x 10
- Yates rows - 160 x 8
- bench press - 90 x 15
- deadlift - 230 x 20
- barbell shrugs - 180 x 20
- T-bar rows - 45 x 15
- dips (unweighted) - 12 x 2 sets
- bicep (dumbbell) curls - 25 x 11
As you can see, it wasn't exactly optimal. I didn't have enough weight on the deadlift, so I'll add at least 10% to that next time out. I did the T-bar rows because the Yates rows just didn't feel right to me. I felt I could have done quite a bit more on the T-bar, but was mainly interested in how it felt; easily could have done 90 lbs, and theoretically those muscles were already exhausted.
As much as possible, I focused on putting my all into the contractions, and did 3-5 secs on the relaxing movement. And while everyone always says to breathe in on the contraction, I feel there is one exception: if the exercise means that your elbows are moving up (towards your head/shoulders) or back/rearwards, it's far more natural to be breathing in with that move. And while I do try to breathe with every exercise, the one thing I've read (think it was entitled something like Bodybuilding Anatomy 101 -- no time to look it up at the moment) is the concept of creating a 'block' by taking a deep breath and making your chest/back rigid, which usually means holding one's breath, albeit briefly.
After re-reading about the similarities and differences of the hack squat vs. regular squat, I think I'll be focusing more on the regular squat.
Anyway, no time to go any further with this. Need to head out for a couple hours.
Also, is it better to follow the 5/5 cadence? It just sucks that my weight will have to be dropped alot, but if that doesn't matter for my muscles, I want my muscles to work as hard as they can. I workout at home so I don't have no ego about weight haha. Would 5/5 cadence be better than my 3/3 cadence. Sometimes I only do 2 seconds on raising the weight and 3 on the way down(the negative part) since that is the most beneficial part of the exercise.
Thanks for the help. Tim needs to get up on here more often haha, but I know he's busy.
As you've stated, as well as many others who've visited this site, this is simply H.I.T. advocated by Arthur Jones and Ellington Darden.
Darden has written many books on the subject including "The New High-Intensity Training" and "The new Bodybuilding for old-school results", both of which outline many routines in a step-by-step fashion as well as nutritional guidelines for an increase in mass.
Nope, not a personal trainer. But I've taken various vectors on it for... geez, 25 years now. I would say I'm not what you would call genetically gifted. Although, back when we lived at the last apartment, they had a decent gym there, and doing the PFT/SCT approach and doing shrugs, I eventually had to switch from dumbbells to the barbell, and the Smith machine was the safest approach there. (Trying to lift a couple of 100 lb dumbbells off the ground can be a bit challenging.) One day I looked in the mirror and noticed these strange humps to the side/rear of my neck. I was like, "What the...?" and on closer inspection, realized it was bona fide muscular development! It was definitely noticeable. I was stunned, because in all my years, I'd never had that sort of a pleasant surprise regarding muscular development.
It seems there are two keys here. First, you need to exercise the muscle to failure. And there seem to be a number of different ways to get there. I'm not going to debate the relative merits of each, because I don't have several years of experience with each approach. But I think it's safe to assume that working the muscle to failure is far better than taking it so easy that you can still knock off another 10-12 sets hitting that same muscle.
The second key is to ensure you give your muscle adequate recovery time. If your muscle is still hurting from the previous workout, it's still too early. If you find at your next workout that you're not able to lift as much as your previous workout, you haven't given enough time to recover. So in this case, if you waited 3 days since your last workout but today's exercises aren't doing as well as the last one (and of course you're keeping a log, right?), wait more time before your next workout. And I don't mean wait 4 days instead of 3. Try doubling the time, or just round up to a nice even week. Next time you hit that plateau, bump it up to 10-11 days, then the time after that, 2 weeks, etc.
If you're giving it your all each workout and your job forces you to take off 3-4 weeks, don't freak out. Just give it your all next time you get to the gym, and don't be surprised if you do at least as well as your last visit, if not better.
Oh, yeah, there's that 3rd vector of nutrition. Protein good, junk food bad. I don't really follow this too closely, which I'm sure will cause others to roll their eyes. But I listen to my body. If I'm thirsty, I drink water. If I'm starved, I eat lots. If I'm not hungry, I'm not going to force myself to be miserable and cram unwanted food into my face. Recently I was at Chipotle and after having their Burrito Barbacoa Bol, I was surprised that I wasn't feeling overstuffed, which is the more typical conclusion. I went and had a snack after that. I don't think anyone was more surprised than I.
As for 5/5 vs 3/3 vs anything else, don't over-analyze it, unless you're terribly bored and are looking for some variation. Maybe you start out doing 5/5, but by the end of the set you're doing 3/3 because you can feel the imminent failure at around 10 reps. No biggie. But go until you can't lift the bar anymore. If you'd like to do another rep but you're convinced you won't be able to lift it after the next rep, then just make that last lowering of the bar as slow as possible. Heck, just hold it in mid-contraction on the way down until your muscle totally gives it up (with a big F-you to you). (To any newbies reading this: I strongly recommend you ease into it and don't jump into this level of intensity from the get-go, or you'll hate me for anywhere from 2 to 7 days, you'll think this approach is a total crock, etc. Seriously, if your muscles aren't used to it, be nice to them the first few workouts. If they're 'shuddering', that (I've been told before) is the neural pathways getting established. This isn't me talking down to you, this is me talking as someone who has been dumb enough to overdo it more than once after being away from it for an extended period.)
I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but one tidbit of wisdom I read recently was that when you leave the gym, you should feel like you could have done a bit more. That's a good sign. Conversely, feeling like you just want to hurl your biscuits, curl up in a ball and die, that's a sign of overdoing it.
One of these days, I'm going to try bringing some crushed ice in water (and maybe a modest handful of salt for enhanced effect) to the gym, and soak my hands between sets to help bring down my core temp. This inspiration is based on some stuff I've read on the CoreControl glove (except that mine will a) be cheap, and b) won't have any vacuum).
Disclaimer: This is my current approach. If you have excellent results training 6 days a week, 2-3 hours a day, kudos to you. That approach has never worked for me. Ever.
He says all about the 1 set til failure, training 2-3 days a week and as you get stronger you need more rest days,always full body workouts, 15-20 minute workouts, etc. He gained 90lbs drug free in less than a year doing this approach.
I'd also love it if it had been layed out better into a pdf or something more portable. After reading your book, I'm limiting my time online and wish I could get the most important stuff faster!
The other thing is that you have two articles, one on how to lose weight, the other on how to gain it. I really want to stay about the same, but lose the fat and gain the muscle. The secret can't all be in the amount of rest between sets, can it?
using cadesnes and till msucle failure set?
Ok Im 6"3(and 75kg!) me and my friend gonna try this whole thing.
One month from now I'll give you my weight gain!
I'm 33 and live a sedentary lifestyle. I started out 5'10" and about 168 lbs, yet flabby abdomen, undefined, small arms, chest and shoulders. Previously, I only ate 1 meal a day (dinner) and occassionally 2 if work necessitated having lunch with a client. I was out of shape and felt like crap most of the time.
I extended the 'experiment' idea and eliminated one more variable: I didn't change my diet during the 28-day experiment, except for eating more beef for dinner than I normally did.
Though I missed a couple workouts, as I approach the end, I definitely notice a difference. After the 2nd workout, I noticed an increase in energy and an increased attention span (during those long, boring meetings). Throughout, I've been able to increase the resistance (I use a BowFlex) to keep my able-reps in the 8-12 range. I came home from a business trip today and put on some jeans that fit a month ago to find I can't keep them up without a belt. Though I still weigh 168-170 lbs, I've lost 2 inches off my waist! My shirts definitely bit better too (noticeable chest, arm and shoulder improvements).
So, now that the experiment is almost done, I think I'll reduce doing a "HIT" to once a week and introduce more cardio and toning exercises. I think the most valuable thing I've gained from this experience is momentum. I mean, it was so hard before to exercise at all. But this program has shown me what a little exercise can do for my own physical and mental well-being. Now, I'm hooked.
Thanks!
John
First, I haven't really gained much in the way of weight. So far, my best weight (these past few weeks) has been 170 lbs. Which is actually the best it's been in a while. Thing is, I've slipped back down to around 166. I blame my lack of disciplined protein consumption for that.
That said, I *have* made steady strength increases. Here's the latest (from May 29/07):
- Description - weight (lbs) x reps - Previous week's results
- regular squat - 200 x 12 - 200 x 7
- dead lift - 270 x 17 - 250 x 14
- shrugs - 230 x 12 - 200 x 18
- T-bar row - 110 x 8 - 100 x 10
- bench press - 130 x 12 - 110 x 12
- bicep curls (machine) - 100 x 13 - 95 x 13
- dips (unweighted) - 15/15/10 - 15/12/7
I should point out the following:
1. A gain is a gain. So if the weight was the same as the prior workout, but the # of reps was greater, then it's a gain. Assuming one works out to failure in ALL cases, of course.
2. I did try the Yates rows in the beginning. Didn't think they were for me, so I switched to the T-bar row. I don't think that's my thing either (ie, I'm only getting a partial flex in all cases... perhaps I need to drop the weight down to a lower point and focus on form through to full movements). I was considering switching to the seated cable row, as I've always been a fan of that one. Perhaps the lat pull-down. Undecided at this point.
3. If you noticed that some of my reps are on the high side, you would be right. But I still aimed to doing the set to failure. "One set to failure", remember? So instead of trying a second set and skewing the results, better to kick up the weight next trip to the gym.
4. My wife is also working out with me. She's presently unable to do all the exercises, because of a problem with her right knee. So for now, she avoids squats and dead lifts. She does like the T-bar row, though. And yes, she's making slow but steady gains each time. (She's also elected to do the thigh adductor/abductor exercises, which isn't in my plan.)
Tonight is another night, unless we get derailed! :)
I wanted to know what you thought about Dr. Campbell's book The China Study?
For those of you who are unfamiliar the book is a culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.
Distilling the book to its essence: the greater amount of protein you eat by way of meat (all kinds) the greater the risk you have for cancer.
Curious as to how you view the book and its impressive research with respect to your high protein diet...-Rich
*For us science geeks out there...the study found that the lower protein intake, the lower the amount of aflatoxin_DNA adducts.
The evidence impressively indicated that the lower protein intake could markedly decrease enzyme activity and prevent dangerous carcinogens binding to DNA
http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html
http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/c...
I'm continuing to get good results with Tim's plan...not quite the results he saw, but I'm not his age, either.
From what i read, i can believe Tim has achieved this. But i have my reservations too.
Has anyone actually tried this and what results did you receive.
Regardless im going to try it. I know Mike M. pushed this as part of his Heavy Duty, but then he was also taking steroids. Thats why i never did.
Can anyone share their results please?
thanks Sonny
I am doing this program, and I am recording my results in detail. I am tracking every thing I eat, how much I sleep, and the exact details of my workout. I have created a blog to track everything and you can follow it here:
http://www.4weekstofit.com
Hope it helps some of you.
Darren
I just read another article about HIT training. And this particular article split the workout over 4 days doing 3 exercises for a total of 3 set taken to failure.
Even tho this can be accomplished in under 15-20 mins.. im wondering if the "recovery" variable is still possible going from a 2 day workout to 4 day workout but still totals 1 hour per week. For example, (mon)Day1- chest/back/Shoulders, (wed)Day2- legs, (Fri)Day3- arms.
Thanks,
Sonny
Monday:
Deadlift 1 x 20 (5 seconds rest after each rep)
Shrugs (DB or bar) 1 x 10
Chins 2 x 6-8
Tuesday:
Bench Press (DB or Bar) 2 x 4-6
Shoulder press (DB or bar) 1 x 10
Lateral raise 1 x 15
Wednesday:
Squats 2 x 4-6
Leg curls 1 x 15
Calf Raises (seated or standing) 2 x 15
Friday:
Close Grip Bench lockouts 1 x 6-8
Pushdowns 1 x 10
Barbell curls 1 x 10
Incline Dumbell curls 1 x 6-8
Crunches 2 x 15
Is this too much. Because i know the recovery is important in any HIT routine.. Im not sure going to 4 days is providing the required recovery
thanks,
Sonny
Two word's spring to mind...
Muscle Memory.
That's very valuable information that was left out, thanks for posting it. I'd like to note this from the colorado experiment:
"So both of the subjects have demonstrated the potential for greater than average muscular mass and BOTH SUBJECTS WERE REBUILDING PREVIOUSLY EXISTING LEVELS OF MUSCULAR SIZE."
In other words:
If you at one point were extremely muscular and lost it, then this is the exercise routine to GET IT BACK, not gain new muscle.
You hit the nail on the head. I just finished 30 days of the program and I think I lost 2 pounds of fat and gained 4 pounds of muscle. Tim's gains can only be attributed to muscle memory.
I actually followed the program very strictly. I never missed a workout and I followed the diet almost perfectly. I just posted my results here:
http://www.4weekstofit.com/2007/06/21/sleep-die...
I carefully recorded every detail of my diet and my workouts on my daily blog, so you can see for yourself that I followed the program almost perfectly.
While I didn't see the gains that Tim saw, I have however incorporated healthy eating and regular exercise into my lifestyle. It's only a matter of time before I reach my fitness goals.
In your after shots you are tensed properly, shaved tanned and showing your legs.
Its typical of what adverts do in bodybuilding mags, they make the before and after pics look as extreme as possible to try and make the 'transformation' look more impressive than it actually is.
As for the 34Ibs of muscle in four weeks I would SERIOUSLY doubt that this happend unless you were the biggest genetic freak on the planet (which looking at you, you arent). It would be extremely difficult to put on that much quality muscle (which you have in your shots) even with steroids and from your pictures you dont look like youve gained that much either.
To put on 34Ibs of muslce mass whilst simultaneously reducing your body fat by 4.49% in four weeks is in my opinion nigh on impossible.
All in all you've done well and should be proud but I dont think the transformation is as magical as youre making out and for anyone reading this page, I would take this all with a pinch of salt.
Hopefully you'll leave this comment on to give a balanced, multi-sided view.
Can't complain.
I've been a weight lifter since 1993 and been stuck in a rut for over a year with no appreciable gains.
After following the slow cadence reps and cutting down from 4 workouts to 2, the weight I can move at a slow cadence and the "normal" 2 down 1.5 up cadence has gone way way up.
(Sets of 10)
Tricep extensions from 90/130 bicep from 70/110 Bench from 185/235
Even without the blubber loss I'm giddy about that.
thanks so much.
http://www.4weekstofit.com/2007/06/23/sleep-die...
And yes, I did follow the diet and workout routine very strictly.
So do I look like Ferriss? No, not even close. But I'll keep plugging away because it works better than anything I've tried before.
I have a couple of questions, and maybe somebody has some sage advice.
I started the one-set-to-failure today and the diet yesterday. I am a vegan, so I am going hard on the brown rice protein and the soy, different kinds of beans and whatever else I can find without killing anything.
I am a martial artist, have been training for over 30 years, and had started a weightlifting routine a couple of years ago, along with bag work, step intervals and just major-bloody-insane workouts, with mixed results. Main issue, of course overtraining. The fact is, for me martial arts is a life choice rather than a just workout, and although I would make it to the gym 2x/week, I was still training at the dojo 3-4x/week and have been too exhausted to do it all with the kind of intensity necessary for major muscle growth.
Here are my issues, and I wonder if anybody has any intelligent thoughts about them:
(1) 5/5 or 3/3 seconds is going to seriously mess with my speed. In my prior weight training, I was exploding the weight up and letting it down slowly. Since April 2004, my karate speed has increased significantly because of it. Will I find similar muscle gains doing 1-set-failure-reps and this kind of explosive movement? Or am I pretty much not going to reap the benefits without slow movements?
(2) Am I completely going to miss the boat by training karate 3x/week as well? The fact is, I have to go to the dojo, and when I'm there I have to train hard. So yes, going to the gym twice/week and giving myself adequate muscle recovery time is great...but I don't really have the luxury of being one of the senior students and not showing up for a month in order to bulk up.
Sincerely,
Erik
Erik, I read on ArthurDevany.com an article where he discusses why doing multiple sets causes you to lose fast-twitch response (the fast-twitch IIa & IIb fibers will start to convert to slow-twitch if they are worked too many sets), but I can't find the entry where he discusses how cadence affects fiber variation. But maybe you can, and his site is informative and well-worth poking around. Here's an article that's at least somewhat relevant:
http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/05/intermitten...
So when i see articles like this where the author claims 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks i get a a little dubious. In fact its always 4 weeks, 8 weeks or 12 weeks. Why not 3 weeks or 6 weeks, or 9 weeks.
Bodybuilding has become so complicated with all the supplements and various training programs delivering quick results. This is why it is a billion dollar industry.
Dont give into the hype- Just eat good and train hard and give yourself enough time to "recover" and your goal will come.
Im not against this routine. I think people should change their routine every 6-8 weeks. And if you havent tried this, then try it it may help and shock your body into growth or do nothing. But at the end of it at least you know what works and doesnt work for YOU!!!
Sorry dont mean to preach but thats my 2 cents...
thnx
Sonny
Regards
MÃ¥rten
To MÃ¥rten: I've recently switched from 1 day a week at the gym to 2 days a week (in order to split my exercise routine up -- I was feeling too drained and lightheaded to do it all in one session), and I also go to Aikido class 2 days of the week (3 if you include Saturday noon-ish). Granted I think kickboxing is far more cardio-intense than Aikido. (I need to get back to hitting the treadmill a couple times a week.) Bottom line, just listen to your body. If you have sore muscles from one (weights or KB) and you plan to use those same muscles in the current session (KB or weights) then you're probably pushing it. Sore is a good indicator.
To all: I should post my latest, but it's late and I'm tapped. Suffice it to say I'm still gaining strength. I've switched some exercises for ones which feel more effective *for me*. Others may work better for you. For example, I went from the Yates row to the t-bar (with chest pad) row to the seated cable row (one of my all-time fave) and lat pulldowns (another all-time fave). If anything, I'm increasing the exercises I do. I'll either do one set to failure, or a drop set (only two sets for a given exercise). In the case of biceps, I'll do machine preacher curls (hands are angled at 45 degrees) then do dumbbell curls (holding barbell vertical to better hit the brachiradialis.
I was having troubles with Smith machine bench press, but found a seated machine where you press forwards and the hands draw together the farther out they go. The left is independent from the right; you put the plates on thick pins which are near the ground. Don't recall the name of the machine, but I've made surprising gains with it that I wasn't making with traditional bench. Guess what I'll be sticking with for the foreseeable future? :)
Strength gains aside, my weight has remained perfectly stable. I'm still around 165 lbs, which is driving me batty. I've even upped my protein intake. Grr.
I'll try to post my latest gains sometime this week.
I am using whey protein as a supplement 2-3 scoops a day (20g/scoop).
I do have to say that this isnt my first time working out. I have been on and off for a few years now. Im just not good at keeping it consistent. So these gains could be due to the fact that I havent worked out for a few months and now Ive started again (muscle memory as mentioned by someone above).
My routine is a little different then what is described above: I am working out day 1. Then I have 2 days rest, and then I go back to day 1 again. I am doing this to get as many workouts as possible within the month, while still maintaining a good rest period. I also havent been doing any cardio for a long time, so I have been doing 20mins of cardio on day 3.
Here are todays workouts results:
regular squat - 7.5x90
dead lift - 5.5x90
shrugs - 9x105
T-bar row - 8x105
bench press - 8.5x90
bicep curls - 7.5x40
When I started, I was only doing 5-6 reps to failure a set though, then I reread the instructions and realized it said 8-12, so I started to do a weight that allowed 8 reps just today.
So far I gotta say that Its been a good overall program, especially for someone getting back into weightlifting such as myself. I think that after a certain time this workout wont be as good as a more advanced plan. That is why I have bought Arnold Schwarzeneggers Encyclopedia of bodybuilding to use after this month is done...Im hoping reading that will motivate me to keep my workouts consistent.
I will return here after the month is over (July 20th) with some before and after shots.
Day 1 - Chest & Back
Day 2 - Legs
Day 3 - Off/Cardio
Day 4 - Shoulders/Arms
Day 5 - Off
Day 6 - Repeat
Chest & Back I superset like Arnold does.
Flat Bench / Wide Pull-ups
Incline BB Bench / Single Arm Rows
Weighted Dips / Weighted Chin-ups
Pull-overs Burnout Failure
I have previously tried that, and it does work to a degree. However, I'm surprised you don't qualify your statement. For some people, "enormous" amounts of protein can cause diarrhea, if they don't spread intake over the day. And excess protein can cause acne as well.
"#4 on this page states that you “drop calories by 50% one day per week�.
But rule #4 in the post you link to (your current fat-loss diet) stats that you have a “Dieters Gone Wild�-day.
That means you have 5 regular days, one ultra-slim day and one eat-all-you-can day per week right? Or am I misunderstanding you?"
Here is Tim's response:
"I only cut calories 50% one day a week if I'm principally trying to gain weight. If the primary goal is fat-loss, I will use the one "free" day -- I use Saturday -- instead. It's one or the other, but not both"
Why did you decide to shave you chest? And how do you do it? I'm curious.
If that's the case then you've succeeded!
The workout and diet though is generally a good one but I say that if someobody were to do exactly as indicated they'd still struggle to put on 30 lbs in a year. 20lbs is more likley but even that's a pretty good result for most people.
As for Ahmed's post above. 20 lbs won't mean you'll get the girls my friend.
I posted above saying how I was doing this program. I stopped doing it 2 workouts before the end. I weighed 190lbs at the end.. If anyone wants to see pics let me know, I dont think theres enough of a noticeable difference. I just started arnolds training program from his book..all I gotta say is that it feels good to be sore :)
This book is a definite must buy if you are a person who wants to get a lot of wonderful tips from the very beginning all the way to competition level training.
Monday/Thursday - Chest/Back
Tuesday/Friday - Shoulders/Arms
Wednesday/Saturday - Legs
Sunday - Off
How many sets/reps do you do per exercise?
For the amount of sets, he recommends 4 sets with the first being a warmup of 15 reps, then the next a 12 rep, the 3rd a 8-10 rep and the last set is a power set of 6 reps. There are some exercises in the program where he specifically tells you how many sets/reps to do for that exercise, so I follow that as well. This is usually for the power exercises where you do 3 sets of 6/4/2 reps sometimes a bit more. Also for abs in this program, they are done everyday and its 5 sets of 25reps.
1. 5-10 minutes warm-up. Sweat is a good sign.
2. 2-3 minutes dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is when you apply pressure to tendons, muscles and joints for just a moment, but repeatedly. For running, stretch (at least) calves, hamstrings and quads.
3. Do the following 15 times in succession: Sprint for 30 seconds at the maximum speed you can maintain for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds (walk or jog if you can).
4. 5-10 minutes warm-down. For me, warm up is jogging to the park, so warm-down is jogging back home.
5. Static stretching. This is the regular kind of stretching where you apply pressure until pain or near pain for 20-30 seconds per posture.
Now, do this just twice a week, with at least 48 hours in-between, and you'll be happy ever after. These 15 minutes of active training (as you would do the warm-up, warm-down and stretching parts for any other cardio exercise as well) are superior to at least 45 minutes of regular cardio activity. In addition to getting in better shape, you also burn more fat (in grams) and increase muscle mass. There's actually a lot of research promoting this since the 80's, but I'll just point you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_int... and you can look further from there.
I train martial arts and I used to run for 45-55 minutes 2-3 times a week, but switching to the HIIT scheme above twice a week, has completely transformed my sparring performance (to the better! And I also beat my old track records!). Try this at home!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
I like your book, and would encourage people to consider your precepts. There are some serious obstacles, however, to having a 4-hour work week. They are:
1. it seems to me that the 4-hour work week is primariy for small business proprietors who alread have a successful small business (such as yours) up and running. Starting up a new small business requires lots of time, as you know. And, as you also know, it takes a significant amount of time and hard work before a small business can achieve the status of a "going concern," i.e., a healthy business.
2. 80% to 85% of all new businesses fail within the first five years of doing business--a risky proposition at best.
Don't take my comments as naysaying. You have good ideas, but there are some very high hurdles one must clear before structuring his/her business and lifestyle into a 4-hour work week. Your readers deserve to know about these hurdles, and possibly you should give some ideas for clearing them. But that is a subject for another book.
Keep up the good work, Tim!!!
Sincerely,
Jim Sullivan
At it's truest form, a lot of the super intense workouts can last as little as 13-15 minutes.
But the results are truly amazing and Tim's results are something anyone can achieve if they are willing to throw their entire being into the exercises.
1) Do you do any cardio? If so, how long and how often?
2) Do you lift the same muscle groups each time and how often?
3) What do you mean when you say "drop calories by 50% one day per week to prevent protein uptake downregulation." Does that mean if I normally eat 3000 calories I need to pick one day per week and only eat 1500?
Thanks again for the help!!
-M
I did the body-for-life program last september for 12 weeks and went from 22% body fat to only 9.5%. I also gained 7 pounds of muscle and lost 22 lbs of fat. That took 6 workouts a week for 12 weeks. long time but worth it.
So if this program can do triple that (muscle) in 4 weeks. It will change my life. 1 hour a week!!! thats incredible.
Let you know when im done!
A pound of muscle growth in a week is pretty good; that's an increase of 48 lbs. in a year, which is maybe what a football player could do, going from high school to college.
34 lbs in 24 days seems rather, ummm, illusory.
I´m kind of new at hypertrophy, I´ve been working out for 3 months now. I´ve seen some muscle growth, but, I was wondering if you could give me tips on exercises or how many times I should be working out during the week. I appreciate the help.
Thanks.
I personally like 2 sets over 1. I'm not saying 1 doesn't work, I just feel better doing 2 sets per exercise with around 2 minutes of rest between sets. For instance.
This workout can be done 2-3 times a week. I like 5 sessions every 2 weeks. Week 1 M-W-F, Week 2 M-Th. The rest of the days are for resting/eating and cardio if you want.
1-3 sets per exercise. You pick.
1) Full squats, 15 to 20 reps
2) Pullovers, 10 reps
3) Standing Press, 10 reps
4) Chins, 10 reps
5) Weighted Dips, 12 reps
6) Barbell Curls, 10 reps
7) Shrugs, 15 reps
8) Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, 15 reps
"If you could get to the point where you're squatting 400 pounds for 20 reps, stiff-legged deadlifting 400 pounds for 15 reps, curling 200 pounds for 10 reps, pressing 200 pounds for 10 reps, doing 10 dips with 300 pounds around your waist, and chinning with 100 pounds around your waist, don't you think you would be big - I mean awfully big? And strong?"
Its an interesting workout that you put together. But I have to say that I did follow two different high intensity programs over the years and I think yours might actually lead to overtraining rather quickly if you train to total muscular failure.
I do like the exercises you picked, but I would suggest breaking up the body and only working out 2-3s a week, so that you don't overtrain.
The other thing that I might suggest is that you cut down on your reps just a touch, shoot for the 6-8 rep range. Once you get too far past 8 reps, you start to tax your body a tad too much.
I hope Tim reads this and will make a note to his article so people won’t get the wrong idea that they can copy his experiment.
J. Christian Andersen
For instance.
Monday and Thursday..all other days are Rest days.
Full Squats 1 x 15-20 Reps Slow
Bench Press or Dips 1-2 x 6-8 Reps
Reverse Grip Yates Rows or Chin-ups 1-2 x 6-8 Reps
Standing Military Press 1-2 x 6-8 Reps
Stiff Legged Deadlift 1 x 6-8 Reps
Calves 1-2 x 15-20 Reps
Abs 2-3 x 12-30 Reps
If you did just these exercises, you would grow ALL over your entire body. Isolation exercises aren't going to make you bigger. Get your foundation/strength down, then you can add in isolation exercises once you have all the mass you want.
Great article! Its also fantastic you take your time to answer questions on this blog. Just an idea for you to consider: Is there a way to sort the comments so that viewers can easily see the postings you make yourself?
Currently then a user has to search through all of the postings and it is difficult to find the ones posted by yourself.
Since you are already answering all of the good questions then being able to easily read your postings and yours alone would be a big time saver.
Thanks,
Jeremiah Thompson
###
Hi Jeremiah!
Thanks for the kind words. I don't catch all of the good questions, but I try to answer when I can. The easiest way to find my comments is to hit Ctrl + F and search for "###" which I use before all of my replies.
Thanks for reading!
Tim
studios across the country for over ten years, and it is a really
effective way to workout.
Greg
Thought this article was very interesting, a little science...
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&a...
© 1996-2007 Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
After 2 workouts a week for 28 days, I gained approximately 20 pounds. However I was not taking any supplements (except protein powder) and was only eating about 3,000-4,000 calories a day.
I also would work out for an hour instead of 30 minutes, because 30 minutes did not feel adequate enough to train the whole body.
Good Luck.
I hate working out, but I need to do it. I'd like to do it in the least possible time. I'd definately try this for myself, so could you put up a little more guidelines?
You can do the workouts in your sleep. What really matters is calories and diet.
The University of Florida, Florida State University found that physically attractive people almost instantly attract the attention of the interlocutor, sobesednitsy with them, literally, it is difficult to make eye. This conclusion was reached by a series of psychological experiments, which were determined by the people who believe in sending the first seconds after the acquaintance. Here, a curious feature: single, unmarried experimental preferred to look at the guys, beauty opposite sex, and family, people most often by representatives of their sex.
The authors believe that this feature developed a behavior as a result of the evolution: a man trying to find a decent pair to acquire offspring. If this is resolved, he wondered potential rivals. Detailed information about this magazine will be published Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In turn, a joint study of the Rockefeller University, Rockefeller University and Duke University, Duke University in North Carolina revealed that women are perceived differently by men smell. During experiments studied the perception of women one of the ingredients of male pheromone-androstenona smell, which is contained in urine or sweat.
The results were startling: women are part of this repugnant odor, and the other part is very attractive, resembling the smell of vanilla, and the third group have not felt any smell. The authors argue that the reason is that the differences in the receptor responsible for the olfactory system, from different people are different.
It has long been proven that mammals (including human) odor is one way of attracting the attention of representatives of the opposite sex. A detailed article about the journal Nature will publish.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
As far as before and after shots go these are pretty decent.
However...a few points to take into consideration.
Why is scale different between before and after shots? This is uneccessarily misleading.
Tan, or skin pigment, makes a huge difference in perceived definition. Hence a pasty white caucasian would look less "cut" or "ripped" than a dark skinned african american with the same body fat percentage.
It is possible to lose fat (note, not weight, but actual fat) much faster and to build real world strength much faster.
Training only twice a week is great for bulkin up and arbitrary muscle gain, but not the most effective way to build actual strength.
And no, size, or even muscle weight, and practical strength are not neccessarily the same thing.
Criticism aside, they are good results and definitely achievable for anyone.
Looks like Tim actually worked on his legs too which is good to see!
Too many body builders beef up their "showboat" muscles only, IE - pecs and biceps...but then have these scrawny little chicken legs!
It's hilarious.
But Tim looks balanced and in good shape. Well done!
By the way, if it is real world strength and actual health versus mere "fitness" you are after, search for something called THE SPARTAN REGIME by ANTHONY BOVA
or a book on diet called THE PALEO DIET by LOREN CORDAIN
No, I do not profit in any way from anyone ourchasing these books. Just some awesome books I read that changed my life.
Cheers!
Sorry for the long post! Haha!
Supplements are 99% marketing and 1% results. Maybe good for selling and making cash, but not worth it for buying and getting worthwhile results.
You'll get much, much more just from eating a good diet.
That's my 2cents. Done.
I'll wait for the abuse....
I do in the main agree with you on supplements. There marketing does in the most part and specifically attempt to trigger the men desire to be "bigger", without much in the way of science behind them.
To his credit I believe Tim doesnt push his brand of supplements (bodyquick,brainquick) and more to the point avoids direct association due to its potential to muddy the waters. Also Tim does make a long and frequent points in other blogs about consuming a Low GI, nutrient rich, vegetable rich diet. Lean proteins, low glycemic carbs, fresh vegetables....hard to disagree with basing your diet on such advise.
I don't pretend to be an expert so just 2 observations:
Firstly if you are building up muscle/strength rather than stasis you will need plenty of "stuff to make muscles": amino acids, ideally consumed in the form of proteins (which are of course digested broken down to amino-acids). Of course, egg whites, tuna and chicken breasts are excellent but if you think about it there is a reasonable case to be made that some protein supplements (powders/drinks) could be used with equal effects. Not only that but the protein supplement could be targeted/tailored to provide the specific right combinations/ratios amino acids needed by your body to build muscle mass.
Secondarily Creatine is used in your muscles as a vital link for the (ATP) energy metabolism. In general case enough may be enough (ie from a healthy diet) yet as a supplement creatine seems to have lots of science behind it in helping even quackwatch doesnt discount it as being helpful http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopi....
So as a start Creatine and Amino-acid/Protein supplementation could and in all likely hood be beneficial in helping build muscle mass. The main point of course of supplementing is in additional to a natural, low-gi, low-fat, high nutrient diet as recommended by Tim (and countless others). Few could imagine a large scale consumption KFC, McD's with the addition of supplements being the ideal road to build strength and muscle mass.
I am trying Tim's plan now, although I am hardly the "naturally muscled athlete" body type of Tim, I am 10 years older and started with less (atrophy). So far (3 training days) I have picked up 2KG in body mass, I am lifting heavier weights and feel stronger without my waist line increasing. So far so good. However I have to state I don't think it is likely I will see the same results as Tim. Maybe naysayers will state I wont get the results of Tim because I am not taking all the supplements he did.
Thanks for the exercise plan. Just an update,
I have always been a wiry little runt and have never been able to gain weight(muscle or fat). After several attempts at weight training and then running I only ever gained 5-10 lbs over 2 years. I have been following the 1 set to failure plan for 6 weeks now and have gone from 127 to 139 lbs! That is a consistent 2 lbs a week of solid muscle and probably more due to overall muscle density increasing. The heaviest I have ever been is 131, so this is mostly new growth, not muscle memory.
Also, my strength has easily doubled with every exercise since I started. I have noticed the largest gains in my legs, leg press has gone from 160 - 320Lbs and my pants are finally filling out. And all muscle groups are filling out and much more defined. I notice a new muscle everyday!
My excercises,
Legs:
Leg Press - Mostly Negative, superset
Leg Curls
Leg Extension
Calf Raise
Push:
Bench Press, superset
Weighted dips - Negative only
Military press (Shoulder press)
Pull:
Row
Weighted Pullups - Negative only
Bent Row
Also, sometimes I will throw in an Ab exercise.
I try to put much more emphasis on negative reps. This actually stresses the muscles more and improves flexibility. All exercises except dips and pullups are on machines. Leg Press are 3 up/ 10 down cadence. Pullups (10 down),dips (5 down) All other Exercises are 5/5 cadence. All sets to failure, (I mean gut wrenching, grunting, shaking, feeling ready to puke, I couldn't get another rep with a gun to my head failure!) Remember you are trying to trigger your body's natural hormonal survival response, so push it! With this kind of intensity, I have been only able to exercise once a week, due to being sore.
If anybody is more interested in the Colorado Experiment, there is a detailed book and exercise plan written by Ellington Darden "The New HIT" who worked for many years with Authur Jones.
One last note. I was drinking whey protein Powder for 4 weeks, thinking that it was the magic potion. But after puking it up one night, I quit taking it and the gains are still consistent. So as others have said, supplements may actually have very little benefit. I just make sure that I eat 4 meals (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed). I eat a lot of pasta, rice, veggies, lean meats and cottage cheese.
So HIT is working for me and I always thought I could never gain weight! My milestones are 150Lbs by Jan 15 and 160 lbs by March 1st
Kudos and keep it INTENSE,
Nate
the results sound really impressive. However, irrespective of training protocol & diet, I just don't believe those results are realistically obtainable in the given time frame.
The workout advice ie shorter, focused workouts, limited compound exercises and sets to failure with adequate rest for recuperation - all good...BUT 34lb muscle in 4 weeks!!
I've been a personal trainer for a long time and this just doesn't sound right!!
However, for anyone reading, the general advice is good...take it as you wish!!
Even now, I 'm not believing that you gain 34 lb of muscles and without steriods.
If it s true. This is great. but i gona give it a try.
I need to do it. I’d like to do it in the least possible time. I’d definately try this for myself,
I read your book and it has improved my business to an awesome degree.
I was checking out your site when I noticed your training.
good on you-- you made some awesome gains.
I train high intensity myself and just one the World Natural bodybuilding championships.
The best gains of my life came training HIT fashion.
I am one of the best PT trainers in the country and when I embark on a Transformation program with a client--its the all body HIT workouts I choose to work with.
Once again your book was life changeing thank you.
Keep up that working out and-Well Done.
Ian.
Great tip right there. People often under-estimate the importance of rest and they often over train too. Great gains as well, keep up the good work.
All the best ;)
I weeded through most of the comments, but I didn't see anyone ask if you could achieve similar gains in endurance training by somehow condensing your training and maximizing efficiency. I know the heart system operates differently than the skeletal muscles, but I'm not educated enough about the science to manufacture an experiment myself.
Endurance training is about well, endurance, and training that requires a large time commitment depending on the race distance. Experimenting with a way to cut down training time while maintaining gains would be a major breakthrough.
A future experiment perhaps??
I'd help
I know exactly why I got such small increases but I'm not sure how to fix it. I'd like to get your input on how to eat enough to gain this type of weight on a busy schedule?
It's very difficult to get this kind of food anywhere other than a grocery store and it's also difficult to find time to eat four big meals a day (especially since I work 6-8 hours of semi physical work and I can't stop for a 30 min meal twice during my day). Luckily, I don't work everyday so my off days I can eat accordingly.
So I guess my simple question is...How can I gain significant weight if I have a busy schedule and I'm on the go?
They say that the highest form of adoration is imitation - so hopefully you will feel a sense of being honored when another copycat asks how to replicate your stuff.
In the movie Batman Begins they say that fear is not outside of us, but inside - what we really fear is our own power, our power to do marvelous or terrible things. So in order to harness true power we should love resistance. experience the force through embracing feelings of fear instead of pushing them away, trying even to enjoy them as pleasure. This will force us into our inner battle of life and death and will give us a emotional sense of purpose, personal mythology and destiny.
Interesting principle - the greatest people in history did this, they got their position historical mystery through doing marvelous and terrible things.. and they all offered some sort of new life experience with their words...
well, enough philosophy - I'm planning on doing the "geek to freak"-experiment so I've contacted one of the top bodybulding experts/personal trainers in Stockholm (were I live in Sweden) and we have studied and compared both the Colorado-experiment (which he knew about before) and your geek/freak-experiment..
Anders (the bodybuilder-trainer) has some questions:
1. What exercises did you use? Machines or free weights?
2. Did you prepare your muscles by warming up before your one-set failure, or did you do it directly?
3. The 5/5-candence in your version of the experiment, could you explain more about that? Is there any
"hard science" behind it?
4. You said that the project would SEEM unhealthy, could it BE unhealthy aswell?
5. Why the 3 minute rest between sets in your version of the experiment.
It would be great with some enlightenment on this. We want our "Stockholm"-experiment to be as successfull
as possible.
Thanks man!
(my website is under construction)
###
Hi David!
Please search my name on www.bodybuilding.com -- there is a more complete explanation of my workout and diet there.
Good luck and keep us all posted on progress -- don't forget to take before-after photos :)
Tim
but yes, I will post them..
thanks
is "failure" the point where you can not lift even one more rep... or the point where you can't do so with good form?
I.e. is failure the same as exhaustion?
###
Hi Joe,
LOL... No steroids whatsoever. Just search my name on www.bodybuilding.com for a more detailed version of this.
Cheers,
Tim
Where is that information on your blog and those images--?
That said, if it makes you feel good, do it... congrats on your success.
Very interesting experiment. I've read through your article on bodybuilding.com, and I'd like to repeat this, but I have a few questions:
1. I am a trainee who is used to multiple sets at a high weight, with low reps (3-6). Since your program calls for a 5/5 cadence, should I be expecting to use a weight around 50% of my 1RM? I'm going to suspend my disbelief for the duration of this program, so I just want to know what to expect.
2. Here are the exercises I was considering performing: squats, dips, chinups, military presses, one arm dumbbell rows. What do you think of that? Do you have any recommendations to make in this regard, or are these exercises just fine?
3. For a few exercises, it seems like the grip would give out before the target muscle (for example, chinups, and one arm dumbbell rows), since a set would last 80-120 seconds. How can I work around that?
Any guidance you can provide is greatly appreciated!
###
Hi Igor,
Here you go, in brief:
1. I am a trainee who is used to multiple sets at a high weight, with low reps (3-6). Since your program calls for a 5/5 cadence, should I be expecting to use a weight around 50% of my 1RM? I'm going to suspend my disbelief for the duration of this program, so I just want to know what to expect.
TTT: That sounds about right. Your current regimen is great for relative strength, assuming long rest intervals, but this is designed with maximizing muscle nutrient density and hypertrophy. Start with 50% and then work up or down as needed. I suggest one 1-2-hour workout of testing just to determine the proper weight for exercises.
2. Here are the exercises I was considering performing: squats, dips, chinups, military presses, one arm dumbbell rows. What do you think of that? Do you have any recommendations to make in this regard, or are these exercises just fine?
TTT: These are just fine. You're hitting all the primary movers.
3. For a few exercises, it seems like the grip would give out before the target muscle (for example, chinups, and one arm dumbbell rows), since a set would last 80-120 seconds. How can I work around that?
TTT: The weight will be less, but you can: 1) use a phosphate buffering supplement to decrease lactic acid build-up, and/or 2) use lifting wraps. I discourage #2 unless absolutely necessary.
Good luck and happy gaining!
Mike Baggett
Thanks
The reason that this would be so difficult for the average person is because they would have no idea what they are doing. If you eat the right diet, train properly, get 10 hours of sleep a night, and take proven legal bodybuilding supplements, I think many of you would be very surprised with the results you can achieve in a relatively short time period.
Just my two cents!
I was so intrigued by this post that for the past few months I've been doing as much research as possible in order to do the same. I'm a little disappointed with my results and cannot figure of what I did wrong. It would make my day – or month really – if you could give me any advice.
I followed your training program on bodybuilding.com almost to the letter, but I increased the calories intake because I'm a little bit taller. I took all of the supplements you listed, during the times you listed, but added glutamine and creatine supplements to the plan.
I made sure to eat over 200 grams of protein a day, and took casein before bed and upon awakening to ensure sustained release, but whey just following a workout. I had 5 meals a day that were usually around 1500 calories – supplementing during meals (ALA/Chromium for increased insulin sensitivity) and between meals (protien shakes). I dropped calories along with protein on Saturday by 50%.
I followed your workout plan to the letter. And made sure I went to absolute failure on all exercises. I trained the same amount as you did. I also had a consistent 9 hours of sleep every night during the same times. I made sure to eat before bed in order to have the smallest amount of fasting. The first thing I did in the morning is eat for the same reason.
I only gained 8 pounds of muscle, but gained 3 pounds of fat. I know everyone's body is different. Besides the hight difference (not much) we're shaped the same way as you were in the first picture.
I am going to keep trying to reach my goal, I'm hoping there is something else you did, or ate that got you there so fast, but either way, maybe you can give me some advice?
Thanks, Alex.
Sorry to have to tell you that Tim, but either you were taking some illegal performance enhancers (which I do not believe just by looking at your pictures) or you have exaggerated the results. How do I know that? I have been working out 3 to 5 times a week for the last 20 years, trying all sorts of routines and diets, without ever using steroids, should I add. You may object that I am not "genetically" advantaged, which is probably true, but even super gifted athletes (typically black men) whom I work out with on a daily basis never came close to your figures. What you describe is redolent of a "Muscle and Fitness" ad. This just does not happen in real life. I wish you, as a role model, avoided setting unrealistic expectations (whose sheer pursuit may turn out to be hazardous when it comes to physical activities). Reading Alex's post alone(07/02/08) makes me sad. This guy should be very proud of his achievement(8lbs of muscle gained in 4 weeks)instead of becoming despondent because of it.
PS for Alex: good work! but you are eating WAY too much, this is why you gained 3 lbs of fat (instead of losing some in the process as should be expected). Cut your overall calorie intake or even though you will build up further muscle mass, you will never get those six-pack abs and probably end up with cholesterol problems before long.
After the sessions in the gym I feel exhausted but pumped and my muscles ache pretty well up to the next session.
However...I did something in my session yesterday which I would want to warn others about. This seems reasonably obvious in retrospect but I believe is a weakness of this regime if you don't regularly go to the gym anyway - I do but still made the following mistake:
Unless you're very careful, your different muscles are likely to increase in strength at different rates. I was finding that the weight on the machine squat I was able to do before simply wasn't enough to work my legs properly, so I increased the weight by a few pounds, however for the starting push I had to use my lower back too much and my lower back muscles hadn't increased in strength as much as those in my legs. Consequently I ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back. Clearly whenever you workout you have to be extremely sensible with your form and what weights you use, but I believe that with this regime, as effective as it may be, you have to be even more careful because you're always using weights which you are on the limit of using in good form (though of course with the 5-5 timing this should be below your max press).
Basically I've found that the general mentality of the workout is - push yourself hard for half an hour with constant good form and an extremely long time for peak muscle usage - perhaps I took the extreme nature of this too literally.
Anyway, I think that it's important to make sure that you have good core muscle strength before starting this regime, or at least be even more careful than you would be with a less extreme workout, when you're having to use your stabiliser muscles.
Today the lower back is feeling tender but it should be ok in a couple of days - therefore it's not too serious a tear. In my next workout I'm going to use more gentle exercises on my lower back to try and increase the strength there gradually and use leg exercises which are more local.
Anyway, in general I'm pleased with how things are going, but if I can stop someone else from making the same stupid mistake I made yesterday then that has to be a good thing!
Would it be possible to see "after" photographs where you're the same visual height in each comparison as the "before" photo, in order to minimise the mental process of noticing the differences?
That would be much more honest.
###
Hi Alan,
Point taken, but please note that this is just due to poor Photoshopping skills, not any purposeful trickery :)
Cheers,
Tim
###
This is a big one that I'm working on. Much harder to measure properly if you don't have assistance, so it's a different kettle of fish. I'm open to observations and suggestions ;)
Tim
Can't wait to see what you come up with. I want my side split!!
Check out Pavel Tsatsouline's book "Relax Into Stretch: Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension"
It gives you one immediate technique to be able to land the splits.
I don't have any affiliation with Pavel, I just thought you could benefit from it.
It's a good start, but I'm sure there's a better way, and I'm sure Tim can find it!
Have you finished reading the whole book? Pavel has one special technique called the "clasp knife." You use it after you've used the PNF, and made good progress, but can't get that last 1-4 inches. This is supposed to be the technique that will get you to the splits immediately.
I'll be trying something similar but using my home gym. The problem is that I can't do multi-joint lower body exercises with it, only leg extensions and curls. I'll be able to max it out on the leg extensions. Would this work if I did the leg extensions to failure, even if it was 20 reps?
I have plenty of options as far as the upper body goes, it's just the lower body exercises that are limited.
Thanks
First, I loved your book! That was what led me here to your blog..
In this post you said not to exceed 2 exercises per week,yet in your article on bodybuilding.com, you said to exercise every other day (" PUSH, one day off, PULL, one day off, LEGS, one day off,"). Does that mean for the for the first week of the 28 days, you need to exercise more frequently? I am a bit confused.
Thanks!
###
Hi Dan,
This is generally true. You do sessions less frequently as you get stronger to allow for recovery.
Good luck!
Tim
I'm really interested in trying out this program, but I'm currently trying to build up my cardio by doing a combination of walking/running 4 days per week. Would it be possible to do both at the same time, or would I have to take a break from that?
Thanks.
Regardless I will likely try this experiment on my own.
Thanks!
I was very skeptical about this post at first, much like other comments I see here.
But you know what, the best way to see if any of it is true, is to just try it yourself :) Without trying to get it completely right and posting question all over the place....
I'm now in my third week and the gains are really amazing!
keep the exploring approach!
In any event, HIT works as long as you have plenty of rest and a great diet--oh and don't over train either.
Here's a great example of an HIT work out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5uqlgGUWVw&...
Have decided to follow this program myself.
Will post regular updates here...
http://whodeani.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/geek-t...
... throughout the month as the program progresses.
DJ.
It is hard to believe, at first glance, these numbers, but when you take into consideration that you lost some weight beforehand and then totally changed your way of training and your nutrition, it's a little easier to get.
But my hat's off to you, man.
Ed Scow
Did you use the Bodyquick supplement during this process?
###
Hi Rob,
I did use it, about 30 minutes pre-workout.
Cheers,
Tim
I've been on it for 3 months, and lost about 23 pounds WITHOUT working out.
www.metabolicdiet.com
It's physiologically impossible.
At the most your body is capable of synthesizing 2 to 3 pounds of raw muscle tissue in a month.
My guess is that Mr. Ferriss used to look like his "after picture", then spent six months deliberately dieting down and stopped weight training.
Then, when he hit the weights again and started eating right, he benefited from muscle memory.
Lots of guys who were trained can get their musculature back pretty quickly.
An untrained guy will NEVER- I repeat NEVER- be able to replicate these results.
Also there is a reason why no competitive body builders use HIT methods. They aren't that great and you burn out your CNS by constantly training to failure.
He's also very obviously not 16.72% body fat in the "before" pictures. When you look closely, you can see that there is actually very little change in muscle mass and fat levels between the two. I'm guessing he went from 13 or 14% to 12% in that month (not difficult), gained a few pounds of muscle, and carbed up the day before the after shots to look fuller.
The real travesty is that he's probably knowledgeable enough that he could make money without lying, but I guess greed gets the better of some people.
###
Hi John,
Just a few things in my own defense, as I don't think it's fair to assume I'm trying to deceive people, which I'm not. What would I have to gain? Nothing but headache.
Some observations:
1. Yes, I'm more tanned and shaved in the second.
2. The photos sizes are due to my poor Photoshopping skills -- nothing. Note that some of the "before" shots are bigger than the "after."
3. Bodyfat measurements were taken by a PhD at San Jose State U.
4. I have nothing to gain by lying. What am I selling here? Nothing.
This is a post of my experience, but I understand why many are skeptical, as I would be. The fact is, regardless, that this is exactly what happened.
All the best,
Tim
###
Hi John,
I'm not sure what you're talking about with the comments, but three things. 1) All public figures get attacked, especially on an anonymous Internet. 2) Who have I hurt? No one. This blog -- and the book -- were both created to help people, and thousands of people in dozens of countries, many on this blog, seem to be benefiting. 2) I can't debate everyone who has a bone to pick with me, as I would spend all day doing that and nothing else.
Regarding bad karma, perhaps the free work I do in education, fundraising for literacy worldwide, etc. that has built schools around the world and helped for more than 15,000 students in the US will offset whatever you're referring to. Just doing my best here, man. Look around at real media and interviews with people who know me, and you'll find I'm not all bad.
There are plenty of doubters and attackers whose comments are approved on this blog, and assistants try and be fair in moderating. If things come across as snide or hurtful, they're usually deleted. My readers and I just don't want that to be part of the community.
Sorry if you dislike me, but that's totally your right. It'd be a boring world if we all agreed.
Best of luck to you and yours,
Tim
I also asked how many daily calories you took in during your "miracle month".
I'm sure you're a great guy most of the time, but without substantiating your claims, you just come across as a pathalogical liar. I'm not holding it against you - if it works for you, and apparently it has, more power to you. I wouldn't personally take that route.
Here's what you just wrote, among other things:
"I’m not holding it against you - if it works for you, and apparently it has, more power to you."
Perhaps you don't realize, but you just called me a pathological liar. If you look up "pathological," you'll find that you just made a major insult.
I consumed at least 5,000 calories per day, but before you use a closed-system thermodynamic calories-in/calories-out model to call me a liar again, please read Dr. Michael Eades' posts on calorie counting. Google him and you'll find a few good articles.
I do substantiate plenty of my "claims," but I'm not inclined to spend time on your behalf when you use such an insulting tone. Sorry.
This is a blog and not a peer-reviewed journal that can respond to every critic. If you don't believe me, that's OK.
You've already drawn your conclusions, I think. Best of luck.
Have a nice weekend.
Tim
Cheers,
Marc
I have a lot of respect for you. I recently read your book - my friend recommended it to me. I quit my office job over 14 months ago. I've been living the good life since then (traveling, working odd jobs , and doing what i want to do now rather than later).
Anyway, I'm starting this workout today. And perhaps if you have some time you can critique it.
I'm basing my routine based on what was written here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
This was my routine for the first day: (i plan on doing fewer exercises per day into the future)
10-12 reps at 40 lbs pullover
14 reps 60 lbs Bent Row (yates)
7 reps 180 lbs Leg Press
+ 5 reps 180 lbs (single reps with pause), + 4 negatives on each leg (i was unable to get 12 reps in at 180 - the pain was intense i felt like puking afterwards)
7 reps 25lbs dips + 10 second static
14 reps 105 lbs leg curls + 40 second 120 lb static
8 reps 30 lbs revers curl + 15 second 50 lb static
16 reps 180 lb seated angled calf raises
4 reps 60 lbs hammer curl ab curl + 4 40 lbs + 3 10 second statics at 60 lbs
8 reps 40 lb bicep curls + 15 sec static
8 reps 105 lb close grip pull down
Neck bridges - on back and side for probably 90 seconds
I drank 100 calories of Gatorade during workout and 100 calories after workout for high glycemic carbs.
I'm eating 8 large shrimps, 2 chicken breasts, a turkey ball, pork chops, rice/beans, spinach. and some other vegetable. post workout.
I eat several large meals a day. I'm 5'11 and 167lbs.
i took pictures and such. What do you recommend for a diet? Should I really limit my intake of rice? I tend to eat it with almost every meal. is eating rice going to hamper my progress? also when you say reduce calories to half do you mean protein calories or all calories in general. any other nutrients necessary?
This is a picture of what i'm eating:I'm not good at calorie guessing. I
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r250/PicsNYC...
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
I just listened to the audiobook and then read a lot of the blog, and then just watched your whole interview with google (I wonder how many people actually watch a 72min interview, but... i did). I'm a Brazilian entrepeneur and intend to work around the globe doing crazy stuff like you did veeery soon.
About this post: I liked a lot the system you used, and have read the Colorado Experiment article as well. Some people habve asked, and though you did respond to some criticism (giving a lot of attention for somebody like him) you still didn't asnwer to people's most asked questions, here's one I've also had the curiosity too, so I'm re-asking:
Question> I got how you do the repetitions (5/5 until failure) but how do you exactly calculate the maximum wheight is still an unanswered doubt.
Sorry for the delay, but I write on this blog when I have the enthusiasm and time. To your topic...
Good question. Here's the simple answer: I generally spend about 2 hours with a trainee before any real workouts and have them do 10-rep sets of increasing weight with a 2-sec up and 2-sec down speed for each exercise. Complete one exercise at a time. Take 2 min between sets and exercises. Once the trainee completes a set that would have failed in 2 reps or so, cut 25% off that weight and use it for your next workout at the 5/5 to failure. From there, adjust as needed.
Hope that helps!
Tim
best regards, Tim.
you're already the new idol of this 21-olded boy from São Paulo.
I've seen something similar in a book called "Power Factor". This approach appears more intuitive, and I can always use more hours in a day.
Thanks for getting the information out there.
A number of people noticed the photos are doctored.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkheadedbug/4828...
The pics are doctored, y'all.
He shaved and tanned for the "after" pics, probably pumped a few weights right before the pic.
Check out the flick link with the pics resized properly.
He didn't gain 34 pounds of muscle.
Sorry, it looks like a classic scam.
(No, I don't have any financial interest in ANY body building program, I just feel bad for people who are getting suckered by false advertising.)
J9 and I had a blast in Omaha!
Wow! It seems you are a bit of an oracle yourself. Devoured the book, blog, site; can't get enough. Suddenly find myself Tryking, Kite-Surfing, eating better, training to exhaustion and generally just doing a lot of personal lifestyle design. Absolutely love Elance, great intro by the way. Saving a ton of money and time. Has taken me less than two weeks to design myself out of my business model, Awesome!
The power of the human mind never ceases to amaze me. It seems that some folks are so used to and invested in their own failure that they defeat themselves before they ever get started. Who cares if you gained 35 lbs or 3.5 lbs, the bigger picture is that you bring a scientific approach to almost all that you do, you layout your results and anyone who wants to can conduct their own experiments.
I, for one, have chosen to try the workout and diet and determine the results for myself. I have taken before photos and will probably be tanning and shaving in about 22 days. Heck, no matter what I will look and feel great next month in Cabo, Kite-surfing the days away!"
Thanks for helping all of us over achieving, business builders let go of the rains and fly!
Thanks in advance!
I was just curious on how you would maintain this physique after you achieved it. I was interested in trying this, but only if I could keep the amount of muscle that I gained, but not grow more, because I want to look good, but not look like a freak who goes to the gym to much.
Thanks!
I have just posted up a blog on batching training here ( http://drewprice.co.uk/blog/?p=22 ) that some of the NR here might find of interest.
In my line of work I see far too many people wasting time on 'junk reps' or exercise at the wrong 'intensity' it comes back to the old work 'effective' again, doesn't it?
obviously I can't speak for Tim but maintaining a physique like the one above though obviously requiring long term work, is actually easier than getting there in the first place.
Looks like you also gained about 4 inches of height in one and gained it in the other.
1:57 pm,
"Also there is a reason why no competitive body builders use HIT methods. They aren’t that great and you burn out your CNS by constantly training to failure."
You obviously don't know much about competitive body building or you would know that Dorian Yates. Mr. Olympia 1992 - 1997 trained using the HIT method so check your facts before you mislead people.
I am so tired of so called trainers that got some piece of paper from regurgitating what they learned in some Certification course. Telling people what works and what does not.
Every body responds differently and their beliefs play just as much a part as the actual exercise. HIT does work and so does, Static Contraction training.
Volume training also works for some people depending on how long they they have been exercising.
And there are tons of documented cases of people gaining more than 2-3 lbs of muscle in a month. 34 is a bit much to but 5, 7, 10, of muscle has been done many times. You won;t keep doing it for ever but you can do it in a month or a few before you hit your limit.
Actually, I think most of the professional bodybuilders don't use HIT type routines because they are using such large amounts of steroids that their ability to grow and recover from lower intensity training makes it unnecessary for them to do such things.
Dorian Yates used more of a modified HIT training which he called "Blood and Guts" and he began making his rise to the Mr. Olympia after he worked with Mike Mentzer. (Who created a program called 'Heavy Duty' and who advocated short intense workouts that contain less sets, reps and exercises than Arthur Jones' Colorado Experiment.)
I think for a normal person, if you are eating a proper diet and you have some training under your belt, you can get tremendous gains from HIT training.
Or, even if you don't get any better gains than you would on a conventional schedule, the savings in time makes the program better.
Remember muscle is not all contractile protein!
Water, glycogen storage etc all have huge impact upon muscle volume, it doesn't mean it's a trick!
in 3 months I took myself from 130#, 5'11" (formerly competetive in running and cycling -endurance, hill climbs etc, but lazy for last several years, so pretty weak)
to 150# mass, with 195# benchpress and 630# legpress for 1 rep (600# for 4 reps).
maximized my BIPOLAR condition using a visualization technique to push the big weight.
For example, in the first two pictures you're not the same height, so it's hard to see what parts of your body got the most bulk. I'm interested in trying this out, but really want to get a good before/after comparison before rushing off into a new mission.
Thanks so much,
Anthony
When a person reaches the age of about 6 or 7 their "normal" standing stance (posture, and foot position) is essentially ingrained for life. Notice in each of the forward facing poses, as well as the back facing poses, the standing stance changes. The feet face outward in the after poses.
I could be wrong, but that would be highly unlikely.
I study human factors and subconscious psychology, so it's my job to analyze why people do the things they do, i.e. standard stance position.
Given, the fact that I'm even reading this article means that I am trying to reach a weight loss goal as well as a muscle mass gain. So I'm going to attempt your routine. If I see promising enough results then my hat is off to you Tim.
Haha, and yes, I am too inteligent for my own, or anyone's, sake.
So, I guess I'll be getting back to you in 28 days.
- Cheers.
Keep up the great work!!!
Thanks,
Dave
I was wondering if/how ongoing endurance training would affect the outcome of this program.
I play rugby, and I'd love to put on 10-15lbs of muscle, but we train fairly intensely for about 6 hours a week, with tons of running and aerobic activity.
Do you think it's possible to do both? Or is that another wasted attempt at 'multi-tasking'?
Maybe I'd be better just taking a month off from rugby? (with all the injuries, I'm bound to be off for a month sooner than later...)
Anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts/insights/recommendations you might have.
Thx.
Conditioning takes a great deal of intensity and hard work and so does explosive strength.
I do believe he did it though and without spending too much time in the gym because most people dode around in the gym watching the tvs or taking a 10 minute rest between curls. Doing that gets you no where, you need to shorten the breaks to 2-3 mins MAX only if you are doing heavy weights/full body exercises...deadlifts, squats, and cleans. ISO exercises should have 1 min rest max unless you are supersetting.
FAN-TAS-MA
:)
# Morning: NO-Xplode (2 scoops), Slo-Niacin (or timed-release niacinamide)
# Each meal: ChromeMate, alpha-lipoic acid (200mg)
# Pre-workout: BodyQUICK (2 capsules 30 minutes prior)
# Post-workout: Micellean (micellar casein protein)
# Prior to bed: policosanol, ChromeMate, alpha-lipoic acid (200mg), Slo-Niacin
(http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm)
One comment also mentioned how he stands differently in the before and after pics. This is because by turning the feet out it makes the thighs appear larger.
But just about every before and after picture you see uses these same tricks. Looks like Tim did have some real muscle gains as well though. Just how much would be impossible to know.
The consensus on bodybuilding websites is that your article here is total [nonsense]...that it's impossible to put on 1+ lb of muscle a day every day, even on a heavy steroid cycle. The body just can't do it.
I love your work on this blog but I have to say I always remember this piece and it kind of affects how I see you and whatever you write. I never really know whether you are for real or whether you are half BSing on those blog posts...
I would love to see you reply to the doubters on this one.
PK
###
Hi PK,
More to come soon for the doubters, but here are my suggestions for now.
1. See the post on fat-loss (20 lbs. in 30 days) and see the 1000+ before/after results in the comments. Critics use the same physiological argument against me for both fat-loss and weight gain.
2. See the details of how I gained the weight by searching my last name on www.bodybuilding.com. I did this while doing measurements at San Jose State University.
Regardless of what I write about -- language learning, fat-loss, weight gain -- the majority of anonymous haters will call me and anyone else who pushes the envelope a fraud. I don't have time to let them dictate how I behave and what I report.
Much more to come in a while (more experiments underway currently), but hope that helps.
All the best,
Tim
Hi PK,
More to come soon for the doubters, but here are my suggestions for now.
1. See the post on fat-loss (20 lbs. in 30 days) and see the 1000+ before/after results in the comments. Critics use the same physiological argument against me for both fat-loss and weight gain.
2. See the details of how I gained the weight by searching my last name on www.bodybuilding.com. I did this while doing measurements at San Jose State University.
Regardless of what I write about -- language learning, fat-loss, weight gain -- the majority of anonymous haters will call me and anyone else who pushes the envelope a fraud. I don't have time to let them dictate how I behave and what I report.
Much more to come in a while (more experiments underway currently), but hope that helps.
All the best,
Tim
What is your next challenge? Have your tried Escalating Density Training: Charles Staley, yet?
Jay
Pro weight gainers say 10 lbs in a month would be substantial amount to gain, that's gaining at the rate of 120lbs a year! 34lbs in a month is the rate of 408lbs a year.
A pound of fat typically gets burnt off with 3500 calories is consumed. A typical human consumes 2000-3000 calories in a day. (Depending on how active they are in their daily routine, and whether they are looking to gain / lose).
Add on 3500 calories to gain this goal of 1 lbs per day, and thats close to 6500 calories in a day.
double your calorie intake, and only work out twice a week?
Unless your some sort of super human, this seems to me that this method would equal gaining a substantial amount of fat not muscle.
Doubling your calorie intake for the day and not burning off those calories. (Working out with free-weights for an hour vigorously would burn approxiametely 395 calories for an average 145lbs person.)
So where are the other 3105 calories going to? If your body is given more calories / protein / fat / etc than it needs, it's going to do one of two things.
A) your going to be on the toilet getting rid of it.
B) your body is going to store it as fat
I believe someone with a personal trainer could reach the goal of 10lbs in a month if they had substantial workout / exercise / nutritional routine.
Now gaining muscle, while burning fat... That's another story, it's incredibly hard to at a fast rate. Why? The science of it is simple, your body needs to remove calories to lose fat, whereas it needs the opposite to add calories to gain muscle. Trying to achieve both at the same time at a fast rate is difficult.
34lbs I find extremely hard to believe.
~My two cents
Mack
Basically doing high load sets with low # of reps. (10 or so , or until muscle failure) , counting 10 and 10 .
Twice a week is the recommended frecuency.
Love 4HWW, these blogs, and the 80/20 Principal book. I'm using both books right now to help create a niche site about the baseball swing. Like you, I'm a sports nut, particularly baseball, and love love love to workout...I'm also a certified personal trainer.
Anyway, found this blog interesting and will incorporate this style of training into my clients and my own workout routine. I just wanted to say, from one dreamer to another, don't respond to the naysayers, life is too short, and they're always going to be unhappy with something.
I compare with "your" beginning story in 4HWW, and your struggles to create and sell something that you believe in, so I feel your pain with these naysayers. Just the fact you respond to these blogs says a lot about you, even to those pessimistic types. Kudos to you Tim in all your success, and I would love to talk to you someday. Take care and keep up the good work.
Joey
1. Genetics plays a large role in how quickly you will notice gains (if any). Your body is unable to produce more muscle it just makes the muscle you have bigger and stronger.
2. Less is definately more. The two-hour-a-day gym people have it all wrong. All weight resistance exercises should be done to failure with the exception of a warm up set. I routinely spend 20 minutes or less at the gym 2 to 3 times per week and managed to put 15 pounds on in a week. Granted, I lost 37 pound two months prior due to disease but quality rules over quantity ever time.
3. A few years back there was an article in a men's magazine about the jailhouse weight-lifting regimen. Since they have all the time in the world to recover they do an exercise once-a-week (sometimes 10 days) to complete an utter failure and see massive gains. I'm sure most of us have enough free or down-time to do this once and see the results. My favorite is to do this with a squat. I'm still sore two days later.
4. These results will be temporary and should be cycled every so often. Most exercise experts agree that you can hit peak performance about every 10 weeks with proper recovery. This works out perfectly for 4 weeks of high intensity as described above, a week off, 4 weeks of maintenance, a week off and return to high intensity for 4 weeks. Try to time it for that wedding coming up or summer and the beach.
Regardless of what you do remember your health stays with you for a lifetime and the largest asset most of us have is the ability to work (even if only four-hours-a-week).
In a nutshell...
Is possible to gain large amounts of muscle quickly?
Absolutely. I have done it. I have helped thousands of others do it.
Can you do it?
Sure.
Can you gain as much as Tim?
Hell if I know, No one can tell the future.
How much can you gain?
Everyone is different and they progress at different rates. So if you think you are going to gain the same as Tim, think again. You may gain more, you may gain less, but you are not him and he is not you.
Did Tim use Steroids?
That's the excuse from those who just need a reason to justify their disbelief. These are the same people spending hundreds of $$ of junk supps expecting muscle from a pill.
Why would Tim want to do steroids? What reason would he have to lie and risk his health by using illegal drugs? This entire post is to help YOU GUYS. But instead you blast him and accuse him of juicing. WTF!
Impossible, how did you gain more than Christian Bale?
Who cares? Never believe what you read about hollywood actors and entertainers. You will never know the real truth and facts about much of anything.
"An untrained guy will NEVER- I repeat NEVER- be able to replicate these results."
Actually it's just the opposite. The untrained individual has potential to gain larger muscle mass than a trained individual. Excluding any benefit from Muscle memory or de-training.
"The consensus on bodybuilding websites is that your article here is total [nonsense]…that it’s impossible to put on 1+ lb of muscle a day every day, even on a heavy steroid cycle. The body just can’t do it."
My suggestion is to ignore the kids and wannabees on bb sites and forums. It will greatly help your progress. If I had listened to all those telling me I could not do this or that, I would not have achieved anything. Basically, who cares.
"Pro weight gainers say 10 lbs in a month would be substantial amount to gain,"
Ummm maybe for someone near their genetic limit. But Tim is not a pro and nowhere near his limits. Neither is anyone reading this.
"that’s gaining at the rate of 120lbs a year! 34lbs in a month is the rate of 408lbs a year."
You are thinking in a linear manner and it just doesn't happen that way. You are not going to gain X amount of weight each and every week or month. Growth happens in spurts So you can't "estimate" 120 lbs per year based on 1-2 months of results. Have you every gained any substantial amount of weight?
"A pound of fat typically gets burnt off with 3500 calories is consumed. A typical human consumes 2000-3000 calories in a day... Add on 3500 calories to gain this goal of 1 lbs per day, and thats close to 6500 calories in a day."
Blah, blah, blah, lol. This math does NOT work!
Let's just say that you actually breakdown the caloric value of 1 pound of MUSCLE is and it turns out to be around 3500 calories. Well, that doesn't mean 3500 calories ingested equals 1 pound of muscle. That's just doesn't fly in the real world.
Again, muscle gain (and fat loss) is not so linear. Depending on your metabolic needs, sometimes you can build muscle with less additional calories, sometimes you need more.
How many do you need?
Who the hell knows. You need to find out for yourself by:
1) closely controlling what you eat, and
2) monitoring your composition changes based over x period of time.
Phew!
AE
I hear questions of puting on muscle while going out and drinking on weekends, such as a student. Is this possible? I have been looking into it but if anyone knows some facts, please share.
I would assume one could but most likely not lose fat.
Can't wait for the comments.
Read about High intensity training by Ellington Darden, who describes Arthur Jones work in detail.
Also note that the largest muscle gain in a month in that book is by Casey Viator, who gained much more muscle than Tim in one month.
Bottom line: For this exercise to work - it must be high intensity, work large muscle groups to smaller, proper form.
My favorite quote by Arthur Jones: "If you like doing bicep curls you are probably doing them wrong."
This is my experienses in health/training.
I follow Pete Sisco:s Precision training
Example: In four month=16 weeks, I have increased my strength in leg press with 53%.
I started with 150Kg in a full rep. and 280Kg in static hold, after increasing in just 11 trainings, total time aprox 10min.
310, 360, 400, 430, 470, 490, 500, 490, 520, 530, 550. I have gone to 550Kg in static hold
and 230Kg in a full rep.
I have now 10 exercises splitted in training A and B. I now only workout one time/week for 1 minutes
and still make new records every time I workout. I have increased more than 50% in strength in all big muscle
groups. A bonus (1 Kg muscle burns 1 Kg fat every week).
The following day after every workout day I train the "Tabata high intensity training"
20sec full intensity on a cross trainer (or a training bike) , then rest for 10sec, 20sec full intensity, 10 sec rest.......7-8times.
This exercise increases our HGH "Human growth hormone" to maximum level.
Eating:
I have eaten according to "Eat right for your blood type". This have already after the first year made all my allergies go
away for good. And of course a intestinal lavage have helped me to clean-up inside.
I also eat according to Ann Wigmore "living foods", that suits me I have blood type A+.
Salt: Only natural sea or mountain salt, "Natural salt=84minerals, refined salt=4-5minerals"
Drinking:
Pure spring water, like http://www.aquaterrena.se/
If you want to know more read the article on this web site http://www.klokast.se/GIE/LV1.html
Importent: All living creatures need fresh spring water, our blood is almost 100% water, and only
good quality blood can hold maximum amount of oxegyn to transport to our cells.
Kindly Regards
Christian Niemi
To all the doubters, accusers, etc.
Tim is not a liar.
But he did fail to mention the fact that he USED to be buff.
Although he wasnt as buff in his past as he was after the experiment, the fact that he used to be buff is important because muscle memory played a part in this.
To see what he looked like in 1999, watch the video at 4:38 near the end of the video. You can see that he was muscular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoVqXgblyw
So, hope this clears everything up
TIM FERRISS YOU ARE MY HERO
I know you are always doing your best to find the fastest way to the greatest benefits. So, I have ran across this product that is making some amazing claims regarding muscle recovery. Please check out Dr Scott Connelly for yourself. I can vouch for his bodyrx program which is a very close twin to the program that you have blogged on this site.
The reason I am writing this is that I am going to start 'now' and record my results with this supplement regimen ... and if the claims are true , then you may have some valuable new fitness material for your next book.
--- thanks for a fantastic site and a powerful book. I have just read it through for my third time and really enjoy your motivational talents.
- All the best,
T Edward Shepherd
I love the book, the blog, and the whole lifestyle... Now I'm sold on the workout. My only question is this:
Is it OK to play basketball or football while performing this workout or will it interfere with your body's reaction to the diet/weight training? I like to play pick up basketball and intramural flag football whenever I have the chance, but I will abstain if it is counterproductive.
What exactly what your protein and carb intake on this bulking diet in grams?
I decided to try this out. I've been onto this training for 8 weeks now. I got to tell you, the results are nothing but extraordinary. I'm so quitting conventional gym training. Thanks Tim!!
Jaakko
A good source is the fiber pills ... take one with every meal or protein shake. The best , of course , is fruits and vegetables.
But with busy lifestyles ... grab a bottle of fiber pills .... make sure you take them.
As you all know ... hardly any american gets enough fiber.
And if you hit the protein hard ... you must ramp up your fiber intake.
But not all at once ... try to increase by 5 grams a day ... until you get up to a level where you are regular.
It will take a couple of weeks.
I suggest the book bodyRX by Scott Connelly.
He's the expert.
Following Dr Connelly's program, I am 41 yrs old and am in the best shape of my life. I like Tim's stuff here ... BUT I can't eat beans like Tim eats them... my body turns that stuff into toxic fumes that would remove my list of friends.
And ... why have muscles if you have no friends? HAHA
This program can easily work with Tim's high resistance suggestions.
As Tim suggests ... ' work your muscles hard ... got to challenge them '
and - in the presence of protein and keep the carbs at a min.
Personally, ... post workout 'junk' carb eating ... I don't think it is a good idea.
Muscles are not going to use all the post workout carbs as energy ... and the extra gets stored ... you know where.
By the way ... this is not from 'me' even though I am a fitness and nutrition enthusiast and researcher. This information comes straight from Dr Connelly. Here is a quote from Dr. Connelly regarding post workout carb consumption:
"Resistance training does not create an appreciable glycogen depletion, and contrary to popular "folklore" post training carbohydrate for weight trainers is largely ineffective at synergistically stimulating protein synthesis. With increasing training experience much of the post workout oxygen consumption will be fueled by an increasing proportion of fatty acids instead of oxidizable carbohydrate. ..diminishing this benefit by consuming post workout carbohydrate is really not an advantage."
--- in simpler terms. Don't pig out on junk food after your workouts.
The 'one day a week ' thing that Tim suggests is still good ... it does shock your body and one day is not going to make you a fat A...
Sorry I got carried away, but I want to help folks too .. and I don't want people to waste their time like I have been doing before I found this stuff out for myself.
... cheers!!
a) there was some genuine success
b) he was very muscular before, that helped rebuild instead of build muscle a lot ("memory effect")
c) like many before-after photos, these have some additional mumbo-jumbo
- body hair in pic 1 hides shadows cast by muscles, but not in pic2
- tanning improved the "healthy look" in pic 2
- different scale on both pictures (comp. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkheadedbug/4828... - or even http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkheadedbug/4828... )
- different light in both pictures (enhancing pic-contrast in 2, making shadows that indicate muscles more pronounced), while flash in 1st hides these.
- upper part of legs are only shown in picture two (might just as well have looked the same before, nobody can tell)
- legs further apart and arms further from the body create a bulkier look, feet pointing more to the outside might also help a "bulkier" look
and as for the muscle-weight gain... I admit my ignorance, but I'd be damned, if there wasn't a way to make these just a little more impressive by changing the weighing time, amount eaten/drunk before etc. etc. etc. - probably _not_ the diameter measurements, though, but I've seen nobody comment on them anyways in any detail.
Oh - and the "four hours of gym time" were 8 half-hour slots - each of them preceded by 2 hours of... ahem... preparatory training... wellllllll.... err... yes, that's how I count my time spent on things also... (I wrote all this in 2 seconds well + preparing it in a text-editor for 15 minutes before)
So yes - this article was done to impress and while the result might still be amazing, that the little things that could be done to help the "amazingness" along were done... as well as that his starting-point might be regarded as unusual, so that the same results are not necessarily to be expected for others.
I
1. He has a very good metabolic rate (due to a sporty life style and good genetics)
2. He is new to weight lifting (ok, training with weights)
I managed to go from 155lb to near 180lb in my first 6 months of training when I started. But then comes the big stall. It took me another 3 years of vigorous training and going through more than 30 programs until I manage to break the standstill and gain another 40lb.
One thing you cannot easily cheat is the absolute weight you can lift related to your own body weight. For example, I am now 220 lbs and I squat with 500lbs, deadlift 550lbs and bench 350lbs -> all in total 1400/220 = 6.36. I wonder what Tim's coefficient is.
The bottom line : if you are a beginner, whatever your program is if accompanied with the right diet, you WILL gain muscle mass. How much though is a question of how fit you are, your genetics and your dedication.
here's my question: if I want to start the program which I can see here http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
which kind of training equipment do I need to get? Is there a proven alround equipment that is recommendable and that doesn't cost a fortune? I have read Tim's book but I am not there yet to have the 'muse' that works for itself (c:
I am a more or less sportive person, or at least I used to be, with good basics that are hidden under some extra kilos, especially waist area (c: But I don't know too much about all those 'negative' movements or the like as I haven't dealt with 'body buidling' yet. Would be great to also have a short explanation on this.
Thanks a lot!
Best regards from Greece,
David
Try to check the names of the exercises he said in the article on youtube.
One set to failure is like this: you make the movements until your muscles fail, until you can't lift anything else. in brazil we say you get "locked" as you can't lift it anymore.
I am not doing the experiment like Tim, but I'm sure applying some of the stuff I've learned here and the results are being very fast so far.
Not saying don't do it, just be realistic about your starting point, and have a base level of fitness first.
Question;
I have found the hardest parts of this routine is to keep up the mental intensity required for the whole workout.
What techniques do you have to keep your intensity up, in particular during the 3 minutes between sets? (music, no music, any other suggestion would be fantastic)
Others
http://www.mikementzer.com/ Mike Mentzer used with great success and wrote books on High Intensity Training, he also trained with Arthur Jones and Casey Viator
Regards
Don
For focusing and putting in superhuman effort for gaining weight, I find Crystal Method (a band) hard to beat.
Good luck!
Tim
When I say these principles, I mean doing only one set, going until point of muscle failure, rest 3 minutes between sets, only working out 2-3 times per week, etc? I don't do weight training, and I'd be very interested if it could be applied to vertical jump training.
Second if you continue eating that much food without increasing your activity and burn those excess calories, you will become obese.
Third if you stop what you are doing for a month I guarantee you would loose what you gained, proving that it wasn’t muscle.
Getting bigger is useless unless you combine speed, agility, stamina, and strength together. Otherwise you are all show, and no go.
Outstanding results. As a languishing athlete I'm just getting back at it after a year or so off from surgery followed by sloth.
7 days in I put 40 pounds onto my bench press rep weight. Un-freaking-believable. This is absolutely an excellent method. Efficient and effective. I've also lost nearly ten pounds of fat and am looking significantly leaner. I doubt my results are normal, but it's working for me. I just hope I don't plateau too soon, I want my abs to pop again.
As with all your insights, well done sir.
Regards,
Joe
This is fantastic, and makes sense - the "high intensity" principles are the same ones I've been applying for the last 5 weeks, but I didn't realize what you could accomplish by adding more of that "high intensity". Definitely going to start modifying my routines!
Thanks Tim!
--GR
Tim goes into more detail here.
I think the world of Ross Enamait. However, it's apples and oranges. Ross trains combat athletes who have to engage in vigorous competition with as many as 15 incredibly demanding rounds -- not just difficult, but someone beating on you! while you try to do that to them.
Whereas Arthur Jones et al. taught time-efficient bodybuilding.
Tim Ferriss prefers machines, he says, and these are vastly inferior for athletes. So, if you're an athlete, don't use this program! If you want to workout for two 30-minute periods per week, gain pounds of lean muscle and have the health benefits that go with that (particularly as you age), then this is a great program.
Remember... exercise itself is a stress on the body and promotes inflammation, which promotes heart disease among other things. I'm not saying athletes are unhealthy, but I'm definitely saying exercising hard for 6 hours a week is excessive for most people.
Plus Tim's deal is time efficiency if you haven't noticed. "4-Hour Workweek" and all, remember?
I'm currently in the progress of my own Transformation I only hope to have the same success as you had
Brian
In fact, I doubt it's even possible to do it for too long a period - the workouts are just too intense on the body despite their short duration.
was the fur loss voluntary
or a result of the bulking up?
just asking cause i like the fur better ^.^
what can I say.
having worked out for 6 years and never seen gains, after a week of cautiously following your program my body is changing.
IT IS DOWN TO YOU.
I cannot make myself clear enough.
I am totally indebted to you, mostly for your perseverance and courage.
If I run into you, expect to be heavily embarrassed by a 19 y.o. kid who was teetering on chronic depression and suicide only a month ago.
Today I cannot begin to describe where I feel I am going.
x
Tim Siddiqui
Dear Tim,
Thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. It made my night :)
All the best,
Tim Ferriss
I just gained 12lbs of muscle in 8 weeks doing the Starting Strength weight training program, avg. about 3 hrs per week in the gym. I also Crossfit.
Someday I will put your book into practice, quit my job, and become an ecommerce animal.
Chris NYC
THanks for the tips!!
As for this workout routine, I'm going to give it a try mostly just for the hell of it.
As for all you haters, why are you even on this site? Don't bring your black cloud over here in the sun, it's pissing me off and I'm trying to get a damn tan!
Keep it up Tim, you're one inspirational cat!
Before I used to train more like 5x5, MB 4x6, 3x8 with about 4-5 exericises 2/1 times a week. In order to do this slow motion with the right technique I had to lower my weights almost 2 times (plus I haven't been training for about 4 month, and started ago only a month and a half ago). For example, I was able to do one rep. of BP with 110kg, my maximum in SQ and DL were about 140. I'm 23 and have been training for more than 4 years already (with a couple of breaks though). But now, my BP is 55kg, SQ and DL are about 80. It's this way if I make it reaaaaly slow both ways: positive and negative, and aim for ~8 repetitions. As a result, I don't feel any muscle sickness the day after. Earlier I felt it for about 5 days after training of the particular muscle group.
And physiologically and intuitively it feels ineffective.
That's why the question is have you felt the muscle sickness the next (and next after next) day after training? And what are your weights and experience in bodybuilding or powerlifting? Or probably you can just recommend me something.
Your book is great, and I like your article on the 80/20 powerlifting method (you cite some of my heroes)!
Ellington Darden had this to say in an interview on HIT training:
T-Nation: You hitched your wagon to Jones and HIT back in the early 1970s. Since then, HIT has been more and less popular, but it's never been overwhelmingly popular. So I'll throw this out there for starters: Is HIT really the shit? I mean, what can it do for the average Testosterone reader? Why should he care enough to read about it?
Darden: High-intensity training is just a very efficient and effective way to build muscular size and strength. That's never been out of focus and it never will. Why should you care? Well, a guy that is big and strong can still command respect anywhere he goes. HIT's not for everybody. But for those who don't want to spend a lot of time training, boy, it's the only way to go.
T-Nation: So if it's not for everybody, who is it for?
Darden: I'd say it's more for people in their thirties and forties, as opposed to teenagers or young adults. A teenager can do lots of things wrong and still get pretty good results. You can suffer injuries and get over them quickly. But when you're in your thirties or forties, it doesn't usually happen. I'm 65. If I sprain my ankle today, it may take me two and a half months to get over it. If you sprain yours, it might take just 10 days to heal.
(taken from http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/spo...)
Darden is a disciple of Arthur Jones. However, he admittedly built his physique through conventional bodybuilding training prior to his HIT experience. He clearly advocates HIT moreso for the middle-aged weightlifting contingent.
Furthermore, Viator is in the same boat. I think Arthur Jones study is flawed because it doesn't consider prior training and muscle memory. Viator was clearly on anabolics (1982 Olympia especially, albiet about ten years after this experiment), although it is uncertain when exactly.
So Tim, my question to you is this:
Are you advocating HIT for all people, or just those looking to maximize time vs productivity (like in your book which i'm currently reading -- it's honestly incredible and fun to read)?
For someone like myself, I DO enjoy longer gym sessions, typical set progressions (albeit I tend to fall within low-rep schema more often). I've tried most techniques (standard bodybuilding splits, fad workouts, westside, 5x5 routines, powerbuilding routines). I just don't think HIT would work for me at this point, although maybe a couple years ago it would have been great.
ALSO: for those interested in another fantastic training approach and diet, check out Dr. John Berardi's Scrawny to Brawny! http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com/ (the author is on the cover) I've met this guy before (he graduated from my school), he's super legit!
Take care, and keep up the fantastic blog!
I admire what you have done and i plan on testing your program. I am doing this for a school senior project and i hope you take this as a compliment that i chose your program to test wether it works or not.
There is just one thing i really require from you and i wish you would have answered to other people who have asked you in this blog
WHAT IS YOUR WORKOUT :P
Sincerely
Paul Vanhan
As far as your diet, I think you have given most of the information around that except for the relative breakdown of carbs, fats, protein. For example, I doubt that you want to have quinoa (carbs) make up 90% of the calories. What was the relative percentages of carbs/protein/fat when you went through the program (ie: 10,60,30)?
Thanks,
Jim
How would you integrate the new research suggesting that a spike in glucose helps your focus and creative energy when sitting down to write/create for a brief period of 1-2 hours? Clearly this could be a "Creativity Life Hack".
Here's an overview of the research: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/03/...
Ari
HOLY CRAP!
EATING SUCH AN EXTREME DIET IS FAKING (to quote john malkovich in Rounders) DIFFICULT!
The paradigm shift on the work out is fantastic; each set makes me feel like I'm going to pass out, but over all, the diet is by far the most intense part.
What do you think of high calorie protein bars?
I checked out the process and you should be on track. The eating is absolutely a bitch, to use a scientific term. The workouts are nothing compared to the food consumption. High-protein bars are fine, but learn to read labels and ensure you're not eating candy bars with protein added, which most bars are. Snickers + whey protein = most commercial bars and a nice roll of fat on the stomach. Not so desirable.
Here's a good meal for gaining: durum wheat macaroni (toss the magic orange powder and use skim milk to make) + a can of tuna + low-fat turkey chili. Mix it all up and season. Fast and dense. Feel free to substitute quinoa for macaroni for variety.
Good luck!
Tim
As a runner I am finding that the slow as opposed to low carb regime combats the fatigue I have experienced from carb depletion type diets.
Four weeks in and I am definately noticing that I am leaner and have dramatically increased muscle strength using the 5x5 training scheme.
However I am not seeing much change in my abdominal area, not that there was much there in the first place ;-D but I'm not seeing the same muscle definition as I am achieving in my legs, back and upper body.
Does anyone have any female athlete specific advise?
Great stuff. Your site and your book are a treasure trove. I have many, many things to say, but I'll keep it short and relevent to the thread:
Did you do any cardio on this program? If so, what and how much. I think 2 dozen others have asked the same question :) Please let us know.
Thanks!
Thank you for the comment. To the best of my recollection, I did not do any aerobic exercises, with the exception of a daily 30-minute walk in the morning for sun exposure and general well-being.
Hope that helps!
Tim
i find the work outs extremely hard, harder than any other work out i've ever done. i've been doing 7 exercises so the work outs take about 38 minutes and it's hard to push to failure on every set
next work out i'm going to do 3 exercises, deadlift, incline dumbbell press, and yates rows. hopefuly i can really push myself on these and get some better results.
by the way, i only gained 2 or 3 lbs but i'm not really upset with the results, because i swear that i've lost at least a pound of fat!
will write more later
Started to read the 4 hour work week and then wanted to look up what you have on your website when I came across your blog here, and good timing since I am about to start training again, anyways, quick question... what about fruit as part of your diet and what about good organic type of cereal in the morning before i do my workout.
Thanks
bro this is absolutely mesmerizing... it takes me 3 months to achieve results like this using HIIT training... I am astounded by your results.
You do realize you could make $10 million a year if you expanded on this method and created a product line based around it?
The Body-For-Life series by Bill Philips has earned him countless millions and inspired thousands of people to take charge of their health.
i think you could generate a massive revenue stream if you expand on this method! I know you are already fabulously wealthy - but think of how many people you could save from a lifetime of illness and obesity.
Also, I saw Trial By Fire - brilliant, flawless execution of an extremely rare sporting event. I have studied Bushido casually for years and I never even knew of this sports existence. Congratulations on your success.
I have yet to read your NY Times Best-Seller but I am certainly going to now. You have a very similar mindset to me and I know I could learn volumes from studying your methodologies.
Sincerely,
Jason Allen Cataldo
maybe i should force some down with the carbs? i'm going to try it anyways this week and see for myself, but i was hoping for your insight
thanks
Of course, they are not a waste, because I enjoy them. And I see gains.
As many people here have said, there are many ways to build lean muscle mass. Unlike some of the doubters, I totally believe Tim got these gains. And I'm sure this will work for many others.
But other routines will work too. After reading this a month ago, I've added in one day a week that is what Tim suggests, but my two other weight days are hour-long, "traditional" weight training with 4 sets of 12 reps, focused on compound exercises. I really love hour-long workouts. But I have to admit, I do "feel" really great after the one-set-to-failure day. I'm exhausted (and then eat like a horse) but it's a great feeling, almost a rush. But I'm not seeing as rapid a change as Tim did. I'm a lot older than he was!
Given your age, your lifestyle, your history, and your dedication level, you might find different results. If you are doing a routine that you hate, just to get "big" or "ripped", then I feel sorry for you. You can have great results and enjoy the process too.
It is a feat that not everyone could accomplish factors such as age and body type play into it but It is an example that more can be done in shorter time than you might think.
What I am eagerly waiting for is the supplement regime that went along with the diet and workouts.
Arginine?
Creatine?
tribulus?
dhea?
andro?
Some questions for Tim:
I've been working out 4 times a week at home (at least 30 minutes each) for the last month and eating healthy meals with a lot of protein. Though I feel great and have put on more muscle, I have not gained much weight at all. When I started exercising regularly a month ago, I was 132 lbs and I don't weight much more now. After doing a bunch of 30 minute workouts and researching different exercises, I can't help but notice that it would be pretty hard to make use of the entire body in one 30 minute workout with 3 minutes in between each exercise. Would I deduct those 3 minute breaks from the 30 minutes to get the actually amount of time spent working out? Say I do 4 different exercises; that's 3 breaks between exercises, 9 minutes off, reducing my workout time to 21 minutes? So I'm curious as to what might be an example 30 minute workout you would do.
Thanks and great blog!
Just wanted to give you props on this post. I have been dieting (cutting) for the past 3 weeks and have been refining a routine that I decided to create based on the principles of less is more. I found your experiment really interesting because it involves some thing I decided to try on my own.
I've been only focusing on 3 weight exercises (deadlift, barbell squat, bench). Doing one set each until failure
HIIT cardio along with a high protein low carb diet (1 gram per 1 lb of lean muscle). And so far I've cut 12lbs of fat and dropped about 3% of bodyfat.
I have not considering doing the 5 sec up/5 sec down rule, but I'm going to add it to the next 4 weeks (along with stricter dieting and some supps for recovery) that I'm doing to see how much I can lose in a month.
Keep it up!
Tim: I'm in love with your blog, your book and most of the things you do. Thanks!
Tim + The Rest of You:
Any women commenters tried this successfully? I see a few who have not posted follow ups to their attempts, but no one woman who has posted her results (sorry if i missed something, tried very hard to read all the comments thoroughly!).
I'd love to know your experiences with this as a woman!
Thanks,
Val
I've been working out 4 times a week at home (at least 30 minutes each) for the last month and eating healthy meals with a lot of protein. What's motivated me was taking detailed notes. Though I feel great and have put on more muscle, I have not gained much weight at all. When I started my exercise regiment a month ago, I was 132 lbs and I still weigh 132 lbs. After doing a bunch of 30 minute workouts and researching different exercises, I can't help but notice that it would be pretty hard to make use of the entire body in one 30 minute workout with 3 minutes in between each exercise. Would I deduct those 3 minute breaks from the 30 minutes to get the actually amount of time spent working out? Say I do 4 different exercises; that's 3 breaks between exercises, 9 minutes off, reducing my workout time to 21 minutes? So I'm curious as to what might be an example 30 minute workout you would do.
I also read that you take micellar casein protein and also Mass Recovery (among ingredients are whey protein and Maltodextrin) on the bodybuilding.com page. I've been researching proteins as I never put anything into my body in large quantities that I'm not pretty sure is safe for me. From what I found online, it seems that most protein powders don't list MSG as an ingredient, but are said to turn into a glutamate in the body. From what I've read, MSG really hasn't been shown to cause problems except in those that have allergies or other reactions triggered by what's been called "Chinese restaurant syndrome." Chinese restaurant syndrome has been shown to happen when people really eat a lot of MSG so I'm scared of taking protein powder on a regular basis, as it might be similar to eating large amounts of MSG. Seems there are mixed views on the web so I would like to know your opinion on this.
Thanks!
Thanks!!
-Michael
Thank you in Advance for any help.
-James
Caveat, I am a runner so CV is key to my workout. However I am in a rest phase and using this time to loose body fat but still running. Basically I am doing the weights with good effect, CV but no real endurance. I eat the diet that Tim has illustrated, including the restricted carbs after workouts, weights and CV and having the rest day. However I do still eat a bowl of Porridge every morning - habit! But I add cinnamon to reduce the insulin effects of a high dose of, albiet low GI, carbs.
Thanks for the response!
I haven't gotten my arse to the gym yet (I will, I swear!) but I've modified my diet to follow the slow-carb one that Tim has outlined and that just this morning I noticed a difference in my belly!
I've been eating well for 10 days now. I'm tracking everything over at thedailyplate.com, I highly recommend it as an incredibly easy tool to track calories and exercise. My username is valgray if anyone wants to check out what I've been eating. (please ignore inauguration day! I pigged out! Celebration day!)
I will go to the gym today and get started.
Thanks again!
Val
Regarding the supplements, there seems to be a contradiction on Tim's bodybuilding.com page.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
On one hand he mentions Micellean (micellar casein protein) as his post-workout supplement (which is a slow-digesting protein most recommended for before bed!)
He also mentions mass recovery as his post-workout drink.
Can somebody help me with this? I've just bought a micellear casein protein and much to my surprise it says that I should take it before bed!
I use casein both post-workout and pre-bed if I'm on a gaining program. Whey can be useful in combination, but it often results in a negative nitrogen balance shortly after ingestion due to it's rapid gastric emptying and AA absorption. It is possible to do just fine with whole foods or just casein. I would not use whey in isolation unless you are eating something to slow its absorption. I know this contradicts many recommendations out there -- just my experience.
Tim
I'm an admirer of the book etc etc. And I could go on with praise, however I am a stickler for time as I know you are.
With that said, I just have a couple quick observations.questions that I do wish you to answer and they are:
I'm a runner (ran in college 70 mile weeks) who wants to get a little bigger because I want to focus on the Decathlon/Triathlons, but don't want to be that skinny guy. (Cardio cuts fat first, then muscle mass, as you know)
With this regimen, and getting back into running and doing other training (swimming, jumps, hurdles, etc) what would be a basic rate of muscle growth?
I know there are many variables, however, but I would like your input on a lot of cardio, the fact I really need carbs, and the diet needed for obtaining the muscle you did in 4 weeks.
I appreciate all that you are doing in paying it forward. The book is amazing and I'm applying the principles.
I want to recommend one book to you. That outside of your book has utterly changed my life. Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray
Take Care,
Chris
P.S. Really do read that book!!
For a decathlete, I would suggest you test out Pavel's 5x5 routine also on this blog. Just search "Pavel" and it will pop up.
Best of luck!
Tim
I've been cracking up reading all the angry comments people are leaving. Funny how some folks react when you challenge their ingrained thinking. (kind of reminds me of the scene in "Young Einstein" when they're arguing about faster-than-light-travel).
I've been training off and on for years with no real results. Then I read 4HWW:
Whats the worst case scenario? - I don't gain muscle mass (which I'm not doing anyway)
What do I stand to lose if it fails? - nothing.
What do I stand to gain if it works? - Get beefed up finally.
I've got a little more planning and research to do, but I will do my best to post again on March 9th with my results.
Thanks,
Pete
Thanks very much for the comment. It is incredible how personally some people seem to take this blog post! First, I wrote it to help people, not sell anything. Second, it almost seems like I'm killing sacred cows by suggesting anything other than their religion (training method) could work.
Like you said: what's the worst-case scenario? 30-60 minutes of test time in the gym wasted and more lessons learned.
Good luck!
Tim
Great article and I'm totally going to experiment myself with this program. I'm sure that this question has been asked a ton, but can you post the exact workout you used? From the article I know you use a 5/5 cadence but I'm not sure of the specific exercises. Please post so that I can start my four week program today! Thanks for everything. You truly are an inspiration.
Thanks,
Nathan
After my workouts, I stay sore for 4+ days. Should I rest until my muscles are no longer sore?
Nathan
I don't get it, I simply don't get it. Where do you find the time to do all of this! I've read a bit of your book(didn't find the time to finish it yet), read some of your posts and can see you have an extremely active lifestyle and yet you still have the time to post new articles and even reply to comments even though this post is a year old! Are you human? Anyway jokes aside you're a great example of how people should benefit from life. I believe I speak for everyone here when I say YOU THE MAN!
Abdoul
i live in germany and read your book many times. I only can say that you live dream. Everything you describe is logical. I will try to do as you did but my profession doesn´t give me the possibility by now. But only sky is the limit :-)
P.S.: Did you ever thought about to work as a coach or give lessons?
Sincerly
KIVANC
If the most weight you can lift in a single attempt in an exercise is 100 pounds, you will not be able to move it very quickly. If you increase your strength enough that you can perform the exercise with 150 pounds, you will then be able to move 100 pounds very quickly. It doesn't matter whether you became stronger using slow or fast reps - stronger muscles can produce more force, and accelerate a load more quickly.
The idea that you can preferentially train for sarcoplasmic versus myofibrillar hypertrophy is typical muscle magazine nonsense. Different speeds, rep ranges, etc. do not change this. Sarcoplasm will increase proportionally to the rest of the cell size.
Tim is absolutely on the right track with regards to repetition speed. While counterintuitive, the truth is, slower reps allow the muscles to produce more force, something referred to as the force/velocity curve. This means that, all else being equal (same set duration) you can handle a heavier weight, and heavier weight = more tension = more microtrauma = greater stimulus for hypertrophy.
The slower a muscle shortens, the more cross-bridges are able to be formed, which results in higher force production. Force production capability actually drops off exponentially as contraction speed increases. For a good read on this, check out Skeletal Muscle Structure, Function, & Plasticity: The Physiological Basis of Rehabilitation by Richard Lieber.
Faster reps only appear to allow one to handle a heavier weight because they tend to mask sloppy form, which involves the use of body movement other than the intended exercise movement (hip and spine extension to alter leverage in an arm flexion exercise, for example), because it typically results in a shorter set duration when compared with slow reps without consideration for the time factor, and because the initial acceleration (often possible due to the assistance of other muscle groups) imparts enough kinetic energy to the load to get it through sticking points.
If your goal is to stimulate muscular improvements, rather than simply cheat a heavy weight up for the sake of gym ego, slower repetitions are the way to go. I made a similar transformation to Tim's back in college using the same general approach, although it took me closer to 6 months to put on 30 pounds, and it is not uncommon for my male clients to gain upwards of 10 pounds of muscle in the first few months of training.
I'm very interested in the program you followed but after reading all the blog I'm more confused than clear as to what to do....so let me attempt a "hack " here....can you refer me to a trainer here in the bay area that could coach me using a similar method to what you used? With a good coach I reckon I can hit the critical path asap and don't have to stay up all night surfing and reading.
Love your stuff
Go raibh maith agat (pronounced " guh - rev - moth - a gut" that's gaelic for thank you)
Daniel
(But probably a 1 cm increase in waist size :-(. I said probably b/c I'm not sure if I measured myself correctly the first time )
Tim, I have some questions for you:
1) Supplementation:
I'm taking
- two scoops of N.O. Xplode in the morning (on empty stomach)
- 3 tablets of Timed Release ALA (from Great Earth) - 300 mg
- nothing pre-workout!
1.1) Can I take N.O. Xplode again? 2 scoops? Will it result in water weight? Is it dangerous to take 4 scoops on training days?
- gainomax recovery (two training days so far). 40 carb, 20 protein, 250 ml. I mix 50% of it w/ 125 ml of water and sip on during the workout.
1.2) Do I need to drink any more recovery/post-workout drink? E.g. Cellmate, Casein, Whey, or just more gainomax?
- 3 scoops of Caseine before bed (usu. 1 h after last meal, mixed w/ milk).
Any other areas of improvement?
2) Diet:
2.1) I'm eating 4-5 meals a day, but the increase in my waist line (despite strength gain at gym) in worrying me. Should I split up the meals more to 6-8 perhaps?
2.2) Chicken thighs are really inexpensive where I live. Is it ok to have lots of them (after peeling off the skin and as much fat as possible)?
3) Workout:
3.1) How do you apply the 5/5 cadence to manual neck resistance?!
Can I replace it w/ sth like Barbell shrugs? Will that fit well with your routine (in BB page)?
3.2) I jog on the treadmill and stretch for a few minutes prior to the wo. Is it fine with HIT?
3.3) What do you think about stretching a muscle after it's been worked?
BTW, I'm reading your book and calling it "The Book of Aha Moments" and recommending it to everyone!
Good job and thanks beforehand for the reply!
"At present, there is no research published in peer-reviewed journals to support the assertion that an increase in nitric oxide levels promotes greater muscle protein synthesis or improves muscle strength. There is also no evidence that the arginine alpha-ketoglutarate in “nitric oxide” supplements have any effect on nitric oxide levels in muscles."
I like your expirimentation approach, and am ready to try my own experiment. I am primarily interested in losing weight (need to drop from about 240 to 200) but want to put on some muscle in the process which should help with the weight loss and general improved health. Any recommendations regarding calorie intake for my goal, or an alternative program if this isn't the best for weight loss and toning?
I enjoyed the book and have made improvements in my work (including one day at home and a goal of complete freedom by the end of the year). Look forward to the second edition!
Cheers,
Daniel
Before I used to train more like 5×5, MB 4×6, 3×8 with about 4-5 exericises 2 or 1 times a week. In order to do this slow motion with the right technique I had to lower my weights almost 2 times (plus I haven’t been training for about 4 month, and started ago only a month and a half ago).
For example, I was able to do one rep. of BP with 110kg, my maximum in SQ and DL were about 140 (one repetition) and 80 / 100 for about 5 repetitions.
I’m 23 and have been training for more than 4 years already (with a couple of breaks though). But now, my BP is 55kg, SQ and DL are about 70. It’s this way if I make it reaaaaly slow both ways: positive and negative, keep the perfect technique and aim for ~8 repetitions.
As a result of this weight decrease, I don’t feel any muscle sickness the day after. Earlier I felt it for about 5 days after training of the particular muscle group. And physiologically and intuitively it feels ineffective. But actually, earlier (despite this long muscle sickness) I didn't seem to gain a lot in mass or strength.
That’s why the question is have you felt the muscle sickness the next (and next after next) day after training? And what are your weights and experience in bodybuilding or powerlifting?
Also, I wanted to ask if it would be a good idea to split this training into the 2 parts, leaving everything else the same and go to gym twice a week (while spending less time on every single training session)?
And the last question. I really wonder if combining this with a strength training 5x5 would be a good idea or not? For example what if once or twice a week I train this 5+5 way and once a week I do the strength workout with heavy weights 5x5. Will it increase my strength and mass at the same time, or othervise slower the whole proccess?
Thank you very much!
I've been reading through your responses to comments and clicked through to bodybuilding.com, but have been unable to find your article or profile. Could you post a direct link? I'd really like to give this experiment a try.
Thanks,
Timothy
Thanks for your sharing. It's great and inspiring.
I did tried to apply your guidance to my practice. I gained 8-10 pounds within two months. I love it.
Now I am reading another sharing from your blog and hope that I can improve my life like this.
Wish you all the best, Tim
Cheers
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
Back in the 1990s, I trained hard for about two years (in my late 20's); then got serious about the diet and won [3,1,2 places respectively] three shows in one month during which time my muscle mass was at it's highest, and my body fat low. I am 6'2" and have a medium frame, and competed in the heavyweight class. It was a powerful feeling to be big, but able to easily tie your sneakers. My diet was low carb; and the allowed carbs in whole oatmeal were eaten in the morning, with each meal having less carb.
- 1/2 c Oatmeal cooked with 2 c water, cinnamon sweet low & scrambeled egg whites
- snack - icy cold, watery thin high protein strawberry shake 60 gr or more
- grilled chicken breast, spinach,
- shake post workout
- grilled steak, broccoli, salad with balsamic vinegar [cuts cravings]
Why did I do this? Because my pain-in-the-A** mother-in-law said she didn't think I could compete and win. In this great shape, my XXL/38x32 waist off season body was perfect in an XL and in a slim 36x32 Levis. Abs were perfect. My feet did not change. My son was thrilled with the trophys, ribbons, and photos
This is not, as Tim Ferris claims, a little known training secret; it is the training method that works. The real problem is people, err men, weren't born knowing how to grow muscle. Bodybuilders (we wear our sport) do not over eat, do not eat the wrong food, take one MEAL a week off; and allow this regular nutrition and resting to be as important as intensity. With my coach, I a routine work out four days, alternating body parts so each was exhausted one day per week and did not do too many body parts at once. No warmup. Just start.
Men are likely candidates to grow muscle. Let's discuss an unlikely candidate, Ms Olympia, Cory Everson. Cory was either in great shape or was not. It took her about to two months to get into competition shape and she refined her physique like an artist up to Ms Olympia competition. Her weight varied only ten pounds, and she used long stationary bike workouts to stay lean but big. Her husband, Jeff was on his way to an exercise PhD, and he understood and followed these principles you claim are little known. They [intense weight lifting to failure, and have always been know by those who train seriously to grow.
This muscle training is easily accomplished in home gyms. And this is how the fitness made simple infomercial guy - John Blazedale (is that his name) made his money. He was not growing muscle following modern training routines, and dumped them to concentrate on a major body part in four workouts a week, training to failure. To this day, he sells thousands of DVDs to the middle eastern countries. He paid off all his debt in about three months back in the early 1980s. Maybe the guys that wrote the book want to keep the special look for themselves, eh?
Im a firm believer in a lot of the things you said, having read them before from a variety of sources (mainly the old school stuff) and from doing something similar in high school (after reading "Super Squats").
Is there ever a chance you'll be writing a 2nd book with all your little hints and tricks for improving physically?
Thanks!
Luke
P.S.
The only thing I'd say that could help your case against the non-believers would be to better replicate the original photos.
I.e.
-The 2nd set of photos have less lighting (while the first one has more lighting, which blanches out muscle definition).
-Wear the same shorts the same way both times (wearing them down before hid the thighs, making it harder to compare)
-Same distance away from camera, every time
-
I read all the details on your bodybuilding.com page. Fantastic stuff! My one question is: How did you modify your supplements/diet on the off-days?
Thanks!
Paul
IMO you can probably skip Casein before bed. The other supplements don't seem to add many calories.
As for the food, I eat the same # of meals but cut them in half.
6 training days (22 days): 4.2 kg so far!
I am staying sore longer now and so have increased the rest to 5 days.
--Answers to some of my own questions:
I’m taking
- two scoops of N.O. Xplode in the morning (on empty stomach)
- 3 tablets of Timed Release ALA (from Great Earth) - 300 mg
- nothing pre-workout!
1.1) Can I take N.O. Xplode again? 2 scoops? Will it result in water weight? Is it dangerous to take 4 scoops on training days?
-- It may not be dangerous but it caused a burning feeling in my chest. So now, I am just taking 1 scoop in the morning and 2 scoops on training days (1 in the morning and 1 pre-wo). I may increase it later.
1.2) Do I need to drink any more recovery/post-workout drink? E.g. Cellmate, Casein, Whey, or just more gainomax?
---Absolutely! I bought Serious Mass which has 1200 calories and is high on GI (250 out of 320 gr of Carb and 50 gram protein)
2) Diet:
2.1) I’m eating 4-5 meals a day, but the increase in my waist line (despite strength gain at gym) in worrying me. Should I split up the meals more to 6-8 perhaps?
--- Maybe, I will need to use more of the supplements i.e. Slo Niacin and Picolinate and ALA (200 mcg) and eat more!
3) Workout:
3.1) How do you apply the 5/5 cadence to manual neck resistance?!
Can I replace it w/ sth like Barbell shrugs? Will that fit well with your routine (in BB page)?
--- I was confused about this exercise b/c of the link on BB.com. Now I know how to do it using some sort of a band. Great!
3.2) I jog on the treadmill and stretch for a few minutes prior to the wo. Is it fine with HIT?
----- I quit the treadmill warm up as I've already taken a 5 minute walk to the gym but am continuing with the stretching.
Nice job man!
Cheers!
Btw have you checked out Body by Science?
Question about your casein preference.
I recently read that "Casein has been implicated very strongly as a carcinogenic compound, possibly one of the most carcinogenic currently in the human diet, according to The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Also mentioned is the incidence of higher cancer rates in countries that consume more dairy products, specifically cheese, which has more than 10 times the casein density of milk".
From the China Study:
"In fact, the connection between casein and cancer was so profound that the scientists could literally turn cancer growth on and off in the laboratory animals, like a light switch, simply by altering the level of casein protein in their diets. Interestingly, they also found that feeding the animals the same levels of plant based protein (gluten and soy) did not at all promote cancer growth."
"An impressively consistent pattern was beginning to emerge. For two different organs, four different carcinogens and two different species, casein promotes cancer growth while using a highly integrated system of mechanisms. It is a powerful, convincing and consistent effect. For example, casein affects the way cells interact with carcinogens, the way DNA reacts wit carcinogens and the way cancerous cells grow. The depth and consistency of these findings strongly suggest that they are relevant for humans, for four reasons. First, rats and humans have an almost identical need for protein. Second, protein operates in human virtually the same way it does in rats. Third, the level of protein intake causing tumour growth is the same level that humans consume. And fourth, in both rodents and humans the initiation stage is far less important then the promotion stage of cancer. This is because we are very likely "dosed" with a certain amount of carcinogens in our everyday lives, but whether they lead to full tumours depends on their promotion, or lack thereof."
"Casein promotes all stages of the cancer process"
I would love your input and opinion.
Thanks Tim Ferriss. We love youuuuuuu
Great comment and thank you for the reference. I'll look into this when I have a chance. In the meantime, do you know the amounts of casein per lb./ounce/gram bodyweight the rats were being fed daily, as well as how (orally vs. other)? I do have some issues with rat vs. human comparisons, but that's another post for the future.
Thanks again for the good counter-argument. I hope to hear more of your findings!
Tim
Feb 25
Gained another 600 gr (4.8 kg so far)
I just found out that I've been taking only around 4000 calories a day! (In the first 2 weeks I probably had only around 3000)
BTW is it safe to take 1200 calories of post-workout drink (Hi-GI e.g. Serious Mass) after these workouts? I feel bloated for the following few hours although I drink it within 1-1.5 hour. I can hardly have a post-workout meal after 2 hours!
Monday Mar. 2nd saw the beginning of week four for me on this regimen/diet. I recently took up gym based rock climbing and bouldering and felt it a good idea to start this in concert with my new found sport.
I'm happy to report fantastic results thus far on a scaled back version. I eat less for less drastic muscle gain but still an appropriate amount for full muscle repair. I also concentrate the weight training aspect to one day a week on Sunday evenings to allow the following Mon. and Tues. (when the gym is closed) for repair.
I've seen substantial fat loss and a solid gain in muscle, in some places where I've never really had much before, like the pecs. I've noticed tendon strengthening as well. I didn't use supplements - no good sources near by.
Two things separate from above:
Do you run/jog? Are you familiar with POSE Method running? It's sort of a hacked way to run that I think you'd appreciate.
Your RSS Feed link up in the browser's address bar has a slightly faulty link. It lacks the "/feed" at the end that allows it to load the feed. feed://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/feed
I have your book, The Four Hour Workweek and love reading it and applying the principles! I just found your 34 Lbs of Muscle in 28 Days article after Googling, "Tim Ferriss resistance training," because of you mention of it in the book. What I am wondering is, what do you think of utilizing resistance bands (which I have been considering a purchase of) as a substitute for the gym when doing the 28 day regimen? Is it possible to get comparable results?
Thanks,
Chuck
It is very difficult to get comparable results with bands, as you cannot progress in resistance as accurately or as long as with plate-loading weights.
Good luck!
Tim
If you ever need to track down clothes that fit you "puny skeleton", I write a blog on the subject: Short Shrifted. Please stop by at www.shortshrifted.com
For shorter athletically cut guys, this post in particular is good: http://shortshrifted.com/?p=273
Cheers,
J
great!
March 15
9.5 kilos (about 21 pounds)!
About 1.5 month (average of 1.5 hours a week of gym time!)
Have upped the calorie intake (around 4500 I think). But I've got Policosanol and Niacin (+ bodyQuicken) missing in my stack.
Can anyone suggest an accurate (and cheap enough) measure for body fat? A personal trainer at the gym estimated that I have a body fat of 15 % by pinching a few spots in my body. Is this normal?
It seems a workout like this would make one more susceptible to injury. Do you know if the risks for injury are higher doing these high intensity, short duration workouts?
Since we are all taught to inhale down, exhale up, how do you breathe on a 5/5 cadence?
Thanks.
If I may reply in Tim's stead:
My personal experience was that for the first few sessions, I could literally not focus on breathing at all as I was trying to keep track of the 5/5 cadence and form. But once you get the hang of this type of workout, the breathing almost falls into place though it may seem a little awkward (Just breathe in/out more slowly)
Thanks for replying. I guess putting on the focus on counting time would allow the breathing to come naturally - so long as I remember to breathe! Some people, I'd imagine, would hold their breath.
How has the workout been going for you?
I DID hold my breath the 1st few sessions (which is wrong but I had to learn to focus on good form and the cadence).
If you haven't tried this, I HIGHLY recommend it. (No one believes that I'm working out only 1.5 hours a week)
Well, if you scroll up, you'll see that I've posted updates on my progress. I made a few mistakes in the 1st few weeks (e.g. no high-GI post-workout drink, only 1 scoop of Xplode, only 3000-3500 calories a day, etc) but the progress has been so far so good. My pants are filling up and my shirts fit better and I keep discovering new muscle in my body. :-)
(And as Tim puts it, the diet is a real bitch!)
It would have been nice if you had provided citations for your study outside of the link to the CO Experiment site. It would also be nice if you would also provide more detail on the amount of calories you consumed and explain exactly what you mean by "4. Eat enormous quantities of protein...." Is that based on a persons weight, age, a specific amount of calories, etc? What was your eating schedule? Is there a reason why you didn't put your workout in detail here? I guess I would believe it more if it was done in a more scientific manner but congrats on getting a great physique!
Genetically normal, and without taking any enhancing drugs, you can put on 1 kg of lean meat to your frame per month.
Either you have taken something else, other than food and supplements, or these pix are not 4 weeks apart, but rather 4 years apart.
In fact looking at the face in these pix, it indeed looks like there is at least a year or two between the two pix.
I just did measurements on a client last Friday, a male in his mid 30's, who has gained 6 pounds in the past month while reducing his skinfold measurements.
I had a male client in his mid 20's gain 8 pounds with no significant change in skinfold measurements in his first month of training.
I had a 39 year old male client gain 12 pounds of muscle in 3 months.
All of these people performed very brief, high intensity training routines, typically consisting of a single set to failure of between 6 and 8 exercises, performed with slow, controlled reps. These workouts typically lasted under 20 min, including rest between exercises, and were only performed twice weekly.
These are genetically average people. They are not exceptions. I personally know trainers all over the US using similar methods and getting similar results. Some using even briefer workouts and lower training frequency.
I don't know where you got your 1kg/month figure, but it is wrong.
Since Tim has completely stopped answering such posts, I'll do it ;-)
Please first TRY the workout for 2-3 sessions (eating enough) and then judge!
What will you lose? 2-3 hours of gym time (at most) and a few days of eating (?)
Trust me, you'll be amazed at the results.
Farid, I found the US Navy method for measuring body fat (http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-t...) as a easy way to track gains and losses.
Good luck and keep the updates coming
I know this may do wonders for your male ego but from a female-look at you-hug me perspective... you were much more attractive before: slim long and lean and yet still fit and good-looking.
Anyway, if you are happy & just wanted to test (as usual) if you could achieve yet another result, good for you... (I cannot think though of how much training and sacrifices you must have done to get there... for what?!) :)
PS. kudos for the tan and shaving, post - those alone were enough to enhance your basic good looks-dna! ;P
and sorry if I sounded a bit "harsh" with my previous comment, it's just my opinion after all,... many other ppl may like your new pumped-up body like you do - and in general, I cannot compliment you enough for all the rest (book & blog, both of which I am eagerly reading and hoping to get good tips out of them, here and there, to apply to my own life).
Cheers & best,
Lib
Farid, I found the US Navy method for measuring body fat (http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-t...) as a easy way to track gains and losses.
Good luck and keep the updates coming"
I find it funny that anyone would suggest a formula using logarithms is an easy way to track bodyfat.
Excel is a wonderful program. Type in the formula and reference fields for your measurements. If you need I can send you a file with the formula in it.
1. You stopped working out and dropped a significant amount of weight and starved yourself for a few weeks before beginning your routine.
OR
2. Steroids. Sorry to burst your bubble folks but this guy is a fraud. If you wanna juice go ahead but don't lie to people and say it's natural that's just fucked up. Ask any bodybuilder/personal trainer 34 lbs in 30 days is not possible without the help of anabolic agents.
Can you make the transformation you made and look bigger and more muscular in 4 weeks? Sure! You were already quite fit, and your photos are slightly misleading (scaling, poses, angles, stance, etc.), but by shaving, tanning, doing 2 hours of solid lifting (you need to update your post, by the way, given you said it yourself in the comments), eating well, and using creatine, you can look more muscular in a short amount of time. The shaving and tanning part is essentially a helpful illusion. The creatine fills your muscles with water and will give you that "ripped", blood-vessel-popping look (for readers considering this, read up on the right way to use creatine). A good diet and work out will give you, max, about 1.5 pounds of muscle a week (this is if you are naturally athletic).
34 pounds of muscle in a month though? It really draws from the legitimacy of your blog.
For the readers inspired to try this, you should still do so! But absolutely do not expect 34 pounds of muscle. However, do expect to look and feel better.
Cheers.
I would love to say "congratulations either way Tim even if you did do steroids your results are amazing!" but I can't get over the fact that he's hiding the truth from people and letting them believe he gained 34lbs in 28days. You can even tell by the structure of his face, steroids tend to square it out and give it a fuller more manly look.
###
From Tim: Guys, c'mon. Add a few thousand calories a day to your intake, including starches, and see how much water you retain everywhere, including the face and head. RegardHGH, perhaps, but AAS don't have as significant an effect on bone growth.
Cheers,
TIm
One of my favorite quotes, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood."
P.S. Please do post this comment.
Thanks for the comment. Related to the intro and interview: I did wrestle at 152, but I landed in BsAs at between 165-170, then dropped the lower weight I indicated. A lean 170 on a 5' 8"-9" frame -- that's me -- is certainly a "mountain of muscle" to most Argentines. They are not a fit people in general, and muscles aren't a high priority for either gender. Had it been Brazil, they might have referred to me a "puny skeleton". It's all relative :)
All the best,
Tim
Well, I haven't gained significantly (half a pound only). Reason: Either I have plateaued or it's because I missed several meals (hence reducing my calorie intake to 3500/day) as well as spending several hours in the sauna, pool and dancing!
BUT I have had significant gains on the weights. :-)
Thanks to (most) everyone that posted.
Paul B
I've heard of results similar to this by taking banned substances, but if you achieved this naturally this is truly amazing and we should all applaud you for it.
Going to try the 5 seconds up 5 seconds down method, see if it improves my results.
I gained around 14 lbs in around 6 weeks and it was all muscle. But, I went from a very skinny 128 to 142lbs (I'm 5'8").
Tim is correct, the food is the hardest part. For me it was twice as hard. I'm allergic to nuts and dairy. So, I was using egg protein and soy. I believe now that the soy was a mistake. I'm one of those nuts that thinks soy is a testosterone inhibitor (due to blood before and tests after restricting it in all forms). I got my caloric intake up to around 3200 a day... getting more proved tough without relying on carbs (no dairy is a bitch).
I was working most of the time to find new ways to prepare food to increase my intake of calories and stay on the protein/carb profile. Around week 9 the whole thing fell apart one Sunday morning. I woke up and it felt like my wrists were broken. I had done something to my forearms/wrists. All I had done the day before was a light (15 min) but vigorous warm-up on an elliptical. That was over a year ago. Now I'm back down to 134 and fatter :(
Just last month my wrists started to feel better. I spent a lot of time in physical therapy. I even visited a neurologist to test to make sure I hadn't done any permanent damage.
Two recommendations for people look at this.
1. You need to be ready for the types of lifts you will do in this type of workout (dead lifts, etc.). My wrists weren't.
2. Plan and test the diet before you start unless you have an iron stomach and don't care what you eat. 5k calories is a lot of food and a lot of trips to the bathroom. ;)
Tim, thanks for posting this. I still wonder if I made the gains quickly because I had been at that weight 5 years earlier when I was working out regularly and had gotten close to that weight over a period of two years. Regardless, it was a good 6 weeks spent, I just wish I had thought out the wrists (mine are pretty thin) when I was prepping to start.
SLOWB
For example I did 17 reps at 170lbs for leg press.
Should I go to higher weight or stay at that weight?
Is there a rule of thumb, if you get past a certain number of reps that the next time you do the same exercise you go up in?
Tim, out of curiosity what is the physiology behind this whole training method? Are we recruiting all the muscle fibers of each muscle to stimulate this much growth?
(Usually with a 5 second cadence on the concentric and eccentric motions you would be building lactic acid in your muscles, otherwise training muscular endurance but...were building size here?)
Please help and explain
Much Appreciated Tim!
Nemanja Z
I usually up the weight when I have passed the threshold of 120 seconds of an exercise. Try a slightly heavier weight next time. Sometimes I can only do 65-70 seconds if I up the weight but it increases by 5-15 seconds the next time.
Does increasing strength (heavier weights/higher reps) indicate muscle growth despite no change in body weight?
It is certainly possible to gain strength and yes, muscle mass, without any change in body weight, by altering body composition. The best way to record gains in muscles is by keeping track of your body fat % in addition to your body weight. So, if you're noticing strength gains, chances are you're gaining muscle but decreasing bf%, which is why your scale reads the same.
If you ever need to track down clothes that fit you "puny skeleton", I write a blog on the subject: Short Shrifted. Please stop by!
Cheers,
J
you ask for a comment to test the new site, and i provide. :)