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Casey Viator’s Workout, Diet and the Infamous ‘Colorado Experiment’

By Jordan 4 Comments | Last updated on February 6, 2022

Casey Viator was a talented bodybuilder. He was built like a musk ox and about as strong as one. He was also the subject of the (in)famous ‘Colorado Experiment’ were he allegedly gained 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days. you read that correctly. The experiment has been a topic of debate since it was realized to the public. It’s a bold claim. And it should make you raise an eye brow.

Anyway, we will talk about Casey’s training routine over the years, as well as the merits of the Colorado Experiment. But first let’s take a trip down memory lane and get to know Viator’s backstory.

The Young Muscle Prodigy

Casey Viator was born and raised in Louisiana, right here in the good ol’ U.S.A. His uncle inspired him to lift at a young age. His uncle was a burly ‘muscled up’ man (‘jacked’ as we say today) and showed young Casey the ropes. He started with olympic training in high school to get bigger and stronger. It worked. Viator became a man child capable of manhandling his classmates in sports.

Casey had a knack for athletics as a boy and weight training helped him become a better athlete. His man-sized body gave him a huge advantage over the children his age, and he became an elite athlete for his time.

He later transitioned to bodybuilding style training to sculpt himself into a living, breathing work of art.

New Kid on the Block

Casey took to lifting like a fish takes to water. He made enormous gains his first few years of training. He responded very well to the physical training and by the time he was 19 he won the Mr. America contest in 1971. Thus becoming the youngest man to ever win the title. Just prior to his national victory the young muscle prodigy won the Jr. Mr. America with a clean sweep of every muscle category (except abdominals.)

The rest is history.

He went on to train with the best of the best for the next decade. During that time Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sergio Olivia proved valuable mentors to Casey. And made a name for himself as a health and fitness expert and bodybuilding icon.

Casey Viator’s Workout Routines

As all bodybuilders and serious trainers do, Viator trained using every rep/set/weight scheme in the book (and wrote a few books of his own about it in fact.)

As a teenager he trained 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. This is a common theme with Elite bodybuilders. Punishing marathon workouts that are beyond reason. Viator did 40 sets per body part then walked home 5 miles.

Overtime he gravitated to High Intensity Training. This condensed his workouts down to 30 minutes while still taking his muscles to the brink. In fact, his training routine leading up to his Mr. America victory was a huge departure from how he used to train. He now did just one set per exercise and trained this way for a year straight.

This article covers Casey’s bodybuilding routine as well as his High Intensity Training Workout.

Before we get into the nuts and buts of Viator’s training routine(s) let’s do an overview of his training philosophy.

Casey Viator’s Training Philosphy

Do cardio – Viator often prescribes cardio to his clients. Casey claims cardio give you quality muscle. There is some truth to this. You need a strong cardiovascular and respiratory system to build muscle. You need a LOT of oxygen to fuel intense workouts if you want to make any progress at all. No need to get cute with cardio. Running, jogging, swimming, stair stepping, rowing or biking are all great cardio.

Train heavy – Some people are born strong. Casey was one of those people. The amount of weight he used for high rep sets was staggering. Most mortals would crumple under the weight he lifted. He was a gifted individual, no doubt, but he put his gift to good use by pushing to the limit.

High Intensity Training (HIT) is best – High Intensity Training means taking muscles to failure. I mean complete and utter failure. It means pushing your muscles so far that you couldn’t lift a broomstick no matter how hard you tried. That’s how these psychopaths trained.

High Reps – Rep range per set is 14-20+ while lifting as heavy as possible.

Slow Reps – Each rep tacks 3 seconds to lift the weight and another 3 seconds to lower it. Each set lasts over 1 minute and 20 seconds. That’s a lot of time under tension.

Train for strength – Casey trained for strength. He let the other guys know it and load up the bar as they shook their head in disbelief.

Training in this manner is highly effective and efficient. The high reps with heavy weight strength every part of your body and mind. Much like the brutal Tom Platz workout .

Casey Viator’s Bodybuilding Training Routine

Iron Man magazine gives an account of Casey Viator’s workout back in the early 70’s. This is the routine that was more likely the way he trained for competitions.

It claimed he trained 3 days per week. Casey training total body and each workout was a marathon workout. 2-3 hours long.

This workout should be done with a spotter. You’ll need the help and morale support.

All leg exercises are performed back to back without stopping. No rest in between. Move to the next exercise as quick as possible.

Leg Press : One set of 20 reps with 750 pounds.

Leg Extension : One set of 14-20 reps with 250 pounds.

Squat : One set of 14-20 reps with 505 pounds.

Leg Curl : One set of 14-20 reps with 150 pounds.

* Seated Barbell Calf Raise : Two sets of 20 reps *done near the end of workout.

Nautilus Pullover Machine : Three sets of 20 reps.

Circular Pulldown : Three sets of 20 reps.

Chin ups : Three sets of 20 reps. Performed very slowly or weighted in order to achieve failure at 20 reps.

Shrugs : Three sets of 20 reps with 280 pounds.

* Deadlifts : One set of deadlifts for 30 reps at the *end of the workout. Great for strengthening the lower back. Deadlifts were the final exercise of the workout.

Standing Lateral Side Raise : Three sets of 20 reps with 60 pounds.

Behind-the-Neck-Press : Three sets of 20 reps with 215 pounds.

Nautilus Special Side Raise : Three sets of 20 reps.

Bench Press : Two sets of 20 reps with 350 pounds.

Incline Barbell Press : Three sets of 20 reps with 225 pounds.

Parallel Bar Dips : Three sets of 20 reps with 100 pounds.

Cable Crossover : Three sets of 20 reps with 40 pounds.

Barbell Curl : One set of 20 reps with 200 pounds.

Nautilus Bicep Curl : One set of 20 reps.

Nautilus Triceps: One set of 20 reps with 120 pounds.

Nautilus Pushdown : One set of 20 reps with 110 pounds.

Compound Tricep Movement : One set of 20 reps.

Wrist Curls : Two sets of 20 reps.

The reason I like Casey’s workout is because it focuses on high reps and heavy weight. A lot of people avoid high reps and it shows. Don’t get me wrong, I love those 6-8 rep grind sets. And those are important. But 15-20+ reps in a set can really bring out the fullness and etch finer details into your musculature. (If you’re a glutton for punishment check out the 20 rep squat workout .)

Casey Viator’s High Intensity Training Routine

High intensity training is effective. However, it was not used year around for training. It was done sometimes for a specific purpose/duration. (There is another workout in the next section that is more typical for bodybuilding)

Exercises for the same muscle groups where performed back to back, no rest in between. (For example, all leg exercises were done back to back to back…same for chest, tricep, etc.)

• One set each exercise.
• 14-20 reps per exercise. Rest as little as possible between sets/exercises.
• Each rep is 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Hold contraction at the top and get a good stretch at the bottom.
• Use a weight where you achieve absolute muscle failure

The Exercises

• Leg Extension
• Nautilus Machine Pull Over
• Underhand Grip Pull Down
• Pec Deck Flies
• Chest Presses
• Dips – Negatives
• Bicep Curl Machine

The Colorado Experiment

May 1973 Viator made history once again. This time by gaining the most muscular weight ever recorded by a human being.

Legend goes that one Mr. Casey Viator gained 63 pounds of muscle mass in 28 days. This is an absurd amount of muscle in a very short amount of time. Your bullshit detector should be screaming full blast.

I mean c’mon man, no one in their right mind would believe it…right? Well it turns out people actually do believe it. And every explanation I’ve found about this experiment is low IQ. A lot of details are left out and the critical thinking is almost nil.

My two goals of this section are:

• Is what Casey Viator accomplished actually possible?
• Is it possible given the claims made? (no steroid use, training, diet, etc.)

This is my attempt to draw my own conclusion about the infamous experiment. So here we go – First, a little background about the experiment, then we’ll dive into the details. The experiment took place at Colorado State University under the watchful eye of Doctor Elliot Plese.

Because the experiment took place at an institution under the watchful eye of a doctor people automatically assume the claims are legitimate.

This is not the case, the guy who invented hotdogs paid doctors to eat them in the street to ‘prove’ to the public they were healthy. Doctors would where their white lab coats and chow down on hot dogs for everyone to see. Most people saw the Doctors and assume “oh if doctors eat it it must be ok.” Well, you know the deal. This kind of stuff happens all the time.

The only thing I need to prove this was not a legitimate experiment done for science’s sake is the Colorado experiment before and after image.

The visual tricks displayed here are insulting.

After all, perception is reality.

The Colorado Experiment by the numbers

Okay, let’s look at the facts/claims.

High level, Casey Viator made huge progress in 28 days using nothing but Nautilus equipment. Casey Viator and Arthur Jones claim no steroids where used during this time.

Weight before the experiment = 168 pounds

Weight after the experiment = 213 pounds

Casey went through body recomposition , where fat ‘converted’ to muscle.

Experiment Results

• 45 pound increase in body weight
• 18 pounds of body fat lost
• 63 pounds of muscle gained

Training Method

• 12 exercises per workout
• 1 set per exercise
• 3/4 workouts per week (trained every other day)
• 30 minutes per workout
• Only 14 workouts completed during the 28 day experiment

Before the Colorado Experiment

Now we’ve approached the Critical Thinking portion of the exam.

Here are some details about the Colorado experiment most people don’t know but are important to understand:

Casey Viator dieted hard prior to the experiment – Eating less than 800 calories a day for 6 weeks leading up to the experiment. This lowered his bodyweight all the way down to 168 pounds.

Viator took 5 months off training before the experiment – Time of training makes muscles waste away. Anyone who takes more than two weeks off from the gym knows this.

Casey’s ‘normal’ weight was over 220 pounds – Casey would compete at 217 pounds. His ‘normal’ weight when not preparing for contest was over 220 pounds. And he was this size for many years before the Colorado Experiment. So what? When you are big for a long time then diet down to lose weight, it’s easy for your body to regain the weight.

Muscle memory is real – In line with the previous point, muscle memory is real. Viator took 5 months of training, but because he normally weighs 220 pounds his muscles responded by returning to their state once training and referring commenced.

Steroids – While Casey Viator was out of the gym for 5 months, he likely reduced/eliminated steroids while leaning down. This helped achieve a light starting weight prior to the experiment.

Other Considerations

Money talks – The Colorado Experiment was financed by Arthur Jones, the creator of Nautilus training machines. Jones designed many of the Nautilus workout machines and was a keen businessman. He often used celebrities to endorse his products and was a successful marketer.

Viator had a financial incentive to gain every muscular pound he could. In other words Viator was paid for every pound of muscle he gained during the experiment.

Money motivates people. No doubt about it. And Arthur Jones had lots of money. He amassed a fortune from his business ventures.

Viator and Jones claim that steroids where not used. However, Viator did use steroids earlier in his bodybuilding career. And he actually got BIGGER during this experiment than he did while competing. There appears to be no testing for steroids done during the study.

People get paid to say (and not say) things all the time. Could you imagine the damage to Arthur’s business and brand if word got out steroids were used during the experiment?

Everyone would ignore the experiment and brush it off as cheating.

Colorado Experiment Context

Pretense is important – The experiment was setup to enable Casey to make the biggest gains possible. Casey depleted his body as much as possible prior to the experiment. This would ensure the greatest change could occur. Before dieting down his walking weight was 220 pounds (or more). He weighed 168 pounds the day the experiment began.

When your body is used to walking around at a lean 220 pounds, it’s much easier to get there. Especially with some advanced supplementation 😉

Incomplete repot – Viator claimed he ate ~5000 calories a day during the experiment. 6-8 meals with 400 grams of protein. Kept fat intake down and carb consumption to a minimum.

Taking a closer look, 400 grams of protein is only 1600 calories. That leaves 3400 calories for fat and carbohydrates. Hardly low. Minimum is subjective. Minimum in this case means just enough carbs to maximize gains and no more. Bodybuilders on steroids typically eat lean protein + carbs and low fat diets while juicing. Which sounds like the type of diet Casey ate during the experiment. (Natural trainings need animal fat in order to produce hormones for strength and size.)

I don’t doubt the fact that Casey gained 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days. However this wasn’t done naturally. He must have had some chemical help.

However, when I say pounds of muscle, this isn’t brand new muscle tissue. This is likely rehydration of the muscle he already has as well as replenishment of his glycogen stores. (Since he was in a depleted state at the start.)

Calorie Intake and Body Recomposition

This section analyzes the calories consumed to determine if the claim is aligned with the alleged result of the experiment.

I’m going to keep this simple. There are many variables at play here but I’m going to do this as soundly as reasonably possible without having your eyes glaze over.

Let’s assume:

• 1 pound of bodyfat contains 3,500 calories of stored energy
• it takes 2,800-3,500 calories consumed to build 1 pound of muscle mass

Simply put, Casey ‘converted’ 18 pounds of body fat to muscle (using a total 63,000 calories latent in 18 pounds of body fat). That leaves 45 pounds of muscle that must have come from raw material in food.

Casey Viator ate 5000 calories per day during the experiment.

5000 cals x 28 days = 140,000 and 140,000/45 = 3,111 calories.

Meaning the remaining 45 pounds of muscle each pound on average required 3,111 calories. (Using rough math.)

Okay, we’re in the ballpark. The food intake required for his body recomposition is reasonably sound. (Doing this naturally without steroids is another thing entirely.)

This doesn’t take into account energy/calories required for the synthesis process to convert nutrients to muscle. But it’s a rough-cut estimate that appears to check out.

Remember, there’s also the question of water weight and muscle glycogen stores. Casey rehydrated his muscles and that water weight was counted as muscle.

The food intake / calorie balance seems reasonable given the body recomposition reported and the claims of diet Casey made.

Casey Viator and the Colorado Experiment: The Verdict

[Hey, Jordan here. I went to the gym. I’ll be back later to finish this masterpiece.]

So, to recap – Casey trained for 28 days using only Nautilus machines and gained 63 pounds of muscle in 7 hours of total training time. And no steroids were used.

I don’t buy it.

The weight gain and body recomposition is possible. MMA fighters, wrestlers and boxers deplete themselves for weigh-in then regain 20 pounds before their fight the next day.

But the sheer size of Casey Viator isn’t possible without steroids (or a genetic mutation that simulates steroids.)

Smoke and Mirrors

There are too many variables that cast doubt on the claim that this was done naturally. Even if it was, the before and after photos alone are misleading (since the lighting conditions, posture, body position, etc. were not consistent.) This hints at an attempt to alter the viewers perception of reality. If they are going to lie in the before-after photo by not making them consistent, they’d probably lie about steroid use.

The fact that the visual results were not display using the same stance, lighting, posture, body angle, clothing orientation, etc. Suggests this is an attempt to embellish the results. Which is not a scientific way to go about it. Science is unbiased (true science, not fake science).

Another post: The Colorado Experiment was put on by ring leader Arthur Jones. Mr. Jones created Nautilus training machines. He was a shrewd businessman and clever marketer. His Colorado Experiment had the intended effect – to get attention and create awareness for his Nautilus machines.

The Colorado Experiment was an effective marketing campaign and a win for Mr. Jones. People still talk about the it today. The publicity and attention gained is worth many, many millions of dollars for Nautilus.

Arthur was a smart man. Knew exactly what he was doing. People still talk about this experiment today.

Average Joe loves quick results. It was the perfect way to convince the lazy/dumb/naive consumer. On other note, it grew awareness for physical culture. It may have been a lie but you could argue it was a positive since it brought a lot of attention to physical training.

You be the Judge

Anyway dear reader, you can believe that this is all thanks to the magical Nautilus machine. Or that Casey Viator was simply a freak of nature. (He was. But a freak on juice more likely than not.)

This is an impossible for the average Joe. Hence the reason it hasn’t been duplicated since. The conditions where ‘perfect’ for this type of muscle growth. In preparation for the experiment.

It was literally his job. All he did was eat, train and recover. Since he only trained every other day for 30 minutes each time, he had a lot of time to recover. All his energy went into recovery. Either way, to be fair, enhanced or not, what Casey Viator achieved was an impressive feat.

This is the perfect example of smoke and mirrors in the bodybuilding and fitness space (and marketing in general).

The Colorado Experiment was a clever marketing ploy financed by Arthur Jones to market his line of exercise equipment: Nautilus. Growing brand awareness was the ultimate goal. And I’d say he hit his mark.

What do you think?

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About jordan.

Creator of Iron & Grit. Find me at the gym. How can I help you? Follow me on Instagram for fitness tips and meal ideas @ironandgrit

Michael Nemeth says

January 12, 2022 at 8:50 pm

Excellent article! I agree with almost everything. Its still iffy on my trust of Jones, cause I WANT to trust him. Was Casey on steroids? Absolutely. He confided in Mike Mentzer and Danny Padilla about it. Arthur said he was regaining muscle. I believe in almost everything about the experiment, except what you pointed out. Yes he performed it. Yes he built 63 pounds of bodyweight. But water weight? Darn. I never thought of that….. plus… Arthur said his body fat was down to, what? 3% or something? No way. Its evident in the before and after that his body fat barely changed if at all. He was extremely lean, for someone who hasn’t eaten and lifted in months due to injury. Arthur was a keen business man, yes. I trust what he said through his articles about hit. But he did make it seem like you could get incredible otherworldly results from hit. Never mentioned genetics and he, oddly for him,, seemed naive. Some people who worked him like his office manager, gained 2 inches on his arms in 2 months with negative only training. It was the 70s. I’m almost positive the guy was juicing. Arthur built 15 pounds during the experiment himself. Hit works like almost magic… if you have above average ( ABOVE!!!!! ) genetics. A testosterone machine. Agreed. Beautiful on paper. But flawed more than I realized. Thanks for the article!

Ben McLeod says

August 12, 2024 at 11:57 pm

From memory from a while back, I believe Casey was paid something insane like the rrp of a Corvette sports car per pound, but he would get nothing if he juiced. So for that reason I don’t think he done, because even if it was just worthless fat he’d get paid out. Before his last weigh in he probably drank half a gallon of water since each pound meant so much cash money to him haha

June 17, 2023 at 12:32 pm

This has to be written by someone who has no fitness experience. “ But 15-20+ reps in a set can really bring out the fullness and etch finer details into your musculature”…. With the amount of data available there is no way people still think rep ranges have different effects in hypertrophy. In fact, data supports 5-8 even be more effective for this

August 12, 2024 at 11:53 pm

One thing I would disagree with is him training heavy. Although ironically he did train with heavy weights, he actually trained in the 10-20 rep range which these days would be considered the sculpting range. What he must have been able to lift in the 3 rep range must have been terrifying.

Doing these high rep ranges shows a lot about his mental fortitude too, although he was known to burn out from bodybuilding frequently, if I had 20 reps of 75olb leg press as set 1 of my workout I’d be pretty unmotivated too

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The Colorado Experiment: Casey Viator & Arthur Jones

July 8, 2022

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Any conversation around Casey Viator eventually circles back to The Colorado Experiment. Arthur Jones invented Nautilus equipment for weight lifting. The Colorado Experiment was a way for Jones to see how much muscle Viator could build in a short period of time. 

The experiment ran over 28 days. Viator trained every other day. The experiment was in a controlled setting and Jones oversaw every workout. The training was intense and half the exercises involved negative-only reps. 

Viator built 27.25lbs of muscle in the first week. After the 28-day experiment, Viator added 63.21lbs of muscle. That’s an average of 2.26lbs of muscle a day. Viator started the experiment at a body weight of 166.87lbs and a body fat percentage of 13.8 percent. At the end of the 28-days, Viator’s body weight was 212.15lbs. Casey was 5 feet 8 inches and 21 years old. 

Arthur Jones ensured no supplements or steroids were used. Viator ate six meals a day for an average of 4,000 calories. Jones trained Viator on around twenty pieces of Nautilus equipment. Each workout averaged 12 exercises and lasted around 33 minutes. 

The results of The Colorado Experiment are impressive. So impressive there’s speculation around the authenticity of the study. The main argument against the results is the use of Casey Viator as a subject. Viator won the Mr. America contest two years before the study. He was the youngest ever winner, aged just nineteen. 

After winning Mr. America, Viator took two years off training. During that time Casey was involved in a near-fatal experience after suffering a reaction to an anti-tetanus injection. Casey lost over 33lbs of muscle in that time and was very deconditioned. 

Building muscle is very different from rebuilding muscle. The former is much harder. Critics of The Colorado Experiment explain that as Viator was rebuilding muscle, the results aren’t reflective of the average human. 

Arthur Jones didn’t disagree with the argument. Jones also added that Viator was a genetically superior bodybuilder. Winning Mr. America at a young age is proof enough that his genetics are far superior to most. The results have never been replicated to the same extent on other subjects. However, all subjects saw exceptional results (just not as dramatic as Viator’s).

The Colorado Experiment Workout

The program Jones designed was unusual. The exercises are common but there a few variables you need to consider.

One Set: the goal is to perform every exercise listed below for just one set to complete failure. Perform 6-8 reps per exercise and never cheat. Perfect form is essential. Add 5 percent once the weight is too light. 

Negatives : the program involves negative reps. This means you only perform the lowering portion of the exercise. Spread the rep over 4-8 seconds and have a partner help you reset the weight. Perform 6 to 8 reps as you would normally. Negative reps allow you to use around 30-40 percent extra weight.

Metabolic Conditioning: start out with a rest time of no longer than one minute. Gradually decrease the rest time to thirty seconds. This will allow for metabolic conditioning. Decreasing the rest time too quickly will impair your muscle gains. 

Below are all fourteen workouts used in the experiment. Remember to perform them on alternating days. You need at least one day of rest in between each workout. 

• Stiff-Legged Deadlift with Barbell
• Leg Extension Machine (Negative)
• Squat with Barbell
• Leg Curl Machine (Negative)
• Bent-Armed Pullover with EZ-Curl Bar
• Lat-Machine Pulldown to Chest
• Overhead Press with Barbell
• Chin-Up (Negative)
• Overhead Triceps Extension with Dumbbell
• Biceps Curl with Barbell (Negative)
• Bench Press with Barbell (Negative)
• Lateral Raise with Dumbbells
• Bent-Over Row with Barbell
• Dip (Negative)
• Shoulder Shrug with Barbell
• Behind Neck Chin-Up (Negative)
• Behind-Neck Pull-Up (Negative)

Workout #10

Workout #11.

• Biceps Curl with Barbell – (Negative)

Workout #12

• Wrist Curl with Barbell

Workout #13

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How to gain 63 pounds of Muscle in 28 Days: The Infamous Colorado Experiment

Yet in the early 1970s, Arthur Jones, creator of the Nautilus machines, claimed it was possible through his own brand of High Intensity Training (HIT). What’s more, he claimed he had scientific backing for his claims.

So what exactly happened during the Colorado Experiment conducted by Jones and was he telling the truth? Have strength enthusiasts been selling themselves sort by setting low targets for muscle gain? After all if such training can yield 15 to 63 pounds of muscle in one month it must be worth doing.

Background to the Experiment

Jone’s goal in conducting the experiment was to gain publicity and credibility for his particular type of High Intensity Training. As detailed by Randy Roach in ‘Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors’, Jone’s advocated a style of training that many in the bodybuilding industry were uncomfortable with. Jones maintained that a high intensity was required for optimal muscle building and promised that short bursts of high intensity interval training could produce remarkable results. An anecdote from the 1970s often told to demonstrate the intensity of Jone’s training was that renowned bodybuilding Champion Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t finish a workout with Arthur Jones because it was too hard.

For the Colorado Experiment, Jones teamed up with Dr. Elliot Plese at Colorado State University’s Department of Physical Education Laboratory to conduct a one-month long study. The goals laid out at the beginning of the study were as follows

• To prove that very brief workouts are capable of producing rapid and large scale increases in muscular mass and strength.
• That nothing apart from a reasonably balanced diet is required.
• That the so-called “growth drugs” (aka steroids) are not required.

Jones himself was a very outspoken and often disliked voice in the fitness industry. He had a poor opinion of the general consensus on fitness and was not shy about it. In numerous interviews, seminars and publications, Jones would regularly take pot-shots at others in the industry for using false claims and unsound training principles. Take steroids for example. Jones held the view that drug use hindered rather than enhanced muscular growth and strength. In many ways he was a voice for those uncomfortable with the shift towards steroids in training that swept across the US (and most of the Western world) from the middle of the 20 th century. For Jones what really counted was genetics and training. It couldn’t be any old training mind you, it had to be intense. Once such rules were applied, results would come. Or so it was promised.

The Experiment

In May 1973, Arthur Jones and Casey Viator began their training under the watchful eye of Dr. Plese. Everything they did would was monitored from their training to their eating patterns. It would be a month of training, eating, recovering and very little else. True to his word, Jones made sure they were put through their paces.

An illustrative example of a regular workout for Casey was as follows

• Leg Press 750lbs for 20 reps
• Leg Extension 225lbs for 20 reps
• Squat 502lbs for 13 reps
• Leg Curl 175lbs for 12 reps
• One-legged Calf Raise with 40lbs in one hand for 15 reps (Two-minute rest)
• Pullover 290lbs for 11 reps
• Behind-the-neck Lat Isolation 200lbs for 10 reps
• Row Machine 200lbs for 10 reps
• Behind-the-neck Lat Pull-downs 210lbs for 10 reps (Two-minute rest)
• Straight-armed Lateral Raise with Dumbbells 40lbs for 9 reps
• Behind-the-neck Shoulder Press 185lbs for 10 reps
• Bicep Curl Plate Loaded 110lbs for 8 reps
•  Chin-ups bodyweight for 12 reps
•  Tricep Extension 125lbs for 9 reps
•  Parallel Dip Bodyweight for 22 reps

The exercises were performed one after the other on Jone’s Nautilus Machines or MedX machines. Each set was done to failure and unless specified above, there was no rest between exercises. Jones once wrote of his training philosophy

“High-intensity training is not easy . . . the training sessions are brief, indeed must be brief, but there is an apparently natural inclination on the part of most subjects to hold back.”

In his 1999 autobiography, Viator described how Jones would often sit in on Casey’s training sessions and use a variety of tricks, including outright insults, to ensure Casey didn’t hold anything back. So the training was not only intense, it was supervised by a trainer who had no compulsion about a tough love approach.

Jones and Casey

What were in the results?

In September of that year, Jones publicised the results in Ironman magazine. An abbreviated version is posted here.

The Colorado Experiment by Arthur Jones

The following is a brief, preliminary report of an experiment conducted at Colorado State University in May of 1973.

Location . . . Department of Physical Education, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Supervision . . . Dr. Elliott Plese, Director of Exercise Physiology Lab., Colorado State University.

Dates … May 1, 1973 through May 29, 1973 for one subject (Casey Viator), an elapsed period of 28 days . . . and May 23, 1973 for the second subject (Arthur Jones), an elapsed period of 22 days…

First subject (Casey Viator), 28 days

Increase in bodyweight……..45.28 pounds

Loss of bodyfat…………..17.93 pounds

Muscular gain……………..63.21 pounds

Second subject (Arthur Jones), 22 days

Increase in bodyweight …….13.62 pounds

Loss of bodyfat……………1.82 pounds

Muscular gain……………..15.44 pounds

The results being claimed were nothing short of spectacular but Jones was quick to qualify such success:

It should be clearly understood that neither of the subjects was an “average” subject, and there is no implication that subjects of average or below average potential will all produce equal results from a similar program of exercises.

Casey Viator has trained on a fairly regular basis for a period of several years; with barbells and other conventional training equipment until June of 1970, at which point he placed third in the Mr. America contest and with both barbells and Nautilus equipment until June of 1971, when he won the Mr. America contest. From September of 1971 until September of 1972, he trained primarily with Nautilus equipment with limited use of a barbell, primarily the performance of barbell squats. From September of 1972 until December 23, 1972, he trained exclusively with Nautilus equipment limiting his exercises to “negative only” movements. At the end of that period of training he weighed 200.5 pounds.

In early January of 1973, he was involved in a serious accident at work and lost most of one finger as a result and almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection. For approximately four months, most of January through April of 1973, he did not train at all; and since his level of activity was low, his diet was reduced accordingly. During that period of four months, he lost approximately 33.63 pounds but 18.75 pounds were lost as a direct result of the accident and the near-fatal injection. So his loss from nearly four months out of training was only 14.88 pounds, less than a pound a week.

The second subject (the author, Arthur Jones) has trained on a very irregular basis for a period of thirty-four years … and reached a muscular bodyweight of 205 pounds at one time, nineteen years ago.

The author did no training of any kind for a period of approximately four years until late November of 1972 and then trained on a fairly regular basis in the “negative only” fashion for a period of approximately six weeks. Training was ceased entirely in early January of 1973 … and no training was done again until the start of the Colorado Experiment.

The author’s bodyweight has varied from approximately 145 to 160 over the last ten years briefly reaching a level of 190 at the end of approximately six months of steady training that was concluded four years prior to the start of 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.

Despite the predisposition of both men for muscle building, Jones seemingly left no doubts his form of training was effective. In fact he claimed both men had achieved such massive gains with workouts averaging 25minutes.

Was the Experiment Legitimate?

Unsurprisingly given the results claimed, scrutiny of the Colorado Experiment came quick and fast. After three decades, criticism has fallen under three broad spheres:

1) Replicability : The Colorado Experiment has never been repeated apart from individual cases by interested trainers. The whole point of the experiment was to gain scientific backing for High Intensity Training and the fact that no one has been able to repeat such results, or even a fraction of them, in a large scale study has hurt Jones’s findings. Jones did conduct another experiment, the ‘West Point’ experiment, using his form of training but finding the exact results from the study have proven difficult.

2) Selection Bias : Both Casey and Arthur had previously trained with weights before. Viator is famed for his amazing genetics and predisposition to muscle building. Likewise Jones had built a solid 190 pound physique years prior to the experiment. Many have speculated that the gains both men experienced came as a result of muscle memory (a physiological phenomena which makes it easier to put back muscle or strength that you lost).

3) Dirty Tricks : This is perhaps the most prevalent claim made against the experiment. Prior to the experiment Casey had lost over 40 pounds due to an allergic reaction to a tetanus shot. Coupled with such a hugh loss in bodyweight, roughly a month before the experiment Casey ate a restricted diet of 800 calories. This has led people to suggest that Casey’s staggering weight gain was due to a severe bounce back to his true size.

Other criticisms of the experiment have suggested that Casey took steroids during the experiment, something he denied until his death in 2013 or that Jones manipulated the results prior to publishing.

So was the Colorado Experiment a sham?

It’s difficult to say. Jones was very upfront about Casey’s genetic potential and the unique position both men were in. There is however another part to the tale that is often forgotten about

Returning to Jones’s Ironman article, the guru of high intensity training also noted that

Several members of the Denver Broncos Professional Football Team visited the lab for the purpose of observing the workouts, and then started training in an identical fashion during the last two weeks of the experiment . . . after the experiment, the Broncos placed an order for several Nautilus machines and drastically reduced their previous training schedule.

And while we were training in Colorado, members of several other professional football teams were training at our facility in Florida. . . in an identical fashion, three brief weekly workouts involving only one set of approximately a dozen exercises, with as much emphasis on the “negative” part of the work as possible.

One member of a Canadian professional team became so strong in the pullover exercise that he was using 675 pounds for several repetitions in good form . . . having started two months earlier with 275 pounds.

Lou Ross of the Buffalo Bills added 20 Pounds to his 6 foot, 7 inch frame … cut a full two-tenths from his already fast time in the 40 yard dash … added five and one-half inches to his high jump … and doubled his strength in many areas of movement. These figures having been provided by the Buffalo Bills coaching staff, who tested Lou before and after a two month Nautilus training program in Florida.

Mercury Morris of the World Champion Dolphins weighed-in 7 pounds above his previous highest weight and still ran the fastest 40 yards of his life when he was tested . . . following two months of Nautilus high-intensity training.

If one wants to learn about the real success of the Colorado experiment, the athletes mentioned in passing are perhaps the best case studies. Casey and Jones knew they would experience great results from the training, the athletes did not. So there’s a chance it wasn’t all ‘smoke and mirrors’, however small.

The Colorado Experiment is still shrouded in controversy. Some in the fitness industry cite it as proof that Jones’s methods were worth their weight in gold, others as proof that Jones was a trickster. Like so much else in the fitness industry, it’s up to the individual to believe in it or not.

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Other posts you may enjoy, 32 thoughts on “ how to gain 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days: the infamous colorado experiment ”.

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I played college football at Penn State in the early 1980’s. I was a highly recruited player (in the same recruiting class and Parade All America team with John Elway, Dan Marino, Jeff Hoffstetler, Eric Dickerson and RB Curt Warner to name just a few) and a big reason that I chose to accept a scholarship to play at PSU was the strength and conditioning program that was run there by Dan Riley. Riley came to PSU from West Point and was involved in the West Point experiment. I had already read about it (by the way, there was a book in which the results of the West Point Experiment were published) and in high school I spent periods training with the standard “Periodization” Approach- multiple sets, heavy weights & not much focus on the character of each repetition and the High Intensity Training “HIT” approach advocated by A. Jones and Dr. Ellington Darden. I am a firm believer in science (I went on to earn a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Rice University) and at that time I did not find the quality of support in the scientific literature for the “Periodization” Approach as I found for the principles behind HIT. The nature of the strength training of a college football program made a big difference to me. Consequently, I chose PSU over Notre Dame (who had no strength training program then), Nebraska (home of the Icon Boyd Eply, who was an advocate of Periodization), Alabama, Ohio State, UNC (all Periodization programs) and many others because I felt that the best way for me to meet my potential was through a great strength program combined with great coaching in a pro-style offense. Of course Joe Paterno’s “Great Experiment”, the philosophy that big-time football and high caliber academics could and should co-exist was also a tremendous attraction.

The information above was background to establish some credibility for the observations I will provide. These observations support the author’s point about how the results cited by NFL players, who tried the HIT approach, serve as replication of the results of the Colorado Experiment. In my time at PSU, I saw results that supported Jones’ assertions. A few examples that I saw involved players in the class a year ahead of me. During my recruiting trip in January of 1979, I met 3 players who would go on to be 1st and 2nd round NFL draft picks (two 1st rounders and one 2nd rounder). At that time they all ranged between 6’1″ and 6’3″ in height and weighed between 225 and 235 lbs. in high school all three had played fullback and defensive end. When I came back in late April to visit for a spring scrimmage, I learned that their weights ranged between 240-245 lbs. and when I reported for pre-season practice, in August, there weights ranged between 245-255 lbs. and all three ran faster 40 times than when they weighed between 225-230 lbs. At that time these guys were playing Offensive Guard (2 of them, both starting) and the other was a back-up inside LB, who was starting as a DT before the season ended due to injuries and his continued growth. By the time the three finished their senior years, all three played at 265 lbs, with the fastest running a 40 yard dash in 4.6 sec. and the slowest ran 4.85 sec. They could have been larger, but our line coaches restricted them to no more that 265 lbs. because they believed that if the weight wasn’t muscle, it was unnecessary baggage. During their last season we played teams with bigger guys like the USC Trojans and I remember watching the two OG’s literally beating the DT’s across from them, almost to death. In that game, our RB, Curt Warner finished the game with more yards than the Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen (who did not break 100 yards that game). That was a tribute to how dominant our O and D Lines were in that game and a big reason for that was our HIT strength and conditioning.

The reason that PSU adapted HIT for strength and conditioning was multi-fold and it fit perfectly with the philosophy of the program. Paterno’s recognized that for his “Great Experiment” to succeed, guys had to have time to get everything done. We had to use time efficiently. I recall that before each practice, the schedule for the practice was posted for all to see and it was broken down into 30 sec intervals and usually ran for about an hour and a half (rarely ever approaching 2 hours). Because time was a premium, we never did anything that did not have a clear and direct link to the game. There were no Mickey Mouse drills and conditions came from us sprinting between drills and our strength training (because the high cardio demands of HIT). We ran after practice only 2 maybe 3 times a season. The HIT approach fit nicely with the desire for efficiency because during the season we lifted only 2 times a week (to avoid overtraining) and each session took no more than about 35 minutes to complete. During the off-season we lifted 3 times a week, with each session lasting no longer than 40 minutes. Another very desirable aspect of this approach is that we never used or approached maximum weights during lifting sessions because Riley also emphasized safety and exercising in a manner that emphasized proper technique to avoid injury.

So HIT yielded many benefits for PSU football. We saw amazing growth in muscle mass and strength and speed, minimum time expended in the weight room, leaving more time for meeting and academics and almost no injuries occurring during strength and conditioning.

Now I realize that some could take me to task for only citing 3 guys, but these 3 guys were just examples of what occurred with a number of guys. The point that Jones makes about genetic freaks definitely plays a big role in how many guys can show this kind of growth. Dan Rilely was also very aware of this. He used to say that all of the guys on the team were genetic freaks. A very small proportion of the population has the combination of size, speed, strength and athleticism of major college football players, and only a small subset of that group has the genetic potential to grow in the manner of the three people that I described. To further exemplify this fact, the most challenging times trying to block people I experienced occurred in practice, rather than games and that includes games in which Infaced first round draft picks.

I think that the results of the West Point experiment are the most revealing about the validity of using HIT for muscle growth. It was a real experiment that contained a control group and a “treatment group” and the population tested was not chocked full of genetic freaks. Yet, the treatment group had very significant gains relative to the control group. To me, that is the “proof” of the advantages of HIT.

This is absolutely fascinating, thanks so much for sharing it here. Do you happen to know the name of the book containing the West Point results?

Fantastic to read from someone who was so closely related to the beginnings of Jones’ system. As nowadays it’s been diluted quite radically in some quarters.

If you didn’t mind my asking, how did Riley’s weight lifting philosophy compare with those of other colleges? Did other teams give such it the time it deserved or avoid it in favour of more traditional training regimes?

Additionally how long did you continue the HIIT method post-college and do you feel it works best in short time periods (1-2 seasons) or is truly a lifelong approach?

Thanks once more for your fascinating read! Just so much wonderful information there!

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The value of intensive exercise during very short time periods has been amply documented, there is a lot of info corroborating your article on the web.

Even short, 5 or 10 minute brisk walks interrupting your office work several times a day, are now known to do more for your cardiovascular health than hours long exercizing several times a week.

Absolutely and it’s interesting to note the rise of High Intensity Interval training as a form of weight loss during the past two decades. Many now prefer short bursts of activity in place of long hours on the treadmill!

Total fiction, forget the loss of weight due to accident, illness or diet beforehand or whatever else is used as some type of excuse, there is no way that a person can gain over 2lbs of “muscle” per day AND lose nearly a pound of fat per day and be a human being. Not even with the best drugs. It’s amazing that people actually believe an unverified study done by a self-interested person with no research background. Where is the raw data? Where are the methodologies? Where are the peer reviews? Even the follow up West Point study didn’t show anywhere near these results in a 17 week trial. In fact, that study didn’t even attempt to measure fat and muscle loss and gain during the study from what I’ve heard about it.

The pictures, one must wonder how long apart and which was really the before and the after, show the classic marketing angles of puffing up, angling, clothing arrangement et al. It’s clear that Viator was already well conditioned and already over halfway through his genetic potential for muscle growth even before the study. It’s also clear that there is no way he is 45 pounds heavier in the “after” picture, nor did he lose nearly 20lbs of fat. Seriously, are people this gullible?

Hi DGB, how are you? Thanks so much for dropping by. You have fantastically laid out many of the criticisms and critiques that have been applied to the Colorado Study over the years.

The purpose of the article is not to present the study as fact (as I myself am skeptical of the results) but rather to highlight one of the most important ‘scientific’ trials in bodybuilding at that time.

This study and the one at West Point were used by Arthur Jones and others as proof that his system worked. What is important is that they appeared scientific, at least by bodybuilding standards, and also heralded in a new training method in the Nautilus era. Jones himself was a highly intelligent man so who knows why these standards weren’t put into place as you point out.

Whether or not people are gullible…I think the rise and fall of numerous fitness trends answers your question!!

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My name is Jimmy Allen, and I trained exclusively the HIT training regime. While in the Marine Corps stationed in South Carolina I would drive down to Lake Helen Fla. and train at the quansat hut, under Author Jones. That was the year Sergio was getting ready for the Mr. Universe. I was 22 years old then. Now I’m sitting on top of 70 year’s. I have had physically degenerating sever arthritis. Both shoulders have been total replacement, hip total replacement and soon too have both knees replaced. I’m into 14th training session as of 11/7/17 my knee supporting muscle tissue has improved dramatically in the 14 workouts. All workouts single primary movement to a compound movement. 12 exercises total.

Conor, This is Lou Bartek, the person who played football at Penn State and commented on your blog about HIT and Author Jones. You asked several questions in reply to my comments and I am just seeing them now. I will be happy to address your questions, but prefer not to do it online. So if you respond to me using a private email address, I will do my best to answer your questions about the West Point Experiment etc.

Best, Lou Bartek

Louis R. Bartek III, Ph.D.

Cell- 919-259-9263

Email- [email protected]

Hi Jimmy. How are you? Thanks so much for stopping by and please do forgive my late reply.

That’s fantastic to hear that you’re still training. Something for me to aim for! Are you still following a Jones esque plan of training? With modifications of course!

A number of Viator’s contemporaries such as Jeff Everson and Dave Draper have claimed that Casey admitted to steroid use before, during and after the Colorado Experiment. And it is very likely that Jones knew about it and choose to turn a blind eye to it.

The weight gain. Just as surely it was not all muscle. Muscle simply does not grow that fast. That is an average of 1.5 lbs of muscle per day. And remember that is muscle (not fat or anything else but lean body mass). I have no doubt that Casey did indeed gain some muscle but most of it was simply gaining back what he had before. As for losing fat, no, that was pure speculation on Jones’ part.

How do I know this? Because to lose fat the body must be in a caloric deficit. Casey went from eating 800 to 5000 calories so where is this deficit coming from? Moreover (and this is something rarely touched on) when you undertake a severely restricted diet for for any real length of time, your metabolism slows down. At 800 a day it must have been crawling. But this takes time (1-2 weeks) and assuming that you haven’t permanently damaged your metabolism by said diet it also takes about the same amount of time to get back to where you were before.

So for at least the first week, if not longer, Casey was consuming 5000 calories a day on the metabolism of a turtle. By all the laws of human physiology he MUST have gained fat. Even after it picked up, he wasn’t in a caloric deficit because remember he was gaining muscle. Again according to human physiology you can not gain muscle while losing fat AND at the SAME time be in a caloric deficit.

Bottom line. Both Jones and Casey had a financial interest in this project. Their claims violated both the laws of thermodynamics and human physiology. Anyone who tells you different has an agenda to push. Oh and as for the football players…As already pointed out they were genetic freaks. They would likely have gained the same mass from any training program.

Absolutely right to point this out. Its a pity people haven’t replicated it with more rigorous controls. You’re right to be sceptical on this and it’s well worth remembering that even modern claims of miracle muscle gain are usually suspect!

http://irongangsta.blogspot.com.es/2013/04/bodybuilding-dirty-little-secrets.html?m=1

Scroll down a bit less than about halfway to read the interview with Casey.

I can’t speak as for the veracity of this site or the interview but from what other people have said about Casey privately admitting to them…it seems in line with the rest.

Huh thanks for sharing this Reilly. I’ll be spending the next wee while trying to track down the sources in greater detail. Hope all is well 🙂

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I think Jones was a complete con merchant regarding this ‘experiment’, I have used his machines in the past though and found them of top quality!

Hi Nick, I’d agree with you on the weight gain. In particular Casey’s obvious underrating allowed for an incredible weight increase once he began training again.

What I do admire about Jones however was his determination to try something new and his eye for new inventions. Have you ever used his Lat Pullover machines? Their gold imho!

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Thank you for sharing this informative article,i really liked the way this article explained everything in details, will follow this tips to gain muscles.

https://musclesfuelz.com/product-category/protein/

Thanks so much. I’ll check out that article now!

Hello, my name is Fred, I am 54 years old. About 10 years ago, I tried a multi-exercise diet. I mean, I trained all the muscles, few series and repetitions, and a lot of weight, but I ate every 2 hours, and I gained 1 pound per day in two days. Give up exercise and diet for two reasons. I ended up sore and tired, as well as irritated in my anal part, since I defecated every so often. I came to defecate more than 4 times a day. I am ectomorph and lactovegetarian. I can attach the data of the exercise if you ask me for the information. On another occasion, I gained 2 pounds in a week, training 3 times in a week, two days in a row and resting one and then training, and resting the other days. The supplements I used were: creatine, glutamine and BCAA. Note I am a Dietitian Nutritionist, and I have tried certain exercises due to my physical condition of ectomorph, and difficulty in gaining weight. I think Casey used steroids, and if he did gain weight it couldn’t have been more than 1 pound a day. But lose fat a little. Maybe define yourself a bit, because if you can gain mass and lose some weight. On another occasion an 18-year-old teenage friend gained 10 pounds in a month, and with my guidance he was gaining weight on the barbells and dumbbells, previously using weights and doing body exercises to warm up. Training apart no more than 1 hour, and 3 times a week, I think it was because of food, exercise and his youthful testosterone. His former gym trainer told him that it was difficult for him to gain 2 pounds a month. Like I said before, my nutritional guidance, targeted exercises, and his youthful testosterone made him gain 10 pounds in a month. I am from Ecuador, South America, and I am using the google translator.

Thank you for stopping by. Like you I have tried my fair share of diets…with varying success!

We are top dealers in steroids and hgh of top notch quality. Delivery of HGH is available for Europe, Canada, Australia and within the US, while steroids can only be shipped to Canada and within the US. What you see is what you get. https://buypharmagrade.com/

What if a person with the genetics of one of the people tried this?

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The 4-Hour Body Workout: On the Colorado Experiment and Tim Ferriss

Build Muscle / 7:55 am by Christian Finn

A while back, I read a book called The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman .

The blurb claims that it’s the “result of an obsessive quest, spanning more than a decade, to hack the human body. It contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of jaw-dropping personal experimentation.”

The trailer below gives you a flavor of what the book is about.

One of the chapters in there that caught my eye is called From Geek to Freak: How to Gain 34 Pounds in 28 Days .

In it, author Timothy Ferriss describes his experiences with a month-long training program based on the so-called Colorado Experiment.

Despite just two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 4 hours of gym time, Tim claims that he gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days while also losing 3 pounds of fat.

What was the Colorado Experiment? And is it really possible to gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days using the 4-Hour Body workout?

What Was the Colorado Experiment?

The Colorado Experiment wasn’t really an experiment. It was a giant marketing exercise by Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus range of exercise machines.

Like Ferriss, Jones was a marketing genius. The fact people are still talking about the Colorado Experiment decades later shows what a thorough job he did.

The major purpose of the study, according to Arthur Jones, was to show “that the growth of human muscular tissue is related to the intensity of exercise” and that “increases in strength and muscle mass are rapidly produced by very brief and infrequent training, if the intensity of exercise is high enough.”

Basically, he wanted to show that high-intensity training (HIT for short), done using his own brand of Nautilus machines, was the fastest and most effective way to build muscle. 

At a time when training for two hours twice a day was considered normal, Jones caused controversy when he claimed that you could get better results with shorter workouts, but with each set taken to the point of momentary muscular failure.

“The set should be terminated only when it is impossible to move the weight in any position,” Jones wrote in one of his Nautilus Bulletins. “When the bar literally drops out of your exhausted hands.”

FREE: The Muscle Building Cheat Sheet . This is a quick guide to building muscle, which you can read online or keep as a PDF, that shows you exactly how to put on muscle. To get a FREE copy of the cheat sheet emailed to you, please click or tap here . GET THE CHEAT SHEET

The “experiment” ran for a period of 28 days back in May 1973. In it, Casey Viator, who was the youngest ever winner of the AAU Mr. America contest in 1971, allegedly gained 63.21 pounds of muscle and lost 17.93 pounds of fat. And he did it all using only Nautilus equipment.

Sixty three pounds is a lot of muscle, far more than most people can expect to gain in a lifetime. Viator reportedly did it in just 28 days. What’s going on?

How Arthur Jones Stacked The Deck

Prior to taking part in the Colorado Experiment, Viator almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection. He also hadn’t trained for five months, and ended up losing a large chunk of muscle .

Before the experiment started, Casey was also dieting hard. He was eating less than 800 calories per day after being told, in his own words, to “lose as much as I possibly could.”

“Going that low, I was emaciated,” he says. “My eyes were sunken three inches into my head! Then during the experiment I got a cash incentive for every pound I gained, so I had great reason to put on weight.”

He ended up losing over 30 pounds, with much of that lost weight coming from muscle.

The idea was to stack the deck so that Casey lost as much muscle as possible. Then, when he started training and eating properly again, it would make his gains that much bigger. Due to a phenomenon known as muscle memory, rebuilding lost muscle happens a lot faster than gaining in the first place.

Was Casey Viator Taking Drugs?

Google around for information about the Colorado Experiment, and you’ll come across a lot of debate over whether or not Casey Viator was taking anabolic steroids at the time.

Here’s what Bill Starr, the guy who popularized the 5×5 training programs that were popular a while back, had to say on the subject:

One of Arthur’s greatest marketing schemes revolved around the amazing progress that Casey Viator had made in just a month while using Nautilus machines exclusively. It was called the Colorado Experiment and helped Jones move a lot of equipment. What the public didn’t know was that Casey was taking steroids the whole time without telling Arthur and he was also sneaking out to a local YMCA to train with some real weights. I know this because Casey told me so.” Bill Starr

For Casey’s part, he says he was clean. While he doesn’t deny drug use in his bodybuilding career, he does claim not to have used them during the Colorado Experiment.

Here’s what Casey told Randy Roach, author of Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors :

I didn’t need them in that situation. I was gaining muscle I already had. Arthur was offering me X number of dollars per pound of muscle gain. It was the equivalent to the price of a Corvette at the time. If Arthur would have thought that I was taking steroids, the deal was off.” Casey Viator

Kim Wood, former strength coach and strong anti-drug advocate, also says that it would have been difficult (but not impossible) for Casey to have taken drugs since Wood’s brother was staying with Casey at the time to monitor the no-drug clause.

However, unless you’re literally following someone around 24/7, going to the bathroom with them, sleeping in the same bed as they are, you’re not going to know if they’re secretly taking a few pills here or an injection there.

What’s more, anabolic steroids weren’t illegal back then, so Casey didn’t have to worry about breaking the law. You could also get the drugs prescribed by a doctor, so you knew what you were getting, rather than a counterfeit product containing who knows what.

You still need an iron-fisted work ethic combined with an almost superhuman level of persistence and dedication. Drugs don’t change that. But they do allow you to gain muscle at a rate that would have been impossible without them.

If I was being paid a substantial amount of money for every pound of muscle gained over a 28-day period, and there was an opportunity to take some drugs to speed things up, I’d be first in line.

Did Casey Viator Really Gain 63 Pounds of Muscle?

Casey’s weight increased by a little over 45 pounds during the 28-day experiment. However, he also reportedly lost 18 pounds of fat, for a total muscular gain of 63 pounds.

Given that he only trained 14 times, with each workout lasting a little over half an hour, that’s an average increase in muscle mass of 4.5 pounds per workout. None of which even remotely passes the reality check.

The only way to actually measure your body composition (as opposed to estimating it) is through carcass analysis, where all the fat is stripped out from a dead body and weighed.

There are various body fat tests out there, such as DEXA and body fat scales , which give you a rough idea about the amount of muscle mass you gain over time. But even today, these tests are not very accurate.

Casey’s body composition was estimated by something called a whole-body potassium counter, which works by measuring the radiation given off by potassium in the body’s fat-free mass.

While whole-body potassium counters were state of the art back in the 1970’s, their use has declined over the years. That’s possibly because the results, if the estimates of Casey’s body composition are anything to go by, are complete bullshit.

If you look at Casey’s pictures, which you can see more of in the video below, there’s no way he’s 2.47% body fat. Add another ten percent to that number and you’re probably closer to the mark.

Every so often, somebody invokes the Colorado Experiment as undeniable proof that brief and infrequent training is the way to go, usually in an attempt to sell some new variation of HIT to a new generation of unsuspecting rookies.

All of which brings me on to the subject of Timothy Ferriss and The 4-Hour Body workout.

The 4-Hour Body Workout

Here’s the workout that, along with a diet providing 5,000-8,000 calories per day, Tim claims is responsible for his remarkable results.

Pullover + Yates’s Bent Row 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Shoulder-Width Leg Press 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Pec Deck + Weighted Dips 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Leg Curl 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Reverse Thick-Bar Curl 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Seated Calf Raise 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Manual Neck Resistance 1 set x 8-12 repetitions Machine Crunch 1 set x 8-12 repetitions

Each set was taken to failure (i.e., reaching the point where you can no longer move the weight). He also performed every repetition with a 5/5 cadence (five seconds up, five seconds down). The “+” indicates the use of a superset.

There are some elements of Tim’s 4-Hour Body workout that I like. Training a muscle group two or three times a week, for example, generally works better than training it once a week.

But the other training methods Tim employed (slow lifting speeds and single rather than multiple sets ) have not been shown to produce the kind of dramatic gains in size or strength that Ferriss is claiming.

Is It Even Possible to Gain 34 Pounds of Muscle in 28 Days?

Well, that really depends on how you define the term “muscle.”

Tim has previously described how he arrived at a Sanshou (Chinese kickboxing) contest weighing 187 pounds, dropped 22 pounds (down to 165) in time to be weighed in, before adding 28 pounds to compete the next morning at 193 pounds.

In other words, Ferriss was able to gain 28 pounds of “fat-free mass” in just 12 hours. This was done by manipulating fluid and glycogen levels in his body with the use of water, glycerol, carbohydrate and creatine.

Something else to consider is the fact that Ferriss was re-building some of the muscle he’d lost during tango training in Buenos Aires. When he started his experiment, Ferris weighed just 146 pounds, which is around 30 pounds lighter than his regular weight.

Why does this matter? A phenomenon known as “muscle memory” means that re-building lost muscle is a lot easier than gaining it in the first place.

When you take all of this into account, a 34-pound gain over 28 days doesn’t seem quite so unbelievable. But if you leave muscle memory and fluid manipulation OUT of the picture, the idea that you can gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days is total BS.

The vast majority of people would be doing remarkably well to gain 34 pounds of muscle in a year, let alone 28 days.

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The Colorado Experiment: Fact or Fiction

by Ellington Darden, PhD

Did casey viator really gain 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days, it's one of the greatest bodybuilding stories ever told. and people have been talking about it for over 40 years. but is it true here's the real story, written by a man who actually knows..

The Colorado Experiment took place in May of 1973 at Colorado State University. The purpose of the experiment was to produce a high level of muscular growth by training Casey Viator every other day, or 14 times in 28 days, in a supervised university setting.

Nautilus-inventor Arthur Jones personally trained Casey for every workout. Training was intense, progressive, and involved a negative-only repetition style on 50 percent of the exercises.

During the first week alone, Viator gained 27.25 pounds of solid muscle. Repeat: That’s 27.25 pounds of muscle in 7 days, or an average of 3.9 pounds of muscle per day. The facts show that during week 1, Viator gained 20.25 pounds of body weight and lost 7 pounds of fat, for a total of 27.25 pounds of muscle mass.

Viator’s overall muscle mass gain in 28 days was 63.21 pounds. That was an average muscle mass increase of 2.26 pounds per day.

There are a lot of speculations, accusations, and outright urban myths about the Colorado Experiment. Some are humorous, some are about disbelief, and others are malicious. I’ll address all of them below, but the inarguable fact is, Casey Viator gained an enormous amount of muscle in a very short time.

Casey Viator Colorado Experiment Before and After Photos

My Connection

The month following the Colorado Experiment I was at the AAU Mr. America contest in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, when Arthur Jones and Casey Viator released preliminary information about the results.

In July of 1973, Jones recruited me to become Director of Research for Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries, and I worked in that capacity for 20 years. One of my first projects at Nautilus was to become very familiar with the Colorado Experiment. Jones had a folder that contained all the workout routines and Jones’s wife, Liza, had a notebook that she used to record Viator’s daily food intake. I still have copies of that material.

All the relevant data were separated and assembled. Nautilus printed and distributed thousands of brochures on the Colorado Experiment. I published the results in several of my books, and three or four other authors did the same.

My own history with Viator goes back some four years earlier than the Colorado Experiment. I first met Casey in a bodybuilding contest in Texas in 1969 and competed against him for the next two years. While at the Nautilus headquarters in Lake Helen, Florida, from 1973 to 1980, I trained and photographed Casey numerous times, especially in preparation for the 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe contest.

Concerning Jones, I met him in August of 1970 at the AAU Mr. USA contest in New Orleans and visited him in Lake Helen, Florida, multiple times over the next three years. I kept in regular contact with Jones until he died in 2007.

Now, let’s get to the actual facts, figures, and fiction of the Colorado Experiment.

Before I address some of the fiction surrounding the Colorado Experiment, here are the pertinent facts you need to know:

• Fact – On April 30, 1973, pre-experiment measurements were taken of Casey Viator’s body composition by Dr. James Johnson, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Colorado State University.
• Fact – Casey Viator, age 21, at a height of 5 feet 8 inches, had a starting weight of 166.87 pounds. His percentage of body fat, as measured by the “potassium whole body counter,” was 13.8 percent.
• Fact – The experiment was conducted from May 1, 1973, through May 29, 1973, for an elapsed period of 28 days.
• Fact – No special food supplements were used. No growth drugs or steroids were engaged. A reasonably well-balanced diet was consumed, with Viator eating six meals per day.
• Fact – The last week of April 1973, 20 pieces of Nautilus equipment, including some negative-type prototypes, were delivered and moved into Dr. Elliot Plese’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Fact – Arthur Jones and Casey Viator flew into Fort Collins and remained until the end of May.
• Fact – Arthur Jones personally trained Casey and pushed him to his limit on each exercise. Viator’s routines averaged 12 exercises. Each workout averaged 33.6 minutes.
• Fact – Viator’s ending body weight was 212.15 pounds with 2.47 percent body fat. That was an increase of 45.28 pounds of body weight, which included a loss of 17.93 pounds of fat.
• Fact – During the first week alone, Viator gained 27.25 pounds of solid muscle. Repeat: That’s 27.25 pounds of muscle in 7 days, almost 4 pounds of muscle per day. The facts show that during week 1, Viator gained 20.25 pounds of body weight and lost 7 pounds of fat, for a total of 27.25 pounds of muscle mass.
• Fact – Viator’s overall muscle mass gain in 28 days was 63.21 pounds. That was an average muscle mass increase of 2.26 pounds per day.

The Criticism

“casey was far from average, and he was rebuilding muscle he had lost.”.

To prevent any misunderstanding, Jones was careful to always note that Viator’s results were anything but average. They were exceptional most notably because Viator was an exceptionally gifted athlete, with long muscle bellies throughout his body.

Jones also pointed out that two years earlier Viator won the 1971 AAU Mr. America, weighing 218 pounds. After winning the contest, Viator took some time off from training and returned in December of 1972, weighing 200.5 pounds. In early January of 1973, Viator was involved in a serious accident involving a wire-extrusion machine, and lost most of the little finger on his right hand. Then, he almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection.

As a result, from January through April of 1973, Viator did no training. In fact, most of the time he was depressed and he had little appetite. His muscles atrophied, and he lost 33.63 pounds, with 18.75 of the pounds being attributed to the near-fatal injection. Some, perhaps most, of Viator’s success from the Colorado Experiment was that he was rebuilding muscle that he had already built two years earlier.

“To gain that much muscle, Casey must have been on steroids.”

Casey was not on steroids during the Colorado Experiment. Arthur Jones was clearly against anabolic drugs of any kind and made this clear in all his writings. He noted in his report on the Colorado Experiment that “the use of so-called growth drugs (steroids) is neither necessary nor desirable.”

In anticipation that Casey might be accused of taking drugs during the experiment, Arthur hired the toughest guy available to shadow Casey 24/7. Who was this guy? It was Tom Wood, and I’ve spoken with Tom several times about his participation in the Colorado Experiment and he confirms Casey did not take anabolic steroids during the 28-day study.

“Jones force fed Casey Viator each day.”

Arthur did not believe in force feeding or in “bulking” diets. A daily food diary was kept for Casey and everything he consumed was meticulously recorded. I personally examined this diary and calculated the total number of daily calories Casey ingested. He never ate more than 5,000 calories and most days were closer to 4,000, which is minimal considering the brutal workouts he was going through.

“Casey’s before-and-after photos don’t look like he actually gained 63.21 pounds of muscle.”

Arthur employed rather flat lighting, as opposed to contrast lighting, because he wanted to influence the coaching and medical professions more than the bodybuilding world. Extreme muscularity would have been a turn off in the market that Jones most wanted to influence.

I visited with Casey shortly after the completion of the Colorado Experiment and he took off his shirt and did some poses. His physique in person was significantly more muscular and ripped, compared to the flatness that was displayed in the after photographs.

Additionally, Jones was a precise administrator of circumference measurements, but he used these parameters to satisfy his own curiosity and this data were not published. However, shortly after the Colorado Experiment, I asked Jones to let me see Casey’s before-and-after measurements. The third time I pestered him for the numbers, here’s what Arthur reported:

“Casey added 2-1/8 inches on each contracted arm, 5-7/8 inches on his chest, 2 inches on his waist, and 3 inches on each thigh.” – Arthur Jones

Considering those measurements, along with the flat lighting of the comparison photos, then a gain of 45.28 pounds of body weight and 63.21 pounds of muscle are, in my view, much more plausible.

The Colorado Experiment is a hoax, because no one has ever come close to duplicating the results.

Casey had what I considered to be one-in-a-million genetics for bodybuilding. So duplicating the results would be extremely difficult, especially considering Viator was mostly rebuilding muscle he had previously built. Even though they don’t have the genetics of Casey, I’ve put a number of above-average men through programs similar to the Colorado Experiment.

Here are the muscle gains of eight of those subjects:

• David Hudlow built 18.5 pounds of muscle in 11 days. Documented in The New High-Intensity Training.
• Eddie Mueller built 18.25 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks. Documented in Massive Muscles in 10 Weeks.
• Todd Waters built 15.25 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in High-Intensity Strength Training.
• Jeff Turner built 18.25 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks. Documented in GROW.
• Keith Whitley built 29 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in Bigger Muscles in 42 Days.
• David Hammond built 22.5 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in Bigger Muscle in 42 Days.
• Joe Walker added 17.38 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in The Body Fat Breakthrough.
• Shane Poole built 19.34 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in The Body Fat Breakthrough.

1. One Extremely Intense Set

Perform one extremely intense set of each exercise listed in a workout. You’ve heard the term “leave it all in the gym.” I want you to “leave it all in the set.” This type of training is brutally hard. And if you find yourself wanting to do another set of an exercise, rest assured, you’re doing it dead wrong . Some workouts list certain exercises more than once, but never back-to-back.

2. Regular Style Exercise

Regular style exercise is where you perform both the positive (lifting) phase and the lowering (negative) phase of each repetition. Perform both phases smoothly, lifting the weight in 1 to 2 seconds and lowering the weight in 2 to 3 seconds. Continue each regular-style exercise until it’s impossible to do the full-range positive phase.

3. Negative-Only Style Exercise

You need one or two spotters to perform most negative-only exercises. Spotters help you lift the weight into the starting position so that you can lower the weight, unassisted. Load the bar or machine with 30 to 40 percent more resistance than you could regularly handle. Spotters help you lift the bar or movement arm to the top position and make a smooth transfer to your contracted muscles. You lower the resistance slowly back to the starting position in 4 to 8 seconds, and repeat the procedures for 6 to 8 controlled negative-only repetitions. Discontinue a negative-only exercise when you are unable to lower weight in 3 seconds.

4. Rep Ranges

For regular exercises, select a weight that allows the performance of between 7 and 10 repetitions. For negative-only exercises, select a weight that allows the performance of between 6 and 8 repetitions. Once you can perform the maximum of a rep range in good form, add 5 percent more weight the next time you do the exercise.

5. Progression

Attempt constantly to increase the number of repetitions or amount of weight, or both. Never sacrifice form in the attempt to make progress.

6. Metabolic Conditioning

Metabolic conditioning is an important part of the Colorado Experiment. To maximize this effect, without limiting strength and muscle gains, start off by resting no more than one minute between sets. The goal, however, is to decrease rest periods to 30 seconds, which should be done over several workouts. Decreasing rest periods too quickly will impair strength and muscle gains.

7. Training Partner

For best gains, team up with a serious training partner who can reinforce proper form and intensity on each exercise, as well as spot you on negative-only exercises. If you train with a partner, do not take turns on each exercise. Each person should complete an entire workout prior to switching to the other person.

8. Workout Journal

It’s very important to keep accurate records – date, exercises, order, resistance, repetitions, and overall training time – of each workout.

Complete exercise descriptions are listed at the end of the article.

The Workouts

1. tue – may 1, 1973.

• Stiff-Legged Deadlift with Barbell – Regular
• Leg Extension Machine – Negative Only
• Squat with Barbell – Regular
• Leg Curl Machine – Negative Only
• Bent-Armed Pullover with EZ-Curl Bar – Regular
• Lat-Machine Pulldown to Chest – Regular
• Overhead Press with Barbell – Regular
• Chin-Up – Negative Only
• Overhead Triceps Extension with Dumbbell – Regular
• Biceps Curl with Barbell – Negative Only

2. Wed – May 2, 1973

• Bench Press with Barbell – Negative Only
• Lateral Raise with Dumbbells – Regular
• Dip – Regular

3. Thu – May 3, 1973

• Bent-Over Row with Barbell – Regular
• Dip – Negative Only
• Shoulder Shrug with Barbell – Regular
• Behind Neck Chin-Up – Negative Only

Off Fri – May 4, 1973

4. sat – may 5, 1973.

• Chin-Up – Regular

Off Sun – May 6, 1973

5. mon – may 7, 1973, off tue – may 8, 1973, off wed – may 9, 1973, 6. thu – may 10, 1973, off fri – may 11, 1973, 7. sat – may 12, 1973.

• Behind-Neck Pull-Up – Negative Only

Off Sun – May 13, 1973

8. mon – may 14, 1973, off tue – may 15, 1973, 9. wed – may 16, 1973, off thu – may 17, 1973, 10. fri – may 18, 1973, off sat – may 19, 1973, 11. sun – may 20, 1973, off mon – may 21, 1973, 12. tue – may 22, 1973.

• Wrist Curl with Barbell – Regular

Off Wed – May 23, 1973

13. thu – may 24, 1973, off fri – may 25, 1973, 14 . sat – may 26, 1973, exercise descriptions, 1. behind-neck pull-up – negative only.

This exercise uses a horizontal chin-up bar. You also need a sturdy bench. Perform the positive work by stepping up on the bench and the negative work by lowering your body with your arms. Take an overhand grip on the bar, with your hands approximately 12 inches wider than your shoulders. Climb into the top position and place the bar behind your neck. Your elbows should be down and back. Hold the top position tightly and ease your feet off the bench. Lower your body slowly in 6-8 seconds. At the bottom, stretch briefly, and climb back quickly to the top, and begin another negative rep. You should feel this exercise deeply in your biceps, lats, and shoulders.

Note: It’s doubtful that you’ll need to add resistance with a weight belt. If you can achieve at least 6 repetitions the first time you try it, you’ll indeed be a prime suspect for growth.

2. Bench Press with Barbell – Negative Only

You need one or two spotters to lift the bar. Load a barbell on the supports of a flat bench with 30 percent more resistance than you regularly handle for 6-8 reps. Set up on the bench and grasp the barbell with your hands positioned slightly wider than your shoulders. Have the spotters lift the bar into the starting position. The barbell should be directly above your shoulders. Lower the bar slowly in 4 to 8 seconds to your chest. When you touch your chest, the spotters lift the bar back to the top position. The spotters lift 80 percent of the resistance, while you guide the barbell properly to the top. As they transfer the resistance securely in your hands, take a deep breath, and continue the slow negatives for the required repetitions.

3. BENT-ARMED PULLOVER WITH EZ-CURL BAR – REGULAR

I prefer an EZ-Curl to a straight bar because it relieves excess torque from of the wrists and allows external rotation of the humerus, which is a safer position for the shoulders. Place a loaded EZ-Curl bar on the floor at the head end of a sturdy bench. Lie face up on the bench, with your head off the end. Reach overhead and down and grasp the EZ-Curl bar with narrow hand spacing. Anchor your lower body, arch your back slightly, and pull the bar up and over your torso to your chest. The bar should be resting across your chest on your sternum. Move the bar back over your head toward the floor. Stretch your lats and shoulders gradually at the bottom. Do not straighten your arms. Keep them bent throughout both the positive and negative phases.

Note: The involved pulling muscles have the potential to be big and strong. Don’t be afraid eventually to use 150 pounds or more on this exercise. But be careful at first on increasing the range of movement; do so gradually.

4. Bent-Over Row with Barbell – Regular

Place your feet close together under a loaded barbell. Bend over and grasp the barbell with an underhand grip. An underhand grip, compared to an overhand grip, places your biceps in the strongest position. Your hands should be 4-6 inches apart. Your torso should remain parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees to reduce the stress on your lower back and hamstrings. Pull the barbell up to your waist. Pause in the top position and try to pinch your shoulder blades together. Lower slowly to the bottom and stretch.

5. Biceps Curl with Barbell – Negative Only

Load a barbell with 30 percent more resistance than you handle regularly for 10 repetitions. Have a spotter at both ends of the barbell lift the resistance to the top position of the curl. Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip. Anchor your elbows firmly against the sides of your waist and keep them there throughout the exercise. Lower the bar slowly in 4 to 8 seconds to the bottom. As soon as you reach the bottom, the spotters lift the bar back to the top. The spotters need to perform the positive, lifting phase quickly and the transfer must be handled smoothly. Again, it’s your job to lower slowly under control.

Note: The biceps curl with a barbell was one of Arthur Jones’s all-time favorite exercises and that’s why he often included it in his barbell routines. When Jones was in the best shape of his life, he weighed 200 pounds. He told me that at that weight he was able to curl a 180-pound barbell for 10 solid repetitions. That took some very strong biceps muscles.

6. Chin-Up – Regular

Grasp a horizontal bar with a shoulder-width, underhand grip. Hang at arm’s length and bend your knees and cross your ankles. You should return to this dead-hang position each time you lower your body. Pull your head and chest toward the bar. Once your chin is over the bar, move your upper arms down and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower your body smoothly to the dead-hang position. Repeat for maximum repetitions.

7. Chin-Up – Negative Only

Again, use a sturdy bench to climb into the top position. The idea is to do the positive by stepping up into the top position and the negative work with your arms. Place the bench directly under a horizontal bar. Climb into the top position with your chin over the bar. Hold on to the bar with an underhand grip and space your hands shoulder-width apart. Remove your feet from the chair or bench. Lower your body very slowly in 6-8 seconds. Make sure you come all the way down to a dead hang. Climb back quickly into the top position.

Note: To add weight, use a weight belt and attach an appropriate weight on the chain. Some trainees can use from 60 to 100 pounds of attached weight on this exercise.

8. Dip – Regular

Mount the dip bars and extend your arms. Bend your knees and cross your ankles. Lower your body slowly by bending your elbows until your upper arms dip just below your elbows. Push back to the starting position. When you can successfully do 10 or more dips, use a weight belt to add resistance.

9. Dip – Negative Only

Most trainees will require extra resistance added to their body weight with a weight belt. Climb into the top position of a dip station and straighten your arms. Remove your feet from the step support and stabilize your body. Bend your arms and lower your body slowly in 6-8 seconds. Feel the stretch by going just below where your upper arms are parallel to the floor, which shouldn’t be painful. Climb back to the starting position and straighten your arms.

Note: Dips were one of Casey Viator’s favorite exercises. He could do more than 30 regular dips in strict form, and I’ve seen him do 10 negative-only dips with 270 pounds attached to his body.

10. Lat-Machine Pulldown to Chest – Regular

Stabilize yourself under the lat machine and grasp the overhead bar with an underhand grip. Your hands should be about shoulder width apart. Pull the bar smoothly to your upper chest. Pause. Return slowly to the stretched position. Repeat for 7 to 10 repetitions.

Note: Arthur Jones was partial to applying the lat-machine pulldown immediately after the bent-armed pullover – and he used this combination frequently in his workouts.

11. Lateral Raise with Dumbbells – Regular

Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and stand. Lean forward at the waist approximately 20 degrees from vertical. Stay in this leaning-forward position throughout the exercise. Lock your elbows and wrists and keep them locked throughout the exercise. All the action should be around your shoulder joints. Raise your arms sideways. Pause briefly when the dumbbells are slightly above horizontal. Make sure your elbows are slightly bent. Lower the dumbbells slowly to your sides.

12. Leg Curl Machine – Negative Only

You need a spotter to do the lifting portion of this exercise. Place 30 percent more resistance on the weight stack than you regularly use for 10 reps. Lie facedown on the machine with your knees on the pad edge closest to the movement arm. Make certain your knees are in line with the axis of rotation of the machine. Grasp the handles provided to steady your upper body. The spotter helps you lift the movement arm to the contracted position. Pause and make a smooth transfer of the resistance to your contracted hamstring muscles. Lower the resistance very slowly in 4 to 8 seconds. Use the spotter to get back to the top position and continue the negative leg curls until you can no longer do at least a 3-second descent.

13. Leg Extension Machine – Negative Only

You need a spotter to do the lifting portion of this exercise. Place 30 percent more resistance on the machine than you regularly do for 10 repetitions. Sit in the machine and place your feet and ankles behind the roller pads. Align your knees with the axis of rotation of the movement arm. Lean back and stabilize your upper body by grasping the handles or the sides of the seat. The spotter helps you lift the movement arm into the fully contracted top position and make a smooth transfer of the weight. You lower the weight in 4 to 8 seconds back to the starting position. Immediately, the spotter grabs the movement arm at the bottom and helps you quickly get it back to the top position. Continue performing reps until you can no longer manage a 3-second negative.

14. Overhead Triceps Extension with Dumbbell – Regular

Hold a dumbbell at one end with both hands. Press the dumbbell overhead. Place your elbows in tight and close to your ears throughout the exercise. Bend the elbows and lower the dumbbell slowly behind your head. Don’t move your elbows. Only your forearms and hands should move. Be careful in the bottom position, where the triceps are stretched and vulnerable to strains. Move in and out of the bottom position gradually with no jerks. Press the dumbbell smoothly back to the extended position.

15. Overhead Press with Barbell – Regular

Stand and place a barbell in front of your shoulders with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Keep your feet shoulder width apart. Press the barbell overhead smoothly. Do not slam into the lockout. Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top, which will keep the active muscles loaded. Lower the weight under control (2 to 3 seconds) to your shoulders. Do not bounce the barbell off your shoulders at the bottom. Make a smooth turnaround.

16. Shoulder Shrug with Barbell – Regular

Take an overhand grip on a barbell and stand erect. Your hands should be slightly wider apart than your shoulders, and the bar should be touching your thighs. Relax your shoulders forward and downward as far as comfortably possible. Shrug your shoulders upward as high as possible. Pause briefly at the top. Lower slowly to the stretched position.

17. Squat with Barbell – Regular

Place a barbell on a squat rack and load it with an appropriate weight. Position the bar behind your neck across your trapezius muscles, and hold the bar in place with your hands. If the bar cuts into your skin, pad it lightly by wrapping a towel around the bar. Lift the bar off the rack and move back one step. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, toes angled slightly outward. Keep your upper-body muscles rigid and your torso as upright as possible during this exercise. Bend your hips and knees and smoothly descend to a position whereby your hamstrings firmly come in contact with your calves. Without bouncing or stopping in the bottom position, slowly make the turnaround from negative to positive. Lift the barbell back to the top position.

18. Stiff-Legged Deadlift with Barbell – Regular

Even though this exercise is called a stiff-legged deadlift, it should be performed with a slight bend in your knees. This protects the lower back and the hamstrings. Stand over a barbell, bend your hips and knees, and grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Extend your hips and knees and lift the barbell smoothly to a standing position. Lower the barbell smoothly while keeping a slight bend in your knees. Touch the floor lightly with the barbell, but do not come to a stop. Lift the barbell smoothly to the standing position. Repeat for 7 to 10 repetitions.

Note: Ease into the stiff-legged deadlift, especially if you have tenderness or pain in your lower back or tight hamstrings.

19. Wrist Curl with Barbell – Regular

Grasp a barbell with a palms-up grip. Sit down and rest your forearms on your thighs and the backs of your hands against your knees. Lean forward until the angle between your upper arms and forearms is less than 90 degrees. This position allows you to isolate your forearms better. Curl your hands smoothly by contracting your forearm muscles. Pause briefly. Lower the barbell slowly.

It is an old article, but with comments allowed, I’ll confidently say that the claims in the Colorado experiment are fiction.

Just this alone is ridiculous:

The after picture does not reflect 2.47% BF. Not even close. I’d be surprised if he is under 15% body fat in the after. No separation, no vascularity, barely visible abs. The fact that the BF% was reported out to 2 decimal places is absurd here. There isn’t a way to be that accurate even with today’s measurements.

I find this ridiculous to those who understand measurement variability, and dishonest to everyone else. At the very least a margin of error of the gauge should be included. And the notion that percent body fat measurement is precise to the one hundredth of a percent is sci-fi looney.

An absurd understatement. How about one-in-a -hundred million? He won the highest level national amateur bodybuilding contest as a teenager!

Casey was in the absolute worse possible start. What he accomplished is more appropriately attributed to muscle memory an anything else. This was an opportunistic time to “cash in.”

In those days the AAS of choice were orals. You could watch me “24/7” and if it wasn’t literally with me at all times, I could have easily popped a few pills. I was told by someone who claimed to have talked with Casey about using AAS, and said that he took “a pink, a blue, and a white.” Sounds a little funny, but we knew what he meant. This was not necessarily during the Colorado Experiment, but an acknowledgment that he took AAS.

I am not saying that Arthur Jones didn’t use the best method to put muscle on Casey. I am saying that there are some uncertainties in the claimed premises.

The whole “Muscle memory” part of the story is honestly the crux of why this experiment was a “success”. Any training system with a progressive overload approach would’ve gotten him back to this level of muscularity. And even at the end, he was 10 pounds below his STAGE WEIGHT when he won the Mr. America. The Colorado Experiment would’ve been a lot more impressive if it had been a prime off-season Casey adding any significant amount of lean tissue in just 4 weeks.

All this Experiment really did was show the power of muscle memory.

And most likely not as lean. The after photo does not show a stage worthy body fat level. He may have been 20-30 lbs of lean mass away from that.

I am not a big fan of Vigorous Steve, but he recently did something similar. He used a “low” dose steroid cycle and put on a ton of muscle. Same thing though, he was still under his best physique stage weight, and not as lean.

The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog. Tim is an author of 5 #1 NYT/WSJ bestsellers, investor (FB, Uber, Twitter, 50+ more), and host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast (400M+ downloads)

From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks

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After holding off for nearly two years, I’m posting this because too many people have asked for it. The lasses should read it, too, as the same principles can be applied to bodyfat loss.

I weighed 152 lbs. for four years of high school, and after training in tango in Buenos Aires in 2005, that had withered to 146 lbs. Upon returning to the US, I performed an exhaustive analysis of muscular hypertrophy (growth) research and exercise protocols, ignoring what was popular to examine the hard science. The end result? I gained 34 lbs. of muscle, while losing 3 lbs. of fat, in 28 days.

Before and after measurements, including underwater hydrostatic weighings, were taken by Dr. Peggy Plato at the Human Performance Laboratory at the San Jose State University, and I had blood tests taken on September 30 and October 20. Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I also dropped my total cholesterol count from 222 to 147 without the use of statins. No joke.

Here are a few comparative shots. Oh, and I forgot to mention, all of this was done with two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 4 HOURS of gym time :

How did I do it?

First, some select stats on the 4-week change (9/21-10/23):

Bodyfat %- 16.72 to 12.23

Suit Size- 40 short to 44 regular (measured at Brooks Brothers at Santana Row in San Jose by a professional tailor)

Neck- 15.8″ to 18″

Chest- 37.5″ to 43″

Shoulders- 43″ to 52″

Thigh- 21.5″ to 25.5″

Calf- 13.5″ to 14.9″

Upper Arm- 12″ to 14.6

Forearm- 10.8″ to 12″

Waist- 29.5″ to 33.1″

Hips (Ass at widest)- 34″ to 38.23″

Here are the six basic principles that made it happen:

1. Follow Arthur Jones’ general recommendations for one-set-to-failure from the little-known Colorado Experiment , but with lower frequency (maximum of twice per week) and with at least 3 minutes between exercises.

2. Perform every repetition with a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down) to eliminate momentum and ensure constant load.

3. Focus on no more than 4-7 multi-joint exercises (leg press, trap bar deadlift, overhead press, Yates bent row , dips, incline machine benchpress, etc.) and exercise your entire body each workout to elicit a maximal hormonal (testosterone, growth hormone + IGF-1) response.

4. Eat enormous quantities of protein (much like my current fat-loss diet ) with low-glycemic index carbohydrates like quinoa, but drop calories by 50% one day per week to prevent protein uptake downregulation.

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.

6. Record every workout in detail, including date, time of day, order of exercises, reps, and weight. Remember that this is an experiment, and you need to control the variables to accurately assess progress and make adjustments.

For the ladies not interested in becoming the Hulk, if you follow a “slow-carb” diet and reduce rest periods to 30 seconds between exercises, this exact workout protocol can help you lose 10-20 pounds of fat in the same 28-day time span.

Once again, questioning assumptions leads to the conclusion: less is more . Detox from TV twice a week and put in your 4 hours a month!

If you enjoyed this post, check out my latest book, The 4-Hour Body , #1 New York Times and #1 Amazon bestseller. You will learn: How to lose 20 pounds in 30 days (without exercise), how to triple your testosterone, techniques for producing 15-minute female orgasms, and more.

You can also pick up the Expanded and Updated 4-Hour Workweek , which includes more than 50 new case studies of luxury lifestyle design, business building, reducing hours 80%+, and world travel.

Related and Recommended Posts:

Tim Ferriss interviewed by Derek Sivers

Tim Ferriss articles on Huffington Post

Tim Ferriss interview – common questions on lifestyle design and productivity

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page .

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name , as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)

Great tips – thank you. Although… you forgot to mention that you shaved your torso and put on some pro-tan for the after shots… ;o)

Yes … And stood farther from camera in before shots …. Then closer in the after… Nice Hollywood tricks.

Your an idiot, look again, 2 comparisons have him nearer in the after shots, and 2 have him further away, but you just saw what you wanted to..

Even with the slight differences in distance between the shots it’s easy for anyone to see the difference in his musculature.

If this was really an attempt to deceive then it would have been a poor attempt, in fact it would have been as easy to photoshop the after shots.

He alternated in the shots before/after of standing closer to the camera vs. further so it’s a wash… look more closely.

The visual difference is amazing. The tan and swim shorts just top off the improvement.

I noticed the same thing myself as well. I hope to make a real difference in my body soon. [Moderator: link removed.]

This is a joke. Anybody who spends an ounce of time in the gym should know this. ive been at it for a year and a half. I started out at 145 pounds and right now im 175 of actual good weight and worked my ass off every month to get where i am.34 pounds of fat and muscle in a month is doable and probably 85% will be fat. Its impossible to gain 34 pounds of lean muscle a month much less a year. If every guy could gain 34 pounds in a month then all guys on earth would be jacked. Great transformation, but i know it didnt take 4 weeks. Probably a year minimum. this is a scam dont buy it.

Please don’t immediately dismiss things without experimenting and trying them for yourself. I understand your disbelief, especially considering the amount of hard work you probably put in at the gym. The reason why not all men are jacked is b/c most of us are lazy, and/or don’t workout. I used Mark Lauren’s ‘”You are your own gym” and while I didn’t gain 34lbs, I noticed extreme gains in strength in just 4 weeks and am now able to do handstand pushups, something I was never able to achieve from my time in the gym (which was a lot). Your body is a machine and like all machines can be manipulated to improve its performance.

Good for you! Some people are just hater….!

that’s because you’re a beginner, and there’s the reason for your big gains.

After some time, your gains will be lower and lower, and harder harder to get.

You both have a point but you have to remember that everyone is built differently which can change how fast you gain muscle or loss fat. Another factor is how you eat, you need a good source of protein and other things too.

This is the typical “I can’t do that so it must be a lie” type of response. The web is full of this kind of hate speech. Anything that points out that what someone else is doing isn’t the best way to do something is said to be a scam. Just remember that your results may vary. If you put out more effort you will do better. If you put out less you will do worse.

True, lots of people claim something is impossible just because they cannot do it. If you work hard in the weight room you should just about always see results. Although from the little I read he says he worked out 2 times for 30 minutes per week. That is 4 hours, and you are trying to tell me he put on 34 pounds of muscle? I’m sorry but no. 4 hours of working out over 30 days, and getting more than a pound of muscle a day…

I agree. Suspicious of the gains, I checked the waist size difference, and the gain there is the same as the other dimensions! So, it obviously is due to largely water or fat gain, again I suspect through creatine use, as the same happened to me. The size all disappeared after I quit using it!

Any body who doubts this program obviously hasn’t used it. I’ve used it 3 times and gained an average of 1lb per day of pure muscle while losing fat for the thirty days. Yes that’s 30 lbs of lean muscle in thirty days. And I’ve been body building for 28 years and have tried everything. This hands down works the best. The hard part is actually the eating. You have to eat like it’s your job….

Wait — you’ve used this 3 times and gotten 30 pounds over 30 days each time? You’ve used this to gain 90 pounds of lean muscle on top of the weight you’ve gained from bodybuilding for 28 years? Or have you been gaining 30 pounds, losing 30 pounds, gaining 30 pounds, etc over the course of your life?

You know? You were with him the whole time? If not you don’t know so stop being a hater, challenge conventional “wisdom” and give it a go.

There’s many reasons why people plateau or get minimum gains and its usually because your not eating enough or pushing yourself hard enough at the gym.

Very easy for the Arthur Jones method to work. A couple good books on it out there, my fave is By Ellington Darden called the new high intensity training. You will learn about Arthur jones experiments with this style of training in the book if you just read it. I gained 12 lbs in 6 weeks of of this program, diet is key as well. I trained 3 people in e HIT method, and one guy went from 212 to 164 in about 4 months and got pretty muscular. My close friend I trained couldn’t handle the intensity but he gave it a good effort which is more than a lot of people can do as this is very difficult. The third guy I trained was young, and never worked out before with weights and in 9 weeks went from 137 to 163. Arthur Jones trained Casey Viator in this method as well after he got in an accident and lost most of his size. He utilized mostly negatives with this method and gained a ridiculous amount of weight in a few short weeks. Granted some of that was muscle memory though. This method does work, just not for everyone… Most don’t have what it takes to push through it.. Give it a shot.

Your absolutely right, I only gained 16lbs in 24 days, but only 13 were muscle….of course I did have an extra 1.5yrs that I didn’t have to spend in the gym that you got over me. 🙂 Applied knowledge is power. If we ruled out everything we didn’t know or try, the world would still be flat. Thank you Tim!!!

Amin to that brother, +1 from me.

In my late 30s after working out steadily for half a year, I devoted 6 weeks to a ketogenic diet and multiple sets of exercise to negative failure. The workout, in retrospect, was unnecessarily brutal. But, I lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 15 pounds of new, not regained, muscle. Furthermore, my strength increased by at least 50% in most lifts (singles). I never had similar results before or since. Big changes in short periods is possible.

Brilliant! so much for the conventional wisdom that you can’t pack on muscle while on a ketogenic diet. Perhaps you could tell us what your diet looked like?

Not true….in my hay day…..I gained 15 lbs of muscle and lost 25lbs of fat in less than 5 weeks…this was recorded by a trainer…he couldn’t believe it since I am a girl!!!!….he said I have good mind muscle connection…..

Don’t buy what? He’s giving this list of details completely free to try, there’s nothing to Buy..

This protocol does work. I use a 4 second up 4 second down rep, and THAT makes a HUGE difference to trigger growth fast. If you are just swining the weights about, you miss the whole point of inducing hypertrophy.

Genes also play a big role. Perhaps you don’t have the proper genes to build muscle quickly, whereas Tim does.

I actually did this protocol 8 years back and it did work 16 pounds of muscle, just muscle in 3 months with the LOMAD and it was awesome. Fair warning.I thought the milk wasn’t a big deal and I just kept drinking it without working out….my fat percentage flew through the roof in about month. Bonus: I started to workout about once a week and at one point I did gain 5 pounds of muscle in 3 days fat percentage didn’t move. Same clothes and same scale.

Very interesting, inspirational and impressive!

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?

Great transformation Tim, your before and after photos are fantastic. I have a few questions:

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?

Wow…. impressive!

I’m halfway through your book and loving it. Thanks for posting this.

[…] April 30th, 2007 @ 6:35 am by David Paul Robinson Timothy Ferriss outlines how his four hour body program helped him gain 34 lbs of muscle in 4 […]

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.

[…] gain which from his own accounts doesn’t appear to be the case this would be very impressive.  The article is a good read and the research he uses to back up his efforts is even […]

Awesome job, that’s amazing how much muscle you gained in such a short time. 4 months of that and you might be the incredible hulk! 😉

OK, I like the idea of doing your own homework. And I don’t doubt this can be done (you were in good shape to begin with, although many will not see that). But I’m a guy who also designs his owns training, and I know a lot about this stuff, and were I to try to start your program (I wouldn’t, I like spending more time exercising (: ), I would have no idea where to start.

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 (;.

He gives all the details in his book

can you give the name of the book

The 4 Hour Body

Also read 4 Hour Work Week and 4 Hour Chef

any chance you might give us a little more detail on the workout routine/principle? I went to the colorado experiment link but they give a bunch of stats on the results, not what working out to the point of failure means or what routine they used, etc…

That’s the point bro. You have to buy the book to get the specifics, he’s not going to give it all away for free.

I’m signing up to be your first female case study! I’d like to get leaner and sleeker during my 28 day trial; I’ll let you know how it goes.

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.

Hi Angela ! How did your trial go? What were the results ? Did it work for a girl ?

[…] From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks […]

I’m definitely going to try this… soon…

Thanks for sharing it.

What percentage of your max weight were you using? A. Jones seems a little hazy here.

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?

People, if you get the book, it helps. “4 hour body”. To answer your question of percentages. He states that you are to find out what weight you can do for 8 to 12 reps. The idea is for each lift, to have your muscles under a total stress time of 80 to 120 seconds. Each rep should take a total for 10 seconds (5 seconds up, and 5 seconds down).. You must go slow for every rep. For example.. If you want to start this workout. Go pick up a 50lb curl bar, and do as many (5seconds up, 5seconds down) reps as you can. Keep going until you think you can’t get a single more rep, then try for another one. If your arms drop out of complete loss of strength to do another rep, then you have hit muscle failure. Furthermore, you should hit muscle failure at 8 to 12 reps. I go for 10 reps generally. I started out with a 60lb curl bar, and got complete muscle failure at 10 reps. I ate a calculated amount of protein and carbs (which was a load) and at my next workout (which was 3 days later), I tried a 70lb curl bar. I got 10 reps. I gained 10 pounds in the lift. Magic. That hopefully will explain. Some parts of the concept are confusing. Buy the book.

Dang hard to believe that happened in 30 days.

What kind of weight in Lbs were you lifting?

I’m not sure if the author is telling the truth, but after examining the contents, this seems to be a Nautilus commercial. The first link posted (in the details) mentions that only “rotary” equipment, with direct resistance could do the job, and after setting that up, they finish with “only nautilus equipment was used”.

Makes me question the authenticity of the entire posting.

wow. you’re a pretty suspicious person huh? he can’t mention what equipment he used without you bringing the entire method into question. I don’t even have the energy to go into how simple minded of a thing that is to say

In the book he mentions free weights.

Very interesting. I’d like to do the same. I’m interested in a more specific breakdown of what exercises you used. Do you think you could breakdown your workout routine?

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 http://www.nolimitzentertainment.wordpress.com

Does this workout give you a shaved chest and a tan also? Sweet!!!

Tim – first stumbled onto your site because of this page being featured on del.icio.us/popular, which is an awesome story in itself. (I could definitely use a new workout/excercise/eating regimen)

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!

dude, right on, those are awesome freakin’ results Tim! I agree with shorter, more intense workouts.

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?

–Matt

muscle that fast…

can you get muscles by working out just 4 hours a week?

i don't know sounds cool though

Amazing progress. It is definitely motivating.

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.

It’s super helpful to have the perspective of a coach during a workout, but if you have a solid training plan made for you and total commitment, you can make it happen solo.

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,

Any chance of you posting the workout plan you used for those results?

Known side effects of this workout routine are loss of body hair and tanning of the skin.

Having done extensive “research” myself, for the past 5 years or so (as a hobby), I can’t read this and accept it as fact. From what I understand, putting on 34 lbs of lean muscle tissue in 28 days is a physical impossibility. Furthermore, any talk of reaching a “genetic set-point” in 28 days is absolutely ludicrous. Having said that, and going by your pics, I do think you made excellent progress, and applaud you for that.

Couldn’t agree more, if that were the case, professional bodybuilders would be using his “tricks” but just sounds like another well written advertisement.

This would’ve been much more interesting to see if you’d shaved and tanned for the first one as well, doing those 2 things in the second pictures only can make things appear more drastic than they actually are.

[…] š’ From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks […]

Hey Tim, those are some nice gains.

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?

I am interested in performing the same experiment.Can you tell me about the prerequisites of this experiment in detail?I think the results would be interesting as I am a thin person.Thank you.

Hi, loved the article, i would like to know did you train the all body each workout 2 to 3 times a week ? lot of HIT articles and people like Mike Mentzer suggest training each body part no more than once a week…. Also I do Muay Thai as well, did you do MMA while on the training program ? Thanks

You are obviously happy with your results, and that is what matters most. But, here is the opinion of one female reader: you looked better and cuter before :> And not at all geeky. Before you had a toned, nice soccer-player-type body. Now you have a slightly freaky and excessively buff meat-head-football-player-type body. I’m sure many women would disagee with me. But, it’s not a bad thing if you slide back toward self-proclaimed geekiness or if you land somewhere in the middle of freak and geek.

I definitely agree — before was hotter.

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.

I hope you can take the time to reply to this or at least outsource an auto reply haha. Thanks for the book it’s a good read and i’m on the slow carb diet now. I have lost 25 pounds in 4 weeks already. I’ve been lifting regularly and can bench over 300lbs now. I’m gonna start the geek to freak portion now and want to know can I still do curls or tricep work? I can follow directions but workout A and B seem so basic I feel like a slacker not doing more. if I don’t hear anything from you i’ll give it two weeks. I’ll give an update, somebody send me a 4hr Prayer, I hope this works.

your truly a mad scientist! Awesome results and great book = )

from my research previous to weighing 177 lbs after completing the 28 days you have weighed 193 lbs in 1999 in your competitive kickboxing days, from education, research and personal experience this makes it makes it far far easier and quicker to regain the muscle. I’m 6’1 and weigh 165 lbs (body type: ectomorph), however unlike Casey Viator, Arthur Jones and yourself this is my staring weight so to speak, it is the most I have ever weighed in my life, from your extensive experience and research what do you think the best, most efficient and effective method to take when gaining 34 lbs of muscle for someone like me is? would you still recommend the method you outline in the Geek to Freak chapter? or are there other supplements, exercises, amounts of food etc you could recommend? I would very much appreciated a reply! = )

I understand you didn’t keep these gains but how would you suggest someone keep as much of these gains as possible when transitioning back into different types of training like crossfit?

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?

Tim –

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.

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

With a routine like this, clearly you have to be a bit exhausted right after it’s over, but are you necessarily sore the next day? I’ve always welcomed muscle soreness as a sign of growth, but the inability to walk properly for a couple days after a good leg workout does get a bit annoying. If I’m not sore the next day, I’m always tempted to get right back into it, ignoring the advice you give of only training 2-3 times/week. Am I doing something wrong if I don’t experience that soreness, or should I just take the day off anyway?

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 8 to 16 ounces of water the morning of the workout and the morning after will almost completely eliminate soreness. I do the baking soda in water every morning, but it’s not necessary; doing it the morning of the workout and the morning after will suffice.

This looks interesting, Tim. One question: how many reps do you aim for on each exercise before failure? Or in other words, at what point should the weight be increased?

To your points 1, 3, 5 and 6, the one-set-to-failure approach isn’t new (ref: Peter Sisco, Power Factor Training, Static Contraction Training), and as I’m sure you’ve discovered, this approach tends to rub the ‘traditionalists’ the wrong way. One of the points you touch on but Sisco emphasizes is the need to recover. Something he has mentioned which I’ve also experienced is being able to do a given exercise once a month and still make gains. But his focus was in “strongest range training”; I’d be interested to know whether this was your approach as well (I still need to follow all your linked referenced) or whether you did “full range” training.

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.)

A. Jones is a bit vague on details about his one-set-to-failure. Are you using a high percentage of your max (70 to 80%) over a few number of reps to failure, or the opposite.

As someone who’s never lifted weights before, I have a question … what kind of machines will allow you to do the exercises needed for this?

Would a bowflex work?

That is a really motivating article, but I could do with more details! I read the article you linked to, but couldn’t pick up that much info more than you mentioned here.

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?

Can you be more specific on the types of lifts? Or, do we just need to make sure we are hitting our whole body every session? I read to Colorado Experiment report and that is not much more specific either. It says something like 8-10 lifts per session, with emphasis on the negative.

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.

I recently did something like this. Although I only gained about 10lbs of muscle in a month. I quite drinking soda, started drinking water and grape juice instead. I also took muscletech’s Nitrotech and Celltech. I lifted 4 days a week (about 45min at a time) and would do cardio type workout 1 other day a week (about 30-45min). I’m glad that you posted this to your blog instead of trying to sell people a book or something.

Incredible results. You’re an inspiration!

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?

Hey Tim! Your book is on its way to my house now, and I am looking forward to it more than any book I’ve purchased in the last 2 years! My question is more oriented towards females. My fiance is on the keto type diet with me, but has the MOST picky appetite ever, and, gets bored easily and wants to quit. Suffice to say, it is bothersome, and I can’t get her into the ‘eat for results’ frame of mind.

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!

Good job Tim. Although you went from VERY undertrained to well developed, good job. Too bad there is no proof of dates for the pix but you seem like an upstanding guy. Great job. Now, are your plans to add another 10 pounds of lean?

Any chance you could lay out the specific exercises that should be done in each half hour session? That would be super helpful. Thanks.

I’ve heard of HIIT (high intensity interval training) for losing weight mostly through wind sprints but this is the first I’ve heard for gaining weight. Very interesting, I’m due for a workout change, this might be the one for me.

The advice you give is exactly what I found after researching for a few years.

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.

Are you sure you didn’t leave out the step where you inject your ass with roids?

I would love to hear more about the types of lifts you used! As Nathan noted, the Colorado Experiment is a bit thin on the details.

I can’t find any mention of any cardio…. I assume you were still training/fighting or something in addition to the workouts? Or is that the whole thing – no other exercise for total recovery?

Slow repetitions compromise explosiveness and speed. They also tend to induce sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, meaning your muscles are getting puffed up more than you’re getting stronger. Though I think this is more of an issue with volume training than the one set to failure recommendation here. And puffed up muscles are usually the goal of people lifting weights, anyway. Did your bodyweight increase faster than your strength?

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’m a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and am wondering how many calories are we talking about here?

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.

I’m very interested in your workout routine. But can you provide a little more detail about exactly what you do and what weights are appropriate?

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.

How do you gain 10-20 pounds of muscle “despite consuming insufficient” calories? The only formula for weight gain is Calories consumed minus calories burned. Unless, of course, you are saying they simultaneously lost 10-20 pounds of fat.

Can you clarify?

Do you know any ‘ladies’ who have tried your work out and if so, what were their results? I am one of said ladies not interested in looking like you and I think I would like to give your little experiment a chance given that my greatest constraint on working out/losing weight is lack of time, but I would like to hear how girls did. Definitely don’t need my ass (or anything else) getting wider.

Maybe I’m just woozy with legume-overload from following your diet recommendations, but I don’t think your math is right.

“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!

Awesome results! This post has motivated me into doing something like this. I just started to prepare and write my stats down. I weigh a whole 109lbs. and have taken the before pictures.

I’ll be keeping track of it all.

Tim, did you have to drastically lower your weights, theres no way I could lift my usual weight when I’m lowering and raising the weight 4-5 seconds, the weight will have to be much lighter.

wow man, thats awesome!

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?

Hey Tim, I guess I’m too much of a skeptic but the before and after pictures are hard to believe. I know with the gain of 34 lbs of muscle it obviously changes the body. However the eyes in the before and after picture appear different. The eyes in the after picture appear to be deeper set than the before. No offensive is meant by this at all. Thank you.

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!

[…] was reading some more of Tim Ferriss’ blog, and saw his recent article From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks. He has plenty of before-and-after photos to illustrate just how much of a difference this is. […]

That’s awesome; I’m currently on a weight training program now, myself, as well as some running and I’d like to get into boxing and Krav Maga (familiar? check it out, it’s awesome, I’ll take it over a martial art any day since that’s not really what it is).

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?

I second the request for more specific breakdowns on the types of exercises in your routine(s)…

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.

Nathan, check out “The New High Intensity Training” book by Ellington Darden.. He worked with Arthur Miller and was involved with a lot of his experiments. It goes over workout plans in more detail, but it really boils down to just what Tim says in point 3 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.

I was recently in NYC and just about everyone on Manhattan had A Crackberry (CB). I’m no critic of making money but forget having a leash. Good tips on the emailing. I’ll send this to a coworker who is constantly checking his texts for hits from his Craigslist causal encounters posting(s)

How has this training regime and results affected you in terms of your cardiovascular health? From what I read, you mainly concentrated on building bulk through weight lifting. From where you were before you started training to where you ended up at, did you notice improvement in the area of cardiovascular ability or a reduction?

I started this technique tonight after reading the article. I actually just got your book today.

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?

I am missing something here, doesnt two half hour workout sessions a week = 4 hours in the gym after 4 weeks? Where do the other 4 hours go?

Did you do the same workout 2x per week or did you mix it up every workout?

For example, did you two squats twice per week or just once a week?

I was told i had to lose weight fast due to a super-high cholesterol count (my GP was freaking out, lol, as I’m only 22). Problem was was that I couldn’t keep the exercise up due to the length of time it took (I work two jobs). Seeing this has me motivated again. I should be able to cram in 30 in a day, even if it is in my lunch break

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

I agree with Nathan. Is there any information about this that is more specific? I would love to work on it but this is a set of rules rather than an actual program I could try. My background in phys-ed is very limitied so some of your rules don’t really make any sense to me but an actual program set out would be really helpful.

Were you also doing your MMA training during these 28 days? If not, did you do any high intensity cardio? I’d imagine that you’d need to allow the body plenty of time to rest, so other exercise might be counter-productive during this (huge!) growth phase.

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. 🙂

G’day Tim,

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.

[…] From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks [FourHourWorkweek.com] […]

What about aerobic exercise?

[…] From Geek to Freak: How I gained 34 lbs of muscle in 4 weeks 43 Web Design Mistakes You Should Avoid […]

can you give a number on this “massive amounts of protein”. hows much grams per pound (or use metric if you like) body weight are we talking about, usually, i’ve read 1.5 to 2.

Wouldn’t it be 4 hours of gym time? 4 weeks * 2 workouts per week * half hour each = 4 hours?

– Aaron

Hi, I’m very impressed with your experiment but very confused by your math. You say two 30-minutes works for 4 weeks equals 8 hours of gym time? Wouldn’t that be 4 hours of gym time?

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.

I’ve started giving this a try just yesterday.

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!

I have a few questions. You say 6-7 exercises, up to 3 minutes between exercise, 5 sec up/5 sec down. 30 minutes.

Do you have an exercise plan with sets/reps/exercise and weights?

Tim, what gave you the idea for dropping “calories by 50% one day per week to prevent protein uptake downregulation.” Do you have any citations for that? Thanks.

10-15 YEARS apart?! So, he kept those shorts for that long in order to pull this con off? And then he got Dr. Peggy Plato to get in on the con….maybe you can check up on that….But this is one long-term planner/influencial kind of guy….May make a great President–running opposed to Arnold!

I dunno if Tim touched on it–but the training has to be…..BRUTAL in focus, intensity and execution. I often CRUSH so-called workout-people when we just get into it with a little “show-me how” sampler workout. It almost seems the more gym time/working with trainer experience they have, the worse they get crushed, as they have established a comfort level with “doing their workout” several hours/day, several days a week–THIS aint that.

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.”

I too am an advocate for the HIT method. The results are phenomenal… the only thing that will hold back gains when doing HIT right is your genetics. What’s sad is how few people know about Arthur Jones – he has brought so much knowledge to the sport of bodybuilding – and I’d say he is near equivalent to Weider. Folks, abandon your 4 and 5-day splits and move to the more-effective method that is High Intensity Training; you will not be disappointed.

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!

I have a recent Ellington Darden book from Rodale. It is very good. Highly recommended.

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…

It’s interesting that you mention aiming for 80-120 secs of TUT. I read an article not too long ago about NASA research on muscle growth and maintenance that found that 80-120 secs of TUT was required and ideal for triggering hypertrophy. I’m guessing you have read similar research? This was from an experiment done on the thigh muscles of rats.

From Geek To Freak: How I Gained 34 Lbs. Of Muscle In 4 Weeks!

Timothy was tired of being the skinny kid on the block and decided to make great changes to his body. Learn more about his training and how he gained 34 pounds of muscle, while losing 3 pounds of fat. All in 28 days!

Name: Timothy Ferriss

• Weight Before: 146 lbs.
• Weight After: 177 lbs. (183 three days after last official weighing)
• Body Fat % Before: 16.72%
• Body Fat % After: 12.23%
• Total Muscle Gained: 34 lbs.
• Total Fat Loss: 3 lbs.
• Time Elapsed: 4 weeks

Favorite Exercises:

• Conventional-stance deadlift
• thick-bar reverse curls
• standing overhead press
• incline dumbbell bench press

Supplements Used For This Transformation:

• 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

Why Did I Decide To Do This?

I weighed 152 lbs. for four years of high school , and after training in tango in Buenos Aires in 2005, I had withered to 146 pounds. I was born premature and suffered bullying for the first 12 years of life, and I had no desire to once again be the skinniest person in the room.

Hence the decision - upon returning the U.S. - to perform an exhaustive analysis of muscular hypertrophy (growth) research and exercise protocols, ignoring what was popular ... to examine the hard science. The end result? I gained 34 pounds of muscle, while losing 3 pounds of fat, in 28 days.

Before and after measurements, including underwater hydrostatic weighings, were taken by Dr. Peggy Plato at the Human Performance Laboratory at the San Jose State University. Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I also managed other health goals without the use of statins (see the pre-bed supplementation). No joke.

Here are a few comparative shots. Oh, and I forgot to mention, all of this was done with two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 8 HOURS of gym time:

How Did I Do It?

First, some select stats on the 4-week change (9/21-10/23):

• Bodyfat % - 16.72 to 12.23
• Suit Size - 40 short to 44 regular (measured at Brooks Brothers at Santana Row in San Jose by a professional tailor)
• Neck - 15.8" to 18"
• Chest - 37.5" to 43"
• Shoulders - 43" to 52"
• Thigh - 21.5" to 25.5"
• Calf - 13.5" to 14.9"
• Upper Arm - 12" to 14.6"
• Forearm - 10.8" to 12"
• Waist - 29.5" to 33.1"
• Hips (@ss at widest) - 34" to 38.23"

Here are the six basic principles that made it happen

1. one-set-to-failure.

Follow Arthur Jones' general recommendations for one-set-to-failure (80-120 seconds per set) from the little-known Colorado Experiment, but with lower frequency (maximum of twice per week) and with at least 3 minutes between exercises.

2. 5/5 Cadence

Perform every repetition with a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down) to eliminate momentum and ensure constant load.

3. Focus On 4-8 Exercises

Focus on no more than 4-8 exercises total (including at least one multi-joint exercise for pressing, pulling and leg movements: leg press, trap-bar or conventional deadlift, overhead press, Yates bent row, dips, incline dumbbell bench press, etc.) and exercise your entire body each workout to elicit a maximal hormonal (testosterone, growth hormone + IGF-1) response.

Here is one of the more effective sequences I've found ("+" = superset):

• Pullover + Bent row
• Shoulder-width leg press
• Pec-deck + weighted dips
• Reverse thick-bar curl (purchase cut 2" piping from Home Depot if needed)
• Seated calf raises
• Manual neck resistance
• Machine crunches

4. Protein & Low Glycemic Carbs

Eat enormous quantities of protein (much like my current fat-loss diet) with low-glycemic index carbohydrates like quinoa, but drop calories by 50% one day per week to prevent protein uptake down-regulation.

5. Increase Recovery Time Along With Size

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.

6. Record Everything

Record every workout in detail, including date, time of day, order of exercises, reps, and weight. Remember that this is an experiment, and you need to control the variables to accurately assess progress and make adjustments.

For the ladies not interested in becoming the Hulk, if you follow a "slow-carb" diet and reduce rest periods to 30 seconds between exercises, this exact workout protocol can help you lose 10-20 pounds of fat in the same 28-day time span.

Questioning the basic assumptions about resistance training led me to a surprising conclusion: less is more. It just requires working out smarter instead of more often.

Rule #1: Eat The Same Few Meals Over & Over Again

The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, constructing each meal with one from each of the following groups. I've put an asterisk next to my most common defaults:

• Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
• Chicken breast or thigh*
• Grass-fed organic beef
• Black beans*
• Pinto beans
• Yams/Sweet Potatoes
• Steamed Rice
• Quinoa* (higher protein content than rice and keeps 3-4x longer)

Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them.

Note To Vegetarians & Green Eaters: a 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories. Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes or starches for caloric load.

Meals Per Day

Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain.

I found this unnecessarily inconvenient, particularly when you are on a regimen of supplements (chromium polynicotinate [not picolinate], ALA, etc.) that increase insulin sensitivity. I eat 4x per day:

• 10am - breakfast
• 1pm - lunch
• 5pm - second lunch
• 7:30-9pm - sports training (if in-season)
• 10pm - dinner

Favorite Meal

My single favorite meal for mass is simple: macaroni (preferably durum whole wheat), water-packed canned tuna, and fat-free turkey/bean chili. Use a little skim milk instead of butter with the macaroni (also only 1/3 of the orange flavor powder) and bulk prepare that in advance.

Mix the macaroni with a can of tuna and as much chili as you like, microwave it for one minute on high, and have it for breakfast in a bowl. It actually tastes fantastic. I sometimes had that meal 2-or-3 times per day, as prep time was less than 3 minutes if you prepped the macaroni two times per week in volume.

Most people fail because they work out too often and eat too little, usually due to skipping breakfast . Never skip this first meal, as you've already been fasting for 6-12 hours.

Post-Workout Drink

Last but not least, consume a high-glycemic post-workout drink, usually sold at the gym (or just prepurchase Mass Recovery), within 30 minutes of working out, when glucose transporters like GLUT4 are temporarily brought to the muscle cell surface. I actually mix Mass Recover with water in a 50/50 ratio and sip from the bottle between sets, polishing off the remaining 50% of the Mass Recovery immediately after the workout.

Additional Training Data

For exercise sequence, I recommend doing one or two exercises (upper body) to prep the nervous system, then move to legs. If you want an alternative to whole-body session, I have also experimented successfully with a 3-workout split:

• Pushing movements
• Pulling movements

If you are unconditioned or deconditioned (atrophied), take one day between workouts (e.g., PUSH, one day off, PULL, one day off, LEGS, one day off, ad-nauseum) for the first two weeks, two days between workouts for the next three weeks, then move to three days between workouts.

My favorite movements for pure mass using this split are below. Don't forget at least 3-5 minutes between exercises and just one set to concentric failure for each exercise:

• Incline bench
• Weighted dips
• Close-grip shoulder press (never behind neck)
• Close-grip supinated (palms facing you) pulldowns
• SLOW shrugs with dumbbells (pause for 2 seconds at the top)
• Leg press with feet shoulder width (do higher reps on this; at least 120 seconds before failure)
• Adduction machine (bringing the legs together as if using the Thighmaster)
• Hamstring curl
• Leg extension

To minimize leg soreness, do about 5 minutes of light stationary biking after finishing the legs workout.

About the Author

Contributing writer.

Bodybuilding.com’s authors consist of accredited coaches, doctors, dietitians and athletes across the world.

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Arthur Jones and the Colorado Experiment

Resistance training wouldn’t be what it is today, in many ways, without Arthur Jones. He pioneered the weight resistance machine with the Nautilus line, which made him extremely wealthy. Those machines, especially the ones built in the 1970s, are still being used today and are like tanks.   

Arthur Jones got his line of machines into rehab facilities, gyms, and fitness centers. Their unique design targeted muscles in ways standard free weight lifting could not replicate. One of the most notable of the Nautilus line is the pullover machine. It’s considered the Holy Grail by many because of its design and effectiveness and was a key machine for Olympian winner Dorian Yates.   

The Incredible Results from HIT  

Arthur had many people run through his gauntlet of HIT (High Intensity Training). The results were nothing short of incredible. His theories on weight lifting were likewise, ahead of their time. At a time when bodybuilding was reaching peak popularity with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the center, the Nautilus line and HIT training were sweeping the fitness world throughout.   

Instead of training for hours a day every day at the gym with multiple sets, you could perform an entire workout in as little as 20-30 minutes, a few days a week. And in doing so, you would gain muscle – a lot of muscle. Through pushing each body part to absolute failure with good, quality form, you are properly stimulating the muscles in the right manner.   

The training styles and methods that Arthur Jones was implementing didn’t go without controversy either. That will be discussed later. One thing was certain though. The program worked. The machines worked, and the time saved through the program design were very desirable to many people.   

Jones felt that a rapid rate of growth could be established from HIT. “[F]rom my own personal experience, and from the experiences of many other people, I was aware that a very rapid rate of muscular growth was at least possible. Why, then, I was forced to ask myself, couldn’t such a rate of growth be maintained right up to the point of individual potential 1 ?”  

Selling a Solution  

How should Jones go about showing people that it was possible to gain high rates of growth in a short time period? If they maxed out their efforts, it was possible he hypothesized. The solution came in the form of a “study”, which in many ways was marketing for both the machines and his HIT methods.   

Jones would take a subject and train them solely Nautilus equipment and place them under constant supervision to refute any drug or competitive advantage claims. The participant would train under the HIT method for one month and Jones would track the results.   

Jones already had a high level training facility in Florida, but knew that he had to go to a neutral site. By staying in Florida, “we realized that doing so would leave us open to charges of misrepresentation after the fact. So, instead, the experiment was conducted in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Plese in the Colorado State University’s Department of Physical Education Laboratory. 1 ”  

Thus, the Colorado Experiment is born. Jones would take his subject and work them as hard and as quickly as humanly possible. If the subject was honest and performed at peak, Jones felt that the results would be not only convincing, but in his words, “dramatic”.   

Casey Viator Selected for the Colorado Experiment  

Arthur Jones recruited Casey Viator as his test subject. At age 19, Casey was the youngest person to ever win the Mr. America title. After that win, Casey suffered a major setback, which applies some controversy to the study itself. Dr. Ellington Darden, who spent 20 years with Nautilus and worked closely with both Arthur Jones and Casey Viator, describes what happened to Casey.  

After winning the contest, Viator took some time off from training and returned in December of 1972, weighing 200.5 pounds. In early January of 1973, Viator was involved in a serious accident involving a wire-extrusion machine and lost most of the little finger on his right hand. Then, he almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection.  

As a result, from January through April of 1973, Viator did no training. In fact, most of the time he was depressed, and he had little appetite. His muscles atrophied, and he lost 33.63 pounds, with 18.75 of the pounds being attributed to the near-fatal injection. Some, perhaps most, of Viator's success from the Colorado Experiment was that he was rebuilding muscle that he had already built two years earlier. 2  

With the extreme loss in weight, it provided an excellent opportunity for Casey to regain so much of what was lost during that time period.   

The Goal of the Colorado Experiment  

Arthur Jones knew that if he was to properly market his equipment, he would need to take a drastic approach. In order to make that happen, he would need to demonstrate how much muscle an individual could gain using his machines, and the HIT method. “The Colorado Experiment was conducted for the purpose of clearly demonstrating that rapid large-scale increases in both muscular mass and strength can be produced from a very brief program of exercise” 3 .   

Because the expectation of large muscular increase, Jones knew he would be accused of giving Viator steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. In fact, Jones was very much against drugs of any kinds. He felt that the large-scale transformation was worth the risk of drug accusations. “[W]e also realized that it had to be dramatic in order to attract the attention that we feel it deserves.   

The results of the Colorado Experiment will probably be a controversial subject for years to come, but in the end the facts will be clearly established and accepted by almost everybody; so perhaps controversy is a necessary evil, required to bring the truth into the open 1 ”.  

Another goal was to demonstrate the shorter workout duration. Less than an hour, usually between 30-40 minutes of grueling, intense work to the point of failure, 3-4 days a week was all that was needed. Additionally, the HIT training from each machine will keep the cardiovascular system at an advantageous rate, of at least 150 BPM.   

The Colorado Experiment  

Arriving at the Department of Physical Education at Colorado State University, Arthur Jones personally trained Casey Viator during the month of May 1973. Casey trained every other day, completing exactly 14 workouts from May 1 to May 29 under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Plese, Director of Exercise Physiology Lab.   

Even with the loss of weight and muscle that occurred with Casey Viator, Dr. Plese was still impressed with his strength. Using a universal machine for both pre and post testing, Casey’s initial test numbers were as follows:  

• Leg press: 32 reps @ 400 lbs  
• Standing press: 8 reps @ 160 lbs  
• Supinated grip chinning: 7 reps @ 50 lbs  
• Parallel dipping: 12 reps @ 50 lbs  

Casey’s bodyfat was measured at 13.8%, which was already very lean for an individual. As they prepared for the coming work, Arthur jones had six assertions regarding the success of his machines and high intensity training:  

• The growth of human muscular tissue is related to the intensity of exercise; increases in strength and muscle mass are rapidly produced by very brief and infrequent training if the intensity of exercise is high enough  
• Increasing the amount of training is neither necessary nor desirable; a large amount of high intensity training will reduce the production of strength  
• “Negative work” is one of the most important factors involved in exercise performance for the purpose of increasing strength and muscle mass  
• No special diet is required; well-balanced diet is sufficient  
• Steroids are neither necessary nor desirable  
• The maximum possible increases in strength and muscle mass can be produced only by the use of full-range, direct resistance 3  

The Importance of Performing Negative Work  

Using all Nautilus machines, Arthur trained Casey in a variety of “negative” training, forcing the contraction of the muscles for the longest period of time. What’s great about machine training is the ability to train in a negative fashion, and do it safely.   

Jones has a strong point in his rationale behind negative training versus positive training. “Your muscles have distinct “strength levels”…your POSITIVE strength level is the weakest…your HOLDING strength level is considerably stronger…and your NEGATIVE strength level is the highest. This simply means that you can “hold” more weight than you can “raise”…and that you can “lower” more weight than you can “hold” 1 ”.  

A combination of the positive and negative work pushing the body to limit, both in cardiovascular work (by changing machines after each exercise) and in performing the maximum amount of work the body can handle. This all contributed in the massive growth that was seen in Casey.   

The Results  

The results in may have produced more questions than it answered. It did, however, show incredible, almost unreal results. The amount of strength, muscle, and weight gain was nothing short of spectacular. In exactly 14 sessions with roughly 7 hours (33.6 minutes per session on average) total of training, Casey Viator gained 45.28 pounds in muscle with a loss of 17.93 pounds of body fat. This resulted in a total increase of 63.21 pounds of muscular gain.   

How is that possible?  

To start, results like this aren’t exactly typical, as this is stated clearly in the study. Both the rate of muscular growth and reduction of fat were quite incredible, but not alarmingly noticeable as the study went on.   

“Neither subject produced sudden spurts of growth that might have indicated dehydration prior to the start of the experiment; on the contrary, the actual gains and the rate of gains displayed by both subjects remained remarkably steady throughout the experiment.  

“But remarkable as they were, the bodyweight gains do not indicate the actual results; because both subjects reduced their starting level of bodyfat during the experiment, indicating that they were rapidly adding bodyweight while reducing bodyfat at the same time, a result that I previously considered impossible 1 ”  

Casey gained weight every day. In the first week alone, he gained 27.25 pounds of muscle. That alone is absolutely incredible. Looking closer it was 20.25 pounds of muscle, with 7 pounds of fat lost. His daily average from there resulted in a daily average of 1.05 pounds of muscle per day for the remaining three weeks.  

How did Casey’s strength compare after the experiment was over?  

• Leg press: 32 reps @ 400 lbs -->  45 reps @ 840 lbs  
• Standing press: 8 reps @ 160 lbs -->  11 reps @ 200 lbs  
• Supinated grip chinning: 7 reps @ 50 lbs -->  11 reps @ 75 lbs  
• Parallel dipping: 12 reps @ 50 lbs -->  16 reps 100 lbs  

Clearly, the system in which Casey trained was met with outstanding success. As Arthur Jones predicted, it didn’t come without criticism and controversy.  

Controversy Surrounding the Experiment  

Anytime that an individual packs on 45 pounds of muscle, loses 17 pounds of fat, for a total gain of 63 pounds of lean muscle, questions will be raised. Dr. Darden discussed some of the criticisms and accusations that occurred after the Colorado Experiment.   

Casey was Using Steroids.   That is one of the most obvious accusations. However, Arthur Jones was greatly motivated against drug use Jones knew that the results would raise eyebrows, so he hired an independent individual named Tom Wood, who shadowed during the entire study. “I’ve spoken with Tim several times about his participation in the Colorado Experiment and he confirms Casey did not take anabolic steroids during the 28-day study. 2 ”.  

What was Casey Eating?   Bodybuilders naturally eat large amounts of food. So, in the reports that Casey ate a balanced diet are not necessarily surprising. He is said to have consumed 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day. To the average person that is an enormous amount of food. For bodybuilders, it is not. Keep in mind the amount of work Casey was subjected to in a short period of time. There were glycogen stores he needed to replenish.” Arthur did not believe in force feeding or in ‘bulking’ diets. A daily food diary was kept for Casey and everything he consumed was meticulously recorded. [M]ost days were closer to 4,000 (calories), which is minimal considering the brutal workouts he was going through.” 1  

This Could Never be Duplicated…   While duplicating the results are incredibly difficult as Casey possessed unreal genetics. However, Dr. Darden did explain that in Casey’s example, he was “mostly rebuilding muscle he had previously built.” 1 That being said, there were eight subjects that were put through programs similar to that of the Colorado Experiment that experienced similar results. These individuals all gained over 10 lbs of muscle in a span of 4-6.   

Final Thoughts  

While the Colorado Experiment wasn’t a scientific study, the results are definitely worth noting and it is quite a story. It’s an experiment that feels part mythology, part Pumping Iron, and part awesome. If nothing else, it was a genius marketing strategy because people still discuss it 47 years later.   

Arthur Jones was ahead of his time in many respects. He also didn’t give a damn about what others thought, which one can give much respect to. He followed what he thought was right, and in many respects it paid off for him and for many others who followed and trained under him. For that matter, Nautilus is still a name many recognize today.

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References:  

• Baye, D. (2013, September 05). The Colorado Experiment. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://baye.com/colorado-experiment/
• Ellington Darden PhD, T. (2016, June 13). The Colorado Experiment: Fact or Fiction. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-colorado-experiment-fact-or-fiction
• 3. Nautilus & Athletic Journal Articles [PDF]. (n.d.). http://www.arthurjonesexercise.com/Athletic/Colorado.PDF.

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Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Bodybuilding Fanatic Magazine The Colorado Experiment Casey Viator, Arthur Jones, High Intensity Training Before and After photos of Casey Viator taken 28 days apart during Arthur Jones Colorado Experiment The Colorado Experiment The Colorado Experiment: A breakthrough study that produced the largest muscle gains ever recorded: 63.21 lbs in 28 days. The experiment was devised by Arthur Jones, inventor of the Nautilus training machines. The main test subject was Casey Viator, a professional bodybuilder. However, Jones also took part in the experiment as the second test subject. The experiment took place at the Department of Physical Education at Colorado State University. The experiment was supervised by James E. Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Radiology and Radiation Biology and Dr. Elliott Plese, Director of Exercise Physiology Lab of Colorado State University. The experiment started on May 1st, 1973 and ran through May 28th, 1973. Casey Viator followed the protocol for the full 28 days. Arthur Jones completed only 22 days. The Results During the 28 day experiment, Casey Viator saw an increase in bodyweight of 45.28 pounds. Allegedly, he also lost 17.93 pounds of fat in that period. So his overall muscle gain was 63.21 pounds. During his 22 day stint, Arthur Jones saw an increase in bodyweight of 13.62 pounds. However, he also lost 1.82 pounds of fat during that period. So his overall muscle gain was 15.44 pounds. The Workout The style of training used was "HIT" or High Intensity Training. Read the the information below to learn more about High Intensity Training... Gives you TWICE the amount of muscle gains in HALF the time... Here's Why Working on Your Tan Can Help You Pack on More Lean, Solid Muscle Mass in Less Time Than You EVER Thought Possible! It's true... if you know what it takes to get a sun tan... you can apply thatinformation in the gym to gain ALL the muscle mass you want. And you'll do it naturally... with proven techniques that FORCE your muscles into growing... so you can get as muscular as you want, as FAST as possible! Dear friend, If you're looking to build more solid muscle mass in a lot less time, I want you to first work on getting a tan. Sounds a little weird, right? Well, before I totally lose you and you think I've gone nuts... hear me out because it's important. This has EVERYTHING to do with the muscle gains you get in the gym. First of all, you are NOT going to build muscle from the sun. We both know that's ridiculous. But the relationship between the sun and tanning is the SAME exact one that exists between weight lifting and gaining muscle. Here's what I mean. What happens when you get JUST the right amount of sun? You get a nice, attractive tan, right? But what happens when you get TOO much sun? You get a sun burn. That's not something you want, is it? Now... Let's Take This Inside The Gym... What happens when you lift JUST the right amount of weight for JUST the right amount of time... so you get JUST the right amount of stimulation to your muscles? That's right... you get bigger and stronger! Much like the right amount of sun leads to a desired result (a tan)... JUST the right amount of weight training leads to the desired result of more muscle. But like too much sun will lead to a burn... working each muscle TOO MUCH or for TOO LONG will lead to overtraining and your muscles actually GETTING SMALLER AND WEAKER! Look... there's no law that says if you double your time in the gym, you'll double your results. In fact, the OPPOSITE happens! If you double the amount of time you lift... You Actually GET WORSE RESULTS! Again, back to tanning... the sun is the stimulus and the tan is the result. When you work out, lifting heavy weight is the stimulus and the result is more muscle mass. When you expose yourself to the sun or any UV light for a short time... you activate the melanocytes in your skin. By repeating this process with SHORT sessions, pigment builds up in your cells and you get a nice, even, sexy tan! But when you get too much sun..., you get a sun burn. Too much of the stimulus leads to a negative result. So the key is to find the right amount of sun for a tan, but not too much that you burn. Well, muscle growth happens by overloading a muscle with heavy weight and then allowing it to rest and recuperate. So in this case, the lifting of heavy weight is the stimulus and if you get the rest and proper nutrition you need, you'll pack on a LOT of muscle. If you train a muscle too much or too often, it never gets a chance to recuperate and will not GET BIGGER. It's like going back out in the sun too much. Overexposure to the sun leads to a burn. Overexposure to weight lifting leads to overtraining! When overtraining occurs, muscle growth and strength gains come to a screeching halt. So to maximize muscle growth... you need train with JUST the right amount of weight training. Too much will produce negative results. If you don't allow your muscles to rest, recover, and get ready for the next workout, you're doing the same thing as if you went back out into the sun too much. Too much of something can produce negative results as much as too little of something. So what's the answer? Simple, just use the HITMAN high intensity training manual! HITMAN  is a high intensity training system designed for quick gains of muscle, strength and power. It's for those who want to gain a lot of muscle and NOT risk overtraining. HITMAN was developed by Matrix Systems, a group of personal trainers and bodybuilders based in Southern California. It's based on the principles or High Intensity Training  (HIT), which focuses on performing your weight training reps to the point of muscle failure. The goal is to overload your muscles the best way possible, in order to maximize the amount of muscle fiber stimulation. The fundamental principles of High Intensity Training are that each exercise and workout should be brief, infrequent, and intense.  It makes sense that the more weight you lift, the less time you have to work out? That's why high intensity workouts are kept short. You do JUST the right amount of weight lifting to KEEP stimulating muscle growth... and no more. After a High Intensity workout, as with any workout, the body requires time to recover and produce the muscle gains that were stimulated during the workout. That's why there's more emphasis on rest and recovery in the HITMAN program than in most other weight training routines. Mike Ment zer, a former Mr. Universe, believe wholely in High Intensity training and a chieved his lifetime best condition from using it. Lee Labrada, Sergio Olivia, Casey Viator, and Dorian Yates all had incredibly huge and muscular physiques... and they ALL used high intensity training. Sure, you may not have the genetics these guys had... but even if you get a FRACTION of their results, wouldn't you be happy? If you're skinny and have very poor genetics for building muscle... this is the remedy. Stop wasting time and start building muscle! Even if you been stuck at the same size for years... this program will help you burst through and start packing on a lot more muscle. The truth is, your current workout isn't thoroughly stimulating all of your different types of muscle fibers... but once you use HITMAN... you'll fully stimulate every fiber. By the end of your first month you'll notice new muscle. After a couple of months... you'll see a huge difference in size and strength. After all, HITMAN was designed for the most rapid strength, size and power gains possible... while also allowing you to achieve complete recuperation. We've identified nine Critical Growth Factors, which form the basis from which this program is built upon. Understanding and applying them correctly will make the difference between packing on a TON of muscle... and not making any gains at all. If you're not happy with your results from the time you spend in the gym right now, this could be the reason why. You'll want to take a close look at this program because if what you're currently doing isn't working, this could be THE key. Since it takes very little time, it's also perfect for those who are busy and don't have a lot of time to work out. So now, not only do you NOT have to spend five to six days a week in the gym... you'll also cut your training time down in HALF... while you gain TWICE the amount of muscle! It's true! HITMAN  has  eight  completely new engineered training periods. Each is four weeks long which includes a two-week high intensity "Growth" Phase, followed by a two-week lower intensity "Stabilize" Phase. The workouts are based on a three-day per week schedule which allows you the other four days to completely rest and recover. This system is designed for maximum rest, recuperation, and muscle GROWTH! HITMAN  is perfect for someone that wants to get in and out of the gym quickly WHILE ALSO packing on a ton of lean muscle mass. Every single part of your weight training is covered in detail. I'll even show you exactly which exercises to use and how many reps to use  every  workout. What you'll Get with the HITMAN High Intensity Training Manual...  Short, four-week training periods based on Growth and Stabilize cycles.   Eight new and unique training periods based on a  three-day a week  workout schedule .  Nine Critical Growth Factors identifying the most important parts of weight training.   Brief, intense workouts to stimulate optimal hormonal release .  Includes an Anabolic Diet Cycle with a specific training period designed for it.   New Dynamic Stretching concept to increase muscle growth potential .  Specific Muscle Overload Techniques for  fast  and  consistent  muscle growth.   ...And Much More ! HITMAN  is based on the scientific, PROVEN research of cause and effect... just like the sun can lead to a tan if used correctly. This program, if used correctly... will make SURE you train JUST the right amount... so you get the absolute maximum amount of lean muscle mass growth. We'll cover training to failure and whether it's important to do or not. We'll also talk about "the pump" and even if it's necessary to feel during your workouts. We'll cover overtraining and how it can ruin ALL your muscle gains... and how to prevent it from happening. I'll show you the correct training format that helps prevent overtraining from ever happening again. We'll get into your workout length, the number of reps and sets to do, which exercises to use, when to train, the top muscle overload techniques and advanced muscle stimulation techniques, rest and recovery for quick muscle gains, nutrition for the most muscle growth, and supplements. You'll also get complete exercise descriptions that show you how to perform each one. Proven Scientific Methods to Help You Reach Your Genetic Potential in Muscle Mass The primary focus in this program is gaining muscle mass a lot faster, but we also cover nutrition, weight loss, cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility training. These are all parts of a proper program that will have you looking and feeling your best. Through years of research and experience, we've come to understand there is a growing percentage of men that want to train and increase their power and strength yet they have limited recuperation capabilities. These guys are typically referred to as "hard gainers." Their limitations are due to genetic factors as well as daily stress, poor eating habits, lack of regular rest. These all limit your body's ability to recover from regular exercise. Remember our talk about sun tans and muscle growth? This is it right here. If you find yourself not making consistent progress, constantly fatigued when you do train, or little time to spend on your workouts... then the HITMAN program will help you build a strong, muscular body in a lot less time. This program relies on intensity cycling, training variety and applying the techniques responsible for complete muscle stimulation. We work in sync with the body's natural ability to withstand stress and recover. Hitman's "secret" is to keep your body rested and recovered after an intense lifting session. Just enough lifting is crucial... Much like the fact that JUST enough sun will produce the desired result of a tan... this program will produce the desired result of more muscle mass. It has JUST the right amount of training. Your progress will depend on following each training Period as close as possible. There's a very fine line between the proper amount of training and your overall ability to recover. But when you follow this, you'll LOVE what you see in the mirror just a few short weeks after starting. The gains you see will come faster, they'll be bigger and more often... and you're going to pack on more solid muscle than you ever  dreamed possible . The secrets I'm about to share with you are the result of YEARS worth of scientific research on what causes muscles to actually grow. Here at Matrix Systems, we're big believers in science and proof and feel that if we can find the cause and effect relationship between working out and gaining muscle, that's what we want to focus on. What we've done is use a scientific, results-oriented approach that's based on what works. If you want size, fast, use this manual! You'll gain muscle mass, you'll gain size, you'll get stronger, and you'll get so jacked... your friends will think you've been on a cycle of steroids. But you won't be... you'll just be following the proven principles of what actually causes muscle mass to grow. In fact, a short time after starting HITMAN, your muscle groups will go into  growth-overdrive . While other guys in the gym keep getting the same results and keep looking the same each and every week... you'll soon reach a whole new level of muscularity. This program will separate you from all the other guys that will continue to just spin their wheels in the gym, getting the same old results. For  you , this HITMAN program means a chance to gain more muscle size and do it a lot faster. So why am I suddenly releasing a program that talks about this stuff? Why wouldn't I just keep these secrets to myself? Well, first off, that wouldn't be fair to let SO MANY people keep doing things wrong and spin their wheels in the gym for little to no results. After all, we've noticed that just about 99% of all the people working out in the gym are just plain WRONG. I mean, they work out WAY too much and WAY too often. My clients and I are in and out of the gym by the time they finish warming up! And here's the thing: We're some of the biggest, most muscular dudes in the gym... yet we literally spend a fraction of the time! So instead of just letting most guys keep running around in circles, not getting anywhere, I want to help change that. My goal is to help guys pack on more solid muscle mass in literally HALF the time they spend in the gym. This will blast your muscles with something they've never experienced before . And as a result, you'll grow so  fast  you'll NEVER want to train any other way again. I've used HITMAN to gain an  unfair advantage  over other lifters in the gym and there's no reason you can't as well. Now you don't have to be like MOST  guys who have trouble  gaining muscle. You'll now have the unfair advantage and be on a totally different level of muscularity. Whether you want a thick, powerful chest or arms that bulge out of the sleeves of your shirt, or round shapely shoulders that look like bowling balls... you'll soon notice guys, everywhere you go, start to give you a lot more respect. Not only that, but the ladies will be checking you out a lot more too, I guarantee it. So bottom line, it's time to use HITMAN to "shock" your muscles into growing faster than they want to!  You'll blast right through plateaus so you can keep making incredible gains. What's more, since you're no longer spending an extra minute in the gym... even while you get better results, you'll have more time to actually live a life. All the while, you'll be getting continuous muscle growth that just doesn't stop You'll be giving your muscles  NO OTHER CHOICE  but to grow... and grow  FAST because you'll finally be using the scientific methods of muscle growth. That means YOU decide when you've got the amount of muscle you want. No longer do you have to keep spending hours in the gym for little to no results. That time of your life is done forever! In fact, stick with it and you can get results like I've gotten... which is more growth in just 3 months than you would normally get in 3 years! The fact is, you've just got to  SEE this program to believe it. Look - if you work out and you honestly want to get BIG, you understand just how important proper rest, recuperation, and nutrition is, right? If you want  MORE muscle  size,  FASTER  than you could ever dream of... this is your chance. Some guys are satisfied with their training routine and the fact that they just go to the gym, over and over again, and never see any results. I guess they figure "that's just how it goes for them". But I know for me, and all of my clients, we're never entirely satisfied. We're always looking for new ways to pack on solid muscle. Heck, it's what we do here at Matrix Systems That's why advanced training breakthroughs that take above and beyond any training routine you've ever tried... that's why we do this stuff and it's why we get so excited. We LOVE seeing guys get so much better results from using our stuff. It makes us feel like what we're doing matters. It took me about 5 long years to finally understand why most guys weren't gaining muscle mass like they should be. After all, they were spending a ton of time in the gym. Well, once again, it goes back to the sun tan and the sun burn. 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Casey Viator – Complete Profile: Height, Workout And Diet

Life and accomplishments of bodybuilder casey viator.

Written by Ash, ACE, MSc

Last Updated on 1 April, 2024 | 9:14 AM EDT

Casey Viator was an American professional bodybuilder who competed in the 1970s and 1980s era of bodybuilding. He is popularly known for his involvement in Arthur Jones’ Colorado Experiment. This article explores his complete profile, biography, workout routine, diet, and statistics.

Casey Viator

Born: Semptember 4, 1951 Died: September 4, 2013 Birthplace: Lafayette, Los Angeles, USA Residence: Clearwater, Florida, USA Nickname: Rocky Height: 5′ 10″ (178 cm) Weight: 240 lbs (109 kg) Arms: 22″ (56 cm) Chest: 58″ (147 cm) Waist: 32″ (81 cm) Thighs: 29″ (73 cm) Calves: 20,5″ (52 cm)

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Casey Viator Biography

Casey Viator was born and raised in Pelican State, Louisiana. He was born with physical abilities and a natural inclination to participate in sports. During his teenage years, Viator noticed that he was able to build muscle and get big simply by playing different sports.

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To make a conscious effort to get strong and big, the Louisiana native turned toward weight training and it eventually led him on the path to become one of the most promising bodybuilders of his era.

Viator was inspired by one of his relatives who was a big and muscular person. By age 13, Viator started doing basic Olympic lifts to gain muscle. As time passed, he started getting big. However, he was not happy with the aesthetics and proportions of his physique.

This led Viator to explore the world of bodybuilding. He started studying material, and talking to people who knew about bodybuilding, and subsequently, he started implementing the knowledge into his training routine.

As a teenager, Casey Viator soon started training every muscle group in different training sessions and focused on getting the right proportions and symmetry to his physique. Viator trained vigorously and spent hours in the gym at a time. Soon, his physique started taking the desired shape and he was ready to step on the competitive bodybuilding stage.

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Early Career

When Casey Viator was 17, he participated in the 1968 Mr. Lousiana and walked away with a victory, defeating some of the more experienced competitors at the show. The taste of success motivated him to do even better and Viator started competing regularly while trying to improve his physique in the gym.

The years 1970 and 1971 proved to be a golden phase of Viator’s bodybuilding journey as he won four shows in a row. During this time, he won the 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America, 1970 AAU Mr. USA, 1971 AAU Mr. America, and 1971 Junior Mr. America while absolutely dominating his competition.

Viator was the youngest competitor to win the AAU Mr. America title and a lot of his success could be attributed to Nautilus machines founder Arthur Jones. Viator met Jones after the 1970 Mr. America. Jones felt that Viator was overworking in the gym and helped him formulate a training routine that addressed this issue.

Viator’s new workout plan was much shorter and it helped him retain energy while still making meaningful gains.

Viator took a long leave of absence from competitive bodybuilding after his success in 1971. He was involved in the Colorado Experiment in 1973 and continued to work hard in the gym during his hiatus.

Later Career

Casey Viator returned to competition with a runner-up finish at the 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe. This performance provided a great starting point for his second run in the sport. Viator continued to participate in bodybuilding shows for the next three years and won several pro shows, including the 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational.

He made his Mr. Olympia debut at the 1980 Olympia with a 14th-place finish and surged into the top three at the 1982 Mr. Olympia. This proved to be Viator’s best Olympia performance and he took another long hiatus from the sport after this. He donned the posing trunks one last time at the 1995 Masters Olympia and secured a 12th-place finish.

Later years and death

After retiring from the competitive sphere of bodybuilding, Casey Viator started his own training and nutrition consulting business. Viator was also a fitness and bodybuilding writer for the Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines. He continued to work and help others achieve their goals until his death by heart attack on his birthday, September 4, 2013.

Competition History

• 1995 Masters Olympia – 12th place
• 1982 Mr. Olympia – 3rd place
• 1982 Grand Prix Sweden – 3rd place
• 1982 Grand Prix Belgium – 4th place
• 1981 Grand Prix California – Did not place
• 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – 1st place
• 1980 Mr. Olympia – 14th place
• 1980 Night of Champions – 5th place
• 1980 Grand Prix Pennsylvania – 1st place
• 1980 Grand Prix Miami – 2nd place
• 1980 Grand Prix Louisiana – 1st place
• 1980 Grand Prix California – 3rd place
• 1979 Canada Pro Cup – 5th place
• 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe, Medium – 2nd place
• 1971 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
• 1971 AAU Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
• 1970 AAU Mr. USA, Most Muscular – 1st place
• 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
• 1970 AAU Mr. America, Most Muscular – 3rd place
• 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America – 6th place
• 1968 Mr. Louisiana – 1st place

Casey Viator Workout

Casey Viator was known for working extremely hard with furious intensity. He lifted heavy and did high-volume training at the same time. At the time, it was reported that he trained six days a week and trained several hours every single day.

However, Viator’s training approach changed significantly after he met with Arthur Jones, the founder of Nautilus equipment. Jones selected Viator as the primary subject for the Colorado Experiment. This experiment aimed to prove or disprove the efficacy of Nautilus gym equipment.

Viator trained as per Jones’ high-intensity training (HIT) principles for this experiment. Traditional workouts involve a maximalist training approach where bodybuilders spend hours in the gym daily to build their desired physique.

The HIT training differs in this one specific area as it involves training with extremely high intensity in short training sessions. Typically, this training method involves only one set of every exercise. However, the set is performed to failure with slow reps to put the muscle under tension for a longer duration.

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Proponents of this training method claim that this method is more effective in building muscle. The results of the Colorado Experiment showed that Viator had a net gain of 60+ pounds in lean muscle mass over 28 days.

However, the results were highly debated for several reasons, including that Viator was already a trained bodybuilder who carried a significant muscle mass even before enrolling in the experiment.

Typically, the following are the exercises that Casey Viator performed during the Colorado Experiment.

• Leg Press – 1 set of 20 reps with 750 pounds
• Leg Extensions – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 250 pounds
• Barbell Squats – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 500 pounds
• Leg Curls – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 150 pounds
• Seated Calf Raises – 2 sets of 20 reps
• Standing Calf Raises – 2 sets of 20 reps
• Machine Pullovers – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Lat Pulldown Circular – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Deadlifts – 1 set of 30 reps with 400 pounds
• Pull-Ups – 3 sets of 20 reps

Shoulders and Traps

• Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps with 60 pounds
• Press Behind-the-Neck – 3 sets of 20 reps with 215 pounds
• Machine Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Bench Press – 2 sets of 20 reps with 350 pounds
• Incline Bench Press – 3 sets of 20 reps with 225 pounds
• Parallel Bar Dips – 3 sets of 20 reps with 100 pounds
• Cable Crossover – 3 sets of 20 reps with 40 pounds
• Barbell Curls – 1 set of 20 reps with 200 pounds
• Machine Curls – 1 set of 20 reps with 120 pounds
• Triceps Pushdowns – 1 set of 20 reps with 110 pounds
• Overhead Triceps Extensions Machine – 1 set of 20 reps

Casey Viator Diet

Casey Viator’s dietary practices were simple. He did not indulge in any fad diets or extreme principles. Instead, the goal was to consume around 250 grams of protein with 4000 to 5000 calories per day.

Viator ate six to eight meals every day and ate after every two to three hours. This method of eating helped him maintain his energy levels and kept his metabolism high. Each meal was based on protein. Chicken, eggs, and lean cuts of beef were his primary sources of protein.

Here is a sample of Casey Viator’s full day of eating:

• Egg Protein Powder

To Conclude…

Casey Viator was a genetically gifted individual who could make huge gains with relative ease. However, his progress and career trajectory show that he refused to rely on his genetic gift alone and worked hard relentlessly to achieve his goals. His life story proves that your inheritance and genetics etc. can give you a great starting point. But your true strength lies in making progress with your efforts without relying on them too much.

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If you have any questions or need further clarification about this article, please leave a comment below , and Ash will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Ash, ACE, MSc

Ash is a highly respected fitness expert and certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). With a B.A. in biology from Rutgers and an M.S. in Exercise Science (Kinesiology) from CBU, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work. Ash is dedicated to helping people achieve their fitness and health goals through personalized training and nutrition plans. With a passion for fitness and a deep understanding of the science behind healthy living, she is able to create effective and sustainable programs that deliver real results. Whether you're looking to lose weight, build muscle, or just feel better in your own skin, Ash is the expert you can trust to guide you on your journey to a healthier and happier life.

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Old School Bodybuilding Click Here For Your FREE Old School Bodybuilding Magazine! Casey Viator Colorado Experiment Workout Download The Truly Huge Program Old School Bodybuilding Secrets In 1973, Arthur Jones performed the Colorado Experiment, an intense weight training/body building workout, in order to see what effects his intense program could have. Arthur Jones is famous not only for his experiment, but also for his Nautilus equipment that he invented and is used today in gyms or is the basis for many of the machines used today. He had two subjects for the Colorado Experiment--himself and Casey Viator, a young body builder who won Mr. America at the amazingly young age of 19 in 1971. In the Colorado Experiment, Casey had to perform an extreme program that concentrated on muscle development in a short time, just under a half hour. The workout included: leg presses of 750 pounds for 20 repetitions, leg extensions of 225 pounds for 20 repetitions, squats of 502 pounds for 13 repetitions, two minutes of rest, leg curls of 175 pounds for 12 repetitions, a one leg calf raise with 40 pounds in one hand for 15 repetitions, pullovers at 290 pounds for 11 repetitions, behind the neck lateral pulldowns of 210 pounds for ten repetitions, strain arm lateral raises with dumbells of 40 pounds for 9 repetitions, behind the neck shoulder presses of 185 pounds for 10 repetitions, and bicep curl plates of 110 pounds for 8 repetitions. In twenty eight days, Casey gained 63 pounds of lean muscle, an incredible achievement when Arthur Jones only gained about 15 pounds in lean muscle gain. The reason that Viator was so successful, more so than the person who created the Colorado Experiment? There are several speculations. One reason could be genetics, Casey's abilities already proven in the Mr. America contest. In addition, muscle memory may have been a factor. Viator had lost 30 pounds, from an illness, shortly before participating the experiment which could account for such extreme muscle gain in such a short time. Steroids is also a possibility but Casey Viator is insistent that drugs played no part in the amazing success he achieved when he became a participant in the Colorado Experiment. Something to shoot for when body building today! Click Here For Your FREE Old School Bodybuilding Magazine! Bodybuilding Supplements That Work Old School Bodybuilding | Websites

The Colorado Experiment

The following are Arthur Jones’ and Dr. Elliot Plese’s accounts of The Colorado Experiment from chapters 15 through 18 of  Nautilus Training Principles  Bulletin 3

Chapter 15: The Colorado Experiment Part 1…Purpose of the Experiment

by Arthur Jones

In the previous chapter, I mentioned the circumstances that first led me to suspect that too much exercise might be as counterproductive as too little exercise. During the twenty years that have followed that realization, an enormous amount of information has come to my attention from a variety of sources…the results of research in a number of related fields…improvements in available equipment…and of perhaps greatest importance, enough time to carefully examine as many as possible of the related factors.

More than thirty years ago, when I first became interested in exercise, almost nothing in the way of factual information existed on the subject…but now, the situation may well have reversed itself; perhaps “too much” information is now available…so much information that it has become almost impossible to absorb it all.

Another problem being introduced into equation by the fact that only most of the information is fragmented, exists only in apparently unrelated bits and pieces…an almost unavoidable result when due consideration is given to the actual number of factors involved, physical factors, physiological factors, biochemical factors, neurological factors, psychological factors, an almost infinite number of factors.

Under the circumstances, I realized long ago that the final answers would not emerge during my lifetime; but I also realized that the trend in current training practices was in exactly the wrong direction. While I perhaps didn’t know exactly what was “right”…I certainly could see a number of things that were “wrong”.

If for no other reason, I was clearly aware that many current training practices were wrong simply because they weren’t logical, because they attempted to deny established physical law.

For example; from my own personal experience, and from the experiences of many other people, I was aware that a very rapid rate of muscular growth was at least possible. Why, then, I was forced to ask myself, couldn’t such a rate of growth be maintained right up to the point of individual potential?

A physical law simply states that a given set of circumstances will produce a particular result, invariably. If the law is valid, then the result must be produced…and if the result is not forthcoming, then the only logical conclusion is that the circumstances were not those that were required.

So, if we do something once, and a particular result is produced, then the same result should always be produced…and if it isn’t, then that is clear proof that the circumstances were changed in some manner, even though such a change may have evaded our attention.

In my own case, a certain type and amount of exercise produced a particular result…for awhile, up to a point. But beyond that point, exactly the same type and amount of exercise produced no apparent result at all. Obviously, then, some factor had been changed, the circumstances had been altered.

Eventually I realized that the change in circumstances occurred within my own system, growth was produced as long as I was working within the limits imposed by my recovery ability. But if the demands exceeded the ability of my system to meet them, then growth was literally impossible.

A certain “balance” was obviously required; if the recovery ability exceeded the demands, then growth was at least possible, and if it was being properly stimulated then it would occur…but if the demands exceeded the recovery ability, then growth was impossible, regardless of the stimulation provided.

Practical experience also made it obvious that increases in strength resulting from exercise were not matched by equal increases in the recovery ability. In effect, as we became stronger, we were working closer to the limits of our recovery ability…and, eventually we reached a point where our recovery ability was being entirely dissipated in restoring the energy potential consumed by our workouts, so that nothing was left for growth.

Realizing that a constantly depleted recovery ability made growth impossible, and being unable to increase the recovery ability, the only choice remaining was a reduction in the demands.

When such a reduction in demands was made, the result was immediate growth…because we had thus restored the required conditions for growth.

Having thus been forced to recognize that there was a limit to the amount of exercise that we could stand, we then turned our attention in the direction of trying to determine just how little exercise was actually required. Since we could not increase one factor (the recovery ability) in order to restore the required balance, we were forced to reduce another factor (the amount of exercise) in order to produce the same result.

A logical conclusion, literally an unavoidable conclusion, and a conclusion that was fully supported by practical application. But since it was also a conclusion that ran directly contrary to widespread opinion, I realized that it might not be readily accepted.

So we decided to conduct an experiment under conditions that could not be disputed, realizing in advance that efforts would probably be made in the direction of trying to deny the results…if for no other reason that the fact that many people seem unable to admit that their own theories might be wrong.

Since we have our own training facility in Florida, it would have been far more convenient to conduct the experiment here; but we realized that doing so would leave us open to charges of misrepresentation after the fact. So, instead, the experiment was conducted in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Plese in the Colorado State University’s Department of Physical Education Laboratory.

Literally dozens of utterly phony “research projects” have been highly advertised during the last thirty years, so I think we can be excused for going to rather great length in our attempts to avoid any slightest chance of misrepresentation. Additionally, since commercial interests amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars of annual revenue might be threatened by the facts that we hoped to establish by the experiment, a certain amount of caution was obviously called for.

Even in the face of the fact of daily flights conducted in the city limits of their home town, it took the Wright Brothers several years to gain acceptance…and such hesitation existed even in a situation where no slightest threat to established commercial interests was involved. So we were not foolish enough to think that human nature has changed enough in the meantime to bring about instant acceptance of something as dramatic as hoped to do.

But we also realized that it had to be dramatic in order to attract the attention that we feel it deserves. The results of the Colorado Experiment will probably be a controversial subject for years to come, but in the end the facts will be clearly established and accepted by almost everybody; so perhaps controversy is a necessary evil, required to bring the truth into the open.

We hoped to establish several points during the course of the Colorado Experiment, and we also hoped to add to our own store of knowledge…now, after the fact, I am still not sure whether we demonstrated more than we learned, or vice versa. We certainly demonstrated what we set out to demonstrate; but in the process we learned a great deal as well.

Among other things, we hoped to demonstrate that (1) very brief workouts are capable of producing rapid and large scale increases in muscular mass and strength…(2) nothing apart from a reasonably balanced diet is required…(3) the so-called “growth drugs” are not required.

But in the course of the experiment we also learned that it is possible to produce large scale increases in muscular mass while actually REDUCING the starting level of fatty tissue. I had always felt that adding fat while increasing muscular weight was neither necessary nor desirable, but I had not previously realized that it was literally possible to increase muscular tissue rapidly while simultaneously reducing fatty tissue. So the experiment was far more than just a demonstration, it was a learning process as well.

Chapter 16: The Colorado Experiment Part 2…Background of the Experiment

by Dr. Elliot Plese

Late in 1970 my attention was called to a supposedly new concept in exercise called Nautilus, and a few months later, in June 1971, I visited the Nautilus plant in Florida for the purpose of examining the equipment being manufactured there, and for the secondary purpose of discussing the involved training principles with Mr. Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus equipment.

If the equipment appeared to offer improvements by comparison to conventional exercise machines and barbells, it was my intention to conduct a research project in which such a comparison could be made under controlled conditions.

After observing the training in progress at the Nautilus facility, and after talking to Mr. Jones for a number of hours over a period of three days, and after questioning several other people who had been using the new equipment for various lengths of time, I reached the conclusion that this new theory of exercise and the equipment that was required for its practical application was indeed worthy of serious investigation. In particular, I was impressed by the speed of the workouts, and the overall brevity of the training. Even if the final results proved to be no better than these produced by other methods, I realized that the reduction in training time was an enormous improvement in itself.

At the time of my visit to Florida, Casey Viator was being trained by Mr. Jones for the 1971 Mr. America contest, and after seeing him, I had no doubt that he would win. Which he did. Casey was 19 years of age, and weighed 218 pounds at a height of less than 5 feet, 8 inches. The mass of his muscular structures was far more than anything I had expected, but I was even more impressed by his strength and functional ability. His flexibility exceeded a normal range of movement to a marked degree.

During his last training session prior to the contest, Casey performed only three exercises for his legs, and the entire portion of his training devoted to his legs was completed in less than four minutes. He performed only one set of each exercise and moved immediately from one exercise to the next. Upon testing his pulse rate at the end of the brief leg training session I found it to be approximately 170.

The entire workout was continued at the same fast pace, and repeated checks indicated that his pulse rate seldom if ever dropped below 140 and never climbed above 180. Having devoted a number of years to research projects that were primarily concerned with cardiovascular conditioning of athletes, I realized that Casey was in marvelous condition, and I also realized that the possibilities for applying such a method of training to athletes in almost any sport were apparently unlimited.

I had previously been led to believe that exercise was necessarily divided into two distinct categories, exercises intended for cardiovascular conditioning, and exercises intended for the purpose of increasing strength. But it appeared these previous conclusions were in error, because the Nautilus training I observed in Florida seemed to be performing both functions, building strength and improving cardiovascular condition at the same time. While Casey was undoubtedly the strongest man I had ever seen, he was also in splendid condition. During the leg portion of his workout he started by performing more than 20 repetitions of the leg press with 750 pounds, stopping only when another repetition was impossible. He then moved immediately to the next exercise and performed 20 repetitions of the leg extension with 225 pounds. And this was immediately followed by the final exercise, 13 repetitions of the full squat with 503 pounds.

Each exercise was terminated only upon reaching a point of failure, and no rest was taken between exercises. It was an impressive demonstration of body strength and condition, to say the least.

Two football players from Alabama, the Anderson brothers, Dennis and Walter, were spending the summer in Florida for the purpose of training under the supervision of Mr. Jones, and they trained in exactly the same manner that Casey did, using very heavy resistance and moving immediately from one exercise to the next.

A long talk with one these brothers, Dennis Anderson, brought forth the following information. A year earlier, a four week training program of Nautilus exercises increased his strength in the squat by exactly 50% from 6 repetitions with 280 pounds to 6 repetitions with 420 pounds. Similar strength increases were produced in all areas of movement, as a result of eleven brief workouts performed over a period of 28 days.

His brother Walter, produced equally good results from the same training program, and was also very enthusiastic about the new style of training. “Dennis and I trained with weights for four years,” he told me, “but we gained more from four weeks of Nautilus training than we did from all of our barbell workouts put together. When we went back to school after a month down here, our coach couldn’t believe the condition we were in. And we were faster, too.”

Ellington Darden, a graduate student from Florida State University, was visiting the Nautilus facility at the same time, and he made an interesting comment, “The results are undeniable; but it would be interesting to know what percentage of the results are produced by the Nautilus machines, and what percentage are a result of pushing by Mr. Jones.”

To which Mr. Jones replied, “You can’t push with a rope. No amount of pushing will produce results by itself; the machines are tools, and like any tool they must be used properly if you expect to produce good results. All I do is make sure they use the machines properly; and if that takes pushing, and it sometimes does, then I push.”

Everything I saw in Florida tended to confirm an impression that Nautilus training was perhaps the most significant development in the field of exercise, so I continued to communicate with Mr. Jones after my return to Colorado. Several months later, we agreed to conduct a 28 day test of high-intensity training under my supervision in the Colorado State University Exercise Physiology Laboratory, using Mr. Jones as the only subject. Initially, no thought was given to the use of Casey Viator as a second subject, since he was already very near the limit of his muscular potential.

Casey’s involvement in the experiment came about by accident. In January of 1973, Casey lost part of one finger in an industrial accident, then nearly died when an injection produced an allergic reaction. The result being a loss in bodyweight and strength; on the day of the accident he weighed just over 200 pounds, but lost approximately 18 pounds before being released from the hospital.

Because of the nature of the injury, he was unable to resume training for a period of nearly four months, and during that time he lost an additional 17 pounds, reducing his bodyweight to approximately 167 pounds at the start pf the experiment on May 1st, 1973. But in spite of the loss in bodyweight and several months out of training, Casey proved to be surprisingly strong. During an initial strength test conducted immediately prior to the first workout of the experiment, Casey’s performances were recorded as follow…

Leg press……………………………32 repetitions with 400 pounds

Standing Press………………………8 repetitions with 160 pounds

Supinated-grip chinning…………….7 repetitions with 50 pounds

Parallel dipping……………………..12 repetitions with 50 pounds

A universal machine was used for both the pre-experiment strength tests and the later post-experiment tests, since we were interested in determining strength increases that would not be affected by skill. For the same reason, the above four exercises were selected as tests; since these movements are all basic exercises.

All strength tests were performed in strict style, and were carried to a point of muscular failure.

Bodyweight was determined by weighing nude on a calibrated scale. Muscular measurements were recorded with a paper tape crosschecked for accuracy with a steel tape. And percentage of bodyfat was measured by Dr. James E. Johnson, using the Whole Body Counter in the Department of Radiology and Radiation Biology. Resting pulse rate, breathing rate , and blood pressure were measured and recorded, and a number of tests were conducted with an eletromyograph.

Exactly similar tests were conducted with the second subject, Mr. Jones. With one rather surprising result; his bodyfat level was the lowest ever recorded in our laboratory during a number of years of conducting such tests, and we could find no record of a lower level in any of the literature. Yet Mr. Jones was not in an emaciated or weakened condition; on the contrary, he was in very good condition for a man of any age, and almost unbelievable condition for a man of his age.

The bodyfat levels of both subjects were very low at the start of the experiment; Casey Viator’s starting level of bodyfat was 13.8% and Mr. Jones recorded a level of only 6.3%.

Sixteen Colorado State University athletes that were measured for direct comparison purposes recorded the following levels of bodyfat.

Best, Allen – 19 years / 221.9 pounds / 29.7% bodyfat

Beyhl, Randall – 20 / 256.5 / 38.1%

Chearno, Rick – 21 / 234.3 / 20.7%

Craig, Jim – 20 / 244.9 / 36.3%

Gallas, Dan – 18 / 232.3 / 28.2%

Jones, Kim – 21 / 229.7 / 16.0%

Kirk, Tracy – 22 / 213.1 / 31.2 %

Kuhn, Greg – 20 / 223.7 / 28.2 %

Lang, Andy – 22 / 248.2 / 34.5%

Larson, Robert – 20 / 236.5 / 38.3%

Newland, Ed – 21 / 288.0 / 39.8%

Norman, Dave – 20 / 180.2 / 16.4%

Price, William – 20 / 204.2 / 26.2%

Simpson, Al – 21 / 267.1 / 35.7%

Tracy, James – 20 / 217.7 / 31.2%

Wallace, Tom – 20 / 229.7 / 19.7%

The average body fat level of these sixteen subjects was 29.3 percent. Five other subjects from Florida, members of the party brought to Colorado by Mr. Jones, were also measured.

With the following results.

Jones, Eliza – 29 / 118.14 / 27.8%

Orlando, Nick – 32 / 186.34 / 16.9%

Butkus, Dick – 30 / 257.27 / 35.2%

Perry, Houston – 52 / 223.83 / 46.2%

Perry, Katie – 40 / 145.31 / 42.7%

Dick Butkus, a professional football player for the Chicago Bears, came to Colorado to start a training program under the supervision of Mr. Jones; unfortunately, his schedule did not permit him to stay in Colorado long enough to establish a trend in his bodyfat level resulting from the training.

But an interesting point may haven been illustrated by another member of the party, Houston Perry. Mr. Perry had just lost approximately 30 pounds as a result of a well advertised diet, yet his level of bodyfat (46.2%) was higher than that of any of the other subjects. It appeared that his loss from the diet had consisted of a loss in lean body mass rather than bodyfat. This subject had been employed by Mr. Jones for less than a week, as a pilot, and had never performed any type of systematic exercise.

When compared to the other subjects, it is obvious that both Jones and Viator had very low starting levels of bodyfat; and I fully expected to see a marked increase in body fat content during the experiment; but in fact, quite the opposite occurred. While rapidly increasing in bodyweight, in muscular mass, and in strength, a steady loss in bodyfat was recorded for both subjects. To me, this was the most significant result of the experiment.

Chapter 17: The Colorado Experiment Part 3…Conduct of the Experiment

Insofar as I can determine, there is no known drug that will improve the performance, or increase the muscular mass, of a healthy individual. Furthermore, I would like to go record at this point by stating…”I do not believe that such drug will ever be discovered. I think that such a result from any chemical is impossible.”

I am fully aware that some drugs can improve the condition of a weakened individual, in cases of sickness or accident…but I also believe that a state of normal health is possible only in the presence of a very delicate chemical balance that is regulated automatically by the system. If any chemical is added for the purpose of upsetting this balance, the result can only be counterproductive.

In effect, there is no such thing as a “super chemical balance”…if the chemical balance is normal, you are healthy…if not, you are sick…and it matters not whether the state of imbalance is produced by too much or too little of a practical chemical. This has been proven repeatedly in literally thousands of tests conducted with animal subjects, and no slightest evidence exists in support of an opposite result with either animal of human subjects.

Certain hormones will help add muscular mass to a steer, or a gelding…but they will NOT produce the same result with a bull or a stallion. When an animal has been castrated, removing the testicles produces an abnormal situation where normal growth is impossible, giving such an animal the hormone drugs merely tends to restore a normal situation, a situation that would have existed naturally if the animal had not been castrated.

In such cases you are merely removing something and then trying to replace it in another manner; first creating a subnormal condition and then trying to restore normal health.

Yet the widespread bias in favor of such so called “growth drugs” borders on hysteria. Even suggesting that the use of these drugs is anything less than necessary automatically labels you a fool in some circles. And there is certainly no doubt that a lot of people are being fooled on this subject; but you can NOT fool your endocrine system, and when you add an unrequired chemical for the purpose of disturbing a normal balance, you are NOT improving the situation.

Pointing to recent strength records as proof of the value of such drugs actually proves nothing. The fact remains that the single strongest human recorded in history established his records ling before the drugs were ever used. Paul Anderson established records prior to 1958 that have never been approached and androgenic-anabolic drugs were apparently first used in athletic circles in 1960.

Bob Peoples established a deadlift record thirty years ago, lifting nearly 800 pounds at a bodyweight of approximately 180; today, a very few individuals have reached or passed that level of performance…but most of them weigh nearly twice as much as he did, and some of them weigh more than twice as much.

Men who establish such records are merely statistical standouts, literally genetic freaks; they are NOT the products of drugs, regardless of their opinions on the subject.

Great strength is a result of two factors…(1) individual potential, which cannot be improved…and (2) hard training, which will increase the strength of almost anybody.

But a third factor exists as a prerequisite…NORMAL HEALTH, without which, reaching the limits of potential strength is simply impossible. So you can improve a sick individual in some cases, but you can NOT turn a normal individual into a superman by chemical means. Such a result is impossible, and ridiculous on the face of it.

In a later chapter I will cover the use of such drugs in sports in far greater detail; for the moment, it is enough to go on record that drugs are of no value to a healthy athlete. But I am clearly aware that my position on drugs will be considered proof of my ignorance by many people; and that some others will consider it proof of my hypocrisy. In plan English…some people will call me a fool, and others will call me a liar. Simply because, at the moment, thousands of people have been so brainwashed on the subject of drugs that they have literally become “true believers”, looking upon themselves as the only ones in possession of the truth, and considering anybody who takes a different position either a fool or a fraud.

Equally strong superstitions exist on the “need” for high-protein food supplements, and the “requirement” for several hours of daily training; with exactly the same amount of actual proof that exists in support of drugs, NONE.

But again, these beliefs have taken such firm root that it is almost impossible to discuss the real facts with the believers; in many quarters, such beliefs have produced nothing short of a fanatical religion.

So we wanted to clearly demonstrate that rapid increases in both muscular mass and strength could be produced without the use of drugs, with nothing in the way of a special diet, and as a result of very brief training, and we wanted to so under circumstances that would make both the results and the conditions undeniable.

Certain factors are required for the production of increases in muscular mass and strength; these factors are (1) high-intensity exercise…and (2) normal health. Nothing else is needed, and nothing else was provided in the Colorado Experiment.

Thirteen Nautilus Machines were transported by truck from the factory in Florida to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at Colorado State University. Seven of them were standard production-model machines, identical to thousands of other Nautilus machines. But six of the machines were prototypes…”first of a kind”, experimental machines of a type that we have named OMNI MACHINES.

The Omni series of Nautilus Machines provide the user five options in the style of exercise that can be performed…(1) “normal”, which involves both positive and negative work…(2) negative-only…(3) positive-only…(4) negative-accentuated…(5) “hyper”, which involves maximum-possible positive work and even heavier negative work in the same repetition.

The Omni Nautilus Machines were never mentioned in print prior to the Colorado Experiment, and never have been previously used outside our training facility in Florida. Dr. Elliot Plese was aware of their existence, but had never seen them, the only prior use having been the training of professional football players under strict supervision and with no publicity.

For a period of approximately a year before the Colorado Experiment we conducted research to clarify the relative merits of “negative” exercise as compared to “positive” exercise, and the Omni Machines were a result of this research, designed in such a manner that a user could restrict his exercise to any particular style desired.

POSITIVE EXERCISE, or positive work, is produced when you are lifting a weight. Physiologists also call this CONCENTRIC CONTRACTION, but I prefer the less confusing term.

NEGATIVE EXERCISE, or negative work, is involved when you are lowering a weight. This form of work is also called ECCENTRIC CONTRACTION, and again I prefer the other term; primarily because “concentric” and “eccentric” sound too much alike and are frequently confused.

Most forms of exercise involve both negative and positive work; if you curl a dumbbell, you are performing positive work while the weight is going “up”…and negative work while the weight is going “down”.

If you do parallel dips, positive work is involved as your body is raised…and negative work as you lower your body.

Your muscles have distinct “strength levels”…your POSITIVE strength level is the weakest…your HOLDING strength level is considerably stronger…and your NEGATIVE strength level is the highest.

This simply means that you can “hold” more weight than you can “raise”…and that you can “lower” more weight than you can “hold”. For example. You might find that you can curl 100 pounds in good form, and that anything heavier is impossible…however, if someone handed you 120 pounds, you could hold it motionless in any position of curl. You would not be able to raise it higher, but you could prevent it from dropping. That would clearly demonstrate that your “holding” strength level was higher than your “positive” strength level.

AND…if, instead of 120 pounds, you were handed 130 pounds, you might find that you could lower it under control. It would not jerk your arm straight; instead, you could delay and slow its descent…even though you could not stop the downwards movement. This would demonstrate that your “negative” strength level was higher than your “holding” strength level.

Such relative strength levels are encountered in many daily activities but are frequently overlooked; for example, it should be obvious that you can walk down a flight of steps with a far heavier weight than you can carry up the same steps.

Both positive and negative work is involved in almost all sports activities, and even in our daily lives; but since we will cover the differences in positive and negative work in great detail in later chapters, it is now only necessary to establish that there is a difference.

The great value of “negative-only” exercise was at least suspected many years ago, but performing such style of exercise was difficult; because no equipment existed for the purpose, and it was necessary to involve a number of assistants to lift the weight, rendering such exercise impractical at best.

In negative-only exercises with conventional equipment, the trainee “lowers” a weight that has been lifted by assistants; which makes unassisted training impossible. But even with help, such a style of training is difficult; because a strong man can handle more weight in a negative-only style than two assistants can lift. Many years ago, Bob Peoples, one of the strongest deadlifters on record, was forced to use a tractor to lift a weight so that he could then lower it in a negative-only fashion; and he eventually became so strong that he was forced to help the tractor lift the weight.

Making use of assistants to lift weight, we tried negative-only exercises for a period of several months…with outstanding results. But eventually, several of our trainees became so strong that we were forced to design und build equipment that would lift the weight for them, since we were rapidly exhausting our source of possible helpers. The Omni Machines were designed to solve the “helper problem”, and they did.

For a period of about two years immediately prior to the Colorado Experiment, several companies in the exercise equipment business had been making what we considered to be grossly overstated claims on behalf of so-called “Isokinetic” exercise, a form of exercise limited to positive work.

The nature of an isokinetic device is such that negative work is totally removed…in fact, with isokinetic exercise, negative work is not only removed but is literally IMPOSSIBLE.

Having thus produced exercise devices that removed negative-work potential, the makers of these machines apparently felt called upon to announce that negative work is somehow “bad”, of no-value, dangerous, and counterproductive. From all appearances it would seen they were trying to convince the buying public that an actual shortcoming of their machines was somehow an advantage.

But the truth of the matter is that full-range exercise is utterly impossible without negative-work potential.

And it also happens that the intensity of work provided by negative work is far higher than it is in positive exercise.

So, by removing negative-work potential from their exercises, they were thus making full-range exercise impossible and lowering the intensity of exercise at the same time.

It should be clearly understood that we do NOT consider positive exercise “bad”…but we are clearly aware that negative exercise is better.

When the negative-work potential is removed from an exercise, there is no force available for pulling the muscles into the essential “prestretched” position at the start of an exercise, and no “back pressure” available to provide exercise in the fully-contracted position at the end of the movement; thus there is no resistance at either end of an exercise, and without resistance there is no actual exercise.

We will return to a comparison of negative exercise to positive exercise in later chapters; at this point it is necessary only to establish the fact that we were aware of the relative merits of these two vastly different forms of exercise prior to the Colorado Experiment.

It was my original intention to use negative-only exercise entirely during the Colorado Experiment, to avoid any slightest use of positive exercises; but circumstances made this impossible, since we were scheduled to start the experiment on a particular date and a delay would have involved a postponement of a year or more, and because we did not have a wide enough variety of negative-only equipment for such a program.

But it should be understood that my original intention to use negative-only exercises was NOT based on any thought that such a program could produce the best possible degree of results; on the contrary, we wished only to demonstrate that negative-only exercises could produce very good results.

As it turned out, we were forced by circumstances to use several types of exercise…(1) negative-only…(2) negative-accentuated…and (3) normal. But we did NOT use positive-only exercises.

The positive part of exercise certainly has value…but it also imposes limitations. It is thus essential to recognize the potential value, but equally necessary to be aware of the unavoidable limitations imposed by positive exercise.

Positive work has a far greater effect upon the heart and lungs, so improving cardiovascular condition requires positive work; but negative work is an absolute essential for full-range exercise, and thus a requirement for improving flexibility…and negative work is also better for the purpose of increasing strength. So you need both positive and negative work.

Unfortunately, when both positive and negative work are involved in the same exercise, as they are in all “normal” exercises, you are limited by the requirements to use a weight that you can lift…which weight will not be enough for a proper negative exercise.

In order to perform positive work, you must be able to lift the weight; if you can’t lift it, then no work is possible. But proper negative exercise requires a weight so heavy that you can NOT lift it. Obviously, then, your positive strength level limits your ability to perform negative exercises properly…when both forms of work occur in the same exercise.

If the weight is right for positive work, then it is too light for negative work. But if it is right for negative work, then it is impossibly heavy for positive work. So you can have one or the other, but not both…not at least, with a proper level of resistance.

Thus, when performing exercises in a normal manner, you are unavoidably limited to a level of resistance that is usable during the positive part of the work…which will not be, literally can NOT be, heavy enough for proper negative work. In order to avoid this limitation imposed by positive work, you must remove the positive part of an exercise entirely…when training with conventional equipment, at least.

But…when the positive part of an exercise is removed in order to provide a proper level of resistance for negative work, the result is a form of exercise that has very little effect upon the cardiovascular system. So negative exercise is better for strength building purposes…but worse for improving cardiovascular ability.

The Omni Nautilus Machines were designed in such a way that both limitations were removed; the Omni Machines provide the proper, high level of resistance for the negative work…but do not reduce the cardiovascular work from the exercise. Because, with the Omni Machines, you are still performing the positive part of the work…but doing it with muscular structures that are not involved in the negative part of the exercise.

In fact, the use of an Omni Nautilus Machine Increases the cardiovascular part of the work; because the level of resistance is raised in both the negative and positive parts of the exercise.

So the Omni Machines solved both problems, removed both limitations; providing us with the required high level of resistance for the negative part of the work, and at the same time increasing the cardiovascular effect of the exercise.

For example. In a normal exercise such as the bench-press, you perform both positive and negative work; positive work while lifting the weight and negative work while lowering it. Which style of exercise will have an effect upon your cardiovascular system, and will produce some degree of muscle growth stimulation.

Changing this to a negative-only style of exercises greatly improves the strength building part of the work, but reduces the effect on the cardiovascular system.

However, with the Omni Machines, you would raise the weight with your legs, and lower it with your arms. By taking advantage of the greater relative strength of the legs, you are thus able to use a weight that would be impossibly heavy for the arms, a weight that you could NOT lift with the arms; but you can lift it with the legs, and having done so, you can then lower it in a negative-only fashion with the arms. So you are still doing the positive part of the work, and since you are using more resistance than you can handle in a normal fashion you are thus doing even more positive work; while retaining the advantage of the negative-only style of training for the arms.

The fact that the legs are doing the positive part of the work while the arms are performing the negative part is of no slightest concern; since the heart and lungs neither “know” or “care” which muscles are performing the positive part of the work. Cardiovascular effects of exercise are produced to the amount and pace of work…so some muscles must be performing positive work for the cardiovascular results, but it doesn’t matter which muscles.

Writing for a national magazine nearly a year before the Colorado Experiment, I pointed out the proven value of negative-only exercises for building strength…and I also mentioned the fact that such exercise was of little or no value for improving cardiovascular ability. Which was true at that time, since the available equipment made it necessary to totally remove positive work from the exercises in order to use a proper level of resistance for negative-only work. So, at that time, it was an “either/or” situation…you could have one or the other, but not both.

But the introduction of the Omni Machines changed the situation; it then became possible to increase the resistance to the high level required for negative-only exercise, while increasing the cardiovascular effect at the same time.

In the Colorado Experiment, we were primarily interested in producing rapid and massive increases in muscular mass, together with corresponding strength increases; in order to demonstrate that such a rapid rate of growth was possible…and, secondly, in order to demonstrate that such rapid growth could be produced as a result of very brief workouts.

Increases in cardiovascular ability can be supported on the basis of before and after tests, but increased muscular mass can be seen…provides a more dramatic, more obvious result, the type of result that is sometimes required to make a point.

With the use of “self-powered” machines that do not yet exist in practical form, it would be possible to provide the required high level of resistance for proper negative-only exercises while totally removing the positive part of the work; and if such machines had then existed, we would have used them in the Colorado Experiment…well aware in advance that doing so would have produced little or nothing in the way of cardiovascular benefits, but being willing to pay that price in order to demonstrate that positive work is not required for producing rapid increases in muscular mass and strength.

But since such “pure negative” machines did not exist, we were forced to use normal exercises, some negative-accentuated exercises, and some negative-only exercises performed on the Omni Machines…and a few pure-negative exercises that required the help of assistants to lift the weight.

The end result being that even the Colorado Experiment was not a clear demonstration of the superiority of negative-only exercise for strength building purposes, because other styles of exercises were also involved…and thus it remains impossible to say for sure just what percentage of the results was produced by a particular style of exercise.

Which I not meant to imply that no support for the superiority of negative-only exercise exists; it does, but it remains necessary to repeat and reconfirm our privately conducted experiments under laboratory conditions while being observed by impartial, or even hostile, witnesses. And such experiments must be limited to “pure-negative” exercises, with control groups of subjects using “pure positive” exercises for comparison.

Until and unless that has been done, and repeatedly…many people will remain in doubt on the subject of the relative merits of the two distinct forms of exercise. So it will be done, and done repeatedly…and in fact, it already has been done, but unfortunately such comparisons have not yet been given the publicity that they deserve. But in the meantime, already being clearly aware of the advantages of negative exercise, we can and do avail ourselves of these advantages while many other people are still trying to decide what to do.

The unfortunate part of the situation results from the fact that most people simply don’t know the real facts, and when they are exposed to a barrage of advertising listing the so-called “advantages” of a positive-only form of exercise, they tend to become confused. In the end, the truth will be known…but in the meantime, millions of dollars will have been wasted on equipment of little or no real value, and thousands of trainees will have devoted years of training time to an almost worthless form of exercise. The facts are clear, and undeniable…but the stakes are high, so the facts will de denied in some quarters for years to come.

It would be easily possible for Nautilus Machines to be built with a so-called “isokinetic” form of resistance, thus providing positive-only exercise…and doing so would greatly reduce the cost of the machines, thus affording a much wider market and far greater profits. Be it clearly understood that there are no patents protecting such a form of resistance, it is freely usable for any purpose by anybody.

But incorporating such a form of resistance necessarily means REMOVING negative-work potential, which in turn means that a full-range exercise is then impossible. Because there is no force to provide prestretching at the start of an exercise, and no back-pressure to provide resistance at the end of an exercise.

And it also means a loss of the very high level of intensity that is encountered only in negative work, and with it a loss of a great part of the growth stimulation that is provided by high-intensity work.

So Nautilus Machines will never be built with such a form of resistance…since doing so would greatly reduce their value.

The claims of the people who are now selling and promoting various types of positive-only exercise devices strongly remind me of a man who has designed a new type of automobile…without understanding the function of an automobile. Having removed the engine on the grounds that an engineless car would be cheaper, he might then point to the result as an “improvement.”

In an almost exactly similar situation, the makers of positive-only devices have removed the most important factor required for growth stimulation, negative work…and are now pointing to the result as an improvement.

Perhaps these people simply don’t understand the actual factors involved in exercise, or perhaps they don’t care about the facts…take your pick. But in either case, it is a poor choice; on the one hand, their ignorance is showing…and on the other hand, they are engaged in outright fraud.

Eventually. Ignorance will be corrected…or fraud will be stopped; but in the meantime the public suffers.

Unfortunately, neither ignorance nor fraud are new in the field of exercise; on the contrary, exercise has been so deeply mired in both ignorance and fraud that the actual value of exercise has been overlooked to a great degree. Many – perhaps MOST – people look upon the entire subject of exercise with great suspicion, and with good reason; because, to them, exercise means a fanatic strutting on a beach, or an obviously phony advertisement for overweight women.

Almost nothing is perfect, and we certainly do not consider our present style of training perfect…so we will be more than glad to improve it in any way we can, if and when the necessary information is available to us. But perfect or not, the style of training that we are using now is by far the most productive type of exercise known. And any attempt to compare it to a positive-only form of exercise is utterly ridiculous, on the order of comparing an automobile to an ox-cart.

A strong statement…but, if anything, an understatement; since the two forms of exercise are literally worlds apart.

Nearly twenty years ago, using conventional training equipment, I eventually reached a muscular bodyweight of 205 pounds of less than 5 feet, 8 inches. Five years ago, I was able to reach a muscular bodyweight of 180 pounds after nearly five months of steady training…at which point, additional growth was obviously impossible, for myself as an individual at that age.

Yet, four years later, and four more years removed from an age when my muscular potential was highest…I was able to duplicate those strength increases as a result of only six weeks of negative-only training.

In effect, I produced the same results…but I did so when four years older, at a stage in my life when that four years meant a significant loss in individual potential…and I did so from a tiny fraction of the previously required training time, since my negative-only workouts were much briefer than my previous workouts.

Up to this point in time, every single subject that we have trained in this fashion has produced a similar increase in his previous rate of growth.

When you have been training an individual for years, and when he has already reached a point where his strength is far higher than the average, and when you suddenly switch him to a negative-only style of training…and he immediately starts growing much faster than he ever did before, and rapidly reaches a new high in strength; then that is a significant result. And we have done that repeatedly.

And even while such a result is no proof that our method is yet perfect, it certainly is proof that it is an improvement.

So the Colorado Experiment was more in the way of a demonstration than an experiment…since we knew well in advance that we could do what we set out to do; but as it turned out, we did even more that we set out to do…while producing rapid increases in muscular mass, we also removed a large amount of bodyfat. Which was a result that surprised even us.

The Colorado Experiment was conducted entirely with Nautilus equipment, using as much negative work as it was possible to perform under the circumstances with the available equipment. The workouts were fast and brief, and in almost all workouts we performed one “set” of each exercise.

Each exercise was carried to the point of momentary muscular failure, and all exercises were performed in good form…stopping at both ends of the movement, and avoiding jerking.

We had overlooked only one factor of importance, the altitude. Coming from sea level immediately before the start of the experiment, we were not prepared for the 5,000 foot altitude of Fort Collins, and we were forced to reduce the pace of our workouts…which probably added at least two hours to our total training time during the 28 days.

But in spite of that handicap, Casey Viator still produced a muscle-mass increase in excess of 63 pounds, as a result of less than 8 hours of training…which is certainly significant.

Chapter 18: The Colorado Experiment Part 4…Results of the Experiment

On May 1st, 1973, a strength test was conducted in the weight-room at Colorado State University. Two subjects were tested, Arthur Jones and Casey Viator. At the suggestion of Mr. Jones, a Universal machines was used for the tests; because, as he said, “If we use our own equipment for the strength tests, a question may then be raised on the subject of basic strength increases.”

A secondary reason for using a Universal machine was the fact that similar exercises performed with a barbell require more skill, and since we were primarily interested in measuring basic strength it was desirable to reduce the factor of skill as much as possible.

Exactly 28 days later, on May 29th, 1973, a second strength test was conducted with one of the subjects, Casey Viator; the other subject, Arthur Jones, was not tested at the end of the experiment, because he became sick on the night of May 26th and was admitted to the hospital with intestinal flu. Which sickness prevented him from completing the experiment as planned. However, all of the workouts that were performed by Mr. Jones were observed and timed by myself and a number of other witnesses, and his rapid increases in strength was obvious from workout to workout.

Having started at a bodyweight of 144.1 on May 1st, Mr. Jones was weighted immediately before his workout on May 26th; in a period of 25 days his bodyweight had increased to 162.375, a net gain in bodyweight of 18.275 pounds. But his bodyfat level had been reduced in the meantime; a bodyfat measurement in the Whole Body Counter on May 23rd indicated a loss in bodyfat of 1.825 pounds, so it is reasonable to assume that his actual gain in lean body mass (muscular tissue) was approximately 20.1 pounds.

But even if we take the figures recorded on May 23rd, the results are very impressive. During the first 22 days of the experiment Mr. Jones gained 13.62 pounds of bodyweight while reducing his bodyfat level by 1.82 pounds, a net gain in lean body mass of 15.44 pounds.

It was the original intention of Mr. Jones to train his entire body, performing one set of an exercise for each major muscle group; but upon arriving in Colorado for the start of the experiment, he was obviously suffering from a deep chest cold. The effects of the cold, in combination with the altitude and his age, made it apparent that he would not be able to train as much as he had planned. I suggested that the experiment be postponed for a month, but that would have been impractical because of other obligations. As a result, Mr. Jones restricted his workouts almost entirely to exercises for the upper body, the arms, the shoulders, the chest, and the back. A few light exercises were performed for the legs, but only enough to maintain muscle tone in that area of the body.

Which makes his gains in muscle mass even more remarkable, since it is well established that rapid weight gains are best produced by heavy exercise for the legs and lower back, a type of exercise that was not involved in his workouts.

The localized nature of his muscle-mass increases was very obvious, with little or no change in the size of his legs but large scale increases in the muscle mass of his torso and arms. His arms increased by one and five-eighths inches (1 5/8 inches).

In the lack of a post-experiment strength test, an accurate determination of his strength increases was impossible; but a reasonably accurate estimate can be based on the changes that occurred in the amount of resistance used in his workouts, since all exercises were continued to a point of momentary failure. For example, during the 1st workout on May 1st, he performed 7 repetitions on a Torso/Arm machine with 225 pounds; then 15 days later, during the 9th workout on May 16th, he performed the same number of repetitions (7) with 300 pounds, indicating a strength increase in that area of movement of exactly 33 1/3 percent. Very similar strength increases were obvious in all areas of movement that were exercises heavily.

Having seen him at the start of the experiment, I seriously doubted that he could produce much in the way of improvement in such a short period of time; but I was wrong, he gained steadily but rapidly, and was actually gaining faster near the end of the experiment. While the other subject’s rate of gaining decreased near the end of the experiment, Mr. Jones showed a faster rate of gains during the final two weeks of his training. Which may have been due to the fact that his chest cold limited his gains during the first two weeks.

The following chart will clearly indicate the actual gains and the rate of gaining of both subjects.

SUBJECT, Casey Viator

DATE BODYWEIGHT GAIN DAILY AVERAGE

5/1/73 166.87 Start Start

5/15/73 195.8 28.93 2.06 pounds per day

5/18/73 199.72 3.92 1.30 pounds per day

5/23/73 205.81 6.09 1.21 pounds per day

5/29/73 212.15 6.34 1.05 pounds per day

SUBJECT, Arthur Jones

5/1/73 144.21 Start Start

5/8/73 148.28 4.07 0.58 pounds per day

5/18/73 153.23 4.95 0.70 pounds per day

5/23/73 157.83 4.60 0.56 pounds per day

5/26/73 162.37 4.54 1.51 pounds per day

It should be noted, however, that the final bodyweight figure recorded for Mr. Jones is somewhat misleading; all of other weights were recorded early in the morning, with an empty stomach, but the final bodyweight listed for Mr. Jones was recorded several hours after a normal weighing time, immediately before his final workout. Previous comparisons had indicated a difference of approximately 2 pounds in this subject’s bodyweight during that span of time; he was approximately 2 pounds heavier just before a workout, by comparison to his bodyweight recorded early in the morning of the same day.

So it would be reasonable to deduct two pounds from his final bodyweight, and if we do so, then the resulting gain would be only 2.54 pounds instead of 4.54 pounds. And the rate of gaining would be 0.84 pounds per day instead of the listed 1.51 pounds.

But in either case it is obvious that his gains were steady throughout the period of training, and equally obvious that his actual rate of gaining was increasing near the end of the experiment.

During the first two weeks of the experiment, Casey Viator gained 28.93 pounds, an average of 2.06 pounds per day. During the final two weeks he gained 16.35 pounds, an average of 1.16 pounds per day. So his rate of gaining declined by approximately 43% during the final two weeks; which was only to be expected. But even during the final six days of the experiment he was still gaining in excess of a pound a day.

Neither subject produced sudden spurts of growth that might have indicated dehydration prior to the start of the experiment; on the contrary, the actual gains and the rate of gains displayed by both subjects remained remarkably steady throughout the experiment.

But remarkable as they were, the bodyweight gains do not indicate the actual results; because both subjects reduced their starting level of bodyfat during the experiment, indicating that they were rapidly adding bodyweight while reducing bodyfat at the same time, a result that I previously considered impossible.

While increasing his bodyweight by 45.28 pounds, Viator reduced his starting level of bodyfat by 17.93 pounds, indicating an actual increase in lean body mass (muscular tissue) of 63.21 pounds.

The results produced by Mr. Jones have been listed above, and when due consideration is given to the great difference in age in these two subjects, I think the final results are equally remarkable.

For his part, Mr. Jones expressed dissatisfaction with his own results; saying that he fully expected to increase his bodyweight by at least 30 pounds. And he promised to repeat the experiment at a later date under better conditions, at an altitude of sea level and without the starting handicap of a chest cold. He also expressed the belief that his starting bodyweight was too low; he feels that he would have gained better from a starting bodyweight of approximately 155 pounds.

Casey’s strength increases were fully on a par with his increases in muscle mass, as the following chart will show.

STRENGTH TEST MAY 1st MAY 29th INCREASE

Leg Press 400/32 840/45 +440 = 110%+

Chinning 217/7 287/11 +70 = 32%+

Standing Press 160/8 200/11 +40 = 25%+

Parallel Bar Dipping 217/12 312/16 +95 = 43%+

During the initial strength test, leg presses were performed to a point of failure on a Universal machine, using 400 pounds; with 32 resulting repetitions. Four weeks later, Viator used 840 pounds in the same exercise, and performed 45 repetitions; the increase in resistance was thus 110%, but the fact that he also performed more repetitions indicates that his actual strength increase was even higher.

Chinning was performed with a supinated (palms up) hand grip, with 50 pounds added to bodyweight in the form of a barbell plate fastened to the waist with a belt. In the final test, 75 pounds of added resistance was used, but in the meantime the subject had increased his bodyweight by 45 pounds, so the actual increase in resistance was 70 pounds. So his strength had clearly increased by 32% on the basis of added resistance, and even more than that when consideration is given to the fact that he also increased the repetitions from 7 to 11.

In the standing press, the increase was 25% on the basis of increased resistance, but the actual increase was even higher, since he also increased the repetitions from 8 to 11.

In the parallel dipping, 50 pounds of weight was added to bodyweight during the initial test, and 100 pounds during the final test, and again the subject had added 45 pounds of bodyweight in the meantime, giving an actual increase is resistance of 95 pounds. On the basis of the increased resistance his strength increase in this movement was 43%, but again he increased the repetitions as well, from 12 to 16, thus indicating an even greater strength increase.

It should also be noted that Viator was still suffering limited use of his right hand as a result of the accident that occurred during the previous January, and this affected him to some degree in all exercises involving the hands, chinning, pressing, and dipping.

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they refer to the standing press. im assuming that’s with a barbell? just wondering because 200lbs doesn’t seem like much weight for a guy like viator.

Yes, the standing barbell press.

Jones insisted on full rom exercise in very strict form. 200 under those circumstances is a considerable amount.

True. A helluva lotta difference between ramming 225lbs over as fast as you can & slowly under full control pressing 200lbs overhead. A BIG difference.

Thanks for sharing this. It was a very interesting read.

I really don’t agree with his view on drugs though, many studies have proved that even taking moderate amounts of testosterone enanthate gives massive muscle gaining advantages. One double blind study showed that subjects taking a modest dose of just 300mg per week were able to gain 13 pounds of lean mass in 10 weeks and during the same study individuals who didn’t even train while on cycle gained 6lbs of lean mass.

I assume by Jones’s opinion on drugs being ‘useless’ that he claimed neither he nor Viator were taking any during the experiment?

If this is true I find it difficult to believe the gains they got considering BF% went down (although I think its pretty obvious that Viator was a steroid user)

You’ve often written about (which I agree with) the fact that people are in a dream world when believing the pipe dream of adding 30 pounds of muscle in a month, claims that are often made in muscle mags and online.

I think if the claims from the experiment are true both of them were likely on some additional steroidal medication. There is no way a natural (even untrained or returning trainer) human being can gain 63lbs of muscle in that space of time.

Arthur was definitely wrong about steroids. I have never used them, but I know and have trained people who have used steroids or prescribed testosterone for hormone replacement therapy, and depending on the dose it can make a huge difference in muscular strength and size gains.

Arthur claims Casey was not using steroids during the Colorado Experiment. Mike Mentzer said otherwise, but he was not there and I never asked whether Casey told him that or if he just assumed.

While it is hard to believe anyone could have gained the amount of muscle mass Casey did in such a short time, especially while losing that much fat, consider that Casey was a “genetic freak”, that he was regaining a large amount of lost muscle, after a long period of time involving hospitalization, severe calorie restriction, and no exercise. I suspect most of Casey’s muscular size gains during the Colorado Experiment was not due to increases in muscle tissue but replenishment of muscle glycogen stores and water, something known to significantly distort estimates of body composition.

In 1995 I competed in an NGA bodybuilding competition in Wisconsin, and dieted down from the low 180’s to 152 over a period of about seven weeks. A large amount of the weight I lost was muscle glycogen and water, and although I was extremely ripped and received a lot of complements from other competitors on my conditioning I had lost a lot more size than I anticipated and at my height I did not appear nearly as muscular as the other competitors in my class, most of whom were several inches shorter and better proportioned. By one week after the contest I had gained back almost fifteen pounds and was in the mid 160’s and even more ripped than I was in competition. I’m sure there are a lot of other bodybuilders who have screwed up their timing with carb depletion and loading and experienced something similar.

Some competitive fighters are very good at manipulating their body weight and able to rapidly drop a very large amount of weight and quickly regain it through manipulation of their glycogen stores and hydration.

I have also had similar experiences with food poisoning, losing almost fifteen pounds in a few days and gaining it back just as quickly, and have had clients who have lost weight due to illness and rapidly regain it.

Considering the circumstances surrounding the Colorado Experiment I have no doubt Casey gained forty five pounds or that he could have done it without drugs. What I doubt is the accuracy of the body composition estimates. I have no doubt he gained some muscle, but the majority of the size increases were probably due to increases in muscle glycogen stores and water.

If anybody is willing to stop training for several months and starve themselves down to about seventy five percent of their bodyweight to attempt something similar, I suspect they would achieve similar results proportional to their previous best condition using the same methods. It would be an interesting experiment, but one I doubt most people would be willing to attempt.

Regarding fighters’ manipulation: Alternating between a Schwinn Airdyne & a sauna, a MMA friend of mine recently “lost” 17 lbs in 4 hours to make a light-heavy weigh-in, & “gained” it back by the time of the actual fight.

That’s not surprising for a light heavyweight. Something else to consider is the larger the percentage of your body mass that is muscle the more of a change in weight you can produce manipulating these things.

This is not meant to detract from what Casey accomplished during the Colorado Experiment, and it does not prove he was not using steroids, but it does explain how it is possible for a person to gain such a huge amount of muscular weight in such a short period of time.

Hi everyone,

Just thought you should all know, the way body composition was determined was by what we would call DEXA today. Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. It is highly accurate and just as good as any of the other “gold standards” like Bod Pod, BIA, or Hydrostatic Weighing. When I do High Intensity Training I gain a pound of muscle a week but I do conventional lifting only. No negatives/eccentric only exercises.

The potential is there. I was an ACE certified personal trainer for several years following conventional exercise and sport science theory on High Volume Training. You still make gains, you still grow, but not nearly as fast and not nearly as dense. This was my secret weapon for my clientele when they wanted to grow. It worked on people across all ages and gender. I just had to make sure to not work them out more than their ability to recover. And therein is the most difficult part of Arthur Jones’ protocols: you have to cut way back on the frequency of training. No more than once every other day and maybe only once every 3 days.

While Casey DEFINITELY did use steroids later in his career, he didn’t at the time of the Colorado Experiment. For a good example of what happens when you go off steroids, google Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. You go through up to a 6 month period of withdrawal until you hit your level of pre-steroid use before you can even start to make natural gains again. Arthur Jones only knowingly trained one person who he knew was juicing: Sergio Olivia. No one else.

I think the point here is the end result of a workout, and the abuility to recover from it! If you tear the muscles down and on the next workout do it again with more weight or reps then you have improved! If you don’t improve , take a couple of extra days off and try again! No gain in strength or insurance then , no gain in muscle! Sounds simple to me! Unless your an addict ;’then continue what your doing! Obsession isn’t science, and if going to the gym 4 hrs a day keeps you from doing drugs or alcohol or worse; please continue !! But obsession isn’t science!

Hey Charles,

Progression is definitely the key, but it is important to have realistic progression goals when making adjustments to training volume and frequency based on workout performance. For more on this read Workout Performance Versus Progress .

One more thing, Arthur Jones is totally correct in his methods; except for one thing. If you use his methods with the assistance of hormones ; the results will be even better!! The problem is hormone users feel so good that they can’t stay out of the gym! Hence , they overtrain and therefore deny the science! Remember Hercules and the calf, he didn’t lift it all day every day. Just once per day until it was a bull!! The ancient Greeks had already figured it out! Science is an MFr.

Arthur was aware of this, he just didn’t condone their use. The principles are the same for drug-free and drug-assisted trainees, the difference is just in the application.

I’m not disagreeing , I just see so many people going through the motions, or trying to work out like Arnold! I made the same mistakes! Yet at 44 yrs I am in better shape than at 24! I just can’t help but imagine what I could have done if I had known about it then?? Makes me want to try just enough hormones to bring me to my youthful levels; just to see!! A do over! Time travel! I would love to do the negative only, just don’t have the equipment, nor a partner that would make that possible. The science is solid bro! How about you see what you can do in a year!

The difference hormones will make will be relative to dose and also your natural levels to begin with. For example if a guy is deficient and running on 100-300ng/dl and you then supplement even to just high normal levels (say 800-100ng/dl) the effect will be profound.

Again if you took enough to put you to 2000ng/dl the effects are even more profound.

Although when taking ‘supplementation’ all the other factors such as rest, diet and a proper training routine still apply you just get much more bang for your buck and can get away with being more lapse with all these things and still make great progress.

A good analogy is your job, taking Testosterone or other steroids is like going to work but getting a extra pay rise for no extra work.

Great Article! I loved reading this and I am in a place that a similar program would be very helpful. Been on/off for my fitness goals for a while and have a decent level of fitness but really want to explode my strengths gains. Is there anymore info on your site or elsewhere that I can find some type of similar workout routine? Also, there was obviously a lot of info on Negative work and Nautilus machines. Do you know any similar machines that are in the big box gyms that achieve the same thing? Any guidance is helpful and I love the site you have set up. I will be exploring it this morning. Be well.

I recommend reading High Intensity Workouts , which provides guidelines for exercise performance and workout and program design and includes dozens of HIT workouts for both free weights and machines.

Very few gyms have equipment which is geared to negative-only or negative-emphasized training, but these are not necessary for best results, and without proper instruction and supervision I wouldn’t recommend them to most people. Your intensity of effort is the biggest factor in stimulating increases in muscular strength and size, and as long as you are pushing yourself to train hard enough normal, controlled repetitions will get the job done.

This is not primary literature –– can you please post the link to the actual scientific study. I appreciate you describing the study, but I would like to see the ACTUAL publication. Thanks.

Dr. Plese didn’t publish a journal paper on the Colorado Experiment. I believe Ellington Darden, PhD. has also written about it in several of his books, but this excerpt from the Nautilus Bulletins is the most detailed account of the experiment available.

I remember reading about the Colorado Experiment in Iron Man Magazine.

There was no mention that Arthur Jones was also a participant.

It shows that the principles work there was an article in JAMA that showed people can make gains well into their eighties.

Arthur, who was in his late 40’s at the time also participated and gained a significant amount of muscle during the experiment. I’ve had a few clients in their 80’s and all of them who trained hard and ate properly got stronger.

Hi Drew, I was wondering if you are still training anyone?

Hey Richard,

Yes, but these days I only train a few people, and am very selective about who I will accept as a client. After over twenty years of personal training I’ve decided to focus more on writing, blogging, and consulting so I have more free time to spend with my family and pursuing other interests. I will probably never stop training people, but I have no plans to go back to doing it full-time.

I’m really most interested to see the workout routine that was performed. Where can I find this coveted information?

Jones varied Casey’s workouts slightly each time he trained, so there was no single workout or routine that he followed. These averaged around a dozen exercises each, including a lot of negative-only and negative-accentuated work on Nautilus Omni machine prototypes.

There is nothing special about the specific workouts Casey did, though. Any well-designed routine addressing all the major muscle groups performed intensely and progressively can eventually get you as strong and muscular as your genetics will allow. If you’re looking for HIT workouts I suggest reading my book High Intensity Workouts .

Casey was classic mesomorph and very few trainee fit that category. None the less it was impressive.

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A place for the pursuit of physical fitness goals. Please see the r/Fitness Wiki and FAQ at https://thefitness.wiki for help with common questions.

Who has checked out the Colorado Experiment?

I'm a huge fan of Tim Ferriss because he curates content from a bunch of experts and this is where I first heard of the Colorado Experiment. The Colorado Experiment is very interesting and Dorian Yates (former Mr. Olympia 1992-97) followed a training method similar to it according to his convo on the Joe Rogan Experience. Basically, you do one set of a muscle group to failure but you keep it within a specified rep range. Here is a link to check it out https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-colorado-experiment-fact-or-fiction

I don't track my bf% simply because I care about the energy I get from exercising and don't care much about the aesthetics, but my weight is up since implementing it over the past month and at a higher rate than the past. I don't look like I've added weight so I'm guessing it could be some increased cross-sectional area that increases my muscle density.

Basically, has anyone messed with this method and have results that they could share? It also seems similar to Boyd Epley's Metabolic Circuit structure

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