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.
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@PK
Hi PK,
More to come soon for the doubters, but here are my suggestions for now.
1. See the post on fat-loss (20 lbs. in 30 days) and see the 1000+ before/after results in the comments. Critics use the same physiological argument against me for both fat-loss and weight gain.
2. See the details of how I gained the weight by searching my last name on http://www.bodybuilding.com. I did this while doing measurements at San Jose State University.
Regardless of what I write about — language learning, fat-loss, weight gain — the majority of anonymous haters will call me and anyone else who pushes the envelope a fraud. I don’t have time to let them dictate how I behave and what I report.
Much more to come in a while (more experiments underway currently), but hope that helps.
All the best,
Tim
high intensity low volume, infrequent workouts have proven without a doubt to be the best way to stimulate muscle growth…only reason guys do tons of sets and volume, is cause they stop short of failure, so they need to do more sets to stimulate the same growth, going to failure gets in one set.
Great transformation Tim….it appears to be one year later since this post, what additional gains have you made?
What is your next challenge? Have your tried Escalating Density Training: Charles Staley, yet?
Jay
34 Lbs in 30 days?
Pro weight gainers say 10 lbs in a month would be substantial amount to gain, that’s gaining at the rate of 120lbs a year! 34lbs in a month is the rate of 408lbs a year.
A pound of fat typically gets burnt off with 3500 calories is consumed. A typical human consumes 2000-3000 calories in a day. (Depending on how active they are in their daily routine, and whether they are looking to gain / lose).
Add on 3500 calories to gain this goal of 1 lbs per day, and thats close to 6500 calories in a day.
double your calorie intake, and only work out twice a week?
Unless your some sort of super human, this seems to me that this method would equal gaining a substantial amount of fat not muscle.
Doubling your calorie intake for the day and not burning off those calories. (Working out with free-weights for an hour vigorously would burn approxiametely 395 calories for an average 145lbs person.)
So where are the other 3105 calories going to? If your body is given more calories / protein / fat / etc than it needs, it’s going to do one of two things.
A) your going to be on the toilet getting rid of it.
B) your body is going to store it as fat
I believe someone with a personal trainer could reach the goal of 10lbs in a month if they had substantial workout / exercise / nutritional routine.
Now gaining muscle, while burning fat… That’s another story, it’s incredibly hard to at a fast rate. Why? The science of it is simple, your body needs to remove calories to lose fat, whereas it needs the opposite to add calories to gain muscle. Trying to achieve both at the same time at a fast rate is difficult.
34lbs I find extremely hard to believe.
~My two cents
Mack
The concept is pretty much the same predicated in a book called “The Power of Ten”.
Basically doing high load sets with low # of reps. (10 or so , or until muscle failure) , counting 10 and 10 .
Twice a week is the recommended frecuency.
Hi Tim,
Love 4HWW, these blogs, and the 80/20 Principal book. I’m using both books right now to help create a niche site about the baseball swing. Like you, I’m a sports nut, particularly baseball, and love love love to workout…I’m also a certified personal trainer.
Anyway, found this blog interesting and will incorporate this style of training into my clients and my own workout routine. I just wanted to say, from one dreamer to another, don’t respond to the naysayers, life is too short, and they’re always going to be unhappy with something.
I compare with “your” beginning story in 4HWW, and your struggles to create and sell something that you believe in, so I feel your pain with these naysayers. Just the fact you respond to these blogs says a lot about you, even to those pessimistic types. Kudos to you Tim in all your success, and I would love to talk to you someday. Take care and keep up the good work.
Joey
Any word from Dr. Seth Cole on his body transformation? He said he would report back in 28 days since posting.
A few words about this regimen:
1. Genetics plays a large role in how quickly you will notice gains (if any). Your body is unable to produce more muscle it just makes the muscle you have bigger and stronger.
2. Less is definately more. The two-hour-a-day gym people have it all wrong. All weight resistance exercises should be done to failure with the exception of a warm up set. I routinely spend 20 minutes or less at the gym 2 to 3 times per week and managed to put 15 pounds on in a week. Granted, I lost 37 pound two months prior due to disease but quality rules over quantity ever time.
3. A few years back there was an article in a men’s magazine about the jailhouse weight-lifting regimen. Since they have all the time in the world to recover they do an exercise once-a-week (sometimes 10 days) to complete an utter failure and see massive gains. I’m sure most of us have enough free or down-time to do this once and see the results. My favorite is to do this with a squat. I’m still sore two days later.
4. These results will be temporary and should be cycled every so often. Most exercise experts agree that you can hit peak performance about every 10 weeks with proper recovery. This works out perfectly for 4 weeks of high intensity as described above, a week off, 4 weeks of maintenance, a week off and return to high intensity for 4 weeks. Try to time it for that wedding coming up or summer and the beach.
Regardless of what you do remember your health stays with you for a lifetime and the largest asset most of us have is the ability to work (even if only four-hours-a-week).
you could probably get the same results if you stopped a rep short of failure, but that is very difficult to gauge correctly…so going to failure just makes in easier and full proof…but it’s so easy to over train going to failure…so it’s necessary to use a very low volume and take plenty of time off between workouts…I train every other day or many times every 2 days…
So what kind of steroids did you use???Anadrol 50? with a winnie stack?
Oh man, there are some crazy posts here. Tim, ignore the ignorance!
In a nutshell…
Is possible to gain large amounts of muscle quickly?
Absolutely. I have done it. I have helped thousands of others do it.
Can you do it?
Sure.
Can you gain as much as Tim?
Hell if I know, No one can tell the future.
How much can you gain?
Everyone is different and they progress at different rates. So if you think you are going to gain the same as Tim, think again. You may gain more, you may gain less, but you are not him and he is not you.
Did Tim use Steroids?
That’s the excuse from those who just need a reason to justify their disbelief. These are the same people spending hundreds of $$ of junk supps expecting muscle from a pill.
Why would Tim want to do steroids? What reason would he have to lie and risk his health by using illegal drugs? This entire post is to help YOU GUYS. But instead you blast him and accuse him of juicing. WTF!
Impossible, how did you gain more than Christian Bale?
Who cares? Never believe what you read about hollywood actors and entertainers. You will never know the real truth and facts about much of anything.
“An untrained guy will NEVER- I repeat NEVER- be able to replicate these results.”
Actually it’s just the opposite. The untrained individual has potential to gain larger muscle mass than a trained individual. Excluding any benefit from Muscle memory or de-training.
“The consensus on bodybuilding websites is that your article here is total [nonsense]…that it’s impossible to put on 1+ lb of muscle a day every day, even on a heavy steroid cycle. The body just can’t do it.”
My suggestion is to ignore the kids and wannabees on bb sites and forums. It will greatly help your progress. If I had listened to all those telling me I could not do this or that, I would not have achieved anything. Basically, who cares.
“Pro weight gainers say 10 lbs in a month would be substantial amount to gain,”
Ummm maybe for someone near their genetic limit. But Tim is not a pro and nowhere near his limits. Neither is anyone reading this.
“that’s gaining at the rate of 120lbs a year! 34lbs in a month is the rate of 408lbs a year.”
You are thinking in a linear manner and it just doesn’t happen that way. You are not going to gain X amount of weight each and every week or month. Growth happens in spurts So you can’t “estimate” 120 lbs per year based on 1-2 months of results. Have you every gained any substantial amount of weight?
“A pound of fat typically gets burnt off with 3500 calories is consumed. A typical human consumes 2000-3000 calories in a day… Add on 3500 calories to gain this goal of 1 lbs per day, and thats close to 6500 calories in a day.”
Blah, blah, blah, lol. This math does NOT work!
Let’s just say that you actually breakdown the caloric value of 1 pound of MUSCLE is and it turns out to be around 3500 calories. Well, that doesn’t mean 3500 calories ingested equals 1 pound of muscle. That’s just doesn’t fly in the real world.
Again, muscle gain (and fat loss) is not so linear. Depending on your metabolic needs, sometimes you can build muscle with less additional calories, sometimes you need more.
How many do you need?
Who the hell knows. You need to find out for yourself by:
1) closely controlling what you eat, and
2) monitoring your composition changes based over x period of time.
Phew!
AE
[…] On Ferriss’ Blog, he has an entire section called “The Four-Hour Body” that is a virtual gymnasium of his unique research, thoughts and “best practices” for shaping up. The first such post I remember reading was last year’s: “From Geek to Freak: How II gained 34 lbs. of muscle in Four Weeks.” […]
I thought I recognized Anthony’s name. He was a champion with Body-for-life a while back. I also did body-for-life and had great results, though not as spectacular as his. I lost 22lbs of fat while gaining 7 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks. My body fat % also dropped from 21% to 9.8%. one day a week you eat whatever you want as well and do not work out. I was surprised to. Now I need to work on packing on muscle as Anthony did.
I hear questions of puting on muscle while going out and drinking on weekends, such as a student. Is this possible? I have been looking into it but if anyone knows some facts, please share.
I would assume one could but most likely not lose fat.
Can’t wait for the comments.
[…] are the links to the articles: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/29/from-geek-to-freak-how-i-gained-34-lbs-of-muscle-in-… […]
I know these results to be true.
Read about High intensity training by Ellington Darden, who describes Arthur Jones work in detail.
Also note that the largest muscle gain in a month in that book is by Casey Viator, who gained much more muscle than Tim in one month.
Bottom line: For this exercise to work – it must be high intensity, work large muscle groups to smaller, proper form.
My favorite quote by Arthur Jones: “If you like doing bicep curls you are probably doing them wrong.”
Hi all
This is my experienses in health/training.
I follow Pete Sisco:s Precision training
Example: In four month=16 weeks, I have increased my strength in leg press with 53%.
I started with 150Kg in a full rep. and 280Kg in static hold, after increasing in just 11 trainings, total time aprox 10min.
310, 360, 400, 430, 470, 490, 500, 490, 520, 530, 550. I have gone to 550Kg in static hold
and 230Kg in a full rep.
I have now 10 exercises splitted in training A and B. I now only workout one time/week for 1 minutes
and still make new records every time I workout. I have increased more than 50% in strength in all big muscle
groups. A bonus (1 Kg muscle burns 1 Kg fat every week).
The following day after every workout day I train the “Tabata high intensity training”
20sec full intensity on a cross trainer (or a training bike) , then rest for 10sec, 20sec full intensity, 10 sec rest…….7-8times.
This exercise increases our HGH “Human growth hormone” to maximum level.
Eating:
I have eaten according to “Eat right for your blood type”. This have already after the first year made all my allergies go
away for good. And of course a intestinal lavage have helped me to clean-up inside.
I also eat according to Ann Wigmore “living foods”, that suits me I have blood type A+.
Salt: Only natural sea or mountain salt, “Natural salt=84minerals, refined salt=4-5minerals”
Drinking:
Pure spring water, like http://www.aquaterrena.se/
If you want to know more read the article on this web site http://www.klokast.se/GIE/LV1.html
Importent: All living creatures need fresh spring water, our blood is almost 100% water, and only
good quality blood can hold maximum amount of oxegyn to transport to our cells.
Kindly Regards
Christian Niemi
ATTENTION
To all the doubters, accusers, etc.
Tim is not a liar.
But he did fail to mention the fact that he USED to be buff.
Although he wasnt as buff in his past as he was after the experiment, the fact that he used to be buff is important because muscle memory played a part in this.
To see what he looked like in 1999, watch the video at 4:38 near the end of the video. You can see that he was muscular.
So, hope this clears everything up
TIM FERRISS YOU ARE MY HERO
I totally can believe I had come across this article a few years before you wrote the 4 hour work week! Seeing it again just helps reaffirm my belief.. You Are Awesome!
Tim,
I know you are always doing your best to find the fastest way to the greatest benefits. So, I have ran across this product that is making some amazing claims regarding muscle recovery. Please check out Dr Scott Connelly for yourself. I can vouch for his bodyrx program which is a very close twin to the program that you have blogged on this site.
The reason I am writing this is that I am going to start ‘now’ and record my results with this supplement regimen … and if the claims are true , then you may have some valuable new fitness material for your next book.
— thanks for a fantastic site and a powerful book. I have just read it through for my third time and really enjoy your motivational talents.
– All the best,
T Edward Shepherd
Tim-
I love the book, the blog, and the whole lifestyle… Now I’m sold on the workout. My only question is this:
Is it OK to play basketball or football while performing this workout or will it interfere with your body’s reaction to the diet/weight training? I like to play pick up basketball and intramural flag football whenever I have the chance, but I will abstain if it is counterproductive.
Tim,
What exactly what your protein and carb intake on this bulking diet in grams?
Um, u obviously took steroids, Look how big ur head is in 4 weeks, its impossible to gain 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks, the maximum gains u can get is 1lbs of muscle every 16 days. You can look it up and its cited by university studies not intended for sale of crap protein or products.
Hey all
I decided to try this out. I’ve been onto this training for 8 weeks now. I got to tell you, the results are nothing but extraordinary. I’m so quitting conventional gym training. Thanks Tim!!
Jaakko
I tried high protein for a while but it messed up my gut….constipation!!! did you take fiber, or did you have the same problem, or what?????
The high protein does cause constipation if you don’t have a good amount of fiber and plenty of water.
A good source is the fiber pills … take one with every meal or protein shake. The best , of course , is fruits and vegetables.
But with busy lifestyles … grab a bottle of fiber pills …. make sure you take them.
As you all know … hardly any american gets enough fiber.
And if you hit the protein hard … you must ramp up your fiber intake.
But not all at once … try to increase by 5 grams a day … until you get up to a level where you are regular.
It will take a couple of weeks.
I suggest the book bodyRX by Scott Connelly.
He’s the expert.
Following Dr Connelly’s program, I am 41 yrs old and am in the best shape of my life. I like Tim’s stuff here … BUT I can’t eat beans like Tim eats them… my body turns that stuff into toxic fumes that would remove my list of friends.
And … why have muscles if you have no friends? HAHA
This program can easily work with Tim’s high resistance suggestions.
As Tim suggests … ‘ work your muscles hard … got to challenge them ‘
and – in the presence of protein and keep the carbs at a min.
Personally, … post workout ‘junk’ carb eating … I don’t think it is a good idea.
Muscles are not going to use all the post workout carbs as energy … and the extra gets stored … you know where.
By the way … this is not from ‘me’ even though I am a fitness and nutrition enthusiast and researcher. This information comes straight from Dr Connelly. Here is a quote from Dr. Connelly regarding post workout carb consumption:
“Resistance training does not create an appreciable glycogen depletion, and contrary to popular “folklore” post training carbohydrate for weight trainers is largely ineffective at synergistically stimulating protein synthesis. With increasing training experience much of the post workout oxygen consumption will be fueled by an increasing proportion of fatty acids instead of oxidizable carbohydrate. ..diminishing this benefit by consuming post workout carbohydrate is really not an advantage.”
— in simpler terms. Don’t pig out on junk food after your workouts.
The ‘one day a week ‘ thing that Tim suggests is still good … it does shock your body and one day is not going to make you a fat A…
Sorry I got carried away, but I want to help folks too .. and I don’t want people to waste their time like I have been doing before I found this stuff out for myself.
… cheers!!
So let’s summarize this.
a) there was some genuine success
b) he was very muscular before, that helped rebuild instead of build muscle a lot (“memory effect”)
c) like many before-after photos, these have some additional mumbo-jumbo
– body hair in pic 1 hides shadows cast by muscles, but not in pic2
– tanning improved the “healthy look” in pic 2
– different scale on both pictures (comp. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkheadedbug/482888546/ – or even http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkheadedbug/482891657/in/photostream/ )
– different light in both pictures (enhancing pic-contrast in 2, making shadows that indicate muscles more pronounced), while flash in 1st hides these.
– upper part of legs are only shown in picture two (might just as well have looked the same before, nobody can tell)
– legs further apart and arms further from the body create a bulkier look, feet pointing more to the outside might also help a “bulkier” look
and as for the muscle-weight gain… I admit my ignorance, but I’d be damned, if there wasn’t a way to make these just a little more impressive by changing the weighing time, amount eaten/drunk before etc. etc. etc. – probably _not_ the diameter measurements, though, but I’ve seen nobody comment on them anyways in any detail.
Oh – and the “four hours of gym time” were 8 half-hour slots – each of them preceded by 2 hours of… ahem… preparatory training… wellllllll…. err… yes, that’s how I count my time spent on things also… (I wrote all this in 2 seconds well + preparing it in a text-editor for 15 minutes before)
So yes – this article was done to impress and while the result might still be amazing, that the little things that could be done to help the “amazingness” along were done… as well as that his starting-point might be regarded as unusual, so that the same results are not necessarily to be expected for others.
I
[…] this BS workout about? From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss Cheers, Ali I hate these overnight fad sensations coming out left and right. People need to buck […]
The most surprising thing about this article to me is the response: the sheer number of people who think Tim would go so far to lie. That and the number of people who want to obsessively deconstruct the B&A pics.
Impressive results, but there is a problem. Regardless of what program you choose, just exercising heavily and eating a lot proteins will get you amazing results unless … you have been training with weights for more than a year. The secret in Tim’s success is that:
1. He has a very good metabolic rate (due to a sporty life style and good genetics)
2. He is new to weight lifting (ok, training with weights)
I managed to go from 155lb to near 180lb in my first 6 months of training when I started. But then comes the big stall. It took me another 3 years of vigorous training and going through more than 30 programs until I manage to break the standstill and gain another 40lb.
One thing you cannot easily cheat is the absolute weight you can lift related to your own body weight. For example, I am now 220 lbs and I squat with 500lbs, deadlift 550lbs and bench 350lbs -> all in total 1400/220 = 6.36. I wonder what Tim’s coefficient is.
The bottom line : if you are a beginner, whatever your program is if accompanied with the right diet, you WILL gain muscle mass. How much though is a question of how fit you are, your genetics and your dedication.
@Chris – There’s a *great* documentary called Bigger, Stronger, Faster that includes a segment on how before-and-after photos are done. Click on ‘photos’ at the top of http://www.biggerstrongerfastermovie.com to see a pair of them that were done for the movie, both on the same day! (And rent the movie. It’s a hoot!)
Hi all/Tim
here’s my question: if I want to start the program which I can see here http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
which kind of training equipment do I need to get? Is there a proven alround equipment that is recommendable and that doesn’t cost a fortune? I have read Tim’s book but I am not there yet to have the ‘muse’ that works for itself (c:
I am a more or less sportive person, or at least I used to be, with good basics that are hidden under some extra kilos, especially waist area (c: But I don’t know too much about all those ‘negative’ movements or the like as I haven’t dealt with ‘body buidling’ yet. Would be great to also have a short explanation on this.
Thanks a lot!
Best regards from Greece,
David
oh, and BTW: what means ‘one-set-to-failure’, especially the part ‘to failure’ I don’t quite understand. Maybe it’s just my English, as I am German. So every input is very appreciated (c:
well. Answering David’s question. When you lift a wheight, that’s the positive movement, when you lower it, it’s negative movement right there.
Try to check the names of the exercises he said in the article on youtube.
One set to failure is like this: you make the movements until your muscles fail, until you can’t lift anything else. in brazil we say you get “locked” as you can’t lift it anymore.
I am not doing the experiment like Tim, but I’m sure applying some of the stuff I’ve learned here and the results are being very fast so far.
Thanks, Luis!
Wow man, impressive results man, keep up the good work!
This regime works almost too well. Increases strength so fast that 40-year-old connective tissue may not handle the sudden strain of a greatly increased max — even using only Nautilus machines with supervision.
Not saying don’t do it, just be realistic about your starting point, and have a base level of fitness first.
Tim,
Question;
I have found the hardest parts of this routine is to keep up the mental intensity required for the whole workout.
What techniques do you have to keep your intensity up, in particular during the 3 minutes between sets? (music, no music, any other suggestion would be fantastic)
Others
http://www.mikementzer.com/ Mike Mentzer used with great success and wrote books on High Intensity Training, he also trained with Arthur Jones and Casey Viator
Regards
Don
@Donald,
For focusing and putting in superhuman effort for gaining weight, I find Crystal Method (a band) hard to beat.
Good luck!
Tim
“Drown In The Now” pumps me up. i can listen to it 10x in a row
[…] Bodybuilding.com – The Future Of Bodybuilding! Huge Bodybuilding Site. | General bodybuilding site From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss | Timothy Ferriss’ amazing transformation Arthur Jones Casey Viator Colorado Experiment | […]
Tim, very interesting post. Just one quick question-do these same principles apply to other workouts such as vertical jump training. With mine, no weights are invovled, just leg exercises.
When I say these principles, I mean doing only one set, going until point of muscle failure, rest 3 minutes between sets, only working out 2-3 times per week, etc? I don’t do weight training, and I’d be very interested if it could be applied to vertical jump training.
Wow now that I have stopped laughing after reading this post, it is an impossibility to gain 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks. Even if you had taken some serious steroids you still would be lucky to gain 6 lbs a week of muscle.
Second if you continue eating that much food without increasing your activity and burn those excess calories, you will become obese.
Third if you stop what you are doing for a month I guarantee you would loose what you gained, proving that it wasn’t muscle.
Getting bigger is useless unless you combine speed, agility, stamina, and strength together. Otherwise you are all show, and no go.
H.I.T. works. Check out Darden’s book, “The New HIT.” (http://www.amazon.com/New-High-Intensity-Training-Muscle-Building/dp/1594860009) . I gained about 15 lbs of muscle in 5 hrs gym time (one month, lifting 1-2x/wk). But, I was also doing several days of cardio, martial arts, etc. If you just want muscles gains, I’d cut out the cardio. I did this with no creatine- I wonder if Tim used creatine.
And one last comment: for all you HIT-haters out there, I can only conclude two things: 1. You’ve never tried HIT or 2. You can’t handle the pain of HIT. If you’re doing it properly, it’s far more intense than any of your little 3 hr daily workouts.
Tim,
Outstanding results. As a languishing athlete I’m just getting back at it after a year or so off from surgery followed by sloth.
7 days in I put 40 pounds onto my bench press rep weight. Un-freaking-believable. This is absolutely an excellent method. Efficient and effective. I’ve also lost nearly ten pounds of fat and am looking significantly leaner. I doubt my results are normal, but it’s working for me. I just hope I don’t plateau too soon, I want my abs to pop again.
As with all your insights, well done sir.
Regards,
Joe
[…] questo signore cosa sostiene di aver fatto in un mese!! Ha guadagnato 32 libbre di massa magra cioè 14 chili di […]
Well, I have been following this regiment for a week now, 2 workout sessions and after the week I have gone from 151 lbs. to 157 lbs. I have not noticed any changes in body aesthetics except for larger abdominal but not more cut up like a six pack just bigger and stronger. When should I be expecting aesthetic changes?
Wow Tim! My dad turned me on to your book a few days ago (I haven’t cracked it open yet cuz this week has been crazy, but I intend to start tearing through the pages tonight before bed). For the past month I have been doing this home-exercise program to attempt to get back in shape. Have had very noticeable results, but NOTHING compared to this.
This is fantastic, and makes sense – the “high intensity” principles are the same ones I’ve been applying for the last 5 weeks, but I didn’t realize what you could accomplish by adding more of that “high intensity”. Definitely going to start modifying my routines!
Thanks Tim!
–GR
[…] loosely follows Tim Ferris’ tips: basically 4-7 multi-joint exercises, once a week, in a 5/5 cadence with plenty of […]
You turned into a tiny little man! Oh my god, how did you do that? And why didn’t you mention that your workout routine would have this affect?! I don’t think you gaining so much muscle in such a short amount of time is as strange as you losing what appears to be a good six inches of height. I’m mean, check it out, those shorts don’t even fit anymore, they’re all bunched up.
Tim goes into more detail here.
I think the world of Ross Enamait. However, it’s apples and oranges. Ross trains combat athletes who have to engage in vigorous competition with as many as 15 incredibly demanding rounds — not just difficult, but someone beating on you! while you try to do that to them.
Whereas Arthur Jones et al. taught time-efficient bodybuilding.
Tim Ferriss prefers machines, he says, and these are vastly inferior for athletes. So, if you’re an athlete, don’t use this program! If you want to workout for two 30-minute periods per week, gain pounds of lean muscle and have the health benefits that go with that (particularly as you age), then this is a great program.
Remember… exercise itself is a stress on the body and promotes inflammation, which promotes heart disease among other things. I’m not saying athletes are unhealthy, but I’m definitely saying exercising hard for 6 hours a week is excessive for most people.
Plus Tim’s deal is time efficiency if you haven’t noticed. “4-Hour Workweek” and all, remember?
Are you serious? Exercise causes heart disease?
The inflammation you get from exercise is vastly different from the inflammation that causes heart disease because of the different environmental triggers.
Outstanding, great results and awesome information.
[…] optimation and body games: How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days… Without Doing Any Exercise From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks The Science of Fat-Loss: Why a Calorie Isn’t Always a Calorie Real Life Extension: Caloric […]
i understand why it is frequently done, but i liked you better with the chest hair.
It seems I’m a little late to the dance but nonetheless, Great job Tim! it must have been grueling to maintain such a high caloric intake as well as a strict workout regimen
I’m currently in the progress of my own Transformation I only hope to have the same success as you had
Brian
Just my two cents on this. I’ve been lifting weights for quite a few years and decided out of curiosity to try this workout. I’ve done this for 3 sessions and make no mistake it is HARD. This is not an easy way to build muscle – it might not take a long time to do do this program, but your body will be SHATTERED after a workout if you do it properly. So to everyone who wants an easy way to put on muscle, this IS NOT IT. It’s incredibly tough, but does work.
In fact, I doubt it’s even possible to do it for too long a period – the workouts are just too intense on the body despite their short duration.
I am just about to start this routine. It will be tough for me to excercise so few days a week. In the past, I usually spent 5 to 6 days a weeks at the gym. I’ll let everyone know how it works out for me!
superficial question
was the fur loss voluntary
or a result of the bulking up?
just asking cause i like the fur better ^.^
you looked more sexy before :-/
Dude,
what can I say.
having worked out for 6 years and never seen gains, after a week of cautiously following your program my body is changing.
IT IS DOWN TO YOU.
I cannot make myself clear enough.
I am totally indebted to you, mostly for your perseverance and courage.
If I run into you, expect to be heavily embarrassed by a 19 y.o. kid who was teetering on chronic depression and suicide only a month ago.
Today I cannot begin to describe where I feel I am going.
x
Tim Siddiqui
@Tim
Dear Tim,
Thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. It made my night 🙂
All the best,
Tim Ferriss
Tim, you rock bro. Your book is great and congrats on your TV show.
I just gained 12lbs of muscle in 8 weeks doing the Starting Strength weight training program, avg. about 3 hrs per week in the gym. I also Crossfit.
Someday I will put your book into practice, quit my job, and become an ecommerce animal.
Chris NYC
[…] I often suggest training to failure for maximal size gains (see “Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. in 4 Weeks”), the pre-failure approach detailed here is excellent for maximal strength development, and the […]
Wow, very interesting weight gain methods, I am currently going to the gym about 3 or 4 times a week. I have in the past used the explode up, controlled down method of resistance training. Up until now, I have been doing resistance training at 1/4, now I am very interested in trying the 5/5. It is high time I gain some muscle mass.
THanks for the tips!!
Recently read the book, hands down the best book I ever read, seriously changed my life. I really mean that too, not just saying it to make bold claim, you seriously changed my outlook on life in a very positive way.
As for this workout routine, I’m going to give it a try mostly just for the hell of it.
As for all you haters, why are you even on this site? Don’t bring your black cloud over here in the sun, it’s pissing me off and I’m trying to get a damn tan!
Keep it up Tim, you’re one inspirational cat!
I have a question. I’ve tried this system twice already, it really sounds nice, interesting and worth trying, but.
Before I used to train more like 5×5, MB 4×6, 3×8 with about 4-5 exericises 2/1 times a week. In order to do this slow motion with the right technique I had to lower my weights almost 2 times (plus I haven’t been training for about 4 month, and started ago only a month and a half ago). For example, I was able to do one rep. of BP with 110kg, my maximum in SQ and DL were about 140. I’m 23 and have been training for more than 4 years already (with a couple of breaks though). But now, my BP is 55kg, SQ and DL are about 80. It’s this way if I make it reaaaaly slow both ways: positive and negative, and aim for ~8 repetitions. As a result, I don’t feel any muscle sickness the day after. Earlier I felt it for about 5 days after training of the particular muscle group.
And physiologically and intuitively it feels ineffective.
That’s why the question is have you felt the muscle sickness the next (and next after next) day after training? And what are your weights and experience in bodybuilding or powerlifting? Or probably you can just recommend me something.
Hey Tim,
Your book is great, and I like your article on the 80/20 powerlifting method (you cite some of my heroes)!
Ellington Darden had this to say in an interview on HIT training:
T-Nation: You hitched your wagon to Jones and HIT back in the early 1970s. Since then, HIT has been more and less popular, but it’s never been overwhelmingly popular. So I’ll throw this out there for starters: Is HIT really the shit? I mean, what can it do for the average Testosterone reader? Why should he care enough to read about it?
Darden: High-intensity training is just a very efficient and effective way to build muscular size and strength. That’s never been out of focus and it never will. Why should you care? Well, a guy that is big and strong can still command respect anywhere he goes. HIT’s not for everybody. But for those who don’t want to spend a lot of time training, boy, it’s the only way to go.
T-Nation: So if it’s not for everybody, who is it for?
Darden: I’d say it’s more for people in their thirties and forties, as opposed to teenagers or young adults. A teenager can do lots of things wrong and still get pretty good results. You can suffer injuries and get over them quickly. But when you’re in your thirties or forties, it doesn’t usually happen. I’m 65. If I sprain my ankle today, it may take me two and a half months to get over it. If you sprain yours, it might take just 10 days to heal.
(taken from http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/hit_spit_and_bullshit_an_interview_with_ellington_darden)
Darden is a disciple of Arthur Jones. However, he admittedly built his physique through conventional bodybuilding training prior to his HIT experience. He clearly advocates HIT moreso for the middle-aged weightlifting contingent.
Furthermore, Viator is in the same boat. I think Arthur Jones study is flawed because it doesn’t consider prior training and muscle memory. Viator was clearly on anabolics (1982 Olympia especially, albiet about ten years after this experiment), although it is uncertain when exactly.
So Tim, my question to you is this:
Are you advocating HIT for all people, or just those looking to maximize time vs productivity (like in your book which i’m currently reading — it’s honestly incredible and fun to read)?
For someone like myself, I DO enjoy longer gym sessions, typical set progressions (albeit I tend to fall within low-rep schema more often). I’ve tried most techniques (standard bodybuilding splits, fad workouts, westside, 5×5 routines, powerbuilding routines). I just don’t think HIT would work for me at this point, although maybe a couple years ago it would have been great.
ALSO: for those interested in another fantastic training approach and diet, check out Dr. John Berardi’s Scrawny to Brawny! http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com/ (the author is on the cover) I’ve met this guy before (he graduated from my school), he’s super legit!
Take care, and keep up the fantastic blog!
I think this claim is, much like the way Tim says he won the kickboxing championship in his book, just a technicality . It is very possible that you can put on 10 pounds in two weeks by doing not much more than just taking some creatine powders that make you retain water weight. Also, if you drink some water right before your final weigh in, you can add several more pounds. The other questions would be what did he do with his free time between workouts? You can get some strength training done by chopping wood or doing construction work in between you ‘workouts’. I am using HIT in my own workouts, but to say 34lbs in a month is just a technicality to get attention.
Incredible! I am going to ditch my current training program and start this tomorrow. If this works as well as you say it does this will change everything about my hypertrophy programs.
Dear Tim
I admire what you have done and i plan on testing your program. I am doing this for a school senior project and i hope you take this as a compliment that i chose your program to test wether it works or not.
There is just one thing i really require from you and i wish you would have answered to other people who have asked you in this blog
WHAT IS YOUR WORKOUT 😛
Sincerely
Paul Vanhan
Paul go to google and search “bodybuilding.com tim ferriss” and you’ll see some more details including some of Tim’s favourite work outs
Tim,
As far as your diet, I think you have given most of the information around that except for the relative breakdown of carbs, fats, protein. For example, I doubt that you want to have quinoa (carbs) make up 90% of the calories. What was the relative percentages of carbs/protein/fat when you went through the program (ie: 10,60,30)?
Thanks,
Jim
Hey Tim,
How would you integrate the new research suggesting that a spike in glucose helps your focus and creative energy when sitting down to write/create for a brief period of 1-2 hours? Clearly this could be a “Creativity Life Hack”.
Here’s an overview of the research: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/03/practicing_selfcontrol_consume.php
Ari
i doubt that tim monitors his protein to carbs to fat ratio, as he says he doesnt bother counting calories. i don’t think it’s necessary; by just eating natural foods you will have the perfect balance of ratios. ask a nearby elephant or gorrilla, he’ll tell you 🙂
[…] what they do? I’ve started to work out twice a week following my own version of Tim Ferris’ workout and using an adapted version of his high protein diet. I already feel healthier and like I have […]
Nice change. I can attest to the effectiveness of low volume, high intensity training myself. I made a similar, albeit not as dramatic, change when combining intermittent fasting and HIT back in 06-07.
[…] to see how much muscle mass he could accumulate in a short amount of time. Read more for yourself here. So on last Monday, January 5th, Reece and I began the January Project. […]
TIM
HOLY CRAP!
EATING SUCH AN EXTREME DIET IS FAKING (to quote john malkovich in Rounders) DIFFICULT!
The paradigm shift on the work out is fantastic; each set makes me feel like I’m going to pass out, but over all, the diet is by far the most intense part.
What do you think of high calorie protein bars?
@Mark,
I checked out the process and you should be on track. The eating is absolutely a bitch, to use a scientific term. The workouts are nothing compared to the food consumption. High-protein bars are fine, but learn to read labels and ensure you’re not eating candy bars with protein added, which most bars are. Snickers + whey protein = most commercial bars and a nice roll of fat on the stomach. Not so desirable.
Here’s a good meal for gaining: durum wheat macaroni (toss the magic orange powder and use skim milk to make) + a can of tuna + low-fat turkey chili. Mix it all up and season. Fast and dense. Feel free to substitute quinoa for macaroni for variety.
Good luck!
Tim
[…] to gain muscle mass, for example, I would rather examine the training and diet log of someone who went from 145 – 185 lbs. in 1-2 months rather than consult with a 300-lb. professional who has been 300 lbs. for a decade. This also […]
I read this post with great interest and followed over xmas (the one day a week off worked for xmas day and NYE really well).
As a runner I am finding that the slow as opposed to low carb regime combats the fatigue I have experienced from carb depletion type diets.
Four weeks in and I am definately noticing that I am leaner and have dramatically increased muscle strength using the 5×5 training scheme.
However I am not seeing much change in my abdominal area, not that there was much there in the first place ;-D but I’m not seeing the same muscle definition as I am achieving in my legs, back and upper body.
Does anyone have any female athlete specific advise?
Tim,
Great stuff. Your site and your book are a treasure trove. I have many, many things to say, but I’ll keep it short and relevent to the thread:
Did you do any cardio on this program? If so, what and how much. I think 2 dozen others have asked the same question 🙂 Please let us know.
Thanks!
@Shar,
Thank you for the comment. To the best of my recollection, I did not do any aerobic exercises, with the exception of a daily 30-minute walk in the morning for sun exposure and general well-being.
Hope that helps!
Tim
[…] … on losing weight and gaining muscle. […]
well so far i’ve been doing this for 2 weeks or so, and i’ve gained 2 or 3 lbs. better than nothing i suppose, because i’ve never been above 160 and i’ve been trying very hard for a year or so (currely 162-163). i’ve been eating about 4000 calories a day.
i find the work outs extremely hard, harder than any other work out i’ve ever done. i’ve been doing 7 exercises so the work outs take about 38 minutes and it’s hard to push to failure on every set
next work out i’m going to do 3 exercises, deadlift, incline dumbbell press, and yates rows. hopefuly i can really push myself on these and get some better results.
by the way, i only gained 2 or 3 lbs but i’m not really upset with the results, because i swear that i’ve lost at least a pound of fat!
will write more later
Hi Tim,
Started to read the 4 hour work week and then wanted to look up what you have on your website when I came across your blog here, and good timing since I am about to start training again, anyways, quick question… what about fruit as part of your diet and what about good organic type of cereal in the morning before i do my workout.
Thanks
Very impressive I’ll be trying some of your tips this summer
Came across your blog and it reminded me I still have to listen to my 4 hour work week audio blog. Impressive results.
tim,
bro this is absolutely mesmerizing… it takes me 3 months to achieve results like this using HIIT training… I am astounded by your results.
You do realize you could make $10 million a year if you expanded on this method and created a product line based around it?
The Body-For-Life series by Bill Philips has earned him countless millions and inspired thousands of people to take charge of their health.
i think you could generate a massive revenue stream if you expand on this method! I know you are already fabulously wealthy – but think of how many people you could save from a lifetime of illness and obesity.
Also, I saw Trial By Fire – brilliant, flawless execution of an extremely rare sporting event. I have studied Bushido casually for years and I never even knew of this sports existence. Congratulations on your success.
I have yet to read your NY Times Best-Seller but I am certainly going to now. You have a very similar mindset to me and I know I could learn volumes from studying your methodologies.
Sincerely,
Jason Allen Cataldo
hey tim, i was wondering how important protein is after a work out. for the past few weeks i’ve been focusing on getting 100g of carbs right after the work out, which really fills me up, so i don’t get a good piece of chicken for another 1-2 hours.
maybe i should force some down with the carbs? i’m going to try it anyways this week and see for myself, but i was hoping for your insight
thanks
ive been deeply studying bodybuilding for 3-4 years now and to my knowledge our bodies have a “top speed” to creating muscle mass. the average NATURAL person is only capable of putting on about 30 lbs of lean muscle tissue within a years time. this is well known to any natural bodybuilder. tim’s before and after picturse are not all that different and im not saying he didnt make any gains but posing is a HUGE part of showcasing your body….its quite obvious that the drastic difference is only in the pose. in summary, almost any program will work to build muscle. it just takes hard work and dedication.
…..also, a drastic amount of “extra” calories are not needed gain muscle. if you are carrying any body fat then you have the extra calories needed to make the muscle youre working hard to put on, so if you burn off the fat or eat extra its basically the same to your body. frankly, 34 lbs of muscle in one week is impossible without using drugs. i do believe he may have gained 34 lbs….but i know it wasnt without fat gain. something in the puzzle doesnt match up.
Pictures are really impressive but I could not find “Buy Now” button anywhere :-)) … just kidding, but it is really good for inspiration – maybe some more freaks will be born in the next couple of days after reading this hopefully.
I find this amazing, but also “disappointing”. Let me explain: I LOVE long workouts! So it would be disappointing to me to learn that half of my hour-long weight training sessions are a waste…
Of course, they are not a waste, because I enjoy them. And I see gains.
As many people here have said, there are many ways to build lean muscle mass. Unlike some of the doubters, I totally believe Tim got these gains. And I’m sure this will work for many others.
But other routines will work too. After reading this a month ago, I’ve added in one day a week that is what Tim suggests, but my two other weight days are hour-long, “traditional” weight training with 4 sets of 12 reps, focused on compound exercises. I really love hour-long workouts. But I have to admit, I do “feel” really great after the one-set-to-failure day. I’m exhausted (and then eat like a horse) but it’s a great feeling, almost a rush. But I’m not seeing as rapid a change as Tim did. I’m a lot older than he was!
Given your age, your lifestyle, your history, and your dedication level, you might find different results. If you are doing a routine that you hate, just to get “big” or “ripped”, then I feel sorry for you. You can have great results and enjoy the process too.
It is a very impressive gain.
It is a feat that not everyone could accomplish factors such as age and body type play into it but It is an example that more can be done in shorter time than you might think.
What I am eagerly waiting for is the supplement regime that went along with the diet and workouts.
Arginine?
Creatine?
tribulus?
dhea?
andro?
Anyone trying to make a major change in their life should try working out consistently and eating healthy meals while taking detailed notes! Or just take detailed notes of all the horrible things you do to yourself until you’re motivated enough to start changing the way you live. I’ve been keeping note on my laptop of each workout and everything I eat and that’s been a key motivator. Without it I would have forgotten when I last exercised and simply stepped out of the new routine and back into a routine that didn’t require any effort on my part. Writing things down allows you to go back in and organize what your next workout will be based on what you did in the past. I also make note of the dishes I order at different restaurants that comply with the legume, vegetable, meat, and whole wheat diet I’m on.
Some questions for Tim:
I’ve been working out 4 times a week at home (at least 30 minutes each) for the last month and eating healthy meals with a lot of protein. Though I feel great and have put on more muscle, I have not gained much weight at all. When I started exercising regularly a month ago, I was 132 lbs and I don’t weight much more now. After doing a bunch of 30 minute workouts and researching different exercises, I can’t help but notice that it would be pretty hard to make use of the entire body in one 30 minute workout with 3 minutes in between each exercise. Would I deduct those 3 minute breaks from the 30 minutes to get the actually amount of time spent working out? Say I do 4 different exercises; that’s 3 breaks between exercises, 9 minutes off, reducing my workout time to 21 minutes? So I’m curious as to what might be an example 30 minute workout you would do.
Thanks and great blog!
Hi tim
Just wanted to give you props on this post. I have been dieting (cutting) for the past 3 weeks and have been refining a routine that I decided to create based on the principles of less is more. I found your experiment really interesting because it involves some thing I decided to try on my own.
I’ve been only focusing on 3 weight exercises (deadlift, barbell squat, bench). Doing one set each until failure
HIIT cardio along with a high protein low carb diet (1 gram per 1 lb of lean muscle). And so far I’ve cut 12lbs of fat and dropped about 3% of bodyfat.
I have not considering doing the 5 sec up/5 sec down rule, but I’m going to add it to the next 4 weeks (along with stricter dieting and some supps for recovery) that I’m doing to see how much I can lose in a month.
Keep it up!
Hi there!
Tim: I’m in love with your blog, your book and most of the things you do. Thanks!
Tim + The Rest of You:
Any women commenters tried this successfully? I see a few who have not posted follow ups to their attempts, but no one woman who has posted her results (sorry if i missed something, tried very hard to read all the comments thoroughly!).
I’d love to know your experiences with this as a woman!
Thanks,
Val
Some questions for Tim:
I’ve been working out 4 times a week at home (at least 30 minutes each) for the last month and eating healthy meals with a lot of protein. What’s motivated me was taking detailed notes. Though I feel great and have put on more muscle, I have not gained much weight at all. When I started my exercise regiment a month ago, I was 132 lbs and I still weigh 132 lbs. After doing a bunch of 30 minute workouts and researching different exercises, I can’t help but notice that it would be pretty hard to make use of the entire body in one 30 minute workout with 3 minutes in between each exercise. Would I deduct those 3 minute breaks from the 30 minutes to get the actually amount of time spent working out? Say I do 4 different exercises; that’s 3 breaks between exercises, 9 minutes off, reducing my workout time to 21 minutes? So I’m curious as to what might be an example 30 minute workout you would do.
I also read that you take micellar casein protein and also Mass Recovery (among ingredients are whey protein and Maltodextrin) on the bodybuilding.com page. I’ve been researching proteins as I never put anything into my body in large quantities that I’m not pretty sure is safe for me. From what I found online, it seems that most protein powders don’t list MSG as an ingredient, but are said to turn into a glutamate in the body. From what I’ve read, MSG really hasn’t been shown to cause problems except in those that have allergies or other reactions triggered by what’s been called “Chinese restaurant syndrome.” Chinese restaurant syndrome has been shown to happen when people really eat a lot of MSG so I’m scared of taking protein powder on a regular basis, as it might be similar to eating large amounts of MSG. Seems there are mixed views on the web so I would like to know your opinion on this.
Thanks!
Great article, but Tim neglected to mention how many reps each set should ideally include? Of course the answer is ultimately “as many as need to reach failure”, but what’s the target: 5 reps? 12 reps?
Thanks!!
-Michael
I read the article that you posted on bodybuilding.com, and the only noticeable difference between what I saw on there and what is posted on here is the supplements that you used. I was wondering which, if any, of the supplements you listed there you would consider as essential to gaining such a large amount of muscle in such a short period of time.
Thank you in Advance for any help.
-James
Val, I’ve tried it and it works for me, in fact only today someone noticed that I had lost fat around my ribs and stomach.
Caveat, I am a runner so CV is key to my workout. However I am in a rest phase and using this time to loose body fat but still running. Basically I am doing the weights with good effect, CV but no real endurance. I eat the diet that Tim has illustrated, including the restricted carbs after workouts, weights and CV and having the rest day. However I do still eat a bowl of Porridge every morning – habit! But I add cinnamon to reduce the insulin effects of a high dose of, albiet low GI, carbs.
Anna Louise:
Thanks for the response!
I haven’t gotten my arse to the gym yet (I will, I swear!) but I’ve modified my diet to follow the slow-carb one that Tim has outlined and that just this morning I noticed a difference in my belly!
I’ve been eating well for 10 days now. I’m tracking everything over at thedailyplate.com, I highly recommend it as an incredibly easy tool to track calories and exercise. My username is valgray if anyone wants to check out what I’ve been eating. (please ignore inauguration day! I pigged out! Celebration day!)
I will go to the gym today and get started.
Thanks again!
Val
Hi,
Regarding the supplements, there seems to be a contradiction on Tim’s bodybuilding.com page.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
On one hand he mentions Micellean (micellar casein protein) as his post-workout supplement (which is a slow-digesting protein most recommended for before bed!)
He also mentions mass recovery as his post-workout drink.
Can somebody help me with this? I’ve just bought a micellear casein protein and much to my surprise it says that I should take it before bed!
@Farid,
I use casein both post-workout and pre-bed if I’m on a gaining program. Whey can be useful in combination, but it often results in a negative nitrogen balance shortly after ingestion due to it’s rapid gastric emptying and AA absorption. It is possible to do just fine with whole foods or just casein. I would not use whey in isolation unless you are eating something to slow its absorption. I know this contradicts many recommendations out there — just my experience.
Tim
Yes, that’s true! You can go only on slow absorption protein, because as it is slow absorption, it will keep your body protein fuelled all the time, overwhelming the muscle recuperation/growing process. And yes, even when you are sleeping, that’s why you can also take it after going to Bed. By the way, couldn’t we use the isolated whey while training, to prevent at the maximum the catabolism of the muscle?
PS: Tim, I have both versions of 4 hour week and I’m waiting for my book of 4 hour body! Keep up the good work! 😉
Your welcome Val. Tracking your diet sounds like a good idea, keep going and you will have a permanent flat stomach!
It is physiologically impossible to add 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks. There are reports of muscle gains in the order of 4 – 12 lbs in a month by using supraphysiological doses of testosterone and other anabolics. Typically, this would be for a first time steroid user that would be making larger than normal gains. Additional gains in lean mass (not necessarily muscle) could be obtained with high doses of growth hormone. The most dedicated athletes that build muscle naturally could expect gains of about 8 lbs of muscle per year (with more in the beginning). These are people that have the best access to trainers, facilities, diet, etc.
Bottom line – this guy is once again producing a book and product line that are a short term sensation that will net him much money but will turn out to be meaningless. Don’t think that he will be picked up as a trainer by professional or olympic athletes any time soon. It’s back to the circus for another trick – maybe the four hour ninja program or the four hour commercial pilot license…
Indeed. You can’t gain that much muscle in lose that much fat in 4 weeks. People on a Leangains regiment (STRICT caloric macronutrient cycling) aren’t even gaining that much.
More than 1 pound of muscle in one day for 30 days? People reading this — please don’t expect this type of result. If you didn’t gain ANY fat, you could put on .5 lbs of muscle on per WEEK. That’s 2 lbs of pure muscle mass per month.
In my opinion, since I haven’t had the pleasure to speak directly with tim to determine if he wants to be an olympic trainer, I’m guessing no though. And as a quick side note I’m also guessing you followed Tim’s advice as far as supplements, work out regime, 5/5 cadence etc. or did you just wing it like the post?
It is ABSOLUTELY possible to see those results. If you are able to read((and follow) at a 4th grade level because much of his books have been written that way for the likes of people like you and me (minus side geeknotes which i pass) are all experiments of his or others and backed by scientific data ie Dave Jumbo Columbo and or the Colorado Experiment. Are you saying that those experiments have been made up?, that Dave does not exist? or that maybe you learned something that shatters your preconceived notions and you are having a tough time coming to grips with that reality, which leads me to 1 of my 3 new years resolutions (no more beliefs)
You see I’d much rather have ideas, those can be tweaked and changed as you learn and evolve; (beliefs are engraine3d in our subconscious and people go to war and die over for no apparent reason other than their belief, whether it be accurate or not). So it really sounds like you have the BELIEF that it’s impossible, kinda like the belief that the V8 can’t be made (see Henry ford), that jumping from 126000 ft is impossible (youtube that one) or the BELIEF that gaining 20+ lbs of muscle in 30 days is imposssible..
For sh#t’s and giggles, remove the word impossible from your vocabulary and see what else is achievable. Personally you are half right, I only gained 16lbs of muscle,but it was also in 22 days for the record. And if you are worried about getting taken for another $17 bucks on a book, rather than your $300 bucks on needles and DEBO, send me your address, Ill go ahead and mail you my copy of 4 hr body free.
Please note as a side bar, I am in no way attacking you as a person in any sense of the word, I am however attacking your belief system down to the core as I am guessing rather than follow direction and see for yourself your belief to be inaccurate, it is much easier to just take a side and run with it, than spend a month proving your belief inaccurate.
What’s the worst that could happen if you tried it? You could be the 1 in a million + copies (sorry tim dont have exact figures) that blew the lid off this whole crazy idea, or more than likely you will be the 1 in 999,999 that it works for, either way isn’t that worth trying something new? You may in fact actually learn something, and isn’t that the whole idea of growing as a person?
Just a thought
JC
PS. For the love of god, don’t take what tim speaks as fact, try proving him wrong and following his regime before accepting what he says as fact, it makes for way more entertaining comments
This guy *hugs*