From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks 1,230 Comments

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1,230 Comments

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  Science News For Building Lean Muscle - Jan 25 2009 — January 25th, 2009, 8:03 am

  [...] training plans that involve “training to failure”.  There are several variations [Tim Ferriss' experience has gotten a lot of attention], but the main gist is that you aren’t really doing x sets of y [...]

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  Chris Wyatt — January 26th, 2009, 2:22 am

  Hey Tim,

  I’m an admirer of the book etc etc. And I could go on with praise, however I am a stickler for time as I know you are.

  With that said, I just have a couple quick observations.questions that I do wish you to answer and they are:

  I’m a runner (ran in college 70 mile weeks) who wants to get a little bigger because I want to focus on the Decathlon/Triathlons, but don’t want to be that skinny guy. (Cardio cuts fat first, then muscle mass, as you know)

  With this regimen, and getting back into running and doing other training (swimming, jumps, hurdles, etc) what would be a basic rate of muscle growth?

  I know there are many variables, however, but I would like your input on a lot of cardio, the fact I really need carbs, and the diet needed for obtaining the muscle you did in 4 weeks.

  I appreciate all that you are doing in paying it forward. The book is amazing and I’m applying the principles.

  I want to recommend one book to you. That outside of your book has utterly changed my life. Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray

  Take Care,

  Chris

  P.S. Really do read that book!!

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — January 26th, 2009, 4:41 pm

    @Chris,

    For a decathlete, I would suggest you test out Pavel’s 5×5 routine also on this blog. Just search “Pavel” and it will pop up.

    Best of luck!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  PeteFloyd — January 28th, 2009, 11:34 am

  Hi Tim,

  I’ve been cracking up reading all the angry comments people are leaving. Funny how some folks react when you challenge their ingrained thinking. (kind of reminds me of the scene in “Young Einstein” when they’re arguing about faster-than-light-travel).

  I’ve been training off and on for years with no real results. Then I read 4HWW:

  Whats the worst case scenario? – I don’t gain muscle mass (which I’m not doing anyway)
  What do I stand to lose if it fails? – nothing.
  What do I stand to gain if it works? – Get beefed up finally.

  I’ve got a little more planning and research to do, but I will do my best to post again on March 9th with my results.

  Thanks,
  Pete

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — January 28th, 2009, 1:55 pm

    @PeteFloyd,

    Thanks very much for the comment. It is incredible how personally some people seem to take this blog post! First, I wrote it to help people, not sell anything. Second, it almost seems like I’m killing sacred cows by suggesting anything other than their religion (training method) could work.

    Like you said: what’s the worst-case scenario? 30-60 minutes of test time in the gym wasted and more lessons learned.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
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  Nathan — January 29th, 2009, 11:35 am

  Tim:

  Great article and I’m totally going to experiment myself with this program. I’m sure that this question has been asked a ton, but can you post the exact workout you used? From the article I know you use a 5/5 cadence but I’m not sure of the specific exercises. Please post so that I can start my four week program today! Thanks for everything. You truly are an inspiration.

  Thanks,
  Nathan

  Reply
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  Nathan — January 29th, 2009, 11:34 pm

  Tim,
  After my workouts, I stay sore for 4+ days. Should I rest until my muscles are no longer sore?

  Nathan

  Reply
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  Abdoul — January 30th, 2009, 3:12 pm

  Wow Tim,

  I don’t get it, I simply don’t get it. Where do you find the time to do all of this! I’ve read a bit of your book(didn’t find the time to finish it yet), read some of your posts and can see you have an extremely active lifestyle and yet you still have the time to post new articles and even reply to comments even though this post is a year old! Are you human? Anyway jokes aside you’re a great example of how people should benefit from life. I believe I speak for everyone here when I say YOU THE MAN!

  Abdoul

  Reply
• 

  KIVANC — February 2nd, 2009, 4:02 am

  Dear Tim,
  i live in germany and read your book many times. I only can say that you live dream. Everything you describe is logical. I will try to do as you did but my profession doesn´t give me the possibility by now. But only sky is the limit
  P.S.: Did you ever thought about to work as a coach or give lessons?

  Sincerly

  KIVANC

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — February 3rd, 2009, 8:41 am

  In reference to an earlier post, slow repetitions do not compromise explosiveness or speed, and they do not preferentially stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

  If the most weight you can lift in a single attempt in an exercise is 100 pounds, you will not be able to move it very quickly. If you increase your strength enough that you can perform the exercise with 150 pounds, you will then be able to move 100 pounds very quickly. It doesn’t matter whether you became stronger using slow or fast reps – stronger muscles can produce more force, and accelerate a load more quickly.

  The idea that you can preferentially train for sarcoplasmic versus myofibrillar hypertrophy is typical muscle magazine nonsense. Different speeds, rep ranges, etc. do not change this. Sarcoplasm will increase proportionally to the rest of the cell size.

  Tim is absolutely on the right track with regards to repetition speed. While counterintuitive, the truth is, slower reps allow the muscles to produce more force, something referred to as the force/velocity curve. This means that, all else being equal (same set duration) you can handle a heavier weight, and heavier weight = more tension = more microtrauma = greater stimulus for hypertrophy.

  The slower a muscle shortens, the more cross-bridges are able to be formed, which results in higher force production. Force production capability actually drops off exponentially as contraction speed increases. For a good read on this, check out Skeletal Muscle Structure, Function, & Plasticity: The Physiological Basis of Rehabilitation by Richard Lieber.

  Faster reps only appear to allow one to handle a heavier weight because they tend to mask sloppy form, which involves the use of body movement other than the intended exercise movement (hip and spine extension to alter leverage in an arm flexion exercise, for example), because it typically results in a shorter set duration when compared with slow reps without consideration for the time factor, and because the initial acceleration (often possible due to the assistance of other muscle groups) imparts enough kinetic energy to the load to get it through sticking points.

  If your goal is to stimulate muscular improvements, rather than simply cheat a heavy weight up for the sake of gym ego, slower repetitions are the way to go. I made a similar transformation to Tim’s back in college using the same general approach, although it took me closer to 6 months to put on 30 pounds, and it is not uncommon for my male clients to gain upwards of 10 pounds of muscle in the first few months of training.

  Reply
• 

  Daniel — February 5th, 2009, 12:18 am

  Tim,
  I’m very interested in the program you followed but after reading all the blog I’m more confused than clear as to what to do….so let me attempt a “hack ” here….can you refer me to a trainer here in the bay area that could coach me using a similar method to what you used? With a good coach I reckon I can hit the critical path asap and don’t have to stay up all night surfing and reading.
  Love your stuff
  Go raibh maith agat (pronounced ” guh – rev – moth – a gut” that’s gaelic for thank you)
  Daniel

  Reply
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  Farid — February 8th, 2009, 11:56 am

  4 training days (11 days): 65 K => 68 K, height: 187 cm, very ectomorph!
  (But probably a 1 cm increase in waist size . I said probably b/c I’m not sure if I measured myself correctly the first time )

  Tim, I have some questions for you:

  1) Supplementation:

  I’m taking
  - two scoops of N.O. Xplode in the morning (on empty stomach)
  - 3 tablets of Timed Release ALA (from Great Earth) – 300 mg

  - nothing pre-workout!
  1.1) Can I take N.O. Xplode again? 2 scoops? Will it result in water weight? Is it dangerous to take 4 scoops on training days?

  - gainomax recovery (two training days so far). 40 carb, 20 protein, 250 ml. I mix 50% of it w/ 125 ml of water and sip on during the workout.

  1.2) Do I need to drink any more recovery/post-workout drink? E.g. Cellmate, Casein, Whey, or just more gainomax?

  - 3 scoops of Caseine before bed (usu. 1 h after last meal, mixed w/ milk).

  Any other areas of improvement?

  2) Diet:

  2.1) I’m eating 4-5 meals a day, but the increase in my waist line (despite strength gain at gym) in worrying me. Should I split up the meals more to 6-8 perhaps?

  2.2) Chicken thighs are really inexpensive where I live. Is it ok to have lots of them (after peeling off the skin and as much fat as possible)?

  3) Workout:

  3.1) How do you apply the 5/5 cadence to manual neck resistance?!
  Can I replace it w/ sth like Barbell shrugs? Will that fit well with your routine (in BB page)?

  3.2) I jog on the treadmill and stretch for a few minutes prior to the wo. Is it fine with HIT?

  3.3) What do you think about stretching a muscle after it’s been worked?

  BTW, I’m reading your book and calling it “The Book of Aha Moments” and recommending it to everyone!

  Good job and thanks beforehand for the reply!

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — February 8th, 2009, 2:46 pm

  Supplements like N.O. Xplode have not been proven to provide any muscle building benefit. See http://baye.com/no-supplements-no-way-2/

  “At present, there is no research published in peer-reviewed journals to support the assertion that an increase in nitric oxide levels promotes greater muscle protein synthesis or improves muscle strength. There is also no evidence that the arginine alpha-ketoglutarate in “nitric oxide” supplements have any effect on nitric oxide levels in muscles.”

  Reply
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  Daniel — February 8th, 2009, 3:18 pm

  Hi Tim,
  I like your expirimentation approach, and am ready to try my own experiment. I am primarily interested in losing weight (need to drop from about 240 to 200) but want to put on some muscle in the process which should help with the weight loss and general improved health. Any recommendations regarding calorie intake for my goal, or an alternative program if this isn’t the best for weight loss and toning?

  I enjoyed the book and have made improvements in my work (including one day at home and a goal of complete freedom by the end of the year). Look forward to the second edition!

  Cheers,
  Daniel

  Reply
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  Maxim — February 9th, 2009, 4:41 am

  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 or 1 times a week. In order to do this slow motion with the right technique I had to lower my weights almost 2 times (plus I haven’t been training for about 4 month, and started ago only a month and a half ago).

  For example, I was able to do one rep. of BP with 110kg, my maximum in SQ and DL were about 140 (one repetition) and 80 / 100 for about 5 repetitions.

  I’m 23 and have been training for more than 4 years already (with a couple of breaks though). But now, my BP is 55kg, SQ and DL are about 70. It’s this way if I make it reaaaaly slow both ways: positive and negative, keep the perfect technique and aim for ~8 repetitions.

  As a result of this weight decrease, I don’t feel any muscle sickness the day after. Earlier I felt it for about 5 days after training of the particular muscle group. And physiologically and intuitively it feels ineffective. But actually, earlier (despite this long muscle sickness) I didn’t seem to gain a lot in mass or strength.

  That’s why the question is have you felt the muscle sickness the next (and next after next) day after training? And what are your weights and experience in bodybuilding or powerlifting?

  Also, I wanted to ask if it would be a good idea to split this training into the 2 parts, leaving everything else the same and go to gym twice a week (while spending less time on every single training session)?

  And the last question. I really wonder if combining this with a strength training 5×5 would be a good idea or not? For example what if once or twice a week I train this 5+5 way and once a week I do the strength workout with heavy weights 5×5. Will it increase my strength and mass at the same time, or othervise slower the whole proccess?

  Thank you very much!

  Reply
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  GoatRidersHorde — February 12th, 2009, 12:40 am

  Hey Tim,

  I’ve been reading through your responses to comments and clicked through to bodybuilding.com, but have been unable to find your article or profile. Could you post a direct link? I’d really like to give this experiment a try.

  Thanks,

  Timothy

  Reply
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  BB — February 12th, 2009, 4:22 am

  Dear Tim
  Thanks for your sharing. It’s great and inspiring.
  I did tried to apply your guidance to my practice. I gained 8-10 pounds within two months. I love it.
  Now I am reading another sharing from your blog and hope that I can improve my life like this.
  Wish you all the best, Tim
  Cheers

  Reply
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  Farid — February 12th, 2009, 5:06 pm

  To BB:
  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm

  Reply
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  alex — February 14th, 2009, 11:55 pm

  Hi
  Back in the 1990s, I trained hard for about two years (in my late 20′s); then got serious about the diet and won [3,1,2 places respectively] three shows in one month during which time my muscle mass was at it’s highest, and my body fat low. I am 6’2″ and have a medium frame, and competed in the heavyweight class. It was a powerful feeling to be big, but able to easily tie your sneakers. My diet was low carb; and the allowed carbs in whole oatmeal were eaten in the morning, with each meal having less carb.
  - 1/2 c Oatmeal cooked with 2 c water, cinnamon sweet low & scrambeled egg whites
  - snack – icy cold, watery thin high protein strawberry shake 60 gr or more
  - grilled chicken breast, spinach,
  - shake post workout
  - grilled steak, broccoli, salad with balsamic vinegar [cuts cravings]

  Why did I do this? Because my pain-in-the-A** mother-in-law said she didn’t think I could compete and win. In this great shape, my XXL/38×32 waist off season body was perfect in an XL and in a slim 36×32 Levis. Abs were perfect. My feet did not change. My son was thrilled with the trophys, ribbons, and photos

  This is not, as Tim Ferris claims, a little known training secret; it is the training method that works. The real problem is people, err men, weren’t born knowing how to grow muscle. Bodybuilders (we wear our sport) do not over eat, do not eat the wrong food, take one MEAL a week off; and allow this regular nutrition and resting to be as important as intensity. With my coach, I a routine work out four days, alternating body parts so each was exhausted one day per week and did not do too many body parts at once. No warmup. Just start.

  Men are likely candidates to grow muscle. Let’s discuss an unlikely candidate, Ms Olympia, Cory Everson. Cory was either in great shape or was not. It took her about to two months to get into competition shape and she refined her physique like an artist up to Ms Olympia competition. Her weight varied only ten pounds, and she used long stationary bike workouts to stay lean but big. Her husband, Jeff was on his way to an exercise PhD, and he understood and followed these principles you claim are little known. They [intense weight lifting to failure, and have always been know by those who train seriously to grow.

  This muscle training is easily accomplished in home gyms. And this is how the fitness made simple infomercial guy – John Blazedale (is that his name) made his money. He was not growing muscle following modern training routines, and dumped them to concentrate on a major body part in four workouts a week, training to failure. To this day, he sells thousands of DVDs to the middle eastern countries. He paid off all his debt in about three months back in the early 1980s. Maybe the guys that wrote the book want to keep the special look for themselves, eh?

  Reply
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  Luke — February 15th, 2009, 6:34 pm

  Dear Tim,

  Im a firm believer in a lot of the things you said, having read them before from a variety of sources (mainly the old school stuff) and from doing something similar in high school (after reading “Super Squats”).

  Is there ever a chance you’ll be writing a 2nd book with all your little hints and tricks for improving physically?

  Thanks!
  Luke

  P.S.
  The only thing I’d say that could help your case against the non-believers would be to better replicate the original photos.

  I.e.
  -The 2nd set of photos have less lighting (while the first one has more lighting, which blanches out muscle definition).
  -Wear the same shorts the same way both times (wearing them down before hid the thighs, making it harder to compare)
  -Same distance away from camera, every time
  -

  Reply
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  Paul — February 16th, 2009, 7:52 pm

  Tim,

  I read all the details on your bodybuilding.com page. Fantastic stuff! My one question is: How did you modify your supplements/diet on the off-days?

  Thanks!
  Paul

  Reply
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  Farid — February 21st, 2009, 9:09 am

  @Paul:

  IMO you can probably skip Casein before bed. The other supplements don’t seem to add many calories.

  As for the food, I eat the same # of meals but cut them in half.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — February 21st, 2009, 9:18 am

  Update:

  6 training days (22 days): 4.2 kg so far!

  I am staying sore longer now and so have increased the rest to 5 days.

  –Answers to some of my own questions:

  I’m taking
  - two scoops of N.O. Xplode in the morning (on empty stomach)
  - 3 tablets of Timed Release ALA (from Great Earth) – 300 mg

  - nothing pre-workout!
  1.1) Can I take N.O. Xplode again? 2 scoops? Will it result in water weight? Is it dangerous to take 4 scoops on training days?

  – It may not be dangerous but it caused a burning feeling in my chest. So now, I am just taking 1 scoop in the morning and 2 scoops on training days (1 in the morning and 1 pre-wo). I may increase it later.

  1.2) Do I need to drink any more recovery/post-workout drink? E.g. Cellmate, Casein, Whey, or just more gainomax?

  —Absolutely! I bought Serious Mass which has 1200 calories and is high on GI (250 out of 320 gr of Carb and 50 gram protein)

  2) Diet:

  2.1) I’m eating 4-5 meals a day, but the increase in my waist line (despite strength gain at gym) in worrying me. Should I split up the meals more to 6-8 perhaps?

  — Maybe, I will need to use more of the supplements i.e. Slo Niacin and Picolinate and ALA (200 mcg) and eat more!

  3) Workout:

  3.1) How do you apply the 5/5 cadence to manual neck resistance?!
  Can I replace it w/ sth like Barbell shrugs? Will that fit well with your routine (in BB page)?

  — I was confused about this exercise b/c of the link on BB.com. Now I know how to do it using some sort of a band. Great!

  3.2) I jog on the treadmill and stretch for a few minutes prior to the wo. Is it fine with HIT?

  —– I quit the treadmill warm up as I’ve already taken a 5 minute walk to the gym but am continuing with the stretching.

  Reply
• 

  Hard Gainer — February 23rd, 2009, 11:28 am

  Really impressive and inspiring stuff for those Hard Gainers

  Nice job man!

  Cheers!

  Reply
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  Anthony — February 23rd, 2009, 4:50 pm

  Love this post Tim.

  Btw have you checked out Body by Science?

  Reply
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  Adam Bate » My go at the slow carb diet… — February 23rd, 2009, 9:53 pm

  [...] one of 28 of a new slow carb diet, paired with a high intensity training program. Inspired by many other people who’ve done a similar [...]

• 

  Mr. Jackson — February 28th, 2009, 8:41 pm

  Tim,

  Question about your casein preference.

  I recently read that “Casein has been implicated very strongly as a carcinogenic compound, possibly one of the most carcinogenic currently in the human diet, according to The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Also mentioned is the incidence of higher cancer rates in countries that consume more dairy products, specifically cheese, which has more than 10 times the casein density of milk”.

  From the China Study:
  “In fact, the connection between casein and cancer was so profound that the scientists could literally turn cancer growth on and off in the laboratory animals, like a light switch, simply by altering the level of casein protein in their diets. Interestingly, they also found that feeding the animals the same levels of plant based protein (gluten and soy) did not at all promote cancer growth.”
  “An impressively consistent pattern was beginning to emerge. For two different organs, four different carcinogens and two different species, casein promotes cancer growth while using a highly integrated system of mechanisms. It is a powerful, convincing and consistent effect. For example, casein affects the way cells interact with carcinogens, the way DNA reacts wit carcinogens and the way cancerous cells grow. The depth and consistency of these findings strongly suggest that they are relevant for humans, for four reasons. First, rats and humans have an almost identical need for protein. Second, protein operates in human virtually the same way it does in rats. Third, the level of protein intake causing tumour growth is the same level that humans consume. And fourth, in both rodents and humans the initiation stage is far less important then the promotion stage of cancer. This is because we are very likely “dosed” with a certain amount of carcinogens in our everyday lives, but whether they lead to full tumours depends on their promotion, or lack thereof.”
  “Casein promotes all stages of the cancer process”

  I would love your input and opinion.

  Thanks Tim Ferriss. We love youuuuuuu

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — March 1st, 2009, 1:39 am

    @Mr. Jackson,

    Great comment and thank you for the reference. I’ll look into this when I have a chance. In the meantime, do you know the amounts of casein per lb./ounce/gram bodyweight the rats were being fed daily, as well as how (orally vs. other)? I do have some issues with rat vs. human comparisons, but that’s another post for the future.

    Thanks again for the good counter-argument. I hope to hear more of your findings!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Farid — March 1st, 2009, 12:50 am

  Update:
  Feb 25
  Gained another 600 gr (4.8 kg so far)

  I just found out that I’ve been taking only around 4000 calories a day! (In the first 2 weeks I probably had only around 3000)

  BTW is it safe to take 1200 calories of post-workout drink (Hi-GI e.g. Serious Mass) after these workouts? I feel bloated for the following few hours although I drink it within 1-1.5 hour. I can hardly have a post-workout meal after 2 hours!

  Reply
• 

  Joel — March 3rd, 2009, 5:30 am

  Tim,

  Monday Mar. 2nd saw the beginning of week four for me on this regimen/diet. I recently took up gym based rock climbing and bouldering and felt it a good idea to start this in concert with my new found sport.

  I’m happy to report fantastic results thus far on a scaled back version. I eat less for less drastic muscle gain but still an appropriate amount for full muscle repair. I also concentrate the weight training aspect to one day a week on Sunday evenings to allow the following Mon. and Tues. (when the gym is closed) for repair.

  I’ve seen substantial fat loss and a solid gain in muscle, in some places where I’ve never really had much before, like the pecs. I’ve noticed tendon strengthening as well. I didn’t use supplements – no good sources near by.

  Two things separate from above:

  Do you run/jog? Are you familiar with POSE Method running? It’s sort of a hacked way to run that I think you’d appreciate.

  Your RSS Feed link up in the browser’s address bar has a slightly faulty link. It lacks the “/feed” at the end that allows it to load the feed. feed://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/feed

  Reply
• 

  The Science of Fat-Loss: Why a Calorie Isn’t Always a Calorie « — March 6th, 2009, 1:34 pm

  [...] examined before how people can lose 20+ lbs. of bodyfat — or gain 34 lbs. of lean mass — within four weeks, replete with measurements and photographs, but there is still a chorus: [...]

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  Nick — March 6th, 2009, 1:52 pm

  How much Test did you need daily for these results(I assume daily as the longer acting esters usually cause water retention)? Rather solid looking so I would guess you must also have a good anti-estrogen or maybe some Winstrol or Tren. Just curious what stack got you those results in 30 days, being that anyone with any sense knows this not possible without drugs. Anyway, nice work!

  Reply
• 

  Matt Rose — March 7th, 2009, 11:57 am

  Nearly two years later and I am still in awe of this post. More people need to put it into action.

  Reply
• 

  The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen (and Weapons of Mass Distraction) — March 15th, 2009, 3:19 pm

  [...] 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 Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less [...]

• 

  How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less (Plus: How to Negotiate Convertibles and Luxury Treehouses) — March 15th, 2009, 3:52 pm

  [...] 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 Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen (and Weapons [...]

• 

  Chuck Muldoon — March 16th, 2009, 6:18 pm

  Hi Tim,

  I have your book, The Four Hour Workweek and love reading it and applying the principles! I just found your 34 Lbs of Muscle in 28 Days article after Googling, “Tim Ferriss resistance training,” because of you mention of it in the book. What I am wondering is, what do you think of utilizing resistance bands (which I have been considering a purchase of) as a substitute for the gym when doing the 28 day regimen? Is it possible to get comparable results?

  Thanks,
  Chuck

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — March 16th, 2009, 9:10 pm

    Hi Chuck,

    It is very difficult to get comparable results with bands, as you cannot progress in resistance as accurately or as long as with plate-loading weights.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
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  Hardware Freak — March 17th, 2009, 7:58 am

  wooow, is this possible?
  great!

  Reply
• 

  Farid — March 18th, 2009, 12:40 am

  Update:
  March 15
  9.5 kilos (about 21 pounds)!

  About 1.5 month (average of 1.5 hours a week of gym time!)

  Have upped the calorie intake (around 4500 I think). But I’ve got Policosanol and Niacin (+ bodyQuicken) missing in my stack.

  Can anyone suggest an accurate (and cheap enough) measure for body fat? A personal trainer at the gym estimated that I have a body fat of 15 % by pinching a few spots in my body. Is this normal?

  Reply
• 

  How to Lose 30 Pounds in 24 Hours: The Definitive Guide to Cutting Weight — March 18th, 2009, 2:04 am

  [...] Gaining 34 pounds of lean mass in 28 days? Impossible, or so claim the skeptics. [...]

• 

  Marc — March 18th, 2009, 4:44 am

  Hi Tim,

  It seems a workout like this would make one more susceptible to injury. Do you know if the risks for injury are higher doing these high intensity, short duration workouts?

  Since we are all taught to inhale down, exhale up, how do you breathe on a 5/5 cadence?

  Thanks.

  Reply
• 

  carl — March 18th, 2009, 12:18 pm

  What’s with the shaving of body hair? I keep mine and my wife loves it.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — March 18th, 2009, 2:35 pm

  Hi Marc,

  If I may reply in Tim’s stead:

  My personal experience was that for the first few sessions, I could literally not focus on breathing at all as I was trying to keep track of the 5/5 cadence and form. But once you get the hang of this type of workout, the breathing almost falls into place though it may seem a little awkward (Just breathe in/out more slowly)

  Reply
• 

  Marc — March 18th, 2009, 3:29 pm

  Hi Farid,

  Thanks for replying. I guess putting on the focus on counting time would allow the breathing to come naturally – so long as I remember to breathe! Some people, I’d imagine, would hold their breath.

  How has the workout been going for you?

  Reply
• 

  Farid — March 18th, 2009, 3:47 pm

  Yes Marc,

  I DID hold my breath the 1st few sessions (which is wrong but I had to learn to focus on good form and the cadence).

  If you haven’t tried this, I HIGHLY recommend it. (No one believes that I’m working out only 1.5 hours a week)

  Reply
• 

  Farid — March 18th, 2009, 3:51 pm

  Oh, I almost missed your last line.

  Well, if you scroll up, you’ll see that I’ve posted updates on my progress. I made a few mistakes in the 1st few weeks (e.g. no high-GI post-workout drink, only 1 scoop of Xplode, only 3000-3500 calories a day, etc) but the progress has been so far so good. My pants are filling up and my shirts fit better and I keep discovering new muscle in my body.

  (And as Tim puts it, the diet is a real bitch!)

  Reply
• 

  Tracy Garcia — March 18th, 2009, 6:52 pm

  Hi Tim, This article is very interesting. I am not interested in becoming the Hulk but I am going to try your method for women in gaining muscle mass. I would like to see the outcome and how this method would really affect me. I used a program and gained 10 pounds of muscle in 30 days. I am not the Hulk. I actually was at 35% body fat when I started so I am toned and not bulky at all. Thanks for sharing the great info.

  Reply
• 

  Tim — March 19th, 2009, 9:29 am

  Tim,

  It would have been nice if you had provided citations for your study outside of the link to the CO Experiment site. It would also be nice if you would also provide more detail on the amount of calories you consumed and explain exactly what you mean by “4. Eat enormous quantities of protein….” Is that based on a persons weight, age, a specific amount of calories, etc? What was your eating schedule? Is there a reason why you didn’t put your workout in detail here? I guess I would believe it more if it was done in a more scientific manner but congrats on getting a great physique!

  Reply
• 

  Shadab Khan — March 19th, 2009, 10:36 pm

  Dude, face it.
  Genetically normal, and without taking any enhancing drugs, you can put on 1 kg of lean meat to your frame per month.

  Either you have taken something else, other than food and supplements, or these pix are not 4 weeks apart, but rather 4 years apart.

  In fact looking at the face in these pix, it indeed looks like there is at least a year or two between the two pix.

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — March 20th, 2009, 8:24 pm

  I have trained genetically average men from their 20s to their 40s who’ve gained much more than 1kg of muscle per month using methods very similar to what Tim used.

  I just did measurements on a client last Friday, a male in his mid 30′s, who has gained 6 pounds in the past month while reducing his skinfold measurements.

  I had a male client in his mid 20′s gain 8 pounds with no significant change in skinfold measurements in his first month of training.

  I had a 39 year old male client gain 12 pounds of muscle in 3 months.

  All of these people performed very brief, high intensity training routines, typically consisting of a single set to failure of between 6 and 8 exercises, performed with slow, controlled reps. These workouts typically lasted under 20 min, including rest between exercises, and were only performed twice weekly.

  These are genetically average people. They are not exceptions. I personally know trainers all over the US using similar methods and getting similar results. Some using even briefer workouts and lower training frequency.

  I don’t know where you got your 1kg/month figure, but it is wrong.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — March 21st, 2009, 1:52 am

  @Shadab khan,

  Since Tim has completely stopped answering such posts, I’ll do it

  Please first TRY the workout for 2-3 sessions (eating enough) and then judge!
  What will you lose? 2-3 hours of gym time (at most) and a few days of eating (?)
  Trust me, you’ll be amazed at the results.

  Reply
• 

  Fyzx Teacher — March 22nd, 2009, 5:08 am

  I have been lurking and following this thread for about a year. Did this for a month trying to lose weight (20 pounds in 30 days) and it worked. I lost about 15 lbs and got much stronger. I had to stop, I injured myself.

  Farid, I found the US Navy method for measuring body fat (http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method) as a easy way to track gains and losses.

  Good luck and keep the updates coming

  Reply
• 

  Lib — March 22nd, 2009, 10:41 am

  Yikes! sorry to say this but… you looked much better before! Now you you look like a bulldozer-schwarzy-bulky-cannot keep my legs together-cannot keep my arms along my chest-kinda monster…oops!

  I know this may do wonders for your male ego but from a female-look at you-hug me perspective… you were much more attractive before: slim long and lean and yet still fit and good-looking.

  Anyway, if you are happy & just wanted to test (as usual) if you could achieve yet another result, good for you… (I cannot think though of how much training and sacrifices you must have done to get there… for what?!)

  PS. kudos for the tan and shaving, post – those alone were enough to enhance your basic good looks-dna! ;P

  Reply
• 

  Lib — March 22nd, 2009, 12:16 pm

  PS: btw, may I suggest you resize your pics to fit the proportions of overall height, so you don’t look like a giant or dwarf in the before-after (as if the workout also changed your body length!)

  and sorry if I sounded a bit “harsh” with my previous comment, it’s just my opinion after all,… many other ppl may like your new pumped-up body like you do – and in general, I cannot compliment you enough for all the rest (book & blog, both of which I am eagerly reading and hoping to get good tips out of them, here and there, to apply to my own life).

  Cheers & best,
  Lib

  Reply
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  Viking Dan — March 22nd, 2009, 5:39 pm

  “I have been lurking and following this thread for about a year. Did this for a month trying to lose weight (20 pounds in 30 days) and it worked. I lost about 15 lbs and got much stronger. I had to stop, I injured myself.

  Farid, I found the US Navy method for measuring body fat (http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method) as a easy way to track gains and losses.

  Good luck and keep the updates coming”

  I find it funny that anyone would suggest a formula using logarithms is an easy way to track bodyfat.

  Reply
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  Fyzx Teacher — March 23rd, 2009, 2:08 pm

  @ Viking Dan

  Excel is a wonderful program. Type in the formula and reference fields for your measurements. If you need I can send you a file with the formula in it.

  Reply
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  Blake — March 24th, 2009, 9:28 pm

  Take it from an amateur bodybuilder who uses steroids. There is no secret to gaining muscle just science and the science behind gaining 34 pounds in 30 days is impossible UNLESS:

  1. You stopped working out and dropped a significant amount of weight and starved yourself for a few weeks before beginning your routine.

  OR

  2. Steroids. Sorry to burst your bubble folks but this guy is a fraud. If you wanna juice go ahead but don’t lie to people and say it’s natural that’s just fucked up. Ask any bodybuilder/personal trainer 34 lbs in 30 days is not possible without the help of anabolic agents.

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — March 25th, 2009, 4:28 am

  For a person regaining muscular weight, this is not impossible.

  Reply
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  Jeff — March 25th, 2009, 8:57 pm

  I like your blog. Your enthusiasm for life is quite evident, and you are skilled marketer. However, the information in this post is just not accurate. I will not claim it is a lie, because I don’t know you or how much you truly understand about human physiology.

  Can you make the transformation you made and look bigger and more muscular in 4 weeks? Sure! You were already quite fit, and your photos are slightly misleading (scaling, poses, angles, stance, etc.), but by shaving, tanning, doing 2 hours of solid lifting (you need to update your post, by the way, given you said it yourself in the comments), eating well, and using creatine, you can look more muscular in a short amount of time. The shaving and tanning part is essentially a helpful illusion. The creatine fills your muscles with water and will give you that “ripped”, blood-vessel-popping look (for readers considering this, read up on the right way to use creatine). A good diet and work out will give you, max, about 1.5 pounds of muscle a week (this is if you are naturally athletic).

  34 pounds of muscle in a month though? It really draws from the legitimacy of your blog.

  For the readers inspired to try this, you should still do so! But absolutely do not expect 34 pounds of muscle. However, do expect to look and feel better.

  Cheers.

  Reply
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  Blake — March 27th, 2009, 4:03 am

  It really all depends on what he looks like NOW after his program (steroid cycle). If he really does have this perfect workout routine would his progress not continue? From recent pictures i’ve seen (granted he’s wearing clothes) he looks a bit smaller because when you end your cycle you do loose some weight.

  I would love to say “congratulations either way Tim even if you did do steroids your results are amazing!” but I can’t get over the fact that he’s hiding the truth from people and letting them believe he gained 34lbs in 28days. You can even tell by the structure of his face, steroids tend to square it out and give it a fuller more manly look.

  ###

  From Tim: Guys, c’mon. Add a few thousand calories a day to your intake, including starches, and see how much water you retain everywhere, including the face and head. RegardHGH, perhaps, but AAS don’t have as significant an effect on bone growth.

  Cheers,

  TIm

  Reply
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  Lev — March 27th, 2009, 12:41 pm

  Great post ~ Some questions, comments. In one interview (http://iinnovate.blogspot.com/2007/07/tim-ferris.html) you mention that you arrived in Buenos Aires, and the teacher said you were built like a mountain of muscle, also saying you wrestled in high school or college. All that contrasts to your lead-in to this article. I have been studying you a bit lately, so naturally inconsistencies will emerge. I was trained under a very similar workout plan to this and can vouch for it. Kudos for streamlining it so clearly.
  One of my favorite quotes, by Ralph Waldo Emerson

  “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — ‘Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.’ — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

  P.S. Please do post this comment.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — March 27th, 2009, 3:14 pm

    Hi Lev,

    Thanks for the comment. Related to the intro and interview: I did wrestle at 152, but I landed in BsAs at between 165-170, then dropped the lower weight I indicated. A lean 170 on a 5′ 8″-9″ frame — that’s me — is certainly a “mountain of muscle” to most Argentines. They are not a fit people in general, and muscles aren’t a high priority for either gender. Had it been Brazil, they might have referred to me a “puny skeleton”. It’s all relative

    All the best,

    Tim

    Reply
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  Farid — March 27th, 2009, 2:10 pm

  Update: March 26th

  Well, I haven’t gained significantly (half a pound only). Reason: Either I have plateaued or it’s because I missed several meals (hence reducing my calorie intake to 3500/day) as well as spending several hours in the sauna, pool and dancing!

  BUT I have had significant gains on the weights.

  Reply
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  Erin — March 27th, 2009, 8:58 pm

  Seems like this is mainly a workout for the fellas but for women if we really want to avoid getting bulky should we do one-set-to-failure with exercises that don’t have added weight especially for the abs? For example I could do machines for upper body strength, crunches for abs, and squats or something similar for lower body but follow the same pattern? I’ve been doing a low-carb diet for the past month without some success so I’ll begin implementing the “slow-carb” diet. Plus I get a day to totally pig out on this diet. What could be better?

  Reply
• 

  Paul Buchanan — March 28th, 2009, 8:19 am

  Tim, this is a Great post. I’m really feeling inspired now!

  Thanks to (most) everyone that posted.

  Paul B

  Reply
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  Keith (My Body Fat Blog) — March 29th, 2009, 1:44 pm

  I’m currently on a fat loss phase, but in a few weeks I will be starting my muscle building phase. 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days is absolutely amazing, in fact it’s almost sounds to good to be true.
  I’ve heard of results similar to this by taking banned substances, but if you achieved this naturally this is truly amazing and we should all applaud you for it.
  Going to try the 5 seconds up 5 seconds down method, see if it improves my results.

  Reply
• 

  SLOWB — March 29th, 2009, 7:12 pm

  I tried a similar program from Mens Health. I spent a great deal of time doing balancing workouts to get my left/right and push/pull muscle groups ready. The one thing I didn’t prep was my wrists. Didn’t even think about it.

  I gained around 14 lbs in around 6 weeks and it was all muscle. But, I went from a very skinny 128 to 142lbs (I’m 5’8″).

  Tim is correct, the food is the hardest part. For me it was twice as hard. I’m allergic to nuts and dairy. So, I was using egg protein and soy. I believe now that the soy was a mistake. I’m one of those nuts that thinks soy is a testosterone inhibitor (due to blood before and tests after restricting it in all forms). I got my caloric intake up to around 3200 a day… getting more proved tough without relying on carbs (no dairy is a bitch).

  I was working most of the time to find new ways to prepare food to increase my intake of calories and stay on the protein/carb profile. Around week 9 the whole thing fell apart one Sunday morning. I woke up and it felt like my wrists were broken. I had done something to my forearms/wrists. All I had done the day before was a light (15 min) but vigorous warm-up on an elliptical. That was over a year ago. Now I’m back down to 134 and fatter

  Just last month my wrists started to feel better. I spent a lot of time in physical therapy. I even visited a neurologist to test to make sure I hadn’t done any permanent damage.

  Two recommendations for people look at this.
  1. You need to be ready for the types of lifts you will do in this type of workout (dead lifts, etc.). My wrists weren’t.
  2. Plan and test the diet before you start unless you have an iron stomach and don’t care what you eat. 5k calories is a lot of food and a lot of trips to the bathroom.

  Tim, thanks for posting this. I still wonder if I made the gains quickly because I had been at that weight 5 years earlier when I was working out regularly and had gotten close to that weight over a period of two years. Regardless, it was a good 6 weeks spent, I just wish I had thought out the wrists (mine are pretty thin) when I was prepping to start.

  SLOWB

  Reply
• 

  Gonzalo P — March 30th, 2009, 12:47 am

  Anyone know how many reps max we should be doing before we go up in weight?

  For example I did 17 reps at 170lbs for leg press.

  Should I go to higher weight or stay at that weight?

  Is there a rule of thumb, if you get past a certain number of reps that the next time you do the same exercise you go up in?

  Reply
• 

  Nemanja — April 1st, 2009, 6:46 pm

  This training program seems amazing! I have started the program and I’m already gaining muscle from it. It’s unreal!

  Tim, out of curiosity what is the physiology behind this whole training method? Are we recruiting all the muscle fibers of each muscle to stimulate this much growth?

  (Usually with a 5 second cadence on the concentric and eccentric motions you would be building lactic acid in your muscles, otherwise training muscular endurance but…were building size here?)

  Please help and explain

  Much Appreciated Tim!

  Nemanja Z

  Reply
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  Farid — April 2nd, 2009, 2:25 am

  To Gonzalo,

  I usually up the weight when I have passed the threshold of 120 seconds of an exercise. Try a slightly heavier weight next time. Sometimes I can only do 65-70 seconds if I up the weight but it increases by 5-15 seconds the next time.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — April 2nd, 2009, 2:27 am

  1 basic question that I hope somebody answers:

  Does increasing strength (heavier weights/higher reps) indicate muscle growth despite no change in body weight?

  Reply
• 

  Mike — April 4th, 2009, 12:24 am

  Ive been working out for twelve years. Everthing he has spoken of in his workouts i believe from my life experiences. i wish i wouldve taken longer breaks and done less reps and ate properly right from the get go. The results are endless. Im sure of it and i wish i wouldve read this when i first started lifting. If you havent started this routine start it now no joke

  Reply
• 

  Can you gain 15 kgs of muscle (and lose fat) in 28 days? | PETER RODWELL | personal training — April 5th, 2009, 9:08 am

  [...] and life style experimenter Tim Ferriss thinks so. See his six basic principals for bulking up fast. Share [...]

• 

  Casey — April 6th, 2009, 4:55 pm

  I don’t see where the actual workout is posted here. The C.E. link is worthless. A little help…

  Reply
• 

  4 Hour Workweek and The Blog of Tim Ferriss | SiteRoast.com — April 9th, 2009, 4:59 pm

  [...] needs he’s able to dive into a number of different areas, and he does. Writing about how he gained 34 lbs. of muscle in 4 weeks or how to tie the perfect tie every time and everything in between Tim brings his personality out [...]

• 

  Hacker’s Diet Update - Week 14 | Dinhternet — April 10th, 2009, 11:58 am

  [...] also mentioned the Colorado Experiment and CrossFit to Joe M and Eddie C, and Joe M in particular seemed very interested. Michow, of [...]

• 

  Ben — April 11th, 2009, 12:12 pm

  @Farid

  It is certainly possible to gain strength and yes, muscle mass, without any change in body weight, by altering body composition. The best way to record gains in muscles is by keeping track of your body fat % in addition to your body weight. So, if you’re noticing strength gains, chances are you’re gaining muscle but decreasing bf%, which is why your scale reads the same.

  Reply
• 

  Billy — April 12th, 2009, 11:38 am

  Why are your feet so turned out in the “After” shots? Might want to work your internal rotators and stretch out those externals, buddy.

  Reply
• 

  Howie — April 14th, 2009, 8:59 pm

  Hi Tim. I read the post and all the comments but I don’t think you mentioned what your training routine includes. What I mean is, which exercises do you perform and in which order? You said don’t do more than 4-7 multi-joint exercises per day but which ones did you do?

  Reply
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  Josh R — April 16th, 2009, 11:30 am

  Hey Tim — didn’t realize you were 5’8″, uh, 9!

  If you ever need to track down clothes that fit you “puny skeleton”, I write a blog on the subject: Short Shrifted. Please stop by!

  Cheers,
  J

  Reply
• 

  Geek 2 Freak-experimentet: Hur man går upp 14,2 kg på en månad / 8 träningsfillfällen — April 21st, 2009, 2:13 am

  [...] en period sedan hittade jag ett blogginlägg effektivitetsexperten Timothy Ferriss; From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks, dvs. en guide om hur man på ett naturligt sätt ökar 16 kg i muskler på 4 [...]

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  Loosing 20lbs of Fat and Gaining 30+lbs of Muscle in 30 Days - The Tim Ferriss Diet and Workout Plan « Entrepreneurial Activism — April 23rd, 2009, 3:24 am

  [...] I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia. [Source: From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks] [...]

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  Niro Thambipillay — April 23rd, 2009, 3:42 am

  This is awesome Tim. As someone who has been struggling to put on lean muscle mass, unless I spend hours in the gym each week, I’m going to give this a shot. Looking forward to the results.

  Reply
• 

  Taking Ages To Get Bigger — April 26th, 2009, 9:20 pm

  [...] this guy gained 30 pounds of muscle in 30 days… try following his recommendations outlined here: From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks [...]

• 

  CRSB — April 28th, 2009, 12:06 pm

  Farid –

  First off, congrats on your impressive gains. Gaining over 20 lbs of mostly muscle in under 2 months is something to be proud of. Where most people fail is by cheating in seemingly small ways — disregarding a particular dietary aspect, not putting forth a truly intense effort each workout, not keeping very close track of their progress, etc. Then, when the sum of those cheats results in a lack of significant progress within the prescribed time period (say, a gain of only 2 lbs at the end of the month), they give up and blame the program or its author. You, on the other hand, appear to have really embraced the system and followed it to the detail, resulting in some excellent progress.

  Anyhow, I wanted to address the question you raised about strength vs. size and general plateauing.

  First, you may need to consider taking some time off. The body can adjust to nearly any type of stimulus, including even very high-intensity exercise, and you need to allow your body to “decondition” in order to get back to the sort of fast gains you had a couple months ago. You’ve been following Tim’s program for almost three months now, right? If you haven’t had a break yet, you should take off 7-10 days. During that time, maintain your diet (albeit with a slight drop in caloric intake) and remain active, but do not do any weightlifting.

  Second, what are the rep ranges you’re using in your workouts? Most of the sources Tim cites recommend around 8-12 reps per set. If you are falling below this, then you may be emphasizing strength to the detriment of size. (Though there is certainly nothing wrong with increasing your strength!)

  Third, you mentioned concerns over increased bodyfat. There are several ways to measure BF: the Navy method mentioned above and similar formulas; special weight scales that measure BF by sending electronic pulses through you body; the “pinch” method using a special protractor-like device; etc. In my experience, however, measuring BF is just very hard to do consistently and accurately without employing professional help. What I do instead is keep close track of my weight and body measurements, which is all the information you really need. Get a tailor’s measuring tape and keep track of the same types of stats Tim lists in his original post (and of course you can convert these to BF using the formulas on the web). Pay close attention to (1) your waist and hip measurements as well as (2) your upper-arm, chest and thigh measurements. If the former are increasing while the latter are stagnant, then you’re doing something wrong and you need to change up your diet and/or exercise routine immediately. Probably you’re just taking in more calories than you need. Remember that the goal should be to consume just enough calories to recover and grow — any excess will be converted to fat.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — April 29th, 2009, 4:27 pm

  CRSB:

  Thanks a lot for your encouragement and insightful comments!

  Well, the gains are back and I’ve gained over 14 kilos so far (in 3 months). But right now I prefer to maintain this weight, lower body fat and get flat abs. My biggest question is HOW? Should I continue the same diet (meat/starches/legumes) but with less calories e.g. 3000? or exclude starches from my diet?

  How should the frequency of my workouts change? I’m hitting the gym almost once a week now.

  And last, what supplements should I use?

  Reply
• 

  Dave Ridarelli — April 30th, 2009, 4:13 am

  Tim-

  What’s your favorite song on Tweekend? Just Curious…

  Reply
• 

  CRSB — April 30th, 2009, 9:51 am

  Farid–

  Congratulations, you have now reached the easy part of the “geek to freak” process! For ectomorphs like us, burning fat is no problem.

  Regarding diet, you want to maintain Tim’s basic “slow-carb” diet with 4+ meals per day, but gradually reduce your carb intake. Also keep in mind the following points:

  1. The decrease in carbs should be GRADUAL. If you try to immediately and drastically reduce your caloric intake, you will surely lose some of that hard-earned muscle (not mention making yourself feel awful). Start by cutting back on the starches/carbs in the meals other than breakfast and your post-workout meal.

  2. Do NOT reduce your daily protein intake. You still need massive daily amounts of protein in order to preserve the muscle mass you have gained. You may actually want to consider drinking MORE protein shakes than you did before to make up for any protein lost in your meals.

  3. Be more mindful of your fat intake. The slow-carb diet is pretty low on fat to begin with, but just keep in mind that chicken is better (i.e., lower-fat) than beef, cheese and milk should be avoided, and so on. Get your fat from the healthy sources: fish, oil, nuts, etc.

  Regarding exercise, your goal here is two-fold: first, to increase the volume of workouts (to burn more calories); and second, to increase the volume of sets and reps during your workouts (to harden your muscles).

  Full-body workouts can still be effective here, but I would recommend switching to a traditional 3- or 4-day weekly split. Push-legs-pull is great, as is chest-legs-shoulders-back. Each week, gradually increase the number of sets per exercise and reps per set, and decrease your rest time between sets. The end goal (after maybe 6-8 weeks) is to be doing 25-35 total sets per workout and 10-15+ reps per set, with only 30-60 seconds of rest time between sets. I would also consider starting each exercise with 1-2 low-rep sets in order to maintain strength. The duration of your workouts should still be 60 minutes or less (though you may have to allow up to 75 during the adjustment period).

  You will also want to introduce a consistent dose of cardio into your routine. Start with 1-2 days of cardio per week (on your non-lifting days), and gradually increase to 4-6 days per week (which may have to overlap with lifting). Personally I prefer HIT cardio rather than long periods of treadmill work. A 30-second all-out sprint followed by 90 seconds of jogging, then repeat, is a great formula. Also consider non-running cardio activities such as jump rope, rowing and box-jumping.

  During this transition to more high-volume exercise, be careful of overtraining, which is something you want to avoid even when your goal is fat-loss rather than mass-gain. If you have a day in the gym when suddenly you can’t lift as much weight as you had in the previous week, just quit and take that day off. As long as you’re maintaining a proper diet, you will be fine.

  Regarding supplements, there are plenty of popular fat-burning choices out there (ECA stack, clenbuterol, Lipo-6, Hydroxycut, etc.), but personally I think they are mostly overrated and overpriced, and also unnecessary for someone who is already genetically inclined to have low body fat. A reasonable amount of caffein in the mornings and before workouts is really all you need (or if you prefer NO Xplode, stick with that).

  One overall caveat: think long and hard about your size goals before switching to a “cutting” phase. I recently went through a transition similar to yours — I gained about 30 lbs over a 3-month span and then, unhappy with the amount of fat I had gained, switched to a cutting phase. I burned off the fat easily, but I didn’t realize how much of the mass in my arms, chest and legs depended on fat. Although your arms may be hard and your belly soft, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your belly is the only thing that will shrink when you start to burn fat. Point being, I quickly became too skinny during my cutting phase and regretted not putting on more mass first.

  Reply
• 

  CRSB — April 30th, 2009, 11:13 am

  Farid –

  Just to follow up on my long post about how to get lean and cut while maintaining muscle mass, I realize that my suggestions are time-intensive and not exactly in keeping with the “4-Hour” philosophy. If you don’t have time to be in the gym 4-6 days per week, then I would recommend (1) being slightly more aggressive with the changes to your diet, and (2) gearing your workouts more toward overall fitness and very high intensity rather than the traditional lifting+cardio routine.

  Below is an example of the type of workout I mean. It’s simple, intense and only takes 25-30 minutes. You could do this 3-4 days per week and it would be pretty effective for cutting purposes when combined with the proper diet. Just keep in mind that it may not be quite as effective for preserving muscle mass as the time-intensive routine I suggested earlier.

  Jump rope — 3 minutes
  Push-ups — 1 minute
  Air Squats (no weight — just clasp hands behind head) — 1 minute
  Sit-ups — 1 minute
  Pull-ups — to failure
  Rest 30 seconds, then repeat cycle 2 times

  Take no rest between sets other than the break between cycles. I guarantee this will have you drenched in sweat. If you need time to adjust to the intensity, start by doing the cycle just twice, and work your way up to 3 cycles.

  Reply
• 

  Aiming for More at the Gym « How To Tri — April 30th, 2009, 5:46 pm

  [...] loosely follows Tim Ferris’ tips: basically 4-7 multi-joint exercises, once a week, in a 5/5 cadence with plenty of [...]

• 

  Benny — May 7th, 2009, 11:05 pm

  hello tim. my traps grow like weeds and I was wondering if their were any other exercises I could do other than trap bar dead lift to work the other muscles included (the traps will grow on their own). thank you ;D

  Reply
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  SBM — May 8th, 2009, 9:56 am

  hi tim,
  great fundas, i’ll surely try these. i work out regularly, but the main thing is i’ve got a lot of fat around my tummy which are proving pretty stubborn to lose
  could u plz tell how can i adapt your program so dat i can lose the fat as well as gain muscles ??
  waiting for your reply.

  Reply
• 

  mike — May 9th, 2009, 3:46 pm

  Hi TIm-

  I gave this one a good shot just for the hell of it, here’s my workout and results;

  Workout was all 8-10 reps, 5-0-5 tempo……2x per week/8 total workouts

  1.Sumo deadlift
  2. Back Squat
  3. Push Press
  4. Pull-up
  5. Weighted Push up

  Starting weight 169 (sorry, no bodyfat %’s)
  Ending weight 173

  My bodyfat definitely went down, and muscle is noticeably up……but not by too much.

  However, I added a solid 100lbs on my big lifts (dead and squat)

  So……despite not having any goals for this experiment, I’d call it a success!

  Thanks for posting this info-

  Mike

  Reply
• 

  Greg — May 11th, 2009, 10:37 pm

  Little misleading – so you’ve been training since you were 15 years old and only now, finally went from geek to freak in 30 days gaining 34 pounds of muscle?! You must have had an epiphany! You possibly made the those gains in 30 days, but only if you previously had built your body up to that level and then lost it – please explain muscle memory to your readers. Once gained and lost you can regain that muscle in a fraction of the time it takes to achieve previously unattained gains. By the way – I’m a 13 year health club manager, personal trainer… Also, not wise to recommend extreme diets such as loading up on protein in lieu of other foods – this type of diet is unsustainable, unhealthy, and guarantees eventual failure and loss of gains, resulting in disappointment and surrender to unhealthy and unfit lifestyles. Sustainable results with a diet that supports not just muscle growth but immune system and cardiovascular health is more advisable.

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — May 12th, 2009, 5:13 am

  Greg,

  Perhaps you missed where Tim said “Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I also dropped my total cholesterol count from 222 to 147 without the use of statins.”

  Farid,

  For cutting, it is not necessary to increase the volume of work, to add workout days, sets, increase reps, etc. – the same program that works for building muscle works well for reducing bodyfat – it is the diet which needs to be changed. I have gotten down to low single-digit bodyfat percentages using a program very similar to what Tim used here, just by reducing overall calorie intake to below maintenance levels while keeping protein intake high.

  Reply
• 

  Daria — May 13th, 2009, 9:43 am

  Tim! How can I catch you? employment on this system are necessary to me.
  But I never in a life went in for sports and, I am afraid, I can not precisely calculate necessary loadings and exercises. I could address directly in Colorado State University, but I do not know, where it and whether they train with extraneous people.
  I know that you deal with athletes? Tell, how many there is a training under your control?
  And if it is not interesting to you who else trains on this system? I harmonous and me am not necessary a heap of muscles, therefore it will occupy not enough time.
  I know, I an impudent which wishes to catch time of one of the most class people in the world:) But I know also that this experience will be useful and interesting not only me, but also you too.
  By the way, thanks you for The 4-Hour Workweek:)
  You inspire me.
  And for that you live, present, also have not died 150 years ago:)
  By the way, forgive for my English. I know that it is awful:)

  P.S. I shall wait your positive answer on e-mail

  Reply
• 

  Alex — May 14th, 2009, 6:14 pm

  thanks for the tips, i will try that 5/5 cadence.

  Reply
• 

  Resistance Training - The Colorado Experiment - The Attraction Forums - Free Pickup and Dating Advice — May 15th, 2009, 9:04 am

  [...] Training – The Colorado Experiment I came across this not too long ago: From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks Decided to give it a shot. I’ve spent most of my life as a scrawny little nerd who got winded [...]

• 

  DaveinHackensack — May 15th, 2009, 11:46 pm

  Basic question about these one sets to failure: are we talking about drop sets, where you’ll do, say, barbell curls to positive failure, toss off a plate on each side, do another few reps to failure, etc.? Or are you doing the same weight for the whole set? Also, do you do the same workout each time, or is it better to switch exercises (e.g., doing military presses for shoulders one workout and then doing lat raises instead next workout)?

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — May 18th, 2009, 12:20 am

    Hi Dave,

    Just one set, one weight. No drop sets required. I will generally only swap main exercises when progress begins to slow substantially, less than 5-10% weight added per workout, depending on exercise and caloric intake.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Mark Treas — May 17th, 2009, 9:00 pm

  Bro
  Finished the work out months ago, but posting pictures on word press is a 4 hour nightmare.
  In summary:
  I got stronger than I’ve ever been
  Fatter than I’ve ever been
  Enjoyed the gym more than I ever have (i hate gyms)
  Ate more food than I’ve ever dreamed of
  Had a good time hanging out w/ an old pal

  Thanks for the inspiration, I always appreciate a new perspective on things

  Mark

  Reply
• 

  Fitness and Measuring Everything « Matt Gornick — May 19th, 2009, 5:54 pm

  [...] read an article by Tim Ferris that described his "arguably exaggerated" journey in gaining 34-lbs of muscle in 28 [...]

• 

  Marcel Chastain — May 19th, 2009, 8:04 pm

  Hi Tim,

  It was great to meet you a few weeks ago at the USC event.

  From a active 5’10″ guy that’s always hovered between 135-145lbs, this sounds great.

  Thanks for the success stories and positivity – your example inspires others (myself included) to challenge themselves and exceed their own expectations.

  Marcel C.

  Reply
• 

  DaveinHackensack — May 20th, 2009, 10:08 pm

  Tim,

  Thanks for the response. I’m going to try this out 2x per week and I’ll post my results here after a month or so.

  BTW, thanks also for writing the 4HWW. Reading your descriptions of your recommended reading list, I understand how those books inspired you to action. Your book has had a similar effect on me. I can’t say I’ve followed all of your suggestions verbatim (still struggling with the low-information diet, for one), but I’m in the process of starting a couple of web-based businesses now, and the advice in your book (both in terms of broad strokes and specific suggestions) has been quite helpful. Thanks again.

  Reply
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  Iamtheeggman — May 21st, 2009, 8:54 pm

  Hey Tim,

  My buddy and I are putting this one to the test. We are going for the glory in terms of diet – I am downing 12 raw eggs/day and he has elected to serve up a gallon of milk for himself each day. That, of course, is in addition to the hyper-caloric indulgence found in the 10 lbs of additional food we eat per day. Funny enough, we’ve made a habit of consuming whole chickens (if you’re ever in Ottawa, Canada we’ve got the bbq chicken market dialed). Anyway, tomorrow is day #4, workout #2. We’ll keep you posted~

  Iamtheeggman

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — May 21st, 2009, 10:38 pm

    @Iamtheeggman,

    Sound like a man plan! Please keep us posted on your progress!

    Best of luck and appetite,

    Tim

    Reply
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  Mike — May 26th, 2009, 10:09 pm

  Hey Tim, I hate to be another skeptic… but is this for real? Did you really do all this with only 4 hours of work? I saw the Colorado Experiment post somewhere on the intertubes, but it just seemed too good to be true!

  Reply
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  Anonymous (see comment rules) — May 27th, 2009, 1:20 pm

  Very impressive results. Glad I stumbled upon this website. I love to hear success stories and what people did to get there. Appreciate the documentation. I myself study muscle building and fat loss and stories like this really help me to learn more. Thanks. I will be following your efforts now.

  Reply
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  Ryan — May 28th, 2009, 12:45 pm

  I have no doubt you can obtain results from this type of workout. I’m not an exercise physiologist, but there are a couple things to remember:

  1. Stretch well afterwards and light stretch before. This takes some time, especially the afterwards part. If you don’t, you’re gonna introduce new problems.

  2. You won’t get anywhere without proper eating.

  Also, I am curious as to if this can also be applied to running. Example: rather than running for an hour at 6.0 mph, run for 25 min at 8 mph. then continue to increase speed rather than time. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — May 30th, 2009, 5:10 am

  Stretching before working out is not a good idea in most cases. It does not prevent injuries, and has been shown to reduce muscular force output. Stretching afterwards, however, may improve results slightly, according to a few studies done by Wayne Westcott. You’re not going to have any problems if you’re not stretching, however. If you’re working through a full range of motion during the exercises, the exercises themselves will improve flexibility to a degree.

  As for running, it depends on the goal, but there are studies from McMaster University showing brief, intense, sprint interval training produces comparable results to traditional endurance training. Google “sprint interval training”, “traditional endurance training” and “McMaster” and you’ll find the study and numerous articles about it.

  Reply
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  charlie — June 1st, 2009, 5:19 pm

  interesting…very interesting

  Reply
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  Farid — June 2nd, 2009, 3:06 am

  There is a simple miscalculation here. Tim mentions that this workout takes 1 hour (2 * 30 min) a week and a total of 4 hours a month. But I should clarify that he is referring to the “Isolation” version (Fat Loss) mentioned at the very end (30 seconds of rest between exercises) and NOT the weight gain version (with 3 min rests between the exercises).

  Tim, can you please correct this?

  Reply
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  Rob — June 2nd, 2009, 7:05 pm

  Hi Tim-

  I’m a college student following both your diet and your workout plan, and both of them in combination have dropped my weight from about 220 to 154 over the course of a year (I’m about 6’2). At this point in time, I’d really like to work towards a “ripped” physique, for lack of a better word. Since I’ve been following your workout plan, I don’t look puny by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time I probably won’t have the ladies jumping all over me when I go to the beach either

  Could you by any chance give me some advice on how to “tune” your diet and workout plan to work in conjunction so that I can “get ripped?”. In short, what’s the best way to gain muscle while losing fat simultaneously, if that’s even possible? I’ve been trying to research this on my own, and the general consensus is that you can’t achieve both at the same time. Is this true for the most part?

  Any help that you could offer would truly be awesome

  Thanks!
  Rob

  Reply
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  Hearing Aids — June 3rd, 2009, 6:29 am

  Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful and beneficial to your readers

  Reply
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  FitNews — June 5th, 2009, 12:41 am

  Incredible! Over 600 comments!

  I must say, if you have the time and effort to eat 5000 calories, you are definitely going to achieve something incredible like this! lol.

  Like you said, it’s a full time job!

  Well done, Tim.

  Reply
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  Taylor — June 8th, 2009, 8:34 am

  i’m a cross country runner, but i’d like to start increasing my muscle percentage in an effort to make myself into a better overall athlete. what would be a good way to through running into this mix? also, your diet recommends not eating alot of white carbs, my main ingredient when im in the midst of intense training. would eating these interfere with the muscle gain or is that simply for fat loss? thx, tah.

  Reply
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  tyson clarke — June 9th, 2009, 8:54 am

  Hey Tim,
  I’ve just used your Slow Carb diet to lose about 13-15 lbs of flub…cheers! Now, I’m afraid if I lose any more fat – my wife might stop using me as a pillow and I won’t get any attention.

  I’ve been doing a very little research on sprint training to lose weight, and build muscle. Obviously not exclusively, hypertrophy is always necessary, but the HIIT is supposed to increase your HGH by 500%. Lookout Barry Bonds.

  A couple people have posted about sprint training – I’m not criticizing them, but I’m not sure if they are as devout to the Pareto principle as you are.

  I figured leverage of this kind would be right up your alley – let us know what you reckon

  Tyson

  Reply
• 

  Kyle G — June 9th, 2009, 1:09 pm

  How the heck did you go from a 40S to 44R? That means your arms got longer or your tailor sucks big time. A 44S has longer arms than a 40S and a 44R has longer arms than a 44S. Like two inches difference. That’s a pretty big screwup on a tailor’s part.

  Nonetheless, impressive.

  Reply
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  Radek Marzol — June 9th, 2009, 7:09 pm

  Hey Tim. I got a question for you
  I have been doing HIT for several months. I have gained some weight, not 20 or 30 pounds but some. Ever since I started your diet plus quinoa I have gained “love tires” Please, clarify which supplements that you took will reduce fat and still provide muscle growth. Thanks

  Reply
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  Bryan — June 9th, 2009, 9:05 pm

  I love this…so inspirational to at least try parts of this and test results.

  Reply
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  tyler — June 11th, 2009, 12:59 pm

  yea, cool. But one question: is it possible to keep the muscle without living and eating like a nutrition/gym freak?

  Reply
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  Marcus — June 11th, 2009, 2:53 pm

  Hi Tim and others,

  first of all thanks so much for posting this! I’ve read through this post and the weight loss one so many times and this is excellent information.

  I’m on my 18th day so far, strictly following this workout and the diet as well as consuming all the supplements that Tim recommended.

  While I can see a noticeable growth in muscle, especially in the arms region, I’m a bit concerned about actually loosing weight.

  I’m currently consuming about 218g of protein per day (+ another 50g when working out), 36 of total fat and 1878 kcal. So far I have lost about 3 kgs of weight and I can see that I’m getting slimmer.

  The problem is, that this is the total opposite of what I wanted. I’m 188 cm (6.3 feet) and weigh 77 kgs. That seems to be a bit too low for a person of my height.

  Would you recommend to add another 2 scoops of Whey Protein each evening before going to bed? While I like what I see so far, I would love to see more muscle gain, I’m just not entirely sure if this is expected or if I should consume more calories (too be honest I’m already eating more than I ever wanted!).

  Thanks for your help and advise,
  Marcus.

  Reply
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  Farid — June 12th, 2009, 12:20 am

  Markus,

  You’re obviously eating TOO little! Upgrade your calorie intake of (slow starches, protein, legumes, vegs) to around 5000 calories.

  Keep us posted.

  Reply
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  Matt — June 12th, 2009, 8:40 am

  Being a skinny wee lad myself I have used a similar training routine twice now to gain muscle (a little bit different here and there, but essentially the same). Excellent post detailing the necessary information to get people started. It work’s trust me (especially if you are a “hard gainer” like me)!

  PS, if you cannot stomach some supplements, I use QNT’s Megapure Mass, it is great and really helped me bulk up when used in conjunction with this training regime (and no! I have no affiliations with QNT!!)

  Reply
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  Jason — June 14th, 2009, 10:37 pm

  I can’t say if these results are accurate or not but I can say that I just happened to be doing a similar program and found this blog while looking for information on how fast the body can add muscle. I have not done all the measurements you have and I am fat and losing weight so even my scale tells me nothing (hence my search because I wanted to try to have an idea of muscle gain vs. fat loss to understand the scale numbers better).

  HOWEVER, I will say that I have seen rapid gains in strength. I did this last year and had large gains in strength, then got out of the routine due to family issues and am back in again. Both times gains have been rapid and the extended hiatus in my routine didn’t set me back too far when I picked it back up. How much is genetic and how much is genetic, etc. I don’t know but a brief description of what I do.

  I have one of the original Bowflex machines, (parents bought it, it didn’t work by sitting in the corner so they gave it to me), using it I have to say I like it. I don’t need a spotter and it fits in my house well. I went through the book that came with it and picked out exercises that work each muscle group but don’t double up very much. (I do complete the bench press and the fly. The fly I do regular, downward and upward. Was doing it as three separate sets but I’ve changed it to 4 or 5 reps of each in one set.) I do one set of each exercise with a slow count of about 4/4 up and down, it varies some. I don’t rush to the next routine, I don’t like being too tired.

  I add resistance every week. I try to do 3 work outs a week but often it has been only 2 due to other interuptions. I add an extra “5 pounds” at a time. I put this in quotes because the Bowflex’s rods are not by the pounds, at least not with the use of pulleys. I’ve tested this with a spring scale. But the numbers are good for reference. I definitely believe 1 set of any exercise in a single workout is enough. I use to do two years ago when I worked out (before I got fat). I can’t say I saw as rapid a progress as with the single good set and rest. I’m sure the same will be just as effective no matter what machine or weight equipment you use.

  I don’t know that I will be able to say how much muscle I add in 30 days but I do believe I will be able to say if it is significant or not and right now I feel like it probably will be. My main difference is that I am measuring strength not pounds.

  Suppliments used:
  creatine usually before and after
  Glutamine to speed up recovery (I’ve noticed a difference with and without it. Same for the creatine).
  Sometimes extra amino acids if I have really made a muscle sore. I’m all about gain with little pain.
  Sometimes additional protein. I have found one called Biochem I like because there’s no artificial sweetners and it has some vegitables in it too. I like the taste too. But I don’t take it every day. Americans eat a lot of protein to begin with.

  It should also be noted that I am a pretty large guy in build, (not talking about my belly), and I am natually very powerful without working out. I’m sure everyonen will react differently to the routine. For me this routine is about convenience and sticking with it more than anything else. It is just nice to see it also being very effective.

  Reply
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  Gavin — June 15th, 2009, 9:22 pm

  Hey David,
  How low did you go in terms of food on the Glycemic Index? <55? Lower? Its done wonders for me! No more falling asleep behind the wheel in the middle of the day!

  Reply
• 

  One of my favorite blogs | Alf-Henning Drage — June 17th, 2009, 9:28 am

  [...] From geek to freak in four weeks (yes he shaved and used some spray tan I guess, but it’s still pretty impressive) [...]

• 

  Joshua — June 24th, 2009, 2:55 pm

  This guy has some brilliant ideas and I am a big fan of his book but it does seem he tends towards hyperbole which is unfortunate because the ideas are good enough to stand on their own.

  Reply
• 

  Calin — June 26th, 2009, 3:08 am

  This is exactly what a cool post looks like

  I saw this, I found it impossible to NOT get on this program. From couch belly to spartan 6pack in 2 months – that I’ve done before, but in 30 days ? Well throw everything else out the window, if this can be done then for me at least, it’s the only lifestyle to have. I refuse to live like a regular cubicle dweller any longer.

  The very day I saw this post I made some Before pictures, and set out to make the After ones, in 30 days, with much more muscle and less fat.

  Very inspiring, many thanks Tim
  - Calin

  Reply
• 

  Raw Vegan + Bodybuilding. 30 day trial. — June 28th, 2009, 12:55 pm

  [...] 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 | [...]

• 

  James — July 2nd, 2009, 4:02 pm

  Hey guys,

  I started this program at the start of this week and plan to run it for the next two months or so – depending on the progress I make. My current weight is 85.7kg and I hope to at least get over 90kg by the end of the two month period.

  I’m aiming for 4,000 calories per day at the very least – maybe 5,000 would be better considering I play Rugby and have a job which requires me to be very active so I need to take into consideration the calories I will burn during the day.

  Anyway wish me luck, and all the best to those who are currently doing this program!

  James

  Reply
• 

  Mike — July 9th, 2009, 9:27 am

  Tim,
  Fascinating experiment!! I have been training along Arthur Jones’ principles for over 5-years. My current body-weight is 152 lbs, 14.5% body-fat. Primarily, my focus is on Deadlifts, Dips and Squats. My max over this timeframe is as follows:
  Deadlift 405lbs 3 reps
  Dips Body weight plus 90 lbs

  My wife also trains along these principles and can currently leg press 350 lbs. These are gains that have been made over an extended period of time, training once per week and sometimes once every 2-weeks. Would like to make a couple of observations:
  (1) I applaud your results over such a short period of time. However, the purpose of positive failure training is to achieve small measureable results over an extended period of time. The concept of training to failure is not easily understood in a culture of multiple sets/reps and no-pain no-gain mentality. Many people need 4-weeks (4-work-outs) or more to understand the concepts of HIT and realize that time to rest and grow are important components, if not more important, than the actual act of weight training.
  (2) Genetics plays a large roll in muscular development. I overheard a trainer at my gym talking to a lady and the lady commented that she did not want to get muscular look, just wanted to get toned. Women can’t get muscular because of lack of testosterone!! Look around any gym….most guys can’t get overly muscular. This is the main reason the Fitness industry is a multi-million dollar industry is due to this flawed perception of fast muscular development in 3-months. It’s a hook to get the sale. People buy a 1-year membership, plateau in development at 3-months and give-up because they don’t have the extra time they feel they need to make additional gains.

  In conclussion, less is more!

  Cheers!
  Mike

  Reply
• 

  Ali — July 9th, 2009, 4:12 pm

  Hi Tim and everyone else,

  I’m on day 10 of experimenting with this regime. I took some before pics and will take some after pics at the end of it. I feel as though i am gaining muscle growth but at the same time I am gaining fat on my belly – which is frustrating me – as I felt one of the main appeals of this programme was to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously. I’d appreciate it if I could be pointed in the right direction as to where I may be going wrong. I’ll outline my diet routine so you can see if I have the right idea or not:

  12am Breakfast (yep i get up late) Freshly squeezed lemon juice with water and a pinch of salt.
  Scrambled egg (1 whole + 4 egg whites), legumes (baked beans + sausages or kidney beans or pinto beans or chickpeas – half a tins worth), vegetables or salad
  Multivitamin tablet + water

  1pm Glass of skimmed milk

  1.30pm Protein shake mixed with water with some cashew nuts

  3pm Oven cooked Chicken with Tikka or Tandoori flavour (about 5 small pieces – usually breast), half a tin of legumes, salad or vegetables + water
  Strawberry yogurt + a clementine as desert

  4pm Glass of skimmed milk

  4.30pm Protein shake mixed with water with some cashew nuts

  6pm Tuna salad with legumes (third of a tin), onions, sweetcorn, chilli, olives and half freshly squeezed lemon

  7pm Glass of Milk

  7.30pm Protein shake mixed with water with some cashew nuts

  9pm Grilled Steak/Lamb Chops, half a tin of legumes, salad or vegetables + water + 1 Glass of Red Wine
  Strawberry yogurt + a clementine as desert

  As an extra protein snack I’ve also had a protein bar or bag of chicken bites during the day inbetween one of the meals.

  On workout days my diet regime is the same except immediately post training I’ll have a protein shake followed by a 10″ Meat Feast pizza in place of one of the low GI carb meals.

  I’m gaining muscle but also getting fat around my belly! What am I doing wrong? All pointers are highly appreciated!

  Ali

  Reply
• 

  Ilia Lobsanov — July 13th, 2009, 12:51 pm

  Tim, what do you think about a product like Vega as the post workout shake? I’ve been using it mixed with Almond milk.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — July 13th, 2009, 1:19 pm

    If you’re vegan/vegetarian, that looks like one of the better options. The extensive claims lead me to some skepticism (binding to heavy metals, etc.), and I still believe animal and egg proteins to be superior, but it seems good for those who have eliminated meat and such.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Alex Karasyov — July 13th, 2009, 9:01 pm

  Hey Tim,

  I want to try this program out since it is very hard for m to go to the gym regularly anymore. (I used to go 3-5 times a week from January until about May)

  Here is a couple of questions:

  If you do cardio exercises and other sports like: Acrobatics, Hiking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and martial arts. How does it effect the recovery compared to not doing anything else. You are probably more familiar with the first since you are very active.

  Also, is there a big burnout after? Sometimes when I train very hard, I just don’t want to do anything the whole day, except lie in bed and eat. Does it get bad? Should I expect to be less energetic?

  Thanks for your answers,

  Alex

  Reply
• 

  Aaron R — July 16th, 2009, 9:35 am

  hey can this work for a 15 year old whos an endo-meso body type

  Reply
• 

  Thomas Hilmersen — July 21st, 2009, 7:47 am

  Tim, I just wanted to thank you for writing your book and publishing the results of your bodybuilding experiment. I think the key point from both is that you need to constantly experiment and use your own mind to make improvements in your life.

  BTW, I now get the best muscle building results just working out once every three weeks!

  Tom

  Reply
• 

  Jeremy — July 21st, 2009, 10:11 pm

  I tried you program and I gained 10lb of muscle without any body fat gain in 1 month! Not as impressive at 34lb, but I couldn’t pack the food down that well. I still find the eating hard, but it is more natural than it used to be. I’ve slowed down my eating and I’m still gaining, just at a slower place (~4lb a month). I think this is the right pace for me because I keep my body fat down and I don’t feel like about to explode from too much food all the time.

  Do you stick with HIT training for the longterm or do you mix it up? A buddy of mine does a Periodization routine that uses a workout similar to yours for one of the 6-week periods. What do you suggest?

  Reply
• 

  Jeremy — July 21st, 2009, 10:18 pm

  Ali,

  I’m not an expert and am naturally thin, so take this as you see fit.

  I suggest 2 options: 1) cut down the calorie intake and gain slower, or 2) gain w/ the fat and then “cut” afterward. Most of the forums I read go with the 2nd approach. It takes longer, but produces good results. It does mean changing your workout and diet when “cutting” to a fat burning routine.

  I did the first option and it worked for me, but I’m naturally thin. Also, I was consuming a lot fewer calories than you. I was around 2500-2800 a day.

  Hope that helps and good luck with the program!

  Reply
• 

  Becoming Leonidas « The Word — July 27th, 2009, 7:48 am

  [...] step two, I will attempt to recreate the results claimed by Tim Ferriss here. The 30 day trial concept has always resonated with me as an interesting approach to behavior [...]

• 

  Farid — July 30th, 2009, 12:02 pm

  @Ali,

  Do you eat any low-GI starches at all? I can’t see macaroni/spaghetti/Quinoa/Brown rice, etc. anywhere in your diet. I have gained muscle without starches but far less.

  Reply
• 

  Cain Deckhard — August 2nd, 2009, 9:18 pm

  This is clearly a lie. Gaining 34lb in 28 days requires a caloric surplus of 4300 calories per day, so for a guy his size, he must have eaten 7000 calories a day. He expects me to believe that he dropped 4% in bodyfat as a result of eating 7000 calories? Sorry, either he juiced, or this transformation happened over a significantly longer period of time.

  Reply
  • 

    Daniel Stubbs — December 14th, 2010, 11:50 pm

    Cain, it looks like you were quoted in 4HB. Nicely done, sir!

    Well, sort of.

    Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — August 3rd, 2009, 8:04 am

  Cain, your numbers are way off. You’re assuming fat and muscle gain require the same calorie surplus, which they do not. While this is a huge oversimplification, consider a pound of muscle is about 75% water, with the remaining 25% being mostly protein, around 110 grams. It would not be difficult for someone to consume an additional 110 grams per day over maintenance, and the additional calories required for production of the new tisue probably wouldn’t be anywhere near the amount you’re suggesting.

  Also consider it is possible to reduce body fat percentage while gaining body fat, if you are gaining lean body mass at a faster rate.

  Reply
• 

  David — August 3rd, 2009, 9:34 am

  Tim! wow, excellent post. I have Crohn’s Disease (mostly under control) and I find that working out causes an escalated inflammation response in my small intestine causing the reverse affect to what I was desiring.

  I’ve heard that L-Glutamine works well, however, I’ve been using an L-Glutamine powder and it doesn’t seem to be helping keep the inflammatory response away.

  Reply
• 

  Greg Marshall — August 3rd, 2009, 11:36 am

  I have heard of this technique in the past when I was in school researching exercise and tried it for a couple of weeks and saw some amazing changes in my body. The one thing I did was I did not do it to failure which is what I am going to be testing right now for the next 30 days and monitor my results.

  Reply
• 

  Mark Treas — August 6th, 2009, 12:40 pm

  To anyone who is serious about this project, I found that Sriracha is an awesome way to make your tuna more awesome! Wash that down with a protein shake and you’re in business. Good luck!

  Reply
• 

  Colorado Experiment - Anyone tried it? — August 7th, 2009, 9:40 am

  [...] Colorado Experiment – Anyone tried it? The Experiment: The Colorado Experiment, Casey Viator's Workout, Arthur Jones Nautilus Bulletin 1 2 3 And 4 Hour Work Week author Tim Ferriss showing his impressive results: From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks [...]

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  ados — August 7th, 2009, 3:13 pm

  Hi Tim,

  Ive been going to the gym now for 9 years. While my strength has improved hugely my body never really showed any major changes. On the other hand it has kept me in fairly good shape. Anyway, seeing as at this stage i struggle to do a good hour in the gym your plan seems like a new way forward to me. Im also doing your diet.

  I just have a simple question:

  When I go down to the gym and finish my bit of a warm up or whatever and am ready to go, what size of a weight should I then lift until failure? i.e. in the case of a bench press, do I use the same light weight, medium weight or heavy weight ? Im guessing I just choose a medium weight and then keep benching with cadence of 3/3 until failure ?

  thanks again

  Reply
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  Ali — August 9th, 2009, 12:46 am

  @Jeremy thanks for the suggestions for gaining with fat and then cutting down. However, one of the main reasons for me experimenting with this regime was to try and replicate Tim’s claimed results as much as possible. He claimed to have gained 34lbs of muscle while simultaneously dropping 3lbs of fat.

  @Farid & Tim Ferriss: No I did not consume low GI starches as I was following the diet here: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/
  I have now noticed macaroni/Quinoa are mentioned in the main Geek to Freak article. So the question for Tim is, are low GI starches an important part of this regime if you’re trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? Also Tim, from your experiments with other people following this regime, do they also lose fat whilst gaining muscle or did it vary from person to person. Are some people going to put on fat no matter what becasue that’s how their body chooses to react to excess calories?

  Soon after my first comment I got swine flu so was only able to experiment with this for about 10 days. I gained about 2kgs in those 10 days, but after 4 days of being ill I lost most those 2kgs – which makes me wonder what was the nature of the gains? Was it mostly water retention?

  After a month I think I’m now almost recovered and am contemplating hitting the gym again. But I’m looking depressingly at my big fat belly and am wondering – shall I re-continue with this regime which added to my belly, or change tact and go for a regime that will focus on toning, cutting and fat burn.

  Tim, If you have any ideas on how I can gain muscle without the fat (and where I may ahve been going wrong), I’ll give this regime another shot.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — August 9th, 2009, 9:33 pm

    Hi Ali,

    I would highly recommend that you get as lean as possible before gaining weight. It’s just easier to end up with a good result. Go on the diet seriously, drop a ton of fat over 1-2 months, and then get back to the gaining and add in the low-GI grains except for dinner.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
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  Farid — August 10th, 2009, 3:53 am

  @Ados:

  Try a heavy weight which you can work with for 80-120 seconds on a 2/2 cadence. Then drop 20-25% off that and go for a 5/5 cadence. You should keep experimenting with it and adjust the weight there on. Note that it will take you a while until you get a good hold of the breathing and the form.

  I personally increase the weight by 2-5% if I can exceed 120 seconds on an exercise with good form.

  Good luck and keep us updated.

  Reply
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  Tim — August 12th, 2009, 4:06 pm

  Sounds like working smart not hard in the gym. Not sure I can handle all the food though!

  Reply
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  james — August 17th, 2009, 2:03 pm

  Wow, I didn’t know a tan and shaving your body could make such a difference. I tried it myself, and I look great too.Thanks Gillette and Tans-R-Us!

  Reply
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  Alex Karasyov — August 18th, 2009, 3:09 pm

  lol @james

  Reply
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  Alex Karasyov — August 18th, 2009, 3:11 pm

  by the way, i tried this program for 28 days. I didn’t gain any weight, not sure about the muscles. But I have been able to stay in the same shape I was working out 4-5 times a week before. So I am sticking with it.

  Probably eating and sleeping more would help me, but I don’t feel like gaining muscles anymore.

  Reply
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  Ali — August 23rd, 2009, 9:27 am

  i need to say it sounds interesting but still I am not sure about this. I usualy dont belive in fast way of getting into shape, but anyhow, maybe it works and therefore I have one question.
  I use to be a dancer and now after 4 years of no training, I am not fat but I am not in shape i would like to be. Would like to have my six-pack back and nice firmed legs (now I have celulite), but its not about looks, more about the condition I would like to be in. Currently I have started to run with combination of fast walking for 45 min in the morning and then I am working out. I would be very pleased if you could writte what kind of exercise can I do to get where I whant?
  i kindly thank you in advance, take care.
  A.

  Reply
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  Michael — August 23rd, 2009, 11:20 am

  You are claiming gains that FAR exceed gains made by bodybuilders using steroids. You are either REGAINING mass, made ERRORS in measurements, or are LYING. There is no question you used the typical before/after photo tricks implemented by supplement companies.

  A comprehensive review by Hartgens and Kuiper:

  “Although many strength athletes frequently report increments of about 10–15kg of bodyweight due to AAS administration, such alterations have not been documented in well designed prospective studies. Most studies show that bodyweight may increase by 2–5kg as a result of short-term (<10 weeks) AAS use. The most pronounced average gain of bodyweight was reported by Casner and coworkers after 6 weeks of stanozolol administration [7 kg in 6 weeks]. However, in a case report, an increase of 12.7kg over a 2-year AAS administration period was registered."

  Hartgens F, Kuipers H. Effects of androgenic-anabolic steroids in athletes. Sports Med. 2004;34(8):513-54.

  Reply
• 

  Becoming Leonidas – Day 30 « The Word — August 24th, 2009, 10:41 pm

  [...] even though I didn’t stick to the plan perfectly, I’d like to see how I stacked up to Mr. Ferriss in the [...]

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  Bogdan — August 25th, 2009, 4:00 am

  Hi, I loved the diet article but this one doesn’t go sufficiently in details. I’d appreciate an article that can focus on gaining muscles but explains all the exercises and the diet in detail.

  Reply
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  Farid — August 25th, 2009, 6:54 am

  @Bogdan,

  Check this out:

  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm

  Reply
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  Farid — August 25th, 2009, 6:58 am

  @Tim Ferriss:

  In your last comment (to Ali) you’ve mentioned: “drop a ton of fat over 1-2 months, and then get back to the gaining and add in the low-GI grains except for dinner.” Is there a special reason for not eating the low-GI grains for dinner? i.e. only 3 meals a day with grains and one without?

  Reply
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  Igor B. — August 25th, 2009, 12:45 pm

  @Tim

  I realy hope this will work for me. I am starting tommorow. I ve lost hope for the ordinary gym programs…they are all the same and all “require” years of training to gain muscle.

  More like the “1 kg per month is awesome!” is actualy “yeah stay here for years and give us hundreds of €”.

  Now who is missleading and thinking only of money ( this goes out to all that think Tim is doing this for exposure of some sort ).

  I am currently 6″6 and 205 pounds and I look skinny.

  Whish me luck. I know the food part will be a real pain . No pain no gain

  I ll keep you guys posted.

  Reply
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  Farid — August 25th, 2009, 4:20 pm

  @Igor,

  Wow! I liked your tone of speech.

  Make sure you do everything to the letter. Also sleep 9 hours a day and drinks lots of water.

  Keep up posted on your progress.

  Good luck!

  Reply
• 

  Steve Morris — August 27th, 2009, 1:41 pm

  If everyone simply did #’s 2, 3, 4, and 6, they’d gain size and strength like crazy.

  But, as they say in the fitness industry, “Complicate to profit.”

  Simple doesn’t sell, which is why some people don’t believe the results.

  Reply
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  ian — August 30th, 2009, 1:26 pm

  Fella I doen`t believe aword of what your saying,its genetically impossible to gain that amount of lean muscle in 28 days even with anabolic steroids.dorian yates the greatest bodybuilder of all time never gained close to that that amount in 1 year never mind 1 month.

  Reply
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  The dude — August 30th, 2009, 11:08 pm

  I think a more fantastical title for this article would be “How to spend 1000 dollars on protein and gain 34 pounds in one month without working out at all!”
  Then again it wouldn’t sell as many books. Timothy Ferris you truly are a master of manipulation.

  Reply
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  Shane — September 3rd, 2009, 2:56 pm

  I followed the Colorado experiment/HIT training method for almost a year, together with a friend of mine. We mostly did assisted reps to increase the intensity (i.e. bench-press until you can’t move the weights anymore and then do two more reps with slight support from the spotter). Both my friend and I got some very considerable stength gains out of the workout, but visually, my musculature practically didn’t improve at all. Kept more or less the same weight, too. My friend grew noticably during the first few months, though. Currently, I’m doing a more traditional, multi-set, several times a week workout and that’s working for me. But I do intend to try Colorado/HIT method again some time. I’ll follow your guidelines when I do and see if it makes a difference (didn’t know about this article when I did the workout myself).

  Anyway, thanks for posting this, Tim. Truly amazing to see such gains in such a short time.

  Reply
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  Matt — September 4th, 2009, 9:53 am

  Hey Tim,
  Thanks for the “Game-Changer” workout.
  I have worked out for 21 years and was a traditional lifter for twenty of those years. For the past year I have been following the Crossfit.com Workouts. I saw your program and decided to gamble a month of my life. Well…
  I was 6’6″ and 280Lbs at the start of your program. I don’t measure body fat as percentage but as a direct measurement at the navel pinch point (two inches east of your belly button). My measurement has stayed at 4mm for the duration of your program.
  I am now 292.
  My bicep with arm straight out went from 17 to 18″.
  My thigh went from 28 to 29″
  My chest and lats fully extended grew from 50″ to 52.5″.
  My waist navel measurement has stayed at 36.5 (I know that needs work! It’s tough; genetically I have a big stomach) I can see my abs.
  I worked out a total of 4.5 hours in three weeks and made sure to SLEEP at least 7 to 8 hours a night.
  I adopted the Zone diet principles a year ago so I was already on board w/ your “Slow Carb” diet.
  In order to increase caloric intake the ONLY THING I CHANGED was to drink one gallon of whole milk a day. Called G.O.M.A.D.
  I make my own protein bars (steel cut oats, whey protein, crushed smart start, chocolate chips, natural peanut butter, and whole milk. Mix and place in fridge. Google this recipe. Taste better than anything I have bought.
  So in summary,
  I gained 6lbs a week for THREE WEEKS.
  Thanks!

  Update (second time through)
  18.5” arms
  53” chest
  Bodyweight 305
  Dead lift 450
  Squat 500

  I workout twice a week and look great!
  THANKS!!

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — September 6th, 2009, 9:10 pm

    Congratulations, Matt! Those are outstanding results. I hope to have much more to say about this workout in the near future…

    Pura vida,

    Tim

    Reply
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  Good God! — September 4th, 2009, 6:11 pm

  You seem to be taller in the after shots too!

  Reply
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  Joe Adkins — September 12th, 2009, 11:08 am

  ROM – 4 minute workout machine. Tim, have you ever used the ROM that claims 4 minutes a day on this machine saves the day. Seems to good to be true but since you are the king of getting more done in less time, i thought you would have some good input. Wondering if the $15,000 price tag is worth the time saved. I’ve been thinking about diving in and trying it.
  - Joe Adkins

  Reply
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  Sandy — September 12th, 2009, 12:57 pm

  Tim,
  Thank you for all the great info. I see you are going to put it all in a book, based on all these posts and the posts from the diet, its a no brainer. Too bad I cant buy it today. I am starting your program tomorrow. I have to see my ex-husband in 30 days and I would love to see his mouth drop! Plus, I am a graphic designer full time and a full time education major at FAU, and a sub-teacher so your schedule fits me perfectly. The red wine at night and the cheat day are brilliant. The muscle exhaustion seems to make perfect sense. Where have you been all my life. Did I mention I love you!! I will post again in 30 days to let you know how I did. Thanks again! Sandy Pags

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — September 13th, 2009, 2:05 pm

    

    Reply
• 

  Weightlifting: What I’ve Learned « Colin Blog — September 13th, 2009, 9:47 pm

  [...] This is another principle more specific to my ectomorph genes. However, I’ve read that whole-body workouts “elicit the maximal hormonal response” (credit Tim Ferriss). [...]

• 

  David — September 14th, 2009, 5:43 am

  Tim, as I have Crohn’s, and you have mentioned rapid gastric emptying, is that’s what’s causing all the gas and bloating with supplements like Weider? or is it because it’s a cheap supplement?

  is Casein + 6000-8000 calories worth of food in a day the way to these massive gains? i’m going to be hitting the gym once the TCM doctor sees to the Crohn’s

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — September 14th, 2009, 9:44 am

    Hi David,

    You might want to check out Cliff Harvey, who beat Crohn’s disease and is now a top nutrition and strength coach out of Vancouver BC.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
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  Tim Swedberrg — September 14th, 2009, 6:45 pm

  Hey Tim,
  I am in a bit of a pinch right now, but I think that with the right help (workouts =D ) I might be able to condition myself for being the high school football teams kicker. At the moment the team is without a kicker and much “go-for-two” every time we get a touchdown, only played two games and have tried three different kickers!

  My question is, do you think there is any way to condition my leg from barely making a 22-yard field goal to possibly making then into the mid-40′s in a week or two? The team doesn’t need a fantastic kicker yet, but I would need fast result and would continue working out to improve my kick for later in the season.

  I know you are not “coaching” people right now, time restraints = / , but if you could say “yes,” or “no,” that would be a great help. (I am 17 years old and highly motivated right now, and I would be willing to invest above 3 hours a day to kicking if it is possible, but seeing from your work, time isn’t directly affecting the end results)

  Thanks for reading this, any reply would be GREATLY appreciated, if not I totally understand.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — September 14th, 2009, 10:43 pm

    Hi Tim,

    Find the best technical coach you can for kicking or get some DVDs. That amount of progress in that time can be had, I believe, but it require technique more than conditioning/strength.

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
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  Jordi — September 15th, 2009, 12:27 pm

  Hey Tim!!

  Could you give me any advice regarding learning martial arts??

  For instance, which one to choose or how to know if a gym is good at teaching it…

  I went to visit one gym, where they were teaching Jeet Kune Do (sp?) and they were doing like air combat, which seemed really useless… What do you think?

  Oh, and do you change your weights training if you are training martial arts??

  Thanks!!

  Reply
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  Farid — September 15th, 2009, 10:08 pm

  What is the suitable cycle for this workout? How long should one stay on bulking (with all the eating) and then cycle off to cutting or maintenance?

  I find it rather hard to bulk up for more than 2-3 months!

  Reply
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  averagejo — September 18th, 2009, 8:16 pm

  dont you mean from normal dude to wannabe arnold in a month?

  Reply
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  Colby — September 21st, 2009, 8:03 am

  At first I read this success story and I thought what Tim did was truly amazing. I didn’t really think about the practicality of it since I was just so enamored by his success and by looking at his pictures of before and after. Then I spoke with a friend of mine about it who has been body building for 20+ years and has tried every possible diet and weight lifting program known, including the techniques Tim said he used.

  My friend, who I consider an expert in the field, said it would be wonderful if it is true, but it is physically impossible. Tim said he put on 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days. That equates to 8.5 pounds of muscle per week. Even professional body builders who are using copious amounts of steroids, and have a genetic disposition to build muscle quickly, don’t put on that much muscle in a week, especially every week for 4 weeks. It is biologically impossible to build that much muscle that quickly no matter what your technique is. The body just doesn’t respond and grow that quickly. Especially unbelievable for someone like Tim who was not even an athletic person when he started his 28 day program. My friend said he believes Tim achieved what he did in this before and after pictures in 180 days, not 28.

  Recently, Kevin Levrone, who was one of the most successful body builders of his time about a decade ago, and who won all kinds of competitions, recently did what he called a “physical transformation” over an 8 week period. He said he hadn’t lifted any weights in 5 years when he started his transformation and his goal was to only put on 5 pounds of muscle a week. If you see his picture of when he started he was soft and with a lot of body fat. But he did it, 40 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks, but that is a lot different than putting on 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks like Tim is claiming. And not only that, Kevin has a genetic predisposition and muscle memory to fall back on, which Tim doesn’t, but yet Kevin’s his goal was only 5 pounds of muscle a week.

  I am not trying to discredit Tim, but what he achieved just seems impossible if you sit down and think about it. Just try and imagine Tim’s first week where he said he went to the gym only 2 times, each time for half an hour, and then woke up after the first 7 days of his program with 8 pounds of newly built muscle and reduced body fat. Believable?

  All I am saying is do the math. If Kevin Levrone, who is a professional bodybuilder with gifted genetics and only achieved 5 pounds of added muscle each week, then I think the rest of us genetic normal people would be lucky to gain 2 pounds of muscle per week using a heavy weight lifting program of going to the gym 4-5 times a week for 1-1.5 hours each time. Even with the added help of steroids, most people wouldn’t be able to put on the 5 pounds of muscle per week that Kevin did, let alone dream of 8 pounds of muscle per week for 4 weeks straight.

  If you curious exactly what Kevin did, his workouts, and what he ate then go to his web site levronereport.com. There you can also see videos of him working out each day and everything else including pictures of his transformation every week. I am not trying to promote Kevin Levrone, but if you see what he did over 8 weeks then it is hard to believe that Tim really did what he is calming he did in just 4.

  Reply
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  Michael — September 21st, 2009, 2:56 pm

  @Colby

  Great post! Not only is there a vast amount of anecdotal evidence from the world of drug-enhanced professional bodybuilding that calls into question Tim’s claims but there is plenty of scientific evidence showing that Tim’s “gains” far exceed those achieved by bodybuilders using steroids. See my comment on 8/23.

  Don’t forget that his before and after photos use the typical supplement industry tricks (shaving, tanning, altered posing, etc.)

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — September 21st, 2009, 3:51 pm

  I can not speak for Tim, and while I have never personally witnessed the degree of muscular gain he wrote about in such a short period I know that under certain circumstances (regaining lost muscle after a significant period of detraining) it is possible.

  However, I have had clients and friends – both novice and experienced trainees, all drug free – make much better gains than what some here are claiming possible using the same type of training, the fastest being an 8 lbs muscle gain over a three week period, and muscular gains of 5 to 6 pounds per month not being unusual. Many of these gains were achieved after switching to higher intensity, more abbreviated routines after months or years of stagnation on the higher volume mass building routines commonly recommended in mainstream fitness and bodybuilding magazines.

  While not as impressive as 34 pounds in a month, last year a friend gained 20 lbs of muscle while losing 5 pounds of fat in four months although with not quite so many calories (from 150 lbs at 20% body fat to 165 at 15%) and a client who is in his 40′s and an extreme ectomorph gained 12 pounds of muscle over a three month period using similar high intensity training routines.

  While not common, and certainly not easy, it is possible for people to gain more muscle mass, more quickly, than many seem to believe.

  Reply
  • 

    Jose Lara — December 2nd, 2011, 9:28 am

    Hey, dude. I really appreciate the solid information you’re posting throughout this comments thread and I admire your patience regarding the more, let’s say, ‘challenging’ comments. Keep up the love.

    Reply
• 

  Colby — September 21st, 2009, 9:03 pm

  @ Michael

  Thanks for your thoughts on my post. I agree with what you say about Tim’s photos. It is obvious that there was more effort put into the “After” photos to make them have more visual impact using the posing techniques you mentioned. Lighting from above or below can also be used to help accentuate shadows around muscles to make them look bigger in pictures as well. But my real focus was on the facts and figures Tim gave, not so much his pictures.

  Let’s imagine for a second you went to see your sports nutrition doctor, visit a personal trainer, or even emailed Kevin Levrone and said to all of them the following:

  “I want to put on 8.5 pounds of muscle this coming week. I have not lifted weights in many years, but I plan to eat a massive amount of protein, measure my carb intake, and I am going to go to the gym only twice to lift weights during that week and each time I will lift for only half an hour. I will be lifting 1 set per body part, and lift to failure with a medium weight. Then I would like to repeat those gains every week for 4 weeks straight using the same techniques.”

  What do you think the response would be from the doctor, the personal trainer and Kevin Levrone (who added only 5 pounds of muscle a week by training using heavy weights)?

  I think each of them would say that your goal is not physiologically possible, even if you were on a massive amount of steroids.

  And steroids, growth hormone, HCG and everything else that Tim would even be able to use to help him have improved his results, all take time to build up their levels in the body to where they then start having an added affect.

  Most body builders on an 8 week bulking cycle of steroids will reach their most gains between the 3rd and 6th weeks of the cycle. There are some fast acting testosterones, and a few other steroids that are fast acting as well which have a half life of only 4-8 hours after injection, but still they would not get you 8.5 pounds for a week for your first 4 weeks of a cycle. No way.

  As for the reference to Stanazol mentioned in that article you quoted, Stanazol is a cutting drug, not a size or weight gaining drug anyway. Most body builders use that drug at the end of a bulking cycle in combination with some other things like T3, Masteron, Climbuterol, etc to reduce body fat to about half and make themselves look even leaner or harder. Normally they do this in preparation for a show. So normally Stanazol is not a steroid even used for size gains anyway.

  Even Kevin Levrone who did his recent transformation naturally, did not really try to reduce much body fat in the first 8 weeks of his transformation period. That was the muscle building phase and then he moved over to another phase just for cutting which he completed recently in order to get his body fat down to about 4.5%.

  Sorry if I moved off the page there a little bit.

  In closing, I just want to say that I do believe that Tim achieved the physique shown in his “After” pictures. What I don’t believe is that he did it in 4 weeks or even 8 weeks and people should not expect to achieve nearly the same results he is claiming, whether you were to use steroids or not. If you put on 2 to 2.5 pounds of muscle a week during a bulking period where you are eating massive amounts of protein and low carbs, then that is what you should realistically expect.

  Reply
• 

  Lee Haber — September 22nd, 2009, 1:41 pm

  Hey Tim,

  Simple question: I was wondering, what is protein uptake downregulation?

  Lee

  Reply
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  John Fawkes — September 22nd, 2009, 3:13 pm

  A few questions for you. About your cadence, do you pause at all at the top or bottom of your reps? I’ve been pausing for half a second to a second at the top and bottom of each rep to eliminate bounce, as some HIT sources recommend.

  Also, some sources recommend that when you reach failure, you “cheat” to raise the weight one last time, hold the weight until you get exhausted a second time, then cheat one more time and do only the lowering portion of the rep, triple-exhausting the muscle. Have you found this to be helpful?

  Reply
• 

  The Silicon Valley Bachelorette » Blog Archive » A Non-Geek’s Guide to Getting a Girl — September 23rd, 2009, 4:58 am

  [...] a very good example of this.  He’s a geek who transformed his image in less than four weeks to an amazing, toned body.  He now has the best of both worlds – smart mind and attractive [...]

• 

  Colby — September 23rd, 2009, 11:00 am

  @ Matt

  Congratulations on your success with putting on more weight. If I was already 280 pounds I am not sure that would be my goal though.

  I discussed your results closely though with my counterpart and we came to the conclusion that you were probably over training for the last 20 years and why you reached that plateau. So as soon as you changed your weight training routine to one of less frequency, and allowed your body more time to rest in the process, then there was a knock on affect of some rapid muscle growth from the work you already did in the past as soon as you cut back on your frequency. Your success in gaining weight was simply that the change in routine shocked the body into start growing again from the plateau you reached from your other over training weight lifting routine over the last 20 years. Also, on the new routine of much shorter workouts, you are obviously burning a lot less calories now which makes it much easier to put on weight.

  Another observation was that exponentially you gained much less total body mass based upon the amount of your gain compared to your existing gross body weight versus the amount of weight Tim is claiming to have gained as compared to his original starting body weight. So it seems your results are more achievable than Tim’s by comparison if we are basing your gains on the percentage increase in BMI (body mass index) alone.

  You also didn’t provide an exact body fat measurement and/or you didn’t claim to have gained all that new weight as lean muscle. You said you did a pinch test on your stomach, but that doesn’t confirm that all the weight you gained was pure muscle whereas Tim is claiming to have achieved all lean muscle gains during his 28 day program.

  I am also trying to figure out how much weight you actually gained. You said you started at 280 pounds and that you are now 292 pounds, which is a 12 pound total gain. But at the end of your post where you have your summary it states that you gained a total of 6 pounds a week for 3 weeks, which would be 18 pounds in total weight gain. The numbers don’t add up.

  So assuming your weight went from 280 to 292, and that your math is off in your summary calculation, then you actually gained 12 pounds over the 3 weeks, which is 4 pounds a week. Just note that putting on 4 pounds of gross weight per week for a big guy like you is certainly achievable just by eating more and burning less calories like you were when you switched your routine. So let’s not assume it had so much to do with Tim’s training system. But then let’s also assume half of that increase is possibly body fat and/or water retention since we don’t have a true body fat measurement from you. In addition, your total increase in weight equates to only a 5% increase in terms of your gross body weight. That is quite believable and seems achievable to me for most people.

  In Tim’s case, he is claiming he gained 34 pounds of pure muscle in 4 weeks, while at the same time he lost 3 pounds of body fat. So let’s say he put on 31 pounds of net weight to his existing weight of 146 pounds when he started this program. This brings him to a total of 177 pounds at the end of his 4 week program. So Tim is claiming to have increased his body weight by a total of 21% in 4 weeks and that all of that newly added weight was all pure lean muscle mass. Now does that sound feasible to you? It surely doesn’t to me.

  I am taking the time to spell out all this information and compare the facts and figures because I know there are a lot of people reading this blog and I simply don’t feel it is fair for people to be misguided about the lean muscle gains Tim claims to achieved in 4 weeks. In fact, there is no real evidence to even suggest he actually achieved what he is claiming. In addition, there is reasonable information, as I have provided, suggesting what he claims he did is simply humanly impossible. So don’t be disappointed if you follow his system to the letter and only are able to put on 2-2.5 pounds of weight per week, with half of that possibly being just increased body fat. Good luck….

  Reply
• 

  Michael — September 25th, 2009, 10:04 am

  @Colby

  You might find this interesting:

  http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplement-marketing-on-steroids-by-alan-aragon.html

  Reply
• 

  Colby — September 25th, 2009, 11:16 pm

  @ Michael

  Cheers for that link. I was actually searching for some of the scientific evidence to validate my theories on how much lean muscle mass a man is capable of developing naturally over a period of 30 days when he is not on any sort of growth enhancing drugs or steroids.

  There was a link on that page you provided which lead to another page talking specifically about Genetic Muscular Potential here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html and this article basically confirms my rough figures of a human threshold to add only a maximum of 2-2.5 pounds of muscle weight gain per month.

  I am going to read through more of the information on that site as it looks interesting and gets deeper into the science of it all, but the information on that site is just another confirmation which proves that the 34 pounds of muscle Tim is claiming he added in just 28 days is not humanly possible, even with the use of drugs.

  Peace Out…

  Reply
• 

  dee — September 26th, 2009, 4:56 pm

  I would like to know how I can find a trainer to help me with this high intensity workout. I live in the bay area. Or if there is a detailed guide for the exercises specailly the negative ones. Thanks.

  Reply
• 

  Pete — September 28th, 2009, 12:40 am

  How did you avoid gaining fat while consuming so many calories?

  Reply
• 

  Ali — October 1st, 2009, 1:35 am

  Hi Tim,

  Thanks for responding. Not been having much luck with my health lately. I broke my jaw three weeks ago and have therefore been on a liquid only diet – which incidently is great for shredding off the fat from my belly! A couple of more months on this diet and I’ll be as lean as I’ve always wanted to be, after which I’ll refocus on trying to gain lean muscle.

  Thanks again.

  Ali

  Reply
• 

  Pete — October 2nd, 2009, 10:23 am

  Alright, well my comment was approved so you obviously read it. Guess you only respond to “notable” individuals. And those who accuse you of being on steroids.

  Reply
• 

  Taylor Brimley — October 4th, 2009, 8:24 pm

  Hey Tim, I wanted your advice with this weight gain program. I recently just did GOMAD (Gallon of Milk Per Day) + eating like a monster. After a month I gained 11 pounds and then I stopped GOMAD and lost 2-3 (probably water-retention). I also read the book ‘The China Study’ and it has lead me to believe animal/diary proteins are very unhealthy for you in the long haul. I am thinking of doing GOMAD again, or the diet you suggested. Is there a way of getting the amount of calories I need with plant based whole foods? I have no problem eating meats, diary, in moderation & balance, but I don’t think I should consume as much as I did before. Do you have any suggestions or a quick meal plan you can advise me of to achieve this goal, or should I just suck it up for 1-2 months and then stick to my 80% plant based diet for health reasons… Thanks (just read your book)

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — October 5th, 2009, 12:56 am

    Hi Taylor,

    I don’t believe that Dr. Campbell’s conclusions about isolated casein apply to organic whole milk. I don’t think 1-2 months will hurt you, but I’m not a doctor. It might make you — ahem — anti-social, but that’s another story

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Dave — October 9th, 2009, 6:44 am

  Tim
  Was curious to your opinion on how much impact the supplements had on your results. Coming from a person who only takes protein because I find it hard to eat enough throughout the day, I was surprised to read the array of supplements you took (off bodybuilding.com site) Do you supplement on a regular basis, or was it only for this experiment?
  cheers

  Reply
• 

  Heyward — October 9th, 2009, 9:03 am

  @Tim Ferris

  Please forgive my ignorance…I’m a vegeterian with a “fresh, organic, raw” dogma and would like to know what the “vegeterian friends that you put on the program” were eating. If you’re busy, could you put me in contact with them, and let me pester them with questions? Also, I smell a book. Please, PLEASE turn this post into a book. It is a book and you KNOW it is. Look how many questions and comments this got. It is a book/ DVD program!

  Reply
• 

  Heyward — October 9th, 2009, 10:10 am

  @Tim

  Aha! You ARE doing a book! Splendid, splendid! It’s frusturating to go through the post and piece all this info together….I was honest to god about to collect all your posts and send them to you. You’re including a large vegeterian section, I hope? Dude, you freaking rock. I can’t WAIT to get in the gym and put myself through it, and then change the lives of a ton of clients!!

  “The monks would consume eggs and some chicken on days that they had intensely exerted themselves”

  Perhaps…perhaps it is beneficial to consume animal products during an intense gain, and then switch back to plant-based nutrition afterwards…so long as it was high-quality, organic, grass-fed meat.

  Reply
• 

  Cliff Harvey — October 10th, 2009, 6:03 am

  Hi David, and thanks for the referral Tim!

  David – I am a nutrition and natural therapies specialist and strength coach based in Vancouver, BC. I work with elite level athletes and the chronically ill…I also have Crohn’s disease.

  Contact me via Human Motion (www.humanmotion.com)

  I recovered my own health and have helped many athletes with Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis to do the same.
  - Cliff Harvey

  Reply
• 

  Nick Andrade — October 14th, 2009, 9:25 pm

  Awesome results. I completely agree that people need to focus on spending less and less time in the gym as they being to increase their strength and muscle mass. A lot of guys go wrong by piling on more and more volume to their workouts, when they should be focused on putting everything they’ve got into 1 “perfect” set. let’s face it, 1excellent growth stimulating set is better then 20 crappy low intensity sets any day!

  Reply
• 

  TerryM — October 17th, 2009, 2:57 pm

  Tim,
  Fantastic results. How much protein were you eating per day specifically? Were you taking any supplements, such as creatine? What was your daily water intake prior to and during this program? What was the total number of calories consumed per day?

  Reply
• 

  David — October 22nd, 2009, 6:30 am

  Skepticism arises after reading Tim’s claim, for a few reasons.

  As at least one comment mentioned — muscle memory. It’s important for people out there reading this who have never attempted weight training on a fully committed scale to consider the importance of muscle memory. If you’ve never physically trained your body with weights, your muscles have no memory off which to build. Let me give you an overview of my experience.

  At 20-years-old, I was just under 6′ 3″ @ 145 pounds…your typical skinny ectomorph-mesomorph. My body fat came in at 5%. I didn’t have any fat to loose since my body type is closer to that of an ectomorph. You must first know your body type, as endomorphs will have to do something about shedding the extra, unwanted pounds that are being stored in the form of fat. This may be very challenging if you’re consuming 4,000 calories per day and not taking on intense cardio workouts in addition to weight training.

  My first time in the gym I couldn’t even bench my own body weight for one rep, but continued to get in ever other day with different body parts being trained. A minimum of 48 hours rest for each previous muscle group worked was always followed, but the workouts ranged from 45-90 minutes per workout every other day while eating copious amounts of calories and protein. No supplements were used until later years.

  After a solid 18 months of dedicated training, resting and eating, I made it up to 185 pounds, but that weight was maintained by eating and continuing to exercise regularly. Do the math yourself — that averages out to a little over 2 pounds of muscle growth per month. Once the exercise and copious food consumption stopped, my weight would drop as any ectomorph will experience since we lose weight easier than we put it on. BTW, because of my body type, having ripped muscles was effortless because us ectomorphs have such naturally low body fat. I’ve never trained for being cut, strictly for strength and mass.

  Having explained this, remember that is my particular case, it’s important for readers to also keep in mind that this is Tim’s particular case, and every body is different. Recall that this was not Tim’s first time training with weights, so he had muscle memory which activates growth much quicker than muscles previously not exposed to such training. Additionally, supplements at a minimum would have to be used to gain 34 pounds of lean muscle in 32 days, as his dates reflect. But two 30-minute workouts per week? That’s too big of a pill for me to swallow: 4 hours of training in 32 days in order to put on 34 pounds of lean muscle? Tim may quite possibly be a superhuman, which should detour the remainder of mere mortals out there to take his experience with a grain of salt, or more likely a bucket.

  Tim makes an important point in that completing repetitions in a slow and controlled manner is key to avoiding injury while forcing muscles to grow faster than using fast, uncontrolled, momentum repetitions. I’ve done lots of negative-repetition training, have used protein powders as well as creatine, but never have I come even close to gaining 34 pounds of muscle in 32 days, especially with only 1 hour of training per week. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. What miraculously worked for Tim will probably not work for you, if his claims are even remotely accurate.

  I’ve worked out with competitive lifters throughout my 20 years in the gym, and even the guys using anabolic steroids can’t gain that much muscle in 32 days since so much of their weight gain is water retention. Granted, perhaps they aren’t resting enough between training, but that’s way more muscle growth than a body can naturally, or even unnaturally, produce. Drew Baye discusses his experiences with training different clients and their respective gains which fall way short of Tim’s claim.

  In short, even for someone like myself who is exceptionally ripped and who has decades of muscle memory from a lifetime of weight training, my experience doesn’t lead me to believe that such extreme gains can be reached by your typical Joe or Jane Schmoe who has never done weight training. As far as that goes, my experience doesn’t come close to supporting gains of this nature — 34 pounds of muscle growth within 32 days and only 1-hour of training per week — as possible. Even given the importance of muscle recuperation time, Tim’s account of his gains sounds very far-fetched and misleading for those who aspire to change their physical condition so drastically with such little effort.

  Remember a general rule of the universe people — you only get out of something that which you put in. If you’re looking to truly change your physical condition, then you’ll have to make sacrifices and you’ll have to invest your time and energy, and most of all be persistent and patient — after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Improved physical conditioning and muscle development is a lifestyle change, not a miraculous 32-day hoax. However, if you are reluctant to believe in this realistic line of thought, then please contact me as I have some unbelievable ocean-view property for sale in the middle of Nebraska…call now, don’t wait!

  Reply
• 

  Matthew Peters — October 22nd, 2009, 12:00 pm

  Hey Tim,

  First off, let me say that I always hated going to the gym. I never considered myself an athlete. I was never muscular and didn’t go out for sports in school. Pretty much stayed away from athletics my whole life.

  I followed this plan as best as I could read from the initial blog post and your updates for exactly 30 days. There were some questions I had about amounts of each supplement, but it seemed to work the way I did it.

  Since I had not worked out for years or even jogged for 15 years, I didn’t ramp up enough to get the most out of my first two or three workouts.

  Here are my stats:

  Before After
  Weight: 182.8Lbs 181.7 Lbs
  Caliper Fat Pinch:
  Chest: 22mm 20.5mm
  Abdomen: 34.5mm 25mm
  Thigh: 24mm 22mm
  Waist: 34in 32.5in
  Abdomen: 36.25in 34.75
  Thigh: Right (32 inches up)
  Unflexed 21.5in 21.25in
  Arm: Right
  Unflexed 12in 12.25in
  Flexed 13.5in 14in
  Shoulders: 46.75in 47.25in
  Chest:
  Flexed 41.5in 40.50in
  Unflexed 40.5in 39.75in
  Body Fat: 24% 17.9%
  43.9 Lbs of Fat 32 Lbs of Fat
  139 Lbs Lean 149 Lbs of Fat

  Just wanted to note that my 30 days (From G2F experiment) ended on Wednesday. Overall, I am very happy with the visible results and the increased energy. I am actually continuing with the program in a modified way starting on the 15th of November 2009. About ¾ of the way through I found a couple exercises that accelerated the results and unfortunately, I experienced food fatigue and didn’t get the calorie intake that I should have during the second half – e.g. I could have had even better results.

  30 day totals:
  Total time at gym: 6Hours 5Minutes
  Weights in motion: 2 Hours 6 Minutes
  Number of lifting sessions/days: 8
  Cardio: walk 23 min, jog 7 min 6 days a week

  Every snack, meal, protein shake, supplement was recorded
  Every lift duration, weight and reps were recorded

  I am making plans to modify the program and do a second run at it starting November 15th.

  Just a personal thanks to you Tim for making this public. My chiropractor (a 3x Ironman, U.S. National Greco Roman Wrestling Team, Wisconsin Golden Gloves runner-up, National Rugby Team and marathon runner) and a famous personal trainer friend who humored me and took my before and after measurements accurately, were truly amazed at these results.

  It is one thing to drop weight for a weigh in, but to drop that much fat and gain that much lean muscle mass in 2 hours and 15 minutes of lifting and walking every morning for 30 minutes is another.

  Tim, you really have something here and I am telling everyone about what you have. It is hard to see my friends struggle so much and face so much discouragement by overworking to lose weight and gain muscle mass.

  If you need any assistance with other methods or want any records, just let me know!

  P.S. The turkey-bean chili with tuna and mac is fantastic. Highly recommended.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — October 25th, 2009, 6:14 pm

    Great work, Matthew! Big congratulations. This is a wonderful example. Hope to chat sometime soon…

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Chuck Rumblestockings — October 23rd, 2009, 7:50 am

  Nice post Luther.

  Try this for additional muscle gain — hook yourself up to a peanut butter IV, homemade versions are fine, don’t worry. Then drink 5 gallons of milk per day, preferably a variety with lots of utter puss and extra growth hormones. If you begin to mooo, you’re drinking just the right amount.

  Go to your local meat section and request four 16-oz T-bone steaks. I hope you’re good with a needle and thread because what I want you to do is actually open up your pecks with a rusty razor blade and insert one of the T-bones in each peck. Do the same thing for your biceps if they are as puny as mine. Check yourself out in the mirror, don’t you look like an animal? You are a savage beast brotha!

  Now is the hard part, you actually have to exercise for 10 minutes once per week. I know this sounds too amazing to be true, but it works, trust me. Do some situps or some 12-oz curls with your favorite beer, whatever. Just do them until you’re fatigued, and good and drunk. You’re now on your way to gaining 45 pounds of muscle in 16 days.

  Good luck, and don’t ever stop trying! You can do it!

  Reply
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  Luther Lesliegoats — October 23rd, 2009, 7:53 am

  Thanks, Chuck. I’m off to the store now to buy my peanut butter, milk and T-bones. I truly appreciate the great advice, best of all it’s free! If you could do it, I can do it to! Yeah!

  Here I go, I’ll let you know how much muscle I gained from your program after 16 days.

  I can do it!

  Reply
• 

  [see comment rules] — October 26th, 2009, 6:13 am

  Tim reading your post here tonight is perfect timing…mere coincidence I think not. In any case, as someone who has trained on and off for more than 8 years I’ve seen enough to suggest that having a contrarian view with all things mainstream bodybuilding related is really the only way to actually achieve results. I’m kicking off with this method this week, and to all the doubters actually give it a go if you can get your head around what Tim is saying

  Reply
• 

  Heyward — October 26th, 2009, 10:14 am

  @Chuck

  I worry about people eating animal products, too, but remember, there’s a vegeterian way to do Tim’s program. The book is coming out soon! In the meantime, deeeep brreeaaathssss…..innnnnn……..ouuuuutttt…..

  Reply
• 

  RYANESAKI.COM » Blog Archive » Lifestyle Changes in ‘09 — October 28th, 2009, 3:51 am

  [...] back 10 lbs of muscle by the end of the 2010. I’m currently experimenting with a modified High Intensity Training workout to see if that can help with the weight gain. Maybe one day I’ll post my before and [...]

• 

  Cade — October 29th, 2009, 10:48 pm

  That is very impressive! I like your dedication and drive. I have a workout for you that I would like you to try and see how much it would increase your bench press in 2 weeks or maybe 1 month. I have named it the 7 minute in hell push-up workout routine. What it is 30 push-ups each minute for 7 minutes. The catch is that you are not allowed to do more than 30 push-ups in any given minute. But once you can’t get the 30 push-ups in a minute your goal then changes to getting the 210 push-ups done as quickly as possible.

  *My name is Cade and I graduated in Exercise Science but now I enjoy internet marketing and I read your book the day after I quit my job as a personal trainer to do internet marketing. Thanks for the sweet read.

  Reply
• 

  John Fawkes — October 31st, 2009, 12:11 pm

  Question for you Tim: How much does one’s level of cardiovascular fitness influence recovery time?

  Reply
• 

  Douglas Young — October 31st, 2009, 7:35 pm

  Impressive results. You look like you were in good shape to begin with, but you really demonstrate what can be done with some serious dedication.

  Reply
• 

  Seth Taylor — November 1st, 2009, 4:42 am

  Okay Tim Ferriss you owe me a wardrobe!

  Though I didn’t put on 34 lbs (that maybe a Ferriss super power) I put on 10lbs of muscle (from 172-182), lost fat and increased my bench 60+ lbs in 6 weeks. And now my shirts don’t fit. Tim I am sending you the tailor’s bill.

  A bit more about me. I am 36 years old. About 3 years ago I reached my max weight/strength I was 185lbs and benched around 200. Then I tore up my hand and fell off the exercise wagon. I used to be a 4 day a week 2 hour a work out gym nut but for the past 3 years I have done yoga and taichi and a lot of not very much.

  So maybe this is muscle memory or maybe something else. I didn’t change my diet at all. I eat 3 meals a day low fat lots of veggies and a bit of meat in the lunch and dinner meals.

  My workouts at first were every 4-5 days. Now I am on a Tuesday Friday schedule that seems to keep things healing up well in between workouts. Thus far I have had 10 workouts and gained 10lbs (WHAT!?) I have never had gains like this. It has gotten to the point where I feel like Wolverine. In the morning when I wake up I feel bigger/stronger. It is really weird but in a cool sort of way.

  In terms of fat my nopack has turned into a four pack and is leaning towards a six pack. Not perfect, but hey six weeks ago my wife was making fun of my love handles and skinny man belly.

  The only crap thing about the workout is that I didn’t take before photos. I feel like I am touting fiery dust when I tell people on forums about this. Nobody but my family believes that this kind of gain is possible.

  Now that I have finished my first 10 workout cycle I an setting up a slightly different routine, hitting the same big muscle groups but alternating exercises. So I’ll bench on Tuesday and do a bit of an incline bench on Friday just to keep things interesting for the muscles. I’m also going to run down and buy a bit of protein powder to fill in the holes in my diet.

  I’ll drop by in five weeks an let you all know how it went.

  Until then… Tim I want those shirts!

  Reply
• 

  Any P90x'ers on Board? - Page 4 — November 3rd, 2009, 7:57 am

  [...] utilization of time for building muscles rather than just doing cardio. I found this article: From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks and started doing a routine based on the colorado experiment as was getting as good of results [...]

• 

  Gain Muscle In 2 Weeks | Build Muscle Fast — November 3rd, 2009, 6:28 pm

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

• 

  Danny Davis — November 4th, 2009, 5:24 pm

  I’m a bit confused right now, so I hope I can borrow the brain of somebody here to help figure this out. Is the sole factor of gaining muscle mass the amount of protein you are eating. So far I eat 1+ gram of protein for every pound of muscle that I have, however I am eating 500 calories below my weight maintenance calories.

  Can you add muscle mass if you are eating insufficient calories as long as your protein intake is optimized?

  Reply
• 

  David — November 4th, 2009, 5:42 pm

  Hi thanks for the post and inspiration.

  I don’t work out much and don’t know much about it. I’m wanting to learn more and that’s how I ended up here.

  I havn’t read all the comments but the ones I did read kinda overlook the detox part of the equation.

  I wonder how much of an effect the detox has?

  Putting on this much mass in this short of a time puts high levels of strain on the body and produces large amounts of “by-products”.

  Enhancing your bodies ability to handle/eradicate these by-products could play a role in Tim’s superior results.

  I’ve also read that rest is very important. I’ve heard that research has shown that muscles are grown for up to 2 weeks after the excersice is preformed with out atrophy and that long rest leads to increased growth of a wider stronger type of muscle fiber responsible for explosive power. While constant exersice leads to greater production of a thiner more endurance muscle fiber. (Not to good on the specifics) Just adding what I know to help those that are looking for help.

  Reply
• 

  Article on Exercise Not Leading to Weight Loss « Hammertime — November 4th, 2009, 6:42 pm

  [...] kick trying to put on some weight and get more cut. It started with Tim Ferriss‘ article on gaining muscle quickly. Then I saw Dream’s talk on proper exercise and nutrition which opened me up to a whole new [...]

• 

  My Trial of the “Geek to Freak” Weight Training Technique — November 6th, 2009, 8:48 am

  [...] guy I’m talking about is Tim Ferriss. He wrote a blog post a little while back called “From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks”. I found that post at a time when I’d been struggling to figure out how to weight train [...]

• 

  Abe — November 20th, 2009, 4:36 pm

  Tim,

  Thanks for this. I am a week into the plan, and I am seeing results already. If the results persist then I will have some sweet before and after pictures. I’ve been coming up with some creative meals too. One of my favorites includes spinach, chicken, black beans, and salsa all mixed up in a delicious salad. Give it a try sometime.

  Is that bodybuilding.com something you are involved in?

  Reply
• 

  Doug — November 28th, 2009, 9:35 am

  Hey Tim,

  BodyBuilding isn’t a top priority of mine, but i want to congratulate you on what your doing and the service you give to the world, i’m from Manchester in The UK and it’s comforting to know there’s fellow strong and positive minded people on this planet, and that you have the key ability in blocking out negativity/haters, as we both know there just insecure and unhappy souls,

  I’m 22, i come from a poor background and i’ve had three businesses so far, currently have two, i have put everything into my newest business, literally risked all the wealth i’ve generated and brought in an older business partner(26) to pull it off, which i believe will be a popular world wide site and as close as we are we have had all the negativity with “freinds” etc, telling you this as if it does come off, it’s people like yaself i want to be surrounding myself with when i finally get to NY,

  I love what i’m doing as you must and if your ever near by, be a pleasure you getting at me, help me find my NY Wifey and if your ever in the UK, if your inetersted in bars/clubs my team will hold it down for ya as thats what our new business is all about

  Keep Doing ya thing man,

  Doug Ward

  Reply
• 

  Nate — November 29th, 2009, 12:23 am

  I believe you Tim. I tried this 2 years ago and gains 20 lbs in 6 weeks. I did the reps until I shook and felt like I was going to puke, ate until I wanted to puke and was sore constantly for 6 weeks. I probably would have gained more if I could eat more.

  after 2 years I have kept on 12 or so lbs of that muscle. I think I’ll do another round this winter.

  Thanks Tim.

  Reply
• 

  Enrique — November 29th, 2009, 3:10 pm

  One Set Only??????

  Reply
• 

  Andrew — November 30th, 2009, 3:49 pm

  Hello All,
  I began this workout this morning. I’m 23 years old, 5’10″ and weigh 182LBS. I highly doubt I’ll add that much weight, for I am pretty out of shape. However, I used to be around the 155-160LB mark and very in shape, I hope to turn the extra weight into muscle — I’ll be happy around 170-175 with the added muscle and less fat.
  I am following the workout and dietary routine as close as possible. One question I have for this board is about eating Tuna. I had planned to eat it daily as my second breakfast/early lunch but after a little reading I’m not sure its the best idea. I’m looking for something fast I can make and eat while working at my desk.(still at the ole 8-5, for now).

  Any help will be greatly appreciated. Just jumping into this today, I agree that eating will be difficult, so any good meal suggestions are gladly excepted.

  Thanks all,
  I’ll keep the board posted on my results.

  Reply
• 

  David — December 1st, 2009, 6:18 am

  Andrew, you could try Low-fat cottage cheese. For meal plans and diet please check out http://bodyforlife.com/nutrition/index.asp. It’s a very good website that will help in synergy with the geek to freak and the diet, you should achieve what you need.

  Reply
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  Chris — December 1st, 2009, 2:57 pm

  Wow nice results and an inspirational story. Thanks for sharing your 6 principles with us.

  Reply
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  Mateo — December 4th, 2009, 10:56 pm

  Week 1: 2 inches taller
  Week 2: 1 foot taller
  Week 3: 2 feet shorter
  Week 4: 4 feet shorter

  You may gain muscle mass, but judging from these pictures it does crazy things to your stature…

  Reply
• 

  Mateo — December 4th, 2009, 10:59 pm

  That, and it makes your skin darker and your chest hair fall off…..

  Reply
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  Timothy Anderson — December 7th, 2009, 5:08 am

  Hello tim,
  I would love to give the workout a shot however last time I gained weight in a routine I developed really bad acne.

  Do you think there would be a way to go about following this routine without having the hormonal changes cause an increase in acne?

  Thanks! Tim

  Reply
• 

  Scotty — December 7th, 2009, 11:19 pm

  hey tim when u said eat alot of protein….what protein shakes did you use or can u give me a good example of what to buy …. im only 15 though so it would be grewat if u could help me out !

  Reply
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  Nick — December 11th, 2009, 11:22 am

  Hello Tim!

  I understand that you are really busy, but I was just wondering, as it seems others are, specifically which exercises you used for your workout? the results are amazing sir.

  Thank you for your time
  Earnestly,
  -Nick

  p.s. I’ve been following your fat burning diet for two weeks now, and it’s excellent, thank you for everything!

  Reply
• 

  Will Franco — December 12th, 2009, 10:17 am

  Tim,

  Your blog and your work are an endless source of inspiration to me. You constantly remind me the pleasures of the curious-liberated yet analytical mind. I have been working very hard and for long hours for the past 10 years, I read your book when it first came out, and instantly realized that working for an early retirement was not the only way. I am 26 now. I am well on my way to being able to retire at 30. I work 12-16 hours a day 6 days per week—building our company (jiveSYSTEMS) and helping our customers leverage video email and web video in their businesses. I read your book when it was first published; I instantly connected w/ your philosophy but never made the transition to living it. Now that I have started to read your blog – actually, to study your blog – I am starting to embrace the true underlying philosophy of Four Hour Work Week. Though, as a lifelong workaholic, I must urge you to publish more work on filling the void, to help me and others like me make the transition.

  Here are some ideas:

  1. Build a place where we (your readers) can connect w/ each other for help and support, both on and offline.

  2. Do what Cali Lewis (GeekBrief.tv) did, whenever you are in a city, arrange a very casual meet and greet. Not just to meet you, but for us to meet each other.

  3. Publish a ‘Monthly Challenge’ that is not related to work.

  4. Submit Your Story: Tell Tim how his book has helped you; we will publish one story each week to the FourHourWorkWeek Blog.

  By engaging us, your followers, you will not only creating an ecosystem around your philosophy; you will plant the seed of a system for sustainable growth! This is because the people who submit the best stories and win the challenges are prime candidates to become contributing authors—this eases your workload and will very rapidly increase the value of your brand, as it will become less dependent on you as people start to follow your best students under your brand.

  In regards to Hyperplasia:
  Dorian Yates [old school bodybuilder] and the Mike & Ray Mentzer [another pioneer in the field of bodybuilding] was the first place I learned about High Intensity Training [HIT]. Dorian did three sets to fail; whereas, Metzner did only one. Mike Mentzer published several books on the subject and his personal experience; along w/ a few insider training type DVD’s. I am guessing you have already come across those. Mike Metntzer died before his time, so I like to mention his outstanding and somehow little known or recognized contribution to hyperplasia (aka hypertrophy) research; even though he was highly decorated athlete and won Mr. Olympia in 1980.

  Here is a link to a comprehensive and unbiased resource on bodybuilding and hyperplasia: http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/articles.html

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — December 13th, 2009, 8:14 am

  I wouldn’t consider abcbodybuilding.com a reliable resource on exercise science. It’s much of the same nonsense and myths perpetuated by the bodybuilding magazines.

  Reply
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  AndrewGray — December 14th, 2009, 11:56 am

  Wow, I just read through most of these 700+ comments. I lost count on how many people came on here to say that some “expert” or “professional” claims that these results are not possible.

  To me, one of the main themes of this blog is Tim showing people how you should make up your own mind. By listening to these so called experts, you are just holding yourself back. Just because someone says a certain way is the only way, does not mean they are correct. Maybe someone like Tim just hadn’t come around yet to show another way. I mean at one point people believed the world was flat and if you thought otherwise you were stupid because the “experts” said it was flat.

  Reply
• 

  Jesse — December 21st, 2009, 3:03 pm

  Tim,

  I was wondering if you could list some of the exercises you did to achieve such amazing results.

  I am truly interested in the workout routine.

  My apologies if this was already posted.

  Thanks

  Reply
• 

  Chris — December 22nd, 2009, 5:24 am

  Good work Tim,

  I have actually followed your concept minus the diet and my muscle mass has almost doubled in size! I did do a little more research and my approach is different and I will explain. I have followed a plan of 8 multi-jointed exercises, most of which you did in your program. I then followed the rule of 3 seconds up and 4-5 seconds down, which I find allows me to increase the weights almost every session.

  Due to the lack of protein in my diet I have opted to train 3 days a week for about 35 minutes a session. The funny thing is that I find that the less I’m doing the bigger I am getting! I can’t wait to see what happens when I actually follow a high protein diet.

  I think the real key, is to work out your entire body and use multi-jointed exercises in your routine! I have found that I have responded really well to about eight different exercises….

  I must point out that I was quite small before I started to follow this concept and the gains have been extremely impressive…I have learnt that all you have to do is change the exercises around to suit you…and if you want abs you have to follow a high protein diet!

  Reply
• 

  Wasa Crispbread: Food of the Hardy Frontiersman — December 22nd, 2009, 11:52 am

  [...] as balsa wood. Wasa crackers have just 45 calories per, but I like to think that these are what Mr. Ferris calls “slow [...]

• 

  Joseph Santoyo — December 23rd, 2009, 4:03 am

  Dear Tim,

  I am 18 years old and would like to follow this program, I weight 180lbs at 6’1. Is it safe for me to follow the supplementation used on this program?

  Sincerely,

  Joseph Santoyo

  P.s. Great job on the 2 hour Q/A last night.

  Reply
• 

  Luciano — December 25th, 2009, 8:56 am

  Tim do you happen to have any routine like this but oriented to flexibility?

  i am looking forward to improve it, i am actually doing a professional dancer training, but the results are really really slow!!

  thanks!

  Reply
• 

  Seth @ Happenchance — December 27th, 2009, 1:58 am

  I started doing a modified version of this program in late November. My routine:
  2x per week strength training (about 45 minutes each).
  2x per week of cardio
  5 up, 5 down. 3 minute rests between workouts.

  No massive increase in calorie consumption except after lifting sessions; then I’ll eat something ridiculous like a can of black beans, several eggs, a green smoothie and three chicken breasts.

  Because I didn’t eat like a whale, I haven’t gained any weight, but my body shape has started to change; I have a few fitted shirts that no longer fit. My arms and legs look better. I can see the beginnings of a six pack (something I’ve never had). Plus, I have a ton of energy.

  Sorry ladies, but I’m not the kind to show before and after pictures. I do, however, have records of my strength gains, and for a guy who has never done any lifting before, I’m impressed with myself. Here are the results my favorite exercises (i’m starting two workouts after a couple calibration sessions):

  Chest Press:
  Nov 23: 110 lb
  Dec 24: 155 lb

  Leg Press:
  Nov 23: 150
  Dec 24: 220

  Lateral Pull Down:
  Nov 23: 45
  Dec 24: 100

  Squat
  Nov 23: 33
  Dec 24: 90

  I suppose these gains could happen for any lanky guy who started working out, but this methodology worked for me. Who cares if I’m not a freak? I’m getting in great shape and I didn’t have to spend hours at the gym to do it.

  Thanks Tim.

  Reply
• 

  Neil — January 2nd, 2010, 1:06 am

  Tim,
  When describing your diet and workout routine on bodybuilding.com you list many different supplements that you took. I’m wondering what brand of supplements you would recommend? The majority of supplements are bullshit since the supplier is just trying to make as much money as they can with the cheapest ingredients. In fact there have been many cases where the supplements don’t even contain what they are advertised as having. I’d love to hear your opinion on this since I know you sold supplements yourself.
  Thanks

  Reply
• 

  Daniel Pedersen — January 3rd, 2010, 8:24 am

  wow very nice done, you was pretty noce now, i would love to do the same.

  you are totally right from geek to muscle freak.
  would love to have your body.

  Reply
• 

  Glen — January 4th, 2010, 9:55 pm

  Amazing to run across this routine after all these years. Seems to also have elements of Ellington Darden’s “super slow” routine (the 5 up /5 down rep cadence).

  I can say for sure this routine works, as I used see it happen when I was a trainer at a Nautilus Fitness Center–now I’m really dating myself. Let me know if you want some of this material to look over, and I’ll be glad to direct you. However, a simple Goog search of arthur jones nautilus, colorado experiment routine, etc. will give you a start.

  Reply
• 

  3 Must Reads for All Ectomorphs | Ectomorphic Muscle Building — January 5th, 2010, 3:11 pm

  [...] From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks I am a fan of the author of this article, Tim Ferriss. His book The 4-Hour Workweek dramatically changed the direction I was taking in life, but all the same he has been known to twist words and bend ethics, which do make his claims in this article somewhat dubious. But even so, the principles he lists are where the true value is, and it’s just an neat example in general. [...]

• 

  Alex Azzi — January 5th, 2010, 10:07 pm

  Will give this a shot!

  Reply
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  David — January 6th, 2010, 9:13 am

  Dear Tim

  I was wondering would it be better to use free weights or resistance machines while doing your workout???

  Reply
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  James — January 6th, 2010, 7:47 pm

  Tim, 2 questions…

  1) how did you progress workout to workout add reps up till 12 then add weight and work back up from 8?

  2) Do you feel with a fast metabolism like yours that the 8-10 hour fast when going to sleep is very catabolic?

  Reply
• 

  James — January 7th, 2010, 2:00 am

  Hey Tim, I was just wondering apart from protein powder where you using any other supplements? I used to be a personal trainer but have stopped training for a little while and thought id get back in to it and give this routine a try….any advice?

  Thanks in advance,

  James

  Reply
• 

  Julian Lee — January 8th, 2010, 4:31 pm

  I just wanted to know what types of workout exercises are involved. When I clicked the link of the Colorado Experiment it doesn’t indicate any details.

  Is there a book I should buy?

  Thanks.

  Reply
• 

  glen — January 10th, 2010, 12:19 am

  Julian, Maybe this will be a place to start for you. I found this post at by Casey Viator himself at http://www.drdarden.com/readTopic.do?id=409718. I knew about this experiment many years ago, but I didn’t know that he had dieted down right before the study. I think that explains (at least partly) his massive gains. However, the genetics role is always key (you ought to see a picture of him when he won the Mr. America at age 19!

  Also note how near the end of the post, he stressed the importance of moderation as we age. Very wise words! Hope this helps.

  Chapter 14
  The Colorado Experiment
  By Casey Viator

  There has been a lot of documentation and controversy regarding this entire operation. I would like to put my two cents worth in and tell everyone exactly how this went down for the record.

  Here is my (Casey Viator) accounting:

  I really had to diet hard to get my bodyweight down to 168 lbs. We calculated that my diet before the experiment was less than 800 calories per day.

  I remember flying to Colorado in one of Arthur Jones airplanes, a Cherokee Six. Arthur always flew very high in the Commercial Jet Lanes in a decompressed cabin which always gave me the worst headaches. Arriving from Florida to Fort Collins,
  Colorado, I had more to contend with than I had prepared myself for. I was one mile high and I had to aclimate quickly, but I knew food was coming soon. We arrived at the Lamplighter Inn, just outside of Fort Collins, where I was going
  to spend the next 28 days of working hard, training and eating, no fun, maybe a movie now and then, we were there to work not play. Think about it, every day for the next month – eating, training my brains out like an animal, sleeping –
  that was my job.

  The next step was the weigh in. Body Fat count at Colorado State University was a very complex process. We used the Merrimac BodyFat Counter. This is one of the best Veterinarian Colleges in the World. The BodyFat Machine, or counter, was contained in a solid lead room with a huge crystal that was placed over my body. The radioactivity from my muscles registered my lean body mass.

  Remember this was the 70′s and this particular machine was considered State of the Art. I never questioned the accuracy, and still don’t, of this equipment. This experiment actually showed me that even in my low bodyweight, I still gained weight and lost bodyfat. Eating was quite easy the first week after all my previous month and a half of dieting. With a healthy cash incentive per pound of muscle gain, I was raring to go.

  The next step was to convert the Physiology Lab into a training facility. We had about 20 pieces of Nautilus equipment and prototypes to move to the second floor. There was even talk about the structural integrity of the second floor accomodating these pieces. Many tons of equipment was moved to that floor.

  We had brought a new line of negative prototypes that we used for testing. For example, we moved the weight up into the contracted position for the muscle with our feet and lowered it with our biceps or triceps. We even had a negative bench
  press which worked in the same fashion. There were many other types of prototypes such as the single pad Squat Machine. This piece was a real workout but in the end the mechanism that locked you out of the machine could not be perfected, hence it never ended up as a production model – all considered, this was a great machine.

  The first week or so these training sessions were very difficult. I was untrained for 5 months and my hand had atrophied quite a bit. The first two
  sessions I ended up on the floor with a pulse rate close to fibrillation. But, as they say, “what won’t kill you will only make you stronger.” I tried to keep
  my fat content down during my 6-8 meals per day. During my workout sessions,
  Arthur would more or less sit in a chair and read the newspaper. If he figured I
  was slowing down my pace he would say something insulting and I would get mad
  and push even harder into the set, which made me achieve better gains.

  The only rule was keeping perfect form. This was a game he and I played for
  almost 10 years off and on. One thing about the man, he sure knows how to “piss”
  someone off to make them work harder through their workouts!

  My workload was so intense that my body absorbed everything I ate. My muscles
  were coming back rapidly. This was a true case of muscle memory.

  Many people have questioned the validity of this study. A lot of factors came
  into play, one of which is genetics. The average man would not have been able to
  gain 63 lbs. of raw muscle, which Arthur Jones and myself have been defending
  this study for years.

  There has been a lot of questions regarding steroid use. Many people claimed
  that I loaded up for this experiment. I can honestly say that there was no use
  of steroids during this study, which is a very important point.

  I was closely monitored in a closed door environment. Believe me, I would have
  done anything to have gained that weight, but I knew my rebound potential and I
  also knew I would make remarkable gains even before the study began.

  The rest factor is very important when an entire body workout is performed.
  Proper sleeping and eating habits are also very important factors. When you work
  your bodyparts three times a week briefly but intensely your body has to grow.
  Proper sequence of pre-exhausting exercises is very important also. The safety
  factor is observed very closely, especially during the first part of each
  movement. That is when you have the strength to injure your self. The last part
  of any exercise is usually not the most dangerous point, your muscles are simply
  too weak to injure at that point. Throwing a weight or dropping or lowering a
  weight too fast at any time can injure a subject.

  The Denver Broncos came in for training sessions and to watch us go through our
  fast paced training. Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears was also there training
  and observing what was going on. I was very proud of the results that took place
  in Colorado and feel that this study has contributed to the awareness of how
  much time is wasted in most individuals workouts. This experiment is still being
  studied in colleges across the country today and also can be found on the
  Internet.

  I must say that I have injured myself on many an occasion in the gym – with
  pectoral tears, lower inguinal hernias and many other injuries, however I really
  managed to stay injury free using this type of heavy training, so I felt I had
  to test out my boundaries. At my current age of 48, I feel this is not safe for
  the average man: 750 lbs. squat, 500 lbs. incline bench press, 1500 lbs. leg
  presses.

  As I mature, I feel moderation would have been better for my overall well being.
  Every injury was caused by bad form or explosive movements. If I can teach one
  person the hazards of this type of training, I would really be very happy.

  If any trainee is considering doing this type of training, I would make sure
  that you work at your individual pace and push yourself just enough so you can finish the entire body routine.

  Reply
• 

  Igor B. — January 12th, 2010, 5:11 am

  2 friends and I have just started with the system today. Last time I tried I made it to day 17. and put on a descent 15 pounds. This time I must go all the way.

  Current weight at 6″6″ is 205 lbs.

  The other two friends have 6″2″ and 158 lbs ( this one is critical and 5″8″ 155 lbs.

  I will report in in one month Hope we can survive.

  Sincerely, Igor B.

  Reply
• 

  Day 7:Back « Be the best you can be — January 12th, 2010, 10:18 am

  [...] the time of one hour). I will be looking to take on the challenge set down by timothy ferriss in gaining weight and building muscle after my Brighton Half Marathon. This will be interesting and very difficult I [...]

• 

  Jake R. — January 14th, 2010, 4:05 pm

  Hey Tim,

  I can’t believe how many haters you have. I just read your book (and ordered the extended edition!) and it was amazing. My family and I are going to be testing your fat loss and weight gain routines. I can’t speak for the family but I will document my experiment profusely. From all the research I have done, it seems nobody has tested the method exactly right (except for you, of course). So I will be starting Monday, having researched All I need. I’ll update upon completion. I wanted to also say thanks, for the motivation along with the wisdom.

  J

  Reply
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  John Fawkes — January 15th, 2010, 5:09 pm

  Just a tip for all you folks worried about the accuracy of body fat measurements: this article gives you all you need to test a formula for anthropometric (circumference of different body parts) body fat measurement.

  See, Tim’s measurements in this article are spot-on. They were taken by professionals, including (correct me if I’m wrong here Tim) the use of highly accurate laboratory methods for measuring body fat percentage, as opposed to more fallible methods like calipers or anthropometric formulas.

  Therefore, any anthropometric formula should, if given Tim’s measurements, produce Tim’s body fat percentage. Simply look up a formula and enter into it both Tim’s before measurements and his after measurements. If the formula correctly spits out 16-17% for for the first calculation and 12% for the second calculation, it has given an accurate result for two different sets of data points and can be considered reasonably accurate.

  One caveat:: This may only work for men due to differences in body proportions and formulas used for men and women.

  Reply
• 

  Sudhakar — January 19th, 2010, 1:55 pm

  HOW WOULD THIS WORK FOR A VEGETARIAN?

  Reply
• 

  SN — January 20th, 2010, 10:02 am

  Hey Tim,

  I was just wondering if this program would work for a vegetarian. Are there certain tweaks that can be made to accommodate a vegetarian diet? Is there anything else you would recommend, exercise or food wise, for a vegetarian? Thanks!

  Reply
• 

  Jonah — January 20th, 2010, 1:49 pm

  I looked at your bodybuilding page and am very disappointed at the misleading title of these articles. You DID NOT gain 34 pounds of pure muscle. You gained 34 pounds in body weight. You were also consuming creatine (via NO-Xplode), which means 5-10 pounds is just water weight! Creatine also makes muscles look fuller, but it does not add dry muscle!

  Reply
• 

  Sabrina — January 21st, 2010, 3:38 pm

  Wow! You improvement is very impressive!

  Reply
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  JONH — January 22nd, 2010, 5:56 pm

  wow 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks…
  if you write a book on bodybuilding i will definitely buy it,
  i think everyone here will

  Reply
• 

  Magik T — January 23rd, 2010, 6:29 pm

  I’ve been into nutrition supplements since I met Emergen-C and FizzIt/Zip Fizz, and various multi-vitamins. Several members of my family are body builders and health nuts. My sister recommended the Dr. Max Powers Anabolic Stack to me.

  First off, I got the Dr Max Anabolic Stack for $99 at a local GNC store (with membership). I was surprised I could get the same stuff at their own website for only $60!!

  I usually take just one pack a day with a very tall glass of water after breakfast. You definitely will want to take this with food and PLENTY of water. One thing you will notice after taking this, your body will want water and lots of it. Throughout the entire day I feel a noticeable rise in energy as if I had a really dark cup of coffee.

  I recommend just one pack per day due to the insane percentage of vitamins and nutrients. One of the responses I get taking this stuff is that your body will pass most of this stuff through your system without absorbing it. This opinion is debatable from my research online. Through my own testing with an increase in Vitamin C intake: I haven’t been sick for 6+ months. I used to take sick leave on a monthly basis…

  After a week of taking this supplement I noticed my energy levels were much higher and my workout results increased. Running several miles for a quick exercise is now easier than ever. I’m guessing each user’s results will differ.

  I recommend taking this early in the day after a big breakfast. Drink plenty of fluids! Also, unless you are working out for hours and hours, fitness trainers I know recommend just 1 pack per day.

  Reply
• 

  Jonathan — January 25th, 2010, 3:20 pm

  Hey Tim,

  As a former division 1 football player (Center) I had to figure out a great way to go from 305lbs (where i played at) to 215lbs (where i wanted to be for my 6’2″ frame) without becoming a drippy, flabby mess. I did it in about 6 months while maintainging a bench/deadlift/squat of 350/430/500

  I utilized the philosophy of VInce Gironda the “Iron Guru” for diet and weight training. His diet was very similar to yours, but my weight training almost exclusively for the past 2 years has utilized his “honest workout” also known as the 8×8 system.

  http://xtort.net/osw/vince-girondas-8-x-8-workout/

  I’m curious as to your thoughts on your HIT method compared to Gironda’s. I see many similarities (lower weights, little rest, efficient workout), and would certainly be willing to take the plunge. Your thoughts?

  Jonathan

  Reply
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  Andy — January 26th, 2010, 8:51 pm

  I have to say after trying to work out like this for a week I am a believer, one set of the the 5/5 cadence felt like I just worked out my chest for an hour. I have been working out for a long time and I think where ome people may be going wrong with this is, not understanding just how much effort you have to put into your one set to failure. I just tried working my chest out 6 days after my last workout and I have still not fully recovered.

  Another fun challenge. Try just drinking water for a month, no other liquids. I have cut out booze, caffiene, artificial sweetener, juice, milk you name it. I have lost 10 lbs this month and havent changed a thing in my diet. (Actually I have been eating worse )

  Reply
• 

  Sgt Matthew H Tartaglia — January 27th, 2010, 10:02 am

  I have been to this level of training and beyond you can look at my website which is about how to survive all and we have org and net at the moment, I havee posted the size surge diet which references the LIATTLE KNOWN COLORADO EXPERIEMNT!
  Arthur Jones was awesome thinker and innovator Casey Viator was short and densely built and did take a boatlaod of AAS but that was what they knew then, I take HRT Mormone Replacement Therapy and use the Test and Deca as a way to become rebuilt and rejuvinated after a horrible beating I took as a first responder at Sept 11 2001 WTC Site, the clinic I use is legal and best of all they do care what happens they ship and they do blood work, this all combined with this information and you are more than on your way have fun, live life like there’s no tomoorow but plan just in case it shows!
  Bestregards to all
  Sgt Matthew

  Reply
• 

  VS — January 27th, 2010, 3:45 pm

  http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=54641&page=2

  i stumbled upon this post while on the forum. There’s a lot of people refuting your claims…i was going to write a post in your support but thought a person more suitable to do that would be you

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — February 14th, 2010, 8:41 pm

    I’ve addressed this and listed the names (Yuki Nakai, Yamada Manabu, Rumina Sato, etc.) elsewhere on the blog, but these pages don’t stop coming up. Rightly, it was on mats or in a ring, not in a cage, but editing leads to wording so people understand. “Submit” would also be much more appropriate to “vanquish”, but few people in the general public get “submit”. It doesn’t bother me if they don’t believe me. Hopefully it doesn’t bother you either.

    If they think I’m confident I could win in current MMA, they are wrong. I’d get destroyed. The sport has evolved a lot over the last 10 years. I started with Shooto and submission wrestling at Kiguchi dojo in 1992/93. Ancient history.

    Best,

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Hans — February 1st, 2010, 7:49 am

  Hey Tim!

  Congratulations on the experiment! I read about your experiment the day after I signed up for a Nautilus based training and am excited and ready to test your training/food plan.

  Two quick questions for your valuable time:

  1. I heard testosterone levels, the basis for muscle buildup, vary greatly during the day. What time of the day is the best to practice, in a high or in a low? At what time did you practice?

  2. Is working on two alternating, full-body workout plans an option to gain even more muscle mass or will the results suffer?
  I thereby mean Monday Plan A, Wednesday Plan B, Friday Plan A, etc. with 7 different exercises each time.

  Thank you for your time!!

  Hans

  Reply
• 

  Jason — February 3rd, 2010, 7:59 am

  Not wanting to put a downer on it but am I the only one that doesn’t believe that someone added 5.5inches to their chest in only 8 workouts with in a 4 week period? Sorry not buying it.

  Reply
• 

  Dennis — February 6th, 2010, 11:28 am

  Hi Tim, hi all

  I am totally curious to try out that program. I’m just not quite sure about a couple of things – could you please help me clarify?

  1. What I still don’t understand is: eating such large amounts of food (You refer to eating between 5000-8000 calories a day!!) why don’t you just go fat? Especially if you only work out 2 times a week for 30min.???
  I was pretty chubby 2 years ago and then lost a good 25lbs. I am kind of afraid that I will gain that weight back on…

  2. In which order do you do your workout?
  On the bodybuilding.com site You refers to this:

  Favorite Exercises:
  * Conventional-stance deadlift
  * Pullover
  * thick-bar reverse curls
  * standing overhead press
  * incline dumbbell bench press

  Do you recommend this exercises in this particular order?

  3. Is it still possible to get this kind of results without taking all of those supplements?
  I’d like to stick to a proper diet (eating like a horse) and Protein Shakes (Whey & Time Released)?

  Thanks a lot!

  With greetings from Germany
  Dennis

  Reply
• 

  Sam — February 7th, 2010, 4:12 pm

  Can bodyweight exercises be used to the same effect? I don’t have access to a gym for a while…

  Reply
• 

  Heyward — February 8th, 2010, 4:19 pm

  Avi Lehyani, a huge ripped vegan….but the most impressive thing is his diet : 65% carbs!! WTF??

  http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bio_avi

  Reply
• 

  Jonan Bahnsen — February 8th, 2010, 5:24 pm

  well, this is my first post on this blog, i haven’t really had the time typing, since i have been reading it, and just continued reading ALOT!

  Now i have decided that the belly gotta go, and i need to get back in shape (ex B class muay thai fighter)

  i will follow this workout+the diet for 1 full month, and my brother will be on it aswell. however i do have 1 question.

  in your diet page, you say: take 1 day off= pizza and coke day, which is cool.
  but then in this page you say that i should take 1 day per week with 50% less calories than usual, to prevent the body to get used to the new protein intake? if im correct?

  So should both be done, or should i only do one, and which one? and should they be away from eachother, like monday and thursday, or is it okay to place them next to eachother?

  I hope that someone can answer this, and im sorry if it has already been answered, couldn’t find it anywhere,

  there will be taken measurements, pictures, and notes of everything, to see the transformation in 1 month.

  last thing, keep it up Tim, your book +blog has blown my mind away in ways i never could imagine, i have learned so much, and i am completely fascinated by your way of doing everything the “lazy way” only to be doing the very same as most others, only with 20% effort, i just love it,
  Like the article with david blaine, where you hold your breath, i remember back in my days where i was holding it for a min, which i found pretty okay. and with the exercises you gave i did it for 1min and 30 sec without having half the lung capacity of back when i was in shape, well just had to say, damn. keep it up my man!

  Reply
• 

  ross j — February 8th, 2010, 8:18 pm

  hi everyone im 18 years old and am quite interested in trying this out for my self but i would like to do it the right way. i am a bit confused as to what it is i have to be doing. anyone who clearly understands the steps to this program i would MORE than appreiate it if you would email me explaining how do perform this miracle. my email is frongo123@gmail.com (thanks so much for anyone who helps)

  Reply
• 

  Jeff Masterson — February 9th, 2010, 1:54 pm

  This is a really interesting concept. It looks like you’ve got decent genetics to begin with but still very impressive results in such a short period of time. You are a genius at figuring things out very quickly.

  The 3 best things anyone can do to gain weight quickly:

  1. Lift 3 days per week using compound lifts.
  2. Eat 6 meals a day with the right amounts of protein, carbs, and fat.
  3. Rest.

  Reply
• 

  bman — February 10th, 2010, 1:57 am

  I am drinking a gallon of milk per day, plus my food intake.

  I’ve gained 7.5 lbs in 6 days on the diet.

  3 days at the gym per week (been twice) heavy weights low reps.

  I am 6’3” 145 now, working up to 180.

  Reply
• 

  Matt — February 11th, 2010, 10:32 am

  @ Colby Re: Matt

  Hey Colby,
  Thanks for reading my Post.
  Couple of things.
  1. You are correct about my numbers not adding up **(. I went from 280 to 296, not 292 as stated. My mistake.

  2. For the past 10ish years i have measured my body fat w/ skin calipers at that location. I don’t mention % body fat, only MM as this is a direct measurement. I assumed that as long as the measurement stayed the same, the increased mass would be from lean muscle growth. very little would be fat.

  3. I use GOMAD, as stated. Great for muscle gains!

  4. I used this program twice. I weighed in at 305 the second time around.

  5. Why gain more weight when I am 280? Good question. I played college football @265. I am atskinny 300 lbs @ 6′ 6″. People always comment that they have a relative that’s my height, but much bigger. At 300lbs, I still look “thin”.

  6. I found Tim’s Article to be interesting so I came up with a plan and committed to it. I posted my results because I was astonished and wanted to share them. I liked my body @ 280, 296, and 305. That was and is always the final test.

  7. While I appreciate that this workout may not work for you, it did for me. Twice. Please note the expanded body measurements. I was asked repeatedly if I was on steriods. Also how come I don’t workout anymore.

  8. Try it. It is only a month, what do you have to lose?

  9. What was your best month in the gym ever? Did you ever see similiar gains? If so publish your program. I would be willing to give it a try……

  Reply
• 

  ACercenia — February 14th, 2010, 10:31 am

  Tim,

  Not sure if you read comments here (or out-source comments ala 4HWW), but I was wondering… do you have any articles/experiments for rapidly increasing cardiovascular-endurance/VO-max?

  Thanks.

  Reply
• 

  Jon Van Arsdall — February 15th, 2010, 8:52 pm

  Hey Tim,

  I’m an 18 yr old college student that stumbled upon your site look for speed reading tips and have been HOOKED on your blog since! Your blog is AWESOME, you post stuff that I’ve incorporated in my life in A LOT of ways. Seeing that you’re one of THE top productivity gurus of the internets, I have always been one to love to be able to get as much done as I can efficiently in the such little time I have it seems! I can’t even get over it! My attempts to “gain” more time extended even to the point of trying the uberman sleep schedule (which I stopped after a week and got extremely sick i.e. 103 degree temp ).

  I’ve bought your book and read it, LOVED it, as well as the many other people who have had the pleasure of reading it. And I’ve also bought many other books that you’ve recommended on your blog and can’t wait to read them… once I have the time x.x

  I think that people who have the audacity to criticize your posts should be

  SLAPPED for their complete utter ignorance.

  Tim You’re awesome and my hero, keep posting awesome/amazing stuff that

  helps people live life happier and more efficiently!

  Sincerely, Jon

  Reply
• 

  Mike Perry — February 16th, 2010, 11:22 am

  Good God, are you people so blind that you actually believe this crap? Ask ANY (and I mean any) expert in phisology and they will tell you a genetically gifted individual would have a difficult time adding 35 pounds of muscle in a lifetime without steroids, let alone a skinny bastid adding that much in 28 days. This is CRAP people, utter crap, I woud not doubt the photos are doctored or represent the authors transformation after taking steroids and working out for at LEAST one year. And this is coming from a STRICT adherent to high intensity weight training principles. Crap guys, complete crap.

  Reply
• 

  Paul — February 19th, 2010, 3:06 pm

  have followed you weight loss, but feel i am in a slumb now, i would apprieciate adivce o without fat gain , i have became lean but feel i have lost my muscle as well sadly , pls help

  king regards

  a passionate wannabe nutritionlist/ trainer your words are wisdom to me so please help me , i do 6 days a week trainng and would love if you can give me full advice

  Reply
• 

  Megan Monroe — February 27th, 2010, 6:02 am

  Tim – maybe you can help me…

  My son watched this video here called [removed]…

  and he just read your amazing article.

  Considering he’s only 17 – would it be safer for him to do your program or this video or should he wait?

  please help – he’s real desparate to start

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — February 28th, 2010, 4:38 am

    Hi Megan,

    Sorry — wasn’t sure if the link was spam or not, as it seemed to be a big sales video. Avoid the ballistic moves and use what I suggest at a 5/5 lifting speed. It should be safer for him to use the exercise protocol I suggest.

    Best,

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Farid — February 27th, 2010, 7:07 am

  @Paul:

  Did you actually read the above blog post??? 6 days a week of training??

  Reply
• 

  John Fawkes — March 2nd, 2010, 11:45 am

  I’ve been following this program for a while at my school gym and getting some results, but far less than you and some of your other readers. How important is it to use Nautilus or other cam-shafted machines? Also, how much does it hurt me if I occasionally eat a meal with medium-GI carbs like a burrito, or a low-carb high-fat meal?

  Reply
• 

  James — March 3rd, 2010, 5:40 am

  Interesting studies going mainstream now about working out less but harder for better results. this link is to an article on msnbc news about how interval training can be twice as effective and get you way better results in a shorter amount of time: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35581793/ns/health-fitness/

  Just reminded me of your advice, Tim, so I thought I’d throw the link at you guys.

  Cheers,
  James

  Reply
• 

  Christoph Dollis — March 4th, 2010, 1:04 am

  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.

  Hi Tim,

  Thinking out loud here.

  According to Loren Cordain, PhD., who you’ll be familiar with as author of The Paleo Diet and probably the man most responsible for publicizing the Paleo/priman/hunter-gatherer lifestyle (although starting from a medical perspective your friend Michael Eades, M.D. sure did and does yeoman’s work) Casein appears to be the protein in cow dairy which is carcinogenic, unlike whey which is both high quality and harmless.

  I’m not saying one should totally avoid dairy as I gather it’s much more important to avoid grains and sugar: Plus dairy can be both economical, tasty, and a convenient simulation of the foods humans evolved on. (Eades and Kurt Harris, M.D., who blogs at PaleoNu.com both agree on this point.)

  However, in light of Cordain’s and others’ new research and conclusions, which has somewhat of a logical basis insofar as casein is produced by cows and not humans, is proactively supplementing with casein and recommending others do same still a good idea?

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — March 5th, 2010, 2:58 am

    Hi Christoph,

    I no longer consume casein isolate. I believe that most proteins are best consumed from whole food sources. There are just too many things we have yet to identify that work in conjunction with the protein we’re so eager to hack out and make taste like chocolate Good comment. Kudos.

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Christoph Dollis — March 4th, 2010, 1:04 am

  *primal

  Reply
• 

  Christoph Dollis — March 4th, 2010, 1:16 am

  Afterthought:

  For what it’s worth, pulling out my copy of The Paleo Diet I noticed Michael and Mary Dan Eades, M.D. are featured front and center on the cover endorsing Cordain’s book.

  Cordain isn’t without his detractors (some think he’s too anti-dairy, for example, and too anti-fat) yet he’s also a serious and respected scientist. His conclusions on casein wouldn’t be enough to make me stop dairy outright, but I wouldn’t supplement casein powder… out of prudence.

  Reply
• 

  Tyler — March 5th, 2010, 1:11 am

  This is a cool experiment. I’m about to try and bulk up for two months starting in May this year. Are there any tips for eating more calories? I’m probably eating around 3000 calories right now, getting it up to 5 to 7000 looks like it could be difficult. In terms of food prep I should be fine, but actually consuming it might be hard.

  Are there any tips for being able to expand your calorie intake? I heard drinking lots of water can help expand your stomach which may allow you to eat more food over time.

  Cheers.

  Reply
• 

  Christoph Dollis — March 6th, 2010, 7:07 am

  Starting next week I am going to follow a hybrid of Tim’s advice combined with Doug McGuff, M.D.’s “Body by Science” teachings and embark on my own version of this experiment, but more radical insofar as I’ll do 1 workout a week (plus any other activity which appeals to me at the time).

  Yes, my initial couple dozen weeks’ progress will be slower, but so will my time invested. Further it will be much longer before I hit a plateau and have to reduce frequency as Tim advises will become necessary.

  Mostly, I can do other interesting personal projects that also appeal to me on the other days of the week: 1 per day as it happens.

  I’ll report back in a year on the outside, sooner if it’s going well.

  Reply
• 

  Jake — March 7th, 2010, 4:52 pm

  On one of these 4HWW posts you talked about a book you were writing about how to “hack” the human body for better performance. Has this book ever been finished/released?

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — March 8th, 2010, 3:09 am

    Coming in Sept 2010

    Reply
• 

  Lasse — March 9th, 2010, 5:20 am

  I’ve been doing this program for the last four weeks. The first week I tried to get 5000 calories by only eating what you suggest on bodybuilding.com, but I just couldn’t swallow that much, so for the last three weeks I’ve been on GOMAD as well, thus getting +5000 calories.

  My weight has increased from 77.8 kg to 85.8 kg – that’s 8 kg gained.

  My measurements, before and after in cm:

  Biceps flexed: 33.3 to 36
  Chest: 97 to 100.5
  Thigh: 58 to 61.5
  Shoulders: 117 to 122.5
  Lower arm: 29 to 30
  Waist: 83 to 90
  Hips (ass at widest): 98 to 100.5
  Calves: 38 to 38

  Before and after pictures: http://i.imagehost.org/0637/beforeafter.jpg

  Unfortunately I don’t have measurements of bodyfat before and after, but I think it’s pretty clear from the pictures and from the increased waist size that I have gained fat. Might be because of the GOMAD?

  Besides GOMAD I ate quinoa, rice, whole wheat pasta, tuna, pork, chicken, lentils, beans and oat meal. I supplemented with B-vitamins for breakfeast and before bed, as well as lipoic acids and chromium for all meals. I ate four times a day. (I have decided to allow myself to eat other things as well now. I’ve gotten sick of eating the same few things every day for a month…)

  For the first two weeks, I worked out three times a week. Each workout lasted about 45 minutes. For the last two weeks I’ve been doing only two workouts each week. I have a casein protein shake after workout.

  I do the exact same exercises each time as suggested by Tim on bodybuilding.com:
  Pullover + Bent row
  Shoulder-width leg press
  Pec-deck + weighted dips
  Leg curl
  Reverse thick-bar curl (purchase cut 2″ piping from Home Depot if needed)
  Seated calf raises
  Manual neck resistance
  Machine crunches

  I’m pretty sure I have gained muscle because I use heavier weights for my workouts, but I’m a little concerned about the extra fat. Is the increased amounts of fat to be expected, and I will just have to cut it off with cardio later?

  Suggestions and feedback is very much appreciated.

  Reply
• 

  stryper — March 23rd, 2010, 2:10 pm

  Personal Experience is the final arbiter of what you believe – I don’t care about the theory; I’ve been doing this for 3 weeks and the results are insane. I’ve never been so torn up after the gym and I’ve never gained mass so fast. I’m only going once a week, and it’s still working.

  Reply
• 

  Paul — March 27th, 2010, 2:15 pm

  Tim i would love if you reply back to me i have done you how to lose weight fr 4 weeks and i am pretty lean and ready to bulk,

  so could you tell me exactly what to take now to staret bulking and reduce the amount of fat possbile, i amready to take this step just please tell me excactly what to eat i know what you said about your low carb, but i am 17 so maybe tell me what i can eat after workout more about them fast acting carbs

  and other foods to get my calories up!

  also if any supplements/vitamins to take as well please tim very excited to start this, cause i am impressing a good few with my leaness but feel lost abit of muscle , (not your fault just i love to run a fair bit lol)

  im ready to put myself through thisnew experiemnt, i also see this is one of my life style expierments, i am mostly strength core and interval trainer and have put resistance bands in my workut , i do alot of supersets and arrange of areobic and anerobice in my workouts

  pls get back to me tim asap want to start asap!

  btw if you cant understand this i suffer from a form of dyselix so i do apoligse and i know its not a excuse but pls reply to me tim ur one of my idols,

  ps also want my own service , but dont knw how to properly start, as personal trianer but thats for another forum lol:)

  Reply
• 

  Paul — March 27th, 2010, 2:25 pm

  also when you say take quinoa, is that with every meal or just after gym!

  also finaly i talked to a powerliftr and he does no more than 30 minutes a day and before his event he takes the full wekk of and recovers and sits in sona and we have a right laugh although when he say what he squats i feel a tadd uncomfortable lol

  Reply
• 

  Kent — March 28th, 2010, 7:10 am

  Hello Tim .First Of: THX for all the inspiration, both in the book and on this page!
  I’m confused about how you spend just 30 min in the gym. Sow here is my ?:

  how many set off each excercise? (just one or 3-4?)
  and do u wait 2-3 min between each set or just between exerceises?

  Thx again for all the great stuf u putt on here(i can(and somethimes do…) spend hours here

  From Copenhagen Denmark

  Kent

  Reply
• 

  Ryan Callahan — March 29th, 2010, 3:45 pm

  Hey how yah doin. I just won a New Jersey state title for high school wrestling at 171 pounds. I don’t really cut weight so i’m at like 175 right now. Anyway i wanna bulk up to at least 200 pounds before prom (May 14th). I’m 6 feet tall and basically lean muscle. Did alot of negatives at the gym today because of this article. but basically my question is what protein shake should i be taking and what exactly should i be eating for breakfast lunch dinner (i don’t have much money for supplements unless they r absolutely necessary to hit my goal) and my familys not super rich so i doubt my mom will go shopping and buy expensive meals to suit my diet. please email me back or i will check back here frequently.

  Ryan Callahan

  Reply
• 

  misspolished — March 30th, 2010, 1:29 pm

  So, I am confused. I am wanting to do this, but you should not do it unless you lose your fat first? If you want to gain muscle? I was under the impression that you will burn fat WHILE gaining muscle on this program?

  Also, getting all my protien only from food scares me.. that’s a lot of calories. I would think that only working out 2x a week while eating such enormous amounts of calories would pack on the pounds, no?

  Reply
• 

  christina — April 1st, 2010, 12:08 pm

  Opps, used my blog name. My bad. So, Tim, you don’t take Casein anymore right? What would you suggest to get extra protein, I just can’t wat that much food in a day!

  Reply
• 

  Paul — April 2nd, 2010, 8:43 am

  i know i migh sound stupid but tim i really want to start do you take quinoa with every meal or just after gym?

  i dont mind eating more beans and meat with ever meal and just quinoa after post with my shake

  let me know asap Tim want to start this monday

  finally i am very lean and hoping for some nice gains

  Reply
• 

  Paul — April 3rd, 2010, 1:17 pm

  ok i know ims a busy guy and all so if anyone can help me should i take qinoa wth every meal or just post workout?

  is oats,pasta ok after workout and just stay on his diet through out i have no cocern eating 800 calories pasta after a workout every day ,

  some help please

  asap i am starting monday!

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — April 3rd, 2010, 2:37 pm

  If your protein is coming from relatively lean meat it is not difficult to get a lot of protein without going overboard on calories if you’re trying to cut weight. A pound of relatively lean sirloin will give you about 140 grams of protein but only around 850 calories. A pound of cooked shrimp will give you about 95 grams of protein at only 450 calories.

  If you take some time to look up the values of different foods you’ll find plenty of options to get adequate protein while still being able to keep your overall calorie intake low.

  Reply
• 

  Bill Palmer — April 4th, 2010, 8:59 am

  For my post workout drink I actually use maltodextrose and dextrose along with kool-aid for my carbs and a protein isolate shake for my protein. I skip the fat in this meal because it slows the digestion and absorption of the nutrients which need to get into your body fast after an intense workout.

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — April 4th, 2010, 6:43 pm

  Kent, I’m not Tim, of course, but my workouts last around 25 to 30 minutes on average. I do one set of each exercise using enough weight to achieve muscular failure after between 7 and 10 reps. Each of these reps takes an average of around 8 seconds (about 3 seconds to lift, a brief pause at the top, and about 3 to 4 seconds to lower) plus a few deep breaths in between reps on exercises like squats and deadlifts (rest-pause repetitions). A typical set lasts anywhere from 60 to 80 seconds, with the squats and deadlifts lasting longer due to the breathing pause between reps.

  I typically perform 8 exercises per workout, occasionally adding one or two grip exercises at the end. I currently alternate between the following two full body workouts, which are done at home with free weights.

  Workout A:
  1. barbell squat 1×7-10 (1 set of 7 to 10 repetitions)
  2. barbell bench press 1×7-10
  3. bent-over barbell row 1×7-10
  4. barbell stiff-legged deadlift 1×7-10
  5. dumbbell lateral raise 1×7-10
  6. barbell pullover 1×7-10
  7. ez-curl bar french press 1×7-10
  8. ez-curl bar curl 1×7-10

  Workout B:
  1. shrug bar deadlift 1×7-10
  2. standing dumbbell press 1×7-10
  3. weighted chin up 1×7-10
  4. weighted sissy squat 1×7-10
  5. weighted parallel-bar dip 1×7-10
  6. ez-curl bar reverse curls 1×7-10
  7. one-legged dumbbell calf raise 1×7-10
  8. weighted crunch 1×7-10

  At a max of around 80 seconds per exercise, plus extra time on the squats and deadlifts the actual cumulative exercise time is typically under 12 minutes. I take about one to two minutes between exercises – long enough to switch weights, put things back, etc., without rushing. I am currently timing each of my workouts as part of making a point of how little time is actually required in the gym, and my last two were 29:46 and 30:40

  Reply
  • 

    MoMacAttack — November 20th, 2010, 3:55 pm

    Drew,

    Thank you for posting all this great info. I’m collecting everything you’ve written about and combing thru your site.

    I’m going into this 7 week body recomposition contest. I want to gaint the most muscle as possible in that short time. SO Here I am.

    I’ll likely steal the above workout. But I tell you this. I’m about 5’7, 160, not skinny, but a PUNK. I just joined a gym and I stared doign the Bench press. I almost killed myself lifting 135. WTF. I need to find a girl gym.

    Anyway, if you have any more specific advice, I’d be very VERY intersted.

    Good Stuff.

    -MoMacAttack

    Reply
    • 

      Drew Baye — November 22nd, 2010, 8:37 am

      Moe,

      Best advice I can give you as a beginner is to start with a weight that is only moderately difficult and focus on form first. Once you are confident you are capable of using more weight in good form, increase by 5% or 5 pounds, whichever is less.

      Always try to do a little better than you did previously. Progression is key. Resist the temptation to do more exercises, more often. If you train hard enough very little exercise is required to STIMULATE improvements, and adequate rest is necessary for the body to PRODUCE improvements. More exercise will not stimulate a proportionally greater degree of improvement and can prevent the body from producing what improvements are stimulated.

      Train hard, but briefly and infrequently, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and minimize your stress and you will be surprised at how your body changes.

      Reply
  • 

    Antonius Momac — November 24th, 2010, 5:28 pm

    Drew,

    I was trying to figure out how to thank you for your time and good advice.

    I’m not going to do anything STOOPID, and that’s a big thanks to you and your site.

    Dude, its really awesome. I’m combing through it right now, and I’m sure to try a lot of stuff… Chin-UPS **BUMMBERCLATT** me have trouble do 10… =)

    You really have good taste. I remember that in ’92 when I was first interested in looking good, Frank Zane and Mike Mentzer were my favorite. Great size, definition and balance.

    I’m learning a lot and I’ll be incorporate all your great advice. I’m going work towards that bike guy improvement; go from 165 lbs – 173 lbs

    Reply
• 

  Trying to pack on muscle. Not working. - Page 5 - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums — April 5th, 2010, 2:05 pm

  [...] being as much of a chore. That reminds me anyone done the Body by Science / Colorado experiment / Tim Ferris thing here and gotten results? I don't think I could even manage eating 5000+calories of mainly [...]

• 

  Kent — April 6th, 2010, 8:27 am

  @ Drew
  Thx, only one ? left then: is it working for u to? how long have u been doing it, and what is the result?

  thx again
  Kent

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — April 7th, 2010, 9:15 am

  @Kent,

  Yes, only one set per exercise. One set is all that is necessary. The majority of research shows no significant difference between single and multiple sets. Prior to the 1950′s when steroids started ruining bodybuilding, the majority of bodybuilders trained this way, performing a single set of about a dozen exercises, 3 times per week.

  Although I’ve experimented with different repetition ranges, repetition speeds and methods (negative-only, negative-accentuated, hyper, Max Contraction, SuperSlow, rest-pause, etc.) and have varied the specific exercises performed, my workouts have all been basic, brief, single-set routines, performed no more than 3x weekly, and at some points I have trained only once weekly and still managed to improve. When I started I weighed about 150 pounds and I was able to build up to 180 while improving my definition over a period of about 6 months. This was back in ’94. Since then, my heaviest weight in lean condition has been around 195, which doesn’t sound like much if you compare it to the claims of today’s competitive bodybuilders, but isn’t bad for someone who is drug free and is about 5’8″ with an ecto-mesomorphic frame.

  Reply
• 

  Paul — April 10th, 2010, 3:14 pm

  hey all i am on day 4 of my bulk, i am pretty lean and have started bulking so hopefully better results, but tonight i ate 5000 calories all lean meats and vegatables etc

  hardest for me today

  i working up day 1 3000
  day 2 3500
  day3 4000
  and now today 5000

  very parnoid about the fat gain as its near summer but i will see it through! lol ill keep posting

  Reply
• 

  ARTY — April 10th, 2010, 3:54 pm

  Wow Tim. I get such great info from your book and this blog. The biggest thing I realize though is that some people just plain suck! I can’t believe the amount of hate and disbelief. If they would simply do what you did, exactly as you did it – and then truly fail, they could disprove your results. For all the hot air blowing around here, I haven’t see any takers yet.

  Which leads me to a good time saving tip for other regular readers out there: I used to read the blog posts and every response that followed. Now I just read the blog post and skim thru the comments to read Tim’s responses. All killer, no filler!

  Thanks for kickin’ ass Tim.

  Reply
• 

  Paul — April 11th, 2010, 11:53 am

  its been 5 days and my weight is now 168lbs i started 161 lbs wait line hasnt moved but very parnoid lol, i do feel already beefy

  Reply
• 

  James Luker — April 17th, 2010, 11:09 pm

  Impossible. The only way to gain this much mass in 4 weeks is to take enhancement drugs and even then you can’t gain 8 lbs a week completely lean. Ludicrous. Not to mention your body fat level mysteriously drops as mass is gained. Its the no cutting cycle miracle. Besides its just not healthy to gain anymore than 2-3 lbs of mass per week and if you decide to take the short cut 4 lbs per week with a perfect diet.

  Reply
• 

  Ryan — April 17th, 2010, 11:29 pm

  This is actually a very dangerous program. Eating 5000-8000 calories a day and not working out enough and sleeping enough to allow muscle growth is stressing kidneys and other body functions. Not to mention how much fat your going to gain. There is no reason for anyone who is not an athlete to be eating this much even if the food is healthy. This kind of calorie intake is for professional athletes and military training. The transformation in these pictures on this website typically take at least 6-12 months and 3-4 times a week possibly more during the dieting phase at the gym if this person did not take any performance enhancing drugs. Don’t be fooled by these guys. Building a great physique takes time, dedication, healthy food and hard training. Its a shame that so many try to fool people into thinking its easy and make money doing so.

  Reply
• 

  Kyle Warner — April 20th, 2010, 5:37 am

  WOW Tim, those are some impressive gains… That’ Colorado Experiment is really interesting too I’m going to check that out…

  Reply
• 

  faith — April 22nd, 2010, 11:09 am

  before pictures better IMHO.
  too much muscle can be as unattractive as a fat belly.
  A swimmer body is the way to go.

  Reply
• 

  Mass Gains – 30 Day Project « The JP Gayton Project — April 22nd, 2010, 5:09 pm

  [...] first 30 day project was inspired by this post From Geek to Freak from Tim Ferris’s blog. It details his hard to believe physical transformation through an [...]

• 

  Don — April 23rd, 2010, 7:48 am

  Your claims are laughable Tim, anyone who knows anything about physiology understands you cant gain that much muscle that fast. Even on certain steroids, you could maybe gain 15-20lbs max that fast but it would be mostly water retention anyways. I guess a sucker is born every minute…

  Reply
• 

  Don — April 23rd, 2010, 9:33 am

  Ive written Dr Plato about your claims and asked her for verification. I’m sure she wants her professional reputation tied to such a miraculous discovery in protein synthesis.

  Reply
• 

  Don — April 23rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

  Dr Plato replied and denies any such, before and after test were performed indicating what you said. You are a fraud, im not being rude, im being factual.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — April 25th, 2010, 10:27 pm

    Hi Don,

    Why would I use Dr. Plato’s name if I weren’t prepared for this contact? I know a lot of people out there want to see me as a fraud, but it would just be silly of me to include her name falsely. I was there and have the measurement sheets she filled out. I’m fine with you believing I’m not telling the truth, and that’s unavoidable given the stats I’m offering, but I’m not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. What would i have to benefit? I’m not selling any products on this post.

    Best,

    Tim

    Reply
    • 

      Jacob Mercy — December 16th, 2010, 1:37 pm

      Hey Tim–

      There seems to be a lot of chatter about the measurements taken by Dr. Plato. I was hoping you could address this. Part of the reason the book is interesting is the evidence you offer, and this seems like such an important part of your argument it would be a shame to neglect it. You mentioned earlier that you have copies of the measurement sheets she filled out; are we going to be able to see those at some point?

      – Jacob

      Reply
• 

  Farid — April 25th, 2010, 10:42 pm

  I got such a good laugh out of what Don’s written! It only takes a fraction of a second to know it would be stupid of Tim to mention such a name. Even a fraud wouldn’t do that!

  Tim, keep up the good work and write more about the routines! We’re backing you up.

  Reply
• 

  Muscle Build Experiment Kick-Off | 3-Day Monk — May 5th, 2010, 3:38 am

  [...] put together the following plan from various articles that I’ve found across the internets.  This article from Tim Ferriss has the best summation of all of the information that I’ve found so far, so [...]

• 

  Joe Mancini — May 17th, 2010, 5:22 am

  Wow, great info, you give me inspiration to gain weight and muscle fast.
  I would like to thanks you on the info and
  I hope you can keep providing us with great info.

  Reply
• 

  Adison — May 17th, 2010, 8:24 pm

  Hey you have been a great inspiration and I really enjoyed your book. I know you have mentioned before that you have recorded every workout you have done since a teenager. I was wondering if you could upload your workout from when you did this program. It would be a huge help.

  Reply
• 

  Erik Thorsvik — May 18th, 2010, 11:08 pm

  There is a new post on “haters” that I just read and I thought to myself, no way does this really happen. I then stumbled onto this post and all I have to say is wow.
  As a personal trainer these results are actually pretty accurate. You would probably get a tan as well if you gained a significant amount of muscle and were willing to share your findings with the world.
  These are “secrets” in so many ways because they are not being used by many today. Why? Because this shit doesn’t sell. Think about it, if you knew that you didn’t have to over train and buy a million supplements a month would you keep your subscription or continue to purchase the newest “miracle pill” every time a new one was offered? Of course not. It’s a billion dollar industry for a reason, always remember that.
  Do I believe Tim in that he gained this muscle, yes I do. Will everyone who follows this get the same results, not a chance. Genetics, age, lifestyle, consistency, etc. will play a part in it. Another fact worth noting is that the test subjects had worked out intensely throughout their lives and taken a break…then done this sort of training. A lot of muscle memory was involved.
  The most important aspect of this in my opinion is the latter of training principle #3, “exercise your entire body each workout to elicit a maximal hormonal (testosterone, growth hormone + IGF-1) response.” When you train heavy and with compound movements that involve several large muscle groups, you increase your testosterone at an incredible rate. To put it another way, it is almost comparable to taking steroids but in a natural setting. That is how effective it is. The rest between workouts as well as adequate amounts of sleep will also increase growth hormone levels throughout the body. More testosterone and more gh will lead to bigger muscles and less fat, science baby!
  If I were starting out I would do a 6 week intense workout regiment to the point of almost over training but taking in an adequate amount of protein. Take 2-3 weeks off and then try this program. That should give the body enough time to start the process of muscle growth, hit a plateau, have plenty of rest for the upcoming 4 weeks and then be completely shocked and accelerate the system into growth.
  Great post Tim, I can’t wait to try this workout!

  Reply
• 

  Cameron Day — May 19th, 2010, 2:40 pm

  Hi Tim,

  After just 3 workouts, I’m officially a convert to the 5/5 method. (I was hooked after the first day, actually)

  I have always preferred HIT training and had good results with it, but pushing the weights higher and higher resulted in injuries that would set back my progress.

  I feel like the reduced weight load required with the 5/5 cadence will make injuries a thing of the past, and I am already seeing what seems like “instant” muscle growth. (Muscle memory may be a small factor, though)

  But of course, I have questions! If you can’t answer them, that’s ok. I have to ask anyhow.

  1. What kind of warm-up do you do?

  2. Do you do any warm up sets at the 5/5 cadence?

  3. If so, how many and what percentage of the working weight and reps?

  4. Please describe a typical workout from warm up to actual work sets including weights and reps used, as well as any variations on the 5/5 cadence that you may employ.

  5. Do you ever “speed up” the positive when you are close to failure to get one or two more reps?

  6. Do you ever “rest pause” in order to get more reps on a work set? (Example: Failure hits at the 7th rep. Rest for 20 seconds and grind out 2 more reps. Rest again for 25 seconds and complete 1-2 more reps.)

  7. What kind of recovery aids do you use to make sure your muscles are ready for the next session?

  8. Do you ever use heavier weights with a slightly faster cadence (i.e. 2/4 ala Arthur Jones) to build tendons/ligaments/bone strength?

  Thanks for this post — I found it searching for info on Jones & Darden, then bought your book because I’m ALL about working less while earning more.

  I already have one contractor in the Philippines and I plan to have myself fully replaced in my businesses in 6-12 months.

  All the best,
  Cameron Day

  Reply
• 

  Mac — May 21st, 2010, 1:01 pm

  Hey Tim,

  Just started this workout and diet plan, going great so far.

  Side comment: please tell me your new book will cover efficient healing protocols from injuries such as bone fractures (e.g. nose, from fights), ankle sprains and other common injuries relating to weightlifting and ring fighting.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — May 21st, 2010, 1:57 pm

    Oh, yes. I have too many injuries not to write about fixing them

    Reply
• 

  Paul — May 21st, 2010, 3:21 pm

  tim ferris i have tried your 4 weeks bulking however it took me 8 weeks to go from
  70kg to 82kg i am very proud of this thanks tim i did it slowly working my calories up each week i did put on some fat however i did have a cheat day each week , however i am still lean,

  now to go back on your way or loosing weight time to reveal those gains thanks again tim

  Reply
• 

  Michael — May 21st, 2010, 6:37 pm

  Hey Tim,

  I love the fact that this routine not only gives me muscle, but also:

  1) Made me taller
  2) Shaved my chest for me
  3) Gave me a tan
  4) Made my eyes rotate and sink a tad bit deeper
  and lastly, 5) completely changed my jawshape

  Thanks a bunch!

  Reply
• 

  Skinny to Lean: How I gained 30 lbs. of muscle working out once a week | David's Thoughts — May 23rd, 2010, 2:28 pm

  [...] weight lifting that helped people gain insane amounts of weight: High intensity training. In fact, Tim Ferriss, the New York Times bestselling author, gained 34 lbs. of muscle in one month. Ecstatic, I had found my holy grail. I was finally going to break free of my skinny [...]

• 

  Mac — May 25th, 2010, 12:15 pm

  Great to hear Tim.

  Thanks for the macaroni + salsa tip, this bulk meal is delicious and cheap.

  Does anyone else feel almost sick when performing this type of workout? The intensity is tough and certainly helps me condition my mind to the point of muscular failure, but midway through my last workout after a few sips of water I started to get a very uncomfortable sick feeling, the type you get when you’re about to vomit but can’t/don’t.

  I don’t think I’m timing my meals right. Perhaps I’m eating too close to my workout?

  Currently, my pre-workout full meal is 60 minutes before workout. I’ll be extending this time to 120 minutes anyway, but any info on this from others would be great.

  P.S. for those struggling with the mass amount of eating: blender + oats + water. I take 200g of oats + 30g pea protein 5 times a day, which gives a me about 4,000 calories (I’m a vegan). Oats are cheap, low-GI and heavy in calories. May not be the tastiest, but it’s worth it for a consumption time of <60 seconds.

  Reply
• 

  Trial Run of a Mass Building Workout Based on 4-Hour Workweek Body — May 25th, 2010, 2:10 pm

  [...] impossible and unhealthy.  However, instead of bashing Ferriss and saying that it is impossible to gain 34lbs of muscle in four weeks, I am hoping to defeat my own skepticism by attempting to replicate similar results.  Actually, I [...]

• 

  Mac — May 26th, 2010, 5:28 am

  Just finished 60% of my pre-workout meal – fucking hell, the amount of food I have to consume is insane. I thought I’d be able to quickly escalate from 2500 cals to about 7000 over a period of a week, but unfortunately, it’s not happening.

  It will take me 2 weeks from now to fully adjust to 7000 cals.

  Anyone got any tips/hacks for consuming all this food?

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — May 29th, 2010, 10:57 am

    The blender is your friend!

    Reply
• 

  Mac — May 28th, 2010, 10:14 am

  OK. I solved all of my problemos.

  Counter-intuitively, I added more water to my shakes (200g oats + 36g pea protein) to make consumption much easier.

  To avoid the sick feeling during weight training, I’ve extended the time between my pre-workout meal and workout to 2.5 hours and drinking 500ml water 15-20 minutes before the workout.

  Now, my question is: how the hell do I minimize the…ahem, “anti-social” gas given off as a by-product of this diet.

  Reply
• 

  Dan — May 28th, 2010, 12:48 pm

  Hi Tim,

  I’ve been following your program all this month, and I have two more workouts to go before it’s over. I have seen some great increases in the amount that I can lift, but my body weight has barely changed at all. Is that typical? I’m doing the diet and it feels like I’m eating a lot more than I used to, so I’m kind of surprised.

  I’m by no means a bodybuilding expert, so it really helps to have a program like this. I don’t think my results are going to be as dramatic as yours, but I can definitely see a change.

  For now I’m just focusing on maximizing my last two workouts. Then after a rest period, I’ll probably do another month of HIT. (Now that I kind of know what I’m doing). Thanks a ton for posting this!

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — May 29th, 2010, 10:48 am

    Hi Dan,

    It’s not unusual at all, especially if you’re not tracking body composition. It’s very common to lose bodyfat at the same time, so the scale is often not a good indicator of real muscle gain. If you’re gaining strength, you’re doing your job. Just eat enough and the scale will move

    Good luck!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Mark — May 30th, 2010, 8:04 pm

  Tim
  I did this a while back, called it my January Project.

  Got pretty strong

  Ate to many “protein bars”, no re-dubbed as Fat Sticks

  I start swimming tomorrow.

  I am terrified.

  See you later Joben

  Reply
• 

  Adam Markstrom — May 31st, 2010, 10:07 am

  There is no way that this is even remotely possible. 34 pounds in four weeks. Ha ha… maybe if you practice magic or have a really good imagination. You couldn’t even make those kinds of gains if you were cycling anabolic steriods. Good joke. I feel sorry for the saps that fall for this kind of hocus pocus BS.

  Reply
• 

  Shane — May 31st, 2010, 12:18 pm

  Hi Tim, I bought the original Four Hour Workweek back in 2007, and really liked it… and just now discovered your blog.

  I am starting to do the ’20 lbs in 30 days’ diet of yours, and I’m also planning on incorporating this muscle building program as well…

  You mention in the ’20 in 30′ diet that you have one day a week of splurging, and in this muscle building program you mention having one day a week of cutting calories by 50%. Should one do splurging one one day, say on Saturdays, and then cut calories on another day, say on Wednesdays?

  Aside from this, the diet you mention seems to coincide pretty much with this program, so it seems like it wouldn’t be counter-productive to cut and build at the same time this way, but I just want confirmation on that.

  Thanks Tim!

  -Shane

  Reply
• 

  Farid — June 2nd, 2010, 11:48 pm

  @Mac:

  That feeling happens to me every now and then. Make sure you are “slowly” sipping on a high-GI shake during the breaks (Tim’s advice) and perhaps extend the breaks a little bit.

  Reply
• 

  Victor — June 3rd, 2010, 3:40 am

  I’m going to give this my best shot. I believe it is possible. Let’s see if muscle memory can stretch back 25 years! Back when I was 18 I put on a pile of muscle in my first 3 months of (volume) training and eating; anyone who hasn’t heard of beginner gains knows little about this game. BTW, I met Dorian in 1985 and somewhere, somehow he put on some serious serious muscle, beyond the parameters some of the naysayers have mentioned.

  So I’ve joined the gym, bought the protein (the wrong kind apparently : whey); I need the casein stuff as well. Let’s see if this will work for me.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — June 6th, 2010, 1:55 am

  @Shane:

  If your primary objective is fat loss, you should follow the 20 in 30 diet to the letter and for the training use the this routine but with 30 seconds-1 min of rest between the exercises. (it’ll become extremely intense)

  If you want to gain muscle (which is best done after losing a lot of fat) then you can add slow-carb starches (pasta, quinoa,…) to the 20 in 30 diet (except dinner) and cut calories one day a week (instead of the free day) and then follow the above routine with 3-5 min of rest between workouts.

  If you want to gain muscle while maintaining body fat % then do as above but cut the starches out after 2 p.m.

  Reply
• 

  Muscle Build Experiment Results | 3-Day Monk — June 6th, 2010, 1:41 pm

  [...] is this even close to the results posted on Tim Ferriss’ blog?  Nope!  But that’s coo with me.  I learned a ton throughout this month, and I’ve [...]

• 

  John — June 13th, 2010, 10:08 am

  I don’t think this kind of progress can be made in just one month unless the guy has very favorable genetics and/or uses steroids.

  In 4-6 months though, no problem, if you do everything right (workout, nutrition, recovery).

  Reply
• 

  Leland Redfield — June 15th, 2010, 3:01 pm

  Tim,

  I didn’t come across Pete Sisco’s name at all when I was reading the comments. Are you familiar with his books? Train Smart! is his most recent.

  I was curious if you had heard or tried any of his techniques? As a man of efficiency myself – I think you would appreciate his philosophies as well.

  Also – I am a Raw Vegan and I had very good results doing the Geek to Freak workout – I gained 12 pounds and saw very good size gains too. Spirulina is the shit!

  Best of luck,

  Leland

  Reply
• 

  Ronnie — June 16th, 2010, 1:59 pm

  The real difference that an average man sees in that transformation is a pose and flexing with a good deal of lighting, shaving the body and sunbathing. Wheter Tim did gain 34 its not what we see on these pictures. I mean even if it is what we see on the pictures you can easily get similar effect by using what i have mentioned.

  Reply
• 

  Mass Building Program Week 3 Update | Get Fit with Andrei — June 20th, 2010, 7:25 am

  [...] the effectiveness of short, but very intense workouts.  But, I still remain a full skeptic about Tim Ferriss’ insane muscle gains until I try this again.  Not only is it extremely unhealthy to put on that much mass that fast but [...]

• 

  JohnnyBoy — June 27th, 2010, 5:58 am

  Emm… This seems like something I’d be willing to try, just one thing in order to have everything accurate:
  Is there a ”Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gaining Insane Amounts of Muscle in a Short Time”?
  I’m not that familiar with any fitness suplements and would certainly not want to buy the wrong stuff, though the ”Little-know Colorado experiment” states that no special supplements or diet is required. Also, what about water consumption and cardio – how do these things fit into all of this? And what about the weights, what would be the necessery amount?
  And just to be clear, I’m a little drunk right now and this seems like a good idea to post this, hopefully I won’t regret this in the morning and will still want to go through with this…

  Reply
• 

  Christoph Dollis — June 28th, 2010, 12:07 am

  Mea culpa on my procrastination.

  I said I would start working out some time ago. In fact, I started last Monday and Tuesday.

  So I will be months late reporting back my 1-year results.

  For the record, my program is similar to Body by Science, but with a twist thrown in from Doug McGuff’s article on how workout recovery MAY (emphasize may) be similar to how the body responds to an antigen. I.e., similar to an immune response.

  Therefore I am working out, then working out again approximately 24-48 hours later (providing something similar to an immune system booster shot’s effect on my body), then work out again approximately 7-10 days later, then approximately 24-48 hours after that, and approximately 7-10 days later. Et cetera.

  This will provide a non-linear stimulus with underlying form and structure, not too distant from, say, a human heartbeat. (Or any other biological function.)

  It may or may not be more effective than simply working out every x days, but regardless, it is my program. Doing the math, it should AVERAGE 1 workout every 4-6 days.

  Workouts are 5 exercises of 1 set each designated “A” and “B”. While subject to change, Workout A has 3 multi-joint and 2 “isolation” exercises (4 upper body, 1 lower total), and Workout B has 2 multi-joint and 3 “isolation” exercises (2 upper body, 3 lower total).

  Generally I do 2 Workouts A, then 2 Workouts B, then repeat that cycle.

  Am using Tim’s 5/5 cadence for now.

  Will report back in just under a year. Best wishes to you all for health and (not supposed to say happiness) excitement!

  Reply
• 

  Barry — July 3rd, 2010, 7:00 pm

  How did you get shorter?

  Reply
• 

  Colby — July 5th, 2010, 1:35 pm

  Tim:

  I don’t expect this to be published … but I was wondering if your lean mass gain was due to you “super dehydrating” prior to your first weigh in and then your final weigh in was a result of water weight – which is still considered “lean mass”.

  Colby

  Reply
• 

  Matt — July 9th, 2010, 5:14 pm

  Hi Tim

  Interesting read.

  I tried a HIT routine in which I trained using 8 lifts split over 2 sessions a week. But only 4 work sets a week were taken to (and occassionally) beyond failure.

  Did I make any gains? No. I just regressed whilst gaining fat on a very clean diet. I lost strength.

  Looking at your routine, you are obviously using a lower percentage of your one rep max than I was whilst staying within the same rep range, so do you think I could have some sucess with this or do you think the intensity of this will just hammer me into the ground like the routine I used?

  Reply
• 

  jake — July 9th, 2010, 6:50 pm

  Why are you taller in some of the pictures than others?

  Reply
• 

  Shane — July 10th, 2010, 11:03 pm

  Well, I did this program for a month, and saw steady gains in my strength and muscle size, along with steady fat loss, going from 176 at 14.4% bodyfat to 172 (at 12% bodyfat when I checked two weeks ago). I didn’t get Tim’s massive results, but probably because I was not taking supplements or sticking as rigorously to the diet (the first few weeks I was eating quinoa and protein shakes). Still, I am well on my way to a six-pack, and several female friends have commented on my slimmer look. I’m going to stick with this program at least until the end of summer.

  To all the people who doubt this: If you are already in good shape, your gains won’t be as drastic as Tim claims. I started out in good physical condition, but with room to improve. I think if I had started this when I was fresh out of high school and weighed 135 lbs, I would certainly gain 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks with this alone (with minimal work I went from 135 to 155 just by doing martial arts– I didn’t even touch weights).

  -Shane

  Reply
• 

  BS76 — July 12th, 2010, 8:55 pm

  I started doing this myself March 5th 2010 and since then I’ve gained 25lbs and lost 7% body fat, although I did hit the wall about mid May. To change things up I did the intro program for 3 weeks from New Rules of Lifting (awesome book by the way) and have since been doing Crossfit style circuit training for my military PT–I need to ramp up my cardio for testing requirements and would like to drop my body fat in half from where I’m at now. Anyway, for bulking G2F is absolutely a great routine. And yes, I’ve done the research myself and admit there’s little supporting literature and studies to back up the Colorado experiment’s findings. That being said, the proof is in the pudding!

  Reply
• 

  Eric — July 12th, 2010, 10:48 pm

  The only thing I can think of before attempting this is will my 2x a week Brazilian Jujitsu training screw up the recovery that is apparently needed?

  I want to get stronger but I’d like to avoid cutting out marital arts out of my life in the process, even temporarily (I just started BJJ this year). I want to be clear that my primary motivation is strength gain – but I don’t mind gaining weight to increase my strength, especially if it allows fat loss in the process, as Tim’s case study clearly demonstrated is possible. Is there a compromise of sort where I can utilize the HIT/Aurthur Jones principles to gain strength but also keep up my BJJ lessons on the off days, which I need to note leave my muscles considerably taxed/sore the next day as it is.

  What if I don’t go to “monumental failure” and just…eh…”slightly less than monumental failure”…Just thinking out loud here. Tim or anyone else out there lend me advice I’d greatly appreciate it.

  Reply
• 

  analysis — July 13th, 2010, 5:40 am

  A simplification of the recommendations of the Colorado Experiment mentions that what is required is that the muscle is exercised, said simply, throughout it’s full range of motion with high intensity for low periods. There is a cheaper way to do this than with using N equipment, or even weights and a spotter. Elastic bands, which keeps a constant level of resistance and even has an increase in resistance at the strongest point of the muscle. The problem, of course, is having high-level resistance bands with set resistance in which resistance can be added, much like adjustable dumbbells. There is a set that has this ability, with labeled resistance and the ability to clip multiple bands upon a handle. Thus I propose that instead of using weights or N equipment the 100$ Bodylastics set would be more effective in cost and practicality. I have ordered mine, so I will be trying this.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — July 13th, 2010, 8:17 am

  @Eric: For pure strength-training Tim recommends a different routine by Pavel. Search for Pavel: 80/20 Powerlifting and How to Add 110+ Pounds to Your Lifts on this blog.

  Reply
• 

  Farid — July 13th, 2010, 8:17 am

  @Eric: For strength-training Tim recommends a different routine by Pavel. Search for Pavel: 80/20 Powerlifting and How to Add 110+ Pounds to Your Lifts on this blog.

  Reply
• 

  Anthony — July 18th, 2010, 8:49 am

  I remember back when I was 24, I had not exercised or engaged in sports for a couple of years. due to a bad wrist fracture which put me off any physical activity due to the pain and altered sensation from the injury.
  I’d never trained with weights and thought my lower body was naturally strong and reasonably muscular, my upper body was pretty scrawny 11.75” arms, 36” chest and I had pudgy 34” waist, my body weight was around 145lbs.
  I finally came to the realisation that I ought to do something to get into shape, and after speaking to a guy I worked with who trained, he suggested as a beginner I should workout using basic exercises 3 times a week on non consecutive days 3 sets per muscle group.
  the routine would have looked something , if not exactly like:

  Back Squats 3×10
  Bent Rows 3×10
  Bench Press 3×10
  Lying Triceps Extensions 2×10
  Biceps Curls 2×10

  I trained fairly hard, to be honest I was so weak in my upper body that training to failure was that unpleasant.

  I was also advised with regards to diet, that advice was to eat a lot, then eat some more, when I’d had my fill I was to drink a pint of milk or a protein shake…all of which I was more then happy to do.
  After a month on this exercise and diet routine my body weight had risen to 160lbs and my waist measurement had decreased to 32”, while my arm measurement increase and inch and a quarter..
  The next month I gained another 8 pounds with a commensurate increase in arm size and decrease in my waist measurement.
  It was at this point after seeing my progress I was taken under the wing of the guy who advised me initially.
  I started attening a local gym with him and did the exersises and reps he did, we trained 4 times a week on a split system mon/tue/thur/fri 9-12 sets per body part…and what do you know in 3 months i’d gained virtually nothing, I was assured this was common and was just a sticking point, it was at this point I became aware of the writings of Mike Mentzer, he had been retired from competition for some 4 years at this point but was still contributing articles to various magazines.
  What he wrote made sense to me and so I resloved to put his advice into practise.
  The way I did this was a little half hearted I mearly reduced the total sets I was doing per muscle group to about 6 (yeah with hind site this was still far to much) but I was under pressure from my training partner who thought I should train exactly as he was training.
  But what do you know I imeadiatly started to gain again, this continued for several months of slow but consistant progress. Buy the time I hit the “sticking point” again I was even more convinced that Mentzer’s form of training was more benifical…to me a least.
  It was at this point my training partner and I amicably parted ways.
  Thought I was convinced doing less exercise with greater intensity was the way forward, it took many years to accept just how little was optimal for muscular gains to be stimulated and to provide adequate recovery time to allow them to take place.

  To summerise what i’ve learned from how my own body and everyone elses i’ve trained with over the last 26 years responds to resistance exersive for the purpose of gaining muscular body weight:

  1. Muscular gains can be rapid and dramatic under the right circumstances (I’m taling about natural gains here, not drug enhanced training which i’m entirly opposed to).

  2.Adding additional set of exersise above whats needed to stimulate muscle growth is counter productive.
  The minimum needed to do this is one set per muscle group, thougth with exercises such as dead lifts one set can actually stimulate growth in several mucle groups, if not the body as a whole.

  3.Don’t worry your training to hard, In 26 years of training I’ve seen many many people training to much, but practically no one training to hard. Few if any actually train to real positive failure.

  4. If in doubt do less exercise rather then more.

  I’m pretty sure if I had folowed a Colorade experiment, HD or HIT type routine from the start of my training I would have achived gains similar to Mr Ferris in the same time period, so I’m in no doubt as to the fact that his claims are genuine, and I’m far from being genetically gifted in the area of muscle development.

  Reply
• 

  The Extreme Personal Fitness Experiment :Leaving Blog — July 18th, 2010, 11:28 am

  [...] over a month ago I ran into Tim Ferriss’ workout routine and fat-loss diet.  I didn’t have much to lose, so I decided to give it a 4-week trial.  It [...]

• 

  adamskis — July 21st, 2010, 5:32 am

  Hi all!

  Im experiencing some difficulties gaining all this musclemass that is promised.

  Ive been doing one-set-to-failure workouts for atleast two months now and have gained perhaps 5-7 lbs. of muscle at most.

  My last workout felt the best, because I felt completely exhausted for OVER A WEEK, and all I had to do was rest and eat.

  Im not sure how many calories I eat per day but it is far excessive of my “normal” diet, but I use no protein-shakes, unfortunately.

  I am 6″ 38 and currently weigh in at 174.

  Can mr Ferris or anybody else whos had these extreme results advice me as to what Im clearly doing wrong?

  Reply
• 

  Farid — July 21st, 2010, 2:50 pm

  @Adam:

  Can you list what you eat?

  BTW reaching 5-7 k calories without protein shakes is quite dificult!

  Reply
• 

  Zane Claes — July 21st, 2010, 3:08 pm

  adamskis (and others who are having trouble),

  With regards to workouts -
  There’s an important distinction between “feeling exhausted” and being “muscularly sore.” Most people I see in the gym use very very poor form when lifting weights – this leads to feeling exhausted. However it is not effective because poor form means you’re using other muscles than the intended muscle to cheat at the workout. If you have good form you should always be able to feel the specific muscle group you are working on during the workout, and the next day the muscle(s) should feel sore in a very specific way. Also very important is the 5/5 cadence Tim mentions. During my workouts, after I “fail” on my max weight I immediately drop to a low weight until I fail on that too. If you’re using 5/5 cadence with proper form, it is possible to make yourself fail at bench pressing even a bar (no matter how strong you are).

  With regards to eating -
  I use the website DailyBurn.com from my iPhone to track my caloric intake. I was never a calorie counter before, but I find that it can be very informative. I’m extremely strict in following the diet Tim set forward. I don’t use spices or sauces. Each meal is a huge helping of meat (either chicken or very lean ground beef or pure egg whites), a couple servings of veggies (spinach or asparagus), and a couple servings of legumes (black beans or pinto beans). 7 foods plus ice water and black coffee and a single glass of red wine before bed – that’s all I eat (except Saturdays, when I go wild and eat myself sick). The key here is consistency and lots of protein, IMHO.

  I posted a summary of the first 4 weeks on my blog along with some tips, and will follow up again at the 8 week mark (I expect to have a lot more success during weeks 4-8, since I’ve really nailed down the whole process now). When I post that follow up I’ll include some more details about exactly I did and did not do.

  http://leavingblog.com/2010/07/the-extreme-personal-fitness-experiment/

  Reply
• 

  JEB — July 23rd, 2010, 4:26 pm

  @Tim about his new book
  “Coming in Sept 2010 ”

  Its about FREAKING TIME!!!

  -Jeb

  Reply
• 

  Cameron Benz — July 25th, 2010, 10:24 am

  Tim, while revisiting , this article a thought occurred to me. Conventional wisdom with running seems to be that a person needs to run like 3 times a week to keep their endurance up. It got me to wondering if that could be successfully challenged to say twice or even a single time per week. Any thoughts?

  Reply
• 

  Shane & Jared — July 25th, 2010, 7:29 pm

  Hey Tim,

  Really inspiring post. My business partner and I are both big fans of your book and after seeing this post, among other things, we decided it was time to go from geeky designers to freaky ones.

  We’ve been doing rigorous research and have been devouring weight training/body building/strength training books faster than ever. Can’t wait for your superhuman book.

  We haven’t been using nautilus machines, NO2, or training with quite as slow a tempo, but we’ve been taking most of your advice to heart. Especially the tracking part. We’ve been religiously measuring everything and taking before and after pictures and even videos once a month.

  We have 60 day result pictures doing the Tim Ferriss poses, although we haven’t quite mastered your controversial sizing algorithm

  http://foxhoundstudio.com/blog/fitness-lifestyle/lean-to-mean-60-day-results/

  We’re 85 days in and still haven’t hit 34 pounds of lean muscle gain but we’ve never been happier with our physiques. Thank you for the post. You’ve definitely helped us out a lot!

  Our best,
  Shane & Jared

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — July 25th, 2010, 11:02 pm

    Totally awesome work, guys! See my comment on your post

    Keep it up and congrats — upward and onward!

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Jesse Montalto — July 27th, 2010, 1:50 pm

  Hey Tim,

  Great post. I enjoyed it so much that I am going to give this workout a try with some minor modifications. We are going to use the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet for the duration of the 28 days. We purchased the supplements that you used, and added a Tribulus fuel from twinlabs.

  I was wondering why you took NOxplode first thing in the morning? Since that item has a ton of caffeine, and I am sensitive to it, is there any other pre workout supplements you would recommend?

  Thanks,

  Jesse Montalto

  Reply
• 

  Jesse Montalto — July 27th, 2010, 1:54 pm

  @adamskis

  What is your current workout routine?

  You also have to change your workout every 4-6 weeks as to avoid a plateau.

  Also, how much protein are you having each day?

  There is a reason as to why Tim mentions low glycemic carbs, because the insulin spike interferes with your bodys growth hormones.

  Let me know if we can help you, check out my site or send me an email.

  Jesse

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — July 27th, 2010, 9:05 pm

  It is a myth that workouts need to be changed every 6 weeks or so to avoid a plateau. If anything, doing so reduces rather than improves results. The bodybuilding and fitness magazines like to promote this belief though, because it justifies them making up new stuff every month to fill the space between ads for mostly useless supplements.

  A person often appears to plateau after 6 to 8 weeks because that is the time it takes for neural adaptations to max out for beginners, or for performance improvements from skill to max out on a different routine for more advanced trainees – which is why strength gains appear to slow down. It is at this point where you’re starting to get to the more effective training. If a person truly plateaus after this point it is often because they are doing too much training.

  You can progress all the way to the upper limits of your muscular potential with a very basic routine consisting of just a few exercises without EVER switching it up, as long as you balance your training intensity and volume properly.

  Reply
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  adamski — July 28th, 2010, 5:04 am

  Hi again everybody!

  Can anybody tell me where I can buy Aspartame-free casein-protein?

  This counts for sucralose and any artificial sweetener, for they are neuro-toxins! (source: http://www.sweetpoison.com/phenylalanine.html)

  Thank you!

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — July 28th, 2010, 8:58 am

  Aspartame is not harmful unless you have phenylketonuria. The site you linked to is for someone claiming to sell an “aspartame detox program” and the info there is unfounded and meant to scare people into buying from her.

  See http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/QA/aspartame.html for real science on the subject.

  Page three of the About.com article contains the following along with similar comments from many other experts:

  Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. and professor of medicine and biological chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, agrees. In a 1999 feature for Intelihealth, he wrote: “A letter recently circulating on the Internet stated that aspartame can cause a number of illnesses: multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as Alzheimer’s disease. As far as I can ascertain, there is no reliable evidence to support the claim that aspartame causes any of these disorders.” Responding to the claims that breakdown byproducts of aspartame are dangerous, he added: “While it is true that high heat can break down aspartame, there is no evidence that the breakdown products are toxic.” In another Intelihealth Q & A feature, gastroenterologist Lawrence J. Cheskin, also of Johns Hopkins, wrote: “…the evidence is overwhelming that there are no health risks to use of aspartame in the usual amounts (even 64 ounces) for everyone except the one person in about 16,000 in the United States who has phenylketonuria and can’t metabolize it.”

  Reply
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  Juan "The Skinny Viking" — July 29th, 2010, 10:40 am

  Dear Tim,

  Could you provide me (us) with an ebook with all the details of the workout, food, plan, etc… also.. the principles of the Experiment..
  Please provide or else my wrath will fall upon you and despair and misery will be your everyday brother and sister.
  the viking has spoken, long live the ice lands of the north.
  ……

  Reply
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  adamskis — July 30th, 2010, 7:09 am

  @ Drew Baye

  Mr. Baye, please do not give me that “aspartame is safe” mumbo-jumbo.

  You have former FDA-investigators ON RECORD stating that aspartame was not properly tested before going on the food market! (source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfAf9iYoi4 approx. 7:20 in the video)

  You are correct that people who are sensitive to phenylalanine avoid foods that contain them (like apples, bananas, oranges etc), but those foods only contain 4-5% of phenylalanine while aspartame contains 50%!!

  “Phenylalanine derived from aspartame can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause an imbalance of itself in the brain, causing serotonin to decrease. This lowered serotonin triggers psychiatric and behavioral problems, and aspartame interacts with all antidepressants. Elevated phenylalanine levels in both the blood and parts of the brain are associated with constant aspartame use. Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock has shown earlier studies, which indicate that concentrations of this amino acid accumulate in the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus stranium areas of the brain. Even earlier studies had determined that phenylalanine buildup in the brain can cause schizophrenia, or increase susceptibility to seizures.” http://dorway.com/dorwblog/aspartame-one-mans-poison-another-mans-profit/

  There you have it, everything scientific there is about the TOXICITY of aspartame!

  So again: If anybody knows where I can buy Casein free of any artificial sweetener, please let me know!

  Thank you.

  Reply
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  David — August 1st, 2010, 8:02 am

  What warm-ups, if any, are needed with Tim’s workout?

  This question was put before by someone else but I can’t find an answer anywhere.

  Reply
• 

  Diet and exercise - Steam Catapult — August 1st, 2010, 6:53 pm

  [...] the exercising, I borrowed a couple of ideas from this Tim Ferriss post from a while back, specifically, the ideas of doing one set of each exercise to [...]

• 

  John Fawkes — August 1st, 2010, 7:22 pm

  Hey Tim, I just got an idea I want to run by you, and the other commenters here for that matter. I have been lifting every 4-5 days and got this idea while re-reading Body by Science, and after seeing Ellington Darden mention that he thought occasional not to failure workouts could be helpful. I was thinking about the different types of muscle fiber, and how slow muscles recover within the same day, intermediate muscles take maybe 2-3 days, and fast muscles take 4-10 days.

  It occurs to me that, while training every 4-7 days may be ideal for fast muscles, it might be too infrequent for slow muscles, as after 4 days they may have recovered, strengthened, and then started to weaken again. The same may happen to intermediate muscles after a week. So what I was wondering is, what if I worked out every 3 days, but alternated between working to total muscle failure and pre-failure workouts?

  What I’m thinking is, same exercises in the pre-failure routine, but lower the weight and time under load by 20-30% compared to the previous t-failure workout. According to the principle of orderly recruitment, the pre-failure workout should be able to exhaust the slow muscles, recruit but only and maybe fatigue the intermediate muscles, but avoid recruiting the fast muscles, which haven’t recovered yet.

  The exact timing could be tricky, but it sounds like it could work. Have you ever heard of anyone trying anything like this, or do you have any input on why it may or may not work?

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — August 1st, 2010, 9:17 pm

  John,

  While recovery time can vary with fiber type (slow twitch recovering faster, fast recovery slower), you do not start losing strength after a few days. Even if you were to take a few weeks off, as long as you were getting plenty of rest and eating properly you would not lose strength.

  It is also important to consider that local recovery – repair of muscle damage – is only one part of recovery, and that the inflammatory response to the damage also has to be recovered from, and that may or may not take longer than local recovery for some muscles, depending on the individual.

  When in doubt it is better to allow more recovery time than you need than not get enough and interrupt the process with another workout. If you rest longer than you need to you will not lose strength. I’ve had clients come back after being on vacation or away for business for several weeks and beat the weights and reps from their previous workout. If you train before your body has recovered though, you’ll just keep accumulating damage and contributing to more inflammation and interfere with your body’s ability to recover and adapt to the workout.

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — August 1st, 2010, 9:29 pm

  Adam, aspartame is safe. You might want to find more reputable sources of information on the subject, rather than unscientific alarmists and quacks like Dr. Hull.

  From CNN Health’s Dr. Gupta:

  “The fact is, current evidence does not support this idea that aspartame could cause cancer, or that it is unsafe. According to the American Dietetic Association, aspartame’s safety is documented in more than 200 objective scientific studies. The Food and Drug Administration has concluded that aspartame is safe, and there are no strong data out there to refute that.

  In 2007, the most comprehensive look at the research was conducted, and the conclusion was, again, that aspartame is safe. An important caveat to that research – it was paid for by the company Ajinomoto, which makes aspartame.”

  Reply
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  adamski — August 2nd, 2010, 5:23 am

  Why is Dr. Hull an alarmist and quack? Doesn’t sound very scientific to me.

  Whom I quoted was Dr. Blaylock, by the way, but I suppose he’s just an alarmist quack aswell?

  I went ahead and researched that 2007 study and came up with this:

  “Ajinomoto, a top manufacturer of aspartame, has announced that aspartame is completely safe. This conclusion was reached by a panel of industry-friendly “experts” hired by Ajinomoto, who did no new research but, instead, selectively reviewed previous studies on the safety of aspartame (many of which were funded by aspartame manufacturers in the first place).”
  http://dinapharm.com/store/article_info.php?articles_id=109&osCsid=4748c049029a727877df21c881d8e606

  I you would like to read a very-well sourced articel there is this one:

  The review was funded by Ajinomoto of Japan. Ajinomoto along with Monsanto have been the world’s biggest producers and sellers of aspartame. The authors of the review had numerous, obvious conflicts of interests as described below. Yet this information was apparently not disclosed to the journal it was published in. The parent company of the journal stated in a press release that, “There were no known conflicts of interest with the sponsor or potential biases of the authors” (Informa 2007).

  Gary M. Williams was the Chairman of the American Health Foundation (AHF) which was funded in part by The NutraSweet Company and other companies selling aspartame-containing products (Williams 1987). AHF Board of Directors have included representatives of PepsiCo and the National Soft Drink Association (CSPI 2003). The AHF received more than $163,000 in grants from Philip Morris. “Regarding an AHF press kit prepared by the PR firm, Ruder and Finn, William Ruder writes to Philip Morris: ‘please note that we have handled it so that there is not one single mention of the problem of smoking and health.’” (CSPI 2003, Ruder 1975). ”
  http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/burdock/

  And it just goes on and on…..

  So perhaps you understand my scepticism when you say to me “aspartame is safe” when clearly there is only pseudo-science regarding its saftey plus it is a banned substance in Japan! Why should I use a chemical that an entire nation has branded as dangerous!?

  But if You want to believe that aspartame is safe, that methyl ester(10% of aspartame-molecule) is NOT converted to METHANOL in our bodies wich causes METHANOL-poisoning then you can go ahead and do that.

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — August 2nd, 2010, 7:58 pm

  I’m not going to debate this with you here, Adam. I recommend those interested do their own research, and make their own conclusions, but read everything VERY critically.

  Reply
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  Steve S. — August 3rd, 2010, 7:25 pm

  Hi Tim,

  Just curious as to what your supplementation regimen looks like, if you adhere to one?

  Not just for strength & performance purposes but for overall health. Since you have experience with supplement design and a neuroscience background I would assume you have a bit of experience in this arena.

  Reply
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  Cameron Benz — August 6th, 2010, 12:23 pm

  Tim,
  Using your basic method but concentrating on a small muscle group (i.e. didn’t require the huge amounts of food) I was able to add an inch to my right bicep and 3/4 of an inch to my left bicep in 6 weeks in Nov-Dec last year. It was strictly for cosmetic reasons (think greek ideal of flexed bidep=calf=neck), but bottom line is that it worked for something like that.

  Reply
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  Chris — August 6th, 2010, 10:05 pm

  Hey I don’t see where your workout routine was. Is there something I can see or buy that explains all of this? Also, pertaining to protein, did you do any studies with ‘normal’ protein levels as well as a control with maybe another subject?

  Reply
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  Alan — August 9th, 2010, 7:02 pm

  Thanks for the great tips. I’m impressed that you were able to put 34 pounds of muscle on in 4 weeks. An enormous task. Quite motivating. From research, I recommend performing from five to seven reps for each major muscle group. Also, to enjoy maximum muscle gain lift heavy weights, and select a good diet and good dietary supplements.

  Reply
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  IvanM — August 10th, 2010, 11:56 am

  WOW!!! I can honestly say that Tim, you are a Freak!!!

  Having said that I wish I would have taken before and after photos of a similar program and made a DVD. My results were 182lb (measured after my first day of 4-5k in calories and 400+ grams of protein) to 208+ lbs after 6 weeks of crazy intense work(I believe a DVD is almost necessary to show a good definition of intensity). I used old school, unpopular, hard to find methods and no supplements other a simple protein powder and lots of food. I did this as an experiment to show people (my class) that gaining muscle was not that hard. I was amazed at the amount of energy and testosterone I had pumping through my body. I failed once on my set of dips 3 weeks into the program, but after that I continued to put five pounds on every lift, every week (sometimes I felt so good I would jump up 10 lbs with no problems). I got exactly what I wanted out of the experiment.

  Again, what a great example of what we all could do, I wish I would have thought to sell this idea.

  Reply
• 

  8 Week Fitness Conclusion :Leaving Blog — August 14th, 2010, 9:44 pm

  [...] are the results of 8 weeks of using the diet/exercise routine suggested by Tim Ferris.  The data provided in this post is from weeks 4-8.  I’m incredibly happy with the results [...]

• 

  William Clapp — August 16th, 2010, 4:00 pm

  Tim, you are the man! I can’t believe the tenacity of the hater who calls you a liar at every turn.

  For myself, I read your book when it first came out. At the time I was overweight, unfit and 58 years old. I resisted going to the gym because I couldn’t get past the thought of 2 hours in the gym (my habit from years before) to get back in shape. I had no energy or ambition.

  I decided to try your workout routine without the heavy diet, since I was too heavy already. I recorded my workouts faithfully, more to avoid repitition of the same exercises.

  The first thing that happened, I felt great and couldn’t wait to get back to the gym three days later. This lead to regular twice per week visits.

  Second, I noticed rapid muscle development and strength. I changed my diet to vegan. This lasted about two years and my diet since has been considerably better.

  Third, I signed up for Kempo training and recently achieved the rank of brown belt.

  I’ve also added dance to my program a few times per week.

  I have a Naturopath for a doctor now and he is very tallented, I’m taking supplements for my health that give me energy that I can’t remember having in this life.

  I’m now 62 and look and feel great. When I was a teenager my dream was to have 16″ biceps, I’m now at 15 3/4″ and that is way bigger than I’ve ever been.

  It all began with you. I can’t thank you enough.

  Bill

  Reply
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  Peter — August 21st, 2010, 9:22 am

  I really want to try this program but i have one problem with it.
  I really want to build size and strengt in my upper body, but from my belly and down i want to reduce size. So how should i go about this?
  Should i not do the leg exersices?

  Reply
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  Chris — August 21st, 2010, 5:14 pm

  Tim,

  I’m glad you’re still responding to comments on this post. I’ve been doing some research on The Colorado Experiment and came across this routine:

  Leg Press 750 for 20 reps
  Leg Extension 225 for 20 reps
  Squat 502 for 13 reps
  2 minute rest
  Leg Curl 175 for 12 reps
  One legged calf raise w/ 40 lb in one hand 15 reps
  Pullover 290 for 11 reps
  Behind the neck Lat Isolation 200 for 10 reps
  Row machine 200 for 10 reps
  Behind the neck Lat Pulldown 210 for 10 reps
  Straight armed lateral raise w/ Dumbbells 40 lbs for 9 reps
  Behind the neck shoulder press 185 for 10 reps
  Bicep Curl Plate loaded 110 for 8 reps
  Chinup Body Weight for 12 reps
  Tricep Extension 125 for 9 reps
  Parallel Dip Body Weight for 22 reps

  Is this the same routine you’d recommend (except for the weight which would obviously be tailored to the individual)? What routine did you use? I’m just trying to figure out which exercises have the maximum effect.

  Thanks for the help!

  Reply
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  Will Smith — August 22nd, 2010, 6:57 am

  Great article, I’ve done workouts where I put in only about 20-30 minutes a day and they’ve shown great results. Really appreciate this article.

  Reply
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  Paul — August 23rd, 2010, 4:36 pm

  Timothy!

  First off, I have to say that you are my favorite author. I love how you’re the most productive with the least amount of effort and how you live life to the fullest. I sincerely thank you for sharing your book, blog and the future writings to come.

  I read this post a couple years ago and had always planned to try it. Then, when I found out about your new book that would cover this topic in more detail, I decided I would wait till it came out before trying it…but a month ago I decided I would give it a test run, and when the book comes out later this year, I’d try it again! What would I have to lose?

  I’m 25 years old, 6 foot 2 and my weight has fluctuated between 145-150 lbs. the past 5 years, and the most I have ever weighed is 155. Gaining weight has always been impossible for me no matter how much I eat. ..but after one month of following your protocol, I now weigh 175 lbs! I gained 25 lbs. in one month, this was while I was going through graduate school, with finals, papers and presentations to worry about!

  Here are my before and after measurements in inches:

  July 23, 2010 Aug. 23, 2010
  Bicep 9.5 10 11 12.5
  Forearm 8.5 8.5 10 10
  Neck 14 15
  Chest 34 38
  Waist 30 34.5
  Butt 37 42
  Thigh 19 20 20 21.5
  Calf 13 13 14 14.5

  weight 150 175

  Some tips that helped me:
  • When you said “The blender is your friend”, you weren’t kidding! It’s so much easier to down liquid then solid.
  • I don’t count calories so I don’t know exactly how much I ate every day…but here is my diet: I started out each day eating 1,000 calorie shake full of oatmeal, Kashi cereal, fruits and veggies. I would eat a big lunch and dinner with those meals you recommended and then I would eat that macaroni meal you recommended before and after those meals! Throughout the day I would drink an “Odwalla Protein Monster” that I got at Wal-Mart. It’s 32 ounces 880 calories and 72 grams of protein ; )
  • I didn’t use any supplements (I’m guessing they wouldn’t hurt though).
  • Having a supportive wife that is an excellent cook and a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness definitely helps ; )

  Thanks so much Tim!

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — August 23rd, 2010, 11:18 pm

    Wow, awesome job, Paul! Like you noticed, the eating is the real job. Keep it up and enjoy your new strength gains — the blender is your friend!

    All the best from SF,

    Tim

    Reply
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  Paul — August 24th, 2010, 10:09 am

  Going to try this i have cutted for 12 weeks

  I think tim i am just going to take your diet for bulking and train 6 days a week this is probably not the best option but going to use your diet

  making sure i do compound movements i was wondering when bulkinf

  2 weeks 3000 calories
  2-4 weeks 4000
  5-6 weeeks 5000

  anyone help me to do a proper bulk, be greatly appreciated!

  Reply
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  Aaron Gaily — August 29th, 2010, 2:31 pm

  Thanks Tim! Any suggestions for a book of easy low glycemic index foods and prep. I like the “keep it simple” of few meals. Thanks.

  Reply
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  Dan — September 2nd, 2010, 7:11 pm

  Coming from a legit fitness professional, you forgot to mention one thing. You were on steroids.

  There is no way it is PHYSICALLY possible for a human being to gain 34 lbs of muscle in a month, literally, no physiological way for that to occur naturally. Not on the best diet, best lifting routine, does not matter…this is BS.

  Reply
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  Caleb "Muscles" Anthony — September 2nd, 2010, 8:43 pm

  Impressive transformation! Keep up the good work – judging by the tips you’re writing you’ve got some knowledge, should be easy…

  Reply
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  Dias — September 4th, 2010, 1:43 am

  It seems you have gained a shoulder rotation (innward) as well as scoliosis.

  Take care of posture while training. Pilates, RPG, Yoga and Kung Fu are the best things I have learned so far.

  Anyway, nice weight gain!

  Reply
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  Shane & Jared — September 4th, 2010, 6:50 pm

  Hey Tim,

  We last posted two months into our four month summer muscle gaining experiment. We’ve just finished! We’re leaner than we started and bigger than we’ve ever been.

  We didn’t know if we would barrel on after the experiment was over, but our energy levels are higher, we feel healthier and we’ve even come to love the diet—and we had fun doing it.

  At the very beginning we gave ourselves an end date, where we would have a bodybuilding shoot, so attempted to look our buffest for the eight mandatory bodybuilding poses. We have before & afters too.

  http://foxhoundstudio.com/blog/fitness-lifestyle/lean-to-mean-finale-a-summers-worth-of-packing-on-muscle-and-tearing-off-fat-from-bony-to-beastly/

  Thanks again for the feedback! As trivial as it may seem, your comment on our blog really reinvigorated us to keep at it.

  Can’t wait for your up-and-coming book. Hopefully it’ll help us make phase two even more effective. We’ve still got a ways to go!

  Our best,
  Shane & Jared

  Reply
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  Rapid vegan muscle building: Update #1 — September 10th, 2010, 6:34 am

  [...] was also my “cheat” day. On Mondays I halve my calorie intake “to prevent protein uptake downregulation.” This was a welcome break from 5,000 calories per day, but I found it very difficult to ramp [...]

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  Kris — September 13th, 2010, 9:52 pm

  Please explain to me how this is humanly possible. I do not believe your 4 week claim.

  Reply
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  Monte Diaz — September 17th, 2010, 4:39 pm

  My main concern is will eating this diet also make my shadow go away as it did yours? Did you shadow come back as you ate a less rigoruos diet? I’m afraid that not having a shadow would be too much of a social hassle. Please help. :/

  Reply
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  Lao Tzu — September 23rd, 2010, 1:08 am

  Tim,

  I’m not sure whether you’re a charlatan or not, but as these 911 (oops, 912) posts prove, you’re certainly an interesting guy.

  Kudos to you for saying new and convincing things about topics of such broad appeal.

  Reply
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  Jonathan Manor — September 23rd, 2010, 1:27 pm

  What type of protein did you eat?

  Reply
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  Rapid vegan muscle building: Update #2 (a.k.a. The End) — September 23rd, 2010, 4:42 pm

  [...] So I’ve officially ended my diet/exercise experiment. If you recall, the goal was to add 20lbs of muscle, in 6 weeks, on a vegan diet, while doing just one hour of exercise per week, as inspired by Tim Ferriss’ report of gaining 32 lbs of muscle in 28 days. [...]

• 

  Nick — September 29th, 2010, 10:13 am

  Regarding the China Study:

  Sounds like, although rats given 20% casein instead of 5% got cancer, but the ones fed only 5% just flat out died young…

  http://westonaprice.org/blogs/the-curious-case-of-campbells-rats-does-protein-deficiency-prevent-cancer.html

  Reply
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  Eric J — September 30th, 2010, 11:28 am

  This story is almost certainly false, as anyone with any experience in natural (without steroids) weight training will gladly tell you. Even with the use of such drugs, I would still be skeptical. If you try to repeat these results, don’t be discouraged by your certain failure, just keep working at it. 1-3 lbs a muscle per month over a year or so of training is very good and will make a big difference in your appearance

  Reply
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  Jim Johnson — September 30th, 2010, 2:02 pm

  Ferriss,

  The timing of your new book is perfect-almost anyway. Please let me explain.

  About 6 month’s ago I read a book about RFL (Radio Frequency Lesioning) for my back pain. The author (a doctor) suggested losing weight and getting some exercise. After 51 years, all of a sudden it was sound advice. Sound advice that worked.

  I went on the Ideal Protein diet which, coupled with some exercise, allowed me to lose almost 30 pounds. My 3 trips a week to the gym (3 sets of 15 slow reps) transformed my body. Yes-favorably. And I have managed to keep my weight stable ever since. However, after a few months I started to develop shoulder and elbow pain. Some cortisone use to relieve it but not anymore. Energy was fading. Two young children. Life.

  I started to look into “life extension” types of products. Cenegenics? Too expensive for me and too many shots. With the help of a local life extension physician I was just about to start taking armor thyroid and use testosterone cream followed by a post cycle including clomid and ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.

  Are you still there? I too am bored. And scared!

  I will wait for your book. I am 51 years old and look forward to communicating my experience with you and others.

  Thanks for being a guinea pig for the rest of us.

  Regards,

  Four Hour Johnson

  PS. I bought 5 books as requested. I am planning on the possibility of you changing my life again! Looking forward to your call!

  Reply
• 

  Andy — September 30th, 2010, 6:39 pm

  @Eric J
  From personal experience I would refute your assertion that muscle growth can not under the right circumstances, be very rapid.
  I gained 28 pounds of body weight in a two month period when I first started training in1984, this was accompanied by a 4” reduction in waist circumference suggesting a substantial decrease in body fat levels, thought my diet and training at the time were far form optimal (3 x 30 minute whole body workouts per week) the intensity was fairly heigh and the volume low enough to allow for reasonable recovery relative to my then condition.
  That is not to say that gains of this magnitude should be expected on a continued basis, it took me approximately 12 months to gain an additional 12lbs of fairly solid body weigh.
  With hind sight I believe if I had trained with less volume/frequency and more intensity I may have gained even more then I did.
  I don’t consider myself to have anything but average genetics and certainly have never taken anabolic steroids or any other ped’s for that matter.
  I suppose ‘experts’ would tell me what I achieved was impossible, luckily I was blissfully ignorant of that at the time.

  Reply
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  Eric J — October 1st, 2010, 1:15 pm

  Andy,
  I should have stated that my assertion stemmed from my own experience and observation of others. I obviously cannot know what might be possible for any particular individual, but if you gained muscle that rapidly you probably have well above average genetics. The article seems to imply that 34 lbs of muscle is a reasonable expectation if someone follows Tim’s recommendations and that simply won’t happen for 99% of people. Not even close.

  Reply
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  Jemma Elrin — October 2nd, 2010, 12:39 am

  I would have never thought that was possible! 34 pounds in 4 weeks almost feels like a marketing ad or some sort! Impressive indeed, very fit and looking good! A Charmer i must say

  Reply
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  Andy — October 2nd, 2010, 4:02 am

  Eric
  My genetics I’d say they were decidedly average, my upper body was very under developed as the sports I’d been involved with up to that point had no requirement for upper boy strength, and I had had a couple of years of a pretty sedentary lifestyle…were talking 11/75 inch arms and a huge 36 inch chest .
  So Some of my gain could have been accounted for by a normalisation of bodyweight, my pre-training body weight was 140lbs.
  I think what this article try’s to convey is what’s is possible…your mileage may vary however.
  And again don’t expect gains off this magnitude to continue for any great length of time, he’s not suggesting you can gain 34lbs of muscle every month ad infinitum.
  But as most people find your greatest gains happen in the first few months of training when the stimulus is new and the metabolic costs of aqueiring additional muscle tissue are comparatively low.

  Reply
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  Eric J — October 4th, 2010, 11:32 am

  I did a bit of research and the general consensus is that 1.5 per week is the upper limit. That is, the best even a very gifted person can do.

  Just for the hell of it, I also decided to look up some other data for comparison. A baby African elephant can gain about 2 lbs per day during its most rapid growth phase. Not muscle, just total body growth. Tim is claiming 1.2 lbs. per day of pure muscle. Take from that whatever you will.

  Reply
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  Drew Baye — October 5th, 2010, 5:45 am

  Eric J,

  The general consensus about most things in the field of exercise is dead wrong, as most of the mainstream is driven by tradition or commercial interests rather than science. Some publications and organizations pay lip service to science, but if they actually followed it they’d have to set their egos aside and admit they’ve been wrong about a lot of things for a long time.

  Due to differences in genetics and environmental factors individuals vary tremendously in their response to exercise, and under some circumstances extremely rapid gains are possible (beginners, people returning to training after a long layoff, people regaining muscle after loss due to inactivity, illness, etc.).

  It took me nearly 6 months to gain 30 pounds of muscle using this approach, but I trained a man in 2007 who put on 8 pounds of muscle in three weeks. He came to me to help him strengthen his legs to prepare for a bike trip he was going on in hillier terrain than he was used to. Turns out he was a very fast gainer, and went from 165 to 173 pounds with no significant increase in body fat (approx 6%). His workouts consisted of only one set of six different exercises and lasted only around 20 min each.

  I recently started training him again, and since he had not done any strength training on a regular basis since the first time I trained him his weight had dropped back down to 166. I weighed and measured him and put him through his first workout on Sept 17th. I weighed him again the day of his fifth workout, on Oct 1, and after only two weeks and only four workouts, consisting of only one set each of six exercises, he had reached his previous high body weight of 173. His abdominal skinfold measurement has not changed (in men it tends to go up before the chest or thigh skinfolds) suggesting no significant fat gain.

  His gains were fast the first time (over 2.5 lbs per week) but regaining has been significantly faster (3.5 lbs per week). As part of the experiment I’ll be training him for a total of eight weeks, and it will be interesting to see just how much more muscle we can put on him.

  While Tim’s results are unusual I wouldn’t consider them impossible, especially if most of the muscle was being regained.

  You might want to consider the general consensus about the maximum possible rate of muscle gain is so low because the general consensus about the best way to train and eat to gain muscle is wrong. The “experts” may have low expectations because their methods don’t produce results as quickly.

  Reply
• 

  The Four Hour Business Model | Cogblog — October 7th, 2010, 3:06 am

  [...] description sounds like a snake oil salesmen, in Ferriss we trust, as the saying goes. I loved his blog post on weight lifting and it leaves me committed to reading the book. Go buy it [...]

• 

  dave — October 11th, 2010, 9:56 pm

  lmao the average man gains 5lbs a month and in 3 months can gain 15lbs of lean muscle, the average man on steroids gains 10lbs of lean muscle a month and 30lbs in 3 months hahaha you’re a scammer and liar

  Reply
• 

  Michal Ksiadzyna — October 13th, 2010, 3:06 am

  When I advise companies on internet marketing I see a lot of what is happening here in comments. People listen, than take what you have given them, modify it with unknown reason and as it seems pretty random, and than implement.

  Thats what I see here: modyfing the diet, number or time of excercises, and other variables. And it’s good if you are an expert, have tried already the “basic” model and want to experiment. But if you haven’t done EXACLY what Tim has prescribed – than you are just wasting your time. Most good systems work perfectly well only if you take care of all the elements.

  And that is exacly what I’m doing right now: started 2 days ago: diet+training. EXACLY the way Tim has described it.

  First gathered data: It’s harder than I thought, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the effort.

  Reply
  • 

    MoMacAttack — November 20th, 2010, 4:37 pm

    Hi Michal,

    I’m interested in doing exactly the same thing. I’ve been preping this past week by joining a gym, buying wieght gainer and creatine, and learning how to do the exercises. I weigh 160 and can only bench press 115 for 8 reps. I almost killed myself going to 135, on the 4th rep I couldn’t push it back up. Had to slide out from under the bar. (LOSER, but i’m back on it right away).

    It’s okay, I need the foundation, so all this work makes sense.

    My question to you is how has it worked out. I’m going to enter a 7 week body recomposition contest and I want to come in with the most muscle gain. Therefore I’m curiousl with the results that you’ve seen. I might try it regardless, but it would be nice to hear your take.

    Best,
    MoMacAttack

    Reply
• 

  Luke — October 13th, 2010, 4:28 am

  That’s great change!! Holy crap. Is there a world record that has been set for fastest muscle gain in the shortest period of time? That would be interesting to know, maybe you could enter or start it? I think you really have tapped into how to make rapid change, which is hard.

  My biggest problem with fitness change before was the mental blocks of changing my lifestyle. I have realized that if your mind is running in one direction the actions or the plan doesn’t matter so much, it ended up being a lot of effort. Other people had made great change on that plan that I followed and kept it, I succeed on determination alone. I had everything dialed in and was very specific to everything I was doing but I simply couldn’t keep going.

  Now I have found a more effortless way to making change, now that I got the mind game figured out – it wasn’t easy. But I’m interested now in checking out what your book has to offer.

  Kudos for big gains

  Reply
• 

  Anon — October 15th, 2010, 10:56 pm

  Seeing as this was posted in 2007, I was wondering how have you done with keeping the gains?

  Any muscle loss over the years??

  Awesome post man, an inspiration to us all.

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — October 18th, 2010, 5:09 pm

    Thanks for the comment. I fluctuate, but I’m around 183 right now, so maintaining well.

    Best,

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Rebbeca Loftis — October 17th, 2010, 8:59 pm

  have already been reading ur site for 3 days. absolutely love your posts. btw i am doing study about this topic. do you know other great blogs or perhaps forums in which I might find out more? many thanks.

  Reply
• 

  Jim Simpson — October 18th, 2010, 10:09 am

  Nice Post And Good Workout to build muscles!

  The larget muscle building mistake you can make is doing routines from muscle magazines. Most of those guys don’t train naturally, are genetically gifted and never started training that way. Doing their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.

  Reply
• 

  anon — October 25th, 2010, 2:35 am

  Your story is an inspiration to all who want a great physique, especially myself. I have ordered your book from Amazon and am looking forward to using your program.

  Reply
• 

  4Hquestions — November 1st, 2010, 12:11 am

  Tim, quick question:

  I believe you 100% that this routine works. I’ve done similar things in the past and it is EFFECTIVE.

  But I have a hard time sticking to it because, even though I only spend 30 min in the gym twice a week, those 30 min leave me EXHAUSTED. I’ve done squat days where I end up sleeping for 12 to 14 hours the next day, plus I’m hungry for protein and I spend a lot more time eating or thinking about food. It’s hardly compatible with a normal life if I’m knocked out like that one day out of the week.

  Have you experienced this? What should I do?

  Reply
• 

  Drew Baye — November 4th, 2010, 7:17 am

  The photos should have been standardized better, however even if they’re shot at different distances if you scale them in photoshop to match the distance from the clavicles to the knees you’ll get it pretty close (head and feet can be off a bit depending on the angle of the lense).

  I wrote about Tim’s transformation and similar ones at http://baye.com/four-hours/ and included a version of Tim’s first before/after set which has been scaled to match the height. Even when scaled to match the transformation is obvious and impressive.

  For anyone planning to do something similar I recommend the following:

  Find a blank wall that is well lit or light it so the light is coming from the front and not directly overhead. If you have a professional set up, use a light gray background and set the lights at 45 degree angles off the subject and about 8 ft high so the shadows are cast down and behind the subject rather than directly behind.

  Stand at least a few feet away from the wall or backdrop so the shadows are further away and not as hard.

  Measure the distance, mark it on the floor and record it. The mark is for consistent positioning between poses (front, back, side, etc.) the record is for consistent positioning between shoots.

  Do the same for the camera. Ideally you should be shooting from a distance of about 20 feet or more from the subject, NOT close up using a wide angle lense. Record both the distance from the subject and the height of the camera (at the lense) and any settings used, and use the exact same settings at both shoots.

  Mark an 8″ square on the floor where you will stand. Place your feet just outside this space. Consistent foot spacing makes it easier to compare changes in thigh diameter because it affects the space between the thighs.

  For fat loss comparisons the hands should be placed directly ON TOP of the head (not behind) with fingers interlaced. This is better than having the arms at the sides because it makes the waist/midsection the focal point.

  If the arms are held out to the sides differences in the shoulder angle affect the space between the arms and sides which affects how people perceive changes in waist size.

  For muscle size comparisons I recommend the following poses:

  front and rear double biceps
  front and rear lat spread
  side chest
  side tricep
  ab and thigh
  most muscular or “crab” pose

  If you don’t know how to do these correctly (judging from photos of non-bodybuilders on the net, most people don’t) do a search for them online along with the words “posing tips”.

  Wear as little as you’re comfortable having the whole world seeing you in. If you are light skinned wear dark, solid colors. If you are dark skinned wear lighter, solid colors.

  Wear the exact same cut and style during before and afters. If you are doing fat loss comparison and lose a huge amount of weight either buy the exact same item in your new size, otherwise wear the old ones even if they’re loose and use safety pins to bring in the waist. The cut of the clothing affects perception of body shape.

  If you’re doing a muscle gain comparison, wear posing trunks, track shorts, or sweat pants cut high enough to show the thighs.

  After the first shoot put the clothing away somewhere safe and save it for the after shoot.

  Make or print copies of your before photos and hang them in your home gym or keep a set in a binder in your car to look at before you go into the gym to work out. Hang them on your refrigerator. Wherever you might need a reminder to stay disciplined with your eating (and eating a LOT of food requires as much discipline as restricting intake) or to push yourself harder in your workouts.

  If you are a personal trainer or fitness consultant of any type these photos are invaluable for marketing. My biggest regret is that I did not photograph more clients earlier and one of my biggest frustrations now is that many clients don’t want to be photographed at first (they regret not having before photographs when they look awesome though). Comparison photography will say more about your ability to produce results than anything you could say to a potential customer. One good set of before/after photos is worth 100 testimonials.

  Reply
  • 

    Shane Duquette — November 4th, 2010, 5:40 pm

    Wow Drew, great advice! We’re designers/photographers and well, we did EXACTLY that. 2 studio lights at 45* overhead angles, standing a few feet away from a white wall, black tape marks on the floor, hideously short jorts, and a 50mm lens (camera spot also marked with tape) and all photos taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach:

    Tim Ferriss Poses (90 days before and after)
    http://foxhoundstudio.com/blog/fitness-lifestyle/lean-to-mean-90-days-vid-pics/

    8 mandatory bodybuilding poses (120 days before and after):
    http://foxhoundstudio.com/blog/fitness-lifestyle/lean-to-mean-finale-a-summers-worth-of-packing-on-muscle-and-tearing-off-fat-from-bony-to-beastly/

    Reply
    • 

      Tim Ferriss — November 4th, 2010, 11:47 pm

      Great work, guys! Beautiful blog, too. Nice and clean. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me soon…

      All the best,

      Tim
      P.S. Drew, thanks for the outstanding tips. It makes a world of difference to get the lighting right.

      Reply
• 

  Thomas Newman — November 5th, 2010, 4:03 am

  Hey Tim, Look up Wiliam Kraemer (#1 rearscher in the world) and Boyd Epley (Hall of Fame Strength coach). Look up “The Metabolic Circuit”. Originated 1968 -1978 and was called the seceret weapon in sports. Amazing results, Incredible stories and you would love to look at the research. I’m a strength coach and every year I watch boys become men in 4 weeks, it is unreal. Contact me if you want direct info. Its wild…

  Thomas Newman

  Reply
• 

  tiki — November 8th, 2010, 6:53 am

  Is this real life?

  Reply
• 

  Jeff — November 11th, 2010, 8:08 am

  These are really impressive results. Were you able to reproduce these results for anyone else?

  Also, I read above that you did 8-12 repetitions per set. Which exercises specifically did you do for your workouts?

  Reply
• 

  Rich — November 13th, 2010, 4:45 pm

  Surprised I haven’t seen this question really – what if we aren’t into the Creatine/Caffeine from the NO explode? What are the alternatives?

  Reply
• 

  Rick — November 16th, 2010, 10:37 pm

  Hey Tim,

  I gained 12 pounds of muscle in one month, and my partner gained 20 pounds, from our baseline of 149 and 152 pounds.
  I’ve gained another 8 pounds of muscle in the second month. This was all done while being in class 9am-5pm, and studying for one of the most important exams of my life (USMLE Step 1)

  I can only imagine my potential when I have the month off after my exam, and going 100% with my diet/nutrition and training.

  Also, did i mention I only worked out 3 hours a week, and only 3 exercises per session.

  Can’t wait for your new book to come out,

  Keep it up,

  Rick

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — November 17th, 2010, 4:06 am

    Great job, Rick! Keep it up! Those are great gains.

    Reply
• 

  Farouk — November 19th, 2010, 5:46 am

  that’s impressive , good job

  Reply
• 

  Dennis Kempin — November 24th, 2010, 2:15 am

  Hey Tim!

  I am participating in the Body-4-Life Challenge and just stumbled over your advice, impressive! I will try to incorporate this into my workout.

  Do you have any book recommendations that could provide me with some background information on High Intensity Training and especially Nutrition?

  Thanks!
  Dennis

  Reply
  • 

    Farid — November 24th, 2010, 4:55 am

    Dennis!

    You might be interested in his new book! http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/09/29/the-4-hour-body/

    Reply
    • 

      Dennis Kempin — November 24th, 2010, 5:54 am

      That one is already preordered *g*
      Some other books for more in-depth view of nutrition and workout would be great!

      Reply
• 

  Eric — November 24th, 2010, 3:55 pm

  Hi Tim,

  First of all, I do believe in your gains.

  Did you write this? http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm
  Why did it say the total gym time was 8 hours on that page? but you said total gym time was 4 hour here

  Thanks,
  Eric

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — November 25th, 2010, 9:51 pm

    Hi Eric,

    The right answer is 4 hours. The “8 hours” is a typo, but — yes — I did that with BB.com.

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Farid — November 25th, 2010, 3:17 am

  Check out Body By Science then!

  Reply
• 

  Tim Ferriss “Geek to Freak” Starts Next Week : : The Complete Self — November 25th, 2010, 10:48 pm

  [...] In honor of the timely release of the forthcoming book The 4-Hour Body, by author, speaker & lifehacker Tim Ferriss; I’m going to have another go at his experiment he publicly posted in 2007 titled “From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks.” [...]

• 

  Mike — December 1st, 2010, 3:41 pm

  Tim,

  I hit this page again in the wake of all the hype of your upcoming book. I have pre-ordered it and hope there is some serious detail in how to accomplish this. I exercise regularly, 4-5x/week, including lots of crossfit although not much what I would consider hypertrophy. I’d much rather follow your program and put on lots of muscle and drop lots of fat in a month or two, rather than 6-7 months of lots of boring gym time (which is why I do crossfit since it’s actually pretty fun).

  Anyway I’m hoping I can dive in once the book arrives (great holiday break reading!). I follow mostly a primal/paleo diet but I will soon start adding brown rice protein powder from Sunwarrior for additional protein.

  I want to believe that this is all doable but if it were, it would fly in the face of decades of traditional Schwarzeneggerian body-building thought. I also am suspicious that this is all sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, not myofibrillar hypertrophy, but again I am very interested in trying this out (and it’s only a month so who what’s to lose?).

  Looking forward to the book!

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — December 1st, 2010, 10:12 pm

    Hi Mike,

    You’ll have plenty to read! Three whole chapters dedicated to this stuff

    All the best,

    Tim

    Reply
• 

  Steven — December 5th, 2010, 1:04 pm

  4HWW great job Tim! Just a quick question on the new one coming out. Will you have anything in there in regards to jumping? Why do I ask? I’m 5’7 and always wanted to dunk a basketball and just never did it when I had the chance. I was fit and strong, but just never pushed myself. I’m 31 now and really want to do it now because it’s now or never. Let me know if you will have anything in your new book about hops… thanks!

  Steve

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — December 6th, 2010, 11:24 pm

    Yep

    Reply
• 

  JHH — December 5th, 2010, 8:09 pm

  Tim,
  I believe your story and have pre ordered the new book. But I have a question.
  I am a runner and a swimmer and I believe training should focus on well roundedness. Which is why I now follow a crossfit endurance type programming, which I believe you’re familiar with. (I noticed Brian MacKenzie in the ad video.)
  Is it possible to follow this type of strength regimen and maintain sports conditioning? Is there room for met-con or is this programming too demanding on your system for extra work?

  Reply
• 

  Berzinator — December 6th, 2010, 11:02 am

  One principle that is critically important here that you only mention in the comments, is that you increased the weight every workout by 5-10%, and if you couldn’t make that increase, you would change movements (basically reset the weight for that muscle group). This is such a key aspect of hypertrophy and the fact that you did this makes me more of a believer that this actually may have happened. I think some weight is probably glycogen and water (which would show up as lean mass), but regardless it’s still an impressive gain and follows the actual principles of hypertrophy.

  Tim, you should add a little blip in the actually article about constantly increasing the weight, since this is so crucial. Great stuff man.

  Reply
  • 

    kent ortmeyer — December 11th, 2010, 6:27 pm

    @Berzinator: I can´t find the comment your referring to about increasing the weight. What date is it posted on?

    Second: I do not totally understand what you mean by” basically reset the weight for that muscle group” explain please.
    thx

    Reply
• 

  Berzinator — December 12th, 2010, 6:04 pm

  @kent ortmeyer

  “Just one set, one weight. No drop sets required. I will generally only swap main exercises when progress begins to slow substantially, less than 5-10% weight added per workout, depending on exercise and caloric intake.”
  on May 18th, 2009

  Basically once you hit your maximum strength output for an exercise and begin to plateau, it’s a good idea to “reset the weight” or “back-pedal” which basically means drop the weight down to 75% of your top weight and build it back up, adding weight at every workout. Constantly adding weight is what adds muscle, and it has to do more with the conditioning of the muscle rather than your maximal strength output. Dropping the weight allows your muscles to decondition to the top weight you’ve been using so that as you build back up, it signals a growth stimulus. Otherwise you can be grinding out reps day in day out for months with no change, all because you can’t cause a growth stimulus even at your maximal strength output (ie. your muscles are so conditioned to that load that no stimulus occurs even at max strength). By swapping exercises, Tim had to start at a lighter weight while still hitting the same muscle groups, so it acted just like a reset or back-pedal and allowed him to add weight at every workout and therefore continue making progress.

  Hope that makes sense.

  Reply
• 

  MMAboss91 — December 12th, 2010, 7:28 pm

  whats your secret… anadrol. jk . this is decent never seen anything like it maybe ill try it out move up a weight class hahaha

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — December 12th, 2010, 11:40 pm

    I didn’t use Anadrol. Hahaha.. if I were to use, I’d use Tren + test

    Reply
• 

  shapewear — December 16th, 2010, 8:08 am

  This is Very impressive. I’ll be trying some of your tips this summer.

  Reply
• 

  Rj — December 16th, 2010, 10:39 am

  This is a big bunch of crap! How can you say this B/S and try to make money this way get a life!

  Reply
• 

  Dr. Michael Chiccone — December 17th, 2010, 8:26 am

  It is too bad that most people still don’t have the sense to look past the nonsense written in most bodybuilding magazines to find the truth, and the truth is that HIT is the best training method there is for gaining muscle. If you want to learn other types of movements, especially dangerous ones, try Crossfit or Plyometrics. These programs are sure to injure you sooner or later. The research has been done, not just by AJ, a man I new personally, but by many others. The most current and best book on the market to explain the research and reasoning behind HIT is “Body by Science” by Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little. All the information you need is there along with all the current research on aerobics, and why they are a waste of time. I have no doubt that you are telling the truth as I was able to put 60 pounds of muscle on a friend of mine using workouts I designed with Arthur and Mike Mentzer in mind. He never trained more that one hour per week on a two day routine. Everyone thought he was on steroids! Many people will read your story and not believe it because they have become so brainwashed by the bodybuilding industry to believe you need all kinds of supplements and steroids to make those kinds of gains. Keep up the good work.

  Reply
• 

  JC — December 17th, 2010, 6:45 pm

  I love the way Tim set this up as a lead to his new book. Nice marketing. having tried steroids in my bodybuildings days I never gained 34 lbs of muscle in 28 days. Perhaps I wasn’t using the right ones. Personally I don’t see how anyone using any method can gain 34 lbs of pure muscle doing this kind of training. Gaining 34 lbs of body weight sure but 34 lbs of pure muscle now way.

  None of my bodybuilding pals using steroids got these kinds of gains either. Really do you think bodybuilders would be in the gym working out as they do if there was a way to gain that kind of muscle in just 4 hours a week?

  These guys put their body through a lot of shit and I am not aware of any of them making these gains.

  Great marketing.

  Reply
  • 

    andy — December 21st, 2010, 8:10 pm

    Have the book, very disappointed in the geek to freak chapter, no diet details are listed, and then in the following chapters, he describes how to gain mass, but gives a completely different routine than the one he used to gain “34 lbs of mass” no calorie count, carb count, protein count, meal breakdown was given, no scientific data, blood test results, or anything else. In fact, there is more info on how it was done, posted on the intro to this post, than there is in the book. I was hoping, for some more detail, a lot more, more detail on what was going on with the body while these gains were being made, what was eaten, when was it eaten, and what effect did it have on hormone level, but there really is very little information written. Other chapters in this book that are non related to weight training are very detailed and well written, but i bought this book, mainly due to this blog, and the picture results, and after reading it, i am no more closer to making my own “geek to freak” transformation than I was before I read it.

    Reply
    • 

      Tim Ferriss — December 21st, 2010, 11:00 pm

      Hi Andy,

      The “Occam’s Protocol” chapters are the most refined approach I can recommend. Those two chapters WILL allow you to replicate your own G2F experiment, though 34 pounds is definitely an outlier. But 10-20 lbs. in a month? Entirely doable.

      Good luck!

      Tim

      Reply
• 

  mike — December 19th, 2010, 10:29 pm

  I’m going to start my geek to freak, starting Tuesday. I read 4hrbody, but here is my question after looking up Dave Palumbo and watching him on daily motion video. Should I use Fiber pills? I can see the benefit and disadvantage.

  Reply
• 

  Lemaster25 — December 21st, 2010, 6:50 am

  Great transformation and thanks for posting. I am also into working out…I’m bulking now and trying to gain some size. Nutrition is key though to any fitness goal.

  Reply
  • 

    andy — December 22nd, 2010, 10:16 am

    I read that chapter as well, just curious why the routine that was a full body (and to quote the book also full body raises test levels) and yielded the best results (34 lbs) is not the routine that should be used/recommended. And if it is not the best, why. It is just not explained.

    Reply
• 

  Weight Gain Tips — December 24th, 2010, 4:51 am

  The pics were true to my knowledge..thanks for the step by step guidance..will need to follow you..had to add this to my Google reader!!

  Reply
• 

  Ali Zaidi — December 24th, 2010, 8:29 am

  Hi Tim,

  I’ve just started reading your new book the Four Hour Body. It’s a great read.

  I came across your advice to drink 1.5 litres of water first thing in the morning in order to get a more accurate Body Fat percentage reading when using bio-electrical impedence (BEI).

  What struck me was that it sounded like 1.5 litres of water in one go could be a dangerous amount of water to drink in one sitting.

  I’ve since then tried to search online in vain to find out what is a safe amount of water to drink in one go, and if drinking 1.5 litres at once is safe or not. The reason I thought that drinking 1.5 litres in one go might be dangerous is because the advice that one normally gets for how much water to drink in one day is also around 1.5-2.5 litres.

  I would be greatful if you could clarify this issue for me and anybody else who might have doubts about experimenting with this particular advice you gave in the book!

  Kind Regards,

  Ali Zaidi

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — December 24th, 2010, 10:14 pm

    Hi Ali,

    Thanks. You should drink the water over at least 20-30 minutes, if not longer, so it should be OK. That said, speak with your doctor if you have any concerns or conditions.

    Best,

    Tim

    Reply
    • 

      Ali Zaidi — January 17th, 2011, 9:21 am

      Hi Tim,

      Thanks for the response Tim. I’ve spoken to my Dr – it seemed she wasn’t sure how much water was too much in one sitting either. Instead of the 1.5 litres I’ve been drinking 1 litre of cold water when I wake up about 20 mins before getting on the scale. Do you think that would be enough to get the desired result? I’m still alive and kicking, so 1 litre has obviously not been lethal for me!

      I have been a previous commenter on your blog above under the name Ali (linked to bollywood chat) when I experimented with the slow carb diet. After reading your fat loss chapters I tried experimenting with the slow carb diet once again – and unfortunately I found that eating as much as I liked of the legumes, vegetables and protein (chicken breast/fish) led to fat gain once again. As I’m currently competing with about 40 friends and family to burn fat over 120 days I’ve made quick adjustments to find something that seems to work for me. I’ve eliminated the the legumes and nuts completely. I eat just lean protein with vegetables and have decreased the size of my meals, but increased the number of meals throughout the day. I basically eat when I get hungry, but don’t eat too much in one go. I’m finding this technique is giving me positive fat loss results.

      Is it possible I am one of the few people for whom the slow carb diet just doesn’t work?

      Best Regards,

      Ali Zaidi

      Reply
• 

  fox — December 26th, 2010, 2:31 am

  does your book also explain how to gain weight for skinny people?

  Reply
  • 

    Tim Ferriss — December 26th, 2010, 11:10 am

    It does, Fox. Three entire chapters on it. Good luck!

    Reply
    • 

      Wayne — January 6th, 2011, 9:20 pm

      To claim you have gained 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks is a flat out lie.

      In optimal conditions (Diet, Rest, Workout) you will only gain 0.5lbs of muscle a week, if you are a complete newbie to working out maybe 1lb a week MAX.

      And just to top it off you claim it was with 2 x 30 minute workouts a week! and you lost fat! This is just scandalous..

      You couldn’t even do that using HGH or AAS.

      If you are going to lie at least make it believable, you may as well make an informercial saying you did this in only 3 minutes a day.

      Sourcing bodybuilding.com? every person looking at this should go to the forums there and link them to this and see what they say. You will soon find out how ridiculous this statement is.

      Reply
• 

  Shane — December 29th, 2010, 1:15 pm

  Hey everyone, I just started up a geek to freak challenge of my own, will be spending 3 months on the protocol and seeing where I can take it. I started a blog to keep track of meals, measurements, and before/after photos.

  Here’s the blog with the Before photos, I’ll be posting weekly “After” photos on saturday mornings prior to beginning binge days (ala slow carb diet).

  http://shane4hb.wordpress.com/

  Feel free to contact me (and look at what I’m eating) via twitter at @shane4hb

  -Shane

  Reply
• 

  brenden — December 31st, 2010, 11:54 pm

  Hey Tim! I’ve been following your blog for about a year and just finished reading 4HB today. I’ve been a gym slut for the past 5 years and am ready to make some serious gains following your Geek-to-Freak program. The only worry I have at the moment is being able to eat enough calories and protein each day especially being a vegeterian (although I do eat fish). Do you have any food recommendations for people like myself? Also, do you think it’s more important to hit a daily protein goal or calorie goal? Thanks Tim! I live in San Francisco too, maybe we’ll run into each other one day.

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  Anon — January 1st, 2011, 9:54 pm

  Great tan Tim!

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  Susan — January 5th, 2011, 11:50 am

  Ah these are the results you posted in your new book! Awesome job! And thanks for sharing your muscle building secrets with us (as well as your fat loss secrets)!

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  mj — January 7th, 2011, 9:38 pm

  Hey,

  Im wondering about trying this program. I read it off the 4 hour body book. It states for workout A, just do barbell military press and yates bent row. Then for workout B, bench and squat. Same protocol, 1 rep to failure 5/5 cadence. But looking here im seeing a different routine. So which is that you use?

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  Adrian @ Body Push — January 7th, 2011, 11:57 pm

  Absolutely incredible progress. Shows the value of keeping a detailed log and how it makes even small changes recordable and measurable.

  Something I’ll be needing to do in 2011 for sure… have the working out part down, just need to add in the recording

  Congrats on the new book hitting #1!

  Adrian

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  John — January 9th, 2011, 4:58 pm

  Thanks Tim,

  I’m a hard gainer, been stuck at 145lbs / 9% body fat.

  After reading your book I started the occam’s protocol routine .

  at day 7 I was 156lbs and 10% body fat.

  But now at Day 9 I’m 159lbs and 13% eating the same diet and same supplements. Is this normal for body fat to jump in the 2nd week?

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    Tim Ferriss — January 9th, 2011, 6:44 pm

    Hi John,

    With the same diet and supps, that looks odd to me. Could be a bad caliper reading (or off Tanita scale). I’d suggest finding a http://www.bodpod.com to track progress.

    Good luck!

    Tim

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  James — January 11th, 2011, 8:12 pm

  http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mmBw3uzPnJI/S_5HXcpLekI/AAAAAAABShE/w5JW8u_2j4g/s1600/Haters_Gonna_Hate_23.jpg

  haters gonna hate. I’m working on a masters in exercise physiology and I’ve never seen anything like this, but there’s a hell of a lot I haven’t seen. Keep pushing the envelope and blowing minds man. I think you might be interested in taking a look in some of the stuff Martin Berkhan’s got going on at his blog. Another against the grain kind of guy with amazing results to back up his methods: http://www.leangains.com/

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  Ward — January 13th, 2011, 3:04 am

  Loving 4HB. In fact, got Dexa scan, blood work, fitness test, hired trainer (and made him read the book) and am going to follow the 28 day program as absolutely accurate as possible with full before and after…

  I am trying to get the exact supplement routine going. If I have one complaint of the book is it lacks some clarity in the exact routine. Page 186 has a supplement list but then you find more things in Occam’s protocol.

  Also if you go to bodybuilding.com and look at the 4HB stack: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/exclusive-combos/the-4-hour-body-stack.html it doesn’t match page 156 either.

  I have emailed bodybuilding.com suggesting they match their product bundle to be exactly what Tim did.

  In the meantime is there a more concrete, exact list of the supplements?

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  Tim — January 15th, 2011, 11:19 am

  Hi Tim,

  I am a little confused about the weight gaining diet from your book. It is the same as the weight loss one, except eat as much as you possibly can and add low glycemic carbs, right (like pasta?)? Do we still get the 1 day where we can eat whatever we possibly want? My girlfriend and I are trying this at the same time (me to add muscle, her to lose fat) and neither of us can really figure out how exactly I’m supposed to eat.

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    Farid - 4HB App — June 7th, 2011, 12:00 pm

    Tim, you’re supposed to add starches such as brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat macaroni (and most likely steel-cut oats which will take more than 10 minutes to cook.)

    You also need to drop calories by 50% one day a week (it’s a reverse cheat day.) No junk food on this day!

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  cm — January 17th, 2011, 12:17 pm

  Tim,

  Can’t say I gained 34 pounds but I did put on more weight then I ever have in a month, so something’s working. Do you have any more ideas for sample meals, because Holy Crap I got sick of eating macaroni/salmon/beans and rice/beans/chicken all day every day!

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  Devin — January 19th, 2011, 8:14 pm

  Hi Tim,

  The 4 Hour Body book is awesome. Its being put into practice by me as we speak. And as a side note, the 4 Hour Work Week principles are being implemented by my business partner and I for our two businesses. Progress updates will follow in a few months.

  Anyway, I think there might be a mistake in the 4 hour body book about this Geek to Freak Routine. On page 187, you mention that one of your exercises was Reverse Thick Bar Curl. The page also has a link to the exercise, http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/geek-to-freak/.

  Pg. 211-212 then goes into detail about the Reverse Drag Curl.

  The video from the link shows a guy doing a reverse curl in a Circular Motion. But pages 211-212 show you raising the bar straight up (and you say “The drag curl, in contrast, raises the bar straight up rather than a circular motion.”)

  Unless the thick bar curl exercise on pg 187 is different than the barbell exercise you reference in 211-212, I think that video reference is wrong and just showing a regular reverse curl but not a “drag curl.”

  If I am wrong and these are entirely two different exercises, then this message is programed to self destruct before it reaches you so that you wont waste your time reading it!

  Cheers,
  Devin

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  Allan Heminsley — January 20th, 2011, 3:30 am

  This is nonsense. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he managed to gain 25lbs once in a a period of a year whilst he was serving in the military and that this was the largest yearly gain he ever managed. Sorry, I don’t wish to be rude but to gain 34lbs of lean muscle mass in 4 weeks is simply science fiction!

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  Santiago M — January 20th, 2011, 11:23 am

  Hi Tim (and everyone else that can help),
  I am half the way done with my 28 days Occam’s protocol thing and I think I am failing. I am following everything the book says, but I can’t gain weight. I also checked my growth hormone levels and testosterone and they all seem normal. So I guess that I am failing at eating… I am trying to eat as much as possible following a slow-carb diet with quinoa and eggs for snacks but that doesn’t seem to be enough. I am doing the shake too and my calorie intake per day is around 2500-2700. I am 150 lb and 5’8”.
  Now, the doctor told me I am at a good weight for my size, so I did a BodPod. The results show 20% body fat… I obviously need to get leaner…
  One thing that confuses me about the book is that in that chapter, you (Tim) first mention your diet (similar to slow carb) but then you mention Neil’s diet which is completely the opposite and includes rice and potatoes… I don’t understand that… I am similar to Neil in terms of my appetite I guess, but I’ve been eating like it’s my job and nothing seems to happen.
  I would appreciate anybody’s advice/comments/stories.
  Thanks

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    Antonius Momac — January 20th, 2011, 6:35 pm

    Hey Santiago,

    Its crazy what Tim got done; eating something like 6000+ calories clean. You’ll gain both fat and muscle as its very very hard to just gain fat without maddening diet. What I mean by that is strict car cycling (like Tim suggest) and very scientific tracking. Not all bodies are going to react the same. However, keeping that in mind, here are some tips and general things.

    Okay, muscle is like like 600 according to Tom Venuto. Remember muscle mis 3/4′s water, and 4Cals per dry mass compared to 9. Some guys say 1600 cal; or you’d need something like 200-300 calories over your maintenance level to gain a pound of muscle a week in a prefect world. Make sure you teach your body that.

    You know you need to eat clean, lots of protien, good fats and carbs! potatos are good carbs, but don’t eat a lot of them. I think a 30% protien, 50% carb and 20% fat (per calorie) is a good place to start.

    Also, just go by your body fat % and weigh yourself just once a week. Same time and place. It becomes more consistent.

    Forget about alcohol. Don’t do it (tough one) and drink LOTS of water.

    Also, its easier to gain muscle after getting lean, and its easier to lose only fat if you’re over fat. So at 20% bodyfat, you might want to drop to 12-15% (whatever your target is) and then start on gaining Lean body mass.

    Remember, it might be 4 hours of work in the gym, but eating right is 24×7.

    Also, look up the 5×5 post. I’ve been doing this to gain. Nothing like Tim mind you, but I’m at 166-8 lbs (plus 8lbs in the last 2 months) and only 5’7. I didn’t take measurements, but my shirts are tighter up top. Also, I started with a weak 140 lbs squat. I’m doing 295 or so now. Killer core work out with the squats. I can’t bench much (only 165) but I’m working…

    Good luck. Be your own best friend and start a food journal. It will help because you can actually look at what you did. Lots of people think they’re doing everything in the book, but really?

    Final thought; wrap your workout with the biggest meals, it fuel to build muscle pre and post workout.

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  B Carey — January 20th, 2011, 7:00 pm

  “Really do you think bodybuilders would be in the gym working out as they do if there was a way to gain that kind of muscle in just 4 hours a week?”

  Yes I can well believe it, based on having spent the last 30 years training and working in gyms, nothing would surprise me about the critical thinking abilities of the average body-builder.

  As to the remark about Schwarzenegger only gaining 25lbs in one year while in the army, I think most people in that situation would probably lose weight, to gain 25lbs after having already trained very seriously for 3 years and while being already extreamly well developed, and training with a very inefficient hight volume approach speaks volumes about Arnold’s genetics…he succeeded in spite of his training approach rather then because of it.

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  Gary Stauble — January 20th, 2011, 7:11 pm

  I’ve been doing “Occam’s protocol” from the book for 2 weeks and have noticed quite a bit of fat gain. I’m eating about 3,000 calories/ day which is more than usual for me and performing the “A” and “B” workouts as described in the book.

  I’ve gained a full inch on my stomach so far and my jeans are tighter (not in a good way).

  Not sure whether to continue as I definitely don’t want to gain a lot of fat.

  Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

  Thanks.

  Gary

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  Mike — January 21st, 2011, 1:07 am

  great job on the site. It looks good. I’m sure you would agree that visual examples are a lot more effective than just words. It is also a motivator to people that visit your blog, because once they see the results that you had in just 4 weeks, I would be convinced that more people would want to look the same and be healthier.

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  Vanessa — January 25th, 2011, 5:56 pm

  Hi Tim,

  Can you explain what “protein uptake downregulation” is. I saw it as a concern in one of the steps?

  I ‘ve started a Facebook Group to discuss results, and would love some people to come on and discuss certain exercises they do and discuss the food they have while undergoing training…Perhaps also talk about how you started to incorporate exercise (at what point of the diet)…

  Add some before, during and after pictures…

  Link to the group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_103604729716668&notif_t=group_r2j

  Thanks
  Vanessa

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  KGB — January 26th, 2011, 2:46 pm

  Can anyone post their own results… with their actual before after measurements and photos if you have them for the geek-2-freak 28 or two month challenges? There has to be some more validity to this program than a bunch of mostly meaningless high-fives and ramblings! Come-on folks! Move your a$$es and step away from the PC and get moving. Bring on the real testimonials!!!

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    Dave — January 27th, 2011, 1:20 pm

    KGB: I plan on doing a good (as in complete and detailed) Geek-to-Freak log to eventually post after I lose some BF first (and get some advice from Tim on that).

    Tim: Just bought your “The 4-Hour Body” book and it is outstanding! I’ll try to make it short and sweet here.

    Some background:
    - 46 y/o, Male, about 18-20% BF according to Tanita and Omron Athlete Mode. I justify Athlete Mode in both b/c I’m 5’6″, 180 lbs. with a bench of 385, deadlift of 495 and fairly vascular 16 3/4″ arms, so I’m not the typical user, and the normal mode has to be reading high for me; either I have a seriously messed up electrolyte imbalance or I’m packing some super-dense visceral fat. That said I’m nowhere near having 6-pack abs either. I plan to get Bod Pod done very soon but for now I think 20% is a decent number to use.
    - Been lifting for years. 3 years ago, I discovered HIT and have been using it about 20% of the time. It’s the *only* way I’ve made any progress over these last 3 years dabbling with different training strategies.

    My concern:
    I’m in sort of a catch-22 situation here. I’m done with my 4th week of 5 on another (supervised) diet plan and have dropped about 12 lbs. thus far while actually gaining a little strength on an HIT program I started at the same time. Through this all I’ve done 6 days on, 1 day off doing at least 1 hr. of hard cardio per day, and am starting to get some over-training symptoms. I think I may be at a tipping point where if I lose any more weight it will be mostly muscle, but of course w/o that muscle I will have an even harder time dropping fat.

    My question:
    Should I finish the 5 week plan and go immediately into your Slow Carb diet to bring my BF% down further? Or should I proceed into “Geek-to-Freak” next to try and pack on some quality weight to make fat burning easier?

    Thanks.

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      Dave — February 3rd, 2011, 9:56 pm

      Update: Had the DEXA done and was at 20% BF and 19% with Bod Pod so 20% was a good guess. Omron hand-held is very consistent and very close at around 20% for me, so in-between DEXA scans that will do for tracking things.

      I also have my answer regarding whether to lose the BF first or do the “Geek to Freak” after reading some more posts on this blog.. I’ll concentrate on getting BF down to 15% and then G-to-F from there.

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  Vince — January 31st, 2011, 4:59 am

  Good stuff-really impressed by the gains.

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  donl — February 3rd, 2011, 2:08 pm

  Hi Tim,

  Posted this in the wrong place earlier…

  Very interested by your book and just ordered it…I’ve started the fat loss diet and am on day 4 – feeling good.

  In regards to gaining 34lbs of muscle in 28 days – there are some “skeptics” that have said you manipulated fluid and glycogen etc… but just wondering your thoughts… do you think that since your natural weight is considerably more than the weight you were when you started that this had an effect on how quickly you gained the weight?

  I have played soccer at semi pro level, coach soccer professionally and live in the Bay Area. Friends that workout at the gym regularly are for the most part disbelievers.

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  Nick — February 7th, 2011, 12:43 pm

  Has anyone tried, or does anyone have input based on experience or science on how to focus these muscle gains? I don’t need bigger legs at all. Stronger would be great but my wife could literally make a skirt out of each one of my pant legs already.
  I am also fairly underdeveloped from the waist up and would love to add some lean muscle mass everywhere back, chest, arms.

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    David — February 12th, 2011, 10:13 pm

    If you work muscles, they get bigger/stronger. If you don’t, they don’t.

    So if you simply don’t do any leg exercises, they won’t grow. So no squats, deadlifts, leg presses etc.

    focus on upper body stuff.

    And be aware that even if doing say rows, your legs will get *some* work anyway but they won’t grow the way you would expect from focusing on lower body exercises.

    I’m wondering how you got massive legs but nothing else; cyclists often have that happen. Stop riding the bike if you want to let the legs shrink, but overall, make sure you’re not missing out on exercise that you enjoy and is good for you

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  Anon — February 8th, 2011, 6:09 pm

  Tim, in your book you mention the list of supplements on page186…did you take these every day or just on your workouts days as you stated 2 x 30 minutes workouts 2 days a week. 4 hours gym time. if you didn’t take these every day which of the supplements did you take on a non-workout day?

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  Per Andersen — February 8th, 2011, 9:34 pm

  Hello,

  Just thought I’d share. This doctoral thesis seems to give some strong evidence in support of the superiority of excentric type exercises when training for muscular hypertrophy as proposed by Arthur Jones. The thesis also completely changed my view on DOMS.

  http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:140045

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  kmcall — February 15th, 2011, 5:40 pm

  Hi I only have one when you take these supplements are you taking them everyday or just on days you are working out?

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  mkorbon — February 17th, 2011, 2:13 pm

  Hi I love your book the four hour body. i think it is about time for a book like this.
  I am about to start your geek to freak routine, and the biggest question i have is about the supplements. So after the 28 day cycle am i gonna loose my gains after i come down off of this massive supplement intake?
  I will not stop going to the gym or stop taking the protein and some of the others supplements but when you stop taking some of the supplements is there a great deal of gain lost or what?

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  tommyk — February 21st, 2011, 5:22 pm

  this is an outright lie. it is physically impossible to gain that much muscle in such a short time even with steroids. the most any natural person can hope to gain is 5-15 pounds a year.

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    Kent — February 22nd, 2011, 4:26 am

    HAHAHAHAHAHA

    @tommyK. I feel sorry for u, dude. I myself have put on more than 8 kilos(15-16pound) in 3 months using thise tecnics(body fat kept at 8-9%. Measured by proo´s). where as before i spend 18-20 months to get 4-5kg up. The deference? more food-less gymtime( 2 times 30-40 min a week using the methods here). And I did´nt even eat that much!
    I sted, why don¨t u just try it for 2-3 months? less work- more eating= FUN TIMES!!!
    Best of luck to to you and everybody else out there )

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  Drew Baye — February 22nd, 2011, 9:22 am

  Tommy K,

  It is not unusual for beginners to gain 5 to 15 pounds of muscle in their first few months if they are training and eating properly, and twice that or more over the course of their first year. Drug free, even.

  With steroids and other growth drugs you can double those numbers, depending on the types and amounts.

  The rate of gains tapers off over time, but even someone who has been working out a long time may suddenly start gaining rapidly if they have been making common mistakes with their training and correct them (the biggest three being workout out too long, too often, and not hard enough).

  I think people have very low expectations because most of what is recommended to the public is relatively inefficient for typical, drug-free trainees, but I know for a fact your numbers are wrong.

  I’ve been training people since 1993 using similar methods to what Tim uses, and while I have never had anyone gain quite as much as Tim in a single month, gains like these over a period of 6 months to a year are not unusual (double the numbers you stated) and I’ve had quite a few one-on-one and phone clients gain between 5 and 15 pounds in their first one to three months of training.

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  Leonid — March 4th, 2011, 5:33 am

  Hello Tim. I am stunned to find this post as you say things that saw me gain almost 40 pounds of lean mass in 10 months and even my friends wha saw me during this period didn’t belive me when I was telling them what I was doing to be getting that mass! I am excited to have found your blog and am willing to explore it more! Also very good comment from Drew Baye here. I am so glad to find somebody who is telling what I know and learn even more.

  Thank you, getting to see more here now!

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  Bobby — March 5th, 2011, 8:37 pm

  Definitely not 34 pounds gained… You aren’t even flexing in the before photos. Plus in the after shots you got a tan and shaved your hair. Also, the camera is closer in the after shots in the first pic. I’ll bet we would have seen the same cuts in the before pics but it was too far away and the light was in a different position. You are such a fake… So tell us why did you use the Doctors name in your book and she hasn’t even given you permission to do so? She didn’t even know you used her name…. Scammer…

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  Leon — March 22nd, 2011, 3:44 am

  Hello Tim (or anyone else),

  Could you tell me if is is necessary to follow the Slow Carb Diet for this system to work? Or can I just eat anything I want. And then I mean things like cheese, peanut butter, put on bread.

  Thanks,

  Leon

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    David — March 23rd, 2011, 4:07 am

    This is a program.

    If you don’t do what Tim says, then you’re making up your own program and the results will probably be different to what Tim’s program would give you. So if you do your own thing and it doesn’t work out, don’t blame Tim.

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  Leon — March 23rd, 2011, 2:44 am

  Hello again,

  I was also wondering if the ‘Geek to Freak’ experiment and ‘Occam’s Protocol’ have the same effect on muscular gain.
  Because when following ‘Occam’s Protocol’, you only perform 2 exercises per day(+the additional).
  However when you are following ‘Geek to Freak’ you perform 10 exercises per day.

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  Scott Witner — March 26th, 2011, 4:36 pm

  the supplimnent regimen layed out on page 186…is that only on workout days or all the days of the week?

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  Wayne from ectomorph workout — March 27th, 2011, 6:17 am

  wow that’s seriously impressive tim..I spent like 6 months to bulk up and get the gains I wanted. maybe u can try to aim for more defined muscle cuts. good luck!

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  Zacatak — March 27th, 2011, 9:45 pm

  Not all workouts/diets work for everyone, I guess there is one type for you, and one for me. I`ve found out what works for me,and I can bulk up really quick, I`m talking about a few weeks turn around,but my brother gains nothing on my routine and visa versa. Everyone is different and what works for him will not work for them.Diet is just the same I can eat as much junk food as I want and I`ll burn it all off,yet my brother to his disgust, it goes straight to his 6pack and he has to bust his balls to remove it.So anyone can workout and look good this summer,bulk up ,BUT you have to find what works for you body type.
  My body type is
  Ectomorph and I can whack the weight on with the best of them but I lose it so quick if i stop training.
  My brother is Mesomorph and i can keep up with him un till we stop training then his body stays and mine, well mine just dissapears.
  You all know your bodies good points and bad and what affects it,all you have to do is find what simulates it(NO DRUGS)and work with it.

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  Logan Parker — March 28th, 2011, 9:10 pm

  Ok. I’m getting a gym membership tomorrow so I figured it was time to review this and try it out.

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  Bob — April 4th, 2011, 10:23 pm

  Even with steroids, a personal trainer, a personal chef, and a flawless routine, this is about double what someone could achieve.

  You realize that 34 lbs in 4 weeks is roughly 1.2 pounds gained PER DAY?

  Someone making awesome gains during their prime will gain no more than 0.5 lbs of muscle per WEEK (and some fat).

  Stop misleading people and admit this was over a year of training. Maybe slightly under with steroids.

  And the fact you claim to have lost 3 lbs of fat during that same period… Just… no.

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  Mitchells — April 6th, 2011, 5:00 am

  Tim,

  You’ve hacked the human body…

  …Excepted the problem of hair turning gray !

  Some people are turning white at 40, others stays dark brown at 60.
  I think it could be your next challenge…

  I’m 50 and gray, I’m OK to be your guinea pig.
  My brown hair: the return. I’m ready.

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  brandon — April 16th, 2011, 9:04 pm

  I did the workout. Im a professional athlete, minor league baseball player. Hardest weight training I have ever done. 4 year College baseball 4 Pro baseball. I threw up doing iso dumbell press. I have gained 17 pounds after 5 workouts. Dont try it unless you want to reach your mental Threshold
  and question your manhood, becuase you will. Then if you make past that you will get jacked. Sweet book.-BA

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  awsomeposoum — April 22nd, 2011, 9:53 am

  but i only have three hours!!!

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  Greg — May 5th, 2011, 12:23 pm

  I am following the advice given in the chapter “Geek to Freak.” While trying to gain 34 lbs in a month, do I still take off one day a week to eat whatever I want? It seems like while trying to gain all this weight, I should still to protein only. What are your thoughts?

  Thank you

  Greg

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  wtf — May 11th, 2011, 3:07 am

  “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:”

  Calling bullshit here. I simply do not believe this AT ALL. I think he is LYING.

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  ferf — May 17th, 2011, 6:27 am

  hey im just wondering if u can really gain that fast that easy why isnt this on the cover of magazines like muscle and fitness u would think all the pro bodybuilders would do this if its really that good

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  Mark — May 17th, 2011, 8:28 am

  Question – I’m trying this experiment out and the first day taking the supplements listed in the book left me feeling nauseous that morning. I’ve read where Slo-Niacin can have that effect. Any words of wisdom on overcoming that feeling? I don’t mind pushing through it for 4 weeks, but if there is a way to avoid it, I’d like to know.

  Thanks!
  Mark P

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  Patrick — May 26th, 2011, 12:11 pm

  I’ve got a question related to Mark’s above. In the 4HB you mention your supplement regimen, does the “Morning” imply before or after breakfast?

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  susan — May 29th, 2011, 7:06 am

  Something strange happened to me… I usually watch my weight but eat whatever I want, I don`t exactly diet, I just keep track…I measure nearly 1.60 mts and weight 43.0 – 43.5 kilos. I started being more active and playing the drums nearly everyday and I don`t see myself fatter but I weight more, could that be muscle gain?? thanks!!

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  shauna — May 29th, 2011, 7:04 pm

  Any chance you have ever run or will run a before and after posterior building contest for ladies given your superior- posterior workout? Pictures are worth a thousand well…you know…. I would like to see the results of many different women who apply your workout to improve their posteriors.

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  Nick — May 30th, 2011, 3:47 am

  proteins helps you to increase your muscles, fats become muscles by your training thats all it helps to get muscles in 1 month like others without proteins get same result in 3 months = ))

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  Heyward — June 4th, 2011, 9:17 am

  Hi! Can anyone tell me why Tim thinks that the China study- linking animals protein to cancer- was flawed? any guesses? thanks.

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  Boris — June 7th, 2011, 6:16 am

  Of course Mr. Ferries manipulated here. He didn’t gain 34 pounds of muscle he REGAINED 34 pounds of muscle by starving himself up to this experiment just like Casey Viator did in the original Colorado experiment. By adding some tanning and photoshop + different posture it all looks very dramatic.

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  Luke — July 1st, 2011, 11:32 pm

  I have recently purchased your book with the interest in seeing what i could do to reach my full potential. I am in the military and am aspiring to attempt special forces selection in approx 11 months from now. i am in pretty good shape and have reached a sort of ‘plateaux’ (whether mental or physical who knows). i dont know if you have done any research into the complicated and multi-faceted world of military fitness requirements, but i was wondering if there are articles out there that you would recommend i look into, or if there are certain strains of work outs that i should be interested in (ie: crossfit-esq workouts vice lifting and running). i really dont know if this is the venue for such questions, but i was enthrawlled with your book and your views on maximizing ones potential that i thought i would give this a chance. If i hear from you or your assisstance, great… if not, thanks for a good read anyways.

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  Anon — July 3rd, 2011, 10:55 am

  the guy in the picture did 10 shrugs, was 10 minutes in the sun, and got a 10$ razor

  nice!

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  Drew Baye — July 3rd, 2011, 1:39 pm

  My guess is the detractors are skeptical because they have failed to achieve comparable results with their training, and are assuming since they couldn’t do it, neither could someone else.

  “Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also.”

  - Marcus Aurelius

  I am training someone now using the same principles who put in 6.5 pounds of muscle in the first three weeks (measured using a BodPod). Total training time in those three weeks was less than two hours (less than 20 min per workout, two workouts per week). Will be repeating the BodPod test in another 3 weeks (6 total) and will post again then. Not quite 34 pounds, but more than what some uninformed posters are claiming is possible.

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    Dave Wakeman — July 27th, 2011, 2:34 pm

    I’m with you.

    Let’s say that you gain 5 pounds in a month. Most people tell you that is impossible.

    I see and hear these crazy routines that tell people that they will put on 10 pounds this year if only they will eat 7,000 calories a meal and do 300 sets per body part, 3 times a week.

    This idea of working out hard and long doesn’t make sense to me. Our bodies can only take so much. You really do have to choose.

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  Dimitre — July 19th, 2011, 2:46 pm

  Will eating this 6x a day help me gain muscle and lose fat?!?!?

  1 cup of oatmeal
  2 scoops protein (50g of protein)
  1 Banana
  1 1/2 Unsweetened Almond Milk
  All mixed in a blender!!!

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  favor — July 27th, 2011, 12:17 pm

  how could somebody believe this was true? come on guys…

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  Dave Wakeman — July 27th, 2011, 2:27 pm

  I know that there are some naysayers when it comes to this plan, but I have definitely seen this plan or something similar work.

  My personal experience has been that I have been using a program that uses a low number of sets and high intensity for most of my adult life, mainly following along with the ideas pushed forward by Mike Mentzer, whom Tim refers to as someone that he gained knowledge from in sculpting his work out in the 4 Hour Body book.

  At my most muscular and fit, I was 205 at about 8% body fat and I was doing workouts that consisted of 2-4 exercises, maybe 3 times a week.

  But, more relevant to the discussion on this board, I was diagnosed with thyroid disease, which caused me to balloon up to about 250 pounds and really made it almost impossible for me to maintain any kind of workout and strength building routine that I could count on getting results from.

  Since January I have gotten my thyroid under control and have the ability to workout with an intensity and in a manner that allows me to get and measure results. When I began testing and training again, with a focus on regaining muscle, losing fat, and returning to some semblance of being in shape, I was at approximately 244 pounds with 36% body fat. That comes out to about 156 pounds of muscle and 88 pounds of fat. (Its pretty disgusting too…if you ask me.)

  I haven’t been super consistent in lifting weights because I don’t have the desire to gain a ton of muscle mass right now, because I have been running a lot and the muscle can interfere with performance at longer distances, but what I have done with about 12-15 weight sessions in 6 months is gone from 156 pounds of muscle to 171 pounds of muscle. Plus, in this time, my body fat percentage has declined from 36% to less than 23%.

  So definitely put me in the camp advocating for high intensity workouts with lots of rest. While not everyone is going to gain 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks, I do believe that you can easily gain 10 or more.

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  James S — August 2nd, 2011, 5:51 pm

  Wow that really is impressive! It’s great to finally see pictures of the man behind the words (I’ve read 4HWW and working through 4HB now!)

  The slow carb diet is producing great results for me so far!

  Many thanks,

  James S

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  Alvin — August 14th, 2011, 2:18 am

  This sounds too incredible to be true. Even with steroids, this article seems to be pushing it

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  Cornell — August 16th, 2011, 5:49 am

  Tim,

  Can resistance bands be used instead of free weights or a machine? I’ve used these in the past (not for geek to freak) and actually ended up overworking my muscles over a period of several weeks. Yeah, I used them too much but I did get a tremendous workout with them.

  Also, T.O. uses them and he’s in great shape.

  Thanks in advance for the response.

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  MDTHEWRR — August 26th, 2011, 4:03 pm

  I’m seeing fast gains. It’s all about how hard you are willing to train and how serious you are about it.

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  SportsDoc — August 29th, 2011, 8:57 am

  34 pounds of pure lean muscle in 4 weeks is a large stretch naturally. If you look at muscular physiology books you will find out what is possible. Like mentioned before great transformation but it hard to believe it happened in 4 weeks.

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  Karla G. — August 29th, 2011, 11:02 am

  My husband and I are new to the 4HB program and have been doing it for a couple of weeks. We are also taking the PAGG. My questions are why is it important to take one day per week off of the supplements? Also – why is it CRITICAL to take one week off every two months? I don’t have a problem with it – I just like the science behind the instructions. Anyone have any ideas?

  Thanks

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  Karla G. — August 29th, 2011, 11:05 am

  Two more questions….. after just starting the 4HB program. I see it is ok to drink red wine (and anything goes on binge days) does anyone know if a small vodka is ok on non-binge days? It would seem less sugar etc. than wine.

  Also – I see protien bars are ok in the gaining muscle and weight sections but would the low sugar/no sugar and high protien varieties be ok? My husband is finding it difficult to do brown bag lunches without them – although he is losing with them. He is trying to lose weight and add muscle. Sometimes I just use as a meal replacement or a 1/2 of one for a snack. Any ideas?

  Thanks

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  Markus — September 4th, 2011, 12:31 pm

  I wish I could post pictures here, 4 hour work week really changed my body.
  Thanks you tim for all the good advice.

  Br Markus

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  Adi — September 6th, 2011, 12:56 pm

  Great info Tim,

  Short, intense and infrequent workouts build muscle mass far better than long-drawn out training sessions that deplete the CNS and leave you feeling like you’ve been ran over by a truck.

  I haven’t read your book yet but I’m planning on it soon.

  -Adi Crnalic

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  AG — September 15th, 2011, 2:47 pm

  Well, after reading some (not all!) of the comments, this page is getting some mixed pre-sale reviews! Now, I studied kinesiology and am well read AND experienced in the muscle building arena. 34lbs of PURE muscle in 4 weeks will never happen. There is such a thing as ‘Beginners-Build’ where people who have never lifted heavy before start lifting and suddenly their frame changes dramatically. But these dramatic changes are perhaps 15-22lbs at the most. Without the help of AAS you CANNOT (I’m talking about the laws of physiology here) gain more than 1.2lbs of muscle per week – so let me do the math for you… 1.2 x 4 (four weeks) = 4.8 lbs – that’s the most you can gain in a month. Perhaps he was juicing, after all he never mentions NOT using AAS… either way, fair play on the gains, but you will never see them in that short amount of time. I’m not saying it’s a bad product, it may be well written and have some great tips in there, but the results he is advertising are false for a 4 week period.

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  veteran weightlifter — September 16th, 2011, 5:59 am

  This is bullshit im not one to talk trash but facts are facts a pro athlete would know you can only gain 1 pound of mucle a week that makes it 4 pounds of mucle a month.And thats if your on a strict regiment of dietary and high intensity planning.And if you workout every freekin day there is no way this guy gained this much in 1 month bahaha what a joke

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  Ong Pang Kheng — September 19th, 2011, 2:22 am

  Hi Tim,

  I got your great books both the 4 hour work week, and 4 hour body, and one tip i took is the 30 grams of protein in 30 mins of waking, and i always took whey protein powder, 1 problem i face is, after 1 or 2 hour of the protein shake, my stomach start to feel uncomfortable and it’s annoying, i think is too much acid production, but im not sure, i like to ask how to solve this. thks..

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  James McD — September 24th, 2011, 9:40 pm

  THE RESULTS ARE IN !

  I have just completed Occam’s protocol and gained 11 pounds in 28 days. I am (was a “skinny hard-gainer”) until I tried this diet/workout. I did it step by step, followed it to a tee, measured keeping as many variables constant as I could and got great results. Thank You Tim!

  Don’t doubt or hate Tim & the people that have actually completed the protocol until you have done it yourself.

  That will mean you will understand and nod your head in agreement as you will know what it felt like to feel like throwing up for the first week as your stomach gets used to the huge amount of food your jamming in it, your vision goes blurry for about 20 seconds after you have pushed and shook like a leaf to complete failure during your workouts. and my favourite – Measurement day (every Sunday@noon) when you got to see that your body significantly changed after only 7 days.

  Drawbacks: meal preparation is a bitch, eating all the time is a bitch, gaining a little fat sucks (but I don’t see how I could have avoided this as I was drinking at least 1 litre of milk a day) and trying to explain to narrow minded people that the typical 3 sets of 10 x 5 exercises, 4 days a week is not the only way to get results.

  Good luck everyone!

  James McD

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  Buyseech — October 8th, 2011, 11:23 am

  Hi Tim,

  I hope this is the correct place to pose my question its about the Occam protocol from the 4HB. So its been 3 weeks into it and so far I have had all the gains in the lifting aspect (5kg added each time (10kg additions in leg press)) and in some cases even aded a rep or two on top of that. My bodyweight has changed maybe 3 pounds. I am getting bulkier, but I doubt I am loosing so much fat with the amount of food i ingest (or does CQ really make the difference so obviously?). I am using all the “if you can afford it” supplements.

  Maybe I will hit a wall tommorow who knows (with the increases that is). But if you have any suggestions I would highly appreciate it.

  Sincerely, Buyseech

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    Nick — October 11th, 2011, 6:10 am

    buyseech,

    If you are genuinely lifting more weight each time, staying in good form and in the target rep range, then you must be gaining muscle, no doubt about it.

    It is definitely possible to gain muscle while losing fat so some of the muscle gain could be masked by fat loss so your overall weight hasn’t changed as much as expected for the increases in strength. Tim mentions this in the book.

    It’s a great programme, very similar to something I paid a personal trainer a couple of thousand bucks to devise for me 5 years ago but Tim’s is better, less gym time for faster results.

    Reply

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