Bicycle crunch 248% 248%.
Captain"s chair 212% 212%.
Exercise ball 139% 139%.
Vertical leg crunch 129% 129%.
Torso track 127% 127%.
Long arm crunch 119% 119%.
Reverse crunch 109% 109%.
Crunch with heel push 107% 107%.
Ab roller 105% 105%.
Hover 100% 100%.
Traditional crunch 100% 100%.
Exercise tubing pull 92% 92%.
Ab rocker 21% 21%.
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TIPS AND TRICKS.
BOSU Balance Trainer (www.fourhourbody.com/bosu) The BOSU looks like half of a Swiss ball with a flat plastic base attached to the underside. I use it for myotatic crunches and the torture twists featured in "Effortless Superhuman." The BOSU looks like half of a Swiss ball with a flat plastic base attached to the underside. I use it for myotatic crunches and the torture twists featured in "Effortless Superhuman."
GoFit Stability Ball (www.fourhourbody.com/stability) If preferred to the BOSU, this 55-cm "stability" ball (usually referred to as a "Swiss" ball) can be used. It"s less than half the cost of a BOSU, but I found such b.a.l.l.s hard to store in the home and less versatile. If preferred to the BOSU, this 55-cm "stability" ball (usually referred to as a "Swiss" ball) can be used. It"s less than half the cost of a BOSU, but I found such b.a.l.l.s hard to store in the home and less versatile.
Crazy Hitchhiker from There"s Something About Mary There"s Something About Mary ( (www.fourhourbody.com/hitchhiker) The cla.s.sic scene that inspired the t.i.tle of this chapter. "It"s Brie time, baby!" The cla.s.sic scene that inspired the t.i.tle of this chapter. "It"s Brie time, baby!"
FROM GEEK TO FREAK.
How to Gain 34 Pounds in 28 Days Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.-Dean Karnazes, ultramarathoner who, in 2006, ran 50 marathons in all 50 U.S. states in 50 consecutive days, finishing with a 3 hour and 30 second time at the New York City MarathonOften the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it.-Mark Twain On July 6, 65-year-old John"s biceps measured 14 in circ.u.mference. Six weeks later, his biceps measured a full larger at 15.
It seems like magic, but it wasn"t.
He reduced his workouts from three per week to two per week. It was all planned. Progressive reduction.
You see, most of the conventional wisdom about muscular growth is just dead wrong.
Prelude: On Being Genetically Screwed I come from a family of lightly muscled males. The only exception is a dramatic bubble b.u.t.t on my mom"s side. Not a bad look if you"re a Brazilian woman.
In August 2009, to confirm the obvious, I mailed DNA samples to the Gist Sports Profile laboratory in Australia for testing of the ACTN3 gene, which codes proteins for fast-twitch muscle fiber. Fast-twitch muscle fibers have the greatest potential for growth, whereas slow-twitch fibers have the least potential.
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[image]Just a smidge of helpful science: muscle fibers are composed of myofibrils, which are in turn composed of two filaments-actin (thin filaments) and myosin (thick filaments)-that slide over each other to cause muscles to contract, a literal shortening of the muscle. Actin filaments, which are necessary to this process, are stabilized by actin-binding proteins. One actin-binding protein called alpha-actinin 3 (ACTN3) is expressed only in fast-twitch muscle fiber, the crown jewel of shot-putters and bodybuilders worldwide.
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It turns out that both of my chromosomes (one from Mammy and one from Pappy Ferriss) contain the R577X variant of the ACTN3 gene, a mutation that results in a complete deficiency of our most desired ACTN3. This variant, amusingly called a "nonsense allele," is found in more than a billion humans worldwide.
Sad Christmas.
The cover letter from Gist Sports began with the following headline, which, in good humor, lacks an exclamation point:
Congratulations Tim Ferriss. Your Genetic Advantage: Endurance Sports.
This is a diplomatic way of telling me (1) I"m not likely to win an Olympic gold medal in sprinting, and (2) I am not genetically pre-programmed to gain a lot of muscular ma.s.s.
I hadn"t won the fast-twitch lottery for bodybuilding,8 and chances are that you haven"t either. Looking at family photos, this result wasn"t surprising. What is surprising is how well you can override genetics. and chances are that you haven"t either. Looking at family photos, this result wasn"t surprising. What is surprising is how well you can override genetics.
I have gained more than 20 pounds of fat-free ma.s.s within four weeks on at least four occasions, the most recent in 2005. Two of these experiments were done in 1995 and 1996 at Princeton University, where Matt Brzycki, then Coordinator of Health Fitness, Strength and Conditioning, nicknamed me "Growth."
This chapter details the exact methods I used in 2005 to gain 34 pounds of fat-free ma.s.s in 28 days.
For the ladies not interested in becoming the Hulk, if you follow a Slow-Carb Diet and reduce rest periods between exercises to 30 seconds, this exact workout protocol can help you lose 1020 pounds of fat in the same 28-day time span.
Before-and-After I weighed 152 pounds throughout high school, but after training in tango in Buenos Aires in 2005, I had withered to 146 pounds. I remedied the situation with a 28-day schedule based primarily on the work of Arthur Jones, Mike Mentzer, and Ken Hutchins.
Before-and-after measurements, including underwater hydrostatic weighings, were taken by Dr. Peggy Plato at the Human Performance Laboratory at San Jose State University. Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I tracked blood variables and dropped my total cholesterol count from 222 to 147 without the use of statins9 (see pre-bed supplementation). (see pre-bed supplementation).
Here are the results: Age: 27 (in 2005)Weight before: 146 lbsWeight after: 177 lbs (183 lbs three days later)Bodyfat percentage before: 16.72%Bodyfat percentage after: 12.23%Total muscle gained: 34 lbsTotal fat-loss: 3 lbsTime elapsed: 4 weeks To put 34 pounds in perspective, the following image is exactly one pound of lean gra.s.s-fed beef sirloin next to my fist.
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Imagine 34 of those placed on you. It"s no small addition.
Here are some select stats on the four-week change (September 21 to October 23), using combined measurements from Dr. Plato and Brooks Brothers:10 * Suit size: 40 short to 44 regular (measured at Brooks Brothers at Santana Row in San Jose)* Neck: 15.8 to 18* Chest: 37.5 to 43* Shoulders: 43 to 52* Thigh: 21.5 to 25.5* Calf: 13.5 to 14.9* Upper arm: 12 to 14.6* Forearm: 10.8 to 12* Waist: 29.5 to 33.1* Hips (a.s.s at widest): 34 to 38.23 (J. Lo, eat your heart out)
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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 a total of 4 hours of gym time.
How Did I Do It?
First, I followed a simple supplement regimen: Morning: NO-Xplode11 (2 scoops), Slo-Niacin (or timed-release niacinamide, 500 mg) (2 scoops), Slo-Niacin (or timed-release niacinamide, 500 mg)Each meal: ChromeMate (chromium polynicotinate, not not picolinate, 200 mcg), alpha-lipoic acid (200 mg) picolinate, 200 mcg), alpha-lipoic acid (200 mg)Pre-workout: BodyQUICK (2 capsules 30 mins. prior)Post-workout: Micellean (30 g micellar casein protein)Prior to bed: policosanol (23 mg), ChromeMate (200 mcg), alpha-lipoic acid (200 mg), Slo-Niacin (500 mg) No anabolics were used.
From a training standpoint, there were four basic principles that made it happen, all of which will be expanded upon in the next chapter next chapter: 1. PERFORM ONE-SET-TO-FAILURE FOR EACH EXERCISE.
Follow Arthur Jones"s general recommendation of one-set-to-failure (i.e., reaching the point where you can no longer move the weight) for 80120 seconds of total time under tension per exercise. Take at least three minutes of rest between exercises.
2. USE A 5/5 REP CADENCE.
Perform every repet.i.tion with a 5/5 cadence (five seconds up, five seconds down) to eliminate momentum and ensure constant load.
3. FOCUS ON 210 EXERCISES PER WORKOUT, NO MORE.
Focus on 210 exercises per workout (including at least one multi-joint exercise for pressing, pulling, and leg movements). I chose to exercise my entire body each workout to elicit a heightened hormonal response (testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1, etc.).
Here is the sequence I used during this experiment ("+" = superset, which means no rest between exercises):
* Pullover + Yates"s bent row* Shoulder-width leg press12* Pec-deck + weighted dips* Leg curl* Reverse thick-bar curl (purchase cut 2 piping from Home Depot if needed, which you can then slide plates onto)* Seated calf raises* Manual neck resistance* Machine crunches
All of these exercises can be found at www.fourhourbody.com/geek-to-freak.
4. INCREASE RECOVERY TIME ALONG WITH SIZE.
This is described at length in the next chapter next chapter, which describes the most reductionist and refined approach to overriding stubborn genetics: Occam"s Protocol.
Occam"s Protocol is what I suggest almost all trainees start with for ma.s.s gains.
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Think gaining 34 pounds in 28 days is impossible? I might have, too, if it weren"t for b.u.mping into the curious case of Casey Viator.
The "Colorado Experiment" was conducted in May 1973 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was designed by Arthur Jones and supervised by Dr. Elliott Plese, Director of the Exercise Physiology Lab in the Department of Physical Education. It was intended to be a brutal example of minimalist training.
Casey Viator"s results, produced from three workouts per week, were otherworldly:
Increase in bodyweight: 45.28 lbs.
Loss of bodyfat: 17.93 lbs.
Muscular gain: 63.21 lbs.
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Photos by Inge Cook, provided courtesy of Ellington Darden PhD [image]
That same month, Arthur Jones followed in Viator"s footsteps and gained 15 pounds in 22 days. How did they do it in workouts that averaged just 33.6 minutes each?
First, negative-only sets were often used, wherein the weight was raised with the legs using a lever and then lowered with the target muscle, allowing heavier weights than could otherwise be lifted. Second, exercises were paired into supersets to prefatigue a muscle (e.g., quadriceps with leg extension) prior to taking it to failure with a compound movement (e.g., squats). Third, Casey ate 68 meals per day like it was his job. That"s not a metaphor. He had a cash incentive per pound of muscle gained. It was was his job. his job.
Here is one of Casey"s actual workouts. Keep in mind that, unless rest is indicated, there is no rest between exercises:
1. Leg press 750 for 20 reps 2. Leg extension 225 for 20 reps 3. Squat 502 for 13 reps 4. Leg curl 175 for 12 reps 5. One-legged calf raise with 40 lbs in one hand for 15 reps (Two-minute rest) 6. Pullover 290 for 11 reps 7. Behind-the-neck lat isolation 200 for 10 reps 8. Row machine 200 for 10 reps 9. Behind-the-neck lat pull-downs 210 for 10 reps (Two-minute rest) 10. Straight-armed lateral raise with dumbbells 40 lbs for 9 reps 11. Behind-the-neck shoulder press 185 for 10 reps 12. Bicep curl plate loaded 110 for 8 reps 13. Chin-ups bodyweight for 12 reps 14. Tricep extension 125 for 9 reps 15. Parallel dip bodyweight for 22 reps
If you"re a normal human, you would finish this workout by retching into a garbage can or dying. Both the Denver Broncos and d.i.c.k Butkus of the Chicago Bears visited Fort Collins to observe the fast-paced training, which is hard to appreciate unless you attempt it.
Though far from easy, the basic workout template is simple. The following was sent to me by Casey Viator himself:
Leg press 20 reps Leg extension 20 reps Squats 20 reps (increase weight 20 lbs once you hit 20, then work back up to 20) (Two-minute rest) Leg curl 12 reps Calf raises 3 15 Behind-neck pull-down 10 Row 10 Behind-neck pull-down 10 (Two-minute rest) Lateral raise 8 Press behind-the-neck 10 (Two-minute rest) Curl 8 Underhand chin plus weight for reps (Two-minute rest) Tricep extension 22 Dips 2213 The Colorado Experiment has, no surprise, faced incredible criticism. For starters, the study was neither published nor repeated. Casey has been accused of simply regaining weight he"d lost following a car accident. Not one to speculate, I asked Casey directly about all of this and more.
His answer: he dieted down for two months as instructed pre-experiment (this had always been transparent) and lost approximately 20 pounds of muscle ma.s.s. Casey has no financial interest in the Colorado Experiment more than 20 years later, so I a.s.sume this to be the truth. Ditto with his response to questions about anabolic steroid use: