Diet and Excersize(Putting on 20lbs in a couple months)

[martinjak.1]

In an interview with David DeAngelo, Tim Ferris explained that through correct diet and workout habits, one can reach their maximum genetic potential within a couple of months while only going to the gym once or twice a week.

"...if you forget about the muscle mags and look at the science of muscle hypertrophy, well guess what, you only have to go to the gym once or twice a week; and if you do it properly, i really think, i know this, reach your genetic potential in just a few months if you do it right."

so, Tim, if you read this could you suggest a book or anything/anyone/any website that i could research on how to do this correctly? or as you say: 'The Right Way'.

I've spent nearly two hours on your website trying to find the diet and exercise habit that you got into, and unfortunately have come up dry. Please Help!!

[final_id]

What ya wanna bet he's working on a Muse that will sell you that information. :)

Now seriously: I know that there are some issues here. The first is "effective versus ineffective." An awful lot of people GO to the gym, but don't USE their time in the gym effectively. You should pick one muscle group at a time, work it directly, not let yourself socialize, be direct and organized about maintaining focus, really radically ridiculously change your diet NOW, and so forth. That's a large portion of getting out of there with maximum results.

The other thing, that I'm sensing the tip of the iceberg on, is the notion of doing (near to?) maximum weight at minimum reps. Like, one-rep workouts. This idea is making its way through the internet weight-lifting communities and some information is out there on it already. I think they call it "one rep max" or something like that.

I agree with Tim on the basic premise, that if you go ALL OUT about your workouts, you can probably get more done in three weeks than most people do in six months. But I am also skeptical of him, since I see that his "after" photos have that same kind of tanned air-brushed look that is rather suspicious in those weight-loss-supplement ads, but he isn't quite as tan or well-shaved in the "before" pictures. Hmm...

[martinjak.1]

I will try out the one-rep-max and record my results; then post them weekly on this forum so that everyone can see what may work and what may not work =\. I looked up online for a one-rep-max website and this one seems to have quite a bit of info for anyone who is curious:

http://www.onerepmax.com/

and here is a calculator of maximum benching capacity:
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

Current Weight: 145
Age: 19

Current Bench: 135 x8
Calculated Max Bench: 168 x1

I hope this helps people who have the same question as myself. Also, what should i do with my diet? I've heard maximize protein & fat; minimize carbs. Does that work or what? There are so many different diets that I'm not sure which diet to choose...

[shultice24]

I would say minimize simple carbs (sugar) and utilize complex carbs (pasta, whole wheat), as well as up the intake of protein. Within 20 minutes of finishing workout, consume something high in protein to stop the breakdown process and begin the building up. Also, I have heard of consuming 2/3 body weight in water oz. for active people. Hydrated muscles are healthy (and hopefully building) muscles. THat's not anything complex but I think it would be helpful.

[Marcie]

Here is Tim's blog entry about this: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/29/from-geek-to-freak-how-i-gained-34-lbs-of-muscle-in-4-weeks/

And yes, he admits to shaving and using tanning spray before the last pic, but even without that - just read the headline! It's obvious there was a serious change in those pictures.

I did a watered-down version of this in May (I say that because I didn't follow his eating plan as closely as I should have, but I did follow the gym regimen) and I gained 10 lbs. (I'm a girl remember ;) ) - and stayed the same size. I have to gather from that that I lost a lot of fat in the process...but I didn't have measurements done by Human Performance Laboratory at the San Jose State University :p I do have before and after pics, someday I'll be brave enough to post them somewhere...

[jonparker83]

Hi there

Seeing as nutrition and working out are my main passions in life that have NOTHING to do with my work I'll offer my advice

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself and this isn't as easy as you think with all the false information going around the internet

My favourite resource for information is http://www.t-nation.com

This may seem like a scary, hardcore body-builders website, and it is! But that doesn't mean you can't make use of the information from people who loose fat and build muscle for a living (who better to take advice from in my opinion)

My advice would be to read up on nutrient timing as the typical western diet is SO far from what it should be, and to also follow a simple workout plan that you enjoy

Tim's results were definitely possible and excluding fat weight, it's possible to put on around 1lb of muslce per week

In terms of a basic diet outline, I would personally increase your daily calories sufficiently (but not too much - read up on this) while keeping your carbohydrate intake as low as possible at all times (unless it's during or just after a workout)

For a basic workout, stick to compound exercises using free-weights (ones that use as much muslce in one go as possible) and ensure you get enough rest.

Best exercises would be:

* Deadlifts
* Squats
* Bench press
* Chinups
* Dips
* Shoulder press
* Bent over row

Stay away from the ab crunches and tricep kickbacks

If you're stuck on how to do an exercise, get someone at the gym to show you or checkout youtube for videos

Hope this is helpful, let me know if you'd like some more info

Cheers

Jon :)

[martinjak.1]

Alrighty, I said i'd let everyone know how I've done within a week or two so here it is:

I've lost 5 lbs within one week. I found out that my % body fat is 9%. which is really really low :( so i probably need to stock up on fat haha. My bench was actually 150 x1 but i can do 160 x1 now (barely).

Currently, I caught a bug going around so I'm loading up on fruits and stuff which is against Tim's diet, but I will return to the diet when I am healthier.

It's good stuff and I recommend it so far! It's a lot of work preparing your own food for nearly every meal though so watch out if you're lazy!!

Questions:
I know that for post-workout meals, Tim recommends a Chicken Pizza, which means that some carbs are OK for such a time. What else could I eat because I exercise / workout daily and it's very difficult to regain that energy on his diet of meat/beans/vegetables.


-Greg

[Ricky]

He's an interview with David D? When?

It doesn't surprise me he's a community member, especially when he talks about getting two #'s a day.

[jafine21]

The workout program works, but here's the kicker: It is hard as he11.

Normally, when you work out you hit the pain threshhold later in the set. If you are doing 12 reps with the correct weight, you really start to feel it on the last 3-4 reps.

When you move the weight really slow, lactic acid causes pain much earlier. So while working out like Tim suggests works partially because the workout is much more intense.

You just need to prepare yourself for the fact that your workout is going to be a lot more unpleasant than others you may have tried. Also, you might want to try some supplements to help control lactic acid build-up. I have used Gakic with some success, though it might be the worst tasting supplement ever produced.

[TheSterlingJoe]

http://www.bodybuilding.com is an awesome place to check out for a starting point.

[mhuthman]

His results would be more impressive if he wasn't using well-known posing tricks to contrast the before and after pics.

Tanning
Shaving body hair
Changing Posture
Changing camera angle/distance
Changing lighting

None of those things have anything to do with body composition and everything to do with body appearance. So why use them if your results are real?

T-nation has an old article showing how this is done and they used before and after shots that were taken on the same day.

[franmori]

Definitively bodybuilding is dominated by the nutritional supplement industry. Unfortunately this means biased information and half truths. This is only 1 example of the before-after photos with only 2 minutes of difference.

http://www.t-nation.com/assets/images/105strass.jpg

In my humble opinion Musclebolism (http://www.musclebolism.com/) is the bes website revealing these fallacies and explaining sound tactics to gain muscle.


http://www.musclebolism.com/

[martinjak.1]

So, personally, I've tried my best to stay with the diet but eating the same meals is not possible being a college student. At the height of my diet and training I had made these results:

weight: 156
Bench: 170 x 1

Beginning weight: 140ish
Beginning Bench: 145 x 1

My body doesn't look much stronger but I do feel much more healthy and have more energy. My current diet consists of the lowest amount of sugar that I can have in my diet and the highest protein with the lowest carbs."

Current weight: 146
Bench: 165 x 1

[jonparker83]

How have you managed to loose 10lbs from when you were at your peak?
I presume you were weighing yourself at the same time on the same day each week?

[martinjak.1]

Yes, I was consistent on my measurements on both weight and lifting. My goal was to gain weight and since I started at 9% body fat (which is low for men) I didn't have a lot of room for improvement. At the height of my diet, I had gained a lot of weight in only a month and a half while only working out 2-3 times per week.

I have lost weight most likely because I am eating less, putting sugar back into my diet, and having a large variance in the meals that I eat. The weight I have lost is most likely muscle weight.

[Christoph]

Eat big, lift big, get big. It's simple.. Adding the sugars and flopping on the diet will be the ultimate killer of your muscles. Most definitely you will be catabolic (muscle breakdown) if workout and eating arent in check.

I'm a big guy (6'2, 285lbs--hardly look over 250 though) so one would assume that I could eat a lot...not the case. I struggle to down enough calories to build muscle while dropping body fat.

The keto diet is easy to follow once you pass the initial week or so hump. I guarantee that you will feel sick eating nothing but lean meat, fish, cheese, eggs, and olive oil. It goes against all conventional and mainstream information that fat is bad for you. That is BS. Keep in mind saturated fats elevate testosterone which helps anabolism. I have not only improved my deadlift from 225 to 275 in the past 1.5 weeks (no kidding) but I feel more energized, and look better. The kicker is that I started deadlifting 2 weeks ago because for the last 2 years since my back injury, i've been afraid to do them.

Don't give up, regardless if you are in college or not. If there is a will, there is a way!! And most importantly, don't pay attention to the scale. My weight is staying the same and even going higher, but when I look in the mirror I am slimming down. Plus, my blood profiles are awesome :)

[Marcie]

Good job, Chris! :) I also wanted to mention (pardon my commercial interruption) that fats, saturated fats, have gotten a bad rap. I wrote a little here: http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com/2007/09/eat-fat-to-lose-fat.html

In addition, Men's Health Magazine published an excellent article about this recently: http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=nutrition&category=food.for.fitness&conitem=b675909829731110VgnVCM10000013281eac____&cm_mmc=DailyDoseNL-_-2007_10_19-_-MainBlk-_-Stop_Blaming_Saturated_Fat

Chris is right, sugar is your enemy. In college or not, it is extremely hard to avoid anywhere. Make an effort to follow a diet that does not include white foods, see Tim's post here: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

And the keto diet may be fine short-term, I say nothing in excess. Guys, eat some veggies (as raw as possible) as well :)

[Jimmy Smith]

I write for Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness as well as T-nation and bodybuilding.com

yep, I'm everywhere lol.

I'm happy to help answer any exercise or fitness questions that anyone has. I'll actually be releasing a few products within the next months on training and nutrition. I actually hope to have Tim on 1 of them which is an audio product.

Jimmy Smith,CSCS
www.jimmysmithtraining.com


Hi there

Seeing as nutrition and working out are my main passions in life that have NOTHING to do with my work I'll offer my advice

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself and this isn't as easy as you think with all the false information going around the internet

My favourite resource for information is http://www.t-nation.com

This may seem like a scary, hardcore body-builders website, and it is! But that doesn't mean you can't make use of the information from people who loose fat and build muscle for a living (who better to take advice from in my opinion)

My advice would be to read up on nutrient timing as the typical western diet is SO far from what it should be, and to also follow a simple workout plan that you enjoy

Tim's results were definitely possible and excluding fat weight, it's possible to put on around 1lb of muslce per week

In terms of a basic diet outline, I would personally increase your daily calories sufficiently (but not too much - read up on this) while keeping your carbohydrate intake as low as possible at all times (unless it's during or just after a workout)

For a basic workout, stick to compound exercises using free-weights (ones that use as much muslce in one go as possible) and ensure you get enough rest.

Best exercises would be:

* Deadlifts
* Squats
* Bench press
* Chinups
* Dips
* Shoulder press
* Bent over row

Stay away from the ab crunches and tricep kickbacks

If you're stuck on how to do an exercise, get someone at the gym to show you or checkout youtube for videos

Hope this is helpful, let me know if you'd like some more info

Cheers

Jon :)

[Vacman]

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd share.

I'm keeping track of my progress gaining weight in my journal, you can find it here:

http://communityforexcellence.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1388

It shows a lot of my workouts (in video format) and diet etc.

Enjoy!

[dutchmafia]

I'm not going to get into an argument over HIT and Lifting "Big" but it looks like Tim was using HIT, or High Intensity Training. I used this method for awhile with good results. I didn't put a ton of muscle on, although you can with this workout, but I wasn't trying to either. I naturally put on muscle, and fat for that matter, quite easily. I was looking to try something new. I dropped fat, and probably some muscle at that, and looked a little leaner. Primarily because this workout kicks your a##. 1 set lifts of squats for 20-30 reps until you have complete failure, kicks your a##. When I say failure, it doesn't mean, "oh, I can't get that wait up anymore". It means "oh, pushing it and pushing it until you can't even stop yourself from falling to the floor (that is with a spotter of course :eek: ). There are a lot of good workouts out there, this is one of them. They key with all of them is working out hard when your there, get in, get out and consistancy. And a little rest from time to time is not a bad thing either.

There. Nuff said on that topic.

[webgal]

Marcie mentioned Men's Health magazine. I do like that magazine even though I'm not a man. (maybe I find it more inspiring because I'm not:) )

White sugar is in everything. I have to watch it closely as I usually can't have any item with more than 15 grams. So I'm programmed to look at labels. My son got some "Vault" on a trip recently. It had 76 grams of sugar! That is an astronomical amount, more than Maple Syrup which is very high with 56 grams.

I think in terms of the weights, it's important to change things up. One, to keep it interesting and two, to introduce your muscles to a new routine. I also agree with DM that consistency is the key.

[nondual]

In an interview with David DeAngelo, Tim Ferris explained that through correct diet and workout habits, one can reach their maximum genetic potential within a couple of months while only going to the gym once or twice a week.

"...if you forget about the muscle mags and look at the science of muscle hypertrophy, well guess what, you only have to go to the gym once or twice a week; and if you do it properly, i really think, i know this, reach your genetic potential in just a few months if you do it right."

so, Tim, if you read this could you suggest a book or anything/anyone/any website that i could research on how to do this correctly? or as you say: 'The Right Way'.

I've spent nearly two hours on your website trying to find the diet and exercise habit that you got into, and unfortunately have come up dry. Please Help!!

Tim's not the most built guy though. Honestly, do push routines followed by pull routines and you can gain a lot of muscle fast. Takes about four 1-hour routines a week. Push means Squat, Bench, Military, Dips, calves, etc. Pull means Deadlifts, abs, Wide-grip Pullups (great for lats!), bent row, shrugs, etc.

So...it looks like this: Monday: Push, Tuesday: Pull, Wednesday: off, Thursday: Push, Friday: Pull, Saturday: off, Sunday: Push (or another off, or cardio).

Also, start eating...I used Muscle Milk to gain weight, but if you tend to put on fat, find something with fewer calories. Optimum Nutrition Whey.

Right now, I'm doing a lot of Krav Maga and doing full body routines at the gym 2-3 times a week (krav is also 2-3 times a week) - mostly to develop explosive strength and martial-arts-centric strength.

Good luck to ya!