The Colorado Experiment: How One Man Gained 63 Pounds of Muscle in 28 Days.
Meet Casey Viator. On April 30, 1973 Casey is an athletic 21 year old that weighs 166 pounds and is 5’8. Fast forward 28 days, Casey now weighs 212 pounds. Casey net gained 63 pounds of muscle in just 28 days. This was done without steroids.
The Colorado Experiment is famous because over the course of 28 days, Casey Viator gained 63 pounds of muscle.
What the story fails to take into account are a few important facts.
- Casey Viator was a known bodybuilder before the experiment. Casey Viator had great genetics for muscle growth and ended up becoming a very successful pro bodybuilder later in his life.
- Casey Viator was the AAU Mr. America bodybuilding contest in 1971 at the weight of 218 pounds. Why did Casey only weigh 166 at the beginning of the experiment?
- Casey Viator had not been working out prior to the experiment because of a car accident and allergic reaction. He almost died. This is why he lost so much weight prior to the experiment.
- Casey Viator was the perfect test subject: Great genetics, quick grower, young, took time off before experiment.
Does this make the experiment a sham? The short answer is no.
- Weight training with a formal program with the appropriate diet has the best results.
- Casey had expert scientists working with him on his workout and meal plan.
- Although getting these results again would be near impossible, it does show the importance of a sound program, sound nutrition, and muscle memory.
How I would change this program 40 years later…
- The program itself concentrated on short breaks between sets, one rest day following each workout, and 6 meals a day. I would consider keeping all of these in place.
- I would add Phormula-1 and Ignition post workout on workout days, MegaWatt V2 daily, fish oil for recovery and overall health, creatine for recovery and growth, and a multi-vitamin daily.
- The workout focused on a lot of negative reps. I would keep this in the program but add stretching to the end of every workout.
To learn more about the specific workout of the Colorado Experiment click here.
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Lift Heavy My Friends,
Dustin Holston