does the colorado experiment work

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How to gain 63 pounds of Muscle in 28 Days: The Infamous Colorado Experiment

Yet in the early 1970s, Arthur Jones, creator of the Nautilus machines, claimed it was possible through his own brand of High Intensity Training (HIT). What’s more, he claimed he had scientific backing for his claims.

So what exactly happened during the Colorado Experiment conducted by Jones and was he telling the truth? Have strength enthusiasts been selling themselves sort by setting low targets for muscle gain? After all if such training can yield 15 to 63 pounds of muscle in one month it must be worth doing.

Background to the Experiment

Jone’s goal in conducting the experiment was to gain publicity and credibility for his particular type of High Intensity Training. As detailed by Randy Roach in ‘Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors’, Jone’s advocated a style of training that many in the bodybuilding industry were uncomfortable with. Jones maintained that a high intensity was required for optimal muscle building and promised that short bursts of high intensity interval training could produce remarkable results. An anecdote from the 1970s often told to demonstrate the intensity of Jone’s training was that renowned bodybuilding Champion Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t finish a workout with Arthur Jones because it was too hard.

For the Colorado Experiment, Jones teamed up with Dr. Elliot Plese at Colorado State University’s Department of Physical Education Laboratory to conduct a one-month long study. The goals laid out at the beginning of the study were as follows

• To prove that very brief workouts are capable of producing rapid and large scale increases in muscular mass and strength.
• That nothing apart from a reasonably balanced diet is required.
• That the so-called “growth drugs” (aka steroids) are not required.

Jones himself was a very outspoken and often disliked voice in the fitness industry. He had a poor opinion of the general consensus on fitness and was not shy about it. In numerous interviews, seminars and publications, Jones would regularly take pot-shots at others in the industry for using false claims and unsound training principles. Take steroids for example. Jones held the view that drug use hindered rather than enhanced muscular growth and strength. In many ways he was a voice for those uncomfortable with the shift towards steroids in training that swept across the US (and most of the Western world) from the middle of the 20 th century. For Jones what really counted was genetics and training. It couldn’t be any old training mind you, it had to be intense. Once such rules were applied, results would come. Or so it was promised.

The Experiment

In May 1973, Arthur Jones and Casey Viator began their training under the watchful eye of Dr. Plese. Everything they did would was monitored from their training to their eating patterns. It would be a month of training, eating, recovering and very little else. True to his word, Jones made sure they were put through their paces.

An illustrative example of a regular workout for Casey was as follows

• Leg Press 750lbs for 20 reps
• Leg Extension 225lbs for 20 reps
• Squat 502lbs for 13 reps
• Leg Curl 175lbs for 12 reps
• One-legged Calf Raise with 40lbs in one hand for 15 reps (Two-minute rest)
• Pullover 290lbs for 11 reps
• Behind-the-neck Lat Isolation 200lbs for 10 reps
• Row Machine 200lbs for 10 reps
• Behind-the-neck Lat Pull-downs 210lbs for 10 reps (Two-minute rest)
• Straight-armed Lateral Raise with Dumbbells 40lbs for 9 reps
• Behind-the-neck Shoulder Press 185lbs for 10 reps
• Bicep Curl Plate Loaded 110lbs for 8 reps
•  Chin-ups bodyweight for 12 reps
•  Tricep Extension 125lbs for 9 reps
•  Parallel Dip Bodyweight for 22 reps

The exercises were performed one after the other on Jone’s Nautilus Machines or MedX machines. Each set was done to failure and unless specified above, there was no rest between exercises. Jones once wrote of his training philosophy

“High-intensity training is not easy . . . the training sessions are brief, indeed must be brief, but there is an apparently natural inclination on the part of most subjects to hold back.”

In his 1999 autobiography, Viator described how Jones would often sit in on Casey’s training sessions and use a variety of tricks, including outright insults, to ensure Casey didn’t hold anything back. So the training was not only intense, it was supervised by a trainer who had no compulsion about a tough love approach.

Jones and Casey

What were in the results?

In September of that year, Jones publicised the results in Ironman magazine. An abbreviated version is posted here.

The Colorado Experiment by Arthur Jones

The following is a brief, preliminary report of an experiment conducted at Colorado State University in May of 1973.

Location . . . Department of Physical Education, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Supervision . . . Dr. Elliott Plese, Director of Exercise Physiology Lab., Colorado State University.

Dates … May 1, 1973 through May 29, 1973 for one subject (Casey Viator), an elapsed period of 28 days . . . and May 23, 1973 for the second subject (Arthur Jones), an elapsed period of 22 days…

First subject (Casey Viator), 28 days

Increase in bodyweight……..45.28 pounds

Loss of bodyfat…………..17.93 pounds

Muscular gain……………..63.21 pounds

Second subject (Arthur Jones), 22 days

Increase in bodyweight …….13.62 pounds

Loss of bodyfat……………1.82 pounds

Muscular gain……………..15.44 pounds

The results being claimed were nothing short of spectacular but Jones was quick to qualify such success:

It should be clearly understood that neither of the subjects was an “average” subject, and there is no implication that subjects of average or below average potential will all produce equal results from a similar program of exercises.

Casey Viator has trained on a fairly regular basis for a period of several years; with barbells and other conventional training equipment until June of 1970, at which point he placed third in the Mr. America contest and with both barbells and Nautilus equipment until June of 1971, when he won the Mr. America contest. From September of 1971 until September of 1972, he trained primarily with Nautilus equipment with limited use of a barbell, primarily the performance of barbell squats. From September of 1972 until December 23, 1972, he trained exclusively with Nautilus equipment limiting his exercises to “negative only” movements. At the end of that period of training he weighed 200.5 pounds.

In early January of 1973, he was involved in a serious accident at work and lost most of one finger as a result and almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection. For approximately four months, most of January through April of 1973, he did not train at all; and since his level of activity was low, his diet was reduced accordingly. During that period of four months, he lost approximately 33.63 pounds but 18.75 pounds were lost as a direct result of the accident and the near-fatal injection. So his loss from nearly four months out of training was only 14.88 pounds, less than a pound a week.

The second subject (the author, Arthur Jones) has trained on a very irregular basis for a period of thirty-four years … and reached a muscular bodyweight of 205 pounds at one time, nineteen years ago.

The author did no training of any kind for a period of approximately four years until late November of 1972 and then trained on a fairly regular basis in the “negative only” fashion for a period of approximately six weeks. Training was ceased entirely in early January of 1973 … and no training was done again until the start of the Colorado Experiment.

The author’s bodyweight has varied from approximately 145 to 160 over the last ten years briefly reaching a level of 190 at the end of approximately six months of steady training that was concluded four years prior to the start of the Colorado Experiment.

So both of the subjects have demonstrated the potential for greater than average muscular mass and both subjects were rebuilding previously existing levels of muscular size.

Despite the predisposition of both men for muscle building, Jones seemingly left no doubts his form of training was effective. In fact he claimed both men had achieved such massive gains with workouts averaging 25minutes.

Was the Experiment Legitimate?

Unsurprisingly given the results claimed, scrutiny of the Colorado Experiment came quick and fast. After three decades, criticism has fallen under three broad spheres:

1) Replicability : The Colorado Experiment has never been repeated apart from individual cases by interested trainers. The whole point of the experiment was to gain scientific backing for High Intensity Training and the fact that no one has been able to repeat such results, or even a fraction of them, in a large scale study has hurt Jones’s findings. Jones did conduct another experiment, the ‘West Point’ experiment, using his form of training but finding the exact results from the study have proven difficult.

2) Selection Bias : Both Casey and Arthur had previously trained with weights before. Viator is famed for his amazing genetics and predisposition to muscle building. Likewise Jones had built a solid 190 pound physique years prior to the experiment. Many have speculated that the gains both men experienced came as a result of muscle memory (a physiological phenomena which makes it easier to put back muscle or strength that you lost).

3) Dirty Tricks : This is perhaps the most prevalent claim made against the experiment. Prior to the experiment Casey had lost over 40 pounds due to an allergic reaction to a tetanus shot. Coupled with such a hugh loss in bodyweight, roughly a month before the experiment Casey ate a restricted diet of 800 calories. This has led people to suggest that Casey’s staggering weight gain was due to a severe bounce back to his true size.

Other criticisms of the experiment have suggested that Casey took steroids during the experiment, something he denied until his death in 2013 or that Jones manipulated the results prior to publishing.

So was the Colorado Experiment a sham?

It’s difficult to say. Jones was very upfront about Casey’s genetic potential and the unique position both men were in. There is however another part to the tale that is often forgotten about

Returning to Jones’s Ironman article, the guru of high intensity training also noted that

Several members of the Denver Broncos Professional Football Team visited the lab for the purpose of observing the workouts, and then started training in an identical fashion during the last two weeks of the experiment . . . after the experiment, the Broncos placed an order for several Nautilus machines and drastically reduced their previous training schedule.

And while we were training in Colorado, members of several other professional football teams were training at our facility in Florida. . . in an identical fashion, three brief weekly workouts involving only one set of approximately a dozen exercises, with as much emphasis on the “negative” part of the work as possible.

One member of a Canadian professional team became so strong in the pullover exercise that he was using 675 pounds for several repetitions in good form . . . having started two months earlier with 275 pounds.

Lou Ross of the Buffalo Bills added 20 Pounds to his 6 foot, 7 inch frame … cut a full two-tenths from his already fast time in the 40 yard dash … added five and one-half inches to his high jump … and doubled his strength in many areas of movement. These figures having been provided by the Buffalo Bills coaching staff, who tested Lou before and after a two month Nautilus training program in Florida.

Mercury Morris of the World Champion Dolphins weighed-in 7 pounds above his previous highest weight and still ran the fastest 40 yards of his life when he was tested . . . following two months of Nautilus high-intensity training.

If one wants to learn about the real success of the Colorado experiment, the athletes mentioned in passing are perhaps the best case studies. Casey and Jones knew they would experience great results from the training, the athletes did not. So there’s a chance it wasn’t all ‘smoke and mirrors’, however small.

The Colorado Experiment is still shrouded in controversy. Some in the fitness industry cite it as proof that Jones’s methods were worth their weight in gold, others as proof that Jones was a trickster. Like so much else in the fitness industry, it’s up to the individual to believe in it or not.

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I played college football at Penn State in the early 1980’s. I was a highly recruited player (in the same recruiting class and Parade All America team with John Elway, Dan Marino, Jeff Hoffstetler, Eric Dickerson and RB Curt Warner to name just a few) and a big reason that I chose to accept a scholarship to play at PSU was the strength and conditioning program that was run there by Dan Riley. Riley came to PSU from West Point and was involved in the West Point experiment. I had already read about it (by the way, there was a book in which the results of the West Point Experiment were published) and in high school I spent periods training with the standard “Periodization” Approach- multiple sets, heavy weights & not much focus on the character of each repetition and the High Intensity Training “HIT” approach advocated by A. Jones and Dr. Ellington Darden. I am a firm believer in science (I went on to earn a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Rice University) and at that time I did not find the quality of support in the scientific literature for the “Periodization” Approach as I found for the principles behind HIT. The nature of the strength training of a college football program made a big difference to me. Consequently, I chose PSU over Notre Dame (who had no strength training program then), Nebraska (home of the Icon Boyd Eply, who was an advocate of Periodization), Alabama, Ohio State, UNC (all Periodization programs) and many others because I felt that the best way for me to meet my potential was through a great strength program combined with great coaching in a pro-style offense. Of course Joe Paterno’s “Great Experiment”, the philosophy that big-time football and high caliber academics could and should co-exist was also a tremendous attraction.

The information above was background to establish some credibility for the observations I will provide. These observations support the author’s point about how the results cited by NFL players, who tried the HIT approach, serve as replication of the results of the Colorado Experiment. In my time at PSU, I saw results that supported Jones’ assertions. A few examples that I saw involved players in the class a year ahead of me. During my recruiting trip in January of 1979, I met 3 players who would go on to be 1st and 2nd round NFL draft picks (two 1st rounders and one 2nd rounder). At that time they all ranged between 6’1″ and 6’3″ in height and weighed between 225 and 235 lbs. in high school all three had played fullback and defensive end. When I came back in late April to visit for a spring scrimmage, I learned that their weights ranged between 240-245 lbs. and when I reported for pre-season practice, in August, there weights ranged between 245-255 lbs. and all three ran faster 40 times than when they weighed between 225-230 lbs. At that time these guys were playing Offensive Guard (2 of them, both starting) and the other was a back-up inside LB, who was starting as a DT before the season ended due to injuries and his continued growth. By the time the three finished their senior years, all three played at 265 lbs, with the fastest running a 40 yard dash in 4.6 sec. and the slowest ran 4.85 sec. They could have been larger, but our line coaches restricted them to no more that 265 lbs. because they believed that if the weight wasn’t muscle, it was unnecessary baggage. During their last season we played teams with bigger guys like the USC Trojans and I remember watching the two OG’s literally beating the DT’s across from them, almost to death. In that game, our RB, Curt Warner finished the game with more yards than the Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen (who did not break 100 yards that game). That was a tribute to how dominant our O and D Lines were in that game and a big reason for that was our HIT strength and conditioning.

The reason that PSU adapted HIT for strength and conditioning was multi-fold and it fit perfectly with the philosophy of the program. Paterno’s recognized that for his “Great Experiment” to succeed, guys had to have time to get everything done. We had to use time efficiently. I recall that before each practice, the schedule for the practice was posted for all to see and it was broken down into 30 sec intervals and usually ran for about an hour and a half (rarely ever approaching 2 hours). Because time was a premium, we never did anything that did not have a clear and direct link to the game. There were no Mickey Mouse drills and conditions came from us sprinting between drills and our strength training (because the high cardio demands of HIT). We ran after practice only 2 maybe 3 times a season. The HIT approach fit nicely with the desire for efficiency because during the season we lifted only 2 times a week (to avoid overtraining) and each session took no more than about 35 minutes to complete. During the off-season we lifted 3 times a week, with each session lasting no longer than 40 minutes. Another very desirable aspect of this approach is that we never used or approached maximum weights during lifting sessions because Riley also emphasized safety and exercising in a manner that emphasized proper technique to avoid injury.

So HIT yielded many benefits for PSU football. We saw amazing growth in muscle mass and strength and speed, minimum time expended in the weight room, leaving more time for meeting and academics and almost no injuries occurring during strength and conditioning.

Now I realize that some could take me to task for only citing 3 guys, but these 3 guys were just examples of what occurred with a number of guys. The point that Jones makes about genetic freaks definitely plays a big role in how many guys can show this kind of growth. Dan Rilely was also very aware of this. He used to say that all of the guys on the team were genetic freaks. A very small proportion of the population has the combination of size, speed, strength and athleticism of major college football players, and only a small subset of that group has the genetic potential to grow in the manner of the three people that I described. To further exemplify this fact, the most challenging times trying to block people I experienced occurred in practice, rather than games and that includes games in which Infaced first round draft picks.

I think that the results of the West Point experiment are the most revealing about the validity of using HIT for muscle growth. It was a real experiment that contained a control group and a “treatment group” and the population tested was not chocked full of genetic freaks. Yet, the treatment group had very significant gains relative to the control group. To me, that is the “proof” of the advantages of HIT.

This is absolutely fascinating, thanks so much for sharing it here. Do you happen to know the name of the book containing the West Point results?

Fantastic to read from someone who was so closely related to the beginnings of Jones’ system. As nowadays it’s been diluted quite radically in some quarters.

If you didn’t mind my asking, how did Riley’s weight lifting philosophy compare with those of other colleges? Did other teams give such it the time it deserved or avoid it in favour of more traditional training regimes?

Additionally how long did you continue the HIIT method post-college and do you feel it works best in short time periods (1-2 seasons) or is truly a lifelong approach?

Thanks once more for your fascinating read! Just so much wonderful information there!

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The value of intensive exercise during very short time periods has been amply documented, there is a lot of info corroborating your article on the web.

Even short, 5 or 10 minute brisk walks interrupting your office work several times a day, are now known to do more for your cardiovascular health than hours long exercizing several times a week.

Absolutely and it’s interesting to note the rise of High Intensity Interval training as a form of weight loss during the past two decades. Many now prefer short bursts of activity in place of long hours on the treadmill!

Total fiction, forget the loss of weight due to accident, illness or diet beforehand or whatever else is used as some type of excuse, there is no way that a person can gain over 2lbs of “muscle” per day AND lose nearly a pound of fat per day and be a human being. Not even with the best drugs. It’s amazing that people actually believe an unverified study done by a self-interested person with no research background. Where is the raw data? Where are the methodologies? Where are the peer reviews? Even the follow up West Point study didn’t show anywhere near these results in a 17 week trial. In fact, that study didn’t even attempt to measure fat and muscle loss and gain during the study from what I’ve heard about it.

The pictures, one must wonder how long apart and which was really the before and the after, show the classic marketing angles of puffing up, angling, clothing arrangement et al. It’s clear that Viator was already well conditioned and already over halfway through his genetic potential for muscle growth even before the study. It’s also clear that there is no way he is 45 pounds heavier in the “after” picture, nor did he lose nearly 20lbs of fat. Seriously, are people this gullible?

Hi DGB, how are you? Thanks so much for dropping by. You have fantastically laid out many of the criticisms and critiques that have been applied to the Colorado Study over the years.

The purpose of the article is not to present the study as fact (as I myself am skeptical of the results) but rather to highlight one of the most important ‘scientific’ trials in bodybuilding at that time.

This study and the one at West Point were used by Arthur Jones and others as proof that his system worked. What is important is that they appeared scientific, at least by bodybuilding standards, and also heralded in a new training method in the Nautilus era. Jones himself was a highly intelligent man so who knows why these standards weren’t put into place as you point out.

Whether or not people are gullible…I think the rise and fall of numerous fitness trends answers your question!!

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My name is Jimmy Allen, and I trained exclusively the HIT training regime. While in the Marine Corps stationed in South Carolina I would drive down to Lake Helen Fla. and train at the quansat hut, under Author Jones. That was the year Sergio was getting ready for the Mr. Universe. I was 22 years old then. Now I’m sitting on top of 70 year’s. I have had physically degenerating sever arthritis. Both shoulders have been total replacement, hip total replacement and soon too have both knees replaced. I’m into 14th training session as of 11/7/17 my knee supporting muscle tissue has improved dramatically in the 14 workouts. All workouts single primary movement to a compound movement. 12 exercises total.

Conor, This is Lou Bartek, the person who played football at Penn State and commented on your blog about HIT and Author Jones. You asked several questions in reply to my comments and I am just seeing them now. I will be happy to address your questions, but prefer not to do it online. So if you respond to me using a private email address, I will do my best to answer your questions about the West Point Experiment etc.

Best, Lou Bartek

Louis R. Bartek III, Ph.D.

Cell- 919-259-9263

Email- [email protected]

Hi Jimmy. How are you? Thanks so much for stopping by and please do forgive my late reply.

That’s fantastic to hear that you’re still training. Something for me to aim for! Are you still following a Jones esque plan of training? With modifications of course!

What days of the week did Casey Viator workout or how many days off between workouts?

Hey Jimmy, I’m not sure but that’s a great question. Let me do some digging

A number of Viator’s contemporaries such as Jeff Everson and Dave Draper have claimed that Casey admitted to steroid use before, during and after the Colorado Experiment. And it is very likely that Jones knew about it and choose to turn a blind eye to it.

The weight gain. Just as surely it was not all muscle. Muscle simply does not grow that fast. That is an average of 1.5 lbs of muscle per day. And remember that is muscle (not fat or anything else but lean body mass). I have no doubt that Casey did indeed gain some muscle but most of it was simply gaining back what he had before. As for losing fat, no, that was pure speculation on Jones’ part.

How do I know this? Because to lose fat the body must be in a caloric deficit. Casey went from eating 800 to 5000 calories so where is this deficit coming from? Moreover (and this is something rarely touched on) when you undertake a severely restricted diet for for any real length of time, your metabolism slows down. At 800 a day it must have been crawling. But this takes time (1-2 weeks) and assuming that you haven’t permanently damaged your metabolism by said diet it also takes about the same amount of time to get back to where you were before.

So for at least the first week, if not longer, Casey was consuming 5000 calories a day on the metabolism of a turtle. By all the laws of human physiology he MUST have gained fat. Even after it picked up, he wasn’t in a caloric deficit because remember he was gaining muscle. Again according to human physiology you can not gain muscle while losing fat AND at the SAME time be in a caloric deficit.

Bottom line. Both Jones and Casey had a financial interest in this project. Their claims violated both the laws of thermodynamics and human physiology. Anyone who tells you different has an agenda to push. Oh and as for the football players…As already pointed out they were genetic freaks. They would likely have gained the same mass from any training program.

Absolutely right to point this out. Its a pity people haven’t replicated it with more rigorous controls. You’re right to be sceptical on this and it’s well worth remembering that even modern claims of miracle muscle gain are usually suspect!

http://irongangsta.blogspot.com.es/2013/04/bodybuilding-dirty-little-secrets.html?m=1

Scroll down a bit less than about halfway to read the interview with Casey.

I can’t speak as for the veracity of this site or the interview but from what other people have said about Casey privately admitting to them…it seems in line with the rest.

Huh thanks for sharing this Reilly. I’ll be spending the next wee while trying to track down the sources in greater detail. Hope all is well 🙂

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I think Jones was a complete con merchant regarding this ‘experiment’, I have used his machines in the past though and found them of top quality!

Hi Nick, I’d agree with you on the weight gain. In particular Casey’s obvious underrating allowed for an incredible weight increase once he began training again.

What I do admire about Jones however was his determination to try something new and his eye for new inventions. Have you ever used his Lat Pullover machines? Their gold imho!

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Thank you for sharing this informative article,i really liked the way this article explained everything in details, will follow this tips to gain muscles.

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Thanks so much. I’ll check out that article now!

Hello, my name is Fred, I am 54 years old. About 10 years ago, I tried a multi-exercise diet. I mean, I trained all the muscles, few series and repetitions, and a lot of weight, but I ate every 2 hours, and I gained 1 pound per day in two days. Give up exercise and diet for two reasons. I ended up sore and tired, as well as irritated in my anal part, since I defecated every so often. I came to defecate more than 4 times a day. I am ectomorph and lactovegetarian. I can attach the data of the exercise if you ask me for the information. On another occasion, I gained 2 pounds in a week, training 3 times in a week, two days in a row and resting one and then training, and resting the other days. The supplements I used were: creatine, glutamine and BCAA. Note I am a Dietitian Nutritionist, and I have tried certain exercises due to my physical condition of ectomorph, and difficulty in gaining weight. I think Casey used steroids, and if he did gain weight it couldn’t have been more than 1 pound a day. But lose fat a little. Maybe define yourself a bit, because if you can gain mass and lose some weight. On another occasion an 18-year-old teenage friend gained 10 pounds in a month, and with my guidance he was gaining weight on the barbells and dumbbells, previously using weights and doing body exercises to warm up. Training apart no more than 1 hour, and 3 times a week, I think it was because of food, exercise and his youthful testosterone. His former gym trainer told him that it was difficult for him to gain 2 pounds a month. Like I said before, my nutritional guidance, targeted exercises, and his youthful testosterone made him gain 10 pounds in a month. I am from Ecuador, South America, and I am using the google translator.

Thank you for stopping by. Like you I have tried my fair share of diets…with varying success!

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What if a person with the genetics of one of the people tried this?

What about a genetics?

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The Colorado Experiment: Fact or Fiction

by Ellington Darden, PhD

Did casey viator really gain 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days, it's one of the greatest bodybuilding stories ever told. and people have been talking about it for over 40 years. but is it true here's the real story, written by a man who actually knows..

The Colorado Experiment took place in May of 1973 at Colorado State University. The purpose of the experiment was to produce a high level of muscular growth by training Casey Viator every other day, or 14 times in 28 days, in a supervised university setting.

Nautilus-inventor Arthur Jones personally trained Casey for every workout. Training was intense, progressive, and involved a negative-only repetition style on 50 percent of the exercises.

During the first week alone, Viator gained 27.25 pounds of solid muscle. Repeat: That’s 27.25 pounds of muscle in 7 days, or an average of 3.9 pounds of muscle per day. The facts show that during week 1, Viator gained 20.25 pounds of body weight and lost 7 pounds of fat, for a total of 27.25 pounds of muscle mass.

Viator’s overall muscle mass gain in 28 days was 63.21 pounds. That was an average muscle mass increase of 2.26 pounds per day.

There are a lot of speculations, accusations, and outright urban myths about the Colorado Experiment. Some are humorous, some are about disbelief, and others are malicious. I’ll address all of them below, but the inarguable fact is, Casey Viator gained an enormous amount of muscle in a very short time.

Casey Viator Colorado Experiment Before and After Photos

My Connection

The month following the Colorado Experiment I was at the AAU Mr. America contest in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, when Arthur Jones and Casey Viator released preliminary information about the results.

In July of 1973, Jones recruited me to become Director of Research for Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries, and I worked in that capacity for 20 years. One of my first projects at Nautilus was to become very familiar with the Colorado Experiment. Jones had a folder that contained all the workout routines and Jones’s wife, Liza, had a notebook that she used to record Viator’s daily food intake. I still have copies of that material.

All the relevant data were separated and assembled. Nautilus printed and distributed thousands of brochures on the Colorado Experiment. I published the results in several of my books, and three or four other authors did the same.

My own history with Viator goes back some four years earlier than the Colorado Experiment. I first met Casey in a bodybuilding contest in Texas in 1969 and competed against him for the next two years. While at the Nautilus headquarters in Lake Helen, Florida, from 1973 to 1980, I trained and photographed Casey numerous times, especially in preparation for the 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe contest.

Concerning Jones, I met him in August of 1970 at the AAU Mr. USA contest in New Orleans and visited him in Lake Helen, Florida, multiple times over the next three years. I kept in regular contact with Jones until he died in 2007.

Now, let’s get to the actual facts, figures, and fiction of the Colorado Experiment.

Before I address some of the fiction surrounding the Colorado Experiment, here are the pertinent facts you need to know:

• Fact – On April 30, 1973, pre-experiment measurements were taken of Casey Viator’s body composition by Dr. James Johnson, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Colorado State University.
• Fact – Casey Viator, age 21, at a height of 5 feet 8 inches, had a starting weight of 166.87 pounds. His percentage of body fat, as measured by the “potassium whole body counter,” was 13.8 percent.
• Fact – The experiment was conducted from May 1, 1973, through May 29, 1973, for an elapsed period of 28 days.
• Fact – No special food supplements were used. No growth drugs or steroids were engaged. A reasonably well-balanced diet was consumed, with Viator eating six meals per day.
• Fact – The last week of April 1973, 20 pieces of Nautilus equipment, including some negative-type prototypes, were delivered and moved into Dr. Elliot Plese’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Fact – Arthur Jones and Casey Viator flew into Fort Collins and remained until the end of May.
• Fact – Arthur Jones personally trained Casey and pushed him to his limit on each exercise. Viator’s routines averaged 12 exercises. Each workout averaged 33.6 minutes.
• Fact – Viator’s ending body weight was 212.15 pounds with 2.47 percent body fat. That was an increase of 45.28 pounds of body weight, which included a loss of 17.93 pounds of fat.
• Fact – During the first week alone, Viator gained 27.25 pounds of solid muscle. Repeat: That’s 27.25 pounds of muscle in 7 days, almost 4 pounds of muscle per day. The facts show that during week 1, Viator gained 20.25 pounds of body weight and lost 7 pounds of fat, for a total of 27.25 pounds of muscle mass.
• Fact – Viator’s overall muscle mass gain in 28 days was 63.21 pounds. That was an average muscle mass increase of 2.26 pounds per day.

The Criticism

“casey was far from average, and he was rebuilding muscle he had lost.”.

To prevent any misunderstanding, Jones was careful to always note that Viator’s results were anything but average. They were exceptional most notably because Viator was an exceptionally gifted athlete, with long muscle bellies throughout his body.

Jones also pointed out that two years earlier Viator won the 1971 AAU Mr. America, weighing 218 pounds. After winning the contest, Viator took some time off from training and returned in December of 1972, weighing 200.5 pounds. In early January of 1973, Viator was involved in a serious accident involving a wire-extrusion machine, and lost most of the little finger on his right hand. Then, he almost died from an allergic reaction to an anti-tetanus injection.

As a result, from January through April of 1973, Viator did no training. In fact, most of the time he was depressed and he had little appetite. His muscles atrophied, and he lost 33.63 pounds, with 18.75 of the pounds being attributed to the near-fatal injection. Some, perhaps most, of Viator’s success from the Colorado Experiment was that he was rebuilding muscle that he had already built two years earlier.

“To gain that much muscle, Casey must have been on steroids.”

Casey was not on steroids during the Colorado Experiment. Arthur Jones was clearly against anabolic drugs of any kind and made this clear in all his writings. He noted in his report on the Colorado Experiment that “the use of so-called growth drugs (steroids) is neither necessary nor desirable.”

In anticipation that Casey might be accused of taking drugs during the experiment, Arthur hired the toughest guy available to shadow Casey 24/7. Who was this guy? It was Tom Wood, and I’ve spoken with Tom several times about his participation in the Colorado Experiment and he confirms Casey did not take anabolic steroids during the 28-day study.

“Jones force fed Casey Viator each day.”

Arthur did not believe in force feeding or in “bulking” diets. A daily food diary was kept for Casey and everything he consumed was meticulously recorded. I personally examined this diary and calculated the total number of daily calories Casey ingested. He never ate more than 5,000 calories and most days were closer to 4,000, which is minimal considering the brutal workouts he was going through.

“Casey’s before-and-after photos don’t look like he actually gained 63.21 pounds of muscle.”

Arthur employed rather flat lighting, as opposed to contrast lighting, because he wanted to influence the coaching and medical professions more than the bodybuilding world. Extreme muscularity would have been a turn off in the market that Jones most wanted to influence.

I visited with Casey shortly after the completion of the Colorado Experiment and he took off his shirt and did some poses. His physique in person was significantly more muscular and ripped, compared to the flatness that was displayed in the after photographs.

Additionally, Jones was a precise administrator of circumference measurements, but he used these parameters to satisfy his own curiosity and this data were not published. However, shortly after the Colorado Experiment, I asked Jones to let me see Casey’s before-and-after measurements. The third time I pestered him for the numbers, here’s what Arthur reported:

“Casey added 2-1/8 inches on each contracted arm, 5-7/8 inches on his chest, 2 inches on his waist, and 3 inches on each thigh.” – Arthur Jones

Considering those measurements, along with the flat lighting of the comparison photos, then a gain of 45.28 pounds of body weight and 63.21 pounds of muscle are, in my view, much more plausible.

The Colorado Experiment is a hoax, because no one has ever come close to duplicating the results.

Casey had what I considered to be one-in-a-million genetics for bodybuilding. So duplicating the results would be extremely difficult, especially considering Viator was mostly rebuilding muscle he had previously built. Even though they don’t have the genetics of Casey, I’ve put a number of above-average men through programs similar to the Colorado Experiment.

Here are the muscle gains of eight of those subjects:

• David Hudlow built 18.5 pounds of muscle in 11 days. Documented in The New High-Intensity Training.
• Eddie Mueller built 18.25 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks. Documented in Massive Muscles in 10 Weeks.
• Todd Waters built 15.25 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in High-Intensity Strength Training.
• Jeff Turner built 18.25 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks. Documented in GROW.
• Keith Whitley built 29 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in Bigger Muscles in 42 Days.
• David Hammond built 22.5 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in Bigger Muscle in 42 Days.
• Joe Walker added 17.38 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in The Body Fat Breakthrough.
• Shane Poole built 19.34 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Documented in The Body Fat Breakthrough.

1. One Extremely Intense Set

Perform one extremely intense set of each exercise listed in a workout. You’ve heard the term “leave it all in the gym.” I want you to “leave it all in the set.” This type of training is brutally hard. And if you find yourself wanting to do another set of an exercise, rest assured, you’re doing it dead wrong . Some workouts list certain exercises more than once, but never back-to-back.

2. Regular Style Exercise

Regular style exercise is where you perform both the positive (lifting) phase and the lowering (negative) phase of each repetition. Perform both phases smoothly, lifting the weight in 1 to 2 seconds and lowering the weight in 2 to 3 seconds. Continue each regular-style exercise until it’s impossible to do the full-range positive phase.

3. Negative-Only Style Exercise

You need one or two spotters to perform most negative-only exercises. Spotters help you lift the weight into the starting position so that you can lower the weight, unassisted. Load the bar or machine with 30 to 40 percent more resistance than you could regularly handle. Spotters help you lift the bar or movement arm to the top position and make a smooth transfer to your contracted muscles. You lower the resistance slowly back to the starting position in 4 to 8 seconds, and repeat the procedures for 6 to 8 controlled negative-only repetitions. Discontinue a negative-only exercise when you are unable to lower weight in 3 seconds.

4. Rep Ranges

For regular exercises, select a weight that allows the performance of between 7 and 10 repetitions. For negative-only exercises, select a weight that allows the performance of between 6 and 8 repetitions. Once you can perform the maximum of a rep range in good form, add 5 percent more weight the next time you do the exercise.

5. Progression

Attempt constantly to increase the number of repetitions or amount of weight, or both. Never sacrifice form in the attempt to make progress.

6. Metabolic Conditioning

Metabolic conditioning is an important part of the Colorado Experiment. To maximize this effect, without limiting strength and muscle gains, start off by resting no more than one minute between sets. The goal, however, is to decrease rest periods to 30 seconds, which should be done over several workouts. Decreasing rest periods too quickly will impair strength and muscle gains.

7. Training Partner

For best gains, team up with a serious training partner who can reinforce proper form and intensity on each exercise, as well as spot you on negative-only exercises. If you train with a partner, do not take turns on each exercise. Each person should complete an entire workout prior to switching to the other person.

8. Workout Journal

It’s very important to keep accurate records – date, exercises, order, resistance, repetitions, and overall training time – of each workout.

Complete exercise descriptions are listed at the end of the article.

The Workouts

1. tue – may 1, 1973.

• Stiff-Legged Deadlift with Barbell – Regular
• Leg Extension Machine – Negative Only
• Squat with Barbell – Regular
• Leg Curl Machine – Negative Only
• Bent-Armed Pullover with EZ-Curl Bar – Regular
• Lat-Machine Pulldown to Chest – Regular
• Overhead Press with Barbell – Regular
• Chin-Up – Negative Only
• Overhead Triceps Extension with Dumbbell – Regular
• Biceps Curl with Barbell – Negative Only

2. Wed – May 2, 1973

• Bench Press with Barbell – Negative Only
• Lateral Raise with Dumbbells – Regular
• Dip – Regular

3. Thu – May 3, 1973

• Bent-Over Row with Barbell – Regular
• Dip – Negative Only
• Shoulder Shrug with Barbell – Regular
• Behind Neck Chin-Up – Negative Only

Off Fri – May 4, 1973

4. sat – may 5, 1973.

• Chin-Up – Regular

Off Sun – May 6, 1973

5. mon – may 7, 1973, off tue – may 8, 1973, off wed – may 9, 1973, 6. thu – may 10, 1973, off fri – may 11, 1973, 7. sat – may 12, 1973.

• Behind-Neck Pull-Up – Negative Only

Off Sun – May 13, 1973

8. mon – may 14, 1973, off tue – may 15, 1973, 9. wed – may 16, 1973, off thu – may 17, 1973, 10. fri – may 18, 1973, off sat – may 19, 1973, 11. sun – may 20, 1973, off mon – may 21, 1973, 12. tue – may 22, 1973.

• Wrist Curl with Barbell – Regular

Off Wed – May 23, 1973

13. thu – may 24, 1973, off fri – may 25, 1973, 14 . sat – may 26, 1973, exercise descriptions, 1. behind-neck pull-up – negative only.

This exercise uses a horizontal chin-up bar. You also need a sturdy bench. Perform the positive work by stepping up on the bench and the negative work by lowering your body with your arms. Take an overhand grip on the bar, with your hands approximately 12 inches wider than your shoulders. Climb into the top position and place the bar behind your neck. Your elbows should be down and back. Hold the top position tightly and ease your feet off the bench. Lower your body slowly in 6-8 seconds. At the bottom, stretch briefly, and climb back quickly to the top, and begin another negative rep. You should feel this exercise deeply in your biceps, lats, and shoulders.

Note: It’s doubtful that you’ll need to add resistance with a weight belt. If you can achieve at least 6 repetitions the first time you try it, you’ll indeed be a prime suspect for growth.

2. Bench Press with Barbell – Negative Only

You need one or two spotters to lift the bar. Load a barbell on the supports of a flat bench with 30 percent more resistance than you regularly handle for 6-8 reps. Set up on the bench and grasp the barbell with your hands positioned slightly wider than your shoulders. Have the spotters lift the bar into the starting position. The barbell should be directly above your shoulders. Lower the bar slowly in 4 to 8 seconds to your chest. When you touch your chest, the spotters lift the bar back to the top position. The spotters lift 80 percent of the resistance, while you guide the barbell properly to the top. As they transfer the resistance securely in your hands, take a deep breath, and continue the slow negatives for the required repetitions.

3. BENT-ARMED PULLOVER WITH EZ-CURL BAR – REGULAR

I prefer an EZ-Curl to a straight bar because it relieves excess torque from of the wrists and allows external rotation of the humerus, which is a safer position for the shoulders. Place a loaded EZ-Curl bar on the floor at the head end of a sturdy bench. Lie face up on the bench, with your head off the end. Reach overhead and down and grasp the EZ-Curl bar with narrow hand spacing. Anchor your lower body, arch your back slightly, and pull the bar up and over your torso to your chest. The bar should be resting across your chest on your sternum. Move the bar back over your head toward the floor. Stretch your lats and shoulders gradually at the bottom. Do not straighten your arms. Keep them bent throughout both the positive and negative phases.

Note: The involved pulling muscles have the potential to be big and strong. Don’t be afraid eventually to use 150 pounds or more on this exercise. But be careful at first on increasing the range of movement; do so gradually.

4. Bent-Over Row with Barbell – Regular

Place your feet close together under a loaded barbell. Bend over and grasp the barbell with an underhand grip. An underhand grip, compared to an overhand grip, places your biceps in the strongest position. Your hands should be 4-6 inches apart. Your torso should remain parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees to reduce the stress on your lower back and hamstrings. Pull the barbell up to your waist. Pause in the top position and try to pinch your shoulder blades together. Lower slowly to the bottom and stretch.

5. Biceps Curl with Barbell – Negative Only

Load a barbell with 30 percent more resistance than you handle regularly for 10 repetitions. Have a spotter at both ends of the barbell lift the resistance to the top position of the curl. Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip. Anchor your elbows firmly against the sides of your waist and keep them there throughout the exercise. Lower the bar slowly in 4 to 8 seconds to the bottom. As soon as you reach the bottom, the spotters lift the bar back to the top. The spotters need to perform the positive, lifting phase quickly and the transfer must be handled smoothly. Again, it’s your job to lower slowly under control.

Note: The biceps curl with a barbell was one of Arthur Jones’s all-time favorite exercises and that’s why he often included it in his barbell routines. When Jones was in the best shape of his life, he weighed 200 pounds. He told me that at that weight he was able to curl a 180-pound barbell for 10 solid repetitions. That took some very strong biceps muscles.

6. Chin-Up – Regular

Grasp a horizontal bar with a shoulder-width, underhand grip. Hang at arm’s length and bend your knees and cross your ankles. You should return to this dead-hang position each time you lower your body. Pull your head and chest toward the bar. Once your chin is over the bar, move your upper arms down and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower your body smoothly to the dead-hang position. Repeat for maximum repetitions.

7. Chin-Up – Negative Only

Again, use a sturdy bench to climb into the top position. The idea is to do the positive by stepping up into the top position and the negative work with your arms. Place the bench directly under a horizontal bar. Climb into the top position with your chin over the bar. Hold on to the bar with an underhand grip and space your hands shoulder-width apart. Remove your feet from the chair or bench. Lower your body very slowly in 6-8 seconds. Make sure you come all the way down to a dead hang. Climb back quickly into the top position.

Note: To add weight, use a weight belt and attach an appropriate weight on the chain. Some trainees can use from 60 to 100 pounds of attached weight on this exercise.

8. Dip – Regular

Mount the dip bars and extend your arms. Bend your knees and cross your ankles. Lower your body slowly by bending your elbows until your upper arms dip just below your elbows. Push back to the starting position. When you can successfully do 10 or more dips, use a weight belt to add resistance.

9. Dip – Negative Only

Most trainees will require extra resistance added to their body weight with a weight belt. Climb into the top position of a dip station and straighten your arms. Remove your feet from the step support and stabilize your body. Bend your arms and lower your body slowly in 6-8 seconds. Feel the stretch by going just below where your upper arms are parallel to the floor, which shouldn’t be painful. Climb back to the starting position and straighten your arms.

Note: Dips were one of Casey Viator’s favorite exercises. He could do more than 30 regular dips in strict form, and I’ve seen him do 10 negative-only dips with 270 pounds attached to his body.

10. Lat-Machine Pulldown to Chest – Regular

Stabilize yourself under the lat machine and grasp the overhead bar with an underhand grip. Your hands should be about shoulder width apart. Pull the bar smoothly to your upper chest. Pause. Return slowly to the stretched position. Repeat for 7 to 10 repetitions.

Note: Arthur Jones was partial to applying the lat-machine pulldown immediately after the bent-armed pullover – and he used this combination frequently in his workouts.

11. Lateral Raise with Dumbbells – Regular

Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and stand. Lean forward at the waist approximately 20 degrees from vertical. Stay in this leaning-forward position throughout the exercise. Lock your elbows and wrists and keep them locked throughout the exercise. All the action should be around your shoulder joints. Raise your arms sideways. Pause briefly when the dumbbells are slightly above horizontal. Make sure your elbows are slightly bent. Lower the dumbbells slowly to your sides.

12. Leg Curl Machine – Negative Only

You need a spotter to do the lifting portion of this exercise. Place 30 percent more resistance on the weight stack than you regularly use for 10 reps. Lie facedown on the machine with your knees on the pad edge closest to the movement arm. Make certain your knees are in line with the axis of rotation of the machine. Grasp the handles provided to steady your upper body. The spotter helps you lift the movement arm to the contracted position. Pause and make a smooth transfer of the resistance to your contracted hamstring muscles. Lower the resistance very slowly in 4 to 8 seconds. Use the spotter to get back to the top position and continue the negative leg curls until you can no longer do at least a 3-second descent.

13. Leg Extension Machine – Negative Only

You need a spotter to do the lifting portion of this exercise. Place 30 percent more resistance on the machine than you regularly do for 10 repetitions. Sit in the machine and place your feet and ankles behind the roller pads. Align your knees with the axis of rotation of the movement arm. Lean back and stabilize your upper body by grasping the handles or the sides of the seat. The spotter helps you lift the movement arm into the fully contracted top position and make a smooth transfer of the weight. You lower the weight in 4 to 8 seconds back to the starting position. Immediately, the spotter grabs the movement arm at the bottom and helps you quickly get it back to the top position. Continue performing reps until you can no longer manage a 3-second negative.

14. Overhead Triceps Extension with Dumbbell – Regular

Hold a dumbbell at one end with both hands. Press the dumbbell overhead. Place your elbows in tight and close to your ears throughout the exercise. Bend the elbows and lower the dumbbell slowly behind your head. Don’t move your elbows. Only your forearms and hands should move. Be careful in the bottom position, where the triceps are stretched and vulnerable to strains. Move in and out of the bottom position gradually with no jerks. Press the dumbbell smoothly back to the extended position.

15. Overhead Press with Barbell – Regular

Stand and place a barbell in front of your shoulders with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Keep your feet shoulder width apart. Press the barbell overhead smoothly. Do not slam into the lockout. Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top, which will keep the active muscles loaded. Lower the weight under control (2 to 3 seconds) to your shoulders. Do not bounce the barbell off your shoulders at the bottom. Make a smooth turnaround.

16. Shoulder Shrug with Barbell – Regular

Take an overhand grip on a barbell and stand erect. Your hands should be slightly wider apart than your shoulders, and the bar should be touching your thighs. Relax your shoulders forward and downward as far as comfortably possible. Shrug your shoulders upward as high as possible. Pause briefly at the top. Lower slowly to the stretched position.

17. Squat with Barbell – Regular

Place a barbell on a squat rack and load it with an appropriate weight. Position the bar behind your neck across your trapezius muscles, and hold the bar in place with your hands. If the bar cuts into your skin, pad it lightly by wrapping a towel around the bar. Lift the bar off the rack and move back one step. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, toes angled slightly outward. Keep your upper-body muscles rigid and your torso as upright as possible during this exercise. Bend your hips and knees and smoothly descend to a position whereby your hamstrings firmly come in contact with your calves. Without bouncing or stopping in the bottom position, slowly make the turnaround from negative to positive. Lift the barbell back to the top position.

18. Stiff-Legged Deadlift with Barbell – Regular

Even though this exercise is called a stiff-legged deadlift, it should be performed with a slight bend in your knees. This protects the lower back and the hamstrings. Stand over a barbell, bend your hips and knees, and grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Extend your hips and knees and lift the barbell smoothly to a standing position. Lower the barbell smoothly while keeping a slight bend in your knees. Touch the floor lightly with the barbell, but do not come to a stop. Lift the barbell smoothly to the standing position. Repeat for 7 to 10 repetitions.

Note: Ease into the stiff-legged deadlift, especially if you have tenderness or pain in your lower back or tight hamstrings.

19. Wrist Curl with Barbell – Regular

Grasp a barbell with a palms-up grip. Sit down and rest your forearms on your thighs and the backs of your hands against your knees. Lean forward until the angle between your upper arms and forearms is less than 90 degrees. This position allows you to isolate your forearms better. Curl your hands smoothly by contracting your forearm muscles. Pause briefly. Lower the barbell slowly.

It is an old article, but with comments allowed, I’ll confidently say that the claims in the Colorado experiment are fiction.

Just this alone is ridiculous:

The after picture does not reflect 2.47% BF. Not even close. I’d be surprised if he is under 15% body fat in the after. No separation, no vascularity, barely visible abs. The fact that the BF% was reported out to 2 decimal places is absurd here. There isn’t a way to be that accurate even with today’s measurements.

I find this ridiculous to those who understand measurement variability, and dishonest to everyone else. At the very least a margin of error of the gauge should be included. And the notion that percent body fat measurement is precise to the one hundredth of a percent is sci-fi looney.

An absurd understatement. How about one-in-a -hundred million? He won the highest level national amateur bodybuilding contest as a teenager!

Casey was in the absolute worse possible start. What he accomplished is more appropriately attributed to muscle memory an anything else. This was an opportunistic time to “cash in.”

In those days the AAS of choice were orals. You could watch me “24/7” and if it wasn’t literally with me at all times, I could have easily popped a few pills. I was told by someone who claimed to have talked with Casey about using AAS, and said that he took “a pink, a blue, and a white.” Sounds a little funny, but we knew what he meant. This was not necessarily during the Colorado Experiment, but an acknowledgment that he took AAS.

I am not saying that Arthur Jones didn’t use the best method to put muscle on Casey. I am saying that there are some uncertainties in the claimed premises.

The whole “Muscle memory” part of the story is honestly the crux of why this experiment was a “success”. Any training system with a progressive overload approach would’ve gotten him back to this level of muscularity. And even at the end, he was 10 pounds below his STAGE WEIGHT when he won the Mr. America. The Colorado Experiment would’ve been a lot more impressive if it had been a prime off-season Casey adding any significant amount of lean tissue in just 4 weeks.

All this Experiment really did was show the power of muscle memory.

And most likely not as lean. The after photo does not show a stage worthy body fat level. He may have been 20-30 lbs of lean mass away from that.

I am not a big fan of Vigorous Steve, but he recently did something similar. He used a “low” dose steroid cycle and put on a ton of muscle. Same thing though, he was still under his best physique stage weight, and not as lean.

Related topics

The Colorado Experiment: When A Bodybuilder Gained 63 Pounds Of Pure Muscle in 28 Days

Training gurus have spent a lot of time explaining how building mass is a slow process that demands a lot of willpower and patience, unless you are a genetic freak or a steroid user. And they’re mostly right. However, in 1973 Arthur Jones created a powerful exception to this rule with his famous Colorado Experiment and set the bodybuilding community on fire. And although many people doubted the validity of the results, the undeniable truth was that they were real and this was easily proven. Here’s what actually happened.

What the Colorado Experiment Taught Us

Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus exercise equipment which quickly revolutionized gyms around the country, conducted the Colorado Experiment at the Colorado State University in May 1973 in the hope of proving that his radical training methods worked and could produce unprecedented muscular hypertrophy in extremely short period of time. His test subject was bodybuilder Casey Viator, the youngest Mr. America of all time who gained the prestigious title at the age of 19 in 1971 under the training guidance of Jones.

At the beginning of the experiment, Viator, who was 5’8’’ tall, weighed 166.87 lbs or 75.69 kg and had 13.8% body fat. During the next 28 days, Jones personally trained Viator every other day with a brutally intense training regime which emphasized negative repetitions. Each training session included at least 12 exercises performed at high intensity and lasted around 30 minutes. According to Jones’ journal, no food supplements or anabolic s******s were used during the experiment. The bodybuilder ate 6 average-sized meals a day and his macronutrient intake was diligently recorded in a food diary.

In the first week, Viator gained 27.25 lbs or 12.36 kg of pure muscle, which means that he put on 1.76 kg of muscle on average per day! By the end of the 28th day, Viator’s measurements showed that he gained a total of 63.21 lbs or 28.67 kg of lean muscle during the process. These fantastic results were a shock both to those who had already dismissed Jones’ goal as unattainable and those who actually wanted him to succeed!

Casey Viator Colorado Experiment Before and After Photos

The experiment showed that indeed, very brief workouts can lead to rapid, large scale increases in muscular mass and strength without being accompanied by extreme bulking diets and growth-enhancing drugs.

On the other hand, nobody has been able to successfully repeat it to this very day, which leads us to the conclusion that Casey Viator had exceptional genetics and the average bodybuilder shouldn’t take the unbelievable results of this experiment too seriously or they’ll wind up reaping only frustration. Nevertheless, Arthur Jones and Casey Viator achieved something truly amazing and their legacy will remain an inspiration for many future generations of bodybuilders.

Meanwhile, unless you’re a genetic freak like Viator was, chances are that if you want to accomplish your goals, you’ll have to set realistic expectations and work hard and heavy for a prolonged period of time. Sorry!

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One response.

Casey viator. had previously been bigger. he lost weight and size before the experiment. Muscle memory would have help with his quick increase in size. He was still one of the best bodybuilders ever.

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