Vic - it’s hard to believe Casey’s results in the Colorado Experiment. However, it’s surprisingly easy to test for ourselves. I’m curious what prompted you to try this protocol given how easy it would have been to dismiss the claims. Given your own success, do you plan to run this program indefinitely now?
I’m 43, small by modern standards (5’-10” and 160 pounds). Not really looking to add mass. Is this a viable approach for long term maintenance?
It’s a grueling workout that I find requires a lot of mental discipline and mental toughness to get through (at least for me). I documented my strength and size gains in the article. I’m giving it a go for a second 30 day period to see how things develop.
I came across a Facebook post about it and was intrigued. I like to experiment with workouts, diets, etc. since I track everything in such detail.
I do like the simplicity of it, especially coming off my five day, every day different workout routine I was doing previously.
And I have to say I am bloody amazed at the progress I’m making on some exercises, the leg press in particular. I’ve always felt I had gimpy legs, and today I was one pin away from the bottom of the rack for 10 slow reps.
I turn 64 next week and I've been working out regularly for 30 years or so. Fortunately, I've never had a major injury. Sure, I've had to miss some days here and there due to minor injuries, but nothing too bad. Like you, I'm fascinated with various workout programs. At some point I went from something like 3-4 long (90+ minute) per week (when I was younger) to shorter workouts (one hour or less) more often (6-7 times/week). I have felt that the regular daily physical exertion (even if only, say, 30 minutes) is more important than the gains; so getting the same or more gains from working out less per week doesn't appeal to me. Getting my blood flowing and my muscles pumping is the goal, and I feel better physically and mentally when I do it almost every day. Maybe it's endorphins, I don't know. But whatever it is, gives me a plethora of benefits: mental clarity, self-confidence, emotional positivity, strength, mobility, sexual "motivation", physique aesthetics, sense of community, getting out of the house, and...I think I could come up with some more if I keep thinking about it! So, some of the benefit for me is actually getting out to the gym on a regular basis, not finding ways to reduce my visits to the gym. That said, cutting down on the time I spend at the gym once I get there HAS actually worked well for me as I've gotten older because I don't have the stamina I had when I was younger. Also, frankly, I don't want to spend all my time at the gym either; you see those guys sometimes who practically "live" at the gym. And when I'm on travel vacations, I definitely cut back on my workouts; I don't want my travel for fun (esp with friends and family) to revolve around my workouts! I fit the workouts in where I can. In short, it's often the regularity of going to the gym and once there doing lots of intense sets of a few different exercises that really gets me going and gives me so many of the benefits I listed. I don't mean to make it sound like I totally ignore gains. But truth be told, gains aren't necessarily any more important to me than any of the other benefits I mentioned.
Something else I should mention: most gyms I've gone to aren't set up very well for doing just one set on each piece of equipment and then moving on to the next thing. Most people are doing multiple sets on each machine, and unless you go at 5am, you're going to have wait for machines/equipment. And god forbid, if you're trying to do it in a particular order and someone is hogging one of those pieces of equipment! It's just not practical unless EVERYONE is doing one set and then moving on, like they do sometimes in for circuit training in a confined area of the gym.
Good for you for staying fit your entire life, Michael.
As to the crowded gym issue, for sure. I usually go middle of the afternoon when it's not too bad, but I've been there at 4PM and have had to wait and modify my exercise order. But really I don't see how it's different than any other routine one would do with a specific order and multiple sets.
As to days at the gym, I'm so busy that I like to reduce that, but I am going to play around with a 2-set version of my workout soon, that might also be a split-day routine.
It’s just an issue of logistics. Doing more sets on fewer pieces of equipment means fewer instances of having to wait for someone to get off of a machine. In addition, I’ve implemented two other strategies to get around the challenge of occupied equipment, especially on busy days: 1) have 2-3 different ways to exercise a certain muscle so you have multiple pieces of equipment you can turn to if one of them is being used, 2) be flexible about the order you do your exercises so you can modify based on equipment availability. (I like to believe it’s good to change up the order anyway because you don’t want your body to get too used to a certain sequence of exercises.) Anyway, I appreciate your post. Carry on!
So for each exercise, you do a warm up and a working set? Is that right? What’s different about the warm up set, meaning are you using the same 6-4 but at lower weight?
Nope. I only do a warm-up set on the first, heaviest exercise. For me, it’s the leg press. I don’t want to jump in cold and push almost 400 lbs. I start that at 130 lbs (where I started a couple months ago, for consistency) at the 6-4 count, rest a minute, and then do the full weight.
All other exercises I do a single set at the target weight.
Let me know how it works for you. First few workouts you'll be trying to dial in the right weight amounts. A few guys have switched over to this and have all told me about big strength gains in a short amount of time. Just be careful and don't try to be a hero. :)
Dr Doug mcguff has a similar approach . He wrote the book body by science and references similar studies with similar approach, 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down. It is much more mentally challenging than anything, and works best if you can actually go to complete failure safely (not underneath free weights). Your body screams at you way before actual failure and it's very easy to cry uncle early because you don't necessarily have a set number of reps to target. It's a great approach in many ways and a good way to switch things up. I found I started to gravitate away from it though after a period of time.
Yes, slow reps are definitely mentally challenging, and that approach sounds even more difficult than what I’m doing. And I can understand moving away from what you describe after awhile if it’s that mentally taxing.
Myself, I find it a bit more difficult to drag myself to the gym anticipating the difficulty. But once I’m there, I’m all in. And it’s a blessing that time-wise it’s a short workout.
I keep see versions of this being talked about. Interested but still not convinced I won't lose gains. I'm 66 (and not a man, since that is really your audience).
Vic - it’s hard to believe Casey’s results in the Colorado Experiment. However, it’s surprisingly easy to test for ourselves. I’m curious what prompted you to try this protocol given how easy it would have been to dismiss the claims. Given your own success, do you plan to run this program indefinitely now?
I’m 43, small by modern standards (5’-10” and 160 pounds). Not really looking to add mass. Is this a viable approach for long term maintenance?
I really appreciate the response. I have a tendency to bounce around between programs, especially when I read a well written testimony such as yours.
You’ve inspired me to run it for the month of April. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Definitely let me know how it turns out. Another one of done a few times is Jeff Cavalier’s AX-1 program.
It’s a grueling workout that I find requires a lot of mental discipline and mental toughness to get through (at least for me). I documented my strength and size gains in the article. I’m giving it a go for a second 30 day period to see how things develop.
I came across a Facebook post about it and was intrigued. I like to experiment with workouts, diets, etc. since I track everything in such detail.
I do like the simplicity of it, especially coming off my five day, every day different workout routine I was doing previously.
And I have to say I am bloody amazed at the progress I’m making on some exercises, the leg press in particular. I’ve always felt I had gimpy legs, and today I was one pin away from the bottom of the rack for 10 slow reps.
I ll start tomorrow and try it for 2-3 weeks. I (55old) also have serious history of shoulder injuries , extreme sports and painful joints. Thanks
Be careful. Listen to your body. Don’t push too hard at first. Find your levels.
I turn 64 next week and I've been working out regularly for 30 years or so. Fortunately, I've never had a major injury. Sure, I've had to miss some days here and there due to minor injuries, but nothing too bad. Like you, I'm fascinated with various workout programs. At some point I went from something like 3-4 long (90+ minute) per week (when I was younger) to shorter workouts (one hour or less) more often (6-7 times/week). I have felt that the regular daily physical exertion (even if only, say, 30 minutes) is more important than the gains; so getting the same or more gains from working out less per week doesn't appeal to me. Getting my blood flowing and my muscles pumping is the goal, and I feel better physically and mentally when I do it almost every day. Maybe it's endorphins, I don't know. But whatever it is, gives me a plethora of benefits: mental clarity, self-confidence, emotional positivity, strength, mobility, sexual "motivation", physique aesthetics, sense of community, getting out of the house, and...I think I could come up with some more if I keep thinking about it! So, some of the benefit for me is actually getting out to the gym on a regular basis, not finding ways to reduce my visits to the gym. That said, cutting down on the time I spend at the gym once I get there HAS actually worked well for me as I've gotten older because I don't have the stamina I had when I was younger. Also, frankly, I don't want to spend all my time at the gym either; you see those guys sometimes who practically "live" at the gym. And when I'm on travel vacations, I definitely cut back on my workouts; I don't want my travel for fun (esp with friends and family) to revolve around my workouts! I fit the workouts in where I can. In short, it's often the regularity of going to the gym and once there doing lots of intense sets of a few different exercises that really gets me going and gives me so many of the benefits I listed. I don't mean to make it sound like I totally ignore gains. But truth be told, gains aren't necessarily any more important to me than any of the other benefits I mentioned.
Something else I should mention: most gyms I've gone to aren't set up very well for doing just one set on each piece of equipment and then moving on to the next thing. Most people are doing multiple sets on each machine, and unless you go at 5am, you're going to have wait for machines/equipment. And god forbid, if you're trying to do it in a particular order and someone is hogging one of those pieces of equipment! It's just not practical unless EVERYONE is doing one set and then moving on, like they do sometimes in for circuit training in a confined area of the gym.
Good for you for staying fit your entire life, Michael.
As to the crowded gym issue, for sure. I usually go middle of the afternoon when it's not too bad, but I've been there at 4PM and have had to wait and modify my exercise order. But really I don't see how it's different than any other routine one would do with a specific order and multiple sets.
As to days at the gym, I'm so busy that I like to reduce that, but I am going to play around with a 2-set version of my workout soon, that might also be a split-day routine.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
It’s just an issue of logistics. Doing more sets on fewer pieces of equipment means fewer instances of having to wait for someone to get off of a machine. In addition, I’ve implemented two other strategies to get around the challenge of occupied equipment, especially on busy days: 1) have 2-3 different ways to exercise a certain muscle so you have multiple pieces of equipment you can turn to if one of them is being used, 2) be flexible about the order you do your exercises so you can modify based on equipment availability. (I like to believe it’s good to change up the order anyway because you don’t want your body to get too used to a certain sequence of exercises.) Anyway, I appreciate your post. Carry on!
So for each exercise, you do a warm up and a working set? Is that right? What’s different about the warm up set, meaning are you using the same 6-4 but at lower weight?
Nope. I only do a warm-up set on the first, heaviest exercise. For me, it’s the leg press. I don’t want to jump in cold and push almost 400 lbs. I start that at 130 lbs (where I started a couple months ago, for consistency) at the 6-4 count, rest a minute, and then do the full weight.
All other exercises I do a single set at the target weight.
Thank you much for the quick response. I’m 54 with some aches. Going to give this a go. I bet this will help with jiu jitsu as well.
Let me know how it works for you. First few workouts you'll be trying to dial in the right weight amounts. A few guys have switched over to this and have all told me about big strength gains in a short amount of time. Just be careful and don't try to be a hero. :)
Feel free to DM me with any questions.
Dr Doug mcguff has a similar approach . He wrote the book body by science and references similar studies with similar approach, 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down. It is much more mentally challenging than anything, and works best if you can actually go to complete failure safely (not underneath free weights). Your body screams at you way before actual failure and it's very easy to cry uncle early because you don't necessarily have a set number of reps to target. It's a great approach in many ways and a good way to switch things up. I found I started to gravitate away from it though after a period of time.
Yes, slow reps are definitely mentally challenging, and that approach sounds even more difficult than what I’m doing. And I can understand moving away from what you describe after awhile if it’s that mentally taxing.
Myself, I find it a bit more difficult to drag myself to the gym anticipating the difficulty. But once I’m there, I’m all in. And it’s a blessing that time-wise it’s a short workout.
Thanks Vic. Im going to try it
Tried a slightly modified version of this workout this morning after about 8 years of the same basic routine. Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s great! Keep me posted on how it works for you. 💪
I keep see versions of this being talked about. Interested but still not convinced I won't lose gains. I'm 66 (and not a man, since that is really your audience).
What kind of gains are you afraid to lose?