Chapter 14
The Colorado Experiment
By Casey Viator
I really had to diet hard to get my bodyweight down to 168 lbs. We calculated that my diet before the experiment was less than 800 calories per day.
I remember flying to Colorado in one of Arthur Jones airplanes, a Cherokee Six. Arthur always flew very high in the Commercial Jet Lanes in a decompressed cabin which always gave me the worst headaches. Arriving from Florida to Fort Collins, Colorado, I had more to contend with than I had prepared myself for. I was one mile high and I had to aclimate quickly, but I knew food was coming soon. We arrived at the Lamplighter Inn, just outside of Fort Collins, where I was going to spend the next 28 days of working hard, training and eating, no fun, maybe a movie now and then, we were there to work not play. Think about it, every day for the next month - eating, training my brains out like an animal, sleeping - that was my job.
The next step was the weigh in. Body Fat count at Colorado State University was a very complex process. We used the Merrimac BodyFat Counter. This is one of the best Veterinarian Colleges in the World. The BodyFat Machine, or counter, was contained in a solid lead room with a huge crystal that was placed over my body. The radioactivity from my muscles registered my lean body mass.
Remember this was the 70's and this particular machine was considered State of the Art. I never questioned the accuracy, and still don't, of this equipment. This experiment actually showed me that even in my low bodyweight, I still gained weight and lost bodyfat. Eating was quite easy the first week after all my previous month and a half of dieting. With a healthy cash incentive per pound of muscle gain, I was raring to go.
The next step was to convert the Physiology Lab into a training facility. We had about 20 pieces of Nautilus equipment and prototypes to move to the second floor. There was even talk about the structural integrity of the second floor accomodating these pieces. Many tons of equipment was moved to that floor. We had brought a new line of negative prototypes that we used for testing. For example, we moved the weight up into the contracted position for the muscle with our feet and lowered it with our biceps or triceps. We even had a negative bench press which worked in the same fashion. There were many other types of prototypes such as the single pad Squat Machine. This piece was a real workout but in the end the mechanism that locked you out of the machine could not be perfected, hence it never ended up as a production model-all considered, this was a great machine.
The first week or so these training sessions were very difficult. I was untrained for 5 months and my hand had atrophied quite a bit. The first two sessions I ended up on the floor with a pulse rate close to fibrillation. But, as they say, "what won't kill you will only make you stronger." I tried to keep my fat content down during my 6-8 meals per day. During my workout sessions, Arthur would more or less sit in a chair and read the newspaper. If he figured I was slowing down my pace he would say something insulting and I would get mad and push even harder into the set, which made me achieve better gains. The only rule was keeping perfect form. This was a game he and I played for almost 10 years off and on. One thing about the man, he sure knows how to "piss" someone off to make them work harder through their workouts!
My workload was so intense that my body absorbed everything I ate. My muscles were coming back rapidly. This was a true case of muscle memory.
Many people have questioned the validity of this study. A lot of factors came into play, one of which is genetics. The average man would not have been able to gain 63 lbs. of raw muscle, which Arthur Jones and myself have been defending this study for years. There has been a lot of questions regarding steroid use. Many people claimed that I loaded up for this experiment. I can honestly say that there was no use of steroids during this study, which is a very important point. I was closely monitored in a closed door environment. Believe me, I would have done anything to have gained that weight, but I knew my rebound potential and I also knew I would make remarkable gains even before the study began.
The rest factor is very important when an entire body workout is performed. Proper sleeping and eating habits are also very important factors. When you work your bodyparts three times a week briefly but intensely your body has to grow. Proper sequence of pre-exhausting exercises is very important also. The safety factor is observed very closely, especially during the first part of each movement. That is when you have the strength to injure your self. The last part of any exercise is usually not the most dangerous point, your muscles are simply too weak to injure at that point. Throwing a weight or dropping or lowering a weight too fast at any time can injure a subject.
The Denver Broncos came in for training sessions and to watch us go through our fast paced training. Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears was also there training and observing what was going on. I was very proud of the results that took place in Colorado and feel that this study has contributed to the awareness of how much time is wasted in most individuals workouts. This experiment is still being studied in colleges across the country today and also can be found on the Internet.
I must say that I have injured myself on many an occasion in the gym - with pectoral tears, lower inguinal hernias and many other injuries, however I really managed to stay injury free using this type of heavy training, so I felt I had to test out my boundaries. At my current age of 48, I feel this is not safe for the average man: 750 lbs. squat, 500 lbs. incline bench press, 1500 lbs. leg presses.
As I mature, I feel moderation would have been better for my overall well being. Every injury was caused by bad form or explosive movements. If I can teach one person the hazards of this type of training, I would really be very happy.
If any trainee is considering doing this type of training, I would make sure that you work at your individual pace and push yourself just enough so you can finish the entire body routine.
