'The 4-Hour Body': Tim Ferriss

[thekiller]

Menace-How old are you? You might not have low testosterone to begin with.
I'm 40 and had had a blood test not long ago say I was in the low-normal range for testosterone. I've changed 3 things thanks to TIM.
I've been eating breakfast within 1 hour of getting up.
Instead of that expensive pill fish oil/butter combo, I take 1 teaspoon of Liquid Cod Liver Oil, and a small pat of European butter on half a 9 grain English Muffin Morning/Night.(I plan to order the KerryGold Butter Online sometime soon.)
I eat a small serving of Kimchi once a day (Health magazine names it one of the 5 healthiest foods, plus it's good tasting.)
In 3 days I noticed a difference in testosterone. Morning erections are much more URGENT, I have more vivid randy thoughts during the day, plus I feel noticeably more confident/aggressive.

I'm 37, so similar age to you. I don't actually think my testosterone is low, I just want it to be higher. I'm going to finish the supplement and try what you're doing, because I'm really not feeling the things you describe. What is the brand of European butter, and where did you buy it (I'm in the US)? I'll try and switch to Kimchi as well. Thanks for the tips.

It's Challenge Butter, European Style-Supposedly Costco carries KerryGold, my local one has their cheese but not Irish Butter. Amazon has it and some other grass-fed butters but the shipping makes them too expensive. I'm thinking of switching to Ghee as that has a similar nutrient profile and isn't as expensive.

I really had to increase my protein intake too, for as long as I've been working out I'm positive now my lack of gains in the past was not enough protein. I figured as a meat eater I had more than enough, but when I finally started doing the math I found I was way short. I've started using milk in my protein shakes, switched to Greek yogurt, having some almond or peanut butter on celery before bed, and for a fast meal with good protein payload look at a can of chili.

 

[thekiller]

Rocco81-I'll talk to my Doc about the cream next time I see him.
I used to take ZMA and it works but it always gave me really bad acne. Same with Tribilus.
This Tim Ferris protocol seems to work good without pissing off my skin.

 

[Rocco81]

Killer : That is the problem with heightened testosterone. You get allot of good with a little bad. For me, I have not messed with performance enhancing stuff for years...since my early 20's but yes I was on the real deal just for lifting etc and I felt absolutely great. Everything was heightened, good mood, great sleep, great strength, fat loss, huge sexual appetite etc (this was only really mild doses too) however since I'm predisposed to balding the high test level def. sped that up so I stopped it.

 

[bigbootyluvr]

rocco-what dose were you on? Brand/ether? I have a script fyi for "anti-aging" (i'm mid thirties and look 27 or so)...

Tim ferris is a snake oil salesman. Building a good body requires a LOT of time eating right and at LEAST four vicious workouts a week....he's a real con man in my book. His "vanquisher of four mma champions" claim has already proven to be a fraud on bullshido.com...do a search...the guy is a fckn' clown with good story telling ability, much like tucker maxx

 

[phoenix abroad]

I have been looking to add muscle so I have mainly been focusing on those chapters so far, and am really content with my results. Everything seems to be well backed up by science and self experimentation.

This is my main interest as well. How much did you put on in the first week (or two)? I have gained strength, but have not put on any weight. I think my problem is that I need to eat more, despite eating ~3000 cal/day and like 180g of protein (both of which are over what I need to eat for my body weight).

I have also been doing the testosterone thing, but after about 2 weeks I can't say I feel any different.

The Occam's Protocol chapters are the best for adding muscle. You probably need to eat more, that really is the hardest part.

My goal was 4,000 calories per day and over 200g of protein. I've hit the protein daily but my daily calories is only averaging around 3,500.

Even still, my starting weight was 152.6lbs and now 10 days later I am 156.8 lbs. Best amount of weight gain I've ever had, I am just a naturally skinny dude. I've weight lifted on and off for the past 3 years or so but never got much results until this.

My workout (from Occam's Protocol)
One set, taken to failure
3 minutes rest in between exercises

A workout -
Yates bent Over Row - 7 reps at 5/5 cadence
Barbell shoulder press - 7 reps at 5/5 cadence

2 days rest in between

B workout-
Decline bench press- 7 reps 5/5 cadence
Squat - 10 reps 5/5 cadence

--
20 minutes of gym time twice a week, thats it.

 

[Menace]

The Occam's Protocol chapters are the best for adding muscle. You probably need to eat more, that really is the hardest part.

My goal was 4,000 calories per day and over 200g of protein. I've hit the protein daily but my daily calories is only averaging around 3,500.

Even still, my starting weight was 152.6lbs and now 10 days later I am 156.8 lbs. Best amount of weight gain I've ever had, I am just a naturally skinny dude. I've weight lifted on and off for the past 3 years or so but never got much results until this.

Wow, that's a great result. Yes, I need to re-evaluate my eating. Maybe I should shoot for 5000 calories/day. It sounds ridiculous, but even at 37 my metabolism is just crazy high. I may just have to do the GOMAD thing, because I just don't see how I can eat enough solid food to get my calorie count up there. Probably need to set calendar reminders for myself to drink milk.

 

[JayMillz]

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=11236307012&topic=16305&ref=mf

 

[phoenix abroad]

The Occam's Protocol chapters are the best for adding muscle. You probably need to eat more, that really is the hardest part.

My goal was 4,000 calories per day and over 200g of protein. I've hit the protein daily but my daily calories is only averaging around 3,500.

Even still, my starting weight was 152.6lbs and now 10 days later I am 156.8 lbs. Best amount of weight gain I've ever had, I am just a naturally skinny dude. I've weight lifted on and off for the past 3 years or so but never got much results until this.

Wow, that's a great result. Yes, I need to re-evaluate my eating. Maybe I should shoot for 5000 calories/day. It sounds ridiculous, but even at 37 my metabolism is just crazy high. I may just have to do the GOMAD thing, because I just don't see how I can eat enough solid food to get my calorie count up there. Probably need to set calendar reminders for myself to drink milk.

I would double check to make sure you are actually eating that many calories. I bought a food scale (only $20ish) to check myself and I was actually over estimating my original calorie intake by 500-1000 per day which really adds up.

I basically eat every 3 hours or so, I just can't eat a lot at one time.

The GOMAD really does work well if you can stomach it, but I'm lactose intolerant. I tested a cup of organic whole milk once a day but even that wasn't acceptable.

I have a shake once a day either during the workout or before bed. I use almond milk as a substitute.

 

[oldnemesis]

The GOMAD really does work well if you can stomach it, but I'm lactose intolerant.

Try drinking it together with buttermilk or plain yogurt, worked for me.

 

[gringoed]

I'm thinking of experimenting with his PAGG supplements for increased fat-loss and the testosterone increasing regimen. Has anybody here tried these yet or have insight on policosanol or alpha lipoic acid?

I don't want to risk any kind of physical dependency or major side effects.

 

[Kickb]

The Occam's Protocol chapters are the best for adding muscle. You probably need to eat more, that really is the hardest part.

My goal was 4,000 calories per day and over 200g of protein. I've hit the protein daily but my daily calories is only averaging around 3,500.

Even still, my starting weight was 152.6lbs and now 10 days later I am 156.8 lbs. Best amount of weight gain I've ever had, I am just a naturally skinny dude. I've weight lifted on and off for the past 3 years or so but never got much results until this.

Wow, that's a great result. Yes, I need to re-evaluate my eating. Maybe I should shoot for 5000 calories/day. It sounds ridiculous, but even at 37 my metabolism is just crazy high. I may just have to do the GOMAD thing, because I just don't see how I can eat enough solid food to get my calorie count up there. Probably need to set calendar reminders for myself to drink milk.

i did the 5000 calorie diet plan. Gained weight super fast. You get a bigger gut than you prolly want but it really builds the muscles.

 

[Biz]

I'm thinking of experimenting with his PAGG supplements for increased fat-loss and the testosterone increasing regimen. Has anybody here tried these yet or have insight on policosanol or alpha lipoic acid?

I don't want to risk any kind of physical dependency or major side effects.

ALA is fine, I never messed with Policosanol though, not many companies make it...I havent done much research on it either other than the book...

I've also taken a green tea complex for awhile its great with a fat loss regimine

 

[bigbootyluvr]

5,000 calories a day will only make you fat, unless you are built like batista or running marathons.

I'm 210 lbs and ripped and get 2,500- 3,000 calories a day. I am mid thirities and still packing on QUALITY muscle. that means slow quality gains, not "bulking cycles" which 99% of the time end up making the person a fatter version of their skinny selves. (think about that one). Try fitday.com or another calorie tracking software to see where you are at.

I think one principle that has helped me pack on mass besides adequate sleep, food, protein, water, etc was "Lift until you are sore" principle. If you are not sore as hell the next day you didn't do enough. Try it and you'll see.

also, hire a personal trainer that has experience as a competitive body builder. NO ONE on the planet will get you to gain mass faster, i promise. they are experts on building muscle, cutting fat, and diet. They have to be.

 

[oldnemesis]

I have finished the book. Overall it looks very similar to 4HWW - it sells the dream for the people, most of whom would never be able to implement it.

Run the chapters about diets and exercises with my personal trainer, who also has a nutritional degree. His feedback regarding the proposed diet was that it looks like a weakened version of Paleo diet, and some of the restrictions there are really weird (like not eating fruits, wtf?). Some substitutes are also very strange (beer is not allowed, but wine is), and not explained at all except with "I love wine" statement. For those 30+ BMI test subjects he used it would work well initially - actually EVERY diet would work well for them - but not if you need to lose just 10-20lbs and do not want to go into extremes.

The exercise chapter is similar - for those couch potatoes who never been to gym, gaining some muscle with 2*30min weekly gym sessions doing kettlebells, chest press and leg press would show a visible muscle gain during the first couple of months. Then your gains will plateau, and you'll need to change your schedule.

In short, this book ended up being significantly less valuable than I initially though.