Are you several weeks or months into the slow carb diet looking to expand your 4-Hour Body repertoire?

Maybe you have lost a bit of body fat, are interested in adding muscle mass, experimenting with Tim’s tripling testosterone protocol or 4-Hour Body sleep hacks.

It’s time to take the next logical step.

Finding Balance in a Sea of Supplements

If you have read the 4-Hour Body beyond the Slow Carb Diet you may have noticed that there is quite a bit of overlap, as well as several contradictions, among the protocols.  Especially from a supplement and dietary standpoint.

It can become a very confusing mess!

Here is the good news: if you are already familiar with the Slow Carb Diet you can use this as the foundation of any of Tim’s protocols. It is not only extremely effective, but a recommended way to create a healthy “4-Hour Body lifestyle.”

Over the next several weeks I am going to detail some excellent “4-Hour combinations” that you can use to your benefit.

We will start today by discussing one of my personal favorites:

Slow Carb + Occam’s Protocol

As I have discussed before on the blog combining Occam’s and the Slow Carb Diet is one of my favorite combinations.

Let’s look at how you would approach this from a dietary and supplement standpoint.  In the process, we’ll design an easy to follow regimen to get you started today.

Lets Compare Occam’s and Slow Carb Side by Side:

Occam’s Protocol + The Slow Carb Diet Supplements and Subtleties

In Occam’s, if you want to build more lean muscle, you need to increase your calories. One way to achieve this goal is to add a morning and afternoon shake. The key points here are that in Occam’s you will add a starch to your non shake meals. You will continue your PAGG as before which will nicely cover the ALA requirement from Occam’s. You will add in Creatine for at least 28 days (you can definitely do this longer ) and you will have to decide if you would also like to include Cissus Quadrangularis. In my opinion this is completely optional. If you do use CQ you must limit your supplementation to 8-12 weeks “growth cycles” or risk potential side effects.

Tim’s shake recipe uses milk which is an essential slow carb no-no. You can get around this by replacing milk with water or using a meal replacement shake such as VegaOne or Matrix Meal.  Another option is to give into the fact that milk is a good source of protein and calcium and will probably do very little to stave off your fat loss. (I can see all the Paleo people cringing as I write this).  Tim also adds a bit of fruit in the form of banana to his shake recipe.  Again, no big deal.

Here is what a typical day would look like:

* ALA (which is part of Occam’s) is not necessary as it is already dosed in the AGG
* CQ should be used as Tim recommends during 8– 12 week growth cycles, on “off” days, or after joint sprains.

[box title=”Tim’s Morning Shake” box_color=”#83b0c6″ title_color=”#000000″]

Caloric and protein profile with 2% milk: 970 cal, 75 g protein

• 24 oz (3 cups) 2% whole milk
• 30 g whey protein isolate (chocolate tends to work best)
• 1 banana
• 3 heaping tablespoon almond butter with no added sugar
• 5 ice cubes

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Some common concerns:

Will adding the extra “calories” associate with Occam’s Feeding stall my fat loss?

The answer here is absolutely not! You are adding calories in parallel with weight training.  Studies prove that adding weight training to a healthy diet will not only help  stabilize insulin levels and promote fat loss but can also improve your IQ! Just another reason to begin Occam’s. Most importantly, you can tailor the Occam’s feeding schedule to fit your individual needs. Are you just trying to add some bulk and stimulate fat loss without the need to dead lift 3x your body weight? Then by all means skip the shakes and focus on whole food meals. If you aren’t performing an effective Occam’s routine (i.e pushing yourself to failure and increasing the weights as prescribed) then you could run into problems. So take care to follow Tim’s instructions.

Do I need to take all these supplements?

No, you don’t. You can have excellent results without taking supplements. Supplements are meant to do what their name implies: “supplement a healthy lifestyle and diet.”  Whether you choose to supplement the dietary and exercise protocols is completely up to you. You can add, subtract and design a protocol that works best to suit your lifestyle. The recommendations from The 4-Hour Body are recommendations, not absolutes!

Didn’t Tim say I don’t need to work out while on slow carb?

Tim recommends waiting a month after starting the Slow Carb Diet before you add exercise and as the book claims you can lose fat without exercise. There are many types of exercises, and our goal with the 4-Hour Body is to break the “eat less exercise more cycle.”  Occam’s is not an exercise program for weight loss, it will help you build physical strength, stabilize your insulin, make you healthier and more efficient in the long run with minimal time input. It is perfect in combination with the slow carb diet!

So what are you waiting for?

If you have been having success (or you have hit a plateau) while on the Slow Carb Diet or are on the sidelines about trying Occam’s Protocol, now is the time to start.

You can choose to follow the supplement and dietary protocols as noted above or simplify them to fit your needs.  Again, there is some overlap and you can use this to your advantage.

Although Occam’s Protocol is a bit difficult to begin, after 2 weeks I am confident you will find Occam’s is the most time efficient workout routine you have ever tried.  If you need a good place to start take a look at my modified Big 8 Occam’s Routine. It combines the best of Occam’s with the Big 5 workout from Body by Science. If you do this, consider dropping the k-bell swings, I don’t think they are necessary.

After nearly 4.5 years of Occam’s myself, I am convinced this can be an effective tool for nearly everyone trying to lose fat and gain some strength without the risk of injury or over-training. Combined with Slow Carb Diet, it is golden!

To me, Occam’s represented the perfect balance of resistance training and time commitment, in other words it seemed like something I could stick with for a long time.

And it has been, I have been using Occam’s protocol as the foundation of my weight training program for the last 3 years.

Occam’s protocol has been overshadowed by the 4-Hour Body Slow Carb diet and often gets completely overlooked.

Yet, they should be approached as a team. Although Tim claims that everyone can have success with slow carb without the addition of exercise, in my experience working with literally 100’s of patients over the past 3 years this has proven not to be the case.

The slow carb diet can be improved exponentially with the addition of an effective Occam’s protocol routine.

But Occam’s is Complicated!

Occam’s protocol seems complicated but once you have determined your starting weights it is really very straight forward.

Tim created some confusion in the 4-Hour Body with the addition of an overly complex “adding muscle” section that produced a bit of overlap among his various workout routines. This is most noticeable with his “geek to freak” protocol which is difficult to follow and shares many of the same ideas as Occam’s Protocol.

Given the rather complex mix of supplements that Tim recommends throughout the book, the entire adding muscle section can become a red-hot confusing mess.

You can see my simplified breakdown of 4-Hour Body Protocols here.

Occam’s protocol may thus appear to be a hard corp routine designed solely for professional bodybuilders looking to get “buffed” when in reality, it is an extremely simple routine that just about anybody could do.

It is incredibly effective for women who are looking to tone and tighten and it is equally effective for men who may want big arms and 6 pack abs. It can even be an extremely effective workout for seniors.

Occam’s protocol is backed by hard science. The slow, systematic core body movements that we see in Occam’s is what was behind Arthur Jones and Nautilus which he had been trying to convince people of since the 1960’s. Not surprisingly even in 2014 very few people want to listen.

Simplicity is Sexy

Occam’s can have many iterations, in my opinion it is best when broken down into 5 basic movements that are simple to perform and train every single muscle in the body in under 20 minutes.

This simple routine takes the best of what science and research has to offer and is effectively designed to maximize time under tension and eliminate time in gym (TIG).

In my opinion “time in gym” (TIG) should always be set to the Minimum Effective Dose (MED). Not that TIG is necessarily a bad thing, but there are better uses of your time. Like carving out your niche and building your passive income stream.

The Slow Carb Diet and Occam’s Protocol – Like “Peas and Carrots”

The slow carb diet is designed to optimize your body’s hormone levels for fat loss and in doing so it will optimize your body for muscle hypertrophy in the presence of effective weight training.

By adding weight training to the slow carb diet you will increase your bodies basic metabolic rate and further optimize your insulin levels (weight training will make you more insulin sensitive for up to 15 hours after a single workout) so will having a 15 minute orgasm. Or so I tell my wife.

You do not need to get caught up in the various supplement protocols that plague the 4-Hour Body.  Although PAGG has been slightly better than placebo in my “trials” the evidence of long-term efficacy here is lacking.

If you are doing slow carb you may consider the addition of Occam’s protocol with something incredibly simple such as PAGG and then consider a “5 a day” meal plan that includes supplemental shakes.

A sample could look like this:

1. Breakfast
2. Snack – Shake
3. Lunch
4. Snack – Shake (post workout)
5. Dinner

My favorite shake currently is a wonderful (yet a bit on the pricey side) nutritional product called Vega One. It has a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids, additional probiotics and just happens to be dairy, soy and gluten free. It is a great post workout shake or mid-day snack. It can work very well with the Slow Carb Diet.

An Effective Occam’s Routine

If you are following the slow carb diet and have not yet given Occam’s a gander now is the time.

The routine is not nearly as difficult as the book makes it seem and can be done very effectively as 6 simple exercise.

1. Incline Press
2. Leg Press
3. Seated Row
4. Shoulder Press
5. Lat Pull Down
6. Six Minute Abs

I created an Occam’s 8 routine a while back although I don’t feel the K-Bell swings are truly necessary. You could perform K-bell swings once mid week if you like, but you don’t need to. I think the modified six exercise approach above is perfectly enough.

• This entire workout takes less than 20 minutes.
• You must read the Occam’s section in the book to understand the fundamentals of finding starting weights, this is essential.

Like 4HWW Finances, and The Slow Sarb Diet – Automation is Everything

• Start with 5 Rules of eating and nail this down over the first month.
• After 30 days add in Occam’s protocol at least once weekly using the 5 resistance exercises I mentioned above plus the six minute ab’s workout seen in The 4-Hour Body.
• Add in some cardio that you enjoy a couple times a week for good measure. This could be anything, just make sure it is something you enjoy.

That is all you need to stay healthy for life. It really is that easy.

• The Slow carb diet is extremely simple to follow.
• Occam’s Protocol can be done effectively once per week for 20 minutes, you can add in a second day if you like.

In combination with a 4-Hour Workweek you should be all set to escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the new rich, while enjoying a healthy and vibrant 4-Hour Body!

Until next time…

– Stephen

What is “Pre Hab” and why is it important?

Tim claims that the Pre-Hab Chapter in The 4-Hour Body is:

• The longest and most difficult chapter in the book  and
• The most important.

Pre-Hab is about identifying common imbalances and correcting them to prevent injury.

It should be the first step you take before adopting any of the workout routines featured in the 4-Hour Body, including Occam’s Protocol.

But, it is commonly overlooked (I have to admit to being guilty here as well) and thus:

• Sports injuries are now the second most leading cause of doctor visits, behind only the common cold.
• 70 to 80 percent of casual athletes have had a sports-related injury at some point in their past and most within the last year.
• By repeating the “No pain, no gain” mantra during a workout, you’re probably doing yourself a disservice and possibly setting yourself up for overuse injuries.

The basic premise of “Pre-Hab”

The basic premise of “Pre-Hab” is preparing your body to be powerful and injury free for the long-term.

When I started running more regularly 4 years ago I remember standing at the starting line before a race and the announcer said: “look to your left and look to your right – One of you will be injured in the next 3 months and may never return to running again.”

Hearing that, and thinking about my aching low back,  I was realizing that he was probably talking about me.

I had spent years inflicting all kinds of physical abuse on my poor body based on inaccurate information about what was the best way to train.

I had spent countless hours pushing heavy weights on the bench press, doing squats that would cause more harm than good, going on long training runs that would leave me icing my aches and pains and feeling completely drained for the rest of the day.

I did this all in the name of becoming better at my sport and trying to obtain a better physique. This, I assumed, was the right way to train because it was the way everyone else seemed to be doing things. Hence, Tim is right when he quotes Oscar Wilde in the 4-Hour Workweek: “everything popular is wrong”.

And because there was no “pre-hab” I ended up (as you would expect) in Re-hab.

Fixing Problems Before They Start

The key to pre-hab is foreseeing problems and fixing them before they start.

This is important for everyone because the goal of fitness is to bring the joy of movement into your life and as a benefit maintain long-term sustainable health – not to make yourself miserable or worse yet, land you on the injured list.

As Tim warns us in the 4-Hour Body:

“Pursuing rapid increases in performance without doing “pre-hab” for injury prevention is like getting in an F-1 race car without checking the tires.”

The small upfront investment of time (even two to four weeks) will allow much faster progress while avoiding serious setbacks.

Honestly, isn’t it worth a 2-4 weeks investment to build an injury free body for life?

So, I urge you to take the time to read through this intro and then open up your copy of the 4-Hour Body and really dig in.

The 80/20 of Injury Prevention

As always, when Tim wants to find the best way to do anything he doesn’t waste his time with useless self experiments (OK at least most of the time), instead he goes right to the source.

In this case a man by the name of Gray Cook.

Who is Gray Cook?

“Fixing professional athletes in his human durability factory, Gray has become perhaps the world’s most sought-after injury-prevention specialist.”

In essence Gray is an expert in identifying a persons physical imbalances and then fixing it.

So just what is the cause of most injuries and how do we go about fixing it? This is what Pre-Hab is all about.

Imbalance

According to Gray Cook the most likely cause of injury is neither weakness nor tightness, but imbalance.

The key to fixing imbalance is first identifying where it is coming from.

To accomplish this goal Gray has developed the Functional Movement Screen which is designed to find and identify balances.

Finding imbalance: Performing The Functional Movement Screen (FMS)

(video link)

The FMS comes in two varieties:

1. Administered by a certified professional: A series of seven movement tests, each test is scored on a three-point scale.
2. Self Assessment FMS: Gray Cooks Functional Movement Screen can be abbreviated to five movements with simple pass-fail evaluation:

1. Deep squat
2. Hurdle step
3. In-line lunge
4. Active straight leg raise
5. Seated rotation

This self-Functional Movement Screen is designed to identify two things:

1. left-right imbalances (asymmetry)
2. motor control issues (wobbling and shifting)

Why Tim includes the FMS as part of the pre-hab section of the 4-Hour Body eludes me.

The 7 week session Tim details in the book (and that I will cover below) does not use Gray’s approach to the FMS, but it is a simplified version based on the 4 core movements we are about to discuss.

That being said, I have covered the FMS as Tim did in the 4-Hour Body to be thorough. Although it is good to know you can set it aside for now, as it is not an integral part of the Pre-hab program as you will see.

Fixing Problems

This is made up of 4 basic movement patterns called “The Critical Four”

In the 4-Hour Body Tim has put these exercises in the order that you should learn them, as greater coordination is required as you move down the list.

The Critical Four Movements (easiest to hardest)

1. Chop and lift (C& L) (video chop and lift) (article by Gray Cook)
2. Turkish get-up (TGU) video
3. Two-arm single-leg dead-lift (2SDL) (video)
4. Cross-body one-arm single-leg dead-lift (1SDL) (video 1) (video 2)

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Putting it All Together

If your confused don’t worry, so was I.

But basically, if you didn’t read any of the above section and just started here you would be fine.

Below is the exact schedule Tim uses to both Find and Fix problems.

It is basically a modified Functional Movement Screen (FMS) using the critical four plus a 7 week program using the same exercises to identify and fix problems. 

It is the entirety of the Pre-Hab section.

The Critical Four Schedule: Finding and Fixing

This is a 3 day a week training schedule:

1. Tuesday
2. Thursday
3. Saturday

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WEEK 1 – IDENTIFYING IMBALANCE

TUESDAY (30–45 MINUTES)

COORDINATION

This is not a workout. It is a PRACTICE SESSION

This session is about practicing the movements, just like a dance or karate form.

For this purpose, light weights are used, even for movements that use heavier loading in training (like the deadlift).

Developing a base level of coordination with these patterns will ensure that you do not base an entire training program on massive imbalances that could have been fixed with a few minutes of practice and neural adaptation.

* Practice with no weight until you can perform the movement on both sides, then add light weight.

1. Practice the TGU (Tukish Get Up) and
2. Variations 1 SDL (Cross Body One Arm Single Leg Dead Lift) and
3. Variation 2 SDL  (Two Arm Single Leg deadlift)

In all exercises, use the minimal weight needed to help stabilize the body.

THURSDAY AND SATURDAY (45–60 MINUTES PER SESSION)

TESTING

Now we will test to find your weakest quadrant and weakest sides in each movement.

Perform the Turkish Get Up (TGU) and the Single Leg Deadlift (SDL) only if you can execute them flawlessly without weight:

Chop and lift (C& L) (video chop and lift)

1. Chop down to left knee × 6–12 reps
2. Chop down to right knee × 6–12 reps
3. Lift up to left knee × 6–12 reps
4. Lift up to right knee × 6–12 reps

Turkish get-up (TGU)

1. 5 TGU each side (16-kg kettlebell)
2. 5 TGU each side (24-kg kettlebell)

These TGU weights are what Tim used. Read the TGU description that follows for suggested male and female starting weights. Dumbbells can be used in place of kettlebells.

Two-arm single-leg dead-lift (2SDL) (video)

1. 5 reps each leg

Cross-body one-arm single-leg dead-lift (1SDL) (video )

1. 5 reps each leg

FULL-RANGE SQUAT  (video)

1. 10 reps

Tim’s reasons for the “Full-Range Squat”

I’ve added the full-range squat because it’s important to at least maintain (or have) the ability to perform this movement, even if our focus is on the deadlift.

Important Point:

• Repeat this testing both Thursday and Saturday to ensure that you haven’t misdiagnosed imbalances.
• Use the same weights on Saturday, but don’t look at the number of reps completed on Thursday. Saturday is, once again, to confirm that imbalances aren’t just mistakes of some sort.

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FIXING

WEEKS 2-6

MONDAY AND FRIDAY, 30–45 MINUTES PER SESSION

Once you’ve identified your imbalances (week 1 above), the exercises for weeks 2–6 are designed to fix them.

The Workout (Option 1)

If you can perform 10 ass-to-heels squats with no weight, do the following in each workout (sets and reps are explained next):

1. Half-kneeling Chop and lift (C& L) (video chop and lift)
2. Turkish get-up (TGU)
3. Cross-body one-arm single-leg dead-lift (1SDL)

The Workout (Option 2)

* If you cannot perform 10 full-range squats, perform this instead:

1. Half-kneeling Chop and lift (C& L) (chop and lift)
2. Full-kneeling (Chop  & Lift) (this is a symmetrical addition, both knees down, that will help you develop proper squatting form)
3. Turkish get-up (TGU)
4. Cross-body one-arm single-leg dead-lift (1SDL)

SETS AND REPS

For all exercises for weeks 2–6:

Use a 2:5 ratio of sets for strong : weak sides and a 5 reps.

This means that you perform a total of seven sets using either workout option 1 or 2.

1. Two for the stronger side and
2. Five for the weaker side, as follows:

• Strong side × 5 reps
• Weak side × 5 reps
• Strong side × 5 reps
• Weak side × 5 reps
• Weak side × 5 reps
• Weak side × 5 reps
• Weak side × 5 reps

Take one minute between sets.

If you can’t complete five repetitions in the later sets, decrease the repetitions rather than decreasing the weight.

Record everything. I suggest a one-second or two-second concentric (lifting) speed and a four-second eccentric (lowering) speed. No matter what speed you use, make it consistent.

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 OPTIONAL WEEKS 7 +

MONDAY AND FRIDAY, 30–45 MINUTES PER SESSION

SUSTAINED PRE-HAB AND STRENGTHENING

For weeks 7 and beyond , you can incorporate the full- kneeling C& L and 2SDL for symmetrical corrections and pure strength.

Perform this sequence twice a week if you’d like to further reduce injury risk.

I simply retest every 4–6 weeks and fix accordingly.

But to continue with the program, once 10% or greater strength differences are corrected, use two sets of 3–5 reps (I prefer 5) per side for each exercise.

1. Turkish get-up (TGU)
2. Full-kneeling (Chop  & Lift)
3. Two-arm single-leg dead-lift (2SDL)
4. Half-kneeling Chop and lift (C& L) (chop and lift)
5. Cross-body one-arm single-leg dead-lift (1SDL)

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To identify the correct starting weights for each exercise YOU MUST READ THE SECTION  “Let The Testing Begin” in the 4-Hour Body.

Taking 30–45 minutes twice per week to do these exercises takes less time, and sacrifices less progress, than 6–24 months of recovery after a major injury.

Four exercises can keep you stable and strong possibly for life! Not a bad trade-off.

Too busy? Do whatever you can, as every bit helps.

Tools and Resources for Pre-Hab

1. Kayaking Dry Bags: A kayaking dry bag is designed to keep water out. It can also be used to hold water in, and it’s a great way to travel and still do your TGU. I use the SealLine Baja Dry Bag 30, which holds up to 30 liters. One liter = 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). Thirty liters gives you up to 66 pounds.
2. Bands for Mobile C& L : Gray Cook Bands – For those who want to do the C& L on the road or in their home, these resistance tubes are an effective and affordable substitute for exercise machines.
3. Metolius Nylon Daisy Chain for the C& L 
4. Black Diamond HotWire Carabiner for the C& L: Extremely lightweight carabiner rated “Best in Gear” by Rock and Ice magazine.

Tim Ferriss in the 4-Hour Body includes two of the supplements we will discuss here (Glutamine and Creatine) as part of Occam’s Protocol supplementation.

[box title=”Occam’s Prescriptions” style=”soft” box_color=”#666e80″]

Cissus Quadrangularis: 2,400 mg three times per day (view Monograph)
Alpa-Lipoic Acid: 300mg, 30 minutes before each whole food meal (View Monograph)

L-Glutamine: (View Monograph)

• Consume 80 grams during the first five days of Occam’s Protocol: 10 grams (2 teaspoons) every 2 hours on the dot until 80-gram quota is reached
• After the Initial five day loading period: 10-30 grams post workoutwill speed repair and help prevent soreness

Creatine Monohydrate: For 28 days: (View Monograph)

• Consume 3.5 grams (1 teaspoon) upon waking
• Consume 3.5 grams before bed
• if you use powder, mix in 5-6 grams total as losing one to two grams in solution is hard to avoid.

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As a general rule, there is little human data to suggest that these substances offer a significant advantage in terms of strength or mass gains.

Along with this, individuals constantly want to know if a given supplement will work on a slow carbohydrate or low carbohydrate diet.  In all of these cases, there is simply no data available, and individuals will have to experiment to find what does and does not affect the diet.

A Look at Glutamine and Creatine and Their Role in Mass Gain

Glutamine

Glutamine has been, and still is, one of the most popular supplements on the market.

Glutamine is typically considered a non-essential amino acid (AA) since it can be made within the body. However, in times of high stress, it may become essential.

Glutamine is involved in maintaining the immune system and low glutamine levels have been linked to overtraining in endurance athletes. Weight training is a form of stress and, although not directly studied, glutamine supplements have been suggested to help deal with the stress of training.

A majority of glutamine research has focused on its effect in critically ill individuals and burn patients. It is a major mistake to extrapolate from pathologically ill patients to healthy, weight training athletes although many authors in the field of nutrition have made that mistake.

Outside of its effects on immune system function, oral glutamine has also been shown to elevate growth hormone levels in the bloodstream, which may be useful for fat loss.

The primary problem with oral glutamine supplementation is that glutamine is a major metabolic fuel for the small intestine. As well, high doses of glutamine tend to be absorbed by the kidney with the end result being that little of the glutamine ingested actually gets into the muscles.

A possible solution is to take glutamine in small doses throughout the day. Doses of 2 grams (2 tabs) may not activate absorption by the kidney and it should be possible to keep blood glutamine levels high by taking it in this fashion.

However, a little known effect of glutamine is that it inhibits ketogenesis in the liver. Many individuals have found that glutamine supplementation prevents them from establishing ketosis if on a ketogenic diet.

However others have not found this to be the case and, as with many supplements, experimentation is the key. Glutamine probably has its greatest potential during the carb-up period (cheat day) of the SCD. This may support the use of a cheat day in combination with glutamine supplementation while on the slow carb diet.

Creatine Monohydrate

If there is a single sports supplement that has been shown to work under a variety of conditions, it is creatine.

Creatine phosphate (CP) is used to provide short term energy for exercise lasting approximately 20-30 seconds.

Numerous studies have shown that supplementing with creatine monohydrate can increase muscular stores of CP and enhance high intensity exercise performance.

As in the study referenced above improvements are primarily seen in short duration, high-intensity activity such as sprint performance as well as weight lifting.

However, creatine has not consistently been shown to improve longer events, which rely on other energy systems.

The improvements range from the ability to maintain a higher performance level prior to fatigue, the ability to perform more repetitions with a given weight, and some studies suggest that creatine supplementation may increase maximal strength (1 repetition maximum). Additionally, creatine typically causes a large initial weight gain of 5 or more pounds, although the majority of this weight is water.

Whether long-term creatine supplementation causes significantly greater gains in lean body mass is still under research.

Creatine Dosing

• Creatine is typically loaded first to saturate muscular stores. Although the optimal dosage can vary, most studies suggest consuming 20 grams of creatine in divided doses (typically 5 grams (1 teaspoon) four times a day) for 5 days to saturate muscular stores.
• An alternate method is to take small (3 grams) daily doses of creatine, which results in similar loading over a period of a month. Some individuals find that high doses of creatine cause stomach upset, and lower doses may make loading possible while avoiding this problem.

Although maintenance doses have been suggested, there is some debate as to whether or not this is truly necessary . As long as red meat is an integral part of the diet, as it will most likely be on any form of ketogenic diet, muscular CP stores will stay elevated for long periods of time.

Creatine and Carbohydrates

One concern regarding creatine and a low carbohydrate diet is that research suggests that creatine is absorbed most efficiently if it is taken with a high glycemic index carbohydrate .

Thus a low-carbohydrate diet raises the question of whether creatine supplementation is useful.

What should be remembered is that the early creatine studies used coffee or tea, without carbohydrates, and creatine uptake was still fairly high.

Simply more creatine is absorbed if it is taken with a carbohydrate.

There are several strategies to get around this problem.

• The first is to load creatine before starting a low carbohydrate diet, so that it can be taken with a high glycemic carbohydrate. Once loaded, the high intake of meat on a ketogenic diet should maintain muscular stores.
• Additionally, creatine uptake is higher following exercise so that a maintenance dose could be taken immediately after training.
• Finally, many individuals have had success taking high dose of creatine (10-20 grams) during the carb-load of the slow carb diet. As well, creatine could be taken around workouts if carbohydrate intake is targeted.

If you are following a ketogenic diet, creatine has no known effects on ketosis, nor would it be expected to affect the establishment or maintenance of ketosis.

– Information from this post is based on the research of Lyle McDonald from: The Ketogenic Diet: A Complete Guide for the Dieter and Practitioner. 

[dropcap style=”1″ size=”3″]S[/dropcap]tudies have proven that the most time-efficient and productive exercise program is one based upon the principles of high-intensity training.

Occam’s Protocol is a wonderful example of a high intensity training program that is both TIME EFFICIENT and PRODUCTIVE.

Productive exercise must be of a THRESHOLD LEVEL OF INTENSITY (as any level below this threshold will not stimulate maximal results). As a result, high intensity exercise sessions will be comparatively brief and infrequently performed (as opposed to conventional exercise programs).

Stimulus, Organism and Response

The degree to which you’ve been weakened, and the amount of time it took to do so (approximately two minutes), represents a threat that from the body’s perspective must be addressed.

The positive adaptive response to effective resistance training is the building of bigger, stronger muscles so that there will be more strength left over the next time such a stimulus is encountered.

As you repeat the process, you will increase the resistance that your muscles will be made to contract against to produce a similar response each time, but doing so is metabolically expensive. So by performing more intense exercise you must reduce the volume and frequency of that exercise, and vice versa

This is so important I am going to say it again: BY PERFORMING MORE INTENSE EXERCISE YOU MUST REDUCE THE VOLUME AND FREQUENCY OF THAT EXERCISE AND VICE VERSA.

People ask me all the time “but Stephen, I just don’t feel like I am getting a good enough workout doing Occam’s Protocol, I need to do more sets”. If this is you, carefully read the above statement over and over until it sinks in. Those guys at the gym are doing more and more sets, because their workouts are usually of very low intensity. And if you are not sufficiently fatigued your workout is also of insufficient intensity.

The 4 Principal Stages of Occam’s Protocol Workout

Stage 1: Set Begins

At the beginning of the set, you are fresh with 100 “units” of strength [represented by the blue bar). For inroad to occur, the resistance must be meaningful, i.e., 75-80 percent of your existing strength level. If the resistance selected is too light, the muscle will recover at a faster rate than it fatigues, with the result that no inroad will occur. Using a slow, controlled speed of contraction and extension, move the weight for 5 seconds during the lifting (or positive) phase, and 5seconds during the lowering (or negative) phase.

Stage 2: Strength Diminishes

With each passing second of exercise your initial strength level diminishes, and your level of fatigue increases. Your respiration increases, and you begin to feel the burning sensation of lactic acid in your muscles. You’ve now lost some degree of your initial 100 units of strength (the blue bar is slowly going down), but you are still stronger than the 75 units of resistance on the machine.

Stage 3: Muscles fail

Your muscles are now so weakened that it may take you 15, 20, or even 30 seconds to complete the lifting portion of the repetition, and it is getting very difficult to control the lowering portion of the repetition. Your strength and the resistance are at virtually the same level, but your strength continues to drop until it’s just below the resistance. This is where inroading begins.

Stage 4: INROAD

You attempt to move the resistance but fail to do so. You continue to do this for 10 seconds as your strength dips well below the resistance level of the machine. At the end of the countdown you unload from the machine. By the time the set is finished, your strength has been reduced to approximately 60 units, and you’ve inroaded your muscles by 40 percent.

INROADING: The 10% That Really Matters

As you see above by the time the set is finished your strength has been reduced by 60 units. At this point the resistance provided by the machine sufficiently exceeds that which can be created by your muscles. Once that is greater than a 50/50 ratio you will no longer be able to generate enough force to move the weights. In the example above this is a 10% difference, and this 10 percent is what we would define as having reached true “failure”.

Need we be reminded: It isn’t until we have sufficiently failed that we see true benefits from our efforts. As little as 10% failure can have a profound influence on our long-term results.

Inroading consumes resources that must be replenished.

If you bring the inroading stimulus back to your muscles before your body has completed the response, it will either interfere with the response or prevent it from occurring.

PROVIDING A SUFFICIENT STIMULUS IS ONLY 50 PERCENT OF THE PROCESS, SUFFICIENT RECOVERY TIME MAKES UP THE OTHER 50 PERCENT!

This is why you should not perform more than one or two workouts per week.

When inroading is successfully achieved from exercise, not only is muscle growth promoted, but three secondary events take place as well:

1. Metabolic stimulation: During inroading, metabolic wastes (mostly lactic acid) accumulate faster than they can be eliminated. This creates an environment where growth factors are released and the first stages of muscle growth are stimulated.

2. Cardio-respiratory stimulation: Your cardio-respiratory system serves the mechanical functioning of the muscles. The higher the intensity of the muscular work, the higher the quality of the cardiovascular and respiratory stimulus will be.

3. Muscle and bone increases: As you get stronger, heavier weights are necessary to challenge you enough for inroading to occur. Exposure to heavier weights causes microscopic cellular damage that initiates the muscular adaptation and is viewed as essential for stimulating increases in bone mineral density. The illustrations on the pages that follow will look at the muscles targeted in each of the “Big-Five” exercises discussed.

A Note on Occam’s Supplementation

In The 4 Hour Body Tim stresses the fact that Occam’s Protocol works without any supplementation whatsoever.

There are, however, four supplements that Tim recommends to those with the budget. The first two minimize fat gain:

Cissus quadrangularis (2,400 mg, three times per day 30 minutes before meals) and

Alpha-lipoic acid (300 mg, 30 minutes before each whole-food meal).

The other two are a bit more specialized:

L-GLUTAMINE  L-glutamine is an amino acid commonly used as a post-workout supplement for tissue repair. In this case Tim suggests it for an alternative use from strength coach Charles Poliquin: intestinal repair. The food you ingest does no good if it isn’t absorbed. It’s like panning for gold with a chain-link fence. The anatomical equivalent of this porous chain-link fence is an assortment of digestive conditions, including leaky gut syndrome, for which L-glutamine has been shown to be a promising treatment. Rather than risk suboptimal food absorption, consume 80 grams of L-glutamine during the first five days of Occam’s Protocol.

Tim recommends 10 grams at a time every two hours on the dot until the daily 80-gram quota is reached. Powder mixed in water is easiest to consume, but capsules are more convenient for travel. After the initial five-day loading period, if you wish to consume 10– 30 grams post-workout, it will speed repair and help prevent soreness.

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE Creatine increases both maximal force production and protein synthesis. Doses of 5– 20 grams per day have been demonstrated as safe and largely devoid of side effects, though people with preexisting kidney conditions should use creatine under medical supervision. Athletes generally use a “loading phase” of five to seven days at 10– 30 grams per day, but this can cause severe intestinal discomfort. You can achieve the same muscular saturation with lower doses for a longer period of time.

Take 3.5 grams upon waking and before bed for the entire 28-day duration. If you use powder, mix in 5– 6 grams total, as losing one to two grams in solution is hard to avoid.

Resources and Reading:

Body by Science: I first read of the principal of inroading in the book: Body by Science which Tim recommends in the 4-Hour Body. In the book there are specialized training protocols recommended for athletes from football players to those skating for a hockey puck. Pick up a copy you will not be disappointed.

The 4-Hour Body: Given the topic of this blog and this particular post this should go without saying. You cannot effectively start Occam’s Protocol without it. You can download the cheat sheets here, but the book is like your 4-Hour Bible… You should never leave home without it!

You can find a breakdown and summary of all the 4-Hour Body Protocols on my resource page.

Shakes:

Apple Pie | Banana Nut Bread | Banana Split | Cappuccino | Chocolate Banana | Chocolate Mint | Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup | Orange Creamsicle | Pina Colada | Pumpkin Pie

Occam’s Meal Replacement Pantry:

For Meal Replacement Powder (MRP):

• EAS Myoplex Chocolate Cream
• EAS Myoplex Vanilla Cream 

For Maltodextrin Powder: Now Foods Carbo Gain

Extracts: Almond extract | Peppermint extract | Orange extract | Coconut extract | Rum extract

Extras:  Ground Cinnamon | Ground Nutmeg Seasoning | Ginger, Ground

1. Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
1 cup of unsweetened natural apple sauce
Cinnamon to taste
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 540
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 87
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 13
Fat- 3

2. Banana Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
¼ tsp almond extract
2 drops of butter extract (optional)
1 banana
Cinnamon to taste
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 575
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 91
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 20
Fat- 3

3. Banana Split

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
1 Banana
½ cup strawberry
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)
In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 612
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 99
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 26

4. Cappuccino

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
2/3 cup of maltodextrin powder
1 tsp instant coffee
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 557
Protein- 42
Carbohydrates- 92
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 3
Fat- 3

5.Chocolate Banana

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a chocolate meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
1 Banana
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 575
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 97
Fiber- 5
Sugar- 20
Fat- 3

6. Chocolate Mint

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a chocolate meal replacement powder (MRP)
2/3 cup of maltodextrin powder
¼ tsp Peppermint extract
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 557
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 93
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 3
Fat- 3

7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a chocolate meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup maltodextrin powder
2 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 700
Protein- 51
Carbohydrates- 82
Fiber- 6
Sugar- 3
Fat- 19

8. Orange Creamsicle

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
4 oz unsweetened orange juice
1/8 tsp orange extract
12 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 545
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 90
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 13
Fat- 3

9. Pina Colada

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
¼ tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple
2 drops of rum extract (optional)
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 540
Protein- 43
Carbohydrates- 87
Fiber- 4
Sugar- 13

10. Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet of a vanilla meal replacement powder (MRP)
½ cup of maltodextrin powder
4 oz baked yam
¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ginger, Ground
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg Seasoning
16 oz of water or skim milk (depending on your protein and caloric needs)

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Nutritional Facts (with water)

Calories- 638
Protein- 44
Carbohydrates- 110
Fiber- 5
Sugar- 5
Fat- 3

Shake recipes by John Alvino:  www.johnalvino.com

1. Building the perfect posterior – or loosing 100 + pounds
2. Six minute abs – Two exercises that actually work.
3. From Geek to Freak – How to gain 34 pounds in 28 days.
4. Occam’s Protocol (I and II) – A minimalist approach to mass.

Today we are going to focus on building the perfect posterior.

The entire “adding muscle” section feels a bit manic and overwhelming at times. There is quite a bit of overlap from section to section and Tim provides ultimate confusion in the perfect posterior chapter of the 4 Hour Body.

That being said, there is some wonderful information here and to build the perfect posterior you must basically understand one thing:  The kettlebell reigns supreme!

The perfect posterior is composed of 4 separate and overlapping routines, each building on the one before it, ranging from simple to more complex. There is some redundancy here as well. The chapter culminates in the “Kiwi’s Complete A/B Workout” which seems like overkill in my opinion but is sure to give you a rock-hard posterior chain if you can put it all together.

The 4 Perfect Posterior Routines as Seen in The 4 Hour Body:

Tracy’s Workout | Tim’s Workout | Fleur’s Workout | The Kiwi’s Complete A/B Workout

Important note on kettlebell selection:

[note color=”##e7edfd”]

Start with a weight that allows you to do 20 perfect repetitions but no more than 30. In other words, start with a weight, no less than 20 pounds, that you can “grow into.”

Kettlebells (www.4hourlife.com/kettlebells) Most men should start with a 20-kg (44 lb) or 24-kg (53 lb) kettlebell and most women should start with a 16-kg (35 lb) or 20-kg (44 lb) kettlebell.

[/note]

Tracy’s Workout (Monday and Friday)

“Tracy lost 100 pounds and 45 pounds of fat in the first 12 weeks.” 

The secret to losing 100 pounds wasn’t marathon aerobics sessions, nor was it severe caloric restriction.

It was the Russian kettlebell swing, twice a week for an average of 15– 20 minutes. Her peak session length was 35 minutes.

Monday 

15-20 minutes Russian kettlebell swing

Friday

15-20 minutes Russian kettlebell swing

Tim’s Workout

“In six weeks, I was at my lowest bodyfat percentage.”

Original, Simplified (Monday and Friday)

Monday

Using a 53 pund kettlebell perform one set of 75 swings one hour after a light, protein-rich breakfast

Friday

Using a 53 pound kettlebell perform one set of 75 swings one hour after a light, protein-rich breakfast

Expanded (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

My weekly training schedule was so light as to be laughable by conventional standards. I also took 10– 20-minute ice baths (two bags of ice bought at a gas station) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

DAY 1 (MONDAY)

• High-rep kettlebell (53 pounds) swings to at least 75 reps (ultimately, I got to 150 + reps in a single set)
• Slow myotatic crunch (next chapter) with max weight x 10– 15 slow reps

DAY 2 (WEDNESDAY)

I alternated these two exercises for a total of 3 sets × 5 reps for each. I took two minutes between all sets and therefore had at least four minutes between the same exercise (e.g., dumbbell [DB] press, wait two minutes, row, wait two minutes, DB press, etc.):

• Iso-lateral dumbbell incline bench press
• “Yates” bent rows with EZ bar (palms-up grip and bent at the waist about 20– 30 degrees)
• Reverse “drag” curls using a thick bar twice the diameter of a standard Olympic bar (I put plates on metal piping I bought from Home Depot, secured with $ 5 pinch clamps): 2 sets of 6 reps, three minutes’ rest between sets DAY 3

Day 3 (FRIDAY)

• High-rep kettlebell (53 pounds) swings to 75-rep minimum
• Slow myotatic crunch with max weight x 12– 15 reps

* Every other week: single-arm kettlebell swings to 25 minimum reps each side

Fleur’s Workout (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

“Goal: to lose those last few pounds of extra fat.”

Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), she performed a simple sequence of three exercises prior to breakfast, all of which are illustrated below:

Monday

1. One set: 20 two-legged glute activation raises from the floor

2. One set: 15 flying dogs, one set each side

3. One set: 50 kettlebell swings

– 5 minutes per session × 3 sessions = 15 minutes per week.

Wednesday

1. One set: 20 two-legged glute activation raises from the floorr
2. One set: 15 flying dogs, one set each side
3. One set: 50 kettlebell swings

Friday

1. One set: 20 two-legged glute activation raises from the floorr
2. One set: 15 flying dogs, one set each side
3. One set: 50 kettlebell swings

The Kiwi’s (3 day A and B Workout Routine)

The extended “bad ass” program!

To mimic The Kiwi, perform A on Monday and B on Friday, and glute activation raises are performed before each.

MED: two circuits of these exercises, in the order provided.

Workout A (Monday)

Workout A

All exercises, except for kettlebell swings, are performed for 10 repetitions using a 13-Repetition Max2 (RM) weight.

1. Heavy dumbbell front squat to press (ass to heels)—squeeze glutes at bottom for one second before rising
2. One-arm, one-leg DB row
3. Walking lunges with sprinter knee raise – [Note from The Kiwi: “Your progression should be using your bodyweight, then dumbbells. This video shows with barbbell. I would PAUSE more at the top and push for hip extension (be as tall as you can at the top of each rep).”]
4. Wide-grip push-ups
5. Two-arm kettlebell swings x 20-25

Repeat sequence 2–4 times.

Workout B (Friday)

1. One-leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL) (10–12 reps each side, at a 13 RM on first set weight selection)
2. Chin-up (four-second negative lowering portion only) × 10 or until you cannot control descent
3. One-leg hamstring curls on a Swiss ball—6–12 reps each leg
4. Plank for abs (and gluteus medius on sides) -> Progression: start with 30 seconds front, 30 seconds each side, working up to 90 seconds maximum
5. Reverse hyper × 15–25 Repeat sequence 2–4 times. [Note from The Kiwi: “A bit slow on concentric for my tastes, but acceptable.  Do these two seconds down, explosive up.”]

Repeat sequence 2–4 times.

Sunday

1. Glute activation raises

So there you have it. I have to thank Lisa who posted a comment last week that inspired this post.

If you are still wondering what routine is best for you I would recommend you keep it simple.

Purchase a kettlebell and make sure you are using the correct technique. Once you have it down, start by swinging your kettlebell 2 days per week as seen in Tim’s original simplified routine. Do this for a couple weeks before adding more exercises.

From here you can build a rock solid minimalist routine based on Tim’s six minute abs and Occam’s protocol.

A while back I created the “Big 8 Workout” based on this idea of combining workouts into a functional routine.  I challenge you to test these sections of the book, develop your own routines and get creative. Just make sure you keep it simple!

Because it is fully in line with the 4 Hour Life and a mobile, location independent lifestyle. Occam’s Protocol requires fifteen minutes to get to the gym x 2, plus a 20 minute workout plus the cost of the gym membership = More not less! I will be combining 1 (or possibly 2) short Occam’s Protocol sessions each week with this callisthenic program and I predict much better results in much less time. Good by vacation gut!

Today we are going to look at the squats portion from the book Convict Conditioning. You can see the first (pushups portion) in my last post.

Some of you may be tempted to just launch into your training by scanning the exercises in
this book, maybe discovering the hardest techniques you can do, or just attempting
whatever catches your eye and looks cool. This is not training. This is playing.
Training requires discipline and focus. It requires the discrimination to know where to start, the knowledge of what to do, the insight into when to really push, and the wisdom to understand when to stop. It requires regime. – Paul “The Coach” Wade

Here is a quick summary of the 6 “Core Movements”

1. Pushups
2. Squats
3. Pull Ups
4. Leg Raises
5. Bridges
6. Handstand Pushups

Today we are going to focus on the second of “The Big Six Movements”:

Movement Two: Squats

This is meant to be a supplement to the book as it is imperative to understand the correct implementation of each movement and the history behind them.

You can preview and download the Convict Conditioning Movement Two Squat Cheat Sheet Here.

1. Shoulderstand Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 10 Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 25 Progression Standard 3 sets of 50
2. Jacknife Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 10 Intermediate Standard 2 sets of 20 Progression Standard 3 sets of 40
3. Supported Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 10 Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 15 Progression Standard: 3 sets of 30
4. Half Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 8 Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 35 Progression Standard: 2 sets of 50
5. Full Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 Progression Standard: 2 sets of 30
6. Close Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 Progression Standard: 2 sets of 20
7. Uneven Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 (both sides) Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 (both sides) Progression Standard: 2 sets of 20 (both sides)
8. 1/2 One-Leg Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 (both sides) Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 (both sides) Progression Standard: 2 sets of 20 (both sides)
9. Assisted One Leg Squats  Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 (both sides) Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 (both sides) Progression Standard: 2 sets of 20 (both sides)
10. Master Step: One Leg Squats Beginner Standard: 1 set of 5 (both sides) Intermediate Standard: 2 sets of 10 (both sides) Master: 2 sets of 50 (both sides)

Preview and download the second of 7 upcoming Convict Conditioning Cheat Sheets Here.

Training Programs: (for the Busy “Convict”)

The New Blood (Step 1)	Good Behavior (Step 2)
Practice this program, or a similar routine, during your early work on the ten steps. Once you get past Step 6 on all four of the exercises mentioned, it’s time to move to the next program.	• Good Behavior can be worked into almost anybody’s busy schedule. • This program can (and should) be used by any athlete to achieve solid strength gains-no matter how advanced they are.
The Veterano (step 3)	Solitary Confinement (step 4)
This workout is good for those with limited time on their hands. Sessions can often be completed in under six or seven minutes per day! Recovery is actually pretty fast during this program because the athlete never works the upper or lower body two days in a row. The exercises alternate in the most efficient manner possible. For athletes looking to gain strength and work their way up through the ten steps, this routine can be very productive. Because only one exercise is performed on a given day, the athlete can really focus and give his all.	This program includes ancillary work for the grip, neck, and calves. If you like the idea of trying these extras, but can’t take the daily workload, add a day’s rest between training sessions, or whenever you feel the need . This program is mean. Unless you are in good shape and living clean-regular meals, plenty of sleep, etc.-be prepared to get bullied, big time.

Best of luck, and if you are reading this in jail, please let us know in the comments section below so I can figure out a way to send you updates! 

You can sign up to receive updates via RSS or email or sign up for the upcoming 4 Hour University! If any of this info helped please share with a like!

To be honest, I was a bit intimidated at first, especially when I referenced the Occam’s Protocol chapter and saw that picture of Tim doing the Yates Row… Just looking at it made my back hurt.

But, after a bit of review and practice in the gym I realized it is not all that intimidating. In combination with machine weights you can really tailor your Occam’s routine to keep things fresh and exciting at the gym.

Here is a breakdown of the entire protocol with accompanying video demonstrations of each workout.  I have included a review of the “Occam’s Essentials” at the end of this post.

[box title=”WORKOUT A: FREE WEIGHT OPTION” color=”#92ace8″] Free weights can be used if you prefer them, or if you travel often and need standardized equipment that is the same around the world:

1. Yates row with EZ bar (ideal) or barbell × 7 (5/5 count)

2. Shoulder-width barbell overhead press × 7 repetitions (5/5 cadence) 

Barbell Overhead Press The elbows are kept in front of the shoulders and do not flare outward. The bar travels in front of the face, but the head and upper torso move forward to be under the bar once it passes the head. The split stance prevents excessive arching of the back, but a shoulder-width parallel stance can also be used

3. Optional: Abdominal exercises from “Six-Minute Abs”

[/box][box title=”WORKOUT B: FREE WEIGHT OPTION” color=”#f45f15″] 1. Slight incline bench press with shoulder-width grip × 7 (5/5 count) (If no Power Rack is available, use dumbbells, but you’ll often run into problems with adding weight in small increments.)

2. Squat × 10 (5/5 count)

Squat (Shown above with the Smith Machine) The feet, slightly wider than shoulder width, are placed a foot ahead of your hips. Initiate the movement by breaking at the hips (imagine pouring water out the front of your pelvis) and sitting backward, descending to where your thighs are parallel with the ground. Look up at approximately 45 degrees throughout the movement and do not pause at the top or the bottom.

3. Optional: Kettlebell or T-bar swings from “Building the Perfect Posterior” × 50

4. Stationary bike × 3 minutes (to minimize subsequent leg soreness)

[/box]

OCCAM’S ESSENTIALS: Click Each Tab To Reveal Content

[spoiler title=”Occam’s Frequency” open=”0″ style=”2″]

Occam’s Frequency:

• Begin Occam’s Protocol with two days between A and B workouts.

• After two of both the A and B workouts, increase the rest days between workouts to three days.

• As soon as you have a workout where more than one exercise has stalled (indicated in our hypothetical calendars with the B*), but not before, increase to four days between workouts.

• Continue adding rest as needed to resolve plateaus until you hit your target weight.

[/spoiler] [spoiler title=”Occam’s Feeding” open=”0″ style=”2″]

Occam’s Feeding:

• The Meal Composition is nearly identical to the Slow Carb Diet.
• You will add a starch such as brown rice or quinoa to the non shake meals:
• 7:00 A.M. – Wake up, immediately breakfast + 1/2 morning shake
• 8:30 A.M. – Training, if scheduled (I sip low fat protein just before and throughout. Tim recommended (Isopure Brand)
• 30 minutes post training (high protein snack)
• 2:00 P.M. lunch
• 6:00 P.M. Dinner
• 15 minutes before bed-second half of morning shake

If you skip breakfast, use this blended mix: Morning Shake caloric and protein profile with 2% milk: 970 cal, 75 g protein

• 24 oz (3 cups) 2% whole milk
• 30 g whey protein isolate (chocolate tends to work best)
• 1 banana
• 3 heaping tablespoon almond butter with no added sugar
• 5 ice cubes

  [/spoiler] [spoiler title=”Occam’s Prescriptions” open=”0″ style=”2″]

Occam’s Prescriptions:

• Cissus Quadrangularis: 2,400 mg three times per day
• Alpa-Lipoid Acid: 300mg, 30 minutes before each whole food meal
• L-Glutamine:
  • Consume 80 grams during the first five days of Occam’s Protocol:
  • 10 grams every 2 hours on the dot until 80-gram quota is reached
  • After the Initial five day loading period:
  • 10-30 grams post workout will speed repair and help prevent soreness
• Creatinine Monohydrate:
  • For 28 days:
  • Consume 3.5 gams upon waking
  • Consume 3.5 grams before bed
  • if you use powder, mix in 5-6 grams total as losing one to two grams in solution is hard to avoid.

    [/spoiler] [spoiler title=”How To Determine Starting Weights, Add Weights and Modify Your Routine” open=”0″ style=”2″]

To Determine Starting Weights:

• Perform sets of 5 repetitions of each exercise with one minute of rest in between.
• Cadence should be fast but controlled on the raising and two to three seconds on the lowering.
• Do not perform more than 5 reps per set.
• If you can lift more, wait a minute, increase the weight ten pounds or 10% (whichever is less), and attempt again. Repeat this until you complete fewer than 5 reps.
• After you fail to complete 5 reps, calculate 70% of your last full five rep set.
• Take a 3 minute rest and perform a 5/5 cadence set to failure using this weight.
• Congratulations, you just performed your first proper set to failure for this exercise, and this weight will be your starting point for Occam’s Protocol.

EXAMPLE: 150 lbs male doing the Close-Grip Supinated (palms facing you) Pull Down

• 90 lbs x 5 reps (fast on lift and 2 seconds on release)
  • (1 minute rest)
• 100 lbs x 5 reps (fast on the lift and 2 seconds on the release)
  • (1 minute rest)
• 110 lbs x 5 reps (fast on the lift and 2 seconds on the release)
  • (1 minute rest)
• 120 lbs x 5 reps (fast on the lift and 2 seconds on the release)
  • (1 minute rest)
• 130 lbs x 4 reps (fast on the lift and 2 seconds on the release) (he failed to complete 5 reps, so 120 lbs was the last full 5 rep set)

Then the math:

• take 70% of the weight of the last full 5 rep set
• 120 x 0.7 =84
• we round up or down to the nearest weight we can actually use on a machine or bar, which leads to 85 lbs

(3 minutes of rest)

• 85 lbs x 8 reps to failure (5 seconds on the lift and 5 seconds down)

Take a 5 minute rest, then repeat this process with the Machine Shoulder Press. Once finished with this workout A, record the target weights you will use for your next A.

____________________

To Add Weight:

• Complete your required minimum of reps (7 in Occam’s Protocol).
• add 10 pounds or 10% of the total weight in the subsequent workout, whichever is greater.
• In the example above, we crossed our seven-rep threshold with 85 pounds in the pull-down, so we will increase the weight to 95 pounds for the next workout, as a 10% increase would be less at 93.5 pounds.
• To maintain this rate of progress for even two months, you will need to eat like it’s your job. Add shakes or milk if whole food is too difficult.

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If you miss a day or you miss your target repetitions:

• If you miss a day take an additional one to three days off, then return to your normal routing.
• If you miss your target number of repetitions by more than one repetition on the first exercise of a given workout, go home, take the next day off, then repeat the workout.

Let’s say you’re scheduled for workout A on a Monday. The first exercise is close-grip pull-downs, and your target number of repetitions is a minimum of seven. If you complete six good repetitions or more, complete the entire workout. If you don’t complete six repetitions for pull-downs, do NOT proceed to the shoulder press. Instead, pick up your gym bag and go home. Rest Tuesday, ensure proper nutrient intake by eating a ton, and come in Wednesday prepared to crush both exercises and proceed as planned. If you fail before the requisite number of reps, do not—as many people do—decrease the weight and do another set (called a “drop-down” or “break-down” set). Do nothing but leave. If you haven’t recovered, you haven’t recovered. Continuing can easily stagnate you for two weeks or more. Cutting a workout short takes tremendous self-control and runs counter to gym culture. Be smart and opt for a 48-hour reboot instead of a two-week or three- week reboot. Last but not least, if you abandon a workout because you miss a set, add another recovery day between all workouts moving forward. In effect, you’re just accelerating the planned decrease in frequency. There is very little downside to doing this. Twenty-four hours of additional time cannot hurt you, but underrecovering will screw up the entire process.[/spoiler]

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If you have followed this blog for any period of time you may have noticed I have done several blogs posts on the subject of Occam’s Protocol:

1. Occam’s Protocol Step by Step + Cheat Sheet:  A great review of the protocol and how to start.
2. The Occam’s Protocol Counting tracks: A bit corny, but a functional way to time your lifting sequences.
3. A Better Occam’s Protocol: Body by Science Meets the 4 Hour Body.

Today I am sharing with you an excel worksheet I made specific to Occam’s Protocol to help track and organize my workout.  I used this for a while but found just a piece of paper or an evernote file was more my style in the gym. Either way, I have had this for a while and thought I would share it so that others may give it a try.

You can work with the embedded file on zoho.com, or (and I would recommend this) download the original Excel macro enabled version in which I have inserted a “clear all” function.  This allows you to enter the data, save and then reuse, without having to create multiple workbooks. Although this is still an option for all the Excel wizards out there.

To see the entire worksheet just click: “Full Screen View”

I continue to be amazed how many people have overlooked the “Adding Muscle” section of the 4 Hour Body. Even Tim Ferriss himself.

I have modified the routine to fit my needs, as should you. Recently I have found myself unconsciously shortening my 5 second counts, which is a mistake that explains why my gains have been a bit less impressive. That, and I have found a level of training that works well for me. I don’t need to be a meat head, I just want to maintain some moderate level of muscle defintion.

Give this spreadsheet a go, if it helps great, if you improve on it send me your draft and I will be happy to share it here as well.

Cheers!