Fitness and a 34-year-old Experiment
Starting today, I will be making drastic changes in the way I undergo the Fitness Project… and it’s all because of what’s known as the Colorado Experiment (with a few tips from Tim Ferriss).
Here’s the Colorado Experiment in one sentence: Participants gain large amounts of strength and muscle mass (and lose fat) in a relatively short time period by upping their workout intensity by about six notches, performing repetitions until exhaustion, and doing exercises correctly with a full range of motion, while decreasing the total workout time.
… And here are today’s results:
Bench Press (28)
Shoulder Press (12)
Bicep Curl (13)
Tricep Extension (7)
Neck Press (12 — Stopped here for monotony reasons; will find a better exercise)
Iron Cross (13)
Calf Raise (25)
Sit-Up (32)
Bent Over Row (25 — Stopped here for monotony reasons; will find a better exercise)
Dumbbell Deadlift (15 — Stopped here for safety reasons)
A few of the notations probably deserve comments…
Neck Press: Yes, it’s taken me an embarrassingly long time to realize that, well, the Neck Press just isn’t doing much. What I perform is called an Isometric Neck Press, in which the neck doesn’t actually move, but tries to prevent itself from moving while pushed on from any direction. Great for preventing serious injury — not so great for exhausting muscles.
Bent Over Row: This was a decent exercise until I reduced the weight following an injury. I may increase it and see if it becomes more challenging.
Dumbbell Deadlift: After 15 repetitions today, I had a feeling in my lower back which was indicative of an impending injury. I will need to take the back exercises very slowly, and will probably not exhaust those muscles nearly as much as the others.
I should add that the attitude I’m taking toward the sets has changed as well. I define “exhaustion” as the point when I must pause before doing an exercise correctly — if I need a breather, or if I can no longer perform correctly, the set is done. Also, you’ll notice that some muscle groups are exercised over consecutive sets; this is to further increase exhaustion. It would also explain why, for example, I could only perform seven tricep extensions today (an exercise which is normally easy for me).
If you have any comments on your own “Fitness Projects,” I’d love to hear them. This is, after all, a cooperative website, not a preacher and his pulpit!
This ends today’s episode of Exercise for Busy People. 
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Hi Scott,
Great to see another Geek2Freek’er :p
I started my Day 1 yesterday, but my diet and exercise is based more on Ferriss’ blog than directly on the Colorado experiment.
Anyway, according to Ferriss you shouldn’t do more than about 8-12 reps to exhaustion. Did you specifically decide to go higher than that? I’m also curious to know more about your diet plan - as a fishitarian I am struggling to get all the proteins.
Best of luck!
PS. Another freaker: http://www.sethigherstandards.com/page/1
Hi Jens, thanks for commenting.
I do hope to get every exercise in the 8-12 range eventually, but it’s not a priority right now. Honestly, the main reason for that is because a 40-pound dumbbell set is all I have to work with, and I’m not in much of a position to spend money on expensive equipment or gym passes. So, on some of the exercises, I have to use the full 40 pounds and just keep going until I burn out.
As far as diet goes, I get most of my protein from chicken. According to the Colorado Experiment or Tim’s blog (I’m not sure which), a balanced diet is more important than anything, and that’s mostly what I’m aiming for.
Good luck on your attempt as well!