HA! When I first saw this subject line in my e-mail box I laughed…and laughed….and laughed. I am not sure even a steroid freak can put on 18 pounds of muscle in a month- much less two weeks. But hey, it’s been a while since my last two-week total transformation challenge and the opportunity to gain almost 20 pounds of muscle intrigues me. Yes, I know it is probably a rip. But hey, then I can write Mens’ Health an angry e-mail.
So what is the magical, mystical program that will give me 18 pounds of muscle in two weeks? The New High Intensity Training: The Best Muscle-Building System You’ve Never Tried. The book is basically a recap and redo of Arthur Jones training system from more than three decades ago. After reading the comments my worries seem justified, but I always have been one for a good challenge.
I plan on reading the book over break and giving it a shot come the first week of January. I’ll let you know how things turn out.
TotalTransformationTest 
IIRC, and correct me if I’m wrong, but that 18lb gain was tested and reputedly accurate – EXCEPT THAT it involved Arthur Jones re–training a world-class bobybuilder (Casey Viator, I think – but again, my recollection may be faulty) who was returning from a long layoff/ had previously been at a tremendous level of development/ had been sick/ etc etc.
So – “up to” 18lbs, but only if you match up to ALL the criteria, and most of us don’t.
That said, there are worse systems out there than new HIT, as long as you lift with good form.
What’s the old Mentzer motto? “Workouts should be short, intense, and infrequent”
No, It was a man named david hudlow
“Workouts should be short, intense, and infrequent”
Amen to that Mordwa…
OK, now I know where all the extra weight is coming from… 🙂
Actually, Dr. Darden’s book is an interesting read. The 18 pounds of muscle gain is mentioned toward the back of the book and discusses the rapid muscle gain as part of the 6-month transformation. The subject, David Hudlow, first lost something in the vicinity of 50 pounds (mostly body fat) before starting the creatine/sugar solution. From that reduced weight he then gained 18 pounds in the 2 weeks, with no noticeable increase in body fat percentage.
There are two ways to go with this:
1) Discount the headline as junk because he simply regained 18 pounds of the 50+ pounds the subject lost in the prior months; or
2) You can perceive this as it is possible to gain rapid lean muscle weight once you lean down first and THEN decide to bulk up.
In all, it is a good book and gives you a perspective on high-intensity training which Dr. Darden touched on in some of his early books and Jones had buried deep within his Nautilus/MedX notes online. Mentzer touched on some of these stories in his early works & books, but he stayed away from some of them after his work with Dorian Yates in the 90’s and when Mike wanted to promote his second book.
Feel free to write back if you want to discuss the pros & cons of this.
One interesting note, it is interesting to see that Don Shula took an active interest in the Jones theories during the Dolphins back-to-back Super Bowl years (Super Bowls VII and VIII). Not that it means that HIT was responsible for the Dolphins victories (such a claim would be preposterous), but it is something never mentioned in the sports or weight training worlds.
I have read this book several times and visit the author’s forum regularly.
This particular subject lost 50 lbs of FAT in 66 days. He was also drinking over a gallon of water per day. His bodyfat was testing before and after. He gained 5 lbs of lean muscle WHILE LOSING the fat.
However, it was the following two weeks that merit our attention. At that point, he got onto a more normal diet, worked out intensely, and used creatine–a nutritional supplement (not a steroid).
His incredible muscle gain can be explained in part by several factors: 1) he worked very hard, 2) some of that was muscle he had back when he was in better shape, 3) he took creatine regularly, 4) he has good genetic potential, 5) he was under Ellington Darden’s supervision.
It is NOT fair to say that he just gained fat, or that he started out the program dehydrated. Creatine allegedly helps the muscles fill out by retaining more water (muscle is mostly water anyway). Darden has said that 4-5 lbs of those 18 may have been due to the creatine.
HOWEVER, beyond those two weeks, Hudlow (the subject) gained around an additional 20 lbs of muscle, over the next few months.
Overall his transformation in 6 months is very impressive. The pictures of what CAN be done under very good circumstances is worth the entire price of the book, just for motivation.
I feel that these types of programs will never prove as popular as the programs, infomercials, and products that promise very inactive people that they can get something for nothing by simply popping a pill, wearing a rubber suit, or using a particular ab machine. There is no secret–results from exercise require some dieting and lots of hard work. That being said, you can work hard and stop getting good results if your aren’t working hard in the right direction. I like Darden’s books because they help people work hard AND smart.
Hi, this is in deed great post. The art of working on lean mass is not so complicated and demanding as many try to make us believe. Really we all need practical and effective guidelines in order to advance and growth, doesn’t matter if goal is getting huge or just toning up a bit. I keep seeing same thing in my gym: those who are not using their mind power to keep up with new experiences and stay closed to anything outside their box – they give up , sooner or later usually sooner 😦 Therefore I want to emphasise importance of places like you have here. All the best .
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Heey! 18 pounds in two weeks isnt that hard, i put on over 25, 18 probably just from stuffing my face 8 times a day with high carb and protein foods, and protein shakes….its quite possible!…plus i work out like a mad man, gotta push it brother, no pain no gain, and i’m pretty sore
Hey man, hope you will update us. Such as an outline of your training and nutrition plan. Would also like to hear your personal thoughts on the week to week plan you did …. such as we are reading your journal. Feel this will help many of us and allow us us chance to see and ask questions on the material too.
Best of Success to you ~ Keep Going ~ Keep Growing !! 😉
Bill