If we're presented with only 2 possibilities, those being
1) He gained 34lbs lean muscle in 28 days, or
2) He's lying

It's got to be 2

No one in the fitness industry takes him seriously, very few in the fitness forums take him seriously – you should hear the comments. He was also, albeit politely, challenged by a number of fitness professionals in the Telegraph paper.

The people that have commented here have good reason to. People are better educated now, they can't be as easily tricked.

He made a claim that was a bit too crazy.

34 lbs is a tall order for steroid user, let alone for him. His methods are nothing special and have been thrown about before.

His poses are strategic, the first intending to make him look small initially and much bigger in the second picture. I haven't put on 30lbs in the last couple of years but the difference in my body is much more pronounced than his.

Also to lose 30 lbs would need a calorie deficit of 105,000 calories. Impossible with four hours work.

I know this isn't your diet plan but the fact you believe this probably doesn't do you any favours. He's not a fitness or nutrition professional, neither are you. That's not a shot at you btw but the above posters are more knowledgeable on this matter. Its not a case for them to disprove it, it's a case for you or tim ferriss to prove.

You can ask for those studies if you like, but I doubt you'll get them on paper.

Regards

T. M. Whittington

I'm sorry for you.

Straight from Tim's site:

"Before and after measurements, including underwater hydrostatic weighings, were taken by Dr. Peggy Plato at the Human Performance Laboratory at the San Jose State University, and I had blood tests taken on September 30 and October 20. Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I also dropped my total cholesterol count from 222 to 147 without the use of statins. No joke."

If you don't believe the measurements/weight gain — then go ahead and call the Human performance Laboratory in San Jose State University and talk to Dr. Plato and ask her if it's true or not.

Tim is a New York Times Best-Selling author for over like 3 yrs — come on — you really think he would just tell straight up lies, then give the name of the doctor that did the measurements?

In any case I would definitely not want his gains described in his measurements. An 18 inch neck but only a 14.6 inch upper arm? That's way out of proportion.

It's a shame because you discredit your entire site which is mostly quite good with this.

I understand what you’ve said, though I still stand by my opinion when I say he’s a fraud. I know it, because 4.8lbs of pure, lean muscle mass is impossible to gain within a week’s time, and has never been done, even with the assistance of steroids on a pubescent who eats twice as much calories and especially with such a terrible, insufficient routine (which is the average rate he would have been going). It is physiologically impossible. I also look at his back double bicep pose, and if you look closer, none of his muscles are being flexed. It’s even more obvious when you see the lack of strain in his wrists. He seems to want to make as much of a difference as possible. The same goes for the last picture, why is he only flexing his lats far more than necessary in the ‘after’ picture? Why aren’t the pictures taken at the same distances so we can truely compare them? I could probably take a guess…

Finally, if it were 34lbs of newly developed muscle, he should have been published in some science book by now. Because he’s a medical marvel. I admit that a 30lb gain in 12 weeks is believeable… but that’s for a 16 year old on an intelligent mass routine.

People gain muscle in different places and in different ways. One thing most people don’t notice, is when you start doing the “core” muscle building exercises like squats and deadlifts, you put a LOT of weight on your butt, legs, thighs, and back. The Big muscles that most bodybuilding routines completely ignore … because they’re not the “show” muscles.

Another thing to remember is the “density” of certain types of muscle. I have a friend that looks about 15-20lbs bigger than me because he has focused on more bodybuilding type routines which build sarcoplasmic hypertrophy in muscles (giving them a bigger, pumped up look) and I’ve done mostly strength training. While I don’t look as big, we’re only about a 5-10lb difference in weight.

34 lbs of muscle, he says. “Exhaustive analysis of muscular hypertrophy”, he says. As you may have noticed, I am quite angry at this. If there really is 31lbs of difference between those photos, then I feel sorry for how his body portrays that. I know many bodybuilders who have yet to attain that amount of muscle. Even I, who’ve been training heavily for over a year has accumilated just over 20lbs, yet my physical appearance looks stronger and more vascular?

Yes, I am angry. I’m angry that he has allowed himself to post such nonsense on his website. He seems an intelligent man, so I can only assume that he’s in it for the advertisement. Just another target audience to flock to his site, and perhaps his book. The pictures that apparently display ‘proof’ are by no means impressive for THRITY FOUR POUNDS of muscle. Pshh, i’ll leave it for the dreamers and the people he fools.

He must have mistaken muscle for water retention and muscle memory. ASSUMING it is a genuine article. Which i’m afraid it’s not.