Pete Cerqua, Mike Mentzer, and Casey Viator
What is the truth about Arthur Jones’ Colorado Experiment and what does it really mean for the High-Intensity Training world?
Legendary trainer Pete Cerqua returns to the podcast to go on a deep dive into what really went on in The Colorado Experiment with Casey Viator, what happened when Mike Mentzer tried it, and what HIT trainers and business owners should take away from this still-infamous experiment by Arthur Jones.
If you’ve heard about the Colorado Experiment, it’s probably not what you thought it was — you need to tune in to this episode!
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Show Notes
- 00:04 – Is the Colorado Experiment a Scam? (What it is and how to think about it)
- 02:10 – The Marketing effect of the Colorado Experiment (and why you should pay attention to it)
- 03:46 – What exactly is the Colorado Experiment anyway?
- 11:13 – The actual method
- 14:12 – The story behind Casey Viator’s accident and his diet during The Experiment
- 17:58 – Dehydration, weigh-ins, and the danger involved
- 22:15 – The math involved in the gains advertised
- 24:13 – Casey Viator and possible steroid use during the experiment
- 34:57 – Was The Colorado Experiment a properly set-up / controlled study?
- 39:26 – Why no advice from health influencers on steroids should be taken seriously
- 40:11 – Why Lance Armstrong got away with performance enhancement substance use for so long
- 41:08 – Mark McGuire’s steroid use
- 42:38 – How big of a role does genetics play in growing a bodybuilder’s body?
- 44:58 – Muscle memory and muscle growth
- 47:00 – Casey’s bodyfat during the Colorado Experiment
- 49:48 – How Mike Petrella replicated The Colorado Experiment
- 51:17 – Everything said and done, what lessons can you learn from Arthur Jones and The Colorado Experiment?
- 55:20 – Does this mean High-Intensity Training (HIT) is also a scam?
- 57:32 – Pete Cerqua’s original HIT workout routines for his clients (from having bodies on his gym floor to his 90-second protocol)
Note: these are the timestamps for the audio edition. For the video edition’s timestamps, please see the YouTube description box for this episode.
People Mentioned & Selected Links from the Episode
- Pete Cerqua | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | HIB Episodes
- The Colorado Experiment
- HIB 315 – Mike Petrella and Michael Perilli – Does STG’s Colorado Experiment Create New Opportunities to Drive Client Results?
- HIB 134 – Jim Flanagan on The Best Machines for Exercise, Arthur Jones, and The Colorado Experiment
- The Colorado Experiment – Excerpts from Nautilus Bulletin #3 (via Drew Baye’s HIT)
- Mike Petrella | STG Strength and Power | HIB Episodes
- Arthur Jones | Nautilus | MedX | HIB Episodes
- Casey Viator | Official Website
- Mike Mentzer | Heavy Duty College (Mike Mentzer YouTube Channel) | HIB Episodes
- Dr Elliot Ray Plese
- Tim Ferriss | Official Website | The 4-Hour Body
- Dr. James Fisher | Dr. Fisher on Research Gate | Solent University | HIB Episodes
- Arnold Schwarzenegger | Official Website
- Anthony Peterson (boxer)
- Ryan Garcia (boxer)
- Lou Ferrigno
- Jeff Nippard
- Lance Armstrong | Official Website
- Fred Hahn | Slow Burn Personal Training | The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution (book) | HIB Episodes
- John Zarbock | BioFit
- Mark McGuire (baseball player)
- Luke Carlson | Discover Strength | HIB Episodes
- John DeFendis | On Instagram
- Alex Hormozi | Official Website | YouTube | $100M Leads (book) | $100M Offers (book) | Gym Launch Secrets (book)
- Iron Man Magazine | Official Website
- How Much More Muscle Can You Build With Steroids? (Article)
- Human Growth Hormone Abuse in Male Weightlifters (Paper)
- Fat-Free Mass Index in Users and Nonusers of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (Paper)
518 – The HIT Studio of the Future — This is What The Best High-Intensity Training Businesses Will Look Like (with Slowfit and Resistance Institute Founder Lucas Leal)
517 – How to Answer the Most Common Questions About HIT — Effective Client Communication (with Skyler Tanner)
516 – Growth The Simple Way — How To Build a Thriving HIT Fitness Business with Almost Zero Advertising with Steve McKinney
Great episode Lawrence & Pete – very eye-opening! Like you Lawrence I was attracted to the world of HIT back in 2009 after reading about Doug, Arthur Jones & Casey Viator in the 4 Hour Body. Very interesting to hear a breakdown of what was probably going on ‘behind the scenes’. But the big takeaway comment for me was not to pay much heed to the advice of drug-enhanced bodybuilders – any diet or exercise advice they might give is completely insignificant compared to the combo of their genetics + PEDs!