Occam’s Protocol
Occam’s Protocol
In conjunction with Tim Ferriss’ Slow-Carb
Diet (SCD), I used Occam’s
Protocol as an Alternative
Training strategy (Both out of the 4-hour Body). Tim has not published a
detailed explanation of this workout online, however there is a lot of
information, discussion, and controversy about this workout online. My bottom
line? It definitely adds muscle and strength if done properly. I did not have a
particularly rapid response (I continued to gain muscle after I stopped) or
notably huge gains. I consider 5-10 lbs of muscle a lot for someone in his late
30s.
So, what is it? Generally, it is a weight lifting regimen
consisting of two alternating workouts, (A, B) each with 2-3 exercises. Each
exercise is only done once; yes, just one set per workout. Each set is done at
a slow cadence (5/5: 5 seconds to push weight up, 5 seconds to let it down) and
the number of reps is defined by reaching failure. That’s about it. There’s
some more detail I will discuss below and if anyone is interested in practicing
this protocol, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Tim’s book here.
The effectiveness of this program comes primarily from a couple
factors: First, completing one set to failure should trigger a hormonal cascade
that will cause your body to try to grow muscle (I say try, because you MUST
feed the beast!). Second this is a Minimum Effective Dose (MED) approach. This
is because REST is another primary ingredient in the routine.
Ingredient 1: Failure. Here again, the Devil is in the details.
Each exercise is to be performed in one set, slow cadence, to failure. Also,
the ideal time under tension per exercise is 80-120 seconds. Working backwards,
with 10 second reps, that’s 8-12 reps per set. Failure is the key factor here.
Remember, you’re trying to ‘trick’ your body into growing muscle. The hormonal
cascade I mention, is related to reaching this failure point. Your body needs
to ‘panic’ for this to work.
True failure means you cannot budge the weight even another
millimeter! This is a deciding factor regarding whether or not the protocol, or
individual workout, will be effective. At the point of failure, instead of
giving up you must push. Holding at, pushing into, and slowly lowering weights
during failure will increase benefits.
Ingredient 2: Rest/Recovery. As I age, this aspect of fitness
becomes more and more true. The basis for this as MED rests upon the concept
that, the further into this protocol you go, the more and longer you must rest.
This means less than one workout per week. I followed this protocol for two
full months and did each workout 7 times.
Questions about frequency or intensity of the program are
addressed in Tim’s book. Again, I attest that it works. I had a little trouble
narrowing in starting weights. I started a couple of lifts a bit too high. To
me, this means those workouts didn’t ‘count.’ Tim does refer to the concept
that the intensity of the hormonal response can vary, with the intensity of the
failure. I believe it may not be triggered at all without sufficient time under
tension (the 80-120 second window).
I would say it’s worth it to spend a little extra time nailing
down a good starting weight. He describes a process in the book that sounds convoluted
(and it is) but works. I feel like I ‘wasted’ a couple of workouts by lifting
too much weight without enough time under tension.
Food
Another large section of this protocol is designated to feeding.
As noted throughout the book, and the net: The 4-hour Body is intended to be a
sort of reference guide. Occam’s Protocol follows the Slow-Carb Diet chapter in
order, but do not have to be paired. Tim does state that an approach a la
slow-carb will yield leaner weight gain.
For me, I combined the two. I knew there would be counter forces
involved, and I seldom was ‘strict’ to Tim’s slow-carb routine. I did what he
told me to: I found what worked best for me, my body and routines.
As mentioned above, I have a post about my experience with the
SCD. Specific to Occams I did have to make alterations. I added a serving of
brown rice at dinner, especially on workout days. I began to have a protein
shake, mixed with milk and two (some days three) scoops of protein. Tim states,
and I have seen elsewhere, you should consume 1 gram protein/day per pound of
body weight (you would like to be). For me, that put me in the 180-190 gram
protein per day. Therefore adding 2-3 scoops of protein a day added 75g lean
protein. With 2% or whole milk another 20+ grams.
Some people have noted it’s tough to consume the volume of
calories needed (in my case probably 5000 or so per day?) through only whole
foods and SCD. Clearly my addition of protein shakes shows I agree (SCD says
‘Don’t drink Calories). As mentioned, I included dairy both milk and cheese. Other
areas I was able to add calories was through spoonfuls of Peanut or Almond
butter. I would sometimes have up to 3-4 big scoops before bed (and sometimes
wake up feeling famished!).
What Did I do?
In the book Tim gives some examples of workouts ‘A and B.’ He
shows options for using machines, or free weights. I essentially adopted his
free weight protocol. For workout A I did the yates row, shoulder press and Myotactic
crunches. Workout B was incline bench press, and squats followed by 3 minutes
of bike (to remediate soreness). I did not exercise with a spotter.
Regarding that final statement: I would not recommend you lift weights to failure without a spotter. I am
experienced and knowledgeable in weight training. I was familiar with the
equipment I had available to me. I used a squat rack, and set the stop to
protect me (as in failure I was almost always needing to set weight down). On
the bench I did the same, before loading my weight, I would set the stop to
safely catch the weight at a height that would not hurt me, and I could get out
from under. The row and crunch are not particularly dangerous to failure. The
shoulder press could create a danger. At total failure there is a chance to
drop the weight on your head, or behind your back. Free weights are dangerous,
and the user must be skilled, experienced and have a good partner.
So, logistically this routine is a little weird because it has a
variable interval between workouts. When in doubt, rest more. Another point of
guidance Tim gives is this: If you cannot complete your target reps in any one
workout, get up and walk out of the gym. I could not bring myself to do this.
Frequently I would miss reps with my pushing exercises. This was due to a
couple reasons: too much weight early on, cadence also became too slow over
time. For the other exercise of the day (row or squat) I would be able to meet
my goal, and therefore progress.
As Tim states, the time in the gym is minimal. Each workout I
would easily be in and out of the gym in under 20 minutes. Even with my new
routine the time is not much more. Each exercise was only one set, to failure.
Again each rep was approximately 10 seconds, so each set took less than a
couple of minutes. I rested for three minutes between exercises, and that’s it.
I would plan to add 5-10 lbs of weight each week to each lift.
Below I’ve included my (cleaned up) workout notes. These are
expressed in reps @ weight (in pounds). The date of each exercise is also
listed. You can see some of the workouts
with insufficient reps. Some of this was too much weight, some too slow a
cadence.
Workout A
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1
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Yates Row: 9.5@ 95 (12-20-16)
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Shoulder press: 7.5 @ 65
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Myotatic Crunches: 10
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2
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Yates Row: 8.5 @ 105 (12-26-16)
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Shoulder press: 5.25 @ 75
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Myotatic Crunches: 4.5 +2.5lb. 6 total (not
full failure)
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3
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Yates Row: 7.3 @ 115 (1-3-17)
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Shoulder press: 5.25 @ 75
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Myotatic crunches: 7.75 only 5.75+2.5lbs
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4
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Yates Row: 8.3 @ 125 (1-12-17)
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Shoulder press: 75 6.25
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Myotatic crunches: 10.75 no added weight
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5
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Yates Row:
7.25 @ 135 1-23-17
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Shoulder press: 7.35 @ 80
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Myotatic crunches: 9.5+2.5lbs
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TRAVEL, NO WORKOUT
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6
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Yates Row:
8.3 @ 145 (2-15-17)
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Shoulder press: 85 7.2
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Myotatic crunches: 9.6 +2.5lb
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7
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Yates Row: 7 @ 155 (2-24-17)
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Shoulder press: 5.3 @ 95
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Myotatic crunches: 8 +2.5lbs (NOT to failure)
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Workout B
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1
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Incline Bench: 4.5 @ 105 (stay, get 7+
reps. )(12-23-16)
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Squat: 8.5 @130
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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2
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Incline Bench: 7.5 @ 105 (12-30-16)
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Squat: 8.5 @ 130 (Changed form Slightly)
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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3
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Incline Bench: 5.75 @ 115 (1-7-17)
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Squat: 10.6 @ 130
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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Workout B: Low reps, good time under
tension/failure. INCREASE REP SPEED!
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4
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Incline Bench: 5.75 @ 120 (1-18-17 )
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Squat: 7.5 @ 140
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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5
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Incline Bench: 6.6 @ 125 (1-29-17)
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Squat: 8.65 @ 150
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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6
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Incline Bench: 5.85 @ 130 (2-19-17)
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Squat: 11.7 @ 155
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm.
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7
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Incline Bench: 4.75 @ 140 (3-1-17 )
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Squat: 10.6
@ 160
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Bike 3-min @ 85+ rpm
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Results
Regarding results, I’ll start with what I would do differently.
I already stated that it’s likely worth the time to accurately establish
starting weights. This will save ‘wasted’ workouts.
Another potential downfall is the ability to push oneself to
truly fail. I lifted alone, with no spotter. Although safety concerns were
mitigated, there’s always a little voice inside trying to protect the host.
Having a trusted partner, knowledgeable in the protocol and training in general
could be valuable.
Early on I was just beginning to transition my diet. I feel like
initially I was eating enough (and there is less change early). Somewhere in
the middle of Occams I believe I was not eating enough. I had some travel in
there, and just life in general. I noticed a slowdown in strength gains, and
weight. However, I will also note that after I quit Occams (I began to
transition to another regimen) I continued to see muscle gains for another week
or two. To me, this was evidence of the effectiveness of rest.
Physiologically I was pleased with the results I garnered.
Despite being on the SCD, my overall weight increased. The change was less than
5 lbs. In conjunction with the fat loss however, I estimate I gained at least
5-10 lbs of muscle. I started this just after my 37th birthday, and
I had not seriously weight trained since college (save about a year from 31-32).
Yes, I likely gained some fat with muscle. The fat-loss
continued with the SCD. I am mostly ‘off diet’ now, with a laundry list of
excuses why. I will re-engage in the slow-carb lifestyle early next year. I
have finally convinced my wife to jump in! (posts upcoming).
I definitely gained strength.
Starting
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Ending
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% Change
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Yates Row
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95
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155
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63
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Shoulder Press
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65
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95
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46
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Inclined Bench
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105
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140
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33
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Squat
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130
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160
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23
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You can see in the chart above my starting and finishing
weights. This is all at the slow 5/5 cadence. The squat is one area I could
have had less weight, and more reps early on. Overall, coming off the couch,
and having these types of gains in a couple months is remarkable.
I have read about people seeing their gains level off, or not
being able to make more. Tim talks about this a little. I think even if I
wanted to, I would not have been able to continue. Certain muscles had begun to
catch up to their potential. The biggest gains I saw were in the row. This was
no surprise to me, as I have always been stronger pulling than pushing. Also, I
have rock climbed before which also builds that strength.
Regarding the pushing exercises (shoulder press, and incline
bench) those are some of the workouts I feel were ‘wasted.’ Basically I began
with too much weight. I persisted on my course, increasing weight and rarely
had sufficient time under tension early on in the program (aiming for ideally at
least 8 reps, getting only near 6).
In general, to continue progressing, a consolidation phase is
warranted. This seems to be a physiological fact, regardless of the routine.
Change takes time to stabilize, or take effect in a system. Your body will
react differently than others. Youth likely helps as the body is naturally
gaining muscle throughout the 20s. In the regimen I’ve switched to (I’ll post
about next) I have definitely solidified my muscular gains, and I sit about
5lbs heavier than when I started.
In isolation this seems to be a great way to jumpstart a muscle
gain regimen. If used cyclically, I could see achieving huge gains. After 2-3
months of lifting ‘heavy’ and really solidifying gains, I could have reverted
to another gaining cycle (although being overly muscular doesn’t appeal to the
distance runner in me).
Interested in more Alternative
Training? Check out my posts on Slow-Carb
Diet, Occam’s
Protocol, NOBLE
running form and more!
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