The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [88]
For many people, GOMAD or LOMAD (Liter Of Milk A Day) will be the only dietary change required to stimulate growth.
If simple does the job, keep it simple.
Occam’s Prescriptions
This protocol works without any supplementation whatsoever.
There are, however, four supplements that I would suggest to those with the budget. The first two minimize fat gain and are covered in “Damage Control” and “The Four Horsemen”: 1. Cissus quadrangularis (2,400 mg, three times per day) 2. Alpha-lipoic acid (300 mg, 30 minutes before each whole-food meal). Here are the other two:
3. L-GLUTAMINE
L-glutamine is an amino acid commonly used as a post-workout supplement for tissue repair. In our case, I suggest it for an alternative use from strength coach Charles Poliquin: intestinal repair.
The food you ingest does no good if it isn’t absorbed. It’s like panning for gold with a chain-link fence. The anatomical equivalent of this porous chain-link fence is an assortment of digestive conditions, including leaky gut syndrome, for which L-glutamine has been shown to be a promising treatment.
Rather than risk suboptimal food absorption, consume 80 grams of L-glutamine during the first five days of Occam’s Protocol.
I recommend 10 grams at a time every two hours on the dot until the daily 80-gram quota is reached. Powder mixed in water is easiest to consume, but capsules are more convenient for travel. After the initial five-day loading period, if you wish to consume 10–30 grams post-workout, it will speed repair and help prevent soreness.
4. CREATINE MONOHYDRATE
Creatine increases both maximal force production and protein synthesis. Doses of 5–20 grams per day have been demonstrated as safe and largely devoid of side effects, though people with preexisting kidney conditions should use creatine under medical supervision. Athletes generally use a “loading phase” of five to seven days at 10–30 grams per day, but this can cause severe intestinal discomfort. You can achieve the same muscular saturation with lower doses for a longer period of time.
Take 3.5 grams upon waking and before bed for the entire 28-day duration. If you use powder, mix in 5–6 grams total, as losing one to two grams in solution is hard to avoid.
My single favorite meal for mass is macaroni (preferably durum whole wheat), water-packed canned tuna, and fat-free turkey/bean chili. Use a little whole milk or Irish butter with the macaroni, add only one-third of the orange-flavored cancer powder, and prepare this in bulk.
Mix the macaroni with a can of tuna and as much chili as you like, microwave it for one minute on high, and have it for breakfast in a bowl. I sometimes ate this meal two or three times per day, as prep time was less than three minutes if I made the macaroni in advance. For a higher-protein change of pace, feel free to substitute quinoa for the macaroni.
It might sound funky, but trust me: this mess tastes delicious.
Lessons From Neil
Neil gained significant muscle for the first time in his life using Occam’s Protocol.
Not only did he add 10 pounds to his frame in four weeks, he also improved his strength 50 pounds on some lifts and doubled others. His minimum improvement was 21.4%. He used machines exclusively and used a dip machine in place of the incline bench press, as the former had less traffic:
WORKOUT A
Pull-down: 8 × 80 to 8 × 110 (+37.5%)
Overhead shoulder press: 8 × 30 to 5 × 60 (+100%)
WORKOUT B
Seated dips: 6 × 140 to 6 × 170 (+21.4%)
Seated leg press: 11 × 140 to 12 × 190 (+35.7%)
There is no need to reinvent the wheel or face challenges alone. Here are some of Neil’s notes, in his words, on what to expect and what to do:
“An unexpected side effect of the experiment is how, after the first few days and the initial shock of having to stuff my gullet to the point of feeling ill actually passed, I began to feel incredibly happy and content.
“Like everything, there’s a pain period when you step out of your comfort zone. And just when it seems toughest,