Chris (31) has tested a training and nutrition program for FITBOOK that promises big muscles and absolute top form in 70 days. He’s done 2,092 curls and 448 push-ups, benched 28 tons and ate 35 kilograms of meat. You can find out here what ultimately happened and whether the whole thing was healthy at all.
Last workout, last exercise, last repetition – then it was done. Chris has finished Julian Zietlow’s «10 week program». The 31-year-old has 70 days behind him, in which he radically changed his diet and increased his training quota from 0 to 100 in order to build muscle mass and lose fat in a targeted manner. The mood afterwards? «A mixture of relief and disappointment.» Because, we can already say this much:
The result falls far short of the promise. Together with the sports scientist Dr. Michael Despeghel and the diabetologist and nutritionist Dr. Matthias Riedl tries to answer FITBOOK, what was the reason and how the program should be evaluated from a health point of view. Julian Zietlowinventor of the «10 week program», did not want to comment on the results when asked by FITBOOK.
What happened optically?
Let’s take a look at the numbers: Chris (82 kilos at 1.87 meters) has gained seven kilograms in body weight in 70 days, four centimeters in upper arm and eight centimeters in abdominal circumference: This is also the area where his love handles have grown. Chris: «I’m not comfortable with that.»
With curls to the big upper arm. The biceps are Chris’ great strength, he was able to gain four centimeters in circumference here.Photo: FITBOOK
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Nothing has changed in the chest area. In contrast, the shoulder and back looks more muscular. The biceps and triceps also come out relatively clearly under tension. Nevertheless, Dr. Despeghel, who accompanied the experiment, described the bottom line as «marginal».
Graphic: The development of body weight and various measured values during the programPhoto: FITBOOK
So why is it that the optical transformation isn’t clearer? And especially not in the way the program with its impressive before/after pictures suggests?
Frustration with the chest: Despite push-ups and bench presses, Chris was only able to gain a meager centimeter.Photo: FITBOOK
Why has so little happened?
There is no simple answer to this question. The matter is too complex for a single reason to be given. First there is the (perhaps the most obvious) assumption: Did Chris maybe train wrongly? We can say that he opted for the home version of the program and assures us that he has performed all exercises and repetition rates according to the training videos provided. For example, it repeatedly emphasizes the importance of training to failure. But: How does someone without training experience know what that feels like? How much weight does he have to take? When is it really over? Or maybe five repetitions would have been possible? The program doesn’t answer that.
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The exercises listed in the graphic are examples, they do not represent the entire spectrumPhoto: FITBOOK
In this context, Chris had a thought: Wouldn’t it have been smarter for him as a beginner to start with muscle definition, i.e. lose fat and only then go on to mass? Fat or muscle: which field should be worked on first in order to finally achieve the dream body? Despeghel: “Chris’ insight is absolutely correct. The idea that an untrained person can just turn the key and build muscle is a myth!”
In order to get people closer to their goal, the program should either recommend that they undergo a reliable body fat measurement beforehand (Zietlow’s US Army method is «humbug» in Despeghel’s view). Or at least the general performance and training experience would have to be queried in order to determine the overall disposition.
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Despeghel: «Telling people that they can build muscle immediately – no matter what the conditions are – is nonsense!» From the expert’s point of view, Chris should have taken the following path: first of all, a change in diet to reduce the body fat percentage. Then increase your general performance through endurance training. Before that, the necessary basics would simply be missing to do successful strength training, «let alone train in the maximum range».
Positive: The change in the arm and shoulder area. Progress comes from different arm curl variations and lots of overhead presses. Photo: FITBOOK
What role does genetics play?
The genetic disposition does indeed play a not inconsiderable role, as the expert confirms: “The characteristics of the muscle fibers can vary significantly due to predisposition. Some people are naturally athletic types and therefore build muscle faster than others.” What could support the thesis “Not a big guy” is Chris’ testosterone level, which at 3.67 ng/ml (measured in week 6) is at the lower end of the normal range. «In order to effectively build muscle, he would need a value of 6,» says Despeghel.
At the same time, our expert emphasizes that even people who lack the «disposition» can definitely build up «big muscles»: They just need (much) longer for it. As for Chris, testosterone did increase slightly (to 4.35ng/ml) by the end of the program – an effect attributed to the strenuous training. But it is still at a low level. Despeghel: “Stress is one of the main causes of testosterone deficiency. I suspect that the recovery periods between training sessions were too short for Chris.” Which brings us to the next key question…
With dumbbell rows, deadlifts, and bent-over laterals, Chris has visibly strengthened his upper back muscles.Photo: FITBOOK
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Was the program healthy?
To answer this question, our experts, Dr. Riedl and Dr. Despeghel evaluated a total of four blood counts. We had these made before the start of the program, after week 3, week 6 and after the program. Nutritionist Riedl attests the program one positive influence on lipid metabolism, even if the difference is small. “The blood lipids were good before, but are even better now. The total cholesterol value is also very good.” This can be attributed to the nuts, oatmeal and exercise.
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Graphic: The development of lipid metabolism during the programPhoto: FITBOOK
downright problematic sees the nutritionist Development of the blood sugar level. With a measured value of 101 mg/dl, this is clearly too high. «For a man of his age, a level of around 80 mg/dl would be normal. The protagonist is thus in the area of prediabetes (better known as early diabetes, Note d. editor).» Riedl sees the high intake of red meat and the high-calorie diet as a possible reason: Chris ate 2.8 kilograms of meat per week. For comparison: the DGE recommends no more than 300 to 600 grams.
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«This form of nutrition is harmful to health,» judges Riedl. “A sensible plan would have caused blood sugar levels that were already there to drop, but in this case it was pushed up even further. If the protagonist continues to eat like this, it is very likely that he will slip directly into diabetes.”
Graphic: The development of Chris’ blood glucose levels during the programPhoto: FITBOOK
To answer the question about the health aspect, we also have to look at the waist circumference. In the course of the ten weeks, this has increased by a whopping eight centimeters. “The waist circumference is a very sensitive parameter. With so much training, he really should have gone back,” says Despeghel. For the sports scientist, this is an indication that Chris is mostly on Gained fat instead of muscle mass Has. So the opposite of what he wanted.
The planned weight gain in the bulking phase has worked for Chris – but the majority of it is likely to be fatPhoto: FITBOOK The waist circumference has increased by ten percent Photo: FITBOOK
A few words of explanation about the famous bulk phase: If you want to build in this way, you have to give up going for pleasure or hunger. This is about food as a performance discipline. And skipping a meal is considered a top taboo. The focus is on tons of lean sources of protein (mainly meat and protein powders), carbohydrates (rice, oatmeal, juices), and healthy fats (nuts, olive oil). We also consulted Uwe Schröder from the German Institute for Sports Nutrition. His verdict: «I would describe the nutritional plan as having little scientific basis and based more on my own short-term experiences.»
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Which brings up the next question: What are the long-term consequences of gorging on food for 10 weeks? According to Despeghel, it can be assumed that Chris’ stomach is now adapting to the large amounts of food got used to. «He’s getting frustrated because he can’t easily switch back to normal eating habits.» Appropriately, after the end of the program, Chris confirmed to us that he’s now constantly hungry since he has to make do with normal portions again. “Psychophysically, it can plunge people into depression and make them sad. This also opens the door to an eating disorder,” warns Despeghel.
According to the program, if you want to build mass, you have to eat 5 times a day. And: Skipping a meal is absolutely taboo.Photo: FITBOOK
Another point: the stressThe program (almost daily training, five meals) creates. According to Despeghel, the fact that Chris has found the last ten weeks to be stressful can be seen from the fact that his cortisol (stress hormone) level has risen. “It shows that Chris was very busy. The program should have taken regeneration phases more seriously,” says Despeghel. By the way: An increased cortisol level can contribute to the development of concentration problems, anxiety and depression.
Conclusion: Both experts evaluate the program’s nutrition plans independently…