Testing out the Colorado Experiment

My brother & I have recently decided to give a variation of “The Colorado Experiment” a test. We regularly go to the gym 2 to 3 times a week as it is, but are now tweaking our sessions to match this Colorado Experiment we found on the net.

Briefly, the Colorado Experiment says to try very slow concentric and eccentric contractions for each rep, rather than the fast stuff we’re used to. In fact I usually rip each concentric (or lifting or pushing) part of the rep very hard and fast, but now with the Colorado Experiment guidelines, I’m doing a 5 second up count, and a 5 second down count on every rep.

We’re giving ourselves 1 minute rest between sets, but opposed to the experiment (which seems to favour nautilus equipment for commercial reasons) we’re just using compound movements like bench press, squats, lunges, cable rows and the like. Each work out involves every major muscle group in the body to stimulate as much testosterone as possible, and we follow a loose system that lets us get every major muscle group in under an hour in the gym. We’re still only working out 2 or 3 times a week, no cardio apart from the occasional taking the dog for a walk!

My initial thoughts are that its brutally hard, but that might just be the initial getting used to it stage. My muscles are also much sorer than usual, which not not necessarily a positive sign… but it shows that my muscles aren’t used to it, and that I’m challenging them in different ways (and that is important!).

Come by soon and I’ll let you know what benefits I’ve been receiving from the Colorado Experiment inspired workouts we’re doing.

Update: See the results of the Colorado Experiment Test, here.