Message from TC

I don't often interject myself into articles, but this time, I had to. Here's the story: This article by Nate Green landed on my desk and as I read it, I started to feel uneasy because I literally didn't believe what I was reading.

The fact that the article is about a training and nutritional protocol developed by Tim Patterson and Christian Thibaudeau compounded my feelings because these are the guys I work with, the guys I trust to always be honest.

But the numbers and assertions I was reading — pounds of muscle added in just a few weeks, radical changes in body composition, incredible feats of strength — just didn't seem plausible.

So I talked to Tim and Christian; interrogated them, in fact. I listened to what they'd done, what they were doing, and I looked at the raw video footage.

I am now a believer.

And now I'm asking you to read this article in its entirety, and read it carefully. Really, you've got to. It would be a huge mistake to just skim over it or worse, ignore it. To do so would be to potentially miss out on hearing about a new type of nutrition strategy and a new type of "black ops" training that has, without fail, turned test subject after test subject into a monster.

Ultimately, all of this information will soon be released in a TMUSCLE superprogram called, "I, BODYBUILDER."

But before you go any further, so you can see for yourself just what kind of gains I'm talking about, watch this I, BODYBUILDER video.

After you're done, do not forget to click the link below the video and read the entire article. Like I said, you don't want to miss out on any of the details.

— TC

Why the hell couldn't I have known about this three years ago?

The question grabs me, latches on, and won't let go. I'm pissed off and pacing around my kitchen clenching my phone. I don't need a mirror to know my face is red.

Sure, I've gained some muscle. But had I known this a few years ago, I could've doubled, maybe even tripled my results. At the very least, I could've gotten where I am a lot quicker. This is utterly embarrassing, and yet I feel strangely excited. I can't wait to go lift...

Tim Patterson speaks, interrupting my thoughts...

"Bodybuilding is not about being moderate, Nate. Bodybuilding is about being radical. Making huge and rapid gains in muscle size places extreme physiological demands on the body. And that requires extreme methodologies.

"Radical muscle gains require radical physiology!

"Now we know a lot more about exactly how to produce that radical physiologic state, and the rate of muscle gain has been nothing less than amazing."

I try to respond but Dr. Lonnie Lowery interjects:

"Extremism is called for when developing a nutritional strategy for this kind of rapid-rate hypertrophy. And as you can imagine, what we're talking about goes way beyond simple workout nutrition. You have to delve deep into theoretical physiology to get these kinds of solutions — the solutions that produce shocking results.

"The simple truth is, if you want your body to pack on the most muscle it's capable of building, you need to understand where the threshold is between normal and extreme physiology — and then cross that line. In the case of maximum hypertrophy, homeostasis is not a good thing.

"The sole reason I've been talking about partitioning carbs in the morning and fat in the evening — in other words, the temporal nutritional concept I've been writing about for years — is to increase insulin sensitivity. And the purpose for that is so we can maximize muscle growth. But for many that connection was lost, and they've turned a carb-management concept into a carb-avoidance phobia. It's out of control and totally ridiculous!

"Intense weight training for hypertrophy provides a physiological window of opportunity that's simply unequalled as far as building muscle is concerned. Instead of blowing that opportunity, which is what happens when you restrict carbs, why not exploit it?"

Patterson quickly adds:

"Carb restriction isn't just slowing down progress, it's actually destroying it. Training carb-depleted or even carb-deficient is highly catabolic. Muscle cells demand glucose, and one way or another, they'll get it. If you go into a training session without at least loading in enough carbs to replenish glycogen, the pancreas will eventually produce glucagon to break down muscle into glucose to use as energy.

"Essentially, your body begins eating its own muscle for fuel!

"How does that make you feel?"

Deep breath. Exhale loudly. Time to come clean.

"I'm upset, maybe even a little embarrassed — like I've been screwing up without even knowing it — but I'm also incredibly psyched to get to the gym as soon as I hang up!"

"Good," says Patterson. "I hear you pacing around, so sit down and listen up. We've just shown you the basic idea behind only one part of the radical hypertrophy equation. There's obviously more, a lot more..."

Before we get into the rest of the discussion, I need to fill you in on what exactly Tim, Lonnie, and I were talking about that had me so worked up.

In essence, Tim Patterson and Christian Thibaudeau have been using something called loaded insulin surges to fuel the metabolic demands of what they describe as radical or rapid-rate hypertrophy.

The concept involves using insulin to drive supraphysiologic levels of amino acids, creatine, and glucose into muscle during extremely intense training sessions. The net effect is you gain muscle like crazy.

Dr. Lonnie Lowery, who's a research scientist and who also has vast experience in using theoretical physiology to enhance muscle gains, was on the line to give his perspective. And as you could see, Lowery is a strong supporter of the strategy.

The scientific basis for how loaded insulin surges work is pretty incredible and makes perfect sense. Here's the condensed version:

The Anabolic Hammer

Insulin is the chemical hammer that drives nutrients into muscle cells. The bigger the hammer, the bigger the nutrient nail, the bigger the anabolic response. It's really that simple.

Insulin upregulates and activates all the transporters responsible for pumping in amino acids, creatine, and glucose — all of which are critical for building maximum muscle mass, as fast as humanly possible.

Unfortunately, there's a huge problem that puts an end to insulin production, and it's called exercise. That's right, during intense exercise catecholamines (adrenal hormones) are released, which in turn shut down insulin production and all these transporters along with it.

In other words, insulin gets shut down and muscle cells begin to starve. Don't forget, this occurs at the worst time possible — during intense training — which is also when you need these nutrients the most.

The end result is not only a diminished capacity for building muscle, but potentially a highly catabolic state, which is a far cry from an extreme-anabolic physiology, the kind required for maximum hypertrophy.

Granted, contracting muscle will still shuttle some nutrients into muscle through something called non-insulin mediated uptake, provided you actually consumed enough of the right nutrients to make a difference. But the effect of non-insulin mediated uptake is minimal compared to the powerful effects of insulin.

On the other hand, even with insulin production shut down, intense training dramatically enhances the sensitivity (effectiveness) of amino acid, creatine, and glucose uptake. This simply means that if insulin were available, amino acids, creatine, and glucose could be driven into muscle at a much higher rate and in much greater volumes.

So in effect, going into a workout with insulin spiked, and the bloodstream loaded with an abundance of these nutrients, would in effect produce the extreme physiology required for extreme muscle-mass gains.

Professional bodybuilders, of course, have known about and utilized a drug-induced version of this technique for years. To the elite bodybuilder, insulin use is every bit as important and exploited as androgen use.

Tim Patterson and Christian Thibaudeau have taken this strategy to an entirely new level, except that they don't need the use of drugs. Instead, they utilize the body's own insulin production to drive supraphysiologic levels of anabolic nutrients into working muscle — effectively turning the body into a high-pressure anabolic pump.

According to those who've experienced it, the effect produces a near skin-splitting pump. Tim and Christian are quick to point out, however, that even though the pump feels very pronounced and definitely addictive, it's not the feel that's anabolic. It's just a vivid reminder of what's being pumped into the engorging muscle tissue that's making the difference.

I'll get into what they're loading into muscle shortly. But before that, you're definitely going to want to know what Tim says next. So, let's get back into the conversation at the point where I'm being told about his "black-ops bodybuilding" project.

Black-Ops Bodybuilding Project

Talking with Tim Patterson can be, at times, well... intense. And that's probably an understatement. I just can't think of a better word to use.

I might get a call from Tim at midnight or 9 in the morning. Regardless of the hour, he's usually calling about some exciting mission or project he's working on, and he wants me to do something to help him. So no matter when I see his number pop up on caller ID, I'm always very excited to hear what's up.

At some point in these conversations, Tim will invariably say something that really challenges my thinking. It's a strange experience, too, making me feel excited and nervous at the same time.

Tim is very specific and extremely detailed with his explanations and instructions, and he remembers every word he ever says to a person (that alone is unnerving). He's also quite artful at getting his points across, which adds another level of intensity to the experience.

Sometimes I actually have days go by before it hits me with what exactly he said. But then the concept sinks in and it sticks.

What follows is one of those conversations.

"Nate, I know this is going to sound a little whacked, but what you're about to learn next will forever change the way you think about gaining muscle," says Tim. "It's shocking, even disturbing, once it all sinks in — at least, that's the way Thib and I see it.

"In fact, Christian is actually a little embarrassed to talk about it, thinking no one will believe us.

"But there's a lot of information to cover, and you need to hear the whole story before you begin asking questions. Knowing you, that'll be hard. Just suck it up and do it. Got it?"

"Got it," I hear myself say, not knowing if I can stick to it.

"Nate, you already know about loaded insulin surges, but what you don't know is, they were developed out of what amounts to being a black-ops bodybuilding project that Christian Thibaudeau and I have been working on.

"I have to tell you that going into this project, neither of us had a clue that we'd end up stumbling upon something this gigantic. I'm serious, Nate.

"On the other hand, I guess we shouldn't have been all that surprised. I mean, that was our goal... to find something outrageously huge.

"We wanted to develop a universally effective method — meaning effective for every committed bodybuilder, and at any level, not just the genetically gifted — that produces truly radical, rapid-rate hypertrophy.

"I'm not just talking about excellent results, Mr. Green, I'm talking about the mythical kinds of gains everyone talks about and hopes for, but almost no one gets.

"In the early stages, some of what we found was predictable, much of it was not — that is, until we made one very specific observation. And from that day on we've had an explosion of discoveries.

"I'll get into some of this stuff later, but first, I want to tell you about these workouts.

"In simplest terms, our black-ops program consists of underground training sessions so extreme and so intense that they all but kill the test subjects. Here I go with over-the-top descriptions, again, but they're absolutely true.

"From these black-ops sessions, we've discovered two huge breakthroughs that have the potential to radicalize hypertrophy for almost everyone.

"1) Loaded Insulin Surges — which is a strategy we're using to establish the extreme physiology required to support radical rapid-rate hypertrophy. In other words, for each of our test subjects, loaded insulin surges are successfully fueling the enormous metabolic demands of packing on pounds of muscle, week after week after week.

"2) High-Threshold Hypertrophy (HTH) — which is a comprehensive training methodology that's producing true radical rapid-rate hypertrophy — both in rate of growth and overall mass gained — for every one of our bodybuilder test subjects.

"Nate, you're an exercise geek, so you'll like this:

"From our perspective, to get the correct training effect for radical rapid-rate hypertrophy, we had to produce maximum stimulation of high-threshold fibers, at high volume, and at high frequency, using a variety of techniques to increase work density, as well as manage CNS fatigue — all at the same time. And that's exactly what we've done with HTH.

"So far, Thib and I are convinced that muscle is being built as fast as humanly possible. And we're seeing it across the board, too, with everyone involved in the program. As far as he and I are concerned, we've raised the bar for hypertrophy into the realm of truly radical expectations... and created a new minimum standard for results.

"In other words, as a result of this project, Christian and I, and each of the test-subject bodybuilders, actually expect a rate of growth from training that we all used to think was impossible.

"Okay, Nate. I'm now going to get into specific results. But before I do that, I probably should let you chime in just in case I need to clear anything up. I really want you focused on what comes next.

"So, are you following all of this?"

"I'm definitely following everything you're saying. So, hurry up and tell me — what the hell happened to these guys?"

"Christian gained 27 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks, and was doing seated overhead presses with 375 pound for 5 cluster reps.

"Christian is already an advanced-level bodybuilder, and in his best condition prior to starting the program. So building a substantial amount of new muscle mass, on top of his existing development, would be more difficult than, say, someone at the intermediate level.

"Before officially starting the project, I wanted Christian to test the entire program on himself. He spent three weeks dialing in to the new training methodology, and three weeks on our shoulder specialization program. All six weeks, however, he was loading the Anaconda™ formula and nutrient-partitioning carbs into an insulin surge, as part of each workout.

"Six weeks later, like I said, Christian had gained 27 pounds of solid muscle, and ended the shoulder program doing seated overhead presses with 375 pounds for 5 cluster reps! He ended the sixth week weighing 239 pounds. He's now substantially stronger than he ever was as an Olympic lifter. And the kicker is, he still had 75 percent of the program left to do!

"Christian, of course, is in the genetic freak category. So, even in spite of the fact he's already an advanced lifter, it could be argued that his results are certainly going to be above average. Still, adding that much muscle and that much strength to an already advanced lifter — adding that much muscle to anybody, for that matter — is way beyond impressive.

"Another example is Sebastien, who's currently in the final and brutal weeks of contest prep. Keeping that in mind makes his already very impressive results even more impressive.

"Sebastien gained 20 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks and added 100 pounds to his front squat, while cutting body fat for the bodybuilding contest.

"Kevin is another advanced bodybuilder who's on the program, but he's not currently preparing for a contest.

"Kevin gained 24 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks, while losing 14 pounds of fat and adding 50 pounds to his bench press.

"Another example is Christian's training partner, Nick. Nick's not actually a bodybuilder. He's just a normal guy with a very busy life and a lot of commitments to juggle. In addition to unofficially being in our project — if that wasn't hard enough — Nick works construction, has a family to support, and trains for boxing twice a week.

"At five-foot-eight, he's also a former fatty. And through Christian's previous supervision over the last year, he'd gotten down to a fairly lean 175 pounds, where he finally began to see his abs for the very first time. Christian strictly managed Nick's carb intake to get him in that condition, which unfortunately, also made him carb-phobic.

"So when Nick was first introduced to loaded insulin surges, it was like trying to talk someone into drinking a bottle of Drano. It took an awful lot of convincing, but we not only managed to get him using loaded insulin surges, but we've replaced his phobia with an addiction.

"In eight weeks of faithfully using loaded insulin surges and training with HTH methods, he certainly has a new appreciation and perspective on carbs.

"Nick ended up gaining 20 pounds of new muscle and increasing his bench press by 55 pounds, and that's addictive.

"After experiencing these kinds of results, from week to week, it's impossible to be satisfied with anything else. These guys are hooked — we're all totally hooked — and simply refuse to train any other way.

"I can't give you any failures, because there are none at this point.

"Oh, I'm sure there will be a couple of dozen pus-filled Internet moron-trolls who can't wait to prove how they 'got nothing from loaded insulin surges and HTH, and all you really need is 'chocolate milk and a banana.'

"If you exclude those mad-at-the-world messes, we believe that legitimate failures will be all but nonexistent.

"That being said, a lot more people will have to go through the entire program to know for sure if it's truly universally effective. We definitely want to see how these concepts work in a much larger group with fewer controls. But so far, everyone who's using these methods agrees that the combination produces, by a gigantic margin, their very best gains ever.

"What do you think about all this, Nate?"

Thanks to hearing all of this, I now have no desire to work out until I get the program. I sort of feel like, "What's the point?" I'm a little uneasy admitting that this is really giving me some anxiety issues, and I certainly don't want to come off like that — especially to Tim Patterson. So, I try to remain professional and ask:

"My overall impression is, this sounds hard to believe. But if anyone can pull this off, it's you guys. I'm serious. I know you and Christian wouldn't put this information out without being totally convinced it's accurate.

"But my first question is... Forget about the genetic freaks, what about me? In other words, what kind of muscle gains can an average in-shape lifter expect from the program?"

"Good question. In a general sense, we want to be able to take any individual, who's serious about bodybuilding, and pack on muscle as fast as humanly possibly — continuously — until he's virtually at his genetic ceiling.

"Specifically, from using these methods, we expect the average lifter to gain about 20 pounds of muscle from his first 15-week program — hopefully more — and keep all of it.

"I'm defining our average guy as an in-shape 175-pound lifter who's accustomed to hard training, who's totally committed to working hard, and who wants to build a lot of muscle mass as fast as humanly possible.

"Not everyone wants that much muscle, Nate. And only those who do will work hard enough to get it. Without total commitment and drive to achieve that goal, all bets are off.

"Anyway, like I said, that average guy should expect to gain about 20 pounds of muscle within the first 12 to 15 weeks of using our methods.

"I know guys who'd kill to have those types of gains, including me!  So, when are you guys going to release this on TMUSCLE?

"More important, when do I get to try this?

"Tim, don't hold out on me!"

"Store up that enthusiasm, Mr. Green, because you're going to need all of it and more. I have plans for that 180-pound carcass of yours that involves phase two of this project, which I'll tell you about later.

"Regarding the release of the program, Christian and I have developed an entire methodology centered around these concepts. We have the entire program done — the workout-nutrition strategy and the training methodology — all of it.

"There's just one problem. We have to put this entire mountain of information altogether into a format that we can actually publish. In other words, we can't just throw this stuff on the Web tomorrow. To do it right — actually, to even just do it at all — is going to take a least six weeks.

"For the last month, I've been planning the program rollout, which will be a TMUSCLE superprogram, called I, BODYBUILDER.

"I, BODYBUILDER will include a 15-week comprehensive, radical hypertrophy program, and tons of high-impact video.

"We're going to  shoot real in-the-gym stuff, too. There's really no other way to show all the new training methods and techniques without it.

"Anyway, we're starting on the project in the next few weeks, and like I said, the whole process should take about six weeks. Just understand that a whole lot of people are working real hard to get it done as soon as feasible. I simply can't speed up the process.

"All I can promise is, we're doing the best job possible, and we're working as fast as we can.

"It is what it is..."

"Six weeks!

"Even though I totally understand why it's going to take that long, it still doesn't make the wait any easier...

"And what about Anaconda? I've been hearing about it for over three years. I sure hope it's going to be released along with the program. I'm assuming so, because you and Christian have said it was just as important as the training. And I also know Christian drinks Anaconda throughout the day, as well.

"I've also heard that Anaconda contains pretty high doses of some major expensive ingredients. Something tells me it's going to cost a lot. I've seen people guessing as much as a couple hundred dollars!

"Please break the suspense, and tell me how much Anaconda is going to cost?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of Anaconda rumors floating around these days. Unfortunately, I think folks have actually under-guessed just about everything.

"The amount of money Biotest spends to make a bottle of Anaconda is outrageous. All of the key compounds are custom-designed materials and formulated in maxed-out-dose amounts, probably making Anaconda the most-expensive supplement — if you can call it that — ever produced.

"I'm going to throw you a curve-ball and actually give out our cost. I can't imagine anyone in my position ever doing this, but a bottle of Anaconda costs us about 80 bucks to produce and inventory in our warehouse... $83.19 to be exact. Add in FedEx charges to customers, and that price rolls past $90.00.

"And that's Biotest's cost!

"In spite of what anyone thinks, you have to understand that I never intended to release Anaconda. Anyone who knows me knows for a fact that I'll occasionally make things for a limited use and that I never intend to sell.

"That's what I did with Anaconda. I formulated it with one and only one type of individual in mind, and for only one, very specific purpose:

"I designed Anaconda exclusively for our elite-level bodybuilders, the ones we work with, like Christian. And I designed it to deliver the end-all-be-all, most-potent anabolic load possible.

"I put absolutely no restrictions on creating new compounds or designer materials, or the amounts used in the formulation. I just needed it to work!

"I knew the cost would likely be very high. But I didn't care. I simply wanted to do it! I wanted to see how far we could take these guys with some of the training projects we were planning.

"The end result was shocking. I had no idea that Anaconda would end up providing Christian and me with the key for unlocking the methods of radical hypertrophy. But it did. Christian is actually obsessed with Anaconda, and won't go anywhere without it. The other test subjects feel the same way.

"Anyway, we can't just sit on something like this. Personally, I have to see this through to the point where every committed lifter on TMUSCLE has at least the opportunity to experience these kinds of gains.

"Which is why I've decided to set the price of a bottle of Anaconda at $90.00. In fact, I'll even go another step and drop the price to $80.00 when ordering multiple bottles.

"I want to make it clear, however, that without sacrificing one thing, as far as quality and potency are concerned, I will figure out how to get the cost of manufacturing down. There are always improving economies that factor in after production begins. Believe me, we'll eventually make money off Anaconda.

"Being a musclehead, my primary goal has always been to help serious lifters build muscle and strength as fast as humanly possible. That's what motivates me to come to work each day.

"And like I said, this entire project is way too big to just sit on it. I simply have to see it work with a lot more people. Maybe after that I'll be satisfied. Probably not. I'll probably take it yet another step....

"Now, let me get to work."

The conversation ends as abruptly as it started. I close my cell phone, toss it onto the couch, and walk to the bedroom to grab my gym bag. I pack my shoes and some SURGE® Workout Fuel, grab my keys, and walk out the front door, all the while thinking...

"After hearing all of this, what the hell am I going to train today?"

Oh, about the "plans" Tim has for me. Along with several advanced bodybuilders, I'll be spending the next three months in Colorado Springs as one of the test subjects for the second phase of the project.

We're all going to be doing the I, BODYBUILDER program that's being launched in the next six weeks. They're going to film all the workouts and document everything.

Regarding me and my role in all of this, Tim said that he wants TMUSCLE to see "one of its own" pack on these types of gains, "right in front of their eyes."

I guess it's show time. And, I'm back to feeling anxious.