With the plethora of myths, misconceptions, and outright lies, I thank God that I was able to produce over 60 pounds of new muscle mass on my own body without using any drug whatsoever, but it took intense experimentation to determine exactly what diet and training techniques work best.

I can't criticize anyone for doing so, as I've found myself in the same category throughout my training career, mistakenly believing that supplements will somehow provide a safe, effective method of achieving amazing results, even though my personal experimentation always proved the very opposite! It's almost as if we put ourselves in a position to be fooled by forgetting our past experience with such products, all because we hope that the next major release will be THE ONE to offer promised results. But, as I learned throughout my bodybuilding career, this attitude is what supplement companies PREY upon, as they could not continue making massive profits unless you and I believe that the next release is going to revolutionize the muscle building and fat loss industry, when in fact, it's merely the latest advertising campaign aimed at manipulating our emotions so that we buy into a FALSE HOPE. It's called the "Supplement Life Cycle", which you will learn more about below, and is exactly why supplements are NOT THE ANSWER to building new muscle mass or burning body fat! If they were, wouldn't all of us who have tried supplements no longer be searching the Internet for answers?

I have unfortunately received emails from people who mistakenly believe that their training program is PERFECT, so they ask for the proper diet to finally promote significant results, but how can someone KNOW that their training or diet routine is effective when they aren't making any progress? If, like most, you are not building muscle or burning fat, more than likely you are making MANY diet AND training errors that PREVENT your body from achieving results. Supplement companies try to rob you blind with unsubstantiated claims and worthless products, but they are not even the worst enemy -- it is YOUR TRAINING AND DIET PROGRAM THAT MUST CHANGE, as otherwise, you will continue to achieve NOTHING, regardless of the time or effort you put forth. It's a very simply concept -- if your current routine is not producing results, then it is time to force your body to transform through a new and effective eating and training strategy, one which requires NO worthless SUPPLEMENTS or dangerous DRUGS.

Some people mistakenly believe that it takes many weeks or sometimes months for a program to provide noticeable change, so they continue tinkering with the same ineffective system, just waiting for the day when their body begins to experience this dramatic surge of progress. But in reality, the only variable is food intake, and when you are consuming the proper amount for muscle gains or fat loss (I will teach you exactly how to determine this through measurements, as it differs based on individual metabolism), then you should achieve muscle gains or fat loss on a WEEKLY basis. Not every month, not even every two weeks, but rather WEEKLY. Begin using the correct training AND diet methods, and suddenly, you will begin to notice that your body changes every seven days, like clockwork! When you feel the need for a break or reach a plateau on a muscle building phase (a sign that you need less volume), you reset your body with lower workload for several weeks, where you maintain new muscle and recharge your body and mind, once again achieving results on a weekly basis when you increase intensity of workouts, and this special cycling process continues until you reach your genetic potential. Fat loss is a string of weekly improvements until the day you reach your genetic limits!

Before beginning to lift weights, my arms measured 12.5 inches flexed, and my chest 35 inches relaxed, at 6'2" in height and 130 pounds (extremely thin). I aimed to transform my naturally skinny frame into a muscular, cut physique (VERY low body fat -- abs totally visible) without the help of steroids or growth hormones. After years of trying, it appeared as if drug use was a prerequisite for building an impressive body...until I found the proper training and diet plan. I now know that tremendous results don't stem from a worthless supplement bottle or dangerous drug injection, but rather through effective diet and training philosophies. Why? Because with years of trial and error behind me, I have achieved a very high level of muscle mass with the help of food and weights...NOT DRUGS OR SUPPLEMENTS. I gained 6 inches on my arms and 12 inches on my chest so fast that I have stretch marks to prove it, and have helped countless people worldwide to build muscle or lose fat (many testimonials are shown below). How?

If you are like most who seek to gain muscle mass, the literally dozens of diet and training theories are absolutely baffling! Have you tried programs that promise 50 pounds in 6 months, but neglect to tell you 45 of those 50 are pure FAT? Even worse, how does it feel to purchase supplements that make steroid like claims, yet deliver absolutely nothing but a lighter wallet? 95% of people will have experienced one or all of these dilemmas and, if not...I bet you've tried abdominal machines that promise a washboard mid-section, charge you $150, and end up serving as a poor excuse for a rocking chair. I've been suckered into many ineffective products, and so have millions of other confused bodybuilders. I hope that you'll learn from my MANY bodybuilding mistakes.

My name is Francesco Castano, and I'm a recreational bodybuilder currently residing in Lancaster, PA, who has spent thousands of dollars experimenting with pills, powders, and machines that promised magnificent results, yet only left me searching for answers. After many years of using countless supplements for both muscle gain and fat loss, I decided to stop them ALL. I never produced noticeable gains from any pill or powder, including a supposed very expensive "steroid replacement" stack of supplements. Even the popular Creatine Monohydrate is a supplement industry LIE -- the slight water retention (not muscle!) in SOME disappears soon after the supplement is discontinued! In other words, it will cost you $30 or more a month to MAINTAIN a 5 pound water weight gain (it is NOT a muscle builder). Is this worth it? You be the judge!

So, how can these supplement giants legally deceive the public? Easy. Although the supplement industry is regulated, government agencies perform no formal testing to determine whether even the most outlandish muscle building and fat loss claims are legitimate. This means that supplement companies can make numerous stimulating promises, yet are not legally obligated to produce even one iota of their potency claims. Scary, huh? Think about it -- each month you see a new "testosterone booster", "growth hormone replacement", "fat burning" or "anti-catabolic" supplement hit the market, just adding to the already overpopulated "health food store" shelf. The moment they create a clever advertising campaign aimed at ME, the bodybuilder, telling ME how I can gain 30 pounds or cut bodyfat levels by 20% simply by mixing some smelly, awful tasting powder with grape juice or pop 3 pills a day, I go out and spend $50, or more, and buy it! They say "fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me". I'd consider myself lucky to have only been fooled twice by supplement companies, yet I instead placed faith for many years in supplement advertising despite my prior failures in using such products. As a result, I purchased a wide variety of muscle building and fat burning supplements, which puts shame squarely on MY shoulders. Investigating the various supplement offerings cost me a mint, and helped me to waste plenty of precious time at health food stores.

Let's not forget those "scientific studies" posted by an "independent" board of certified chemists. Several years ago, one of those "scientific panels" wrote a report stating Dibencozide (Vitamin B-12) provides similar anabolic (muscle building) power as steroids (which convinced me to try it!). Needless to say, it was another creative way to help me waste money! Other such "scientifically compiled information" in advertisements today mirror my Dibencozide example. DON'T FALL FOR IT! My local news (remember, everybody trusts them) once promoted a positive HMB study, yet look at how popular HMB is today? Not quite the "hot" bodybuilding supplement that the advertising suggested many months ago! DON'T FALL FOR IT! I can imagine hundreds of bodybuilders running out to their local health store and picking up 5 bottles of a supplement that the NEWS claims to be effective. If you have enough money and power, a "scientific study" will say anything you darn well want. I don't know if you've ever read articles in bodybuilding magazines hyping a yet-to-be-released supplement as being the GREATEST LEGAL MUSCLE BUILDING AGENT TO EVER HIT THE SHELVES, but if you have, remember this -- if I pay you thousands to advertise in your magazine, then I can easily pass some future product information to you before it hits the public, and you'll be sure to make it sound really important BEFORE I ever start advertising the new product (hence, the magazine is advertising under the guise of being an "impartial observer"). For example, I advertise in magazine X, and I tell magazine X that supplement Z is HOT, and is currently in development stages. Magazine X writes articles hyping supplement Z before it ever hits the stores, thus, people are greatly anticipating its release (guaranteeing monster sales when the substance is finally available). We trust the magazine, because the "supplement report" is presented as if it's an impartial review from one of the "experienced" writers. Yet, it's just product hype under the "unbiased truth" umbrella. Both the magazine and the supplement company make money on us suckers. In addition, most muscle building magazines are simply a multi-page advertisement for products that the magazine company itself sells! They will have their writers speak highly of a supplement, acting as an unbiased observer, when in fact these writers are working for the company that produces the product! Trust me, this is what's happening, and it's not going to change!

Remember this important lesson -- if a "clinical study" used in an advertisement says "this supplement provided 30 pounds of new muscle mass," or "our product shed 20 pounds of body fat," and you try the product for yourself, but find it has no impact whatsoever on your body, who is correct, YOUR REAL WORLD LACK OF RESULTS, or the "clinical study" that is used as part of a supplement advertisement? The answer is obvious!

If you aren't convinced that so called "scientific studies" can actually produce the very opposite of what practical reality indicates, take this as proof -- a pamphlet distributed by a well known and respected drug store (CVS) entitled "Steroids -- No winners. Only losers" releases under the subtitle "Steroids Don't Work" the following INCORRECT discovery -- "They may make an athlete feel "big" temporarily. But look at the actual medical evidence. The 1991 Physician's Desk Reference, standard guide to prescription medicines, includes the warning: ANABOLIC STEROIDS DO NOT ENHANCE ATHLETIC ABILITY. Controlled research among male athletes given steroids has generally found little evidence of enhanced strength or performance". Do you believe the "controlled" research that indicates steroids are worthless in strength gains or performance enhancement that this pamphlet indicates? I hope not, because it's FALSE. So, why believe those supplement studies conducted by THE VERY SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY ITSELF indicating "steroid" like equivalency of the latest, greatest powdered find? If you are to believe the CVS pamphlet, all of those supplement providers claiming steroid equivalency are actually comparing themselves to a dangerous, but USELESS, illegal drug. WE ALL KNOW STEROIDS WORK AS EVIDENCED BY THE PHYSIQUES OF THOSE WHO USE THEM, YET WE CHOOSE TO AVOID THE DRUG DUE TO ITS POTENTIAL DANGERS, yet an informational brochure containing the name of a very respected pharmacy, in addition to the Physician's Desk Reference, a guide used by medical doctors to prescribe drugs, is propagating a study that OBVIOUSLY DIFFERS WITH WHAT OUR VISUAL REALITY HAS PROVEN DECADES AGO! I totally agree with CVS' goal in administering such information (as the pamphlet continues to explain the extreme dangers of the drug and tries to influence young adults to abstain from use), yet in the beginning of an otherwise worthwhile informational venture comes to light the most asinine study in existence today (though on par with similar supplement "research"), which to the young attentive teen, totally eliminates all credibility associated with the remaining paragraphs warning of side effects and dangers, since the pamphlet begins with FALSE INFORMATION. WHY, WHEN ONE CAN REJECT SUCH A FLAGRANTLY FLAWED STATEMENT DUE TO OBVIOUS VISUAL EVIDENCE PROVING THE VERY CONTRARY (steroids work), DO WE BELIEVE SUPPLEMENT PROVIDERS WHO ARE RELEASING OUTLANDISH CLAIMS WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF SELLING THEIR NEWEST PRODUCT? It makes NO sense, yet we (this includes me) have all fallen for the heavy advertising and quoting of such blatantly FALSE "studies". Any time a supplement provider points to a "scientific study" that verifies potency, please recall the above steroid "research" which has "proven the drug ineffective in enhancing strength or performance" -- it's laughable, and is NO DIFFERENT from the supplement company "research" that "proves" the potential effects of the newest testosterone booster..THE STUDIES ARE MERELY UNETHICALLY TAINTED ADVERTISING TOOLS!

If a supplement truly was able to provide steroid equivalent muscle/strength gains, and it were released tomorrow at the same cost as a steroid cycle, would you purchase and use the LEGAL product? If the answer is yes, let us reexamine why you are avoiding steroids -- is it solely due to their illegality, or does the potential for an inordinate level of medical ailments (heart enlargement, cancer, and even DEATH) discourage you from becoming the next addict? In my case, remaining drug free is rooted in fear for my long term well being (I want to survive!), and your reasoning is likely similar (is it a coincidence that so many of today's "knowledgeable" bodybuilding trainers are dying so young?) Therefore, if a steroid-like supplement were released tomorrow with the assurance of "no long term side effects", yet provided the same or even similar muscle building potential as steroids, WHY WOULD YOU BELIEVE IN ITS SAFETY? Because a supplement provider "says so"? How on earth can one determine the long term health risks if a product is JUST RELEASED? And what about the current rise in all forms of cancer -- could this be related to use of artificial products (including "muscle" and "fat loss" supplements) in our diet? How do we know? We DON'T, which means if any supplement really does provide steroid like muscle growth or fat loss (AND NONE DO), the risks associated with the pill, powder, or liquid would also mirror that of steroids, which once again brings about questions of longevity (not knowing whether you'll enjoy your next birthday outside of a hospital). DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR LIFE -- if you avoid steroids because of the dangers, why look towards an industry that provides NOTHING BUT DECEPTION for a pill or powder that would simply create the same dangers as the drug you are avoiding? Don't feel alone -- although this reasoning has become crystal clear in recent years (after achieving natural muscle gains), I fell for the same gimmicks I am now speaking out against (it's ALL due to confusion -- those unaware of proper training/diet protocol turn to the supplement industry for an artificial answer -- and find NOTHING but disappointment). To be completely blunt -- if you visit a web site that recommends ANY form of supplementation, leave without reading a word, as ALL credibility is lost. It's deception as its worst!

Look through any current bodybuilding magazine -- what are the vast majority of advertisements selling? Supplements! We buy these popular bodybuilding publications believing that our $5 is well invested in over 300 pages of current bodybuilding information, yet most of the magazine is devoted to pushing worthless powders and pills. With these magazines charging thousands of dollars per page for a black and white add, big time bodybuilding publications are making hundreds of thousands in profit per issue on supplements ALONE. Can you now understand why these magazines refuse to print the truth about supplementation? They're making millions per year off of companies such as Twinlab, EAS, and Optimum Nutrition, and they will NEVER bite the hand that feeds them. Just as special interest groups influence political decisions, supplement companies slant the opinions of big time magazine authors. This is not to mention the magazines that promote their OWN supplements within the "unbiased" articles, which is downright scary.

How many times can we experience disappointment when using supplements, yet CONTINUALLY believe the newest advertising campaign? Several years ago a friend of mine, who had been vigorously trying to gain muscle mass, concluded that one could print up a fancy label, wrap it around a bottle of urine, and sell it to those searching for a muscle building or fat loss solution. Maybe he can even call it "Super Lemon Testosterone Booster"? I guess we're lucky he didn't decide to enter the supplement industry (or did he?)! Nevertheless, there is quite a bit of wisdom to be taken from that statement, as bodybuilders will try any supplement promising muscle gains or fat loss, regardless of how bad it tastes, how awful it smells, how much it costs, or how disappointing it is to those who have already used the product. Knowing this, supplement companies will say, and do, anything to convince you that their product is "steroid like", including paying premium endorsement rates to professional bodybuilders such as Mr. Olympia winners. Unfortunately, many actually believe that a legal "testosterone booster", weight gain powder or creatine has something to do with Mr. Olympia competitors' 21+ inch arms. If these supplements were so effective, wouldn't newcomers to training (who have never taken steroids or other illegal anabolic drugs) make the best endorsement subjects?

What about all of those abdominal machines claiming to "shape, firm, and tone that sagging middle"? And the "inexpensive home gyms" that have some beefed up trainer saying how he gained 30 pounds of muscle in 10 days using the simple, no fuss "bodypumper"? These abdominal machines, which are nothing but overpriced plastic salad bowls, are portrayed as having built some of the greatest bodies on earth, when in fact they've done nothing but produce significant revenue for the company that promotes such gibberish. The fact is, NO machine on the market today is effective in building a firm, athletic mid-section, AS THE SIMPLE ROAD TO IMPROVING ABDOMINAL DEFINITION IS BODY FAT REDUCTION VIA PROPER DIET, PERIOD! Oh, this is too easy, you say? When I had a 43 inch waist, no abs were visible, and at 33 inches, my abs were extremely defined, yet I RARELY PERFORMED DIRECT ABDOMINAL TRAINING, AND DID NOT ACHIEVE DEFINITION IN MY STOMACH UNTIL I LOST EXCESS FAT THROUGH A NEW DIETARY APPROACH. Nevertheless, these companies will have you believe otherwise.

I couldn't possibly list every available muscle building and fat loss product that falsely promises rapid, dramatic physical improvement, as the quantity is endless. Of course, you must also consider the thousands of products not yet introduced -- a new batch of physical fitness fantasy gadgets and supplements are released every 1-3 months, and they ALL fall into the same category (waste of time and money!).

If you learn only one lesson from this web site, let it be the following:

The above may be difficult to digest, especially for many who have been told from so many sources that they need this or that supplement to achieve muscle building or fat loss, and have thus trained their whole career using the latest gimmick pill or powder, sometimes several at once, thinking that this is a prerequisite for achieving progress in bodybuilding, but, I am here to shed some truth on this subject for you, and I hope you'll listen to what I've learned throughout my years in pursuit of results. Physical fitness enterprises make their billions by appealing to your inner most senses, creating the appearance of a "do-nothing" approach to achieving dramatic physical improvement. Despite their deception, never forget -- there is no product available NOW OR IN THE FUTURE that substitutes for proper diet/exercise techniques. If you remember this, you've learned more than 95% of the people who are currently pursuing physical improvement. KNOWLEDGE IS KEY!

We've all seen the many courses and books written by the "greatest bodybuilders in the world?" Wouldn't you go to the largest, most muscular body (Mr. Olympia) to find out how to properly train and diet? Well, I'm assuming a book written by any professional bodybuilder outlines their own current, unedited bodybuilding plan. You'd easily be able to build the body of your dreams by following the advice of a proven professional -- right? Unfortunately, you'd have to read chapter 1, "Steroids and Other Delicious Anabolic Snacks" first, because it's a REQUIREMENT before following any training advice given by a pro. They use drugs, and therefor, DO NOT train like us who DON'T. Period!

The biggest problem (which is RAPIDLY growing due to inexpensive Internet advertising) -- the sole intention of most bodybuilding courses/books is to obtain your contact information so they can later forward you supplement advertisements! Just try to purchase various Internet based bodybuilding programs, and in addition to experiencing disappointing muscle growth, you'll be plagued with continuous supplement advertising from the author. In fact, the author's or company's book is NOT designed to help you in building muscle mass or losing fat, as the motivation for supplementation would then disappear. Rather, their bodybuilding routine is simply a prelude to the true intention -- capitalize on your continued frustration by claiming that "x" supplement can help "hardgainers" to enhance testosterone and/or growth hormone, and promise to cure plateaus. Fortunately, the reason for lackluster progress has absolutely no connection with supplementation, but rather stems directly from the impotent routine you purchased! These individuals are simply starting their own bodybuilding magazine and disguising it as a muscle building or fat loss program, so PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN SCANNING INTERNET ADS! These routines have the exact same flaws as bodybuilding magazines I described earlier -- they wish to capitalize on your continued confusion with their soon to arrive supplement advertisement. It is absolutely imperative that you understand the unscrupulous methods that today's bodybuilding and fat loss related web sites are using to eventually sell you a new "testosterone boosting" or "growth hormone replacing" product, while establishing this "need" by selling you an ineffective, flawed, sometimes dangerous muscle building routine. It's happening all over the Internet and in bodybuilding magazine ads, so be warned.

Another huge problem with popular (and not so popular) bodybuilding courses is the lack of SUPPORT. After reading the book, who answers your questions about CHAPTER 4, or helps you to integrate the program into your schedule and lifestyle? Who do you ask? Well, as you'll find with many books and courses, you'll need to ask YOURSELF, because there is no way of contacting the author to clarify a particular point of contention, or you will need to pay big bucks after a support trial period, which is a technique used by many companies to hook people into membership fees. No matter how well written or complete a book or course happens to be, almost everybody will inevitably have a dilemma which needs to be specifically addressed by the author. As you'll find, the lack of direct, unlimited personal support may encourage you to quit the program, as you'll have no way of finding the answers to some very critical concerns. We are all different, and what may be a question or problem for one may not cross another's mind, which is the very reason why there is NO "perfect" program -- the ability to elicit personal support is vital to the success of any training / diet system.

In addition, throughout my years of digesting bodybuilding material, NONE HAVE PROVIDED ME WITH A STEP-BY-STEP, COMPLETE TRAINING AND DIET ROUTINE! All have discussed concepts and suggested various techniques, but no program has covered EVERY effective diet AND training rule in SPECIFIC, EASY TO FOLLOW FORMAT, eliminating guesswork. Without such an outline, one cannot ensure that they are following the correct process. Guessing will certainly lead to failure.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with companies or individuals charging for items that benefit the bodybuilder -- but the large majority of muscle building materials are either driven by supplement giants who wish to make millions off of products that don't provide even a margin of what they promise, or steroid induced pro bodybuilders who, because of chemical assistance, don't train or diet like us, and thus can't provide the proper training and diet program to benefit the drug-free lifter (plus don't provide personal support for the book they write). If any of these products lived up to half of what they claim, I'd gladly pay twice the retail price.

So what did I do? After a bunch of useless supplements and machines, I still had yet to achieve my goals. I wanted to have big muscles, with low fat, but DIDN'T want to look like Phil the Elephant during winter months, and have to cut up for the summer. It's undesirable, redundant, and unnecessary!

In 1989, I set out to find a method of building large amounts of muscle mass, with little to no additional body fat. I tried many strategies, along with supplements and goofy machinery with, unfortunately, unacceptable results. Most people who pursue physical fitness have an ultimate goal of locating a book or course that teaches EXACTLY what to eat, how to train, when to train, etc -- WRITTEN BY A NATURAL BODYBUILDER! To my dismay, every book I purchased was either incomplete, did not offer support, was written by a steroid user, or had one prime intention -- sell me supplements. You will find that some courses try to pawn supplements within the book itself (which you obviously won't learn until AFTER you buy), or imply that supplements are a "helpful aid" to the bodybuilder and, in the upcoming months, send you advertisements on how hundreds of dollars worth of THEIR supplementation magnifies results. Be very careful of these individuals, as they are "bating" you with their program, while secretly preparing you for a lifetime supplement bill. Nevertheless, some of the information I learned was useful, so I continued researching with an attempt to implement every idea available. I learned the hard way that some bodybuilding philosophies and strategies are useless, and some even dangerous! One harmful strategy resulted in two partially torn triceps (and an 8 month layoff)! Nevertheless, my discovery is worth the dozens of back, triceps, and tendinitis problems I've suffered over my years of training since, quite simply, it led me to success.

I always thought there was a solid answer, but everywhere I read, people insisted that bulking up (otherwise known as gaining large amounts of fat) is the only way to produce new muscle weight. Yet, this doesn't make any sense. Sure, you CAN gain equal amounts of fat and muscle, but who wants to? I can guarantee that you would rather maintain a reasonable level of definition throughout the whole year than be forced to wear a shirt at the beach because of a fat, protruding stomach! Most will gain some body fat as they build muscle, but the large majority add far more body fat than is necessary, since they do not know the correct way to manipulate diet variables to control body fat during the muscle building process. Sure, you can hide a fat middle, but you CAN'T hide the fat face, neck, fingers, etc! Since your goal is to build an impressive looking physique, gaining large amounts of body fat defeats the purpose of bodybuilding altogether!

Because of poor [yet commonly followed] weight gain strategies, I added 120 pounds, a large portion of which was FAT (43 inch waist, which is considered grossly obese for my small bone structure). I was misled into believing that I must weigh 250 pounds with a GUT hanging over my pants and no definition in the muscle groups I trained in order to be considered big, at least by the drug saturated bodybuilding environment that I was influenced by. I desperately wanted a bodybuilder physique, but was led astray by the popular notion that I must stuff myself until near sickness for added muscle mass. Like a dope, this is exactly what I did, and it led to quite a bit of definition blurring BODY FAT. Why didn't I just reduce calories to cut up (which is what all of the articles suggest)? Unfortunately, without a proper dietary structure, a loss in muscle follows such caloric deprivation, and you find yourself once again searching for answers. With a simple caloric reduction, you won't become "cut and muscular" as "experts" suggest, but will rather lose the MUSCLE that you work so hard to gain. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! Thanks to an ineffective, haphazard dietary approach, I looked hideous. Not only was my stomach 43 inches (hovering over my belt buckle), but my face had doubled in size! I can't stress enough how unappealing this is. DON'T LISTEN TO THOSE WHO INSIST THAT BECOMING OBESE IS NECESSARY FOR ADDING SIGNIFICANT MUSCLE MASS, as it not only makes you feel completely undesirable, but will also, contrary to popular belief, actually make achieving a bodybuilder physique much more difficult. You CAN add muscle mass without gaining large amounts of fat, but you won't do so by following common "weight gain" diets. Let me be clear -- most will gain some body fat as they build muscle, as this is a necessary component of the bodybuilding process, but the vast majority of men and women who aim for muscle building add far more body fat than necessary, and ruin their physique in the process.

In addition, my experimentation found many other strategies that, although popular, are counterproductive to bodybuilding success. Long workouts and super slow reps are just a couple of the many popular bodybuilding myths. How do I know? I've tried them myself. Over my years of training, I've put a wide array of workout plans and strategies to the test, including various rep ranges and speeds, sets, workout frequencies, rest periods, food, etc. After a long, seemingly endless trial and error period, I found an effective way to train and diet for quick and impressive muscle gains, WITHOUT the customary body fat explosion!

Have you noticed that many bodybuilding authors, namely those with medical degrees, have no physical development? How can this be?!! Well, some doctors (not all, as some do train) believe that their medical degree automatically provides them with the intelligence to call themselves "experts" in the bodybuilding field, even if they don't lift weights! The fact is, unlike some "armchair bodybuilders" and personal trainers who apparently have yet to teach THEMSELVES how to develop new muscle, I have spent many years testing numerous training and diet theories ON MY OWN PHYSIQUE, all in hopes of achieving muscle mass with a very low body fat percentage. Most importantly, I NEVER took the steroid short cut, which means that my training/diet routine does NOT require illegal, potentially dangerous drugs. Quite simply, if I had the proper diet and exercise knowledge several years ago, I'd have achieved my muscle building goals without having to endure the disappointment and expense of failed supplement experimentation -- if you learn only one lesson, please AVOID SUPPLEMENTS, as proper diet and exercise is the key to success! If you are not achieving results, it is NOT BECAUSE YOU LACK THE PROPER SUPPLEMENTS, but due to ineffective diet and exercise techniques -- never forget this, as supplements ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO BUILDING MUSCLE MASS AND/OR BURNING BODY FAT! I want you to avoid the dozens of training and dietary mistakes that led me to multiple injuries, intense frustration, and significant body fat.

Keep in mind that I have been skinny (6'2" at 130 pounds) and overweight (43 inch waist), thus have approached physical improvement from both perspectives. One of the most common misconceptions regarding gaining muscle is that you need to follow a different routine based on your body type, yet the only variable that differs between overweight and skinny individuals who look to transform their body is diet -- the overweight lifter consumes less food and slightly different protein and carbohydrate levels due to his slower metabolism and need for fat loss. Otherwise, they train identically, with the skinny individual building new muscle while controlling his body fat percentage, and the overweight lifter losing fat while building muscle. Gender is also not an issue, as females train identically to males. Their caloric intake (which is naturally lower due to their smaller size and slower metabolisms) and hormone levels regulate their body into creating a feminine appearance as opposed to the huge bodybuilder females you see on the cover of magazines (who look the way they do as a result of steroids).

Well, it depends on how you define the term bodybuilder. This is another in the endless examples of muscle building misconceptions, as one follows the SAME routine whether they wish to gain 1, 10, 30, or 80 pounds of new muscle. The only difference is that one with a minor muscle building goal will switch to a "maintenance" phase sooner than one with larger muscle building aspirations, but both lifters train and diet identically. Thus, YOU decide how much muscle is built by switching to a maintenance phase the moment you are satisfied with muscle mass/body fat. This applies to both males and females, as both genders control the level of muscle gained and fat lost, thus achieving what they consider to be "ideal" given their objectives. But if you are worried about having to follow crazy muscle building routines listed on Internet sites or promoted in steroid and supplement pushing bodybuilding magazines, then there is no cause for concern, as my goal is to offer a realistic solution to building muscle that does not require you to live every moment of the day lifting weights and eating food. Such a notion is unrealistic, causes relatively quick mental burnout, and thus is not conducive towards achieving results.

Those who consider themselves "hardgainers" are actually following ineffective training/diet techniques, and will gain quickly when using the proper principles. I could have permanently labeled myself a "hardgainer" at various times throughout my muscle building pursuit (namely, at my 130 pound, 6'2" stage), but have found that those citing the "hardgainer" mentality are actually following improper diet and/or training techniques. Isn't it logical that one cannot begin to make progress with a flawed game plan? Yet, SO MANY label themselves "genetically cursed" while having NEVER implemented an effective diet/training combination! YOU ARE NOT PREDISPOSED TO SMALL MUSCLES, BUT RATHER CREATE AN ADVERSE MUSCLE BUILDING ENVIRONMENT THROUGH INEFFECTIVE DIET/TRAINING PRINCIPLES (thus, you become a "HARDGAINER"). Never forget this! NOBODY is doomed to failure when following an effective diet and training combination -- we create our own future, and ALL have the capability of bringing about a tremendous physical presence. THIS IS A FACT! Instead of assuming our genetics are flawed, why don't we begin to realize that it is our diet and/or exercise routine that needs dramatic alterations?

I can't stress enough the importance of PROPER diet in achieving bodybuilding success, especially to the natural aspirant. In fact, I like to think of food as the "natural bodybuilder's steroid", because it will honestly spell the difference between success and failure for the drug-free lifter. Even with the perfect training program, a faulty diet will prevent you from gaining an ounce of muscle mass, and for overweight lifters, will prevent fat loss, which is a fact too few people realize (and a tidbit you should NEVER forget).

It doesn't matter! We gain quicker in our teens and 20's due to higher natural hormone levels, but I have helped individuals who are young and old alike to achieve results. If it takes an 18 year old 3 months to achieve x progress, it will take a 60 year old longer, and he may not achieve the same level of muscle due to age (since hormone levels decline), but the training program remains identical, and results are consistent. Of course, those in their 30's-40's need not worry, as they can still gain at speeds close to their younger counterparts, and those 50+ will still produce consistent, dramatic progress. Significant results are possible at any age, as long as you are sufficiently healthy to train. Age is only a factor if you allow it to influence you mentally. All I ask is that you have a complete physical exam before beginning the program, including blood work, and tell your doctor that you wish to engage in an intense weight lifting program to receive approval. Also, if you happen to be under 18, email me after you read the program so I can provide you with some workout changes to reduce the chance of any impact on future height.

Oh, and another unfortunate misconception involves strength -- most believe that building an aesthetically pleasing physique leaves one devoid of strength and power -- think again! I have personally proven that BOTH strength and physical appearance can undertake a simultaneous improvement. Through the use of PROPER, EFFECTIVE diet and training principles, not only have I produced over 60 pounds of new muscle weight, but have also dramatically increased strength, and achieved a very low body fat percentage (defined abs) -- ALL WITHOUT SUPPLEMENTS OR DRUGS. You need not sacrifice appearance for the sake of extreme strength increases (or vice versa) -- when one trains properly, both strength and muscle size rise in significant proportions. Yes, it's as simple as eating and exercising PROPERLY -- no magic, simply knowledge!

People have told me that they gain strength using certain techniques (such as HIT, also known as "High Intensity Training"), but do not grow in muscle size, and this seeming contradiction must confuse many who aim to improve their physique. It is very important that you do NOT mistake strength gains with muscle building, as you may find yourself using a significantly higher weight in all exercises six weeks after starting a new routine, but have yet to gain any measurable muscle mass, and this will cause you to believe that waiting a few weeks longer will allow muscle size to "catch up" with strength improvements. However, it will prove to be a very long, disappointing few weeks if you take this approach, because your muscle size will not change! Do not mistakenly believe that a routine is "working" just because you are now bench pressing more than you were a few weeks ago, because the only way to determine if your routine is providing legitimate progress is to MEASURE muscle growth (I will teach you exactly how this is done). You can gain strength AND muscle size SIMULTANEOUSLY if you eat and train correctly, but there are routines that will actually cause your strength to improve with little associated muscle size increases (such as H.I.T., as well as others), and this is a very important distinction that few unfortunately realize.

Both! There are several advanced techniques one can add to training after gaining significant muscle mass, but 90% of lifters have yet to even progress beyond the beginner or intermediate stage due to improper diet/exercise. Remember, you are not an advanced lifter just because you have trained for 10 years, as there are many who have been lifting weights for a decade that have only produced a small 30 pound muscle gain. You are still an intermediate at best! In fact, the only change experienced weight lifters will make in their routine is the addition of 1-2 advanced techniques, and all other elements remain identical. Yet, most NEVER achieve advanced status because they have been following flawed principles for the months or years they train. I have assisted beginning, intermediate, and advanced weight lifters, and ALL benefit greatly from my diet and exercise expertise.

Shouldn't I allow everybody to experience a long, grueling trial and error period similar to mine, finding through many mistakes, injuries, and layoffs how to properly train and diet? Since I personally felt the frustration stemming from improper diet/exercise techniques and false supplement ads, I now wish to help those who are in a state of stagnation, confusion and supplementation. We all deserve the advantage of knowing how to reach our ultimate goals WITHOUT wasting time, effort, and money on foolish supplements! Nobody should ever have to do that.

MANY variables compose a successful bodybuilding program. It's not "find the right amount of reps and I'll get big.", but rather, the synergistic effect of MANY bodybuilding rules that lead to a muscular, defined physique. Don't be fooled by those who say that "HEAVY WEIGHTS, LOW REPS, AND A LOT OF FOOD WILL GET YOU BIG!" Sure, that'll get you big -- big and fat!

Recall my journey -- initially, at 16 years of age, I had a strong desire to pack on muscle mass. I wanted to weigh over 200 pounds, but was starting at the 130 mark at a height of 6'2"! After trying many of the popular muscle building strategies, I gained 120 pounds - - much of which was pure fat. By learning what NOT to do, I worked my way out of nearly 30% body fat and, after many years of experimentation, into a muscular, ripped, vascular physique. If only SOMEBODY would have guided me through training and dieting (as I learned, both are EQUALLY important) from the beginning, it would have saved me nearly a decade of experimentation, not to mention the significant money spent on supplements and bodybuilding merchandise.

Even if your goal is simply to improve a couple of lagging, or sagging, body parts, I can provide you with all of the necessary guidance. For those who are not looking to develop a bodybuilder physique, you have control -- once you achieve the degree of muscularity and definition that satisfies you, simply maintain. You don't need to produce a bodybuilder frame, but you certainly CAN keep adding muscle and become monstrous. It's up to you, as the training and diet rules remain constant regardless of your muscle building goals. Whether you desire an additional 5 pounds, or a 60 pound explosion in muscle weight (I selected the latter) -- you follow the SAME process.

PLEASE don't think "I'm too skinny, I'll never gain weight", or "I'm too fat, nobody will ever see my muscle." In my OWN personal case, I was 130 lbs. (when I began), and 250 lbs. (three years later), so I've approached bodybuilding from BOTH perspectives! Proper diet and training techniques will help anyone, regardless of age (I started at 16 years of age, while I've assisted others much older), weight, experience, etc., to achieve high muscle mass and reduce body fat significantly (or maintain low body fat in those who are already thin). Remember, NO drugs or gimmicked bodybuilding supplements are necessary, as the proper workout and diet program produces any muscle building goal. And don't worry, you need not endure six day per week or two hour long workouts. I live by a simple motto -- results are contingent upon realism. We are all BUSY with work, school, family, etc, and a system that can't be followed is completely useless. Most have tried bodybuilding programs that are so time consuming and intensive that there is no other choice but to quit after only several workouts -- it's impossible to mentally tolerate long, torturous training sessions. The good news is, shorter workouts are actually MORE effective than lengthy, seemingly endless bouts of training.

When I began my physical enhancement quest in 1989, I wasn't interested in wasting time testing hundreds of muscle building strategies. My goal was to find the EXACT diet AND training techniques that produced significant, consistent muscular development. After trusting every source imaginable, I still couldn't seem to find a routine that provided even noticeable muscular progress. Many years later, I thank God that perseverance led me to a worthwhile end.

After years of trial and error, I finally assembling a system that provides consistent gains in muscle mass, and I decided to write a course that SHOWS EXACTLY, STEP-BY-STEP, HOW TO EAT AND TRAIN FOR MUSCLE GAINS / FAT LOSS, WITHOUT USING SUPPLEMENTS OR DRUGS.

You Will Learn...

• Why having washboard abs DOES NOT require a special machine, only the proper dietary knowledge.
• The exact rep and set ranges for maximum muscle growth.
• Why longer training sessions actually diminish results.
• The MOST EFFECTIVE exercises for each muscle group.
• Why common "shaping exercises" actually DETRACT FROM MUSCLE SIZE!
• Why performing exercises in a specific order is crucial to success.
• How to NATURALLY (through training and diet) boost testosterone levels.
• Why high reps do NOTHING to promote definition.
• How to best manipulate sets for sustained growth.
• Why varying grips are necessary for complete muscular development.
• The value of aerobics and how to use it as an effective fat burner.
• The proper speed at which to perform positive and negative reps and why it matters.
• Why there is less of a difference between simple and complex carbohydrates than what people think.
• How much protein, carbohydrates, fat, and calories to consume each day, and why differing ratios are necessary.
• Why performing a large number of exercises for a particular muscle group is a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME.
• How to maximize natural growth hormone secretion through insulin control.
• Why vascularity (appearance of veins) will PEAK with the proper diet.
• Flexible training programs for every goal and lifestyle.
• The proper amount of meals per day to maximize muscle growth AND fat loss.
• The reasons behind avoiding the high fat diet.
• The calorie manipulation approach that helps to control body fat levels.
• Whether it is better to train at home or in a gym.
• EXACTLY when and how to monitor progress.
• How to use a result based training modification system to provide continuous muscular development.
• EXACTLY how to perform ALL exercises.
• Why volume based programs (large sets, many exercises, etc) are a waste of time.
• Why each muscle group requires LESS exercise to produce MORE muscle!
• How to use water in conjunction with food to produce fuller, larger muscles.
• How to avoid common weight lifting injuries -- this technique alone will save you YEARS of potential frustration.
• How to properly motivate yourself to maintain consistent effort -- ensures QUICK, DRAMATIC RESULTS!
• How you can achieve any level of muscle growth regardless of your current schedule.
• How to handle periods of illness.
• How to maintain results once you are satisfied with muscle mass and body fat levels.
• Plus MUCH more!

MuscleNOW Author

I began my training career weighing 130 pounds at a height of 6'2" (picture #1). Unfortunately, I had no idea at the time how dramatic a physical transformation I would ultimately undergo, so I didn't shoot any shirtless photographs. The picture seen here was taken at the age of 15, just several months prior to setting out on my long, arduous attempt at producing a bodybuilder physique.

At 250 pounds (second picture) I was following conventional "bulk up" training and diet programs which helped me add weight quickly -- unfortunately, the LARGE majority was FAT, and I became a big ugly monster! People would always give me credit for being so large, which helped me overlook the fact that I had NO muscular definition (43 inch waist!). I went through two years of high school with a 38 inch waist, with this expanding to 43 inches during my initial years of college, believing that I somehow needed to weigh the magical 250-275 to be given credit for having a great body. In reality, I "showed off" my "body" by wearing tight short sleeve t-shirts (even during the dead of winter), as I was so fat (43" waist) that what lurked underneath would ruin the illusion of being a well-built bodybuilder. In addition to having a huge gut, I looked sloppy in tank tops, and my face was a balloon. Essentially, bulking up completely destroyed what I set out to accomplish, which was to possess a MUSCULAR body. I had MASS, but it was FAT mass, which was the very opposite of my initial intentions.

I didn't know how to gain muscle mass without adding body fat, so I continued training on these "bulk" routines with one additional variable -- supplements. I figured that adding these powders and pills to my routine would finally provide the long awaited answer to producing a muscular, defined physique. To my dismay, after trying a truckload of popular muscle building and fat burning supplements, I looked exactly the same! At this point, frustration set in, but luckily I continued to experiment with a wide variety of diet and training techniques, hoping that I would find an effective and reasonable solution. After many months of testing popular, and not so popular, bodybuilding theories, I was finally sufficiently educated in diet/exercise to produce a positive transformation -- picture #3! I can help you to avoid the MANY mistakes that I made along my lengthy bodybuilding voyage. Regardless of whether you are currently skinny or fat, I can show you how to reach your muscle building goals without wasted effort.

Francesco Castano
MuscleNOW® Author

I had MuscleNow for a couple of years sitting up on a shelf and collecting dust for most of that time. I'll admit that I pulled it down off the shelf and put it to use on a few sporadic occasions with fantastic short term results, but then got tired of being disciplined and put it back for another day. It finally took my deciding to make a documentary about health and fitness to really put MuscleNow to the test, and let me tell you, IT IS FANTASTIC!

The name of my documentary is Fitness Captured (web site is www.FitnessCaptured.com). It is the story of an average guy with a wife, kids, job, taking his obese and way out of shape body and turning it into that of a greek god, or at least as close as he can get in 4 months time. This was all done in the midst of the holidays, 2 weeks of downtime from illness, many more cheat days than what MuscleNow allows and yet, I was able to shed a total of 39 1/2 pounds in 4 months time by following the workouts and diet, even though I cheated and had to stay out of the gym from time to time! I am now on a path of fitness that will get me to that perfect vision of fitness that we all want to have!

The results I have experienced really have proven to me the total effectiveness of the MuscleNow product! Take some time to check out the website for the Fitness Captured movie. I am currently working out a deal for all new MuscleNow customers to receive a FREE preview DVD of my movie if they buy MuscleNow from my website. I hope you get a chance to see my results so that they can inspire you to do what I did, which was to get off the couch and get to work!

Josh Golden
www.FitnessCaptured.com Owner

Brett Gains 30 Pounds With MuscleNOW!

Before

After

my name is brett and i am 21 years old. the body is such a unique thing. its amazing how much it can grow and become stronger in such a short time. but what does it need to do this? well i found out when i ordered the MuscleNow book. it tells you exactly what you need to have for your diet and what exercises to do. when combined the body explodes in muscle size and strength. and the best thing about it is no supplements what so ever, NONE! i never liked the idea of taking supplements and never have even before i started this program. i have worked out for about a year and a half and have never had gains in muscle size and mass compared to what this single book as given me. my strength in some exercies has trippled, not doubled, trippled! in just a matter of months. yes i read this website and was a little skeptical at first but theres a 90 day money back guarantee, so you have nothing to loose. hey im living proof of what this book can do for anyone. don't believe me? email me, look at my pictures. and im not done growing yet, this is just my progress so far,which is more then i hoped for in such little time, some people have spent years in the gym and have not achived the size/strength gains that i have. why haven't they?? because you have to have the right diet and exercise, not some advise some steriod body builder gives you. All your answers are here within this book. so if you wanna change how you look in the shortest amount of time and safely without steriods and or supplements heres your answer. in a matter of 3 months my arms grew about 2 inches. my chest grew 2 inches. and i packed on 20 pounds of solid muscle. not fat.... pure muscle. Leg press- 300 on a good day to 920lbs for a good 10 reps! bench press- has doubled in strength, 105 to 215 for a good 5 reps.shrugs- from 180 to 430lbs preacher curls- 80 to 145 all i got to to say is that there is no other program that comes close to what this program can do. i want to personally thank you Francesco, not only for all the time and effort that u put into this book but for answering all my questions that i had. thanks again and god bless

hey francesco its brett. i have new pics that i think you should put on the musclenow site under my old ones. i think you can definally tell that i have "thickened" up some from the last pics. since my old pics above i have gained another 10lbs of muscle. you can see that my back has grown alot, the muscles are bigger and more defined. my lifts have also increased a lot.

flat bench- 275x 4
shoulder press- 210x 3
weighted pullups- bw+ 105x 3
deadlift- 410x 4
weighted dips- bw+ 180x 2 (4 plates!!!)

im still amazed how well this program works, and the fact that im deadlifting 200+ lbs over my body weight is amazing. good dedication + musclenow = the body of your dreams

Brett Stilwell
Hamden, CT

Francesco,

It is obvious how much time and effort that you have dedicated to this amazing program. Your program was exactly what I was looking for when it came to weight training; a “step-by-step” approach to working out that didn’t leave you guessing.

In the past I have tried to do my own research to see what exactly needed to be done to maximize results. I had picked up a lot of things on my own, but after reading your book, all the bits and pieces that I had put together on my own had finally come together. In fact, I sometimes catch myself in conversations concerning weight training techniques with friends and they really seem to listen to what I have to say; all of which I learned after reading your book.

I had dedicated one summer to your program (approximately 12 weeks) and the results I saw were incomparable to any other weight training that I had done in the past. Bottom line, anyone looking to either start or modify there own weight training program will DEFINITELY benefit from MuscleNOW.

Todd Vazquez
Oak Ridge, NJ

Francesco,

first off let me say that i have been doin your workout without steroids and have done pretty much exactly what the muscle building book says for about 4 years now and thank you!!!!!!!!!! im 20 years old with the best body in my gyms and probably one of the best (non steroid) bodys in my city. thank you for the results i have acheived.

Before MuscleNOW at 17 years old

Chest 36 inches
Arms 13 inches
Legs 17 inches
Waist 31 3/4 inches

My current stats after MuscleNOW at 20 years old:

Chest 42 inches
Biceps 16 inches
Legs 22 inches
Waist 31 inches

After reading ur book i will never use steriods...because if i want to get bigger i can ...and if i want to get more ripped i can...so theres no need to as i already have the "success formula" and i thank u for that....ive been working out for 4 years with ur book at 5 days a week...i do the over head tricep press with 150 pound dumbell for 4-5 reps (my favorite exercise because it always makes heads turn!) i also curl 75 in each hand for 4-5 reps and leg press about 1100 pounds for 4-5 reps...its crazy to think this because i started out curling only 25 in each hand ....i started out using only 40 pounds for the over head tricep press and about 200 for leg press...my new stats are 16 1/4 in arms still a 42 chest but im more ripped with a 29 and 3/4 inch waist... ne ways thanks again for the abc success formula and i hope ur message gets across to the whole world of bodybuilders that u dont need steroids ...only consistency and determination!!...hey and by the way a modeling company saw me on ur website and want me to do a photo shoot...thanks again

Anyone with any questions about my results or the program can email me at the address below.

Errick Cervera
Houston, TX

Francesco,

I wasn't going to submit pictures or a testimonial but I changed my mind since there are so many false, fake, and fraudulent things on the internet.

Dedicated to the skinny from the poster boy of the skinny.

I virtually gave up weight lifting until I decided to enter the EAS Body For Life challenge. For the first month I followed the program in Bill Phillips' book "Body For Life" to the tee, plus using EAS supplements (supposed to be the best in the industry). I got lackluster results with a lot of water retention, not SOLID muscle. Long story short I stumbled across Francesco's "MuscleNOW" course, followed it precisely and VOILA! I grew like a monster gaining around 2+ inches in my arms, back, neck, legs and chest going from a slight 142 pounds to a rock solid 172 pounds ALL NATURAL (doubling strength/155 max to 300 lbs. max). That was in a little over two months of dedication. I received numerous compliments on my proportion. Even my mother (away in military), sister (away at school), and cousin (relocated) didn't recognize me after beef-n-up. The staff at Gold's Gym of Marietta, Georgia witnessed my WHOLE transformation. They were impressed and asked me to place my before/after pictures with testimonial in a book of "member transformations". I felt like a celebrity because guys and women came up to me with questions and were wondering what I did to develop SO much in such a short time. I'm only 5'9" but I feel like a giant. Look, get this book! It has everything you need so stop wasting your time and $$$. Forget everything else, this is it.

p.s. Even though I didn't place (no Corvette, EAS Contract, or $10,000 - $100,000), I surpassed achievements of 94% of the 700,000 plus competitors who entered the challenge. Maybe I should've took pictures professionally!? Anyway, I'm not kissing up, but Francesco proved his course, I proved it is "The Internet's Natural Steroid!" so go for it.

Johnny "JAY" Walker IV
Shreveport, LA

Dear Francesco!

Friend of mine showed me your MuscleNow book. I read it almost in one breath, transferred program in excel, filled up the fridge with healthy food and started to work out and eat as written in your MuscleNow program. I cannot describe how astonished I was about the results in next few weeks!! In first 10 weeks I lost around 4-5 Kilograms of FAT! I was on some training routines before, but it was only one failure after another, and results didn't want to come...and than I got even my back injured and quit weightlifting. Those were sad days, but they are OVER NOW!! ;D Your MuscleNow program works like magic for me!! All the fat is now gone and I am gaining new muscles almost every new month. I even quit my regular job at the police and started personal training. That's how good is your MuscleNow program!! ;D

And what's the best of it, I benefit from a lot of your advises also in other areas of my life! One can see very fast, that you worked real hard to put that material together into a wonderful working combination... I will keep you posted with new photos of mine!:D Thank you again for all motivating words in your email. I even got enlarged the part about consistency and stick it to the wall in my working studio.

With Kind Regards and outstanding respect from Slovenia!

Dejan Vukovic
Slovenia

Dear Mr. Castano,

I want to thank you for a great program. It has given me amazing muscle and strength gain in a short period of time. As you promised, I have seen weekly improvements, especially in the beginning. I had some traning experience before I started, but the program teached me how to both eat and train properly, and the results speak for itselves. It WORKS. What made me buy the MuscleNOW program? I thought your testemonial seemed sincere and honest, and it made sense, and all the other testemonials comfirmed it. Then I gave it a try, and here are some results:

MY PROGRESS SO FAR: February to July

Strength Gains
Bench press: From 5 reps*85 (187 pounds) to 8*105 kilos (231 pounds)
Deadlift: From about 5*95 (209 pounds) to 6*150 kilos (330 pounds)
Shoulder press: From 5*40 (88 pounds) to 6*65 kilos (143 pounds)
Seated Row: From 5*50 (110 pounds) to 9*90 kilos (198 pounds)

Measurements
(Right) arm: (flexed) from about 35 cm (13.8 inches) to 41 cm (16.1 inches)
Chest: (flexed) from about 106 cm (41.7 inches) to 112 cm (44.1 inches)

I have enclosed a before and an after picture. (The "before" picture is not good, but at least it shows some arm development.)

Thank you!

Hi Francesco

Here's an update from rainy Norway.

I have more or less stayed on your program since I started 13 months ago, but for the past 7 months, I have only eaten at maintenance level. I am not sure how much bigger I want to be, if I should do another dedicated cycle of MuscleNOW, with more eating. Somehow I am satisfied, somehow I want to get bigger and more ripped.

I'm amazed by getting e-mails from around the world from people who have read my testimony at your homepage, and want some tips from me. I respond to them that buying and following the MuscleNOW program is the best tips I can give. The program alone is the reason behind my success.

I send you some update pictures to you. I am not huge at all, but as you know, I was thinner before. Could certainly have been better if I had been more dedicated, I have to decide what I really want. More mass, more definition, more strength or maintainance.

Thank you.

Best regards and God Bless,

Tormund Roenning
Lyngdal, Norway

Francesco,

This is my story for those who are fortunate enough to be reading it, I hope it can inspire some of you....

Typically I began lifting weights when I was around 18 and after 7 yrs or so of your tradition 3 sets of 8 rep I manage to gained 10 or 15lbs, not a great deal and I stayed like this until about age 28. Due to the nature of my office job I piled on pounds of fat..I went from a lean 145lb to a fat 183lb and remained like this until I was 32, when I embarked on huge amounts of aerobics to lose it..yes within a yr and a half, sure I lost all the fat and guess what all muscle that I had built up previously too..by now I was about 135lbs!!! I stayed like this up to age 38 (before pic), but during those yrs from 25 to 38 I had tried all types weight training programs including HIT,some periodization method, high volume and also consumed creatine. None of which worked on me, sure I got a bit stronger with HIT..but didn't gain any size. So here I was thinking that maybe I'll never gain any muscular size, when I came across this website. I thought 'I've got nothing to lose'..The before pic was taken 4 months before I began using this program..within the first wk my body began to feel different as if it were charged and pumped up, another week passed and my arms had grown half an inch from 13.5 to 14...I was shocked but excited. 3 months later my arms were 15 inches, my weight had gone from 135lbs to 150lbs I had gained in 3 months what took me 7 yrs previously!!!...sure muscle memory, but now came new ground!! After another 9 months of hard work my arms were 16 inches, chest was now 42 from 37 inches and my weight was 165lbs.(pic 2)..Just 1 yr of Francesco's program..totally transformed my physique..and I'm 40 yrs old..I took a break from training but will be back with an update.

This program gives you all the knowledge you need to grow...but only you can put in the hard work...I used to train at home, but now train in the gym. I see the same guys doing the same thing for 6 months with no progress...stop wasting time and start growing.

Alex Lam
Bangkok, Thailand

I have just finished my 1st cycle, that’s 6 weeks of training so far. I've gone up from a weight of 182 to 191, with my waist remaining at a constant 31 inches. My arms have gone from 14.25" to 15.125", so almost one inch. My strength has increased as well. I went from doing 315x1 on squat to 315x5 the other day. This book is the real deal.

First, I would like to say thanks once again for the book. My brother from college who hasn't seen me in a few weeks was very impressed with my new size. It's so great to know you're gaining muscle so fast.

I would like to update you on my progress as well as my roommate Tom's progress. We have consistently been on the MN program since January 18th. I believe the deal we made was by mid-May I would send you my pictures as well as Tom's so you could post them on you website. The results will be dramatic for both of us, as you will see in about one month from now.

In three months, I have gained 3" on my chest, 1.5" on the arms, and added a good 20 lbs. And this is saying A LOT since I was in an advanced stage of bodybuilding. I am on target for my goal in May, which is a 44-45" chest and 18" arms. I have 1/2" on arms to grow and 1" on my chest to grow, and I will hit them at the rate I'm progressing now.

Tom has gained about 15-20 lbs. as well, and nearly 2" on his arms and 4" on his chest. He's getting stronger each time we workout because of his beginning stage. He's hooked on MuscleNow, and we complement each other perfectly. If one of us is tired or lazy, we get the other one going.

At the gym we train at, I am now probably the largest guy and strongest in there. I have found that even with advanced stages, your strength can go up slightly. I bench pressed 315 lbs. for the first time in my life the other day actually, which only fuels the muscle growth fire.

MuscleNow is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Tom and I get questions all the time..."how do you do this..", "man how are ur arms so big" and so much more.

I'll email you in one month with your progress and the pictures. I'll write a testimonial along with it as well. Tom owns his own copy of MN, so I'll have him do the same as well.

I have been on MuscleNow for the past three years, but unfortunately due to other areas of my life I have not been able to be on the program consistently. I finally decided to get serious and I devoted four entire months to MuscleNow. The results? I got bigger and stronger than I ever was...much bigger. In those four months, I gained 1.5" on my arms and 3.5" on my chest, and also gained 25lbs. or so, all muscle. These gains are exceptional cosidering I am an advanced lifter!

I think MuscleNow is the perfect fast gain program that beginners seek for and advanced trainers dream of. The results are quite amazing when done correctly...you will be growing by the week. The program is layed out step-by-step and Francesco did a great job answering all of my questions that I could come up with, which weren't many because the book really explains it all. The overall knowledge in this book is worth the price itself! I am so glad I finally stuck with the program. In the future I plan on sticking with MuscleNow and gaining more size until I finally feel ready to shred up, so these pictures are just preliminaries!

In these pictures I weigh 215 with a 44" chest, 17.75" arms, 28" thighs. I have a 345 bench press, a 505 squat, and a 615 deadlift. I do not have a before picture available currently (perhaps in the future) so just to give an idea of what this program can do for you, here are my before stats--182 lbs., 38" chest, 14.25" arms, 23" thighs, 230 bench press, 315 squat, and 295 deadlift. By the way, this is done with nothing but food, lifting, and MuscleNow!

I have tried many routines. Max-OT, Don Lemmon's nutriton and training, HIT training, training twice per day, training all day on a certain body part, EDT training, Vince Gironda techniques...the list goes on and on. I can safely say that if it's size you're after, MuscleNOW is the way to go.

Matt Gallagher
Bartlett, IL

Francesco,

I have decided to write a testimonial for your program to hopefully encourage others to buy your course. I remember a while ago when I purchased was thinking about purchasing the course and wasnt sure if it was worth the money. I was only a part time employer and the money I was making wasnt that much. I decided that ever since I picked up weights I wanted to have a "Big" Body. I always went to the gym and worked out with intesity, but unfortunately was oblivious to the diet routine. I had no idea with the calorie intake and such and also the cycling of reps and sets to failure! The first time around I was so impatient to begin the program that I did not read the full book and just gained fat. I tried the fat loss phase without reading the book fully and it worked like magic! then this summer I became really serious and re-read the book until I can tell you everything that you have to do from the book with my eyes closed. And the results speak for themeselves. My measurements are no where near where I want to be and I get compliments all the time. But when I tell people the price of your course they balk! All I can say is it is mind boggling to me that they would spend $100 in two nights at bars with friends drinking away, and then spend the same amount or more on supplements that do absolutely nothing. Your course works if you put in the effort but unfortunately most people dont have the dedication. Take my advice, buy the book--it is a 3 month money back gaurantee. First read the WHOLE book front to cover and if you dont understand it re-read, then you can ask Fransesco ANYTHING and ANY TIME. Trust me, I must have emailed him 2 million times many of which was even questioning the success of his program. His replies are extremely quick. If you dont believe me write to him now and ask him a question you have about lifting. You will get a response within the next couple of days if not the next day! The support alone is worth the cost of the program. The course has it all and works like he promises. I am living proof of that and plan to reach my genetic potential in the future and have Fransescos body! It is possible if you believe in yourself, I do and it shows. The course shows you how to cycle reps, why going to failure works, how and when to switch the reps with the sets, when to eat, how much to eat, what exercises to do, how to avoid injuries, best equipment options, how to know when to decrease or increase calories so you achieve results every week and your efforts no go wasted. If your looking for a beach body or bodybuilder look you get what you want--period. I use to come to this site for motivation by others success, and it does help. If you want to start getting muscle right away, MUSCLENOW is the way to go! Trust me, you wont be dissapointed.

Nick Alagna
Arlington Heights, IL

My name is Stephen and I began using MuscleNow in order to shed fat and gain muscle. My sister bought the book and asked me to try it out. I had been lifting and doing minor cardio prior to starting the program. I am 6'4" and weighed 240 pounds and had an approximate body fat of 18%.

I picked a few friends to do MuscleNow with me. One friend had very little fat and was very skinny. The others had quite a bit of fat to lose and little muscle. We followed the nutrition and training program to the letter. Within six months, I was weighing 198 pounds and my body fat was down to 7%. I could not get my body fat this low even when I was a Marine. I am also lifting 25% more weight than when I began the program.

The skinny friend who needed to gain muscle did and the others who needed to lose fat have dropped down to 9% body fat from approximately 22% body fat. MuscleNow has given me the body and strength I have always desired and I finally feel great about myself. I am now going to introduce this to my father who is now retired and back in the gym. I look forward to sending you his before and after shots.

The incredible thing about it is he did all of this while living abroad and didn't have a lot of access to weights so he improvised with his body weight and filling up bags with water, etc. He followed your nutrition suggestions to the letter, which helped him a lot. He ended up having about 8 guys following him every day doing this stuff. Some were very over weight and needed to drop fat, and others were very skinny and needed muscle. Your program worked for them all.

Stephen R.
Long Beach, CA

Thank you so much for your kindness and patience that you have provided me with in the last 15 months. I started your program 15 months ago as a 5 foot 9, 147 pound 16 year old that loved the game of rugby. I had plenty of talent and promise, but problem was my size. Most backline rugby players these days weigh around 200 pounds, but I was about 53 pounds short of this. I spent hours in the gym each day, tried all kinds of supplements (including the ever popular creatine). But no matter how hard I tried I simply could not get over 147 pounds. But then one day when surfing the net for ideas on how I could reach my goal of 200 pounds I came across your website by either luck or the kindness of God. I was initially skeptical but decided to give it a go as I had nothing to lose. I did not have time to train more than 3 days per week due to school and other sporting commitments. So I closely followed your three day per week workout plan and every aspect of the course for 15 months and completely transformed my body and my life. I increased my biceps on either arm from 35 cm (13.75 inches) to 42 cm (16.5 inches), my chest from 89 cm (35 inches) to 105 cm (41.3 inches), transformed my legs from tooth picks into tree trunks and increased my weight from 147 pounds to 182 pounds. My body fat percentage has increased from 9 percent to 9.5 percent (negligible amount when considering I have gained 35 pounds).

I changed from being the enquirer in the gym asking all the big bulky guys questions to being the enquired (everyone wants to know how to do it). I achieved a quarter of my dream so far of being selected for the All Blacks one day. I was selected for the provincial under 18 Rugby team. I got the nod ahead of some of the other candidates at inside centre because of my immense strength and power (something that I never would have achieved without your help). I am currently in my summer holiday and have some spare time and decided to follow your five day plan for the next 8 weeks as I was tremendously excited about the potential effects that it could do if the three day routine could do so much. I am only 18 pounds away from my goal and wish to increase my biceps to 45 cm (17.75 inches) and my chest to 112 cm (44 inches). With your program I know that this is possible. Thanks again for changing my life and completely transforming my body.

I have included 5 photos (photo # 1 was just before I started and photo #5 is me at present). The pictures follow a systematic order from 1 to 5 as I engaged on my journey in the last 15 months.

Thank you again for all your help.

I have now completed my muscle building phase while on higher calories until I can resume this in the future again. My left arm now measures at 44.5 cm, right arm at 44 cm and chest at 109 cm. I am delighted with the progress that I have made in the past 2 years on your course. I have increased my biceps from 35 cm (13.7 inches) to 44 cm (17.3 inches), my chest from 89 cm (35 inches) to 109 cm (42.9 inches), my weight from 67 kg (147 pounds) to 87 kg (191 pounds) end now leg press a 6 repetition max 880 pounds. What makes these results so amazing to me is that for a majority of the course I had only been following the 3 day per week program and the only advanced technique that I have applied is extending the 5 set week. Thank you so much for all your help.

Total results so far

My weight has increased from 67 kg to 89 kg
My arms from 35 cm to 45 cm
My chest from 89 cm to 109 cm
While still managing to decrease my fat percentage from 8 percent to 7.2 percent.

JC Van der Westhuizen
Invercargill, New Zealand

Francesco,

I am sending you an update on my training, and hopefully you will use this for your testimonial page. I have recently completed your six week program and I am starting it all over next week. The first cycle has been nothing short of magical. I gained about 7 lbs and had increases in all of my measurements. I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical when I first started. I always thought it was a prerequisite to take supplements in order to gain muscle, but your program has taught me the total opposite. It is amazing what food and proper exercise can do for you. I will NEVER touch a supplement again as long as a live.

When I first started your program, I neglected some of your recommendations. Finally, I realized what you said about every principle working together. I used the program EXACTLY like you put it, and my results have been amazing. I am stronger than I ever was, I have veins everywhere in my body, including my neck, chest, shoulders, arms, and even my legs!!! People are always asking me what supplements I use. I tell them that I don't take anything. I have even been labeled a steroid user. Well, I admit to them that I am; I use the internet's natural steroid. I know some people question me being natural, but I know the hard work I have put in and that's all that matters.

I now weigh 205 lbs with about 7% body fat. My goal is 215 lbs, which I know is achievable with this program. I am an independent professional wrestler and at one point I thought to myself that I would never be big enough to make it in the big time. Well, now I know that the future is in my hands because your program ensures success and results. I just want to thank you for putting out such a remarkable product. You are making it a lot easier for me to follow my dream. This program is definitely "all you need to succeed." Thanks for everything and take care of yourself.

I now weigh 215 pounds with about 7 percent body fat. I still see improvements constantly and live and breath the MuscleNOW program. Thanks again and take care.

John Stagikas
Framingham, MA

I have been using your program for 9 months and the results are incredible. Your program worked for me and everyone I see I tell them that I use MuscleNOW to keep myself fit and in shape. I am now pursuing a modeling career and I thank you for helping me by writing this book. I can't say enough positive things about it, my results speak for itself.

Wayne Evely Jr.
Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada

I thought I'd share something with you that happened to me today that I have to admit I was not really prepared for - I was in the locker room at the local community college I'm attending and had just gotten out of the shower after a workout. I overheard two guys from the weight room talking about diet and protein, creatine and stuff of that nature when I heard one of them say "yeah I want to look like that guy. Hey what do you do to get so cut?" I looked up to find them approaching me!! A recommendation to your MuscleNOW web site soon followed. It's interesting how you can look in the mirror and not really give yourself credit for what you've accomplished but getting a complement of that magnitude was quite a reward.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge,

Obadiah E. Switzer
Myers Flat, CA

Francesco,

This is my seventh week on your program and I am seeing awesome results. One body part that I've noticed really getting big is my biceps. Before they didn't have that much height, but now they look really awesome. The preacher curls have made a huge difference along with the other exercises.

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for providing me with your help. I truly would have never made the gains I've been making without your help. I've tried all the pro bodybuilding training programs and diet programs, but have all failed. I've made more gains in this past 8 weeks than I have in 1 1/2 years. If anybody is reading this, I really suggest you invest in this program.

Thanks and God Bless,

Brian Bartell
Bakersfield, CA

Francesco,

Hey, I'm now the national lightweight subchampion. I just won second at the National Independence Pro Cup (last Sunday) right next to Felipe Diaz (national champ) who also has 4 consecutive years winning the overall in this competition. I just want you to know that the nutritional knowledge you provided was a GREAT HELP, THANKS! I've been comparing my before pictures with the ones of this competition and the difference in size and hardness are obvious.

Dario Melendez
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Francesco,

I've followed the MuscleNOW system for the full 90 day trial, in which I was able to test what it was like at putting on muscle AND stripping fat for a bodybuilding competition. The results where quite surprising, I found I easily did both.

During the first 35 days I gained strength, mass, and only slightly elevated my body fat levels. I started with a 31 inch waist, and as the program outlined, only gained 2 inches around the waist before I started dieting. During this time, my strength increased consistently, and I gained 3 inches around my chest (and back), and 1 ˝ inches on my arms, on the shoulders and the legs. As I ventured on with this program, following the diet DID get easier. The amount of food, and consuming the natural sugars around my workout was something I was not accustomed to, but the results speak for themselves.

After 1 week of dieting I lost 1 1/12 inches from my waist, so I was nearly back to my starting waist measurement, the fat just melted a