Casey Viator was an American professional bodybuilder who competed in the 1970s and 1980s era of bodybuilding. He is popularly known for his involvement in Arthur Jones’ Colorado Experiment. This article explores his complete profile, biography, workout routine, diet, and statistics.
Casey Viator
Born: Semptember 4, 1951
Died: September 4, 2013
Birthplace: Lafayette, Los Angeles, USA
Residence: Clearwater, Florida, USA
Nickname: Rocky
Height: 5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Weight: 240 lbs (109 kg)
Arms: 22″ (56 cm)
Chest: 58″ (147 cm)
Waist: 32″ (81 cm)
Thighs: 29″ (73 cm)
Calves: 20,5″ (52 cm)
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Casey Viator Biography
Early Life
Casey Viator was born and raised in Pelican State, Louisiana. He was born with physical abilities and a natural inclination to participate in sports. During his teenage years, Viator noticed that he was able to build muscle and get big simply by playing different sports.
To make a conscious effort to get strong and big, the Louisiana native turned toward weight training and it eventually led him on the path to become one of the most promising bodybuilders of his era.
Viator was inspired by one of his relatives who was a big and muscular person. By age 13, Viator started doing basic Olympic lifts to gain muscle. As time passed, he started getting big. However, he was not happy with the aesthetics and proportions of his physique.
This led Viator to explore the world of bodybuilding. He started studying material, and talking to people who knew about bodybuilding, and subsequently, he started implementing the knowledge into his training routine.
As a teenager, Casey Viator soon started training every muscle group in different training sessions and focused on getting the right proportions and symmetry to his physique. Viator trained vigorously and spent hours in the gym at a time. Soon, his physique started taking the desired shape and he was ready to step on the competitive bodybuilding stage.
Early Career
When Casey Viator was 17, he participated in the 1968 Mr. Lousiana and walked away with a victory, defeating some of the more experienced competitors at the show. The taste of success motivated him to do even better and Viator started competing regularly while trying to improve his physique in the gym.
The years 1970 and 1971 proved to be a golden phase of Viator’s bodybuilding journey as he won four shows in a row. During this time, he won the 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America, 1970 AAU Mr. USA, 1971 AAU Mr. America, and 1971 Junior Mr. America while absolutely dominating his competition.
Viator was the youngest competitor to win the AAU Mr. America title and a lot of his success could be attributed to Nautilus machines founder Arthur Jones. Viator met Jones after the 1970 Mr. America. Jones felt that Viator was overworking in the gym and helped him formulate a training routine that addressed this issue.
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Viator’s new workout plan was much shorter and it helped him retain energy while still making meaningful gains.
Viator took a long leave of absence from competitive bodybuilding after his success in 1971. He was involved in the Colorado Experiment in 1973 and continued to work hard in the gym during his hiatus.
Later Career
Casey Viator returned to competition with a runner-up finish at the 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe. This performance provided a great starting point for his second run in the sport. Viator continued to participate in bodybuilding shows for the next three years and won several pro shows, including the 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational.
He made his Mr. Olympia debut at the 1980 Olympia with a 14th-place finish and surged into the top three at the 1982 Mr. Olympia. This proved to be Viator’s best Olympia performance and he took another long hiatus from the sport after this. He donned the posing trunks one last time at the 1995 Masters Olympia and secured a 12th-place finish.
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Later years and death
After retiring from the competitive sphere of bodybuilding, Casey Viator started his own training and nutrition consulting business. Viator was also a fitness and bodybuilding writer for the Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines. He continued to work and help others achieve their goals until his death by heart attack on his birthday, September 4, 2013.
Competition History
- 1995 Masters Olympia – 12th place
- 1982 Mr. Olympia – 3rd place
- 1982 Grand Prix Sweden – 3rd place
- 1982 Grand Prix Belgium – 4th place
- 1981 Grand Prix California – Did not place
- 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – 1st place
- 1980 Mr. Olympia – 14th place
- 1980 Night of Champions – 5th place
- 1980 Grand Prix Pennsylvania – 1st place
- 1980 Grand Prix Miami – 2nd place
- 1980 Grand Prix Louisiana – 1st place
- 1980 Grand Prix California – 3rd place
- 1979 Canada Pro Cup – 5th place
- 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe, Medium – 2nd place
- 1971 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
- 1971 AAU Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
- 1970 AAU Mr. USA, Most Muscular – 1st place
- 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
- 1970 AAU Mr. America, Most Muscular – 3rd place
- 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America – 6th place
- 1968 Mr. Louisiana – 1st place
Casey Viator Workout
Casey Viator was known for working extremely hard with furious intensity. He lifted heavy and did high-volume training at the same time. At the time, it was reported that he trained six days a week and trained several hours every single day.
However, Viator’s training approach changed significantly after he met with Arthur Jones, the founder of Nautilus equipment. Jones selected Viator as the primary subject for the Colorado Experiment. This experiment aimed to prove or disprove the efficacy of Nautilus gym equipment.
Viator trained as per Jones’ high-intensity training (HIT) principles for this experiment. Traditional workouts involve a maximalist training approach where bodybuilders spend hours in the gym daily to build their desired physique.
The HIT training differs in this one specific area as it involves training with extremely high intensity in short training sessions. Typically, this training method involves only one set of every exercise. However, the set is performed to failure with slow reps to put the muscle under tension for a longer duration.
Proponents of this training method claim that this method is more effective in building muscle. The results of the Colorado Experiment showed that Viator had a net gain of 60+ pounds in lean muscle mass over 28 days.
However, the results were highly debated for several reasons, including that Viator was already a trained bodybuilder who carried a significant muscle mass even before enrolling in the experiment.
Typically, the following are the exercises that Casey Viator performed during the Colorado Experiment.
Legs
- Leg Press – 1 set of 20 reps with 750 pounds
- Leg Extensions – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 250 pounds
- Barbell Squats – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 500 pounds
- Leg Curls – 1 set of 14 to 20 reps with 150 pounds
- Seated Calf Raises – 2 sets of 20 reps
- Standing Calf Raises – 2 sets of 20 reps
Back
- Machine Pullovers – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Lat Pulldown Circular – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Deadlifts – 1 set of 30 reps with 400 pounds
- Pull-Ups – 3 sets of 20 reps
Shoulders and Traps
- Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps with 60 pounds
- Press Behind-the-Neck – 3 sets of 20 reps with 215 pounds
- Machine Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets of 20 reps
Chest
- Bench Press – 2 sets of 20 reps with 350 pounds
- Incline Bench Press – 3 sets of 20 reps with 225 pounds
- Parallel Bar Dips – 3 sets of 20 reps with 100 pounds
- Cable Crossover – 3 sets of 20 reps with 40 pounds
Arms
- Barbell Curls – 1 set of 20 reps with 200 pounds
- Machine Curls – 1 set of 20 reps with 120 pounds
- Triceps Pushdowns – 1 set of 20 reps with 110 pounds
- Overhead Triceps Extensions Machine – 1 set of 20 reps
Casey Viator Diet
Casey Viator’s dietary practices were simple. He did not indulge in any fad diets or extreme principles. Instead, the goal was to consume around 250 grams of protein with 4000 to 5000 calories per day.
Viator ate six to eight meals every day and ate after every two to three hours. This method of eating helped him maintain his energy levels and kept his metabolism high. Each meal was based on protein. Chicken, eggs, and lean cuts of beef were his primary sources of protein.
Here is a sample of Casey Viator’s full day of eating:
Meal 1
- Eggs
- Milk
Meal 2
- Lean Beef
- Egg Protein Powder
Meal 3
- Eggs
- Milk
Meal 4
- Lean Beef
- Milk
- Egg Protein Powder
Meal 5
- Chicken
- Milk
Meal 6
- Chicken
- Milk
Meal 7
- Chicken
- Milk
Meal 8
- Chicken
- Milk
To Conclude…
Casey Viator was a genetically gifted individual who could make huge gains with relative ease. However, his progress and career trajectory show that he refused to rely on his genetic gift alone and worked hard relentlessly to achieve his goals. His life story proves that your inheritance and genetics etc. can give you a great starting point. But your true strength lies in making progress with your efforts without relying on them too much.
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