Who is Casey Viator?
Casey Viator’s career, which spanned high school sports to becoming the youngest person to win Mr. America in 1971, has cemented his place in bodybuilding lore.
Short Career of Casey Viator
Casey Viator was endowed with exceptional genetics, which helped him create an astounding physique. This was demonstrated in the famous Colorado Experiment, in which he put on 63 pounds of muscle in just 28 days.
But Casey didn’t always have it easy; in 1973, he was in a bad gym accident that almost cost him his life.
Body Measurements of Casey Viator
| Full Name: | Casey Viator |
| WEIGHT: | 215-225lbs (93.0 – 102.1kg) |
| ERA: | 1970, 1980, 1990 |
| HEIGHT : | 5’8 ” (172.5cm) |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
Accomplishments
Competitions
- 1968 Mr. Louisiana, 1st
- 1969 AAU Teen Mr. America, 6th
- 1970 AAU Mr. America, Most Musular, 3rd
- 1970 AAU Teen Mr. America, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1970 AAU Mr. USA, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1971 AAU Mr. America, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1971 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe, Medium, 2nd
- 1979 Canada Cup Pro, 5th
- 1980 Grand Prix California, 3rd
- 1980 Grand Prix Louisiana, 1st
- Also, 1980 Grand Prix Miami, 2nd
- 1980 Grand Prix Pennsylvania, 1st
- Also,1980 Night of Champions, 5th
- 1980 Mr. Olympia, 14th
- 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational, 1st
- 1981 Grand Prix California, NP
- 1982 Grand Prix Belgium, 4th
- 1982 Grand Prix Sweden, 3rd
- Also, 1982 Mr. Olympia, 3rd
- 1995 Masters Olympia, 12th
Biography
Young Years
Casey, who was raised in Louisiana’s Pelican State, has always been an avid sports fan. He participated in baseball and other activities during middle school. Nevertheless, he was aware of his uniqueness even as a young child.
Simply by jogging and hitting baseballs, he significantly improved the size of his arms and legs. He quickly rose to the top of his year’s size.
This inspired Casey to start weightlifting and maximize his potential in the gym.
Beginning a Fitness Journey
At the age of 13, Casey began a tough training regimen in 1964 with the assistance of his uncle, a “huge muscled-up guy.” He concentrated on Olympic lifts and acquired strength and size nearly right away.
But Casey wasn’t satisfied with his appearance, so he started researching the bodybuilding industry. Soon after, he began working out specific muscle groups to build the body of his dreams.
Casey exercised as hard as he could, refusing to rely on his genetic makeup for success. He was eager to follow his fitness journey.
Bodybuilding Competitions
When he was old enough, at the age of 17, Casey competed in his first pageant, The 1968 Mr. Louisiana. His perseverance had already brought him his first taste of success at such a young age. He left with the title of Mr. Louisiana in his possession.
AAU Teen Mr. America 1969 was Casey’s next performance. The future legend, however, came in sixth because of his inexperience with stage posturing.
Casey was now more determined than ever to establish a reputation in the field.
Getting to the Top
He came back stronger in 1970, finishing third in the Mr. America competition and winning the Most Muscular trophy.
Casey replicated his prior achievement in the same year he won the AAU Teen Mr. America and AAU Mr. USA competitions, taking home the Most Muscular award in both.
However, he had only just begun.
Encountering Arthur Jones
After the 1970 Mr. America competition, Casey got to know Arthur Jones, the creator of the Nautilus. When Arthur saw his incredible potential, he pledged to help him succeed.
Arthur examined Casey’s training and found that the kid was overtraining and stunting his development. His improvement skyrocketed after he put Casey on a considerably shorter workout schedule.
Casey’s body grew during this time more quickly than he’d ever noticed.
Making History
The next year, Casey had his most prosperous year as a bodybuilder. He took first place in the Junior Mr. America competition in 1971 and received the Most Muscular title a third time.
However, winning the trophy and Most Muscular title in the 1971 Mr. America pageant was his biggest accomplishment.
Casey made history by becoming the competition’s youngest Mr. America at the age of 19.
Injury and Near Miss
Following his historic triumph, Casey rose to prominence in the bodybuilding world. But it became too much for him, so he took a year off from the sport.
In 1972, he went back to the gym, but at the beginning of 1973, Casey suffered a catastrophic accident in the gym that caused him to lose most of his little finger. He was taken to the hospital right away, but the situation only became worse.
Casey nearly passed away after reacting horribly to the anti-tetanus injection that was given to him. Following that, he experienced sadness and was unable to exercise or eat properly until the middle of 1973.
The Colorado Trial
By May 1973, a few months later, Casey had shed 33.63 pounds. But there was still some hope.
Arthur promised to help him repair his body after noticing his health was getting worse. Casey began her training in the same month to become the participant in Arthur’s “Colorado Experiment.”
Under Arthur’s direction, Casey exercised and followed a nutrition plan for the ensuing 28 days. By the 28th of May 1973, Casey had acquired 63.21 pounds of muscle (2.26 pounds each day), while also dropping 7 pounds of fat. The 22-year-adventure old’s had resumed for him.
This was the biggest increase in body weight caused by muscle in a human.
After a break, resume the competition
After the Colorado Experience, Casey resumed training but didn’t compete for five years because Arthur urged him to take time to heal from his accident and difficult experiment.
Casey, however, made a comeback in 1978, competing in the NABBA Mr. Universe, where he finished in second place. He competed in the Canada Pro Cup the following year and finished fifth.
At age 29, Casey entered 7 shows in 1980, his busiest year since 1970, and he returned to form by winning 3 prizes and placing in each competition.
Retirement
Casey Viator participated in 5 further tournaments between 1981 and 1982. Despite finishing in the top 3, he was unable to add any victories to his impressive resume.
Casey realized at this point that his professional career was over. He took a break again until 1995, when, at the age of 44, he entered the ring for the final time, finishing 12th in the Masters Olympia.
Individual Training
Casey decided to support the industry when he stopped competing in bodybuilding.
He started providing online nutritional advice and personal training to help people all around the world build the bodies of their dreams.
Training
Casey only performed a maximum of 3 sets of training during the “Colorado Experiment” due to the short training sessions.
However, he would carry out numerous repetitions and use the heaviest weights he was capable of. For cardio, Casey ran three times per week.
Exercise Program
Casey’s exercise program resembled this:
| Exercise |
Sets
|
Reps
|
Pounds
|
| LEGS | |||
| Leg Press |
1
|
20
|
750
|
| Leg Extension |
1
|
14-20
|
250
|
| Squats |
1
|
14-20
|
505
|
| Leg Curls |
1
|
14-20
|
150
|
| LATS | |||
| Nautilus Pullover Machine |
3
|
20
|
|
| Special Circular Pulldown |
3
|
20
|
|
| Chinning |
3
|
20
|
|
| DELTOIDS | |||
| Standing Lateral Raise |
3
|
20
|
60
|
| Press Behind Neck |
3
|
20
|
215
|
| Nautilus Special Side-Raise |
3
|
20
|
|
| TRAPS | |||
| Shoulder Shrugs |
3
|
20
|
280
|
| CHEST | |||
| Bench Press |
2
|
20
|
350
|
| Incline Barbell Press |
3
|
20
|
225
|
| Parallel Bar Dips |
3
|
20
|
100
|
| Cable Crossovers |
3
|
20
|
40
|
| ARMS | |||
| Barbell Curl |
1
|
20
|
200
|
| Nautilus Bicep & Tricep |
1
|
20
|
120
|
| Nautilus Pushdown |
1
|
20
|
110
|
| Compound Tricep Movement |
1
|
20
|
|
| CALFS | |||
| Seated Barbell Wrist Curl |
2
|
20
|
|
| LOWER BACK | |||
| Dead Lifts |
1
|
30
|
400
|
Nutrition
In his prime, Casey made an effort to consume at least 250 grams of protein a day to preserve and enhance his incredible physique.
He ate 6 to 8 meals per day to maintain a strong metabolism, focusing on lean proteins, lots of milk, and a few carbohydrates.
Food menu
Casey’s nutrition regimen resembled this:
- Meal 1 – Eggs and Milk
- Meal 2 – Lean Beef, Milk with Egg Protein Powder
- Also, Meal 3 – Eggs and Milk
- Meal 4 – Lean Beef, Milk with Egg Protein Powder
- Meal 5 – Chicken and Milk
- Also, Meal 6 – Chicken and Milk
- Meal 7 – Chicken and Milk
- Meal 8 – Chicken and Milk
Influences and Idols
Casey Viator cites Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sergio Oliva as his career-related inspirations.
But he names Dorian Yates as another contemporary bodybuilder who makes an impression on him.
What Can Casey Viator Teach Us?
Casey Viator has shown us that everything is achievable if you put in enough effort. He started training at the age of 13, took first place in his first match, and retired as a legend in the sport.
One lesson we may learn from Casey’s tale is that the secret to success is getting back up after being pushed down.
After his accident at the gym and his encounter with a near-death situation, he had despair, but he recovered well to continue competing on stage.