I guess I am really not all that amazing… but it sounds good as a title! This is not me looking for a pat on the back, I know better than anyone what my progress is and how it could be better, but this is a sort of accountability for me to continue to bust ass, work hard, and eat enough to get me to a respectable size!
I am attaching a whole fleet of pictures. I apologize. These are my roughly 9 and a halfish months of working out pictures. Somewhat sad, I know. School makes it hard to work out, my gym sucks, blah blah blah insert tons of excuses that don’t matter. Bottom like is, I have not worked as hard as I could have, and this is basically my pledge to begin… IMMEDIATELY.
(This is going to be a long-ass post. Apologies again.)
I began last year at a paltry weight of about 174 lbs. I was SKINNY and somewhat sickening, I looked not unlike someone who had not eaten in several months. These are the first sets of pictures, excluding the back double bi- that first pic was taken a couple months after working out.
The second set is me now- at a weight of about 210-215. I look better. Not good. Still shit, actually. I don’t know what is worse than shit. Well… probably what i looked like before. Anyway, here are various and sundry pics of my handsome self…
Disclaimer: I AM NOT STRONG. Kindly refrain from reading N3wb’s training log right before mine, as you might be inclined to ridicule me. You may be inclined to ridicule me anyway, actually. Oh well.
Bench: 115 (haha. its really not funny.) to 205 (still not laughing)
Squat: 175 to… well, I don’t back squat anymore, but I normally do something like 255x5 Front Squat, and last max Back Squat was 300
Deadlift: 200 to 315x8. I haven’t maxed. Occasionally I use straps, but I am finding more and more I don’t like them.
So those are my somewhat pathetic numbers. I work out in an Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower split.
I occasionally force myself to run.
I also have a pretty thick log about 9 feet tall that I flip around my yard for 15-25 minutes 2 or 3 times a week.
I have two logs about 4 feet long that I throw around, mainly over my head, I do that once every two weeks or so.
I am following Berardi’s PN getting in about 3200-3500 calories a day (yes, I actually log my food every couple days to keep track… thank you Sport Nutrition Class) I would like to gain some size but mainly get stronger and perhaps in better condition for Fall Rugby… can’t wait.
I am 6’2. That’s all, I suppose I will stop talking. Feel free to comment, ask questions, whatever. I will log workouts and anything I find interesting.
You are probably deliberately fishing for compliments with these self-deprecating comments, but hey, I’ll bite…
Your progress is not bad at all. You’re doing great. Only freaks go from skinny to huge in less than 10 months.
Look at it this way… if you keep up this rate of progress, in 2 years you will be benching over 400 and weighing well over 250 (not that you should necessarily expect to keep up this rate of progress…).
I really am not fishing for compliments… I am genuinely displeased about where I am as opposed to where I feel I should be. Your comment that I should not stop is exactly why I started the ol’ log. I am not going to.
In other news, my caloric intake today was just under 3100 kcals (taking into account my planned meals) I may ingest an extra handful of almonds to make up for it.
Why are some people so scared of getting flamed that they decide to kick themselves off the ladder just to avoid others knocking them down a rung or two?
Dude, you DO NOT have to apologize for lifting numbers that are relatively weak on these boards. You’ve bumped up your bench 90 lbs, your deadlift by 115, and your squat by 125 lbs…in 9.5 months of lifting, that’s a pretty good start.
I don’t know about others around here, but my comments towards people are very strongly influenced by how much progress they have shown in their lifting since they began. How far you’ve come matters a great fucking deal, not just where you are currently.
Hey keane
i think you’ve made a lot of good progress. Just don’t ever give up. If bodybuilding was easy, the world wouldn’t be full of skinny and fat wastes of space. So keep lifting and eating.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
You are either full of yourself or just insecure and socially awkward. In any event, you have made good progress. Keep it up.[/quote]
I like to THINK neither… but hell. You never know!
re. the grow a sack comment… I just don’t think my lifts are as good as they could be. I am 20 years old, lifting for more than 6 months, and I don’t quite bench my bodyweight.
I guess I just have really high standards for myself. I think you kind of have too.
Yesterday I did 20 minutes of good ol’ Log Flipping. Flipped the log all the way across the yard, jogged for a bit, then flipped it all the way back, and jogged til my heart rate slowed back down a bit.
I’ve started the bench to the neck thing instead of just straight benching. I can activate my pecs a lot more than just my tris, which I find dominate my bench, thus my somewhat weak chest. A good workout overall. I have been doing this Upper/Lower thing for about 6 weeks now, and will probably switch it up soonish. I kinda want to try something HF… it intrigues me. or (gasp) TOTAL BODY? I don’t know yet.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
You are either full of yourself or just insecure and socially awkward. In any event, you have made good progress. Keep it up.[/quote]
Deadlifts 3x8x315
Front Squats 3x12x135
Pike Raises 3x15
A little short, because I had to go to work. I work retail, and it sucks. 7 hour shifts with one 30 min break, and god knows when I am going to be able to take it. last week I went 5 hours without eating because of it and nearly died. ok, I was actually just really hungry. I have started bringing a shake with me and sneak drinks from it often, and just eat a big meal during break. oh well.
Re. beginning a new program… I think I might try ABBH1. I really think I would benefit from a structured program like that. Has anyone tried it? (Stupid question, how about, does anyone who has tried it care to give an opinion on it?)
Shoulder Shit: Face Pulls, Behind the Back Band Pull Aparts, etc.
My shoulder struggles. They are in laughable condition considering I am only 20 years old. As I consider my upper chest to be somewhat of a weak point, I would like to concentrate on incline, but to compensate I am dropping all other vertical pressing and really trying to get my shoulders healthy. My dad’s shoulders are also bad (he trains with me) and so we are both attempting to get our shoulders back to normal.
My dad and I began measuring our progress, and I calipered out to be 14.5% BF (7 site… method as described in PN) at 210. My dad calipered at 12.5% BF at 205.
My weight last summer was 175ish, and I calipered then at 12.5. If my calculations are correct, my LBM went from 153 to 179, while my fat mass went from about 22 to 30. not bad I guess. keeping somewhat of this ratio would be extremely desirable.
Took the weekend off for traveling, forgot to write up my workout for yesterday.
Started ABBH1. I think its going to be good.
BP to Neck 160x10x3
BB Rows 205x10x3
I think those numbers are what they are supposed to be, 80% of my 1RM, but the BPN was really light. I love doing lots of sets with low reps, by the end I feel all warmed up and just pump them out. NOT looking forward to 5x10 front squats tomorrow. OK maybe I am just a little…
