Forgive me if this isn’t the appropriate place to post this, but I couldn’t find another.
First of all, I want to thank Chris Shugart for sharing this article with us. And to the powers that be …
… shame on you. I thought that was the whole point of the article.
Of course, articles such as “The Beast Evolves” are inspiring and great to see. I admire and respect Christian Thibaudeau a great deal, but I don’t honestly feel that I could attain his results any time in the immediate future.
Nick Puente’s results, while perhaps not as dramatic, are still impressive, AND, I feel, attainable by me. This goes a lot further towards inspiring me and getting my ass to the gym and making sure my diet is on track.
Thanks Chris and Nick. And while I think a bit less of t-nation for axeing this article, they (or at least the new format) have gained some ground as it allowed this article to see the light of day through the web logs.
I really can’t blame “da bosses” for not running the second half of Project Evolution as an article. People really are jaded about real, obtainable results. Most mags know that and would have rejected it.
But to me, that’s exactly what’s needed in the bodybuilding world - real people getting real results. But normal people gaining a little muscle and losing a little fat doesn’t sell magazines or supplements. Customers and readers want freaks (see just about any BB mag) and “results not typical” before and afters.
This can be motivating, but it also be demotivating when the person doesn’t get those same, often unrealistic results. So you get a poor sap who gains 10 pounds while knocking down his bodyfat percentage and he QUITS because he thumbs through FLEX and gets discouraged. It’s sad.
Same is true with supplements. I know people who’ve had success with a supplement, yet they’ve dissed it because they didn’t turn into Ronnie Coleman in 6 weeks. Sure, the supplement helped them gain muscle but they try to return it because, “Dude, I only gained like 6 pounds in two weeks.” They don’t realize that’s damn good!
Anyway, glad you got something out of Nick’s story. Hey, maybe I’ll “publish” all my old rejected articles in my blog!
I too want to jump in on this thread. After recently completely the “Growth Surge Project” and having achieved nearly identical gains (visually at least), it’s good to know I did things right.
Honestly I was dissapointed in my progress before reading your article.
I just thought I’d chime in as well and say how much I appreciate your posting this, Chris. I’d been patiently waiting for a progress report for months and was finally about to give up.
While I appreciate that the articles that show spectacular results such as CT’s help to establish respect for the authors/subjects, your point about discouragement when similar results are not obtained is a good one. While I don’t believe in making excuses, I certainly see how this is the marketing appeal of the whole line of “Hardgainer” products: aim for steady gains that come at your own pace and be patient. Patience and consistency will pay off in the end.
Count this as a vote for posting other “reject” articles. If you thought it was a good idea while you wrote it, chances are there are some of us out here who will appreciate it.
PS
I’m surprised an article like this would have been rejected given last year’s HOT-ROX contest which demonstrated a wide range of results.
I gotta chime in here and say I think those results are freaking AWESOME. 14 lbs of muscle in 6 damn weeks.
I only wish. I am exstatic personally if I can gain a solid 10 lbs of LBM in a year, thinking that is great results. If I can gain 10lbs of pure muscle and keep it after cutting the fat off and all, I am PLEASED.
When I get more than that GREAT. Just a little extra icing on the cake.LOL
But how many ppl on this forumn, that have been training for any amount of time, can say they gained 14 solid lbs in six weeks. Not many I would suppose.
Now if you are new/fairly new to lifting sure, I can see it possibly.
I guess thats all I gotta say. GREAT JOB NICK, and Chris. Way to bust your ass, and I am glad you received superior results.
Dave, I probably could, but it’s not really necessary. Just eat what amounts to an above-maintenance diet but only eat good foods. Use the “Lean Eatin’” or “Foods That Make You Look Good Nekid” guidelines. The new “Berardi’s Kitchen” articles would make good guides too.
The idea here is to counter the notion that you have to eat garbage foods when bulking. You don’t. It’s tougher to eat a whole lot of quality calories, but the results are much better and the weight gain is quality. Of course, it’s healthier too.
Chiming in here along the same lines… I completely agree that showing real world gains are the most inspiring (maybe its just for skinny bastards like me). Plus it was great to read as I just finished up a Growth Surge II. Definitely a vote for “publishing” more articles.