Summer Transformation

Bigger Stronger Leaner Rate My Physique Photos
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Alright guys, first post here, so take it easy. Any comments on bodytype before and if i was an FFB or not would be much appreciated. I feel like i could have got a much better training effect if i could have done more cardio, or if my shoulders and elbows would allow me to lift hard.

At the start of this summer i came home from college at about 230 lbs, i was just coming off a microfracture knee surgery, which failed and in turn ended my football career. Not only was my knee in bad condition, but my elbows and shoulders were also in pretty rough shape. This left me with pretty much no training, besides the corrective exercises i was putting in, soft tissue work, and stretching. I decided that i wanted to really lean out now that football was done and ry to take some pressure off of my knee. So i read a few diets on the nation, set up a liftng program mainly corrective, and jumped right into it.

I used the outline of Shredded at Last by Clay Hyght, except for i knocked the carbs down under 50 grams, and did bodyweightx10 for calories. This put me at about 50 g of carbs and 2,300 cals a day, which slowly led down to about 1900 cals a day. I got my cardio by swimming in a freezing pond with a pull buoy in between my legs.

All the while just patiently waiting on my nagging injuries to give me a break and ease so i could actually train. The elbows and shoulders kinda have a chronic tendonosis, they just break down when i lift and are fine when i dont. I’ve seen about chiro’s/ doctors/ therapists for it and still none can help me.

Anyways once i limited the carbs the fat just seemed to drop off, i threw in some eccentric lifts for my tendosis, knee rehab work and scap stabilizer work for my in the gym lifts and tried my best to make up my cardio. Injuries have not healed yet, but i feel a bit better. I tookk 3 cheat days, 1st one after 7 weeks and than 2 more every 2 weeks after that. Both times i just ate till i was sick and pretty much passed out. Anyways I wont ramble on much longer here is the plan now and here are the pictures.

The first set of pics was taken on may 1st of this year
The seconnd set was taken one week ago after testing 6% bodyfat at 192 lbs.

I currently plan to start cycling carbs back in and the plan looks something like this.

Weeks 1-3 - 2400 cals, 50 g of carbs, 2 high carb days with 100g of carbs

Weeks 4-6 - 2800 cals, 100 g of carbs, 3 high carb days 170 g of carbs

Weeks 7-9 - 3200 cals - 170 g of carbs, 3 or 4 higher carb days of 227 g of carbs

weeks 9-12 - 3600 cals - follow CT carb cycling codex, higher carb days will be around 300g low days 170 and moderate days about 227.

I weighed myself today and i was down 3lbs since upping the calories and carb cycling a bit. Maybe its time to go up in calories, i will give it a few more days and see.

So my true goals are to pack on some clean mass HEAL MY BODY, and give bodybuilding a shot! The dream is still Alive!

I would also like to note that i was doing, inside out, and magnificient mobility, with exercises from bulletproof knees also. I would like to talk more about my injuries, i might be able to get the help i need here

Before Pics - May 1st 2009

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One more before

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AFTER PICS AUGUST 5TH

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After

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One more after

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leg and back pics required.

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Nice work

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[quote]Vatic wrote:
leg and back pics required.[/quote]

really won;t get a ton of feedback til these are posted. height?

From what you posted seems like you did a solid job esp with injuries. Had some decent size to start with and had obviously been in good shape from football. The question is did you train your legs or do you look like a chicken??

Being on such a low carb diet for so long I can’t imagine you were too pleasant to be around! I get cranky being on low carbs for 1-3 weeks you did it for months… props

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Great job, congrats.

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Great transformation man. Lance Armstrong sorta’ came to my mind when watching the after pictures - you know, the one with him doing kettlebell swings.

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6’0, ill post the leg and back pics today, have been doing pure rehab for legs, had a failed microfracture procedure which has left my right quad pretty much f’ed but i will post pics of the wheelz and back a little later on today.

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Great work, very respectable, even without the required pics.

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Back

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Wheelz

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Front Shot

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calves

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Amazing work man. Playing football, I’m curious if looked into Joe DeFranco’s training videos? You could also throw in some speedskater Bulgarian squats to form that vastus medialis even more. But then again be careful because of the microfracture procedure, fibrocartilage does not have the same strength and resiliency of hyaline cartilage normally found in joints.

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You succeeded in spite od these injuries. Very inspirational! Keep up the good (great) work.

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Absolutely amazing transformation, enough said.

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Thanks Guys, There was alot of adversity during the transformation with all of my injuries, especially the right knee. The Microfracture procedure has failed, leaving my knee in worse condition than before the surgery. I really went at the bulletproof knees manual but kept having to backoff because of knee pain. I bought a pull bouy and swam in a cold ass pond with only upperbody for most of my cardio. I have recently introduced the split squats and some total knee extension to try and get the quad to fire.

I also do pretty much all single leg work. My elbows and shoulders just won’t seem to heal no matter how much rest i give them. I do soft tissue 3 times a week and a ton of stretching but still my pec tendon and elbow tendons break down when i try to lift. I do as much upper back work as possible, including 2-3 sessions on the shoulder horn weekly, scap pushups, and serratus activation 2-3 times weekly. I just got a functional movement screening and scored a 15/21 but it is very hard to find quality proffesionals in my area who can help. If things don’t clear up in a few months i will be saving my money to fly out and see Eric Cressey.

And yes, i have viewed alot of Defranco’s stuff, have been a T-Nation reader since about 2005. Anyways Thanks for all the support guys!