The Scrawny To Brawny Author

People will never talk to each other in person as they do on these boards. That, to me, is cowardly and trite - and it undermines the very nature of what I wish the boards could be used for.

This is true to a painful degree, JB. I’ve lamented over the lack of camaraderie and encouragement that one sees on the posts, especially from those with experience and knowledge. It does make me wonder if the outside world doesn’t have the proper conception of bodybuilders after all; small men in large bodies seeking to ever assert themselves as a man. Don’t take this as any indictment on anyone in particular, guys. I wish we could get more of a team mentality, here. Yeah, I live on planet “Nice Guy” and can often see JB, CT, and CW driving around the neighborhood taking the time and effort to be cordial, encourgaging, and well shucks, downright friendly to people who ask the same basic questions over and over again. Even those who seem downright idiotic are treated well. These guys are professionals. A great number of posters would better themselves as individuals and as members of the real and virtual community if they could take the Biblical adage to heart of considering others more highly (priority) than themselves in the basics of life. Christ taught that to be a servant is to be a king. The high road is the low road. Don’t bust my chops on the religion thing. Just noticed some references to the Good Book scattered here and there in the thread. Sacrifice, even in the little things in life, is noble and mature. We all know it’s true. The guy who goes the extra mile, the single mom who gives until she’s got nothing left, the soldier who shows up in Iraq while we count protein grams. Sacrifice is the most noble of all human gifts. We should try to put this principle into practice in the basic interactions with other people. One of those nice things that separates man and beast. Anyway, I digress…sorry.

Just treat everybody with a “professional” cordiality. No one is asking for a sucker, balloon, and a pat on the head every day, just some recoginition that they too have intrinsic value. We appreciate the way CT, CW, and JB as well as other contributors show patience, concern, and a friendly demeanor with us, don’t we? What goes around comes around. Take it to a higher level. We’ll all benefit. Rally behind GL and enjoy a real world experiment on JB’s book. Nothing more is required.

This is not an argument, just some food for thought. Chew it up or spit it out, I can’t do anything about either one, can I?

Disc Hoss

PS: JB, does the book go in-depth into self assessment/correction on the imbalances? Sounds pretty cool as after 10 years of lifting, I’ve got some twinges etc… that could benefit from correcting. thanks.

[quote]Disc Hoss wrote:
PS: JB, does the book go in-depth into self assessment/correction on the imbalances? Sounds pretty cool as after 10 years of lifting, I’ve got some twinges etc… that could benefit from correcting. thanks.[/quote]

If this is truly the case, you need to see a professional, not play around with self diagnosis.

Hey Prof,
Both are in order. I’m astute enough to not only help my chiro/physio with the diagnosis, but am soon writing my own book. ;-).

Seriously, I’ve found with myself, that due to the intrinsic nature of imbalances and such, my academic as well as intuitive knowledge has helped my doc and I come to some cool conclusions. But JB and Meija have worked with a myriad of athletes and a far greater pool of people with larger than normal BMI’s, which affords the opportunity for one more nugget in my goldmine of info. My doc has got my bench back to 360 for 5x3 again after I had to tickle myself with 135 for multiple sets for “maintenance”. I had gained a significant amount of mass over the past decade and ironically the changing mass DOES create issues with needing to sometimes adjust angles, techniques etc… Sounds odd but true. Went from 150 to 247 currently. At only 5’9", this amount of size has actually caused some shifting biomechanics that brings with it a new world of rediscovering yourself.

BTW, Prof, what are you sitting at as far as weight and bodyweight. Pic looks pretty darn big. Just curious about some of the posters.

DH

One thing before I go to the gym and learn the 2nd day of correction exercises and stretches I have:

This is true… HUGE like Prof X, is no good for a W/R. HUGE like Arnold is no good. HUGE like bodybuilders or powerlifters is no good FOR a W/R.

HUGE like a 6’4" 229 Ib forty in 4.57,

Or a HUGE 6’2", 211 Ib, forty in 4.45,

Meet Mike Williams and Braylon Edwards

Due to social comparison theory. LOL

Meet me: a 6’2" 203 Ib, forty in 4.4, guy.

It would be nice if I were 6’2" and 220 running a 4.4.

My perception of HUGE is far different from some of yours. To me, HUGE is 215-220 @ 6’2".

It would be great if I could get a seperate strength coach and a performance coach along with hoards of money to afford them.

It is simply a matter of a student using his/her resources the best they can and finding whatever they can to aid in some goal.

If it isn’t a strength coach & performance coach it is this book. It may be incomplete with regards to sport but if it can help with one domain then it is worth the 13 bucks.

A Final note to all: At this point, don’t bother with wondering “the why!”

Why are you doing it this way? Why are you small? Why are you anal? Why is The Kelvin temperature scale preferred to the Fahrenheit and Celsius scale?

Why?

Don’t bother with the why in The Scrawny to Brawny Thread. That’s not what it’s about. I have already described what it’s about. But for all the hard of hearing. (Or as the movie “training Day” would say… You’re listening but you don’t hear me…)

Here it is:

I’m Using the tool to build. Don’t wonder “why” I’m using this tool.
AND some might say, “Well Get Lifted, you’ve got the wrong tool to build a house.” But then I say to you, "All I have is a chisel and hammer… and I still need a house built.

-Get Lifted

[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
I’m Using the tool to build. Don’t wonder “why” I’m using this tool.
AND some might say, “Well Get Lifted, you’ve got the wrong tool to build a house.” But then I say to you, "All I have is a chisel and hammer… and I still need a house built.

[/quote]

True…and you are NOT an ectomorph. You forgot that part.

It seems pointless, since it will almost surely be lost among all the other points made on this thread. But I want to reply to Soco and Biggieben.

You’re right; I was slightly exaggerating. It’s not that “nothing” will happen. But the pace of change for a true hardgainer is excrutiatingly slow. The typical “lift heavy and eat big” recommendation is only the first step.

That’s sort of why I latched onto this thread. GetLifted may be an ectomorph, but he is not a hardgainer. A real hardgainer has to eat outrageous amounts of food, lift insanely hard, and never slip up - ever. And even then, he may only realize a pound or two of real muscle per year. When I see somebody who has made some gains while playing college football and lifting seriously only in the off season claiming to be a “scrawny” guy, it makes me want to start punching things.

Huge like Shannon Sharpe! He was totally ripped and totally fast!

[quote]Soco wrote:
While 15 bucks is a hell of a bargain, I want to know if I should devote a few months of my time to this book’s training/nutrition advice.[/quote]

I’ve read all of JB’s section on nutrition from the book. A great part of it can be found in many of the writings that he’s posted at T-Nation, but there are other parts that I had not seen him previously discuss either here or at his website.

I have briefly gone through MM’s section on training and it looks like the program would have utility if your goal is truly scrawny to brawny and you had limited training knowledge. However for the price, I’d say JB’s nutrition advice alone is worthwhile given its conciseness, layout and additional material.

One reader’s $0.02.

[quote]RoadWarrior wrote:
Huge like Shannon Sharpe! He was totally ripped and totally fast![/quote]

It might be slightly unfair to compare Get Lifted to Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Owens…

[quote]Right Side Up wrote:
RoadWarrior wrote:
Huge like Shannon Sharpe! He was totally ripped and totally fast!

It might be slightly unfair to compare Get Lifted to Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Owens… [/quote]

I wasn’t comparing Get Lifted to Shannon Sharpe or Terrell Owens. Only that Shannon Sharpe was huge/cut as a football player but not giant like a lineman.