[Warrior]

Originally Posted by maggieandmommy

Warrior, I love those progress pics--the progression is really clear and impressive. Is this something that you do specifically for an event or do you aim to keep that kind of definition long-term? I'm not sure that I'll ever get to that point (I'm just aiming to get the fat off and have some nice muscles as well), but I can appreciate what you've done.

No, not for exhibition or competition, just personal gratification. I am a former fat kid who got sick of his body composition. At 17 years old I got serious about getting in shape... by 19, I was enlisting in the Marine Corps after finishing some college. This fat kid was down to 179 pounds post boot camp - at 6 feet tall. From there, my goal was to gain back some weight - but hard weight: muscle. So my story isn't much different than Natalia's...

Actually, if you read Muscular Development magazine, you'll see where a story I wrote in it where I explain my adventure into bodybuilding and what it means to me (April 2008 issue)... this is what I wrote:

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning,” said Benjamin Franklin, statesman and journalist. Bodybuilding is a journey into physical growth and progression. It’s a long expedition of learning and applying. Accumulating greater musculature requires ongoing motivation – a relentless obsession to surpass previous fitness thresholds in the midst of daily distractions.

In 2008, I turn 30 years old. Fortunately, the bodybuilding light is still bright as day. I don’t feel a year older. I still see a young man in the mirror – one with the intension to keep improving his physical dimensions. Turning 30 years old seemed like a bad move as an out-of-shape teenager – today, it’s embraced as added opportunity. Every year presents more time to further master body transformation techniques. I know getting into great shape is not a reserved right for an exclusive list of people – it’s simply a matter of time once the necessary path is discovered.

Unfortunately, growing up overweight and grossly unfit is becoming exceedingly typical in the United States. Early in life, it was obvious I wasn’t genetically predisposed to become an athlete. Even so, I was unsatisfied with my physical shape – fat and clumsy couldn’t be a necessary lifelong condition to endure. At 16 years old, I held my new driver’s license and counted the years… in 2008, I will turn 30 years old. Where would I be then? I started exercising at a local health club, attempting to alter my life’s course. Nonetheless, obtaining a true sense of fitness was still elusive. Roughly a year later, I became determined to master my physique. I realized it’s the inherent right of every able-bodied person to create a muscular and lean physical stature. My fortitude was no frivolous New Year’s resolution. It was similar to a hunting dog after finally finding a sought out scent.

I grabbed magazines and books – then, researched online resources and medical abstracts. For a kid who formerly hated to read, I couldn’t get enough. I read about physiology and nutrition, as it relates to altering body composition. I began to understand how the human body’s metabolic complexities tied together. Above all, I was learning a central concept: being out of shape is a choice, not a requirement. The human body is designed to be a cross-trained athlete, certainly not weak and flabby. As it loses cardiovascular health and physical strength, it readily becomes tired and diseased. Applying progressive resistance training and making proper food selections will promote greater physical and mental fitness. You only get one body in this life, you better enjoy it.

In 2018, I will turn 40. At that point, I will continue to disconnect myself from the cliché, “I used to be strong and lean too.” After 10 more years of training, I will have graduated to a new level of knowledge and understanding; a new level of conditioning. In the words of writer Henry David Thoreau, “none are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

But where I am I headed right now? I am at the point where I can bulk up and hope to add 5 more pounds of muscle before cutting up again. I have to cut before I bulk. If the body’s muscle-to-fat ratio is leading to a soft belly and hanging love handles, it’s time to lean up again before bulking. Gilbert Forbes, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, demonstrated changes in body weight induced by nutrition, whether negative or positive, comprise both lean (fat-free) and fat mass. Forbes examined how body fat content influences body composition responses to nutrition and exercise. In experiments of at least three weeks in duration, he found weight gain in thin people comprises 60-70 percent lean tissue, where as obese gain 30-40 percent. The relative contribution of muscle acquisition during weight gain is related to body fat.

I was just talking about training-induced inroads in performance with a friend last night. There comes a point where you kinda push your genetic potential - where catabolism keeps exceeding anabolism. This occurs as we get older but also as you get more advanced in training and build stronger neural pathways for proper motor control and training intensity - coupled with a significant amount of force-producing muscle - your training starts to really pound on you, physiologically and psychologically. At that point, many say you should cut back your volume and frequency some more... this is where I am at now - trying to keep pushing past plateaus and stay progressive after over 13 years of this.

My wife wants me to stop and just maintain myself at a lean condition, but I enjoy the challenges of trying to add more muscle mass so much that maintaining seems too easy... it's not in my nature to stop and maintain - I like to learn, apply and create.

Anyway, those last pics went from 248 down to 227 (carb loaded). This next set should illustrate 255 down to 235ish...