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Spine's progress pics (updated July '08)


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UPDATED July '08: Scroll down for new entry and photos.

Age: 37

Height: 5'9"

Weight before training (started December 2007): about 154

Weight in March '08: 160

Weight in July '08: 161

 

March 2008

Well, I've been hitting the weights for about three months now, so I thought I'd stop lurking here and post some pictures. For me, these are progress photos, but they'll be "before" photos for you--assuming I keep at it and post again in a few months.

 

I'm grateful to have found this forum. When I went vegan last year, I found that I had more energy to burn, and I wanted to be a good ambassador for veganism, which meant using my own good health to counter all the usual myths about vegans. Discovering this site got me intrigued about weight training, so I got started. (I'd lifted in the past as part of my usual gym routine, but nothing serious or thorough.)

 

Robert's sample routine for beginning bodybuilders gave me a starting point, and recently I've been using the pyramid method that is so frighteningly well documented in Troy's training diary. I've also learned a lot from John Hansen's book Natural Bodybuilding, which has been an invaluable source of information for different exercises and how to do them. Only in the last few weeks have I felt that I'm actually doing the exercises correctly. My shoulders in particular were hurting, and I probably would've damaged my rotator cuffs if I hadn't started 1) using proper form (or trying, anyway--still a lot to learn) and 2) beginning my workouts with light weights to warm up the muscles.

 

I'm feeling more comfortable handling weights. I didn't start squats until a few weeks ago because they scared me--what if I break my back? Now I'm enjoying them. My favorite area to train: chest/biceps. Least favorite: abs. I haven't learned to love the burn of an abs workout yet.

 

I usually work out four days a week: chest/biceps, back/abs, shoulders/triceps, legs. I try not to go more than two days in a row.

 

Learning about the role of nutrition has been a revelation. I don't think I ever made the connection among calories, protein, and muscle growth. Eating a lot is a tough one for me. My style before was to have a low-calorie, highly nutritious whole-foods diet. So it's a bit weird to be chugging Vega and eating mid-morning and afternoon snacks, but I'm getting used to it.

 

Here's a photo from last summer:

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_before.jpg

 

And below are photos taken this morning, March 1, 2008. Suggestions are welcome and most appreciated. I want a balanced physique, so let me know what needs work (besides the obvious--everything ). Thanks to all of you for making this forum such a unique and motivating resource. I'll post more pics in a couple of months.

 

(Pics moved to updated entry below)

 

UPDATE: July 2008

 

OK, so I finally got around to taking some new photos. I continue to hit the weights 3 or 4 times a week, though I've had to take a hiatus here and there due to winter colds or busy times at work (of which there have been far too many). I'm pleased with the progress I've made. But seeing these new pics makes me realize that I've got plenty more work to do.

 

My weight has pretty much leveled off at 161 or so. That's only a pound more than I weighed in March, and yet I'm thicker now. I suppose this means I've lost some fat and replaced it with muscle, and that's pretty cool. My legs are stronger now but haven't really gained any mass. I'm intrigued by the idea of getting bigger but I think I'm pretty much where I want to be. I'm definitely eating more calories, but I can't seem to put away more than 2500 or so in a day. Just doesn't feel natural to me. So for now I'll just work on symmetry, definition, and LBM.

 

I feel like I'm still learning how to lift weights properly. I'm not in a hurry to increase the weight I lift, because I find I can make the exercises harder and more stimulating to the muscles just by concentrating on form and contracting the right areas. It's been a really interesting project, and I love the results.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions! I look forward to meeting some of you during the PDX portion of VV '08.

 

Same T-shirt, summer 2007 and summer 2008

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_before.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08e.jpg

 

If you think that's a skinny arm in the 2007 pic, here I am at 18 years old:

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JFat18.jpg

Yes, that's a mullet. Hey, it was the 80s.

 

Now on to the comparison pics:

 

March 2008, July 2008

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_Mar0108a.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08g.jpg

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_Mar0108c.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08a.jpg

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_Mar0108d.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08c.jpg

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_Mar0108b.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08f.jpg

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_Mar0108e.jpg http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08d.jpg

 

Onward!

http://masaladose.com/wp-content/files/JF_July08b.jpg

Edited by Spine
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Your abs look phenominal in the second picture!

 

Thanks! I think it was a photographic fluke, but I'll take it. My abs are getting stronger, but I'd love to have a flatter stomach and narrower waist. That gets more challenging the closer I get to 40 (gulp).

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You look great. It's obvious that you put time and effort into attaining lbm, it shows. Hard to get a real idea of what you looked like before, it will be much easier to give comments on changes if you decide to post again in a couple of months.

 

Glad you started to enjoy the squats. Once they start to feel really comfy and you keep increasing in your ability to perform them, you'll be amazed at how your quads will just come out of nowhere and bulge out from all over the place. Remember the biggest muscles are in your lower body, glutes, quads..

 

keep up the hard work, it's paying off!

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Hey, thanks guys! Robert, I'd love to meet up with some people from the forum. I was a bit too late seeing the post about the last meetup at Proper Eats, which is just a few blocks from my place.

 

Lean & Green, thanks for the encouragement. I do try to stay lean--in fact, I'm at my all-time high weight right now and I have to keep reminding myself it's muscle. I don't think I'll be joining the 200 Club anytime soon...

 

I wish I'd taken some proper "before" pictures, because I've made some modest gains and it would be nice to see the improvement. On the other hand, I'm motivated to keep working out the next few months to see some real progress. I eased into lifting, not wanting to injure myself. Now I'm starting to lift some heavier weights and push myself to work harder.

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Thanks, fellas. My T-shirts are feeling a little smaller, so I guess that's a good sign...

 

DV, I belong to two gyms (a total luxury, made possible by a reimbursement benefit from my employer): Lloyd Athletic Club and West Coast Health & Fitness. I'm usually at Lloyd during the day, and at the Lombard St. WCHF evenings and weekends. It would be great to meet up with some fellow vegan lifters. Anybody here work out at either of these gyms?

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The ABS! Wow!

 

You're looking great! You need to take a good pic of your back, the current shows your shoulders and arms well but it doesn't flatter your back muscles (see my progress photos to see what I mean).

 

At least your arms are a lot bigger compared to the picture from last summer. Can't wait to see how big you'll get within a year or two!

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Tuc: you're right, I need to get a good shot of my back. Seems like posing for a back photo is an art in itself. I don't think there's much to show yet, though--that's one area that definitely needs more attention in the months ahead. Just started doing V-bar pulldowns today and loved them.

 

Daywalker: my avatar is a detail from a portrait of me made by a friend of mine for a show he had here in Portland. Talented bastard. You can see the full version at my blog.

 

Once again, thanks to all for the generous comments.

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Hey man, this is very exciting to look at and se the progress you've achieved! Don't you just love how the pecs lift up and pop out once you start to train! You erector spinae is naturally strong and it looks awesome in the progress shots. You have grown and trimmed bf and the whole package looks awesome. Someone's been training hard and smart as well as eating right Like how the hair disappeared as well. I do the same thing....

 

Thank you for sharing these inspiring progress shots. Hopefully we'll cross paths sometime this month while i'm in Portland. Come hang!

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NICE! More mass in arms, pecs, lats (overall V-shape much better than before) and all around you in just a few months! Great job!

 

Amazing that you haven't gained more weight, since you look at least 10 lbs bigger than in the last pics.

 

I think it's really inspirational to see a guy almost 40 years old getting similar gains as guys half the age you are! Really looking forward to seeing more photos since your progress is really good!

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Thanks for the encouraging words, all! And thanks to L&G and Tuc especially for the specific comments. Yup, I'm loving the bigger pecs, and it's definitely gratifying to see the "V" shape start to emerge in my upper body. I'll keep at it.

 

My training pace has been slow and steady--partly because I don't take in a ton of calories, partly because I have limited time to train, and partly because I'm still a wimp sometimes when it comes to thrashing my muscles at the gym. But I'll keep going, and really try to solidify these gains.

 

Robert: let's meet up sometime for sure! You mentioned you might be able to bring me into your gym as a guest sometime...let's make it happen.

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Impressive, keep it up!

 

 

Mind if I ask your stats, calories, and training?

 

Thanks! I'm 5'9", around 161 pounds. I don't count calories but I think it's usually somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 daily. Sometimes less if I'm on a brief hiatus from training, which happens sometimes.

 

My split varies quite a bit, but it's something like this:

 

1. shoulders/triceps

2. back/abs

3. chest/biceps

4. legs

 

...with some days off (often more than I'd like) thrown in there.

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