Body Transformation: My Success Story

[Motiv]

When is your body considered "nice"?.I've been working out for the better part of two years and I THINK it's nice but I'm not getting many compliments to be honest. When do you know when it's good? Obviously when I do reach that point I'm not going to stop, I'm just wondering how to know when I'm headed in the right direction. I can't post pictures if you guys want.

Jake.

Hey Jake,

I'd go for it—post pictures if you feel comfortable. In all honesty, we need female responses to know precisely what a "good" male look is. I've been risking my reputation lately, posting seriously questionable pictures of myself to my own Facebook page as an experiment to see how attractive women react—as far as the virtual world goes, it has been confirmation of everything people like Drexel teach. I am literally sticking my neck out as a Christian Grey type for all to see, and huge numbers of attractive women have come out of the wood work to "like" my pictures (for whatever that's worth).

As immature and risky as that probably is, I want to destroy my old self in the eyes of those who know me. I've worked super hard on creating a brand new overall image of myself. Here are some examples of that: (warning—narcissist in training…)

P.S. Just to be clear, I have not gotten laid since February, and that is mainly due to my own inner game issues (long story…). I feel it is easier to work on external aspects of seduction why I toil endlessly with my inner issues. My looks are probably vastly incongruent with my game, but I do enjoy those female stares—something I will learn to capitalize upon when I am ready.

 

[Smurf]

Basically what I'm running with right now. I'm working on building some more mass definitely. Let me know what you guys think.

Jake.

 

[Motiv]

Jake, as far as my iPhone goes, your picture isn't showing up (haven't been to my computer yet).

I'm definitely still working on building more mass myself—mainly in my shoulders and chest, so I can get more of that v-taper that spikes visual attraction. Losing weight and getting cut abs is one thing (which is why you should all do it if you haven't already!), but fleshing out a true Adonis physique will probably take another good while (I'm hoping 3-6 months if I can keep up my intensity).

-M

 

[Smurf]

K, well if that didn't work out then I'm not sure how you upload pictures on here haha.

But yeah I'm working on the v taper, as well as rear shoulders because I've been slacking there haha. I've also been trying to get my legs up to par, they're strong but I want more size on the teardrop.

Jake.

 

[Motiv]

My trick is uploading to my Facebook page (as private) and then you can get an image URL from there.

Doing lots of T-bar rowing superset with prone Cobras helped me sculpt my back—adds thickness. Back extensions with side laterals also worked the shit out of my back—probably more lower, but that's my favorite exercise for the back.

I would imagine dumbbell squats (held over the shoulders in a hammer position) actually do good upper back work.

-M

 

[Smurf]

Let's see if that works.

Jake.

 

[Motiv]

Now it works.

Good shit, man! You're leaner than I am (I've been cheating too much lately—grrr).

For about a month now, I've been trying out the Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) program. Compared to Six Pack Shortcuts (SPS), it involves a lot more variety of upper body work with dumbbells—exercises that feel like they are activating the shoulders. The only downside is the workouts as listed are a lot less intense than SPS (no super-sets, for example), so I've addressed that by creatively combining various exercises into super-sets and/or adding an active rest bodyweight exercise to the rest periods (usually some form of push-ups), based on what I think I've learned through SPS. That way, I am still targeting the same muscle groups as AGR intends, but with greater intensity, helping me keep up the fat-burning I am used to, and hopefully better muscle pump as well.

Our shoulder muscles are small and fragile, so they can be tricky (and risky) to try and build up too fast. As it stands, I somehow squished one of my right shoulder muscles two months back during some heavy-ish, behind-the-back barbell squats, and I have lost full range of motion in the right rotator cuff (although thankfully, there's never been any pain). I have slowly regained strength and range of motion by continuing to workout with lighter weights (which are now mostly back to original levels), but my ability to shoulder press is still frustratingly limited. A good physical therapist or well-trained masseuse might be able to fix that, but money is tight, so I'm still feeling things out on my own. It's probably just a knot that needs to be released all the way.

Now, I realize I've been talking a lot about myself, lately. Hopefully, by sharing both the good and the bad, it will encourage others to realize that we are not alone in our struggles and triumphs.

-M

 

[Smurf]

Yeah man, I'm definitely going to bulk up after this three day show I'm going to this Friday. I was 155, but I dropped back down to 145. :/

For my workouts I mostly just do 5 x 5's at the start of the workout, then move on to 3 sets for 12 reps. Finish off with abs and sauna.

For back I start with pull ups. 10 regular, 10 wide, 10 chin ups, then 10 switch grips, five on each side. Then I move on to rows, 5 x 5, then single arm rows, 5 x 5, then there's a row machine where you're sitting upright, and I hit that 5 x 5. Then I move on to lat pull down, 3 x 12, then some rear shoulder workouts after that.

I think the key is just eating a bunch. I eat normally around 2500 calories a day, and when I was at my biggest I ate 3500 daily, with around 190-210 grams of protein a day. The diet part is definitely the commitment for me haha.

Jake.

 

[Motiv]

Controlling food so that we do not fall into the emotional trap of comfort eating just takes practice and in my opinion, continued vigilance (especially if you are someone like me who has a history with binge eating).

You're original question of "what looks good" made me think to recommend this book:

Theory of Ideal Body Proportions

P.S. That's a beast amount of pull-ups!

-M

 

[Big Daddy]

Hey Jake, that pic isn't showing here.

If you're naturally skinny like me, dieting will be the hardest. Eating 3,500/day provides results, but fuck me, that's hard shit to do for months in a row.

Since I couldn't see that picture, I don't quite understand what you're trying to say... Because I kinda know what I want to look like three years from now. If you have a well defined body and you aren't getting compliments, it's probably because you're not big enough.

 

[Motiv]

…
If you have a well defined body and you aren't getting compliments, it's probably because you're not big enough.

I disagree with this theory. For one, you may not be getting compliments out of fear or jealousy. Secondly, I am not that big at all, but I do get regular compliments, particularly if my shirt is off or if I am wearing something tight-fitting (which is most of the time these summer days).

Lastly, I wholeheartedly believe in the theory of ideal body proportions. That is to say that simply having more mass is no where near as important as building yourself into the right shape—the golden ratio V-taper. In fact, too much mass in the wrong proportion is actually rated unattractive by most women.

Still making progress…

 

[Smurf]

My body type is similar to Mischief, just smaller and slightly more cut in places.

I do think there is something to be said about being big, AND body proportions. Here's the thing though: if you're doing compound lifts, that'll usually get you a good base to work off of. Of course, you shouldn't be doing a shitton of bicep curls, and any sort of weighted oblique workouts. Weighted obliques will make them bigger, what you want is those to be smaller. Just do bodyweight for those. Bicep is an example of a show muscle, and it gets worked out in compound exercises.

So I think you're both right here. I just think you should get bigger first: and as you're cutting down to a better size, you look at your body and see what proportions need to be evened out, if need be. This is even easier if you know your body's strengths and weaknesses beforehand. I know mine: my strength is my back, front shoulders. My weaknesses are my chest and calves. Mischief, tell me if I'm wrong but it looks like your abs and chest are your strongpoint, including your triceps, and your weakpoints are your back and shoulders. If you know, then you just have to increase the intensity/weight where your weakpoints are.

Jake.

 

[Motiv]

I am definitely genetically lucky in the abs department (just need to stay lean). I know I don't need nor want anymore muscle down there (especially no more obliques).

My chest usually doesn't look that big, which is actually why I shot this pose. I ended up having an unusually effective dumbbell bench press routine where the max weight I pressed was no more than forty pounds per hand for five reps and on down to twenty-five pounds for twenty-one reps. I was so pleasantly surprised to get this much of a pump from just pressing dumbbells like that—weight where I didn't even need my legs to hoist them up—just grab and go.

I agree, my shoulders are the weakest, along with my lats. To try and widen those, I struggle hard with wide chin-ups. For shoulders, I have started adding various shoulder specialization routines to my normal workouts two to three times per week—they do get pretty hot after that, so I think it's working.

-M

P.S. See below: my calves are too big! If I could chop out a chunk, I would happily sell it to you, lol. They got that way from dropping ninety pounds doing long-distance walking (10-15 miles per day). At least I never have to waste time with calf exercises for a while.

 

[Raqimus]

your calves scare me... D:

 

[Big Daddy]

Yup, the thing is, most of us won't get near the size of the typical gear user. So for we to get perfect proportions, we need to get big. John Barban (the dude from the Adonis website) is big. For instance, I need ~52 inch shoulders to have a perfect V taper according to the golden ration @ almost 6 ft. That is huge as motherfucker for someone natural. Probably around 180 lbs with very, very low body percentage.

I'm very cut, you can see my abs and my back is very defined, but I don't think I'm in HEAD TURNING physique territory yet 'cause I need to get bigger. Specially with clothes on.

Sick calves dude! I'd kill for those

 

[Motiv]

Yup, the thing is, most of us won't get near the size of the typical gear user. So for we to get perfect proportions, we need to get big. John Barban (the dude from the Adonis website) is big. For instance, I need ~52 inch shoulders to have a perfect V taper according to the golden ration @ almost 6 ft. That is huge as motherfucker for someone natural. Probably around 180 lbs with very, very low body percentage.

I'm not quite sure I understand your first statement about size: it sounds like a contradiction to me. Let's try to put some literal perspective here: I'm guessing most of you would rather look like the guy on the left over the one on the right. Obviously, the one on the left is still pretty big compared to most of us, but that look is attainable over time with a reasonable workout routine and good diet. Hollywood actors achieve that physique all the time, and they are not professional athletes.

John Barban's point is that getting "huge" (all over the place) is not the goal over attaining what he calls, "the look." Now, in your case (as well as mine and Jake's), that does mean we will need much bigger shoulders than what we're currently sporting, but shoulders are the priority—just get bigger shoulders while maintaining everything else, and we'll look ten times better. That is what I find so fun about bodybuilding: it's the art of sizing oneself up and choosing which aspect you want more of to get yourself closer to "the look."

Another concept worth mentioning: if your goal is to look your best and not to brag about your numbers (which most people, especially girls, will never care about or appreciate anyway—their eye will size you up automatically), then you can do this a lot easier than you might think. John Barban is a big guy, but if you listen to his commentary (and I assume he's not lying), he doesn't even bench press with a barbell anymore: his chest stays that big from dumbbell pressing. Now that I've completed week six of AGR category three (balanced muscle gain/fat loss—I like to have a little extra leeway for cheating), it's been six weeks since I've used my rack: all my squats and chest presses have been dumbbells, too. My chest is bigger than ever, my legs are killing me, and it's all from lifting/pressing much less weight than I used to with a barbell.

I'm very cut, you can see my abs and my back is very defined, but I don't think I'm in HEAD TURNING physique territory yet 'cause I need to get bigger. Specially with clothes on.

Sick calves dude! I'd kill for those

Thanks! It feels goofy to admit that they're the most developed part of my physique, but that also tells me something: if an exercise as simple as long walks over two years could make calves like that, then imagine what a serious shoulder routine could do over the next two years… or even six months?!

I have to admit that the majority of overwhelming compliments probably do come from people who witnessed my transformation. As for the rest, I sincerely believe that when you transform your body, your inside changes along with it—it has too, otherwise the body would not have changed. Since I see myself radically differently than before, I know people (especially women) feel it.

-M

 

[Big Daddy]

Do you know who's the guy on the right? I don't know that many bodybuilders, but that guy looks like Frank Zane... a famous bodybuilder from the 70s - which is to say, he probably was on steroids. And none of us would reach that level of muscular development even with gear (dude was 5'9 and 200 lbs off season, but he's closer to 185 at 4% body fat as that seems to a contest shot).

Keep in mind that Hollywood actors aren't able to maintain their physique year-round. Moreover, there's perfect lightning, makeup and post-processing for them to look their best.

I think what confused you was my definition of "big." When I said we need to get "big," I was saying "as big as possible for the natural lifter to achieve while being the most aesthetically pleasing to girls."

For instance, I think John Barban is just shy of 6 ft and is 185 lbs at single digit body fat percentage, which is as big as it gets. I'd feel huge at 180.

While I don't care about my numbers in the gym - really, I just want to look like a greek god - I found that strength training where you put weight on the bar as often as possible easier to progress, to track and to keep looking forward. I don't think I'd do well on programs with trisets, supersets, etc. like you did because I tried something similar in the past and the lack of accountability hindered my progress (at least, that's what I think looking in retrospect). But that's just personal opinion - you sound like you'd do well on any type of routine

Haha, it seems that I need to buy a weighted vest and run around for these motherfuckers to grow! Least developed part of my body by far.

 

[Smurf]

Try creatine, BD. Really helps with growth, and it'll still help you maintain muscle even when you're not on it.

Jake

 

[Big Daddy]

Ops, I mean the guy on the left

I tried it before... it seems I'm part of the 20% that are nonresponder ;/ I might try a different brand in the near future just to be sure, though.

 

[Smurf]

Damn. :/ Like I said though, increase in calories, even though it sucks, helps a lot.

I was doing something like: Huge protein shake in the morning (Mass gainer, berries, peanut butter, milk, honey, yogurt) That equated to like 800 calories, then had some oatmeal on top of that, like 200-300 more, then for lunch, Chipotle or Noodles and Co., That's like 1200 there, then for dinner at work (I work in a restaurant) I'd make a PHAT burger, had like 800 more calories in it. Then to finish it off I had another protein shake at night, like 150 more calories? So around 3000-3200 calories a day. The hard part is honestly just the first few days/weeks. Then it gets easier as you go, especially if you're leaving it all in the gym - you need that nutrition. Then a lot of water intake, like a gallon a day.

Now I'm not doing that as much, but I'm still eating over 2000 calories a day. I'm also taking vitamins that give me plenty of energy. It's Fish oil, B complex, Green Tea Extract, and a multi. This is the kind of shit I was taking when I went to a 3-day EDM festival and was running at 100% each day. Really like this combo.

I think what confused you was my definition of "big." When I said we need to get "big," I was saying "as big as possible for the natural lifter to achieve while being the most aesthetically pleasing to girls."

For instance, I think John Barban is just shy of 6 ft and is 185 lbs at single digit body fat percentage, which is as big as it gets. I'd feel huge at 180.

Damn. That's insane. According to this BMI index, that for me would be 160 at single digit fat. Right now I'm sitting at 147 haha. Definitely not single digit fat either.

I just need to man up and bulk this winter, I just hate the idea of bulking and losing the definition I have.

Haha, it seems that I need to buy a weighted vest and run around for these motherfuckers to grow! Least developed part of my body by far.

My squat is pretty above average I feel and my calves are tiny. Absolutely tiny.

Jake.