success stories??

[kawana]

Anyone got any success stories, perhaps some before and after pics? Need something to keep me motivated lol. Begining to wonder how long i'll have to do ab workouts to lose my gut and get a 6pack :P

[VingTsunMonkey]

Ab workouts won't help you get a 6 pack at all. Everyone has a 6 pack, even your grandmother, it's just a question of bodyfat. The only thing that's going to make that 6 pack more visible is cardio. I suppose 3,000 crunches could be considered cardio, but exercise bikes and fast paced burpees are sooo much more efficient.

Anyway, onto the success stories. When I started lifting (granted it was a heavy mix of both weights AND boyweight), I weighed 118 pounds and was 5' 8. That was 4 1/2 years ago, now I weigh 195 lbs. I stopped weight lifting around 180 in April and have since gained another 15 lbs, about 14 of them being muscle.

What it will always come down to is your drive to succeed. I was so sick of being skinny and weak that I plopped a chunk of money down at the local YMCA and rode my bike there 3 times a week. Read every book and article I could get my hands on about nutrition and physiology, took AP Human A&P, Nutrition Ed and Personal Conditioning classes in school; I even went to bed at 7pm to make sure I got that extra rest.

I took it VERY seriously, I was focused and intense with every workout, visualized the muscles growing and bulging, flexed constantly and ate like a horse. When I came back to school after my junior summer, my friends couldn't believe it and my ex wanted me back lol.

My grades improved, my self esteem improved, my love life improved, my martial arts improved, everything only got better. The more I did it, the more of a habit it became. I got a job and ended up spending over a grand in equipment. Even now, even though I've quit with weights, I strive to be stronger, larger, faster, and smarter. Once you get going, it's hard to stop with the right mentality. It's like an addiction, you want to see that new vein get bigger, or that crease get deeper.

Keep at it. It is the best thing you will EVER do with your life. The health and looks are only the tip of the iceberg.

[koltz]

wow nice story wtm

[kawana]

ya! right on lol :D For me it was the opposite :P I was always overweight, now ive lost a bunch and i feel i look good (with a shirt on lol) but i wanna change that. By the way... that granny with 6pack part made me gag a little :P but i get your point :) Keepe em coming.

[Moonduck]

4/16/06 I weighed 316lbs
9/16/06 I weighed 249lbs

Sorry, no pics. I've still got a ways to go. I want to get down to around 215lbs or so. No desire to be thin, or even terribly ripped. I just want to get to what would be an acceptable, and maintainable, weight for me.

For the rest of it, I'm 5'11", and heavily built, even when in better shape. I've always had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and strong legs. Thin simply ain't a possibility fo rme without, oh, total starvation and the loss of a huge amount of lean muscle mass. No thanks. I'm probably right around 23% body fat, or so, using the YMCA method.

[amorelli]

I came into highschool at 5'8" and 125 pounds, scrawny as hell with the only padding over my bones being a layer of fat. Now, I'm a junior and I'm 5'10" ish and around 155 lbs of pretty solid muscle (mostly in my legs), all from doing track year round (just starting my third year now). I do workout in the weightroom at school but have found from keeping in shape over the summer that with a pullup bar, the ground, and maybe a wall, it is possible to recreate most of the exercise I do during the year in the gym. Now, the only real reason I still lift in the gym is that my track coach (a former all-American shotputter that can still outthrow our entire team, at age 40) came up with a workout schedule designed to get me lean, strong, and fast. But that just goes to show you what lifting/running/bw-training and otherwise getting fit can do for you. I used to be one of the nerds that the girls ignore, now I'm the smart, athletic kid with a good body who a lot of girls are after. Ain't that a shame :wink: :-D

[jonp382]

Heh...I'm 5'8" and 135. When I started back in May I was 5'7" and 135...but I had a bit more bodyfat and less muscle mass. Still not a lot, wanna bring my arms up to 14 inches and get a tan. Kinda pale right now. :P

The Frutarianone posted before and after pictures.
That's one impressive success. Search him.