Just a random leg shot ... it's late ... I'm feeling a little loopy. This is the first time my legs have looked a little fit. Still got a long way to go, but things are slowly coming into focus. It'll be interesting to see where I am in another six months.

I hope I didn't lighten it too much ... my monitor is too dark ... need a better one ...

Hey, you got quads under there! Your thighs look similar to mine. On good days, I can see the outlining of the quads, but no real definition yet. Definitely much better than your starting point. How about the upper body?

The picture isn't too light by the way. Looks fine to me.

How about the upper body?

Thanks, Knubb. I'll start taking some upper body closeups and posting them here. My arms and shoulders are okay. Chest and abs still need the most work.

Back ... hmm ... I don't have any back closeups. Have to grab some. I have no idea what a closeup of my back would look like.

Seems cool to me. I should look at my legs sometime see what I think.
I would love for some nice developement in legs. Do you work them out once a week? Last time I worked them out, they killed for like 5days. I hope they dont hurt that long after I work them out on thrusday.


question, I notice guys seem to shave their legs once they start workin them out. Is it because you like to see the extra bit of definition? I shaved my legs a few years ago and noticed a lot more definition. It just felt really really weird. I kinda liked it but It was winter and I didnt wear shorts so none of my friends bugged me.

Seems cool to me. I should look at my legs sometime see what I think.
I would love for some nice developement in legs. Do you work them out once a week? Last time I worked them out, they killed for like 5days. I hope they dont hurt that long after I work them out on thrusday.


question, I notice guys seem to shave their legs once they start workin them out. Is it because you like to see the extra bit of definition? I shaved my legs a few years ago and noticed a lot more definition. It just felt really really weird. I kinda liked it but It was winter and I didnt wear shorts so none of my friends bugged me.

Right now I'm doing legs once a week, yes. I think I may start HST in a couple weeks, and switch to fewer sets, three times a week. Also, almost all my cardio is on a recumbent bike, so they get hit there a bit, too.

Shaving ...

Yeah, I could write a lot about it.

Why did I start shaving? Several reasons.

First, when I started Body for Life, I didn't like the differences between the before and after pictures. Before: unsmiling, unshaved, pale, slouching. After: smiling, shaved, tan, upright.

I vowed to have my before pictures match my intended after pictures. (Of course, I messed up my week one shots pretty badly, which is why I'm unshaved in my JSF pictures, and why they're from a week before I started BFL.)

But that wasn't the only reason.

I also wanted to be able to track my progress better, and yes, hopefully see more definition as it came in.

But more than that, and perhaps most of all, I wanted a change. Feels kinda silly comparing it to bootcamp, but one of the reasons the military shaves your head is to strip you of your old identity.

Shaving for me was a small stake in the ground. "I'm a bodybuilder." As ridiculous as it was when I was 33% bodyfat, that's what I was telling myself. I'm shaving my body hair because that's one of the things a bodybuilder does.

Funny thing is, I think it worked. I was different. Especially when I got in the habit of continuing to shave.

Another surprise was just how motivating it could be. My alarm would go off at 4:30 a.m. (I've got kids ... only reliable time to work out is before they're up), I'd feel like crap, have zero motivation, and then catch a look at myself in the bathroom mirror and realize "I've got to lose some weight, I look like an idiot shaved." :eek:

And I'd workout. Stopping shaving seemed too much like giving up. I'd keep shaving, and I'd keep thinking, "I've got to work out, I look like an idiot shaved."

One last surprise about shaving ... all my life, I've suffered from an overly positive body image. I've always felt I looked better than I do. Well, let me tell you, there's nothing like shaving your thighs to put you in touch with just how damn fat you really are. :o

That's been my experience, anyhow.

Sorry about the long post ... been thinking about writing this up for some time now, and this post seems a good place to do it, with my shaved legs staring right back at me. :D

Not bad. :)

Just a random leg shot ... it's late ... I'm feeling a little loopy. This is the first time my legs have looked a little fit. Still got a long way to go, but things are slowly coming into focus. It'll be interesting to see where I am in another six months.

I hope I didn't lighten it too much ... my monitor is too dark ... need a better one ...

Not bad. :)

Thanks! I hate to get corny, but you've been something of an inspiration to me over the last several months and it's particularly encouraging to hear this from you.

Knubb, the same is true for you as well.

Still, though, I'm just getting started. :tu:

A definite change - nice work!

Oh. I feel honoured. Can I ask why? Have a look at my site if you feel like it. Get more inside info about me and stuff. www.fitnow.se I am developing all the time. Kinda new to webprogramming so it's moving along slow but atleast in the right direction. :)

Thanks! I hate to get corny, but you've been something of an inspiration to me over the last several months and it's particularly encouraging to hear this from you.

Knubb, the same is true for you as well.

Still, though, I'm just getting started. :tu:

Oh. I feel honoured. Can I ask why? Have a look at my site if you feel like it. Get more inside info about me and stuff. www.fitnow.se I am developing all the time. Kinda new to webprogramming so it's moving along slow but atleast in the right direction. :)

Well, different folks on these boards inspire for different reasons. Knubb's got awesome muscularity, and seeing his obvious improvements in body composition is very impressive.

I can easily imagine Knubb at 10% bodyfat and 100 kg. But I have a hard time imagining myself much over 90 kg at 10% bodyfat, and even that seems like it'd be years away. Much more likely for me is 10% bodyfat at about 85 kg.

Because I imagined my goal physique to be something like your physique, I was inspired originally by your early photos. I think you were estimating yourself at 11% bodyfat at the time. Around then I tweaked my long term goal from "lose 52 pounds in 52 weeks" to "hit 12% bodyfat in 52 weeks". Your physique was basically my goal. To see your improvements felt a bit like I was peering into my own future. Moreover, I could picture myself at your "before" stage ... which made me believe I could hit your "after" physique.

There are lots of others here who inspire ... John, of course ... I actually had a dream that I had metron9's upper body ... there are too many folks to name. I don't mean to suggest that you were the only inspiring board member, just that your transformation struck a chord in me.

Hi!

That is good to hear. Didn't mean to get big headed. I figured it would be like you explained. Thanks. Nice to hear.

Well, different folks on these boards inspire for different reasons. Knubb's got awesome muscularity, and seeing his obvious improvements in body composition is very impressive.

I can easily imagine Knubb at 10% bodyfat and 100 kg. But I have a hard time imagining myself much over 90 kg at 10% bodyfat, and even that seems like it'd be years away. Much more likely for me is 10% bodyfat at about 85 kg.

Because I imagined my goal physique to be something like your physique, I was inspired originally by your early photos. I think you were estimating yourself at 11% bodyfat at the time. Around then I tweaked my long term goal from "lose 52 pounds in 52 weeks" to "hit 12% bodyfat in 52 weeks". Your physique was basically my goal. To see your improvements felt a bit like I was peering into my own future. Moreover, I could picture myself at your "before" stage ... which made me believe I could hit your "after" physique.

There are lots of others here who inspire ... John, of course ... I actually had a dream that I had metron9's upper body ... there are too many folks to name. I don't mean to suggest that you were the only inspiring board member, just that your transformation struck a chord in me.

Hi!

Could you take a new picture a bit further away. Hard to get any symetric view when it's so close. Wanna see the rest of da body together with the legs. ;)

Looking good. :)

I liked your post on shaving, sounds like good personal psychology, and a good point, in that what youve done is a CHANGE. You have to change more then just your diet and excersize levels. You have to change inside, change your lifestyle etc etc. And your post showed that.

Keep up the good work. :tu:

Well, different folks on these boards inspire for different reasons. Knubb's got awesome muscularity, and seeing his obvious improvements in body composition is very impressive.

I can easily imagine Knubb at 10% bodyfat and 100 kg. But I have a hard time imagining myself much over 90 kg at 10% bodyfat, and even that seems like it'd be years away. Much more likely for me is 10% bodyfat at about 85 kg.
You do realize your making me blush all over right now, yeah? I like those words, my friend.

Still, don't even try to joke about me being 100 kgs. I would have about 2% BF if I got that light. I don't really want to get below 110 really.

And as for you, 85 kgs ain't a low bodyweight at 10% BF. You don't have to remain there either. With a good weight program, you can definitely add mass.

Hi!

Could you take a new picture a bit further away. Hard to get any symetric view when it's so close. Wanna see the rest of da body together with the legs. ;)

Sorry ... missed this request for a while.

What about the pictures in my six month update?

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=8825

They're not flexed there, but you get a better sense of my overall proportions.

Hi!

Could you take a new picture a bit further away. Hard to get any symetric view when it's so close. Wanna see the rest of da body together with the legs. ;)

Here's a new one. I've pulled the camera back a bit ...