John Stone's Picture Gallery and Video Archive

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by stallion16

Damn, John! You look huge in those thanksgiving pics. If you don't get your but in a competition soon....a couple of us here at JSF are gonna have to drug you, and drag you on that stage against your will. At this point, choosing not to compete should be a crime for you.

I really appreciate the vote of confidence, but my physique is nowhere near the quality of many of the natural body builders that I admire (Mastover, 1FastGTX, Abdominator--to name just a few). I will continue to work towards that goal, but even if at some point I feel I'm worthy of stepping on the stage with guys like that, I really have no desire to do so. Maybe one day I'll feel differently, but right now competing is of absolutely no interest to me.

[stallion16]

Yeah, some of the naturals on this forum are amazing. I'm really impressed with mastover's overall shape and 1fastgtx's forearms are simply unreal. But honestly, you may only be one more cutting cycle away from the kind of body you're talking about

[Bob99]

John, you are looking fantastic! When you cut in the new year it will be unbelievable.

Approximately how many calories are you eating per day to maintain this bulk?

Looking forward to following your future progress,

Bob

[Reno_1ted]

Originally Posted by Bob99

Approximately how many calories are you eating per day to maintain this bulk?

Bob

46,256,987

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by Bob99

John, you are looking fantastic! When you cut in the new year it will be unbelievable.

I hope so!

Originally Posted by Bob99

Approximately how many calories are you eating per day to maintain this bulk?

On SC's protocols calories are not counted, but I'd say at this point I'm eating well in excess of 4,000 calories per day.

Originally Posted by Reno_1ted

46,256,987

[stoffer]

Hey John, great work with your bulk.

I noticed that you in less then three months added 16 pounds of fat free mass. That IS a LOT!

Weight (lbs) 202.4 229.5 +27.1
Body Fat % 9% 12.5% +3.5%
Fat free mass: 184.2 200.8 +16.6

Good job!

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by stoffer

Hey John, great work with your bulk.

I noticed that you in less then three months added 16 pounds of fat free mass. That IS a LOT!

Weight (lbs) 202.4 229.5 +27.1
Body Fat % 9% 12.5% +3.5%
Fat free mass: 184.2 200.8 +16.6

Good job!

Thanks, but please keep in mind that those body fat measurements are imprecise at best. Also, lean mass includes water, which I'm holding a lot of!

How much muscle have I actually added? I don't know for sure, but probably 7-9 pounds, give or take.

[stoffer]

Originally Posted by John Stone

Thanks, but please keep in mind that those body fat measurements are imprecise at best. Also, lean mass includes water, which I'm holding a lot of!

How much muscle have I actually added? I don't know for sure, but probably 7-9 pounds, give or take.

EDIT: Muscles contain around 75% of water, so actually you've added around 4 pounds of muscles and 12 pounds of water (according to the measurements), the good thing is that the water still stays in the muscles after you cut. /EDIT

Yeah, i know, it's just a funny thing i noticed. Still it's great.

I looked through your other bulks too (and cuts).. here is what i got:

Everything according to imprecise measurements ofcourse.

2003 Bulk:
Weight: 164,8 -> 181,2 = +16,4
Bodyfat: 8 -> 11 = +3
Fatfree: 151,6 -> 161,3 = +9,7
In about 2 months.

On this Bulk/Cut cycle you gained 3.8lbs of fat free mass.


2004 Bulk:
Weight: 173,8 -> 213 = +39,2
Bodyfat: 9 -> 14 = +5
Fatfree: 158,1 -> 183,1 = +25
In around 4 months.

On this Bulk/Cut cycle you gained 15,6lbs of fat free mass.


2005 Bulk:
Weight: 188,8 -> 225 = +36,2
Bodyfat: 8 -> 14 = +6
Fatfree: 173,7 -> 193,5 = +19,8
In around 3 months

On this Bulk/Cut cycle you gained 3,4lbs of fat free mass.

[dluc]

Originally Posted by stallion16

Yeah, some of the naturals on this forum are amazing. I'm really impressed with mastover's overall shape and 1fastgtx's forearms are simply unreal. But honestly, you may only be one more cutting cycle away from the kind of body you're talking about

Don't forget Skip Though he hasn't posted in a while

[phitness]

Originally Posted by dluc

Don't forget Skip Though he hasn't posted in a while

Originally Posted by John Stone

...natural body builders that I admire (Mastover, 1FastGTX, Abdominator--to name just a few)...

John didn't leave him out and I certainly agree with that list! Good pics John - looks like you and the family had a nice Thanksgiving!

[carddante]

Beefcake! Beeefcaaaake!

[stallion16]

Hey John, I like today's update. Im actually considering purchasing a copy of "the bible" through the JSF mall. I just recently bought jeremy likness's book and that was pretty amazing, although I'm only half way through it.

I was just wondering why the JSF mall price for the book is lower than the regular amazon.com price. (buying through amazon would cost you $17.82 for a new copy while at the JSF mall it's only $13.98)

Also, have you ever read the book "Arnold: the education of a bodybuilder". I hear great things about this one.

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by stallion16

I was just wondering why the JSF mall price for the book is lower than the regular amazon.com price. (buying through amazon would cost you $17.82 for a new copy while at the JSF mall it's only $13.98)

3rd party sellers on Amazon often sell items for less than the price Amazon sells the same item. The great thing about the JSF Mall is the software automatically finds the lowest price if the item is offered on Amazon at more than one price.

Originally Posted by stallion16

Also, have you ever read the book "Arnold: the education of a bodybuilder". I hear great things about this one.

Funny, 1FastGTX just recommend that book to me yesterday. He said it's great! I put it on my Christmas list.

[EliteTraining]

Hey John, I hope you dont take this question the wrong way nor take any offense to it. A couple of days ago my college held a meeting for many overweight/obesed students who wanted to lose weight. I was given the duty as counselor. My college will provide them with trainers, nutrition, and supplements but the only thing they had to do was just show up to the gym and follow their nutrition regimen for 3 months. Out of 20, 14 ppl dropped out. THe most popular reasons were: 1. Too much muscle soreness interfered with their work and school 2. Waking up for morning cardio and walking 14 blocks in the ice cold weather was not practical for 3 months. 3. After work they are exhausted and do not have the strenght to lift weights....THis got me thinking...and so I wanted to ask you

Pretend you were the person when you First made the descision to start your transformaton.

Do you think you would have the physique (and the dedication) you have now if you:
1.) Didnt work at home (lets say a 9-5 office job)
2.) Didnt have the room for a home gym (your wife wanted a pool table instead ) and therefore had to join a regular gym (where sharing equipments could make a 45 minute workout turn to 1-2 hours)
3.) Didn't have the Florida climate, but occasional ice cold winters.


And is there anything you would have done differently?

[Reno_1ted]

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

Hey John, I hope you dont ............................ differently?

This is one which has been pitched here before, and is a good question generally. You could probably start a good thread in itself debating this. I know id post my 2 cents...

Its gotta be so much easier to work at home, and workout at home. But i think John would probably be just as dedicated regardless, just coz thats how he rolls. For most though, it would make a huge difference i think.

EDIT: Though i think the excuses given by all those 14 people are pretty lame. Muscle soreness being too much? Come on. Thats only because they do nothing for years then hit the weights. A few weeks, and you will feel less DOMS. A few more weeks, and you will actually wish you could feel more !!!

[MannishBoy]

I think the real problem with those students is they haven't reached "the" moment yet when they are both fed up with their looks and health, and mad enough at the condition to do something about it.

I think if you've read these boards for awhile, you can almost see the people that will be successful from their earliest posts. It's in the attitude. Questions like "can I get to this point" vs "how do I get to this point" are often indications of self confidence in achieving the goal.

Those are weak excuses to hide the fact that either they aren't unhappy enough yet with themselves, or they haven't yet stoked those inner fires enough to feel that they can actually make positive changes.

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

Hey John, I hope you dont take this question the wrong way nor take any offense to it.

Not at all. These are fair questions (actually I get these kinds of questions a lot.)

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

Pretend you were the person when you First made the descision to start your transformaton.

Do you think you would have the physique (and the dedication) you have now if you:
1.) Didnt work at home (lets say a 9-5 office job)

Just because I don't hop in a car and drive to an office everyday doesn't mean my work doesn't have stress, politics and other problems that most of us have to deal with. I like working at home, and I choose to do so, but there are plenty of trade-offs that I willingly make. I don't mention them very often, and I certainly don't use them as excuses, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

For example, I'm pretty much on call 24/7. If a network problem happens at 3:30 AM, I am automatically paged and have to stay up until the problem is resolved. If a power supply on a critical server fails on Christmas day, it's my responsibility to make sure it's fixed immediately. The only time I'm really "off" is during my workout. I've made it clear to my employer that my workout time is mine, and any problems that come up during that time will have to wait until my workout is over.

Too many people go through life like a piece of flotsam floating down the river, whining about the direction in which they are heading. Life is NOT a crapshoot. Life is about doing your best to tailor your life as you would like it to be, and then adapting to your circumstances when things happen beyond your control. Some people "do", and some people make excuses. It's really that simple as far as I'm concerned.

For a long time I made excuses and lamented my "lot" in life. It took me awhile to learn this, but the problem was never those things around me; the problem was me.

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

2.) Didnt have the room for a home gym (your wife wanted a pool table instead ) and therefore had to join a regular gym (where sharing equipments could make a 45 minute workout turn to 1-2 hours)

I had basic equipment (the same equipment I used for almost the first year of my transformation) back in 1990 when I lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. I chose not to use it back then. That equipment was there all along, so nothing changed over the years but my desire. It about priorities. If you want to workout at home, you probably can. It's a matter of making it happen. I'll give an example...

I'd dreamed about having a dedicated home theater room with a projector. I had every last detail planned out, down to the wiring. Just before I began the project, I started working out (early 2003). Because there was only one spare room in my home big enough to house a dedicated home gym or a dedicated home theater, I had to make choice. As you know, I went with the gym knowing full well I'd never have the home theater of my dreams as long as I lived in this house. I've never regretted my choice.

Some of you may be rolling your eyes at my example: "Oh, poor guy, he had to chose between a dedicated home gym and a dedicated home theater." These things were not handed to me on a silver platter. When I moved to Florida in 1989 I was working a minimum wage factory job and lived with two roommates. Eventually I got my own place: a tiny 1-bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood. I worked my ass off to get to where I am today. Like most young people, I had very humble beginnings. Maybe you have to get rid of a couch or a TV to have the room for a bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells. I didn't have a couch for a long time when I was first starting out, but I did have a bench!

I choose to workout at home because I know what works best for me. I've simply created an environment to fit me and my personality. I know guys who say they could never get motivated to workout if they had to do it at home!

Let's say for the sake of argument that I did have to go to a gym to workout. First, working out is important to me, so I'd find a training partner who shared my desire. A training partner who relies on you to be there is a great source of motivation. I might miss workouts if I had to go alone, but I would never let someone down who was counting on me.

You see? Instead of making excuses I'd take the extra steps to ensure I had the motivation I'd need to get the job done.

Also, I'd find a new gym if workouts took 2+ hours. There's no excuse for that. There are plenty of gyms that have enough equipment so that you don't have to wait around. There are gyms that are open 24 hours. I'd get there at 4:30 AM if that's what it took to make sure I got the workout I wanted.

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

3.) Didn't have the Florida climate, but occasional ice cold winters.

I chose to live in Florida. If I hated the heat, I'd move. If I lived up north and hated the cold, I'd move. Of course many people will say "I can't move because...", but in reality 99% of the reasons are just excuses because those people would rather face harsh winters than make a life change. If I had no choice, I'd deal with it.

Originally Posted by EliteTraining

And is there anything you would have done differently?

I have no major regrets. I've learned from the mistakes I've made, and I'm giving an honest 100% every single day.

Of course I have problems, and sometimes life hits pretty hard, but I no longer make excuses like the 14 people who dropped out. I take responsibility for what I do and do not do.

[imacjack1]

I don't know John... That Titan looks pretty damn comfortable... With the addition of a few high quality speakers and a retractable front projection screen I don't think you ever had to choose between the theater and the gym...

[John Stone]

Tonight's workout (delts/traps/calves) would have been my final workout of my 2006 bulk if I were doing my usual 3-month bulking phase. I feel like I'm at about 13% body fat right now, so I think another month of bulking will be just fine. I'm really going to try to keep from getting much over 14%.

Those behind-the-back shrugs that Mastover suggested are awesome! I've been doing 4 sets of burnout shrugs to the front, followed by 4 sets of burnout shrugs to the back. I don't go terribly heavy, but I pause at the top of the movement and give a hard squeeze. The DOMS I felt last week after doing this routine was pretty intense (the first week I tried them I did not use enough weight). Tonight I was able to do way more reps than I did last week.

I also went up in weight on my lateral raises and bent-over raises, and up in reps on my barbell shoulder press (and will add weight next week).

I'm feeling awesome right now: no injuries, no pain, no problems. I'm totally up for another month of hard lifting.

One picture tonight. Lifting off for my last set of shrugs...

[Chopaholic]

godDAMN johnny - good work!