Yes, that's the biggest thing that's under-stressed about exercise: the benefits are not just physical/health related. Like you, exercise has made me far less averse to interacting with people, and resulted in me being more outgoing, more open meeting new people, and just living a better life as a result.
There's a book called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain that relates that if exercise came in pill form, it would be plastered across the front page, hailed as the blockbuster drug of the century – purely on cognitive/psychological benefits alone. That really drove it home for me.
Don't just workout for health reasons. Workout for life reasons.
I can't tell you how many times I used to sit at home alone feeling bad for myself, vs now: I don't have the same fear. It's so much healthier (mentally) to be proud of yourself and just not worry about the way you look (or feel afraid of being judged by people) constantly.
Whoever is readying this, don't think you can get that amount of muscle in a natural way so fast. Only Testosterone, trenbolone and other stuff will make you that large.
According to a simple calculator, if you cut down below 8% fat (which is pro body builder territory), you'd still be at above 205lbs, which is no way achievable with normal/simple workouts.
I don't want to chastise you, but to whoever is reading this, make sure to have realistic expectations once you get into weightlifting. Getting below 15% while body fat, while having some decent muscle definition is a goal achievable by everyone. It might take a couple of years for some, but it is realistic. Trying to looking like the models in the fitness magazines, unfortunately is not, as 99% of them take hormones and other performance enhancing drugs.
Also, 2 years is a very long time if you consistently behave according to some goal.
In my opinion, there's no need to publicly accuse rdegges of anything but hard work and discipline.
I disagree. Research has shown that it is extremely rare for natural bodybuilders to achieve an FFMI (fat-free mass index) of 28 or higher. Based on OP's stats, his FFMI is 27.94. So either OP has godly genetics rivaling those of Mr. America winners, or he is using PEDs. I have no problems with PEDs, but it is disingenuous to claim that his results are purely from diet and exercise.
So sure, OP's physique is possible to achieve naturally, but it is by no means easy (requires winning the genetic lottery).
Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/natural_bodybuilding.htm
Nobody is prone to it.
The before and after is basically me being completely pumped and half-dead after my 8h vs. me taking a happy stroll out the office at the end of the day, going for a run and still putting in 4 more hours of whatever else I'm doing, easily. With 0 signs of burnout, when I was skirting the line for years before I started cardio.
So exercise, can't stress that one enough.
I don't really care about strength much, I try to focus on slow, controlled movements, and being really safe. But, with that said:
- bench: 400lbs
- squat: 315lbs for reps (been a while though, I recently hurt my back)
- deadlift: 585lbs (before I hurt my back, now I don't do them)
Btw, crazy gains. You look big in that second pic
I'm just starting the lifting thing. Not looking for the bodybuilder look, but definitely working toward being more muscular! Great job!
I know you talked mostly about fitness, but what's your diet like these days?
My first and last meal are:
- 50g protein - 16g fats
The rest of my meals are:
- 50g protein - 16g fats - 50g carbs (rice)
That's about it! If you like chicken and rice (like I do), it isn't too bad. On Sundays, I take about 10 hours and 'carb up' as well, just eating lots of sugary low-fat foods: frozen yogurt, candy, etc. Helps keep you sane and balanced.
The 'bro science' of bodybuilding diets is that by eating small, frequent meals, you train your body to digest food faster and use it more effectively after training. It works well for me, so I've stuck with it.
Protein, etc., is not bad for you: it's just food. Eating 1/2 pound of chicken breast, and drinking a hefty protein shake are roughly equivalent in terms of nutrition. There's nothing wrong (in my opinion) with maintaining a relatively high protein diet, unless you're eating far more than 2g per pound of body weight (at which point you're going to unnecessarily tax your kidneys to break it all down).
Many bodybuilders eat around 1g of protein per pound of body weight, which isn't terribly much. People like me, for instance, eat mainly 'clean' foods: chicken breast, brown rice, green veggies, etc. I get my bloodwork done every few months, and have never had any issues.
You're correct that top level bodybuilders are taking a toll to their health, but running a casual cycle really isn't anything to write home about. Combined with a decent body fat percentage and a few hundred worth of Test-E, you too could look like him.
There is a world of difference between the lifestyles of top level mass monster Olympia bodybuilders and casual steroid users.
Whatever phisique requires steroids to achieve is literally too big and anyone who is not into bodybuilding will think that.
I'm curious what your routine is like. If you don't mind, could you share how many days a week you train/rest as well as how many hours on a good/average day? Thanks.
I go to the gym 4x's per week, for roughly 2 hours each.
Day 1: Back & Abs + Cardio Day 2: Chest and Traps + Cardio Day 3: Legs + Cardio Day 4: Shoulders and Arms
For cardio, I do 30 minutes of moderate intensity stuff: elliptical, bike, stairmaster, etc.
For training, I do about 6 exercises per body part, with lots of high intensity (till failure) stuff. It's hard for sure, but works well.
For sleep, I try to get 9 hours per night. This one is really important. Without sleep, the rest doesn't work so well :(
Do you need special keyboards with those arms? :-)
I've been programming since I was a kid. Spending most of my time at a desk eating Doritos and fast food wasn't really the best choice. I spent most of my 'good years' as a young guy being really overweight and hating myself. Being overweight led me to really not like myself, be afraid of going out in public, etc.
I spent a ton of time in my best years feeling lonely, hiding away in my room hacking on code, and generally not enjoying my life 100%.
After years of this, when I turned 25, I realized that if I ever wanted to look good and feel confident, I should probably just get started. I did some research online:
* Read the fitness subreddit. * Read some books about weight lifting and nutrition.
And... I just got started. It took a while to learn how to actually do things right, but over the course of the first year I lost almost exactly 100lbs not knowing what I was doing. The amount of self confidence that gave me was the single best gift I've ever had.
I didn't feel afraid to go out in public anymore, talk to people, give tech talks, or just generally interact with people anymore.
After that, I realized that if I could lose weight, why not take it up a notch? I've always liked the way professional bodbuilders looked -- they look like real life superheros. So, I figured that if I can lose weight, why not take it a bit further and try to get closer to what I'd really like to look like?
So, I started reading about bodybuilding, etc. I realized that it isn't that hard! So over the last 2 years, I've been doing a lot more weightlifting, eating better, etc., and things have been awesome! I feel way more confident, feel happier, have a better private life, etc.
Overall, getting in shape has been, without question, the best time investment of my life.
Here's me a few years back when I got married: http://i.imgur.com/NQ5dskZ.jpg Here's me from a few weeks ago: http://i.imgur.com/k6OzJoS.jpg