Quote from: insideontheoutside on November 19, 2012, 10:25:04 PM
This is a good thread to help be motivated. People should post picks of their progress


The thing with protein supplementation (or just eating massive amounts of protein) is you have to be seriously training so that the protein is utilized by the body properly. Otherwise mass amounts of protein are hard on your kidneys. If you're just doing a ton of protein and a simple workout expecting to get huge, that's not going to serve you well.

Yeah I wouldn't take the protein supplements everyday, I know that I don't have nearly enough time right now to be doing really intense workouts. Especially now that the semester is wrapping up... I really need to buckle down and memorize statutues **bangs head on the wall**

I did take a few "before" pictures of my stomach area about two weeks after starting. I started working out again on November first, and I can see a bit of a difference already. I don't look good yet, but I'll take another set of picture in a few weeks.

Quote from: RagingShadow on November 20, 2012, 06:47:14 PM
"and very white"...lol

You look great!

Quote from: RagingShadow on November 20, 2012, 06:47:14 PM
"and very white"...lol

our torsos match in color but yours looks better ive got a bit more fat an i havent had top surgery yet.

and


this is where im at now i had stereotypical girl muscles two years ago when i came out this is 18 months working out on and off i happen to be an ectomorph mesomorph combo luckily i retain muscle very well but its hard to build.

I thought I'd post this link for anyone who might find it useful. I used to use this a lot when I wanted to be a federal agent. It's a booklet written by the D.E.A. to help people prepare for the physical fitness test. I think it's well written, nicely illustrated, and it contains a lot of tips and suggestions, along with how to tell if you have an injury and how to properly care for it.

http://www.justice.gov/dea/careers/agent/pdf/PTTBooklet.pdf

This thread kind of got buried but I think it's a good idea so hopefully no one will mind me dragging it back up.  I managed to take some photos for the first time today and know that I need to work out more (I'm going to try and make a punchbag tonight after seeing the changes in Freddie Flintoff's body after he took up boxing after leaving Cricket.)

The photos:



Full body shot (chest completely covered with my hands but might be a bit NSFW for some people): http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mefc89R4yz1rk3vxuo1_1280.jpg

Heh.  I used to have an exercise routine.  Then I sprained my ACL and that was the end of that.  Now I just do the daily hike to and from the train station.

I have a question about this whole exercise thing: how do you guys get past the fact that it's depressing?  I mean, quite frankly I don't value exercise in and of itself.  I see the benefit of getting into shape, but then I look in the mirror and think "who am I kidding?  That's never going to happen."  Any suggestions for motivation?

Looking good Alex, I am anxious to see your results as you progress.

I am getting a bit better, I can see a little line forming on my stomach, and I can now hold The Crane pose for 30-45 seconds without falling over, and some other yoga pose who's name I can't remember for a bit without being too wobbly.

I started using some resistance bands as well while I am doing my cardio, and even though the bands aren't as hard as weights, it's better than nothing for now.

Finals are coming up, so I didn't work out at all this weekend; I need to teach myself unincorporated business entities since we only talk about organic turkeys, powerball, and wine in class. I think I'll try to do some situps after I digest my tikka masala.

Quote from: Mosaic dude on December 02, 2012, 05:05:35 PM

I have a question about this whole exercise thing: how do you guys get past the fact that it's depressing?  I mean, quite frankly I don't value exercise in and of itself.  I see the benefit of getting into shape, but then I look in the mirror and think "who am I kidding?  That's never going to happen."  Any suggestions for motivation?

I don't think it's depressing, but I tend to get a runners high everytime I work out. 

I also work out just because of the health benefits, and yoga tends to compliments my Zen thing that I've had going on for awhile. I used to do track in high school, and some of the girls lost about 2 cup sizes, and even though I didn't loose cup sizes, I am hoping that if I monitor my diet better this time I'll loose some.

If you work out enough and follow proper technique, you'll get stronger. I used to lift weights with one of my friends, and after just about a month or so of him coaching me, I actually started getting REALLY strong. Even with relaxed arms, you could see my muscles, and at work (I used to serve banquets) I could lift trays that were as heavy as the guys could lift.

There's a bodybuilding thread pinned up top of this board that has some nice links in it.

QuoteI used to do track in high school, and some of the girls lost about 2 cup sizes, and even though I didn't loose cup sizes, I am hoping that if I monitor my diet better this time I'll loose some.

Now THAT is motivating!  Thanks LearnedHand!

I took some pictures of myself doing some yoga poses today to see if I am doing them right.

Feel free to laugh at me 

This one is called The Crane, and I suck less at it now than I did a month ago:


This is what The Crane is supposed to look like: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/468  I think I need to be up more.

I forget what this one is called, Flying Tiger or something crazy like that. You're supposed to be completely straight--obviously, I still have some work to do:


I am less wobbly than I was a month ago, so progress is being made.

This is Easy Forward Bend:


[Obviously, I am not trying to pass right now, so I don't need any pointers about how I should dress, etc. And my hair... I am going to donate it to Locks for Love or one of those groups.]

Wow! You are limber!

--Jay

I know this post is a little old but...

Quote from: LearnedHand on November 17, 2012, 11:47:36 AM
My main goal is to really flatten my stomach; my waist is currently at 31.5 inches. If it's not any smaller in a few weeks, feel free to scold me. 

First I want to say that above I said "waist" but that really should've been hips. I am just stupid. 

Anyway, I just measured and my hips are now at 31 inches, and I am starting to get a line going down my stomach, my arms are slightly bigger, ad my calves are so big now that I can barely pull on my skinny jeans. I think I would've made more progress but I took two weeks off to study for finals and I got a few flavored lattes at Dunkin and Cosi which I am sure were completely horrible for me. My friend at work is going to copy her set of ChaLean Extreme videos for me once she gets back from vacation, so if I start that up (and I'll be wicked motivated to do it since I know she'll be asking me "did you work out last night?" everytime I see her) I'll really make a lot of progress.

How's everyone else doing?

I also had to take a few weeks off because of finals and work, I just couldn't fit a workout in like normal. Now that the holidays are almost over, I will be getting back into it. I think I would've been able to still work out during the time I took off if I had a gym or workout buddy. Overall I think I would do better if I had one. I even contemplated just meeting with a personal trainer just to be sure and for more motivation.

I have a lot of overall gains. My legs are insane looking right now but my chest and arms are lacking but those usually take the longest to develop, at least the arms. I'm content with my back and my abs (for right now) but I should be back into the swing of things in the next few days. Probably right after the New Year.