After nearly a year of striving to meet my goals, I have admitted to utter failure. Granted, it's not as bad as I have made it sound, but from my perspective, I would probably be better off starting over.
Why do I think I've failed so miserably? Well, for starters, all the measurements I've taken over the past year are pretty much useless. The muscle measurements were all flexed and the waist measurements were all with me sucking in my gut. Yeah, I realize that it's almost second nature to do that to boost the ego and decrease the perception of not being in as good of shape as we want, but that's no excuse for me. I just read Vince DelMonte's transformation story, and I never realized how similar my experience has been (though, I can't claim a 48-pound increase in mass over six months).
I used to be a very skinny guy. When I graduated high school, I was around 5'8" and weighed no more than 120#. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually broke out of being super skinny, and honestly, it was probably all the fast food I ate at the time (not to mention the free soda at Microsoft). Now, eight-and-a-half years later, my diet is much cleaner, but I feel fat, and I definitely don't have the body that I want. Yes, I have a lot more muscle than I did a couple years ago. Hell, I have more muscle than I had a year ago, and frankly, my bodyfat is probably lower than it was back then.
I don't totally trust my bodyfat calipers. I used them on my friend. He's a twig...literally. He is super lean, and he does have some muscle, but I think most of that is accentuated by the fact that his bodyfat is unnaturally low. During a recent physical, he was told that he could stand to gain 10 pounds. I concur, and half of them could be fat, and he'd still end up looking significantly better than I do right now. Anyway...the calipers said his bodyfat was an incredible 3.3 percent. Yeah, you can see all of his veins and muscles pretty much all the time, including his abs. But, is 3.3% bodyfat even possible? I had the kid buy some Cytogainer, and I'm helping him develop a routine to put on those 10 pounds (and a few more). I don't feel totally bad, though...my arms and legs are bigger. :-D I digress, however...they say I'm sitting at 8.9% (pretty consistently, at that). And, while I do have a tummy and am measuring almost a 34-inch waist, I can see some abdominal definition, so maybe I'm not as "fat" as I think I am...maybe it's just pooled there (as it does) and the lack of proper core strength and tone is giving me a flabbier spare tire than I should have. Maybe...maybe not. Either way, I'm sick of it.
Today, I am starting on Vince DelMonte's No-Nonsense Muscle Building program. I have read tons of articles, purchased various e-books, surfed through hundreds of fitness sites, listened to audio messages, and the whole works. And yes, I even have subscriptions to various fitness magazines. My assessment? Well, simply...I need to pick something and stick with it. I've had Vince's program for quite some time now, and while I have adapted some of his methods into the various routines I've used over the past some-odd months, I am not getting where I want to be, and I am too frustrated to keep trying it my way. I paid the dues, and I'm paying for my lack of commitment, so I may as well get myself on a program that has proven to work for so many others.
I don't know what my specific goals are right now. I want to get my waist back down to at least a 31, my arms to at least 14 inches (without flexing), and my chest up to 42...and, I want my weight to get up to 180. But, these are somewhat long-term goals, 'cause I have a few things to focus on first.
Over the years, my poor posture has caused injury to my lower back. This was not a big issue until October of 2006; I was involved in a hit-and-run while stopped at a red light. The impact was severe enough to wrench my neck and back. I underwent chiropractic treatment and physical therapy for over a year before I was dismissed from requiring regular sessions, as my progress was very good by that point receiving significant contribution from my workout routines. Unfortunately, I kept re-injuring my lower back, first by lifting cold and heavy, and then later by minor things, like bending over to pick up a relatively low weight. A few days ago, I went snowboarding, and by mid-day, my lower back was in so much pain that I went in search of painkillers and alcohol to dull it down and permit me to continue enjoying the rest of the day...which, despite the pain, I did, and I am now paying for. Sitting here, typing this post, my lower back is screaming at me, and I am about to start my workout for the night.
Part of why I chose Vince's program is because the first few weeks are spent on "upside-down training," which basically works to fix some of problems I am exhibiting...notably my posture and lack of core strength. It's not that I am incapable of correct posture--it's that I am more comfortable slouching. And, it's not that my core is weak...but, it's greatly imbalanced, with my lower back being injured and thus much, much weaker than my other core muscles. Then again, my obliques are not in the best shape, since I have this spare tire hanging out from under my shirt...ok, that's an exaggeration, but they sure were sore after my snowboarding trip, indicating to me that they were not prepared for the stress they were put under.
I will be updating my BodySpace more often in an attempt to track my progress and to keep me accountable. I'm putting aside all pride and letting go of any shred of ego that I may have, and I'm going to commit to getting myself where I want (and need) to be. One goal that I can claim at this point is to be fit (ie: no spare tire, showing visible definition, further reduction in bodyfat) by the time my birthday and summer roll around. So, I've got just under five months to get there.
I will be taking updated pics sometime this week and posting them. I'll post new pics at least once a week. And, I will be sure to do the not-sucking-in-my-gut ones, 'cause the more unhappy I am with how I look, the more inclined I will be to change it.
Cross-posted from my BodySpace
EDIT (Jan 23, 2008, 2:14 PM): Ok, so things aren't quite as bad as I thought. I re-measured my waist, and instead of doing it the way that it said on BodySpace (which was to measure at the belly button), I measured from my actual waistline. Given that when we buy pants, they're based on the latter measurement (I don't know about you, but I don't wear my pants all the way up over my belly button), I figured that would be the correct measurement. The number? 32.25"...still not a 31, but it's a lot better than 33.75".