These pictures were taken within four months of each other during fall, 2005 and early January, 2006. They are real (I am asked this all the time). The picture on the left was taken inside my apartment when I lived in West Houston and the one on the right, outside Bally's Gym (Hwy 290 and Hollister) where I worked out at the time. Today, I work out almost exclusively in my home gym. Here's the story... In early 2005, I suffered a bruised rotator cuff while free-weight bench pressing in the gym. This was the second time I had done this, the first occasion was in 2003 when I lived in Seattle. Injured, I was out of commission for 6-8 months and during that time, my eating spiraled out of control. [ Which proves that even personal trainers are not immune from overeating ]. While the shoulder was healing, I put on nearly 25 lbs of fat. Its the same story: depression + television + McDonalds = one fat bastard! However, once the rotator cuff healed, I dug my heels in, got my eating under control and hit the gym. In less than four months, I lost 32 pounds. No dieting, simply healthy eating with a complete fitness regimen of weight lifting, body-weight strength exercises, high speed cardio and plenty of sleep.
Years before, I had watched (and was blown away) by Bill Phillips and the system he pioneered ( BODY FOR LIFE ) but like many people, I could not afford the high priced EAS products (Phillips has since left the company and the product quality has hit the skids). I also tried the products put out by BSN Nutrition by they were also (and are still) overpriced. It is interesting since BSN and EAS and now primarily marketed toward bodybuilders and not to the general public. In 2006, I discovered Vince Gironda (1917-1997) and his style of weight training and nutritional supplementation, in his masterful canon, Unleashing The Wild Physique. 99% of personal trainers today have no clue who Vince Gironda is (or was) and since he was anti-steroid in his approach to training - the bodybuilding community has since disowned him. He was, in my opinion, the greatest nutritional and weightlifting trainer of all time. Convinced, I adopted a few of his old-fashioned nutritional standards: raw eggs, steak, 1/2 and 1/2 (for protein shakes), whey protein powder, fresh vegetables, vitamins and liver tablets as the staple of my diet. I also adopted Vince's approach to chest training: wide grip dips in lieu of the old-fashioned bench press. Vince stressed nutrition however, as the central key to loosing body fat and gaining muscle. If only I had found out about Vince 20 years ago!
Within two weeks of beginning my comeback, I began to see a significant weight loss. My transformation began. I stuck with my routine and continued with the cardio in the park. Eventually, the loss was so great, I had the pics taken. I am always asked what I ate and how I trained to make the transformation. Here's the routine ... First, I eliminated the free weight bench press. Most guys in the gym lift heavy to impress people - this is typical of the bullshit you see in most gyms. 95% of the people (mostly men) in gyms today haven't a clue as to what to do (they refuse to use personal trainers) and approach weightlifting out of some high school fantasy! To hell with the free weight bench press! I eliminated the free-weight bench and have *never* gone back. Second, to build my chest, I used the old fashioned nautilus-style machine bench press coupled with dips, pullups and thousands of pushups. Pushups are the ultimate upper body exercise, easy to do, free (you don't have to join a gym) and excellent for building the arms, delts, chest and if performed properly, even the abs. I did a million pushups in the Army; I knew what my Drill Sergeants have known all along: pushups are superb for an upper body workout! For arms, I did the standard free-weight tricep and bicep exercises but went back to machine-weights for delts and both machine and free weights for lats (to build the "v" shape.)
Third, for cardio I did 30 and 50-yard dash (sprints) at Terry Hershey Park, Memorial Park and Allen Parkway in Houston, TX. I would eat a high carb meal about 2 p.m. and around 4 p.m., head to the park. I would stretch for 10 minutes (no more) and begin walking along the track ... then sprint thirty yards ... walk some ... then sprint ... then walk / sprint, walk / sprint, until I had done a minimum of ten (10) total sprints during the workout. Sprints allow you to cut more bodyfat. Talk about tough! You can't do them during the summer, you'll overheat - but during the spring and fall - sprints should be your #1 cardio routine! (If you dont beleive me, compare the bodies of short distanced sprinters vs. long distance runners). In any event - you need to do some type of cardio!
Fourth, I ate 3-6 nutritious, small meals a day for nearly four months while allowing myself one bad meal per week (usually McDonald's, Taco Bell, etc.) The key is to eat right, six (6) out of seven (7) days of the week and to stock up on the right foods: tuna, steak, eggs (whole eggs), chicken, fresh fish, beef, whey protein powder, liver tablets, fruit, nuts, berries and plenty of green, leafy vegetables. Stay away from processed foods, sugar, soda's, etc. Eat fresh. Drinks lots of purified water. Fifth, supplements. I took Argentine dessicated liver tablets (Universal Nutrition has the best) which help the liver process the protein, lecithin tablets, a multi-vitamin, fish oil and drank one (or two) protein shake(s) per day. I made my own protein shake, which gives me about 65gr of protein. If I needed a boost in the morning I would add coffee to my protein shake. Sixth, water. I drank the standard 6-8 glasses of purified water per day. Seventh, rest. I would usually get 6-8 hours a sleep (more on the weekends). Your body MUST rest twice a week. Most people in the gym see no results because of over- tonis - overtraining. Want to see results? Work your required body part on Mon-day ... don't touch it again until NEXT Monday. We have the nasty habit of over-training. Today, I work ONE body part PER WEEK. The training purists, bodybuilders and (most) personal trainers disagree, but I have come to realize that one body part (say, chest) should be worked ONCE a week and no more. Get plenty of sleep and in place of doing that body part a second time - do cardio. Eighth, alcohol. Alcohol is good for the body (don't let anyone tell you otherwise). Don't give it up (unless your an alcoholic). Beer and red wine have superior antioxidants and alcohol and strong liquors thin the blood. Cut back if you drink too much. If you do drugs, stop. If you take steroids, your an idiot. If you eat McDonald's (before or) after a workout, you should be slapped. I've seen the insanity! I've had doctors, cardiologists bring McDonald's to my gym during a workout! Insane! Lastly, coffee. Having lived in Seattle, I discovered that coffee makes the world go round. Depressed? Drink coffee. Upset at the world? Have an espresso. Now that the nutritional goobers at the USDA and various goofballs at the universities have declared coffee GOOD for the body (as well as stopping the onset of Alzheimer's), coffee is a must for the bodybuilder or beginner for that matter. It can be used as a diuretic (to loose weight) as well as an "upper" in the morning (to prompt heavy lifts or longer training time). Caffeine is simply a fascinating (supplement) for the body. If you don't drink coffee, try black tea. If you don't like black tea, try green (Chinese) tea. If you don't like either ... hell, I dont know! I can't speak for anyone else, only myself. This is what I did to loose the weight I gained after my injury. For those of you out there that are gym purists and beleive that you can loose bodyfat exclusive of diet - your dead wrong. It can be done for those with ABSOLUTELY PERFECT GENETICS. For the rest of us normal folks - it cant be done. Until you getting your eating under control you will never lose a pound of fat. Find a personal trainer who is dedicated to proper nutrition and get under there wings! Its all about the food! There are no short cuts, no magic pill. The key to loosing weight is eating right, period. Working out is the easy part. If you can *discipline* yourself to eat right six out of seven days a week - the fat will roll off your body like water. Good luck! |
| MY BEFORE & AFTER PHOTO |
| Before September 5, 2005 205 lbs. |
| After January 5, 2006 2005 169 lbs. |