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Success Stories!

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Zafrumi
Profile Joined June 2009
Switzerland1272 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-03-31 20:50:33
September 02 2011 09:16 GMT
#1
Here are some amazing success stories from the TL H&F 2011 thread - tales of incredible progress on SS/SL, general badassery and just all around increased fitness/quality of life.

+ Show Spoiler +
On April 01 2012 05:25 shawster wrote:
Hey guys with march coming to an end I just wanted to say some things about how my first month of sl/ss has been.

I started march 5th and did my first squat that day. Went from 95 lb to 140 lb in a month.

I started off my bench press too heavy, so I had to go down by 10 pounds during the middle of the month. Went from 95 -> 85
-> 87.5 -> 90 -> 92.5 -> 95 and now 100.

First time doing a deadlift as well. Went from 95 -> 145 lb.

I didn't start doing overhead press till midway through the month, but i went from 55 -> 65 lb. Started with dumbells but it never felt right. Barbell felt much more natural for me

Didn't start power cleans till midway through the month as well. 65 -> 75. Started with barbell rows but I just realized that I couldn't stand that god damned exercise.

Any ways through the first month I've really learned how to take it slow and be patient instead starting off too strong. I started low on deadlift and squat and didn't need to go down in weight. My form is far from perfect but i'm still learning and incorporating a little bit day by day.

I was hesitant to learn the power clean and over head press because I've never seen anyone do those exercises so i put off learning them for a while. Now I regret it lol. Any ways I've been eating a lot and hopefully I'll be able to maintain the gains that I've experienced during the last part of March. Hopefully no injuries. the only minor problem I had was aggravating my bicep shoulder tendon ( i think?) doing power cleans.

Oh and my bodyweight has went up by around 7 pounds or so.

On February 24 2012 16:18 Malinor wrote:
At approxiamately 124kg bodyweight, I just did the first chin-up of my life (and the 2nd and 3rd for that matter)! I have fucking worked for that since eight months, dropping ~40kg bodyweight and spending endless amounts of time with machine assisted chins, band assisted chins, negatives, jumping chins and lat pulldowns...
And of course I did not expect it to happen today and did not have my camera with me. I was really confused when all of a sudden I could see atop the bar.
I will take my camera with me next time and then post a video. I know for nearly all of you a chin-up is the most normal thing in the world, but for me it is the essential feeling to have control over my body, which I have basically never had in my live.

Video in spoilers, (chin-ups on the next day) the result of 8 months of consistent work every week
+ Show Spoiler +


On October 23 2011 19:47 Jupiter wrote:
Hey everyone,

I've been lurking long enough thought it would be good to start posting and getting involved in the community!

Jupiter (not xJupiter9x sorry man same name :S)

Age: 21 || Height: 5"11 || Weight: 95kg
Starting Date: Late Feb / Early march ||
Training goals -- Finish last few weeks on madcows

I've been training for just over 8 months now.

My first 5 months I did Starting Strength which took my lifts from
Squat - 40x5 to 155x5
Bench - 35x5 to 80x5
Deadlift - 45x5 to 155x5

My bodyweight went from 77kgs to 90kgs

(would highly recommend Starting strength. Such a great beginners routine for anyone!!!! I followed it by the book and de-loaded 2 or 3 times on some of the lifts before finally stalling)

The past 11 weeks I've been running madcows 5x5 and my lifts are currently at -
Squat - 184kgx5
Bench - 103kgx4
Deadlift - 174kgx5

And my bodyweight is currently 95kg

The last few weeks have been really hard and I'm hoping I can get a few more weeks progression before I stall. (actually failed my bench set today only got 4 reps. first time failing a set in nearly 12 weeks :S).

So my goal at the moment is at least 2 more weeks of madcows!


On October 17 2011 03:44 infinity21 wrote:
Snapped some pics today!
Before:+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]
[image loading]

After:
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]
[image loading]
[image loading]

Lighting's really shitty so it's not the best quality pics but I don't think I look that different lol

Progress: Aug 29, 2011 -> Oct 15, 2011 (everything in lb)
BW: 165 -> 175
Squat: 115x5x5 -> 235x3x5
Bench: 85x5x5 -> 160x3x5
Press: 55x5x5 -> 85x5-5-3
Chin-ups: BWx3x5 --> BW+27.5x5-5-4-5
DL: 135x1x5 -> 255x1x5

Numbers may seem a bit deceiving since I have worked out on and off for a couple of months prior and I had squatted 175 and benched 125 before, but with much worse technique.


On October 15 2011 08:56 Kamais_Ookin wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2011 10:29 Kamais_Ookin wrote:
On August 15 2011 16:25 Kamais_Ookin wrote:
I just started the SL Regime today. I weigh 120 pounds and am 18 years old. My goal is to gain weight, hopefully 20+ pounds and also be able to progressively do a lot of weight on the exercises ofc.

I'm going to give an update every month on whether or not i've gained any weight and the amount of weight i'm lifting.

Currently starting at the lowest pretty much to get used to it and practice technique:

1. 45lb squat
2. 45lb bench press
3. 50lb barbell row
4. 45lb overhead press
5. 50lb deadlift
Here is my first month progress since the beginning, now I do:

1. 130lb squat 5x5
2. 80lb bench press 5x5
3. 95lb barbell row 5x5
4. 75lb overhead 5x5
5. 120lb deadlift 1x5

I've also gained 10 pounds in my first month so now I weight 130lbs. I'm really happy with my progress. The only muscle that didn't grow that much is my balls and I really need bigger ones to ask this cute girl out on a date, it's my first time.
Here is my second month progress I'm currently on now:

1. 175lb squat 5x5 (not much progress because of groin strain )
2. 120lb bench press 5x5
3. 135lb barbell row 5x5
4. 95lb overhead 5x5
5. 205 deadlift 1x5

I've gained yet another 10 pounds so now I'm on 140lbs. I have Crohn's Disease and I have a lot of trouble eating a lot but I have a goal, and as a man I intend to fulfill it no matter what it takes. This is my favorite thread in TL and I would like to personally thank everyone who has helped me (especially eshlow, me <3 him) and the motivation I get from seeing other people's results.


On October 11 2011 01:26 sJarl wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 09 2011 04:42 sJarl wrote:
So, post number 1k, time for some blast from the past and see some progression.

Summer 2009, me at the most muscular phase of my life as of then:
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]

Strength was well not good, could squat about 130kg for a max (managed a 100kg x 20 widowmaker though), bench about 75kg and deadlift 185kg. Knees were a wreck so I didn't really squat and deadlift much that summer though. Spent it to bring up my severely lacking upper body.

May 6th, 2011:
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


Some improvement, gained around 10kg.

Will update tomorrow with a new pic and current stats.

Just remember: results come in the long run not overnight.


As promised update pic:

09/10/11
BW: 80kg -> 97kg
Squat: 130kg -> 185kg
Deadlift: 185kg -> 225kg x 2
Bench: 75k -> 105kg
pretty much everything has increased.

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


Please forgive my silly expression
also, beard as requested by Nemy.



On January 14 2011 07:37 decafchicken wrote:
Here's sad decaf after injuring his shoulder and not squatting or deadlifting for a month back in spring break (closest thing i have to a "before" picture)

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


And here's decaf with deadlifts + squats + clean and jerks + snatches in possibly the douchiest picture i've ever taken.
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


See if she's okay with that...i know every girl i've slept with in the last 6 months has been ^_^

edit: abs 4 lulz while i'm on a douche streak
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


Yes i have weird nipples


On September 23 2011 13:24 CheAse wrote:
Down 30 pounds to 190 from running semi-daily, going to the gym, and eating healthier. Still haven't hit my goal of 180(with muscle gain) though so I won't post a pic yet.

After feeling a million times more confident, even after just 30 pounds, I'm way happier and more social. Plus I attracted 2 girls I dated and had an almost 3 some.

If my lazy ass can do it, anyone can, just need to want it.



On January 06 2011 12:23 funkie wrote:
Mad bragging AHEAD

on my gym I have made a couple of friends, among them there's this little girl. We always kid around and shit. I made her mad and she punched me in the leg. When she did this, she gave me this "WTF" look. She punched me Again. Then Proceeded to ask: "Raul, why are you so hard?" and im like "dunno. I workout?" she Then examined my body for soft places. She found none. NOW she tells every girl to "feel how hard I am".

SUCC-motherfucking-ESS!

Brag DONE

SQUAT: 2x5x100kg 1x5x105kg
Press: 3x5x55kg
PC: 1x5x45kg (was too damn tired lol)
:D


On January 14 2011 04:52 phyre112 wrote:
So I was lifting monday night in the weight room at my old high school (only place around that's available) and the place was pretty full, but mostly with people using dumbbells/treadmills/machines. Only myself and one other guy were using the (only) barbell/ (only) power rack. The guy though, was someone I played basketball with, and was probably the only person on the whole team I hated. Terrible player outside of a nice jump shot but he started almost every game. By my senior year we ended up getting pretty physical with each other, coach wouldn't even put us on the court at the same time in practice. He gave me a concussion that took two weeks to recover from. I had him in a sling for a while etc. Fun stuff, high school rivalries.

So he was in there, doing squats. I walk in and he's got 90kg on the bar, the little bitchpad, he's leaning significantly to the left and most importantly he's quarter squatting it, groaning like an sixty year old fat man climbing a set of stairs. 85 is a bit outside what I should probably be doing right now (I've been squatting 60kg for over a month, trying to strengthen my bad knee. It's worked wonders, and I'm on linear progression from there now) but since it's this particular guy I just channel my inner decaf/funkie/dimsum/etc. and get all pumped up to squat. He's taking a break in between sets, I say something to him about working in, take off the pad, hop under the bar, and do what is possibly the most perfect set of squats I have performed so far, even though it's 20 kg heavier than what I was supposed to do that day. He's watching the whole set, and as soon as I finish and rack the bar, he goes to get a drink, then signs out of the weight room and grabs his coat. Rage quits the gym.

I was pumped. WAY too drained to continue at that weight, but definitely pumped =p.


On January 16 2011 02:01 sJarl wrote:
Sooooo instead of going for 107.5kg x 20 or something like the program says I decided to go for a max lift to know where I was at after my operation. Was planning on going for something around 140kg but my training partner didn't like that one bit and demanded I go for 160kg. My all time best was 185kg.

Started out with:
110kg x 3
120kg x 2
140kg x 1 (pretty smooth but a little slow...)
150kg x 1 (double overhand grip from me holds to this level, just barely locked it out before the bar slipped.

Decided to switch to mixed grip, chalked up and put on this little masterpiece:
+ Show Spoiler +

A good sniff of ammonia and BAM! Smashed the 160kg like it was nothing!

So we ramp it up, and set it up for 180kg. Same song, more ammonia. Piece of cake.

Only thing left to do: go for the kill and set 190kg on the bar. Nailed it. No hitching, no nothing. Just a smooth solid lift. Beat my all time PR by 5kg. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 and high rep deads are delivering. I've never even gone above 105kg since I started doing deads again.

Time to eat.


On January 17 2011 23:55 funkie wrote:
Amen.


Once you start everything is going to seem harder, and everything is going to weight a shitton to you.

Then you'll reach a 100kg squat, a 130kg deadlift, and then you'll see yourself in a place where you never thought you could be. I know this, cause I've been there, I never thought I'd be able to grow on size, get stronger and whatnot. I though this "big and muscular" look took years and years. and I'm not saying it doesn't, but do it. Embrace it, learn, Read, fucking ask, and quit making shitty excuses. If you have a pain, heal it, and go rampage on that barbell again.

Fuck yeah.

Edit: Is Whey protein good for?, I saw some big bottles of Whey in a local GNC Store. Should I drink these? =o are they good for..liek teh strong?


On January 23 2011 01:10 sJarl wrote:
I'd love to have Dave as my coach...I'll guess Magnus Ver will have to do :D

On the other hand I just remembered about this guy Dave Gulledge...an elite level powerlifter.

The first image is him before an injury he sustained at bodyweight of 145kg. The others are at bw 120kg. Height is 6'0"

[image loading]

Sickest lower back I've ever seen!

And yes, he is carb depleted.


On January 28 2011 19:51 Energies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 28 2011 10:47 DavidHill76 wrote:
Funkie, no matter what happens the gym will always be there for you, it won't break up with you, cheat on you, talk about you behind your back. There's a good quote about it somewhere on bb.com.


[image loading]

Show nested quote +
Henry Motherfuckin' Rollins wrote:
The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.




On January 31 2011 07:48 Zafrumi wrote:
very valid point cambium. you cant force a program on people that they do not want to do.

but on the other hand imagine this: what if they get really hooked on squatting, deadlifting and power cleaning even though they never thought it possible? thats exactly what happened with me. i was fooling around in the gym for like a year, doing curls, lat pulldowns and leg presses... now i have a really hard time to keep myself from squatting my ass off on my recovery days

i dont think we can force people to lift weights (except for decaf of course!). its just very important that everyone who wants to lose weight knows that it is probably THE best solution!

another story: about a year ago me and a buddy, who were both massively overweight, decided to lose all that excess fat on our bones. but we went a different way about it: I went to the gym (even though, as I already mentioned, i was doing it wrong ) and he just went on a strict diet. we both dropped a lot of weight very quickly, but whereas he just lost fat and didnt replace it with anything (resulting in excess skin and skinny arms) I actually put on muscle in the right spots and for the first time in my life I actually like what I see when I look in the mirror (even though I still have a little belly ).
now imagine what would have happened if I went on SS right away!

long story short: try starting strength. if its not for you and you dont like it at all, stick with your cardio routine because its still better than doing nothing. but give it a chance!


On February 04 2011 18:20 decafchicken wrote:
Oh my god. I got in to an argument over diet with some hot blonde chick at a party. Apparently she's a dietician major going into sports diet and she was flabbergasted that i was 50% fat, 30% protein, 20% carb. "WAY TOO MUCH FAT"...*shows abs*...obviously too much fat. She tried to tell me how much more important back muscles were. Good thing i have none of those. She tried to bring up the "they only lived to 30 years" argument. And how saturated fats (from animals) and dietary cholesterol were going to leave me a fat mess with cardio vascular disease in 20 years. Pretty much just demolished all her arguments. As she left the party she asked me for my number. BOOM ROASTED. Sadly these are the people that will be educating our future athletes

Also, taking a week or so off snatching and jerking. My rear deltoid on my right side has been bothering me on and off for the last few weeks (months?). Probably overtrainining the fuck out of my shoulders considering they got very little work for half a year from injuries and then got slammed by snatching. Probably the reason i couldn't lock out 100 kg today even though i got 105 on monday T_T Cleaning 1.5xbw was an amazing feeling though, probably the only thing that could have made me feel better after failing so miserably at snatching. I'll probably just stick to a lot of cleans and squats this week, maybe some deadlifts for fun? :D


On February 08 2011 02:52 decafchicken wrote:
Poll: Has starting strength(or variant) made your life more awesome?

Yes (32)
 
70%

Random girls have been asking you why your body is so hard (12)
 
26%

No (2)
 
4%

46 total votes

Your vote: Has starting strength(or variant) made your life more awesome?

(Vote): Yes
(Vote): No
(Vote): Random girls have been asking you why your body is so hard




On February 10 2011 13:17 Alexson wrote:
Here is my SS progress.
S= Squat B= Bench DL= Deadlift P= Press PC= Powerclean

Sat 1-22-11
S: 95 lbs B: 65lbs DL: 135lbs

Mon 1-24-11
S: 105lbs P: 45lbs PC: 95lbs

Wen 1-26-11
S: 115lbs B: 95lbs DL: 155lbs

Sat 1-29-11
S: 135lbs B: 105lbs D: 205lbs

Mon 1-31-11
S: 145lbs B: 105lbs DL: 205lbs

Wen 2-2-11
S: 155lbs P: 65lbs PC: 110lbs

Sat 2-5-11
S: 160lbs B: 110lbs DL 215lbs

Mon 2-7-11
S: 170lbs P:70lbs PC: 115lbs

Wen(today) 2-9-11
S: 180lbs B: 115lbs DL: 230lbs -- so I failed the 4th rep today on Squat, on the last set

Ive seen an increase of 85 lbs in my squat in 3 weeks.
50 lbs on my bench
95 lbs on deadlift
25 on press
20 lbs on cleans

Since I failed squatting I think I'm going to start increasing only 5lbs a workout instead of 10, is this how its suppose to be :/? Everything besides deadlift is going to be increased by 5, and deadlift by 10.. does this sound good?

And am I making good progress so far :D?



On September 11 2011 00:52 thirnaz wrote:
Been doing SS for 3 weeks now.

Height 191cm / Age: 18
Weight: 97 kg. Goal: ~90kg
Squat: 65kg. Goal: 100kg
Deadlift: 100kg. Goal: 140kg
Bench: 60kg. Goal: 75kg
Powerclean: 45kg. Goal: 60kg
Press: 40kg. Goal: 55kg

Since i started 3 weeks ago i've lost 8kg in weight, gained 25kg on my squats 50kg on DLs, 15kg on bench, 10kg on press and 5kg on powercleans (took a lot of time just to get decent form). I'm aiming to complete my goals before the 31st of December. I also want to thank you all for this thread, I learned about SS and how to eat from the OP so much love <3!


inspirational:

+ Show Spoiler +
On January 30 2011 21:07 SoleSteeler wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 30 2011 20:32 Nokarot wrote:
I'm less concerned about turning fat in to muscle and more concerned about burning fat. Maybe when I get down to 240-250 I'll start lifting, too, but at 280 I just need to lose pure fat I think.


As someone who has lost a lot of weight over the past couple years and is now lifting, I highly recommend starting some weightlifting now.

My story (which I've probably told on this forum before, but I think in the first body building thread) is something like this:

I started university at about 160 pounds. I gained over 50 pounds in my first year, dropping about 40-45 of that in my first summer. I couldn't believe I could gain so much weight so fast. My school's cafeteria had a lot of great food though, and since it was all you could eat, I would honestly go through 5+ egg salad sandwiches a day. With butter and such on it. So many calories!

Anyway, due to stress and I guess, perhaps, emotional instability in my final two years of school, I got up to about 260 pounds. My portion sizes were awful, my diet had a lot of good foods in it; however it had a lot of bad foods too. Basically I just ate and drank too much. My self-esteem was pretty low at the end.

After I graduated, I started to ride my bike a lot again. I lost about 40 pounds in ~5 months just bike riding for 80-90 minutes (outside, it was summer...) every day, and doing my best to eat better. I then couldn't really bike ride for a while due to winter, but I ate better and didn't gain any more weight. When the weather warmed up a bit, I started riding my bike a lot, and also doing push ups (I thought that "100 push up program" was pretty cool) every other day.

In the middle of that summer I finally decided to get a gym membership. Of course, I didn't really know what I was doing, and I felt good just... being there, pretty much. At first I was still focused on cardio, but still lifting weights, but not in any effective program, just kind of doing my own thing (despite knowing of the existence of SS, etc.). Combined with my continuous bike riding and eating "better", I eventually dropped to about 180 pounds in just under a year after being at ~260.

Anyway, that winter I became stressed out again (won't go into it) and also had no more gym membership access. Around March I finally got to the gym again but it felt like I was starting all over again. (I had gained about 15-20 pounds, back up to 200.) And at first, my sleeping pattern was really bad so I had no energy when I was at the gym, so was kind of timid about lifting weights. It took another two months to fix my sleeping pattern and get into a more productive gym routine, but still another... 4? months to really put my best effort into the gym, being fit, eating right, lifting right, etc. Now, I've been doing so since around, last July or August, and I'm seeing excellent results.

Anyway I kind of rambled on, sorry. Point of my post is to say that it took me too long to get into the gym to start lifting weights. When I first started I could barely bench 95 pounds; I couldn't do a squat at all... I couldn't do anything, it seemed! But no one judges you in the gym as long as you're being respectful of others. When you start lifting weights and really get into it, you really feel... just, so good. You will notice your athleticism in so many ways and it will be so beneficial to you.

But the point is (for me, at least) it takes time to build up skills, certain muscles. It takes time for your body adjust. It takes time for your mind to adjust to things. It won't happen in a month after you start lifting weights. I was going to the gym off and on for just over a year before I really started to take it seriously, but that year was also an invaluable learning process to me. So my advice is to definitely just start lifting weights now. Start light, for sure. But do it!!! I can't think of any real reason to wait for a certain time to start lifting.


On January 30 2011 21:34 SoleSteeler wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 30 2011 21:11 Zafrumi wrote:
great story solesteeler and keep at it!


Thanks. And oh, I have been keeping at it... The gym is so fun after it becomes a routine!

By the way, I think it's somewhat amusing that currently I haven't weighed myself in about 8 months. I know I've been losing body fat consistently since then, though, looking at pictures of myself. Even just yesterday, I hadn't talked to anyone on Skype in over a month, and looking at myself in my own webcam I could tell I've lost weight. When you see yourself in the mirror every day, it's hard to tell if progress has been made! But I hadn't seen myself specifically in my webcam, so I saw a difference. Kind of funny how that works.

Also, here's a nice little story...

When I really started taking the gym as serious as I could in the middle of last summer (July-August), I noticed such massive results, which really motivated me. I increased my weight lifted in all categories and I was doing my best to step up my cardio at each session. Around the start of September I saw pictures of myself then and from late June and couldn't believe the difference. And then my office had a beach picnic, where all the guys played sports on the beach all day. I couldn't believe how... easy! it was for me to run around all day, throw balls around etc. and not get tired. Not to mention how far and accurate I could throw a football or baseball. Scoring the winning goals in soccer games, etc. My confidence was so incredibly high around then.

Later that night we went to a bar and without even trying, girls just seemed to flock to me, due to some... confidence I didn't even know I was exhibiting! Not to brag! I had never even had a girlfriend in my life... Hell, I didn't even know what to do with these girls that kept coming up to me... It felt so new to me. (At that time, I hadn't really been out to a bar in a few months). Only two days later after that awesome day at the beach, I met my wonderful girlfriend! My first real relationship began at 25 years old! And I'm not really ashamed to say that.

In short, sometimes I am a bit shocked looking a pictures of myself from 2008 and thinking how sad and lonely and depressed I was back then, and thinking about how much I enjoy my life now. :/ And I owe so much of my confidence to working out, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My stress levels are lower, I sleep better, I feel that I think clearer, and even things like I am more articulate - all due to my increased confidence. I am happy. Life is good.


On September 04 2011 23:56 Snapplecakes wrote:
heres some background information that not everyone might want to read, its about my journey from 135kg to where i am now !

+ Show Spoiler +

so its time for the biggest update in my life!

i wanna start out with some background story as this goes back to my teens!

all through my life ive been overweight, ive been what you would call a nerd and an emotional eater.. i used to sit infront of my comp and game WOW 14 hours a day, i dropped out of school
and just basically lived my life through the monitor. i can still remember the day i went on the scale and it clocked in at 135kg and i still managed to tell myself that "its allright dude
youre just a big guy with a big build, atleast youre strong and got charm!"

[image loading]

yeeeeahh.. i wouldnt exactly call this charming in any sense of the word haha


the big turning point for me came at a point where i was basically playing games til 10 am in the morning and sleeping til close to midnight just to get up again and game even more, i got seriously ill
the spring of 2008 after dropping out of school AGAIN to game even more.. i got some sort of arthritis that they never managed to diagnose completely, to put it short i was constantly nauseus,
my foot swelled up and i was in serious bad mental condition and got admitted to the hospital to find out what was wrong with me.. i made a slow recovery and decided that now is the time to do
something with my life, i started as chef trainee at a hotel and started losing weight rapidly (just from actually being active)

[image loading]

after this i started to notice my weight loss and decided to cut out all kinds of soda and candy, i however still ate pretty much what i wanted for dinner etc and never had any fixed meals
after 6 months of this i looked something like this at roughly 95kg

[image loading]


however relapses were bound to happend after i moved from a mountain resort and to the big city and i still remember that detrimental day when i decided to buy just *one* bar of chocolate at the store
the rest is history as i slowly gained 10 kg over the following year and a half. i was suddenly back to 105kg

i started working at one of the best gourmet restaurants in oslo, living a hectic lifestyle where just craming chocolate down my throat to not pass out from the 16 hour/6 days a week shifts and HEAVY amounts
of after shift drinking (chefs lifestyle eh?) pretty much as drugs, alcohol and rock'n'roll you can get.. after finally burning out from this i started to work lunch and thats when i had a talk with a good firned
of mine that i ironically met through playin WoW several years ago talking to me about this book he had read about fitness and how hes been working out steadily through the last few years, being a small guy that he was
i was impressed with the progress he had made and thought to myself that "hey, i have enough time on my hands.. i should do this myself!"

the book he gave me was by Tom Venuto and i still thing its a great book except for some of the outdated broscience in there, it still helped me get into the mental state i had to get into to start

i went down to my local gym, signed up and started doing cardio 3 times a week and lifting 2 times a week, dropped down to 98kg.. also went on the good old 5 meals a day to stoke my metabolism(haha).. this lasted a wonderfull 1 month before
i caught a cold and that was enough for me to pussy out and telling myself i needed to eat more to recover, burned out on the running and i didnt want to go back!

meanwhile the friend i mentioned earlier had discovered the leangains site, i was curious and he linked it to me.. over the next week i sat and read every single article and link posted on the sitre, i was hooked and back for vengeance!

then i went to trondheim to visit my training buddy, had a great starting session with him again and i was fired up, weighed 105.5kg and this time i was gonna make it.. do or die!


which brings back to where i am now, after much experimenting with the amount of kcals to eat on offdays and workout days i ended up with what ive been doing for 5 months now


Starting date: 27/03/2011


here are my starting pictures the day i started working out:

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


stats:


Age: 23 weight: 232.1 lbs/105.5 kg height: 182 cm


Lifts when i started:

Deadlift: 50 kg
Squats: 40 kg
Bench press: 40 kg
Flies: 6 kg dumbell (laying down)
"chinups" on the pulldown machine: 55 kg
dips: 45 kilo assisted


sooo what ive been doing is basically 1400 kcal on my low kcal days with macros roughly 15/45/40 and 1800 on my workout days doing 50/40/10 carbs/protein/fat and one day a week i had what i call my "sanity" day where i ate what i wanted aslong as i got enough protein and was under 2500kcal..

i didnt do a paleo style diet, ive been eating bread, oats and the occational processed crap on my days off but ive kept it as clean as possible (ie no BK or mcdonalds like i used to before when i was fatter)

ive been doing the compound lifts with dips, flies and chinups added to the cycle going 3x3x3 on deadlift and the rest 5(reps)x3(sets)!

finished first cut stats: 04/09/2011

Weight: 82.0kg

lifts:

Deadlift: 147.5 x3 then doing reverse pyramid 135kg x4 125kg x6
squats 102.5kg 5x3
bench press: 77.5kg 5x3
flies: 24kg 7x3
chinups: BW+ 18.75kg 5x3
dips BW+ 28.75kg 5x3


as for weight i went from 105.5kg to 82.0 kg from the end of march til 04.09.2011

and here are the update pics from today, sadly i dont have any of me flexing when i started out but tbh there was very little there to even flex LOL

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


wanna give a shoutout to martin berkhan aswell for helping the community and developing the leangains approach, also for all the work and research he puts into his articles! lengains changed my life

ive been dieting since march and im pretty sick of it now and decided to bulk til after xmas and then cut down for the final results for the summer :D!

just want to give a huge shoutout to my rocky coach/maverick sinep for getting me into training and a healthy lifestyle! thanks alot man, i wouldnt be here without you!


and thats only from the first 70 or so pages! I'm trying to go through the whole thread at the moment so we can compile all the success stories here.
if you find any more, post them below and i'll add them to the OP!
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general" -Mark Rippetoe
sJarl
Profile Joined September 2010
Iceland1699 Posts
September 08 2011 11:49 GMT
#2
Might be a good move to change it from only links into a spoilered text. Makes it much easier to ready and manage.
"Witness!" - Karsa Orlong
Zafrumi
Profile Joined June 2009
Switzerland1272 Posts
September 10 2011 20:33 GMT
#3
fair enough. should I leave the links in so people can read what other people posted before/after or is that not important?
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general" -Mark Rippetoe
sJarl
Profile Joined September 2010
Iceland1699 Posts
September 20 2011 20:59 GMT
#4
Looks fair enough imo. Time to sift through 600 pages of awesomeness and find something more to put in the OP.
"Witness!" - Karsa Orlong
BouBou.865
Profile Joined December 2010
Netherlands814 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-20 21:52:12
September 20 2011 21:13 GMT
#5
OURS!

WE GOT A SUBFORUM A:LKDJF:SKDJF:SKDFJ

I expect this place to get seriously full when November comes around though, pic time story time.
Playing League of Legends. IGN: Plain Skill
ShaLLoW[baY]
Profile Blog Joined January 2007
Canada12499 Posts
September 21 2011 01:22 GMT
#6
If I could find an old picture of myself I'd definitely throw it up as a before/after. Been about two and a half years that I've been working out and I've gained about 40lbs (give or take, not sure what I was exactly when I came to RMC but I'm around 195-7 now) and feel like a boss throwing around dem weightz.

Wait out, I'll keep looking :p
ALEXISONFIRE ARE FUCKING BACK (sAviOr for life)
thedeadhaji *
Profile Blog Joined January 2006
39489 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-21 04:16:05
September 21 2011 04:15 GMT
#7
On September 21 2011 10:22 ShaLLoW[baY] wrote:
If I could find an old picture of myself I'd definitely throw it up as a before/after. Been about two and a half years that I've been working out and I've gained about 40lbs (give or take, not sure what I was exactly when I came to RMC but I'm around 195-7 now) and feel like a boss throwing around dem weightz.

Wait out, I'll keep looking :p


I have a before pic from July 2009.
It'll be epic once I cut another 5% bf. (I've cut 20lbs so far in the last 3 months)
So my before after will come sometime around 2013 lol
decafchicken
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
United States20012 Posts
September 21 2011 20:50 GMT
#8
I put up some before and after pics somewhere in there. Might be in the end of the 2010 thread, i'll look for it when i have some time. I dont have a lot of good pictures of me before I got in shape (understandably, i kept my clothes on a lot more back then :-p)
how reasonable is it to eat off wood instead of your tummy?
Zafrumi
Profile Joined June 2009
Switzerland1272 Posts
September 21 2011 21:53 GMT
#9
I found it decaf
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general" -Mark Rippetoe
Froadac
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States6733 Posts
September 22 2011 03:25 GMT
#10
I hate you decaf.

Here I come...
CheAse
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
Canada919 Posts
September 23 2011 04:24 GMT
#11
Down 30 pounds to 190 from running semi-daily, going to the gym, and eating healthier. Still haven't hit my goal of 180(with muscle gain) though so I won't post a pic yet.

After feeling a million times more confident, even after just 30 pounds, I'm way happier and more social. Plus I attracted 2 girls I dated and had an almost 3 some.

If my lazy ass can do it, anyone can, just need to want it.
SCV good to go sir
Lorken
Profile Joined November 2010
New Zealand804 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-16 09:47:20
October 16 2011 09:45 GMT
#12
I used to be pretty chubby and after a tonne of smoking weed, nicotine and eating takeout food almost most days a week I was feeling pretty shit so I stopped everything and could barely run at all (lungs would hurt a lot after 2-3 mins ) but then I started swimming, eating less, stopped smoking and doing press ups and today I could run a steady hour! quite proud of myself and I'm not chubby anymore either :D all in less than 2 months too Also down from like 85 kg to 58 kg last I checked.

I wish I had taken pictures though seeing as how everyone likes pictures also would be impressive to see it for myself. Going for a visible 6 pack now (can only see top two right now)
LOUD NOISES!!!
fatloss205
Profile Joined October 2011
Australia1 Post
October 30 2011 11:32 GMT
#13
--- Nuked ---
emjaytron
Profile Joined June 2011
Australia544 Posts
October 30 2011 11:38 GMT
#14
this is why eshlow should be a subforum mod
Grubby - SaSe - Oz - Hero
Mementoss
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Canada2595 Posts
October 31 2011 15:33 GMT
#15

Hey Update on me doing StrongLifts 12 Weeks:

Starting Weight / Current Weight
Squats 95 5X5 / 205 5X5 +110 lbs
Bench 115 5X5 / 155 5X5 +40 lbs
Deadlift 135 1X5 / 275 1X5 +140 lbs
BentRows 65 5X5 / 140 5X5 +75 lbs
Press 65 5X5 / 105 5X5 +40 lbs

Body Weight: 143 / 157 + 14 lbs

Hit/exceeded all my goals except bench and overhead press. Overall very happy with the results. Will continue doing stronglifts 5X5 until I drop to 3X5 and 1X5 really enjoy the program. Will soon set new goals for myself for the next 12 weeks to motivate myself to hit them. Thanks for all the support so far TLH&F

Off-topic also won came first in my first tournament with my Mens team in curling! Had alot of fun went 6-1 and won $2500 beat a lot of the best teams around! Hope the rest of the season goes as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu96xMwFVXw
Zafrumi
Profile Joined June 2009
Switzerland1272 Posts
November 03 2011 14:52 GMT
#16
amazing stuff mementoss keep being awesome!
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general" -Mark Rippetoe
BlissX1
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States328 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-11-07 22:06:10
November 07 2011 22:04 GMT
#17
130-160 keeping 12% bf througout. Going powerlifting, but having a hard time breaking the plataeu of 160 I need to eat way moar than 3k cals a day which is hard with school! OMG

Edit:

Squat: 225 for reps
Deadlift: 300lbs x 4
Chest is 40"
Arms is 14"(i know weak -.-)

i will try and keep updated here. wish me luck as i wish all of you luck!
XtremeOneZ 4 Life Bliss[x.1]
Zafrumi
Profile Joined June 2009
Switzerland1272 Posts
November 09 2011 12:25 GMT
#18
maybe post updates in the general TL Health & Fitness Initiative thread rather than here good to have you around though!
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general" -Mark Rippetoe
PolskaGora
Profile Joined May 2011
United States547 Posts
December 22 2011 21:08 GMT
#19
I'm in pretty good shape (180lbs, 6'8''), but I had nasty eating habits that resulted from me being a swimmer in high school. When you swim competitively you have to eat loads of carbs (aka calories) to ensure you have the required energy for your workout. On days I would swim (basically every weekday) I would eat about 5000-6000 calories. After high school, due to having been used to eating so much, I would have huge cravings for sweets and snacks in general, but I wouldn't have a method of burning it off. Based on estimations, I would have to say I ate about 120-150g of processed sugar a day. That realization got me to realize that if I didn't stop, I would definitely gain weight, and possibly be diabetic early in life (the latter which would annihilate the possibility of reaching some of my life goals).

Now, due to mainly the power of will, I force myself not to eat more than 30g of refined sugars a day, and the positive effects that had on my life was astounding. At first, I would feel hungry, exhausted, and very moody. But after a week or two, I would no longer feel tired at the end of the day, I wouldn't feel sad or angry as much as before, and I felt a lot better waking up. Food in general has a much deeper and better flavor as well. Plus the bonus of not gaining weight or getting diabetes is pretty nice!
Tracking treasure down
decafchicken
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
United States20012 Posts
December 24 2011 01:30 GMT
#20
6'8 180!? You must be all sorts of skinny
how reasonable is it to eat off wood instead of your tummy?
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