2 month progress pics, one month apart, after 2 months sober.

Vlad The Impaler · Jun 5, 2017

Youve made some amazing progress from your start.

Gymaddict233 · Jun 5, 2017

Great shape

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Designbuilt · Jun 5, 2017

Thanks guys, I weighed in at 192lbs this morning, definitely lean as hell, my abs are thick! I never thought i'd have abs this solid or thick, but I decided to take this week to add some weight back on, I'm going to do the pre,intra and post workout shakes, the diet will stay the same and switch up the compounds to fast acting, water retention compounds... Then next week, right back at this, I think I can add a little size, get three good leg workouts in, nice and short, high reps, but good form, respectably heavy weights... Superset squats and trap bar deads... Let's see what that does...

old timer · Jun 6, 2017

Looking good! Keep up the great work.

Still sober I hope. I'm 12+ years now

AS FOR ME, I know that I can never have a drink again. One drink and I'm sure I'd be drinking 10-12 beers on a Friday or Saturday within the next 2-3 months. I couldn't/didn't even have a champagne toast when my daughter married in October, but honestly, it was okay.

Designbuilt · Jun 6, 2017

Alright brothers, I finally got a few pics taken by someone else... I'm a lonely bastard...

Anyway, that gives you an idea, i'm actually not as good as I thought, I need to really step it up, funny how selfies make you feel that you look better than you actually do...

tenny · Jun 6, 2017

Got your email...

Talk soon

zacharykane · Jun 6, 2017

The progress you have made is incredible, absolutely no reason to beat yourself up or feel down!

And glad to see you're talking with Tenny, he's a good guy and him and MT can do a lot to help you out!

Keep working hard, threads like yours definitely help keep me motivated on my off days!

Designbuilt said:
Alright brothers, I finally got a few pics taken by someone else... I'm a lonely bastard...

Anyway, that gives you an idea, i'm actually not as good as I thought, I need to really step it up, funny how selfies make you feel that you look better than you actually do...

Designbuilt · Jun 6, 2017

zacharykane said:
The progress you have made is incredible, absolutely no reason to beat yourself up or feel down!

And glad to see you're talking with Tenny, he's a good guy and him and MT can do a lot to help you out!

Keep working hard, threads like yours definitely help keep me motivated on my off days!

thank you and you guys all keep me motivated, it's very difficult for me... I train at the Y a few blocks from my house, there are no hardcore people, just a few old ladies who keep the air conditioner way too high, always sitting around gossiping, vey little equipment, not even a proper leg press... My younger brother doesn't go in with me anymore, not for months, since he's gotten married in January... Actually he's been out of the gym since about October...

I have to find motivation within, there are mostly old people training there too... It's frustrating, but a bit of a challenge to myself, to drown everything else out and focus, to have the same intensity that i did when i train at Quads south, with nothing but serious competitors... Too bad that place closed down...

zacharykane · Jun 6, 2017

I can definitely understand the sentiment, I go to a Lifetime Fitness and the place drives me up the wall, especially on the days when the last thing I want to do is train or deal with people!

And being in Chicagoland myself, I'm fortunate when I have days I can get to Quads for a solid workout. It's like a shot of pure motivation getting to go there.

For myself, I take a few minutes before I go into the gym, kind of clothes my eyes and just try to find some center to myself where I can tune the rest of the world out, put on my headphones and get to work. Hopefully soon you can find something that works for you and find that motivation again!

Designbuilt said:
thank you and you guys all keep me motivated, it's very difficult for me... I train at the Y a few blocks from my house, there are no hardcore people, just a few old ladies who keep the air conditioner way too high, always sitting around gossiping, vey little equipment, not even a proper leg press... My younger brother doesn't go in with me anymore, not for months, since he's gotten married in January... Actually he's been out of the gym since about October...

I have to find motivation within, there are mostly old people training there too... It's frustrating, but a bit of a challenge to myself, to drown everything else out and focus, to have the same intensity that i did when i train at Quads south, with nothing but serious competitors... Too bad that place closed down...

Phidias · Jun 7, 2017

Designbuilt said:
Anyway, that gives you an idea, i'm actually not as good as I thought, I need to really step it up, funny how selfies make you feel that you look better than you actually do...

What are you talking about?!?! :banghead: C'mon George!!! :naughty:

Your conditioning is EXCELLENT, your shape is amazing, you have an extremely eye-pleasing physique... so much to be proud of... wake up, please!! :headbang:

Zachary, beautiful posts, my man.

Designbuilt · Jun 7, 2017

Phidias said:
What are you talking about?!?! :banghead: C'mon George!!! :naughty:

Your conditioning is EXCELLENT, your shape is amazing, you have an extremely eye-pleasing physique... so much to be proud of... wake up, please!! :headbang:

Zachary, beautiful posts, my man.

Thanks Phidias, I truly appreciate that... But have you noticed, or perhaps it's just me, that when we take mirror pics or selifes as they call them; that we tend to look better than when someone else takes pictures of us? I think that it's because all of us have certain imperfections and we're used to see ourselves in a certain way, then when it's presented from a different perspective, it's a little bit unpleasing to us, or unexpected...

Also I am not sure why, I can see myself as very lean looking through the screen of my phone or camera, but the second I snap the picture, the lines and definition disappear... But the camera is definitely a valuable tool, it doesn't lie like we tend to do to ourselves by looking in the mirror, with pictures we see everything the way it is, like it or not, in the mirror we tend to focus on only what we want to... Anyway, thanks again, your comments are always very appreciated...

Designbuilt · Jun 7, 2017

tenny said:
Got your email...

Talk soon

Thank you very much, with that short email you sent, it actually helped me a lot more than reading for hours... You gave solid advice, great suggestions and you're to the point... Wish more people were like that...

Phidias · Jun 8, 2017

Designbuilt said:
Thanks Phidias, I truly appreciate that... But have you noticed, or perhaps it's just me, that when we take mirror pics or selifes as they call them; that we tend to look better than when someone else takes pictures of us?

I solved this problem a long long time ago... I almost never take selfies... I have to be in an amazingly unusual good mood to do...

But no matter who takes the picture anyways, myself or others, I hate what I see 99% of the time, always seeing what's wrong instead of being proud of the job I've done.

Well, I guess after all these years never being satisfied is what keeps us going still...

mujeriego · Jun 9, 2017

We are always our worst critics. But good progress so far, you're definitely doing well. Keep at it!

Designbuilt · Jun 13, 2017

Tenny

I have to admit it, Tenny knows his shit... He gave me opposite advice of what most gave me and it made perfect sense... It was his idea of how to add more volume to my legs... Well, I followed his advice on what to do about the wheels... This is less than a week from doing what he told me... I am really impressed!! The only problem is that now I am back up to 200lbs, I was 192, but I know a lot of it is water... Check out the pics from the link I post to the one I attached, the attached pic was taken yesterday... I had an extremely stressful week, first my fridge just blew out and I had a few hundred bucks worth of food in it, my girl just did the shopping, because she left for a month and it was full of frozen wild caught Salmon, sockeye salmon, ahi tuna steaks, shrimp, frozen fruit and about 8 big cartons of egg whites...

So all of that got thrown out and I had to get a new fridge, on top of that my dog seems sick, she won't come out and hardly eats, so I am going to have to take her to the vet if she isn't better by tomorrow, thankfully she's better than on Saturday... Thirdly my license did get suspended and I have to go with my partner to see the building commissioner tomorrow morning at 8am to get it reinstated and explain each of our active and pending projects; so that's stressful as hell too... Long story a little less long; I got in a grand total of 3 workouts last week, that includes one on Saturday; but we're back on track and take a good look at the wheels, man what a difference!!!

The first two were taken last week, the black underwear and turquoise, the Mexican flag colored were taken yesterday... I can really see and feel the difference! They look fuller and harder...

On a positive note, I got my younger brother back in the gym, he's motivated as hell at how I look and says that this is by far the best I've ever looked... So that's absolutely great, things are definitely picking up now...

Phidias · Jun 14, 2017

Designbuilt said:
The first two were taken last week, the black underwear and turquoise, the Mexican flag colored were taken yesterday... I can really see and feel the difference! They look fuller and harder...

:headbang:

Your whole body looks fuller and harder in that last pic... for what it's worth, I think you look FANTASTIC!!!

I've always thought anyways you had a hell of a potential, your genetics being IMO among the best on the board.

Now it's just a matter of making your mind on the kind of physique you really want to achieve or feel the most comfortable with... I trust Tenny on guiding you towards the right direction.

Designbuilt · Jun 15, 2017

Phidias said:
:headbang:

Your whole body looks fuller and harder in that last pic... for what it's worth, I think you look FANTASTIC!!!

I've always thought anyways you had a hell of a potential, your genetics being IMO among the best on the board.

Now it's just a matter of making your mind on the kind of physique you really want to achieve or feel the most comfortable with... I trust Tenny on guiding you towards the right direction.

Tenny is just giving me advice here and there, but if I decide to get completely serious and go all in, as they say... Then, I wouldn't hesitate in obtaining his services; the few things that I did ask about and he advised me on; are pretty much opposite of what others have told me and so far, it's worked!

As far as my genetics being among the best on this board; that is one helluva a compliment and am truly flattered; because this board is packed with talent... I'd say it's the board with by far the most gifted athletes that I've ever posted on, or even visited... That post that you made, actually did a whole lot for me; I was just going to throw in the towel, or go back to adding some size and not finishing this by stepping on stage, I just have way too much going on right now; I only got in three workouts all last week, including Saturday; but I woke up this morning motivated and am heading to the gym this morning to get right back into it...

These last two I took last night, I missed the gym again yesterday, just had way too much to do, but my diet was right on; I didn't overeat and especially didn't overeat at night, this morning I'm even leaner...

I'll keep everyone posted; hopefully I can inspire someone watching this thread to get in the gym, hit it hard; or to stay on their diet and not give up...

If I can offer some advice or motivation to someone wanting to get back in shape; but thinking that it'll take to long... Just think of this; time flies, you blink and a month is gone; that turns into 2 and then 3... If you put down the bottle, or pizza and chips, get off the couch, get in the gym and start eating right; then those three months will still past just as quickly; but when that time comes; you will look and feel a lot better if you get off your ass, get in the gym and start eating right; no matter what shape you might be in now; just start and don't turn back, don't give up... It'll be one of the best things you could possibly do for yourself...