I started this program on January 1st of this year after coming across the information on the Internet. I simply decided that for as clear and straight-forward as it was, there would be no short-circuiting my pulling the trigger, putting my head down, and getting to work.

I took before photos with my digital camera and was so discouraged that I've buried the file somewhere so I didn't have to look at it; I know it's somewhere in some archive and as soon as I find it I'll put it up along with after photos. It didn't, however, discourage me from starting or sticking with the program.

I took the photos, weighed myself, measured parts and body fat, went to my gym and got my bearings on where I was at, what I could lift wisely, and determined where I wanted to land at the end of all of this. I even decided to find some photos of other guys with results within my body height/weight ratio. That is, goals I hoped to one day gain, long-shot though it seemed.

I'm 40 years old and have always had a lean build with all the trappings, not least which is being able to 'eat whatever I wanted.' You know the story...though I could eat anything, there is a wide chasm between that and eating wisely and on purpose such that it works with the body to build and improve.

I office at home and realized that I had the means and, now that my three young children were in school all day everday, the time to hit the gym three mornings a week and see what I could truly achieve if I truly tried.

I started at 5'9" 139# and 8% bodyfat. Chest was 39, waist was 29, biceps 12, thighs 20.

Somewhere in here I lost track of where I started and just looked ahead and allowed this to be a slow build.

Today I'm 160#, 7% body fat, 30 waist, 41 chest, 14.5 biceps, 22 thighs. I can't tell anyone here anything you all don't already know: the benefits of eating properly and working out intensely have done more for me inwardly and outwardly than I anticipated.

I've come to the board to read now and then but being in a very different season of life, didn't have much to contribute. Within the last two months, however, as my transformation has provoked near-constant comments from men and women I know and even perfect strangers...not to mention the appreciation of my wife, especially when other women make no bones about commenting and touching me (that's new!)...

...here's where I started and where I'm at today. My current max's on the weights are:

Bench: 225
Squats: 265
Stiff-legged Dead Lifts: 165
Shoudler Press (bar): 105
Bicep Curls (ez bar): 85
Bentover Rows (ez bar): 145
Dips: Until I basically collapse lol

I waited a long time before posting anything...more or less because I swerved into the mindset early on that, if I was going to do this it would be from the inside out; I didn't want to rely on any manner of accountability or get to where encouragement or the lack of mattered. I wanted to do this for me, against myself and my presumptions about who I was and what I could do.

But I'm glad to have finally chimed in. I've decided to up the ante on myself and now see 170# within my sights. I'm looking forward to the journey.

Oh lol and once a friend asked me what my goal was. I started giving him the stats and he said, 'no, no, no...not that. I mean the deep-inside goal. What are you after?' 'Ah, that,' I said. 'I want every woman in the neighborhood to question her wedding vows and every man to question his sexual preference.' He laughed but he knew what I meant lol.

Last night I mentioned to my wife that I'm going for more. 'Why? You don't need to gain any more weight.' I just smiled and said, 'I know. But I want to.'

Todd C., Colorado
toddclary.com
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