#701 ·
Alright, since everyone keeps nagging me to post my progress pics here, here they are.
So, first shot is from 9 months ago when I was grinding through that basic P90 program. I was dealing with a herniated disc back then, so I was just messing around with some 5kg dumbbells:
I was also taking creatine—mostly during the summer just so I wouldn’t look like a total twig 😬—anyway, I was about 5'9" and roughly 145lbs:
Next pic is from 11 months ago. Still on P90, still stuck with those 5kg weights, and no creatine this time:
By December, that hernia absolutely wrecked me. I had to bail for three weeks because I could barely walk without being in agony. Had to get an MRI, and the doctors basically told me "don't lift anything heavier than 22lbs"—which is basically just my two 5kg dumbbells combined! They even suggested surgery, but I wasn't ready to go under the knife. I saw a chiropractor and just tried to take it easy for those three weeks; it still hurt like hell, but at least I wasn't walking around like Quasimodo. After that, I just snapped and decided to get back at it. I did about a month of P90, and suddenly things felt way better. I can jump and run again, though I have to be careful because if I make one wrong move, the pain hits me hard. Usually, it's down my leg, mostly hitting the hip area.
Eventually, I got bored with P90, so I switched over to Focus T25. Honestly? Focus absolutely destroyed me. I wasn't used to that much cardio, but my conditioning improved big time and my legs definitely filled out, even if I lost some upper body mass in the process. Just to be clear, I'm not trying to lose weight—as you can see, I don't need to—I just want to stay fit since I spend most of my time gaming or watching movies at home.😬
Here's a shot from 3 weeks ago after finishing Focus:
Immediately after that, I jumped into P90X3 and bumped up my weights to a max of about 15lbs. For certain moves, I stick to the 11lb or 6lb ones depending on how I feel.
I do pull-ups instead of using those resistance bands (those are for people who don't own a pull-up bar, I guess). I think I actually gained a few pounds because I started eating more, though mostly just junk food.😉 Currently sitting around 150-152lbs.
My core is easily my strongest suit—there isn't a ab exercise I haven't crushed yet—but my arms are my absolute weakest link. Pull-ups straight-up kill me.
Here are some photos from this morning after about 3 weeks (maybe a little less):
Bottom line: I'm stoked with the progress. My goal isn't to look like the Terminator; I just want to stay active. Working out feels good, I'm just incredibly pissed at myself for wrecking my spine in the first place.😢 😢 😢
And I gotta admit, I'm a little scared to push too hard now. I'd much rather have a bit of a gut and be able to walk normally than look ripped and walk like a hunchback.
So, first shot is from 9 months ago when I was grinding through that basic P90 program. I was dealing with a herniated disc back then, so I was just messing around with some 5kg dumbbells:
I was also taking creatine—mostly during the summer just so I wouldn’t look like a total twig 😬—anyway, I was about 5'9" and roughly 145lbs:
Next pic is from 11 months ago. Still on P90, still stuck with those 5kg weights, and no creatine this time:
By December, that hernia absolutely wrecked me. I had to bail for three weeks because I could barely walk without being in agony. Had to get an MRI, and the doctors basically told me "don't lift anything heavier than 22lbs"—which is basically just my two 5kg dumbbells combined! They even suggested surgery, but I wasn't ready to go under the knife. I saw a chiropractor and just tried to take it easy for those three weeks; it still hurt like hell, but at least I wasn't walking around like Quasimodo. After that, I just snapped and decided to get back at it. I did about a month of P90, and suddenly things felt way better. I can jump and run again, though I have to be careful because if I make one wrong move, the pain hits me hard. Usually, it's down my leg, mostly hitting the hip area.
Eventually, I got bored with P90, so I switched over to Focus T25. Honestly? Focus absolutely destroyed me. I wasn't used to that much cardio, but my conditioning improved big time and my legs definitely filled out, even if I lost some upper body mass in the process. Just to be clear, I'm not trying to lose weight—as you can see, I don't need to—I just want to stay fit since I spend most of my time gaming or watching movies at home.😬
Here's a shot from 3 weeks ago after finishing Focus:
Immediately after that, I jumped into P90X3 and bumped up my weights to a max of about 15lbs. For certain moves, I stick to the 11lb or 6lb ones depending on how I feel.
I do pull-ups instead of using those resistance bands (those are for people who don't own a pull-up bar, I guess). I think I actually gained a few pounds because I started eating more, though mostly just junk food.😉 Currently sitting around 150-152lbs.
My core is easily my strongest suit—there isn't a ab exercise I haven't crushed yet—but my arms are my absolute weakest link. Pull-ups straight-up kill me.
Here are some photos from this morning after about 3 weeks (maybe a little less):
Bottom line: I'm stoked with the progress. My goal isn't to look like the Terminator; I just want to stay active. Working out feels good, I'm just incredibly pissed at myself for wrecking my spine in the first place.😢 😢 😢
And I gotta admit, I'm a little scared to push too hard now. I'd much rather have a bit of a gut and be able to walk normally than look ripped and walk like a hunchback.
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