EJ's quick update

[ethernet_jock]

Alright... well it seems I was off a bit on the guesstimate numbers I gavein grywlfs thread a couple days ago. I decided today it was time for an update/check as I was bored senseless at work and not really wanting to do my job.

So I...

1.) Took some silly pictures with a timer/camera. You can find them on my old yahoo profile: profiles.yahoo.com/otter_squared
by going there and then clicking on "view my photos". Yes - I realize I'm fully clothed for all of these, remember, I WAS at work. Most of you remember my policy about taking my shirt off in public anyway. Yes - I also realize I have an incredibly goofy smile... it's so hard to smile while flexing hard! I suck at posing...

2.) Took some new measurements. Completely cold, no pump on any body part as today was an "off" day.... Obviously these are pretty un-impressive but they show some growth for me... so I'm happy with making any gains. Remember I had 3 months off last fall as well as several other interruptions... I'm a slow grower... but hell, at least I'm growing!

6'4" tall
255 lbs
bicep ? 16.5? cold/flexed
forearm ? 14? cold/flexed
neck ? 19?
chest at nips ? 48? cold
waist ? 39?
thighs ? 27.5?
calves ? 17?

I was also more honest with the tape this time... not allowing any room for bullshit factor... it's remarkably hard to tape yourself, you know?!?

That's growth of about 1/2 to 3/4" in my arms, and a good full inch in my chest... enough to keep me motivated. Waist actually decreased slightly altho weight went up 10 lbs on average. Calves - stubbornly - remain exactly the same! Oddly they are considerbly more-defined looking now.

I'm going to take some more pictures in the next week or so at home when I can be a little bit less clothed-just for my own progress tracking because numbers certainly aren't everything.

I still think I'm making a conversion here. My lifting weights have gone up significantly over the last 3-4 months and I feel stronger and look stronger to myself in the mirror. Sometimes numbers don't tell everything, but I think it's important to track anyway.

so there you go... a quick update before I go home for the weekend. Have a good weekend all!

[optimusx]

Excellent work there EJ! Looking big and the numbers show it! I'm envious of your neck though.. I can't seem to get mine to really fill in, especially since I have a consideribly long neck

Anywho... still amazed that you can hold down a full time job, mind a child, a pregnant wife, workout and still hold onto your sanity...

Oh, that side shot of you is pretty darn amazing I might add... I think we both suffer from a common affliction... we gain depth easier than width... Go figure.

Keep pumping!

Scott

[Lucas88]

You're a TANK.

[grywlf]

pics look good ,shirt looks it getting small. a double bicep front pic would rock. but pics look great looks like you been working hard and i don't mean in the office

[ethernet_jock]

Scott - somehow I think that many of our users would disagree about "depth" being an affliction. I do however DEFINITELY wish I had your taper and shape. Neck aside... and I do like my neck and my shoulders... I'd take your overall shape and strength in a heartbeat as long as I didn't have to give up being 6'4". Thanks always for the VERY kind words and encouragement!!

Lucas - look who's talking!?! You are the ORIGINAL tank!

grywlf - ha! That's an XL! It's not even shrunk in the wash. I normally wear a 2xl but today being Friday and me being mostly out of my normal polos (dirty) I thought I'd do something a little different for work. I got A LOT of compliments on that shirt today.... You're right, when I do the front semi-crab pose, it looks like my shoulders are about to rip through that thing... I didn't realize it was quite that silly.

Double-front bicep... I will do that for you... but I swear we could be identical brothers... our arms are VERY VERY similar-looking. The only reason I didn't think of that today was this particular photo session was only about 10 minutes long and involved the timer on the camera... a couple quick snaps was it.

Thanks again!

-Chris

[ethernet_jock]

oh and two more things for scott...

* I'm actually much happier about how my tricep looks in that one side shot than anything else. That's the first time I've ever been able to show tricep definition in a picture at all... and you can clearly see the muscle standing out. I was really pleased with that.

* Secondly - whoever said I was sane?

[optimusx]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

* I'm actually much happier about how my tricep looks in that one side shot than anything else. I was really pleased with that.

Once again.. have to say excellent job. We've both got plenty of room for improvement. We are always our own worst critics and I think that that is our primary driving force. Beyond the compliments, beyond outgrowing our clothing, we grow for the sole purpose that it's never enough.

Honestly, I wish I was 6'4. Half of my father's brothers/nephews are around 6'6-8 with size 13 shoes or so and the other half are 6' with size 10 shoes. What did I get? 6' with size 12/13 shoes The insanity ...hehe..

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

* Secondly - whoever said I was sane?

mea culpa You know what they say.. the ones that look sane are usually the craziest. But man, you do pull of the sane gig very well.. hehe.. You deserve an Oscar

Scott

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Ehter,

I have to weigh in with you bro, your doing REALLY well, and like Scott said, all this with a full time job, family commitments and so on, Hell, i've got it easy in comparison! So WELLDONE! and keep it up

Those measurments are great! BTW

Just Keep growing!

Marc

[grywlf]

btw ether everhave someone tell you your too tall to weight lift that no one over 6ft3 has ever weight lifted before tell them to check out dolph lundgren the guy who played the russian in rocky 4 he not overly huge but he is amazing none the less 6ft6 3rd dan black belt very smart too

[glammaman2000]

They just have to train a little harder&a LOT smarter!

[brent]

EJ, we finally see your face! It looks like you are getting some good gains. Don't be put off by your height, I agree with Glamma: there are lots of guys at my guy that are HUGE, and over 6'4. So it is possible.

[claygrant]

"quick update" ? What a collection of photos... it should be called, "What happens when you outgrow your shirts"!

In the side tricep shot we can see just how thick you are from chest to back. Amazing, and I must keep reminding myself that at 6'4 and those proportions, you are BIG. I don't have any friends who are taller than 6'1, so you'd seem very big if I met you! Thanks for posting the pics!

[loopyrhino2001]

Great progress, EJ!

Originally Posted by optimusx

Honestly, I wish I was 6'4. Half of my father's brothers/nephews are around 6'6-8 with size 13 shoes or so and the other half are 6' with size 10 shoes. What did I get? 6' with size 12/13 shoes The insanity ...hehe..

Shut up. (Says Loopy, 5'1" and size 7 shoes)

[ethernet_jock]

Scott - don't we all wish we were taller?!? well... not really... I'm happy at 6'3".5.... There are a couple times when I'd wished for 6'6"... but not really.

Size 13 shoes too incidentally

grywlf & others - the misconception that "tall people shouldn't even bother lifting weights" is something I let go of A LONG TIME AGO..... if someone walked up to me today and said "you're over 6', you shouldn't be lifting weights" I'd probably laugh my ass off and then grab them by the collar and express what happens when tall guys lift weights. I've seen more incredibly impressive tall/buff guys in the last few years.... that's exactly how I want to be. There's nothing more impressive than a towering wall of beef! ----- gry - someone actually said that to you??

brent - you've seen my face before? haven't you?! wow... sorry it was such a goofy-ass face then. I'll try to do better

Clay - as always, too kind. You are incredibly impressive at your size my friend... I don't think I'd pick you first to pick a fight with.

Loopy - Sometimes the little guys are the MOST dangerous!! When I used to 'bounce' a few years ago - it was the short stocky guys that always gave me the biggest scare. They could run fast, move fast, and hit HARD. It's the same with some of the opponents I've had in martial arts... bigger guys, unless REMARKABLY buff and skilled, tend to be easier to take down. Don't sell yourself short, you're a force to be reckoned with!


----


I took some more/better phots yesterday morning. It was Chest/Bicep day and I improved the lighting in my basement. Nothing better than good post-workout pump photo.

soooo..... these may be a bit better:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...dblbiwtank.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...dblbiwtank.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...2705sidebi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...7/062705mm.jpg

yeah... this time I put them on photobucket for easier viewing... and hopefully if I did it right... direct inline referal viewing! Let's see if we can do this without eating up the board's bandwidth!

Thanks again guys always for all the kind words... constructive criticism is always appreciated too and I know I suck at posing properly - advice?

-Chris

[brent]

These picss make you look a lot more buff. The shirt in the others was too distracting.

I may have seen your face before, but not posted on the web.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Chris,

Excellent progress Chris! I particually like the first one with the back lat spread!
Great work, keep it up, i know you will.

Keep growing!

Marc

[ethernet_jock]

Brent - thank you!! I think so too (looking more buff than the shirt pictures). The primary question was - have I grown - but it's been so long since I've posted anything that it's probably impossible to tell. I should find an older pic and put them up against eachother!

Maybe in a few days... tomorrow morn. I'm going to try again on the tricep shot too (it'll be tris/back day) and maybe something else... Thursday or Friday I should get a couple leg shots... and that'll complete the set.

Marc - and thank you!! That still means a lot to me, particularly coming from you. The back double/bi was my favorite too and I was really surprised how well it turned out... I'm going to try something similar again tomorrow morning after back/tricep day and see if it comes out any better when my back is a little "pumped".

[optimusx]

Now these pics are much nicer than the ones from the office Now, I know I'm not the best person to give advice on this, but, when you're posing, are you pulling your shoulder blades back? I just noticed in at least two of the shots (dbl bi front and MM) you seem to have them pulled back which gives the illusion of being narrower than you really are.

Ya know what we really need on this board is a sticky on "How to pose with a self timing camera" I think we'd ALL benefit from that... cause I know I personally suck at posing...

Anywho, EJ... looking great as always. I'm just thinking how much more buff and ripped you'll look once you start getting your kids into training The first few years when their young you'll spend a ton of time caring for their every need, but once they see how big and strong their dad is, I'm sure they'll want to follow in your footsteps and train... then you'll have good reason to get a family package for the gym Poor gym equipment, they fear the day.


Scott

[glammaman2000]

optimusx is right.As a general rule,try to keep your shoulders DOWN when posing,not hunched up(except for"most muscular")

[muscle_mastah]

looking thick ej. I would agree with glammaman2000 on the positioning of the shoulders. It looks like you may be pulling them together a bit on the rear double bi as well. Trying to spread them out more will show your large lats to their fullest.

[ethernet_jock]

wow - thanks guys!! No doubt, I really NEED advice on posing. I'm totally clueless when it comes to posing or flexing to look good.... it's totally alien to me.



All advice appreciated - of any constructive kind... thanks again for the advice and the compliments!

[ethernet_jock]

kinda funny too... it occurred to me yesterday when I was talking to claygrant about this very thing... I ought to actually practice in a mirror a little before taking pictures!

what a concept

*smacks self on forehead*

Man - I wish I had some stud to take pictures of me and tell me how to pose instead of using the timer...

[muscle_mastah]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

Man - I wish I had some stud to take pictures of me and tell me how to pose instead of using the timer...

lol Don't we all! The ones I know all live too far away.

[glammaman2000]

OK,this'll have to do.Front Double BI:Push your elbows SIDEWAYS,slighty forward,shoulders DOWN! Elbows slightly above your armpits;CHEST UP!Back Double Bi:Mostly the same.Arch back slightly.DON'T PUSH YOUR SHOULDER-BLADES TOGETHER!If anything,push them slightly down.Side Bi:are you even flexing your upper arm?(wrists don't count)When practicing;grab the right arm with the left hand&make sure you're flexing both bi&tri.YOU'RE a BIG DUDE!Show it off!Attempted Most Muscular:VERY difficult!Roll your shoulders forward&down.(check it from the side.If you can make your shoulder blades stick out like chicken-wings:BINGO!)OK.Now try to spread your shoulders apart(width)Lift your chest.(not easy with your shoulders rolled forward)Check arm-height in a mirror.What's best?Hands crossed?Knuckles together?Knuckles back-to-back?Arms chest height?Waist height?Now.Pass out.Hope this helps.g.

[ethernet_jock]

LOL... thanks Glam.... that sounds remarkably difficult. Maybe I'll just stick to looking like an over-sized muscly geek who has no clue how to "show" anything.

Side Bi:are you even flexing your upper arm?(wrists don't count)When practicing;grab the right arm with the left hand&make sure you're flexing both bi&tri.YOU'RE a BIG DUDE!Show it off!

I cracked up when I read this because... well... when I looked at that pic I thought THE EXACT SAME THING. I know my arm is bigger and more defined than that, what was wrong with me? LOL.... ook - so I give - how do you flex a tricep and a bicep AT THE SAME TIME?

[glammaman2000]

Like I said,try grabbing your upper arm with the opposite hand.You'll get the best bi&tri contraction if you don't quite pull your wrist as close to your shoulder as it will go.You have to feel the tricep fighting against the contraction of the bicep.

[ethernet_jock]

alright.... one more round of pictures until the next update... which, with a baby coming soon, probably won't be for 6-9 months.

Here's a couple re-tries from the other ones along with some new angles that I like:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...070505back.jpg
another try at the back.... a little different angle with the arms, etc... I like this one better than the previous one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...070505calf.jpg
I actually have definition to my calf!! LOL... well it's a big deal to me, ok?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...505pecfly1.jpg
a couple tries at showing that I really do actually have a chest, whether or not I'm able to easily show it. Gotta love those pec flies.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...505pecfly2.jpg
pec attempt two - slightly different angle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...0505tricep.jpg
there IS a tricep in there somewhere. Look close, you can find it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...gbicepcurl.jpg
Laying bicep curl? why not...



Again - thanks everyone for all your help and kind words and encouragement!

[claygrant]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...505pecfly2.jpg
pec attempt two - slightly different angle.

by far my favorite pic you've posted, damn those are some PECS!!

[ethernet_jock]

LMFAO... thanks.... I was thinking I was the only one who noticed.

That's definitely a good angle for me - I was honestly surprised to see how that one in particular turned out as well. Nothing like a good hard pec fly to squeeze those boys up a little eh?

[optimusx]

Yeah, those pecs look great in that shot! People often forget that we look very different from varying angles. People sometimes only see themselves from the side/front/back and never realize that others (like kids) see you from below

Keep up the awsome work!

Scott

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by optimusx

Yeah, those pecs look great in that shot! People often forget that we look very different from varying angles. People sometimes only see themselves from the side/front/back and never realize that others (like kids) see you from below

Keep up the awsome work!

Scott

Hi Ether! Sorry, kinda got here late, but anyways, I definetly agree! You do have huge pecs man! Keep up the excellent work!

Marc

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Goodness gracious! Whew! That one pec pic really shows off your muscle cleavage. I liked that one the best. My second favorite was the back shot. Now you need to blow us away with a rear lat spread.

I like your bowflex (by the way)...can't wait until your next series of pics.

[glammaman2000]

BABY!Definitely worth the price of admission!"Tricep flex".Not a SINGLE CLUE about how to show your arms.Muscle not a problem."Lying biceps".OK.Maybe it is.(p.s."gaydar"does not see through cloth.It sees through other things.)

[ethernet_jock]

Thanks guys again... you are all too kind. Straight-on my pecs look like absolutely nothing, but for some reason in that flexed bottom angle they look huge. I don't get it, but I like that picture... LOL

Scott - Kids are great too, aren't they!! Sometimes I wonder how it'll be for my son... as he grows up... and eventually begins to realize that his dad is a bit larger than the average dad...

Marco - looking forward to seeing YOUR huge pecs after this coming "episode" in your training.

Donnie - I love my bowflex. It isn't a real gym, but it works well for me. The primary key to my love for it isn't necessarily it's workout abilities because I still don't think it's as good as a real gym... but the key is the convenience of having it at home and readily available at any time. The privacy factor, the safety of not ever needing a spot from anyone and beinga ble to give it all without worry or reservation, and the fact that there is never a good excuse not to work out unless I'm sick or injured. Those are the real reasons I think why it has been working better for me than the gym worked for me... that and I'm trying harder to do things right as well... more dedicated. ANYhow - thank you for your kind words too!! Your own transformation is inspiring to me - keep up the hard work!

Glam - awwww... you'd pay to see me?! LOL ("worth the price of admission") You always crack me up... and you're always too nice. Thank you. And you're absolutely 100% right, I have no clue whatsoever how to flex properly for anyone at all. No experience, no training, nobody has ever even given me the slightest notion in person of what I should do or not do. Yeah the "lying bicep curl" shot was kinda lame... I was trying to do SOMETHING where I could flex my arms and actually see muscle and I thought if I cought something in a real mid-workout flex then it might work. Maybe I'll try it with a dumbbell next time...

--

anyhow, that's it for pics of me for a while... I won't bore you guys any longer!



Thanks again everyone for the help, constructive criticism, and kind compliments.

-Chris

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

Marco - looking forward to seeing YOUR huge pecs after this coming "episode" in your training.

lol, oh you will mate! hehe

Take care! & Keep growing!

Marc

[ethernet_jock]

The advent of my second son's birth obviously caused me some major setbacks in working out... but I've kept on as much as I could. Over the last 14-15 months I've lost a good 15lbs of fat (down to 245lbs now) and that helped me a bit with some definition. I don't think I've gained any strength at all because I haven't been able to stick to working out well enough. I could come up with 100 excuses but the two that are really authentic are my kid, two really nasty cold/flu episodes related to having a kid, and an incident about 3 months ago where I really tore-up my left bicep and had to take some major time off. I am literally just now getting my left arm back... it's about 70-80% of where it used to be (equal to my right arm) but it is coming back.

I do think kids have been good for my body too though... at least in the lifting them and throwing them around sense!

So I took a few pictures about two days ago in my office using my crappy Motorola Q.... I was motivated to do this by a few other factors and picked this little 5 minute slot of time at work to close the door and entertain myself.... Most of you who know me know that I'm generally entirely too modest to pose for a self-timer so when the mood sits me right, I try to jump on it.

Again - sorry for the horrible quality - but here is an "update" if you will:

(oh yeah, and I still suck at flexing my arm properly for pictures but I think I'm improving)

I was wearing this polo shirt a couple days ago that I bought at Old Navy on Clearance a few weeks ago... I was really excited that it fits me pretty well:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rontmmpolo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rontbipolo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...idebi2polo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...sidebipolo.jpg

oh yeah... and I got a tattoo a few weeks ago too! My first ever (and probably only ever). It's about God and my boys - so don't tease.

After doing the polo shirt I was thinking about the story in the story's section called "transfer student" and imagining how awesome the main character looked in chapter 3 with his wife-beater tank top.... chap. 3 being my favorite so far of course as a bisexual. This is the only story I've read in there for months but dayum. ANYway... I decided to see how I looked in my black tank that I happened to be using as an undershirt at the time:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...6frontmmwb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...earbicepwb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...06sidebiwb.jpg

So there you have it.

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Those are great pics, EJ! Thanks for posting them. You're looking pretty lean in the pics. For not training much, it doesn't look like you've lost much muscle.

Keep up the good job and I look forward to reading more progress reports.

[TheMM]

I agree with Donnie, definately nice and lean. And nice for us to see your nice and lean..ness.

[ethernet_jock]

hahahaha... I'm hardly lean... but thank you. I've lost quite a bit of fat over the last year and need to kick myself back into eating well enough to do it again this year... but I'm still 6'3" and 245lbs!