Fitness Blog Resurrected and My Before Pic

Since I've taken up the hobby of rock climbing, I've noticed all the other ripped rock climbers who are comfortable going shirtless in both the gym and on outdoor climbs. I am now very motivated to get into top shape and gain some muscle by resurrecting this old fitness journal blog and doing two of my favorite online workout programs. I'm mainly using a 12-week realjock.com workout program, but supplementing it with the insanity.com intense cardio workout program.

I decided to document my progress with pics every few weeks and critique areas where I need the most sculpting.

The areas that need the most muscle growth are my skinny shoulders and arms. My goal is to get my shoulders to look more rounded in the frontal deltoid, rear deltoid, and trapezious. For my arms, I need more mass in my entire arms including my biceps, triceps, and forearms. During my hybrid workout programs, hopefully I will get some gains in these areas.

Here's my before pic. Hopefully I will see some improvements in my arms, shoulders, and improve definition in my abs.

Almost completed the Insanity workout program

2011 started out great. I've made the upheaval transition from the metropolitan DC-area life to living near New Orleans, "the big easy," and I have been working out with a neighbor. We completed 6 weeks of the 8-week insanity.com with Shaun T. It's from the same beachbody company that makes the P90X workouts with Tony Horton, who honestly scares me, and says the craziest insane things. The crew at the beachbody company should have called Tony Horton's video "Insanity" and Shaun T's videos, "kick-yo-ass into shape."

But of course, life got in the way with work on a few different productions in New Orleans, caused me to stop watching my nutrition intake, and now I've gotten emaciated thin again. Like Christian Bale in the Machinist, or like Donnie Wahlberg in the Sixth Sense. (I actually got the opportunity to work with Mark Wahlberg on Contraband, as a background extra in a wedding reception scene this month in New Orleans. He actually said "What's up" to me, too!) But back to the subject here: this man-orexic state I'm in is just not pretty, people. Like the quote in the Millionaire Matchmaker reality show, "like a pasty manorexic who fell out of a Tim Burton movie." And screw any bitter people who act all bitchy towards people who struggle with issues with being too thin. Believe me, being too thin has its own health risks, eating problems, and social-interaction problems, too. It's just the extreme other side of the coin, so stop being bitchy haters. It's really not attractive to act this way, and actually very repulsive.

So, today another neighbor, an ex-personal trainer, invited me over to get started on a weight training program again. The last time I worked out with him for just a few weeks, I put on some healthy muscle tone, and was starting to get some nice rounded out shoulders and nice arms and all, thereby coming out of my man-orexic status for a little while. So I think I'll start up a personal training program with him and try to get in shape again.