I've Been Every Shape Except "In-Shape"

Growing up as one of the scrawniest kids in my class, I worshipped superheroes and linebackers. And the one defining physical characteristic of these idols was a big, blocky chest. I didn't know anything about how the human body worked, but I knew I wanted to look like Wolverine (sideburns were a thing for me, too).

When my friends and I were old enough to go out for varsity football, I noticed a frustrating pattern: everyone else started growing their Wolverine pecs while mine didn't budge. At all. We were all lifting the same weights, but for some reason, that didn't work for me.

So I started eating more... a LOT more... and that elusive muscle I was searching for turned into bodyfat (still no muscle). I had made a horrible discovery that I mistook for progress. As I gained weight, I WAS getting stronger, and at this point, I believed that MUSCLE was directly correlated with STRENGTH. So I kept getting "stronger", one Arby's Big Montana at a time...

You'd think I would have learned my lesson this time around, but my next assumption was "I just need to lose some weight so my new 'muscles' will show!". So, I lost 100 lbs. by starving myself and jogging and guess what - there still wasn't any muscle to show.

At this point, I should've seen what was happening, but I went right back into the cycle because I was determined to have Batman boobies. I'd heard about bodybuilders using "bulking" and "cutting" periods in which they focus on growing mass first, before burning all the excess fat to reveal the muscle they'd built while "bulking". Easy enough, I thought...

Fast forward 20 years: I'm 34 years old, and I've been cycling from skinny to fat to skinnyfat without every stopping for a cup of coffee at "in-shape". I tried to stay consistent in the gym over the years, but I was constantly hurting a shoulder or knee trying to lift too heavy.

It felt pretty obvious by this point that I just wasn't genetically designed to look and feel the way I really wanted, and there was virtually zero chance the Titans were ever going to pick me up as a special teamer.

It either was time to hang up the ol' lifting gloves for good, or try something else, because this current sh*t was not working. So, for the first time in my life - I tried a different route: and much to my surprise... IT ACTUALLY WORKED!

And since I was mixing it up with my new lightweight workouts, I decided to reevaluate my approach to eating. I knew most fad-diets only work for a short period of time, but my taste buds hadn't changed much since I was 8, so the whole "baked fish and broccoli" lifestyle didn't fit either.

So instead of revolving my life around a restrictive diet and force-feeding myself spinach & kale, I started eating the things I actually liked -- just in smarter ways. I LOVE carbs, but I prioritize them before & after workouts so they don't sit in my belly all night turning into stored fat.

And yes, veggie lovers - nutrients, vitamins & minerals we get from plants are critical - so I try to start each day with a green superfood shake. On a good day, I might also snag a bite of my wife's okra at dinner (baby steps!).

I still have quite a lot of work to do before I'm ready to take Hugh Jackman's place, but unlike all my other previous fitness adventures, it's gonna be fun this time - and maybe that's why I'm so confident it's going to work.

Wanna talk about it?