Where do I need Help?

**Tony321** · 07-01-2006, 09:20 PM

I'm Natural, but one day want to try and experiment. I'm 6'1 and 194lbs. I've been working out for about 3 years now. I recently had knee surgery *2 months ago* and am recovering from that in which over the last 3 1/2 months I lost 19lbs. Most of which I'd like to think of is muscle. I've been sticking with just a good diet.

I'm starting to hit the gym pretty hard again. I feel I've got a decent workout, but don't know where I need to put most of my focus on my body. That's why I'm posting pics. Please don't hold back on your opinions.

I dont have pics of my legs right now. I'd get ranted on anyways being that my post surgery knee is a bit smaller. (I'm working on my recovery and regaining my size)

Walking in this pic:

On the right:

**Hellmaskbanned** · 07-01-2006, 10:02 PM

You have a build of an underwear model.

Critique, nice build , but very much lacking on size.

EAT !

***Narkissos*** · 07-01-2006, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by Hellmask

You have a build of an underwear model.

Critique, nice build , but very much lacking on size.

EAT !

Agreed... Which, if that's the look you're going for, is not a bad thing.

From what i can see i'd say prioritise delts namely.

Personally i think you should add size overall.. but delts, even if as i said the underwear model look is the look you want, will improve the look of your physique 100%

**Tony321** · 07-01-2006, 11:17 PM

Underwear Model. lol, I might have to look into that.

That is not the look I am going for. Like I said, I lost a lot of weight and believe I had a lot better size.

I retrieved some of my older pics of when I was at my biggest *218*

**JohnboyF** · 07-01-2006, 11:51 PM

At 218 you look really good bro. But this undwear look isnt bad either if thats what you want.. you got big arms. Thought your back is lagging a bit. But otherwise you dont look bad.!

**C_Bino** · 07-02-2006, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by Narkissos

Agreed... Which, if that's the look you're going for, is not a bad thing.

From what i can see i'd say prioritise delts namely.

Personally i think you should add size overall.. but delts, even if as i said the underwear model look is the look you want, will improve the look of your physique 100%

Ditto on all accounts here.

What is your goal? I can see that I dont think it is bodybuilding. But do you want to add a lot of muscle mass or...it's just hard to critique not knowing what you are actually looking to do.

My overall critique without knowledge of goals is this though. Like Nark said your delts are lacking. This reason tied in with your overall look gave me the assumption you are not into bodybuilding but just keeping up a nice lean physique (which is great). It appears as though you concentrate on your arms mainly for that "beach" look, you still have the overall appearance of a skinny guy with an unfilled frame. I would suggest you try incorporating a lot of compound movements into your routine and get into the diet forum. This will allow you to reach your goals and feel great. I am assuming you havent reached your goals just because you are posting these pictures and just had surgery and lost weight.

Let us know what the goals are though man.

**BigSwol** · 07-02-2006, 05:09 AM

Just my .2c, I'd try and widen your upper body. Try and get your lats to flare more. Some pics there you've got some back thickness, but bring up the width. Also the delts will give ya that look also, your traps are looking good though. Pulls ups, pull downs, pull overs.....not in that order but use em in your workouts. Good luck,

BigSwol

**rake922** · 07-02-2006, 12:09 PM

"you still have the overall appearance of a skinny guy with an unfilled frame"

I don't agree; wouldn't call this guy skinny

**Evolution-06** · 07-02-2006, 01:09 PM

i think his look is successful for the beaches, etc. I would love to be that lean. However, going heavy and increasing clean calories for bout 12-16 weeks would do you a world of good.

It also depends on what you do for fun. I love basketball, so I constantly fighting the "too thick for basketball" thing.

**Tony321** · 07-02-2006, 02:28 PM

I appreciate all the comments you guys.

I do a lot of biking. I know this isn't good for gaining mass. I also used to do a lot of MMA before my knee injury.

Honestly I thought I was lacking in the arm department compared to the rest of me. I've got a 29" waist... 47" chest.. and 16.5" bi's right now.

I eat quite a bit... and everything is healthy. When I do eat, I eat till I'm almost sick. My work schedule limits my calorie intake during the day though.

My goals are to get up to 225-235 and have a filled look to my frame. At the same time... I also like being able to run 3 miles in 18 minutes. I know trying to get all the weight on... while retraining my cardio is almost a double edge sword.

Please reply with the comments... good or bad.

Also, any guess's as to what my body fat might be close to? I've never had that checked.

Thanks again,
T

**Thug Nasty** · 07-02-2006, 02:33 PM

Lookin good, keep it up bro.

**Bigmax** · 07-02-2006, 02:50 PM

you look fit bro....If you're looking to put on size....I recommend a cycle of mass eating of good food!!!!!!!!!

**chest6** · 07-02-2006, 08:10 PM

Lookin good. Time to focus on the diet for some improvement..

**muscle1** · 07-02-2006, 08:30 PM

widen and thicken the back...side lateral raises to bring out the side delts and you'll be lookin better

**Tony321** · 07-08-2006, 09:03 AM

I will focus a little more on my delts and lats.. I've also tried "improving" my diet. Again, I eat healthy.. Just not enough I suppose, so I'm crammin in all that I can.... when I can.

Still no guess to what my body fat % may be around, from my first pics? I know this is just a rough estimate... just let me know

Thanks again,
T

**DutchCowboy** · 07-08-2006, 04:13 PM

14%....hows that sound?

**Tony321** · 07-08-2006, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by DutchCowboy

14%....hows that sound?

Holy shit I was thinking I was less than that

**Hellmaskbanned** · 07-08-2006, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by Tony321

Holy shit I was thinking I was less than that

You are.

I guess 10,11%

**Tony321** · 07-08-2006, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Hellmask

You are.

I guess 10,11%

I was thinking a little closer to that..

Thanks
T

**helium3** · 07-09-2006, 04:12 AM

lookin good bro keep up the good work.

**sensaispike** · 07-09-2006, 10:14 AM

I would say in the first pic you are closer to 7-8% unless you carry it all in your legs, I am a trainer and I always try to guess bf% before I do it on my clients and I am usually pretty good at guessing, but there is no way in hell that you are 14% bro, deff single digits..... just my 2 cents....

You look good, keep it up.....

**Tony321** · 07-09-2006, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by sensaispike

I would say in the first pic you are closer to 7-8% unless you carry it all in your legs, I am a trainer and I always try to guess bf% before I do it on my clients and I am usually pretty good at guessing, but there is no way in hell that you are 14% bro, deff single digits..... just my 2 cents....

You look good, keep it up.....

I just had a caliper test done... I know these have a margin for error... But it came out to be 7%. I dont have a bunch on my legs. In fact, I've got veins popping out of my legs. Again, I do a bunch of cardio so my legs are cut... but not huge... calves are at 17 1/2

**sensaispike** · 07-09-2006, 09:32 PM

yea i figured you would be some whare around that %, great job keep it up.....

L8ter

**DutchCowboy** · 07-10-2006, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Tony321

Still no guess to what my body fat % may be around, from my first pics? I know this is just a rough estimate... just let me know

Thanks again,
T

I just threw out 14 so you wouldn't start bitchin that no one was responding. Looks like I helped? lol

**Ntpadude** · 07-11-2006, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Tony321

Underwear Model. lol, I might have to look into that.

That is not the look I am going for. Like I said, I lost a lot of weight and believe I had a lot better size.

I retrieved some of my older pics of when I was at my biggest *218*

Damn you looked great at 218... get back to there... you can see evidence that even at 218 your BF% was quite low. You look pretty dam dried out in current pictures and that makes me question your current 7%... you look lower in BF then that...

**Tony321** · 07-16-2006, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by Ntpadude

Damn you looked great at 218... get back to there... you can see evidence that even at 218 your BF% was quite low. You look pretty dam dried out in current pictures and that makes me question your current 7%... you look lower in BF then that...

It's not as easy getting back up to 218. I've been trying for a while. I am at 197 right now. So over the last couple weeks I've put on a couple of lbs. With my leg injury, I can only slowly work with my wheels... That's where a lot of my weight left me.

I don't see how I could be any lower than 7%. To me it seems that if I was at 7% BF... I'd see a lot better definitions or seperations. I do see some cuts... But not that of which I think I'd see at 7%. I also don't know exactly what a person with 7% body fat looks like... So it's hard for me to judge.

Thanks for the reply.

**flyguy7** · 07-16-2006, 08:42 PM

i know you just had surgery bro, but what do the legs look like.

You really did look better at 218 in my opinion too. But as another natural i know how hard it can be to put on serious size and keep your waistline in control. For what it's worth i think that's a damn good clean build, especially for someone only lifting 3 years. Great work, keep it up

**Tony321** · 07-16-2006, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by flyguy7

i know you just had surgery bro, but what do the legs look like.

You really did look better at 218 in my opinion too. But as another natural i know how hard it can be to put on serious size and keep your waistline in control. For what it's worth i think that's a damn good clean build, especially for someone only lifting 3 years. Great work, keep it up

I will get some pics posted up here shortly. They are nothing to be to proud of right now... Not to mention the tan lines!! But I will get some up.
Thanks for the compliment!
T

**Tony321** · 07-17-2006, 08:24 PM

Alright... here are the latest ones...
I'm not at 195lbs, so I'm gaining.

If no one read earlier in the post... These pics are 2 months post right knee reconstruction. So as you can see, there is some loss to my legs. To bad I don't have previous pics. On my right leg, I'm not fully capable of firing my quad...

Thoughts???

**Sasso09** · 07-17-2006, 10:38 PM

look good bro.

**solarisdude45** · 07-18-2006, 05:30 AM

Personally, I think you are in great shape. I guess depending upon your personal goals and desires would determine the type of respond or opinions you might be seeking.

In any case, good luck with your training and life.

**Kale** · 07-18-2006, 05:46 AM

Whatever your goals you have an awsome start. Most guys would kill to look like you do bro.

**Wiggum** · 07-18-2006, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by solarisdude45

Personally, I think you are in great shape. I guess depending upon your personal goals and desires would determine the type of respond or opinions you might be seeking.

In any case, good luck with your training and life.

I totally agree. From the look of the scar on your knee it looks like you had arthoscopic surgery. Had the same thing on my left knee a little over a year ago. Now I'm at my max weight for squats again so you'll get there. I used to run a lot too but to be honest I'm sticking more to low-impact cardio these days all b/c of the knee.

Good luck.

**Tony321** · 07-18-2006, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Wiggum

I totally agree. From the look of the scar on your knee it looks like you had arthoscopic surgery. Had the same thing on my left knee a little over a year ago. Now I'm at my max weight for squats again so you'll get there. I used to run a lot too but to be honest I'm sticking more to low-impact cardio these days all b/c of the knee.

Good luck.

I had Reconstructive. I had a graph taken from my Ham Tendon. I have an incision under my patella that is about 2 inchs long. Other than the hole on the right side of my knee, the other remaining smaller holes aren't to visible.

Osteochrondiale tear... *something like that*
Chipped Femur
Lateral and Medial Meniscal tear
Ruptured ACL.. Torn MCL

Those were my injuries!

Again, My goals are to get back to at the least, where I was at 218. I've been upping my calories in my diet, but at the same time... my cardio has been upped by my physical therapy.

By the way, I'm not going totally for the beach body look. I'd like to put on good size.... in as short of a time frame as possible..

Thanks for the compliments. I credit my physique to eating to the best of my knowledge for the last couple years, coupled with some good workout routines... oh...and a ton of cardio.

T

**Tony321** · 07-18-2006, 04:45 PM

Ok, I'm working on my Lats.... What is "normal" for lats? I can do 32 dead hang pull ups... I can do a bunch with a 35 strapped to me... But my lats look tiny... Pull downs... Pull overs... Yep, doin those too. Am I close to what would be considered decent strength for lats at my size?

**rake922** · 07-25-2006, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Tony321

Ok, I'm working on my Lats.... What is "normal" for lats? I can do 32 dead hang pull ups...

That's alot in my book and definitely far above average .. I can only do 15

**D3m3nt3d** · 07-25-2006, 05:59 PM

Lookin very solid bro. Again, it's all in what you want to achieve. Personally I like the look you got going now at 195lbs, but to each their own.

Keep up the good work friend!

**Timm1704** · 07-25-2006, 06:08 PM

safe to say you have one hell of a physique dude. legs dont look bad, especially considering the surgery youve had.

**TADOLFI** · 07-25-2006, 06:14 PM

If you can strap weight on - strap on 60 Lbs. instead of 35 and widen the grip an inch on each side. Bent rows and seated rows (if you have a machine or cable) will also help.
Aside from the exercises I think you'll have to bump up your calories to feed the growth. From all the activity you talk about I would assume you would have no problem with 4,000 calories a day. Maybe 4,200 just to see if it helps put on more size.

**BigSwol** · 07-30-2006, 05:26 AM

Yeah bro, still lookin ace. Keep your reps lower to add thickness....try the 8, 6, 4, rep range. Widen your grip on pull ups and pull downs. Go heavy...but keep your form strick, that aoughta do the trick.

BigSwol