Another one from bb.com, Matt’s got an incredible physique. 25, 6ft, 200lbs, 6% bf. Yeah – very nice. Can I just have a flat stomach? I don’t need to see abs. Large arms’d be nice too. And those thighs. Those too. Can I do a mix and match???

Phenomenal build. Total jock. Don’t think I’ll ever be there, but good to admire eh

I posted about Chris way back in December. Since I’ve got a quiet few minutes at work, and bb.com sucks for new transformations (I don’t care about people with 3% bf and who are overtanned)… I thought I’d look back over some of the guys I’ve posted here…

…and Chris stands out as one of those guys worth posting again.

Stats wise, he’s shorter than me, but he’s got good size. Size I’d love. The arms are nice (but shorter than mine). He’s got a few more ripped shots, but I really don’t mind him a bit more podgy. And by podgy, I mean like 10% bf instead of 8%. I don’t mean bf like I have LOL!

Also – in case you ever wonder, Chris is somewhat similar to Adrian in the face. Adrian’s body just puts this guy to shame. Ahhhh… it never ends!

I’ve had this guy on my desktop for the last week or so… so I think it’s finally time to update the blog with him!

Scott’s got quite an impressive website, and had a lot of YouTube videos – I first came across him when researching TRX workouts. His physique interested me… and come on – why wouldn’t it

His YouTube videos are really valuable – his TRX workouts would kill you, but then again, you’ve gotta die in order to have a body like his. So kinda makes sense!!!

Enjoy!

Yet another incredible transformation. Skinny to brawny.

Found Josh on BodyBuilding – it looks like he made gains of about 30lbs over the course of 12-18 months. Totally doable.

Unfortunately, most of the peeps I look at are gaining from a low bodyfat level, meaning that their muscle gain is quite obvious and already toned looking. It’s amazing. For me – given the badness that was yellow fever and Peru, I’m starting from a less favourable position. But I keep saying to myself – I need to focus… the fat will go. Now’s about growth. But the temptation of those Animal Cuts has – from time to time – been quite strong.

There isn’t a whole lot of engaging material in his profile on bodybuilding, but he does talk about how important nutrition is to his success. He said:

I just try to eat as much food as I possibly can, while keeping it all healthy and beneficial towards me and my body.

That’s the reality – continuously eating until you can’t eat any more. But no dirty bulking. Eat good, eat well and eat lots. It’s surprising just how difficult it is to eat lots of good shit. Bad shit – easy. Good shit, it’s a little more bland and boring. But that’s the hardest part of training.

When it came to the judging, one of the judges said that he wasn’t ‘traditionally handsome’ but that his technique, his skill, his energy just flew off the stage and made him exceptionally engaging.

All of those things are elements that cannot be conveyed in stills, in photography. They’re elements that you’ll likely never see in those ‘traditionally handsome’ people featured in magazines. They’re not mutually exclusive, but they’re just harder to find.

I found one of those guys on my trek. Up on the crest of the highest ridge I met this guy. He had glasses, was OK, not amazing. But we chatted for about 10 seconds and I was hooked. He had an edge. He had an assurance. He had something about him… when I saw him later, I realized that he certainly had a bit of a punky edge – a tat, his ears showed that he’s had plugs in, he wore a tight vest under a thin white tee, nicely showing the outline of the vest, and nicely showing the outline of his body.

Why am I saying all this? Because I’ve never been traditionally handsome. And I never will be. No matter how hard I try – and I’ve tried. Tried hard. At some level, one of the goals in the gym is to be ‘traditionally handsome’ – a more muscular body helping me to achieve that which I’ve never been able to myself.

But the hard truth is that it won’t ever happen. I’ve spent a lot of my life comparing myself. I know implicitly that I want to be the best at anything that I do. Whether that’s in UX, or whether that’s in appearance. I don’t like being at a club, and being looked over. Yes – there’s vanity there too. There’s a part of my that just wants to be the center of attention, and knowing that, to be able to disregard that attention. There’s a certain assurance or confidence in that.

The same is true of the gym. I’m in the lower 20-30% of the gym right now, in my own mind (that may or may not be true). That’s not good enough for me. I want to be better. I need to be in the top 10-20%.

But – that’s taking me away from my point here. Traditionally handsome is what’s most appreciated in the material world. It’s face value. In a world where we don’t get enough time to meet people, to get to know them, we have to take them at face value. And now with the internet, there’s no getting to know each other. There’s just one face swipe after another, until you find the one that captures your attention.

There’s such a pressure to make an impact, to subscribe to what is considered traditionally beautiful, but some people just don’t. Like me. And I need to be fine with that. Because – you know what – the people that count, get it. The people that count get that it’s not about traditional beauty – in fact it’s those rough edges that set you apart. It’s that energy conveyed in the eyes, expressions, intensity of conversation and communication that engage.

And that’s a form of beauty. And that can convey so much in pictures too.

Which brings me to Slava Mogutin. He’s the bf of Brian Kenney. You know, the skinny, kinda buff dude that I’ve gone on and on and one about for some time?

Well, for some reason, my mind one day switched off from Brian and focussed on Slava. I’ll never be a Kenney. He’s always been fit. A good face, photogenic. That’s not me. I’m the man behind the camera… more of a Slava. And Slava’s good looking – he’s got an incredible body. But he’s no Kenney, or Josh Duhamel, or Ryan Reynolds. But that’s not the point. He’s found himself and conveys that.

I need to stop setting standards at levels I know I can’t achieve. And just get to know – appearance wise – where I can take mine, in my own special way. I don’t quite have an answer to that yet, but I’m working on it.

Very nicely built. Much bigger than I can ever hope to get. Yet another army dude (there’s a theme eh?). Nice.