Todd's Pictures.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by westside24

he was referring to todd, hes joking that todd is carb depleted meaning he aint thinking well... he is carb depleted right now if hes trying to cut, and lose bf% , I think anyways...

Todd you look great dude.
Best of luck to ya.

I'm not too too bad yet...I've been slowly reducing my complex carb intake since January, but I still take in some throughout each day...mostly as a part of my first meal of the day, 2nd meal after Max OT Cardio, and two of my meals after my evening workout. The rest of my meals consist of protein, veggies and good fats.

The last few couple of weeks is where I will be getting sorta depleted...but by then I will be like a machine with my diet and it won't even phase me....at least that's how it was last time for me!

Below is a pic I took yesterday morning ...not a great pic because I had to hold the camera myself and couldn't really do any real pose ...but it gives you an idea of how my fat loss is coming along...I can finally see my abs better! LOL

I will be posting some new progress pics tomorrow. Stay tuned...

[Gooseneck]

Can definitely see some reduction in bodyfat already. Great job so far Todd.

[Todd]

Not the best lighting for these pics...and I definitely need a tan...but here are the latest!

I am approximately 203 pounds in these photos...all comments, critiques, etc are welcome!

[Vas85]

Keep up the great work Todd, definitely can see you shaping up well, the delts / tri's / forearms and traps have got very noticeable definition since last pics and the abs are coming up nicely too!

[Todd]

Thanks man, means a lot! I am now hovering around 200 pounds even. More detail is showing through since the last pics, so everything looks to be on schedule.

Strenght has dropped very minimally in the gym, so that's awesome too...and my energy levels are good...sometimes even better than offseason.

[JMike]

Wow your thighs are amazing. They dwarf your calves, that's just incredible. And at 200lbs? How tall are you? Great work!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by JMike

Wow your thighs are amazing. They dwarf your calves, that's just incredible. And at 200lbs? How tall are you? Great work!

Thanks for the cool comments bro. I am just about 5' 11" tall. Yah, my thighs do definitely overshadow my calves...haha...it's crazy.

Yep sitting at 200 pounds now...and should be a couple pounds lighter come next weigh in.

The fat is definitely coming off nicely now. No fat burners added yet...just coasting off gradual reduction in calories each week and Max OT Cardio.

Should have some pic updates come Monday. Stay tuned...

[Gooseneck]

Todd, your discipline is very inspiring, keep it up.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Gooseneck

Todd, your discipline is very inspiring, keep it up.

Thank you Gooseneck...it's cool to know I have inspired some people on here! Makes all the hard work even more worth it!!

[westside24]

Originally Posted by Todd

I'm not too too bad yet...I've been slowly reducing my complex carb intake since January...

Can I ask you a question... Good, ok here it goes...

Do you track your calories and macronutrients down to the science like everyday?
Or just do it every now and then when you need to make adjustments?

also, Have you always used Max OT?

[Todd]

Originally Posted by westside24

Can I ask you a question... Good, ok here it goes...

Do you track your calories and macronutrients down to the science like everyday?
Or just do it every now and then when you need to make adjustments?

also, Have you always used Max OT?

Right now I am tracking my calories and nutrients because I am dieting down...but usually I don't. I pretty much eye-ball my portions unless I am dieting.

When you are dieting and serious about getting shredded...you pretty much have to know how much of everything you are taking in...so, when you go to reduce your calories, you can decide how and from which macro's to reduce from.

I began using Max OT around 2003 I believe...and have used it pretty extensively since that time. I've switched off of it periodically to give my joints a rest (because I do find it hard on them ..wrist especially) and to see if I like other training styles. I always find myself going back to it though...or at least lifting pretty damn near the same method as it. I like to go heavy and for low reps and low volume in general. I don't like being in the gym longer than an hour...and I don't find it necessary to have to do 4 or more sets of every exercise. Many times I will only do 2 sets for an exercise and move on.

-Todd

[westside24]

Originally Posted by Todd

I don't find it necessary to have to do 4 or more sets of every exercise. Many times I will only do 2 sets for an exercise and move on.

-Todd

Ditto! I try to stay around 10 sets for the bigger muscles, maybe 6 sets for the smaller, like traps and arms.

Hope you dont mind me interviewing you on your thread.
OK can I ask you, What style did you start off lifting with, and did it bring most of your size? If not What did? (Max OT im assuming)
Also, with the Max OT, did you follow its every step, or did you just do your own kind of 4-5 day split, but following the rest of the rules?

Thank you for your time mr.t! I love hearing stories about people who were small or even as small as me, and strived to defeat that embarrasing fate.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by westside24

Ditto! I try to stay around 10 sets for the bigger muscles, maybe 6 sets for the smaller, like traps and arms.

Hope you dont mind me interviewing you on your thread.
OK can I ask you, What style did you start off lifting with, and did it bring most of your size? If not What did? (Max OT im assuming)
Also, with the Max OT, did you follow its every step, or did you just do your own kind of 4-5 day split, but following the rest of the rules?

Thank you for your time mr.t! I love hearing stories about people who were small or even as small as me, and strived to defeat that embarrasing fate.

Hey no problem, you can interview away .

When I first started, I did the typical pyramiding of weights with each successive set performed. So, for example...I'd do 185 for first set of bench press for say 12 reps, then I'd do 205 for 8 reps, then 225 for 5 reps. That is just an example of how I'd pyramid up the weight with each set. (obviously I was not lifting that heavy when I first began LOL!)

When I first began lifting, yes I did gain a lot of size (and strength)...but I don't attribute that to my pyramiding style of lifting, I think it was more noob gains which everyone gets when they begin. I think what kept me growing was continuing to learn more ...read more about nutrition, proper form, etc..and that led me to be more consistent with my workouts, my diet and motivation. My gains were not crazy though...after my noob gains, I would gain maybe 10-15 pounds per year, which I thought was pretty typical for paying close attention to diet, training, rest and listening to your body 24/7.

BUT, when I finally stumbled across Max OT, and read their entire guide, things made even more sense to me...I liked the way they explained WHY they did things in their program a certain way. It seemed logical to me, so I decided to give that program a try...and I DID follow it to a "T". I did every single one of their 12 week programs to a "T" and followed the methods for macro intake for gaining lean mass with minimal fat gain. This is when I made MASSIVE gains in size and strength...the type of gains that I had experienced when I first began to train for the very first few months! So yes, it was like I entered a brand new growth phase because of Max OT.

I also did thier 6 month program after the 12 week program...again following it to a "T. I took the one week breaks when they said you should and performed the exercises they listed as "optimal" compared to some of the other ones out there. I did no "isolation" lifts except for d-bell lateral raises for shoulders and exercises specifically for abs...just as they state to do.

As with any program though, I think change is good eventually. The body does react to change...and even though there is a lot of change within the Max OT programs, it is also good to go away from that type of program to prevent MENTAL staleness....and then come back to it..because it is a solid program that does produce results AS LONG AS YOU DO EVERYTHING ELSE RIGHT TO SUPPORT THAT TYPE OF TRAINING YOU'RE PLACING YOUR BODY UNDER!!!

Hope this helps some! Sorry for the novel LOL.

[westside24]

Originally Posted by Todd

Hope this helps some! Sorry for the novel LOL.

Hell yeah that helps! I love novels, haha..
Ok so I was doing a 5 day split for close to a year, with a month and half off between... and both sessions I did make quick newbie gains, obviously I still need much improvement.

but for the past few weeks I been doing the whole first time home hunting thing, and its been taking alot of time with realtor and banks n stuff plus individual research, so right now im wingin it. like 2-3 full body workouts a week, all compunds, 12 exercises, 1 set each at max effort. its cool, its harder work then what I thought it would be, and I will ride out several more weeks to see if I make any gains from this...

so after I finish a good 6-8 weeks of this and I get a home, you think In your opinion I should try Max OT? or just stick with the basics involving a 4-5 day split... or even stick with full body routines? or even a Strength program? I know youre gonna say MaxOT, Im just not sure If I have the discipline quite yet to follow it to a T. theres days were I get stuck working overtime and I absolutely dread going to the gym or working out at home (being that I work a very physically demanding job) and I only have a few hours as is after I get back from the gym, its even more discouraging when I work overtime. This is why I chose to do a split in the first place, I knew that if I missed a day, I could combine some muscle groups together n stuff like that, meaning I would get every muscle group in every week, but it would range from 3-5 days, very rarely 3.

[Todd]

The best thing to do is to stick with a routine which you KNOW fits your daily/weekly schedule and gives you the best chance to sticking to it consistently. Save the Max OT and other routines out there for when you KNOW you'll have the discipline and schedule that will allow you to stick to those type of routines 100% of the way through.

Consistency is the key with every part of bodybuilding (diet, training, sleep, supplementation, meal timing, motivation, etc).

So, just be sure to follow a routine which fits your schedule best and will set you up for long term commitment ...because all of that equals RESULTS!