Should I start working out... Part 2...

[saymyname]

Okay... I made this thread a while ago:
http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249581

And I got a ton of great advice on it, until I posted a picture of myself where the entire tone of the thread changed to "well, you look fine as it is."

So the story is basically the same. Now I'm almost 22, same body type, and I'm becoming increasingly unsatisfied with it. I'm still 6'1 and about 135. It's sexy as hell when I wear a tank top, and I'm downright lucky I have a nice face, otherwise I'd just be a skinny guy. And for whatever reason, I'm lucky enough to have a slight pair of slender abs that I don't have to work for at all (but only appear in certain positions, or when I'm fucking, go figure).

But I guess I have several issues. For one thing, I'm really just feeling genuinely "over" this aesthetic. I'm almost done with university and the whole skinny starving artist hipster heroin chic thing is just getting old. I'm also finding myself more attracted to guys in their 20's that are still slim but a bit more toned, and usually I like to strive for what I'm attracted to - the little twink look isn't doing it for me as much anymore. On top of that, I'm starting to recognize that there's a difference between being slim and being skeletal, and I'm worried I'm walking a fine line between that. I don't want my face to mature and my body to still look undeveloped.

I know it's a personal decision, but I'm kind of torn. Part of me thinks I'm selling out into a mainstream macho aesthetic that I'm not interested in. I don't play sports. I'm not that concerned about the health benefits. It's purely aesthetic. Well, the health benefits would be a plus. I don't want to be buff by any means, more like a toned, swimmers build kind of thing. And I'm also wondering if maybe I am just feeling insecure because an ex (for this reason) fuck friend told me that I was too thin. But then everyone else tells me I look great how I am.

So we're having a little poll!

And some pics:

 

[Maelstrom]

Dude, IMO you are too thin.

In October I was 139 lbs. I am 6'1'' I was too thin for sure. You weigh slightly less then I did. Going by BMI you are underweight, not the most accurate scale, but a good thing to compare against.

I started working out because I wanted to, I was too thin and tired of it. Plus the increase in strength alone is sooo worth it. The aesthetics is also part of it I admit. I mean, who doesn't like a toned swimmer's body? I think the number that don't will be very small. Don't worry about getting too buff, it wont happen with your body type.

It seems like you have already made up your mind really. You are unsatisfied currently and want to change it. Seem fairly concrete to me...

Go for it, start working out! what do you have to lose?
check Coderror's thread for info and inspiration, if you haven't already...

 

[saymyname]

Hey. Thanks for your input

Yeah, the thing about the BMI got brought up in the last thread, but after I posted a pic, people said it can be inaccurate and that I looked fine, but could probably tone up a bit. For me, I'm just wondering if I'm doing it for the right reasons, and if it's necessary. I agree it would basically be impossible for me to get anything beyond toned/swimmers.

Just for reference, the pic I posted in the last thread was a bit more... I don't know. Sexual. I was flexing a bit:

 

[Audio Tech]

Well, I think you are just borderline. There is nothing at all wrong with being naturally thin. In fact, you'll miss it in your 40's. So DO enjoy it while you can. When I looked like that, even my Doctor told me I could gain a few pounds. But I was swimming every day, was in VERY good shape stamina wise and felt fantastic! So I told him WHY? I FEEL perfectly healthy!

Point is, THAT'S the real important thing here. How YOU feel.

But I do think you'd LOOK better if you toned your body a bit at your age. Nothing crazy, just a bit extra muscle and definition.
Especially on your upper body to balance out your frame a bit more.

But that's if I want to be nit-picky. It really shouldn't matter what other's think.


Hey, I'd do ya in a heartbeat just as you are. You look fine to me. But I like slender Guys. To me, they are healthy, not over weight. For some reason we just never like ourselves the way others do. And don't forget that many, many people your age are already fat and on their way to an early grave.

So do you NEED to? Not really, because you WILL fill out more in the next years all by yourself. It's called AGING. The body changes, like it or not. You WILL get bigger, though maybe not the way you had in mind.

Do it for the right reasons? If you WANT to look different, YES. By all means. If you just do it for someone else.... not really. But the good benefits of exercise will probably hook you regardless, and make it a non-issue.

Being "fit" is never wrong.

 

[Maelstrom]

There is no right or wrong in this, just a matter of what you feel. If you look in the mirror and like what you see, then it isn't a problem. But it seems like you are not satisfied by what is staring back at you.

I don't feel there is anything wrong about wanting to be fit/toned/muscular etc. It is the "trendy look" because that is what the majority of people are attracted to. It is evolutionary really. The biggest most defined individual is probably a good candidate for procreation.

You would like the results when you start. It only took me 6 months to gain 21 pounds. It is called beginner gains, you could gain it and then simply maintain it.

This might give you an idea, first pic is at 139 lbs. the second one is 160 lbs.

 

[Audio Tech]

^ Sexy! Looks good on you. Yes, I think you described it well. A "trendy look", but also a healthy look. Not too much.

 

[saymyname]

I've heard the thing about naturally filling out before, but I'd rather start working out now so that I have some kind of control over that, as opposed to just getting thicker and not being in shape. The question about the mirror is a good one. It's not that I'm not happy when I look in it - usually I'm like, DAMN!. I look totally slender and have the body of a teenager and a cute face. I guess my problem with it is more... um... I'm NOT a teenager, you know? So I'm sick of looking like this. I guess I'm starting to feel too mature to it. The time for this aesthetic has passed. It'll probably be hard for me to put on weight, since I'm tall and have a very high metabolism, but it'll give me a good reason to start living better overall. Plus, in my own personal experience, I'm always attracted to slender guys when they're like, 18-21 or so. When it gets beyond that, as it's happening with me... it starts to seem strange.

So yeah. I think I'm going to go down to the gym today and talk to a personal trainer and set something up. Feel free to keep weighing in with opinions, though.

Thanks guys.

 

[seven2go]

If you are the way I was at your age you can a cow a day and not gain an ounce.
I honestly don't know how folks with high metabolisms gain weight.......
At your age I was 6', 129 lbs and wore 29" x 32" pants......so........

 

[saymyname]

If you are the way I was at your age you can a cow a day and not gain an ounce.
I honestly don't know how folks with high metabolisms gain weight.......
At your age I was 6', 129 lbs and wore 29" x 32" pants......so........

That's pretty much me. But admittedly, I don't work out, and I don't eat properly, so I wouldn't know if I could gain weight.

I decided I'm going to start working out though, and eating better - even got my best friend to go in on it with me.

 

[Audio Tech]

If you are the way I was at your age you can a cow a day and not gain an ounce.
I honestly don't know how folks with high metabolisms gain weight.......
At your age I was 6', 129 lbs and wore 29" x 32" pants......so........

Yep, that WAS me too. At 5'11. I miss those 29"X32" pants. I worked out 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week. And I ate like food was going out of style.

Did I put on a single ounce? Hell no. I was lean and very strong, but my body REFUSED to put on any visible meat. I seriously ate, had a voracious appetite.

Only hitting my mid 30's changed that.

Well, the point is that a healthy lifestyle is good for you, no matter what the reason. Your body may or may not bulk up at this age. You just don't know.
Even if it doesn't, don't loose sleep over it. Many guys would KILL to be that slender in their 20's.
I posted a pic here somewhere of me on my motorcycle. I checked the date, was actually about 29 then. Wearing 29 waist pants. Loosely... Sigh..... Then I didn't like it. NOW I miss it. Go figure.

 

[saymyname]

So you're saying I could start working out, start eating better/more, and still not put on muscle mass/weight? That doesn't make any sense to me. I hope if I put the effort in, it pays off...

 

[Audio Tech]

So you're saying I could start working out, start eating better/more, and still not put on muscle mass/weight? That doesn't make any sense to me. I hope if I put the effort in, it pays off...

I'm saying it's POSSIBLE, so don't beat yourself up if you don't get the gains you want without a lot of work. Most likely because of a high metabolism you'll have to do HEAVY weights, shorter sets to make more muscle bulk. A fast metabolism can really screw with you. I tended to just make lean muscle. NOW, with a slower metabolism I can probably make bulk muscle pretty well. Not sure I really want to, though. I prefer to be lean. Even at my age.

You might try Codeerror or Black Hole Sun for some tips. They were pretty similar, and both look great!

 

[saymyname]

Thanks. They posted in the last thread, which I've read over a few times. I'm meeting with a personal trainer soon to get me started. I'm going to do about 3-5 sessions with a personal trainer and then go on my own. So happy I have 3 months until school starts so I don't have that stress to add to time management.

It's just hard for me to verbalize my motivation. I still fit into shirts and the like from when I was SIXTEEN... I'm almost 22... the last guy I was with walked all over me, and I'm tired of looking like a little boy that people can walk all over. Fuck that. I want nice arms, some pecs, some abs, stronger legs.

 

[Audio Tech]

. the last guy I was with walked all over me, and I'm tired of looking like a little boy that people can walk all over. Fuck that. I want nice arms, some pecs, some abs, stronger legs.

Sounds like good motivation to me. Hope you keep posting on your progress and for encouragement.

 

[codeerror]

So you're saying I could start working out, start eating better/more, and still not put on muscle mass/weight? That doesn't make any sense to me. I hope if I put the effort in, it pays off...

Don't worry. If you eat enough, and do all your exercises, you'll see good gains in short time.

I was referring to a law of thermodynamics.
The change in the internal energy of a closed thermodynamic system is equal to the sum of the amount of heat energy supplied to the system and the work done on the system.
Could be simplified (with some margin of error) to

Weight+(what you eat-what you burn).

 

[Frosty]

There is no right or wrong in this, just a matter of what you feel. If you look in the mirror and like what you see, then it isn't a problem. But it seems like you are not satisfied by what is staring back at you.

I don't feel there is anything wrong about wanting to be fit/toned/muscular etc. It is the "trendy look" because that is what the majority of people are attracted to. It is evolutionary really. The biggest most defined individual is probably a good candidate for procreation.

You would like the results when you start. It only took me 6 months to gain 21 pounds. It is called beginner gains, you could gain it and then simply maintain it.

This might give you an idea, first pic is at 139 lbs. the second one is 160 lbs.

Wow, nice job. Your body looks so much sexier in the 2nd pic.

 

[saymyname]

Hey guys, just wanted to update a bit. I deleted the pictures from the thread because I figured anyone that cared enough to weigh in has already seen them, and I didn't want to just leave them hanging around (although in the future I'll do a compare and contrast).

I'm still waiting to hear back from the gym about scheduling a few personal training sessions, so that should be lined up by the end of the week - I'm really excited. Once I made my decision, I got even more confident that it's what I want to do.

Last night I decided to start working out on my own just to get the initial soreness of the muscles over with. So I did some pushups (first time in years), crunches, squats, etc. It is UNBELIEVABLY difficult for me to do a push up. It's sooo hard. I probably did about 20 or so of them last night, and my arms are pretty sore today. I did 10 more of them today, and then tried doing a few more tonight, but the pressure on my biceps felt way too intense to be healthy. I didn't want to push too hard and fuck something up, so I figured it's like anal sex: if it hurts THAT much, something is wrong. So I stopped and decided to let them rest for tonight and am now drinking one of the protein drinks I bought.

The crunches weren't nearly as bad, although my abs feel a little sore too, but nothing compared to my arms and shoulders.

Is it normal for a pushup to be that hard when you're just starting out and you have tiny arms?

 

[codeerror]

Is it normal for a pushup to be that hard when you're just starting out and you have tiny arms?

Yes it is.

 

[Maelstrom]

^ Sexy! Looks good on you. Yes, I think you described it well. A "trendy look", but also a healthy look. Not too much.

Wow, nice job. Your body looks so much sexier in the 2nd pic.

Thank you both, I'm not done yet, trying to get to 170-175 lbs. we will see if I can do it

Saymyname: Don't keep doing the same exercise everyday, after working out a certain muscle group you need to let them rest, otherwise you are breaking down your muscles before they had a chance to heal.

Yes push ups are hard, but a very good exercise to include in your workout.

Hope all goes well in your journey to being more fit.

later,

 

[Audio Tech]

^ SHOWOFF!! LOL! Damn KIDS!!