I'm 32 and started dating a 23 yr old in Aug. Good motivation to get my ass back in gear. I looked good for a 32 yr old but I wanted to look better than a 23 yr old!

So i ramped up my running and although the relationship with this particular 23 y old fizzled out am loving how my body is looking. When I go out with my girlfriends for drinks I love younger men asking me out!

Plus a good friend of mine and I pick a race a month to keep us motivated, a 5k or 10k here, a half marathon during spring for the challenge.

I'm competitive by nature which works out good for me. That keeps me motivated.My friend and I also have friendly competition and are currently in a pushup and pullup challenge.

Another thing….I can't wait to take my son to the beach and flaunt my figure. If I, a woman who had a C-section can get a great body, then anyone can. I am looking forward to being a sexy mom. It gives me motivation to run in the snow in chilly temps here in Chicago. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. I have a headstart and know I'll look smashing come summer.

My abs are now almost there and it's only Dec. I can only imagine what I'll look like come June.

Thank you.

Long time lurker first time poster. It's taken me a while to find a site like this. It's refreshing to know that there are people out there who want to be healthy and ripped not big and freakish.

Anyways I've basically lived this post. I was planning a vacation to Croatia with my friend and it was 9 months away. I'm naturally a skinny guy but I had a bit of fat on my stomach and basically no stomach definition at all. Then when I learned of this vacation I hit the gym and worked out like I've never had. I've worked out before but it was mostly on and off for several years with no results. As the day of the vacation approached I was confident everything was going to be okay. Turned out my abs were ripped enough to convince some foreign ladies that all north americans must have ripped abs!

So yes motivation can go a long way!

enyoj

Also im a big fan of Brad pitts body in fight club. I was just browsing the web and came across some sites with the "fight club program". Here is the site:
http://www.sixpacknow.com/brad_pitt_abs_workout.html

im 22 years old, around 12% fat i guess, goal is 6-8%. Im following the IF+Rapid Fat loss diet atm. Should i use this program or the 3×5/5×5 wich u recommend Rusty? or someone else that have any advice/experience ?
Im also doing the fasting before every workout and wait 1 hour before eating after.

Yavor

Wow, this post couldn't have come on a better day. Your site has been monumental to my efforts over the past two months to get the lean body I've been wanting the past several years. However, people do have their good days and their bad. Yesterday was a BAD day in terms of diet and exercise! I was so dissapointed in myself when I woke up this morning, but I told myself not to dwell over past failures because I know from personal experience that's the point when people give up.

Honestly, the only thing that gets me now and then is fear of failure that I'll eventually succumb back into my old bad habits. I don't want to give up though; I want to reach my goals SO badly, I can't even explain. Reading your post was JUST what I needed to let go of that last shred of negativity I woke up feeling. Thanks for writing up this great material, and also for taking the time to write thoughtful and personalized responses to everyone! If there's such a thing is karma, I hope it comes around in life and rewards you ten-fold! (=

BTW Just doing what you preach about will give you a longer life span to try and accomplish as many different tasks as you choose.

I prefer the fitted "James Bond Style" clothing over baggy stuff, but you can't look good in that stuff unless you are pretty lean. It keeps you honest, that is for sure.

Yavor,

I hope people go to your site and follow your progress. I love before and after type posts…it shows that you are just a regular person like them that got into outstanding shape.

katarina,

I'm just a bit older than you. You certainly can get in the best shape of your life in your 30's and 40's…look at Demi Moore. Even though she had a lot of work done, you can't buy a lean body like she had in Charlie's Angels.

Adam,

You worked with Charles Poliquin? That is outstanding…he is very well respected in this industry. If someone is a trainer, they HAVE to stay in shape. I wouldn't take a course in college from an illiterate person…same principle.

Mike,

Love this…"Eat less, workout intensely 3x a week, eat real foods, sleep and enjoy life"…I am in complete agreement with you. Getting in great shape, should be just one part of your life that shouldn't consume all your time. There needs to be plenty of time left over to live life to the fullest (on tropical beaches if possible).

Ron,

That movie is outstanding. I just watched it again with my girlfriend. Getting that lean makes people look better in and out of clothes. It is a great look…Daniel Craig has the same thing going in the new Bond movie.

Caleb,

People may or may not like Stallone movies, but no doubt his story is an inspiration.

Wazzup,

Yeah…just as long as you know that you can achieve that look…that is a great source of motivation.

DR,

Crazy story…I heard of another person who said they would eat a can of cat food, if they didn't achieve their weight loss goals.

Rachel,

My sister is 40 and has 4 kids and stays in great shape. I keep bothering her to start her own website, but she is just too busy right now. You are right about starting too late. People wait for spring to get in shape for summer and it wonder why they aren't really toned for summer. It takes a bit of time to look your best.

Diana,

Weddings are a HUGE motivator…you want to look great in pictures, in your wedding dress or tux, look great for your honeymoon…especially if it is going to be in a tropical place, etc. The great thing is that you know you can get in great shape if you want it bad enough. You have done it before, so you are a decision away from doing it again.

Tom,

Great point about finding it hard to get started. I think starting is half the battle. Once you begin to exercise it isn't tough to put in 30-40 minutes…it is the "starting" that is the tough part for a lot of people.

Rambodoc,

Diet play the biggest role in getting the lean look. You can actually look pretty lean with diet alone, without exercise. You will not look good being an exercise maniac who eats poorly. The ideal situation is to have a clean diet along with consistent exercise, but diet is the key to looking outstanding.

Jason,

What I've realized over the years is that confidence and "being comfortable in your own skin" makes you attractive. Obviously being in good shape and paying attention to style is going to give you many more chances to meet great women, but being comfortable with yourself is going to make the women stick around. It sounds like you set high standards for yourself, which is a great thing. Get in great shape and kick butt in your business. Create a great life and the women will show up. You sound like you are extremely motivated, so it sounds like a done deal to me.

Jon,

Nice to hear from you. I still think you were one of the first people to link to my blog…I appreciate it buddy. I owe ya one!

Burritokid,

It is the strong contractions that will build dense muscles. Heavier weights just allow the muscles to contract harder. I recommend switching between heavy and light lifting days…keeping the focus on strong contractions. Do those cardio intervals and keep the diet clean to be able to see that muscle density.

Mocha,

Your daughter sounds great. It feels great to get compliments from people who really matter in your life. I like the new trend of mom's getting in outstanding shape. It used to be that women would have kids and use that as an excuse to let themselves go. Now they get back into amazing shape and look as sexy as ever. I'm a big fan of that trend!

Good stuff everyone!

Rusty

Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com

I just began to do the workout, finding some workouts on the net and just try them out at home. Since i cant stand gyms..

And @ wassupp..i realy feel you!!! hahahahaha..when i see ladies passing by like last summer…or on the beach…im like damnnnnnnn…that used to be me…:( i hate her..LOL
But motivation is very very very important. Ebony allways brags about me at her school…asking her friends : "does your mom work out too" NO? well thats not healthy And my mom looks really good… and if that isnt a BIG motivation…??

Thank you again Rusty!

Mocha

i've been reading your stuff on resistance training. so it's the hard contractions that builds dense muscles, or getting up to heavy weights? I know understand that hard contractions can help get to heavier weights, but you also talked about using only light weights.

so, is it the proper form and strong contraction that builds dense muscles? (regardless of weight) or the ability for a muscle to lift heavy weights according to it's size?

is this low volume training enough to tell the body to retain muscle mass and burn fat?