"I Work Out" -LMFAO

Last year I decided that I was tired of being skinny and out of shape.  I decided that there was nothing I could do to change my balding (without doing something like hair plugs) and nothing I could do to change my skin color.  Don't worry, I've tried tanning and it just doesn't work for me.  It's alright though, I've accepted and embraced my baldness and pasty white skin and don't really want to take any measures to change those.  But as for my skinniness, I knew that was within my power to change.  I also knew, because of my genetics, that it would be a long, hard road for me to bulk up.  I knew I wasn't going to be able to do one of those "Get big in 8 weeks!" regiments.  Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with the ability to bulk up big time and get massive muscles. 

It had been years since I last lifted weights regularly- 14 years to be precise.  Serving a two year mission in Mexico and then going to college and dental school for another 8 years really took it's toll on my strength and muscles.

I bought a used weight set (including all the olympic weights) off of KSL classifieds for super cheap.  A fireman in Pleasant Grove bought it a few years before and barely used it so he decided to get $200 out of it rather than have it collect dust.  Were I to have bought all of it from the store, it would have cost me about $2,000.

So last November I made a goal to work out and start lifting consistently for a minimum of 6 months and see how much weight I could gain and how much muscle I could pack on.  I took an initial picture with my cell phone for comparison sake.  In hind sight I wish I had taken the photo with our better camera, and that I would have taken a full body shot with a front view, side view, and back view to better be able to compare my progress.

For those who desire to continue on, I must warn you!  You will want to wear sunglasses when viewing my pasty white skin.

Here I am in my weak glory last November, and the next photo is what I look like today after 6 months of working out.

 Over the span of 6 months I didn't end up bulking up as much as I thought I would from looking at the before and after photos.  Most of my weight gain was actually in my legs and butt (no comparison photos of those).  I did however increase my lifting maximums by about what I expected and then some.  When I look at the before and after totals for my weight and my weight lifting totals, I am impressed by how much I increased those.
I didn't even work out that much because I have been so busy with running a dental practice, my church callings, taking care of the kids, and since January taking care of Lisa and dealing with all of her cancer challenges. After we would put the kids to bed for the night, I would work out 3 nights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for about 45-60 minutes a night.

Here is a list of where I started and where I am now:
Weight:  
before- 165 pounds
after- 181 pounds

Bench press max:
before- 180 pounds
after- 240 pounds

Squats max:
before- 220 pounds
after- 300 pounds

I plan on continuing on with my regular weight lifting.  My goals for the next 6 months are to get to 275 pounds on the bench press and 350 pounds with squats.  I am also going to start focusing more on my abs to get that desired 6 pack where my abs "pop".

It's been fun not only getting in shape and getting stronger, but also learning along the way how my body reacts and what works best for me.