I’ve seen some questions in the past regarding both cardio and sports performance. I just finished month 2 on the main program and did the 12 week base foundation.

For several months before I started the program, I played basketball 2 to 3 times a week for an hour and a half to two hours each session. I continued with my basketball routine during AI. Even with all the cardio, my AI went from 1.21 to 1.36. (46/38 to 49/36 with ideal 51/32. Probably would be a lot higher with an improved diet.)

As for sports performance, AI def has improved my performance in basketball, especially on the defensive end. I am faster, quicker, stronger and jump higher. This has led to more rebounds, blocks and steals. In several months of playing basketball and lifting without the Adonis Effect, I saw little improvement in my game. In the months since I started the Adonis Effect, I improved immensely.

Thanks,

Seif-Eldeine

It’s all about the Adonis Index, the ratio of your shoulders to your waist. It will be different for each person depending on their height.

So let’s say 2 guys that are 5’10″ are being judged against each other and the ideal shoulder measurement for a guy that’s 5’10″ is 50″ and the ideal waist is 31″. The one which is closest to their ideal Adonis Index (those measurements I just just said) will win.

I do think we are heading towards an era of being more accepting of our bodies and more aware of portion control instead of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ food. This may help with the lying…but probably not. Saying what we think others want to hear, to keep our ego in tact, has been around since before time.

I don’t know what the judging criteria is but he looks like he has changed the most compared to the others.

They all look fantastic and congratulations!!

The study just confirmed the biological basis of obesity. There is no bias in the study. The study hypothesis was to see if these appetite related hormones persist after 1 yr of weight maintenance, and it did. There is no reason for the author to talk about the ‘positives’ of the study or how the decreased IR and how they maintained a bit of weight. That wasn’t the purpose of the study.

NEJM is the top medical journal in the world and their peer review is the most stringent. The rejection rate of the journal is 95% ( 5000 submissions per year)! They know very well when they see a bias or a poor paper.

Here’s an idea. Take your high and mighty ass elsewhere. It’s obvious you don’t belong here.

I am truly inspired!

In fact I saw this and signed on to the program within 10 minutes. I’m in for #7. I’m not too far off from what I see in the before photos myself and I want results like these!

For most, removing fat takes top priority. Then they focus on growth. If you look back on each contest, you’ll see a guy that’s lost a ton of fat add more muscle for the next contest.

Transformation is generally more of a fat loss comp.

Open is a muscle building/final look comp. (people compete here after transformation, so here’s the best example of where Adonis takes you over time)

Happy Holidays and Let’s re-load for an amazing 2012

As for the transformation – wow. This is probably the most ripped set of transformation winners ever.

Then, go stand in the mirror and take a self pic using your phone.

Then, give said phone to a friend and have them take a picture of you.

Send both pics to support and we’ll post the results.

FYI my lean body mass has not changed since 2003> Possibly I have gained 1-3 pounds of muscle but for argument’s sake, and as my best guess, I have stayed the same.

In September 2011, my weight including fat and water had been fluctuating between 226 and 229 for the past month, as my calories/training ratio had been level. I took myself off to Greece weighing 229 for a self-imposed ‘boot camp’ with the intention of returning weighing 220. I went out there and ate 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 2000, 1900, and 2000 calories respectively and ran a total of 27 miles, walked 23, and did 1 seesion of shadowboxing a press -ups. I return duly weighing 220.

From that return, to mid November my training was a mixture of good and non-existant, and my average calories were about 3200 a day. In mid November, I still weighed 220, still my lowest since March 2011.

My point: 10 pounds can be lost in 8 days and kept off. and then 10 pounds was not because I was stuffed the day I started, or obese or anything. Personally I dont think I can lose 10 pounds in the next 10 days, but that’s not the point.

My secondary point: The BMR or RMR for me on paper may be 1900 or 2400 (based on my ‘reasonable’ lean weight of 196 let’s say, not my actual starting weight of 230 or whatever) depending which calculator I use. In the real world, I know that if I stay in and do nothing, and eat 1900, I cant lose weight. However, if I’m active in my mind and walking to the car and working etc but not exercising, I seem to be able to go way above that for long long periods without gaining (let’s say 3200) – so my secondary point is that my BMR has a massive range. Which is kind of what John was saying but maybe not so strongly.

As a third point I would tend to agree that the closer I go to that 1900, the more weight I lose, on an almost exponential scale. IF I exercise a lot.

As I final point I would observe (combining with what I said in my previous post) that the bottom line is that John, you tend to make an assumption that so-called cardio won’t be done to the extent I do it. I have to admit I am maybe out of kilter with other bodybuilders here – I run outside, I often sprint the end, I do sprint intervals sometimes, and I very rarely train cardio in the gym. Yes I am lucky because I have a six pack at 196 (200 fed) – so I burn more when I run (and I also think I’m an inefficient runner), and in all fairness John mentions that ….. but the essence of his introduction and advice is that there is about a 2 pound limit, and that you must go way below ‘BMR’ beacause cardio is oft-negated.

I assure you, when I was in Greece in 2011, as in 2003, after 7 mile runs and 8 mile walks, I did NOTHING but lay on my bed or lay by a pool !

I think the empahsis of this is wrong. He wanted to spell out ‘how low you have to go’ and how there is ‘almost no way of going faster than 2 pounds a week’ and that ‘even huge guys have to go pretty low’ and also that exercise is a ‘bonus’

Here are some facts – between July 30 and September 15 2003 (about 6.7 weeks), I went from 217 pounds to 186 pounds – that is 31 pounds in 6.7 weeks, which is 4.63 pounds a week.

I lost no muscle – I was in my best shape and pretty strong – and was 6% bf, so does that make me a big guy, at 186 and 6 ft 1 1/2? Well, I was a physique model, solid, so I’d say my lean weight is significantly bigger than average, but no pro bodybuilder!

How did I do it? Well first it was easy as I was mentally tuned into it at the time, and sometimes I had to hold back. And the numbers were – consumed: about 1500, 1600 and 2300 calories a day on a three day cycle (but sometimes about 2000 a day continuously, and ‘holding back’ was eating about 2700 once or twice a week).

Exercise: 8 mile walk 3 times a week
additional 1 mile walk 4 times a week
7 mile run five times a week
1 hour of fairly slow-paced weight training and stretching, 3-4 times per week.
I RESTED the rest of the time. Watched TV or layed on my bed.

To me the obvious thing here is EXERCISE. Yes I 100% agree that you have to control calories, but once you have done that, the potential amount that you can burn is almost limitless. Don’t forget, with my fitness I could have burned 6 pounds per week if I wanted to. By the way, i stayed healthy and fit, with the weight off, all throughout and through the winter.

Also interesting is the discussion about the differences between what looks good in photos vs. in-person. My wife did some modeling years ago, and she needed to get rediculously light in order to look her best for photos (like 118 lbs. at a height of 5’10″.) At that weight, her cheekbones would really stand out for the camera, but she looked emaciated in person. (Of course, I would never say that to her!)

One thing that I have noticed is that some people who are thin have a very tight, hard look to their bodies, and others have a more soft and “squishy” look at approximately the same height and weight, myself included. Usually, these are the people who zigzag around or who have lost a great deal of weght. I attributed this to skin being stretched, but perhpas it is also due to fat cells that have not yet died off but have been depleted of much of the lipids that are stored. Any thoughts?

Does he have to keep to that system all the time now or will he blow up if he stops?