by Jon Pinney on April 26, 2010
Okay… so two and a half weeks have gone by since I got my second wind for the six pack abs. If you have followed me over the last 8 months or so, you would know about my goal to get six pack abs, and the efforts I have taken to get there.
I am still working towards the six pack abs, and I am definitely as close as I’ve been since I was probably 15 or 16.
My last post on this mentioned that I’d be keeping you updated with everything I’m doing each day, but I figured most people wouldn’t be interested in exactly what I’m doing so I haven’t been posting each day. But I will say this…
My diet is mostly healthy. I throw in a No Carb day every few days just to keep my body guessing (and to burn off extra fat those days…). I also try to eat as much green vegetables and chicken as I can. They are in my opinion one of the main secrets of healthy living and getting six pack abs. (French fries and other fried food, as well as simple carbohydrates are not going to help you or me get a six pack… unfortunately lol… cause I really do like all of those things 
).
My workout varies a lot… I try to workout my abs three to four times a week. I’m also trying to get in four aerobic workouts and four resistance workouts (like weight training) each week. Sometimes I combine the workouts and make sure my heart rate is in the aerobic or fat burning zone during my weight lifting (thereby getting both workouts in at the same time), and sometimes I workout twice in a day. It just depends. I’m also not doing the traditional chest/tri, back/bi, legs workouts… Instead I’m switching it up completely and trying to keep my body guessing. My thought for doing that is that I will get healthy and strong–even though I may not build as much muscle as I might be able to if it were more structured.
Being healthy, fit, and in shape are my goals (and of course getting six pack abs )
Here are photos I took two weeks ago right after I started working out again. Remember that I try to flex as hard as I can to get the best picture possible, so I normally would not look like this if you saw me in person (unless I was trying to show you my six pack abs lol). I’ll have updated photos hopefully later this week…
Okay, and just for kicks I took a photo with different lighting, to see if I could make it look like I had a good six pack. I of course am close to getting one, but it is not really there yet. But with the right lighting, you can create the illusion that you are much more in shape than you actually are… or at least than you can normally see in regular light… enjoy.
by Jon Pinney on April 9, 2010
This is Day 2 of my Six Pack Abs Month Of Madness…
Today I ate healthy. This is the most important thing I’m doing this month to get six pack abs… limiting my intake to healthy proportions, eating 6 times a day (3 meals, 3 snacks), and not eating any junk.
As for working out: This morning I did three sets of pushups and three sets of hanging straight leg raises. I was going to go to the gym to do cardio tonight, but ended up recording landslide and it took longer than I thought it would. So instead, I did 3 sets of hanging oblique exercises, and this other hanging chest workout that a friend showed me last night.
I’ve noticed that I’m getting hungrier… I guess that’s what happens when you work out lol…
And now to bed because I am tired.
by Jon Pinney on April 8, 2010
Okay, so if you scroll down, you’ll notice that I don’t have any photos today. You may also notice that it’s been over two months since the last time I blogged on this subject.
I took the last two months off.
If there’s one thing I’ve decided, taking a break from working out hard and eating super healthy is a good thing. It lets me worry about other more important things in life, and it also allows my body to reset itself at it’s current spot.
For awhile I was hovering in the 185 lbs range. I got as high as 189 at the end of last July which is when I decided I needed to start eating and acting healthy. From August 09 through January 09 I was very dedicated to working out and eating healthy. I think I lost about 20 to 25 pounds of fat and gained 10 to 15 pounds of muscle. Which got me to 175 lbs at the end of January.
For the last two months I have hovered around 175. I haven’t really worked out at all, and I’ve pretty much eaten whatever I wanted to eat (lots of junk). I haven’t really gained weight, and my scale says that my body fat percentage is about the same (which means I haven’t really lost muscle or gained fat).
I think it’s healthy to allow your body to readjust – especially when you’ve been working really hard and made major strides. That way it can reset itself and be ready for the next big push to change it.
That is where I’m at now. I just got back from a trip to Utah where I ate so much junk I got disgusted with myself and the food.
Last night I made a 30 day workout plan that includes 5 resistance training workouts a week and 5 cardio workouts a week. I am also supplementing my workouts with healthy eating, and I will be back on my “high carb, low carb, no carb” diet for four weeks (I start that on Sunday).
So…. what I did today:
This morning I did three sets of pullups and three sets of hanging leg raises. This evening I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes (heart rate around 130- 140) and then stretched for 10 minutes and then did crunches, planks, and side planks for 10 minutes. Then I went to the row machine and did that for 20 minutes, after which I stretched again.
I will be keeping a daily blog of what I do for the next 30 days.
I am committed to finally getting all the way to the six pack so I can cross it off my list and spend my time focusing on more worthy pursuits.
by Jon Pinney on February 2, 2010
Well, I call this update 16, but it’s really like week 20. I haven’t updated every week, but I’ve done better than I thought.
This is my first update since I posted my goal-time six pack abs photos, even though I didn’t quite meet the goal I had set. My new goal is now March 1st.
I have continued eating healthy and have tried variations of my diet to make it easier on me. I find it very difficult to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time. It’s impossible for me, so I don’t worry about it. This last week, for example, I sorta took off. I still tried to eat healthy but didn’t worry about it as much. Work was too stressful to stress over my diet too.
Sleep has been pretty good. I don’t always make my midnight curfew, but I’ve been pretty good about getting my 7 hours. I wish I could get 9 every night
As for working out, I have started a new workout. I’m only weight lifting four times a week. I need to be doing more cardio, and am probably going to start doing Bikram Yoga. It will be much better than running and will burn way more calories. (If you haven’t tried it you definitely should… it’s hard, but awesome).
And now on to the six pack abs photos… I finally realized I’d only been flexing my six pack abs in my previous photos. In these I flexed my arms as well…
by Jon Pinney on January 22, 2010
Well January 1st has come and gone, and I am late in reporting my progress. I am sorry to say that I did not quite make the six pack abs goal I had originally set for myself last August…
But I am going to continue working on it. My new goal date is March 1st, 2010. Luckily, I have seen a lot of progress and am very excited about how far I’ve come. I have gained a lot of muscle and have lost around 14 pounds in total (which means I’ve lost more than 14 pounds of fat ) I found some pictures I took of myself last April, and let’s just say I am in way better shape now. I contemplated posting those non six pack abs photos, but decided I didn’t want to embarrass myself any further than I already have .
Since I set my goal at the end of July 2009, I have completely changed my diet, my workout, my sleep patterns, and my entire lifestyle. I feel so healthy and full of life. I love it.
I’m actually sorta glad I didn’t hit my goal… I have to reset it, and continue on, even though I had hoped I’d be done by now. I am teaching myself that just because something is hard doesn’t mean I can’t do it. And I’m not going to give up.
Anyway, here are my six pack abs photo updates:
The regular six pack abs photos below were taken on January 9th (I know… I’m a little late and behind lol) and show my progress in multiple lighting situations. The camera phone photo is just a bonus… I took it on Christmas Morning .
Six Pack Abs Photo From My Camera Phone
by Jon Pinney on December 14, 2009
Okay, so this post is a little late, but not as late as you’re probably thinking. I have previously been taking my six pack abs photos on Wednesday mornings, but that was too stressful in the morning before I headed out to work. So instead, I switched my six pack abs photos day to Saturday. That’s when I’ll be taking them from now on.
Let’s review the 4 rules I set for myself for getting six pack abs:
1. Workout 5 days a week – Check! This one is probably the easiest of the four. I guess sometimes I only workout four days, but pretty consistently I do a five day a week workout schedule. It helps to have someone to work out with who will push me when we’re working out, who wants to work out as much or more than me.
2. Eat healthy 6 days a week – Check! When I started this, I thought this one would be the hardest. I loved to eat food, and especially bad food (like sugar, fast food, and simple carbohydrates like chips ). I figured it would be hard to change eating habits I’d accumulated over many years. But, after a month or two of healthy eating, this one has become second nature. I can’t help question what I’m eating. And most of the sugary stuff and fast food makes me sick to my stomach, which makes it easy to avoid .
3. Sleep at least 7-8 hours every night – Hmmmmm… Well, this one is harder to do than I thought it would be-though I am relatively successful at it (at least 70%). I did recently learn that sleeping lowers your cortisol levels, which helps to get rid of extra fat in the abdominal area. I actually just read here about the effects of elevated cortisol levels… very interesting read. I have been trying to get more sleep so my body has time to rejuvenate, my muscles have time to rebuild, and my cortisol levels have time to lower.
4. Be in bed by midnight Sunday through Thursday – FAIL! This one is by far the hardest of all of my four rules. I probably have a 20% completion rate on this one. This rule was set up partly to insure the success of rule #3, but also because I think being in bed by midnight is healthy, and will help my body to reach it’s full potential. I haven’t read anywhere that says this same thing, it’s just something I feel. Also, in my Church they suggest “early to bed, early to rise”. Now I don’t feel like I do either of those very well, but being in bed by midnight to me is early. I will continue to work on this one…
Anyway, here are my current six pack abs photos. Because I take these every week, sometimes I feel like I look exactly the same. If you disagree and can see progress, I would love to know .
Six Pack Abs Photos Update 14 Photo 1
Six Pack Abs Photos Update 14 Photo 2
by Jon Pinney on December 3, 2009
Trying to lose fat to reveal six pack abs can be frustrating, especially if you aren’t keeping really good track of your progress. Since my focus is on developing six pack abs, that’s what I’ve been looking at. And because my focus has been mostly there, I’ve been getting pretty down since the six pack abs haven’t appeared yet.
However, I know I’ve lost fat and gained muscle. I don’t know how much of either, but I do know I’ve lost in total about 5 pounds. How many total fat pounds I’ve lost and how many muscle pounds I’ve gained isn’t something I’ve been able to track.
I have been measuring myself around my waist and hips, and I have seen slight changes. Also, I read something last night that reminded me to check how my clothes fit. So, I decided to try on some jeans that I hadn’t worn for a long time and was pleasantly surprised when they fit much better than they ever had before.
So, I am getting there… it is taking awhile, but my hope is that once I’m there I will be able to stay there.
Anyway, here are this week’s photos. I took them yesterday morning.
Six Pack Abs Photos Update 13 Photo 1
Six Pack Abs Photos Update 13 Photo 2
by Jon Pinney on November 26, 2009
Sorry I missed last week… lately I have been so busy with writing new music for my new album and working out for my six pack abs, that I have had little spare time.
Trying to get six pack abs is hard. I don’t come by them naturally. The last two weeks have really tried my patience. I want to get six pack abs but I can’t figure out how to do it…
What I mean by that is that I am doing what I think I should be doing, but I am not seeing the results I want to see. I definitely have made progress, but I want to see more progress and faster.
But I guess this is one of the main reasons I am doing this: teaching myself patience and perseverance to achieve a difficult task.
Last Monday I was just about ready to give up. I was at my friend’s house and we were working on legs (which I hate doing) and I was just not very into it. I started to get down emotionally and just stopped working out. I lay there for like half an hour just thinking about what I’m doing and why I’m doing this and whether or not it’s worth all the trouble.
After some self-evaluation I wrote the following: “I am the master of my own fate. Wallowing in self-pity will get me nowhere.” Then I started to think about my personal beliefs about the power of the individual and why I was doing this: “To prove to myself that just because something’s difficult doesn’t mean I can’t do it.” Then I looked at my situation… lying there while I could’ve been working on achieving my goal. Wanting to give up because it was hard. Looking at myself and seeing how weak I wanted to be… and wanting to give in… that’s when I wrote this: “I was here and didn’t want to do it. I figured that’s exactly the reason why I should.”
So, I got up and worked out. My friend had already finished his workout but I just kept going until I had completed mine.
It’s amazing how the choices we make determine the kind of person we will be. I could decide that I’m going to stop working on getting six pack abs. If I do that, I will never get them. Or I could decide to keep on struggling. If I keep on, there is a chance I will make it. And I will get stronger, healthier, and show myself how determined and dedicated I can be. And if I can do that when it comes to six pack abs, then I can do it for anything.
Anyway… I decided to include some of my personal struggles with this goal so that you can see more clearly why it is so important to me. It is so much more than just looking good (which will be a positive by-product lol).
Anyway, now on to the current six pack abs photos. The first two are from last week on Wednesday, and the second two are from today.
Six Pack Abs Photos: update 11 photo 1
Six Pack Abs Photos: update 11 photo 2
Six Pack Abs Photos: update 12 photo 1
Six Pack Abs Photos: update 12 photo 2
by Jon Pinney on November 15, 2009
This week was another good week, though I’m starting to get worried I’m not gonna make it. I’ve been working out like crazy and eating healthy all the time, but I still feel like I’m not seeing much progress when it comes to getting rid of fat. I did start the process weighing 189 and am now somewhere around 185, so I must have lost some fat. Plus, I’ve been working out a lot and people are starting to say I look bigger and more defined, so I must be gaining some muscle–which also means I must have lost some fat. Hopefully it will all work out and I’ll have my six pack abs by January 1.
I had sort of a crisis this week as I was reading some other sources on how to lose fat. Weight loss is almost as bad as religion when it comes to the number of people that have the right answer. Everyone seems to know the way that works, yet they all have different philosophies. Some of them are probably right, but some must be wrong. It’s just hard to sort them out and choose the right plan.
Oh well.
I’ve decided to do the things that logically make sense to me. We’ll see if it works.
Here are the current six pack abs photos. I took them while I was staying at the Las Vegas Hilton this week:
Six Pack Abs Photos update 10 photo 1... in my hotel room in Las Vegas
Six Pack Abs Photos update 10 photo 2... in the bathroom in the Las Vegas Hilton
by Jon Pinney on November 6, 2009
Another week has passed and six pack abs photos have been taken. This week was very hard; just yesterday I felt like giving up. Staying focused and motivated is very difficult for me. I tend to get bored with things quickly and want to move on to something new. Getting six pack abs is testing my resolve and dedication.
That’s exactly why I’m trying to get six pack abs… to teach myself how to be stronger and more dedicated. (Plus I’ll look good )
As a recap, I set a goal to get six pack abs by January 1st, 2010. It’s been a little over two months since I set the goal and the four rules I would keep to ensure I got the six pack. The four rules are (1) workout 5 days a week (2) eat healthy 6 days a week (3) sleep 7-8 hours every night (4) be in bed by midnight Sunday thru Thursday.
So far, I have been very good at rules number 1 and 2, and pretty bad at 3 and 4. I have been working out 5-6 days each week–at least four strength training workouts, and normally two to three aerobic workouts. I eat healthy six days a week and have one day where I can eat whatever I want (I normally get sick that day lol).
Sleeping, however, is very difficult. I like to be up, and I like to hang out with friends, read, and many other things that cannot be accomplished while sleeping. So, I tend to stay up later than I should. I am working on these rules and hopefully I will be able to recommit and follow through.
If you feel like you have a hard time following through on personal goals you set (like I do), I suggest you find something relatively simple and somewhat difficult. Then set your goal and completely dedicate yourself to it. It might be good for it to be a relatively short goal. It might help you realize that you really can do things you put your mind to.
And now for this weeks update on my six pack abs photos…
Six Pack Abs Photos 1 update 9
Six Pack Abs Photos 2 update 9
And here’s a bonus pic just for fun… It’s got slightly different lighting, which makes me look slightly bigger That’s how they do it in Hollywood…
Six Pack Abs Photos 3 update 9
