Noel Johnson, Wally Nordkvist and Gaining Weight

[Greg Newton]

Catchy title aye? This post really has nothing do with Noel Johnson or Wally Nordkvist other than if any of you ever talk to John, get him to tell you stories about those two. I spent an hour laughing out loud, and then after I got off the phone with John I spent thirty minutes recapping the highlights with my wife Lori and she was rolling on the floor the whole time.

So anyway, I am so jacked up, I have to do something to settle down, so I decided to write about my recent weight gain. A lot of times the methods promoted here as scoffed at as far as adding muscular bodyweight. Well sports fans, I am here to tell you that just ain't so.

When I started the G.U.T.S. routine I weighed 188 and was very muscular; although still working on the waist. I started G.U.T.S. back in September. I decided not to get on the scales again until the spring. When I stepped on the scales this morning, I figured I'd weigh 180-185. I don't feel bulky. I can move fast and agile. The waist looks good and some of my 32 pants are loose.

I weighed 195! I stepped off the scales and checked it; 195 as sure as the world. The thing is, I don't feel like I weigh 195. I feel like I weigh much lighter. My wife told me I was a dummy because I couldn't tell how much bigger in the chest, shoulders, and back I was. Too, the Tiger Bend Squats I have been doing have probably added some muscle to my legs, since I had done nothing for the lower body except running for almost a year prior.

So if these methods don't work for building muscle and adding weight, why do I weigh more? I believe it is because of the G.U.T.S. routine and because of the isometrics I've been doing. Now, I wasn't looking to weigh more, but as long as I feel strong in moving my bodyweight and I feel much lighter, I'll take the extra weight and give credit to where credit is due. Thank you John Peterson.

[John Peterson]

Hey Greg,

It was great talking with you. Obviously, your muscle density is extremely high. And I'm glad that you weren't weighing yourself. The scale doesn't tell you, me, or anyone, anything other than how much gravitational pull our body has to the earth. That's it. Your 32" slacks feeling loose around the waistline tells you something far more. Especially since you put on 10 pounds of lithe, sculpted muscle in the process. Your Avatar photos look fantastic. In fact, that lithe sculpted look is what Charles Atlas's ads referred to as "your muscles take on that streamlined Atlas look." Sure enough it's true. But in addition to the change in muscle aesthetics, one other thing our training methods create is muscle that is every bit as enduring as it is strong. This does not happen with low rep exercises. Bottom line: G.U.T.S. builds a different type of foundational muscle than other programs do. Granted, It's much too hard a program for some people but those who persist with it are rewarded with a musculature that is totally functional and one that protects joint function rather than diminishes or destroys it.

---John Peterson

[Robert Ellis]

Greg,

Great post. I started G.U.T.S. in November, 2009, weighing 138lbs, which I had weighed for over 2 years prior. Well, just a couple of weeks ago I weighed myself—143lbs, and right now I was 142lbs. That's right, after 2 years I've finally increased. What a great workout. I, too, would like to thank you, John Peterson.

In Christ,

Robert

P.S. Did I mention how well I've been sleeping, or how much better I've been studying for my classes?