A Fit Guy Profile: Meet Jack. T

A few times a year Jack competes in marathons. During his training cycle, he completes his runs at 10 miles at a time, while in his off season, he would run  5-7 miles. His workout sessions usually go from an hour to an hour and a half, with moderate to heavy weight training as well. When I asked him what part of his body he tends to focus on the most, he said that lately his arms, chest and shoulders, since he wants to add more muscle mass to his upper body. The photographs of Jack above were taken earlier this year. The pictures below were snapped last night at my request at the last minute to put on this Body of Life post.

If I had to chose one word to describe Jack, it would be DISCIPLINED. He takes his fitness very seriously, and he takes care to prevent himself from slacking off. This is the type of guy that all the guys at your 20-year high school reunion would hate for not only being able  keep themselves in remarkable shape, but look even better than most of them did when they were still high school students. But one other asset that Jack has under his belt is a good set of genetics. Now listen to me, in fitness when one hears the word genetics, most tend to think that a good body is unobtainable. Maybe because they are looking around and being a little critical of their closest relations. But it's not true. Sure genetics play a good part in how your body appears and what you must do in order to obtain it, but it does not mean that your hot dream body is out of your reach. The whole reason why I decided to profile guys on this site was to try and present good examples of different people trying to reach essentially the same goal: an awesome physique, yet because everyone is different, their example will help you find the solution you are looking for. Jack here may have a great bod and a top set of genes, but all that means is that he may not have to work as hard as some of us do. For those of us with a physically inferior set of genes, you can still get that awesome body. Just have to work a little harder to get it. And for a majority of you, a solid diet plan is your golden ticket.

Our friend Jack has a somewhat lax, yet smart diet plan. He knows his body, and it's limits. He has a faster than normal metabolism, so he has the ability to eat certain foods that are not really considered "diet like" and still be able to maintain his physique. But still, he always keeps in mind that he is getting older, and his more healthy than average metabolic rate may not be guaranteed in the long run. So he takes care to eat foods high in fiber and good fats. Protein from shakes and certain meats like boneless chicken, and usually oatmeal in the morning. He tries to refrain from eating out too much, so that he has better control over his calorie intake, and if he knows that he will be out of the house by the time a meal rolls around, he makes sure to pack a pre made meal to go before hand. Which indeed is a good way to ensure that no hidden calories can piggy-back their way into your system sources like fast food. But one thing is for certain, if you find yourself out without a prepacked meal and you do have to make a stop at a fast food restaurant, do the right thing and order smart. Depending on what your fitness goal is, you would want to tailor your inside and outside eating habits to fit that goal. And from the hour and a half that I spent with Jack, it is most evident that after all these years of honing and sculpting his body, he is a master at that.

I've spoken to a lot of guys about fitness and their body, and most of them are so confident in themselves that they are on the brink of narcissism. And there is nothing wrong with that. It is a wonderful thing to be proud of your body and bodybuilding accomplishments. But there was something different about Jack. Jack was indeed confident as well as modest,  if not almost bashful. Lol and that in itself told me a lot about him. He spoke so matter-of-factly about his body and not just that, but in reference to how other people, from loved ones to strangers reacted to his physique, it was clear that he took pride in those reactions, but just from listening to him, it was also clear that he didn't keep his body fit for them. He did it for himself. To be proud of himself. And I thought that was really awesome, because in no way did he come off as a superficial asshole.