OK, short answer?
Because yours truly used to be one "par excellence" not so long ago (ok, more than 10 years ago, but I was fat at ages before that too, at ages where I was supposed to be at my prime!).
(Some may say I am too harsh on myself and too demanding, maybe so - but I'd rather that than be content with living life as a fat blobby slob - or a slobby blob like Bozo Schofield, hehe, replete with slobber all up and down - but we wont go there!) ... (and truth be told, I WAS a phat phock at certain times - the covers of Shoulders like Boulders! and Pull-ups - from DUD to STUD within a matter of weeks! prove not just that but the facts and proven in the subsequent books that my exercises WORK and people of any SIZE - I mean SIZE - can do 'em - but being FAT will definitely be a huge, huge hindrance!).
So, how did I do them you might ask?
We'll get into that below.
But first, long answer.
Because I used to be one par excellence, can spot 'em from a mile away and I can instinctively sense by looking at them how their diet is, what sort of training they DO - not just talk about - or have done in the PAST - and so forth.
This might sound strange to some.
it's really not.
Ask any class boxer to spot an untrained fighter in a room full of trained fighters, he'll do in the space of an instant.
Ask Jason Bourne all about gut feelings, and he'll tell you - or ask me. Hehe.
Ask me about how I make my almost always accurate predictions on things ...
Gut feeling when backed up with reason and logic, though not necessarily in that manner, is simply RIGHT.
And all phat phocks I've seen, regardless of where they are, where they live, where they were born etc - or color, race etc - have the following common characterestics.
One, a terrible diet.
I know - because I trained hard, and I ate extra hard too. Hehe.
Sure, Eat More Weigh Less works - but not if you stuff your gullet to the point moving next day makes you burp out last night's food - if you get my drift.
A lot of phat phocks, and no I ain't naming no-one in particular would do well to eat less - a LOT less - and FAST more while working out more.
And ,follow some of the tips I give you in the Simple and Effective Diet!
Fasting isn't covered in that book, maybe in a later version - or a book of it's own. We'll see, it's a topic I have very in depth and personal knowledge of, and I'm constantly learning even at this point (you never stop learning, as I say in 0 Excuses Fitness).
They also DRINK too much - beer in particular.
Nothing wrong with either of the above if you choose to, but it'll make you fat - simple as that. Outraining a bad diet can be done, but if you BOMBARD your body daily with nothing but tons of bad, eventually it will cave in - simple as that.
Second, I've noticed MOST, if not all - are "happily married" or "family men" (note this one doesnt apply to women as much as it does MEN) or what not.
Nothing at all wrong with that either.
Hey.
Family is the most important - I get it!
But, I've written about this before - when you're ON your lonesome, when you have no constant nagging, familial duties and such - and not to mention, that good ole home cooking - well, it's a lot easier to simply live caveman style, train hard, and (naturally) eat less - and get into the best shape of your life!
Again, with the right exercises.
And I should know - again.
Dont believe me?
Mickey: Well, Rock, let's put it this way. Three years ago, you were supernatural. You was hard and nasty. You had this cast iron jaw. But then, the worst thing happened to you that could happen to any fighter. You got civilized. Don't worry, kid. You know, presidents retire, generals retire, horses retire, Man o War retired. They put him out to stud. That's what you should've done, retire.
I ain't getting into the retirement part here. Personally, in Zero to Hero I tell you it aint all its cracked up to be, but if you're talking physcially in the ring, ole Mickey had it spot on in terms of what was going on with Rock at that time - happily married, lots of dough, no INCENTIVE - to do better!
Incentive, my friend, is a huge, huge motivator - when you dont HAVE what you want, you'll naturally work your bollocks off to GET it - period!
I can give you plenty of more examples, but what I'm saying about is true. I've seen so many lean and mean guys get married, and then ... "happy and fat" - again, aint nothing wrong with that, happens to women too, but most strikingly in men.
SOME men are exceptions - Brooks Kubik being one, but I doubt anyone works grip and core as hard as he does (though I'll give him close competition on grip work, hehe).
And even he was divorced for long periods in the middle, I believe ...
Hey, it happens - take a look at prisoners - and the shape they manage to get in despite crap diets and despite not always having access to weights and such.
Sure, bodyweight workouts play a huge part in that.
What also plays a huge role in it is that they dont need to worry about paying bills, going to work, writing emails or what not (unless they're Gregory David Roberts writing their books on sheets of paper first, having the gumption to continue despite a 1000 page book being torn up TWICE ..) ..
Third, almost ALL of them eat the so called healthiest meal of the day - breakfast - and load up way more than they need to, followed by lunch, and dinner.
Breakfast like a king, eat like a prince, dine like a pauper - that advice is good, but it was also intended for when men did a lot of physical labor, not just move from couch to computer to bed and the fridge/bathroom in between.
Most do all three like kings x 10.
Again, FASTING.
And tossing some of the conventional advice out of the window like I do in the Simple and Effective Diet.
As for the family part, I sure wouldn't tell you to toss family.
What I WOULD tell you though is this happily married mirage of "wife happy, family happy" that most men are content to live in - well not most, a lot are waking up these days (though only because of the state the world is in!) - is just that, a mirage.
I've told men forever that the chances of them finding that one gem amongst the rabble is slim and next to town, and slim just left town.
And that someday, eventually, they'll find out the truism which I keep explaining to them i.e. its all about MONEY.
They dont listen, and claim I rant, then the same thing happens to them years later, then they learn. Ah well. Such is life!
But fitness wise, have the family - have as many as you want, but you have to retain a bit of caveman, my friend in order to stay in super "lean and mean - hungry!" shape.
Simple fact of life...
So, those are three common traits - there are more, of course.
And again, I should know.
I was a phat phock myself!
Fourth - I'll end with this one - a tendency to do WAY less cardio and less intense than you should, claiming "youre big, not fat".
And so forth.
I'll stop here.
But that should give you plenty of reasons to chew upon as well as answer the "why" question ... for now.
More later!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee