combo overtrain/undertrain. he goes to the gym all the time and lifts till his muscle are exausted, burning, pumped to hell, and he cant lift much anymore... but he uses the same weights he has been using for the past 2 decades. no increase in poundages = no increase in muscle mass.
the dad of a girl i know does the masters crossfit compeitions. he just did one about two weeks ago down southern cali. hes the same age, about 50 years old, and he does even workout in a gym most of the time. he doesnt have good genetics either, hes just an old white dude who runs, sprints, and does a whole fucklload of "functional" exercises like bodyweight jump squats, push ups, pull ups, tire flipping... and his boyd is much more lean and defined than johns. probably not as much muscle in his lats and delts as john has, but everywhere else is as big if not bigger, and in better condition. his chest is actually defined and thick too, which john doesnt have any of.
not to hate on john or say he looks horrible, but just pointing out hes doing something wrong, and its not diet or gear. its his training. which goes back to the gh15/bfg/disgusted thread where they were all trying to say only gear and then diet matters, training is last. nope, sorry guys, your wrong. training is always the most important factor.