Eight's Caffeine Withdrawal & Cardar1ne (GW 501516) Log

[Eight]

Day 23 - Footwear And Tear...

Lost about 0.9 kg of water weight in 24 hours; if I happen to be carrying 2-3 kg more water then this cut is going to be easy.

Had a terrible night’s sleep, but still managed to drag myself out of bed at 5 am for some morning lifting. That went ok - not quite at my maxes but not far off.

Also decided to try out Bloodshr3d RAW for giggles, even though I wasn't going to start with it until next week. I was once given a sample of WAR and wasn’t convinced it did anything at all. No such doubts about RAW - within 30 mins my body temperature increased noticeably (whether this helps with weight loss, I don’t know). It tasted pretty good (Orange Starkrush) and the appetite suppression seemed excellent - did not need to eat very much at all through my workday. And, since this is my first day with a significant amount of caffeine again, got a bit of a buzz from it.

Like this stuff. Think I'll continue with it.

The evening’s plan included another distance run. However, this had to be cancelled when it became apparent that my battered running shoes would be unable to withstand the task. I could only do a strength-building session at the gym and a 500m row TT. Unfortunately, my rowing is poor - 1:59, which is the first time I've got below 2 mins, but that's still at least 20s slower than it should be.

 

[Eight]

Day 24 - Reality, No Bites...

Body weight is down 2 kg in two days. Obviously, the vast majority is water weight, but it's was good. Better than I've had on arimistane or the early stages of a keto diets.

Sadly, as with previous days, I did not make any progress at all with snatching or overhead squatting in the morning session. Probably needed to reassess the programme, but there's little urgency to do that while on a calorie deficit.

Felt quite lethargic during the day, as the reality of running 500-800 calories below TDEE (including estimates for exercise) hit. The Bloodshr3d (and ephedrine when needed) is working to alleviate hunger, and the cardarine is keeping me in a relatively good state, but there's no escaping the fact that my body was struggling a bit.

Opting to train at home in evening, I programmed myself a little 21-15-9 and completed that after, finally, taking in a half-decent amount of food. All went well - wasn’t especially gruelling in terms of cardio, but was still fairly intense, and I had no problems getting through it.

 

[celc5]

Subbed. I leafed through your log and this is excellent detail! Controlling caffeine is tough. Optimum Nutrition Amino energy has only 50mg per scoop. So it makes it easy to control my exact intake when necessary.

Another tidbit about that product is that it has the king of all flavoring systems. 1 scoop can flavor up to like 24 ounces of water for me. It spoils me rotten. I practically spit out Mesomorph and I'm typically not picky about a trivial pre workout taste

 

[Eight]

Controlling caffeine is tough.

Sure is - especially if you love it. Made it through a month, somehow, with basically none... Now just trying to limit it to the caffeine in Bloodshr3d or when I have to take ephedrine.

Will check out Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy. Cheers mate.

 

[Eight]

Day 25 - Overkill…

Skipped the morning session - it's near-enough the end of this phase of my training plan, and hasn't been delivering anyway.

Despite being very light on calories for most of the day, the cardarine kept me going for a good few hours before I started to fade. Was going to be left to my own devices in the evening, so programmed myself another tough WOD - a real heavy breather and the day’s second 7 mg of Cardar1ne was definitely required. Ultimately, as expected, my leg muscles gave out before my lungs.

However, about 20 mins later I almost passed out in a car park. Too much output, too little input. Made it home, ate, and felt a little better, but the fatigue basically stayed with me until this morning.

Can't honestly say I learned my lesson though.

 

[Eight]

Day 26 - The Perfect Storm…

After feeling so rough yesterday, I intended to give myself the morning off. However, I slept so poorly that I ended up hitting the weights at 4 am just for something to do.

By the afternoon, it was clear that something was wrong. Basically, I was sleep-deprived, underfed, and dehydrated; had taken Bloodshr3d, ephedrine, cardarine and a few other odds and ends; and now felt like death - even sleeping at my desk at one point.

That being said, I forced myself to complete the scheduled 5k run anyway. And 23 seconds faster than I’d done previously! If my legs hadn't been wrecked from the night before then I could have been on for a PR.

(Following this, I stopped all supplements and weirdness except Cardar1ne; ate a lot more salad and have stayed on top of my hydration; managed to get some extra sleep; and took it easy. At the time of posting, I'm feeling ok.)

 

[Eight]

Day 27 - I'm Wicked And I'm Lazy...

Walked around a little bit today, shopping mostly, but was deliberately taking things easy. No point going into theories about why I've been so unwell - since there's not much to back any of it up - but being a bit less enthusiastic with all the chems and eating better (though not substantially more, still in deficit) seems to have sorted everything out.

I still took 14 mg of Cardar1ne - figuring that it's supposed benefits to the liver might be handy - but other than that, nothing to report really. Got a more active day tomorrow so let's see what happens.

 

[Eight]

Keep at it!

Cheers fella. I guess if you keep sticking weird **** in your system, occasionally you're going to have a problem.

All good now though.

 

[Eight]

Day 28 - Cap-tain Britain...

Had a fairly active morning, although wasn't working out as such, and felt pretty good. Energy levels were high throughout the morning - a combination of a good breakfast and the usual 7 mg of cardarine to start the day.

Got home mid afternoon, then after an hour or two making giant NAC capsules, decided to hit the weights for a strength-building session. I could only do about half my usual routine because I had to keep a fair few of the muscles fresh for tomorrow's CF workout. But what I was able to do went pretty well.

Other than the OL Cardar1ne, didn’t really take anything else today; just concentrated on eating lots of vegetables and keeping my water intake high.

 

[Eight]

Day 29 - The Evil Shred...

No morning training, as there were two sessions to get through this evening.

I haven't started the ATD yet (planned to, pointless exercise or not), as I'm waiting to do a blood test first, which should be on Wednesday. But I'm back on the Bloodshr3d after a few days off, and quite enjoying it. Today it suppressed my appetite until mid-afternoon, when I had a light lunch to prepare for CF.

Workout was tough, but with even only 7 mg of cardarine (no pre, no coffee) in my system, I felt good throughout. Afterwards, while everyone else was laying on their backs, I quietly packed up my stuff and left - sweaty, but by no means exhausted.

Second workout was a short, high-rep version of my previous daily training - lactic acid training, basically. Was happy to have the cardarine still in effect… although it did nothing for the actual weight lifted, it helped with the breathlessness and cardio strain of high reps.

Ended the night making a couple of hundred of taurine capsules. Not a lot of fun... but had to be done at some point and it seemed a opportune time, since I was still full of energy.

 

[Eight]

Day 30 - The Lean Mile...

Up with the lark for the usual routine: 7 mg cardarine; some random vitamins and minerals; and a protein shake (soy-based, for a change). Then on to a bit of lifting. It's going to be lactic-acid training every day this month - as if early starts aren't torturous enough. Everything went fine though.

Body weight has stopped dropping so rapidly - guess I ran out of water weight - and I'm expecting weight loss to be very slow over the following few weeks.

Anyway, this was a bit of a manic day, and I was a little rushed getting away from work for a run. Decided it was about time I recorded another 1-mile TT. All done in 6:08 - 10 seconds faster than my previous effort, and 25 seconds faster than the time I set before I started taking cardarine. Considering how few runs I’ve actually done at this point, I’d consider that good progress. It was tough though - even with the cardarine - and it will probably take a lot of effort to go any faster than that.

Unrelated: In the morning, I have a finger-prick blood test to do... and I'm actually crapping myself, which makes no sense at all - I have good pain tolerance, am fine with needles, and have spent many hours on the receiving end of tattoo machines... but, for some reason, I'm very apprehensive about having to pull the trigger myself. I'm only telling you all this because this log sometimes feels like a bit of a diary.

 

[Eight]

(Got some catching up to do here. Things have been nuts, so I've not had a chance to post.)

Day 31 - Taste The Blood Of Dracul8...

The morning’s lifting session was short, and mostly served to get the heart pumping faster to help with the blood test I had to take. If you’d seen me psyching myself up, you’d think I was about to step into a cage with Cro Cop, not take a finger-prick test. Despite my… let's call it a reservation… I really didn't feel much at all - the lactic acid build-up from training was a lot more painful. My finger has bruised nicely though.

With that done, took a 25 mg ATD cap and headed off to work.

Didn't sleep very much last night and, since I didn't feel up to the CF workout that had been posted, I decided to train at home in the evening and have a Greyskull session instead. Was a good workout - put up decent numbers and enjoyed myself.

 

[Eight]

Day 32 - Sweating… And Sweating Bullets...

Slept in and missed the morning’s training; barely made it to work on time.

Still on highly-reduced caffeine intake, but had lots of energy and focus, which I attribute to the cardarine since the day was chaotic and quite tiring. Seems to have been a while since I had afternoon lethargy though.

Anyway, I felt good and headed off for an evening workout in good spirits. It was a very long session, although not particularly intense.

I may have gone overboard (again) with the supplements: two doses of Bloodshr3d, ATD and Cardar1ne, and one of them may be the source of a problem (probably the ATD)...

 

[Eight]

Day 33 - Cease And Desist...

Maybe that should be decyst.

I think I have to stop training for a few days thanks to a sudden bout of haematuria (blood in the urine), which started early this morning and recurrenced occasionally throughout the day. Got me a little spooked.

Since one of the possible causes is excessive exercise in combination with dehydration, and last night was definitely a workout that could do that, I'm playing it safe and taking a break. I can't afford to get sick right now - things to do.

I guess it may be something a lot more serious though. If symptoms persist, I’ll have to see the doctor after the weekend.

 

[APC80]

Def go to the dr about that mate

 

[Eight]

Def go to the dr about that mate

Yup. Can't until Monday at the earliest, so am just keeping an eye on things right now and giving myself a rest. Could be bad, could be nothing much. Fingers crossed for me.

I've got a massive stack of games that I've never played, so shouldn't be too hard to minimise physical exertion this weekend.

 

[celc5]

Nothing like blood in the urine to get me to dig out some old Assassin's Creed

 

[APC80]

Yup. Can't until Monday at the earliest, so am just keeping an eye on things right now and giving myself a rest. Could be bad, could be nothing much. Fingers crossed for me.

I've got a massive stack of games that I've never played, so shouldn't be too hard to minimise physical exertion this weekend.

My plan as well this weekend lol digging the ps4 out I'm due a nice mellow one. I've a backlog of games here, couple of diazies my mate gave me and a bag of smoke.

Hope its nothing serious, keep us posted.

 

[Eight]

PS4 here too. Although I've got a few 360 games I never touched, and dozens of PS2 games that have never seen the light of day. However, the PS4 is already plugged in so chances are that'll be what gets used.

If only I could throw a pizza and some Cadbury's Fingers into that mix. Bloody diets.

Hope its nothing serious, keep us posted.

Cheers mate. Chances are it'll all turn out to be nothing.

 

[APC80]

Aye ano mate I can feel the diet getting ruined this wknd, cupboards full of choccie biccies lol

 

[Eight]

That's why I don't usually have them in the house.

 

[Eight]

Day 34 - Clear As Crystal...

Bleeding seems to have stopped, and everything is flowing wonderfully clear. So, despite being on self-imposed rest, I did a bit of lactic-acid training mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing. Nothing significant to write about there. The downside of the problem stopping is that I probably won't find out what was wrong - seems a good chance it was testicle damage, not a kidney or liver problem though. I did squish a bollock while rowing a while back... maybe it never healed properly.

Anyway, the only tablets I took today were ATD - to see if it reaggravated the bleeding. Plan is to do much the same tomorrow. I've got lots of these pills so it's important to find out if they’re no good for me.

Still waiting for my blood test results at this point. But I did get a blood-pressure check, and the results were in the ‘ideal’ range. Pretty happy with that.

 

[Eight]

Day 35 - Who Escapes A Duty, Avoids A Gain...

Not a lot happened, since I was technically resting. Remained relatively active in the morning, though nothing too strenuous, and then had to pick the missus up and have a quick drink with some of her friends who I haven't seen in awhile. She doesn’t ask for much, so I considered that the least I could do was find a tight-fitting shirt and get a nice muscle pump before heading out.

 

[Eight]

Day 36 - Digging Deep...

Late night, early start, so no training (or breakfast) in the morning even though I felt pretty good. Had a couple of scoops of Bloodshr3d during the day to fight off hunger, until about 3 pm when I had a light lunch before heading to the gym.

The evening’s plan was a simple one - run 5K, go home, sit on arse. Set a decent pace, but I wasn’t at my best. Despite taking 7 mg of Cardar1ne beforehand, I still had to dig deep to avoid slowing down. In the end, completed the run 27 seconds faster than last time. That's only the fourth 5k run I’ve done since I started taking cardarine, and over a minute faster than the first.

So far, none of my runs have been slower, over any distance, than previous attempts.

 

[Eight]

Day 37 - Sulking...

Bloods have come back, and the results are not good. So I ended up taking the day off training to mope around, feeling sorry myself.

On the plus side, weight is down nicely and I have some fun stuff on order - just waiting for deliveries and that should cheer me up a bit.

 

[celc5]

Hang in there bro! I always plan for a longer cycle and start to crash right around this wk5 point where u are. Maybe it's time to bump up the cals and move on to pct?

 

[APC80]

Day 37 - Sulking...

Bloods have come back, and the results are not good. So I ended up taking the day off training to mope around, feeling sorry myself.

On the plus side, weight is down nicely and I have some fun stuff on order - just waiting for deliveries and that should cheer me up a bit.

What's wrong with your blood work? It's only cardarine you're taking isn't it?

 

[Eight]

Very, very high SHBG. Low free androgens. I created a thread in the 35+ about it.

I'm taking a few things (off and on) but Cardar1ne is the only regular one. Bit of Bloodshr3d, low and somewhat irregular dose of ATD, and very occasional ephedrine. The ATD is the only concerning one, but I didn't start that until AFTER I took the blood test.

At the docs tomorrow, so hopefully will have more news then.

 

[Eight]

(This was yesterday; today was a bit better. Don't worry. )

Day 38 - Demotivated...

Didn't really do much. Felt good physically but a combination of preparing for a trip and a lack of motivation to train meant that I just couldn't bring myself to work out properly. Tried a few weights in the evening, but couldn't get into it.

 

[Eight]

(Off to the doc's a bit later today... wish me luck. Not sure what the outcome I'm hoping for is; probably just more tests.)

Day 39 - Might As Well Pump…

Day started out a bit **** but I packed a bag to go to the gym that evening, determined to force myself to do something. A few days ago I found a deal I was happy with on some Gaspari PlasmaJet, and that arrived. I usually don't actively train for hypertrophy, but have been wanting to give this product a try anyway.

7 mg of Cardar1ne, 4 caps of PlasmaJet, a weak black coffee, and then I was off. Started out with some rig work - pull-ups etc. - and it didn't take long before my forearms became rock solid. On to some standard compound lifts. By the end of the session, I had a pretty decent pump in my arms, chest, and back muscles. Good fun, and really cheered me up after a few rough days.

Not impressed with the instructions though - they say to “take the entire contents of 1 (ONE) and ONLY 1 (ONE) blister card (4 capsules)”... but a blister card has 10 caps on. But the overall presentation and packaging is good, and makes a nice change from the usual pill bottles.

 

[Eight]

Day 40 - What’s Up Doc?...

In terms of training, the day was basically ruined by having to go to the doctors to talk about my recent blood test results. And that did not prove to be particularly useful either. Learned nothing from going in, and now have to wait 3 weeks before they can fit me in for another set of blood tests. Those are primarily going to be checking liver and thyroid function, so I may order a private test at the same time to check free androgen levels.

Since the potential for liver damage is scary, I've also started taking the NAC that I've been saving for a special occasion.

Anyway, amusingly, I can still feel the effects of the PlasmaJet - muscles seem a little more full - and this is enjoyable. Not sure if it's known to affect hunger, but I felt starving all day. Bloodshr3d failed to cope, so I ended up over my budgeted calories, but not too badly really.

 

[Eight]

(Forgot to post this)

Day 41 - When You're A (Plasma)Jet, You're The Top Cat In Town...

Had not planned to train today, but then decided to get up early and see how much of a pump I could get in the short time available.

Took 4 capsules of PlasmaJet and got pretty decent results quickly. I like this stuff.

 

[Eight]

Day 42 - I'm Tellin' Y'all It's Sabotage...

Can’t really explain what's happening this week, because it would make me too easy to identify, but I'm not running my usual training program. Have to try and keep the muscles fresh for midweek.

Took 7 mg of cardarine before a practice session in the morning. Mostly for its mood-enhancing properties. Worked well and everything went great… until someone “accidently” grabbed my equipment and proceeded to set it up for themselves. They realised and apologised, but this basically ruined the rest of the session for me and put me in a real predicament for later in the week.

The offender should have known better and, whilst I was forced to remain civil, they were very lucky not to end up with a pair of boots for a face. Over a year’s worth of hard work compromised because of one clown not paying attention. Granted, some of this is a psychological reaction to have someone change my gear.

In other news, I've decided to give Performax Labs’ NootropiMax a try over the next few days. Not expecting much, but anything I can do to get my head straight and ease the stress will be welcome.

 

[Eight]

Day 43 - Cardar1ne Vs. Bloodshr3d…*

*Not a scientific test.

Since I'm resting to avoid fatiguing muscles before my trip, the evening's session was a simple, untimed ~10K run. Didn't want to time it because that would have encouraged me to run too quick and risk straining or tiring my legs.

For my own amusement, I decided to see which would last longer under pressure - the unrelenting cardio capacity of Cardar1ne, or the heat and merciless sweat generation from Bloodshr3d Raw. Had planned for a 10K distance, but would have run further if needed.

Took both at the same time, around 25-30 mins before the workout. In the end, my body temperature dropped and sweating stopped way before my lungs really knew they were exercising. Of course, it wasn't exactly a fair competition since some of the sweating was caused by the cardarine, and probably stopped when I ran out of stored water.

 

[Eight]

Day 44 - Noot Convinced…

No training, since I'm away early in the morning and need to be fresh.

Did have an opportunity to try the NootropiMax from Performance Labs though. Instructions said to take two capsules to assess tolerance… got absolutely nothing from it all. Definitely assessed something here.

No side effects though, so I'll keep trying it over the next few days at the higher dose of three capsules. I’ll be more than happy to eat crow if that third pill turns out to be the magic ingredient… but despite all the fancy claims on the bottle, NootropiMax seems little more than very expensive caffeine pills. And since my caffeine tolerance is extremely high, two of these things went completely unnoticed.

 

[celc5]

I am also skeptical that you will have better results with 3 caps unfortunately.

 

[Eight]

I am also skeptical that you will have better results with 3 caps unfortunately.

Lol. Took 3 this morning - would rather test while I'm not up to much (travelling) - which made my eyes hurt but didn't exactly give me any extra focus or energy.

To be fair, it was very early and it might have been asking a bit much for a pill to perk me up at that time.

 

[Eight]

Bit stuck at the minute so will have to update this when I get a chance. Might be a few days.

 

[Pride89]

You can do it !
I just started my first cardarine Cycle, can really feel it helping my bronchitis

 

[Eight]

Day 45 - Bug-Eyed...

Spent most of the day in the car… so really nothing interesting to say.

After testing 2 capsules of NootropiMax yesterday, I took 3 capsules of NootropiMax, just to see what would happen. It made my eyeballs hurt, but not much else.

 

[Eight]

Day 46 - It Begins...

Up early and opted to take 7 mg of Cardar1ne and two capsules of NootropiMax instead of coffee. Pretty minimal effects really, but I didn't have energy or focus problems so can't complain.

Same again at around lunch time. Felt OK for the afternoon session but have not become a fan of NootropiMax yet.

The day wasn't really something for which cardarine would provide much benefit, but it's mood-enhancement was welcome... though largely unnecessary since the excitement of the first day of training was enough to keep spirits high.

 

[Eight]

Day 47 - Long Day, Short Temper...

Legs were wrecked yesterday and still sore this morning. I think the Cardar1ne helped get me going again, despite a total lack of energy and motivation, and even some eye-popping from the NootropiMax was useful.

I think that next time I have to do something like this, i’ll make sure i’m on some kind of anabolic cycle. It's the muscle fatigue that's causing me the most problems.

 

[Eight]

Day 48 - Ready For The Knackers Yard...

Muscle fatigue/recovery was not too bad this morning, though energy levels were in the floor.

It was a tough day, and endlessly throwing down various pills did little to help. Better than nothing though.
Any thoughts of cutting have gone completely out the window as I'm eating loads to try and find the energy and strength to continue.

But it's almost all over, and that thought is reassuring.

 

[Eight]

Day 49 - A Victory Snatched...

After a rough few days, today went well and I achieved what I hoped to (but didn't think I’d manage) on this trip.

Cardar1ne proved to be a useful thing to pack. Although not directly relevant to what's happening (not something that requires a lot of cardiovascular stamina), it gave me a boost at times when I really needed it. The NootropiMax, on the other hand, was probably a waste of money. I tried it a few times and don’t think I got anything from it that I wouldn’t have gotten from a heavily caffeinated pre-workout (or just caffeine pills).

 

[Eight]

Day 50 - Lifting… But Not a Barbell In Sight...

Prior to heading home, there was a fair bit of heavy equipment to be moved around. But that was the extent of my exercise for the day and I didn’t take any kind of supplements... so nothing to say really.

 

[Eight]

Day 51 - Who Eight All The Pies?…

No training today - scheduled a much-needed night off from any kind of activity, since I'm back home.

Due to missing a few doses here and there, I have at least a few more days’ worth of Cardar1ne left; enough to get through a few more timed runs later this week and after the weekend.

Body weight has rocketed over the last week - up 4 KGs - but a lot of that is probably water weight from a much greater than usual intake of carbohydrates. Even so, I'll have to get those running shoes back on ASAP!!!

 

[Eight]

Day 52 - About That Bass...

No morning training as I was tired and lacking a bit of motivation. Scheduled a relaxed 5K run for the evening, which turned out to be harder than expected due to carrying extra weight. Need to get rid of it ASAP.

Back on the Bloodshr3d Raw and my regular diet, I’ve lost ~1 KG.

Personally, I consider this all further "proof" that the suggested dosage of Cardar1ne is pretty useless for weight loss. Have to stop the ATD for a bit (since I've read it can cause falsely high testosterone readings and I have another blood test to take) so I'm going to use the time to hop back on Elim1nate, which was great for draining out excess water weight last time I used it.

 

[Eight]

(Got some catching up to do here. Thankfully(?), I've not been training so much, so these next few entries will be short.)

Day 53 - Bumps In The Night...

Not much scheduled for today - training hasn't yet resumed it’s typical consistency - but I went to CrossFit in the evening. Strength and stamina seemed good, although it wasn’t a challenging session.

Stopped early after giving myself a knock on the head. Nothing to cause concern, but got an immediate swelling which needed looking after. Ugh.

 

[Eight]

(It's a 2 for 1 now, because I basically had two days completely off.)

Day 54 - Nothing, Nowt, Nada...

Er… did nothing at all.

Body weight is down, although it's not reducing at a particularly fast rate. I'm normally very strict with the diet, but have been a little lax with it recently.

Day 55 - Jack Squat & Jack ****...

Hate to say it, but I did nothing again… Which is starting to make me feel quite guilty - despite my body being quite appreciative of the rest.

On the plus side, I'm sleeping better and starting to find my mojo again. So am expecting to get back to some quality training next week.

 

[Eight]

Day 56 - Starvin’ Marvin...

As usual for a Sunday morning, I was out doing stuff. Took 7 mg of Cardar1ne and two capsules of NootropiMax before leaving, and felt pretty good throughout the following few hours. Still pretty certain that NootropiMax is useless; but I have most of a bottle left so figured I may as well use it.

Didn’t get up to much in the afternoon really - unless napping counts. And was surprisingly hungry all day - a feeling that I just couldn't shake and had to suffer through. Bah.