Epi-Strong to get chiseled (Sponsored)

[MidwestBeast]

with your mass + plus an anabolic and 2,700 calories...you have gotta be shredding body fat.

Yeah, I would assume so.

If anything 2,700 could be low? but I understand you wanna cut, not recomp

That's what I always thought, but the thing is my metabolism just blows. I tried running closer to 3,000 and was gaining, so I was definitely above maintenance at that point. We'll see how this week goes and then decide if I scale it back just another hundred cals.

 

[carpee]

I feel you man. My metabolism is the same way.


I just read a post by Unreal saying increase cardio before cutting cals... I agree with his logic.

 

[SouthernCharm]

Solid workout bro! This is gonna be a good run, I can already tell

 

[MidwestBeast]

I feel you man. My metabolism is the same way.


I just read a post by Unreal saying increase cardio before cutting cals... I agree with his logic.

I actually chatted with him briefly before I started this. That solidified my decision to go with daily cardio. I'm already at three 50 minute sessions and four 20 minute sessions all at ~150-160 HR. I'm not opposed to adding more in, but I'm not ready to go into that yet. I went from virtually no cardio to 7 days - should be more than enough at this point.

Solid workout bro! This is gonna be a good run, I can already tell

Thanks, man

 

[carpee]

Solid workout bro! This is gonna be a good run, I can already tell

Definitely. Beast has his stuff in order.

I actually chatted with him briefly before I started this. That solidified my decision to go with daily cardio. I'm already at three 50 minute sessions and four 20 minute sessions all at ~150-160 HR. I'm not opposed to adding more in, but I'm not ready to go into that yet. I went from virtually no cardio to 7 days - should be more than enough at this point.

i think I'm gonna take an extra cardio approach to my cut

 

[MidwestBeast]

Definitely. Beast has his stuff in order.

Thank you for the kind words, sir :cheers:

i think I'm gonna take an extra cardio approach to my cut

I think it's definitely the route to go if you have trouble losing. Everyone says "you don't have to do cardio to lose fat" and well maybe you don't, but depending on your individual body type, it might be much more necessary. I'm logging a whole lot more than normal now, and once I find the sweet spot on cals where I'm losing at least 2 lbs a week (at least early on with as much fat as I have to spare), then I'll decide if/when it'll be beneficial to start adding in more sessions to the 7 I already have.

And I'll say this at the very least, my legs are sore, but they are feeling/looking swoll all around (hammys, quads and glutes all are popping).

 

[Killerkanadia]

Don't know how i missed this but Sub'd!

 

[SouthernCharm]

come one come all.... (as long as youve tried a full product by NTBM)

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/needtobuildmuscle-mrsupps/162829-southerncharms-feedback-contest.html#post2622569

 

[MidwestBeast]

Don't know how i missed this but Sub'd!

Glad to have you on board :wave2:

 

[MidwestBeast]

come one come all.... (as long as youve tried a full product by NTBM)

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/needtobuildmuscle-mrsupps/162829-southerncharms-feedback-contest.html#post2622569

Well, I said it in your thread, but I'll say it again - truly generous, SC. Nate is lucky to have you on his squad - no doubt :cheers:

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 5: Cardio

No carb day as far as diet was concerned.

50 minutes on the elliptical. Interval setting (levels 8 & 4). Ended up @ 4 miles and according to it, 712 calories burnt (again, I don't put much stock in that). HR was kept between 140-160 for the duration. Tried to keep it on the higher end as much as possible, but at the start and in the "resting" intervals, I was more like 145.

 

[MidwestBeast]

And one thing to keep an eye on...

I just have a general dislike for about 90% of people. It's sad, because I really do like people and my instinct is to be loving (no homo :afro and I enjoy the company of others. However, stupidity just irks me to no end. I can't deal with people who lack common sense, don't listen, etc.

And in the gym, I've come to realize that I see people as obstacles to my progress and completion of my workout. Sad, but true. I love talking to some of the people in there, but others as far as I'm concerned shouldn't even be in there and I see them as solely being in my way.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnyyyyywwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyy.....

That's my normal disposition. But lately, over the last 2 days, it's seemed to be even worse. We'll see how it continues to play out and if that can be attributed to the Epi or Stano. Either way, I don't necessarily see it as a negative OR positive side - just a side (potentially).

 

[Killerkanadia]

I know what you mean by "in the way".

"Really? you're going to do behind the head military press with just the bar? Mind if i jump in for sets?!"

 

[MidwestBeast]

I know what you mean by "in the way".

"Really? you're going to do behind the head military press with just the bar? Mind if i jump in for sets?!"

:lmao:

Thank you for this, man. I actually did laugh. I needed that.

There was a guy benching just the bar the other day and my small gym only has one flat bench - I was not pleased. It wasn't even a kid, either. Just some jerkoff doing negatives. The only good thing about it is I pound much heavier weight because I just get crazy pissed :zx11pissed:

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 6 Weight: 235.4 lbs (-3.6)

Weight finally went back down again today, so that's good. My stomach was howling for food last night after the casein shake because I stayed up later, so I did have 2 sugar free Jell-O Mousse cups, 1/2 a serving of almonds and about 2 tbsp of natty peanut butter. I was really expecting weight to be up after that, and it was lol. But then after taking a leak, it was down a pound.

I'm taking the day off, rather than forcing back and cardio in because my legs are still tender with 5 days in a row of cardio and a leg-lifting-day in there, too. I'm heading out of town for the day/night and will be back tomorrow evening. I'll hit the gym for sure. If I'm exhausted, it'll just be cardio, but if not, it'll be back/traps followed by 20 minutes on the stairs. We'll see how the weight progresses as the dosages are bumped up next week.

I'm still tempted to scale cals down by like 100. We'll just see :cheers:

Measured my waist (actually around the waist, not up at the belly button where most of the extra fat is) and it's 36.5" (which is where it's been since bulking). When I was down at 208, it was still at 35". I'm hoping to really chisel it down a few more from there to get that V-taper really obvious.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 7: Back / Traps (10-24-10)

Got back home around 6:30 last night, ate a pre-workout meal and went to the gym an hour later to hit back and traps. Part of me was ready to leave it for the next day, but I figured even if I just worked out light, I'd at least feel better.

Underhand Lat Pulldowns: 120x15 / 170x12 / 220x12 / 250x12 / 180x12
Seated Rows (wide/neutral grip): 230x12 / 230x12 / 230x12 / 230x12
Double-D Ring Pulldowns: 150x12 /160x12 / 170x12 / 180x12
Good Mornings: 195x12 / 195x12 / 195x12 / 195x12
Pullups: Bodyweight x 8
Smith Machine Shrugs (bar in front): 270x12 / 320x12 / 340x12 / 360x12
DB Shrugs: 95's x 20 / 95's x 20

*Smith Machine never takes into account the weight of the bar.

My arms were just cashed, so pullups weren't happening. Back workout felt sound all around and shrugs went well also. Upper back is an area that is a major strength for me and where I really need improvement is lower back and widening the lats a little bit more (just because my shoulders are so wide). The lower back will happen once the fat gets off of there as well.

20 minutes on the Stair Master @ 150-165 HR immediately after.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 8 Weight: 238 lbs (-1)

No idea what that's all about. My diet was a bit off Sat/Sun because of traveling and being away, but it was definitely on the lower end of the cal spectrum.

Saturday was unfortunately a lot of protein shakes, but I did eat ever 3 hours or so until late night hit. We had pizza for dinner, but I only had 3 pieces, preceded by Anabolic Pump, so that shouldn't have been an issue at all (it was Dominos, so they weren't big pieces, either).

Sunday I didn't eat for about 1.5 hours after rising, and I ended up with a piece of beef jerky (~23g protein) and about 2 servings of almonds. Had more beef jerky about 3 hours later on the road (~45g protein) and some more almonds. Kept water intake up, too. I swear, my friend who I went to see didn't eat at all lol. I knew diet would be off and it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. But like I said, cals were on the lower end, so I have no clue how weight went up.

Anyhow, I'm likely going to drop cals to about 2600 daily instead and keep cardio where it is and see how that plays out. I'm also going to add in the OxiMega Greens (just 1 serving/day), though I haven't decided if I'll take it in the morning or post-workout (thoughts?).

Bumped up my dosing 1 day early since I went in for the back workout. I'm now @ 45mg Epi-Strong (3 caps daily) and 600mg Stano-Drol (4 caps daily). I'm just taking 1 cap of each with meal 1 and taking the rest with meal 4, pre-workout.

Today is a cardio only day, so it'll be 50 minutes of intervals on the elliptical this afternoon.

 

[funkd0c]

The weight could just be water, because pizza and beef jerky have PLENTY of sodium not to mention if the almonds were salted.. Nice to hear you upped the dosage, hope you like it

 

[MidwestBeast]

The weight could just be water, because pizza and beef jerky have PLENTY of sodium not to mention if the almonds were salted.. Nice to hear you upped the dosage, hope you like it

Yeah, I knew that the sodium content would keep things out of wack, but I wouldn't imagine that I'd still only be at -1 from Day 1 with cals at the level they are and all of the cardio that's been brought in. We'll see how it goes this week, but cals are definitely dropping and I may even add another cardio session or two. I'm not gonna screw around and waste time not getting the results I want lol.

 

[rochabp]

good job bro

hey can i ask if you can "feel" the stano drol? like do you feel hard or vascular? or anything?

 

[MidwestBeast]

good job bro

hey can i ask if you can "feel" the stano drol? like do you feel hard or vascular? or anything?

Thanks, man.

I haven't really "felt" anything yet. My muscles feel pretty hard these days just from nature of as long as I've been training. Vascularity is starting to get a bit more pronounced. I should be able to adequately assess things by the end of this week.

 

[MidwestBeast]

50 minutes on the elliptical this afternoon. Interval settings of 6/9. Ended up with 4.09 miles and 742 calories burned (but as I constantly point out, I don't take that to be worth much). HR was ~150 for the duration. 24g of BCAA drank throughout.

 

[funkd0c]

Get them results bro! I know you will KTS!!

 

[MidwestBeast]

Get them results bro! I know you will KTS!!

Thanks, doc :cheers:

 

[MidwestBeast]

Didn't weigh in this morning. I'm going to take a break from the scale for a few days just to try and get peace of mind back. I'm following a pretty strict diet, all clean, reduced cals, so fat loss should be occurring. I'm not gonna get caught up on numbers for the moment as I usually weigh myself weekly and no more than that, anyway.

Today is arms, followed by the standard 20 minutes on the stairs.

I'm at 45mg Epi (3 caps) and 600mg Stano (4 caps). And I'm dosing 1 cap of each with Meal 1 and 2 caps Epi, 3 caps Stano with Meal 4 (pre-workout).

 

[MidwestBeast]

Me thinks things may be kicking in...:think:

Bout to have my pre-workout meal in another half hour or so and then bounce from work, and head to change and to the gym, but my biceps are feeling extra hard and full right now (Oh how I love it ). I've always said that my muscles are typically quite dense anyway, but man, I'm excited to see how the arm workout is gonna turn out. I'm gonna hit some Jack3d just to make it all the more interesting.

I'll update later. :cheers:

 

[RickRock13]

Me thinks things may be kicking in...:think:

Bout to have my pre-workout meal in another half hour or so and then bounce from work, and head to change and to the gym, but my biceps are feeling extra hard and full right now (Oh how I love it ). I've always said that my muscles are typically quite dense anyway, but man, I'm excited to see how the arm workout is gonna turn out. I'm gonna hit some Jack3d just to make it all the more interesting.

I'll update later. :cheers:

Good to see its workin man. That hardness is the first thing that I noticed too....and just wait man, because very soon after the weight comes, and then the strength :sgrin: Keep at it bro! Everything looks great!

 

[SouthernCharm]

In for update. Prepared to see some PRs!

 

[MidwestBeast]

I'll give a full update tomorrow, guys. Arm night was awesome, though. Diet was on point today and I couldn't help but weigh myself this evening (244 lol). No idea, but whatever - we'll see.

 

[jer52sue]

Good progress buddy!!
I'll be following very closely as I plan to run something similar in the the next few months ( less the H-drol)...keep it up!!!

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 9: Arms

Olympic Bar Curls: 65x12 / 85x12 / 105x12 / 125x12 / 135x10 / 105x12
Seated Hammer Curls (on preacher bench): 35x8 / 35x10 / 40x12 / 45x8
Preacher Curl Machine (wide grip): 95x8
Preacher Curl Machine SOLO: 50x12 / 65x11

Incline Skull Crushers (wide grip): 120x12 /120x12 / 130x12 / 140x10
Rope Pushdowns*: 150x12 / 150x12 / 150x12 / 150x12 + 90x8
45 degree Reverse Curls: 50x12 / 60x12 / 60x12 / 70x12

20 minutes on the Stair Master @ ~155 HR

* First 3 sets done with only 1 minute rest between. Fourth set after 3 minutes (average time) rest and immediately into the final set.

Skull crushers were done with the EZ bar and this week I went with the wider grip (I alternate between close grip and ~shoulder width grip each week).

Biceps were TOO pumped (hence the one set on preacher machine and having to switch to solos). I've never had one like that. Arms felt huge When I stretched after before jumping on the stairs, they felt as big as ever.


Work schedule is different today - have an event in the evening, so I'm off in the AM. I'm about to go hit legs in another half hour.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 10: Legs

Leg Press (close stance): 360x15 / 540x12 / 630x10 / 720x10 / 810x8

{Leg Extensions: 200x12 / 215x12 / 230x12 / 245x12}
{Seated Calf Raises: 250x12 / 260x12 / 270x12 / 280x12}

{Seated Leg Curls: 155x12 / 170x12 / 185x12 / 200x12}
{Solo Seated Calf Extensions: 185x12 / 190x12 / 195x12 / 195x12}

Front Squats (Smith Machine): 140x10 / 180x10 / 230x8

*Leg Press and Smith Machine numbers do not factor in whatever weight the machine may add*

**Both bracketed sets of lifts were super-setted since this was an AM workout before work. Rest was minimal; maybe a minute between each set tops**

No cardio was done immediately after this (first time since starting that I haven't added cardio) because HR was very high throughout due to the supersets and I didn't really have the time anyway.

Total workout was less than an hour including stretching and everything. Legs felt good. The numbers aren't awesome for me, but I'm eating ~2600 cals right now and haven't dropped off that much from when I was eating 3,500 cals and doing Max-OT (4-6 reps). Overall, I'm happy with the workout, especially since it was done 12 hours after my arm workout.

May throw in additional cardio tonight if I have time.

Weight this morning was 239.4 lol :thinking:

All I know is that with as minimal the amount of carbs I'm taking in is, my meals being split up evenly during the day (no big meals), everything being clean, and being at only 2600-2700 total cals a day, I'm not gaining fat (especially with 3 hours of cardio @ 150+ HR each week).

This appears to be more of a recomp thus far, which is great and is likely what anyone else would want. I will still toy with some cals and cardio, though, because I went into this thing wanting a cut and recomp is great, but I have enough fat left on me that I want to shred.

 

[MidwestBeast]

10 Days in: Sides Update

Dosing:

6 days were done @ 30mg Epi-Strong and 450mg Stano-Drol
4 days since are @ 45mg Epi-Strong and 600mg Stano-Drol
Fish Oil has been @ 10g / daily (aside from 6g Day 1 and 8g Day 2)

I have noticed no real sides thus far. Yesterday my right palm was pretty dried out, but I attribute that to the heavy shrugs the night before and my gloves getting a bit old.

Aggression:

Haven't noticed any real difference in aggression. My nature is laid back and loving, but I do get angry at the gym and on the road due to stupidity. I haven't seen anything worth noticing regarding an increase or change thus far. Stupid people/things still irritate me, but not any more than normal.

Libido:

Libido has been interesting. After the first 2 or 3 days it was up quite a bit, but it has since declined. There are too many external factors that can play a role in this, though, to make any real conclusions. I'm single, but kind of talking to a girl right now, though it's in the early stages and it's "long" distance. I don't do random hookups, either, so there's nothing to report there. The last few days the "drive" (if you will) hasn't been that strong, but I think that has to do more with the external factors I mentioned. Everything is still working well down there, mornings are the same as always and haven't noticed any type of shrinkage in the boys.

Gyno:

I've never played in the hormonal game before, so I'm very cautious (did a ton of research before agreeing to let myself run these compounds). I've been checking my chest pretty thoroughly and even though I'm not running anything that should cause estrogen jumps that could lead to gyno, i still check. Nothing to report - everything is good. Obviously not running an AI or anything, either.

Hair Loss:

Before I started, I noticed a lot more hair coming out when I'd wash it (it was also longer at the time). I've been feeling like it's getting a bit thinner on me and receding, but it's not bad by any means (but like I said, I'm cautious). I haven't noticed any change since starting, but I still notice more hair in my hands than there used to be when I'd wash a year ago (could just be age). Regardless, I've done some research and will be picking up some Nizoral shampoo to hopefully help combat this and keep things from going any worse on me.

Positives:

Things are good so far. Nothing really noticeable this early with the low dosing in Week 1. Muscles are feeling hard and legs are looking really good, which I attribute mostly to the ton of cardio I've added in (going from none at all on my bulk to 3 hours a week hard). No acne, nothing (also have been doing minimal tanning preventatively).

 

[MidwestBeast]

In for update. Prepared to see some PRs!

Whatup broseph :cheers: Not really looking for a lot of PRs myself being that I'm at a deficit, but I did still hit some pretty good numbers given the rep ranges I'm working on. I think 280 on seated calf raises is a PR (I honestly don't pay too much attention these days and just push harder than the week before).

Theose are the ones where you can stack the plates on both sides and have the little latch that catches and the pads go above your knees / lower thighs.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Good to see its workin man. That hardness is the first thing that I noticed too....and just wait man, because very soon after the weight comes, and then the strength :sgrin: Keep at it bro! Everything looks great!

Thanks, man I'm looking forward to the added strength to keep coming. Hopefully I can start droppin some lbs and not just turn all the fat into muscle lol. 240 is still too heavy!!

 

[MidwestBeast]

Good progress buddy!!
I'll be following very closely as I plan to run something similar in the the next few months ( less the H-drol)...keep it up!!!

Thanks for stopping in, man. Hopefully this can be of some help for you. I try to be as thorough as I can in all regards.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Today was gonna be a no carb day, but that didn't happen lol. Ended up going out for hibachi at lunch, so I gots me some rice (along with my steak and veggies). Hit 2 Anabolic Pump before I downed it, though, so not too worried.

Today is gonna be cardio as soon as I get out of work. Gonna warm up with some ab work as well. My initial goal was to not bother with abs until I was a little further with my fat-loss progression on the scale, but since 240 seems to be the magic place for it to hover around, I'm thinking screw it. I've got really strong abs and hit them with really heavy lifts anyway, so they should rebound pretty quickly for me.

Also, have noticed the last 2 days that I've been feeling a lot hungrier. Not sure if it's from being a little more bored, from being on a restricted diet for almost 2 weeks now (mental), or if the Epi and/or Stano are playing a role (or if it's a combination of any of these 3 things). Anyway, it's something that I'll be keeping an eye on, because as much as I want to eat, I want to cut fat even more.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Day 12: Delts / Chest

Smith Machine Military Press: 90x12 / 140x12 / 180x11 / 190x10 / 200x9
DB Side Lateral Raises: 70's x 12 / 70's x 12 / 75's x 12 / 75's x 12
Rear Delt DB Side Lateral Raises (seated): 95's x 12 / 95's x 12 / 95's x 12 / 95's x 15

Incline BB Bench Press: 135x12 / 185x12 / 195x11 / 205x10 / 215x10 / 225x10 / 235x8 / 245x5
Cable Flys (low pulley): 80x12 / 90x9 / 90x10
Decline DB Bench Press: 60's x 12 / 60's x 11

Quite possibly one of the best workouts of my life.

Delt workout was coming on slow, was sure it was gonna be a bad night. Only had a banana and some chicken for my pre meal (no complex carbs today) and was feeling weak on Military Press. Felt great the rest of the way through.

Then I hit inclines. And it was just SICK. It was coming along way too easily. First 6 reps on even all but the very last set were with ease and unassisted. Only had a spotter from the 225 and on and all I got even then were some finger tips on the last 2 reps.

Just to put this in perspective, in my bulk, my PR on incline was 260x7 unassisted.

So to hit 245 on my EIGHTH set for 5 was ridiculous (especially in deficit).

I'll update further later, but I'm pretty stoked. No cardio immediately after today. Thinking about 2-a-days on it tomorrow.

And just for reference, here's a shot of me post-workout. One of the best chest/shoulder pumps I've ever had

 

[Killerkanadia]

looking BEAST my friend. Might want to get used to being hungry on Epi :wink1:

 

[BrYmAsTeR17]

looking BEAST my friend. Might want to get used to being hungry on Epi :wink1:

you've run epi? what was it like strength and weight wise?

 

[Killerkanadia]

you've run epi? what was it like strength and weight wise?

Nah i haven't, just an observation from other logs i've seen and such, and anabolics in general.

On the other hand, if i had run Epi i'd be HUGE!!!!!

 

[BrYmAsTeR17]

On the other hand, if i had run Epi i'd be HUGE!!!!!

That's what I'm saying! I can't wait for the day when everything is set for me to run such a clean and strong compound. GAWD I HATE WAITING!!! LOL

 

[MidwestBeast]

looking BEAST my friend. Might want to get used to being hungry on Epi :wink1:

Thanks, bro!

And I'm eating some almonds right now...haha. Treated myself to a ribeye after that workout. But yeah, I've definitely been much hungrier and like I said, whether it's dieting, the compounds or some combination - it's definitely noticeable.

 

[MidwestBeast]

That's what I'm saying! I can't wait for the day when everything is set for me to run such a clean and strong compound. GAWD I HATE WAITING!!! LOL

I know I've seen you mention waiting somewhere else before, but can't recall off the top of my head why - mind enlightening me?

 

[BrYmAsTeR17]

I know I've seen you mention waiting somewhere else before, but can't recall off the top of my head why - mind enlightening me?

I've just got other cycles planned b4 I take on Epi. I wanna run Natadrol next year cause I already have two unopened bottles and I was planning on running a propadrol/protomax combo in december unless things change. I'd also like to run Prime b4 I do epi because i'm very OCD about having healthy clean cycles LOL.

 

[MidwestBeast]

I've just got other cycles planned b4 I take on Epi. I wanna run Natadrol next year cause I already have two unopened bottles and I was planning on running a propadrol/protomax combo in december unless things change. I'd also like to run Prime b4 I do epi because i'm very OCD about having healthy clean cycles LOL.

Haha, gotcha. I'd been considering running something like this for a while, but held off til after I hit 25. I'm glad I did, too.

 

[james122]

im late, so what?

 

[MidwestBeast]

im late, so what?

So let's dance!

 

[funkd0c]

so what??

 

[RickRock13]

looking BEAST my friend. Might want to get used to being hungry on Epi :wink1:

ha ha ha Yeh man I know you are trying to cut fat for this cycle, but I think KK must have seen my updates about hunger and Epi.

it was awesome for me taking in 4k cals + every day, but then again I was bulking. So I guess an increse in hunger isn't exactly what you were looking for..lol