Halodrol Liquigels & X-Factor Log

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[size=+1]Day 48[/size], Saturday, December 16


X-Factor: 2/ 2/ 1


Workout: Chest/ Shoulders/ Triceps/ Back Width/ Back Thickness

Incline Dumbbell Press: 80 X 12+6+4, 80 X 12+5+4 , Extreme Stretching

Machine Shoulder Press: 90 X 11+5+2, 85 X 11+6+4 , Extreme Stretching

Decline Close-Grip Bench Press: 175 X 9+5+4, 165 X 9+5+3 , Extreme Stretching

Pulley Row High Pull: 11 X 9+4+3, 10 X 10+5+4

Deadlift: 335 X 6, 245 X 9, 315 X 8, 225 X 12 , Extreme Stretching


Remark: last time's weights are in dark green.


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Cardio:

10 min LI on a bike
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Comments:

Mentally, I am in a much worse shape than I thought I would be. Last week must have been really bad without me ever realizing it but now that it is all over I don’t care. I went to the gym after only one meal and I wasn’t into the mood at all. Those first two exercises kind of put me into it but the energy just wasn’t there. Still, I felt much more positive regarding the numbers in the log book. Mind-muscle connection during back pulling was great, I have never felt my lats working so well. The weight, however, is getting a little heavy and since my body is at an angle with the cable, it gets difficult to counterbalance the weight. Anyway, I love that exercise. I felt strong on deadlifts but for some reasons I stopped after that 6th rep: I had at least one left in me with good form. I can’t complain though, that was success considering the last few days. Also, I didn’t feel like I worked out until much later: it usually hits me within an hour. It is amazing what not worrying about school does to one’s mood. I haven’t been so relaxed in a long time.

 

[machinehead]

[size=+1]Day 49[/size], Sunday, December 17


X-Factor: 2/ 2/ 1


Cardio:

45-min walk upon rising
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Comments:

Great day today, excellent mood and lots of junk food.

 

[machinehead]

[size=+1]Day 50[/size], Monday, December 18


X-Factor: 2/ 2/ 1


Cardio:

45-min walk upon rising
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Comments:

Today I feel the way I should have felt yesterday. I am so rundown but that’s what deadlifting does to me. My back and traps have never been so sore. No workout today because the schedule got shifted by a day.

 

[machinehead]

[size=+1]Day 51[/size], Tuesday, December 19


X-Factor: 2/ 2/ 1


Workout: Biceps/ Forearms/ Calves/ Hams/ Quads

Cable Preacher Curl: 7 X 13+8+6, 7 X 12+7+6

Reverse-Grip One-Arm Cable Curl: 3 X 14, 3 X 12 , Extreme Stretching

Standing Calf Raise: 190 X 12, 180 X 12

SLDL: 205 X 16, 185 X 20

Leg Press: 16 X 5, 12 X 20, 15 X 10, 11 X 20 , Extreme Stretching


Remark: last time's weights are in dark green.

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Cardio:

10 min LI on a bike
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Comments:

Holiday laziness is getting to me and working out isn’t as exciting. Before, I was apprehensive about beating the log book but this time I know I have it in me, it just takes me a lot more to bring it out. I was very tired and relaxed but I made it all happen. Well, almost all. I changed my stance on the leg press to accommodate the ‘boys’: my inner thighs have grown so much it has become a ‘problem.’ That weight felt a lot heavier than usual, I barely completed that 5th rep. I also had the hardest widowmaker so far, it started with a straight set of only 6, then 3 more, then 3, then 2, and then I don’t quite remember. That last one was a killer. Anyway, 6 months ago I could only get 6 plates for 20 :thumbsup:

 

[yeahright]

Updates?

 

[machinehead]

Updates?

Ah yes, finally.



Day 52 was when I officially completed my masters and moved on in more than one way. That same day I found a subtenant for my apartment and that’s when the nightmare began. He wanted to move in the next day. I had less than 24 hours to move out but somehow managed it. I was basically homeless for the next 2 weeks, and then moved to NYC where I spent 2 more weeks at a hotel until ultimately finding an apartment and getting used to a normal job and a different schedule. I have very little leisure time now that is rarely devoted to posting on the boards. Life happens sometimes.

Anyway, on to the review. I finished X-Factor the next 3 days and was happy to see that I had the mental strength to continue blasting for at least another week. The Wednesday after I went to the gym and found that the few days of homelessness have sapped all my strength. I weighed at a measly 177.8 pounds although I was as high as 182 a couple weeks back. That was unfortunate but at least everything else got taken care of by that time: graduation, sublease, job etc.

Review:

I ended up gaining around 5 pounds on the stack and I know this to be true because I started out ‘clean’—I’d lost a couple lbs cruising before starting this log—and I ended up ‘clean’—I lost a few pounds while living out of a box. There is some fat gain that I am unhappy with but the muscle/fat ratio of gains is acceptable. I shrank a little during the next few weeks but the changes I saw in my quads, chest, shoulders and traps after running the stack were there to stay.

Unfortunately, I don’t think a got any [tangible] benefit from X-Factor and the Arachidonic Acid in HLG this time. I gained at the rate I normally gain, the strength gains were the SizeOn kind of gains, and I gained more fat that I thought I would have. I was thinking about this and I attributed it to a few factors. First of all, the first time I ran X-Factor I got good results and it is often the case that the second run of the same products yields diminishing benefits. Secondly, my diet is not deficient in AA [whole eggs, red meat, liver] anymore and I am probably less likely to experience significant changes once AA has been introduced. That holds for side effects too, I didn’t experience them this time. Lastly, and least importantly, I was taking 900mg of EPA/DHA daily but others have taken it with fish oil with similar results.

I did get some tangible results from HLG though. I mentioned the pump I would get after a workout that I never seen before but that I was unable to feel for some reason. I looked like I gained 10lbs after just one workout. I may be wrong but I’ve seen people get such muscle fullness from ecdy. If that is the case, the ecdy in HLG works very well. This one alone makes running this again worth it.

The AI in HLG helped with water retention and I looked much leaner than I was. The formula had no effect on recovery or performance that I could feel until I bumped the dose to 4 gels. During those last 9 days on 4 gels my sleep and mood improved, although strength gains, as I already stated, were what I have come to expect from SizeOn. Nevertheless, my deadlift went up 40lbs and down 2 reps, my incline smith press went up 20lbs and down 2 reps. Everything went up significantly but this is also due to the nature of DC training.

Now that I think about it I would run HLG again but would do 4 gels for 45 days. I am a poor responder [or absorber ??] to most of what’s out there but if I had to choose products that might help with those additional 10% once training and diet has been put in check, HLG would be on that list. X-Factor would be too if, for some reason, I was on a low-AA diet.