My Halo Cycle...first PH Cycle

[Aznmonk]

Day 10 227.4(+4.4)

Legs/Lower Back

Yesterday I noticed my joints were dried out like a mother. Clean&press and lat raises killed my shoulders and elbows. Had to take it easy on my shoulder lifts the rest of the day which really pissed me off. Time to up my joint support and water. I ordered some bulk cissus as well. Hopefully my knees hold up for today's workout.

up your fish oil that can help a little i personally take upwards of 15-20g a day anyway its easy fat and i can get bulk generic for cheap. but besides that research a little into arthritis and see what they do to manage pain. also i suggest after some heavy bad ass lifting try and match it up with at least a small session of slow lighter weights so your joints get some more use.

 

[matt2240]

Thanks for the advice. I ended up just doing light high rep work on my front on rear delts to keep it warm and loose even though I couldn't hit it heavy. I found a great deal on bulk cissus rx so I got a tub of that to go with the fish oil. I also didn't drink as much water as I should have the day before and I think that was a major contributor.

 

[Aznmonk]

i use bulk as well i don't notice a major impact. their are lots of joint supplements. my knowledge on them are bare someone else who has more experience with them could chime in. ultimately i believe it comes down to genetics. i have had bad shoulders since i joined the military weather that is correlated or not is unknown, but shoulder issues is very common from what i understand. the cartilage and ligaments wear down and fade away removing the "lubricant" effect and chipping and creating pain in the joints. if you look at some surgery videos you can see with the naked eye the effect of damage that is done from losing those important parts to your joints

 

[matt2240]

Yeah I can definitely blame my shoulder probs on lacrosse and my military service

 

[matt2240]

Well my girl told me last night I woke up yelling in my sleep and stuff. I have no recollection of this lol. Anybody have any experience with bad sleep and/or crazy *** dreams while cycling?

 

[matt2240]

Day 11

My shoulders are still torn up from 2 days ago, but now it's only soreness, no more joint pain. I had a great lift yesterday, really torched my legs. Tonight should be a good lift. Still only noticing mild effects. Will wait til next week but if I'm still not feeling it I will consider upping the dosage earlier than I had planned.

Today will be Chest/Back
All lifts 5x6-8 unless noted otherwise
Bench Press
Pull ups as many sets as needed to do 50
Incline Press
Deadlift 3x10,6,4
Pullovers
Bent Over Row
Chest Fly
Lat Pulldown
Decline Sit Ups 5x25

 

[matt2240]

Day 12

Yesterday I finally noticed some possible ph related strength gains, but then again I was having an awesome day and it may have just been mental. Shoulder issues have gone away so I will go heavy today and see what happens. I would report weight but it has been fluctuating pretty crazy the past few days. I always weigh in first thing in the am and my day to day differences are like +- 4 lbs. I'm usually pretty consistent when weighing in am. I was 226 one day, 230 the next, then 223 this morning. I dunno what to think of it other than my body is still adjusting because my diet and water intake has been locked in.

Today's plan for my workout tonight
Arms/Shoulders
All lifts are 5x6-8 unless noted otherwise

BB Clean & Press
Stand BB Curls
Superset: DB Lat Raises
DB Incline Curls
Heavy Upright Rows 3x10,6,4
Close Grip Press
Push Presses 3x6,4,2
French Press
BB Shrugs 3xto failure
Wrist Curl
Back BB Shrugs 3xto failure
Rev Wrist Curl
Rev Crunches 5x25

 

[Aznmonk]

what is your macros or a sample of some foods from your diet looking like. also how is your aggression and do you have some taurine ready in case of pumps?

 

[peter01]

Matt, so no sides to report as of yet? Other than the joint issues?

 

[matt2240]

Yeah, I mean I have a little acne but nothing alarming. The only bad side so far is just dry @ss joints.

 

[matt2240]

what is your macros or a sample of some foods from your diet looking like. also how is your aggression and do you have some taurine ready in case of pumps?

300g carb 300g protein >90g fat 3000-3500 cals

Lunch today was grilled chicken breast, green beans, and a banana.

I have plenty of taurine on hand. Week 3 was planning on starting taurine daily 2g an hour prior to lifting and spreading out another 2g throughout the day.

 

[MavGoose]

Just sub'd this, think you have a great thread going Matt. I am planning on running the exact same cycle in the near future so I am interested in how your results. Sounds like its going well though, keep killing it man!

 

[matt2240]

Just sub'd this, think you have a great thread going Matt. I am planning on running the exact same cycle in the near future so I am interested in how your results. Sounds like its going well though, keep killing it man!

Talk to me goose......lol, glad to have you.

 

[matt2240]

Oh and as far as aggression is concerned. I have been feeling like the alpha male. Not so much aggressive behavior but my confidence is through the roof.

 

[matt2240]

Day 15 227.4(+4.4)

Week 3
Halo 75mgED
Stano 800mgED

Had a descent weekend. Got plenty of rest. I didn't lift Saturday due to weather. It snowed a ton and my mustang would never had made it to the gym. Sunday I did experience some crazy lethargy in the afternoon. I napped from 5-8 then went to bed at 9. Today is the first day of week 3 so I upped the stano to 800. I'm excited for the halo to truly kick in this week.

Today's plan Chest/Back
All lifts 3x10-12 unless noted otherwise
Bench Press
Pull-ups x50
Incline Press
Bent-Over Row
Pullovers
Deadlift 3x10,6,4
DB Chest Fly
Cable Row
Decline Sit-Ups 5x25

Stationary Bike lvl 10 for 20 min

 

[abformulations]

How u dosing your stano? This week on is where it's good

 

[matt2240]

I'm dosing it same as halo. Half at 9 am/pm. Stano I'm running 600/600/800/800/1000/1000

 

[matt2240]

Day 16 229.0(+6.0)

I'm thinking I will only go maybe 65% on shoulders today as they are still feeling a little rough but I plan on killing it on arms. I have been slacking on cardio so I will definitely pick that back up this week as well. Overall feeling great with no sides other than some joint issues.

This afternoon will be Arms/Shoulders
All lifts will be 3x8-12 unless noted otherwise
BB Clean & Press
Standing BB Curls
DB Lat Raises
Incline DB Curls
Heavy Upright Rows 3x10,6,4
Preacher Curls
Close-Grip Press
Push Presses 3x6,4,2
French Press
BB Shrugs
Tri Pushdown
Back BB Shrugs
Wrist Curls
Rev Wrist Curls
Rev Crunches 5x25

Elliptical 30 min

 

[bfrnwr96]

You may have mentioned already, but how much Fish Oil are you taking daily?

 

[MavGoose]

I'm dosing it same as halo. Half at 9 am/pm. Stano I'm running 600/600/800/800/1000/1000

For my Halo+Stano cycle I'm considering continuing the stano for 2 weeks after I drop Halo at week 6 and run it at 1000. Something u may want to consider?

 

[matt2240]

You may have mentioned already, but how much Fish Oil are you taking daily?

3g ED

For my Halo+Stano cycle I'm considering continuing the stano for 2 weeks after I drop Halo at week 6 and run it at 1000. Something u may want to consider?

I thought about it but I don't have enough to stretch out that long but I was thinking about possibly cranking the dosage up to 1000 earlier so I use up the whole bottle.

 

[SinX]

very good stuff so far, wait another week and a half and you're gonna rip it up!

 

[matt2240]

Day 17

Legs/Lower Back

Hey guys, gonna post this really quick and get back to work. I just got a promotion at work so my normal schedule is all effed up. I normally work a split have plenty of time to lift on my break. Today, however, I'm not gonna get in to the gym until 2100. Oh well, tomorrow will suck when I'm back up at 5 but ill try to get as much sleep as I can. I would consider taking a rest day but legs really are a weakness of mine.

Leg/Lower Back Day. All lifts 3x10 unless noted otherwise.
Squats
Straight Leg DL
Weighted Lunges 3x20
Good Mornings 3x10,6,4
Leg Curls
Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise
Sit Ups 5x25


Would you rather skip a lift and get 8 hrs of sleep or lift and feel ****ty the next day? I'm just curious.

 

[bfrnwr96]

I would sleep personally.

 

[SinX]

it all depends, if you can do it without sleep, have an effective workout and then be able to rest properly afterwards, I think you can get away it; I do it a lot off and on cycle. If you're someone that needs their rest for that period of time, then I would sleep and recover. However, it all depends on how you feel just, from personal experience I'd go with it, get in a great and quick workout, eat and rest after that and you should be alright. Plus when that hella's in full effect, even through to PCT, some days will be better than others and since everyone is different, some may agree or not, but 6 hours of sleep on with a decent diet on top of working, playing, staying active is more beneficial, but you may or may not get more energy and feel better overtime.

 

[wasme]

I too would just go for it, get it done, and kill it... then rest up. It would play on my mind the entire time and I wouldn't get a good rest anyway... That said, gotta do what's best for you... Nice work so far...

 

[matt2240]

Yeah I'm gonna take gym over sleep. I am experiencing some lethargy when stuff slows down at work, but other than that it hasn't been an issue. Libido has had no issues either at this point. I can also report that so far acne and back/calf pumps have also been nonexistent. Right now I have been only hitting around 2800-3000 cals a day. I am gonna focus on eating more, but still clean. The problem is I'm used to eating very little throughout the day so I have been force feeding myself a small meal/snack every few hours. I didn't weigh in today but I felt huge yesterday. My traps were all swollen and looked like Tom hardy in warrior. They were bulging out of my shirt in the back.

 

[SinX]

Very good stuff and hopefully this won't happen too often where you feel like ish and want to get things done. Glad to hear that those sides haven't affected you and hopefully they won't be a problem in the future; however, there's a solution to everything and we got you covered.

I used to be the same exact way about eating and as long as you eat a small meal every hour or two, don't think of it as eating for enjoyment, but like an assignment and you'll get on the right track. It's ok to have a cheat meal once in a while too, of course you don't wanna put foods into your body that will be harsh on your kidneys/liver, but you're tryna get big you gotta go out once in a while and good stuff on your results so far, you're really gonna enjoy it comin up.

 

[matt2240]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't checked in the past few days. Been busy as hell. Tomorrow starts week 4 and its gonna be fuggin awesome. Halo is gonna be 100 stano 800. Time to blow up.

 

[Aznmonk]

how is the lifting going. any major sides

 

[matt2240]

Sorry my log has been slacking lately. My hours at work have changed and I'm in the process of rearranging my schedule. Right now I'm being forced by my schedule to lift during the evening rush. Fml right. Lifting has been going great, I did miss a couple days due to work. I have started getting some mild calf/forearm pumps so I upped the taurine. The only negative side that has been harsh is the lethargy. It will come in phases and only last for like 20 mins but I can hardly keep my eyes open. At first I blamed it on low blood sugar or what not but I get a snack in once an hour so it must be the phs. Bout to go lift now, leg day. Will post more later if I get a chance.

 

[SinX]

Sorry my log has been slacking lately. My hours at work have changed and I'm in the process of rearranging my schedule. Right now I'm being forced by my schedule to lift during the evening rush. Fml right. Lifting has been going great, I did miss a couple days due to work. I have started getting some mild calf/forearm pumps so I upped the taurine. The only negative side that has been harsh is the lethargy. It will come in phases and only last for like 20 mins but I can hardly keep my eyes open. At first I blamed it on low blood sugar or what not but I get a snack in once an hour so it must be the phs. Bout to go lift now, leg day. Will post more later if I get a chance.

I know how that goes, it sucks, but hopefully you'll adapt fine; missing a workout here and there ain't gonna kill ya and just make up for it when you can. If it's getting to that point, take taurine 3g pre and 3g post workout also make sure to get in potassium (2-3 banana's or pills) that'll aid with the pumps and give you energy as well as b6/b12.

I forgot but this is without a test base right? Might be the hella kicking in, just give it a bit of time, stay active, drink loads of water and hopefully that'll pass by quickly as well. However, off and on ain't bad at all, that could be from several different things (or mental); I thought it was perpetual lethargy. Are you noticing any other sides or no?

 

[matt2240]

The lethargy is the only neg side. I average about two bananas a day and also have a potassium and b complex I take. And no I'm not running a test base. I started taking hemavol yesterday because it is stim free so I could avoid bp issues. Oh my lord, the past two days I have had the most epic pumps ever. I'm talking full body, skin splitting awesomeness. I normally wear supper baggy clothes to the gym because I love that wow response I get when I hide all year until the summer, I left the gym and shirt was completely filled out, it looked like I shopped at baby gap. I should have taken a pic but I was too pumped to get home and make the lady's panties drop, I knew she wouldn't resist me looking like a beast lol. I would definitely recommend hemavol as an on cycle pwo alternative. I've heard great things about stacking it with craze while off cycle so I might give that a shot this summer. I know I'm getting ahead of my self but I'm thinking of a epi,clen cut mid to late summer, and a dmz trenazone bulk this fall.

 

[SinX]

The lethargy is the only neg side. I average about two bananas a day and also have a potassium and b complex I take. And no I'm not running a test base. I started taking hemavol yesterday because it is stim free so I could avoid bp issues. Oh my lord, the past two days I have had the most epic pumps ever. I'm talking full body, skin splitting awesomeness. I normally wear supper baggy clothes to the gym because I love that wow response I get when I hide all year until the summer, I left the gym and shirt was completely filled out, it looked like I shopped at baby gap. I should have taken a pic but I was too pumped to get home and make the lady's panties drop, I knew she wouldn't resist me looking like a beast lol. I would definitely recommend hemavol as an on cycle pwo alternative. I've heard great things about stacking it with craze while off cycle so I might give that a shot this summer. I know I'm getting ahead of my self but I'm thinking of a epi,clen cut mid to late summer, and a dmz trenazone bulk this fall.

Without a test base or something like stano, lethargy is one of halo's notorious sides, some days will be better than others, but you gotta push and fight through that. Haven't heard of hemavol, but def gonna check it out, I guess don't go over a scoop and I'd probably save that for the harder days, but if it doesn't feel like it's affecting you in a negative way play it by ear.

Hahaha don't worry sound just like me by jumping the gun, but no worries, as long as you have patience and wait the off time, then it's all good. epi + clen would be a nice cut, epi + tren would be pretty nice as well and dmz + tren str8 nasty. Easily plan that out like this time on + pct = time off, so 10 weeks off another full cycle/pct + time off around 3-4 months so as long as you have everything prepared and you waited the allotted time period(s), don't see why not.

 

[wasme]

Informative updates.. Definitely helping me with planning my run in May....

 

[chico1]

What is it that causes the lethargy from hdrol? I was under the impression that the lethargy kicks in when your body shuts down its natural production of test, but goes away after a day or so once your body gets acustomed to the hdrol doing its thing. However this wouldn't make sense if the lethargy lasted longer than a brief stunt...anyone know the mechanics/science behind the hdrol lethargy?

 

[matt2240]

Sorry, for not updating. I've been traveling for work. I've still been getting my gym time in, but my diet took a hit. I'm still eating clean just not getting enough. I've been barely getting over maint with my cals. Weight is holding steady at 226 but my bf is down 3%. So this bulk turned into a recomp which is fine by me, better for a pre summer cycle anyways. Overall this cycle has been awesome. I've made some pretty steady strength gains with no sides to speak of. I'll try to keep this going through the end of pct. btw today is arms and shoulders.

 

[bfrnwr96]

Did you end up bumping to 100mgs at week 4 or 5?

 

[matt2240]

I bumped to 100 at week 4. This week I'm at 100 halo, 1000 stano

 

[wasme]

Any sides to note.. or all smooth?

 

[AllVested]

Just wanted to jump in and say i appreciate the thread... this is all really helpful stuff... I'm considering a similar cycle minus the stano after the summer... first cycle for me too... I had planned on nolva 40/40/20/20 but will wait to see your 20/20/10/10 results...

 

[matt2240]

No sides so far. I start my final week tomorrow. Since it has been so mild I will run this last week at 1200 stano to finish off the bottle and 125 halo. Currently sitting at 230 with a 3% bf drop.

 

[wasme]

Very nice indeed...

 

[SinX]

No sides so far. I start my final week tomorrow. Since it has been so mild I will run this last week at 1200 stano to finish off the bottle and 125 halo. Currently sitting at 230 with a 3% bf drop.

No sides at all and all those gains, I'd say just about perfect; did exactly what I did, plus, was going to suggest, to go all out on the last week. At this point, if you don't notice anything that's odd, you're gtg and as long as you're on point, your PCT will be smooth sailing. 3% bf drop great work bro!

 

[Brown Bastard]

Pct

If you do 6 weeks of 50/50/75/75/75/75 when do you start taking the pct?

 

[abformulations]

If you do 6 weeks of 50/50/75/75/75/75 when do you start taking the pct?

The next day

 

[SinX]

just about done, how's that treatin ya over there?

 

[matt2240]

Hey guys, sorry I fell off but work got crazy. Today was my last day of pct. I finished the cycle keeping all 10 lbs I put on plus the 3% bf drop. It was a perfect cycle. No sides even at high doses, then again I'm a really big guy so that helps. I put on 3 lbs in pct. I loved it. Already planning a end of summer bulk. Thinking sdmz and tren. Thanks for all the support. Huge shutout to sinx.

 

[wasme]

Thanks for the update, was wondering how things went. That is awesome!

 

[SinX]

Hey guys, sorry I fell off but work got crazy. Today was my last day of pct. I finished the cycle keeping all 10 lbs I put on plus the 3% bf drop. It was a perfect cycle. No sides even at high doses, then again I'm a really big guy so that helps. I put on 3 lbs in pct. I loved it. Already planning a end of summer bulk. Thinking sdmz and tren. Thanks for all the support. Huge shutout to sinx.

no worries at all and sounds like a perfect cycle indeed, very good ish brotha! 10lbs and losing 3% from hdrol is actually quite impressive, especially with no sides, even better ya know. Hit up that PCT just as intensely as your cycle, if not, hit PCT harder so you'll keep all those gains.

DMZ + tren, ish is gonna be beast, make sure you throw in a test base with an AI; I'm pretty much running that now as my second half of my cycle begins: Test+Tren+SD+Winny = disgusting hahah, if you have any questions please feel free to PM or post it in one of these logs and I got you.