Real Power Can't Be Given

[Cardinal]

Day 34
August 27, 2004

Bodyweight: 203
Food: 4200
Sleep: 9 hours

Training

DB OH Press
60x9, 70x7, 70x2x8(failure, both)*
*had problems completing the sixth rep on both sets. Very weird. Focused better and got the last two solidly though. 4th set was really taxing.
Incline Bench
175x3x5(+1 rep since 8/11/04)
HS Decline
160x9, 160x9(failure)
Extensions
35x2x11(to failure on both)
DB Laterals
35x9, 40x5(ugly, someone was using the 35's)
Pushdowns
75x2x11(+2 reps solid)

Notes

Several things I want to mention. About this workout...One thing I wanted to test was carryover from greatly increasing overhead pressing strength to my regular benching. No chest cramping today, so I could do that. Incline went up some as expected. Probably could have squeezed out another rep if I hadn't trained OH Pressing just before doing the exercise. I guess I am seeing what one would expect. Shoulders felt really solid under the weight with 175 on the bar. Wasn't getting much extra help from chest though.

Toward the end of the workout, I felt a second wind of sorts. I dosed the M5AA a bit awkwardly due to my class schedule today so that may be the cause. Good feeling though and gave me a lot more tricep strength and lateral strength than I expected to have.

Also, should have made note of this earlier. Up until the time b/w weeks 3 and 4, I had much stronger libido than normal at all times. Now it has slowly but steadily tapered down to a normal level. This might be a sign of some shutdown as I am closing in on the sixth week. Not sure what to make of it. No noticeable shrinkage to report thusfar, so I am not too concerned.

I have made note that my bodyweight is far more stable than normal. I usually experience major flucuations and had figured the Nolva, M5AA and 1-T were the cause. Looking at my diet though, I realize that I have used quite a few polyols that I believe are not metabolised quite like other cho. Just a note for the record. That might be another little confounding variable for why I seem to be able to push 4500 cals sometimes and not end up that much heavier. The polyols are great concerning regularity (and hence keep food bloat down in mornings) and are not as easily stored as glycogen from what I understand.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 35
August 28, 2004

Bodyweight: 203
Food: 4200
Sleep: 8.5 hours

Training

HS Isolateral Pulldowns
250x5, 260x2x5, 245x6, 245x5
Alternating Front DB High Pulls*
70'sx11, 80'sx2x6, 80'sx7
Curls
55x9(no change)
Calves (leg press)
630x5xvarious reps
Abs
6 sets, upper/lower**

*I am really growing to like this exercise. It seems to put an equal emphasis on biceps, traps, shoulders and a bit of lats. I don't get too much fatigue in any one muscle and it feels really good on joints.
**I can finally train abs again without pain/cramping. Felt good.

Notes

Motor learning on the pulldowns is definitely at a standstill. In fact, I wasn't noticeably stronger on any of the lifts I trained. It doesn't worry me too much though. I felt a good sort of soreness throughout my body/joints. My whole back was still sore from deadlifting and my upperbody is feeling it from yesterday. Tomorrow will be a much needed day off. No problems sleeping lately as I have been hitting a good 8 hours+ a night now for a while.

Based on how my body responds over the course of the next week, I will finalize plans for pct. I am still planning on experimenting with the clen and will also add in creatine. If I get any cramping from the clen, I will likely forgoe its further use. Three weeks+ of cramping is more than enough for me on any cycle!

 

[Cardinal]

Day 37
August 30, 2004

Sleep: 9 hours
Food: 4500+

Training:

Squats
215x4, 240x5, 240x3x4, 185x2x9
Leg Press
450x10, 470x7, 480x2x6
SLDL
275x10, 315x2x7, 335x5, 315x2x5

Notes

Those three exercises are about all I need to train legs. Felt good training today, but strength increase was nominal at best. I am stalling out on most all the lifts I am training. That usually means it is a diet or sleep problem, not a training issue. But this time I know I am ingesting far too many cals as is. I haven't used any nicotine the last couple of days and my appetite really took off. If it is a training issue, I plan to handle it by keeping volume as high as feasible until the end of my cycle, then dropping down a bit to kick off pct.

Within the next few days, I want to get a consistent and accurate weight measurement. I would actually be quite pleased if it turns out to be a kcal issue b/c that would mean I could really overeat on this stack and not see fat gain. Wishful thinking, I know...

 

[Cardinal]

Day 38
August 31, 2004

Bodyweight: 204
Food: 4000+
Sleep: 9 hours

Training

DB OH Press
70x2x8(failure)
Incline Bench
180x3x5(+5 lbs)
Decline Bench
175x9, 185x7
CGBP
185x5
DB Laterals
35x2x9(no change)
Pushdowns
80x9, 80x2x8
Extensions
35x11
Flies
45x13, 45x12

Finished w/10 minutes incline walking

Notes

Still not a bit of strength increase in overhead pressing. Same goes for laterals and tricep work as well. As expected, inclines got a bit easier and I could do almost as much on incline as flat bench. Very typical for me. I find it fairly interesting that there isn't noticeable carryover from strengthening both triceps and delts quite a bit on this cycle.
I am still racking my brain to try and figure out what has caused this temporary stall. I don't think reducing 4AD amounts to 200mg ed would have done it, but it could have contributed.

Just gotta reiterate what an awesome workout deadlifting is. The whole back side of my body from neck to toe is sore in a good way from yesterday's work. 6 sets of deads feels like more work than all sets of rows, pullups, curls, high pull etc combined. Maybe that is what is taxing my recovery lol.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 39
September 1, 2004

Food: 4900
Sleep: 9 hours
Training: Off*

*Decided to take an extra day off to recover better from deadlifting before doing my usual pulling workout.

Day 40
September 2, 2004

Training:

Pullups
207x9(+3 reps since 8-12), 207x8, 207x6
HS Isolateral Pulldowns
260x2x5
Curls
55x8(-1 rep)
DB High Pulls
80x2x8(+1 rep), 90x4
Abs
4 sets reverse crunches

Notes

My cycle is coming to a close in 3 days. I plan to use those days to dry out a bit and see what kind of progress I have made thus far in terms of body comp changes. The way I look at it, this will be my only chance to take accurate measurements before the end of pct. I have decided against using clen to kick off pct. It is too likely to induce cramping imo and I can try it out any other time effectively. Instead, I will be adding creatine at around 5g/day. I haven't used it in a long time so I should see some results from it.

I ate far more than usual these last few days and am curious if I put on any fat. My guess is I probably did! Strength was still pretty stagnant today, though the day off definitely helped. My joints were a bit sore though coming into the workout. Overall, it has been a good cycle. I'll write more conclusions/notes when I get time.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 42
September 4, 2004

Morning Bodyweight: 195
Food: Protein
Sleep: 7 hours

Training

Lots of depletion work

Squats
240x3x4, 185x12, 185x10
Partial Deads
295x8, 275x2x11
Leg Press
360x15, 360x2x10
Leg Extensions
150x17, 150x14, 150x12
Leg Curls (new machine)
90x20, 90x15, 90x15
Calves & Abs
3x40, 1 set abs

Notes

As noted, did a bit of depletion work today. I'll record tomorrow how low my weight drops after 3 days cho depletion and take some measurements then. I felt pretty toasted after this workout without much food. Got what felt like a bit of endorphin rush though, kind of like a runner's high which is nice. The last 2 depletion days were not so pleasant. Kind of a shock going so low cal after so long bulking. Used plenty of E HCL and Nicotine along with my usual fiber shakes to keep some satiety and avoid going crazy.

 

[Cardinal]

Since I have a little time on my hands, I figured I might write a few quick notes/conclusions regarding my cycle which is essentially done now. First post, I'll address strength gains...

Strength Increases:

Pullups
195x7 (7-28-04)
207x9 (9-2-04)
+10-15 pounds

Chins
270x1 (9-11-04)
20 pound PR

Squat
205x4 (7-30-04)
240x4 (9-4-04)
+35 pounds

265x3x1 (9-9-04)
All-time PR


DB OH Press
60'sx6 (7-30-04)
70'sx8 (8-31-04)
+20-25 pounds total

HS Leg Curls
75'sx2x7 (7-26-04)
100'sx8 (8-26-04)
+50 lbs total

Deads - A bit stronger but not much
Flat Bench - No noticeable strength increases

HS Dips
250x10 (7-30-04)
285x10 (8-23-04)
+35 pounds

Curls
50'sx6 (7-28-04)
55'sx8 (9-2-04)
+10-15 lbs total

I'll add a few more lifts into this as I get a chance to test them for strength capacity. I picked the dates I did to try and get an accurate assesment of progress, keeping as many variables the same as I could.

 

[Cardinal]

Now, some notes on the different compounds I used...

M1T

Ran this compound for 16 days total @ 5mg each day, taken in the morning. Most of the anabolism I experienced in this cycle came from the M1T as did a fair amount of my strength gains. I noticed almost all of the commonly reported side effects, but most were mild/moderate. The worst by far was cramping in all my pushing muscles, particularly chest. Unfortunately, I don't have bloodwork while on this compound, but I will get it done toward the end of pct to establish a baseline. I am going to give it quite a while before I use this compound again. Right now I am thinking, early January or late December. Next time I plan to run far higher K+ and Mg+ dosages to see if the cramping can be reduced. Though a very dangerous compound for many reasons, I have to conclude the gains were worth it so long as my bloodwork doesn't come back shot all to hell. Got a bit of gyno symptoms from the combo M1T/4AD. Easily controlled by Nolvadex. Appetite suppression was pleasant. I did find that exhorbitant amounts of food volume was not really a good idea while using this compound. The kickstart worked really well overall, and I didn't notice much shrinkage. Libido was reduced in weeks 5-6 (sans M1T), but still plenty strong.

Final important note: M1T kicked in right at day six. No sooner, no later. That info might be particularly helpful to some as I imagine it will vary quite a bit from one person to the next. Next time, I may bump the dose to 7.5-10mg for the first few days to see if I can get it to kick in faster and then immediately drop back down to 5mg.

One really cool thing, once M1T did kick in, I could pretty much expect some increase in strength on literally everything I trained almost irrespective of recovery time I gave it. So for people who are reading this and haven't run such a strong compound I would advice to figure out exactly what strength gains you want (which lifts/rep ranges etc) b/c you can probably expect to achieve what you set out to while on. For example, I was getting quite a bit stronger training coc grippers while on. M5AA/1-T/4AD didn't quite produce those results. And that is a pretty strength specific movement.

1-Testosterone
Once again pleased with this compound. Kicked in about the start of the third week as is typical for everyone. As far as I can tell its reputation for lean gains is quite intact. I may bump the dosage to 300mg next bulk cycle or go with 1-Test cyp. Lethargy wasn't bad, onset within an hour of application.

4-AD
Again fairly typical results. Good for libido. Good for strength. Probably shouldn't have dropped from 400mg to 200mg as I fear it may be a small part of my strength stall-out the last 10 days or so. Got a lot of puffiness from it though. Had to take nolvadex quite a bit to keep it down. Next cycle I will likely keep 300-400 mg, but would consider running an AI with it or just doing nolva from the get-go.

M5AA
Pretty good results with this compound. Don't want to speculate too much, but I think it may have taken a while to kick in. Only negative side effect I noticed was some chest acne. Barely worth mentioning. This is definitely a pleasant addition. I like the 40mg 1-1.25 hours pre-workout and 80+ mg/day total dosing.

I think that covers all the compounds I took pretty much, lol. I'll add more to this post as I reach further conclusions. A lot of the info is scattered throughout my log already.

I am not sure what caused the big-time strength stall the last week or so. It wasn't lack of sleep, nor lack of calories/protein (polyols may have inhibited absorption though). Might have overtrained slightly there toward the end. I'll have more info as I fix the problem throughout pct.

Overall, wouldn't mind running this cycle again. All compounds living up to their respective reputations.

-Cardinal

 

[Cardinal]

Ok, so my ability to take bodycomposition measurement is definitely subpar. It might help if I measured bodyparts other than just waist and arms. I need to work on this. Anyhow, here is what I am getting...

Date Taken: July 22, 2004
Minimum Depleted BW: 180 lbs
Height: 6'2"
Waist: 33.5"
Arms: 14.6, 14.75" = L,R
Days to Depletion: 5

Date Taken: September 5, 2004
Minimum Depleted BW: 195 (+15 lbs)
Height: Still 6'2"
Waist: 34.75 (+1.25")
Arms: 15 7/8, 15 3/8 = L,R (+51/40", +5/8" = L,R)
Days to deplete: 3 (depleted legs significantly)

I am definitely happy with the weight gain, but I am not sure how accurate the numbers are. Specifically, not sure why my left bicep seems to have grown so much more than right. I also expected a drop in scale weight from yesterday to today, but that didn't so much happen. Waist was stagnant also. Makes me think I may be holding some food/water still.

If I backsolve using 1/4" per lb bodyfat increase, I come up with roughly 10 lbs increase lbm. I think some of this is glycogen/water retention. If I had to venture a wild guess, I would say I netted maybe 6-7 lbs muscle or thereabouts. In any event I am happy with it. Just bugs me a little that I didn't use calipers and take a bit more accurate tape measurements.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 44, PCT Week 1
September 6, 2004

Well, this is day 2 of my PCT. It will look like this for the curious:

Weeks 1-2: 60mg Tamoxifen Citrate (40mg Nolvadex)
Weeks 3-4: 30mg Tamoxifen Citrate (20mg Nolvadex)
Weeks 1-4: 1050 mg Milk thistle/ED

I am going to run ~10g Creatine/ED, E/C and N for appetite suppression as needed. Right now I am thinking 3500 calories/day, protein 1.5-2 g/lb lbm. I am going to try something a bit different diet-wise, aimed mainly at overcoming my tendency to binge. Basically, I am going to set a calorie limit/meal and not exceed it. Right now I will start with 350/meal and go with 10 meals/day. Each will have 150 cals of protein and whatever else I want, mainly carbs. If I have to combine two meals at the end of the day, that won't be a problem.

Also, based on my training notes for the past few sessions, I am going to make a couple of alterations that I think will break my strength gaining stall. Plan is to train the lifts I am stuck on at maintenance while working on increasing strength on similar movements. Basic exercise variation. We'll see how it works out. I know to expect much slower strength accretion now. Gotta get used to that for a little while, lol. Here is today's training.

Training

DB OH Press
70x8(failure), 70x5
Incline Bench
185x3x5(+5lbs)
Decline Bench
190x2x8(+5 lbs)
Laterals
35x2x8(-1 rep)
Extensions
35x13(+2 reps), 35x12(+1)
Pushdowns
80x2x8
Flies
45x15, 50x11

I am going to keep updating this through the end of pct, at the very least recording workouts so I have a soft copy of them and can compare what happens to strength etc. So you guys get to put up with me for a while longer in this thread. I'll make pertinent notes as needed.

-Cardinal

 

[Cardinal]

Day 45
September 7, 2004

Training:

Pullups
206x9, 206x2x7
Low Rows
220x12, 240x10, 260x10, 280x6(cheating on all)
DB High Pulls
90x4, 80x2x9(+1 rep)
Curls
55x8
Abs
1x20

Notes

Got the worst ab cramp I have ever had after my first set of ab work. I stood up and went to grab another weight plate to put under the machine to elevate it and every muscle in my abdomen completely cramped up. I just stood there in shock about a minute, then remembered to start massaging the area. Glad I thought of that otherwise I would probably still be standing there motionless. People must have thought I was crazy rubbing on myself for like 5 minutes. For the first time in my life I definitely felt what rock hard abs feel like. Finally what ended it was when I leaned really far back and extended the stomach muscles out. Now I know what real muscle cramps can do to a person. I would not enjoy one like that in my quad!

I have been using very large amounts of K+ and Mg+, along with 1-2 gallons/day water/fluid intake. Cramps in my chest, shoulders and quads are gone as a result. No problems training bench as I did on M1T. This one really took me by surprise and seems to be precipitated only by that one set. I don't plan on training direct abs for a while.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 47
September 9, 2004

Leg Day

Squats
135x8, 185x4, 215x4, 230x1, 250x1 = warmups
265x1,1,1 (5lb PR), 225x2x6, 225x5, 185x8
Partial Deads
315x5, 295x9, 285x10, 295x9
Leg Press
410x8, 410x9, 410x8
Calves
630x3 sets

No complaints about this workout. Health permitting, I am going to train singles first in the squat for a while hoping to drive limit strength up a bit using single progression by increasing sets then bumping weight. Idea taken straight from Ditillo's Development of Physical Strength. 265 felt good. Depth was fine. 225 was the goal weight I wanted to be able to train with comgortably, and I am in that range now. Feels good. I included warmups to track how I build up to the near max singles.

 

[cr4ytonic]

Calves
630x3 sets

Damn!

 

[Cardinal]

Day 48
September 10, 2004

Bodyweight: 195 (this has been steady due to nolva)

Push

Incline Bench
190x5(+5), 200x3, 185x5, 135x12
Decline Bench
200x6, 196x6, 195x4
DB OH Press
70x5, 65x7, 60x10, 65x6
Extensions
40'sx6, 40'sx4 (trying to move up from the 35's)
Pushdowns
80x8, 80x2x7
Laterals
35x9, 30x13

September 11, 2004

Chins
270x1 (+20 lb PR)

Notes

Stronger. Inclines are treating me well. Finally got around to doing a little max effort work on chins at home. Got the 270 solid. I'll add that to my updated lifts as I feel all that strength gain was on cycle. Goal is to hit a 300 lb chin-up. Plan is to see if I can add another 10-20 lbs by years end. I'll start training pullups weighted if I can remember to bring my dip belt with me from time to time. 20 lb gain isn't too bad considering I never trained reps lower than 5 on the pullups.

I haven't noticed a need to decrease training volume yet. Main adjustments include switching which lifts I focus on and training for strength early in the workout. Volume/higher rep stuff done at the end. Pretty typical.

Chest cramped up on the declines. I may not train that lift anymore for awhile. Don't want to tear a pec. I might put something wimpy like flies in its place. I don't want to start training dips again just yet. Need longer break on those.

Calves
630x3 sets

Damn!

Waiting on a seated calf machine that is supposed to appear in my gym at some point. When I am not too lazy I load up the leg press. Haven't really found a better way to train calves yet. So I just use fairly loose form and high weight/reps on leg press

 

[SJA]

Looking good Card!!! After the water dripped off you've been holding very steady and keeping strength. Awesome job!!

 

[Cardinal]

Yep. I am definitely happy with the weight. I don't think I would drop below about 190 carb restricted based on waist measurements (I know I didn't lose fat on cycle, had to gain some).

 

[Cardinal]

Day 50,
September 12, 2004

Pull

Backpack Pullups
216x6, 226x3
231x3 (3RM)
226x3, 216x5, 199x6, 199x2x5
HS Isolateral Pulldowns
230x7, 230x6, 230x2x5
HS High Rows
200x6, 180x8, 180x7, 180x6
Curls
50'sx7, 50'sx6, 45'sx6
HS Low Rows
200x10, 200x9

Notes

Felt pretty good today, so I did a bit more volume than normal. Noticed that the Hammer Strength machines felt great on my joints as I progressed through the workout. I have done a lot of weighted chins, but I think this is the first time I have really trained weighted pullups.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 51
September 13, 2004

Push

Flat Bench
175x9, 165x9, 155x7
HS Decline
160x6, 140x7
HS Incline
140x10, 140x9, 140x8
DB OH
60x10, 60x9, 60x7, 55x9
HS Triceps
100x2x10, 100x7
HS Laterals
25x12, 27.5x10

Notes

Man I felt like a powerhouse on the bench, lol. Couldn't quite make the 10 reps with 175 as planned. Weakness. Goal for this workout was to just do a light workout with high reps and quite a bit of volume. Gym was packed but a lot of the hammerstrength equipment was open so that is what I went with. It was a nice change. For the type of training I am doing now I am finding I need at least 4-5 days for full recovery. Looking forward to leg day tomorrow, then some off time from training.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 52
September 14, 2004

Squat Day

Squats
270x2x1(5lb PR),
265x1
230x5
225x5
195x8, 195x7, 185x7, 185x7
Leg Press
410x8, 390x8, 390x7, 380x7, 360x7
SLDL
255x10, 245x8

Notes

Not a big jump on squats, but I felt stronger. First single with 270 went up without problems. Second, core strength gave out a little and my form started to waiver a bit, so I dropped back down to 265 and got the third single easily. I'd estimate maybe 2-3 lb increase in limit strength in 5 days. Gonna continue the plan of single progression using sets and hold at 265-270 until I can get at least 4-5 consecutive singles before bumping to 275. I would like to hit that number in 10-20 days if possible. Training natty does mean slower progression even when I feel I have things dialed in fairly well.

Tried something a bit different on the leg press. I let my legs come all the way down and hit my chest for support. Back rounded a bit. It reduced the pressure on my knee joints which is a good thing and I felt it a bit more in my quads pushing through the larger range of motion.

I am finally wising up a little and realizing that as it gets later in my workout and I am doing volume work, I need to reduce the weight lifted to about 70% of my 1RM. That is pretty much what I ended up with doing deads and leg presses today and it felt far safer. Same thing happened with my last pressing workout. Increasing volume and shortening rest breaks slightly takes some getting used to. I need to be strong enough mentally to drop the weight to where I know it needs to be to get in a safe workout.

 

[Kraziplaya]

I have really enjoyed reading ur progression.... keep it up.... sounds good

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks krazi! Even when I don't post I get more feedback here in a week than I do in a month on one other journal forum. lol.

Day 55
September 17, 2004

I took two full days off from the gym to rest and recover and was pretty pumped coming into yesterday's workout. I purposefully repeated the exact workout I did on 9-12 with ludicrously high volume. It took a full five days before my biceps felt in condition to train again, lol. I lost no strength at all, but wasn't noticeably stronger either. I am not too discouraged about the lack of pullup progress b/c it really takes me a long time to add weight to that even while on. Noticed a bit of an increase in work capacity, that is all. I am going to continue with the high volume approach and give it plenty of time to see how it works for me. At worst I know when I do drop volume down strength gains should shoot up. Good old periodization.

I dropped nolva dosage down to 20mg/day now as I am into the third week of PCT. Sleep has not been the best, but I have hit the 7 hour mark consistently. Diet has been on target. Probably about 3800 kcals/day. It has really helped eating every 1-1.5 hours. I have been making about 1.25 gallons oats to take with me to university each day along with all whole food protein sources (tuna and not much else). I have focused on eating around the clock. Even started an early morning meal when I naturally wake up. Protein totals have been near/over 400g/day for the last week. Tendency to binge is greatly reduced. I am using about 12-16mg Nicotine/day as well. No caffeine, E HCL or other stims. Here is the w/o, and I am off to study...

Pull

32 working sets + warmups

Pullups(8)
221x4, 201x2 (warmups)
231x3, 226x3x3(failure on last)
201x6, 201x2x5(failure on last)
HS Isolateral Pulldowns(5)
230x7, 220x7, 210x7, 200x7, 180x8
HS High Row(4)
200x7, 180x8, 180x2x7
Shrugs(5)
110x11, 100x10, 90x3x10
Curls(3)
50x6, 45x7, 40x8
Forearms(4)
HS Low Row(1)
200x10

 

[Cardinal]

Day 56
September 18, 2004

Push

Morning BW: 200 lbs
Work sets: 23

Incline Bench(7)
190x3, 205x2(failed on third)
185x5, 175x5, 165x5, 155x7, 145x7, 135x10
DB OH Press(4)
60x2x8, 55x9, 55x8
Laterals(3)
30x3x10
HS Dips(3)
250x2x9, 250x8
Extensions(2)
35x9, 35x6
Flies(1)

Wanted the 205x3 on Incline pretty bad, but it just wasn't happening today. I felt shaky on the second rep and didn't come close on the third. Will try again next time. I was just going to train incline and oh pressing today but at the last minute decided to throw in tricep work as well. I did then all in straight sets as listed with less rest time than normal (2minutes).

Traps are already fairly sore. Lats, biceps and forearms will follow shortly after yesterdays training. Gotta admit, I do like that feeling. It is a bit addictive. I'll go ahead and hit 4000 kcals over the next 2-3 days just to make sure I am getting enough for this much volume.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 57
September 19, 2004

Training: Legs
Work Sets: 16

Squat
270x1, 265x1, 245x3, 225x6, 225x3x5
Leg Press
450x8, 450x7, 450x6
Calves
630x4 sets
HS Leg Curls
100x8, 100x6

Notes

270 felt quite heavy and I wasn't able to attempt multiple singles with it as planned. So I backed down. Also reduced volume on the squat and leg press from last session. The volume I did put in was more strength oriented. We'll see if it helps next go round.

Bodyweight is still moving upward. I overate a bit yesterday, putting away close to 5000 kcals.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 59
September 21, 2004

Training: Pull
Work Sets: 29

HS Isolateral Pulldowns(3)
265x5(+5lbs), 260x6(+1 rep), 260x5
Pullups(3)
203x6, 203x4, 202x5
Shrugs(3)
110x11, 110x2x10
HS High Rows(4)
200x8, 180x9, 170x2x7
HS Low Rows
200x10
Curls
55x5, 45x9, 45x7
SLDL
245x6, 225x12, 245x2x10
Forearms
5 sets
Extra Tricep work
5 sets

Notes

Things are going well. I have only been getting 6-7 hours sleep a night since this is an exam week. Strength was up on yesterdays workout on nearly every exercise compared to previous workout. With the higher volume work, I can tell right when DOMS kicks in. It hit roughly the 24 hour mark after training. Whole back half of body is sore. Bodyweight has been steadily rising. Calories not less than 4000/day. I think that has made the biggest difference. Protein intake over 400g/day at this point.

Libido is now somewhat stronger than it was pre-cycle. Nolva has done its job (that and very high calories)! Looking forward to training oh pressing again tomorrow. I want to see if I can hit 205x3 on incline. Gonna eat up and try to get a good night's sleep in preparation.

As a general note (not cycle related) I am still noticing some shedding of hair that started back in February. I think it may have been due to extended dieting but not sure. I am going to take a more proactive stance and hit up some minoxidil, and spiro/nizoral, finasteride. I'll probably use protectants of this sort on all future m1t/1-T cycles as a precautionary measure.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 61
September 23, 2004

Training: Push
Work Sets: 13

Incline
205x2
185x2x5
DB OH Press
70x5, 65x7, 60x10
HS Dips
270x3x9
Extensions
35x11, 35x9
Laterals
35x2x9

Notes

Stronger than last time. I still had to have a bit of help to lockout the third rep w/205 on incline. Much better than last time though as the weight essentially was stapled to my chest. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. I am still hitting only 6 hours sleep a night. Need to correct this over the weekend. Nine days left on Nolva, then no more morning cough syrup =D

 

[Cardinal]

Update

I cut this log short rather abruptly when I made the decision to start a new training protocol based on Westside Principles almost three weeks ago. Since then my plan was to establish familiarity with the system and iron out enough problems to where I could effectively use it on my next bulking cycle. I wanted to make sure I could gain strength appreciably whether on or off cycle. I think I am pretty close to that point now and am making good progress box squatting and decent progress on pressing.


Plans

My six weeks of post cycle are pretty well over. I think this is day 82 of the total 84 days 6on/6off. As far as I can tell, I maintained all of my strength and lean body mass gains from the previous cycle. I used a super high volume approach for the first four weeks of PCT. It resulted in an increase in endurance strength but little improvement in limit strength. The last two weeks I spent alternating days roughly at maintenance with a little dieting thrown in. Just enough to get me back to my setpoint roughly. Enthusiasm for cutting wasn't so high.

I am going to continue this log rather than starting a new one. I believe it will be nice to see the results of two back to back cycle and make comparisons easier. I'll outline my current plan in the next post. For continuity, all of my workouts, thoughts, ramblings along with a brief stint using bromocriptine can be found in the journals at ironmagazine. The link follows.

Real Power Can't Be Given

 

[Cardinal]

Planned Cycle:

Week 1-4:
10mg M1T ED (2 divided doses 5mg morning and night)
300mg 4-AD Transdermal (T-Gel) ED
10mg Nolvadex ED

Week 5-8:
Nolvadex 40/40/20/20

Bloodwork:
Waiting on Baseline Result Drawn 10-8-04
Hoping to get another draw done 2nd-3rd week on M1T
Will include Lipid Profile and Metabolic Panel

Other Supplements
NOW Multivitamin/Multimineral
Extra B, C, E, Zn
KCl (3.5g/day minimum), Mg+(400mg), Ca+
Taurine 5g/ED
Nicotine (until I run out)
CoQ10
Hawthorne Berry Throughout (already started this)
Milk Thistle, 1050mg ED = 7 NOW brand pills
Other additions will be noted appropriately (NAC, R-ALA etc)

Hair Care:
The shedding I experience during PCT has all but stopped at this point. I think the minoxidil may have been a temporary culprit. For this coming cycle, I will be running

Spiro(CNW), Minoxidil(Equate), and Nizoral(generic 1%)

I have onhand finasteride and am considering dosing it at 2-3mg/ED but will hold off as I believe if any hair loss was caused from the androgens it was likely due to my use of 1-T and most especially M5AA at high dosages.

Personal Statistics
Age: 24
Height: 6'2"
Minimum Depleted BW: 190.5 lbs
Waist: 34.25"
Date Taken: October 9, 2004
Lifts: Current 1RM can be found here in this log or at Ironmag

Diet

Minimum Protein Intake: 2g/lb, primarily whole food sources.
Minimum Caloric Intake: 3800 Calories
Other: Low to moderate carbs, low to moderate fat

Notes For This Cycle

1) Keep a handle on Na+ intake
2) Keep a handle on total food volume
3) Planning to do what is possible to reduce risk of injury
4) Gonna be careful as all **** dealing with cramps
5) Watching closely for high BP and other crappy M1T sides
6) Will adjust training according to response to androgens
7) Will adjust androgen dosages or compounds used on an as needed basis. I have at my disposal M5AA, 1-T, 4AD and M1T. No pain free orals used this particular cycle.

Current training split and training goals to come...

 

[Cardinal]

In all fairness, I have yet to start doing any DE work and also have included an extra day on Friday to train ME pullups. My DE days are more or less light days and ME days are heavy. In addition to heavy/light days alternated, I am also alternating horizontal/vertical push/pull to some extent as well. It is possible, I may split the workouts up into AM/PM work from time to time to maximize strength potential by limiting fatigue. I am not planning on including special workouts at this point but am going to stick with the basics and the equipment I have access to.

Adapted Westside Barbell Template

Saturday
ME Squat/DL
Box Squat
Goodmornings
Quad Work
Calf Work

Sunday
DE Bench
CGBP/JM Press
HS Dips
Extensions/Pushdowns
Pulldown Abs, Rainbows, Leg Raises
Other Horizontal Pressing

Tuesday
DE Box Squat
High Box Squat/Pause Squat etc
Deads
Timed Holds
Rows/Curls

Thursday
ME Overhead Press
Military Press/Push Press/Side Press/ DB OH etc
Incline
Front/Side Laterals
Horizontal Press/Flies
Pulldown Abs, Rainbows, Leg Raises

Friday
ME Pullup/Chinup
Pulldowns/Pullups/Chins
Forearm work/ Grip Work/COC Grippers
Shrugs

Goals

Strength:

Increase Box Squat, Overhead Pressing, and limit strength on pullups/chins

Hypertrophy:

Goal is to step on scale and hit max bodyweight of 220 lbs. Current max bodyweight is 210. I want my minimum depleted bodyweight to be no less than 200 lbs. So shooting for an overall gain of 10 lbs, hopefully well partitioned.

I am going to increase frequency of bodyparts trained before adding volume. Weight will be added cautiously but consistently to the bar throughout the cycle. No strength plateau this time around!

Anyone see any glaring inconsistencies in this or anything I might have forgotten to record/make note of? Unfortunately, we are short on time for being able to legally run a cycle like this and I am looking to provide the most accurate feedback possible, taking precautionary measures as advised.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 1
October 14, 2004

Bodyweight Taken While at gym: 200.5 lbs
Blood Pressure Post Workout: 108/63

Haven't seen a reading that low on blood pressure in quite awhile.

ME Incline
115x8
135x4
155x3
185x1
205x1
215x1
225x0*
*Stalled about 4 inches off chest
Incline Bench
175x3x5
DB Overhead Press
65x6
60x10
60x8
DB Bench
70x10
70x2x9
Flies
45x2x9
JM Presses
135x9 (-1 rep)
135x7 (-1 rep)
Pulldown Abs
95lbsx22
95lbsx16
Hip Flexors/Groin started hurting again, so I switched to crunches
Crunches
3 sets (2 w/25lb plate)

Notes:

Started the 4AD yesterday and M1T today. Nolva taken at the 10mg/day dosing. Already I felt much more stable under the weight and was able to squeeze out an extra repetition here and there. Pump was good. Stronger on all movements but JM Presses compared to last week's nearly identical workout. Long rest breaks were taken between sets to maximize strength potential. I plan to continue using that approach.

Nice not having to apply transdermal 1-Test this time around. No burning now. Loving the T-Gel as always and I just put in an order for more PowerGel .

It is kind of neat having a little cycle experience under my belt. I know ahead of time the feeling I will get in the gym and how best to take advantage of it. On M1T, whatever movements I train I will likely make strength gains in so I have spent quite a bit of time these last few days making sure I pick what I most want in that category. I know that when I start feeling more stable under the weight some big gains are just around the corner if I do things right.

Unfortunately, already I am noticing increased groin muscle pain. Had the same problem last cycle and noticed it a bit during pct as well. I think it is due to the ab work. Stretching seems to help. No noticeable cramping yet though! I am really boatloading the K+, Mg+, and Taurine and crossing my fingers that it doesn't start too quick. Puts a damper on working out to some extent when I cramp up. Gotta keep cellular hydration maximal.

Mood was excellent. Mentally I am raring to go with this bulk. Probably helped that I bumped calories up several days ahead of starting my cycle this time. Starting at 4000 calories instead of 3500 or so should help a bit as well. Protein intake has been substantial (well over 400 spread evenly throughout day, all whole foods). I will be using casein as my primary powder source this time around as I believe the whey was causing me to have a dangerous hypoglycemic response and somewhat abnormal heart rhtym/arrythmia. Since I switched to whole foods that seems to have improved 100%.

 

[cr4ytonic]

Could you elaborate more on your problems with whey? If I missed that somewhere previously in the log please just tell me.

 

[Cardinal]

Absolutely. I posted this at DC's message board to see if any others experience the same problem. Just recopying it here...probably way more info that wanted. Within the last few weeks I put two and two together and am fairly certain the type of protein ingested also affects the problem. Powders, specifically whey are worse....

When I ingest too much protein in one sitting or too much in a set time frame (like over several hours), I experience a heart arrhythmia. Soon after eating a large quantity of protein, I feel jittery. When I bend over for instance, my body might twitch imperceptively. As the post-prandial hypoglycemia sets in, I first get tired and lay down to rest. Right before falling to sleep, my heart beats once really strongly and my body jumps a little. In bad cases this would happen several times over and over again. I am then wide awake and no longer have the hypoglycemia. Doesn't happen again until bedtime no matter what I ingest afterwards. Rather, I feel like it is buffered after that incident.

Upon falling asleep, I have noticed it similarly. Sometimes they were very forceful arrhythmias, sometimes mild, almost imperceptible. Sort of just like a tiny pulse feeling at some varying location in my body.

I never experienced this prior to starting bodybuilding in August/September of 2002. Nor did I ever continually ingest protein at in such high amounts. Until this past spring, I just figured it was a typical hypoglycemic response, accept that it had never happened before. So far as I can tell it depends on/is exascerbated by the following things:

1) It improves with hypocaloric dieting and gets worse when hypercaloric
2) At protein intakes below say 200g (I am guessing here) I pretty much notice no symptoms at all.
3) Protein powders, specifically whey make the condition much, much worse (can't stress enough, severity of arrythmia is bad). I believe this is due to the fast digestion rate, too much protein in a short timeframe, but I am not 100% certain.

To combat the problem:

1) I don't eat more than about 30g protein at one setting and eat many tiny meals each day. This has nearly eliminated the hypoglycemic response as well as the arrythmia and jitters that I feel when ingesting more protein at one time.
2) I am careful as evening approaches not to ingest that much protein total as it will trigger the response when I lay down to sleep. I go with even smaller servings spread out.
3) Lately I have switched to all whole food proteins as a precautionary measure and I have had very little trouble at all (not even noticeable hardly).

 

[Cardinal]

October 15, 2004

Bodyweight: 201.5(+1lb)
Blood Pressure PW/O: 123/65

Max Effort HS Pulldown
250x3
270x1
300x1
320x0 (couldn't finish w/right arm)
290x2x2(failed on 3rd rep)
Pullups/Neutral Chins
201.5x2x6
201.5x7
201.5x6
HS Pulldowns
230x6
210x9
Curls
50x8
45x9
Forearms
8 sets
COC Grippers
3 sets, best effort 12 right hand, 10 left hand #1 gripper.

Androgen Notes

*Trained calves last night. Today felt dull sort of pump throughout lower leg. Heavy feeling in calves. Expected side effect of M1T.

*Minor ab cramping already today. No pain, feels more like twitching muscles at the moment. Again expected, same as last time.

*Libido increase noticed today, day 3 on 4AD

*Minor increase in shedding of hair, but noticeable. Will now commence taking ~1.5mg Finasteride oral solution from IBE labs. Must be from the M1T.

*Pump felt very good in the gym. Pump is already at full strength. M1T is definitely showing results and sides already at the 10mg dosing.

*Appetite: Pleasantly in control after meals. No hypoglycemia at all.

*Cycle going predictably as planned. Mood still great. Complete laundry list of M1T negative side effects not yet in full force. Still waiting on quite a few of them to hit.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 3
October 16, 2004

Bodyweight: 205(+3.5lbs)
Blood Pressure P W/O: 129/70

ME Box Squat
135x5
185x1
215x1
235x1
245x1 (bad form, had to use plates as a box)
Squats
205x9
205x9
205x8
205x7
205x6
GoodMornings
175x2x5
Back Extensions
45x8
35x11
35x9
35x10
Calf Work
To be done tonight

Notes

*Side Effect to add: As I was going to sleep last night, I felt a mild pressure throughout my head. Perhaps slightly elevated blood pressure. Identical to last time. Cause: M1T

*Felt insanely stable under the weight on squats today. I could control the negative better than usual, go deeper and probably could have nearly done those with rest pause. Imagine creatine scaled up about ten or a hundred notches.

*Libido doubled again since yesterday. Appetite pretty much exploded today as well to match it. The two go hand in hand almost always for me. Indicates good test conversion from 4AD. Calories were too high today. That partly explains the weight jump. Holding a lot of water.

*Waiting anxiously. T minus three days and counting until I expect to start noticing major strength gains.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 4
October 17, 2004

Bodyweight: 211 (+6 lbs)
Blood Pressure P W/O: 125/67*

*Had some difficulty getting my arm down in the cuff. This will get interesting as I try it at heavier bodyweights. That damn thing says its made for 9-13 inch biceps.

HS Dips
290x3x8(felt solid)
CGBP
180x5
JM Press
135x2x10
135x9
Laterals
35x8(-2 off best)
EZ Bar Triceps
70x2x10(no change)
DB Bench
70x8
70x2x9
Pulldown Abs
95x30 (+8 could have kept going)
95x26 (easy, hip flexors gave out)
Weighted Crunches
25x2x18
25x15
25x14

Notes

*Water retention and bloat feels like it is maximal at this point. May have to adjust 4AD dosage at some point down the line. For now, I slightly increased nolvadex dosing as all the extra water made for a little puffiness.

*Chest cramped up on me today as I started to warm up for CGBP. From past experience I knew to move on to dips then come back for a few flat presses. The strategy worked and the cramps aren't yet as bad as they were last cycle. Still having odd stomach cramps, but again more under control. I was even able to continue training abs today.

*Strength levels the same. Minor but not major strength increases yet. This is one way I know I am really just retaining water at this point. Strength hasn't shot up but bodyweight has.

 

[SJA]

Nice log card. I was going to run somethign similar on my next cycle (just a little higher on androgen doses). I'll be 2-3 weeks behind you so I'll read along. Certainly, the M1T changed your BP pretty fast. How high has your BP gone on previous cycles?

FYI....I use the wrist BP monitor. Costco has them for $60 and it matches my Docs pretty good. Gives you the convenience of not having to roll up a sleeve or buy a larger cuff.

 

[Cardinal]

On average, I'd say I got measurements of about 117/65 which is par for me. On M1T, I got one reading that was 139/70, the rest of the time it hovered in the mid 120's/70.

So it never even got past borderline high. I am interested to see if doubling the dose or running 4 weeks will change that this time around. I'll check into the wrist cuffs. My dad has a bp monitor as well, so I have several places I can get it checked while on now.

Best of luck on your coming cycle. I figured there would be quite a few people running M1T bulkers this winters, especially giving the impending ban. I am really hoping I can get bloodwork done this time around. Haven't got my results back from my last test though, so I don't know yet.

 

[Cardinal]

Bloodwork

As promised here is my bloodwork taken fifth week post cycle (October 7, 2004), about a week or so after stopping nolvadex. I was using about 10g/day creatine at the time. Liver values slightly elevated. Check out the cholesterol numbers as well.

A/G Ratio 1.4 1.1-2.5
Albumin, Serum 4.2 3.5-5.5 g/dL
Alkaline Phosphatase, Serum 78 25-150 IU/L

ALT (SGPT) 43 0-40 IU/L
AST (SGOT) 52 0-40 IU/L

Bilirubin, Total 0.5 0.1-1.2 mg/dL
BUN 30 5-26 mg/dL
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 19 8-27

Calcium, Serum 9.6 8.5-10.6 mg/dL
Chloride, Serum 105 96-109 mmol/L

Cholesterol, Total 95 100-199 mg/dL
Creatinine, Serum1.6 0.5-1.5 mg/dL
Estimated CHD Risk < 0.5 0.0-1.0 times avg.
GGT 12 0-65 IU/L
Globulin, Total 3.0 1.5-4.5 g/dL
Glucose, Serum 75 65-99 mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol 52 40-59 mg/dL
Iron, Serum 141 40-155 ug/dL
LDH 191 100-250 IU/L

LDL Cholesterol Calc 37 0-99 mg/dL

Phosphorus, Serum 3.4 2.5-4.5 mg/dL
Potassium, Serum 5.1 3.5-5.5 mmol/L
Protein, Total, Serum 7.2 6.0-8.5 g/dL
Sodium, Serum 136 135-148 mmol/L

T. Chol/HDL Ratio 1.8 0.0-5.0 ratio units
Triglycerides 31 0-149 mg/dL

Uric Acid, Serum 4.0 2.4-8.2 mg/dL
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 6 5-40 mg/dL

 

[SJA]

Did you make sure that you didn't gobble a protein shake prior to this? Did you fast?

 

[Cardinal]

I fasted about 7 hours. Had it drawn first thing in the morning. I used directlabs.com

 

[cr4ytonic]

That is crazy with the protein & your heart. Given that you are a man and we men tend to die of heart problems, I might visit a cardiologist. (but also being a man means not going to the doctor, funny how that works out).

Thanks for giving us all the updates.

 

[Cardinal]

You are right. I probably should get checkups with a cardiologist every so often in addition to standard physical (which I am overdue for!) When I went in to the emergency room spring '03, the diagnosis was that it was a benign arrhythmia and that I was experiencing benign heart wall discomfort. Both my mother had and grandmother has a similar condition with a noticeable arrhythmia. Neither had problems with protein so far as I can tell though. But they weren't as carnivorous as I am. Other than the arrhythmia, that side of my family had clean and clear arteries, always showing good test results. In her life my mother was very obese, yet her bloodwork always came back impeccable. My readings seem to mimic hers.

I think in this case recognition and prevention may be the best route to take. I know what causes the problem and what symptoms to watch out for. Without avoiding those, tests, drugs/supplements etc. might not be all that helpful. I am glad I recognized the problem when I did. Best to remove the cause of the problem directly when possible imo. Bye bye whey!

 

[Cardinal]

Day 6
October 19, 2004

Bodyweight: 212(+1 lb)
BP: 117/56

SLDL (mid-shin) 5x5
225x5
275x5
305x5
325x5
340x5
Timed Holds
315x2 sets
High Rows
220x3x6
Curls
55x7 (-1 off best)
GM's
175x2x5
DB Rows
110'sx7(4 off best)
Forearms
45x2sets(22left/19right)
40x2x13(+1rep)
Calves
295x12
295x13
#1 COC Grippers
Best effort 18 right hand, 14 lefthand, gain of 6 reps right

Notes

*Cramping was slightly worse. I believe it is likely due to an increase in polyols over the last fews days which may have had a slight dehydration effect and might have effected nutrient absorption.

*Strength gains kicked in yesterday, day 5 of cycle. Got 6 more reps than expected with the grippers. Today, the deads felt light.

*Had to make an adjustment to training. Couldn't train box squats or any type of quad workout today due to excess joint pain. It is a new pain on the front of both knee caps. Unfortunately I think it is due to box squatting. Usually my left knee never gives me ****. New plan is to revert back to regular squatting until I resolve form issue with knees.

*I am trying planning on training calfs 3+ times per week. No problems with calf cramping from the M1T. Didn't notice much/any of that last cycle either.

*Doing the deads first in routine sapped some of my strength on the rows/curls. I was weaker than I expected. Forearm strength noticeably improved already. I have a lot of motivation to do some serious grip/forearm work this cycle for some reason.

*Mood good. Felt warm all day. No pressure in head laying down to go to sleep the last few nights. Groin pain actually improving rather than disproving like on last cycle.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 8
October 21, 2004

Bodyweight: 218(+6 lbs)
BP: 132/71

ME Incline
135x3
165x3
185x2
205x1
225x0 (few pounds worth of help)
185x4

A little ambitious with the 225. Should have just gone with 220, a more sure bet. Switching exercises next week to pure overhead work for Max Effort.

Push Press
145x3x8

Great sets. 135x10 previous best. So slightly stronger.

DB Push Press
70x8
70x7
EZ Bar Extensions
70x14
Pushdowns
80x2x8(max from last cycle)
80x7
Laterals
35x9
Weighted Situps
25x18
25x21
25x2x17
Calf Work
295x13
295x17(+4)

Notes

* Looking like I may very well explode. This is awesome! Definitely resembling goodyear blimp. Pump lasts 24 hours/day.

* I am definitely stronger in the gym but at day 8, size gains greatly overmatching strength gains by a long shot. Waist maxes out over 39 inches bloated already. Up 17.5 lbs. Caloric intake has been around 4500. Plan to continue this at least through end of second week and may lower to 4000 if gaining too much fat. Instinct and experience is telling me that the size gains are occuring mostly now and this is the time to push calories, not later.

* Highest blood pressure reading to date and I felt it. Felt hot all day long. Middle of the afternoon, I noticed increased pressure in my head, some lethargy and appetite suppression. Same exact side effect noticed last cycle. Today, I started feeling much better after drinking a few more liters water. Perhaps was dehyrated.

* If all go as predicted, I should get some mild M1T flulike symptoms within the next week. Not all together different from how I felt today.

* When I layed down on the bench to do tricep extensions, I came a hairs breath away from an ab cramp. Recognized it in time luckily and was able to avert it by getting up slowly and switching to pushdowns instead, staying upright for a few minutes. Cramping much worse in all muscles today. Ab work went okay, but I have to be careful. Couldn't bench press at all. Took 20 lb DB's to do flies and couldn't spread arms more than about 20 inches apart before bad cramping would start. Inclines okay though. Chest training may be done for the cycle, lol.

*Still noticing a lot of shedding of hair, so I am going to take action to try and slow it down. Dosage of finasteride has been 1.25mg/ED. I am going to double to the dose to 2.5mg/ED. Will bump more if needed. I am going to try to cut back on the nolvadex I am using now as I think it could be part of the problem. I need it though to keep the puffiness and tenderness down from 4AD. So I will lower dosage of 4AD temporarily to maintain balance. I don't want to stop 4AD unless absolutely necessary. It has kept libido very strong and counters M1T sides nicely.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 9
October 22, 2004

Bodyweight: 221 (+3 lbs)
BP: 137/70
Max Waist Measurement: 39.25"

HS Pulldowns
290x3x3(+1 rep)
250x7
250x6
230x8
Curls
55x6 (2 off best, still weak on these)
Shrugs
110'sx2x16(+5 reps)
110'sx15
High Rows
200x13(+1 rep)
Wrist Curls
50x2x14 (+5 lbs, not as many reps)
Hammer Forearms
45x9
45x8
Reverse Wrist Curls
25x2x9

Notes

Was able to add weight to all forearm exercises. Grip/forearm strength really taking off. Modest gain on pulldowns. Curls are gonna get some work Sunday all by themselves.

Felt large amount of pressure in head just like yesterday. Whole body swollen. Felt flush/hot all day. Took 400 mg caffeine spread throughout day. Lethargy hit around 12-2 pm, had to take short rest again. Felt a little tightness in lower back. Not unpleasant at all. Cramping a little better today.

Its awesome walking around with a constant M1T pump. Regardless of how much extra muscle I am actually carrying now, it feels like and looks like a lot. I am not a particularly vain person but ****...I do a shrug and look in the mirror wondering if I am wearing frigging shoulder pads. Gotta keep training those deadlifts.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 10
October 23, 2004

Bodyweight: 221.5 (+.5 lbs)
BP: 135/69

Squats
185x5
205x5
225x5
235x5
245x5 (10 lb PR!)
255x3 (10 lb PR!)
205x10
Goodmornings
175x7
185x5
195x5
Calves
680x2x25
730x20
780x15
820x15
Back Extensions
45x10 (easy)
70x2x8 (a little too heavy)

Notes

*I spent a good 20-30 minutes trying to warm up my legs for squats. Right knee was giving me a lot of trouble. Pain right in center of patella. Bunch of warmups didn't do anything for it. The only thing that finally worked was adding weight to the bar and doing lower reps. Pain was virtually gone by the time I got up to 235lbs. Hit a big 10 lb PR after that breaking a long stall on that lift. In fact weights shot up in all movements. I feel comfortable that I will be able to add weight to the goodmornings more regularly now. Form has improved.

*Sleep hasn't been great on this cycle. I probably averaged more like 6-7 hours or a bit more.

*I noticed a definite lower back pump on warmups today. Wasn't unpleasant really, but you can add that to my list of side effects. Of the commonly reported sides, I have experienced all of them now pretty much. Blood hasn't been shooting out of my nose yet though, so I guess I haven't experienced all of them =D

*Looks like my blood pressure is stabilizing. Bodyweight didn't jump much either. Sort of glad about that one as I have a nice jelly roll going around midsection.

*Calf work was very loose in form, but I was able to continually add weight and maintain the same ROM and degree of control as always, so I am stronger. I never really hit a top yet, just quit putting plates on and moved to somehing else after 5 sets.

*Recovery obviously is improving somewhat. Did a quick set of shoulder presses and felt strong on them.

*Appetite today and yesterday quite strong. No problems overeating on plain casein powder, oatmeal at 60kcals/cup, and my usual salad mix. Still hit 4500-5000 kcals both days. Protein intake through the roof. Probably 500 minimum.

*Haven't had one single episode of post-prandial hypoglycemia. Taking whey out of diet was a huge call methinks. I am also eating way more than 30g protein per meal again with no negative ramifications. Casein treating me well.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 11
October 24, 2004

Bodyweight: 222
BP: 133/65

HS Dips
300x9 (15 lb PR!)
310x8 (20 lb PR!)
320x5 (a bit heavy)
EZ Bar Triceps
80x8
75x9
Weighted Situps Decline Bench
35x20 (easy)
50x10 (hit failure)

*Nearly got ab cramp starting third set. Quit at that point.
+ Laterals, CG Incline, Flies all done half-assed b/c of cramping.

*Spent a good half hour warming up for dips. It paid off though as I hit my largest PR to date. I am learning more how to deal with the constant cramping. Patience is key. Normally today I would throw in something like CGBP/JMPress and more horizontal work, but adjustments were needed and I didn't want to do too much on triceps alone. EZ Bar was tough on elbow joint. Gonna switch to pushdowns or maybe Tate Presses from here on out for isolation work.

*I have been gaining right at my expected rate based on caloric surplus the last few days. So I think the major weight jump due to M1t is finished. Now I should be able to control weight gain by adjusting calories/cho at this point.

*Right now I would have to say pushing calories on day 6-10 was a good call. Seems like I get one major window where weight just skyrockets and mass gain is unreal. I think the initial jump from days 1-5 was mainly from the 4AD.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 13
October 26, 2004

Bodyweight: 222 (no change!)
BP: 128/61

SLDL (to mid-shin)
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
350x5 (10 lb PR)
335x4
HS High Rows
210x3x9(+3 reps each set)
Neutral Chins
222x2x5
Forearms
50x2x12(-2 reps)
25x12 (+3 reps)
25x10 (+1 rep)
Shrugs
110x20(easy, DB's only go to 110)
Pulldown Abs
95x2x30 (max weight on machine)

Notes

*I was shaking like a leaf on the DL's with 350, still a 10 lb PR though. Added three easy reps to my High Rows. Didn't manage a very good showing with forearms today though. Maybe tired from deadlifting. Since pct last cycle, I have doubled my reps on shrugs with the 110's. Can do full rom shrugs now with that weight.

*Bodyweight rather stagnant the last several days in fact. Calories >= 4500. I added beef and turkey on top of what I was already eating. Protein intake through the roof.

*Recurrent daily theme...I feel like a blast furnace all day long. Sweating more at night and during day. Head feel flush/hot quite often.

*I am beginning to put some thoughts together on M1T lethargy. To me it seems like a scaled up version of 1-T lethargy. The side effects are not sporadic but rather seem to be somewhat predictable based on when I take the M1T. Lethargy seems to be strongest 1-2 hours after taking it.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 15
October 28, 2004

Bodyweight: 228
BP: 132/68

Military Press
95x8
135x1
155x1
175x0 :frustrate
175x1 (5lb PR)
180x1 (10lb PR!)
Push Presses
155x5
150x6
DB Push Presses
70x7 (- 1 rep)
70x6 (-1 rep)
Incline Bench
175x5
175x4
Pushdowns
80x11(+3 reps)
80x11(+3 reps)
80x10(+2 reps)
Tate Presses
35x10
35x10
Machine Shoulder Press
140x4
Weighted Situps
50x14(+4 reps)
50x14(+4 reps)
50x12(+2 reps)

Notes

*Workout started out sluggish. Tried 175 on military presses and failed miserably. Focused more on second effort and tried to generate some momentum from bottom position and got it cleanly. Also hit 180. In general the barbell work is doing a number on my wrists and shoulder joints. Plan to switch more to DB work soon.

*Cramping was a real issue. Seems to be getting a bit worse. It took me a good half hour before I was able to get in position to do 3 sets of weighted crunches sans ab cramping. Persistence paid off though as I was much stronger on the movement.

*6 pound jump in bodyweight. Once my waist measurement exceeds 40" I am going to slow it down on the calories. Hopefully I'll make it to the end of the 3rd week before that occurs. That should put me a little over 230 for a top weight this cycle. That will be 20 pounds over my old max weight of 210 and 40 over my old minimum (depleted) weight of 190.5. I am curious to see how the partitioning ends up working out. Diet has been 4500-5000+ calories/day. Fat ~50grams, Protein > 500grams/day and rest cho. Mainly salad, oatmeal, casein, tuna and other lean protein. So clean as clean gets. If I end up with way more fat than I would like, the two modifications I would make for an identical cycle in the future would be to add femara to keep bloat down from 4AD (and to limit estrogen as I will obviously never have trouble gaining weight) and also to reduce calories a bit if I see weight jumping too fast.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 16
October 29, 2004

Bodyweight: 223
BP: 128/63

HS Pulldown
260x3
290x3
300x3(10lb PR)
285x5(10lb PR)
280x5
DB Shrugs
110x2x23 (+3 reps)
Wrist Curls
50x16(+2 reps)
25x14(+2 reps)
45x10(+1 rep)
HS High Row
200x13

Notes

Stronger.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 17
October 30, 2004

Bodyweight: 216
BP: 132/70

Squats
185x5
205x5
225x5
245x5
255x5 (10 lb PR)
265x3 (10 lb PR)
225x10 (+20 lbs)

Definitely happy about hitting 225x10, probably even moreso than getting the triple with 265. Right kneecap still bothering me. Oddly feels good only when weights get heavy.

Calves on Leg Press
540x15
720x15
720x20
810x20
810x22

This was too heavy and hurt my achilles heel. Switch to smith from now on.

Standing Calf Raises on Smith
295x20 (+ 7 reps)

Back Extensions
35x9 (+1 rep)
35x10 (+2 reps)

Really felt these in the hamstrings.

Notes

Dropped carbs. That explains the loss of bloat. Feel better. Focusing on doing less volume but getting good strength increases. Long rest breaks b/w working sets. This cycle has been and continues to be a real learning experience for me. I feel like I am learning a lot more about productive training. Given that I know to expect strength increases from one workout to the next I can really tell if a movement is effective or not and can judge carryover to other lifts better.

Still feel like human blast furnace. Its great. Really getting fond of living with a constant pump.