Real Power Can't Be Given

[Cardinal]

Day 18
October 31, 2004

Bodyweight: 213
BP: 130/56

HS Dips
320x8
320x7(+2 reps)
320x7

Tate Presses
35x14 (+4 reps)
40x9

Weighted Situps
60x13
70x9
70x9

Flies
45x13
50x12

Notes

Stronger in all movements. Best way I have found to deal with annoying M1T cramps is to take a long time stretching the muscle doing the movement I want to perform with really light weights. Flies helped with chest cramping. Tate presses enjoyable change from usual pushdowns/extensions. Weighted situps, ridiculously effective once my lazy ass finally used enough weight to really work the abs. Had been using 50lbs until now. 70 much better.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 20
November 2, 2004

Bodyweight: 211.5

HS Kneeling Leg Curl
100x6 (-2 off best)
100x7 (-1 off best)

This is sort of interesting. I hit 100x8 last cycle. Didn't train this consistently this time around but I have put up considerable increases in squat/dl. No carryover, in fact I am weaker in this. I got huge strength increases last cycle in this movement b/c I trained it every four days. Just goes to show that often carryover just doesn't occur. Learned something new today as I expcected squat improvement to improve this lift. No dice.

HS High Row
220x2x11 (+2 reps)
220x10 (+ 1 rep)

Very predictable strength increase here. Like clockwork. Almost could hit 12 reps on first set. Slight drop off of strength on third. I know what to exptect well enough to put some money on it lol. Learning M1T is fun.

Standing Calf
315x10 (easy)
365x7 (not easy)
345x10 (sweet spot)

Knew to expect a lot of strength gain here. Took me until 3rd set to nail down my 10RM though. Prediction for next week is to hit a 15lb gain on this one.

Curls
55x10(+2 reps)

This is my first strength gain on curls this cycle b/c I really haven't trained them hardly at all. When I did it was in a fatigued state. Another example of crappy carryover when I expected to get quite a bit from getting so much stronger on pulldowns and high rows. Specificity should be ascribed more importance than I previously thought. Nuff said.

Wrist Curl 55x15
Reverse Wrist Curl 30x5
Hammer Wrist 50x7

Slight surprise on the forearm work. Much much stronger than I should have been. Reason = no deadlifting today beforehand. Pretty soon I am going to call it quits on the direct forearm work and make an attempt at the #2 gripper. Should have just stuck to training it all along in retrospect but they bother my joints to work with and the wrist curls, though wimpy were fun.


Notes

Working back down in volume even more in prep for PCT. Want to have decently productive PCT routine in the bag. I still feel pretty strongly that most the muscle gains occurred in the first ten days and from then on out, strength gains were where its at. Adding further weight was easy, but didn't seem to be coming cleanly at all (read not much extra muscle).

Sleep has been off a little. Androgen insomnia I think it is called. Has plagued me quite a bit this cycle. Haven't found anything super effective and it isn't hurting strength so...

 

[SJA]

GEEZUS...I come by to see what's new and you went up 30 freaking pounds!!! I see that it has dropped down slightly...but it certainly inspired me since I just started my M1T/4AD/3-alpha cycle two days ago. I'll be following along. So how large are you going to get my friend?

 

[Cardinal]

but it certainly inspired me since I just started my M1T/4AD/3-alpha cycle two days ago.

Well, it's about damn time! =D You got a log of this one up anywhere? Good heavens, I can only imagine adding yet another strength compound to the mix. Gains are gonna be awesome on that one!

GEEZUS...I come by to see what's new and you went up 30 freaking pounds!!! I see that it has dropped down slightly...So how large are you going to get my friend?

Definitely could have hit somewhere b/w 240 and 250 with no problem at all. Drop down was definitely intentional! With the 4AD and protein intake I can pretty effortlessly maintain over 210 right now. There seems to be some limiting factors effecting mass gains past day 10 or so. Happened both cycles. Beyond that strength gains literally skyrocket. I think I am going to use an AI like femara with most 4AD cycles in the future. I think the excessive aromatization was promoting fat gain too much and I can eliminate that variable forthwith and still push the boundaries with caloric intake. Rate of strength accreation is totally unaffected by the drop in weight. I find that kind of neat. Also, seems not to matter that many time I have only been able to hit 5-6 hours sleep. I am doing a lot better now with a more effective program for my body. So training variables seem like a huge predictor of how fast I gain strength and on what lifts.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 22
November 4, 2004

Bodyweight: 211.5
BP: 125/56 (lower b/c of lower training volume, I ran out of Hawthorne and haven't bought more, so far no difference).

Dumbbell Overhead Press
70x3x9(+1 rep on all)

This is an interesting one. Haven't trained this lift appreciably this cycle. Did push presses and military press for limit single several times intstead along with inclines. Some carryover but not a lot. One extra rep at most. I will implement DE work for the overhead press and incline starting Sunday. I expect that to produce good results.

Weighted Situps
70x12(+3 reps)
80x8
80x8

Iron addict was spot on when he said weighted situps were an untapped strength potential. Jumps have been humongous in this lift compared to others. 30 lbs in less than 2 weeks ain't bad at all, working through ab cramping to boot.

Tate Presses
40x2x11 (+2 reps)

Pushdowns
85x9

Standing Calf Raise Smith
355x11 (+10 lbs since two days ago!)

Yes, I have even more to jabber about

To wrap this cycle up over the next week, I am going to increase frequency and intensity, keep volume incredibly low. Attitude is going to be to go to the gym, warmup, hopefully hit a PR or two in each lift in a safe manner, then leave. Come back next day, repeat with different lift.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 23
November 5, 2004

Bodyweight: 210
BP: 139/64

Hammer Strength Pulldowns
230x5
260x3
290x3
310x3 (10 lb PR)
320x2 (PR)

I felt like I had a little more in me after doing 310x3, so I decided to do a quick double with 320 to finish it off. So slightly more than the predicted 10lb increase in one week.

Seated Dumbell Curls
55x7 (-3 reps)

I felt like strength was reduced here somewhat from doing a maximal effort on pulldowns. When I got 10 reps it was done standing so probably with a tad bit more momentum as well. Otherwise no way to explain change in strength. I did rows before hitting 55x10 last time I trained curls but not rows with maximal weight. Wimpy high reps sets instead.

Wrist Curls
55x18 (+3 reps)
30x7 (+2 reps)

Got a little frustrated the last day or two trying to close the number two gripper and failing so I decided to keep increasing strength on the wrist curls for awhile longer and am going to take a day or two off from training COC's. I figured I might could close it by making one daily maximal attempt. I think instead I'll try once every two days and see if I can here that little click once before end of cycle. If not, something to work for next go round.

Neutral Chins
210x8

Done with perfect for and a full bordering on excessive ROM. I'll use this effort as an indicator for future strength in this rep range.

Calf Raises
365x11 (10 lb PR)

I guess I'll just keep doing a daily set of these and adding weight every day until end of cycle dropping reps in linear periodized fashion if need be. I seem to be recovering from it just fine after 24 hours and progress might not really stall.

Just going in gym and working up to a PR is lots of fun. Totally different mindset doing more pure strength training. Getting a lot of wierd looks b/c I take such long rest breaks and don't do much work overall.

Until tomorrow....

 

[Cardinal]

Day 24
November 6, 2004

Bodyweight: 213

A bit higher than expected. Chalk it up to a full stomach.

Squats
135x5
205x5
225x3
245x3
275x3 (10 lb PR)

225x12 (PR +2 reps)

Smith Calf Raises
375x11

Still adding 10lbs per day no trouble to this one. Maybe go for 20lb jump tomorrow or Monday.

Observation:

Certainly seems easier to add weight to the bar at maximal effort than it did to add even one rep down at 225. That'll be the strategy for strength gains in pct. My abs and lowerback started to give on the last rep with 225 pretty much simultaneously. Abs so much stronger it was truly surprising how it felt when I focused on breathing air into gut and not chest and pushing out.

Yesterday, a massive forearm pump doing wrist curls somewhat surprised me as it always seems to and I wasn't paying attention. Rammed my left knee cap right into the bar on leg curl machine. They need to get rid of that damn thing! Fortunately that was my good knee and it was but a tiny little bruise. My right knee felt so much better after having a full week off from squatting.

If the box and rack is unoccupied Tuesday I will add in Dynamic effort work to develop more speed. Will do this on box squats pulldowns and incline/oh press.

Blood pressure felt like it was a little high last night, but I think that was due to having a shitton of salt.

You would also think that with all this writing I would have done more than 3 sets today. Only the high rep squats resembled normal workout. Kept wanting to go and do a bunch of other work, but my laziness came through for me and I was able to stick the plan. Took a 30 minute walk outside afterwards then went to shovel down more protein and veggies.

 

[Mazderati]

Thanks for the effort in your posting. Looks like you have had some good results. Good luck with continued progress and / or retention.

 

[Cardinal]

You are most welcome. I am glad the log is proving useful feedback for you. As long as I don't do anything retarded I shouldn't have any problem keeping what muscle I have built. I am most curious now how much I will end up with once the Nolva starts to work its magic in pct and I lose some water weight. Assuming 5lbs muscle gain from last cycle, I want to compare this longer cycle with more calories early on and fewer toward the end and see if I end up with more. Hoping for at most a couple lbs more lean tissue. That would be nice. Strength gains are already beyond what I achieved last go round. Chalk it up to better training program. Still can't believe I managed to plateau in strength toward the end of last cycle. Must have been overtrained.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 25
November 7, 2004

I am implementing the full extent of my Westside plan starting today by adding dynamic effort work. Only other modification that remains to be made is to choose more effective assitance work and gauge volume tolerance to a degree.

Bodyweight: 215
BP: 125/65

Again, a slightly higher bodyweight reading than expected given that I have been roughly eucaloric give or take a little. I am not complaining. Morning waist measurement seems to have dropped about a quarter inch, down to 36.75" since last week.

Dynamic Effort Military Press
105x8x3 @ 58 1/3% of max (105lb/180lb)

I gave these an honest effort and my best shot. I really want to see if I can put up more than 180 for my max effort this coming Thursday. My velocity was good for the first few sets but lagged toward the end. Glad I didn't go heavier for the first time. This definitely felt like hard work despite low weight.

HS Dips
340x5 (PR)
330x7 (10 lb PR)

It was a little tougher for me to hit the 10 lb PR today, presumably since I did such a heavy set of five right beforehand. Still loving the dips though. Good range of motion and my shoulder joint has held up well throughout the cycle despite comparatively huge weight jumps in this exercise.

Weighted Situps
80x11 (+ 3 reps)
80x10 (+ 2 reps)

I was able to add the predicted three reps on this exercise but my form wasn't perfect. I think maybe the heavy squats yesterday fatigued my abs a little going into this. I'll keep the weight the same and nail a ton of these to finish off cycle on Thursday. Last time I did these, I had a very minor strain in my obliques that bothered me a lot (probably just too much weight). The muscle injury completely healed and recovered in only 72 hours time. I was impressed.

Low Incline DB Press
80x5
90x5 (PR)

Never worked with 90's to date and could handle them with ease. Finally found a viable way to train chest on M1T. Cramping has been reduced the past several days and I didn't notice a problem today at all.

Pushdowns
90x8 (PR)

The stack goes to 95 lbs. After that I will have to switch to doing it with one arm. This exercise is a bit tricky with two arms as my dominant left arm tends to overpower right and do too much of the work.

Calf Raises
395x7

Finally got to a weight I couldn't do for 10 clean reps! Doing these every day is starting to mildly bother my achilles heel. I am finding this to be true with virtually all lifts I train too frequently. Its the joints that give out and start bothering me. Otherwise I could train all muscle groups much more frequently than 2x per week I think. So I am going to look into the effectiveness of plyometrics and isometrics at some point and see if they help. For now I will just keep frequency and volume low enough to avoid all problems. Simple solution!

Came a hair's breath away from closing the #2 COC gripper. I am thinking of ending this cycle right at the 30 day mark, so I have a few more major attempts to close that sucker.

Back tomorrow for some lat work...

 

[Cardinal]

Day 26
November 8, 2004

Bodyweight: 211.5

Dynamic Effort Pulldowns
200x7x3

These felt pretty good overall. Minor chest cramping trying to go ballistic. I didn't break the machine though. Those hammerstrength are pretty stout. Did manage to get the back half of it to lift off the ground on a couple of those sets. I think I may just use neutral chins for my speed work in the future, assuming I am not too heavy. Would be cool to try and launch myself into the air eventually.

HS High Rows
240x8
240x9
240x7

Holy moly. Definitely a lot stronger than expected on this one. I went ahead and made a 20 lb jump from 220x11reps to 240x9. Expected to get 6 maybe 7. As a general note I am hoping that my training of pulldowns/pullups/chins westside style will match nicely with training for overhead pressing strength much like a powerlifter finds advantage in training barbell rows to aid in benching. Doing less deadlifting should reduce cns strain and allow me to make nice progress on the lat work without worrying about overlapping bodypart training.

Curls
60x2x6

Glad I made the jump here too. 60's felt really manageable. Added a couple of reps, up from 4 since late August.

Neutral Chins
211x7

Forearms
65x5
60x11
30x9 (+2 reps)

The 65 lbers on regular horizontal wrist curls was just plain heavy. Got overambitious and tried to make the jump straight up from 55's. The technique I use makes it pretty safe. I just hold my wrist about where you would wear a watch palm facing up and forearm resting on bench pad. Allows me to work the wrist through full range of motion without the pain that extra torque applied along length of forearm used to bring.


Tried again to close the #2 gripper. Failed miserably. Whatever =D

 

[Cardinal]

Day 27
November 9, 2004

Bodyweight: 214
BP: 125/64

Arched Back Goodmornings (5x5)
135x5
185x5
205x5
215x5
225x4

I am about 25 lbs stronger on these since my last effort. Completely skipped training them last week also. My intent was to do DE Squats, but my right knee was not at 100% and I flat out don't have proper box squatting form yet either. So I did a couple easy sets of pause squats instead. Got in a good 3-5 second pause on those at full depth.

Pause Squats
185x2x5

Calf Raises
395x2x8 (+1 rep)

Newbie gains are gone now on this exercise. Finally hit my limit on making big weight jumps every day. Just 10 lbs off being able to work with 4 plates. ROM good as I am standing on two 10lb dumbbells stacked under smith machine.

Shrugs
110x26(+3 reps)

This is the kind of stuff that will get cut out when I start pct. No real point to these. I just grabbed heaviest dumbbells available and did a set until I couldn't get good ROM.

Still feel a fair amount of pressure in my head when I bend over but no further blood pressure increases. Been off of hawthorne berry for a good while now. I started a good 7 days + before my cycle to give it time to kick in. So far as I can tell it has no beneficial effect whatsoever on blood pressure. I probably won't repurchase more. Would be better off spending even more money on liver supps (to add to the 1050mg milk thistle I take per day).

As a general note my knees are feeling much better squatting less frequently. Didn't realize what a pain they had become until I lowered the volume to an appropriate level. I am actually already looking forward to Saturday for another heavy triple attempt.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 29
November 11, 2004

Bodyweight: 210
BP:125/56

ME Military Press
115x8
135x5
155x2
185x1 (5 lb PR)
195x0 (not even close)
190x0

DB OH Press
70x9
70x2x8

Tates
45x3 :blink:
40x9 (-2 reps)

Couldn't figure out why I wasn't stronger on this lift. Then looking back at my log, I took a long break last week between overhead pressing and tricep work. That pretty much explains it.

Weighted Situps

80x11 (+3 reps)
80x10 (+2 reps)
80x9 (+1 rep)

Clear strength increase but these reps felt tougher. Seems like newbies strength gains are slowing to a more normal rate on this lift.

Pushdowns
95x6

Just wanted to work out with the stack fully loaded once this cycle. Hopefully can work up to 8 reps on this.

DB Laterals
35x11

Did this set after plenty of rest on shoulders. Still showed zilch as far as strength gains go compared to last cycle. Yet another instance of getting absolutely no carryover whatsoever from training other heavy overhead work (military, push press, ME work, DB etc.). Made nice overall gains on overhead pressing and am pleased but no carryover to this lift. Shows me just how much time I have wasted on movements that don't produce the results I am looking for over the years.

Today (Friday) is my last day on. pct starts tomorrow!

 

[Cardinal]

Final Day 30!
November 12, 2004

Bodyweight: 212
BP: 117/56

Max Effort HS Pulldown
230x5
260x3
290x3
320x2 (failed on third, no PR)

Neutral Chins
212x8
212x6

Pullups
212x6

Curls
60x5
50x3x9

Wrist Curls
60x11
30x10 (+1 rep)

Notes

Wanted to end this one on a bang, but I just didn't have it for the ME work today. I knew there was trouble when 290 felt heavy as a warmup. Stonger but not a full 10 lbs stronger like normal. Very slightly stronger on the other lifts. Did extra curls to watch bicep explode one last time. M1T is cool!

I am starting nolvadex tonight along with my last dose of M1T. I'll give a report on how my lifts have changed updated for my previous two cycles as well as weight measurements when the water from 4AD leaves.

A couple of quick androgen related notes. My muscle seem to have acclimated a tad bit to the M1T and cramping hasn't been as bad. I feel safer doing heavy ab work now and have learned how not to move chest muscles. Shedding of hair in shower has stopped entirely but I am still getting a good 10-15 hairs out when I comb through it. My only conclusion to date is that the spiro/finasteride/nizoral combo had some beneficial effect. Will update on this matter as pct progresses.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 1 PCT
November 13, 2004

Bodyweight: 213
BP: Normal (117/56)

Max Effort Squat
135x5
205x5
235x3
250x1
285x2 (PR)

Weight felt incredibly light on these. Couldn't quite manage a full 10lb PR though. Needed help to complete a third rep with 285 so I count it as two. This is the first time I have worked with a spotter on squats and it threw my concentration off a bit. Not sure if I would have made the triple or not without help. If I had it would have been tough as hell!

Back Squat
225x13 (+1 rep)

I really enjoy doing backoff sets like this after maximal work. I am going to move toward a more traditional westside squat workout now though so I may ditch this set for a while and put my limited energy into doing GM's and box squats etc.

Box Squat, 12" box
185x6
195x6
205x5

These are all PRs since I haven't trained the box squat in quite a while. I am hoping the pain in right kneecap doesn't return tomorrow as a result of these sets. If it does, I know for sure the cause here. I hope to be able to include DE box squats Tuesday as I know how important they are! Secondary plan will be to do speed squats without the box until I can figure out the form issue. Gonna do a ton of re-reading over on elite fitness systems to make sure I am at least making an effort to do everything right to improve my squat performance.

Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises
405x2x8 (10 lb PR!)
415x6

So much for the gains slowing on this one. I just needed some rest after doing them for consecutive days. For lack of better ideas I'll do a little wave periodization or straight linear periodization work on this so long as I can progress. Want strong calves!

 

[keith1569]

kickass log..loving it as usual

 

[Cardinal]

Day 2 PCT
November 14, 2004

Dynamic Effort Military Press
105x10x2

Until I get some feedback on how this is working through ME work, I am not going to switch the weight I am using. Just focusing on speed and form here. Did switch to doubles though and it felt better. My second rep usually feels best.

Military Press
145x2x7
145x6

None of these sets were to failure, stopping 1-2 reps shy as planned. Last set was a bit tiring but not too bad.

HS Dips
340x5
345x5 (5 lb PR)
320x8

Miscalculated the weight thinking 340 was 350 and thought man that was easy as hell. So I just went for a 5 lbs PR after that and nailed it cleanly. Most of my other top lifts were up closer to 5 lbs this week than 10, so I think I made the right call. That weight is lifting me off the seat and am anchored by bar supporting quads and feet on ground. I always start this movement from top position so that the weight is already loaded on my joints. Haven't had a single shoulder problem from it yet this cycle.

Weighted Incline Situps
90x10 (+10 lbs)
100x6
100x6

I do these holding two dumbbells (50's for instance) placed on the upper part of my chest (dumbbells are perpendicular to chest). This is the easiest way I have found to load a lot of weight. Less cumbersome than trying to work with 45 lb plates and I can put the weight closer to my throat to get more torque of out the lift. Adding weight seems to be the way to go here also. Last time I said I hit a 3 rep, PR but looking at my log, I actually didn't. Same reps/weight. This time was different however since I just decided to pick up heavier dumbbells and give it a go. No ab cramps to speak of.

Low Incline Dumbbell Press
90x5

Barely got this, probably will have to drop to 4 reps next week as my shoulders and triceps were already too tired. Didn't panic though and got the 90's to lockout alright. Just needed to fight to get the left arm up.

Bodyweight holding steady at 213 still. Nothing more than daily flucuations thus far since day 16 or so of my cycle. Surprised somewhat that strength is still heading upward but that is what I had hoped would happen by implementing Westside ideas to a more full extent and really focusing on strength.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 4, PCT
November 16, 2004

Bodyweight: 203

Bodyweight finally starting to drop considerably. I dropped a lot of the excess sodium out of my diet and I think that and the high dose of nolva are contributing. Still up 13 lbs from minimum measurement (by all means not all muscle!). Really getting curious about how much muscle tissue resulted from this cycle. Should have a better idea by weeks end.

Goodmornings
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5 (+1 rep)

Knees didn't feel up to speed box squatting again so I decided to skip it this week again and just do an ME move on Saturday again. Might do a little form work on the box squat with superlight weight later today. Gotta give the old body some reason to warrant getting stronger if that is what I want to achieve. One good top set of GM's was a start!

DE Chinups
203x6x2

Just did some doubles here focusing on getting as much momentum going as I could to work on speed. Not sure how effective they will be as my bodyweight may still be too high for effective speed work. Speed really dropped off by just the third set. Will test max on chins Friday or Saturday. Damn curious how pulldown strength will carryover since I haven't really maxed on chins or pullups during my cycle and added so incredibly much to the old hammerstrength machine in comparison. My pullup rep strength doesn't seem to have gone up that much as a result, so it should be interesting. I am going to pull like hell on Friday though and give it my best effort! If HS machines won't carryover, I doubt any other pulldown machine would do that much better!

HS High Rows
240x8
260x5 (hit failure)

Pullups
203x9

Wrist Curls
65x9 (+4 reps)
30x11(+1 rep)

Calf Raises
415x8 (+2 reps)
425x6 (10 lb PR)

Curls
60x7 (+1 rep, PR)

Strength up nicely on both wrist curls and calf work. Very pleased with that. The PR on curls is a bit misleading. I got the extra rep clearly but got it because my abs have all but quit cramping from the M1T so I was able to keep them tighter while performing the lift. Hence strength shot up!

The funky feeling in my abs is such a hard thing to describe. I got quite used to it on cycle though. It is almost like you can feel your intestines moving around when you stand up at first. Muscle will shake more under heavy loading. At first it was painful. Heck all cramps were more painful as I shot my bodyweight up to 230. They seem to be reduced as my bodyweight came back down to a more normal 210-215 for days 16-30 of my cycle. So it wasn't a K+ or Mg+ issue so far as I can tell but more of a growth/stretching/pump sort of issue.

The massive pumps are now gone so far as I can tell. Libido is starting to diminish somewhat without any 4AD. Mental clarity fairly high right now. Feel kind of normal again.

Much more excited about checking other peoples cycle logs at the moment for obvious reasons. Really hoping we have a winner with the drol. Couldn't have picked better testers for it! Good diversity.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 6, PCT
November 18, 2004

Bodyweight: 201

ME Military Press
135x3
155x2
190x1 (5 lb PR)

Military Press
155x5
155x3x4

Weighted Incline Situps
100x8 (+2 reps)
110x6 (10 lb PR)
110x6

Tates
40x12 (+1 rep)
40x13 (+2 reps)
45x7 (+4 reps)

Comments

Stronger. Way stronger. My max effort press was very tough though. I am as dried out as I am going to be and I lost all stability under the weight that I had while on. I was shaking like a leaf on a tree on all the pressing sets. I think this is the first time I truly had to strain to make a PR on the overhead work. Face turned beat red and I thought I might well bust a blood vessel. Gonna be a bit more prudent next time but I knew I could make the lift.

Another thing that surprised me is that I was able to use the 55's on weighted situps. Got a 10 lb PR. I would check my form but there isn't really a way to slacken on that movement the way I have it setup. So I was stronger.

I then went to do pushdowns and could even manage 5 reps with 95 (got 6 last time). That had me a bit scared I was losing strength/muscle in triceps. But I think it was just my lack of stability took the leverage away so I appeared much weaker.

Cautiously approached doing Tate Presses after that and despite my poor attitude and focus I managed an extra rep, then 2 more on the next set. Final set, huge PR. Pretty much made my day at that point.

My next post will detail what I measured my results to be this cycle and any hunches I have at this point. Gonna bloat up more now over the next week at least so I can regain some stability that is so important for safety and strength. Starting creatine today (can't believe I forgot from day 1)

 

[Cardinal]

Once again, I have erred in being able to calculate how much lean body mass I have gained with any remote degree of accuracy. Not only do I not have measurements from most bodyparts, I don't have/didn't use calipers and just relied on the tape measure, mirror and scale to judge. But I am going to give the best feedback I can nonetheless given my crappy setup.

Stats Before First Cycle in This Log

Personal Statistics
Age: 24
Height: 6'2"
Minimum BW: 180 lbs
Waist: 33.5"
Arms: 14.6, 14.75" = L,R
Date Taken: July 22, 2004

Measurement End pct/start of Cycle

Minimum BW: 190.5 lbs
Waist: 34.25"
Date Taken: October 9, 2004

Post Cycle Measurements

Minimum BW: 196 lbs
Waist: 35.00"
Arms: L=15.875", R=16 1/16"
Calves: 15.25"
Date Taken: November 18, 2004

Subjective Reasoning

I think the best comparison can be made between the first and last measurements. Waist increased 1.5 inches. Weight Jumped 16 lbs. Conservative estimeate, maybe 4-5 lbs lean bodymass gain on each cycle based on that alone.

Arm measurements, most pleasing. Gained roughly a hair under 1.3 inches on both arms since the July reading. These are minimum readings (very dry and similarly depleted at each reading). I got more like 16.75 inches when I was bloated at all just recently.

So far as I can tell all mass gains essentially came within the first two weeks on M1T on both cycles. I assume they are roughly similarly distributed between the two cycles. I think there is a limiting factor on muscle gains on this compound that is not so simple to figure out.

Not sure how much muscle 1.3 inches brings, but probably a fair amount and that makes me think that 4lbs per cycle is certainly not too liberal a guess on my part. So I am really hoping my feedback is accurate here. Given a natty avg. 1 lb muscle/2 weeks, I get 4 using M1T. Very pleasing!

Mirror is treating me nicely and I do look fairly lean. Got a comment today that I looked thinner/had lost weight. Yes I have. Having hit 231lbs as a top weight this cycle, I lost about 35 lbs! No apparent muscle loss thought. Talk about bloat/fat retention.

Couple points of interest. I really went berserk on a perfectly clean mass diet this time around hitting as mentioned 231 lbs all bloated up. I started out much more cautiously last cycle and didn't bloat as bad with 1/2 dose of M1T (5mg last time, 10mg this time). No noticeable difference in mass gains.

Strength is another thing though. Got a lot stronger this cycle compared to last. Largely attributable to better training protocol imo! Also possibly attributable to doubling M1T dosage.

This post is long enough already. I'll post a similar strength comparison soonish like I did after my 1st cycle.

 

[Cardinal]

This post is going to be a work in progress as I collect all the data and separate it from my long-winded posts. Goal = Strength report. For hypertrophy report, see previous post.

Here is some relevant data I dug up from last cycle with recent numbers added in for comparison.

Strength Increases:

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

This Time: Chins
280x1 (11-19-04)
10 lb PR

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

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

This time: Squat
285x2(failed on 3rd)(11-13-04)
225x13 (11-13-04)
Estimate: +35lbs

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

This time: Military Press
170x1 to 190x1 = +20lbs

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

This time: HS Dips
290x3x8 (10-17-04)
345x5 (11-14-04)
Estimate: +30-35 lbs

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

This time: Curls
60'sx7 (didn't really train them much this time)

HS High Rows
220x3x6(10-19-04)
240x8 and 260x5 (11-16-04)
Estimate: +30 lbs

HS Pulldowns
290x2x2(10-19-04)
320x2 (11-12-04)
+30 lbs

Appreciable strength gains in the following also:
Calf Raises, Wrist Curls, Weighted Situps

Adding 30 lbs to pulldown strength resulted in a clear 10lb increase in limit chinning strength without doing any ME work in chinups while on. I tried 285 first and got it moving but failed to get it anywhere near lockout. Compared to last time, I used same bar, two scales to measure weight and same rom and grip width. So I think it is a reasonably accurate test. I guess those are the sort of results to be expected in terms of carryover. Some but not great. Percent increase in pulldowns was 10.34%. In chins, 3.7%. Since total weight on pulldowns was greater, I expected less % on chins, but not that much less. Once again, if I want best carryover, I better be almost completely sure the movement I train either addresses a weakness specifically or is 'very' mechanically similar, or it pretty much doesn't seem to be worth my time. Happened on too many lifts this cycle to be a coincidence.
-Cardinal

 

[Cardinal]

Day 8
November 20, 2004

Bodyweight: 200, staying dry

ME Squats

No go! Started warming up with 135, then with 205, got a little twinge in middle part of back. Decided not to make a maximal effort attempt. Glad I did and back is somewhat sore now, but definitely not injured! Tough to hold back on just slapping the weight on the bar as usual, but that would have been too dangerous.

Pause Squats
225x3x4

Leg Press
520x3
540x3
560x3
580x3 (+65 lb)

Calf Raises
435x2x6 (+10 lb)
445x6 (+20 lb)

Pullups
237x3
247x3 (3RM)(16lb PR)
242x3
237x3
237x3

Curls
60x6 (-1 rep)

Comments

Feeling in my back gave me a little scare. Luckily I was able to switch to leg press, which felt fantastic. Squat improvement and ab strength improvement really added to what I could lift on those. If leg press always feels this damn good, I may just have to train it every once in awhile. Westside rules be damned!

Last couple of days I have noticed some random muscle twitching all over my body. Gonna up my K+ intake as that has been lacking. Likely due to being dried out and also might be due to having creatine in my system.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 9, PCT
November 21, 2004

Military Press
135x5
145x5
145x5
145x6

HS Dips
350x3
340x4

Hanging Knee Raises
30x5
35x5
35x5
45x3

Tate Presses
40x8
45x8 (+1 rep)

Comments

Definitely not the best of days. Luckily my sleep has been solid and restful. I woke up today however with a pretty sore back from squat warmups yesterday. It may bother me for a good week I would bet. Felt lethargic when I got the gym. Just like last time, all effects of the 4AD are completely gone and libido is way down at this point. I never really get noticeably depressed, but mood was down. I threw on a nicotine patch and it really helped regulate my appetite and mood. Feel better at this point and much more focused!

I took quite a bit of KCl and it cleared up most all of the muscle twitching I had been experiencing. So I guessed right on that one. First day I haven't set a PR in dips in a long, long time. Definitely didn't have it in me. The feeling in my back made me a bit overcautious as well. I doubt I will be able to handle as much weight on dips now that I am off the androgens. Reason: lack of stability under the weight. 350 lbs flat picked me up off the seat! Same thing happened with pushdowns earlier, so no big surprise. Glad I realized what it was though. I did set a PR on Tate Presses again as the only highlight to my workout. So tricep strength is still there. Those are great on the elbows in comparison to regular extensions. I am going to work them hard in the coming weeks. Dips may get a break!

Chose to do weighted knee raises over incline situps to save my back a little aching. I tried wrist curls at the end of my workout, but couldn't get as many reps. Felt a lot of cracking and popping in both wrists that I am not used to, so I called it quits at that point.

Glad next week is virtually an off week without as much work to do. Gonna rest up and continue to eat up! I won't use appreciable weight on GM's or Squats again until back is 100%. One really good thing I noticed, after leg presses I felt no tendonitis in my right knee like I do with goodmornings and deadlifts off the floor the day after training.

I plan to continue this log until about the end of the second week of PCT, then provide one or two final updates before xmas. I am interested to see how long it takes to recover from 30 days of M1T compared to 16 last cycle. My libido was normal by the 3-4 week mark last time.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 11, PCT
November 23, 2004

Bodyweight: 203
BP: 124/64 (no change at all compared to cycle value!)

Wide Grip Pullups
203x5
214.5x5
219.5x5
224.5x5 (5RM)

Narrow Grip Chins
224.5x4
221.5x5
224x5

Calf Leg Press (sub. for smith machine until back improves)
635x6
705x5
685x5

Curls
60'sx6

HS Leg Curls
75x10
85x7

Weighted Hanging Knee Raises
40x4
35x5
30x5

Comments

We got a massive piece of new equipment in the gym including lat pulldown and horizontal cable row. So I can work pulldown abs as an alternate now. Best of all, the pullup station there now has at least 5 or 6 grips to choose from at varying angles/heights. Makes me happy.

Yesterday was the first day I excessively overate in pct. Still with 40mg Tamoxifen in me I only woke up slightly heavier and with .25" more on waist (35.25" now). That was pleasing! So much so that I think I will do it again thursday, but substituting turkey for my usual tuna.

I didn't attempt any leg work or other training that might stress my middle back. I'll consider giving it a go Saturday as I still have some significant discomfort. One thing I noticed when I did a few warmups on the leg press for the heck of it was that initially I felt pretty significant achiness in my whole knee joint, much the same as I feel three days after a heavy squat workout. It is the joints and not the musculature for sure that will keep me from training as frequently as I would like. I am not going to change anything drastic about my workout but I am going to decrease frequency a bit to compensate the joints. I feel once every 5 days will work well, occasionally 4 or 6 days as scheduling dictates. I think this is the factor that I have been missing keeping me from progressing on a number of joint intensive exercises.

 

[Strateg0s]

Wow, I just came across this. You maintain a great journal. If I have anything worth saying I will just edit this post after reading the whole thing. It is good to see someone treat M1T with respect.

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks for the compliment Stategos. I am glad others can get some benefit and useful info from reading through all my gibberish!

 

[200wannabe]

Wow, I just came across this. You maintain a great journal. If I have anything worth saying I will just edit this post after reading the whole thing. It is good to see someone treat M1T with respect.

Bump, can see you have put some time and effort into this log, thank you.

 

[TheUsual]

Not to be repetitive, but I just wanted to also compliment you on this log. Thanks for putting so much time into it, I know I learned from it

The blood work #'s are especially informative. Your cholesterol/hdl/ldl and liver values actually did not turn out as badly as some others have.

 

[Cardinal]

No, the values didn't turn out that badly at all. My genetics have afforded me some really awesome cholesterol numbers. I don't have past test results but going by my doctor's report, they have always been great.

So long as I can get to a testing center nearby, I will have blood drawn again after this pct right before starting up again some time well after new year. I plan to make that a regular practice, especially before M1T cycles. I need a couple reports anyhow so I can get a better feel for what my average values are.

I am concerned what the liver values may read this second time around given that I ran 10mg for 30 days compared to 5mg for 16 first cycle.

 

[Cardinal]

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Day 13, PCT
November 25, 2004

Military Press
155x3
170x2
155x4
155x4

Narrow Grip Bench Press
175x5
185x3x5

Narrow Grip Seated OH Press
125x3x6

Comments

First time training at home back in my powerrack in quite a while. So I decided to work on a couple of new/different exercises. May do a little form work on squatting later this evening if I can still move after the big meal.

I really had to grind through all sets on the military press today and couldn't hit 155x5 like last week. So strength is down slightly on this lift. I have been nailing 8 hours sleep a night and plenty of calories/protein. Zero stress as it is holiday time. Definitely felt refreshed and more stable under the weight, just a bit weaker overall. Stability could be coming from the creatine, slightly higher bodyweight or the rest. All have helped in the past.

I used a really narrow grip on the flat presses my first time back to avoid chest cramping. It worked. Probably would have been good for another 5 lbs but decided to hold back.

Got a few things to report supplementwise and will do so in next post.

 

[Cardinal]

November 25

Spiro/Finasteride/Nizoral

At this point I can say any and all shedding of hair has stopped completely. None coming out when combing either. I stopped applying spiro what seems like about a week ago after missing a couple of doses and that has had no effect so far. Still using Nizoral daily and 2.5mg liquid finasteride. If anything hair seems to be a bit thicker overall. I am going to continue to use finasteride but reduce the dose somewhat to about 1 mg ED for the next month or two and see if there is more regrowth.

Nolva

I decided to slightly increase my dosage of nolvadex and to take it three times/day instead of two. I am running more like 50mg/day now taking into account that more tamoxifen is needed to get that much nolva. Libido has been normal the past three days. Not feeling suppressed. In fact, noticed morning wood three times now. Could be due to a number of factors, but I think the extra nolva is playing a role, so I thought I would mention it specifically.

Clenbuterol

I also decided that since I am off on break, this would be a good time to see how my body reacts to clen. I figure I can deal well enough with any side effects now that I am home for a day or two. Took 40mcg about 1.5 hours ago and so far I feel a mild stimulatory effect. Perhaps a tad bit of shakiness but not much worse than with ephedrine. Between last night and today I consumed enough K+ for a small army and haven't noticed muscle cramping yet thankfully. I have Mg+, Ca+ and Taurine onhand as well if needed. Will report back how the experience goes. I am particularly interested to see if I get any sleep disturbances or anxiety from taking it, both things that I get even with minute dose E HCL.

-Cardinal

 

[Cardinal]

Day 15, PCT
November 27, 2004

Squats
225x3
245x3
265x3
235x2x5
225x5

Goodmornings
205x5
225x4

Comments

Big time strength loss. I felt weak as a kitten. Back was about 95% recovered/healed and felt strong as I got nearly as much on GM's as I did last time. But I couldn't seem to do squats to save my life. Nearly didn't make 265x3, saved only by my back strength, and I ended up going to failure on just 235x5. It has been a full week since I did a leg workout. Last time I worked up to max triple on leg press and trained lighter pause squats. Otherwise the only thing I can think to attribute this to is my use of clenbuerol. I ran a search on several anabolic boards and found a few instances where people complained about strength loss from taking it. Speaking of which, I want to give a quick summary of what I have done so far using clen. Has been an interesting experience thus far.

Clen

So far I have run it three days,

D1: 40mcg
D2: 50mcg
D3: 60mcg

taken in the morning all in one dose. I notice that the liquid from cnw feels like it numbs my tongue a bit when I take it.

Side effects:

1) Clen shakes within 1 hour of dosing which I find to be pretty funny actually. They subside somewhat as the day wears on.

2) Mild sinus pressure (i.e. no headaches as commonly reported).

3) No cramping at all, maybe a tad bit of muscle twitching on day 1, but nothing since. That was a surprise.

4) My heart definitely beats stronger and somewhat faster while taking it. I clock about 80 beats a minute or so average while at rest compared to my normal 60 beats per minute.

5) Appetite Control/Anxiety: So far somewhat undecided on both. I have to say that right now I am not getting an increase in appetite. If anything the effect it has on my heart makes me less likely to overeat as it tends to beat rather strongly after big meals anyhow. Anxiety is likely less than when taking ephedrine but not gone all together.

I plan to continue its usage at least for a short while longer and want to see if it effects my strength in tomorrow's workout. I will be training heavy pullups, my favorite and best exercise. Strength loss virtually never occurs on that lift for me, so it will be a good test to see if the clen has anything to do with it. I will hold at 60mcg tomorrow and certainly don't plan to go that high with it since my tolerance for stimulants low to begin with.

Officially, I am using the clen for its intended purpose in PCT, namely to limit fat gain and preserve muscle tissue while consuming absurb amounts of calories. Over the last two days I definitely have consumed absurb amounts of calories =D

 

[Cardinal]

Day 16, PCT
November 28, 2004

Bodyweight: 206.5
BP Pre-Workout: 137/77
BP Post-Workout: 125/57

Interesting reading given the usage of clen.

Wide Grip Pullups
221x5
231x5 (New 5RM)
248.5x3 (New 3RM)

Chinups
226x5
230.5x5

Curls 60x5
HS High Rows 240x6
EZ Bar Curls 100x2x8
Lat Pulldown 180x8
Tate Press 45x8
Calf Raises405x5, 455x5, 405x8

Comments

Had a lot of fun working out today. Good indication is that I seem to have done about 10 different redundant exercises. I hit some PRs early on in my workout and felt strong all the way to the finish. Pump was good bordering on great given that this is pct. Can't believe I haven't used the EZ Bar more often for doing curls. Makes them fun.

Clen dosage today was about 65mcg. I am just now starting to calm down. Resting heart rate reached 90 bpm today. So this is likely my max tolerance level for the 1st week. Last night didn't get to sleep at all! Zilch! So this workout was on no rest. Pretty much all the stimulant effect. For my own safety and somnolence this will likely be my last day using clen this cycle. I feel I have run it long enough to have a good idea what to expect from it and how to dose it in the future.

A few more surprises:

I have to conclude that clen produces a good measure of appetite suppression/satiety for me, something I didn't expect at all given my enormous appetite. Part of it comes from clens ability to keep me from going hypoglycemic and having blood sugar fluctuations during the day (long half life again). Another part of it is the energy it provides me both physically and mentally it seems. And finally, the fast hard heart beat and modest shortness of breath also serve to limit food intake. I can feel a very slight fluctuation of blood sugar after my meals but only maybe 1/5 of what it usually is.

The lack of sleep must be due largely to its long half life compared to ephedrine. This I should have predicted. I still think having the clen shakes is cool as hell! It doesn't seem to produce quite the anxiety that ephedrine does, that feeling that something is just wrong but not sure what isn't there! Overall, I am glad I tried clen now even though I am choosing to cut it a bit short. Libido hasn't been quite as strong the last few days and I think in that respect, clen maybe a bit like ephedrine. Just speculation on that one though.

In the past I have often discounted the use of pre-workout stimulants to change energy levels significantly. I now have a whole new perspective and will be much more astute in controlling that variable in the future.

Given this info, I don't know what happened to my squat workout yesterday. Maybe I am just weak! I know one thing, I certainly am sore from it already!

 

[Cardinal]

Day 18, PCT
November 30, 2004

Bodyweight: 204

Incline Bench
205x3
215x2
225x1

DB OH Press
65x7
60x2x7

Weighted Situps
110x4(-2 reps)
100x2x5(-3 reps)

Tate Presses
45x2x8
45x6

Shrugs
110x23 (-3 reps off best)

Comments

It definitely seems to be somewhat use it or lose it on strength in pct. Lost a little on weighted ab work by laying off it a week. Since I kept up with tricep work, havnen't lost anything on extensions. In fact felt a bit stronger.

All day yesterday I could still feel the clenbuterol in my system even with no dose due to long half life. Damn that stuff is potent! Unless my weight measurement was a fluke, it definitely looks like it served its purpose in limiting fat gain over Thanksgiving. I expected to weigh in much higher than 204 =D

Got a good nights rest and ate heavily yesterday before the workout. Working out 4 days/week seems to fit me about right. Decreasing frequency just a bit is helping on the joints. Gonna see if I can redeem myself somewhat on squats this Thursday!

 

[Cardinal]

Day 20, PCT
December 2, 2004

Bodyweight: 205
BP: 137/75

Leg Press
540x3
590x3
600x3 (20 lb PR)
Squat
225x8 (lost 5 reps off best!)
225x2x6
Standing Calf Raise
405x9
425x7
445x5
More Leg Press
470x7
470x6
EZ Bar Curls
110x6,5,6,7
1 Chinup Ladder, 20-30 seconds rest

1,2,3,4

Comments

Legs shook pretty badly on the leg press, but I felt strong otherwise. Decent PR. Really lost some strength on the squat though which I was hoping to avoid. I believe the calf raises are what caused my little back problem a week or two ago, so I am being a lot more careful getting underneath the weight on those.

I have really been overeating a lot the last few days. Weight jumped 1.5 lbs. Nolva still keeping me really dry. Waistline up an inch to 36" =D Just sort of continuing the trend from Thanksgiving I suppose. Sleep has been right on target. So nice not being on stimulants! Other than waking up every hour and a half to take a piss due to the nolva, I slept very soundly.

Thinking back to years previous, right now I am pretty much trying to replicate the subjective feeling I had when everything was dialed in and I was making strength gains about as fast as possible naturally. I feel I am almost at that point minus a strong libido. I am training more and more instinctively and feel I 'may' have hit a sweet spot on training frequency, going roughly 4-6 days b/w bodyparts/lifts. 5 is likely to be the minimum days between leg workouts. With this frequency, I feel I have a bit more leeway in adding in volume and won't overtrain quite so easily.

Just gotta keep from losing anymore strength on my weak pushing exercises, and keep gaining strength on my stronger pulling work.

I am adding tribulus to see if it has any effect on libido and am temporarily suspending my usage of finasteride. I got a few hairs combing through my hair this morning and am going to keep a close watch to see if there are more. It looks like it will take a minimum 4-6 weeks before fully recovered from this cycle.

 

[Cardinal]

Edit: double post

 

[Cardinal]

Day 22 PCT
December 4, 2004
Bodyweight: 210
CGBP195x3x5(5RM, +10 lbs)
DB Bench80x5
Weighted Situps 90x8, 90x2x5 (big strength loss)
DB OH Press 65x7, 60x9, 60x8
Tates 45x8, 40x8
Side Laterals 30x6
HLR 7,7,5
Flies 50x11, 55x7
Comments
Set a record on the diet front. Managed to eat 5 loaves of light whole wheat bread in one day, split up over two large meals. This was yesterday. Holding a lot of excess weight as a result.
I was surprised to have lost even more strength on weighted situps and some of the little exercises I did today. Use it or lose it is definitely true. Maintained or gained on close-grips and overhead work though which was/is my focus. I'll do another strength report at the end of the 4 week remark and comment more on overall recovery at that time. The loss of strength is about the only thing I have been dissapointed in so far in pct. From a bodybuilding perspective, there has been no apparent muscle loss, and not nearly as much fat gain as I expected given significant overeating. I attribute a tiny bit of this to 4 day clenbuterol trial and a large part of it to high dosing nolvadex.

 

[CROWLER]

Great log, thanks for the details.

What were the goals? I am guessing it was increased strength since I don't see any measurements of muscle size or % body fat.


It may have already been addressed but I am interested in why you think your weight fluctuates so much.

I see at one point your body weight went down 7 pounds in one day and then another day it went up 12 pounds.

That is approx a 6% differance not too healthy if it is water.

This sounds like different scales being used? If not then perhaps you are getting dehydrated? If so please be sure to drink a TON of water. ALL Your organs will thank you especially since you are dong prohormones.

 

[Cardinal]

Hey Crowler, thanks for the feedback. At the end of page 4 I gave my best estimate of how much muscle tissue this cycle and the one previous produced and I still stand by those figures, however inaccurate they may be.

My goals in general are as much or more strength oriented than hypertrophy oriented, but on these last two cycles I chose M1T for the mass. If it was strength I was looking for mainly, I would have likely gone with something like 1-T, M40HN, M5AA, M1,4ADD. imo, M1T isn't worth taking if all you are looking for is strength. So many other compounds that will get that job done with fewer side effects and less risk.

Even before I started taking PH/PS my weight could easily fluctuate by 15 lbs or more. I have a pretty good understanding of what causes me to hold water and there are many things that do. I always drink at least 5-6 liters water a day.

I think I bloated up more on this last 10mgM1T/4AD cycle than anyone I have heard of. My final dry weight was 196 lbs and I have held steadily between 200-210 over the last couple of weeks. At the height of my cycle, I tipped the scale at 230 lbs, so that is a gain of 40 lbs above my starting dry weight. Estimated 4-5 lbs muscle and a good 35 lbs water, bloat and fat in that order.

The scale I have used is perfectly accurate as it is a good digital scale at the gym and I have checked it with a manual scale they have in the locker. The numbers always match.

 

[CROWLER]

Thanks for the feedback. Well as you say you know your body. and keep good track of what is going on.

Keep up the good work and the log.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 23, PCT
December 5, 2004

Bodyweight: 216.5

WideGrip Pullups
216.5x5
222x5
232.5x5(5RM)
248x2(-1 rep)
Chins 227x5, 225x5
Curls 100x2x8
Lat Pulldown180x8,7

Comments
Grossly overate again yesterday and that is why my weight tipped the scales at 216.5. I took a dose of 40mcg clenbuterol this morning and immediately regained control over my appetite and binging tendency. It works well in this regard and I may consider using it intermittently much like I do ephedrine.

I was a bit weaker in the gym today compared to last week under similar circumstances. My shoulders and elbow joints ached somewhat from training pressing yesterday. Not sure if it effected my performance or not, but I definitely wasn't liking feeling weaker and having to grind out some reps.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 25, PCT
December 7, 2004

Leg Press
610x3 (10 lb PR)
540x7
540x5
450x10
SLDL (mid shin height)
315x5
345x5
365x3
Squat 225x5
Calves 405x10, 445x5

Comments

Gotta give a ringing endorsement to Ephedrine/C as a pre-workout stimulant in comparison to Clenbuterol. I felt strong as an ox today and it is reflected in the weight I was able to move around. Hit another PR on Leg Press and felt like I could have gone for more but my legs shook way too badly at the top of the movement each time.

Haven't deadlifted in a really longtime and I came back just as strong as expected. Didn't have any gas left for doing squats after LP and SLDL and I only hit 225x5 before racking it. Funny how fast I lose strength on some pushing work and how little is lost on all pulling work. Actually I am stronger on pretty much all pulling work since I quit my cycle. Weaker on every pushing exercise.

37.5 mg E HCL/200mg Caffeine is not producing appetite suppression as well as only 40mcg of clenbuterol did. Surprising indeed. Loving using 14mg Nicotine patches from time to time in the afternoon.

PCT Notes

For the first time today, I experienced noticeable shedding when I ran a comb through my hair. Been off finasteride for awhile now, and I think that is the reason. If it gets any worse, I will recommence taking it immediately.

My libido has strengthened somewhat also. Not sure if it is the tribulus, lack of finasteride or length of time I have been in pct. I think it may be the tribulus but am not sure. If I have to go back on finasteride, I will note whether it effects it or not. Forgot to take bw measurement, but I am still fairly heavy probably around 210 or so today.

 

[Cardinal]

Day 27, PCT
December 9, 2004

Bodyweight: 207
Stimulants Taken: 37.5mg E HCL/200mg Caffeine pre w/o

Incline Bench
215x1
235x1 (10 lb PR!)
185x2x6

DB OH Press 65x8, 65x7, 60x10
Weighted Situps 80x10,7,5
Tate Presses 45x9, 40x2x9
Incline EZ Bar Front Raise40x10-20

Comments

I sound like a broken record. Again the ephedrine gave me a clear boost in strength. Hit an all-time high on inclines. I struggled all the way up with 235 but never did I feel as if I was going to lose it. Good cns stimulation all around. I also added at least one rep to all my other exercises and had a lot more endurance. Very pleased and this compound will likely be a part of all future pct efforts when it comes to maintaining strength levels.

I backed off somewhat on the heavy ab work. Really have lost a fair amount of the strength I built there. Oh well. Still much stronger than precycle.

Tomorrow is my last day on pct. Glad it is over and I feel pretty good overall. No more shedding of hair to report yet. I did overeat quite a bit again over the last two days and probably put on more bodyfat. Gonna have to gain some control there. I timed my cycles as I did purposefully so that I wouldn't start another cycle until sometime at/after New Year's. That will give me a good 8 weeks or more off between cycles. I'll post a new thread when the fun begins once again.