Whit Goin' Dark

[wrxwhit]

Day 34:

Still sitting about 212lb am +17

Appetite still isn't where it needs to be. Half my problem is work as it's nearly impossible to eat when I want. Then I get so freakin hungry I feel sick and can't eat. Either way, I'm still happy I haven't lost lb's.

Only ended up getting two workouts in this week which sucks for my motivation but got to get back on track next week.

Hit up back this evening and wasn't sure if I was going to dead lift. For one, exhausted from work, and two, felt mild pain behind my knee like a hyperextension. No clue why, maybe from sleeping on it wrong, who knows? Did a light warmup on stationary bike and walked over to the free weights still undecided. The alpha in me said f... it and deads here we come. Ended up getting 455 for two solid reps. Maybe had another but didn't want to push it. I believe this is a PR for me as I think I only got one a few years back.

Sorry for lack of updates due to a hectic lifestyle, but this train will keep rollin......

 

[Hyde]

Nice PR man! You're coming along strong. You'll see those 5 plates a side before you know it brother. If you start training it routinely & can avoid injury you should def be able to up that.

 

[tyga tyga]

exemestane is a suicidal inhibitor (type 1) - shouldn't "rebound" regardless...

Just pulled this:
"because its a type 1 inhibitor it offers other promising aspects, once it deactivates the aromatase enzyme those particular enzymes will no longer function, even if your body produces more aromatize, it cant do anything because it cant bind. In this case, the advantage of using a suicidal aromatize inhibitor is that it really won't cause much, if any, noticeable "rebound" in estrogen when you cease using it, so no rebound gyno which is quite possible with Anastrozole and letrozole"

 

[Hyde]

exemestane is a suicidal inhibitor (type 1) - shouldn't "rebound" regardless...

Just pulled this:
"because its a type 1 inhibitor it offers other promising aspects, once it deactivates the aromatase enzyme those particular enzymes will no longer function, even if your body produces more aromatize, it cant do anything because it cant bind. In this case, the advantage of using a suicidal aromatize inhibitor is that it really won't cause much, if any, noticeable "rebound" in estrogen when you cease using it, so no rebound gyno which is quite possible with Anastrozole and letrozole"

Shouldn't is the key to that phrase. I got rebound gyno after my 1/4/19dhea cyano/msten bridge....I blasted exem @ 25mg e/d for a long time, & I dropped it 4 wks into PCT when Clomid ended & was just using 75mg arimistane from wk 3 on. Had gyno flair up within a wk of stopping exem, hard.

The suicidal properties, yes, def gonna bind & deactivate for good, & that should ensure no gyno from the deactivated enzymes. If estrogen has been VERY low for a period of time though the body is going to have a difficult time balancing back out, so gyno can still be a concern. Just because you don't have to taper off, don't forget to consider the duration estrogen has been suppressed if you're lowering it beyond normal ranges (as in, use for an extended duration could be easy to balance out from if the levels were kept balanced; it's when you use too much & go low for a while like I did that this could be a problem).

 

[wrxwhit]

Well, through 405 on the bar for squats today and got a video to ck on my form. Thought I was getting just past parallel but as seen here just got to parallel. It's work in progress but I'll take it as previously could barely get to parallel. The worst part of the lift was walking it out. Felt very unstable. I am barefoot squatting so not sure if this would affect that. Second video was 315 after 405 from a different angle once again checking on form. Please critique my form and any advice is much appreciated as I'm trying to get better

http://youtu.be/gTYBY1ffelM

http://youtu.be/nMUuKP7y67g

 

[pro520roost]

I'm not much of a critiquer myself but looked solid to me! Was that your new PR for squats?

 

[Hyde]

Nice job with all that weight for so many reps! That's not a parallel squat tho, since you're asking - parallel in powerlifting is defined as when the hinge of the hip is level with the top of the knees. That means any guy with any muscle at all on there posterior is gonna have their ass-cheeks sitting pretty far down to get the hips down to that level. A parallel squat is gonna have your glutes below parallel. Like most flat benches at gyms, if you boxsquat off of them, will have your hip hinge several inches above parallel, if that gives you an idea of how far we're talking. Your hams will prob begin to touch the tops of your calves even potentially.

405 set was considerably lower than the 315 set btw. And either will work pretty good for building muscle, but they wouldn't fly in any competition. The 405s were getting fairly close tho - you could certainly at least get 405x1 all the way down, probably a good bit more.

My best squat is 465 in the gym at true parallel, or a tad deeper, & I def can't do 405 that many times. I bet your max is higher than that once you get used to getting a bit deeper. It's tougher, but you get more muscles worked in exchange.

 

[wrxwhit]

I'm not much of a critiquer myself but looked solid to me! Was that your new PR for squats?

A couple years ago I managed 6 at 405 but form wasn't even close to stellar so IMHO yes, a PR fo sho!

 

[tinytony]

Going deep, like where your but pretty much touches your heels, really takes a set from doable to excruciating. It's hard for me to get moving from that bottom position.

 

[Hyde]

Going deep, like where your but pretty much touches your heels, really takes a set from doable to excruciating. It's hard for me to get moving from that bottom position.

Boy is it. Pausing on a box below parallel & doing deadstop pauses from there will SMOKE your calves along with everything else.

 

[wrxwhit]

Nice job with all that weight for so many reps! That's not a parallel squat tho, since you're asking - parallel in powerlifting is defined as when the hinge of the hip is level with the top of the knees. That means any guy with any muscle at all on there posterior is gonna have their ass-cheeks sitting pretty far down to get the hips down to that level. A parallel squat is gonna have your glutes below parallel. Like most flat benches at gyms, if you boxsquat off of them, will have your hip hinge several inches above parallel, if that gives you an idea of how far we're talking. Your hams will prob begin to touch the tops of your calves even potentially. 405 set was considerably lower than the 315 set btw. And either will work pretty good for building muscle, but they wouldn't fly in any competition. The 405s were getting fairly close tho - you could certainly at least get 405x1 all the way down, probably a good bit more. My best squat is 465 in the gym at true parallel, or a tad deeper, & I def can't do 405 that many times. I bet your max is higher than that once you get used to getting a bit deeper. It's tougher, but you get more muscles worked in exchange.

Hyde, I've got to tell you... that info you just gave me was second to none. Just watched vids again and glutes hit just about 90 degrees but I guess in the powerlifting world, as you mentioned, "parallel" would not be the correct terminology as I mentioned. I'm not even sure I could get any deeper due to flexibility. I feel strong at the bottom but getting the proper alignment to get deeper is gonna be a tough task. Maybe more stretching would help here. More training and development to come....

 

[Hyde]

You looked very strong at the bottom of those 405 sets. Try setting up a little bitty box or better, stack some 45 plates up. Squat down to it. Keep dropping plates off & start adding weight on the bar as your strength & comfort in that range picks up. You won't be able to go deeper with weight on your back; you need to start with nothing to play with it. You could do this with no weight before any other workout in the wk to just warm up. It will take less than 10 min & don't bother going over 135 - it's purely to practice form.

That's just if you're trying to think of a way to get deeper. When I squat I:

Take a deep breath into your belly & grip the bar tightly, then sit straight back (NOT down) as you start the squat, spread the knees to drop into the hole. Spread the floor apart through the sides of your feet (which are pointing mainly forward) & drive your knees apart while you drive your elbows forward & your chest up to extend the hips to lockout.

The squat is the toughest lift to master for most (besides Oly lifts obv), & the Youtube vid by Elite FTS So You Think You Can Squat? is an awesome lesson. It's like over an hour but worth your time.

 

[tinytony]

You looked very strong at the bottom of those 405 sets. Try setting up a little bitty box or better, stack some 45 plates up. Squat down to it. Keep dropping plates off & start adding weight on the bar as your strength & comfort in that range picks up. You won't be able to go deeper with weight on your back; you need to start with nothing to play with it. You could do this with no weight before any other workout in the wk to just warm up. It will take less than 10 min & don't bother going over 135 - it's purely to practice form.

That's just if you're trying to think of a way to get deeper. When I squat I:

Take a deep breath into your belly & grip the bar tightly, then sit straight back (NOT down) as you start the squat, spread the knees to drop into the hole. Spread the floor apart through the sides of your feet (which are pointing mainly forward) & drive your knees apart while you drive your elbows forward & your chest up to extend the hips to lockout.

The squat is the toughest lift to master for most (besides Oly lifts obv), & the Youtube vid by Elite FTS So You Think You Can Squat? is an awesome lesson. It's like over an hour but worth your time.

Definitely looked stronger at the bottom than I do.

 

[wrxwhit]

Thanks Hyde! It's true, squatting is an art and I am determined to paint a better picture. Im gonna be a mess next time I squat with all the advice. It's gonna be like a golfer after a golf lesson trying to remember all the mechanics of the swing.

Next video to come is the dead lift....

 

[wrxwhit]

Definitely looked stronger at the bottom than I do.

Yeah, until I get them glutes past 90 degrees, then you may want to take back your statement Tony but thanks for the confidence builder!

 

[tinytony]

Yeah, until I get them glutes past 90 degrees, then you may want to take back your statement Tony but thanks for the confidence builder!

Lol anything past what you were doing has been a real struggle for me strength wise. But I've been doing a lot of extensions and I fully believe that they have helped me in my free weight squats at the bottom!

 

[wrxwhit]

Day 37

Still maintaining weight at 212. Got 20mg left of SD so gonna eat em up tomorrow before back and then see how this test stuff works by itself. My weight gain has subsided for a bit due to caloric maintenance. Just can't seem to get enough calories in the day due to work. I almost want to stop working to get the most out of this cycle, but that prob wouldn't fair so well. I'll deal with it.

Had good energy today and hammered chesty. Hit 405 for 4 solid reps which puts my squat even with bench lol! Got to step up my game and get 5 reps next time I squat. Funny how my bench is motivating my squat. Then I'll prob hit 5 reps on bench next week to even it up again. Let's see what wins the race at the end.

After benching had pretty bad left elbow pain causing my whole arm to ache through workout. Assuming this is joint pain at this point and going that heavy ain't helping the cause. F... it, more weight next week!

Gonna up my fish oil intake and still keep AI at 25mg eod since in still trying to control estro sides.

Tomorrow is dead lifts as my first core exercise and I assume we are gonna create another PR. Will try to get another vid to critique form

 

[pro520roost]

Hope you break another PR! There is all types of things you can do to meet cals which I'm sure you already know but one thing I do if I couldn't eat enough during day because of work and life going on is eat late night like 12 am. If it's a perfect day and everything works in harmony then my last meal is like 9 or 10 pm but usually I'm struggling in eat enough so right before I go to sleep I eat like 4 or 500 cals.

 

[tinytony]

Hope you break another PR! There is all types of things you can do to meet cals which I'm sure you already know but one thing I do if I couldn't eat enough during day because of work and life going on is eat late night like 12 am. If it's a perfect day and everything works in harmony then my last meal is like 9 or 10 pm but usually I'm struggling in eat enough so right before I go to sleep I eat like 4 or 500 cals.

Yeah keep a steak on hand for such occasions. Zero carbs and loads of protein

 

[wrxwhit]

Dead lifts, here we go!!!

 

[wrxwhit]

Ok, here we are boys... 495 Dead Lift attempt
http://youtu.be/-lEUQb6_T_k

 

[Hyde]

BOOM! You had another one in you; that was clean as a whistle Timmy. You're gonna catch me pretty quick man; I need to step my game up. Too bad I'm off cycle & cutting atm lol. You got 525 without a doubt; wait a couple wks to pull it tho to let your CNS recharge some. It'll look just like that pull: clean.

 

[wrxwhit]

Thanks bro! Felt really strong and form looked pretty good I think as I'm still trying to perfect. Trying to get up in the 5's with the big boys in here. Take a week off sounds like a good plan but... probably not lol! We shall see. Would be even better if did without wraps but feel at this point, in getting better and stronger, wraps will stay for now. I feel no need for a belt yet as my back feels great, but am curious if I could pull much more with one.

 

[Hyde]

My best pull was on M1T a couple months ago, 565 from the floor with my leverbelt & chalk. If I had to take my best guess I'd say my belt is good for about 40lbs for me, no joke. And a quick hit of ammonia/nose torq is worth another 10. I'm not saying don't pull next wk, I'm saying deload with say 425 for as many as possible perhaps. Maybe 445, but that'd be it. Use reps in place of weight for that wk. Pulling singles at extremely high %s, say over 95, will send you backwards after too many wks in a row. Or at least stall you.

If you can borrow a good belt before this cycle ends & get some ammonia faint-revival caps, You could be looking at 545 for sure. Maybe more if you have the lat/glute strength to pull thru such heavyweights without practice with them ever yet.

Another trick is to do all of your warmup pulls, all of them, from atop a 45lb plate under each foot. This increases range & makes it harder. Then pull shoeless from the floor for the true max attempt; dropping 1-2 inches will trick the CNS into thinking it's way lighter. This is the only time I use the ammonia too; I never use it in training, even heavy singles. Only for PRs.

 

[wrxwhit]

Ahhhh yes, gotcha. Last week pulled 455 for 2, this week for 1 so prob a good idea to get some good reps next week to mix it up. Love the idea of the plate trick. Never thought of that. Makes complete sense. Not sure I could pull off sniffing ammonia prior to pulling at my gym as it is not really meathead friendly. May get the boot for that one lol! Thanks again Hyde for solid advice and keepin this train Rollin!

 

[Hyde]

Haha yeah people give you a funny look; def a hardcore trick. But the deficit deadlifts are a great trick, & they build your launching power too. Deadlift is my favorite; it's the one thing I feel truly comfy commenting on. I wanna get a lot stronger, but babysteps I suppose. Need to build a benchpress like yours man!

 

[wrxwhit]

I've come to realize that when you can bench more than you can squat or dead lift you've got to get your act together. Ive dedicated this winter training to do just that. I think I have finally figured out after all these years how to properly and safely do both so now it's time to add the weight. So far 405 for 4 on both squat and bench is a dead heat, but my max dead today put me well ahead in that category. Got to keep these squats going injury free...

 

[Hyde]

That's def the most important part - lifting heavy is dangerous. Lift smart; nobody can train when they're injured (and make progress, anyway).

 

[pro520roost]

You still breakin PRs

 

[wrxwhit]

Hey pro, simple answer to your question is no. After coming off SD strength has subsided and lost 5 lbs sitting about 207 this am. Work and finishing my basement has gotten the best of me. I'm more focused now on intensity with less weight and cutting a bit. Test definitely has nothing on SD for strength but provides nice vascularity and endurance in the gym. Maybe 400/wk isn't enough to reap the full benefits. I'm feeling good and have about 6 weeks left until pct.

 

[wrxwhit]

Guys, I have heard most say you should be maintaining most of your weight coming off an oral kicker with test. I've got to be honest here. I'm not 100% convinced that the test at 400mg is doing what I thought it would. I'm far less motivated to go to the gym and don't have the kill attitude and strength as I do on SD. So my question is, could the exemestane dosed at 25mg eod inhibit my gains or is 400mg not enough? Gyno symptoms have been controlled to a point. I'm still feeling horny as hell and have decent vascularity, so I believe my test isn't bunk from a reputable supplier. I'm still eating the same amount if not more than on SD???? I'm thinking to increase to 500mg and shorten cycle a week to reap the benefits if any.

 

[Hyde]

Coming from a guy who's never personally injected test (or anything) but has used exemestane multiple times now with aromatizng compounds & to come off letro, I'd say exem at 25 eod shouldn't be crushing your gains, especially if libido is decent & you're not getting nightsweats or creaky joints (which might point to very low estrogen). More than likely your estro is just controlled. 500mg is a fairly common dose for someone's first test cycle, so I don't think anyone's gonna call you crazy for going there.

If you feel the need, bump it up. You could also add another compound. Skip orals since your liver is now recovering from the SD - since you don't mind pinning, you could try shooting Msten preworkout. Legal, cheap, bypasses the liver so toxicity isn't a concern, not a long esther so it clears the body very quickly & you don't have to wait for it to build up. Boom - extra power & endurance, then done. TNE would also fit that bill well. Probably better, it's just pricier & obv not legal.