Spiking the Cider: An Alpha Mass log

[SpicedCider]

(I originally posted this earlier today on Forerunner Labs' company forum but decided to continue my log on this forum after I was advised that it would receive more exposure/interest here)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to begin this log by thanking Forerunner Labs for selecting me to log their product Alpha Mass. Over the course of the next 7 weeks, I will be taking 6 capsules of Alpha Mass every day and training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I will be taking 6 caps/day for the first 4 weeks, 8 caps/day for the following 2 weeks, and then 9 caps/day for the final (7th) week. My goal, without a doubt, is to gain as much muscle as I can, so I'll be inhaling tons of protein, and since I also run every day of the week, I'll be eating a bit more than I usually eat. Given my height/weight ratio, do you guys think 150 g/day of protein is enough, or should I shoot for closer to 200?

I have never taken any PH's or steroids before, and if my AM cycle turns out to be as much of a success as others' cycles of this product have been, I really don't see why I'd ever want to consider taking a harsh methylated product when companies like FRL/AMS offer effective, yet practically side effect-free PH's that produce serious, no-BS results.

I also want to mention that due to sustaining a labrum tear in my left shoulder (and possibly one in my right shoulder) in 2006, I have never really been able to do super-heavy powerlifter-style training, so my weight numbers on various exercises are rather (embarrassingly) low; having said that, I was planning on only posting the actual week-to-week increases in the amounts of weight I'm lifting rather than the actual weight values themselves (unless the FRL team really wants to know the raw numbers! LOL).

I took my first 3 caps of AM earlier this afternoon and will be posting "before" photos later tonight. I am EXTREMELY excited about starting this cycle. I'm definitely looking forward to breaking the 170-lb. mark on the scale; my starting weight earlier today at the gym (after running and working out back/biceps) was 162. I am already getting schoolgirl-giddy just thinking about what my "after" pictures could look like at the end of the cycle... tee hee hee hee heeeeee!

Anyways... once again, my sincere thanks to FRL and Royd the Noyd for allowing me to log their product; I hope to provide you guys with an excellent log!

 

[lboston]

Subbed buddy. Looking forward to seeing how this treats you.

 

[Hulk mode]

shoot for like 250 your going on a ph its called alpha MASS. but saying that you dont need a ph to gain only being 163

 

[chris223]

I want to say to shoot for 200 grams of protein a day, but it kind of depends on your training and dieting experience. I did great on right around one gram of protein per pound of body weight for years, but once I started inching that number up to around 1.5 I definitely noticed improved gains.

 

[SpicedCider]

I'll be editing my face out of my "before" pictures and will be posting them tonight. I don't know if it was a placebo effect or not, but when I took my second dose of 3 caps last night (30 mg. of 1-DHEA, which is what Alpha Mass is), my blood pressure/heart rate seemed to spike about 30-40 minutes later and I started feeling some anxiety. So from now on, I might be spreading each of the 6 caps throughout the day as opposed to taking 3 caps each in 2 separate doses...

 

[SpicedCider]

After taking 3 caps of AM today, I felt that same sensation of high BP/HR about 1.5 hours later. I stopped at a grocery store and used their BP assessment machine, and my BP was 139/75. The systolic reading (139) is definitely high for me. For anyone who has taken 1-DHEA before and experienced BP/HR issues, did that side effect go away after a week or so of taking the product? Hopefully it's just my body getting used to the compound.

 

[rambofireball]

Good-luck bro!

Subbed for sure.

 

[SpicedCider]

Good-luck bro!

Subbed for sure.

Thanks, good luck with your log as well! Also, thanks to anyone else who has decided to follow along.

 

[abformulations]

I'm most def in big homie

 

[SpicedCider]

I'm most def in big homie

'preciate it!

But you are probably going to have fewer people laughing if you wait until AFTER the cycle to call me "big homie"

 

[SpicedCider]

Got the befores... try not to laugh too hard:

It'll be interesting to see how everything looks in 6-7 weeks!

 

[abformulations]

'preciate it!

But you are probably going to have fewer people laughing if you wait until AFTER the cycle to call me "big homie"

Lmao.

 

[abformulations]

Got the befores... try not to laugh too hard:

<img src="http://anabolicminds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=68158"/>

<img src="http://anabolicminds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=68159"/>

<img src="http://anabolicminds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=68159"/>

It'll be interesting to see how everything looks in 6-7 weeks!

Shave that chest please! Lol. Lets see how big u get lol. Go hard

 

[tyga tyga]

Need to do some manscaping there bud lol goodluck with the cycle

 

[SpicedCider]

Woops, just realized I had uploaded the same photo twice... I replaced it with an up-close bicep/tricep pic that I think will make for a revealing before/after comparison.

I have actually never shaved my chest hair, LOL. I don't have a GF right now, so I guess I just figure eh, whatever. And while I'm at it, I should probably shave that nasty belly too. And also drop 5%-15% in BF.

 

[Royd The Noyd]

Thanks for posting before pics. The BP spike can be normal initially for some people. You have the right idea though. Space them out a bit more, or even start at a lower dose and work up.

 

[lboston]

How's it treating you today?

 

[SpicedCider]

So earlier today, I had my first workout "on" Alpha Mass after having taken 6 caps/day since Friday. I trained chest, triceps, and shoulders. For chest, I did incline bench press (5 sets), flat bench press (5 sets), cable chest press (2 sets), Hammer Strength Iso-Wide plate-loaded chest press (2 sets), and incline flyes (3 sets). For triceps, I did rope pushdowns (4 sets), plate-loaded dips (4 sets), and the Hammer Strength isolated extension machine (3 sets). For shoulders, I did several sets of physical therapy exercises for the labrum/rotator cuffs, lateral/front raises (5 sets), and *carefully* did the Hammer Strength shoulder press machine (I have to be really careful when working out my shoulders since I have a labrum tear in each).

I don't know if I've been taking AM long enough to start noticing strength improvements, but I was able to do a full 10-12 reps for 2 sets of my max. (don't ask) on incline bench press without really feeling exhausted at all. Maybe it's just part of my "natural progression," but last week, I only managed one set at that same weight of 10 reps and a second set of 8 reps.

On another note, I noticed the BP increase again a couple hours after dosing my first 3 caps, so I will definitely start spreading them out more during the day.

 

[rambofireball]

looking good man! Hit it hard!

 

[SpicedCider]

looking good man! Hit it hard!

Definitely, thanks!

Also took a back shot the other day that I forgot to upload:

 

[abformulations]

How far apart u dosing your alpha mass?

 

[SpicedCider]

How far apart u dosing your alpha mass?

I was initially taking 3 in the morning and then 3 later in the afternoon/evening, but since I seem to get a fairly substantial spike in blood pressure from taking that many and because I like to run in the mornings (which raises blood pressure already), I have been taking 3 after running, then 1 a couple hours later, then 2 a few hours after that. But since I got the BP increase again yesterday after taking 3, I will probably either take 2 at a time or 1 at a time throughout the day.

 

[abformulations]

Oh wow. Didn't know it could raise bp that fast and on 6 pills. Some people run it as high as 15 caps. When I run mine next week i might go 6 caps for two weeks and than 8-10 for the next 6 weeks. Spread them out 2 at a time every 6 hours. To keep levels a little lower and maintain that bp. Taking in any caffeine by any chance?

 

[SpicedCider]

Oh wow. Didn't know it could raise bp that fast and on 6 pills. Some people run it as high as 15 caps. When I run mine next week i might go 6 caps for two weeks and than 8-10 for the next 6 weeks. Spread them out 2 at a time every 6 hours. To keep levels a little lower and maintain that bp. Taking in any caffeine by any chance?

I don't think it has such a dramatic effect on BP in most people who take it. In fact, I've read reports from others who haven't experienced ANY side effects at all, whether BP or lethargy-related. I don't take caffeine pills or PWO supplements very often... the only caffeine I usually get comes from whatever small amounts are in diet soft drinks.

 

[SpicedCider]

Earlier today, I had my back/biceps workout. I did 4 sets of lat pulldowns, 3 sets of plate-loaded Hammer Strength underhanded rows (same ROM as T-bar rows), dumbbell rows (3 sets), and 3 sets of close-grip cable low rows. I know that people are going to knock me for using Hammer Strength equipment so frequently, but honestly, I seem to feel the target muscle group that I'm training (in this case, back) get "worked" much more substantially than when doing some freeweight exercises. Unfortunately, I can't really do deadlifts because of my shoulder labrum tears. For biceps, I did 4 sets of preacher curls, 4 sets of straight-bar cable curls, and 3 sets of hammer-grip cable curls.

I don't know if it's too early to start noticing effects from taking Alpha Mass (Friday will be the one-week mark), but it seems like my muscles have looked generally fuller and a bit more defined during the past 24 hours. I forgot to step on the scale today, unfortunately, but I don't think I've actually gained any weight at this point.

Also, in regards to side effects, for the first few days of taking AM, I would notice flu-like symptoms 1-1.5 hours after dosing (e.g., warm in the face, warm breath, lethargy, yawning, scratchy throat -- general "I'm-coming-down-with-something" symptoms), but I haven't noticed any of those side effects since Monday night. So it seems that whereas most users start experiencing sides like lethargy one or two weeks into their cycles, I experienced those kinds of sides at the very beginning of my cycle and for just the first few days.

At this point, the only side effect I'm still experiencing is the BP/HR increase that follows each dosing, which I've already mentioned in a few previous posts. If it wasn't for that one side effect, I would honestly be able to say that Alpha Mass carries NO side effects whatsoever (of course, there is still a chance that "rebound lethargy" could kick-in over the next week or so, but I'm not counting on it). I'm hoping that the BP spikes taper off over the next week or so, though.

 

[abformulations]

I see you really liking alpha mass. Solid log so far. Keep it up bruh

 

[SpicedCider]

I see you really liking alpha mass. Solid log so far. Keep it up bruh

Thanks.

Well, earlier this morning, I dried my hair off with a towel (actually a thin shirt) and looked down at it afterwards and noticed that there were probably 6-7 hairs on it. Does anyone know if it is too early to start noticing hairloss at just 6 days in on a cycle? Can hair start falling out that early on a cycle of anything?

I'm thinking that it's just hair that would've normally fallen out (since people naturally lose 100-150 hairs/day), but I just wanted to be sure...

 

[lboston]

Thanks.

Well, earlier this morning, I dried my hair off with a towel (actually a thin shirt) and looked down at it afterwards and noticed that there were probably 6-7 hairs on it. Does anyone know if it is too early to start noticing hairloss at just 6 days in on a cycle? Can hair start falling out that early on a cycle of anything?

I'm thinking that it's just hair that would've normally fallen out (since people naturally lose 100-150 hairs/day), but I just wanted to be sure...

Not sure if would impact that quick. I'd think it'd take some time, but I'm hardly an expert. Are you noticing any acne on chest, shoulders, or back. That and hair loss are often signs of High DHT conversion.

If you're worried, I'd look into either Nizoral or Regenapure shampoo.

Also. Check out the hair loss sticky.

 

[SpicedCider]

Not sure if would impact that quick. I'd think it'd take some time, but I'm hardly an expert. Are you noticing any acne on chest, shoulders, or back. That and hair loss are often signs of High DHT conversion.

If you're worried, I'd look into either Nizoral or Regenapure shampoo.

Also. Check out the hair loss sticky.

I do have a few back/shoulder zits here and there, but I don't think I have any more than I usually do. From what I have read, 1-testosterone (which is what 1-DHEA converts to) doesn't convert to DHT, although it can still bind to androgen receptors in the scalp because it has a similar-enough structure to DHT to do so.

I've heard, however, that it typically takes 4-6 weeks for the hair strands in follicles damaged by androgens to fall out, so it probably is too early to notice shedding from AM.

 

[SpicedCider]

So today marks the end of my first week of my Alpha Mass cycle. I trained chest [(incline bench press (5 sets), flat bench press (5 sets), cable chest press (2 sets), Hammer Strength Iso-Wide plate-loaded chest press (3 sets), and incline flyes (3 sets)], triceps [rope pushdowns (4 sets), plate-loaded dips (4 sets), and the Hammer Strength isolated extension machine (3 sets)] today. For shoulders, I did 4 sets and then 4 sets of 2 different physical therapy exercise for the labrum/rotator cuffs, lateral/front raises (5 sets), and the Hammer Strength shoulder press machine (stupid torn labrum). I was actually up 10 lbs. on the shoulder press for a full 10-rep set and was able to do a full 11-rep. set on the incline BP at 5 lbs. heavier than what my max. was last week. I'm not sure if it's still too early for the AM to have kicked-in yet, though.

So far, the only side effects I'm experiencing are still the BP increases and lethargy here and there.

 

[srgraham69]

Keep it up man, interested in ur results. Planning to run this soon as well.

 

[SpicedCider]

Keep it up man, interested in ur results. Planning to run this soon as well.

Thanks; I'm hoping for pretty significant results in terms of mass gains. What dose are you planning on running it at and for how long?

 

[srgraham69]

Was thinking 6/6/8/8/10/10/12/12 with alpha bulk 6 ed and 5 alpha test at 3ed

 

[SpicedCider]

Was thinking 6/6/8/8/10/10/12/12 with alpha bulk 6 ed and 5 alpha test at 3ed

You'll probably see great gains running it at such a high dose for that long and with Alpha Bulk being stacked as well. Good luck!

 

[SpicedCider]

To provide an update for this week's workouts (so far), I trained back/biceps on Monday and chest/triceps/shoulders earlier today with the same exercises described for previous sessions. Strength is holding steady so far, which is to be expected; most previous 1-DHEA users have stated that strength/mass gains become more substantial during the third week of the cycle and beyond. For what it's worth, though, I started the cycle at 162 lbs. and weighed-in today at the gym at 164.2 pounds, and I definitely think I'm starting to get more of a "hard" look (as if my muscles have sharper "edges" to them, if that makes any sense), so I could very well have already gained a pound or two.

This Friday will mark the end of my first two weeks on Alpha Mass. I'm happy to say that the BP/HR spike that was occurring after each dosing during the first 1 - 1.5 weeks is now no longer apparent. Sometimes I feel lethargic and generally tired about 45 minutes to an hour after taking AM, but it seems to wear-off just as fast. Other than that, there are literally no side effects that I can report (unless AM is secretly tri-methylated and I'm really tearing up my insides and I just don't know it... just kidding, of course, LOL). My scalp has been itching in the back a few times a day, but the weather is also really dry here now, so it's probably from that.

I have a feeling that the proceeding week is going to bring a few surprises (the good kind)...

 

[rambofireball]

Nothing but good news! Keep at it!

 

[SpicedCider]

Nothing but good news! Keep at it!

Thanks! I've also been following along on your 5-AT log. So far, it sounds like it's a great agent to assist with leaning out.

 

[lboston]

Looks good man. Are you not if much in regards to strength increases yet?

 

[rambofireball]

Thanks! I've also been following along on your 5-AT log. So far, it sounds like it's a great agent to assist with leaning out.

Yeah I'd guess it's a big factor in my success is dropping calories pretty low for fat loss without losing strength. We'll see how the rest of the run goes, good luck with yours!

 

[SpicedCider]

Looks good man. Are you not if much in regards to strength increases yet?

I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Last week my "max" weight on incline and flat BP felt easier to do for 10-12 reps, but that could've just been due to natural progression (I.e., I could have experienced it even if I hadn't been taking the AM).

 

[SpicedCider]

Yeah I'd guess it's a big factor in my success is dropping calories pretty low for fat loss without losing strength. We'll see how the rest of the run goes, good luck with yours!

Thanks, you too

 

[SpicedCider]

Sorry for not updating for a few days; I've had several assignments to complete and tests to study for, so I was a bit busier this past weekend. On Saturday I worked back/biceps and yesterday I trained chest/triceps/shoulders; I'll be training back/arms tomorrow. So far, weight amounts on all exercises have held steady from last week, but when I stepped on the scale yesterday, I was up to 165.4. Again, I'm not sure if it's still too early to start gaining muscle mass from AM (this Friday will mark my third week "on" it), but it's good news either way. I'm eager to step on the scale at the gym tomorrow and see if that number has held.

I'm also not sure if it's too early to start noticing any hairloss, but every day for the last few days, I have noticed that after drying my hair off with a towel, there are usually 3-5 hairs (maybe more?) in the towel. The back of my head has also been itching, but that could be from the weather here being dry lately. However, before I went to sleep last night, I scratched the back of my head for a few seconds, looked at the pillow, and saw that that there were 4-5 hairs on it. Of course, I have never been OCD about monitoring for hairloss before, so I have no idea if these hairs are ones that would've fallen out anyways.

For anyone who knows, doesn't it usually take 4 weeks for hair to fall out of hair follicles that have been damaged by DHT?

 

[lboston]

Sorry for not updating for a few days; I've had several assignments to complete and tests to study for, so I was a bit busier this past weekend. On Saturday I worked back/biceps and yesterday I trained chest/triceps/shoulders; I'll be training back/arms tomorrow. So far, weight amounts on all exercises have held steady from last week, but when I stepped on the scale yesterday, I was up to 165.4. Again, I'm not sure if it's still too early to start gaining muscle mass from AM (this Friday will mark my third week "on" it), but it's good news either way. I'm eager to step on the scale at the gym tomorrow and see if that number has held.

I'm also not sure if it's too early to start noticing any hairloss, but every day for the last few days, I have noticed that after drying my hair off with a towel, there are usually 3-5 hairs (maybe more?) in the towel. The back of my head has also been itching, but that could be from the weather here being dry lately. However, before I went to sleep last night, I scratched the back of my head for a few seconds, looked at the pillow, and saw that that there were 4-5 hairs on it. Of course, I have never been OCD about monitoring for hairloss before, so I have no idea if these hairs are ones that would've fallen out anyways.

For anyone who knows, doesn't it usually take 4 weeks for hair to fall out of hair follicles that have been damaged by DHT?

It typically does fake some time, yes. The follicles have to be damaged, then eventually fall out. I'd pick up some shampoo targeted for male androgenic hair loss to be safe.

 

[SpicedCider]

It's definitely time for an update. You guys might recall that the other week, I stated something about being able to do only one full set of 10-12 reps with my "max" weight on incline bench press. Well, as of my last chest workout which was on Friday, not only is that amount of weight no longer my "max," but it actually ended up being the default amount of weight I felt comfortable lifting. I initially did two sets of 10 lbs. less weight to begin with, then added 10 lbs. to both sides and was surprised at how easy the 12 reps felt. So I figured I'd try to do another set and all 12 reps felt great. Since I've been doing 5 sets of incline BPing for the last couple of months anyways, I decided to see if I could do my last set with that same amount of weight (normally, I have to drop the weight at this point due to just being exhausted), and I was able to bang out 10 relatively easy reps.

So having said that, I think it's apparent that the AM has "kicked-in." The BP spike issues haven't occurred in probably two weeks (or if they have, I haven't been able to detect them as I could before) and I don't even know if I'm experiencing any issues with lethargy since I tend to feel kind of tired during the week anyways due to being up late studying and not getting enough sleep (sometimes). I was also up 5 pounds earlier today during my back workout on an exercise that I seem to have plateaued on for about a month now (underhanded Hammer Strength pulldowns).

After this Friday, I will be increasing my dosing to 9 caps/day. I have a feeling the fun is REALLY about to begin...

 

[abformulations]

I just upped mine to 8 per day.

 

[SpicedCider]

I just upped mine to 8 per day.

Good to hear. How is it going for you so far? Noticing any strength/mass increases yet?

 

[abformulations]

Good to hear. How is it going for you so far? Noticing any strength/mass increases yet?

Strength not so much. Mass is def noticeable. In two weeks I gained 4lbs.
I want to see how 8 caps differ from 6.

 

[SpicedCider]

Strength on various exercises has held steady over the past week, although the workouts I had over the last few days were crappier than usual since I hadn't gotten as much sleep the nights before due to having to study for back-to-back tests. However, I'm happy to announce that today is the first day that I will be taking 8 caps of AM instead of my usual 6 (I think I mentioned previously that I would be increasing to 9, but that won't be until the 7th week).

Since Friday marks the end of my fourth week of taking AM and I've heard that DHEA products really "kick-in" after about the fourth week, I think I'm really going to make some significant progress over the next few weeks. I am already noticing a visible improvement in my upper chest and arms, so let's bring on 8 caps/day...

 

[SpicedCider]

BTW, what are you other guys who are logging AM going to use for PCT? Would FRL's Reboot be enough? I figured it would be since 1-DHEA is supposed to be mild anyways and I'm not taking any other PH's, but I just wanted to be sure.

 

[lboston]

BTW, what are you other guys who are logging AM going to use for PCT? Would FRL's Reboot be enough? I figured it would be since 1-DHEA is supposed to be mild anyways and I'm not taking any other PH's, but I just wanted to be sure.

I'm on TRT, so the pct isn't something ill be doing. I've heard and read that the reboot product should be sufficient.

HOWEVER-I wouldn't recommend doing any PCT where you're not using a SERM. You can get Clomid very cheap--Probably cheaper than you paid for the alpha mass.

A cycle isn't worth potentially damaging your endocrine system; no matter how mild it is said to be. Always better safe than sorry.

Ideally, you woulda had pct though through prior to starting, but some things we have to adjust for. I'm no professional on these issues by any means, but I've read enough to know a SERM would be in your best interest.