X-Factor & MP Log

[jtt]

Day 1

Background: I'm coming off a lengthy (8 month) cut going from 179 lbs to 152.5 lbs. Cut accomplished via carb cycling and morning fasted cardio and a few cardio sessions immediately after weight sessions - prior to pwo shakes.

Reason for MP inclusion: I want this to be a very lean bulk and due to low calorie and carb consumption over the past 8 months, my body's propensity to gain fat quickly will be high. Including MP at full dose during the bulk is expected to help keep fat gains at bay as I gradually raise/adjust calories and carbs levels throughout the cycle.


Stats: will measure once/week - Fridays am on empty stomach

8/4
Age: 43
Height: 6.0 feet
Wt: 152.5 lbs
Wst: 28 inches
Body Fat: 5.5%
Abdomen - 6mm
Suprailiac - 4mm
Thigh - 6mm
Chest - 3mm
Tricep - 3mm
Midaxillary - 3mm
Subscapular - 6mm
Measurements:
R. arm - 14.375"
R. Thigh - 20.75"
Chest - 41.75"


Dosing Scheme:

MP 2x3:
dose 1 - Morning pre-cardio with 500mg Alcar, 1 multi-vitamin, coffee.
dose 2 - Mid-day with meal
dose 3 - Last meal

AA:
5 on workout days:
dose 1 1X morning meal after cardio
dose 2 2X pre workout meal (4-5 pm)
dose 3 2X post workout meal (7-8 pm)
4 on non-workout days evenly spaced between 6am - 8pm

Other supplements:
500 mg Alcar - pre-morning fasted cardio
24 LEF mix caps/day (contain roughly 1200 mg NAC and 200 mg milk thistle)

Calories: Coming off cut I was consuming 1800 (non-workout days) - 2100 cals (workout days). I will start bulk at 2400 - 2700 cals wk 1 with 200 gms carbs (50 morn - after cardio, 50 pre workout and 75 post workout & 50 during other 4 meals (from vegs, ff cottage cheese, almonds, etc.). I will then adjust cals based on Friday measurements.

Goals: 175 lbs EOC (end of cycle). I expect an immediate 7 lbs of water weight gain due to re-introducing carbs in my diet. This happened like clockwork when I introduced carbs during weekend refeeds. Monday morning weigh-in was up 7 lbs from Friday's that quickly dissipated during the carb restricted portion of my diet week. So I'm looking for 15.0 lbs of LBM over the 9 wk cycle. Yes, if progression is good, it will mean I need to buy another (third) bottle of X-Factor and MP. However, if the cycle has value, maybe our friends Molecular Nutrition and Designer Supplements will help with the third bottles.

Report: Nothing but extreme hunger all day! Body does this when it gets a taste of carbs. However, I feel there might be something else going on as the level of hunger is greater than I ever felt the past 8 months. Discipline will be a major focus during the cycle.

 

[TimoteoS]

X Factor and MP will each increase hunger. I would not take a full dose MP during a bulk as it will be impossible to gain, I would take 2-3 caps max. Keep eating man, your metabolism will be up from the MP and X so keep it clean and you will be lean!

 

[jjohn]

Good luck with it. Should be a good one

 

[jtt]

X Factor and MP will each increase hunger. I would not take a full dose MP during a bulk as it will be impossible to gain, I would take 2-3 caps max. Keep eating man, your metabolism will be up from the MP and X so keep it clean and you will be lean!

I agree Timoteos. Thanks for the input. Initially I was going to 1/2 dose MP (3/day) but I decided to keep at full dose at least for the first 2 weeks for 3 reasons:

1) The body is primed to gain fat coming out of a cutting cycle - especially a cycle as long as mine.

2) X-Factor is "loading" or something during the first 2 weeks as most don't feel its effects until week 3 or later. Once I "feel" X-Factor is working and if my fat gains have been minimal, I will slowly back off the MP from 6 to 4 and then 1 at a time as I gauge the effectiveness.

3) I'm backing off the weekly cardio as well - from 7 fasted morning sessions to 4-5 and very few if any after weight sessions.

In two weeks I'll re-evaluate.

JTT

 

[TimoteoS]

My apologies, you def know what your doing and Im actually doing the same thing as you.. I begin bulking in two weeks w/ Jungle Warfare and I will be using TTA w/ it which I will begin a week before I start the JW for the reasons you mentioned.. Good luck man!! I got some X Factor today as well and Ill be running it with TTA as well so Ill be watching you!!!!

 

[jtt]

Day 3- 6/7/06

jjohn, thanks for chiming in - looking forward to your experienced input as I make my way through this 9 week journey of progress.

Yesterday (day 2) only thing to report was continued ravenous hunger. Really concentrated on not over eating. This morning (now) I am still hungry. Chest and back are sore from the weekend weight sessions. Today is an off day so I will concentrate on 7 meals of good quality protein and fats with a few less carbs. Weight this morning was 157.5 so up 5 lbs (water) as expected. By Friday, unless I lose some fat along the way, I should be 159 -160 due solely to increased water via reintroduction of mid-week carbs.

Sleep was great last night - head down at 10:00pm and I slept straight through until 5:15am alarm clock. Usually I wake early morning to urinate but not this morning and at 5:15 by bladder was screaming. Off for 25-30 minutes of fasted cardio.

 

[jjohn]

Keep it up I think the hardest part is really resisting the unstopping hunger during the cycle. Get through it, and you will be impressed on what this can do for you

 

[jtt]

Day 4 6-8-06

Nothing new to report. Just more of the same: always hungry, water weight has had a minor effect on definition of abs, sleep was excellent. Yesterday was an off day. Tonight's workout is legs so I'm sure come Thursday I'll be limping around. I do find myself a little more sore than usual but that could be due to having more carbs present during workouts resulting in more enegry, better quality reps and in general more overall work (sets and reps). Out the door for a nice brisk walk (fasted) to start the day.

 

[jtt]

Day 5 6-9-06

Only thing to report is I tweaked my right knee doing squats last night. The first four sets felt very nice so I upped the weight 30 lbs for the 5th set (6 targeted reps) and felt a slight pain under the right patella on the 1st rep tried a second rep and same pain so I called it quits. Worked on abs the remainder of the session. This morning the knee is still sore so we will see how it behaves during my cardio walk in a few minutes. This Sunday (next leg day as well as the one after), I think I'll go to the local gym pay the $8 walk in fee and hang out on the leg press machine. In a couple of weeks I'll add back a few light sets of squats to guage how the knee feels. I hope the leg press results in no knee pain or I'm screwed during this cycle. It is hard for me to gain without relatively heavy leg work being a staple of my routine.

As mentioned yesterday, definition is definitely down. My son likes to show off his 8 pack (the little bugger) and then asked to see my "6" pack on which he commented "now it looks more like a 4 pack". Not sure of the cause as I don't feel any heavier. Other than that and the constant hunger, nothing else to report in terms of gains, sides, etc.

 

[tsc]

As mentioned yesterday, definition is definitely down. My son likes to show off his 8 pack (the little bugger) and then asked to see my "6" pack on which he commented "now it looks more like a 4 pack". Not sure of the cause as I don't feel any heavier. Other than that and the constant hunger, nothing else to report in terms of gains, sides, etc.

MP causes some water retention, that unfortunately hides its effects while on. Once you stop using it, you will start seeing all that definition again. Within two weeks of stopping you should have the same if not better definition (assuming you are cutting.. and sticking to the diet ). For some people, the water retention stops much sooner. Even on a bulk, you'll appear to have gained more fat than you actually have. Its more frustrating on a cut as you think you aren't doing enough when you really are.

TSC

 

[jtt]

MP causes some water retention, that unfortunately hides its effects while on. Once you stop using it, you will start seeing all that definition again. Within two weeks of stopping you should have the same if not better definition (assuming you are cutting.. and sticking to the diet ). For some people, the water retention stops much sooner. Even on a bulk, you'll appear to have gained more fat than you actually have. Its more frustrating on a cut as you think you aren't doing enough when you really are.

TSC

TSC, one question: I believe I feel a temperature increase when I take MP on an empty stomach vs. when I take it with food. I'm taking 2 caps 3 times/day. Was I hindering MPs effect by taking it with food?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jtt]

Day 6 6-10-06

More of the same. The knee feels great today - no pain at all. The pain disappeared 5 minutes into yesterday morning's cardio. Yesterday was also an off day for the weights. Us older guys don't recover as quick as we used to. This evening is chest, shoulders and triceps. Tomorrow morning is measurement day. Interested in my weight. I've been fighting the urge to peak since Monday. I'll try and include the data on the 1st post as well so one can more easily track the changes. There's a lot of thunder outside so it's off to the trusty treadmill and CNBC for 30 minutes of boredom. Maybe MTV will actually show a music video of which I can relate.

 

[tsc]

Day 6 6-10-06

More of the same. The knee feels great today - no pain at all. The pain disappeared 5 minutes into yesterday morning's cardio. Yesterday was also an off day for the weights. Us older guys don't recover as quick as we used to. This evening is chest, shoulders and triceps. Tomorrow morning is measurement day. Interested in my weight. I've been fighting the urge to peak since Monday. I'll try and include the data on the 1st post as well so one can more easily track the changes. There's a lot of thunder outside so it's off to the trusty treadmill and CNBC for 30 minutes of boredom. Maybe MTV will actually show a music video of which I can relate.

MTV plays music videos? When did this began?

also, as to your earlier post MP can be taken with or without food. I tend to notice more of a heat kick when taking it with food though, not that that is significant.

MP+Xfactor should be a great lean bulk or recomp stack. I am almost done with Xfactor and our NHA stack and am still quite impressed with the combo.

TSC

 

[jtt]

Days 7&8 6/11/06 & 6/12/06

X-Factor has "kicked in". First, my weekly measurement update (taken cold, first thing in the morning):

weight 160 + 7.5 lbs of which 5-7 is ceratinly water weight due to reintroduction of carbs.
wst 28.375 + 0.375 - I do look a little less defined in the abdominal region.
Body fat 5.5% no change and no change to any of the caliper meaurements.
R. arm 14.5 up 0.125
R. Thigh 21.0 up 0.25
Chest 42.5 up 0.75


Now for the side effects:

The good:
Unbelievable vascularity especially during workouts. This is the most vascular I have ever been (including past cycles with prohormones).
Pumps are the best I have felt in the past year.
Significant (more weight for more reps) strength increases during my last two workouts. However, this is not the strongest (by far) I have been so there is some muscle memory at work here. So far, the speed of the strength increase is impressive.

The bad:
Oily skin and a few pimples at my hairline.
Mild dandruff has appeared - I'm concerned about my hair as my scalp now occassionally itches. I have not had dandruff before. My hair is already thinning so hard to tell if I'm losing more hair than normal.
Now, I do not get headaches. I don't think I have ever had a headache. I'm not sure I could describe one correctly. However, I can feel something going on here. More pressure at times throughout the day. I wouldn't call it an ache, just some pressure. Feels like it is behind my eyes but it is not a pinpoint pressure and it does not hurt as in pain - just noticeable. It's hard to describe and I felt it 2-3 times during the past two days. If I get the same feeling this weekend, I'm going to measure my BP as I have always been 120 - 125/60 - 65.

I did not expect sides this soon. I am excited as it indicates to me that I am responding well and quickly to X-Factor. In reading the numerous X-Factor logs on the net, I noticed those people with relatively low levels of body fat appear to be responding the best. Maybe it is due to the strict dieting of those with low body fat levels resulting in lower (maybe even very low) levels of AA prior to using X-Factor. I wonder if it is possible to measure AA levels in the body prior to a cycle to see if there is some sort of correlation. I'm looking forward to the next 8 weeks - remember my dosage scheme (5 on workout days and 4 on non-workout days) results in needing 3 bottles and the "extra caps" will extend my cycle to 67 days (a little past 9 weeks). Hey Molecular Nutrition, would you be so kind as to donate the third bottle. I promise to keep this detailed log updated.

One other thing to note, I have changed the dosing times/quantities as follows: On workout days: I take one cap with my morning breakfast, 3 caps with my pre-work out meal (1 hr prior to work out) and 1 cap with my post work out meal. On non-work out days I dose X-Factor evenly spaced out throughout the day but I never take X-Factor with MP. For MP, I am now taking 3 caps 2 times/day (between meals and X-Factor dosages) at around 9:00 am with a strong cup of coffee and again at 4:00 pm with a large cup of green tea. I find taking MP alone with caffine slightly raises my body temp.

 

[jjohn]

Wow. Keep up the intensive work. Now watch yourself transform

 

[jtt]

Day 9 6-13-06

Yesterday was an off day. I ate fairly clean but did have a cheat with the family (Red Robin) where I ordered two chicken breasts (small, skinny and tasteless) and fries (about a dozen - but they are the large size) with a little ketchup. Oh well, that's what this morning's cardio is for. Each of my last two meals yesterday were 1 cup of FF cottage cheese, FF chicken breast and 5 almonds and a cap of X-Factor. My ravenous hunger has somewhat subsided the past few days. For this week, I will still target 2400 cals on off-days and 2700 on workout days. I'm going to monitor my weight daily and if I'm not on course for +2 lbs by this Friday morning (162 lbs), I will begin bumping up the cals of my pwo shake and the following meal by 150 cals each.

Just took my ALCAR, Multi, 1 gram of CLA and finishing my second cup of Coffee. Out the door for some cardio and then later today head out to a local gym as a walk-in customer for a date with their leg press, Abs and Tricep extension (really tears up my triceps like no other exercise) machines. Need to make the most out of my $8. Tomorrow will be another off-day. After today, I will certainly need the rest.

 

[lilkev42]

JTT,

The log is looking good man, I am pretty interested in X-Factor now, so this is right up my alley. Just a quick question though, how tall are you?? I cant find it anywhere. Anyways keep up the work man, it will pay off.

 

[jtt]

JTT,

The log is looking good man, I am pretty interested in X-Factor now, so this is right up my alley. Just a quick question though, how tall are you?? I cant find it anywhere. Anyways keep up the work man, it will pay off.

6 feet even. I'll add it to the first post. Thanks! JTT

 

[jtt]

Day 10

Today is a rest day and after yesterday's workout I need it. Today my legs and triceps are extremely sore - not from the X-Factor but from a new set of exercises.

For legs I did 10-12 reps of slow and controlled extensions really squeezing hard at the top to the point where my thighs were on fire than hobbled over to the leg press for sets of ten. I did this 6 times followed by leg curls and some standing calf raises. For triceps I supersetted pushdowns with hammer extensions and needless to say they were obliterted. I ended with heavy Ab work on hammer and life fitness machines. The workout was a great and needed change of pace.

Sides: Only notice the head type pressure once over the weekend. Blood pressure was 120/65. Not sure what to make of it. Still extremely vascular and I am always hungry. I've been spot on with the diet. Tomorrow is morning cardio followed by an evening chest & shoulder workout.

 

[jtt]

Day 11

Immediately after posting yesterday which was 30 minutes after a meal with X-Factor, I got that head pressure thing. I had my last meal + X-Factor at 9:00pm and I noticed almost immediately a building of pressure which stayed with me until I went to bed. I was extremely tired last night and immediately fell asleep. No pressure this morning as I prepare for a fasted cardio session. I'm going to watch this closely this week and next. Either I'm becoming more aware of the issue or it is slightly increasing in intensity.

No new effects to report: I keep waiting for the DOMs to take place but most don't experience for another 7-10 days.

 

[jtt]

Day 12

Worked chest and shoulders last night and no reported strength gains. This is a little discouraging in that after my past cutting cycles, strength continues to climb at a relatively quick pace during the first 3-4 months. Hopefully yesterday was just an off day. I'm going to take today off and hit back and biceps hard on Thursday. I will start off with 5 sets of heavy deadlifts. Deadlifts really wreck my body and I can only do them every other week at most. Since I won't be able to workout again until Saturday evening there is no point in holding back tomorrow.

No head pressure to report from yesterday and that includes taking 3 X-Factor with my pre-workout meal. No new sides to report and I continue with the regular ones: more oily complexion, good vascularity, hungry most of the time, occassional head pressure. Still waiting on the DOMs.

Well it's off for a prefasted jaunt around the neighborhood.

 

[jjohn]

Day 12

Worked chest and shoulders last night and no reported strength gains. This is a little discouraging in that after my past cutting cycles, strength continues to climb at a relatively quick pace during the first 3-4 months. Hopefully yesterday was just an off day. I'm going to take tody off and hit back and biceps hard on Thursday. I will start off with 5 sets of heavy deadlifts. Deadlifts really wreck my body and I can only do them every other week at most. Since I won't be able to workout again until Saturday evening there is no point in holding back tomorrow.

No head pressure to report from yesterday and that includes taking 3 X-Factor with my pre-workout meal. No new sides to report and I continue with the regular ones: more oily complexion, good vascularity, hungry most of the time, occassional head pressure. Still waiting on the DOMs.

Well it's off for a prefasted jaunt around the neighborhood.

Don't worry about strenght man. You are still early in your cycle, and you should experience strenght at halh of the cycle. Keep up the hard work, and it will pay off

 

[jtt]

Day 13

New Side effect - I have slept poorly two straight nights. I never have sleep problems but the last two nights have been rough - waking up every hour or so. I blew it off the first night but two nights in a row have me thinking. I searched other logs and found others have reported the same from X-Factor. As a result, I skipped cardio this morning and stayed in bed for another hour. I will up the carbs pre and post workout tonight and will consume today's X-Factor dosage prior to the workout (6:00 pm)and none after. Tomorrow is measurement day but I don't feel any heavier, bigger or stronger so I don't expect many changes from last week.

jjohn, did you notice any sleep quality issues while you were taking X-Factor?

 

[jtt]

Day 14

Measurements:

Weight: 159 lbs up 6.5 lbs since the begining, down 1 lbs from last week
All tape and caliper measurements the same since last week.

I lost 1 pound - hard to tell the effect (water weight, etc.). Basically no progress this past week as I have already reported that strength stayed the same. So I will up the carb calories pre and post work out this week.

Yesterday's back, bi and ab workout was one of my better workouts since starting this log. Strength was about the same but the intensity, pumps and vascularity were all above average. I'm off today and will hit legs hard on Saturday.

Sides: slept well last night - first time in three nights. I was extremely tired. Nothing else new to report.

 

[jtt]

Day 22

The family took a "last minute" one week vacation. Stayed in a hotel while we did the Orlando thing. Needless to say, eating properly was a challenge. Took X-Factor and MP as scheduled and incurred aweful DOMs. The Sunday before we left, I did legs at a local gym (I usually workout at home). I did heavy leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls and calf raises for the first time in a year. I usually just do squats and every now and then some lunges at home. I was suprised that I was not sore 2-3 days later from the workout, but 6 days later it hit me and hit me hard. My lower back, hamstrings and calves still hurt today. It is also extemely painful to stretch. It is very strange as I do not have any DOMS anywhere else (Chest, arms, back, etc.) Is this normal?

Tomorrow I will weigh and measure but I can tell that I added a few pounds of fat. Look much smoother in the mid-section and my pants are fitting tighter in the waist. Based on tomorrow's measurements I will either restart the lean bulk or use the remaining time on X-Factor to lose a little of the body fat I gained this past week - basically a small recomp.

 

[jtt]

Day 23

The measurements:

Weight: 164 lbs + 11.5 lbs (7lbs water weight, 2.5lbs fat gain, 2lbs lean mass gain)
Waist: 29.25" +1.25" - yikes, not good!
Body fat: 6.5%
Abdomen - 10mm + 4mm - ouch!
Suprailiac - 6mm + 2mm - double ouch!
Thigh - 6mm no change
Chest - 3mm no change
Tricep - 3mm no change
Midaxillary - 3mm no change
Subscapular - 6mm no change
Measurements:
R. Arm - 14.625" + 3/8 "
R. Thigh - 21.00" + 1/4 "
Chest - 43.25" + 1 1/2" - lats are definitely wider!

I am really disappointed with the waist/fat gain - I expected MP to help in this area. I will not continue MP once the curent bottle runs out. As mentioned yesterday, I am not suprised by the fat gain as I look very smooth. I worked hard at eating the right foods on vacation and keeping in enough calories to keep catabolism at bay while I logged many miles traversing the theme parks of Orlando. I managed to get in 4 quality workouts at the on-site fitness room (multi-purpose machine with leg press, flat bench and dumbells up to 50 lbs). I dosed X-Factor and MP as defined. To put 7/8" on my waist in a week is almost depressing. I will not let this past week bring me down - staying positive is the key! I will try harder these next 6 weeks to recomp my body. Carbs (200g/day on workout days and 100g/day on non-workout days): after morning cardio (40 g), pre-workouts (40g), post workouts (80g) and small amounts (40g/day) from vegetables, FF cottage cheese and almonds. Calories 250/day above maintenence. Early morning prefasted cardio 7 days a week.

New goals: 167 lbs with a 29 inch waist. That equates to 1/2 lb weight gain/week and 0.25" reduction in the waist. I will re-evaluate in 2 weeks but my immediate goal is to get back my 6 pack. I'm currently closer to a 4 pack on its way to a 2 pack.

Effects so far:

The Good:
Increased vascularity equivalent to being "on".
Slightly better pumps - but nothing spectacular.
Slightly better strength - but I expected more at this point.

The Bad:
Oily skin - a few more pimples than normal on nose, hairline, chest and upper back.
Scalp is also a little more oily resulting in occassional light dandruff by the end of the day.
Slight pressure behind the eyes at times. I experience this 7-10 times per week. I am not prone to headaches so this is a new sensation.
At first, I was always hungry but this seems to have subsided.
Increased DOMs.

I took my ALCAR this morning and I feel energized. I'm going to attack this set back hard. As they say, no time to begin like the present. So I am off to a cardio session.

 

[Aeternitatis]

I am really disappointed with the waist/fat gain - I expected MP to help in this area.

In my experience, MP caused quite a bit of water retention and I looked fatter/softer despite losing pounds. Give yourself about a week after ceasing MP to shed the water and then you'll realy see the results.

Remember, with MP and XF in your arsenal, you can go mega low-cal without much fear of losing muscle. Both will work to help you retain muscle and strength. I find it best to add some ephedrine is doing this since it is so damned effective at controlling hunger.

BTW, try adding a tablespoon of quality lecithin to that ALCAR... makes a big difference in my opinion.

 

[314]

ditto on the water retention. I did a 4 week mp run a tkd. About 3-10 days after comeing off I lost 2" on my hipps and thighs and waist

 

[jtt]

Day 24

Yesterday's workout (chest) was fantastic. Great pumps and intensity. However, strength gains continue to wane. So far the only DOMs experienced are lower back, hamstrings and calves. And let me add that all three are painfull - not your typical DOMs. If my chest and triceps are sore a few days from now, I know X-Factor has kicked-in full force.

I hope I experience the same effect from MP as stated in the last two posts above. My mid-section is very smooth.

Note: I had a real hard time sleeping last night. I took my last dose of X-Factor at 5:30pm and MP at 7:00pm. This is the third time I've experienced sleep problems during this cycle. I never have a problem sleeping so it is either X-Factor or MP. Will add this to the official side effect list that I occasionally post.

 

[jtt]

Day 25

Yesterday was an off day. Only thing significant to report is diminished DOMS in my hamstrings, lower back and calves...thank God! Slept a little better but not great last night. Tonight is legs. Off to a fasted cardio session. Still waiting for the effects of Sunday's Chest workout - no DOMs so far.

 

[jtt]

Day 28

Weekly measurements:

Weight: 162.5 lbs + 10 lbs (down 1.5 lbs from last week)
Waist: 29.125" +1.125 (down .125" from last week)
Body fat: 6.03%
Abdomen - 8mm (down 2mm from last week)
Suprailiac - 5mm (down 1mm from last week)
Thigh - 6mm no change
Chest - 3mm no change
Tricep - 3mm no change
Midaxillary - 3mm no change
Subscapular - 6mm no change
Measurements:
R. Arm - 14.5" (down 1/8" from last week)
R. Thigh - 21.00" no change from last week
Chest - 43.25" (down 0.25" from last week)

Comments:

Waist, weight, etc. are all down from last week when I was on vacation. While I ate well during vacation (always ate out), it is tough to avoid the sodium commonly found in restaurant food and as a result, the weight and waist gains made during the vacation were mainly attributable to holding water. This is the week that I should begin really gaining weight and strength. I will continue to focus on the diet and brief but intense training. I would like to be 164 - 165 by next Friday which will mark the halfway point of this 67 day cycle.

 

[jtt]

Day 29

Yesterday I worked Back & Biceps: deads, cable rows, pull-ups and curls. Minor strength gains experienced but I really expected greater increases after 4 weeks. This morning my lower back & hamstrings are sore so the DOMs sides are there. Pumps are decent and the weight and size increases are fairly apparent but the strength gains or lack of gains is somewhat disappointing.

Today is chest shoulders and triceps with chest (bench press) one of the better/consistent strength indicators for me.

I performed a 25 minute pre-fasted cardio session this morning. I will back off to 4 sessions per week as I try to put on 4-5 pounds over the next five weeks. I'm also going to continue with MP which will run out on day 60 of my 67 day X-factor cycle. So over the last 7 days of my cycle, I should experience some water reduction that everyone associates with MP usage. I'm a little skeptical of this but time will tell. I will most likely take daily caliper and waist measurements from day 55 - 60 and then continue through day 67 to see if this "MP water effect" is real.

 

[jtt]

Day 30

I woke this morning later than usual and very sore. I did a split session yesterday (Chest & Abs morning and Shoulders & Triceps evening). I also took 6 doses yesterday: 1 w/breakfast, 2 before morning workout, 2 before evening workout and 1 w/last meal. I am glad for this morning's DOMs. I also look a little fuller this morning. Off for morning pre-fasted cardio. Today is an offday where I am going to concentrate on good protein sources, low to meduim carbs and healthy fats. I'm also going to try and sneak in a nap this afternoon. I took one after yesterday's post workout shake and it was wonderful.

 

[lilkev42]

Any updates?? Hope everything is still goin well.

 

[THE GREATEST]

Any updates JTT? I started XF 1250mg/day with TTA and had to nix the TTA after one week due to the extremely painful DOMS which I have never had before, and I have taken TTA at doses of 6grams/day. Also, did you notice a higher frequency of headaches and fatique?

 

[lilkev42]

Any updates JTT? I started XF 1250mg/day with TTA and had to nix the TTA after one week due to the extremely painful DOMS which I have never had before, and I have taken TTA at doses of 6grams/day. Also, did you notice a higher frequency of headaches and fatique?

Hey, I am on Melting Point right now. Just some info for the DOMS/cramps, buy some Potassium, Magnesium and Taurine. I have NOW Magnesium & Potassium Aspartate, I take with every serving and I have NOW Potassium Gluconate for every meal that I do not take Melting Point. Cramps have gone away completly, as long as I am hydrated. Just a tip for ya.

How long are you going at 1250 for?? I just ordered 3 bottles and am thinking about doin the 60 days, thank god for college loans.

 

[THE GREATEST]

Could only afford the 40 day cycle. Depending on my results, I might try the 60 day cycle next time.

 

[jtt]

Sorry guys, I've been distracted lately. I stopped X-Factor after day 34. I didn't notice much the last 7 days. I was kind of disappointed as I have gained more muscle in the past after cutting cycles just using creatine and hard work. The lack of strength gains was most disappointing.

Final stats:

Weight: 164.5 lbs + 12 lbs ( I estimate the gain as follows: 7lbs water weight, 3lbs fat gain, 2lbs lean mass gain)
Waist: 29.50" +1.50"
Body fat: 7.0% +1.5%
Abdomen - 11mm + 5mm
Suprailiac - 7mm + 3mm
Thigh - 6mm no change
Chest - 3mm no change
Tricep - 3mm no change
Midaxillary - 3mm no change
Subscapular - 7mm + 1mm
Measurements:
R. Arm - 14.625" + 3/8 "
R. Thigh - 21.0" + 1/4 "
Chest - 43.25" + 1 1/2"

In hindsight, I should have waited 60 days after my cutting cycle to get back to a normal diet and training routine before I started X-Factor. Starting X-Factor immediately after the "long" cut did not provide me objective data in which to form a definitive opinion.

Would I purchase X-Factor again? I still have one unopened bottle and 1/3 of another so I have enough for another cycle. I'll probably use it in a cutting cycle early next year. For now, I will hold off answering the purchase again question...although I'm leaning to no.

I started H-drol a few days after I stopped X-Factor and I'm starting my 4th week. What a difference: better focus during workouts, better pumps, excellent strength gains but the real difference is what I see in the mirror - I'm getting bigger while my stomach looks leaner.

weight 172 lbs
waist 30.375"
R. arm 15.5"
R. thigh 21.75"
Chest 44.5"

 

[swoody]

The best results from this product are realized through the second bottle... you need to run it for a full 50 days to realize its effects. It takes time for the AA to build up in your system enough to start to see lean muscle mass and strength increases. My advice would be to follow through the whole cycle next time.

 

[jjohn]

The best results from this product are realized through the second bottle... you need to run it for a full 50 days to realize its effects. It takes time for the AA to build up in your system enough to start to see lean muscle mass and strength increases. My advice would be to follow through the whole cycle next time.

I also noticed that the last 3 weeks are the ones where the majority of the gains appear...

Good luck with your next cycle sir. Let us know how it goes