Purus Labs SLINshot and Recycle....biatch! (w/ pics/daily articles)

TheHardOne

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Time to get down to business!

Anyone who has followed my logs in the past know that I like to put in tip of the day's, articles of the day/week into my logs for beneficial content for everyone that follows it. Only problem with that is I was inconsistent with that, I will have daily content for you guys daily this time!

I will be logging Recycle and SLINshot from Purus Labs! Big thanks to Aaron! (this man really has a heart!) (extra homo on that one! jk)



**Recycle? What is it?

- Overview and Rationale for use

A plethora of medical research has been combed through tenaciously to formulate the most avant-garde, natural endogenous testosterone amplifier this industry has ever seen. Purus Labs ReCycle™ was strategically designed to address major endocrinological issues associated with optimizing testosterone levels in males. ReCycle™ can elevate free testosterone by supporting natural production of Lutenizing Hormone, inhibiting estrogen by aiding in aromatase enzyme reduction, facilitating the blunting of SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) so testosterone molecules can be unbound to exert their anabolic effects, hindering DHT by aiding in preventing its binding to the androgen receptor, facilitating lower cortisol levels, and fully rejuvenating the HPTA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Testicular Axis) allowing for maximum anabolism and minimal catabolism. ALL constituents of the ReCycle™ hormone exhilaration matrix have been substantiated through peer reviewed medical research and testing. Consider all other natural testosterone boosters OBSOLETE!

**What do I expect from recycle?

-Ramp up my testosterone production (even at a young age you should worry about having optimal hormone levels for peak performance!)
-^^^ Which im hoping will translate into a "greater alpha male" mood, sexual desire/performance, enhancing strength/size, enhancing erection strength(yes im dead serious, this should be a great indicator if a hormonal agent is doing its job!)
-Suppressing cortisol, my life is pretty stressed out at the moment, so my stress levels are typically through the roof! (I won't be taking anymore 1,3d so I know doing that alongside of taking recycle will tremendously suppress cortisol)

**SLINshot?! What is it?

- Overview and Rationale for use

SLINshot™ is a unique aqueous, herbal extract studied and proven to lower blood glucose following high carbohydrate intake as well as increase skeletal muscle amino acid uptake (e.g. creatine) in the absence of carbohydrates. What this means for the athlete is, more of the carbohydrates and amino acids you ingest are more rapidly and efficiently shuttled into the muscle inducing protein synthesis and intramuscular glycogen replenishment, igniting the recovery process and shunting fat storage. Quite simply, it makes food AND supplements more effective.

Athletes desire enhanced glycogen resynthesis, not only for its recovery stimulating/catabolism halting benefits but often for its association with greater “muscle pump” and increased “muscle fullness”. Likewise, athletes need/welcome heightened muscular uptake of amino acids to blunt the substantial protein breakdown and muscle damage from the excessive strain placed on both muscle and enzymatic systems during high volume training. SLINshot accomplishes both of these effects.

Physique athletes seek the repartitioning effects of SLINshot™, as it regards to glucose disposal and nutrient timing. SLINshot™, by aiding in blood glucose clearance, positively inclines the body’s nutrient utilization towards lean muscle accrual and body fat reduction.

Aside from athletes, many individuals (athletes and non-athletes) consuming large, simple, refined, or high glycemic carbohydrate meals can benefit from a glucose regulatory agent, such as SLINshot, for repartitioning effects or simply for overall health. Body fat gain and other negative effects are just some of the detriments of acute elevations in blood glucose. Detailed scientific studies indicate that maintaining healthy levels of blood glucose may be beneficial to overall health.

**What do I expect from SLINshot?

-Faster recovery via greater nutrient repartioning
-Very full muscles
-"Balloon tight pumps" in the gym

**Overall what am I hoping for from both products?

-All of the above I listed
-Increased Vascularity (meaning hoping for more new veins to form! which I always tend to achieve every "growth phase" anyways)
-Show more Vascularity

**Whats are my goals right now?

-Shoot my strength up through the roof (ill start posting my numbers on here)
-Increase my overall size!
-Slightly lean down (get down to the single digits!)
-Enhance my mood / alpha male mentality so where ever I go, I feel like a motha-f'in-movie star, get the attention like im a motha-f'in-movie star!
-Basically me want Superhero Strength and that "Superhero Shape/cartoonish look", me will get this! But this is more so a long term specific I suppose!

**Supplementation

-Multivitamin (ran out a while ago, anyone have any good recommendations? Ive always used the NOW brand)
-Fish Oil (just ran out, going to the store soon to stock up!)
-Nutrient rePartioner (SLINshot)
-Hormonal Agent (Recycle)
-Pre-Workout Endurance/Lactic Acid Buffer (Drive)
-Pre-Workout Cell Volumizer/Hormone control (Anadraulic GT)
-Anti-Catabolic / Thermogenic (Fat Free)
-Agmatine (500mg-1g pre workout)

**Food intake

-Carbs will vary on exercise duration / intensity / volume, and what my body is telling me as far as muscle fullness, if im flat, libido, sleep, vascularity, if im losing bodyfat, if im not losing bodyfat, insulin sensitivity levels change as time goes by, so ill be very specific with my calories. So carb cycling will be key here, ill post up the carb intakes every day. (keep in mind some days will be really high, but remember I monitor it!)
-What are my carb sources? Red/white Potatoes, gluten free pasta, white rice....why higher GI carbohydrates!? Because those do not cause any kind of gastrointestinal problems for me, they keep my muscles full (low gi carbs literally flats me out). Plus my supplementation / training protocol will ensure insulin is my best friend!

-Protein Intake, more so 1x my LBM on higher carb days and 1.2-5x my LBM on lower carb days. Sources? Im on a budget so whole eggs, milk, beef, cottage cheese, chicken, and fish!

-Fat Intake, higher on lower carb days, lower on higher carb days. Sources? The sources im not alergic to is Peanut Butter, avocado's, fish oils, walnuts! Typically with each meal ill have a good amount of fat with it, yes I combine carbs and fats in the same meal!(Charles Poliquin would hate me! But ive noticed a huge increase in mood, less fat gain, size when doing this!)

**Training

-Everything is logical, nothing is "self made theory" like most guys do, I can't stick to a program, my training will be dictated on the following...(below)
*Libido
*Muscle fullness
*Sleep
*Grip strength

-Pretty much my training will be structured on both forms of hypertrophy(myofibrillar / sarcoplasmic), and stimulating both fast and slow twitch fibers. Ill be going through phases, most of the time im pounding my fast twitch fibers, so my tempo/volume/exercise selection/rest intervals will be geared towards that.

-High motor exercises (compound movements) will be the prime movements

Ive been outa action for almost 3 weeks now! I don't want to sound like a poor depressed human but in short....my family has been going through some economic troubles, where I live opportunity is very slim, and my father has some bad blood circulation problems, a few weeks ago it looked like I had to quit my hobby of bodybuilding, looks like im going to keep going strong!

So here are some current numbers

Weight (was at 227 4 weeks go....since I stopped the whole bodybuilding scene momentarily im back down to 205ish)

BODYFAT (it seems like this is too f'ing controversial to even list, everyone thinks they "know" everything nowa days, so im keeping this to myself to prevent any kind "trolling" "discrimination" etc.... (pm me if your interested in know my bf levels, and I warn you, it will surprise you :) (The pic below is obviously a poor quality cam, I don't have a cell phone that has text so im stuck with this 20 dollar mp3 thing to take my pics now, yes that was a excuse to hide how bad I look) I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY GUESSING ON WHAT MY BODYFAT IS, thank you and enjoy the rest of the log :) (just msg if you must know, and yes ill post what my bodyfat before and after at the end of this cycle!)





*Track my gains?
-Through performance/progression in the gym
-Measurements (arms and calves, all the bigger muscles will be easier to track by looking in the mirror, comparing pics)

-Arms are at 16.5 inches
-Calves 16.5

-Main Lifts-

Incline Wide Grip Bench Press 275x4 (ive flat benched 4 plates for a 1 rep max before, but ever since changing my execution I had to use lighter weights, now im finally starting to move some heavy weight again! Moving heavy weight with a 3-5 second negative that is! Controlled, nothing sloppy, ever. (wish I had a chain to equip to my weight belt! if anyone knows where I can get one for extremely cheap tell me!)

Deadlifts 405x15 (stopping at shins) (I use to go all the way down to the ground, got brute strong, but my lack of muscularity made me switch to using a more "specific" execution / range of motion for building my lowerback / erectors / traps. My best off the floor deadlift is 585 when I was 18.

Barbell Squats 365x7 (with a 2.5 plate under my heel for better range of motion via better body curvature for quad recruitment) (best squat was 585 aswell using a wide stance a little below par) (I use more of a slightly outside shoulder width, much more natural for me)

Once I get a chain to add to my belt, I can start going heavy on dips / chins!

Im still deciding what my main shoulder movement will be, our dumbbells only go up to 120, and ive done those for 12 before, I just dislike the whole process of getting the dumbbells into the starting position! I don't like the military front press because the range of motion isn't the greatest for overall delt recruitment, but I may just do it anyways just to overload my front delts, and do another exercise for my medial delts. Best Seated military press is 245 for freakin 3 reps lol, weak I know!

*Training techniques (these will be used instinctively based on my sleep, libido, appetite, muscle fullness)
-Cluster sets
-Rest Pause
-Forced Negatives
-Extreme DC stretches at the end of my workouts (most likely will be doing this every workout)
-Blood Starving sets

*Train to failure or no? Depends on my big 4 (sleep, libido, appetite, muscle fullness)
-All im looking for is progress overload every workout.
-Im looking to fire up my CNS not kill it

 
TheHardOne

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I have quad pictures, but they are on my cell phone, im going to do something very ghetto to get them up. You will laugh when you see how.

Ill post my back progression photos tonight! Starting from 2009 when I started bodybuilding, then to March 2011. Haven't made much progress from the past 9 months or so via not being able to train consistently, I have like 6 weeks worth of consistent training from the last 9 months or so lol. Time to get to work!
 
Celorza

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Subbed bro , a beast like you will get even bigger on this , you are a well respected tank here :p and I am pretty sure I'll learn a lot from you here bro!!
 
hvactech

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i hate the way this forum does the pics, cuts half of the pic....the only thing that would make this log more epic is asgt :veryhappy:
 
TheHardOne

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Subbed bro , a beast like you will get even bigger on this , you are a well respected tank here :p and I am pretty sure I'll learn a lot from you here bro!!
Thank you, love those kind words!

And sorry for the huge picture...holy crap...brb, lemme fix that lol, makes me look obese. AHHHH!
 
TheHardOne

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i hate the way this forum does the pics, cuts half of the pic....the only thing that would make this log more epic is asgt :veryhappy:
Ahhh my fault Pimp! There I just fixed it, I had to resize them haha. Don't worry 2morrow is my first day back in the gym, and ASGT will be in action!
 
AaronJP1

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Damn.
I'm not 1st.


I like the start of this log already. Tell u what do a good job, maybe I can see if it's possible I can extend it, or get ya some other stuff to go with down the line. I have some thoughts and ideas in my head. Not promises though, buy def liking the start of this log. I can tell u put time and thought into it.
 
AaronJP1

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Time to get down to business!

Anyone who has followed my logs in the past know that I like to put in tip of the day's, articles of the day/week into my logs for beneficial content for everyone that follows it. Only problem with that is I was inconsistent with that, I will have daily content for you guys daily this time!

I will be logging Recycle and SLINshot from Purus Labs! Big thanks to Aaron! (this man really has a heart!) (extra homo on that one! jk)
Appreciate the kind words too.
 
TheHardOne

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Damn.
I'm not 1st.


I like the start of this log already. Tell u what do a good job, maybe I can see if it's possible I can extend it, or get ya some other stuff to go with down the line. I have some thoughts and ideas in my head. Not promises though, buy def liking the start of this log. I can tell u put time and thought into it.
Thanks a bunch Pimp! Trust me this log will be epic, and I mean EPIC. Im really trying to make this log fun / beneficial for everyone to follow!
 
Celorza

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Thank you, love those kind words!

And sorry for the huge picture...holy crap...brb, lemme fix that lol, makes me look obese. AHHHH!
They are honest bro! You have helped me out a lot! And though I ain't as knowledgeable and experienced as you are , I'll ride along for support!

And nah you look strong bro! You are a freaking TANK!
 
hvactech

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Damn.
I'm not 1st.


I like the start of this log already. Tell u what do a good job, maybe I can see if it's possible I can extend it, or get ya some other stuff to go with down the line. I have some thoughts and ideas in my head. Not promises though, buy def liking the start of this log. I can tell u put time and thought into it.
picking favorites are we? j/k, mine will be up starting monday
 
JoHNnyNuTZ

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In dude...I love me some recycle. And Im not just saying that cuz Im a rep. I was lucky enough to get to log 2 bottles of it last year..coming off a pretty brutal. definitely did the job for me.
 
TheHardOne

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They are honest bro! You have helped me out a lot! And though I ain't as knowledgeable and experienced as you are , I'll ride along for support!

And nah you look strong bro! You are a freaking TANK!
I promise this log will be epic my friend.

And thanks again for the kind words, its time to grow! Superhero time!
 
AaronJP1

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In dude...I love me some recycle. And Im not just saying that cuz Im a rep. I was lucky enough to get to log 2 bottles of it last year..coming off a pretty brutal. definitely did the job for me.
Nice.

I'm a SLINshot fan.
 
TheHardOne

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In dude...I love me some recycle. And Im not just saying that cuz Im a rep. I was lucky enough to get to log 2 bottles of it last year..coming off a pretty brutal. definitely did the job for me.
Glad to have you along!

What did you notice most from cycling Recycle?
 
JoHNnyNuTZ

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Glad to have you along!

What did you notice most from cycling Recycle?

The test boosting effect. I breakout from GOOD test boosters. But its just what my body does. My boys came back, felt like king kong, especially after the emotional rollercoaster of hormones I was feeding my body. Felt evened out after the first week and a half anf things onky got better from there. Honestly, if you have the cash Id snag a second bottle and run it 6 caps a day for 6 weeks. You wont be sorry
 
TheHardOne

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5/25/12 Article of the day! (instead of just using mine, ill be using articles made by various coaches aswell! This just ensures I have fresh content for you guys daily! Ill make sure its not "generic" either, info that general public doesn't know or doesn't realize!)

3 Things You're Supposed to Do... But Most Big Guys Don't!
Time Your Rest Periods
by Christian Thibaudeau


"When a client asks me how long they should rest between sets, I always answer them with one of the following:

1) I select my rest periods based on the rotation of the earth, wind factor, and moon phase.
2) If I ever see you look at the clock or a stopwatch to calculate rest periods, I will hit you with a baseball bat.


Precisely timing rest intervals is another thing that most coaches and personal trainers do, but that nobody who actually built a ton of muscle mass and strength ever does.

We all recover at different rates. So how can a specific rest period be adequate for everybody doing a program? If I recover slowly, resting 90 seconds between two hard sets might not be enough and my performance could suffer. If someone else recovers super fast and has a short attention span, forcing himself to wait 90 seconds might throw him out of the zone.

Furthermore, even individual recovery rate can vary. For example, your recovery time will be slower if:

1) You're tired
2) You're on a low-carb diet or didn't ingest enough nutrients that day
3) The training environment is really hot and humid
4) You had a huge cheat meal/day and are bloated and holding water
5) You suffer from brain fog or lack motivation


The goal of a training program is NOT to do a list of chores. It's to stimulate a physiological response. So I prefer to give general recovery recommendations based on what I want to accomplish with an exercise.

For example:

A. If your goal is to maximize performance on a lift, you want to use the amount of rest necessary for you to perform optimally. You don't want fatigue to hurt your capacity to lift, but you don't want to rest so much that you get out of the zone either.

B. If your goal is to accumulate waste products and get a maximum pump, you want incomplete rest, to be able to pile on blood and waste products in the muscle. Don't rest so long that you start to lose a bit of a pump. In that case, you accept a drop in performance to be able to magnify the pump on every set.

C. If your goal is conditioning, you want to rest enough to be able to do another bout, but not so much that your heart rate drops down significantly. You want to keep the heart rate elevated during the whole time you're performing the conditioning section.

No truly muscular/strong guy times his rest periods. He instinctively knows how long to rest based on how his body is feeling and what he's trying to accomplish.

Tomorrow I'll discuss another thing you're supposed to do that most muscular dudes never actually do: follow a specific workout as written. -- Christian Thibaudeau"

 
TheHardOne

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I just have to post this now! Love this article! 5/25/12 2nd Article of the day!

3 Things You're Supposed to Do... But Most Big Guys Don't!
Use a Specific Workout
by Christian Thibaudeau


"I personally never use a "workout." By that I mean use something written on a piece of paper that tells me exactly what to do. Instead:

I have a target area (either muscle group or lift to work on.)

I know what type of training effect I want to get.

I have a strategy to get that training effect.

I have a general plan/approach based on the strategy.

But the actual workout evolves during the session. I make decisions based on how my body is reacting.

I could never follow a specific program as planned. There's always an exercise that I don't feel properly and that throws me out of the zone. I always feel like I'm missing something. Sometimes I want to do more of something and sometimes it feels like I'm doing too much of something else.


Freedom Within Structure

The bottom line is that when I force myself to follow a specific workout I almost never have a totally positive experience and it kills my motivation. I believe in freedom within a structure.

The general structure/layering tells me how to orient my workout to get the effect I want, but I have freedom regarding exercise choices and the actual loading scheme and training methods I'll use to get the effects desired.

Here's an example of a structure that I use:

1.Get a pre-pump in the main target muscle without causing fatigue.

This loads the muscle with nutrients before doing the hard work, and it enhances the feeling of the muscle so you can better contract it during the high-threshold work.

2.When the pre-pump is established, I move on to high-threshold work.

The goal is to fully stimulate the fast-twitch fibers, maximizing muscle performance.

3. When the high-threshold work is done, I do maximum pump work for the main target muscle.

The purpose is to fill the muscle with as much blood and metabolites as possible to bring as many nutrients to the muscle as possible, as well as stimulate the release of a high amount of local growth factors.

4.When I reach maximum pump, I want to use an exercise that will load the muscle while reaching a stretched position.

This will stretch the fascia, giving more room for growth as well as sensitize the IGF-1 receptors in the muscle.

I have four things to accomplish in a certain order to get the most out of my workout. I do not move on to the next step unless I achieve the goal of the currect step. I'll select the exercises, methods, and loading scheme that will help me achieve each step with the least wasted effort.

Most really muscular or strong guys work like this instinctively. While some do use a specific program, they'll modify it on the fly to get the most out of their workout. The basic workout plan gives them a structure, but they allow themselves enough freedom to make adjustments to maximize their gym time." -- Christian Thibaudeau


 
TheHardOne

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About to go train! Haven't been to the gym in weeks!

*Update* 5/26/12
-Took my SLINshot 2 caps 10 mins before my first meal
-Going to take my recycle 40 mins or so after my first meal
-Great sleep last night!
-Grow time!
 
AaronJP1

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About to go train! Haven't been to the gym in weeks!

*Update* 5/26/12
-Took my SLINshot 2 caps 10 mins before my first meal
-Going to take my recycle 40 mins or so after my first meal
-Great sleep last night!
-Grow time!
Nice.
Try your SLIN 20 minutes pre meal next time to compare.

:)
 
TheHardOne

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Nice.
Try your SLIN 20 minutes pre meal next time to compare.

:)
Ill do that with my post workout meal today! Ill report back!
 
TheHardOne

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5/25/12 Chest (I will now structure my workouts to one of Christian T's latest articles, I love it!)

*Neural Charge Complex (3 cycles of jump deadlifts / military press / lunges) (3-6 reps each exercise, lightweight, 4021 tempo)
-This is to fire up my CNS to enhance my focus / intensity / strengthen joints for my workout today

*Pre-Pump (without fatiguing the muscle, no where near failure) (2 sets of cable flys superset narrow chins 2-8 reps each)
-Enhance my mind to muscle connection
-Bring in nutrients into the muscle / stimulate protein synthesis

*High threshold / Overload work (multi-joint movements, 4021 tempo, nothing to true failure) (im going for performance, so rest periods are instinctive, basically when I feel im ready, most likely around 90 seconds)
-Pound the fast twitch muscle fibers!
-Incline Barbell Press
135x3 (why is this so heavy rofl!!)
185x3
225x1 (what in the world....my usual warm up weight that I usually warm up for 15-20 feels like 4 plates!)
185x7
205x4
-Wide Grip Chest Dips
BW x 7
BW x 5

*Maximize Pump to targeted muscle
-To stimulate growth factors (igf-1/vegf/gh) to enhance sarcoplasm hypertrophy
-Aids in recovery
-Pec Deck (seat high and seat low variations were used, 30 second rest periods)
110x8-12 on each set (6 sets overall)

*Stretch Fascia
-To enhance longterm hypertrophy
-Enhance anabolic growth factors to enhance recovery
-DB Fly stretch 2 sets of 20-30 seconds (brutal!)

***Notes***
-Can't expect much from my first day back in the gym, super weak! Wow!
-How do I feel? Like a loser! lol Don't worry recycle will change that within week 2!
-Pump? 5/10 Ok pump I suppose, within week 2-3 ill be getting those nasty full pumps! (like i said ive been outa action for almost a month!)
-Took my 2 SLINshot's 10 mins to my first meal, didn't notice much, will try Aaron's recommendation, 20 mins pre meal next time!
-Recycle 4 caps 45 mins pre workout (40 mins after my first meal, opened up the caps to enhance better absorption)
-Agmatine 1g 15 mins pre
-ASGT 10 mins pre (1 scoop)
-Drive 25 mins pre, 3 caps, opened up
-Today will be a high carb day!
-Training frequency will be monitored!
 
AaronJP1

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5/25/12 Chest (I will now structure my workouts to one of Christian T's latest articles, I love it!)

*Neural Charge Complex (3 cycles of jump deadlifts / military press / lunges) (3-6 reps each exercise, lightweight, 4021 tempo)
-This is to fire up my CNS to enhance my focus / intensity / strengthen joints for my workout today

*Pre-Pump (without fatiguing the muscle, no where near failure) (2 sets of cable flys superset narrow chins 2-8 reps each)
-Enhance my mind to muscle connection
-Bring in nutrients into the muscle / stimulate protein synthesis

*High threshold / Overload work (multi-joint movements, 4021 tempo, nothing to true failure) (im going for performance, so rest periods are instinctive, basically when I feel im ready, most likely around 90 seconds)
-Pound the fast twitch muscle fibers!
-Incline Barbell Press
135x3 (why is this so heavy rofl!!)
185x3
225x1 (what in the world....my usual warm up weight that I usually warm up for 15-20 feels like 4 plates!)
185x7
205x4
-Wide Grip Chest Dips
BW x 7
BW x 5

*Maximize Pump to targeted muscle
-To stimulate growth factors (igf-1/vegf/gh) to enhance sarcoplasm hypertrophy
-Aids in recovery
-Pec Deck (seat high and seat low variations were used, 30 second rest periods)
110x8-12 on each set (6 sets overall)

*Stretch Fascia
-To enhance longterm hypertrophy
-Enhance anabolic growth factors to enhance recovery
-DB Fly stretch 2 sets of 20-30 seconds (brutal!)

***Notes***
-Can't expect much from my first day back in the gym, super weak! Wow!
-How do I feel? Like a loser! lol Don't worry recycle will change that within week 2!
-Pump? 5/10 Ok pump I suppose, within week 2-3 ill be getting those nasty full pumps! (like i said ive been outa action for almost a month!)
-Took my 2 SLINshot's 10 mins to my first meal, didn't notice much, will try Aaron's recommendation, 20 mins pre meal next time!
-Recycle 4 caps 45 mins pre workout (40 mins after my first meal, opened up the caps to enhance better absorption)
-Agmatine 1g 15 mins pre
-ASGT 10 mins pre (1 scoop)
-Drive 25 mins pre, 3 caps, opened up
-Today will be a high carb day!
-Training frequency will be monitored!
Great job. I'm in the same boat as you strength wise. I was out of the gym for about 3 weeks, not sleeping well and eating crap. Hope to fix that up like you plan on doing. I'm working on some test for work, and that's taking away my gym time. I have came to terms gym time will only help improve my fitness test scores though.
It's mending draining as well.


I like the detail and notes you add to the log as well.
 
TheHardOne

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Great job. I'm in the same boat as you strength wise. I was out of the gym for about 3 weeks, not sleeping well and eating crap. Hope to fix that up like you plan on doing. I'm working on some test for work, and that's taking away my gym time. I have came to terms gym time will only help improve my fitness test scores though.
It's mending draining as well.


I like the detail and notes you add to the log as well.
Just got in my post workout meal, took 2 caps of SLINshot 20 mins before, my chest feels extremely full, fuller than usual!
 
AaronJP1

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Just got in my post workout meal, took 2 caps of SLINshot 20 mins before, my chest feels extremely full, fuller than usual!
Nice!
 
hvactech

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how many carbs were in that meal....
 
TheHardOne

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how many carbs were in that meal....
My first meal was around 200, the second was around 200 aswell. With my higher carb meals I may take like 4 caps, but I feel 2 caps will work just fine with the super high carb meals, ill monitor it closely. (and yes I know 200+ grams of carbs in one meal is alot, I love it)
 
AaronJP1

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SLINshot is good for 75g of carbs for 2 caps.

Break that down to 1 cap would cover 35-40g of carbs.
 
TheHardOne

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Training Update! 5/25/12

-Looks like im going to start training first thing in the morning again, only thing ill be taking pre will be my agmatine/drive/recycle/ASGT, if I feel energy/focus/intensity and progress slows down, that means im slacking it with the calories, ill just change back to eating a meal before a workout, ill post today's article specified on this subject.
-Frequency in the gym will be monitored with how im recovering, sleep, muscle fullness, libido, obviously my first week back my recovery most likely won't be too great. Also I have to hold back with the failure techniques like rest pause, forced negatives...etc. Unless I want to train with a lower frequency ill add in the failure techniques.
-Since I can't find a chain to add to my weight belt, I guess ill strap a dumbbell onto my waist with my belt....that's gonna be uncomfortable I know.
-At the end of my high threshold work, my maximize pump work will be usually 2 movements supersetted with 30 second rest periods between sequences, one that offers a greater stretch and one that emphasizes more on a peak contraction, 8-12 reps for increased metabolic byproducts in muscles such as lactic acid which stimulates production of various growth factors to enhance hypertrophy. And of course my extreme stretch at the end of every workout!
-When my recovery starts speeding up tremendously (most likely as early as week 2) ill start using a higher frequency. (hopefully my ego doesn't kick in and I go stupid crazy with my training like I have in the past with a bunch of drop sets, forced reps, rest pausing every workout lol.....ughh teenage intensity!)
-Who thinks I can get up to 220-225 in Bodyweight within 4 weeks? lol
-Training split is monitored, but it will look similar to this for the first 2 weeks or so (below)
*Chest
*Posterior Chain (lower back/erectors/traps/hamstrings/abs/glutes)
*Lats/upperback and Arms
*Either rest day or continue split....Quads/Calves
*Shoulders
*Remember everything will be monitored, once recovery starts speeding up, expect to see me train every bodypart 2 to 3 times a week, once progress starts to slow up, adding in rest pause(cluster)sets, forced negatives will be used.
 
TheHardOne

TheHardOne

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5/26/12 Article of the Day! (from Lean gains!)

Fasted Training For Superior Insulin Sensitivity And Nutrient Partitioning
11:45 AM | Posted by Martin Berkhan



"I had intended to write about something different today, had it not been for this new and exciting study that came out a few days ago. The study, named "Training in the fasted state improves glucose tolerance during fat-rich diet", adds to the scientific evidence that shows that fasted training may have unique benefits* that are not obtained with fed state training.

* Previous studies had showed that fasted training improves endurance and increases muscle glycogen stores. There has also been work done that suggests an "anabolic rebound" effect from fasted weight training. Theoretically speaking, fasted training should also aid with "stubborn fat loss", such as lower abs in men and hips and thighs in women.


The new study

Let me briefly summarize the study methodology before I'll talk about the results, which are very interesting indeed.

The main objective here was to find out whether fasted training had the potential to induce superior and favorable adaptations to fat metabolism, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity when compared to fed-state training. The researchers thought this was a hypothesis worth exploring, based on previous studies that showed superior effects of fasted training on fat metabolism and metabolic gene expression. For example, De Bock, et al (2005) and Cluberton, et al (2005).

To test this, they recruited healthy, young males who were reasonably lean and active. The participants averaged 3.5 hours of "physical activity" per week, which I reckon is close to, or less, than what most of my readers engage in. I actually think this is a very strong point of the study. These were not obese couch-potatoes and the results obtained with these subjects should be very applicable to us.

Two weeks before the start of the study, various tests were perform to determine baseline body composition, fitness, diet and health marker values. Then they were randomized into three groups, two of which followed the same diet and training regimen. Only nutrient timing was different.

Training: Two 60-min and two 90-min supervised training sessions per week, always between 6:30 and 9:00 a.m. Training sessions consisted of a combination of cycling and running exercise. Intensity was adjusted to each individual and set to 70-75% VO2Max for cycling and 85% VO2Max for running.

The C-group: Fed training. C received a carbohydrate-rich breakfast (675 kcal, 70% carbohydrates, 15% fat, 15% protein) ~90 min before each training session. In addition to that, they drank a beverage containing 1g maltodextrin per kg body weight during exercise.

The F-group: Fasted training. F received the same "breakfast" as C, and the maltodextrin enriched beverage, but in the mid-afternoon.

The CON-group: Control group (no training but the same diet as F and CHO).

Diet: 50% fat, 40% carbs and 10% protein. In essence, a diet closely resembling the Standard American Diet (slightly higher fat intake in place of carbs). The diet was also hypercaloric, providing 30% more calories than the subjects required to remain weight stable (range: 3000-4500 kcal). Subjects received supervised lunches, whereas all other meals, snacks and drinks were provided by the investigators as individual take home food packages.

The duration of the study was six weeks. After the study, new tests were perform to study investigate changes in body composition, fitness, diet and health markers.



Studies show pictures of hot women increase the likelihood of reading blog posts by 1123%. Irrespective of the subject matter. So if you're all out of ideas for pictures, that's a pro tip. I mean it was either this or another lame picture of me running around in the mountains for some sports catalogue. Click the picture to see these women in all their splendor. Then I insist you read on as I report on the (highly interesting) results.


Results

To save some space here, I will not cover the results in the control group. Needless to say, sitting on your ass and overfeeding for six weeks will not result in any favorable changes to any of the parameters covered below (as confirmed by the study). I will only cover the results in the fed (C) and fasted (F) training group and how they compared against each other.

Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity: These are basically two sides of the same coin. Glucose tolerance is correlated with insulin sensitivity and vice versa. Both are important health markers when it comes to determining metabolic health and predisposition, or lack thereof, to metabolic syndrome. In summary, F clearly improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. C did too - but to a much lesser degree than F.

GLUT4: Glucose transporter type 4 is a protein responsible for insulin-regulated glucose transport into the muscle cell. It increased by a whopping 28% in F but only 2-3% in C (not mentioned in the paper but this is my estimate based on the graphs). This partly explains why F saw superior results in regards to glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

Since GLUT4 is triggered by AMPK, which is increased when glucose availability is low, i.e. during fasted training, one would assume the GLUT4 increase could then be explained by an increase in AMPK. This was found to be true: AMPK increased by 25% in F, which correlated closely with the increase in GLUT4 content.

Muscle glycogen and intramuscular lipid stores (IMCL): Much like your muscle mass stores carbs as glycogen, it also acts as a reservoir for fatty acids. From memory, an average adult has approximately 1800 calories (reference forthcoming if I can find it) worth of fatty acids stored in muscle. In contrast to muscle glycogen, which is preferentially used during high intensity activities, IMCL is used during lower intensity activities.

Similar to the study I covered in this article, muscle glycogen stores increased more in F than in C. However, no significant difference was found in IMCL storage.

Metabolic enzymes: Very fittingly, the same group of enzymes that were investigated in the study I covered in "Fasted Training Boosts Endurance and Muscle Glycogen" were looked at here.

Interestingly, changes in citrate synthase and HAD, two markers for fuel-utilization efficiency, were not different between F and C. However, two other important markers for glucose and fat metabolism, FAT/CD36 and CPT1, were increased by ~30% in F. C saw no increase at all.

Body composition: Now this is very interesting. Despite overfeeding the subjects with 1000 calories or more, F only gained 0.7 kg. From a scientific standpoint, this is deemed insignificant. That is, the gain could likely be attributed to chance or, very likely, fluctuations in body weight due to increased muscle glycogen. This lack of weight gain in F could not be explained by the training regimen. They were still overfed by 15-20% when accounting for the extra activity. This left the subjects with a theoretical surplus of 650 calories per day, on average, which should have resulted in weight gain equivalent to ~3.5 kg after six weeks.

What about C? They gained 1.4 kg, twice as much as F, despite doing the same amount of exercise and consuming the same amount of calories and macronutrients.

Exercise capacity: Time to exhaustion increased to a similar magnitude in both groups (+15%). However, C saw a greater increase in VO2Max. On the other hand, "FATmax," maximal rate of fat oxidation, increased to a much greater degree in F, with no increase in C.

These results are most likely explained both explained by the absence of carbs pre-workout. The greater increase in VO2Max in C is very likely due to the ability to exercise at a greater relative intensity. Maintaining a high intensity is after all dependent on glucose availability, which was abundant in the breakfast-fed and maltodextrin-supplemented group C.

Recall that the fasted group increased VO2Max and peak power output more in the study I covered in "Fasted Training Boosts Endurance and Muscle Glycogen." What might be the reason for these contrasting results? In the older study, exercise intensity was lower, 65% of VO2Max, an intensity where fat oxidation is maximized. Here subjects were much less dependent on glucose availability to fuel the activity.

In this study, exercise was performed at 75-85% of VO2Max, which greatly increased glucose utilization. When exercising at higher intensities than 65% VO2Max, fat oxidation is progressively reduced and becomes almost non-existent at 82-87% VO2Max.

Simply put, C improved VO2Max more as they could train harder due to providing the proper substrates for fueling the activity. On the other hand, F became progressively more efficient at oxidizing fat at higher levels of intensity as evidenced by the increase in FATmax. This is, in turn, could be explained by the substantial increase in the fat burning enzymes FAT/CD36 and CPT1."
 
zubda345

zubda345

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Its a Huge log man! I am in!
 
TheHardOne

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Post Chain 5/27/12

-Neural Charge Warm Up
-Pre Pump work (light deadlifts)
-High Threshold Work -Deadlifts from the knee- (deadstop everytime, no bouncing) 4021 tempo
135x5
225x3
315x3
405x2
455x2
505x3
525x3 (ughhh this lightweight feels so heavy for me...expect to see 600-740+ pounds soon)

-Single leg Romanian Deadlift- 4021 tempo
60x4
75x4
95x4

*Maximum Pump work*
-Glute Ham Raises-
BW 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 30-45 second rest periods

*Stretch Fascia*
-Hamstring stretch 60 seconds

***Notes***
-Took 1.5 scoops of asgt today....a little too much stimulants for me...will stick with 1 scoop
-Still feeling like a loser...lol.....
-Libido is surprisingly noticeably improved just from one day of Recycle!
-Aggression and that "in the zone" feeling in the gym just isn't there yet....
-Succesful workout though! I actually had the most intense hamstring pump ive ever witnessed in my life! Wow!
-Just had a scoop of protein / carb powder for my first meal, woke up late, today is just one of those messed up days, ill still get in my macro's!
-525 on my deadlifts from the knee(deadstop) was surprisingly very heavy for me....like I said....can't expect too much from the first week...
 
TheHardOne

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**Update 5/27/12**
-Doing 6 caps today just to experiment for SLINshot
-Most likely will be doing 4 caps a day
 
TheHardOne

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Yay good news! I found a memory chip to put in my cell phone so I can load up cell phone pics to my computer! Still not the best quality, but alot better than my ghetto mp3 player!
 
TheHardOne

TheHardOne

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Article of the day! 5/27/12

This is a really awesome read if your on a budget! This is from Universal Nutrition's site!



"Bodybuilding is about the basics – basic compound movements done regularly and with effort. This idea applies to eating as well. Many newcomers make the mistake of overcomplicating things. They get caught up with the latest fad diets they read about in popular magazines. They spend more time reading and creating elaborate meal plans, instead of actually trying out tried and true ones. Once again, these wannabe bodybuilders fall victim to “listening” (or in this case, reading), without enough “doing”.

Thus, the typical training tenderfoot is restrained by his own limited desire, his curbed appetite for reaching his physique goals. Instead of just stepping up to the plate and eating more, he thinks too much – he relies on the advice of so-called gurus everywhere and tries on one fad diet after another like so many hats. So what’s the answer? Very simple – the answer consists of two words: Dedication and simplicity. Armed with motivation and desire, you can make your dreams come true. Equipped with a basic, easy to follow diet program, you’ll be quickly on your way.

Just how basic can an effective bulking diet be? How about three items? We will use three of the most common breakfast foods around. These foods are can be found on any farm and end up in kitchens all over the country: whole milk, farm fresh eggs, and a loaf of bread. These three inexpensive staples can fuel the young bodybuilder’s growth when used wisely throughout the day. At this point, you might be scratching your head, wondering if we’re crazy – just a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a dozen eggs? Yes. We call it the Farmer’s Diet.

But before we check out each of these foods in more detail, a few caveats are in order. Though these foods can provide the foundation for a bulking diet, your daily intake of foods should not solely consist of bread, eggs and milk while on that diet. Variety is the spice of life and this is just as true in bodybuilding as with anything else. So eat your veggies, including sweet potatoes, along with brown rice, yams, pasta, poultry, beef, fish and pork.

Let’s start by looking in the cupboards for a simple loaf of bread. For $3.39, you can find a carbohydrate-rich source of food that won’t cost you a lot of dough. You’ll get a total of about 20 super-soft slices you can snack on throughout the day, and each slice will deliver about a gram of fat, approximately double that in protein, and roughly 12 grams of carbohydrates. Best of all, for even more calories, you can use spreads to your advantage. Peanut butter and jams are all great options.

Next, open the icebox and take out a gallon of ice-cold milk. You’ll need something to wash down that bread with. This item will check in at $3.89 a gallon. You get 128 ounces of a wholesome beverage that packs quite a caloric punch and is also chock full of vitamins and minerals. If you were to divide that up, you’d get 8 servings at 16 ounces, and costing around forty cents per serving. For a quarter, dime and a nickel, you get plenty of calories and a nice balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. All three are important for the athlete looking to add size and weight.

Last but not least, the incredible edible egg. Some call the egg the bodybuilder’s perfect food. Each egg gives you 6g of protein, no carbohydrates and some good, unsaturated fats. Now some worry that eating too many eggs will lead to high cholesterol levels. It’s not dietary cholesterol you need to worry about. It’s saturated fat. And remember, testosterone is made from cholesterol! Some elite bodybuilders will eat half a dozen eggs at breakfast alone, so start cracking!

Taken together, the Farmer’s Diet consisting of a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, and a gallon of milk will only cost you $9.97 per day. That’s a little over ten bucks a day for a solid bulking foundation! The Farmer’s Diet will add close to 4500 quality calories per day, more than enough for any serious athlete when taking his entire diet into account. Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Milk (whole, gallon, $3.89): 2344 calories, 124g protein, 204g carbohydrates,128g fat

• Eggs (large, dozen, $2.69): 852 calories, 72g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 60g fat

• Bread (white, loaf, $3.39): 1300 calories, 40g protein, 230g carbohydrates, 25g fat

Daily Totals: $9.97, 4496 calories, 236g protein, 434g carbohydrates, 213g fat

Let’s break down the Farmer’s Diet into more detail. Assuming you eat six meals throughout the day. Each meal would then consist of the following:

• 21 oz. glass of milk

• 3 slices of bread

• 2 boiled eggs

That’s it. Could you really pack on weight just by eating this simple meal, six times a day? Absolutely. While the Farmer’s Diet is simple, it will work because it will provide plenty of calories to sustain growth. That’s the real key. What matters most are calories and which foods you choose to eat.

The Farmer’s Diet is illustrative; it provides an example. Your own diet doesn’t have to include milk, bread and eggs. You could replace these three with other staple foods like yams, potatoes, rice, veggies, poultry, fish, and beef. At the end of the day, you need to make sure you’ve eaten enough. Theories and fads may be food for thought, but all the fancy ideas in the world won’t pack on weight. For that, you have to eat real food – and eating is what separates men from the boys.

SHAKE THINGS UP

When you’re eating four, six or eight square meals, the day can get really long, fast. Foods rich in fiber and fats can sit in your gut for a long time and digest slowly. With all those meals, you might end up feeling full and sluggish and tired. So while the day starts strong, it might go out with a whimper. Here’s where a simple strategy can help, one that will help you add even more calories. When times get tough, shake things up!

A delicious and nutritious shake can help you quickly obtain calories. Why shakes? For starters, shakes are tasty and very convenient. All you need is a blender or a shaker cup and you’re good to go. As shakes are a liquid source of calories, they will be digested quickly and efficiently. In other words, a shake won’t sit in your stomach for hours. This is especially important when you are eating a whole food meal every few hours. Calories that don’t keep you feeling full are vital.

So should you stock up on shakes all day long? The answer is a resounding no! Shakes are not meant to replace whole foods. They aren’t miracle supplements that will magically help you gain weight in a shorter period of time. Good, quality weight gain takes time. You can, of course, replace a meal with a shake. You can add a shake between a meal or two. Finally, you can top off a whole food meal with some liquid calories. There are many strategic ways to use a shake effectively and efficiently. Remember, a shake should be used to supplement your weight gaining goals.

When using a shake, feel free to use your imagination and add ingredients to really powerize that drink. Here’s a quick recipe that’s sure to taste good and help you add weight. Start by using a quality high protein, low sugar weight gainer in a basic flavor like vanilla. For our recipe, we prefer Vanilla Ice Cream flavored Real Gains because it contains superior sources of protein, important fats and fiber. Some old time bodybuilders used to use heavy cream for their shakes, but for our recipe, we’ll stick to whole milk.

• 3.5 scoops of vanilla Real Gains (605 cal, 5g fat, 88g carbs, 52g protein)

• 10 oz whole milk, cold (170 cal, 10g fat, 10g carbs, 10g protein)

• 1 medium-sized banana (105 cal, 27g carbs, 1g protein)

• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (188 cal, 16g fat, 6g carbs, 8g protein)

• Ice

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix for 10-15 seconds. Pour the shake into a tall glass and you’re all set. With this delicious shake, you get a whopping 1068 calories from 71g of protein, 131g of carbohydrates, and 31g of fat. Now add those 1068 calories to the Farmer’s Diet and your grand total is 5564 calories per day.

Without a doubt, a nutrient-dense shake can really help you out of a tight spot when looking to get big. Use one smartly and only as needed and a shake could mean the difference between meeting your daily intake of calories and missing it day after day, week after week, and month after month.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR GETTING BIG

OK, let’s summarize everything and list the most important things to do and avoid when trying to pack on weight:

1-Simplify your diet: Don’t overcomplicate things and fall for fancy, complex diet plans.
2- Eat big: When it comes to eating, go big or go home; at home, eat some more.
3- Lift heavy: Train big and be consistent; as with eating focus on the basics like compound movements.
4- Add in increments: Whenever you can, add an extra serving to meal; add an extra meal to the day; add extra calories using a small shake at the end of a meal.
5- Shake it up: When you’re full, add a shake; also add foods to that shake (such as peanut butter, fruit, ice cream).
6- The right meat: Instead of white meat, focus on red meat.
7- Carbs are your friend: When it comes to gaining weight, don’t neglect carbohydrates.
8- Move up: Instead of water, use skim milk; if that doesn’t work, move up to whole milk or even cream.
9- Avoid cardio: If you can run, jog. If you can jog, walk.

10- It’s a marathon: When it comes to bulking, it’s a marathon not a sprint so take your time and do it right.

As any muscle head will tell you, meals are an important part of the bodybuilding equation. When you bomb your muscles with one intense workout after another, you can’t afford to let a weak, inadequate diet hold you back from making explosive gains and obtaining an unreal body. Plan a simple, basic, effective diet and then stick to it. When you do, you’ll soon find more meat sticking to your ribs."
 
zubda345

zubda345

Member
Awards
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  • Established
Article of the day! 5/27/12

This is a really awesome read if your on a budget! This is from Universal Nutrition's site!



"Bodybuilding is about the basics – basic compound movements done regularly and with effort. This idea applies to eating as well. Many newcomers make the mistake of overcomplicating things. They get caught up with the latest fad diets they read about in popular magazines. They spend more time reading and creating elaborate meal plans, instead of actually trying out tried and true ones. Once again, these wannabe bodybuilders fall victim to “listening” (or in this case, reading), without enough “doing”.

Thus, the typical training tenderfoot is restrained by his own limited desire, his curbed appetite for reaching his physique goals. Instead of just stepping up to the plate and eating more, he thinks too much – he relies on the advice of so-called gurus everywhere and tries on one fad diet after another like so many hats. So what’s the answer? Very simple – the answer consists of two words: Dedication and simplicity. Armed with motivation and desire, you can make your dreams come true. Equipped with a basic, easy to follow diet program, you’ll be quickly on your way.

Just how basic can an effective bulking diet be? How about three items? We will use three of the most common breakfast foods around. These foods are can be found on any farm and end up in kitchens all over the country: whole milk, farm fresh eggs, and a loaf of bread. These three inexpensive staples can fuel the young bodybuilder’s growth when used wisely throughout the day. At this point, you might be scratching your head, wondering if we’re crazy – just a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a dozen eggs? Yes. We call it the Farmer’s Diet.

But before we check out each of these foods in more detail, a few caveats are in order. Though these foods can provide the foundation for a bulking diet, your daily intake of foods should not solely consist of bread, eggs and milk while on that diet. Variety is the spice of life and this is just as true in bodybuilding as with anything else. So eat your veggies, including sweet potatoes, along with brown rice, yams, pasta, poultry, beef, fish and pork.

Let’s start by looking in the cupboards for a simple loaf of bread. For $3.39, you can find a carbohydrate-rich source of food that won’t cost you a lot of dough. You’ll get a total of about 20 super-soft slices you can snack on throughout the day, and each slice will deliver about a gram of fat, approximately double that in protein, and roughly 12 grams of carbohydrates. Best of all, for even more calories, you can use spreads to your advantage. Peanut butter and jams are all great options.

Next, open the icebox and take out a gallon of ice-cold milk. You’ll need something to wash down that bread with. This item will check in at $3.89 a gallon. You get 128 ounces of a wholesome beverage that packs quite a caloric punch and is also chock full of vitamins and minerals. If you were to divide that up, you’d get 8 servings at 16 ounces, and costing around forty cents per serving. For a quarter, dime and a nickel, you get plenty of calories and a nice balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. All three are important for the athlete looking to add size and weight.

Last but not least, the incredible edible egg. Some call the egg the bodybuilder’s perfect food. Each egg gives you 6g of protein, no carbohydrates and some good, unsaturated fats. Now some worry that eating too many eggs will lead to high cholesterol levels. It’s not dietary cholesterol you need to worry about. It’s saturated fat. And remember, testosterone is made from cholesterol! Some elite bodybuilders will eat half a dozen eggs at breakfast alone, so start cracking!

Taken together, the Farmer’s Diet consisting of a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, and a gallon of milk will only cost you $9.97 per day. That’s a little over ten bucks a day for a solid bulking foundation! The Farmer’s Diet will add close to 4500 quality calories per day, more than enough for any serious athlete when taking his entire diet into account. Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

• Milk (whole, gallon, $3.89): 2344 calories, 124g protein, 204g carbohydrates,128g fat

• Eggs (large, dozen, $2.69): 852 calories, 72g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 60g fat

• Bread (white, loaf, $3.39): 1300 calories, 40g protein, 230g carbohydrates, 25g fat

Daily Totals: $9.97, 4496 calories, 236g protein, 434g carbohydrates, 213g fat

Let’s break down the Farmer’s Diet into more detail. Assuming you eat six meals throughout the day. Each meal would then consist of the following:

• 21 oz. glass of milk

• 3 slices of bread

• 2 boiled eggs

That’s it. Could you really pack on weight just by eating this simple meal, six times a day? Absolutely. While the Farmer’s Diet is simple, it will work because it will provide plenty of calories to sustain growth. That’s the real key. What matters most are calories and which foods you choose to eat.

The Farmer’s Diet is illustrative; it provides an example. Your own diet doesn’t have to include milk, bread and eggs. You could replace these three with other staple foods like yams, potatoes, rice, veggies, poultry, fish, and beef. At the end of the day, you need to make sure you’ve eaten enough. Theories and fads may be food for thought, but all the fancy ideas in the world won’t pack on weight. For that, you have to eat real food – and eating is what separates men from the boys.

SHAKE THINGS UP

When you’re eating four, six or eight square meals, the day can get really long, fast. Foods rich in fiber and fats can sit in your gut for a long time and digest slowly. With all those meals, you might end up feeling full and sluggish and tired. So while the day starts strong, it might go out with a whimper. Here’s where a simple strategy can help, one that will help you add even more calories. When times get tough, shake things up!

A delicious and nutritious shake can help you quickly obtain calories. Why shakes? For starters, shakes are tasty and very convenient. All you need is a blender or a shaker cup and you’re good to go. As shakes are a liquid source of calories, they will be digested quickly and efficiently. In other words, a shake won’t sit in your stomach for hours. This is especially important when you are eating a whole food meal every few hours. Calories that don’t keep you feeling full are vital.

So should you stock up on shakes all day long? The answer is a resounding no! Shakes are not meant to replace whole foods. They aren’t miracle supplements that will magically help you gain weight in a shorter period of time. Good, quality weight gain takes time. You can, of course, replace a meal with a shake. You can add a shake between a meal or two. Finally, you can top off a whole food meal with some liquid calories. There are many strategic ways to use a shake effectively and efficiently. Remember, a shake should be used to supplement your weight gaining goals.

When using a shake, feel free to use your imagination and add ingredients to really powerize that drink. Here’s a quick recipe that’s sure to taste good and help you add weight. Start by using a quality high protein, low sugar weight gainer in a basic flavor like vanilla. For our recipe, we prefer Vanilla Ice Cream flavored Real Gains because it contains superior sources of protein, important fats and fiber. Some old time bodybuilders used to use heavy cream for their shakes, but for our recipe, we’ll stick to whole milk.

• 3.5 scoops of vanilla Real Gains (605 cal, 5g fat, 88g carbs, 52g protein)

• 10 oz whole milk, cold (170 cal, 10g fat, 10g carbs, 10g protein)

• 1 medium-sized banana (105 cal, 27g carbs, 1g protein)

• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (188 cal, 16g fat, 6g carbs, 8g protein)

• Ice

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix for 10-15 seconds. Pour the shake into a tall glass and you’re all set. With this delicious shake, you get a whopping 1068 calories from 71g of protein, 131g of carbohydrates, and 31g of fat. Now add those 1068 calories to the Farmer’s Diet and your grand total is 5564 calories per day.

Without a doubt, a nutrient-dense shake can really help you out of a tight spot when looking to get big. Use one smartly and only as needed and a shake could mean the difference between meeting your daily intake of calories and missing it day after day, week after week, and month after month.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR GETTING BIG

OK, let’s summarize everything and list the most important things to do and avoid when trying to pack on weight:

1-Simplify your diet: Don’t overcomplicate things and fall for fancy, complex diet plans.
2- Eat big: When it comes to eating, go big or go home; at home, eat some more.
3- Lift heavy: Train big and be consistent; as with eating focus on the basics like compound movements.
4- Add in increments: Whenever you can, add an extra serving to meal; add an extra meal to the day; add extra calories using a small shake at the end of a meal.
5- Shake it up: When you’re full, add a shake; also add foods to that shake (such as peanut butter, fruit, ice cream).
6- The right meat: Instead of white meat, focus on red meat.
7- Carbs are your friend: When it comes to gaining weight, don’t neglect carbohydrates.
8- Move up: Instead of water, use skim milk; if that doesn’t work, move up to whole milk or even cream.
9- Avoid cardio: If you can run, jog. If you can jog, walk.

10- It’s a marathon: When it comes to bulking, it’s a marathon not a sprint so take your time and do it right.

As any muscle head will tell you, meals are an important part of the bodybuilding equation. When you bomb your muscles with one intense workout after another, you can’t afford to let a weak, inadequate diet hold you back from making explosive gains and obtaining an unreal body. Plan a simple, basic, effective diet and then stick to it. When you do, you’ll soon find more meat sticking to your ribs."

Universal is on the move man! BTW nice numbers on the deads.
 
TheHardOne

TheHardOne

Well-known member
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5/28/12

-Didn't get much sleep last night, most likely due to going a little overboard with the stimulants
-Hamstrings / Lower back sore!!
-4 Recycle caps 1 hour after my first meal, will be how I dose Recycle, just from the first day I noticed an increase of sexual desire, erection strength....for a 19 year old....HELL YEAH! And for all you "experts" out there thinking that this may be a placebo, my life is pretty stressful right now, I doubt it is a placebo effect.
-(any one from APPnut and LG science reading this log, don't worry ill get those independent logs up asap! last few days have been a bit hecktic on time)


*Training thoughts*
-Was thinking of getting rid of the high threshold lower rep work and just focusing on a fast paced, growth factor stimulating intense protocol which is my preferred style of training...I was thinking, I mean eventually im going to be using some super heavy weight on my squats / deadlifts / presses for low reps, I honestly find it hard to find that "zone" or that "mindset/motivation" to lift those super heavy poundages, I really have no interest in training that way, the only reason I do it is because it does produce muscular hypertrophy. Also ensures I won't have to do any cardio! :)
 
AaronJP1

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Good deal on the recycle. Did you dose SLINshot in different ways today?

I usually lift late. Past 9pm & the stims keep me wide awake. :(

Got some APPNut & LG love going on too huh? What products are you using from them?
 
TheHardOne

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Good deal on the recycle. Did you dose SLINshot in different ways today?

I usually lift late. Past 9pm & the stims keep me wide awake. :(

Got some APPNut & LG love going on too huh? What products are you using from them?
I tried 6 caps yesterday with the SLIN, didn't notice a drastic difference, so ill stay with 4 caps a day, 2, 30 mins before my first 2 meals.

Man even when I take stims in the morning its harder on those days for me to stay asleep lol.

From APPnut, running some Pre workout Endurance/Lactic Acid buffer "Drive", and "Fat free" which will aid in neurotransmitter efficiency, fat loss, euphoric mood, pretty awesome because it doesn't contain a huge amount of stimulants, from LG im running some anadraulic state gt.

A little update....I only want to weigh myself once a week, but weighed myself today, just a couple days in, already back up to 213+. (was around 205 a couple days ago lol)
 
TheHardOne

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5/29/12 Arms

-CNS warm up (mixture up high threshold exercises)

-Maximize Pump / Growth Factors (20-40 second rest period between sets) (3021 tempo) (about 2-3 sets each exercise, pyramiding up, nothing to complete failure)
V-Bar Pushdowns superset Incline DB Curls
Upright Dips superset Supine Grip Chins
One Arm Overhead Extension superset Preacher Curl
Incline Hammer Curls

-Stretch Fascia
Put biceps in a fully stretched position for 30+ seconds (incline db curl position with internally rotated)
Put triceps in a fully stretched position for 30+ seconds (overhead one arm db extension bottom position)

***Notes***
-Not much sleep last night, felt tired as hell during my workout, but my intensity was there! Actually starting to get that "in the zone" feeling again, yay!
-4 recycle caps 30 mins pre
-agmatine 60 mins pre
-drive 3 caps 40 mins pre
-1 scoop asgt 20 mins pre
-1 fat free cap 10 mins pre
-Pump came quick during my workout, which is unusual, but I noticed intensity started to fall down slightly(which is when you want to stop the workout completely), so I kept on going, ended up losing my pump, face started getting very puffy/bloated....ughhh cortisol...can't I have a little bit more fun in the gym? Whatever, lesson learned.
-Not sure if I will keep doing the low rep high threshold work, I honestly hate training with low reps, I love the high paced, intense style of training.
-Gota keep reminding myself to NOT look in the mirror and worry too much how I look for the first week, same with my performance, can't expect too much from the first week.
-Good workout though, looks like quads is next in line to get thrashed!
 
AaronJP1

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Why did you lost intensity during the work out?

What do you think the puffy and bloated face came from?
 
TheHardOne

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Why did you lost intensity during the work out?

What do you think the puffy and bloated face came from?
Your central nervous system can only sustain high performance with stressful resistance training only for so long(it will be different for everyone, sleep/hormones play a critical role), I tend to follow alot of Christian Thibadeu's work, he has revamped my whole viewpoint on how to train, knowing when to stop..etc..

I always notice the puffy and bloated face comes whenever im stressed out, or when I do too much work in the gym without listening to my body, pretty much when my mind starts to "wander off" and I end up going through the motions, thats when I should be packing my bags and get out of the gym. Its all cool though, this week is just more of a regain / start up phase week anyways.

Just took 2 caps of slinshot prior to my post workout meal, feeling really good! Muscles feeling really full!
 
TheHardOne

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5/29/12 Article of the day!

By Jon-Erik Kawamoto, M.Sc.Kin.(c), C.S.C.S., C.E.P. Men's Fitness


"Packing on muscle is no easy feat regardless of whether you're a string bean or a husky guy. And why you're missing out on gains is typically caused by a number of reasons that can be easily avoided. So if you're frustrated about being stuck in the place and at the same weight, it's time to assess what you're doing and make a change.

1. YOU'RE IMPATIENT
If you’re a true beginner, the first phase of your training program results in changes that you can’t see – typically, your coordination improves with each exercise and the amount of co-contraction between muscles decreases. Your brain gets better at communicating with your muscles and can actually activate a higher percentage of your muscle fibers, commonly referred to as neuromuscular efficiency. Don’t look in the mirror after two weeks and wonder why you’re not getting bigger. Be patient and put in the work, the results will come.

2. YOU DON'T KEEP TRACK
Training logs are just as important as the program. How are you supposed to know what to do today or what you did last week without keeping track of it? To maximize muscle hypertrophy, keep track of all your workouts, weight used, repetitions performed, the tempo of the exercise and the breaks between sets. Keeping a training log will allow you to track your progress and your energy levels. Logs are also a great way to look back to see how (hopefully not) you got injured or over-trained.

3. YOU'VE GOT NO STRUCTURE
Remove the randomness from your workouts and stick to a plan. This is the best way to improve strength and increase muscle size. Random training might make you strong (for a beginner), but it's inferior to a planned periodized training program. A linear periodized plan can look like this: week 1: 3x12-15; week 2: 3x10-12; and week 3: 3x8-10. A non-periodized plan can look like this: weeks 1-3: 1st set 10-12 reps; 2nd set 6-8 reps, 3rd set 3-5 reps. Pick a plan and stick to it for maximum gains.

4. YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH CARDIO
If your goals are size and strength, cardio workouts should not dominate your program. HIIT workouts and easy cardio sessions can be slotted into your program, but your 1st priority is getting in the 3-4 weight training days. If you can recover well between workouts, feel free to add in a cardio session here or there, but not at the expense of your recovery.

5. YOU'RE A HEADCASE
Having too much negative stress in your life can wreck havoc on your body’s chemistry and your overall health. It’s easier said than done, but you need to chill out man. Find a job you enjoy and a non-drama-filled girlfriend. Eat fresh whole foods and drink plenty of water. Try to get 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Learn how to meditate. The lower the stress, the better you recover. The better you recover, the better your progress. Make it happen.

6. YOU'RE EATING LIKE A BIRD
To put on size, you can’t eat salads all day. You need to have a slight calorie surplus to support muscle growth. This includes all energy expended from physical activity and internal processes. As mentioned earlier, eat whole fresh foods. Put time into planning your meals so you don’t have to resort to eating junk. Avoid sugary drinks and all fast food. Try to eat organic meats and drink organic milk. Eat healthy fats such as avocados and coconut oil. If you’re inclined, diets such as the “Paleo Diet” or “Perfect Health Diet” work really well for putting on size while staying lean. Ensure your growing body receives the nutrients and building blocks it needs and remember that eating junk equals junk results.

7. YOU CHEAT YOUR REPS
Half or quarter reps are commonly seen in the gym. Don’t be that guy. Half reps are going to get you half-assed results. Learn how to perform the full range of motion for each exercise. Leave your ego at the door because the weight you’ll use will be less. In the long run, you’ll maximize your gains when progressing full range of motion exercises with lighter weights than you would when using heavy weights for half reps. Half and quarter reps have their place though – they are great when used as assistance exercises to the main lifts, but only when the main lifts can be performed with full range of motion.

8. YOU'RE AFRAID OF COMPOUND MOVEMENTS
Curls, front raises, lateral raises, and calf raises are all good exercises but are normally performed at the wrong time. Focus on big compound lifts at the beginning of your workouts while you’re fresh and not fatigued. Exercises such as deadlifts, squats, cleans, presses and/or pulls should make up the first half of your workout. Save the isolation exercises for the last half.

9. YOU'RE A GYM ADDICT
Spending hours in the gym isn’t going to do you any favors. Related to the “you need to chill out” tip, doing too much in the gym will result in a tougher time recovering between workouts while adding to your already high levels of stress. Beginners can get plenty of work in a 45-min to 60-min workout, if the proper breaks are taken between sets and if they’re not checking their Facebook. Too many sets and hours in the gym can result in diminishing returns. Go to the gym, get focused, do the work and go home.

10. YOU'RE AVOIDING DROP-SETS
Drop-sets involve sub-maximal weights performed to failure over several mini-sets. Arnold referred to this type of training as training for “the pump.” For example, grab a weight you can curl for 8-10 reps. Following that set, grab another pair of dumbbells 10lbs lighter and immediately perform reps to failure. Perform this drop for one more set. Take a minute break and do it again. Constant muscle tension created with these 3 mini-sets induces hypertrophic mechanisms within the muscle. Add in drop-sets to your isolation exercises to maximize your gains in size."
 
AaronJP1

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Nice tip with the drop sets. Good that it focuses on compound movements as well.
 
TheHardOne

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**Thoughts 5/29/12
-So 3 workouts in so far....
-I didn't want to look at myself in the mirror for the first 1-2 weeks because I know it won't be until mid week 2 or week 3 when the changes start being drastically noticeable....couldn't help it in the gym today....I was actually looking pretty good!
-"Alpha Male" drive, libido is noticeably getting better daily
-I keep having to remind myself to be patient....lol....this ain't a sprint!
 

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